《Chronicles of Kyr》 Chapter 1 Awakening Kyrion Mosely, eight years old, farmer¡¯s son and the resident troublemaker. Some could even call him the reluctant protagonist of this story. Looking up at the sky, gazing at the two moons, Almira and Icaron, the red and blue watchers. Large circles that held many secrets all their own. Though that wasn¡¯t what intrigued the boy at that moment. Behind the sky, itself seemed to be a world of its own. Birds flew under white clouds. The white clouds covered the blue, green, and brown sky above. A feeling in his gut told Kyrion that the world wanted him to explore. It wanted more than the life he had here. Something beyond a farm. Raising his right arm, Kyrion stared at his brown skin, darker than usual due to sun exposure and labor. His tied-back black hair spread out wildly as he lay on the grass. Scowling, he pulled some blades of strong grass and used them to tie up his hair. His emerald green eyes were made visible but had no luster. ¡°I wish to see the world outside this place. Learn new things. Meet new people. Do something that isn¡¯t farming somewhere that isn¡¯t in this village.¡± He muttered to himself before turning around. A streak in the sky passed behind him moving at an exceptionally high speed, landing relatively close by. He is technically a noble, but blood doesn¡¯t mean much in Limguard. His father didn¡¯t let them flaunt their wealth and status. Apparently, his grandfather had been an entrepreneur in his youth. After becoming wealthy enough, he settled down with his family. So had things turned out differently, he¡¯d be entitled to some prestige. Not that he cared for such matters. Due to politics, however, apparently, his mother made some mistakes. This resulted in the loss of her title and her claim and status. With her brother dead and his child born out of wedlock, the Falknir line seemed to end with no successor. The thought of growing up being pampered and praised for using a chamber pot crossed his mind before he lagged to himself. ¡°Master Kyrion can wipe his own bum! Good job, you truly are of noble blood.¡± Kyrion said mockingly. Before he spits out the words. A squirrel ran up to the black-haired child and pointed to a group of adults gathering in the distance. Kyrion pulled out some peeled pecans and handed them to his messenger. ¡°Good girl.¡± The squirrel took off with its gifts. Cheeks fully stuffed, it was clearly happy to be paid for its service. Kyrion made his way up a hill near the gathering point and climbed a tree. His hearing and sight had been good from as far back as he could remember, a gift and a curse. He could hear the people down the hill talking from near a nearby tree. Laying on his stomach, he listened. ¡°A Spirit-Master has arrived! Spread the word!¡± Said the village crier. ¡°From the academy?¡± Asked the village gossip. ¡°Yes! Remember to make your children presentable. Some are relatively picky from my experience.¡± Said an older woman. ¡°That woman¡¯s kids are going to snatch up both spots again aren¡¯t they.¡± Said the gossip. ¡°Take them both. One less demon to keep an eye out for.¡± Said the older woman. ¡°Don¡¯t say that too loudly or you¡¯ll get cursed again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth. The one with black hair is an ill omen I say.¡± Said the older woman. There were some nods of agreement from the group who also heard the rumors. Kyrion considered being a nuisance to the rude lady, but she was right. Illanda, his youngest sister, had raven black hair. And did seem a bit clumsy from time to time. But Illanda wasn¡¯t old enough to be awakened yet. They certainly weren¡¯t talking about him. After all, he was right there, not hidden, just up in a tree. ¡°Oh.¡± Kyrion realized they didn¡¯t see him. So he decided to take the scenic route to the town hall. The village soon erupted with activity as people displayed their best work, from metal pots and pans to high-quality crops. Most of the children were dressed in their best clothing and freshly groomed hair. Kyrion entered the town hall in a haze, his eyes puffy from cry¡­ allergies. His clothes were caked in dirt from a day¡¯s labor paired with an afternoon nap in the sun and a trek around town. Various nuts, plants, and seeds were trapped in a mess known as his hair. He smelled like the earth, and not in a good way. But, Kyrion did not care as he found a place in the town hall to lie on his back. One of Kyrion¡¯s younger sisters, Asela, was also clean as a whistle and glowering at said elder brother. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go home and change like you were supposed to?¡± The 6-year-old asked, looking back and forth between their mother, who was, at that moment, staring daggers at him, and Kyrion, who either seemed not to notice or didn¡¯t care to respond. ¡°No time.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°No time?¡± His sister replied with a raised eyebrow. ¡°None whatsoever. I was busy doing stuff.¡± Kyrion looked up at the ceiling and reached up with an open hand as though he was trying to grasp something only he could see. His sister sighed and went to where her friends were while waiting for the Spirit Master to arrive. After a few more minutes of waiting, an older man in clean golden robes, and a bald head, arrived at the town hall where villagers were waiting. Everyone was silent, with anticipation. ¡°You must be the young ones, between five and eight. Is that correct? If not, any children older and younger must leave the queue. Anyone older will need to go to the capital, and anyone younger will need to wait until the next scheduled appointment.¡± The old Spirit Master pulled out a stone tablet with odd symbols etched onto it. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°One by one, each of you will come by and place your hand on the tablet. Upon doing so, your spirit will manifest and take shape. For some, it may leave a mark on your body, but that is unlikely as spirit marks are rare and require a huge amount of mana for even the faintest of marks. Ok, now you.¡± He pointed to some kid in the front, and the testing began. After around 10 minutes of testing, paired with the sub-par results from the other village kids, Kyrion started to lose hope. ¡°You, girl, come to the stage.¡± The old spirit master said ¡°On it!¡± Asela replied, approaching the stone tablet. ¡°Now, place your hand here.¡± He held the tablet up for her to place her hand. As she put her hand on the tablet, her body began to glow, and an orange circle appeared on her forehead. ¡°Mana Marked¡­¡± The old man was astonished. ¡°You have a prodigy among you! I must make preparations as soon as possible.¡± The old man dropped the tablet as he went to his horse outside. Returning with a pen and parchment. The curious villagers follow while parading young Asela. Nobody noticed as Kyrion walked over to the tablet and replaced it on the pedestal before quietly passing out. The spirit master returned quickly with a written invitation.¡± Who are the parents of this child?¡± The spirit master asked. Bill was a six-foot-tall man with a dark brown skin tone tanned further from labor, with a bald head, dark brown eyes, and a strong jaw, giving off the presence of a man who does not shy away from work. In his left hand was his hoe, his trusty spirit tool perfect for gardening. Cordelia was a five-foot-tall, red-haired woman with pale skin and green eyes capable of pacifying a dragon. Dressed in a purple dress that seemed out of place in a small village like this, it seemed to match Asela¡¯s clothes. In her arms was another set of matching clothes, probably meant for a son that decided to go on a walk. The two of them made their way to the center of the town hall. The Spirit-Master spoke first. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, your daughter has the potential to be a great Spirit-Master, which means a lot of things, a longer lifespan, a life full of adventure, power beyond your wildest dreams, and riches that could make kings jealous.¡± Asela¡¯s little green eyes widened in a mixture of pride and excitement as she looked back at both of her parents. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think about it. She¡¯s rather young, and I wouldn¡¯t want to risk sending our little girl off alone. If possible can you write two invitations? Our other son may not be a talent, but at least he can look out for her.¡± Bill looked around for Kyrion, who was nowhere in the crowd. ¡°Kyrion!¡± He called. After a minute of silence, the crowd joined the hunt to look for him. It took more than five minutes to find him sleeping near the pedestal, curled up like a ball. A talent most thieves would have coveted and honed like a fine edge. Used to nap in places that shouldn¡¯t be napped in. ¡°He¡¯s just napping again! I¡¯ll wake him!¡± One of the kids yelled. That kid then began to shake him awake. After a generous amount of shaking, Kyrion opened solid black eyes and stared at him before shifting to red as the blackness faded. The red then returned to the emerald green everyone knew. This shift seemed to take only a few seconds. The kid shaking him shrunk back in surprise before questioning what he saw. ¡°What happened?¡± Kyrion asked as he stood up. Holding his back with his right hand. ¡°Your sister will be joining the school in the capital. You¡¯re going with her, got it?¡± Bill said as though it was already set in stone. Kyrion nodded in understanding. ¡°Ok. Can I go back to sleep now? I feel sore .¡± Kyrion asked his father. ¡°Wait, your son has not yet gone through his awakening let¡¯s get that sorted out first.¡± Said the Spirit Master. He went back to the pedestal with a smile on his face. ¡°Ok, boy, put your hand on the tablet.¡± Kyrion did so, and he was rewarded with no response from the tablet. ¡°Odd, can you try it again?¡± He said. Kyrion touched his hand on it again and felt absolutely nothing. The old Spirit-Master looked at Kyrion. ¡°Do you feel anything different?¡± Kyrion stretched and popped his back. ¡°Other than the fact that my back is sore. I am as fit as a spring chicken.¡± This earned the boy an odd look from the old Spirit Master. ¡°I see¡­¡± The old spirit master then looked at Bill. ¡°Can you still take him?¡± Bill asked, rubbing his hands together. Oddly enough, neither parent seemed surprised by the result. The old man shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not. They have three months to arrive in the capital with my invitation. I can have him enter with my recommendation. However, he will have to manifest some ability if he is to do well in any of the tests.¡± The rest of the kids went through the awakening relatively quickly, as there were no other talents this year. The Mosely family returned home, and Kyrion hosed himself off in the back before dinner and followed by turning in for sleep. He stayed up for a little while, thinking to himself before tears welled up, and he quietly cried to sleep. As Kyrion closed his eyes, he faded into a vivid dream. Alone on a plain of dead grass, Kyrion stands. For as far as he could see, there was a vacancy. Kyrion walked for minutes, hours, and what felt like days. Only finding dead grass along the way. Exhausted from traveling, he falls to his back and looks up at the cloud-filled sky. Within the clouds, Kyrion began to make out three shapes, one resembled a fox, followed by some seed that he was unfamiliar with, and the last seemed to be an egg. It then begins to rain, and the ground becomes a muddy mess as Kyrion starts to sink into the ground. Finally, the clouds faded, and Kyrion lay in the damp mud staring at the sun. ¡°What was that about?¡± So he began to ask himself when a roaster call began echoing repeatedly. Kyrion awoke in the room he shared with his elder brother, who also seemed to have just woken up. Another oddity in their house, there were enough rooms for everyone to have their own space. Yet Illanda had to share a room with Samantha, while Kyrion had to share a room with Jr. Whenever Kyrion broached the topic, their mother would just eye Samantha, then Illanda, and finally Jr. before answering, ¡°Illanda needs someone to be with her when she wakes up or she cries. While you won¡¯t wake up without a bucket of water sometimes. What do you even dream about?¡± That question distracted the boy as he tried to recall his last dream. It was usually a fruitless endeavor, but he knew it was time to move on when she changed the subject. ¡°Good morning, Kyr! Let¡¯s go down for breakfast before it¡¯s gone.¡± Jr covered his bright red hair with a straw hat that he always liked to wear. At his side was his trusty spirit tool, currently in the shape of a shovel. Breakfast was always an ordeal in this house. Of course, seven people can eat a lot in the morning. But, especially his sisters, Kyrion never understood why other kids thought he was lucky for having so many sisters. He was sure at least one of them was demented while the other kept saying in law this, and in-law, that. Kyrion scrunched his face a bit. ¡°Kyr can you pass the jam, and get that look off your face?¡± His eldest sister Curella asked. It was at that moment that Kyrion froze up in fear. ¡°Mind reader?¡± Curella grinned before their mother looked at both of them and sighed. ¡°Kyrion, you should try eating more today. You¡¯ll need the energy.¡± Cordelia said. After a hearty meal of half an egg, a strip of bacon, one whole tangerine, peel and all, and the insides of a biscuit, Kyrion was ready to get to his morning chores. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t get enough food. It was more that he never had much of an appetite. Which was possibly why he was short for his age. He was only two inches taller than Asela, who was also short for her age. Before Kyrion left the house to start his chores, his father showed up. Placed a hand on the young boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Little Kyr, I¡¯ll take you and your sister on a monster hunt today. It will be a weak monster, mind you, but you need to learn how to use your spirit if you¡¯re going to succeed at any school.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what this school is, but I feel I won¡¯t like it.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Therefore, we will be going out to hunt some monsters.¡± Bill said bluntly. ¡°In the forest! Can I climb the trees?¡± Kyrion asked, his scowl turning into a smile. ¡°No, you¡¯ll need to stay on the ground for safety. Cordelia would probably kill me if a monster knocked you off a tree and you hurt your head. Your more likely to hurt the ground where you land but.¡± Bill looked away from his son when he said that. ¡°Mmmmhmmm. So I can climb trees so long as I don¡¯t hurt my head.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. Chapter 2 Monster hunting with Bill Kyrion and Asela followed their father out of the town and into the forest. Their father would tap his hoe on the ground every ten or so steps. Look around, and then continue forward, looking for something. ¡°Ok kids first off I have what is called a tool spirit, which is an ability based on an item from this world, it can be anything from a boat to a dinner fork. Some are weapons, others are more practical¡± Bill lifted his magical hoe. ¡°Sometimes spirits are genetic. I come from a long line of farmers you see, and the first son or daughter tends to inherit a version of both parent¡¯s abilities. Usually combined. Hence Bill Jr. also has a similar tool to mine.¡± ¡°What can it do?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Plant things faster, fertilize the fields evenly. Cut wheat faster. It can do alot.¡± Bill said. ¡°What did he get from mom?¡± Kyrion asked. Bill frowned and continued. ¡°From what I know there are 3 ranks of power, Fledgling, Practitioner, and Expert. I am a mid-ranked Spirit Practitioner, which means I should have a lot more raw power than a Fledgling. Right now you barely qualify as hatched chicks in this world. Until reaching rank 3, your control over your power along with its output will be extremely limited.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Compressing mana lowers the quantity but raises the quality. Past rank three your mana pool returns to its base size.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna write the rest of my advice down in a notebook, and maybe have Ilanda draw the pictures. Sadly Kyrion, you¡¯re gonna have to teach yourself how to read, we don¡¯t have the time for you to master that skill now. We can only do so much for you, in your current condition.¡± Bill pulled out his hoe and traveled further into the forest to a clearing where a giant boar was currently munching on some mushrooms. ¡°Kids, stay back. This creature is called a Gluttonous Boar. It¡¯s an early practitioner rank monster, pretty weak, and a delicacy, if possible, avoid it all together. While the tusks look scary, it¡¯s the whole thing you want to avoid, as the monster¡¯s charge is powerful. Those heavy prints on the ground mark its path.¡± Bill ran deeper into the clearing, his hoe angled towards the ground. He brought the tool down on a rock to get its attention. Clank The boar, surprised by the sound, attempted to run. Bill, in turn, swung his hoe into the dirt like he would plow a field. A spike of earth shoots up from the ground, winging the boar on its side, leaving behind a bleeding wound. The boar turned around and charged, knocking over a few small trees as it made its way towards Bill. Who, in response, struck the ground with his hoe, causing a hand made from earth to shoot up from under the boar. Which it avoided by rolling to the side. Onto a bed of sharp earthen spikes. The pig shrieked as it got back to its feet, body riddled with tiny holes. Blood poured out like a fountain, and it could hardly stand. Yet, it had the will to continue fighting. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Bill said as he struck the ground a third time, and earthen hands wrapped around the boar¡¯s wobbling legs trapping it. He then hit the ground a fourth and final time. A spear of earth rose from the ground, piercing the creature through its snout and past the skull. Bill pulled out a carving knife and began cleaning up the meat and taking a few choice cuts and the tusk. Bill buried the rest of the boar in the ground. ¡°The power gained from my rank and spirit give me some control over the earth,and plants along with an enhanced body. ¡° ¡°What do we do now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Now, I want you two to look into yourselves and find your center. Upon doing so imagine pulling it out. Turning the object from imagination into reality.¡± Bill told them After a minute of focus, a flame appeared in front of Asela, ¡°I did it!¡± she said in triumph, then the fire died out. A pout formed on her face as she tried to do it again, but nothing happened. She tried to focus again, and as she did, a crown of flame started to manifest before vanishing completely, as Asela found herself completely drained. Bill rubbed the stubble on his tan face. ¡°Lots of aptitude in manifesting. Appears to be a tool spirit as well. Kyr, any luck?¡± Sweat began to build up on Kyrion¡¯s forehead as he tried to find his power. It was as though there was nothing there. His core, center, or whatever it was couldn¡¯t be found. He pushed further and found some sort of connection in his lower back, near his spine. The feeling traveled up through his body and up to his head. He felt lines begin to branch out through his body from his head like roots spreading out to every part of himself. And then something hot and wet began to pool on his lips. ¡°Heed my call, child. We will meet soon. A debt owed is a debt repaid and I will come for it.¡± Said a melodious voice in Kyrion¡¯s head. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Kyrion woke to some jostling from his father. ¡°Kyrion! Oi wake up. It¡¯s been an hour and it looks like a storm is coming, we need to head back now. I need to have a talk with your mother¡­ It seems to be getting worse.¡± ¡°Rain?¡± Kyrion looked up to a patch of rain clouds headed their way. ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion tried to stand up, only to collapse as an unseen strain passed through him. ¡°Oh boy,¡± Bill said, looking at his daughter, who gave him the, if he¡¯s not walking back, I¡¯m not either, look. ¡°Looks like I have to carry them both.¡± Bill brought both of the kids home. Kyrion awoke in his parent¡¯s room. Both were present and waiting for him as he rubbed his eyes wearily. ¡°Seems I passed out again. Why am I here?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to believe it,¡± Bill said solemnly. ¡°I honestly thought it had to have been a sickness-induced dream.¡± ¡°I know the feeling, but I told you it wasn¡¯t a dream!¡± Cordelia snapped back. With a somewhat irritated expression. ¡°We also don¡¯t have much uptime with him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Bill nods. ¡°Kyrion. Long story short is, you¡¯re dying.¡± Cordelia let it set in. Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What? But I¡¯m not even sick!¡± ¡°Yes. You are. I¡¯m sure you wonder why you¡¯re prone to passing out, and why we let you do what you want. Kyrion, since you made it to this point, we can tell you this much. So get comfortable, this will be a long story.¡± Cordelia waited for Kyrion to sit. Kyrion pinched himself just to make sure he wasn¡¯t still out. ¡°This is real isn¡¯t it.¡± Bill nodes solemnly. ¡°Sadly it is.¡± Kyrion fell back on the bed and sighed. ¡°Let me get this straight. I¡¯m so full of mana that it¡¯s killing me from the inside. It has been doing so since I¡¯ve been alive.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°Some beast in the dark offered a magical cure and I need to find it and pay some debt.¡± ¡°Also right.¡± ¡°And you two decided to keep it a secret. Since it didn¡¯t matter if I knew before getting awakened.¡± ¡°Sadly if you didn¡¯t live to this point then it wouldn¡¯t have mattered.¡± Cordelia said coldly. Kyrion shivered. ¡°Got it. You could sound sadder. Next you¡¯re going to tell me birds don¡¯t deliver babies.¡± Bill looked to his wife in confusion. ¡°Sometimes they do. This world is weird sometimes.¡± Cordelia said. Kyrion bit thumb. ¡°You haven¡¯t lied but I get the feeling you left quite a bit out.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t matter then.¡± ¡°It does matter, you need to grow if you want to survive.¡± Bill said. A light glinted in Kyrion¡¯s right eye. ¡°I will get stronger. I will survive. And I will get the full honest to Imala truth out of the both of you.¡± ¡°Make it to expert and you¡¯ll have it.¡± Cordelia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s got to be hard. Not even dad¡¯s an expert.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°It really isn¡¯t. I just stopped training when Jr. was born. Getting to be an expert is the easy part. Surviving as an expert isn¡¯t. The stronger you get the more things will want to kill you.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Cordelia sighed. ¡°I¡¯m a just go¡­.¡± Kyrion hopped off the bed and left. In a flash, the month went by as Kyrion was briefed on noble etiquette and manners. Later in the day, he would go out on monster hunts with his father and Asela. ¡°Every monster has a weakness, when hunting it¡¯s best to study their movements and mannerisms before attempting a fight. Running headlong at something that could kill you unprepared is asisted suicide.¡± Bill would remind the two kids over and over again. Asela managed to learn how to fully manifest her spirit, which appeared to be a tiara made from flame. It was pretty to look at and hot to touch. Asela started doing manifestation drills with our father. He emphasized it as one of the most important things to learn, followed by the defensive abilities that manifest after rank two. Kyrion, on the other hand, had yet to show anything and had begun just building up his body and stamina. By working on the farm with the more challenging chores. Jr would share some of the good tangerines, and he¡¯d be back up in moments. ¡°Kids?¡± Bill approached from behind. ¡°When you can read through these notebooks, they have a few exercises me and your mother used to practice. While your grandpa may be a decent teacher, I haven¡¯t seen him since we came down here and he may still be depressed. His son¡¯s death in the last war shook him. It shook your mother as well to be completely honest. I don¡¯t think she found her way back until you two showed up.¡± ¡°Whats that mean?¡± ¡°I wanna say thank you for your ten years of peace?¡± ¡°Dad? I¡¯m eight.¡± Kyrion was quite surprised. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are.¡± Bill replied. Curella approached Kyrion and flicked him on the side of his head. ¡°What was that for?¡± Kyrion rubbed the forming bruise. ¡°Payback. Don¡¯t go breaking any hearts little brother.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Kyrion was now confused and now oddly tired. Illanda approached. ¡°Unc¡­brother Kyrion! I want a present!¡± Samantha sighed. ¡°You have a present to give him.¡± ¡°I give present, he gives present.¡± The four-year-old said. Kyrion wasn¡¯t informed he had to give her a gift. Balling his hands together, he made a weird and guttural sound. Within moments a squad of eight curious squirrels made their way here. "Now I want you to work for Illanda. She will be your boss from here on. Protect her and make sure stays out of trouble. Also do the thing I like if you see her crying." Kyrion said "Bill...Your brother is insane." Samantha whispered "He''s your brother too now," Jr said with a smile. "Whats the thing?" Illanda asked. Kyrion snapped his fingers six times to a specific rhythm. The squirrels did a routine that left all the adults watching speechless. Illanda clapped her hands. "Kyrion, does that mean the squirrels that have been defecating in our neighbors water supply was your doing?" Bill questioned. "So, Illanda whatcha get me?" Illanda handed the boy a green hair tie to replace his old one. "I feel cheated." Kyrion muttered. "Yeah. She''s four what did you expect." Jr said. "More, also Jr. The ones in the red box have been laced with a local laxative. Just so you know." Jr reflexively grabbed his stomach and walked away. "Is that true?" Samanta asked. "Nope. The blue box, actually. I had the feeling someone was going through my stash of nuts." A light glinted in the boy''s right eye. "Goodbye Kyrion." Samantha said, taking Illanda with her. Asela stood next to Kyrion as they looked at their ride. It wasn''t anything elaborate. There were quite a few carts headed out, along with some that were just passing through. ¡°Well, I did always say I wanted to travel.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Now you get to. Don¡¯t start whining about missing home.¡± Asela replied. ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡± Kyrion placed his and Asela¡¯s bags in the carriage. Before helping Asela into the carriage and then climbing in himself. Neither of them knew this was the last time they would see the village for quite some time. The sun rose that dawn bringing with it the start of a new age. Chapter 3 White Wolf Kyrion looked around his carriage. He saw a blue-haired man in fancy clothes, their driver, a long-nosed man getting on in years, a man covered in cloth wraps, and Asela. Kyrion laid down only to hear the horses stop abruptly. While traveling, there were always dangers, be it monster, man, or disaster, so it was no surprise when the group came across a gang of bandits blocking off the road. ¡°Listen here, give us everything you got, and I¡¯ll let you go. I have twenty five hungry soldiers to feed and we don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± The voice came from a short human, around four-foot-two and wearing an eyepatch. Asela went to poke her head out when Kyrion grabbed her hand, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. ¡°Who¡¯s the kid?¡± Made it out before Kyr could stop her. ¡°Ah you got passengers which means you has tons of grub. Right boys?¡± ¡°Right boss.¡± Said a dumb-looking one in the back. The group began to edge closer when one of the other carts opened, and a White-Haired man wielding a long thin blade made his way out. ¡°25? I can only see the five of you from here.¡± a calm melodious voice echoed. ¡°So you can try your luck with me and face death, or you can turn around.¡± The dumb one answered. ¡°Boss there is more of us than him if we all like, attack at once he can¡¯t beat us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Get ¡¯em, boys,¡± said their leader. He pulled out a small short sword or a big knife, given its general shape and size. The White-haired man walked forward and swiped his blade casually at the short bandit leader. The bandit raised his blade to parry, only for it to freeze and shatter as the man¡¯s sword easily passed right through it. The bandit jumped back and drew out a red dagger that he threw at the White-haired man. He reflexively bisected the blade, turning the weapon into a series of floating red and gray lights. The bandit leader fell onto his knees, clutching his chest and coughing. While he was out of the fight, his part was played. Working as a distraction for the rest of his men to make their move. The brute blindsided him with a great club swing while an archer fired arrows of flame at him from a bow in their backline. The great club landed, and a snapping echoed across the plains. It wasn¡¯t from the swordsman. The crack came from a casual punch to the brutes gut that shattered bones. The brute fell, coughing blood. The archer let loose a volley of burning arrows. Those that made contact turned into steam as a mist covered the area. The other two charged with twin scimitars in hand. Attempting to overwhelm him with numbers. Sadly their assault fell on an afterimage. The man reappeared behind the archer and struck him at the nape of his neck, knocking him headfirst into the ground. The scimitar duo ran to him again. The difference this time was made apparent when he took every strike head-on causing the blades to freeze and shatter, falling harmlessly to the ground. He grabbed both bandits by their arms and froze them both in place. He then systematically tapped them both on the sides of their heads. He did the same to the other three bandits before tying them up and confiscating their gear.
¡°Who was that?¡± Kyrion asked aloud. ¡°Someone above practitioner at least.¡± Said one of the merchants, Gerund, was his name. If you discount his muscular build, he was a relatively plain-looking merchant wrapped in cloth. He had the brown hair a majority of the people had, along with tan skin. ¡°So, kids here have a bit of advice. Beware of 3 things: a free meal, a pretty face, and foreigners. It¡¯s not to say avoid people, it¡¯s actually the opposite. Power in numbers and all that. People from our country are pretty weak despite what nobles may tell you. It¡¯s a wide world after all.¡± Kyrion stares at the merchant. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Kyrion prepared to nap as a wave of drowsiness began to roll over him. As he faded, he saw the blue-haired man attempting to speak with him. Odd that he could only hear static. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Kyrion¡¯s dream, this time, involved him floating on a lake, looking up at the sky. He saw the three shapes he saw previously. The fox-shaped cloud moved closer and closer, and the water rippled. All Kyrion did was watch the cloud come closer and closer before hearing bird shrieks as the cloud had begun to speak. ¡°It seems someone is throwing roadblocks ahead, they must not want you to arrive at the city.¡± It said before something shook him awake. ¡°Kyrion! More trouble.¡± Asela said. ¡°I¡¯d like a double?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes lay half closed as he answered. The caravan soon heard an ear-piercing scream from a short distance away, followed by a cacophony of wing beats. Kyrion and Asela peaking ahead to get a better look at what¡¯s to come. The white-haired man from earlier had walked out of his carriage again, with a white wolf at his side. Instead of bandits, he was up against five harpies, women faced avian creatures that prey on travelers, they strike fast, retreat faster, and some stories involve kidnapping small children. Kyrion had come across them in his father¡¯s bestiary, which was read to him by Bill Jr. Power-wise, they were in the practitioner rank at best. The first harpy dived down in an attempt to grab him with its talons. The man sidestepped it, leaving a trail of cool mist behind as he drew his sword from its sheath and bisected the harpy instantly. He flung the blood away, and it froze where it landed. A second and the third harpy attempted to flank him. He spun around while swinging his blade, and they were flash-frozen in ice and shattered by a palm strike. The last two attempted to fly away but found their wings weighed down by ice and their legs stuck to the ground. They tried to escape their binds, but a white wolf appeared behind them and tore into their throats with brutal efficiency. As the screams ended, the wolf approached its master, gore in its mouth, placing it at the white-haired man¡¯s feet. ¡°Wow,¡± Asela said, peeking out. ¡°I don¡¯t even think dad can do that. ¡°Maybe an expert.¡± Gerund nodded his head. ¡°He made that look too easy.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s an expert in action. I expected, you know, more.¡± The guy in the suit shook his head and started to say something, but all Kyrion heard was static as he faded. When Kyrion awoke, he heard a different voice in his head, belonging to a woman much older than the previous one. ¡°Young human, it seems you have wandered into a grass drake, it breathes out a slow acting poison that gets very lethal after a minute of inhalation! Warn everyone immediately things are about to get bad if you don¡¯t!¡± Kyrion rose immediately and yelled. ¡°Grass Drake!¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Asked one of the drivers as the other three carriages in the caravan stopped. A large, green, and sinuous monster slithered onto the side of the road, and under a cart, taking out two wheels, it let out a roar inside the leading carriage. Screams erupted with coughs and wheezes as the creature consumed the driver. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna be sick.¡± Kyrion muttered, looking at the carnage. As though on cue, the white-haired man burst out from his carriage. Along with his wolf companion, the two advanced on the drake rapidly. The drake reeled back and swung its front claws at the man approaching it as a feint, using its momentum to spin around and swipe him with its long tail. The man jumped over it while the wolf ducked, evading the brunt of the attack. Drawing his sword, the man cut lightly into the drake as the white mist covered the area and the temperature dropped. The man then vanished into the white mist evading the drake¡¯s attempted to counter. The white wolf appeared from behind, biting into the drake and tearing a chunk of flesh out the creature before darting back into the fog. The man did the same, reappearing from the mist and making a shallow cut. The drake flailed its claws and tail, trying and failing horribly. Its blood began to freeze over as each strike seemed to give off an aura of biting cold. The drake began to slow down as its temperature dropped rapidly. Fearing for its life, like most creatures, it attempted to flee. Only its body was frozen to the ground as realization dawned on it. It tried to rip its body free from the frozen earth. The creature sacrificed skin and limbs in its attempts at freedom. The man casually appeared from the mist in front of the creature and pointed his sword at its throat. Knowing it was dead anyway, the grass drake started to let out a breath of poison at its would-be killer. Only nothing happened as the creature tried to breathe. It began to hack and cough before falling inert as it struggled to use its lungs. The man pierced the drake¡¯s heart, retrieving a green sphere the size of a marble and depositing it in a cloth sack at its side. He then made the rest of the drake vanish with the wave of his hand. He did the same with the wrecked carriage after everyone got out. The members of the fallen carriage relocated, and the man himself moved into their carriage. ¡°Pardon the intrusion, my name is Leon and I¡¯ll be in this carriage with you all for the time being. This one here is my partner Bliz.¡± He motioned to the wolf that also entered the carriage. ¡°How strong are you?¡± Asela asked innocently. Kyrion squinted as he noticed an inflection when he said that. It was as though the wolf was speaking through him. Kyrion shook his head. He must still be a bit loopy. ¡°That¡¯s an improper question to ask someone you just met. But you could say I¡¯m near the peak of the Expert rank. Now, why are children such as you traveling to the city?¡± Leon asked curiously. ¡°We¡¯re going to join the academy.¡± Asela pounded her chest proudly. ¡°Asela. It¡¯s our turn to ask a question, so let me do this one. What was the thing you pulled out of the creature?¡± Kyrion had never noticed them back when their father was hunting them. ¡°This is a spirit core, each living creature has one, and they have a variety of uses, the main one being advancement through tiers. When going from the fledgling rank to the practitioner rank, usually one is required. When you absorb them, the characteristics of the creature are added to your own. Choosing compatible cores is an important part of this path.¡± Leon said. ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion replied, feeling an odd sensation as he listened to the man talk. ¡°What are your current ranks?¡± Leon asked ¡°Isn¡¯t that rude.¡± Asela asked. ¡°He already gave us his, it¡¯s not like we can surprise him much. I don¡¯t think I have a rank yet if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± Kyrion spoke first. ¡°I think I¡¯m at one.¡± Asela stated. ¡°You don¡¯t know, you say? I see. If you¡¯re not, rank one fledgling, by the time you join, chances are you¡¯ll end up paired with a teacher who¡¯s job will be to help you find one. Which is fine, but I¡¯d rather you make it to the school with your tools at the ready. As it lets you keep a semblance of choice in where you go afterward.¡± He nodded up and down knowingly. Kyrion may not have noticed it earlier, but he certainly did now that the blue-haired man was watching them. Kyrion didn¡¯t want to worry, Asela, so he acted naturally. Eventually, passing out again, this time somewhat purposefully. ¡°Human child, we will meet soon.¡± Echoed through Kyrion¡¯s thoughts, the caravan entered a place known as the Forest of Dreams while he napped. Soon after, one of the spokes on one of the carriages broke, forcing them to find a place to stop. Chapter 4 Silver Fox ¡°Let¡¯s stop here, it¡¯s getting dark and we need to set up camp.¡± Announced the caravan leader as the group arrived at a clearing in the forest. The group made camp, and people who could work did their best to help out. ¡°Bliz and I, will go hunt for some food.¡± Leon said with finality. The wolf leading the human into the forest. ¡°Good thanks, anyone willing to help me carve out a few replacement parts are welcome to come with me. Everyone else can work to get a campfire going and gather edible herbs and berries.¡± The caravan leader stated. As Leon left to hunt, Kyrion found himself alone with Asela, and the blue-haired creep, who seemed to be setting up some large tent, which seemed capable of fitting everyone. Kyrion decided to go wood gathering with Asela. As he found some dry branches, he looked at Asela. ¡°Watch out for that blue guy, he¡¯s been staring at us, I don¡¯t know him and he gives me the chills.¡± Kyrion said conspiratorially. Asela looked at him and then at the blue-haired man and ran off. ¡°I need to introduce you two. He¡¯s a friend. I¡¯ll go get him, wait here!¡± Asela dashed off towards the camp. ¡°Asela wait! Don¡¯t run off.¡± Kyrion tried to chase after her as a fog rolled over him. ¡°Asela where are you?¡± He yelled and got no response. He tried to call her four more times, but still, there was no response. Kyrion wandered around, trying to get back to camp, but his path to get here was gone. Trees shrouded in mist. In the distance, he saw a flame flicker, and he gave chase. The more he ran, the further away the flame seemed to go. He called out to the fire. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m right here!¡± The flame then winked out in the distance. ¡°Rustling. Shifting. Blowing. Changing. I am what moves as it wishes, untethered and unrestrained. What am I?¡± A voice echoes from the trees moving trees. ¡°Crazy, which I¡¯m not, since I don¡¯t hear any voices.¡± Kyrion turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Tripping over his own feet. Before falling on his stomach. Kyrion coughed, and blood came from his mouth. He tried to stand up, but his legs and arms burned from strain. He then just froze, waiting for the pain to stop. ¡°Not fun little human. Not fun. I thought you, human cubs love games. Oh well.¡± The voice came from the bushes. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Kyrion grunted in rage, eyes bloodshot. ¡°Me? Nothing. You however are running out of time, so close to the finish line, or so they say. This pain could stop soon if you¡¯d like.¡± The creature waits. ¡°Just help me already!¡± Kyrion pleaded. A small white and black fox stared at him, waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds of waiting, the fox opened its mouth in a yawn before speaking. ¡°Young Spirit user, I have come for my payment. Which will require tons of mana on your end and a spirit contract.¡± Kyrion looked at the fox in surprise. He felt the pain as he blurted out, ¡°Foxes can talk?!¡± The fox approached him and looked down at his face. ¡°A contract human child. Do you understand what that means?¡± ¡°Nope, what¡¯s a contract? Also, can you hurry? I feel like I¡¯m gonna explode.¡± Kyrion was beginning to sweat profusely. It means I give you a way to use your power. My child lives on as one of your spirits and gets a chance to grow stronger much faster. My race is a relatively rare one, so I would like to give them the best chance possible.¡± The fox said. ¡°So¡­are you the thing mom told me about? If so...¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started. Turn ar¡­ oh wait you¡¯re on your stomach. I¡¯ll start the ritual now then. Repeat after me, I swear that I, Kyrion Mosely, will protect Jala, until she reaches maturity, that I will care for her, feed her and grow stronger alongside her. Should my path come to an end early I swear to release her binds. On my soul, I make this oath.¡± The fox spoke, and Kyrion repeated. Afterward, Kyrion began to feel a burning sensation on his back as a fox paw branded his skin, turning black and then silver. Soon after, he felt something cold and spherical slip into his body, along with a sleeping mind. Kyrion momentarily sighed as the pain began to lessen slightly, as the creature seemed to absorb some of the excess mana in his body. ¡°Human cub I will help you this one last time. Don¡¯t move, this will be uncomfortable at first.¡± The paw print on his back began to glow as Kyrion felt the mana in his body all but vanish. Flowing into the ball, Kyrion could feel it shifting in his core. The ball began to expand, growing slightly bigger and taking on distinguishing characteristics. It now resembled a tiny silvery fox. Kyrion, despite feeling drained, felt more lucid than he had ever felt in his life, like a constant headache that he had ignored his entire life was gone, but now that it was gone, he felt a few other odd things. Walking felt different. He was lighter and leaner, but something was off, and he knew it instinctively. The creature looked at him and answered as though she had read his mind. ¡°You¡¯re unbalanced. While before you may not have been able to notice the irregularities in your body, now it¡¯s obvious. Trust Jala to find your next two spirits as well, it¡¯s in her best intrest to balance you out. Above all, good luck.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The fox began to dissolve into smoke leaving behind a necklace, much too girly and small for him. It resembled a collar. He placed it in his bag and began to look for a way back when he heard his sister crying. ¡°I¡¯ve been abandoned! How can he just run off in the forest? What if he fell asleep and a bear ate him. I told dad this would happen one day and it did!¡± She continues to whine as Kyrion tries to make his way back. Oddly enough, when he notices that beside her is the blue-haired guy, his sense of worry towards him is now gone. But he was up to something Kyrion had been around for eight and a half years. People just don¡¯t have hair that blue. As he made his way back, his stomach growled louder than ever before as Kyrion clutched at his stomach. ¡°A monster!¡± said one of the travelers. ¡°And it¡¯s hungry!.¡± said another. ¡°Food!¡± Kyrion groaned, passing through some bushes, into the clearing, battered and bloody, yet no visible marks were on his body. ¡°Oh it¡¯s the lost child, came back only ten minutes after we started searching.¡± Said the caravan leader. ¡°I felt like I was lost longer.¡± Kyrion rubbed his eyes and made it to where they were roasting a wild boar. ¡°May I?¡± Kyrion asked. Leon looked at him and said. ¡°Help yourself.¡± After putting on a spectacle involving food that shouldn¡¯t fit in such a small body, Kyrion was full and able to train. He focused on the fox and tried to make it manifest, giving it mana from his refilling reserves. It eventually took shape after a few hours of practice. Both he and the fox were tired. Now the trouble was making her vanish, and he was too tired for that. He noticed that the majority of the people were sleeping in the giant tent, so he gave in and joined them. Kyrion awoke before everyone else in the tent, more well-rested than before. On his chest was the tiny fox Jala who had also woken up in response to his movement. He carried her outside and found a sturdy tree he could climb, and upon doing so. He decided to try and bring out Jala¡¯s power. He could feel the wind and some odd cloudy magic in his core, and when he wanted to bring it out, only the pink mist came with ease, while the wind seemed to want to run wild. Soon everyone else had woken up and, with the daylight, began repairs on the carriages, one of which Leon seemed to summon as though it was magic. Asela came looking for him and the blue-haired guy who seemed genuinely worried. Kyrion had no intention of approaching them while he was practicing, maybe later. He had some work to do. So the day went, Kyrion tried to draw out more power, but it seemed greatly hampered as only the mist would react to orders. After a while, Kyrion noticed that Leon was grooming his wolf. He then decided to come down from his perch and speak with him. ¡°Leon sir, how do you use your magic with your spirit?¡± He asked, with Jala on his soldier. Leon looked at them both and shrugged. ¡°Bliz gave descent control over ice from the get go and it got stronger as I did. Using a few ice cores also helped make the ice stronger.Why do you ask?¡± Kyrion pointed to Jala sitting on his shoulder. ¡°A baby? Interesting, what are the nature of its abilities?¡± ¡°Uhhh? Use smaller words.¡± Kyrion said, holding his head. ¡°What can it do?¡± Leon rephrased. ¡°I can make this smoke¡­.¡± Leon cut him off. ¡°Not what you can do. What can the fox do on its own.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh¡­ sir all she does is eat and sleep. I don¡¯t think she can do much else. I think she was just born.¡± Kyrion explains. ¡°False, you just don¡¯t know what her talents are, try playing with her, observe her carefully, she may surprise you yet. Also it¡¯s fine for you to play with magic a little but know it is not a toy, and not everything is as straightforward as it seems. I wish you well, young Kyrion.¡± Leon continues walking with Bliz. ¡°I see¡­ What games do foxes play, other than tricks.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself while placing Jala on a log. She seemed to have fallen asleep again. ¡°Guess I can make her someplace softer to sleep..¡± Kyrion began to put together a bed with his seed pouch and a bed of soft grass. He began working on it. Unlike his sisters, who were taught how to sew, the only sowing Kyrion understood involved putting seeds in the earth. So after pricking himself a few times, Kyrion decided to give up his pride and find his brainwashed little sister. Sadly for him, the duo had already spotted him and begun to approach. As Kyrion stood up and headed back to camp, he felt a sticky handgrip onto his shoulder. ¡°Master Kyrion, we need to talk.¡± Spoke an unfamiliar voice. ¡°Stranger! Creep!¡± Kyrion tried to run but found his feet were unable to touch the ground. ¡°Master Kyrion, I assure you this is just a misunderstanding.¡± Said his kidnapper. ¡°I understand. You can let me go now.¡± Kyrion said defeatedly. ¡°Ok, now we can...¡± He began to say more, but Asela cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s a trap he¡¯s gonna run again!¡± She said matter of factly. Kyrion clicked his tongue as his last chance for escape had vanished. ¡°Fine, get it over with. But you better sleep with one eye open when I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°I see¡­ He¡¯s much feistier than I imagined.¡± The guy said. ¡°He¡¯s been weird ever since he awakened. I think it has something to do with him napping less than usual.¡± Asela said. ¡°I think he¡¯s loopy.¡± ¡°I see. Well let¡¯s get this over with. My name is Charles, and I¡¯m a butler who works under your grandfather. Your parents asked me to look after you, while we were on this trip. I have a signed letter as proof. Look at it.¡± He hands Kyrion a letter. Kyrion looked at the letter, understanding two or three words, and the squiggly mess mom called a signature. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s it say?¡± Kyrion asked, confused. ¡°You can¡¯t read it?¡± Charles said bluntly. ¡°Most kids can¡¯t read. Nothing I can do about it other than learning now. It¡¯s not a big deal, dad said he didn¡¯t learn how to read until he was twenty.¡± Kyrion reapplied with a proud expression. Charles shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to help you when we get to the city. Now isn¡¯t the time. I¡¯m a friend, not an enemy.¡± ¡°Fine. Can you let me go now, and help me with something?¡± Kyrion asked defeatedly. ¡°Sure what is it?¡± Charles said, almost shocked. Kyrion raised Jala to the sky. ¡°I need to make a soft pouch for her to sleep in. But sewing and sowing are completely different tasks, believe it or not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a baby fox! Can I hold it?¡± Asela screamed. ¡°Yeah¡­ not right now she¡¯s a bit fragile.¡± Kyrion said, holding her to his chest. ¡°I¡¯m still mad about Sir Issac. You destroyed him.¡± ¡°That was forever ago, and besides you didn¡¯t even play with him.¡± Asela said, exhausted. ¡°He was my best friend, and it was a year ago!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ kids¡­ Let¡¯s calm down¡­ Who was. Sir Issac?¡± Charles asked. ¡°A stuffed meerkat.¡± Said Asela. ¡°My best friend!¡± Said Kyrion. The two looked at each other. Invisible sparks flying. ¡°I see...So it was like a handmade bear.¡± Charles said. ¡°No. Our big sister Curella is into taxidermy. It was a full on meerkat. She even caught it herself, I¡¯ve had it since I was three .¡± ¡°Oh. oh¡­Well let¡¯s get to working on the bed, and I¡¯m sure Asela won¡¯t willingly harm your new friend. Right?¡± Charles spoke to them, eyes squinted. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯d never hurt a baby fox!.¡± Answered Asela. ¡°Kyrion, do you have any cotton for pillow fluff?¡± Charles looked at the boy. Kyrion nodded and ran to get his pillow. ¡°Asela, since you¡¯re also a girl, why don¡¯t you come up with a design she would like.¡± The three of them worked on the pouch as the sun began to rise. They spent their morning working on the bag. Getting it perfect before placing Jala inside. Kyrion then placed the pouch around his neck like a necklace. The small fox poked her head out to look around. ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± Kyrion asked the creature. The creature just made some odd noises that Kyrion could not understand. ¡°This is going to take some work.¡± Kyrion said to himself as he realized the fox couldn¡¯t communicate with him. As the caravan finished its repairs and packed up. The group made it to the last stretch of their travels. Chapter 5 Arrival After a few weeks of travel, the caravan arrived at the walled capital city of Limguard. While the occasional stray monster was found on or near the road. There was nothing as dangerous or numerous as what happened on day one. The walls, made of white stone, stood higher than anything Kyrion had ever seen. From the gate with a portcullis to the stone gargoyles looking down from above. Everything was new and exciting. However, the castle that sat atop a hill in the city¡¯s center drew most of the boy¡¯s attention. It stood out like a work of art. Kyrion was about to voice his opinion when he looked down and saw various other groups lined up awaiting entry. The guards seemed to be carefully checking everyone who entered. Kyrion looked to the impatient merchants, whining kids, tired hunters, and a small group of Spirit Masters. ¡°You know? This is sad, are all city people like this?¡± Asela asked their driver before Kyrion could voice a similar question. ¡°No kid, normally we can just go on in. They may be expecting someone of great importance. Or on the look out for smugglers. It could be anything really.¡± Gerund said gruffly. ¡°Smugglers?¡± She asked ¡°They¡¯re people who bring in and sell illegal goods?¡± ¡°Why would they sell ili-ig-mal goods¡± she stutters, and a look of dread falls over his face. ¡°Kid, I can¡¯t answer a question I don¡¯t know the answer to, and I¡¯m not going to have a philosophical debate with a kid who can¡¯t even spell it.¡± Asela tried to spell it anyway. Kyrion took Jala on a short walk around the caravan as they waited. Kyrion observed his partner, Jala, and gave her some of his mana, paired with a piece of jerky. He pulled out a wooden stick and stabbed it into the ground, drawing a few circles in the dirt that started off close together. Each circle got further apart as Kyrion continued down his trail. ¡°Jala, I want you to watch this and see if you can do it. I call it hops. You try to jump from circle to circle, and the person who can get the furthest wins.¡± Kyrion demonstrated by taking a running jump and skipping from loop to loop. Getting stuck between loop five seemed to be six feet further than the previous jump. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± Kyrion dusted himself off. Jala jumped a few times, but the three-foot jump proved hard for her as she was smaller. She seemed to get mad and tried to make the jump again. This occurred quite a few more times before Asela became curious. ¡°Hey, no fair, I want to play too.¡± The young girl said. ¡°Fine, you can go ahead. Jala needs a breather.¡± Kyrion replied Asela took a running start jumping from loop to loop, building up speed, five, six. She passed Kyrion¡¯s score and was at the ten-foot jump mark when Kyrion noticed a small flash of fire propel her towards her destination. She landed on the spot with a hard thump and couldn¡¯t make it further. Asela walked off and sat down to breathe. A crowd started to build as a few of the other traveling kids came to play, along with a few spirit masters. A man in a green cloak and leather armor appeared. Wearing really tight approached Kyrion. ¡°Hey kid, how do you determine how much further each line is?¡± He asked. ¡°I take two steps and then draw a line. After that I take two more steps, and draw a line, each time adding an extra step to the count. So the sixth jump is about seven steps.¡± ¡°I see, mind If I add a few extra targets? At my level this is too easy, but for me it also seems to be like an Ideal type of training for take offs and landings. I¡¯m Lingar Fulwind, and I¡¯m working on creating my own style of fighting. Do you mind if I take this method off of you?¡± ¡°Sure. Sounds awesome.¡± Kyrion replied in a monotone. He looked up at the tall man with a long nose and plain face. The only other remarkable thing about him was his short green hair. He gave Kyrion a sack with shiny gold discs inside and drew a few longer landings. ¡°Observe, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.¡± He took off in a sprint, jumping from the first four hoops with ease and then taking off ten feet into the air and landing in the hoop. He then pushed off both higher and farther, almost flying from hoop to hoop, making it to the end of where he added a sixteenth line. Kyrion couldn¡¯t comprehend what he saw. It was as though the man flowed with the wind. Jala, on the other hand, seemed to learn something from the mans manuver. She waited and eventually went again after all the kids either exhausted themselves or had to return as their groups had made it to the wall. This time was different, as Jala seemed to have a plan. The small fox tried again. This time she seemed to slowly float down from hoop to hoop. While not faster, she did manage to make it significantly further, stopping at the ten-foot jump mark. ¡°Wow!¡± Kyrion clapped at the vast improvement. However, Jala seemed exhausted after the display and decided it was time to sleep. Kyrion placed her in his pouch and made his way back to his caravan.
Eventually, their turn arrived, and the guards looked over their paperwork. While a few check the cargo being brought in by the merchants. ¡°Let¡¯s see, everything looks good. Welcome to the capital!¡± The guard beacons for them to continue forward. The two were happy to finally make it to the city and seemed eager to explore. Charles approached from behind. ¡°Your mother tasked me with bringing you over to the Falknir estate, to stay with her father, while you wait for your enrollment. So I want you to stay close and follow my lead. No wandering off, got it?¡± Kyrion looked around the city in wonder.¡± But I want to explore!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Ok with further ado let¡¯s head to the Falknir estate.¡± The group travels through the merchant district of the city, passing various taverns, restaurants, and shops along the way. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Asela asks while sniffing the air. ¡°It¡¯s Dorgon¡¯s Bakery. He¡¯s an orc, green skin, really big fella, with tusk? Have you seen an orc before?¡± Charles began to dust his outfit. ¡°We¡¯ve only had humans in our village. There isn¡¯t much to see and do there. I doubt anyone would go out of their way to visit. So he¡¯s like a big green human.¡± Kyrion said while scratching his head. ¡°You¡¯ll see later after I drop you off, of course... I smell a rat.¡± Charles raised his gloved right hand, palm facing himself. A man with long black hair, and a blindfold over his eyes, stumbled past the group. Around his waist were empty sword scabbards belonging to long and thin blades. The man continued strolling off into the distance. Charles let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Kids check your pockets.¡± Kyrion did, so everything he had earlier was there. Everything except his shiny discs. It seems his pouch was emptied and then refilled with something else. There were more of them too. Each seemed to be individually wrapped. He looked back and could swear the man winked at him from under the blindfold. ¡°Everything looks fine but do you know what these are?¡± Kyrion took out the weird rock wrapped in paper. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s candy¡­ but that smell¡­ mana candy. Stronger spirit masters tend to prefer potions and pills that refill mana, but those can do the job, and apparently they taste good too. It¡¯s how spirit masters introduce refilling mana artificially for those in the younger generation. They tend to be expensive, though. When did you get them?¡± Charles asked, arms now crossed. ¡°When we were playing that game outside a man gave them to us.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Please don¡¯t make a habit of taking candy from strangers.¡± Charles said. Kyrion emptied most of his mana into Jala and took out a piece of candy, popping it into his mouth, wrapper included. ¡°Doesn¡¯t taste¡­ that good.¡± Kyrion said as he bit through the wrapper and began to taste something sweet. ¡°Kyrion, you take off the wrapper first. ¡°Charles sighed. Kyrion took the candy out of his mouth, removed the wrapper, and put it back in. ¡°Mush Butter,¡± Kyrion said, enjoying the candy. Charles looked at him with a disgusted face. ¡°Eww.¡± ¡°I want one!¡± Asela demanded. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like them. They taste like medicine and you know how I love the taste of medicine.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth. Sadly it didn¡¯t work. ¡°Gimme one!¡± She demanded. Kyrion realized that there was no winning and tossed her one. Oddly enough, a few packages managed to get stuck to his hand. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Asela ate her piece of candy, and soon after, she ran circles around the group headed toward the noble district. Charles looks up to the sky, wondering where he went wrong, and then down at Kyrion, who was wandering off. ¡°Not so fast.¡± ¡°I was just going to look around.¡± As the group made it to the end of the merchant¡¯s district, they heard rumors of a war brewing between the Kingdom of Limguard, and its southern rival, the Republic of Rendell. Both places were only remote countries on the continent, but there had been bitter neighbors since the war of Liminal split the earth where the border now lies. Legends state that the location was where the old capital used to be back when the two countries were one. The group enters the Noble district of the city, where large and beautiful estates are commonplace. In the middle of the district rested a statue of the First king of Limguard, Indran The River Splitter, in a regal pose, commanding the water in the fountain and causing it to shoot upwards. ¡°Those houses are big, how many people live here?¡± Asela asked ¡°Not enough to be worth the excess in my opinion.¡± Charles grimaced. Got it, don¡¯t mention anything about wasting money near him. Kyrion thought. The group walked past all the nice-looking estates when they arrived at a beat-up-looking area. The plants in the yard were left wild and untended, with quite a few cracks in the walls and a few patchwork fixes here and there. ¡°Mom said she used to be a noble, right?¡± Asela frowned. ¡°I expected something, I dunno fancier?¡± Charles sighed. ¡°It normally looks better than this. Also this estate is more minimalist in nature. Your grandfather prefers to keep a large backyard for training and not much else, and it keeps my job simple.¡± They walked to the door, and Carles knocked. When he did, the door didn¡¯t just open. It fell down into the house, hinges broken. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to knock that hard.¡± Kyrion said, trying to break the tension ¡°I hardly touched the door, it must be broken again.¡± He replied. Kyrion wandered into the ruined mansion. There were holes in the stone floor on the ground level, and furniture lay in tatters. It was dark save for very little natural light from the windows. Giant handprints mark the along with scratches and a smashed staircase. Charles and Asela followed behind him. ¡°Listen, wait on us, there could be a monster here.¡± Asela said. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s in here¡± Kyrion had stopped at an open door. Open was the wrong word. The door was missing, as though someone ripped it off the hinges and threw it somewhere. Inside, the sound of a beast snoring could be heard. The house seemed to vibrate on the creature¡¯s command. ¡°A monster you say?¡± Charles smirked. ¡°Well it seems in my two month absence, care for this place has gotten a bit out of hand. I¡¯ll get your rooms prepared and then move on to the rest of the house.It shouldn¡¯t take long. Feel free to go explore the area a bit while I work. Don¡¯t leave this district though.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re free to explore. Asela lets go.¡± Kyrion left the mansion, no questions asked. ¡°Really?¡± Asela replied with a confused look on her face. Charles had a sense of deja vu, as he watched the two leave the estate. ¡°I really hope I was right about who he took after. That look however¡­.¡± The two siblings left the mansion and the yard. Past the fountain and towards a peach tree. ¡°Not my favorite but it will do.¡± The place was the perfect spot to get a good view of the city below. Kyrion took off his pouch and placed Jala on the ground before climbing up to get a good vantage. It was then another group approached the tree. Two finely dressed kids, tailed by a group of attendants close behind, look up to Kyrion as though he was an oddity. The taller one, who had some roundness on his face and a mean look in his eye, spoke first. ¡°Oi! What¡¯s a country looking brat doing in the noble area? Commoners live down below, not in the trees here.¡± ¡°Yeah trash like you don¡¯t belong up here, you¡¯re an eyesore.¡± Said the shorter one who looked similar to the first only. He had even more roundness to him, as though he didn¡¯t get out much. Kyrion tossed Asela a peach and looked over to the other brats. ¡°Names Kyrion, friends call me Kyr, yet you call me trash. That¡¯s not my name? So let¡¯s start over. Who are you two, and what do you want? The peaches are good, by the way.¡± Kyrion took a few bites while hanging upside down with his legs wrapped around a branch. Asela, with her peach, also goes to retrieve the pouch, lying on the grass before making some distance and putting on what Kyrion would call the timid sister act. A technique honed like a knife to get away from people she didn¡¯t much like. The taller one looked dumbstruck, ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am? My father is Baron Flanagin, bow before me peasants!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know who my dad is either.¡± Kyrion blew a raspberry before flicking a peach pit at them. It missed them, but it had the desired effect of riling them up. Kyrion jumped down onto his feet and heard a small pop as pain rushed through his body. He tried to cover it up like nothing had happened. The kids fell for the apparent cover-up while the attendants with them just shook their heads. They gave chase, and Kyrion ran in circles around the park. He then pretended to run off into one of the estates before pushing himself to go towards the street that led down to the market. It would have worked if Charles had not appeared in front of him. It hadn¡¯t been ten minutes. ¡°Your rooms are done little Kyrion, aren¡¯t you a troublesome one. I heard from your mother that you had a tendency for trouble. I should have known you were up to something, using those kids as an excuse to run off into the market. I swear, do you even know what dangers lurk in the city?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Kyrion replied, trying to go around the butler. ¡°Can I go now?¡± Charles looked at the boy and then at the two who stopped giving chase out of confusion. He picked Kyrion up and threw him over his shoulder. ¡°Now we go home.¡± He then began walking back to the estate. Which is a matter of ten minutes, looked completely restored, as though no damage had been done whatsoever. The garden even looked beautiful, with no signs of the poor maintenance seen earlier. Kyrion was kicking and screaming, trying to get out of the butler¡¯s vice grip, yet nothing happened. Was his dad even this strong? At that moment, Kyrion made up his mind not to make this guy mad and surrendered. Turning into a limp fish. Asela, on the other hand, laughed at her elder brother¡¯s predicament. ¡°You were going to ditch me, weren¡¯t you! You didn¡¯t play with me at home. I knew you were up to something.¡± A burly red and gray-haired man was at the door with scars riddling his visible body. His right arm made of metal, an eyepatch over his left eye, and a wooded left leg marked him as someone who had survived many close battles. ¡°Welcome to grandpa¡¯s house! Sorry to greet you like this. I was napping. May have had a bit too much Ambrosia. These bones are getting a bit old.¡± The old man raised his right prosthetic arm and used it to scratch his head. ¡°That monster was you?¡± Asela asked with a tact befitting her age. Their grandpa laughed a deep belly laugh. ¡°Yes they don¡¯t call me Alexander the Red Bear, for nothing. Now go get changed, we¡¯re going out to eat. Then I¡¯ll give you a tour of the city, the arena is open today after all.¡± Chapter 6 Food, Fights, and More

After changing out into a set of fine prepared clothes, Kyrion had black hair combed back and trimmed to look more even. They even made him use this dreadful thing called soap. Kyrion tried to take a bite out of it, but it was just horrible, it did not match the fruity smell one bit. Jala, his small fox companion, was groomed and washed as well. And since she liked getting carried around, Charles got her a new bag, slightly bigger and a lot softer than the previous one. Alexander put on some casual wear and replaced his wooden leg with a metal counterpart that could fit into a pair of brown boots. Asela was given a blue dress, that belonged to their mother, and Charles dressed in his butler uniform. The five of them left the noble quarter, and entered the merchants district, Alexander leading the way, while Charles made sure a certain child didn¡¯t try to ditch them. ¡°Hey Alex, we got a sale on pork cuts this week.¡± Comes from one of the butcher carts. ¡°I¡¯ll see that my butler pays you a visit then.¡± He replied, waving his left hand. ¡°I just got a fresh supply of those Easter Cigars you love so much.¡± Says another merchant. Alexander waves him off with, ¡°I¡¯m with my grandkids at the moment, I¡¯ll be sure to visit you when I have some free time.¡± More people approach wanting to speak with their grandfather about various matters, from things like arena fights scheduled to happen today, to one man telling him that his wife just gave birth to a baby boy, before thanking him and hugging the big guy. After a while, the people stopped approaching and Alexander let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Uhh. Grandpa, are you famous?¡± Kyrion asked, with a sense of curiosity in his eyes. ¡°No, just well-liked by the people. Used to be a leader during the last few wars with a certain republic. Saved quite a few lives but lost just as many.¡± His eyes cloud over for a second, ¡°Ah were here, The Thirsty Possum. A place well known for its food, drink, and entertainment. Dorgon''s second-oldest son owns the place. It¡¯s becoming more and more popular by the day, but rumor has it the boy will be spreading his wings out of the country soon.¡± The logo was that of a possum trying to bite into a cactus, and the establishment looked anything but fancy, but to the two kids who¡¯d never eaten out, it wouldn¡¯t take much to convince them that this place was classy. Alexander led the group to a family-sized table towards the middle of the establishment, near a stage where a group of musicians were playing a song that inspired excitement through triumph over adversity. Their waitress was a tall, green-skinned woman in a brown dress that showed a bit too much skin, but didn¡¯t hide the two hand axes strapped to her sides, and muscular all too similar to Alexander. ¡°Eyy Brigs! These are my grandkids, Kyrie and Ashley, wait that''s not right¡­ Anyhow, I¡¯d like the family feast, fit with the appetizers as well. The day is just getting started after all and I¡¯d hate for us to get hungry halfway through it!¡± Alexander grins, ¡°Also, get some water for the kids, a small bowl of warm milk, and water with lemon for Charles.¡± He whispers the last part into the waitress''s ear. ¡°And a large cup of the good stuff.¡± The waitress nods before heading off with a stoic expression. ¡°Uhh... gramps? My name is Kyrion and.¡± Kyrion begins before getting cut off by his sister. ¡°Do you know that lady? Is she an orc? And why did we come to a fancy place, you and Charles can cook right?¡± Asela barrels into the conversation. Charles¡¯s face goes from stoic to ashen as those words seem to break through his aura of professionalism. Alexander bursts out laughing again and even hits the table which sends a crack into it from the power. Charles pulls out a handkerchief and wipes away the crack almost instantly. ¡°Kids. Has your mother ever cooked anything alone?¡± Alexander asked. Kyrion thinks for a bit and shakes his head no. ¡°You see child, nobody in our family can cook, and while Charles won''t like to admit it, he isn¡¯t that great either.¡± The waitress soon returned with the drinks and some small rolls of bread with some yellow mixture brushed on them, the water had lemon and these cold clear rocks in the cups, which made no sense to Kyrion. The small bowl of milk was placed in front of Jala, who looked at it curiously before burrowing into the breadbasket instead. ¡°Kyrion, where does all the food she eats go? From what I see two of those dinner rolls are roughly the same size as Jala, yet she has finished six already.¡± Alexander asked before taking a drink from the brown tankard. Kyrion shrugs, ¡°Not sure, I was told that if I kept Jala inside all the time I would need to eat double. As I¡¯m lazy and don¡¯t like wasting energy on eating. I let Jala eat as much as she wants. Right Jala?¡± Kyrion picked up his furry little friend and gave her a hug. ¡°I see, so it''s a living spirit. That''s good to know. After we finish with most of the things on my schedule, I¡¯ll be sure to take you to see one of my associates. They tend to have a collection of materials from both monsters, and their spirits.¡± Alexander puts his tankard down and grabs a bread roll. Which seems to anger the territorial tiny fox. After a while, Kyrion finished off his cup of water and started waiting on the rest of the food to arrive when everyone in the establishment heard a tankard hit the floor. ¡°I lost three men and you claim this isn¡¯t the artifact you wanted!?¡± A muscular warrior with a halberd strapped to his back. ¡°Give me my money or return the artifact. I¡¯ll sell it to someone else for a reasonable price.¡± He stated. He was speaking to a thin well-dressed man with weasel-like features, backed up with what seems to be two guards acting as his silent muscle. ¡°No I¡¯ll hold onto this, it looks like it would be a nice trophy of sorts. How about 25% of what we discussed.¡± ¡°My men¡¯s lives are worth far more than 25 gold crowns!¡± A vein pulses on his head as anger burns into his eyes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t se¡­¡± The thin man is cut short. The warrior reaches for the weasel man''s neck, and one of the guards tries to intercept it, only for the warrior to grab the guard instead and throw him backward 20 feet into another table which causes another man to drop his drink, in a rage the man throws his table in the direction of where the flying man came from only he overshot a bit and it hits the group of musicians on stage who in anger play a tune that seems to stir up nearly everyone else in the bar, and fights began to erupt everywhere, as food, furniture, weapons, and people are flown about. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, kids look like we have to leave early. You don¡¯t want to be here when the chef comes out. I¡¯m doing you all a favor, believe me.¡± Alexander says placing a pouch on his table and escorting the children out of the tavern. Not long after they left a resounding boom echoed from the tavern. ¡°We¡¯ll come back later to finish our meal. Everything should have calmed down by then.¡± ¡°Grandpa, why did that guy start a fight?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Let''s just say, he tried to pull a fast one on that spirit master. It isn¡¯t gonna be pretty for either of them when the owner arrives.¡± Asela thought for a long moment and stayed quiet on whatever came to her mind. ¡°Well, where to next?¡± Kyrion asked excitedly. ¡°Towards the arena. I want you to see a few arena fights before I start your martial training, and since, we only have nine days until you start school. While being able to fight isn¡¯t a big thing right now, I would be happier knowing you can defend yourself.¡± Alexander says, watching the two carefully. They both seem to be eager but it seems to be centered more on curiosity than blood lust. Soon the group arrived at a large arena made from stone, the walls high enough to be noticeable from a distance, and cheers can be heard from the inside. Each step brings more excitement to the youngest members of the group. ¡°Four entry passes for today¡¯s matches.¡±Charles paid for the tickets and the group headed up to their seats. Alexander reads through the program, ¡°Looks like there are three scheduled fights on the docket. So for basic rules fights end when one person has either surrendered or can no longer continue. Outside the arena are well-trained, healing masters there to prevent worse case scenarios. People do still die in the arena however rare it may be best to see various combat styles in action.¡± ¡°People die? How often does that happen?¡± Kyrion asked warily. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Maybe once or twice a year. It isn¡¯t an everyday occurrence. If we can help it." The first set of fighters came out of their respective sides of the arena where 4 pillars stand in between them forming a square that reaches up. The one on the right was the silver-haired man, Leon, this time his hair is tied up and back in a ponytail and he seems to be wearing a breastplate over his chest paired with some greaves and a gauntlet over his left arm. At his side stood a white wolf with well-groomed fur and piercing blue eyes. Arrayed against them, on the left side of the arena was a sandy-haired muscular man, clad in an odd armor. His weapon seems to be a large shovel live weapon that is affixed to his arm from the elbow down. ¡°Today we have a treat for you all. Two Expert rank Spirit Masters will be fighting against each other in battle, the first to surrender or become incapacitated loses. Our special guest from the Principality of Ur, serving as an interim at the academy for this year, on the right side is, Leon Malkir! And on the left side, the mean, lean, digging king, the principal of Bean Sprout preparatory academy, the one the only, Yulon Jackson! Now for the moment, you''ve all been waiting for, 3, 2, 1, fight!¡± The fighters rushed towards each other Leon sword in preparation of being drawn, Yulon shovel arm poised for an overhead slam. As the two were about to collide, Yulon jumped 20 feet into the air, and in response, Leon backpedaled and sent his wolf to run around the arena center. Yulon landed and the earth shook and rumbled in response, as he burrowed into the ground. Within seconds of entering the ground, spikes began to erupt around the arena, turning the previously flat arena floor into a bed of hazardous earthen spikes. Leon and his wolf scale one of the polls and begin to summon power together. ¡°Wow¡­ their powers won''t hit us right?¡± Kyrion asked, a little worried. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, the two fighters can control their strength, and there are some enchantments that prevent magic from exiting the arena.¡± Alexander nodded. A wave of ice magic covers the arena and mist begins to rise from the ground, which turns from brown to white in a flash. Yulon shoots out of the ground like a cannonball towards Leon who is caught off guard and blocks the full-body assault, only to be knocked off the pillar, his sword getting flung out of his hand. Leon rights himself in midair and clears the ground with a swipe of his hand before landing on the icy ground destroying the spikes. Yulon jumps down towards Leon, who in turn swiftly slides through the arena on the ice while summoning a blade of ice from the air. Yulon barrels towards him for a final charge and the two engage in a series of cuts, slashes, and parries. Yulon holds the upper hand in raw strength and pushes Leon towards the wall, and when he raises his shovel arm to deliver the victory blow, a sword draws blood from the side of his neck. Leon¡¯s wolf had retrieved his master''s sword and used it to end the fight. ¡°I surrender.¡± Yulon sighed ¡°It was a good fight,¡± Leon replied Cheers erupt from the spectators'' seats as the crowd erupts in applause. The announcer returns to the stage. ¡°We will need 30 minutes to fix the arena, so for now we will have an emergency intermission. We here apologize for the inconvenience.¡± Kyrion looks to his grandfather. ¡°So is this what a spirit master fight looks like? Those bandits we saw never stood a chance¡­¡± Asela looks awestruck and nods along with what Kyrion asked. ¡°Huh, you have a long while before you can do anything remotely similar to that.¡± Alexander laughed. During the intermission, the group of Kyrion, Asela, Charles, and Alexander discussed the previous fight. ¡°Why did he wait to have his wolf attack until the end?¡± Kyrion asked ¡°Summoned allies tend to be fragile and can only take so much damage before getting forced back into their owners'' pool of spirit. In this case, Leon let his spirit be forgotten for a while which allowed it to retrieve his sword, and while he kept their foe distracted, the wolf was waiting for the prime striking opportunity.¡± Alexander explained. ¡°Why did the armor guy come up? Couldn¡¯t he have waited for the ice to melt?¡± Asela asked. Charles answered this one, ¡°You see if he waited that long, we¡¯d get bored and would have to go eat and miss the other fights. Also, people need air to breathe.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± She replied. Kyrion raised an eyebrow but said nothing. After the arena was repaired and cleared of debris, the next group of fighters enters the arena, one a slim woman with flaming red hair and clothes, skin masked by a constant roiling of flame, on the opposite end is an exceptionally tall and thin man, wearing a feathered cape, full headed mask luchador mask and a speedo. He showily removes the cape and flexes his somewhat meager muscles. ¡°This round we have two practitioner rank masters, the one you know and tolerate, our high flyer and exhibitionist, or eye in the sky! Skylark!¡± The announcer then points to the lady wreath in flame. ¡°And in this corner the unseen beauty hidden in the flames, the one who melts hearts and flesh alike, our shy pyromaniac! Ignis!¡± The crowd cheered in delight. ¡°Ready? Fight!¡± This time Kyrion watches as the announcer fades into nothingness and disappears when the battle starts. ¡°How¡­¡± He then looks at the high-flyer as well. ¡°Asela doesn¡¯t that guy feel familiar?¡± ¡°Nope never met him. You ok?¡± Asela looked at her brother seriously. ¡°It must be my imagination then.¡± Kyrion said, popping another one of those candies in his mouth. Unlike the previous fight, the two do not dash towards each other, instead, Ignis lets loose a flurry of red hot balls of fire, which connect to a Skylark who has taken to spinning like a dervish. The balls of flame explode into a torrent of flames but as they disappear nothing remains of Skylark. ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± Asela screams. ¡°Just watch,¡± Alexander told her, while patting her head, his eyes transfixed on the fight. Ignis looked around in confusion while sending out her flames like tendrils searching the arena for any signs of her opponent. What she failed to notice was a man falling from 300 feet up in the air, arms spread behind his back like a diving bird. ¡°Lark Kick!¡± He yelled after falling to the point where he was only 30 feet up and sending a wave of slicing wind at Ignis, who rolled away from the attack. ¡°That was not a kick she yells letting loose a wave of flame at where Skylark was previously. ¡°But this is!¡± he replied, propelling himself feet first at Ignis'' target and hitting her head on in the back. Skylark retreated foot aflame after the connection. While Ignis was pushed forward and into the ground. ¡°Hot! Hot! Hot!¡± He yelled while trying to put it out. The two engaged in a dance of ranged attacks, she threw balls of fire and he either intercepted them with blades of wind or evaded. Skylark burst forward again, dancing through the barrage of fire, and before colliding with he used a burst of wind to propel himself around in a circular path, ending up at the back, where he punched forward sending a wave of powerful wind at his foe. It struck her back, knocking her into the ground. This time however he was noticeably more exhausted. Ignis staggered to her feet. ¡°Ready to finish this?¡± Spitting red hot blood on the arena floor. ¡°Honestly I¡¯m about out reserve wise. What say I finish this now.¡± He said getting into a take-off position. He sent himself forward at a previously unseen speed at Ignis who in turn put up a solid wall of flame in between the two. Skylark pierced straight through it and hit the wall hard and as the smoke cleared, he lay alone and unconscious speedo perfectly fine but his mask was on fire. Ignis appears from inside her wall of flame exhausted, but otherwise fine. She staggers outside of the arena towards the healers. Skylark is taken out on a stretcher and the arena is fixed quickly as most of the damage was superficial. The next set of fighters enter the arena. One is a man with two large caddies with various hilts and handles poking out, over his eyes is a black blindfold tied over his eyes and forehead. Long jet back hair that falls to his back with a few white strands mixed in. He is dressed in long black robes that keep his hands and feet hidden. Next to enter is a blond-haired child with a cart full of orbs, on his head is a pair of goggles, and he is dressed in a pair of overalls, his eyes shifting between blue and green as he locks onto his opponent. ¡°Didn¡¯t we see the blindfold guy earlier?¡± Asela asked Charles. ¡°Yes. We did, which is odd, they normally don¡¯t show off in public events like these. But it explains why they were in the city.¡± A worried expression appears on his face... ¡°Lastly we have special participants who are not spirit masters but say they have abilities that are equal to that of expert rank spirit masters. While their abilities are untested and background kept to a minimum I can say that on the right corner we have a man who calls himself, The Eyeless Hydra, and he calls himself an Ascetic, of the Silver Flame sect. Next up is another man who told me his name was Frank Jones, who is a student of Golemancy from the Lodrim, Archipelago. Ready? begin!¡± This fight was the most unique one so far, the child dumped his cart into the ground and the orbs sunk into it and out from the ground raised an army of monsters made of dirt and stone. On the other side of the arena, Eyeless had thrown up both of his caddies causing them to rain their contents of all sorts of bladed weapons all over the ground of the arena. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°There are many styles of combat, Golemancy revolves around commanding and enhancing other creatures that fight for you. Golemancers can lead armies of their own creations, the only downside is that they are costly and time-consuming. While the eyeless tend to deploy assassination techniques and stealth. This style in particular is rare though. When mystics reach a certain level of power they specialize in a specific school. I have seen other hydra styles in action, the ear-less and the arm-less in particular. It tends to revolve around an onslaught of some type. Believe it or not, I lost my arm fighting one an arm-less clan hydra. They can be a vindictive sort. It¡¯s a good thing schools tend to not get along with each other.¡±Alexander explained. Kyrion looks a mixture of shocked and confused.¡±What do you know?¡± Alexander replies with a grin. ¡°Enough. Years of experience in combat. I¡¯ve had quite a few arms.¡± After all the preparations, the fight truly began, six small rock creatures, around four feet in height barrel forth, in a scattered formation, followed by three medium-sized creatures that were six feet tall, and a large one that was at least fifteen feet tall with a giant cannon in its chest. As the first wave arrives, Eyeless swipes his hand in a vertical line which seemingly causes 20 or so fallen blades to pierce into the front line with practiced efficiency. By the end of the barrage of flying blades, only two beat-up small golems remain. Seeing this the medium-sized golems retreat from where the swords remain and begin hurling rocks at him. Which he intern seems to dodge as though he knew where they were going to land before the golems did. The big golem let loose a black metal ball the size of a boulder. Eyeless made no attempts to dodge and forced all his weapons to fly towards him, forming some sort of dome around his body in which an explosion echoed, many blades lay destroyed on impact but aside from that Eyeless is fine, and in turn charges forward, willing his blades into a whip-like formation around like snakes. Each serpent tore into the medium and small golems with ease, until he arrived at the large golem who brushed away the strikes with its raw power. The large golem used the body of a medium golem to destroy three of six of the serpents, forcing eyeless to retreat towards a pillar that was soon shot and destroyed. Eyeless began to hide behind each of the remaining three pillars as they were destroyed by cannon fire and with no place to hide he charged forward, sweat rolling down his brow as he summoned more of his mystical power. When he attacked this time it wasn¡¯t with six serpents but 24, mostly made from the dirt and debris of the fallen pillars, dust, and cannonball fragments. His next barrage of strikes boomed through the arena like a blacksmith striking an anvil. The final golem brought to the point only dust remained. ¡°Do you surrender?¡± Eyeless ask his opponent who nods in reply. ¡°Sorry I didn''t catch that.¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°And the winner by a brutal showing of force is Eyeless!¡± Says the announcer The crowd erupts in cheers and applause as both fighters walk out of the arena which, like the first battle was destroyed, but unlike the first battle, this degree of damage was many times higher. ¡°I wanna fight like that Eyeless guy, making all those weapons fly around is cool!¡± Kyrion said excitedly. ¡°I see, how about you Asela? Where should we focus your training?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ignis was pretty cool but I''d rather not be on fire.¡± She replied. ¡°To be fair, I wouldn¡¯t set myself on fire either.¡± Alexander looks up at the evening sun. ¡°Well, kids, we''re burning daylight. Let''s hit up the Jr. weapons shop, they have all sorts of blunt non-murderous weapons for training purposes. But remember even a blunted weapon is still lethal so be careful.¡± Chapter 7 Shoping and More Food The group arrives at their next destination. Kyrion looked up at the sign. Instead of the standard picture-based format, it was a flat board adorned with odd symbols that clearly weren¡¯t letters. Kyrion said nothing about it as Alexander lead them in. Inside hang various swords, axes, hammers, knives, and other weapons carved from wood and look exceptionally sharp, despite previous statements of being blunted weapons. ¡°Ah yes, welcome to Ace Carver¡¯s, jr practice armory! Here I sell weapons usable in this kingdom¡¯s Bean Sprout academy.¡± He laughed at something that only he seemed to get. ¡°Feel free to browse the shop and if you have any questions, feel free to ask if you want to try something out, I have a dummy room downstairs .¡± The speaker was an older man, with strong almost, carved facial features, a beard that had a blunt, flat edge where it ends, as though it was freshly trimmed. After the introduction, Kyrion found himself standing there with a blank expression. Finally, after a good minute of silence paired with some poking and prodding, Kyrion made his way to the owner. He found himself too short for his head to reach over the counter, so he took a few steps back and looked up. ¡°Mr. Carver sir, I want a weapon that goes whoosh through the air.¡± Kyrion begins to describe the flying weapons in great detail using his meager vocabulary. ¡°I want the sword to fly like this, and hit my opponent¡¯s like that. Did you get that?¡± Kyrion ask Alexander stifled a laugh before clearing his throat. ¡°Eh em! We just came from the arena, and the last match involved a certain mystic, using the Hydra style. His enthusiasm is normal.¡± He pointed towards a shelf of small weapons. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the lack of strength to wield heavier weapons, but he seems to have access to the wind element, so weapons he can throw would probably suit him for now.¡± Kyrion was hit with a sour expression before whispering something to Charles, ¡°Uh.. are there any bushes where I can. You know¡­ I¡¯m not a barbarian.¡± Charles. in turn, looked over to Alexander, who was chatting up the owner. ¡°Follow me,¡± Charles said, grabbing Kyrion¡¯s hand and dragging him towards a room with an odd bald guy on the door. ¡°Just go in here kiddo. It¡¯s not that hard.¡± Doing what Charles said, Kryion went into the room. Some stuff happened, and Kyrion carefully made his way back to the main room, shellshocked. ¡°Hey grandpa, can I try these out downstairs!?¡± He said in a rush, sweat rolling down his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll take these.¡± Kyrion grabbed a pair of wooden circular discs with lots of room on the inside. ¡°The eager one, aren¡¯t you. Asela do you know what you want?¡± He replied, turning his head over his shoulder. ¡°Uh...a sickle maybe? It¡¯s something I¡¯ve seen back home.¡± Asela held her hand to her chin. ¡°I don¡¯t have to fight, right?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, but it¡¯s best if you at least know how to protect yourself. You¡¯re learning so that you never have to. Now downstairs we go.¡± Kyrion threw knives, bows, shortswords, arrows, and even axes at the dummy 10 feet away. Sadly only the knives and small hammers made it. He then realized he was digging in the wrong pile. With a reddened face, he picked up an actual throwing knife and threw it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, it flew right past the dummy, and it hit the wall 40 feet away, digging deep into the wall. ¡°Well I knew you had an arm, your accuracy needs work though. Keep trying various weapons out. I¡¯ll check on the little one.¡± Alexander walked over to Asela, who was swinging her sickle like the farming tool it was, but it didn¡¯t have enough strength. ¡°Little one, try putting your body behind the swing, you¡¯ll hit it much harder than you did before. Have you seen Charles?¡± He asked while looking around for the well-mannered butler. ¡°I saw him near the stairs. He¡¯s making the face you make when you find out someone switched your orange with a grapefruit.¡± She starts swinging harder at the wooden dummy, getting a feel for it. Alexander finally makes it to Charles, who was sitting on the staircase looking off into the distance. He acknowledges Alex¡¯s presence and looks away for a few long moments. ¡°Looks like a certain young man isn¡¯t city broken. I cleaned it up of course but you know how it goes. How is the weapon testing going?¡± ¡°Their kids, not good, but it¡¯s fun to watch.¡± They watched over the kids for a while as they practiced. Kyrion, playing with a disc that had a giant hole in the center. He threw it, and it flew everywhere but towards the target, and by the look in his eye, you could tell he was having fun with this weapon. Asela, on the other hand, managed nothing more than superficial damage and boring cuts. She eventually went and asked the owner if he had anything like the sickle but more fun. He gave her a sickle with a wooden chain at the end. Ace called it the Kama and showed her how to use it. Eventually, the group paid for the Kama, including two throwing discs that were for Kyrion. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lets go finish eating, by now things should have cooled down a bit, and if it didn¡¯t, Dorgon himself may step in.¡± Alexander leads the way back to the restaurant. As they enter, the feel was noticeably different. The patrons are much quieter and better dressed. The band was replaced by a woman playing a relaxing melody on her harp. The workers are in leather armor, and their waitress still has her axes, only they were worn on the outside of her uniform. From the look of things, they weren¡¯t putting up with another incident today. ¡°Is this the same place?¡± Kyrion asked aloud. Jala poked her head out of her sack, nodded, and went back in. Alexander and Charles looked at each other. The former shrugged as the group was taken to a big table that already had a few people there. There sat a muscular and green-skinned giant with pointed ears and two well-polished tusks protruding from his mouth. He seems to be casually wearing a breastplate, and greeves and his gauntlets are placed at his side. Next to him was a human woman with porcelain skin and platinum blond hair. She, in turn, was dressed in brigandine armor and had a faint scar over her left eye. She was similarly armored and had the look of someone important. The third person at the table was a pale green-skinned kid with a small pair of tusk and the same color hair as the woman tied up in a braid behind their head. ¡°General Alexander! Have a seat you old codger! Haven¡¯t seen you in ages, and did you go and have more kids? Humans sure do sprout faster than I thought.¡± Says the green-skinned man. ¡°I retired after the war, Dorgon, and we both know they gave me that rank as a retirement gift. Also these are my grandkids, they will be starting at the academy in nine days. How¡¯s the life of a chef treating you?¡± Alexander embraces his friend with a firm handshake, which was returned. ¡°Honey, shouldn¡¯t you introduce us?¡± Says the platinum-haired woman. ¡°Yeah, dad, introduce us!¡± Said the child who seemed to be around Kyrion¡¯s age. ¡°Oh right, this here is my wife, Freya, from house Carmine, I¡¯m sure you know her from our unit, so I assume this is for the kids. Since you were at the wedding¡­ Ah and this little one is Wura, my youngest daughter, she awakened with some sort of metal spirit, so we plan to have her train this year, and when the recruiters from the big schools arrive, I plan on letting her join one of those so that she can get stronger. I¡¯m sure you noticed the strong winds as well. It¡¯s the best we can do for now.¡± Dorgon says sagely. ¡°I see, this is Charles, my butler, Kyrion, my grandson. He is yet to find all his spirits. The little one is Asela, who awakened with the fire king¡¯s emblem. Alexander replied. Food was brought to the table, a full 7-course meal was served. The kids talked about what they have seen in the city. Jala popped out and made her presence known. They played with her and kept themselves busy. The adults at the table were deeply discussing what Kyrion would refer to as the boring stuff. Afterward, they started talking about the good old days when Commander Red Bear led a suicide squad behind enemy lines and wreaked havoc on the enemies¡¯ resources and morale. ¡°I¡¯ve never had food that good.¡± Kyrion said, patting his stomach. Jala echoed the sentiment. ¡°This stuff is alright, dad¡¯s still a much better chef than this.¡± Wura replied. ¡°You had better food than this?¡± Asela asked agape. ¡°Our mom can¡¯t even cook.¡± ¡°Neither can mine if we¡¯re being honest.¡± Wura agreed readily. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we work on cooking together!¡± Jala jumped up, and down delighted by the idea of trying delicious food. Kyrion, on the other hand, tried to fade into his chair, attempting to disappear enough into the background to be forgotten. After dinner, the group said goodbye while Asela and Wura made plans to meet up tomorrow afternoon. The group walked a bit before stopping outside of a dusty old shack. ¡°Kyrion, what are your next two spirit slots? For you to progress you need strong spirits, you need to fill up the first three while in the fledgling rank, and while I¡¯d love to hunt for strong creatures you can bond with, I believe it¡¯s best you get what you can, here and now.¡± Kyrion looked worried but nodded in acceptance. ¡°I wish they told me all this, but fine, it seems I have a seed and an egg slot. Not sure what that means.¡± He replied ¡°It means what you said. Your slots are those with the most potential for growth, but won¡¯t do much from the get go. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± He whispered to Kyrion.¡± Charles go on back with Asela we may be awhile.¡± Alexander said aloud. The two entered the shop whose owner seemed to be a brown-haired man sleeping with a book over his face. ¡°Welcome to my shop. Don¡¯t ask about the name, you couldn¡¯t prfonounce it. I deal in odd bits a baubles that people find and most have no use for.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see your supply of old wives tales.¡± Alexander said bluntly, much to the confusion of Kyrion. ¡°Ah, I see a real customer.¡± The man removes the book revealing long sharp ears and eyes that seemed to spin when looked into. ¡°Ah, yes, I can see it, a young plant and a magical beast of some sort. Give me a vial of the kid¡¯s blood, and I¡¯ll directly give you some very powerful spirits for free and even throw in an item that hides your mark. Handpicked from yours truly. What do you say, kid?¡± Alexander looked to Kyrion, who seemed to step back. ¡°I don¡¯t know you, and that¡¯s my blood, I need it. Also, what mark?¡± He responded, a little freaked out. ¡°You don¡¯t see it? Well, that¡¯s fair, it is in rather a hard to reach place afterall.¡± The shop owner stated. Alexander cleared his throat. ¡°Your not the same one as last time, but it shouldn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re here to do the blind selection for two spirits. You know the categories, I have the money necessary.¡± ¡°Great. Well, feel free to look through these two cases. The one on the left contains eggs collected from all over, while the one on the right contains various seeds belonging to magical plants. The man placed 2 containers on the counter. Opening them to reveal eggs with multiple shapes and images floating decorating them. Some plain many were exotic. While the other contained seeds seemingly piled together randomly. Kyrion knew his corp-related seeds, but this was a new experience. All kinds of plants that Kyrion had never seen before. ¡°Uh sir¡­ can you tell me what these are? ¡°He points to the seeds and then the eggs. The shop owner shakes his head no. ¡°It¡¯s part of the challenge, you won¡¯t know what you get until it¡¯s already done and I do not do refunds for this. Truth be told I don¡¯t know what half of these are either. If you can¡¯t decide, why not let your neck partner choose them? It¡¯s gonna be working with them anyway, so it can¡¯t hurt to let her pick.¡± He leaned back in his chair and replaced his book. Kyrion took the advice, placed Jala on the table, and let her loose into the box of seeds first. She had seemed to go much deeper than the box had space for but eventually came back with what appears to be a green walnut seed with odd blue tendrils arcing across it like veins. Jala then went to where the eggs were and started tapping on them with her paw. She went through each egg twice before she seemed satisfied with a blue egg with white clouds moving around it. ¡°I¡¯d pick that one too.¡± Kyion patted his fox companion on her head. ¡°Grandpa can you get me those? They seem to be Jala approved so I know they¡¯re decent.¡± Kyrion gulped after saying that. ¡°Great, that will be 2 soul coins and 50 gold crowns, and since I like you all so much, I¡¯ll give you an emblem suppressor for free as well. How does that sound?¡± The owner said energetically. Alexander grunts grimly, pulling out 2 translucent purple coins and 5 white metal coins with crown symbols on them. ¡°I¡¯m even poorer now, are you happy? You look happy?¡± He said to the owner of the shop. ¡°Very happy, bye bye!¡± He said, giving Kyrion a wool bracelet for his arm and his freshly acquired spirits. ¡°Kyrion, be sure to get some rest tonight because tomorrow will be a busy day.¡± They leave the shop and head back to the mansion. ¡°Gramps... What was that guy?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°They are called Alir¡¯mondri, or demons. They come from a place both close by yet far away at the same time, and come in many shapes and sizes. It¡¯s a very confusing topic to be honest and I know this much from the last shop owner. They are a talkative race as well.¡± ¡°I thought demons were beast.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Some are, it¡¯s complicated.¡± Alexander pinched his nose. ¡°Let¡¯s continue further quietly.¡± They arrived home as the two moons decorate the night sky, Almira and Icaron, the red and blue watchers. Charles brings Kyrion to his freshly prepared room with an exceptionally comfortable bed. He wasted no time going to sleep that night. Chapter 8 Understanding Mana The next day was met with an early rise. Kyrion and Asela were woken up at the crack of dawn, which wasn¡¯t unusual back home. What was confusing was the backyard they were brought out to. It was surprisingly spacious, with various metal implements strewn about. Their grandfather was outside in a pair of short pants and a thin tunic. Arms crossed and a chipper expression on his face. His legs were covered in red hair. ¡°Didn¡¯t even know legs could have hair,¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here it¡¯s time to start your training. I have ten days to beat into you a training regime. No more Mr.Nice Grandpa.¡± Alexander said plainly. ¡°Were going to get hit?¡± Kyrion began to take stock of all the exits. ¡°First, I want you to run around the courtyard for a solid ten minutes, don¡¯t stop moving and pace yourself if necessary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s forever!¡± Asela protested. ¡°No more interruptions!¡± Alexander raised his voice. Both kids got very quiet very quickly. ¡°After this, I¡¯ll have you do a series of exercises that you will need to practice everyday from then on out. Finally Charles will return with breakfast and then the real training will begin.¡± Asela started to say something, but Kyrion stopped her. ¡°Any questions? No? Now get running.¡± Alexander said. The kids stood there bleary-eyed and confused. ¡°Now get to running!¡± Alexander clapped his hands loudly, and the kids began to run. Kyrion was on his third lap when he started to slow down, his body not used to the extended effort. When he made it back to his grandpa and received a hard slap on his back. ¡°Keep going. You still have strength left, keep pushing it.¡± Alexander said. Kyrion winced out of reflex, but instead of pain, he felt somewhat energized and started to pick up the pace. He made it another three laps before receiving a similar prod again. Around the five-minute mark, Kyrion noticed his sister got a similar slap every six laps. Her pace seemed to be better than his. He also noted that she couldn¡¯t do anything like this two months ago. Time passed, and the two were allowed to stop running and made their way back to their grandfather. Who led them through stretches and a series of jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups, followed by some exercises that Kyrion had never heard of. He noticed Asela was drastically outpacing him to a degree of power that made him want to push harder. They rested for 10 minutes before Charles arrived with a breakfast spread for the exhausted children. ¡°Decent for kids, horrible for spirit masters but that is to be expected. Kyrion before you eat come with me. We have to attune your spirits. No use wasting food with a growing appetite like yours.¡± Alexander says as he travels deeper into the courtyard. Kyrion did just that and made his way towards his grandfather, yawning. ¡°So, what do I need to do now?¡± ¡°Remove your shirt, I¡¯ll need your back. I already have the materials ready, you just need to accept them. It should be easy if nothing more than physically draining. Warning, you¡¯re about to get really hungry.¡± Alexander replied with a grin. Kyrion paled at the thought of having to eat tons of food and looked back. ¡°I¡¯ll eat it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it.¡± Charles brought out a second platter of food as though preparing for something. Kyrion sat down, his back facing Alexander. The symbol of a small fox sleeping could be seen next to the outline of an egg. Under both of them was some sort of seed. Fox seemed to move across the boy¡¯s back as though it was breathing. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if the people who tested you were blind or if you were lucky to be under their radar? Try not to show anyone your back without that bracelet.¡± Alexander signed. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion said, surprised. The old man began an unintelligible chant before searing pain entered his back. Kyrion tried to let out a roar as his back grew hotter and hotter, then he tried to stand up only to find that his body had gone rigid. He felt something fundamentally change in his center, and a pain shot through him like a cramp across his nerves. As though something had begun to take root inside of him. He felt the power flow through his body, and his paralysis began to fade. Next, he felt a cool sensation as something began to flow in his system. The feeling came in from his back and spread throughout his body. Cooling the searing pain and adding a type of clarity to his mind that he lacked previously. As calm as a flowing river. Kyrion was at peace, passing out as everything was finished. Kyrion awoke to his stomach growling in hunger. When he stood up, the ground felt much further away. His nails and hair were longer. He felt the connection to his mana pool strengthen. He finally felt centered, as though a balance finally righted itself. ¡°I need food¡­.¡± Kyrion went towards the door and tripped over his feet, hitting his chin on the floor. Charles came running in panic. ¡°Kyrion, are you ok? How many fingers am I holding up?¡± ¡°Foooood!¡± Was, all Kyrion said, head in-ground and voice muffled. ¡°Oh dear. Food isn¡¯t a number between one and five.¡± Charles put down his three fingers and left the room. Kyrion woke up shortly after to the smell of hot, high-calorie baked, frosted goodness. His mouth started drooling instinctively. ¡°Stop that. I don¡¯t drool over food.¡± Kyrion tried to convince himself. But unfortunately, his stomach didn¡¯t agree with the ideals he was peddling. He then noticed Alexander sitting across from him with the tray holding more pastries, and a mix of anger and betrayal crossed the young boy¡¯s face. ¡°What did you do to me!¡± He stood up again, stumbling toward the table, leaning on Charles to stand upright. ¡°Eat now. Speak later, your body is mad at you right now.¡± Alexander said calmly. Kyrion made it back to the table and began devouring the pastries, tray by tray, and after eating his fill, his mind felt clearer and less angry at him. All the aches and pains were gone. ¡°So. What did you do to me? I feel weird.¡± Alexander nodded at the question. ¡°Kyrion, you see, one of those spirits Jala chose, must have been a pretty rare one. Normally when you reach rank one, your body gets stronger to a degree, based on which spirit you obtained. In Asela¡¯s case, she got a little stronger and faster, but her stamina seemed to shoot through the roof, at least from what I can tell. In your case, it seems like you sprouted a little. You went from being short for your age to about average. Any more changes will have to be tested tomorrow. I will explain everything I can then.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kyrion nodded as Charles brought out another tray of pastries. He proceeded to finish off that tray before getting up and heading back to the courtyard. Kyrion decided to walk around for a bit, feeling the changes. His old scars and calluses had faded and disappeared after eating his food, and his teeth felt stronger. When he ran around the track, Kyrion didn¡¯t get tired as fast as he did earlier and noticed his energy recovered quickly, although it seemed to tax something else in turn. He ran for around 30 minutes before he started to get a cramp in his stomach and began to feel awful. Then, he felt the pain recede and felt really drained. Alexander made his way to the courtyard. ¡°I said to get used to your changes not to hurt yourself unattended. You have the day off of training, go rest somewhere. You can even explore the city if you want. Those noble brats shouldn¡¯t bother you anymore, go and make some friends.¡± Surprised by his newfound freedom, Kyrion went on a walk outside, bored and curious all at the same time. He walked to a park he heard was in the noble district, under the fancy benches, a relatively large pond, and another fancy statue of some muscular guy on a horse. He found tall trees with black leaves and red vines. The bark had a slight red tinge to them as well. The trees called to the boy asking to be climbed. Kyrion climbed one of the red trees. Upon reaching the top, he was quite refreshed as well. So much so that he began to nod off on the branch he was relaxing on. An unknown amount of time passed before Kyrion noticed someone was yelling at him. ¡°Hey weirdo! Why are you in that tree!? Hello! Hey!¡± It was a high-pitched voice. Kyrion looked down and saw some blonde-haired girl looking up at him, preparing to throw a rock at him. ¡°Huh?¡± He was too late, the rock hit him on the side, and his body slipped off the tree, strangely though his legs wrapped around the branch before he could fall entirely and hung from it almost as though he was rooted unto the tree. He hardly noticed the strain. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t throw rocks at people. It¡¯s rude! Good day ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°You ok?¡± She asked worriedly before tensing up. ¡°It¡¯s your fault I was talking to you and you didn¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s my duty to put trouble makers in their place. You can¡¯t just climb the trees! Especially these!¡± She replied. ¡°Who said I can¡¯t climb the trees? Trees are for everyone, my big brother told me that.¡± Kyrion said while pulling his eyelid down. Or well up in this case, since he was upside down. The girl points to a sign with some odd symbols on it. ¡°It says don¡¯t climb the trees. You¡¯re breaking a law, you know. I could have you thrown in jail for your crimes. Can¡¯t you read?¡± She said with a smug expression. ¡°And I should care why? I¡¯ll get down from the tree but what¡¯s this jail thing?¡± Kyrion began making his way down the tree. ¡°Jail is where the bad people go after doing something illegal.¡± The girl stood proud. Surprisingly her words had the opposite effect as Kyrion climbed even further up the tree in a hurry. ¡°I¡¯m not going to jail! I¡¯m staying up here!¡± Kyrion had reached near the top of his tree by this point and was holding on for dear life. The girl pouted and appeared to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m going to get my dad. He¡¯s a Knight captain! He¡¯ll get you down!¡± ¡°The brat left,¡± Kyrion thought to himself. He wondered what he should do next when a flash of genius struck him. Kyrion went from tree to tree, testing the durability of the branches when he found his match. A rigid yet flexible set of branches were the perfect hiding spot. Unbeknownst to him, the trees seemed to welcome him as though he was a part of them, branches covering his path, and all noticeable signs of his presence vanished among them. Along with a steady stream of mana and his own blood, something he hadn¡¯t noticed was leaving him. Around ten minutes later, Kyrion noticed an older man with blonde hair and a beard being dragged back to the trees, shaking his head. The girl pointed at the tree and couldn¡¯t find him; she pointed to a few nearby trees but still couldn¡¯t find him. The man scanned the area with a cursory glance, and Kyrion felt that he was overlooked. The man seemed to concentrate, and a wave of power seemed to pass through the trees. Kyrion thought he had been discovered, but the man seemed to ignore him. Finally, he bent down and said something to the girl, and they left the park together. After the pair left, Kyrion decided he should find a way back home but couldn¡¯t go the normal way. No, he had to go about it stealthy. After a reasonable amount of time passed, he climbed down the tree and jumped from hiding spot to hiding spot, avoiding sight. Finally, he jumped the fence to the park and began to go back to his house. He found a patch of dirt he used to cover his face with and even added a few leaves to his disguise. Kyrion made it back to the mansion unbothered, sneaking his way in only to notice extra shoes left at the front door. ¡°Odd¡­¡± he mumbled while heading to his room to get changed. But, unbeknownst to him, a trail of mud followed closely behind. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Came a voice that vaguely reminded him of Charles, only it was angry, which was a new experience. Kyrion opened the door carelessly. ¡°Oh hey Charles, what¡¯s the matter?¡± He saw fire in the butler¡¯s eyes but assumed it was towards something else. ¡°Kyrion¡­ You tracked mud all over the freshly waxed floor, what do you have to say about that?¡± Charles asked admonishingly. ¡°I need a bath? I¡¯ll go take one and then clean up my mess¡­ Now if you want me to do so now I¡¯d only make things worse.¡± Kyrion revealed his mud-covered body. Charles begins to look drained. ¡°No time. Kyrion, I¡¯m going to clean you and the hall now. I need you to step into the hallway though.¡± Kyrion did so, and the hallway was flushed out with some liquid that came out of Charles¡¯s hands, cleaning Kyrion and the hallway simultaneously. After they were washed, something warm passed through the highway, and Kyrion was also dried off. The butler then groomed the boy¡¯s hair and nails, stopping when he was satisfied. ¡°Now we have some guests here today. So be on best behavior, ok?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel too well tonight. Mind if I eat in my room? Don¡¯t want to scare anyone. Also, do I need to know how to read?¡± Kyrion asked warily, coughing into his hand and letting blood find it there. ¡°If you wish. Training will start early tomorrow morning. You¡¯ll be a day behind, and it seems even further If we need to teach you how to read. No worries though you¡¯re still pretty young.¡± Charles left and returned with a platter, and night became day. They began their daily exercises, both managing to get past the gauntlet without excess force, and when they moved on to mana training. ¡°Asela you can start now, since I gave you your exercises yesterday.¡± The old man crossed his arms. ¡°Yes sir!¡± Asela said as she started trying to meditate. ¡°Now Kyrion, find the core in the center of your body, and breathe.¡± Kyrion looked into his body, finding his core. Something that seemed to fill his entire body. It was as though there was a small storm of power brewing inside of him, waiting to get out. The oddity was the mana trying to get in. It tickled a bit. ¡°As you do you should notice a tingly feeling in your core. Latch onto that sensation and try to move it into your core. This is a mana absorption technique. Use it when you¡¯re low on mana, and it will help refill your pool faster. It can also help increase the size of your mana pool over time.¡± Kyrion drew in mana and directed it to his core, which was already full. A pressure built behind his eyes, and he knew the feeling. Kyrion pushed the mana in his body directly into his fox spirit, causing it to fall dormant. The pain faded, but he soon found that the fox couldn¡¯t take any more. He tried to feed some to the egg the same way, yet all it did was get redirected. So he fed the seed instead, finding that it took in everything. Drinking the outside mana in as though it was boundless void. Soon after, Alexander marked that it was time to move on. ¡°Now try molding all the mana you have in your body, and squeeze it down. This will help increase its quality.¡± ¡°Why does quality matter?¡± Asela asked ¡°The higher the quality, the more potential you will have later on, so it¡¯s important. When you compress your mana to the size of a grape, you¡¯ve reached rank two, and by the time it reaches the size of a pea, you will have reached rank three.¡± Kyrion and Asela were a little confused. ¡°What happens at rank four?¡± The mana quality you reached at rank three is then set as your new standard of mana quality. With the new standard, you refill your mana to around sixty percent of its natural size. Quality determines how much power, from stronger magical abilities to a better body, depending on what your spirits specialize in. This is why compressions are critical.¡± Alexander explained. Kyrion worriedly started trying to compress his mana. When he pushed, the mana moved in that direction. It was malleable and slimy. It seemed to engulf the figurative hands he was using to push. Kyrion tried making the hands bigger, but they slipped through his fingers this time. On his third attempt, he tried to cup his hands around it. It seemed to work until the mana shot out of his figurative hands. Kyrion felt both physically and mentally drained by the end of the exercise. His body was covered in sweat. He stood up and stretched before eating a big lunch. Eating became more enjoyable as he trained, and for some reason, the sheer amounts he needed to consume seemed to not bother him as much anymore. Charles approached Kyrion with a book that seemed both old and well used. Kyrion looked at it and slowly backed away from Charles. ¡°I get the feeling I¡¯m not gonna like where you¡¯re going with this.¡± Kyrion had a pale expression on his face. ¡°Young master Kyrion, it has come to my attention that your reading ability was lacking and I brought this to remedy that situation. We are going to start with letters, and move on to basic words. I hope to have you at least able to practice on your own by the time class starts.¡± Charles dragged Kyrion to a wooden table, and the practice began. ¡°Kyrion?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Yes Charles.¡± Kyrion replied after going through the preparatory book ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t read.¡± He said with a hint of suspicion. ¡°Yup. I can¡¯t read.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°You seem to already have some of the basics down, I¡¯m just wondering if you¡¯re playing us for fools.¡± ¡°Oh that. I know a few words. But back when I was learning my head started hurting alot. It happened multiple times. So I was excused from my lessons. I have my letters but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°You could have started with that and not wasted time.¡± ¡°Nonsense. I thought I forgot most of them.¡± Kyrion continued his lessons. After a few hours of practice, Kyrion went outside to play with Jala, Asela, and Wura. What started out being a light-hearted set of games slowly began to feel like training. Tag was running, Hide and Seek, perception and sneakiness. Even Dodge the rope made him better at dodging things in general. Kyrion had a very early mid-life crisis. ¡°Everything is training.¡± He muttered to himself, pounding the ground. ¡°Curse you Mr.Lingar, I will never be able to play for fun again.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Wura asked Asela. ¡°Not sure. I think he missed his nap and is a bit loopy.¡± Asela shrugged. ¡°Should we play somewhere else?¡± Wura asked. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± The two girls moved on to a different game while Kyrion had his moment. Later that day, Kyrion tried to manifest his spirits. Unlike Jala, however, the egg didn¡¯t seem to budge, while the seed rooted inside him seemed to pulse to no effect. He tried eating a piece of mana candy and feeding the excess mana to his spirits with no luck. The rest of his training was spent trying to use Jala¡¯s shared magic. He had a handle on the mist though he didn¡¯t know what it did. Pure wind control seemed to be hard to get a hold of.
Every day, Kyrion would wake up, exercise, meditate, practice with his weapons, and then practice reading for the majority of the day. After which, Kyrion would play with his spirits. Over time, Jala¡¯s fur became shiner as Kyrion began training his mana quality. The more he managed to compress, the stronger the link he felt. His other spirits seemed to stay dormant as he tried to coax them into manifesting. The boot camp ended on day nine, and Kyrion was at a consistent rate of 80% in his compressions. Kyrion and Asela were given packed bags that included a few books and some basic necessities. ¡°Bye Gramps! Bye Charles!¡± They waved as they left to meet up with the others. Chapter 9 Arrival at Limguard Academy Kyrion, Jala, Asela, and Wura, made their way out of the city through a gate to the north with an abundance of other kids. Led by an elderly bald man with a long beard and cane. After a while, the surroundings seemed to warp and stretch as their area shifted. Trees vanished, the grass became flattened earth, and brick walls appeared around them. Kyrion noted as various kids started puking, swaying, and passing out. Apparently, this sort of magic wasn¡¯t kind to everyone. ¡°Are you all ok?¡± Kyrion asked his group. ¡°No! This is terrible!¡± Asela said. Wura just nodded, and Jala was knocked out. Kyrion looked up to the old man they were traveling with, who began to look familiar the longer he stared. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re the guy who did that test thing!¡± Asela yelled. The courtyard erupted in conversation as the realization hit quite a few kids. ¡°Yes, yes, children, Eugeen Rusell, a teacher, recruiter, and an early Expert rank Spirit Master with transportation-based abilities. Traveling is what I do best.¡± Eugene said, hopping from foot to foot with ease, not befitting his age. ¡°Here¡¯s the gist of things. By the end of the year, you all will be selected to begin training at one of the various academies abroad. During this period of growth we hope for you to mature and get as strong as you can, in hopes that you return aNow I want you guys to separate into groups based on your current rank. Starting from those who don¡¯t know, followed by one, two and so forth. From there we will give you your schedules and you will run through what a day here would be like. Classes begin in earnest tomorrow.¡± Most of the kids filled rank one with Kyrion, including Wura and the pair of noble brats he met at the park. ¡°What were their names again¡­.¡± He mumbled to herself before looking over to Asela¡¯s group and noticing she was the shortest one there. Among what seemed to be people the same age as Kyrion, the second shortest went to some blond girl who also looked familiar to a degree. But that one was harder to place than the others. After that, there was a group of five kids in the third rank line and a single kid in the fourth rank, line. He was pretty large, with a muscular for his age. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m behind,¡± Kyrion said to no one in particular. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, the ones ahead of us started much earlier, since some wealthy families can afford to buy their own tablets. Let¡¯s just do our best.¡± Wura chimed in, putting her hand on his shoulder. Kyrion looked back at her, nodded, and sat meditatively. Pulling in mana the way he was taught while waiting for the person in charge of his group to arrive. Which, in turn, didn¡¯t take long. A man with blue hair tied back in a ponytail, a pair of glasses, and robes approached them with a hefty tome in hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, I go by Lok, and I will be your main instructor, as you all are clearly only rank one at the moment the physical training that you would be put through would be nearly impossible due to the strain on your mana. From now until the first exam, I will be going over techniques that will help you use up your mana, and then refill your pool which should help you form a stronger connection to it, most lessons will be done in the library, and I expect you to spend most of your time in reaching rank two. Any questions?¡± Lok scanned the group making sure everyone was paying attention. One well-dressed kid in the back raised his hand. ¡°Uh, what happens if you use all your mana on accident.¡± Lok looked at the class with a monotonous expression. ¡°You die.¡± Lok then let terror form on the faces of his students before pushing up his glasses. ¡°Now it¡¯s nigh impossible to do that on purpose the same way you can¡¯t suffocate by holding your breath. Your body will force you to go to sleep to refill its mana supply. Only high-rank monsters and demons feed on mana. Both of which are as rare as they are powerful.¡± Relief crossed a few faces, but everyone seemed too scared to ask another question at the moment. Lok shepherded the kids off to the library, where he led a brief meditation before taking them over to their next class, where he then led the group in some stretches and left them alone for an hour before taking them back to the library. Where they continued their meditation while Lok read from a history book. ¡°Limguard¡¯s Beansprout academy was founded 900 years ago. Back then it trained its students up to the expert tier and housed many strong individuals. However when Limguard was split in two it lost more than just half its teachers. It lost rich mana deposits and fell into hard times. The acting dean at the time decided to change the formula. Now we take talented young spirit masters and prepare them for the true schools.¡± Kyrion popped out of his meditation. Quite bored and a little peckish. ¡°Sounds lame. Why do all the hopping around when you can just send them to another school?¡± ¡°Not every child has a place to train and grow in their crafts. In fact at this moment Limguard has the only academy on the eastern side of this continent. So many of the students here have come from other countries, believe it or not. Most are native however.¡± Kyrion asked another question. ¡°Why do you awaken so many people here but only take in a few?¡± ¡°Not everyone is innate talented like those chosen to come here. You for example are here on a recommendation from your grandfather. But that¡¯s for those who show talent early. The real academies don¡¯t like to accept students until they are at the ten to thirteen mark. You train here, get a schedule and then go home for a year before heading to the school you were selected for.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°So it¡¯s about giving us experience.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Correct. Are you having trouble meditating?¡± Lok seemed to squint. ¡°Focus isn¡¯t something I have much of at times.¡± Kyrion looked around and noticed that most of the other students were still meditating. The only other one visibly out of it was the well-dressed kid. That boy was actively staying silent.
The students were then brought to the mess hall for a bland lunch. Asela, Kyrion, Wura, and the blond girl in Asela¡¯s group. Wura started crying over lunch. ¡°This is horrible. What did they do to this stuff.¡± Kyrion finished his plate of brown mush, rice, and peas. ¡°I¡¯ll eat it if you don¡¯t want it.¡± He said absently. ¡°No I¡¯ll eat it, I¡¯m sure the chefs will gladly let you lick the pot clean though.¡± Wura said, forcing another bite down. ¡°I¡¯ve been spoiled by my family¡¯s cooking, it seems.¡± Kyrion failed to notice the blond girl staring at him. ¡°I know you¡­ Criminal!¡± She yelled. Which, in turn, got the attention of a few tables. ¡°You cowardly, no good, scoundrel, I couldn¡¯t eat dessert because of you!¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion was genuinely confused. ¡°When did I break¡­.¡± Kyrion thought back to all his encounters when they hit him. ¡°No. I broke no laws. The sign said, ¡°climb at your own risk,¡± and nothing happened.¡± Kyrion said as he stood up, going for seconds, thirds, and fourths. The fifth time he came back for a refill, they gave him the pot, shook their heads, and shrugged. Since many of the other kids only aimed to finish one plate, let alone get up and ask for more. When he sat down with the big pot of the stuff, he saw said blond girl staring daggers at him. ¡°Are you some sort of beast, or pig or something?¡± Face red and flushed. ¡°I demand satisfaction.¡± She clearly demanded. ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion passed her the pot of food. Asela shook her head in mock surprise. Wura was confused. The blond looked at him for a second and then at the pot. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Satisfaction, since it¡¯s satisfying my stomach at the moment. You want some? Pa always said people are happier on a full stomach.¡± Kyrion said, with an exaggerated country accent. As he was from the countryside, it didn¡¯t take much effort to make himself sound like a bumpkin. He scooped another portion of the near-tasteless stuff onto his plate. ¡°No, satisfaction, a duel.¡± She replied. ¡°Yeah...no. Not gonna fight you over some bullsh... Now excuse me while I go take my satisfaction elsewhere.¡± Kyrion stood up with the pot and left, much to Asela and Wura¡¯s protest. He found one with a group of people who didn¡¯t look at each other, let alone talk. ¡°If you want some, get some.¡± Kyrion sat the pot in the middle. No one at the table said anything. Kyrion sighed as he took a seat in one of the chairs. Moments later, he noticed a hefty-looking kid with light brown hair take a few scoops from the pot. This was good because Kyrion was near his limit at this point. ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion Mosely. What¡¯s your name?¡± Kyrion asked with genuine interest. ¡°I¡¯m Noah Smith.¡± The hefty kid replied. ¡°Nice to meet you Noah. I didn¡¯t see you in my class, which one are you in?¡± Kyrion pulled Jala out of her pouch and let her eat her fill. She decided that it wasn¡¯t good enough for her to eat. Turning her head up in disgust. ¡°Ah well, class zero apparently, I have enough room for two spirits, or so they say. The first is a raw material-based spirit, molten metal. My other spirit is some sort of earth-based beast. We will leave to get them in two weeks.¡± Noah spilled everything he was told today by his instructor. ¡°That sounds cool.¡± Kyrion replied and then looked at the well-dressed kid in his class. His hair was dark brown. ¡°I never got your name.¡± ¡°Everest Tailor. I am¡­or was a tailor in training.¡± Everest looked to the silent member of the table, then looked back at Kyrion and shrugged. The silent member at their table was a boy with a bald head with dark eyebrows. ¡°Well then, Everest, Noah, and Other Guy, meet Jala, she¡¯s my partner.¡± Jala looked up from her plate, nodded, and climbed back into her pouch. Lunch seemed to mark the end of classes, and Kyrion began to do his daily training routine taught to him by his grandfather. Afterward, he hung out with Noah and the others. Everest had a thread spirit that he could use to make clothes that could become stronger and more durable. While it wasn¡¯t armor level yet, it was something. Kyrion guessed that Other guy had a sword spirit. Because he spent every minute training with one, it clearly wasn¡¯t wooden. He also had managed to avoid saying anything. Most of his replies were either a shake of his head or grunts. Kyrion¡¯s discs, or Chakrams, as he later discovered, could become stronger based on the momentum built up before launching them. So he spent his time training them to ride the wind and even tried to get them to return after hitting their targets. Of course, it failed horribly, but he tried. It was then the blond girl approached him again. ¡°What do you want?¡± Kyrion said, somewhat annoyed. ¡°I am here to apologize, I didn¡¯t know you were Asela¡¯s brother and she said we can¡¯t be friends if I hate you.¡± The girl replied. ¡°I see...not accepted!¡± Kyrion said bluntly, picking at his ear and examining the damage. ¡°What do you mean not accepted!¡± She said, exasperated. ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name. Also, you didn¡¯t apologize.¡± Kyrion explained as he flicked the wax to the side. ¡°I did!¡± She yelled. ¡°No. You said you were here to apologize. There is a difference. Also name. Unless you want me to keep referring to you as the annoying blond girl, in my head.¡± Kyrion began picking the dirt out of his nails. ¡°I, Kiara Bluecrest, humbly apologize for my actions.¡± She then waited for Kyrion to do something. ¡°Ah yes, apology accepted. Now go along, I got some important business to take care of.¡± Kyrion said with an impish grin. Kiara, who looked sickened by his reaction, ran off, leaving Kyrion time to think, which he used to watch the sunset. He later discovered that he had missed dinner but was delighted to learn that Noah managed to get persimmon to borrow that pot as well. Kyrion sat in his dorm room with some hawk-faced kid who didn¡¯t like him. As it was, nobody seemed to like him aside from the friends he made today. Even Other Guy made it on that list. ¡°So...did you want seconds too or something?¡± Kyrion looked at the kid. ¡°No.¡± The kid said, staring holes into him. ¡°Did I kill your sheep in a past life?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. Not sheep anyway.¡± The kid repeated. ¡°Then why do you look like someone put lemon juice on your wound?¡± Kyrion said louder than he meant to. The kid gave in. ¡°Do you know who you sat at the table with?¡± ¡°Yeah, Other guy, Noah, and Everest.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°No before that. The girls.¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Kyrion asked, suspicion growing. ¡°Edwin.¡± The boy brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose. ¡°Well Edwin, I sat with my sister and her two friends, one of which is one of mine, I guess. Now what does that have to do with you?¡± ¡°Your friends with the princess?¡± Edwin asked in shock. ¡°No, what princess? What are you even talking about?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Ah, right, a commoner like you wouldn¡¯t know the rumors.¡± Edwin turned over in his bed. Kyrion lay down on his own bed. Something didn¡¯t feel right about his roommate. ¡°Good night.¡± The following week and a half went by in a flash. Kyrion and his friends went through their classes, trained, and played together. Kyrion had managed to condense all of his mana to the halfway point and keep it there consistently as he drew in more. It was like trying to empty a lake while it rained. Finally, he waved goodbye to Noah and the others, who had to go and find compatible spirits. Chapter 10 Reaching Rank Two All the rank-one class students were corralled for an essential lesson in the library. Lok held a book open in front of himself as he paced about in front of some board. Kyrion sat down in the back of the class, watching intently. ¡°Continuing our discussion from yesterday, children, do you know why we have classes like this in such a small country? Why do we teach those of you at fledgling rank? Any ideas?¡± A kid with white hair and glasses raised their hand. ¡°I have read that it is important that we start practicing young, because fledgling is the most important period of development. If people with potential slack off, then the potential growth is wasted.¡± ¡°Good answer, nearly textbook even. Nico was it? To reword it, when you¡¯re young, the fledgling stage of mana is one of the most influential. The reason we teach those at your age is to form a strong foundation, before sending you to a major academy to further shape your abilities. We have the teaching aspect down pat.¡± Lok scanned the crowd, taking mental notes on who was engaged in class. ¡°Next we discuss the differences in what the 3 tiers we go over are. To be blunt, you aren¡¯t considered a true spirit master until the expert realm of power, and that¡¯s for practicality. Fledgling is where you build your foundation, your center, core, or sea, whatever you want to call it. It¡¯s done by shrinking it as much as you can, before using the gained quality as a baseline, and refilling your pool with only that quality. We normally want it around the size of a grape by the time you graduate, as it allows you to continue to rank four, or continue compressing. What you need to know is that compressions past that point can be dangerous if ill prepared.¡± Lok looked down and turned the page. ¡°Practitioner however, is harder to define, there are thirty-nine stages.The prerequisite, and every ten ranks after entering requires the integration of a spirit core to continue on. Natural progression in this stage is rapid and slows down around age twenty five. Those who are diligent in their training may even reach the expert ranks before their twenties. While fledgling focuses on creating a foundation, practitioners shape how you use your spirit manifestations.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes glossed over as he listened to better absorb the information. Finally, his gaze stayed on the professor as his consciousness faded slightly, but not completely. Lok continued. ¡°For example, someone with a fire based spirit, can use fire magic to a degree even in fledgling rank, its nature being set by the default spirit. However, by absorbing a spirit core belonging to a fire snake, their flames would be liquid in nature and venomous, though the temperature of the flame won¡¯t change. On the other end of the spectrum, let¡¯s say you¡¯re lucky and manage to get the spirit core of a fire dragon. Your fire will be a lot hotter and be more destructive in nature. But it would also lose some of its natural precision and flexibility as you try to adjust.¡± Lok eyed the half-asleep Kyrion curiously and walked across the room, noticing that the gaze seemed to follow, but it wasn¡¯t precise, and he wasn¡¯t taking any notes. Though, to be fair, very few were doing that. Note-taking wasn¡¯t a skill taught to most kids. It had to be developed. ¡°As you master your abilities, your spirits will grow in power. And while I¡¯d love to continue, you still need to learn to stand before you start running.¡± He paused as he looked down at the half-asleep Kyrion. ¡°Can anyone tell me why we don¡¯t consider anyone who hasn¡¯t reached the expert tier a true spirit master?¡± He looked at the unresponsive boy. Nico raised his hand up first, and there were no other volunteers. ¡°Kyrion?¡± Lok asked carefully. Kyrion blinked a few times rapidly before he looked at the teacher with a grim expression. ¡°The answer is, I don¡¯t know.¡± Kyrion said unashamedly. Some of his classmates seemed to laugh. Others managed to keep a straight face. Nico looked dumbstruck by the answer. Lok appeared to have an unreadable expression on his face. Lok pushed up his glasses and looked at the child. ¡°Fair answer.You should not know.¡± He observed Kyrion closely before addressing the class again. ¡°The reason is simple. The expert ranks are ill defined at best, just like the term, spirit master. Each country has its own terminology, and each continent its own method. Our small country uses it as a catch all, as many who enter the expert level of mastery in this kingdom, don¡¯t manage to make it further. Expert tier has five main ranks and around twenty sub ranks, and by that point, things are measured in magnitude. Two expert rank spirit masters can fight each other but by no means will the fight be a fair one.¡± ¡°With that I leave you to your compressions.¡± Lok opened a different book and started reading it. The children worked on their compressions until they were released for lunch. The year had just begun, and most of the students in the rank one class were lost. Their class had two students reach rank two within the first week, but that was about it. Kyrion¡¯s progress started to stall at around 20% of its original size, which was the size of a watermelon. Pushing past that point, Kyrion was significantly more challenging for him. During recess, Kyrion went to find one of his two friends still at the academy. ¡°I wonder how Other Guy, is coming along since he¡¯s already in the rank three class.¡± Kyrion felt an arm go over his shoulder. ¡°Hurtful, talking about other guys when I¡¯m right here?¡± Everest shot him a cheeky grin before releasing his friend. ¡°Finding you isn¡¯t hard. You kinda stick out like a sore thumb.¡± Kyrion made his way to a dirt circle in the courtyard used for training. ¡°Is that so?¡± Everest said, his grin souring as he got a good look at the boy in front of him. ¡°Where do you get your clothes?¡± Everest asked. Kyrion stared at Everest for a long moment before scratching his head. ¡°Mom, made a few, though I got what I¡¯m wearing now from my grandpa.¡± Everest smiled a cheery smile. ¡°That¡¯s good, very good. Now let¡¯s go see the sword user.¡± ¡°Yeah... Ok!¡± Kyrion had no idea why he felt like he dodged an arrow. His silent friend used to train, leading the two toward the sparing circle. In the circle was, Other Guy. Kyrion had yet to get his name, let alone a verbal response from him. He didn¡¯t seem to talk much. A silent swordsman, it seemed. He swung his sword in a rhythmic-like motion as though he was dancing to a song only he could hear. Slashing and thrusting fluid spinning. His style was beautiful to Kyrion, and he aspired to learn all he could from his silent friend. When his friend stopped practicing for a break, Kyrion called out, ¡°Other Guy!¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Other Guy looked up, finally noticing his friends. He waves his hand but looks away soon after. Everest approached, ¡°It¡¯s been three weeks. When can we get a word out of you?¡± Everest asked, frustrated. Other Guy opened his mouth to speak and seemed to mouth a few words. ¡°What was that?¡± Everest asked. He took a deep breath, and this time, they heard, ¡°My name is Damian Guy Tilonias, and and..¡± As he spoke, they listened to a very soft voice that seemed to get quieter the longer he went on. ¡°Huh¡­ I got something right.¡± Kyrion stated as he scratched his head. ¡°Speaking of things you got right. I know for a fact that you fell asleep in class. How you manage to do so with your eyes open, and blink periodically is confusing. Yet when the teacher called on you, you managed to answer. What did you do?¡± Everest asked him. ¡°Years of practice, well maybe two years of practice in what I call sleep mode. I minimize energy use and listen to everything.¡± Kyrion stated, remembering all the times he used to fade in and out of conversations. The talent was a necessary one. Everest looked aghast but nodded, and the trio played for a bit. After recess, the group had lunch and split their afternoon classes and training. Kyrion looked into himself, pushing down on his mana with no response. Finally, he got frustrated and decided to feed all that remained of the watermelon-sized core into the seed in his center, which caused its roots to grow significantly more, to the point that the fox and egg were connected. Kyrion felt his body change slightly as the consciousness in the egg began to stir some more. The seed was now a sprout, and his fox cub had grown a little. With his mana mainly used up for the day, Kyrion was done. Kyrion began throwing his disk at the dummy again, forcing the wind to make them return. After an hour of practice, Kyrion got nowhere. Asela and Wura approached, the former with tears in her eyes. The latter was stoic, almost annoyed even. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk to me anymore!?¡± She whined. ¡°We talked this morning.¡± Kyrion replied bluntly. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a talk. You said hi and kept going.¡± She stated. Kyrion couldn¡¯t recall the exact words he used, but that sounded like him. ¡°So?¡± Had Kyrion been wiser, he would have known he was being sat up for something. Had he looked at Wura, he would have seen the, I¡¯m sorry expression. ¡°As punishment, you¡¯re going to play with us. For one hour, no running.¡± Asela decreed, so it will be. The day ended with another attempt to make Kyrion and Kiara friends. Out of spite, he told his roommate Edwin about the whole thing. Edwin wrote down everything, listening intently. Which was something odd as they weren¡¯t really friends. The next day was Saturday, which was, in fact, a free day for Kyrion and his friends. So instead, he spent that time in his center doing compressions. He found that the compression process was much more manageable when he tried again. As he pushed down, he managed to shrink it to the size of a standard melon. Before he felt that resistance again, along with a large amount of stirring from the egg in his center. Followed by a tapping sound. After a while, the progress slowed, and Kyrion tried to feed it mana to make it go faster. Finally, it worked, and the creature gathered enough strength to break through its shell, and a new consciousness lay in his mind. It felt docile and quiet compared to Jala, but it also felt masculine in nature. He summoned the newborn spirit, visibly shaking in anticipation. What he got was a tiny bluebird, almost duck-shaped. He tried to pick it up but got pecked for his trouble. ¡°Ow!¡± It was more of a reflex response than a painful one. It didn¡¯t really hurt enough to yell. Edwin stirred at the shriek of pain but made no moves to wake up, so Kyrion snuck out of the room and headed to the library. Where he encountered a particular know-it-all student from his class. ¡°Hey Kyrion. What brings you here?¡± Nico asked. Kyrion held up his bird. ¡°I have a duck. I want to find a book about them.¡± ¡°Is it a duck? Why do you even have a bird like that?¡± Nico asked. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. Books need fast.¡± Kyrion was in a bit of a hurry. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll lead you to where the bird spirit compendium is.¡± Nico brought Kyrion toward a hefty tome. ¡°That¡¯s a big book.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°Of course, most compendiums are, there are so many types of spirits, the same with monsters, ores, and plants. This book was made 200 years ago, so some information may be outdated.¡± Nico explained, getting ready to go. ¡°Wait¡­ C-can you help me some more? I¡¯m not that good at reading yet. Do they have pictures?¡± Kyrion asked, acting timidly and mimicking something he¡¯d seen Illanda do when she needed help. Nico¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°What are you ten?¡± ¡°Eight..Do I look ten or something?¡± ¡°Oh. You¡¯re kinda tall for eight. I¡¯m nine and you¡¯re dwarfing me.¡± ¡°Hi, nine.¡± Kyrion¡¯s self-control wavered. ¡°I¡¯ll just be going then.¡± Nico said, turning back around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Can you please help me with this?¡± Kyrion pleaded. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯re gonna need to up your vocabulary quite a bit. Do you know what a dictionary is?¡± ¡°No. Sounds evil, can I burn it?¡± Kyrion replied with a blank expression. ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Nico walked off into the depths of the library and returned with a book. ¡°Every Saturday, come here after reading through an entire letter category. It¡¯s a catalog of words with their definitions. Write down the words you don¡¯t understand and I¡¯ll go over them with you.¡± Nico said bluntly. Nico informed Kyrion about the importance of knowing complicated words and how dusty tomes use outdated and difficult vernacular. Finally, Nico lead Kyrion toward the collection of bluebirds. ¡°The Blue Jay, Azure phoenix, Azure chicken, Emperor Sky Penguin, Viridian duck¡­.¡± Nico muttered as he looked through the book. The entries went on for a while longer. Luckily for Kyrion, they had pictures showing most creatures in their chick and adult stages. After the search, they had gotten it down to five other birds. ¡°So we have the Demonic Canodighan Geese, Moon- touched Seagull, Azure duck, Violet raven, and a Cerulean Swan. Does it have teeth on its tongue?¡± Nico asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion stated as he pried open the bird¡¯s beak. ¡°That¡¯s good, it doesn¡¯t look much like a seagull or raven. Which leaves duck and swan¡­ They may have to grow a bit more before we find out and their powers start off being very similar. I hope it¡¯s the duck option, while the swan will be bigger, it¡¯s a more beauty based spirit. The kind that women would kill for. It also lacks combat efficiency, for a while unlike duck, which tends to learn tons of weak abilities first.¡± Nico said. ¡°Thank you for your help. I¡¯ll come find you again when I need some more help, or our¡­Reading time.¡± Kyrion did not know how to feel. He had never been vain, so the swan option wasn¡¯t good for him. He wouldn¡¯t turn it away, but it seemed impractical. His only way to attack so far involved wind, which didn¡¯t even do much. So he took a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. He then tried to focus on other things, like his compressions, followed by reading the dictionary thing Nico gave him. It was pretty different from the methods Charles gave him to practice, but both seemed practical in their own ways. Kyrion was within himself as sweat poured from his face. He had chosen to take up residence under a large shady tree. As he squeezed his mana pool, he started to feel as though his stomach tightened. He pushed it further, and the pressure grew stronger. The mana in his body began to fight back, and a familiar burning sensation filled his body. He pushed, fought, and willed it to stay in one place, imagining an egg-like casing going over it. Finally, the resistance stopped, and Kyrion had a new feeling. So much power was in his body. He instinctively knew that he hadn¡¯t had access to a portion of his mana. As though it had been moved out of his body. Only now, it slowly leaked back into the eggshell casing in his core. Kyrion ran around the courtyard for about thirty minutes and didn¡¯t get tired. There was only a minor dip in his energy that seemed to refill in a moment. ¡°This feeling is weird.¡± Kyrion tried to summon wind, and unlike the previous times, it seemed to come faster, but it was still wild. He called the mist, and as it appeared, it began shifting colors rapidly, and he lost control of it. The explosion of mana sent him back 5 feet. ¡°I take one step forward and two steps back.¡± He mumbled in irritation. Kyrion fed the higher quality mana towards the sprout, and it absorbed it all with fervor. Jala appeared and squinted. ¡°Don¡¯t use that power.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It can kill you. Don¡¯t practice with it anymore. If anyone asks, it¡¯s an illusion based ability granted to you because your spirit is a silver fox and your waiting to go to an academy for formal training.¡± Kyrion let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°I see. So some may try to kill or enslave me due the rarity and my inability to fight back.¡± ¡°Your not as stupid as you look.¡± Jala stated. ¡°You¡¯re just not as sly as the stories say.¡± Kyrion looked at the setting sun and watched the sky for an hour before heading to the mess hall for dinner. Chapter 11 Eve of the Advancement Test All the students were gathered in the courtyard. Most were by their rank. Kyrion, Nico, and Wura were the few in the rank one class to move up to rank two, leaving Everest behind at rank one. The young tailor preferred designing clothes over training. So his falling behind in that regard was normal. Almost as though the training didn¡¯t really matter to him. The Class zero students had all been brought back, and at a cursory glance, Kyrion couldn¡¯t find his friend Noah. Instead, a familiar-looking kid waved in his direction, but something was fundamentally off. Kyrion felt a nagging sensation in his head and forced himself to ignore it. The headmaster Yulon made his way up the stage. ¡°This week is the last one you have before the first rank up examination. Which will be a form of a team monster hunt. Team captains will be students in the rank three and four class. Teams can have a minimum of three students and a maximum of eight. You must include a member of each rank below as well. Class zero students are counted as class one in this regard. You have a week to make preparations and the test will go on for an entire week. You may return when you feel that you have done enough to pass. Students with the highest scores will be given special training equipment and resources, along with being notified as a student with potential, which means the academies will have an eye on you. You are released, so go, form your teams.¡± Nobody moved until Yulon left the stage; even then, many meandered. Some teams of friends formed faster than others. Damian shyly made his way to the people he knew. ¡°Will you guys.. Join my team?¡± He asked the ground. Everest spoke first, ¡°Who are you asking Damion?¡± ¡°Y-you guys¡­Kyrion, Everest, and Noah.¡± Damian stuttered, not catching the purposeful mispronunciation. ¡°I see, well I need to at least take my sister. Which would probably include her friends. Have you seen Noah yet? I¡¯ve looked but haven¡¯t been able to find him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± Said a familiar voice from behind him. It came from the tall kid with a muscular build and a familiar face. His features were sharper, and his hair had grown a little. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± ¡°Noah!¡± Kyrion gave his friend a hug. On cue, Asela and her friend Kiara made their way over to them. Wura had just been waiting for them to arrive. ¡°With us you have seven.¡± Asela said, walking into the conversation. ¡°I-I di-din¡¯t agree to that!¡± Kiara yelled. ¡°Well, I have to keep an eye on my big brother, lest he gets lost and take a nap in the woods. Mom would never forgive me if I just left him alone. Since I¡¯m in class two it¡¯s one less thing to worry about. You can always go join another group with your other friends.¡± Asela knew for a fact that Kiara didn¡¯t have any other friends. Just admirers and hangers-on trying to earn prestige by association. ¡°But¡­ Fine.¡± Kiara conceded. ¡°Great! Wura?¡± Asela looked to her other friend, who nodded. Everest looked to Kyrion, who seemed deadpan. ¡°Was your sister always this bossy?¡± ¡°From the day she descended from the sky the weight of the world was on her shoulders.¡± Kyrion said sarcastically. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Asela agreed, not seeing the sarcasm. Everest stifled a laugh and waved off the conversation. Damian whispered something, which was not acknowledged, so he repeated it. ¡°We need eight. There is strength in numbers and chances are this test will be dangerous.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Everest asked. ¡°If you¡¯ve ever gone on a monster hunt before, you should know, monsters can be unpredictable and cunning. We¡¯re all going to need to be combat ready at the minimum. While I doubt there will be anything in the high practitioner rank. If we do run into something dangerous the more power we have to fight it off the better.¡± Damian managed to say clearly, before turning red. Nico stood there pondering a few things and not being approached. ¡°Well it seems I am in a predicament.¡± Kyrion appeared behind him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It seems that I don¡¯t have any other friends.¡± Nico stated bluntly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t people be all over you, for recruiting?¡± Kyrion asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Well...The team captains don¡¯t know me that well, and those in our class probably would not mention me if doing so risks their friends being ousted.¡± Nico lied confidently. Sadly it wasn¡¯t convincing enough to get past Kyrion¡¯s own understanding. ¡°You¡¯re probably overthinking it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because most don¡¯t understand what you say half the time. Big words are hard. You know? The good news is with you we have eight people on a team and since I consider you a friend. You¡¯re free to come with us.¡± Kyrion had observed a few truths over his reading lessons. Nico talked like an old-fashioned noble at times which creeped some people out. Nico was a bit off in the head, why would he care if I was friends with Wura? Did Nico want to be my only friend? If so¡­ Nico needed no other words as they joined the group. While Kyrion seemed to freeze up for a moment. ¡°In one hour meet me in the sparring ring. I will begin by seeing what you can do before assigning positions.¡± Damian said with more resolve. Everyone met up with your various tools, weapons, and equipment around an hour later. ¡°Thank you for arriving. Now as leader I will begin by seeing who is good for what. Everest, what can you do in a fight? What do your abilities allow you to do?¡± ¡°Nothing for fighting sir. I can make clothes that are sturdier than necessary. I can also manipulate the threads a little. Not sure what that can do in a fight.¡± Everest replied ¡°Can you make something for everyone within a week?¡± Damian asked. ¡°To be fair, it would only take me a day if I didn¡¯t already have everyone siz¡­. I can do it in a day,¡± Everest corrected as he glanced across the group. ¡°Great, a supporter. Noah, what can you do now?¡± He asked, looking at his friend. ¡°I can create armor and weapons made from molten metals and they stay like that permanently when cooled. The process burns a lot of energy however. I can also turn into a lion monster thing with my armor growing to accommodate the changes through runes. It takes a lot of mana though and I can¡¯t keep it long.¡± ¡°So a potential frontliner, good. Nico you¡¯re next.¡± ¡°My fire comes from a beast, which allows me to use fire based abilities, my attacks have a piercing nature, the range 30 only feet. I also know alot about monsters.¡± Nico stated. ¡°So you would go in the middle. Asela, you also use fire, correct?¡± Damian looked at the small girl. ¡°Yes, but my fire is weak damage wise, but easy to control. I can also take some control of fire away from those weaker than me.¡± Asela replied bluntly. ¡°Another one in the middle. Great. Kyrion?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I throw a mean disk, and can shoot small gusts of wind.¡± ¡°You know, you made yourself sound weaker than you are, but that puts you in the rearguard for ranged support. Kiara?¡± ¡°I can conjure objects made from ice, and am proficient in many weapons.¡± She answered. ¡°Flexible, that¡¯s good, Lastly, Wura, what can you do?¡± ¡°I can create some type of liquid metal and make it harder and softer at will. Right now I can make a shield and spear simultaneously. Any more and the durability drops.¡± Wura answered. ¡°That sounds like front line use for now, but may become a support ability later. My turn, I¡¯m a blade dancer, my sword is my main weapon and I¡¯m a very evasive warrior. However, I¡¯m strong and adaptable, and my sword weakens the senses of my target.¡± Damian then began evaluating physical prowess. The strongest in terms of lifting power turned out to be Noah, Kyrion, and Damian. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m weaker than four eyes.¡± Everest pouted. ¡°It¡¯s because of rank.¡± Nico stated. ¡°I¡¯m weak!!!¡± Asela whined. ¡°And boy is Noah strong.¡± Kyrion said, surprised. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°And so were you, I had trained as a blacksmith¡¯s apprentice so pounding metal made me that way despite my looks. When I got my spirits up, I ended up getting a lot stronger as well.¡± Noah stated. ¡°You hit two hundred pounds give or take Noah. It¡¯s a fifty pound gap between one and two and Damian can only lift a hundred or so. To be honest Damian is a bit weak here,given his rank.¡± Nico added. ¡°I¡¯m about average, my fighting style doesn¡¯t have much use for raw power.¡± Damian defended his pride. ¡°Mmmhmmm.¡± Asela squinted looking him up and down in suspicion. Damian left and set up an obstacle course to test endurance. Upon completion, the participants had to run back to the beginning and complete the trek again. In terms of natural endurance, Kyrion seemed to lead the pack, followed by Damian and Wura. ¡°Kyrion...when did you get so athletic? Even grandpa¡¯s training had you tired by the end, and I¡¯m pretty sure this was more exhausting.¡± Asela asked, weighing the difficulties in her head. Kyrion shrugged, ¡°Not sure, before hitting rank two this much would have me empty in both energy and mana, but now only my mana is low. Oddly enough it feels like I gain mana while compressing.¡± Nico eyed his classmate, ¡°Are you cheating?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked, not aware of what he meant. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then it¡¯s probably a natural ability. Which means you can¡¯t turn it off.¡± Nico said. ¡°Hey you¡¯re talking like me now!¡± Kyrion yelled in excitement. ¡°Huh, I did not notice. You are a bad influence.¡± Nico said smugly. The third round was based on pure speed. The fastest proved to be Everest, followed by Damian, Kiara was the third, but the gap between 2nd and 3rd was quite large. ¡°Finally something I¡¯m good at!¡± Everest did a victory dance, only to look over and see Kyrion lying face-first on the ground. Muffled words come from Kyrion. ¡°Heh, that proves it. Kyrion has some sort of regeneration ability, which is a boon. He¡¯s going through mana withdrawal now as his body feels the strain of being over exerted and healed over and over again. If you pace properly it¡¯s an effective training method, but it can be dangerous if overused. Well, a potential healer is also a nice boon, if you can figure out how to use it on others then your versatility as a supporter has grown.¡± Nico explained however they were not quite right. Kyrion put a single thumb up and ate a piece of mana candy. Finally, regaining a portion of his lost mana enough to function. He felt hungry, as though he had skipped breakfast. However, the candy restored his energy somewhat. ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°Hello? My greatness everyone?¡± Everest tries to regain attention. ¡°Nobody likes a sore winner.¡± Nico states while flipping through a book. ¡°Moving on. Now I¡¯ll split us up into two to three person teams Based on what I¡¯ve seen and heard. Asela, and Nico will make up our mid guard, coordinating their fire power. Your powers may be much stronger together than they are apart, and considering the fact that you¡¯re both kinda squishy, it seems that being in the middle will be best.¡± Damian wrote everything down in a booklet. Nico nodded in acceptance. Asela eyed Damian and then nodded as well. ¡°Team two will be the Frontliners. Noah, Wura, and I, will act as the Vanguard. Our job is to keep monsters from getting into the middle and stopping monsters dead in their tracks.¡± Noah and Wura nod simultaneously. ¡°Great! Finally, Kiara, Everest, and Kyrion will be our rear guard. Your job is to support us the best you can, either by restraining enemies, knocking them off balance, or taking them out. Two of you have some sort of ranged ability while the third seems to have keen eyesight, but no attack based potential as of yet. If we¡¯re gonna do well we need to be as prepared as possible.¡± Damian finished. Everyone eventually split off into their own groups to discuss roles and abilities. Kyrion gathered with his group at a range in an area he had never been to. Various targets were lined up in the distance. Some were moving; others were still. The sizes varied, along with shapes resembling monsters. ¡°What is this place?¡± Everest asked. ¡°It¡¯s a training area used for practicing ranged attacks. Normally only students in class two, and up can be here, but I asked a teacher and they said it¡¯s ok since we¡¯re going to be a team.¡± Kiara explained. ¡°I see¡­ Who goes first?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± Kiara answered. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Everest stated, and Kyrion nodded with him. ¡°What gentlemen you are.¡± Kiara conjures a crystalline white bow made from ice and takes a quiver of arrows from a bin on her right. Kiara drew an arrow, knocking it and pulling back a thin thread of ice. As she did, a quiet inhale could be heard. When she exhaled, she released the arrow, which flew through the air with some sort of rotation. The arrow dug a hole straight through the wooden target when it struck, freezing the exit wound as it passed out the other end. Kiara repeated the process on a few other targets before the bow disappeared after three minutes and Kiara seemed famished and exhausted. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± After some loud growling, Kiara turned around to see Kyrion napping on the floor while Everest had gone missing. She decided to softly kick the sleeping Kyrion. ¡°Ow!¡± Kyrion jerked up. ¡°Weird. When did I fall asleep? You take forever to fire arrows you know?¡± Kyrion, already healing past the damage, stood up and looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Everest?¡± He asked. ¡°It looks like he ran off somewhere.¡± Kiara said, worried. ¡°Probably. He can be quiet when he wants to be. Well I¡¯m off. Just throwing a disc won¡¯t help me the most here. You all have such cool abilities, yet I still don¡¯t understand how mine even work. Even Noah is ahead of me in that regard.¡± Kyrion left the range. Kyrion found a quiet place to summon his three spirits. Only the small bird and Jala came out. ¡°Jala, and uh¡­ I didn¡¯t give you a name. From now on your name is Isaac, you look like an Issac.¡± The small bird saluted and chirped, and Kyrion felt a significant drain on his mana. Isaac began to grow a few inches in size before settling. A cool feeling flowed through Kyrion¡¯s body, clearing his skin of blemishes and calluses. His light brown skin shifted to one solid shade, no longer darkened by working in the sun. He felt a new element in his core that seemed to represent water, along with something he couldn¡¯t define. ¡°Huh. Can you show me what you can do Isaac, and Jala?¡± Jala vanished in a puff of smoke, and Kyrion felt a light pressure settle on his right shoulder. Jala became visible perched in that spot, and the pressure increased slightly. Issac just stared at Kyrion as though he had grown a second head. ¡°Issac?¡± Kyrion asked. Issac stared into Kyrion¡¯s eyes and sighed. ¡°Earth to Issac?¡± Kyrion stared back. Issac took a deep breath and spat out a blast of water at its master, only to dampen a spot on Kyrion¡¯s clothes. ¡°Great. Nothing useful in a monster hunt yet.¡± Kyrion had Issac and Jala return to his core. ¡°Maybe I should go talk to Nico about this later. He knows a lot about this stuff.¡± He muttered to himself before searching for Everest. Kyrion headed toward his friend¡¯s room, where he heard nothing. When he knocked, nobody answered. So Kyrion knocked again. Waiting another minute as though he had all the time in the world. ¡°I¡¯m busy, speak to me tomorrow!¡± A familiar voice yelled. Kyrion got out of there and checked on Nico and Asela¡¯s training. A pillar of dancing flames marked the area, shaped in the image of a wolf¡¯s maw. Kyrion was amazed, and as he arrived, he found Asela and Nico sitting across from each other in some sort of concentrated trance. On Asela¡¯s head was her crown of flames, and in Nico¡¯s hands was a small black dagger with a white and yellow blade. It seemed useless in a fight. Kyrion watched in amazement as the two finished practicing the technique, and the fire vanished altogether. Nico looked up first. ¡°Wow, that was pretty good control. Oh hey Kyrion what are you doing here, shouldn¡¯t you be training?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at an impasse, I can¡¯t use my spirit¡¯s magic. Can you help?¡± ¡°Beautiful¡­¡± Nico muttered, eyes glossing over before returning to normal. ¡°Huh?¡± Asela looked up at her brother in confusion, which turned to disgust, envy, and finally settling on mirth. As she burst out laughing. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Your hair. It¡¯s so shiny, and you look even more like mom now¡­ This is too much. It¡¯s even gotten slightly lighter, now it¡¯s a very dark reddish color.¡± Nico looked at his friend in realization. ¡°Welp that settles it, you have been cursed with the Cerulean Swam.¡± Nico answered. ¡°Which means you now have an unnatural charm, I¡¯m gonna need to be careful. I kinda like dark red hair.¡± Kyrion backed away from his friend and tutor, arms crossed. ¡°Priceless!¡± Asela was now cackling on her back. ¡°Now about your problem. Did you link your spirits to a portion of your body or clothing? To use a beast spirit¡¯s full potential you need to form a link with it, the first step is always naming it, the second is spending time with it, and the third is creating a medium for it. Isn¡¯t that why you made that necklace for your fox spirit?¡± ¡°Lets say, I made the pouch to be a safe place for her to nap. With no intention of making it a medium of whatever. How would I fix such a blunder?¡± Kyrion asked. Nico catching on, looked at Kyrion and sighed. ¡°Swimming before you can walk, I should have known. You need a piece of fur from the fox, some of your blood, hair, and a connection. Summon Jala real quick.¡± Kyrion did so, and Jala appeared. ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Place the pouch on the ground, and take a small amount of her fur. Place it on the outside of the pouch. Next prick your finger and add a drop of blood on top of the fur. Finally add your mana and her mana to the mix. This should finalize the binding. Should you lose that object, you will need to recreate it. This way communication will be two way, and you will be able to learn how to use your magic from the source. Learning how to use their innate magic will be tricky and chances are it won¡¯t be fully ready by this week¡¯s end, but we need all the advantages we can get. This right here is my binding if that settles you down.¡± Nico held up his small dagger. Kyrion goes through with the binding feeling the connection to Jala increases dramatically. ¡°Man slave, what are you doing!?¡± Said Jala, watching the pooling blood. ¡°You talked!¡± Kyrion responded before his grin faded. And you understood me for once.¡± Jala cleared her throat. ¡°Hello, master Kyrion. How may I be of service.¡± ¡°I heard that you know¡­¡±, Kyrion said, ¡°Can you teach me how to use your powers?¡± Asela turned away from her brother, who had finally gone off the deep end, while Nico watched in fascination. ¡°You¡¯re finally done wasting time and energy doing nothing? Great, you will soon be put through the proverbial ringer.¡± Jala announced. Kyrion spent the next five days in a magical tutoring boot camp. Turns out that Kyrion was doing everything wrong. The first three days were on posture and movement alone, wind as a flowing element, and her version, requiring the user to move with it. Conducting the current from one direction to another. As he practiced, he began to feel the wind flow with each step and swing. Next, he learned two techniques, Wind Blade, which allowed him to create a severing wind in an arc shape that sliced through a few logs before stopping completely. While the Wind barrier allowed him to defend himself from projectiles by creating solidified wind. The latter was practiced while acting as a moving target for Kiara. Everest managed to hit rank two on day six and gained the ability to lengthen his threads at will, causing them to help restrain weak targets. Surprisingly, Noah was the only one in the group capable of escaping once caught with pure strength. Kiara and Asela managed to hit rank three while training with the group. The former gained the ability to conjure arrows along with her bow. At the same time, the latter seemed to completely steal Nico¡¯s fire away from him and dramatically increase its damage capabilities. Damian¡¯s group had formed various strategies for combating different foes, and Wura seemed to better understand her liquid metal spirit. Noah made armor for everyone who wanted some, and Damian grew as a leader. He still didn¡¯t talk much outside of training, but he was a taskmaster almost on par with Jala during training. Kyrion would never treat that fox as the cute little creature he thought it was. Chapter 12 Into the Bean Sprout Forest The groups lined up in front of a gated fence. Many adults Kyrion hadn¡¯t met before stood behind the headmaster, along with a few familiar faces. Kyrion¡¯s group had been outfitted with durable clothes, armor, and weapons made by their team members. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Leon.¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t seen the man since the arena fight. Although he had heard rumors that he was an instructor here. ¡°Anyone know which class he teaches?¡± ¡°So he really does teach here.¡± Asela replied in shock. Damian pointed at himself quietly but said nothing aloud. The motion was almost completely unnoticed. The headmaster, Yulon, cleared his throat. ¡°Kids, I¡¯ve gone over the majority of the rule prior, but there are a few more I need you to keep in mind. Each group will be shadowed by an expert rank and a practitioner rank spirit master. Who will step in to protect you If you should be beaten. If they have to do so, your test immediately ends and your point totals are halved. Next up, should you fight another team and win, you gain half of their current points. Lethal force, and attacking a student who has surrendered will get you disqualified. Your leaders have also been provided with a pack containing various tools for exploration. You will be judged on three main categories, hunting, gathering, and teamwork. Doing well shows the various schools watching that your potential is worth a sponsorship. There will be three more tests before the end of your time here. Lastly, may the great spirits give you strength.¡± The gates opened, and each group was let in one after another. By the time Kyrion¡¯s group arrived, four other groups had entered. The group stepped through the gate, determined to do well. When a familiar shifting feeling passed over them. The world around them turned into a blur, and bodies took on weird shapes as everything settled. Everest looked at Damian with a cheery expression. ¡°Oh, leader! Where do we go now?¡± Damian looked down and whispered something to the ground before answering. ¡°First off we need to figure out where the nearest water source is. After that we need to find a place to set up camp. After that we will split into teams of four, one to explore and map out the area, while the other protects the camp. I will...¡± Damian takes a deep breath. ¡°I will provide further instructions, after doing so. I¡¯ll take Wura, Nico, and Kiara. Noah, you¡¯re in charge of Asela, Kyrion and Everest.¡± Everest began to raise his voice in protest but stopped after looking into Damian¡¯s eyes. Asela, on the other hand, didn¡¯t notice the subtle gesture. ¡°But I¡¯m the strongest here!¡± Kyrion looked to his sister, who was starting to fume, which caused Damian to retreat inwardly. To the group''s surprise, Nico answered. ¡°Someone has to keep an eye on your big brother, and make sure he does not try to run off. You don¡¯t need to be distracted by all the many responsibilities a leader has yet? They have to set up defenses, and make traps, and do a lot of hard boring work by themselves.¡± Nico explained, in a persuasive tone Kyrion hadn¡¯t heard from them before. Asela looked at her big brother, eyes locked on him with deadly intent. ¡°You best not run away.¡± Kyrion nodded and felt a bit betrayed by his friend. How did he know I was planning on ditching them for Damian¡¯s team the first chance I got to explore? ¡°I-I would never run away on purpose.¡± He stuttered. ¡°We aren¡¯t splitting up yet, we need to find a water source first.¡± Noah intervened, sweat already beading on his forehead. Everest found himself staring at Nico in utter shock before he started to clap slowly. Much to everyone else¡¯s confusion. The group spent an hour wandering around before Wura stopped walking entirely and scanned the area. ¡°I smell a river, but I also smell blood nearby. Tread lightly there may be a predator lurking.¡± The group stopped moving, and Damian gave them the signal to get information. As they approached the river, claw marks on trees grew more prominent. The group soon heard the telltale sounds of battle going on and decided to get as close as possible without engaging. A squad of small white rabbits was face to face with three wolves. Strewn about were the many corpses of both wolf and rabbit alike. The wolves backed away towards the river as they were slowly cornered Damian motioned to Nico and Asela, ¡°Hit them with a combined fire attack.¡± He then pointed to Kyrion and Kiara.¡± After that Kyrion and Kiara cover us as we move in.¡± Nico called forth a small ball of fire that took the form of a wolf¡¯s maw, while Asela made it grow in both temperature and size. The flames appeared almost blue in color. The projectile was launched at the center, engulfing the rabbits. Damian charged forward, sword in hand, along with Wura, who had a liquid spear and shield. While Kiara and Kyrion prepared their ranged assault. The rabbits were somewhat injured by the blast. While the wolves were outright slain. Only three rabbits managed to find their bearings and engage the group. Kyrion¡¯s arc of wind struck a rabbit on the right, but instead of cutting, the blade sent the rabbit tumbling onto its back. Its fur redded in a thin line across, but no visible injury lingered. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Kiara¡¯s arrow skewered the leading rabbit in its chest, freezing the creature as it passed through. Slaying the helpless critter. Damian and Wura arrived, the former decapitating the still advancing rabbit. While the latter put down a prone rabbit with a thrust. The rest of the encounter was a slaughter as Damian and Wura put down the heavily injured remainder. ¡°Be on guard, more may still be in this area. These rabbits were invading, which means that there is a powerful fledgling rabbit nearby. I suggest we take care of it before settling. Because if we don¡¯t, chances are we¡¯ll be overrun. We have eight hours that we can dedicate to this alone.¡± Damian whispers again. ¡°We need to find a different spot to camp.¡± He finished dejectedly. ¡°Were those rabbits awakened?¡± Noah asked Nico. Nico pulled out a small brown book and read through it before answering. ¡°No, just enhanced. The fledgling monster is probably a ruler class which would account for the rabbits being tougher than normal. They are tougher and stronger than other creatures of their species and have the ability to make those under their banner stronger. So long as we aren¡¯t fully overrun we should be able to handle it.¡± ¡°Huh. What book is that? I may wan¡¯t need to get a copy.¡± Noah asked. ¡°You can¡¯t buy this book in particular, but I¡¯m sure I can make one for you when we¡¯re done. I made this one after doing lots of research both here and back home. The categories I made are not 100% accurate, but they are pretty close.¡± Nico pushed up his glasses as though what he did shouldn¡¯t be surprising. ¡°You made that book yourself? Impressive!¡± Noah said excitedly. ¡°Pa used to say books are like a hammer for the mind. ¡° ¡°I see¡­¡± Nico looked at Noah¡¯s honest expression and sighed. Damian and Wura began to skin the creatures and prepare the meat before starting a small fire. Leaving the meat to cook. ¡°Kyrion, can you climb to get a good vantage point from those trees? Everest, Wura, I¡¯ll need your help making a few traps. Noah, and Kiara I need you two to hide in the brush. Nico, Asela, I need you to refill your mana as much as possible.¡± Kyrion found a lovely tall tree to climb and got to work. Like a squirrel, he quickly got up there as though it was second nature. Nico whistled. ¡°Asela¡­ are you sure your brother isn¡¯t part squirrel?¡± ¡°Not sure¡­Our eldest brother said he used to climb trees as well. But even he admitted to not being able to get up so fast.¡± Asela replied bluntly. They watched as Kyrion moved like a blur up the tree. Rarely using the branches as footholds and gaining altitude at a prodigious rate. Kyrion found himself not alone in the tree, as a man with dark brown hair sat up there, almost hidden from sight. He pretended not to see him and looked at what was below. Kyrion scanned the area taking mental notes. There was another team crossing the river much further north. A second group far to the east had come across a giant chinchilla made from a swarm of smaller chinchillas. It was only a little larger when compared to the children fighting it but massive by chinchilla standards. South of us was another rabbit attack, headed there from across the river to the southwest. It seems they were going after a boar coated in purple mushrooms. ¡°Bye watcher guy!¡± Kyrion yelled, hands holding onto the trunk. He slid down, not damaging the bark or his hands with friction. Above, in the tall tree, a man sat confused. Then, with a notebook in his hands, he wrote words, Spotted by Kyrion. ¡°I need to keep my eye on that one, with eyes like that he could¡­.¡± Kyrion returned and relayed the information to Damian, who asked Kyrion to add it to the map he had started working on. ¡°This right here is a scouts map. What gets written on one is transferred to the others. They were included among other amenities. I¡¯d like to trust you with this one, considering your ability to see from that far up. It will make getting around much safer.¡± Damian explained with a goofy smile befitting his age. He covered it up immediately with his hands and looked away. ¡°Go meet up with Nico and your sister.¡± Kyrion nodded and met up with them. ¡°One moment.¡± To his surprise, Kyrion had to refill his mana. Climbing the tree took a bit out of him, despite the ease with which he accomplished the feat. By the time he finished, Nico and Asela had been looking over a few of the former¡¯s books, along with Kyrion¡¯s map. ¡°Possibly a spore related creature, If it was alone then its more than likely either a black sheep in its species, one not a pig at all. If it¡¯s the former then it may be a weak fledgling monster, but if it¡¯s the latter we have bigger problems.¡± Nico writes a few things in his journal and looks at his friend with a worried expression. ¡°Kyrion, we may need to take care of that boar first. If its spirit core is successfully taken, the ruler may reach the lower ranks of practitioner, and its followers will all become fledgling rank at the least.¡± The bait and traps they set up caught the remainder of the nearby wolves, but no other creatures came. The group then decided to head towards the boar first, prepared for the long battle ahead. After thirty minutes of walking, the group came across a hoard of rabbits covered in mushrooms fighting another group of rabbits. The shroom rabbits were weaker physically but seemed able to take a lot more damage. Upon closer inspection, they began to notice a steady stream of enemies on both sides increasing. Rabbits that died seemed to come back to life with those purple mushrooms growing from them. While the rabbit side seemed to constantly be getting more. ¡°So¡­ Do we leave the small ones to fight each other or should we intervene?¡± Noah seemed a bit worried by the large group of monsters. ¡°No need. We should follow the mushroom trail back and keep a good distance. Both sides can¡¯t keep this up forever, and one will give. We need to observe before we act. This time when I give the signal I want everyone with ranged attacks to give it everything we got. Noah I want you to make a wall of hot metal if possible, Wura, I want you to stay back this time. Our goal will be to strike from a distance and prolong the battle. If the creature runs away. Let them go since it means that the rabbits don¡¯t have a chance at the core.¡± Damian said with a voice of authority. The group followed his orders, keeping their distance as they walked around. Eventually, the group came across a patch of shroom rabbits. Kiara, on orders, shot one of the rabbits with her bow. It was pierced in its chest, blood turning the white arrow red as it pinned the rabbit to a tree. The other rabbits didn¡¯t react. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they move?¡± Kiara gripped her bow tightly as suspicion and confusion wared inside. Damian looked to Nico, who took it as his cue to speak. ¡°We are dealing with a parasitic monster, since its fledgling rank, its orders are greatly limited. I suspect they were given an order to hunt other rabbits. We should dispatch them quickly. The less the boar has at its command the better. We do not want it getting any reinforcements, if we can help it.¡± Damian and the others dispatched the shroom rabbits, and the group continued quietly encountering group after group of shroom rabbits, which led to the slaughter of said rabbits. By the time they made it near the boar, they had to take a short break. Chapter 13 A Wild Shroom Hog wants to battle Yulon sat in his office, looking into a tub of water. To his right was professor Leon, and to his left was professor Lok who held a wooden stick above the pool. The tub displayed the current actions and locations of various students from the teachers¡¯ point of view. ¡°Why did you tell them that they were being watched? Shouldn¡¯t you keep that as a secret?¡± Leon asked curiously. His wolf was sitting in the corner of the room, sleeping. Yulon watched as Kyrion spotted one of the instructors quickly right before falling from the tree. He had an inquisitive look in his eye and a slight scowl. ¡°Short answer, certain parallels in chaotic years. Long answer Lok would you care to explain? It¡¯s kind of an inside joke. Considering it was your group of four that caused the incident.¡± Yulon said with a smirk on his face. ¡°I¡¯d rather an instructor not get killed by one of our fledgling students by accident. We have a lot of students with dangerous parents.¡± Lok said with a smug look on his face. ¡°How? These are fledglings the strongest could maybe last a minute against a practitioner. I haven¡¯t seen the potential to kill an expert in any of them.¡± Leon seemed more curious than concerned. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find out sooner or later..¡± Lok had a professional expression on his face. But his eyes showed excitement as he looked at Leon¡¯s wolf. It looked up, nodded, and put its head back down. Leon was frustrated by this point, so he asked the obvious question. ¡°How does one overpower an expert while so weak?¡± Yulon smiled.¡± A mystery, but I¡¯ve been forewarned about students who may have an instant death ability.¡± ¡°Plural?¡± ¡°Yes. There are 3 in this class. 2 of which can¡¯t access their power willingly, the third can use theirs but probably won¡¯t unless it¡¯s necessary.¡± Lok added as he nodded to Leon.
The group of students stared at the boar¡¯s motionless form, not breathing and not moving. The purple mushrooms littered the area, covering it with a purple miasma of spores. ¡°Nico?¡± Damian asked. ¡°This fog is highly flammable along with the mushrooms. So I suggest we use fire and run for the hills. This is going to get messy quickly.¡± Nico explained, with eyes almost burning with anticipation. ¡°You sure love your fire.¡± Everest backed away from his book-reading companion. ¡°Fire has its uses afterall.¡± Nico waved his finger at Everest. ¡°Burn it and pray it decides to run. What do we do?¡± Wura popped her knuckles. ¡°Everest I want you to cover the area with cloth bindings. They may burn, but that¡¯s fine. Noah set up a wall of molten metal far ahead of us, Wura I want you to hide behind a tree spear ready to thrust when it passes. Pigs aren¡¯t good at changing direction when charging. After that I want you to get some distance. Kiara and Kyrion will bombard the beast from above. Assuming Kiara can get up said tree. If not, she can....¡± Kiara interrupted him, ¡°If he can climb a tree then I can too! Probably even better.¡± with pride in her eyes and irritation in her tone. ¡°Kiara... My brother isn¡¯t good at things like thinking, or the like, but when it comes to climbing trees he¡¯s in another league. Just because he makes it look easy doesn¡¯t mean it is.¡± Asela tried to warn her slightly older friend. But they didn¡¯t work as intended. ¡°Ok¡­. I will engage from behind when the barrage of ranged attacks starts. Now for the tricky part. The start of this fight rests on Nico and Asela. I need you to make a strong fireball capable of dealing a good amount of destruction to the nearby area and weaken our foe. Lastly, be flexible. Should all else fail, attack the boar with everything you¡¯ve got. Get ready. We start on my signal. Kiara struggled to get up her tree. It seemed much more challenging than she had assumed. Kiara made claws of ice, which she used to pierce into the bark, putting one hand in front of the other to scale the tree. By the time she arrived, Kyrion was already settled on a tree branch. Everyone else entered their positions. A thin web of cloth and molten barricades are the only defenses. ¡°Light it up.¡± Damian said the signal as Nico and Asela sent a condensed fireball at it. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The flame connected head-on, but the effect was more than they expected. All the mushrooms on the boar exploded, setting off a chain of smaller explosions that sent shrooms and debris flying. Kiara was knocked out of her tree. A speeding rock hit Nico in the back as he stood in front of Asela. Everest was knocked onto his back and seemed to vanish into the bushes. Damian and Noah were the only ones on the ground in perfect shape. Kyrion was surprised by the reaction and looked down, noticing his partner had taken a fall and wasn¡¯t moving. So he jumped down to check on her. Kiara was still breathing and somewhat conscious, but she couldn¡¯t be moved carelessly. ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t get any more injured.¡± Kyrion joined Noah and Damian, who had taken their vanguard positions. ¡°Kyrion, you¡¯re supposed to be in the backline.¡± Damian said stoically. ¡°My partner can¡¯t go anywhere right now so I have to protect her.¡± So Kyrion said, gone were his carefree eyes. What remained was pure conviction, something that seemed out of place on the young boy. Noah nodded in understanding, his body bulking up slightly, features growing more masculine and feline. His canines extended and sharpened, and his eyes turned yellow with slits in the pupils. His skin grew fur, and hot metal solidified around him, forming a suit of armor. Noah got on all fours, ready to intercept anything that entered his range. Damian¡¯s sword radiated a dark yellow aura as he began to fill it with mana. Likewise, his body gave off a spectral aura of yellow energy that engulfed the boy as he shifted stances. From the fire came the bounding boar, and with it was a trail of flames, as liquid flames began to leak from the beast-like blood. It knocked down everything in its path and headed toward the two that started the fire. Its legs clipped on the molten barricade, and it lost a good chunk of its speed. It ran, not on hooves but on its remaining stubs. The creature found itself entangled soon after entering the cloth weave, which tightened around the beast. Noah met the beast and began to tear at it. Removing skin and bone. But the creature still moved as though the pain didn¡¯t register. Turning its body to the side. The boar rolled onto its side, crushing Noah and knocking the wind out of him. Noah¡¯s form wavered, and he was forced to shift back. Noah had to crawl out of combat as his rank-one endurance wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with that level of damage. Damian charged forward, slicing and stabbing at the beast, creating wounds it didn¡¯t even seem to care about. The boar shrugged him off, but instead of fighting back, it began to charge forward again. Kyrion grabbed the boar by its tusk, locking it in place as roots came up from the ground, enveloping the creature¡¯s body. Pinning it in place and squeezing it as it struggled. The boar made no audible noises, but it was far from giving up. Damian shortly caught up and started carving up the boar with his sword. Still, it did not go down. Damian made sure to remove its eyes, but it was as expected. The creature wasn¡¯t the one in charge of its body. Wura came running forward, spear ready, as the tip began rapidly rotating. She stabbed the creature where the brain should be and destroyed it. Yet the beast still moved. When Wura removed her spear, the wound revealed a giant mushroom wrapped in a purple light where the boar¡¯s insides should have been. Damian capitalized on the new vulnerability damaging the light barrier encasing the mushroom. The boar continued to sink into the ground as the roots pulled it down. The host body was done for, and the plant needed to find another quickly. The mushroom shattered into mist, coating the area with a purple cloud. Which paralyzed the kids nearby. Causing them to slip into a state of unconsciousness. The shroom then grew stubby white legs and moved toward the highest concentration of mana in the area. Finally, it slowly headed toward Kyrion. Kyrion watched in silent terror as the creature approached while he was unable to defend himself. Tendrils protruded from its body, reached for the child¡¯s head, and connected. A roar came from deep within Kyion as his entire being and more rebelled against the intrusion as the world faded into black.
Kyrion reawakened in a tent, surrounded by his friends in various states of disrepair. Nico had a bandage covering their back, protecting stitches. The kid was still unconscious. Damian was moving around in a daze. He was awake but just barely. The fight had clearly taken a lot out of him, physically and mentally. He had a guilty look on his face, but Kyrion had no desire to poke him. Asela was crying in the corner of the tent where Kiara was situated. Her eyes were red, and it was clear that she was stressed out. Kiara looked worse than she was, a bandage was wrapped around her temples, and her head was propped up with a makeshift cushion. Noah was hurt but able to walk around pretty well. The limit to his damage was light bruises and scrapes. Wura was also walking around quite well, not quite injured like the others, but she also had a dazed look about her. It could have been an effect of the mist. Finally, there was Everest, completely unharmed Everest, as well-dressed and cheeky as ever. Only he wasn¡¯t cheeky, his eyes were cold, and his expression was monotonous. If anything, he seemed disconnected as he sat on the ground.
Leon was biting his thumb in worry. ¡°We need to go in. No, we will go in. Those kids are in danger. That is no fledgling rank monster, it¡¯s a mid tier practitioner rank. They aren¡¯t ready for it yet.¡± Yulon looked to Lok, who was beginning to look almost manic. ¡°I agree with Leon on this matter, but it seems you know something we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I can see it. What¡¯s going on inside is something that papers will be written about in the future. His regeneration is fighting off its influence, while the spore tries to break his mana pool down and consume it. It heals itself and draws more energy from the mushroom. Like an immune system fighting disease. Looks like this child, won¡¯t be given an ominous title like his predecessors.¡± Lok said excitedly, already pulling out a pen and paper. Leon looked in surprise. ¡°Predecessors? I met the child while traveling from a rural village.¡± ¡°Oh. You wouldn¡¯t know. The Death Tyrant survived her execution and raised a clutch of monsters. But that¡¯s top secret. You can¡¯t choose your parents after all. If we excluded based on ties to dangerous people then we¡¯d have to get rid of most of our students.¡± ¡°Luckily the only thing that boy doesn¡¯t share with his mother is her thirst for blood. He did inherit her stubbornness and desire for petty pranks but he mostly aims to inconvenience people.¡± Yulon seemed almost relieved. Leon looked confused, ¡°What pranks. I haven¡¯t heard anything from the other students.¡± ¡°He did it to the class two students, that baron¡¯s brats. He snuck small seeds onto their clothes, you remember the ant incident right?¡± Yulon seemed disinterested by this point. The story had been retold so many times that he wondered how Leon didn¡¯t know about it. He was pretty sure they talked about it at one point. Then again, Leon rarely participated in their social gatherings, so it could have been someone else. ¡°Oh yeah that was bad. How did you figure out it was him?¡± Leon seemed interested in the answer. ¡°Oh that was me, he has this look in his eye. You have to know what to look for, they also have the same tells when lying. Which is quite funny, let me tell you, the boy could convince me the sky was red If I didn¡¯t know them. Anyhow, let¡¯s get back to watching.¡± Lok made himself comfortable and started watching the trials. ¡°Are you going to tell me what his tells are?¡± Leon looked at his fellow instructor. ¡°I¡¯m a seer, not a snitch. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s lied to you about as of yet. Although you should be careful around lightning swords. They could be the death of you. I¡¯d recommend breaking them before they can deal damage.¡± Lok smiled to himself. Chapter 14 Reinvigoration Kyrion tried to get up, but his body refused to listen. He felt energized, yet it was as though his body wasn¡¯t his own. Kyrion remembered the mushroom walking towards him and began to panic. He was held down by various restraints, and he still felt numb. Kyrion entered his center to see if everything was fine, but inside he was met with chaos. The mana in his body was rapidly flooded into a mushroom-like creature filling past the point it would burst. Even still, he felt a door in his core open up and consume the creature. Moments later, the remains of the mushroom were spat out and used to nurture his spirits like fertilizer. He felt gaps in his mana pool. Inconsistencies. Air bubbles that needed to be popped. So he began to compress his mana further and further, removing the holes as he did. It was easier than normal, as though some had already been condensed. So Kyrion made his core smaller and smaller, to the point that it was an apple seed. Still, he pushed and pushed until he used up all the energy given to him by the mushroom. He fed the new quality to his spirits, feeling a massive jump in understanding his power. The sprout became a small sapling. Soon after, small blue fruits began to grow from it. They resembled a pomegranate, and Kyrion felt they would heal. Jala had grown in size as well, and she also seemed a bit cranky. Issac was as calm as ever, slightly bigger but resembling a swanling. Kyrion began to understand what the swan had done to him. First, it made his balance uncanny, he should have fallen off that tree when the beast charged, but he didn¡¯t budge. The second thing was his improved appearance. Which he would have traded for anything useful. Kyrion felt a new quality to the elements he had control over. It seems that both water and wind had the power to heal. Kyrion exited his center and began to look around again. This time he felt enough control over his body to speak. ¡°Hello? I seem to be in a pickle. I never liked pickles very much. Please can you let me go? I have totally unsuspicious fruits to give you all.¡± Everest looked at his friend. ¡°I call bull.¡± ¡°Fair enough. It seems I am gonna rot here forever. Did we lose? Are we outside the forest?¡± Kyrion seemed to be happy at the possibility. ¡°No, you¡¯ve been asleep for two hours. Seems you woke up and passed right back out. The fight shouldn¡¯t have been that hard. I suspect that we beat a practitioner rank monster. Still, it did something to you as you killed it. Care to elaborate?¡± Damian asked, eying his friend with suspicion. ¡°Short answer, I hit rank three and everything fixed itself. Long answer, I really don¡¯t understand the details. Can I go now? I has healing magics.¡± Kyrion said in a hurry. ¡°Fine, but we¡¯re watching you.¡± Damian stated stoically. ¡°Just let him go already!¡± Asela flared up before putting her head in her tiny hands. Kyrion was released from his binds, and he felt feeling return to his body. Kyrion stood up, stretched, and called forth the fruits of his labor. Five blue fruits appeared before him and began falling to the ground. Kyrion caught three of them before the other two hit the ground. ¡°Pomegranates, blue ones at that. What do they do?¡± Wura asked. ¡°I think they heal when eaten. Not sure how you eat them, though. It¡¯s one of those fruits I¡¯ve seen but never had the chance to eat. Kyrion took a bite out of one and winced as the shell proved too tough. ¡°You just eat the seeds.¡± Wura had to hold it in to keep from laughing. Kyrion ripped it open from where he took the bite, revealing beautiful blue seeds. He popped one in his mouth and found that it tasted pretty good. ¡°Much better. Who¡¯s the first vict¡­ patient?¡± Kyrion approached Noah first. ¡°You seem to be the least injured. Try eating the seeds one by one. I have no idea how it works. I just know I can¡¯t make any more right now.¡± Kyrion hands it to his friend, watching him very closely. Noah took a big handful and began eating them one by one. Struggling at first as the thick seeds were deceptively hard to chew. Noah grinned as the tart taste, and sweet undertones filled his mouth. Cuts were sealed, bruises went from black to blue, pink, and finally, nothing. Not even a scar was left behind. He was fully healed by roughly a fourth of the pomegranate. ¡°I feel great! Like I can run for hours.¡± Finally, Noah stood up, and the pain from earlier had faded. Damian had a light in his eyes. ¡°If this works we may be able to continue.¡± Hope was in their leader¡¯s voice. ¡°Kiara is in the worst shape and she can¡¯t take solids in her condition. If the berries could be crushed into a juice or paste then we may be able to feed it to her. There is a gash on the back of her head along with a few cuts from where she fell. Possibly a concussion of some sort as well.¡± Everest put down a familiar-looking book that looked like it was in Nico¡¯s possession earlier. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Kyrion handed the seeds to Wura, who turned them into a juice. The blue liquid visibly radiated mana as it was brought over to Kiara and slowly fed her. Unlike Noah¡¯s injuries, these seemed to take longer to show signs of working as the mixture rapidly lost potency. But it worked enough to heal the gash and minor cuts, leaving no scar behind. Kiara woke up, panicked, immediately summoning her bow and knocking an arrow. Then, training it straight ahead of her. Where Kyrion was standing at the moment. ¡°You¡¯re a bit late, your highness.¡± Kyrion said with a smirk and bow. ¡°We already beat whatever that thing was.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Kiara kept the bow trained and started looking around, observing her surroundings carefully. ¡°Moving on to Nico¡­¡± Kyrion backed away as though his teammate was a mad wolf. Setting all but one more of his blue fruits in a bag. Wura briefed Kiara on the current situation, getting her up to speed. By the end of it, the girl had a newfound appreciation for their scout. Nico lay on his stomach, his torso wrapped in so many bandages it was ridiculous. It was then Asela approached her brother, the tears on her face almost drying up. ¡°You can fix him right? It¡¯s my fault. If I was faster I could have dodged. But¡­ but¡­ I wasn¡¯t-ands-he-got hurt really bad.¡± The tears began to well up, and her words became incoherent. Kyrion eyed his sister. ¡°Everything will be fine soon. He should be fixable. Can¡¯t let him get away with making the great Asela cry.¡± Nico laughed and then winced as pain shot through him. ¡°Not to be that guy, but I¡¯m conscious. Can you hurry up? It still hurts quite a bit.¡± ¡°This will be the last time I do first aid on anyone. Nobody appreciates it when we have a professional healer.¡± Everest threw his hands up ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t know you were up. You¡¯ve been so quiet. Can you sit up? Don¡¯t want you to choke on these things.¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice didn¡¯t match his words, as concern was apparent on his face. Everest was soundly ignored. ¡°I swear. Nobody appreciates anything.¡± ¡°Thank you for keeping us alive, Everest. You are a valuable asset to the team.¡± Damian stated. Nico sat up and took his medicine. Healing much faster than Kiara with fewer seeds. Nico was back in fighting condition in a matter of moments. Nico got up, stretched, and began writing in one of his notebooks, asking to get caught up on the details. ¡°It¡¯s like the wound wasn¡¯t there, to begin with. Kyrion have you considered going into alchemy? I¡¯m sure you could make a killing with healing potions made from this stuff.¡± ¡°Nope. It sounds hard and boring.¡± Kyrion said, disinterested. Nico cleared his throat.¡± You may even learn how to make candy.¡± Nico said in his best sales pitch. ¡°Where do I sign up?¡± A spark of interest appeared on his face as he seriously considered it. ¡°E-...Ex-...¡± Damian started to say, eyes wide as he tried to get into the conversation. ¡°I can teach you. Once you get the numbers down it¡¯s quite simple. So to speak, there is still lots of trial and error along with various safety precautions.¡± Nico started to go on. ¡°Excuse¡­¡± Damian began again, gathering what seemed to be, resolve. ¡°On second thought. Lets...¡± Kyrion began to back off before getting interrupted. ¡°Excuse me!¡± Damian bellowed. The two ceased their discussion and looked at their leader in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment. ¡°Thank you. Now, we need to worry about lunch, and getting back to the plan. We spent four hours dealing with that pig. Two of those were spent in recovery however. We have four hours to deal with that rabbit and I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s going to be a slog to get there. On the upside we have a way to heal. So we can afford to go all out. Just no more overly effective fireballs.¡± Damian stood after that, issuing his next direct orders. Making it a whole ten seconds before he started to shrink back into his shell. The tent was broken down, and each person was given an emergency pouch with the pomegranate seeds inside. This way, they could use them when they needed them. The group figured that Kyrion couldn¡¯t make more, and he didn¡¯t have time to figure out how this new ability would work in his arsenal. The group got into formation and began their march toward what they thought was the rabbit¡¯s territory. Engaging in small fights with the enhanced rabbit population and growing as a team after each battle.
Yulon brought his hand to his chin and began to rub it. ¡°That level of healing isn¡¯t normal for a fledgling. It isn¡¯t unheard of but he shouldn¡¯t have the mana to do it.¡± ¡°I can finally say that I told you so. All that remains is what the others can do. Fire manipulation is fine and all, but with that crest. I doubt that¡¯s all she can do, things like this will take a bit of figuring out. We may need to put more effort into drawing out of her innate abilities. They were in first place for all but thirty minutes. The team led by Brion has been paving through enemies of the fledgling rank at a breakneck pace. While Milo¡¯s team is consistent. At the rate they¡¯re going they will push Damian down to three in a matter of hours.¡± Lok stated. Leon looked into the pool of water. ¡°It is what it is. Brion picked the strongest people he could recruit and kept his team small for efficiency. Chances are we won¡¯t have a full monster genocide this year, as in terms of combat power they¡¯re the strongest. Milo built a balanced team with as few people as he could as well. He doesn¡¯t have anyone who can heal, so they have to choose their battles carefully.¡± Seemed to be looking toward the other team''s progress with a discerning eye. ¡°From my experience, teams like Brion¡¯s tend to do really well on the first day, but fall behind as the test goes on. They have power but no real utility, and unless they hunt other teams, their pace will drop by quite a bit.¡± Yulon watched the children go about their test with a reminiscent expression. Leon nodded solemnly. ¡°While Brion¡¯s strong for his age I can see that he skimped on his foundation. But his spirit is a powerful one from what we have seen. Such a waste had he compressed it a bit more then he may have been a true contender for my recommendation.¡± Lok and the headmaster exchanged glances before looking back into the pool. Chapter 15 The rabbit hunt begins Damian¡¯s group had made their way closer to the heart of the rabbits expanding territory. Rabbits became more prominent and fought harder, but the initial shock of their power was gone. They weren¡¯t a fledgling rank but were half as strong as one and came in large groups. ¡°Kyrion. I need you to map stuff out from above. We should be close. Wura, Noah, our group will continue to advance. Nico and Asela, will follow much further behind. Kiara and Evevrest will wait for Kyrion to come down before advancing.¡± Damian had a resolved tone on this plan. Usually, splitting up would be a bad idea. However, there was room to do so in a group of eight when necessary. The rabbits also seemed to have a sense of incoming numbers. When they engaged the rabbits previously, they began to show cowardness when overwhelmed or outnumbered. Kyrion made his way up another tree. Making a mental note not to tell the next group he¡¯s in that he could do so. He looked down from the top of his chosen tree; ahead, he could see a giant rabbit around the size of a boulder. In its hands was a crude shield made from wood and an extra sharp-looking carrot. At its command was a small group of even smaller rabbits wielding smaller versions of the sharp carrots. ¡°What in the abyss is that?¡± Kyrion asked no one in particular. Kyrion then summoned Jala. Jala appeared in a puff of smoke. ¡°What do you want, my great benevolent master.¡± Yawning it all out and rubbing her face with her paw. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± Kyrion asked his partner. ¡°I have other questions but mostly the first. The second being I can¡¯t get my wind to cut the rabbits.¡± ¡°I see, you¡¯re having problems performing in a group. I hear it¡¯s not an uncommon issue. We can work through it together. As for the rabbits I don¡¯t really know.¡± ¡°About my wind performance issues. It doesn¡¯t cut when I want it two but it does send the rabbits flying. Why?¡± Kyrion stated his problem thoughtfully. He was bothered by it. Sure he could heal now, but that wasn¡¯t enough if his power couldn¡¯t help in a fight. ¡°I see, those performance issues may prove to be a bigger problem than I thought. We can talk about this later. I¡¯m tired.¡± Jala yawned before fading out of sight. Kyrion proceeded to write everything he saw down on his map. First, there appeared to be other giant rabbits. One resembled a pugilist. Another wielded a wooden bow. Lastly, there was a rabbit wielding a lance riding a feral rabbit. From below, Kiara and Everest were waiting for their scout to return. But instead, they watched as he had a one-sided conversation with a fox. ¡°Do you think our friend is a few apples away from an orchard?¡± Everest asked jokingly. ¡°I don¡¯t see what you mean.¡± Kiara looked puzzled by the question. ¡°Nevermind. Sometimes I wonder.¡± Everest leans against the tree, looking ahead. ¡°Wonder what?¡± Kiara seemed annoyed. ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing special.¡± Everest had a mischievous gleam in his eyes as the conversation continued. Nico and Asela had been walking for a few minutes. ¡°How¡¯s your back?¡± Asela asked. ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± Nico answered bluntly. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asela had a worried look on her face. ¡°Yes.¡± Nico turned the page and pretended to focus on his book. ¡°I know I just feel bad about it. Had I been stronger...¡± Asela started. ¡°That was just a miscalculation. We didn¡¯t know that the combustion would be that powerful. Live and learn. From what I could tell the creature was in the practitioner rank of monsters, a parasite type to be precise. While physically weak on its own, when the creature it leeches off of dies but the host becomes much stronger. From what I could tell the creature had just entered that tier recently. As it had the raw power but lacked the control to use it. If the rabbit¡¯s ruler had gotten ahold of it then we really would have been in trouble.¡± Nico looks up to a lost Asela. ¡°So you¡¯re not mad at me. Got it.¡± Asela nodded in understanding. ¡°I do need to get stronger though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine. Fire is easy to use but hard to master. When you figure out how your spirit actually works then you should get a lot stronger. We have a lot of people with room to improve.¡± Nico stops walking. ¡°What is it?¡± Asela was now worried for a different reason. ¡°It seems like our friends have lured in quite a few rabbits. We¡¯re gonna need to tread carefully. It won¡¯t help them if they turn around towards us. We¡¯re gonna try to block their exits. Most animals won¡¯t willingly jump through fire if they can help it.¡± Nico began scribbling symbols in the dirt with a wooden stick. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Asela asked. ¡°It¡¯s a secret for now. Let¡¯s just say it will help us make that wall more solid.¡± Nico put a finger in front of their mouth. ¡°You and your secrets.¡± Asela sighed. The group had spent ten minutes traveling forward, purposely luring in groups of rabbits who followed further behind. Damian¡¯s group had stopped advancing when the giant rabbit was added to their map. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t go any further for now.¡± Damian brandished his sword and entered an offensive stance. ¡°Is this the spot?¡± ¡°Seems so. Get ready.¡± Wura formed her spear and shield, with her ability as she took a defensive stance. ¡°Think we bit off more than we can chew?¡± Wura poured power into her spear, making it longer and sharper. ¡°Don¡¯t kill too many, whatever your weapon does to them makes the meat smell funny. I¡¯d like to keep a few for dinner later. If we don¡¯t eat one then it kinda feels like a waste.¡± Noah transformed into his lion form, armor changing along with him. ¡°Engage!¡± Damian commanded. The rabbits hopped into combat, choosing Noah as their first target. Due to his size and monstrous appearance. If they could take him down, then they could win. Damian decapitated a rabbit in his path as he began to corral the rabbits hanging on the outside. A new rabbit corpse found its way onto the count every few seconds. Damian danced past them in a macabre fashion, blood coating his blade and body. Wura went after small groups of rabbits, each swipe of her spear leaving faint silver traces in their fur. The rabbits soon fell down, spasming and going still, light fading from their beady little eyes. Wura disabled many groups of rabbits leaving behind no survivors. The rabbits began to realize they bit off more than they could chew when shrieks of pain erupted from the rabbits attaching themselves to Noah. White-hot spikes shout out from his body, piercing the rabbits and cauterizing the hole as they pass through. Noah carved at them with teeth, claws, and spikes. The rabbits started running away when a circle of red and black flame surrounded everyone. Rabbits that made it too close to the fire found themselves consumed by teeth and claws. Smoke rose from their remains with signs of being burned. Outside the wall, Nico and Asela stood in heavy concentration burning through their mana rapidly. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The slaughter ended with an absurd amount of rabbit corpses made inedible in various fashions. Everyone save for Damian collapsed where they stood. As the drain finally hit them. Everest, Kiara, and Kyrion came rushing into the brush. Kyrion out his map, which was updated quite a bit. ¡°We have a problem. Four enormous and tough looking rabbits are ahead. They seem to be guarding something important.¡± Kyrion looked around, panic being replaced by confusion. ¡°Why is everyone on the ground?¡± ¡°There was a big fight.¡± Damian said bluntly while he observed his map. ¡°Nico. Any chance it has already hit practitioner rank?¡± ¡°It is probably really close. Four defenders in the fledgling rank are normal around rank five. This means that we were right in getting rid of that mushroom. The defenders will be around the early fledgling ranks. If we¡¯re lucky we may even get cores from them. Each one we take out should weaken them reasonably well. We should be able to take them out in groups of four.¡± Nico pushed up his glasses. ¡°Sounds like a plan. We¡¯re using the groups I created earlier. My group will have the mounted rabbit and the one with a small army. Noah, your group can fight the pugilist and archer since your group is good at restraining enemies.¡± Damian cleaned his sword and stretched. Damian, Wura, Kiara, and Nico found themselves standing in front of a small adorable squad of rabbits with swords. Their leader was quite a bit larger, around eight feet tall, with broad rabbit shoulders and a sharp-looking carrot paired with a wooden shield. ¡°I¡¯m gonna feel guilty for killing these monsters.¡± Kiara muttered. ¡°I already do. These things have weapons though. Not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.¡± Wura looked at them as the rabbits got into a wedge phalanx formation, carrots raised like spears, ready to stab. Nico raised his hand, and two small balls of condensed fire appeared in his hands. ¡°Well I can start when you¡¯re ready.¡± So Nico started as the balls became small wolf heads. Wura absorbed her shield and made her weapon much longer, adding a blade two each end, turning it into a double-ended scythe, around ten feet in length. She then let it fall and stepped back quite a bit. ¡°I have an idea, and you don¡¯t want to be in the way when it goes off.¡± Kiara nocked multiple arrows at once and fired them into the swarm. Hitting many but draining her mana just as quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll go engage the leader, don¡¯t want to get caught up in all of that fighting.¡± Damian circled around the rabbits, almost vanishing all but entirely from sight. Nico sent their attacks forward, commanding both at the same time. The left wolf tore into the rabbit leading the formation, taking an arm out before continuing meticulously. The wolf on the right went hog wild, rapidly attacking anything in its path and changing direction whenever it wanted. Wura¡¯s scythe began to rotate, cutting into the rabbits and disabling the group significantly as it advanced. Before falling into a puddle thirty feet away. ¡°Damn.¡± Wura tried to recall the liquid metal, but it was stuck where it was. The rabbits advanced, passing over it, and Wura retreated behind her other group members. Kiara¡¯s arrows struck the rabbit squad, freezing quite a few where they stood and slowing down the advance. Then, when Wura lost control of her power, Kira started aiming for the ground, covering it with a thin sheet of ice while she retreated. Nico stepped back, pulling his fire with him. The balls passed over the liquid metal, turning red, as an odd smell wafted through the area. ¡°Retreat now!¡± Nico let go of the balls. Causing them to go wild as he fled from the immediate area. The other two followed as well, but not before they noticed one of the rabbits just fell dead without any visible help. The only injury was a slight cut. ¡°What happened?¡± Wura asked worriedly. ¡°We have a lot to talk about your power. I had my suspicions but now I know for sure. That¡¯s a form of mercury, and it is a very toxic element. Mix it with fire and things start to die.¡± Nico pointed to rapidly dying rabbits. ¡°It won¡¯t work that fast on fledgling rank spirit masters, but it will hurt us if we stay in there too long.¡± Kiara watched as the last rabbits died off. A dissatisfied expression on her face. ¡°That¡¯s great and all but shouldn¡¯t we help Damian?¡± ¡°Lets circle around then. Damian is pretty good in a fight, but everyone needs help from time to time.¡± Nico led the group around the smog that had formed. Noah, Asela, Kyrion, and Everest were face to face with a speedy rabbit. It noticed their approach and met them halfway instead of waiting. ¡°Restrain it!¡± Noah yelled as he started transforming. Everest ran under its legs and dashed behind a tree, a thick woven cloth tying its left leg in place. He then ducked out of sight. Asela let out a whip of fire that burned the creature but was quickly shaken off. ¡°I tried. Kyrion, do the thing!¡± Kyrion looked at his sister. ¡°What thing?¡± ¡°The root thing you did to the boar!¡± Noah yelled as he held the rabbit in place. Kyrion stopped and began to think. ¡°I did that? How!¡± Kyrion was slapped with the backhand of the rabbit. He flew into a tree that seemed to bend in response, almost fading from consciousness. Everest reappeared, tying the second leg down as Asela assaulted it with fire. Noah had gotten behind the rabbit and started pinning it to the ground. Everest returned, tying the rabbits remaining arms with the weave. The rabbit balked at the restraints knocking and flailing wildly. The thread grew much thinner, as though it was being stretched. Oddly enough, the rabbit started to bleed through the cloth wraps as they became tighter. The end of the fight was made known when Everest held out a clawed finger and cut something thin and shiny. All at once, the restraints tightened, and the rabbit was tied to the ground. Its left leg was removed altogether. The rabbit wasn¡¯t done fighting yet, as its ears flexed and extended. Whipping around at Noah, knocking him off of his feet. A second ear raised to deliver a finishing blow. Kyrion let out a blood curdling yell, both hands digging into the ground as he tried to move. Rage filled him, and he fell into unconsciousness. A scary amount of mana continued to the ground in haste. The area around the fledgling, becoming hazy. Damian was fighting the rabbit knight, its carrot blade deceptively sharp and shield surprisingly durable. He swung his sword up from his back right. The rabbit knocked it aside with its shield and countered with a thrust. Damian responded with a sidestep and moved inward for an upward thrust. The rabbit hopped back quite a bit, losing a whisker. Damian grunted, and the two began to circle each other. The rabbit moved first with a telegraphed overhead slash. Damian intercepted the carrot, which was a mistake as the boy was sent flying. Damian twisted mid-air and brought his sword into the ground to anchor him before rolling to the side. The rabbit lept after the young boy aiming to stab where he landed. Damian narrowly dodged the blade and watched as it casually passed into the earth. The rabbit grunted before stomping on the ground a few times. Damian rose to his feet and ran towards his foe, swinging for the rabbit¡¯s head, which was moved in response as it tried to pull its sword from the ground. Unfortunately, the strike was feint as he severed one of the rabbit¡¯s tendons in its shield arm, forcing it to drop the instrument. The rabbit swung its sword towards Damian¡¯s neck. Missing as he ducked and back-flipped out of the way. ¡°Very fast reflexes and attacks, but you lack the training and experience to use them effectively. It¡¯s a shame that you have to die. Witness the dance that will end in your death.¡± Damian conjured a second sword and surrounded his body in a yellow aura. Before he disappeared. Damian reappeared twenty feet behind the rabbit. An artery in the monster¡¯s right foot began to bleed profusely. The rabbit, enraged, began to bulk up, trading speed for power as it hopped upwards, aiming to crush him. Damian danced around the rabbit¡¯s attack, making minuscule and precise cuts that made the creature bleed more and more, which fed its rage. Finally, the rabbit stomped, knocking Damian off balance, and moved it to capitalize on the vulnerability cutting the boy in twain. The rabbit watched in confusion as no blood coated its carrot blade. It watched as Damian¡¯s body disappeared, and the ground rushed to meet it. Its eyes looked up, noticing its body was standing up without it. The light faded from the rabbit¡¯s eyes as a splitting sound echoed through the forest. Damian stood behind the corpse, the sword in his left-hand vanishing. Walking to the coprse, he reached in and retrieved its core.¡°I wonder what this is worth points-wise.¡± Damian muttered to himself. Nico, Wura, and Kiara burst through the brush, ready to fight, finding Damian alone over the corpse of that rabbit. But holding only one sword in hand. ¡°I can see why they made him a leader.¡± Kiara said in surprise. ¡°I knew he was strong but that rabbit looks like it never stood a chance.¡± Nico observed the situation as he ran toward the corpse. ¡°Boss, after this mission can you teach me how to fight like you!¡± Wura said with excitement. ¡°Uh¡­I¡­umm¡­Yeah.¡± Damian shrank back into his shell, embarrassed. ¡°To the next fight then.¡± Kiara gripped her bow with adrenaline pumping through her body. Damian¡¯s group returned on the trail, covered in blood and a bit worse for wear. Kyrion woke feeling great, aside from a drain on his mana. The injuries he sustained in the collision with the tree were all but gone. Kyrion looked around, noticing a giant red needle-like root sticking up in the air. He followed the root down and saw that it pierced through the rabbit¡¯s chest, pushing it against the wires and turning into something that looked better skinned and cooked. His other group members were fine. Save for a few minor cuts and scrapes. Kyrion stood up and approached his friends. ¡°Sorry about that. I think I let my guard down. What happened?¡± Kyrion held his head. ¡°What happened? What happened! You happened! Do you not understand what you did?¡± Everest was exasperated, or at least he pretended to be. ¡°You pierced the creature¡¯s heart with that root. It was quite a brutal sight to behold. I assume you can do that again?¡± Everest said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I did it and I doubt I will figure it out soon. But, I¡¯m lucky it worked this time.¡± Kyrion rubbed the back of his head, finding somewhat dry blood. Noah looked at them and stood up. ¡°We should continue forward, we have another enemy ahead.¡± Asela looked at her brother with a puzzled expression on her face. Saying nothing but watching him closely. ¡°Yes let¡¯s go, I should be more helpful in the next fight.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°You killed the thing, accident or not, it¡¯s dead now. You helped a lot.¡± Everest said. The group left the area, and the rabbit they fought was dragged into the earth as the children were no longer in range to hear. The group continued forward, two rabbits down. Two down, three more to go. Chapter 16 Of Might and Rabbits Damian¡¯s group slaughtered quite a few rabbits as they made their way to their second target. The rabbits seemed to grow more crazed and zealous in their attacks. As though their lives were worth nothing. These rabbits didn¡¯t retreat, which made them more dangerous as they fought tooth and paws. ¡°I don¡¯t like the look that these rabbits seem to have. Killing them felt like a mercy. I¡¯m pretty sure one of them had rabies. ¡°Kiara looked disturbingly at a rabbit that had been drooling quite a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. If one of them had rabies more than likely quite a few more did as well.¡± Nico stated matter of factly. ¡°So you¡¯re an animal doctor now?¡± Wura asked exasperated, ¡°Well no but I read it in a book.¡± Nico answered, a bit unsure. ¡°Then hush. We have a big fight ahead. Use your thinking brain on that.¡± Wura seemed a bit aggravated by this point as a vein began to bulge on her temple. ¡°You¡¯re making mine hurt.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Nico said, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Throughout their trek through their forest, Nico provided everyone with various facts, some helpful, most not, in their current circumstance. Paired with sneak attacks from suicidal rabbits and everyone had been on edge. By the time they made it to the mounted rabbit, it wouldn¡¯t have been too much of a stretch to say that most were paranoid. Damian licked his lips as they heard the galloping of a creature nearby that resembled a horse. ¡°It knows we¡¯re here. Be on guard.¡± Damian wielded a single shortsword in his right hand as he always did when his friends were around.
Kyrion found himself far underground, alone and ill-prepared. Kyrion had no idea how he got there. One minute he was walking with his friends. The next, he was sliding down a very slick hole as though the earth opened up to greet him. ¡°Huh¡­ I don¡¯t do this on purpose most of the time. These things just like to happen. I done went and got myself lost again.¡± Kyrion said, bringing his hand to his head, hoping for dear life that he wouldn¡¯t have to go through any mind games. There were two paths open to him in his current location aside from the way he got in. Another pair of slides went down to his left and right. Kyrion put his finger in his mouth and checked which direction the wind was going. The wind was coming from both directions. Kyrion slid down the left slide, falling, going down a bit more. His new location was a bit lively than the previous one. For instance, an army of rabbits had procured an exceptionally large net. He also noticed that the other slide would have also taken him here. Kyrion did what a sensible person would do when surrounded by uncountable numbers of rabbits with enhanced strength. He nodded to the rabbits with a regretful expression on his face. ¡°Go on, take me to your leader.¡± Everest, Noah, and Asela headed towards their next home, ready for the fight to come. No one had yet noticed Kyrion had vanished as he didn¡¯t kick up much of a fuss as it happened. ¡°The plan is I lead the charge and knock it over. Then, Everest you bind it¡¯s arms, Asela will aim to burn it as much as possible when I cover it in molten metal. Kyrion I want you to provide cover fire with those disc.¡± ¡°Aye aye!¡± Joked Everest. ¡°Rodger!¡± Yelled Asela. Nothing came from Kyrion. The group made it thirty more feet before Noah turned around to address their silent friend. ¡°Uhh.. Where¡¯s Kyrion?¡±
The professors watched as Kyrion was taken from his teammates in an unremarkable fashion. What¡¯s worse is it took them so long to realize that he was even gone in the first place. Leon worriedly watched the pool as the scenes played out. ¡°The sword dancers of Phimo¡¯tish sure do put on nice shows when they fight.¡± Yulon said, trying to change the subject and calm his new professor down. ¡°I know. What I didn¡¯t know was that he fought with two swords with such ease. The swordplay with just his right is sloppy compared to it.¡± Leon observed. ¡°The answer to that question is a simple one, but I made vows not to speak more on their rules and customs. What I can say is keep an eye on your student outside of class. You may notice something you haven¡¯t.¡± Yulon told him. ¡°I see.. Wait, what about the boy that got separated shouldn¡¯t we save him?¡± Leon was back to freaking out. ¡°We can get him out with the flick of a wrist. Let¡¯s just see where it goes for now.¡± Lok said, eyeing the child in a wooden cage that he could easily break out of. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d say this but rabbits make crappy carpenters. Who knew?¡± Yulon sighed as he looked at Brion¡¯s team, who had just been knocked out. They picked one too many fights without rest. Such a shame. They had so much battle potential. ¡°Lok, you¡¯ll be teaching a crash course on battle tactics after this quarter, correct? See that you include those four, they are going to need it. It seems I overestimated them.¡± ¡°Sir, I believe you said that they wouldn¡¯t make it through the entire test.¡± Lok said, catching on to the statement. ¡°I did, but I didn¡¯t expect them to have to be retrieved before nightfall, arrows only fly so far before crashing I guess.¡± Yulon said with a sigh.
Damian¡¯s group made contact with their foe, and it was disturbing in many ways. The bottom half of the creature was some sort of fluffy abomination, a rabbit on all fours limbs stretched like a horse but still rabbit in nature, the hind legs appeared much stronger than the forelegs. Even those were quite beefy. One of its faces oddly connected to its body; it was large but short and attached to its lower chest where a second torso emerged. Revealing an even buffer-looking rabbit torso with muscular features and a long carrot lance. Kiara vomited at its ugliness, blue liquid pulling in front of her feet as she backed away from the creature. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean for that to happen.¡± ¡°Damian, can you get Kiara out of here? Me and Wura have a theory to test out. Be back soon ok?¡± Nico summoned his twin balls of fire and began to circle the rabbit abomination. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Wura didn¡¯t create a weapon made from the liquid metal and instead summoned it as a spherical glob which she generously spread across the battlefield before retreating a safe distance. The creature gave chase to Nico, carrot lance raised for an attack, tendrils of metallic liquid reached up and grabbed one of its hind legs, tripping it. The lance flew towards Nico, who barely dodged the attack. Nico booked it as though his life was on the line, letting his circle of flame spread throughout the forest. Toxic vapors began to rise as the creature started to hack. Nico didn¡¯t turn around as he ran zigzagging between the trees. Wura lost her grip on her power, and the creature got to its feet, slightly weakened but fully enraged. The creature charged through the forest, chasing the boy who had gotten quite a head start. Trees were displaced, some knocked over, others damaged by the carrot lance. Damian had gotten Kiara somewhere safe on top of a hill when he noticed Nico break through the treeline in a hurry. Behind him, he heard a familiar galloping sound. ¡°It¡¯s coming. Be ready. Should be weakened.¡± Nico said in short bursts as he dove to the side. Damian nodded as he stood in front of Nico and Kiara, sword in hand. The beast broke through, favoring its back right leg, lance poised to run Damian through. Damian sidestepped the lance and slashed at one of the rabbit¡¯s arteries in its front left leg, disabling that side of the creature. He then moved to the creature¡¯s side and stabbed deep where the lower head should be. The creature let out a loud screech from both of its mouths which stunned Damian for a full second and disoriented Nico. ¡°Kiara opened her eyes, summoned her bow, and knocked an exceptionally long arrow which she fired into the creature¡¯s lower mouth, which seemed to stab something vital as the creature bucked and gagged trying to remove the projectile. Growing colder and slower each second. Damian got up and twisted his sword inside the creature¡¯s side, making a cracking sound as the blade passed into something vital. The lower head died, and the creature fell prone, its upper body thrashing recklessly. Unable to get back up and unable to fight back. Damian put the creature out of its misery by removing its core directly. Wura arrived soon after, sweat pooling on her face after having to run around their mess. ¡°Great you beat it, what¡¯s with that look?¡± Wura saw that her friends had solemn expressions on their faces. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just watched a creature suffer before it died.¡± Nico said with gravity in his tone. ¡°Oh. You killed all those rabbits and this one got to you?¡± Wura asked, almost aghast. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. It was helpless and we felt bad for it.¡± Nico said. ¡°Speak for yourself. That thing was disgusting.¡± Kiara said. Damian shrugged. ¡°I think you¡¯re overthinking it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ok. Should we check the map?¡± Nico tried to change the subject. The look in his eyes faded as he realized that his allies had the stomach for this stuff. Damian pulled out his map, noting that only one of the other rabbits had been marked off, and a message was scribbled and almost ineligible. ¡°Hlp am in ground. Pls hlp me. Kyrion. They keep givn me food. It tastes good. They take me to bath tub soon.¡± Damian read aloud, a grim expression on his face. ¡°He¡¯s... making progress in literacy. I¡¯ll put more emphasis on spelling after the test.¡± Nico sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve read worse.¡± Damian put up the map and headed in the direction of the last rabbit. Along with his group mates.
Asela was furious when they met up with the rabbit with a bow. Her brother, done, got himself lost, Noah was still in charge, and Everest was talking too much. Fire burned in her eyes as a flame appeared, whipping wildly. The rabbit fired an arrow with a red tip on it. Noah intercepted it with a red-hot metal shield that he used to block the attack. Unfortunately, the shield exploded, knocking Noah onto its back as the fire began to spread. Everest disappeared and reappeared by the rabbit archer¡¯s legs poised to bind them with his power. But, as he moved in to strike, the rabbit jumped straight up, firing another one of those red arrows at Everest. It hit the boy directly, setting both the ground and Everest aflame. The cloth wrapping covering his body as he rolled out of the fight releasing the wraps and palming a few healing berries, as fire started to spread throughout the forest. ¡°Hey, stupid rabbit! Fire peppers are for kids.¡± Everest through one of the red peppers that were at the end of the rabbit¡¯s arrows.¡± Everest proceeds to throw a red pepper at the rabbit, and it burst on impact. Sending burning seeds everywhere and damaging the rabbit. The rabbit grabbed at Everest, but he was too slippery. The boy tied up the archer¡¯s arm behind its back which made a snapping sound. The rabbit jumped onto its own back, enraged, the impact knocking the wind out of the rider. Peppers were flung all over the floor, causing them to burst and pop all at once. Noah was up and fully transformed and wheezing. ¡°Asela do something for crying out loud Can¡¯t let your brother be the only one to get a kill right?¡± He grunted before charging back into the fray. Asela looked around, noting the excessive amount of fire spreading the area, and started to concentrate. The flames continued to rise and grow hotter as if they were gaining a life of their own. Trees caught fire as they grew, and then Asela felt a connection. The red tiara appeared on her forehead, and the fire seemed to go towards it as though it was normal. Asela gathered the heat and compressed it into the size of a pecan seed. She threw it at the rabbit with all her might. The marble made it ten feet before it fell to the ground next to Noah. The rabbit looked to her, then the marble, and started cackling. Even going so far as to fall on its back. Noah scooped it up and watched as the metal on his armored hand began to glow red hot. He threw the orb into the prone rabbit¡¯s mouth, and it died. It just died, no muss, no fuss. The rabbit died laughing and with no sign of it doing so. Noah moved the rabbit and saw that a hole had burned straight through its mouth and served the spinal column almost immediately. ¡°I guess mi da was right about the tortoise and the hare.¡± Everest said as his accent slipped. ¡°That and these rabbits seem especially stupid.¡± Noah laughed softly, trying to clear the mood, and then stopped. ¡°You know that may have been my last laugh.¡±
Kyrion sat in his cage, wondering what was going to happen next. The cage wasn¡¯t even all that strong. But, Kyrion couldn¡¯t say he was bored as the rabbits provided all sorts of entertainment. From little dances to rabbit songs and an odd rabbit blood ritual. The rabbis seemed to be happy to sacrifice themselves. Kyrion was given a large bowl of roasted rabbit stew which he found refreshing before they brought him to bathe in a tub where he was washed with various herbs and fed some more. They even let Kyrion write while they fed him. The meal contained various fruits, veggies, and versions of cooked rabbit that Kyrion had never even heard of. He ate it all and felt stuffed by the end of it all. Which is a feat in and of itself. Kyrion laid down onto a large bed made from a leaf and was ready for a nap. Kyrion was about to sleep when a giant fat rabbit made it into the room, jiggling all over. If it was smaller, one might say it was cute, but it wasn¡¯t, and what¡¯s worse, it carried an oversized fork around the perfect size to impaled the boy. Kyrion licked his lips and noticed that he tasted pretty good. ¡°You seasoned me!¡± Kyrion felt betrayed for all but a second as the rabbit got closer. Kyrion had to do something quickly. But his body felt lethargic. The rabbit got closer and closer as Kyrion began to back up on his haunches. The fork came down, and Kyrion redirected it to hit the floor next to him with his wind power. As he felt a tingle in the back of his neck. All the screens had gone dark at once, which brought confusion to a few professors ready to dash in. Leon was already gone like the last screen he saw was troubling. Lok was unconscious, blood coming from his eyes and nose. Yulon stood up. ¡°Time for an emergency evacuation. It seems like our school may be under attack by an outside entity. A strong one at that.¡± Chapter 17 Out the rabbit hole and into the fire Damian¡¯s group met up, Noah, Asela, and Everest, both had their own signs of wear and tear. ¡°Where did you lose Kyrion?¡± Domain asked. ¡°We¡¯re not sure. When we doubled back there were no signs that he was taken. So we waited for a bit and he didn¡¯t surface.¡± Noah explained. ¡°He said that he was taken underground. I think.¡± Damian sighed as he put the map on the ground. Everyone looked down at the map. Rabbits that seemed to protect an area are now dead. A burrow ?somewhere nearby in between where the big rabbits were stationed. Kyrion must have been taken by them while they traveled near one. Nico looked at the map and scratched his chin. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. Before I thought we were facing dumb rabbits under the command of a beast with the ruler classification. We still might be, but this level of subtlety shouldn¡¯t have been possible. There is probably another even stronger being pulling the string. Hopefully it¡¯s just a fledgling rank, else we may have to end this test early.¡± Damian nodded grimly. ¡°I see¡­ Well at least this rabbit was dumb. It started laughing on its back mid fight. ¡°Everest said, trying to calm them down. ¡°They can¡¯t be too smart.¡± ¡°Yes. The one I fought was similar. Highly reactive but had no talent for thinking things through. Right or wrong we need to save Kyrion. I get the feeling things are worse than he realizes.¡± Damian told everyone. The group left in search of the entrance to the underground burrow.
Kyrion was about to get impaled by a fork when a serpentine head rose up from the ground and bit into the rabbit¡¯s fat leg. ¡°We had a deal.¡± Said the serpentine voice. ¡°The child for power over this area. My king won¡¯t be happy if you kill him.¡± The rabbit scowled. ¡°That child ate my prey and killed my people. I deserve to eat the boy!¡± ¡°Rabbits and snakes can talk too. Go figure.¡± Kyrion said to himself as he looked for an exit. There he saw a teacher on the ground near the door. He had been attacked, and his skin was heavily discolored as though he was poisoned. Kyrion then noticed two large holes in the man¡¯s back. That teacher looked familiar. He looked similar to the guy Kyrion met outside the gates. ¡°Jump guy!¡± Kyrion tried to drag the guy out of the room when a hand of earth reached up and gripped his leg, rooting the child in place. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The snake hissed as its head to address the child. ¡°You know. Away? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but you guys look like you¡¯re going to fight and I very much don¡¯t want to see it.¡± Kyrion tried to move his leg but found himself unable to break free. The rabbit took the chance to bite the snake when its guard was down. Unfortunately for the rabbit, its teeth shattered on its scales and only irritated the creature. The snake, in response, turned around and attempted to swallow the giant rabbit who put up a fight. However, the beast was hard to get down. Kyrion took the chance to crush a few seeds, pouring the liquid down the teacher¡¯s mouth, which caused the man¡¯s eyes to open. ¡°Eat these, not sure how much it¡¯ll help but that snake is strong.¡± Kyruion handed the rest to the older boy. ¡°Yeah. To get the drop on me it would have to be. Still I do have plenty of training to go through. I¡¯d say it was at least practitioner rank poison. I have a decent resistance which is why I wasn¡¯t dead. What you did pushed me over the edge, thanks.¡± Lingar broke the binds on Kyrions feet with a kick. ¡°Hold on.¡± Lingar grabbed Kyrion¡¯s torso and jumped straight up, shooting towards the ceiling as a dome of sharp wind spun around the pair, and they found themselves flying through the ceiling, landing outside. The snake hissed as it tried to shoot its way out of the hole, but its recent addition made it too heavy to follow. So instead, it started hacking up the rabbit with a groan as it was even harder to get back out. ¡°We should probably run. That thing you gave me only delayed the effects we need to go now.¡± Lingar put Kyrion down and let the boy go ahead before he followed behind. As the two ran, Kyrion was struck with a question. ¡°Am I out now?¡± He asked. ¡°Probably, but seeing as i¡¯ve just received orders to flee with as many students as I can within the hour. It shouldn¡¯t matter. You have a different kind of tallent. I¡¯m sure the school that I¡¯m a part of would gladly take you in.¡± The boys made it into the forest when a giant scorpion appeared from the ground and attacked them with its long tail. Kyrion redirected the tail with a wind wall, and the appendage struck the ground. Embedding itself deep in the earth. Lingar swept his arm in an arc, and a blade of wind tore through the creature¡¯s carapace cleanly. ¡°How did you cut the creature with wind? I can¡¯t cut anything with mine.¡± Kyrion said, looking down. ¡°Lots of training, show me next time we encounter an enemy and i¡¯ll tell you what I see.¡± Lingar answers as they continued running. It didn¡¯t take long as a one-eyed bear came out of a cave and was running straight towards them. Paired with a tiger and lion as well. ¡°Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my. Get the tiger.¡± Lingar encased the other two creatures in a sphere of wind that he instantly turned into a shredder. Blood filled the spear and rained onto the ground. Kyrion used a blade of wind on the tiger, and it flung the creature on its back. It gasped for air, reeling from the impact. ¡°Oh. Makes sense when I see it. You won¡¯t cut anything living by doing that. Quite insidious.¡± Lingar said as two orbs fell from the sphere and floated towards his hand. He then walked over and killed the tiger in a way that also seemed to produce an orb which he handed to Kyrion. ¡°Your foe your orb.¡± ¡°What do you mean, makes sense? Also thanks.¡± Kyrion pocketed the orb. ¡°I bet you only used your power on non living targets before. Am I right?¡± Lingar stated more than asked. ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It¡¯s obvious when you think about it. That fruit you gave me had a healing ability right?¡± Lingar started ¡°Yes it did. So?¡± Kyrion followed. ¡°Just follow carefully. If you have an ability that involves healing, wouldn¡¯t it bleed over to your other powers as well?¡± Lingar stated sagely. Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°You kind of lost me.¡± ¡°Your wind heals what it cuts.¡± Lingar stated plainly. ¡°Ohhhhh. Why didn¡¯t you say that?¡± Kyrion chided, ¡°Because it isn¡¯t that simple, so to speak. You¡¯re going to need to earn a bit more control if you want to separate the two natures. Else you may never cut or heal properly. Healing natures are quite rare so consider yourself lucky. Should you mature properly, your abilities may gain the ability to resurrect. It¡¯s not likely but it has appeared in records.¡± ¡°You sound like my friend Nico now.¡± Kyrion scratched harder as they made their way forward.
Damian¡¯s group had arrived, but there was only a gouge in the dirt as though the land in that area just collapsed, and there was no sign of Kyrion. ¡°I should be able to find him from here, give me a minute.¡± Nico stated. Nico summoned an Ebony Husky that seemed to have fire leaking from his mouth. The fire looked at Nico, and the two seemed to have a conversation among themselves. Before pulling out an ornately decorated box that contained a lock of dark crimson hair. ¡°Nico? When did you get that?¡± Asela asked suspiciously. ¡°I took it when I learned about his penchant for getting lost. He gave it willingly if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking?¡± ¡°I see..Totally not creepy. Who¡¯s the dog?¡± Asela shifted the subject. ¡°Hunter, and before you ask he is the same spirit that forms the two balls of fire.He has a brother which I call Ravager but manifesting them both like this is asking for trouble.¡± Nico pushed his glasses up as he placed the hair up to the dog¡¯s nose. Stolen novel; please report. Wura and Kiara seemed to exchange a few words with each other before they followed. Damian looked to Everest and Noah, who had backed away ever so slightly. ¡°What¡¯s with everyone?¡± He asked the two. ¡°It¡¯s just hair.¡± ¡°Its the box.¡± Everest started, ¡°You ever put a friend¡¯s hair in a keepsake box?¡± ¡°I would if I knew I needed to preserve the smell. Isn¡¯t that what the keep part is for?¡± He replied. Noah shrugged. ¡°I just don¡¯t like dogs. Don¡¯t get it but they just seem to rub me the wrong way.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all on different wavelengths. It seems.¡± Everest stated. ¡°You know? You and Nico are similar it seems.¡± Damian chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Everest scowled. Hunter looked at its master for a very awkward second before sniffing the air and bolting off in a different direction than the one they were headed previously.
Kyrion had managed to get somewhere relatively safe, and the two climbed a tree. Kyrion looked down and got a view of the nearby area. Somehow Kyrion seemed to have gotten way off course in their fleeing of the scene. The duo had come across many monsters on their way towards this area. But, for some reason, they seemed to always go after Kyrion first. ¡°Why do monsters keep chasing after me?¡± He asked Lingar. Lingar had a mischievous look on his face that faded into mock seriousness. ¡°I hear monsters love the taste of small children. To them it¡¯s like a delicacy.¡± That statement reminded Kyrion of something. He sniffed himself. ¡°I still smell like food¡­.¡± Kyrion updated his map and went to wash off in the river. ¡°Really? Nothing? You have nerves of steel.¡± Lingar was surprised. ¡°Nope. I know that look, I¡¯ve had that look, and I¡¯ve seen that look on my siblings. Nice try. It would probably work on my sister though.¡± Kyrion explained as a wall of wind shielded him from a torrent of flames. A four-armed buck stood on its hind legs, fire roiling from its body and its eyes were bloodshot. Kyrion saw the creature, and for a second, panic and fear rushed through his body. It left as soon as it came, however. Lingar, however, was not as resilient as it seems and was paralyzed in fear. The buck moved to attack Lingar with its antlers. Kyrion saw it and moved to help his friend. When he noticed that Lingar had that look in his eye again. Kyrion remembered that Lingar was probably much stronger than the creature. The buck crashed into a sharp invisible blade and was bisected instantly. Which would have been great had an army of ten similar-looking creatures not loomed over the horizon. Kyrion heard something come from the forest as a fire-breathing black dog came running out of the treeline, trailed by Nico, Damian, and the others. ¡°Kyrion!¡± His sister yelled, running up to hug her brother. ¡°Aww I missed you too. You won¡¯t believe¡­ Why is your hand red?¡± Kyrion paused when Asela was in hugging range, realizing dawning. Kyrion was hit with a red hot uppercut in his lower jaw, losing a baby tooth in the process. ¡°That¡¯s for not putting up a fight!¡± The worry in her eyes, fading. Kyrions jaw was already healing from the impact. ¡°Fine, but we have bigger things to worry about.¡± Kyrion pointed to the deer on the horizon. Nico looked there and back at Kyrion. ¡°Deer aren¡¯t aggressive, but they do seem rather territorial. Just keep your distance and¡­ I stand corrected.¡± The bucks started charging towards the group. Water evaporated where they stepped. ¡°Battle formations!¡± Damian yelled Wura and Kiara went forward. The latter froze the water to create a small wall of ice, while the former coated the ice with her mercury ability which froze after it made contact with the ice. The two retreated as Everest set up sharp wire traps while Nico drew odd symbols on the ground. Asela began to pull on the fire that had landed nearby and waited. ¡°What do we do?¡± Kyrion asked Damian. ¡°Me and Noah are acting as the first line of defense if anything breaks through.¡± Damian said. ¡°Not you two. I mean me and him.¡± Kyrion pointed to Lingar, who was slumped over near a rock. He had been eating a few more of those healing seeds to delay the poison. ¡°If you¡¯re able to just do what you can. He looks like he needs to rest. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but something smells off.¡± Damian muttered. ¡°Yeah he¡¯s supposed to take us out of here, something happened with the test.¡± Kyrion explained. A wave of three bucks crashed into the metal ice wall and fell back, metal shards poking like knives from its body before melting into the creature¡¯s flesh. The creatures¡¯ own heat made a brief smog rise as the second wave hit the wall. Two more of their number fell similarly. Finally, the third wave of four ran around the wall of ice and into the sharp wire traps, where they were dismembered and dispatched with ease. The tenth deer approached, and Kyrion noticed that it was an alpha, much bigger than the others with a total of six arms to their four. It threw a boulder into the wall of ice, shattering it. The alpha then let loose a torrent of flames that seemed to melt the ice. But was soon stopped and compressed by Asela, who had a ball of fire the size of an orange. Asela moved the orb over the deer corpses and noted now their bodies began to rise, feeding into the orb increasing its mass slightly. The alpha attempted to overwhelm the ball by using more flames, which made the ball grow and then shrink. The buck backed away in horror as the creature realized that it only made the ball stronger. Asela poured the rest of her pool into maintaining the ball, while Nico seemed to give her his as well. The alpha decided it was best to leave as it felt the power differential between the two abilities. However, it was intelligent and realized that it was better to retreat in a battle where its own were killed so quickly and stopped with so little effort. Sadly the alpha didn¡¯t get a chance to live through its wise decision as a giant serpent head came out of the ground and consumed the creature. ¡°We meet again, this time you won¡¯t get away.¡± The snake licked its lips. That thing¡¯s bigger than I remember.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°It seems the creature was suppressing its degree of power! That¡¯s an expert rank monster.¡± Lingar got to his feet and pulled out a red arrow-shaped thing which he lit and let go. It made a whirring sound and a pop as it exploded into red smoke. ¡°We just have to hold off for a bit longer.¡± He grunted as he got in front of the children. ¡°Monsters can do that?¡± Kyrion asked Nico. ¡°Really strong ones can, when they need to go into hiding for various reasons.¡± Nico shakily pushed up his glasses. ¡°We have no chance of beating it as we are now.¡± ¡°There is always a chance.¡± Damian said, a sword appearing in each hand. ¡°Hold nothing back, this is do or die time everyone!¡± Damian¡¯s swords glowed a bright golden color before shifting to a more coppery texture as lighting began to dance between his swords. Noah transformed; this time, he was around ten feet tall and was armed with all sorts of weapons. Everest¡¯s thread cutter elongated, taking the form of a green claw. He pulled out an inky black thread, and it began to grow in size in his hands. Kiara had conjured a great bow made from ice, and Wura shaped a metallic arrow around the size of a lance but with its head twisted to a degree. It was then frozen as they pulled the string together. ¡°When did they get that strong?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Your leader was already that strong, he just doesn¡¯t like to show off. The rest are using all their mana to do this. From what I¡¯ve seen you¡¯ve done the same thing a few times. Hit or miss when their mana runs out chances are they¡¯ll pass out. Honestly in normal circumstances their bad form in general. Enough talk, it¡¯s coming.¡± The snake went after Noah first but found a surprising amount of power slowing the strike down, and its teeth were tangled with metallic wires coating it with the odd-smelling concoction. Everest stabbed into the creature with his finger dagger and began scaling down its back, disappearing. Asela and Nico pushed the ball of fire they were holding into the maw of the snake, causing an explosion in the creature¡¯s mouth as the wires were ignited. Then, small blasts happened as the barrage entered its stomach and had a party. ¡°Well after I eat all of you the indigestion I get will be well worth the pain.¡± The snake reeled back and slammed its head into Noah, who was holding now a red hot glaive. The knife passed through a layer of scales before it snapped, and the boy was hit. Noah was pushed into the ground but held on rooting the snake¡¯s head long enough for Wura and Kiara to launch their first arrow, which the snake ducked when it should have jumped. It collided with the monster¡¯s eye, stuttering into shards that melted into the monster¡¯s eye and mouth. Wura and Kiara fell exhausted after the shot expelling almost all of their mana. Kyrion approached them with seeds from his blue pomegranate and brought them over to Nico and Asela. The snake struck Noah a third time, and his transformation broke. Noah was sent spiraling; Lingar retrieved him and brought him to the others while Damian moved in. Damian evaded the monster¡¯s attacks, dancing through bites and swipes with the creature¡¯s tail while slashing as hit with his swords when he saw an opening. The snake went for a bite at Damian, which he dodged to his right, realizing too late that the attack was a feint. A wave of wind pushed him out of the way just barely as Lingar began to fight with him. Blades of wind crashed into the snake, causing bites that would have hit Damian to miss and collide with the ground. The serpent seemed to slow down in its relentless attacks as it took a more destructive approach. The serpent unhinged its jaw as an explosion came rolling out of its mouth. The snake blinked and did it again. This time a black gas covered the area. Ligar focused so much on his effort to shield himself and Damian from the smog that he didn¡¯t notice the tail wrap around his neck and slam him into the ground. The snapping of bones echoed throughout the forest. Damian succumbed to the poison, falling to his knees and then fading out. Both of the boy¡¯s swords had vanished, and he was clutching at his throat. The snake laughed as it brought its mouth down to consume the child. ¡°Had you not gone anywhere, then only you would have been harmed. Now all your friends are going to die.¡± The snake chuckled. Kyrion¡¯s eyes went bloodshot as moisture in the air began to boil. Kyrion soon faded from consciousness.
Leon had run as fast as he could after he saw the flare. Both he and his wolf were ready to fight. But what? He didn¡¯t know. He saw Kyrions eyes turn red and then white. As water, wind, and plant mana seemed to circle around him in unison. Kyrion closed his outstretched hand, and a series of roots wrapped around the creature pulling it into the ground slowly, the plants nearby growing in while the serpent was being brought into the earth. Kyrion passed out, but the serpent was as restrained as a Kyrion was ever going to get. A monster like this was nothing to Leon, but this much was a lot for a fledgling like Kyrion. Leon pulled out his ice-cold sword and froze the creature inside out as he went and plucked the creature¡¯s core. It was pretty nice as far as cores get, but he sensed two more nearby for an odd reason. He opened up the creature¡¯s stomach and retrieved undigested cores. ¡°Not pretty but it was worth it.¡± Yulon arrived with a few other teachers and one of the healers that they keep on hand. ¡°Good work dispatching this intruder.¡± ¡°To be fair those kids did a good job and loosened it up for me. My sword met little resistance, it was as though the flesh and bone were made softer than it should have been. It was near the lower limit of practitioner when I killed it, in terms of defense. I think it has something to do with the amount of internal damage it sustained along with the poison train in Wura¡¯s spirit.¡± Leon stated his observation. Yulon chuckled. ¡°Ah so many little monsters this year. It seems we may need to move graduation up by half a year.¡± The last statement sounded too serious for it to be a joke, and Leon caught on. ¡°I¡¯ll make the preparations.¡± Leon nodded and headed back into the forest to check for any stragglers. Chapter 18 The aftermath of this years first trial Everest was in a bit of pain. After attacking the serpent, he found that he didn''t stick the landing and broke his ankle. But that wasn''t what hurt him the most. Instead, it was his pride and regret that flowed through him. That Leon dude had forgotten about him, and the teachers took too long to find where he had landed. He found himself reasonably bored after getting his foot bandaged up, opting to muck around on his sore foot in crutches. Everest found his friend Noah nursing his shoulder not too far away from the group. He was looking off into the distance. "I can''t believe I missed lunch, we had so many plans to do well in this test but it ended early." The taller boy''s stomach seemed to growl. "Hey Noah, long time no see. How are you doin?" Everest asked his friend. "Where did you go? You did that big thing early on but I didn''t see you do much else." Noah asked suspiciously. "Long story short I broke my ankle. Why don''t we go get lunch then? It''s still early." Everest deflected. "They are only giving out rations at the moment. Dinner will be starting early today, in a solid three hours." Noah pulls out a stale bread-like thing. "I see¡­ Should we go find the rest of our groupmates?" Everest tried to help his friend up when he realized he wouldn''t be able to do much with his balance at the moment. Noah got up on his own and pulled and looked solemnly at Everest. "We''re going to have to speak with the girls and Nico first. Since Damian and Kyion are in critical condition." "Lead the way then."
Asela looked at Wura and Kiara in confusion as Nico sat across from them. A book and pen in hand, writing what seemed to have been noted with an unnatural enthusiasm. "What was that thing you did with the arrow? I didn''t know that was even possible." Asela asked with a look of curiosity evident on her face. "That was something Nico told us about. Since Wura can shape the liquid and I can freeze it. I could make what he called a great bow. It took the two of us just to pull the string far enough to launch it where we wanted. Later on I should be able to do the same with just my mana. Or so I''ve been told." Kiara explains. "Nico, why are you here? You have all the knowledge already and you know more about our powers then we do." Asela askes suspiciously. Nico adjusted his glasses, "My mother was a scribe and my father considered himself a poet and scholar, when I came along they had a collection of books from all over the world at my disposal. What they didn''t know back then was the fact that I can''t forget what I''ve seen or read. It''s like a talent, I read every book at home and in a library owned by the guild of scribes. I learned many things reading historical accounts of techniques along with all kinds of books. When I awakened my father had me enroll here." Nico turned the page of his book, not looking up. "I''m here to learn, I just have a more academic start." "That aside, what was that fire thing you didn I never saw you make a fire that hot before." Wura tried to change the subject "I don''t know. It felt like a big rock when I fed it, mana. It also seems to be able to eat the nearby fire and get stronger. It ate all of our mana along with the fire made by the angry deer." Asela conjured a ball of fire in her hands, and it shrunk a little before disappearing. "I can''t do it without a proper setup. Everest hobbled into the group with his crutches. "Hey! How is everyone?" "So that''s the limit. When I think about it, that was a good amount of fire you absorbed. What made it so strong?" Wura asked. "It worked like our mana compressions. The more concentrated it was, the stronger I could make it. Didn''t do much to the snake however." Asela sighed. "Hello?" Everest asked. "We see you. They''re just discussing abilities, speaking of which. I didn''t know you could grow that large, Noah." "It''s draining, It uses up a ton of mana to start it and continues to pull a little just to keep it up. It also makes me hungry after using it." Noah answered. "Dinner is in three hours. Should we check on the others, in critical?" "Yeah. To the tent!" Asela said. Everest looked at Nico, squinted, and mouthed the words. "You did that on purpose.."
Damian''s day was going pretty bad. Most of their plans failed, his team members were probably hurt, and he was in a lot of pain. He had been in and out of it for who knows how long, but it was always there. He sensed everything around him moved much slower than it should, and he couldn''t move at all. Damian entered a meditation in an attempt to clear his mind. After a long period of time, he found that the pain had stopped, and his mind was starting to clear. His eyes opened to what appeared a flash of light followed by the glare of an elderly woman standing over him. "He''s good now. The antivenom worked. Quite an insidious toxin, I recommend drinking lots of water to flush it out over the next few days. The woman talked so slow that Damian reached up to move his arm but found it also seemed to move that way. "Are. They. Ok?" Damian managed to get out, softly the feeling from moving his mouth lingering after he spoke. "Ah yes, most of your teammates are fine. The one called Kyrion is suffering from a stronger dose however. It seems he was under the effects of mana poisoning for quite some time. So curing both will take a little time. However, Lingar has already made a full recovery and the fruit he found seems to have a decent healing capacity so his healing required less mana." The old woman put down a clipboard and began to leave his tent. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Damian tried to say something, but nothing managed to come out in time as the doctor made their way to the next tent. Finally, Damian closed his eyes and found himself asleep.
Kyrion found himself trapped in his center as a mist-like serpent wrapped itself around the tree. Jala and Issac were staying as far away from the creature as possible, and Kyrion himself felt sick just being here. The snake bit down onto the tree, and he watched as it began to wither and decay into nothing within seconds as the serpent began to consume it. "Nooo!" Kyrion yelled as he tried to move towards the serpent, but his feet couldn''t make a purchase on anything. As though he was running in free fall. The tree turned black and then burst into splinters, leaving behind a seed that the snake tried to consume. From the seed came an eerie green glow that seemed to pulse throughout the area as a familiar rending sensation seemed to spread to everyone present. The two forces seemed to fight for dominance, one a green serpent, the other was something he couldn''t discern. Issac and Jala were flung around the area as a storm of power exploded. The two forces found themselves at a stalemate. The aggressive snake poked at the seed and had its attacks rebuffed. While each strike seemed to drain the seeds total mana. The snake eventually found an opening and finally bit into the seed. To its surprise, the snake found that it was being drained by the seed. It began to pull away but found that its two fangs had been anchored in, and it couldn''t break free. The two fought for what seemed like an eternity as their powers began to fade all but completely. The glow from the seed and the serpent faded out of existence as the two forces finally died down. Kyron''s core was fragmented; Issac and Jala were missing as what lay around him were a desert. Kyrion tried to leave his center and found that it wasn''t possible for some reason, and he began to breathe hard. The only thing that remained present was an innate seed. Kyrion took it with him as he began to look for his spirits. Outside, the doctor observed the child, who was restrained on a bed in a mix of curiosity and horror. Black Ichor began to drain from every open portion of his body. He jerked uncontrollably and even seemed to attack one of the nurses that had gotten too close. It was as though he was reduced to being a wild beast before he had to be restrained. After a while, the liquid began to turn a crimson red as it flowed before it stopped leaking completely. The Venom seemed to have been taken care of by the child''s immune system. Without the need for an antivenom. Which shouldn''t be possible. The old woman observed the child''s condition in terms of mana expenditure and discovered something shocking. His core had been shattered into four parts. "This is bad. Really bad. We need to act quickly and carefully." She pointed to one of the attendants. "I need you to get professor Lok immediately." "Yes Doctor!" Said the medic who ran out of the room. "Something smells fishy about this year." The older woman said as she took a seat. Lok entered the tent a few minutes later and looked down towards the unconscious Kyrion. "Medicine isn''t my thing and you know that but this, I can work with. It does seem a bit more brutal than I imagined. He won''t be able to regain consciousness until it''s fixed and after starting him on his Journey there won''t be much I can do. Good news is the toxicity in his mana has dropped to none. I''m sure his mother would be happy to hear that while she strangles the messenger to death." "How their kids survive this long is a wonder sometimes." The women said aloud. "It''s safer not to know." Lok summoned a metal rod which he used to poke Kyrions head. "Kyrion, as of now you are trapped in your center, getting out will take a lot of work but think of it like a form of tra¡­ I mean a game like hide and seek. You need to find them to get back and if you don''t you''ll be trapped there forever." Kyrion was building a sandcastle in the desert when he heard a voice in his head. "You can''t get me out?" He yelled "Doing so forcefully will do you more harm than good. I will come by to help when I can but this is something only you can do on your own." Lok told him. Kyrion looked to himself, realizing that this meant he didn''t have to put up with the vocabulary drills anymore. "That just means he''ll make me work harder when I get back." "If that''s all you have left I''ll open up the paths. Once you enter one you won''t be able to leave until after you find the missing spit. Good luck." Kyrion looked down and mumbled something to himself as three doors appeared in front of him.
Asela and the others made their way towards the tents when they were quickly turned away. "Your teammates won''t be moving around for a while; it''s safer for both parties if you let them get better on their own." Lok exited a tent and made eye contact with the group." Damian will make a full recovery soon but Kyrion will be out for a while. He is in a spirit coma. I can only pray that he wakes up before graduation. Now if i''m not wrong point totals for this year''s forest trial are to be announced." Lok continued walking towards where multiple teachers were gathered near the stage. The kids made their way to some seats in front of a stage where Yulon waited patiently for various groups to arrive. Finally, after ten or so minutes, he cleared his throat to get everyone''s attention. "This year''s trial was a bust. It seems an expert tier creature managed to hide itself in our sacred testing ground. Which caused all sorts of problems with our scoring as a few professors were taken quite by surprise so by further ado I will go over our winners of this year''s trial. From before everything went bad. Third place is the team led by Brion with 2312 points, which was halved due to us having to resume them early on. Second place is Damian''s team with 4,362 points. They performed well and even made it to the end but they were unable to get enough points before the cutoff period. Our first place spot goes to Milo Telersian''s team for a total of 5''300 points, they performed well and kept up a good pace and slaughtered every monster they came across. Prizes will be given out privately. It was a good showing this year and many of you showed various schools what you offer to the table. May you all grow well before your next trial." "I guess prizes and then dinner," Nico said aloud as teachers came to collect them on an individual basis. "I don''t like this." Asela said as she went with a teacher.
Kyrion took the door to the right and found that he was now sitting in a prairie where two kids were mucking about, and they seemed to look somewhat like him. One had solid white hair and ashen skin, while the other was a bit tanned like him. His hair was black save for a strip that was always red. Kyrion had no idea what was going on, so he looked around. Behind him was a small cottage with a garden on the side. There were no other homes nearby, and Kyrion knew that this was the point. The pale one tripped and fell, cutting his leg on a stone, and started to bleed. "Daddy help me!" Kyrion stood up, noticing that he had gotten much taller, and walked over to the child and placed his hand over the wound as a cool sensation left his body and washed over the cut, cleansing it before knitting the skin back together. Kyrion noted how the power seemed to only use half the as much mana as he would do something similar with wind, and it was a specific type of mana he could tell. "You''ll be fine little¡­you know this. As long as I''m here no one will be able to harm you." Kyrion couldn''t understand part of what was said and had the feeling it was better that way. The boy nodded as a distorted voice came from inside the cottage. "It''s lunch time kiddos." The Older Kyrion seemed to gag a bit before he rounded the two up and took them inside. As the older Kyrion walked away, the younger one seemed to stay behind as though he was left. Kyrion was able to walk around the area this time around. Unlike earlier, and it felt natural. The grass under his feet the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. The smell of the earth was everywhere. "Well I guess I should probably look for a spirit not that I know what to look for." Kyrion mumbled as he walked around. The scene shifted to him falling from the sky. Down below, there was nothing within sight. Above his body was the sky, a sun to his left and two moons to his right. Kyrion fell further and further as time passed, eventually falling into a deep sleep. Chapter 19 Meetings with spitits Kyrion awoke in a crater ten feet off of a small pond. He imagined that his back was hurt quite a bit, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything as he scrambled to his feet and dusted himself off out of habit. Kyrion stood in the middle of a small garden. Lightly colored flowers decorate the environment encircling a pond where a familiar blue swan seemed to have taken up residence. Outside of the garden was a desert wasteland for as far as the eye could see. The sun peeked out from above the clouds, and a light shone down on the lake. Coating the swan in a layer of radiance as it seemed to be waiting for something. Kyrion approached Issac. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked the bird. A bad feeling passing through him. ¡°I, the great Sir Issac of the Cerulean Swans, greet you humbly. It has come to my attention that we have been stranded here as a response to your inept control over me and my gifts. I spray you with water, enhance your appearance, and increase your balance. Yet the only thing that seems to matter with you is the balance.¡± The swan sighs dramatically. ¡°That makes three. How are you speaking? I¡¯m sure I haven¡¯t created a medium for you yet.¡± ¡°We¡¯re deep within your spirit core. Which means our communication is a bit more intimate and direct.¡± ¡°So¡­ are you gonna let me out?¡± ¡°You were in a lake, and didn¡¯t even try to harness my power did you? You aren¡¯t getting out until you have trained enough to use my powers. Watching you fight is painful, all you do is stand there most of the time. You were kind of useless for most battles. We are going to start with balance. Stand on that lily pad overthere on one foot until I say otherwise.¡± Kyrion looked at the bird with a skeptical look on his face. ¡°Why?¡± ¡± Because you need my persimmon to leave, and I¡¯m salty about you not showing people my greatness.¡± Issac said in a purely serious tone. ¡°You are one vain bird, you know that right?¡± ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s in my nature.¡± Issac rubbed a small cowlick-like feather attempting to push it down. The feather poked right back up three seconds later. ¡°Chop chop, get to standing. Time¡¯s A wastin.¡± Kyrion put one foot on the small lily pad, and it began to shake. He lifted his second foot when the whole thing flipped sideways, causing the boy to fall into the water. Kyrion never learned how to swim. There was never any need back home. Farmland was farmland, and the lakes and rivers tended to either be for gathering necessities. None of this occurred to the eighth-year-old before stepping onto the lilypad. But as he began to drown and started flailing about in panic, he could swear he heard laughing. Eventually, Kyrion sunk like a rock into the depths of the three-foot-deep pond. Then, he stood up, looked at the laughing bird, and squinted. ¡°You knew this would happen didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°You could say the odds were sixty fourty, not in your favor. The water here doesn¡¯t work like water in the real world since you¡¯re not here physically, but your senses will play tricks on you. So long as you don¡¯t do anything too stupid, you¡¯ll survive. Now try again!¡± Issac commanded from his relatively safe center of the pond. Kyrion continued trying to stand on various lily pads for an interminable amount of time. He lost track of how many attempts it took before he managed to stay standing on one with both feet planted. Getting on was hard, but it seemed, staying on one was much easier. ¡°Great, now we can begin your real training!¡± Issac said.
A month had passed since Kyrion had been out of it. Damian¡¯s group had met up for their weekly training session. Everyone in the group had managed to get into rank three, as they trained vigorously. The third trial was going to be a group tournament. So they decided to get as strong as possible. A month from now would be the power showcase, where they would show off in front of an audience of experts. One of the two noncombat trails out there. Damian looked to his groupmates. ¡°You have all made good progress. From here on out focus on training your minds and bodies. Most of us have 3+ years to become a practitioner so there isn¡¯t any rush. From here on out we will be training much harder in preparation for the team fighting trial. In between sessions feel free to do what you can to further your own abilities.¡±. ¡°Aye aye captain.¡± Everest stated while the others just seemed to nod. Kiara and Wura left to work on their own abilities together. They had been getting along more since the trail. You could almost think they were best friends if they talked more. However, Wura was blunt at times, so certain conversation topics were off the table with her. Noah and Damian seemed to get wrapped up in whatever antics Everest had planned during their free time. Their tailor friend had shown extraordinary growth since the trial, and his training regimen was just as vigorous as Damians in many ways. Damian and Noah focused on engaging their targets in a one-on-one fight. While Everest chose to evade everything that came his way and lead his targets into traps. Their sparring matches proved to benefit all three of them. Asela and Nico trained together still, but most of their time was spent visiting the former¡¯s brother. On occasion, Nico would read a book to him while he was sleeping. Sometimes Asela passed out during these readings. It was some dry reading. The teachers said that waking up would depend on his own effort and not to worry about it. But, of course, the teachers don¡¯t know that her brother hated putting in an effort.
Kyrion stood balancing on one leg on a lily pad as Isaac threw balls made from water at him. He dodged each with minute motions and at the last possible moment. The balls started coming faster and in more quantities until one hit and Kyrion was knocked off balance. Falling into the water for the umpteenth time today. Was it today? Kyrion didn¡¯t get tired here, nor did he get hungry. ¡°Did you know that cashews come from a fruit?¡± Kyrion asked as a thought ran through his head. ¡°What? No, why are you getting distracted? Well you¡¯re good enough to move on it seems. Get back on that lily pad.¡± Issac said while he went from confusion to seriousness. Kyrion climbed back onto his small lily pad and stood there with both feet planted without the slightest ripples in the water. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Great. Now step onto the water?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Put one of your feet on the surface of the water.¡± Issac reiterated. Kyrion did so and felt that it was almost as hard as solid ground. ¡°Now your other foot.¡± Kyrion obliged as his second foot hit the solid water. ¡°Great, now that you can run, it¡¯s time to learn how to walk. Water manipulation is about balance and control. What you¡¯re doing right now is probably one of the hardest things you can learn for humans. Since they don¡¯t tend to be born as water fowls. That feeling on your feet, is the waters surface tension increasing to accommodate you. Now get out of the water. This will be the last thing I teach you.¡± Kyrion walked across the water slowly and curiously as Issac talked. He even ran around a bit before he started jumping up and down on the surface. Kyrion was having fun until a watery tendril grabbed him by foot and flung him to the surface. ¡°What was that for!¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a time crunch. I suggest you get this part done before you start playing around.¡± Issac said. ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± Kyrion seemed to have forgotten that he was trapped here. ¡°That feeling you felt from the water try to draw it towards you.¡± Kyrion reached out towards the water and latched on with his mana. It was a pretty simple process. ¡°Good good. Now bring it to your body.¡± Kyrion pulled on the water, and a crude tendril came out from the water before falling apart. ¡°Passable. Next time feel the flow of the water as you do it. Also try to visualize the shape you want it to be. You can practice that later however. I have better things to do.¡± Kyrion felt himself get flung across the world as everything faded into mist. He soon found himself back at the intersection; only three doors remained. Kyrion took the leftmost door. He entered and met face to face with a Jala who seemed very bored. ¡°Oh hey Jala. What will I be learning here?¡± ¡°You know the basics of what I¡¯m willing to teach you right now.¡± Jala said, yawning. ¡°Hurry up and wake up. It¡¯s boring here and I like the attention I get out there.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow, turned around, and left. As a second door disappeared. What remained was a door that went straight ahead and another that pointed backward. ¡°That was easy. I kind of feel cheated out of an experience.¡± Kyrion looked at the two remaining doors. Kyrion assumed the front was his tree, so he took that door. As he pushed it open, he was met with a closed-off building, almost like a shrine of sorts. In the middle was a tree that had seemed to have grown out of the ceiling. From the top of the tree, he saw many different fruits scattered around the room, one of which was the blue pomegranates he produced. Kyrion approached the tree, and as he did, he noticed a pedestal in front of it that seemed to hold a seed encased in an ornate chest. The lid lay open as inside was a familiar-looking seed. Kyrion reached out and touched the seed as memories began to flood through him. The instances in which he used his powers to the point in which he passed out were made clear. It wasn¡¯t him using that power; the seed had taken over during those moments and used his mana forcibly. The knowledge of imparting his will into the plants around him became clear as time grew on. By the end of it, Kyrion had an idea of how his plant abilities worked. The reason he could climb trees so fast was made clear. His will to get to the top was shared with the trees in question. Which let him climb up unhindered as they fed on his mana. His enhanced senses came from the constant regeneration. ¡°Trees eat alot¡­.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself as he let go of the seed. ¡°Looks like I have a lot to learn.¡± Kyrion made his way out of the temple and back to the last door. ¡°Well that was pretty easy. Now for the last door.¡± Kyrion walked through and was met with a tragic scene. Kyrion was at his home village. Only it was a wasteland. Homes were destroyed, and fields were scorched. For miles, he could see nothing but devastating. In the center was a man with blood-red hair and pale, sickly skin. In his hand, he held a long porcelain blade. As he turned around, Kyrion saw a man¡¯s face, and he looked a lot like his mother. For some reason, no corpses managed to turn up. As though the village was evacuated. The man looked at Kyion directly, and a wicked smile showed across his face. ¡°Poetic isn¡¯t it. I do what I can to make sure you stay out of my way but here you stand again and again. Foiling my plans, but that¡¯s ok, because some things won¡¯t change.¡± The man vanished in a puff of smoke, and the scene changed. Kyrion now stood in front of a hooded figure in black robes. It sat in a very comfortable chair, arms crossed. No matter how Kyrion tried to look at him, nothing changed. ¡°Kyrion, the event you saw is scheduled to occur in twelve years time. Yet it seems forces are trying to expedite things to ensure that we never meet. Destiny is a stubborn mule at times. To put things simply. I was, or am your first spirit. Had things gone as planned, your only spirit. Due to an incident I was trapped here due to the fruit your mother took. Which saved both of your lives. I¡¯m not mad about it, if anything I¡¯m glad. My power will be dormant until you¡¯re strong enough to release the binds and have gathered the necessary resources. Which will be well until you pass the realm of experts.¡± The figure stopped talking as Kyrion unpacked everything. ¡°So¡­ I was supposed to have you, and not Jala, Issac, and the seed? What can you do?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I am what lies at the beginning and waits past the end. What vanishes when one awakens from a dream. Everlasting and neverending is the nature of my powers.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So what are you?¡± Kyrion questioned. ¡°Sigh. I was a death related power that was mutated by your fathers life related genes. So your powers revolved around either being a saint or a monster depending on whose side you were on. This is why your elements tend to have a dual nature. Good for you.¡± It said, ¡°So you¡¯re psycho, got it.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Cycle!¡± ¡°Whatever. So get strong. Let you out, and tell my family to leave home within twelve years. I¡¯d ask you where your knowledge comes from but I already have a headache.¡± ¡°Four spirits is a lot.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°You¡¯re nemesis has six. So¡­ I suggest you get stronger after you leave.¡± ¡°You do know I don¡¯t really like fighting. So I¡¯ll stick to healing.¡± ¡°Destiny is a cruel mistress.¡± A little weirded out, Kyrion leaves the area and finds that there are no more doors. Kyrion stood where his core was and watched as everything returned to the way things were meant to be. Issac and Jala were seated next to the seed that had begun sprouting again. Behind him was nothing, and Kyrion felt as though he could leave when he was ready.
Kyrion opened his eyes to someone poking at his face with something wet on his lips. Nico stood over the boy looking down on him, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. ¡°Welcome back sleeping beauty.¡± He said as he stood back and examined his handiwork. ¡°Wow¡­ He really does look like a princess.¡± He heard Damian say. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about this.¡± Wura said. ¡°Feel about what?¡± Kyrion wheezed. His throat was parched. Asela passed her brother a mirror, stifling back a giggle. ¡°Here!¡± Kyrion looked into the mirror, finding something odd. His lips were painted red and his eyes looked funny. They put him in make-up. ¡°I¡¯m too cranky for this. I need a minute.¡± Kyrion sensed a pool of water in the room and pulled a sphere of it towards himself. It was intuitive, almost too easy. He cleansed his face and then returned it to the bucket. The room went silent as everyone stared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Looks like we have an ace up our sleeves after all. The third trial is two months away after all.¡± Everest said jokingly. ¡°Two months? Isn¡¯t that too early? What about the second?¡± Kyrion asked, confused. ¡°You have been asleep for three months. Welcome back to the land of the waking,¡± Damian finished. Chapter 20 Where we stand as a team Kyrion didn''t feel right after his three-month nap, his feet felt weird, and his body felt excessively heavy. He would reach out for something but felt a delay as his muscles seemed to ache a bit before it disappeared entirely. Even light exercise left him winded, and his body was regenerating mana much slower than it did before. It''s been two days since Kyrion had woken up, and they were doing their daily running drills. Usually, this was something the boy could do very easily, but today he had collapsed into a heap. "Kyrion, go take a break. The instructors said not to push you too much, you''re technically still in recovery. You can practice more later." Damian told him. Had this been a year ago, he might have just agreed. But after that training regime, Issac put him through sitting out felt like a waste. So Kyrion sat down and checked on his core. Everything was in order on the outside. His core housed the seed while Issac and Jala seemed to orbit around it in rhythm. If anything, it seemed to have gotten compressed even further than it was before. It was almost like an apple seed. If apple seeds were round and glowing. "I''ll be back in a minute." Kyrion went towards the academy building and entered. Taking a right turn and then a left into the nurse''s office. "Welcome. What seems to be the issue?" An elderly woman asks as Kyrion enters. She takes a minute before looking up. "My body feels weird. Whenever I try to do something it''s as though I''m moving through water. I can''t even climb trees like I used to anymore." Kyrion said worriedly. "I see. Any other symptoms?" The nurse asked. "Not that I''m aware of. Oh I can''t use as much mana anymore. It''s like I only have a drop left." "Is that so¡­ Didn''t I tell you, you needed rest?" The nurse chided him. "I rested for three months." "No you didn''t, had it been a normal coma your regeneration would have kept you in tip top shape while you were out. But it wasn''t, you were trapped in your core for a period of time and your powers were suppressed as a result. Your mana had to strain itself to support your consciousness, while you made your way through. Simply put you just need to sleep for 10 hours a day every day for a week or two. Each person''s body is different." "But I don''t want to wait, don''t you have anything magic that will make me feel better?" The nurse looks at the boy and sighs as she reaches into a drawer under her desk. "I guess I can give you this. It''s a magic pill that you need to take before bed. It''s a rare recipe made from the placebo plant. Take this once a night before bed. Only take one, mind you. They don''t grow from trees. Well they kinda do but that''s not the point. Take 1 every night and get a goodnight sleep. You should be in good health after a week or two." She pulls out a small white bottle and tosses it to the child, who catches it in reverence. "Thank you nurse lady!" Krion hides the package in his shirt and sneaks out of the office. Heading back out to where his friends were. The old lady was in her office adding a new package of the cheap medication to her drawer. Some kids were more clever. If they heard more than one bottle in the drawer, they might suspect it was a ruse. Of course, it helped that she had been working at the school for almost a century. She looked to the bed on her right-hand side, a divider hiding the person lying in bed. "I still can''t believe I was that gullible back then." Said the figure. "I mean, how did I not figure it out until well after I graduated. I hoarded those things like priceless treasures when I graduated." "Well, it helps when students only stay here a year, the older and more experienced kids can''t reveal our little secrets. He really will get better with time, short time at that." "I believe you." said the voice from behind the curtain. "You''ve seen his records I assume? Is he a fit candidate for your school?" "Not sure yet. If he''s anything like his mother then, then we may have a cub in sheep''s clothing. He clearly hasn''t had the training that his mother and siblings had. From what I''ve noticed it seems they babied that generation in general. I still have nightmares about that training, but it was so effective that I implemented it at my own school. It may be small now but the School of the Drisil, will be known the world over soon enough." The voice sounded cocky. "Misdirection, are you ever going to go out and get a new nickname? We both know what your powers are and the name you''re using undersates it." "It suits my personality. By the time they notice my rise it will be too late." "Yeah yeah, Caeden. Your sixty percent ambition and forty percent action. I know your catchphrase. If you need anything else my door is open. Feel free to use it next time, would you?" "Nah." The figure behind the curtains vanished, leaving no trace that he had been there.
Kyrion followed the nurse''s instructions for the next week, felt great, and showed abundant growth on week two. Kyrion figured out how to separate the natures to his powers, and as it turns out, it was literally just using less mana. As he got back into the swing of basic exercises, his friends were sparing much more often. Kyrion wasn''t allowed to participate until he was fully healed. The boy watched his friends fight bored out of his mind as he watched the duel between Everest and Damian. Damian had summoned two swords and released a golden light as he charged at Everest at a breakneck pace. A crackling sound from his body could be heard as he did it. Everest jumped back and subtly tossed out a few scraps of cloth at Damian. He then rolled to the side, leaving more cloth strips behind. The cloth began to wrap around Damian as he traveled into the web of scaps. Damian used his swords to cut the cloth, but they seemed more sturdy than previous duels had shown. Damian''s charge was severely slowed as Everest seemed to circle around back and attack. Damian waited till Everest was close, dismissed his blades, and rolled out of the web of cloth. Everest moved through his cloth restraints unhindered and let out a flurry of slashes from his dagger in an attempt to knock Damian off his feet. Damian moved into a dagger thrust and grabbed Everest by his wrist while moving behind his friend ending the duel with a lock. The dagger pointed at Everest''s neck but at a safe distance away. "Yeah I give. Did not expect to lose to you unarmed but it makes sense. You''ve probably had more combat training than us." Everest raised both his hands in a clear surrender. Damian carefully let his friend go. "Yeah probably more than most of my teammates." Damian stared at the young tailor before going to the side to take a rest. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Kyrion turned his head and saw the end of the fight with Noah and Asela. It was less of a fight and more of training. Noah would summon as many molten weapons as he could. While Asela was rapidly drawing the heat from them in an attempt to keep them from forming solidly. By the end, Noah had nearly run out of mana, and Asela stood stark still, unable to move. A pile of scrap metal lay at her feet. "Cramp!" She squeaked. "We''ll call this a success." Nico said. "Noah, you now know that your powers are limited against someone who can manipulate fire. Furthermore, Asela now knows she can only do so for a limited time." Kyrion moved on and saw that Kiara and Wura had wrapped everything up already. The latter was shivering and sniffling as though she had got a cold. Kyrion summoned his fox companion and watched as his group mates sparred, taking note of every opening he saw, and by he, he meant Jala. Kyrion couldn''t tell you how those fights were supposed to go, but Jala seemed to be analyzing everything and relayed them back to Kyion. "When Damian enters jumps to evade or roll out of an attack. That''s when he''s off balance but he''s trained to take on a head on attack while in that position. I''d use a power to grab his leg from behind and root him in place. Noah is big and strong but is unable to evade attacks while charging. A prolonged fight with him is best. Everest is weak when he''s not controlling the battlefield. Chances are if you think you''re winning, keep your eyes open. It could be a trap." Jala went on and on as they spared, and Kyrion began to see the patterns Jala was referring to. "Wow... Should I tell them their weaknesses?" Kyrion asked his fox companion. "Nope. Maybe your sister her''s. But I''m pretty sure that''s biased. They may be your friends now but for all you know you may have to fight them all for the top spot." Jala explained. "Well it''s a good thing I don''t want that spot. But I''ll need a week to prepare." Kyrion left to train on his own. While in the solid world, he felt that water was easier to control. Pulling it from everywhere around him. "One kid''s sweat is my weapon or so they say." He mutters to himself. "Nobody says that." He heard Jala say. "Issac asked me to pass that over to you. Also, when are you going to bond with him?" Kyrion stopped making small animals out of the water and tried to hold the shape in place as he talked. "I¡­ totally forgot about it. But, I mean, I got to know him pretty well while I was out and I''m pretty sure he doesn''t like fighting." "Yeah he doesn''t. But he does like attention. Between you and me I think he''s jealous. Since he can''t tell you when he wants to come out and you rarely do let him out." Jala squinted at her master. "Huh¡­" The water spattered to the ground as Kyrion thought back. "I''ll be sure to do that soon." Kyrion got back to his training. Moving on to what he learned about his plant growth powers. He fed mana into the earth and called for a root to come out of the ground. One did, but it was kinda tiny. Which made sense since he was near no large trees or root systems. Kyrion pulled out an old sock with some sunflower seeds in them and threw it on the ground, followed by using water mana to soak the soil a bit. He then asked for the plant to grow and sprout. He then pours mana into the seedling. Within seconds the plant had taken root, sprouted, and grown to exceptional size for a sunflower. "Huh.... Maybe I used a bit too much mana." Kyrion stopped supplying it with mana, and the growth stopped. Kyrion still felt a connection to the plant and, as though to thank him, moved according to his will. The roots in the sunflower were quite strong. Not at the level of a tree but enough to restrain most people his age. He began practicing commanding the roots to do various maneuvers before getting the hang of it. The following week, and a half, was full of training and more training. With the lesson from Nico becoming longer and longer, it seems. Suffice it to say Kyrion was capable of reading. Concepts still went over his head, but he could read enough to practice on his own. After Kyrion had finished his preparations, he made his way to where his teammates were sparring. "Excuse me. I would like to spar with all of you at once. I have spent time thinking about how best to help you all. But it seems besting you all in combat is the easiest way to show you where you need improvement. Listen here maggots!" Kyrion stopped and looked at the fox on his shoulder questioningly. "You know what, you seven vs me. I may not win, but I sure won''t make it easy." Kyrion stated. As he pulled out two wooden discs with small sacks attached to them. Damian looked at his friend questioningly before raising a sword. "Hold your horses. One vs two maybe three but no we aren''t doing a one versus seven. How about a one on one and four two on one spars. We stop when you get exhausted." "Fair enough. But don''t say I didn''t warn you." Kyrion entered the sparring ring. It was pretty big, with enough room to use abilities freely. Nico went to get a healer just in case things got bad. Unfortunately, none of them were sure Kurion was back in good health. He could be delirious at worst, serious at best. Damian and Kyrion entered adjacent to each other. The former had decided to take this spar seriously. He saw the fire in Kyrions eyes. The duel started with Damian dashing forward. Kyrion tossed the chakrams at his friend, who moved in between them to avoid both attacks. But as it reached him, Damian noticed all too late that small black pellets began to fly into him. They didn''t hurt much, but there were plenty. Kyrion charged forward, pulling out whips made from water, and began to swing wildly at Damian. Each strike seemed sluggish and dampened the ground as he stepped back from the mid-range assault. Damian found an opening and dug his foot into the ground to get a good grip. That action decided the end of the fight as tendrils wrapped around his feet and pulled him deep into the softened dirt. "What the!" The dirt seemed to harden as Damian was trapped, unable to move. Kyrion walked over to his friend and flicked him on the forehead. "Told ya you''d regret a one on one." Kyrion dampened the water again, and the dirt became soft enough for the plant that grabbed him to let him out. Damian stood alongside what seemed to be a large sunflower. That made it to the surface. "Huh. Didn''t expect that." Everest muttered to himself. Nico returned with the nurse with a confused look on his face. As he saw that Damian was caked in mud while Kyrion didn''t seem to have broken a sweat. Damian hadn''t either, but the rest was pretty obvious. "Well miss, do you mind watching over the spars just in case. Don''t want him to break anything by accident." Nico restated as he assessed the situation. "Can''t have that. I''ll oversee this for a little while longer." The elderly woman pulled out a small shiny pocket watch and checked the time. It was midday; she set the watch down and watched the next spar begin. Noah and Everest were the first and last Kyrion would face that day,k. They didn''t make much of a pair. As some of their powers seemed to contradict each other at times. Then again, there was something to say about choosing a battlefield. Kyrion retrieved his disc, and the second battle began. Kyrion threw them immediately and ran towards Everest at full speed. Everest retaliated by weaving a web of cloth in front of him and jumping backward. This seemed to trap Noah and restrict his ability to transform. Kyrion kept Everest on his feet by having roots pop out of the ground while Noah sunk into the ground. It didn''t end like that, Noah, however. Hot metal seemed to burn straight through the roots of the plants as Noah covered himself in red hot armor. None of the plants holding him in place were still there. It seems Noah still wasn''t able to transform, and from what he could tell. That armor was very heavy. Kyrion sent a blunted blade of wind at Everest, which knocked the wind out of the tailor. Before getting some distance from Noah, who had been steadily making his way over. With Everest out, Kyrioun put some effort into cooling off his friend with both wind and water from the distance. This lasted two minutes before Noah fell to his knees out of mana. Kyrion sat down, nearly exhausted. That took a lot more out of him than he thought. The nurse walked over and examined the collapsed boy before placing a hand on the metal shell before removing it. "Well, let''s end your sparing there." She said, "Kyrion you can''t continue in that state, nor do I think you should." The older woman produced a small tarp and placed Noah on top of it before it started to hover above the ground. Then, Noah was brought back into the school. After the nurse left, Kyrion fell to his knees. "Jala, I thought you said this would be easy." Kyrion muttered. "I forgot that you really aren''t that efficient of a fighter. I overestimated your abilities." The fox seemed to scratch at her neck. "Uh huh. Why does that feel like an insult. Also I beat Damian." "Did you though? You caught him by surprise. He isn''t likely to fall for the same trick again. Isn''t that what you wanted?" Kyrion squinted. "You knew this would happen." Jala stayed silent, and the connection cut off. "Well, fool me once. Ha!" Kyrion said aloud to his teammates. "Well, it seems I''ve bitten off more than I could chew. But long story short I think we need to work on teamwork. From what I''ve seen it''s been one on one sparring. Nothing group based has been done since I''ve been up. I wanted to prove a point, and a certain someone got it in my head that I could win. So let''s just forget this happened." Damian raised an eyebrow. "Well it looks like you''re fit enough for sparring. So I expect a rematch. Then we can move onto your Idea of group training. We still have a bit of time before we fight the other groups. After seeing what you can do I think we should keep you in the back for support. Maybe crowd control." Damian seemed to think to himself. "Not a big change but at least you''re not just a healer. Can you make those fruits again?" "I can heal cuts and scrapes as far as I''m aware but as for the fruits." Kyrion summoned a blue pomegranate to his hand. "I can make one once every two days and they take a good amount of mana. Just what happened to me when I was knocked out?" "Which time?" Asela asked. "Good point." Kyrion replied. "What about us? We were expecting a fight." Kiara said. "You can go after Damian but I don''t think I will be able to stand after that. I may heal fast but my pain threshold seems to be more of a detriment than a help. By the time I feel tired it''s too late." Nico looked to Asela, who seemed to shrug. "Great! Now if you''ll excuse me Kyrion has a lesson in history." "Damian wanna move that duel up a bit and put me out of my misery?" Kyrion pleaded as he was being pulled back towards the library. "Yeah... no, you''re the one who agreed to the lessons. I''m sure history will do you some good." Damian crossed his arms. Their silent friend continued to break out of his shell more and more every day. Gone was the quiet and shy leader. Replaced with a more talkative variant. Kyrion didn''t know if he liked this change, but it was a welcome one. Chapter 21: One month After a thorough trouncing by Damian, their group training finally began. The only big change was the switched positions of Everest and Wura. They found that Everest had a talent for frontline tactical fighting and could set up traps far more easily from the front. Noah stood in the middle as the mainline of defense. In the mid-range were Nico and Asela. Since they both brought fire to the table and did not practice melee combat often. Fire seemed weaker the further it traveled from its starting point. However, both had grown in fire manipulation, and it appeared that that was where Asela¡¯s talent lay. She couldn¡¯t produce much fire but could steal it from others. Wura found that her power was more imaginative than she initially thought. It didn¡¯t have to be a weapon or a shield. Instead, she could conjure small long-range projectiles that slowed down those she hit or even freeze them through Kiara¡¯s power over ice. The thing is, mixing the metal with fire created a toxic combination for those without training. Kiara¡¯s archery continued to grow, but she seemed to spend more time doing physical training. Due to her innate frailty. She knew how to fight but lacked the endurance gains from her spirit that a few others received. Kyrion was able to restrain and attack from afar consistently. When worse came to worse, he could provide healing. From what they could tell, there weren¡¯t any other student healers at the academy. And when the nurse found out about this gift, his free time was filled with more supplementary lessons. By this point, Kyrion felt his head would explode, but basic knowledge on healing magic turned out to be really important. Weeks went by in a flash before they had their big strategy meeting. Nico and Damian stood next to each other, the former holding some slips of paper. The latter had a familiar stoic expression plastered on his face. ¡°Today we will begin by giving you all various tasks that need to be completed between now and a week before the start of the third trial. Group A, will focus on physical training. It¡¯s that simple. I will be assisting at the start of these exercises but that isn¡¯t my main group.¡± Nico handed a slip to Kiara, Asela, and then took one for himself. ¡°This is group A.¡± ¡°Group B, will be weapons training. Again I will assist at the beginning, but a couple of you are a bit sloppy. Those whose abilities let them make weapons should at least know the in¡¯s and outs of them.¡± Nico handed a slip to Everest, Wura, and Noah. ¡°This is for group B.¡± ¡°Group C will focus on gathering information, and assisting everyone else with their training if they aren¡¯t in training.¡± Nico handed a second slip to Everest and one to both Kyrion and Damian.¡± Group C.¡± ¡°Wait. Why am I in 2 groups!¡± Everest protested. ¡°Because you could use the training. Group C ends its morning stuff two hours before your training begins. I¡¯ll be helping out with all your training and Kyrion will heal your exhaustion. Which will be the focus of his training.¡± Kyrion looked up from his slip. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna make this easy are you?¡± ¡°Nope, we need to get as much done before time runs out. This close to the start should be where everyone else is polishing what they know. You know what they say, knowledge is half the battle.¡± Damian recited. Kyrion eyed his friend for a solid second. ¡°Great.¡± Damian led the groups in various exercises and whenever a teammate showed exhaustion. Kyrion would come and heal their fatigue. Finally, the day ended with everyone save for Damian in heaps on the training ground. After Kyrion ran out of mana. Kyrion went back to his room, where his roommate Edwin was resting. Edwin¡¯s team didn¡¯t score in the top ten in the first trial, but it was forced to end early. He didn¡¯t care much for the person with whom he shared a room, however. There was just something about him that just didn¡¯t mix. Kyrion rose early in the morning, an ingrained habit from his life back home, and went to the meeting spot discussed the day before. It was a distance away from a second training ground due to Kyrions eyesight and a pair of binoculars. Watching from this distance was easy. However, it was far enough that no one would suspect anything, as Damian meditated under the tree. Everest gave Kyrion a disguise and noticed that the tailor was already dressed in a pair. After climbing the top of the tree, Kyrion fed mana to the branches to make leaves grow around them. The boys waited as Brion¡¯s group arrived. After the first trial, they adopted two more people into their group. Bringing the number up to six total. Brion was a tall blond kid, possibly around ten in age. Where Damian carried a thin sword, Brion carried a great axe. Where one was lean, the other seemed bulky. At his side was a much shorter kid with a spear taller than he was. His hair was emerald green, and the wind around him was controlled. He looked somewhat familiar to Kyrion, but he couldn¡¯t place it. On Brion¡¯s other side was a kid roughly his height wielding a greatsword. His black hair was tied back in a braided tail. He seemed much less controlled in his movements. Behind the trio was a brown-haired boy holding a quarterstaff. Where the others seemed athletic in one way or another, this guy was just scrawny. But his mannerisms resembled that of their friend Nico. Bringing up the back were a pair of blond-haired twins, both wielding bows and quivers. Oddly enough, they seemed to resemble Kiara in a way. ¡°They look a little like Kiara.¡± Kyrion said aloud. ¡°They¡¯re her cousins from what we gathered and managed to get out of Kiara. While they use bows, their spirits lend themselves to detaining their foes.¡± Everest answered. ¡°This is annoying.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°So we take those two out of the fight first?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯s a team built for fighting. I don¡¯t think there is much we can do if we have to face them head on,¡± Everest replied. Shock hit Kyrions face. ¡°Then why are we up here?¡± ¡°So that we don¡¯t have to fight them head on.¡± Damian said as the sparring matches began.¡± Stay sharp.¡±Their leader went back into meditation. After an hour of watching team Brion train, Damian got up, and his group mates followed. The second day was horrible. But better than the first. It seems restoring stamina after a training session helped push his squishy teammates into shape. Every once and a while, he would catch Damian staring at him in deep thought as though he had a question. But despite his growth, even he had limits. By the time their group finished their training, the only one who seemed winded was Kyrion. While he restored their stamina, his own seemed to bottom out. ¡°That was¡­ way¡­ harder than it was¡­ yesterday.¡± Kyrion panted heavily. ¡°Yes it was. Having a healer on hand is a great opportunity. We can push ourselves as hard as possible and not worry about drawbacks.¡± Damian replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t. I can¡¯t heal anything too crazy yet.¡± Kyrion backed up and took a deep breath. ¡°Miss nurse lady also said that we should take a full day to rest when doing this kind of training. Helps the body adjust and stuff.¡± ¡°You should probably pay more attention. Actually, do pay more attention to her instructions. Finding a good healer in this country is hard. Also please try to remember her name.¡± ¡°I do, it¡¯s just hard to pronounce.¡± Kyrion imagines the word in his head, Boudreaux, he brings it to his mouth.¡± Boo-droww.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t hard.¡± Damian said. ¡°No, something doesn¡¯t feel right. I¡¯ll stick to using Miss nurse.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a doc¡­ Ok so about the day of rest. Any ideas on what we should do?¡± ¡°Nothing. Isn¡¯t that the point?¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°I mean something like all of us hanging out together.¡± ¡°Damian. Damian. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t think I could hang out with you on a free day without it somehow becoming a training session.¡± Kyrion patted his friend on the shoulder. ¡°Oh yeah. Asela¡¯s birthday is in four weeks. We can do something together then.¡± ¡°Huh after the third trial¡­ wait why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner?¡± Damian started pacing. ¡°To be honest, I almost forgot with everything going on, but she¡¯d have my head if I forgot to get her a present...I could try making something with lots of flowers, but I¡¯ll need seeds. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We could ask to go to the forest outside of the school with a chaperone.¡± ¡°We can do what now? I can leave whenever I want?¡± Kyrion seemed irritated. ¡°Yes you can do that once you enter class three.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not in class three.¡± ¡°Yes. you are¡­ Have you been going to your new classes?¡± Kyrion stared at Damian for a long second. ¡°So those five hour breaks in between training sessions weren¡¯t breaks¡­.That makes a lot more sense.¡± ¡°No¡­ They weren¡¯t. Class three is a bit different in a sense. Most of the training revolves around accuracy and application of your abilities. What were you doing in between our training sessions then?¡± Kyrion looked away into the middle distance. ¡°Uh¡­ I practiced healing, and stuff.¡± He avoided eye contact. ¡°Does stuff have anything to do with plants spontaneously growing to trip people passing through the courtyard?¡± ¡°I gotta go find a present for Asela, and then find my classes bye!¡± Kyrion ran off in a hurry. After a few minutes of searching, Kyrion found professor Lok in his classroom. The boy looked a bit panicked, and his clothes seemed dusty. While the professor seemed to have raised an eyebrow at the sudden visit. ¡°Uh teacher?¡± ¡°Yes, Kyrion?¡± ¡°It seems I have new classes.¡± ¡°Of course you advanced to class three.¡± ¡°I just heard¡­ Iv¡¯e been out for a bit as you may know.¡± ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± ¡°I need to figure out which class I¡¯m in now.¡± He blurted out. ¡°Ah. I see, did you ever get your reward from trial one?¡± ¡°What reward? I won something?¡± Kyrion looks at the professor, squinting. ¡°Your group won second place. The reward was a personal instructor for your training along with the promise that they will help you find your first core.¡± Lok explained. Kyrions jaw dropped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can also go off campus with them as a chaperone.¡± He finished. ¡°If you don¡¯t know your teacher I can find out for you.¡± ¡°That would be great. Thank you.¡± Kyrion bowed. Lok pulled out a leaf and just let it fall to the ground slowly. The two watched the leaf very closely as it shifted motions and twisted. After a while, it landed on the reinforced wooden floor before splitting in two. ¡°So¡­ What does that mean?¡± ¡°Abyss if I know.¡± Lok replied bluntly. Kyrions looked aghast, as he was at a loss for words. ¡°That was a joke. Your teacher seems to be a troublesome person. He wouldn¡¯t have shown himself if he didn¡¯t have to.¡± Lok looked up at a tree. Kyrion looked at the spot for quite a long time before an old white-haired man slowly became visible. His eyes were a startling yellow and slit like a cat. As the old man approached, a wooden cane grew from the ground and appeared in his hands. As the man approached, he grew younger and taller before ending at a solid six feet tall as his hair was a dirty blonde. Kyrion watched as the guy kept walking at an exceptionally low pace. ¡°Uhh...Are they doing that on purpose?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t tell. His spirit seems to manipulate illusions to a degree.¡± ¡°Seems to?¡± Kyrion looked skeptically at his teacher. ¡°Illusions don¡¯t normally take up space and have mass. Nor do they affect multiple senses. He is a guest teacher for this batch of students. He may also try to recruit you for his own school if he likes you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion did not in fact, see. The man arrives and looks at the boy. ¡°Three months late. Although two of those weren¡¯t necessarily your fault.¡± ¡°Wha..?¡± Kyrion began. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re caught up. No more slacking off you hear?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t¡­.¡± ¡°Your training begins now, follow me.¡± Kyrion gave up on talking and looked to Lok, who nodded solemnly. ¡°I wish you well.¡± He said as he took a seat and waited for the pair to leave. The newly formed master and disciple pair headed back into the shall and into an empty classroom. Where his master sat in midair. ¡°So... I¡¯m Kyrion, who are you?¡± The boy asked, eyeing the odd man in suspicion. ¡°Oh. No-one important, but you will call me master Gan.¡± ¡°Why that?¡± ¡°Because I said so. Now take a seat.¡± Master Gan pointed to a spot in the empty room. Kyron squinted and took a seat on the floor. ¡°No imagination, for shame.¡± His master tsked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It means your going to be doing alot of reading.¡± ¡°Ah. I see.¡± Kyrion stood up and dashed out the open door. Or at least he tried to. Unfortunately, Kyrion ran slap first into some sort of invisible wall. He got up and tried pushing and clawing his way out before he found himself exhausted. ¡°Are you done?¡± Master Gan smirked. ¡°Will you let the wall go if I say yes?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°This doesn¡¯t cost me any mana so I can keep it up forever.¡± ¡°What if I have to use the bathroom?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t, so quit trying to escape.¡± Gan pulled out a book from out of nowhere and passed it to the boy. The book had few words and lots of pictures. The terms and concepts seemed simple for the child. Kyrion felt quite entertained by said book and actually enjoyed reading it. He then looked at the teacher in suspension. ¡°What¡¯s your game?¡± He asked the teacher. ¡°To help you with visualization. While your control is great for your rank. If all you use it for are simple techniques then it¡¯s a waste. The books I¡¯m going to have you read will help you learn how to use your imagination.¡± ¡°Why me then? You could have choses someone more qaualified" Kyrion protested. "No one as fun to mess with. Also I¡¯ve seen what you use your powers for during your free time. Tripping students with knotted weeds as they pass. Hiding bird seed on other practice fields. Feeding said birds organic laxatives¡­ How you know what that is at your age? I don¡¯t want to know. You tend to have a bit of time for mischief. So I know there is a brain in there somewhere. Hence why I chose you.¡± Kyrion looked worried, eyes going left and then right before making eye contact with the teacher. ¡°Am I in trouble? Does the headmaster know?¡± ¡°Of course he knows it¡¯s his school. How this affects who still wants you after hearing about your nature may change. I hear it¡¯s not the first time there has been a troublesome student on campus. Something about red hair and green eyes being a bad omen.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Kyrion did not, in fact, see, and Master Gan saw through the statement. ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case we move onto more practical stuff. Read 3 of these books a day, take a thirty minute nap and we spend the remaining time recreating the story with your elements. All of your elements.¡± Gan handed him a stack of very thin picture books and left the room. Kyrion followed right behind and ran slap into the invisible wall. ¡°Its still up?¡± Kyrion sat down and got to his special training. Glad for the thirty-minute nap. He woke up outside under a tree. Much to his confusion. ¡°What!¡± Kyrion looked around and felt the warm dirt on the ground. He really was outside. Gan was sitting under an adjacent tree with another book in his hands. He looked up as Kyrion started to acknowledge his surroundings. ¡°You¡¯re up, great, your first few exercises will be using your powers to create various images of your¡¯s truly. You have an hour to do so. After that we move on whether or not you completed it. Up until the next trial we will be going over this one exercise everyday. After that I will conjure an illusionary beast which I want you to fight. Good luck.¡± He yawned and took a seat. ¡°If I know it¡¯s fake, what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Tell the beast that.¡± The man seemed to be relaxing in some sort of pose. Kyrion looked at his teacher and had no idea how to start. ¡°Plants, wind and water. Maybe I could grow something.¡± So Kyrion began to carve a rough outline of his master in the dirt and sowed seeds in various intervals. After he fished, he added water and made the plants grow with mana. He then began trimming the plants in a way that they somewhat resembled the man. The same way a constellation may resemble a person. As time ran out, Gan looked up at the piece of art. He smiled and then laughed a bit. ¡°That¡¯s a decent start I guess.¡± ¡°Although next time try making it more solid.¡± He snapped his fingers, and a bipedal three eyed black bear came into existence. It was big, tough, and very intimidating. A generous amount of foam drool came from its mouth. ¡°Y-you w-want me to f-fight that?¡± Kyrion looked at the teacher like a deer in the path of a light spirit master. ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion kid you got this.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion, for once, did see where this was going. At least it shouldn¡¯t hurt. Kyrion charged at the bear, and the fight was over in a flash as Kyrion felt himself get bisected in a single stroke. Kyrions body seemed to heal itself and put everything back where it was supposed to when he landed. But Kyrions stomach hurt. ¡°Charging at a bear is a bad, bad idea. I thought I was done for.¡± Kyrion looked at it and then his teacher. ¡°I thought that thing was an illusion!¡± ¡°Oh, it is an illusion. But you should know an illusionist doesn¡¯t become an expert rank without having some way to kill anything. So get back at it." Kyrion spent the hour getting utterly decimated by the evil bear. Wind blades hurt but were not enough. His wind walls only slowed attacks down slightly. Drawing water in this environment was also pretty hard to do when one wrong dodge and splat. When that happened, the bear would return to its starting spot, and the ability, Kyrion was concentrating on dispersed. ¡°Good work. What did you learn from this experience?¡± ¡°That I need to keep buckets of water on me at all times and next time I see a bear, run.¡± Kyrion huffed on the ground. ¡°As you are, do you think you could defeat that beast?¡± ¡°No, of course not. It¡¯s too strong.¡± ¡°I see, and if you were to fight it with your whole team. Do you think you could win?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°I see the issue.¡± Gan seemed to grow a beard and start stroking it. ¡°Kyrion, where do you see yourself on the team?¡± ¡°I¡¯m support, I¡¯m good at healing things and I don¡¯t have a tough enough body to protect anyone.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Kyrion, you have a passive regeneration ability correct?¡± ¡°Yes, Master Gan.¡± ¡°How much do you exercise before turning it back on?¡± ¡°I keep it on until I¡¯m out of mana and then sit out.¡± ¡°Good good. Have you tried pushing yourself until you¡¯re unable to move, before turning it on to heal the strain?¡± ¡°No. That sounds like it hurts alot.¡± ¡°Records would agree with you on that. But it also helps increase a spirit master¡¯s toughness. At least 3 times a week. Plants require sunlight and water to grow right? All you have been doing is giving the plants water.¡± ¡°Master Gan we don¡¯t have weeks. The third trial is coming up very soon.¡± Kyrion was starting to panic. ¡°Empires aren¡¯t built in a day!¡± Master Gan tapped the boy on the shoulder, and the world faded to black. Kyrion awoke under a tree, feeling refreshed. He attended his healing lessons with the nurse and asked her what his master was talking about. ¡°Ah yes. Keeping the regeneration on, will help increase your defenses over time. It¡¯s slow and consistent. Good for a daily exercise routine, but if you want to get stronger faster, then you need to push your body to its limit before healing it. However I want you to remember this if anything. You have plenty of time to build your foundation, take your time and make sure you do it right.¡± She said, walking back to her office. As expected, the time until the third trial came up in a flash, and Kyrion made progress on beating the bear in a one-on-one fight. If you called, surviving against the advances of the creature for a minute, improvement. His artistic abilities were still much to be desired. At least it resembled a person. That was what his master told him. Training without the constant healing was much tougher than he thought. Kyrion didn¡¯t realize how lucky he was until it was gone. He felt much more winded than usual and fell behind the others for a while. His body had to adjust to the strain he had forgotten even existed. A realization finally came to him when he was looking at his core. The regeneration took a lot of the mana at a constant rate, and with it off, he could draw more from his other powers. Didn¡¯t help with his imagination, but now he could put a bit more oomph into what he was doing. This time Kyrion was going to do more than just support his teammates. Chapter 22: Tailored Solutions All the students were gathered in the courtyard and separated into their groups. Most had grown quite a bit in the short time spent here, if not in height, in strength, and presence. The few stragglers were at least at rank two and had a modicum of control over their powers. Brion had a confident look on his face as he looked at the people who would be his stepping stones in this world. He eyed Damian¡¯s group with a look of disgust. Damian was strong, Brion had tried to recruit him, but the boy refused. What¡¯s worse is the fact that Damian¡¯s team made second while he was knocked down to third. Brion disliked losing, which is why he pushed himself to the peak of the fledgling tier. A near practitioner rank spirit master, that team won¡¯t stand a chance against him. Behind Brion, his green-haired ally looked to one of the guest proctors and scowled before taking a cursory glance over the other students. He was Ander Fulwind; he knew his powers and kept an eye on those who were direct counters. He didn¡¯t follow Brion for friendship or comradery. Brion started off as one of the strongest students here. Eventually, the two may have to fight, so the more cards he kept hidden, the better. Damian noticed the glare he got from Brion and turned his head to Noah. ¡°S-so, are you excited for the team events?¡± ¡°Not really. I just want to go to a school for smithing. Getting hit all the time hurts.¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry.¡± Damian flushed as he tried to change the subject. But, luckily for him, Everest swooped in. ¡°You¡¯re better at taking a hit than most of us. While it may hurt now, when you¡¯re older and stronger it may come in handy. Never know when you have to protect something precious to you. Also, we have the sole healer, imagine what those other brutes have to go through.¡± He patted his armored friend on the shoulder. Speaking of Kyrion, the boy had come here with a blanket and pillow. Resting here would be a necessary evil, as the more rest he could get in between rounds, the better. It seems his mana regenerated faster during naps. Or so he had been told by his master. While he rested, the headmaster of Limguard¡¯s Beansprout Academy took to the stage. Yulon cleared his throat to get everyone¡¯s attention. When that didn¡¯t work, he clapped so loud that the dust around him was blown away. Sadly, some of the students who were a little too close to the front were also pushed back. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve gotten your attention, It¡¯s time to start the third trial. Each round will have a different set of requirements for completion and will test the skills you¡¯ve managed to develop together. In the bigger academy or schools outside of our country most will compete in tournaments or expeditions in groups led by someone competent. What they want to see is how well you can adapt, and work together to accomplish a set goal.¡± Yulon looked around to make sure he didn¡¯t lose anyone before continuing.¡± Team leaders come to the stage and draw lots for the first round.¡± Leon brought a wooden box with a hole in it to the stage and stood behind it. He looked at the students who were now coming to the stage with a look of curiosity. Most of them had grown quite a bit in terms of capability in the short time spent here. One by one, the captains drew lots for some odd reason. Finally, there were only eight numbers to draw, but there were thirty-two total teams. Damian had drawn a number one token. Returning to his group as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to be first. All I will say is do your best.¡± Damian told his group. ¡°Great! Group one, follow instructor Gan. They will lead you to where you need to go.¡± The students gathered behind the teacher and followed. Then, much to their confusion, he led them back into the school. As they walked, Kyrion noticed that he was being brought to the classroom that he had been using for training. Gan opened the door, and this time it didn¡¯t open to a classroom but a wall made from many colors. Gan went through first and beckoned for the students to follow. Which they did reluctantly, Kyrion himself one of the last to do so. Kyrion found himself in a grassy plain with none of his group mate¡¯s insight. He looked around for any other people but found none. Then, a booming voice resounded from above, resembling master Gan¡¯s. ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here I¡¯ll tell you the rules, this round is called king of the hill. The goal requires a group to hold the hill for at least 30 minutes or defeat all the other groups. Holding a hill requires at least three group members to be there. Should a group fall under two people then they will be removed automatically.¡± A light appears in the distance glowing green. It beams down on a location currently out of sight. ¡°Your goal is the light in the distance. Begin!¡± Kyrion started running there with a light jog. It seemed to be a fifteen-minute run at a constant pace. He doubted that anyone would already be there for fifteen minutes by the time he arrived. Ten minutes, possibly five, more than likely, Kyrion was by no means a slow jogger. Ten minutes into his jog, he spotted a familiar-looking student to his left. He never bothered to learn their name and didn¡¯t feel bad about it at all. He sent a wave of sharp wind at them, and they responded by summoning a wall of earth. The blade connected and resounded with a crack. Kyrion closed his fist and thrust a ball of water at the wall as he began to circle around in an attempt to lock them in one place. The other student created a second wall to block Kyrions attack. Which worked to Kyrion¡¯s plan perfectly. Now that Kyrion was in range, he had the plants, covertly, embedded into the first wall of earth take root and wrap around the earth user. Binding them in between the walls. Whatever rules that deemed this a win made the child disappear into a flash of light. Kyrion continued his run; the short delay in between his jog lasted no longer than a minute. The time spent with instructor Gan, instilling a bit more cunning into the mischievous boy¡¯s arsenal. He similarly dispatched a few more students as he made his way to the center. By the time he arrived, he had noticed Everest just relaxing in the center of the circle along with Damian. Flecks of illusory blood seemed to paint the grass in areas. Kyrion came to an abrupt stop and took a few steps back, his brain realizing that the area was pretty much a minefield. A few more students had arrived and ran straight into the traps, which restrained them completely. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Arrows made from ice came from above and pierced most of them, Systematically removing most from the competition. Kyrion took the time to look for the break in the traps that would allow him to pass through. It was one of the things that they discussed during training, and he was glad to find it. The boy dropped a few seeds behind him as he carefully maneuvered through the wires. Around the time he managed to make it halfway through, he noticed a few attempting to follow. Those who made it past the wires were rooted in place by knots of grass. The boy eventually made it in and a timer counting down from thirty appeared in the light. ¡°Well that¡¯s new .¡± Kyrion said as he saw the numbers. 20/32 remaining. Kiara shot another student, and the number went down to 19. ¡°Where¡¯s Kiara?¡± Kyion asked Damian. ¡°In the trees with Asela and Noah standing guard. Nico and Wura are still missing for now. What took you so long?¡± ¡°I ran into some resistance on the way here.¡± ¡°I see. Good job.¡± Damian patted him on the shoulder and stood guard while Kyrion circled around the protected area, dampening the ground a bit before taking a seat next to Everest. In the distance, further away, a mushroom cloud followed by a bellowing explosion appeared in the forest. Ten students were removed from the bracket altogether. 9/32. Nico wasn¡¯t a fast runner, and after catching up to Wura, the pair slowly made their way to the center. It was a slog, and by the time they got a good portion of the way there. ¡°Sorry for slowing you down.¡± Nico apologized. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m sure the others can take care of themselves.¡± Wura replied bluntly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t make me any less worried.¡± Nico said. ¡°Stop, we have company.¡± Wura put an arm in front of Nico, and the boy stopped summoning twin balls of flames. Wura, in turn, summoned a glob of the Liquid metal and took a defensive stance as she noticed students popping out of the woodworks. Unfortunately, it seems they walked into an ambush. They attacked wordlessly, letting loose a flurry of physical and Elemental attacks. Nico got hit by some stray shots and sent his spirits to rotate around the group. Unfortunately, he was bleeding quite a bit and wasn¡¯t anywhere near their healer. Wura likewise had gotten hit quite a bit. The grass was now coated with a film of dark liquid. The ambushers continued their attack, slowly boxing the duo in. One of the students trapped the two in a small vortex of wind, assuming that the fight was over then and there. But, unfortunately, the ambushers had gotten a bit too close. A torrent of flame erupted. Mixing with the substance on the ground and the effects of another power. An explosion shook the area as the reaction started. Nico¡¯s eyes went wide as everything disappeared into nothingness. The two found themselves awake in a white room surrounded by their sleeping groupmates. Eight other kids also seemed to get up when they did. Well, at least they didn¡¯t lose alone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean we win?¡± Everest asked, looking up at the new total. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s safe to assume we just lost Nico and Wura during that explosion.¡±¡± He pounded the ground with his foot. ¡°This means we still have three opponents from the same team to deal with.¡± Kyrion muttered as a wooden spike went through his left shoulder and pushed him out of the circle. The timer reset as a brown-haired boy made himself known with some sort of ranged weapon. Kiara returned fire, shooting arrow after arrow in the direction of where the enemy was. 8/32 Kyrion ripped out the stick and healed himself Before erecting a wall of plants to encircle their position. Noah transformed into his lion form and charged towards where the projectiles originated. However, a blade of lightning cooked him in his armor, and he was downed. 7/32 Damian cut a path through the wires and made his way out as well. Asela hid where she was stationed, slowly turning up the heat around her. A third boy appeared in the circle and attempted to take out the downed Kyrion with a halberd. But a knife slid into the boy¡¯s back courtesy of Everest. 6/32 The timer stopped, and everyone found themselves in a large empty white room. Unharmed but exhausted due to various reasons. ¡°Damian¡¯s group advances to round two. You all put on a great show. I¡¯m sure many of you will receive offers from various academies. Those who have lost today are released for the remainder of the day. Feel free to watch the remainder of the test in the auditorium.¡± Gan said as he led Damian¡¯sgroup back to the courtyard. ¡°That was quick.¡± Nico told the others. ¡°We got lucky at the end there. It seems they had forgotten Everest was there for some reason. when they tried to take us out, and since we only needed to beat one it was fortunate.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Nico looked to Everest, who was leading the pack, bragging about how he won everyone the round, adding various embellishments to the tale. ¡°Well, the good news is we won. I rather don¡¯t like getting blown up.¡±¡± He added as he looked ahead. Four other teams seemed to have already made it back to the courtyard. Damian felt the gaze of Brion linger on him for a moment before fading. The shy boy shivered a bit before looking at his fellow captains. From the information gathered throughout their espionage, Brion had a steel greatsword spirit and Excelled in combat against weaker opponents. In a one-on-one fight against Damian, he was at a disadvantage, where Damian may have to hit ten times to win. Brion could end it with one or two lucky strikes. MIlo had some sort of water spirit and led a team of well-rounded people. They lacked a decisive factor for what their group gathered. While they lost to Brion in output, they won in versatility. Luckily for Damian, he managed to befriend the only one here. June had a bug spirit, her team made fourth place, and she was a bug user from what he could find. She was also the only one who caught on to their attempts. Lastly, there was someone Damian didn¡¯t recognize. A boy with sharp, almost birdlike features. His team seemed to beat, but they still managed to beat him here, so they must be strong. Kyrion seemed troubled by the events of the first round despite how quick it was. Had that arrow hit something vita, had Everest not been there. They might not have won, he managed to beat one person alone, but the rest of them were team victories. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his own head at the moment. Missing the sharp glare trained on him from Edwin. The groups waited another ten minutes for the last three groups to arrive with their proctors, and Yulon took to the stage again. ¡°Round two will be held against the winners of the previous round. 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, and so on. It will be similar to the first round. Only instead of finding the areaInsteadwill be starting there and defending, start there and defend your charge. When your charge is defeated, you lose the round. Unlike the first round injuries from here on out will be real. You won¡¯t be able to be reckless with your lives.¡±¡± The headmaster seems to look at a few students before his eyes land on Nico and Wura, who seem to look away. ¡°From here on out, you may only act in groups of five. Three of you will need to sit. Three alternates. Just in case any of your other teammates have been rendered unfit for the next round.¡±¡± He coughs into his hand. ¡°Round two begins in fifteen minutes. You have until then to strategize.¡± Mostly everyone took the cue and began to discuss who would be participating in this round. Chapter 23: "Stratigic" Resting ¡°Guys, leave me out of the next round. I¡¯m not that good in a fight and my powers are more suited to healing and restoring your stamina after.¡± Kyrion insisted. Damian looks at his friend and then the rest of the group. ¡°I see. Anyone else need to sit out this round?¡± Kiara looked to their leader. ¡°Yeah, I need some time to regain my mana, those shots took a bit out of me.¡± Nico also stepped in. ¡°I used a lot of power last round as well. In a single burst. Still a bit woozy, not sure I¡¯d be mush help in a fight right now.¡± He bit his tongue. ¡°Well. That settles that. Kyrion, do you mind topping us off before we go in?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Kyrion begins restoring stamina and mana to his teammates. It didn¡¯t use up much of his mana. ¡°Thanks.¡± Damian said. ¡°Ok everyone. This round we will be defending Everest?¡± ¡°M-me? Why. I¡¯m squishy.¡± Everest stammered. ¡°You¡¯re one of the fastest in the group, and you¡¯re capable of sneaking out and hiding if necessary. Noah is a defender, I¡¯m an attacker, Wura isn¡¯t as evasive and Asela is even more squishy without the evasiveness.¡± ¡°Hey! I can fight too!¡± Asela protested. ¡°What? Oh yes, you¡¯re our burst specialist. We can¡¯t have you being the target for attacks!¡± Damian rephrased. Everest squinted his eyes. ¡°Fine. I guess you need your ace to be an ace this round two.¡± ¡°Yes. Please.¡± Damian begged with his words, but his eyes were in his usual deadpan expression. The group devised plans for the next round and made their way to the second round site. Unfortunately, Kyrion, Kiara, and Nico were left out, unable to see the fight. ¡°Well. I guess they don¡¯t want us seeing the other participants fight.¡± Nico began muttering to himself. ¡°Ah I see.¡± Kyrion brought a finger to his chin. As though he was thinking deeply. Kiara looked at him. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Kyrion shrugged and made his way to where some of the other students were sitting out. Kyrion spotted a familiar-looking kid with green hair. He was sitting next to two others who had bows. ¡°Hey. I thought Brion¡¯s team only had five people.¡± Kiara said aloud. ¡°The requirements for this trial was to have teams of eight though. So I¡¯m curious about who those others might be.¡± Nico answered. ¡°Yeah...Those two are really nothing special. Nico could probably take them with a broomstick.¡± ¡°That weak?¡± Nico pushed up his glasses. ¡°They skipped almost all of the training sessions, it seems to be that they were let in for political reasons. Still makes me wonder why they were put in this round.¡± ¡°Probably for the same reason. They probably demanded to be let in. To think they left my cousins out for them however.¡± ¡°Cousins¡­ Oh the archers?¡± Nico asked. ¡°Yeah those two. Though archery is just a cornerstone of our techniques.¡± ¡°All I see you use is a bow...I guess you have your secrets.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I told you what I could do...Its just I¡¯m a bit fragile at the moment.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Wanna go talk to your cousins?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Kiara led the way.
¡°Hey Ken and Ven, why are you two sitting out.¡± Kiara asked her cousins. ¡°Because the two other nobles on our team demanded it.¡± Started Ken ¡°Since Brion¡¯s family is in an alliance with theirs, it was more a requirement than a choice.¡± Ven finished.¡± ¡°So they risk the team¡¯s victory for that.¡± Kiara reapplied. ¡°Our leader is confident in himself to the point he thinks he could do the work of five on his own.¡± Ken pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°We¡¯re probably gonna lose.¡± Ven sighed The spear user was leaning back on a seat, visibly irritated. Kyrion, like a true genius, decided to speak with him. ¡°So...are you ok?¡± Kyrion asked him. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°What? No.¡± The green-haired boy answered. ¡°Then whats your name?¡± ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Kyrion.¡± He said with a grin. The gears seemed to click in his head. ¡°Very funny. My name is Ander Fulwind. I heard a little about you from my brother.¡± ¡°Your brother?¡± ¡°Lingar, he¡¯s fine by the way. Full recovery.¡± ¡°Are you mad that you can¡¯t fight?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No? I¡¯m mad that I can¡¯t see the fight.¡± Ander stated. ¡°So your fine with the nobles taking your spot.¡± ¡°I volunteered. I thought I could watch the fights play out, get some information on our oh so glorious leader. If he wins great, if he loses then that¡¯s fine too. So long as I get to see him go all out.¡± ¡°You know. Your brother is a lot nicer than you.¡± Krion stated. ¡°Probably. You seem too happy to have been kicked out. Did you volunteer as well?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not much good in a direct flight.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I see. Is it fine telling me this?¡± Ander seemed a little less frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m pragmatic sometimes. The teachers didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t watch. I¡¯m sure we can find a seat. ¡°Just because they didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯t doesn¡¯t mean we should.¡± Ander quoted. Kyrion looked around for Nico to see if he could help. But for some reason, they were missing. ¡°Odd.¡± The two sat in awkward silence for quite a few minutes as Kiara spoke with her cousins. Finally, when she was done, he stood up. ¡°Nice to meet you Ander.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Ander replied. The two groupmates left in search of Nico. ¡°When did he leave?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure he followed.¡± Kiara replied. ¡°Huh.¡± The two made it back to a meditating Nico. ¡°I guess he really was exhausted.¡± ¡°We should get ready as well.¡± So the two began to rest.
Nico went for a walk after his teammates went to mingle, far away from where the others were watching. He brought out one of his journals and tore out an empty page, folding it into a paper bird and releasing it into the wind. It fluttered to life and over the battleground. Below he could see Damian¡¯s team and their opponents in the first round. Albeit a bit late, he made sure to keep tabs on the fight. Everest was nowhere to be seen. Which meant everything was going well. Traps were littered about, and Noah stood strong, blocking attacks aimed at Asela. Damian darted in and out of engagements, not striking to hit but gauge their capabilities. Their leader seemed to have been some sort of support-type spirit master. Tendrils from under his feet propelled his allies forward, and they pulled. Them back, lessening the blows that they sustained. Damian tried to attack him a few times, but on each attempt, one of his allies would suddenly be in the way of an oncoming attack. Damian jumped back after his fourth attempt failed and began to circle around to his opponent¡¯s side. Releasing a trickle of yellow energy enough to coat his sword in light. He flourished it and attacked, aiming to blind whoever appeared with a flash of light. It succeeded, and both the leader and his shield were blinded. A wave of fire crashed into the two, knocking them prone. The other three rushed to defend their allies, but the fight was already over. Everest stood over their leader¡¯s wooden blade at their neck. ¡°I concede.¡± He said quickly, underneath the pressure. ¡°Great,¡± Everest replied. Their proctor for this round was an elderly man with a cane. He seemed to look up at the paper bird, and the thing appeared in his hands. Nico lost sight of the area. ¡°What was that?¡± Nico huffed, feeling the reverb from the destruction of the item. Nico made his way back to the group with a blank expression on his face. He took a seat next to his allies and entered a meditative state.
Damian and the others returned with a triumphant look on their faces. Most had scratches, at most, save for Noah, who got pretty banged up. Minor bruises formed where attacks had hit his armor hard. Kyrion spent a bit of his mana healing Noah and restoring Damian¡¯s stamina. Asela traded positions with Nico, took a seat, and began to refill her mana pool. Kiara swapped with Wura and began to rest as well. After topping everyone off, the team watched the spectacle of Brion, who had become slightly injured in the last fight. Over his shoulders were two familiar-looking kids. Kyrion couldn¡¯t remember their names for the life of him. The other two behind him seemed relatively uninjured and unspent. ¡°They must have gone through the ringer.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Looks like Brion had to literally carry them through.¡± Nico observed. ¡°That probably won¡¯t show well to those watching.¡± Damian said bluntly. ¡°Can I go heal him? He is on the other end of the bracket?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°To be honest I kinda wanted to fight him anyway. But are you sure you want to reveal your cards to people we may have to fight later?¡± Damian observed his ally. ¡°Just don¡¯t overdo it. We may need you in the next round.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion wandered his way over to Brion¡¯s group. ¡°Looks like you got hit pretty hard. Let¡¯s make a deal. I heal you now and sometime later you owe me two favors. Just you by the way, I don¡¯t have the mana to spare.¡± ¡°Why would I make a deal? What do you mean by healing?¡± He grunted. ¡°I do something for you now, and later on you do something for me.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give up if we face each other in the finals!¡± He bellowed. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you too. Heck it won¡¯t even need to be soon. I¡¯m a farmer, long term is the game.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Now do you want the healing or not?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it then.¡± Brion grunted as Kyrion placed his hands on the taller boy¡¯s shoulder. Brion winced as a wave of cool mana flowed into them as the wounds he suffered were cleared and lost blood was replaced. Dirt and residue were removed as well. Clean skin grew over open wounds leaving no marks behind. Ander looked dumbfounded at first, and then understanding took hold. As he realized, the final piece of a puzzle had just appeared. ¡°So you¡¯re the one.¡± He muttered to no one in particular. Kyrion removed his hands and observed his patient care. As though eye him for any blemishes. The healing took a lot more out of him than it did for Noah and Damian, which meant that there was a lot of damage done. This guy could take some hits and keep on standing quite impressive in and of itself. At first, Kyrion had no intention of actually cashing in the favor, but that favor could prove very useful in a world like this one. Brion flexed his fingers and stretched a bit, popping quite a few bones as he felt around. ¡°I can see why Damain didn¡¯t want to join my team. Healing is a powerful ability, thanks.¡± ¡°Yeah, just don¡¯t be as reckless next time. That used up a bit of my mana.¡± Kyrion looked at Brion¡¯s unconscious baggage and felt that he really should know who they were. They must not have been important.¡± See you in the finals.¡± Kyrion stated as he returned to his group. Brion looked to his allies and then to Kyrion, who was now leaving. ¡°I see that I may have needed a bit more support. These two held me back quite a bit. Next time I get the chance I¡¯ll be sure to recruit a healing type spirit master.¡± ¡°That one is rare in and of itself. He¡¯s the one that was saved by brother, and pushed him into the expert tier.¡± Ander looked on in surprise. ¡°Really? He¡¯s only Fledgling rank like us right?¡± Said the quarterstaff wielder. ¡°Yes, Tyler. In all fairness his ability only slowed down the damage being done to his body. He had his own healing ability, they stacked together and were enough to slow it down until he could get proper help. The leftover mana from the poison joined his own mana core and since he already had the necessary cores he just broke through after he woke up. The ability to fight off poison and disease as a healer is a rare one among healers. Leaving no sign of damage behind is ever rarer. When you cast your net there will be things you need to look for is all I¡¯m saying.¡± Ander rattled off. Tyler wrote a few things down in his notebook. ¡°Good to know.¡± The greataxe wielder looked around and scratched his head.¡± So if we fight his team, be sure to take him out of the fight first?¡± ¡°Drake you¡¯re as blunt as ever but yes. No offence to him, but definitely. Try to be gentle though. I am grateful for this second chance we may have lost if I had to continue in this condition.¡± Brion commanded. ¡°Right!¡± They all said at once.
The third round started and ended as Kyrion sat on the sidelines. Oddly enough, they had an easy time with their opponents, and Kyrion didn¡¯t have to do much healing. Their opponents seemed to have still been tired from their last fight. The semi-finals for them seemed to go quite well. Damian waited expectantly for Brion¡¯s team to return, but oddly enough, it was a different team that made it back. Edwin¡¯s team returned without so much as a scratch on them, refreshed and ready to fight. Ander, who had stayed back another round, looked on in surprise. Kyrions face was a mixture of shock and confusion, as he didn¡¯t know how strong his roommate was, but he definitely wasn¡¯t this strong. At least he didn¡¯t seem strong from Kyrion¡¯s own ¡°observations.¡± ¡°Looks like we have to go with the explosive thorns strategy. Kyrion, are you ready? We don¡¯t know what to expect from them but if they beat Brion¡¯s team they will be dangerous!¡± Damian commanded Kyrion switched out with Everest, and Asela switched out with Kiara. Noah was replaced by Wura. ¡°Edwin? Really? He couldn¡¯t be this strong.¡± However, Kyrion did feel a chill on his neck when they spoke. Chapter 24 Tower Defense ¡°Our final round event is called, Siege! Each group is given a tower with a spherical orb to place anywhere within or on the tower. So long as it is within 10 feet. The first one to bring their opponent¡¯s sphere to their tower wins. When a team is deemed unable to continue it also counts as a win.¡± Damian retrieved his orb, and Edwin got his. The two bowed to each other and went their separate ways. Their groups faced each other as they were teleported to their respective towers. ¡°Me, Nico and Asela will go on the offensive. Wura and Kyrion I want you to set up defenses around the orb and tower.¡± Damian looked over at his teammate. ¡°Our enemies¡¯ strengths are unknown but our abilities aren¡¯t. Everyone here knows what they can or can¡¯t do and I believe that even with the element of surprise that we have, we won¡¯t lose. They must have used some mana in the last fight.¡± Damian, Nico, and Asela went off. Their strongest damage dealing team. Kyrion made his way around the perimeter, planting some thorned vine seeds. A gift from his master after he told them about his power to make plants grow. Wura went behind him and watered the plants with her ability, giving them a poisonous property. He didn¡¯t understand how it worked, as the explanation Nico gave made his head hurt for some reason.
After finishing the perimeter, they set up traps inside, creating plants capable of fighting in and slowing down their opponents. They had many ways to slow down their opponents, but their offense was weak. He needed more high-quality seeds for that, it seems, and at that point, he¡¯d be commanding creatures that were more monster than plant. A few fire pepper seeds were planted near pools of Wura¡¯s ability, which would create pocket explosions capable of rendering its targets unconscious. This was an accidental combination that they found when Everest gave them to him. He said he got them off some rabbit with a bow. Kyrion then blew up part of the practice field while experimenting with his teammates. Everest was out for a good four hours after that attack. The last trap was a dummy sphere, made from another seed he picked up from his master. The dummy plant is a type of fly trap for people. It takes the shape of a plantlike pedestal and mimics the first object placed on it by consuming it and then replacing it with a replica. When the replica is touched, an unseen maw closes it around the victim. Kyrion looked at his work proudly and looked for a place to watch the show. Damian and the others left quite a bit ago, and if any attackers were going to arrive, then they¡¯d be here soon.
Damian and the others walked to the other side of the battleground under cover of trees. Careful not to give away their position. They had finally made their way out of the brush when they noticed their opponents. Three of them were standing guard, it seems, while another two stood on top of their tower. ¡°Should we get the others?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Probably not. It¡¯s either some type of trick or a bluff. If we return and bring everyone over here they may have a way to get to our tower before we can react. Let¡¯s start with the ring of fire. Really let it spread to the nearby trees and the dry grass around the tower. After it connects I want Asela to make them rise even faster while Nico pours more heat into them. Block off their exit. I¡¯ll engage them directly and keep them in the circle as it forms moving to keep them from making it back to the two of you if possible. When you¡¯ve reached the necessary heat, Nico send in your hounds to assist. and Asela keep them in the circle.¡± Damian gave them their orders and Nico summoned his twin balls of fire, boosting their speed with a burst of mana. Then, the two balls moved to encircle their tower when the opposition caught on. ¡°They¡¯re using fire!¡± Shouted the one in front. A strong boy with the build of one who could be a great knight when they grew up. He led a charge towards the flame. Damian moved in and disabled him in an instant as the pommel of his sword went directly into the boy¡¯s chin, knocking him unconscious. The other two saw this and immediately split up. Damian went to intercept them when a grip latched onto his foot. Domain looked down and saw that the boy still had some fight left in him. The boy flung Danian towards the tower, separating him from the rest of the group as his two allies made their way out of the enclosing flames. Nico saw this and enclosed the boy who had just thrown their leader in a wall of fire. Asela, in response, made the fire hotter and made tendrils of fire leap out of the wall and latch onto their targets. One of them managed to deftly dodge while another was captured. The one who evaded went towards Asela and shot chains of red energy from his hands, restraining the girl and pulling her towards him. Asela lost control of the tendrils, and the trapped ally managed to break free. Nico returned his balls of fire to his hands and manifested them as the two hounds, Hunter and Ravager. They charged forward to engage the enemy that escaped, while Nico charred at the boy who just restrained Asela. Damian landed on his feet, using his sword to slow down the momentum. He immediately summoned his second sword and began to coat his body in the yellow aura. Damian saw a large bird with two passengers flying towards their tower. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Damian stood up and ran on in. leaving his opponent alone in the fire while his teammates fended off the other two.
Kyrion watched as a giant bird came flying their way and let Wura know immediately. They barred the top entrance and lied in wait on the third floor where the final trap was laid. The two arrived on the bird¡¯s back and found that the door wouldn¡¯t open at the top of the tower. Even though various attempts were made to breakthrough, it was rooted, so the bird was forced to land on the ground where the thorn trap was triggered, killing the giant bird nigh instantly. Edwin jumped from his now dead bird and made his way into the tower. His companion freed herself soon after landing. But seemed to lag behind a bit. The two entered the tower and encountered a set of sunflowers rooted to the ground. Edwin walked right through the vines, causing them to rot and decompose when they made contact. Minor cuts on his body seemed to recover as he passed. The girl behind him released black flames that consumed the rest of the plants. Finally, they made it to the second floor of the tower. Edwin continued to walk forward, only to step in a metallic puddle. An explosion shook the tower. A toxic miasma flowed through the room, trapped inside. Enough to incapacitate most people in the fledgling and lower tier. His partner jumped at the sound of the explosion and rushed in. Soon after, the smoke and fire rapidly faded from the room. Revealing a slightly singed Edwin. ¡°Edwin! Are you ok?¡± She asked. ¡°Ow¡­ That hurt! But I should be fine in a second. Thanks for asking Lisa.¡± Edwin stood up and the plants hiding in the metallic liquid began to die out. ¡°There are a lot of traps but we haven¡¯t encountered anyone.¡± Lisa adjusted her brown hair and looked around. ¡°They must have used a lot of mana to set these traps. Seeing as they have hidden from us.¡± She added. Edwin stopped and looked through some rooms for the orb before returning. ¡°Possibly. But if it¡¯s only fire and plants we can handle it.¡± Edwin made his way up the third floor when he heard a thud. Lisa had fallen to a knee and was unable to continue as quickly. He waited for a minute before deciding that she was stuck there. Oh well, he thought. Edwin saw his prize sitting on a pedestal and went to grab it when a metal arrow stuck him in the shoulder, and a vine made from water slapped him hard into a wall. A dent where the two made contact was visible. ¡°He should be down now.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll go tie up the other one. Can¡¯t have her running rampant here.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Wura went downstairs while Kyrion reached towards Edwin to tie him up.
Damian heard footsteps behind him as he entered the second floor. It looks like the durable one had followed, and now that he was out of sight, he could refrain from holding back. The rules of his clan were strict in that sense. It didn¡¯t help that Nico was quite observant. As far as Damian was concerned, it may find itself written down in some book or scroll if he saw him use this technique once or twice. The boy who charged forward began to transform his eyes, going bloodshot and his hands growing claws. Where Noah was a noble lion, this boy was some sort of feral wolf. The wolf boy lunged forward with his claws. Damian evaded with a spin, slashing the boy¡¯s back with a series of cuts followed by a kick that knocked him prone. Damian entered a new stance, an aura of mana covering him in yellow light. The wolf boy charged forward, claws extended even further. In response, Damian continued to evade attacks and continue building momentum. It was then he noticed that the wolf had a slow regeneration ability. Instead of a shallow cut, Damian went deep, severing an artery and leaving a gouge across his back. The wolf fell on his stomach as his regeneration ability took him out of the fight. ¡°Huh. Looks like he doesn¡¯t have enough mana to keep up Kyr¡¯s rate of regeneration.¡± Nico drew a quarterstaff that he had been training with and let out a series of jabs and strikes at their elusive opponent. While Nico wasn¡¯t a master with this weapon, so long as he fed it with mana and hit with it, his target would take some damage. Asela sent out whips of fire to keep them unsettled and off-balance, but despite all that, they couldn¡¯t land a solid blow. Nico¡¯s hounds seemed to hold off the other one pretty well. Until the first one dropped dead, and the second followed soon after. The shock knocked Nico onto his knees. The two moved on to Asela and attempted to take her out of the fight. The evasive one went to hit her on the side of the head when Nico muttered some words, and the world began to burn. ¡°Carnage. Come forth.¡± A third creature the color of ebony appeared, its body oddly muscular and exuding great power, its frame enough to make a bear on its hind legs seem small. Its three heads were intimidating to look at and seemed feral, possibly demonic in nature. There were three collars. The one on the left was Hunter, the one on the right was Ravager, and the one in the middle had the name Carnage. One of the two kids wet themselves while the other passed out in fear; it was too quick. Soon after, the creature vanished, and both Nico had passed out from mana loss. The raging fires finally ceased, and Asela stood there confused. ¡°What was that?¡± Asela muttered, putting the unconscious Nico against a tree to rest. The two rested as Damian exited the tower with an orb in his hands. ¡°They got Nico? Damian asked? ¡°I think Nico overdid it.¡± Asela shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s twice my height, so please carry him for me.¡± It didn¡¯t come out as a question. ¡°Fine¡­He mostly lifts books so, I doubt he¡¯s too heavy.¡± Damian slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder.
Kyrion began to tie up his roommate with a vine when he felt a hand pierce his stomach. Mana was rapidly being drawn from Kyrion and into Edwin. After healing quite a bit, Edwin stood up and dropped some cubes on the ground. After he watched Kyrion gasp for air for a long second, he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t love or hate you but orders are orders.¡± He plugged another hand into Kyions chest, causing the latter to spit up black gunk. Kyrion felt weak; his healing didn¡¯t function. He could move but thought that he shouldn¡¯t force it. Something was wrong here, and he couldn¡¯t figure out what. ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion grunted. ¡°What did I ever do to you?¡± ¡°Nothing really. Orders are orders and for some reason my boss hates your guts. Now sit still and let me rip apart your core.¡± Finally, Edwin lunged and pierced Kyrions chest this time, mana began to leak out like a cracked pot did water. It flowed out of him rapidly, and he found that he couldn¡¯t connect when he reached out for it. All he could do was lay there helpless. After a while, the pot seemed to repair itself, but it seemed quite a bit smaller than it was before. Kyrion felt stiped bare as the day he was born, or at least he would feel that way had he been able to remember that time of his life. He looked for a way to escape when something occurred to him. ¡°Why is it always me? Literally, I¡¯m eight, what could I have done to them. If anything I¡¯m pretty sure that if he left me alone then I wouldn¡¯t even know he existed!¡± Kyrion got a bit louder, trying to signal to Wura. ¡°No one can save you now.¡± Edwin went to deliver another blow. Kyrions eyes were wide as he looked for a way out. His body grew weaker and weaker as the blows chipped away at his core. Finally, the pain forced him inside. As he looked around, he noted that his spirits were fine and still connected. He could still manifest them both. So a long silver fox appeared and disappeared as quickly. The air in the room began to grow stronger as it surrounded them. Soon after, a small blue bird appeared as moisture started to gather in whiplike formations, forming a wall of water between Kyrion and Edwin. Mana spent, Kyrion passed out, unable to see the end of his fight. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you out of mana! You should be dead! You monster!¡± Edwin managed to get out before Kyrions consciousness faded. Chapter 25 Evacuation and confusion Damian continued to move towards the tower, only to be stopped by an invisible wall. ¡°What?¡± He looked around for a way in but stopped when a teacher appeared in front of him. ¡°Congratulations on winning the tournament. But now it¡¯s time to evacuate. This country is no longer safe.¡± Asela looked around in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°War has arrived earlier than it was supposed to. You all are some of the most vulnerable and our top priority.¡± The teacher stated. ¡°Get to the auditorium as soon as you can. I¡¯ll look for any more stragglers.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± Damian replied as he carried Nico to where the others were gathered. Damian looked up at the sky as a black cloud was headed their way, and he got the feeling that being here when it arrived would be dangerous. Kyrion didn¡¯t open his eyes when he woke up, mainly because he felt movement. More than likely, someone was carrying him. He could hear multiple footsteps behind him. Other people were being carried as well. The smell of a storm was coming, and he had no intention of walking. Kyrion hadn¡¯t been this exhausted sincere woke up from the coma. What¡¯s with my luck, he thought. They ran for a while before slowing to a stop in response to a familiar voice. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Said a squeaky voice. ¡°Wura! Over here!¡± Kyrion peeked open an eye confirming that it was Asela. He then looked to those who were escorting him. He could see the girl they were fighting and Wura but no Edwin. Which was odd to him. Suspicion mixed with anger then crept in, and he asked his escort in a tired voice. ¡°What happened to Edwin?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t there. When we arrived only the three of you were in the tower.¡± They replied. Kyrion was dropped off as his escort rushed off to look for others. He clicked his tongue. No more free rides. He struggled to stand as lethargy passed through him. Finally, he entered his center and saw that it was almost invisible. Like a grain of sand in the middle of an ocean. Or a needle in a haystack, finding those had always been fun. Kyrion then forgot why he was here, to begin with, and held the side of his head. ¡°Whelp. Looks fine. But I¡¯ll have to ask a teacher later.¡± He said to no one in particular. Damian picked Kyrion up as well. ¡°Well we need to find Noah and the others first. Then find the profesor. We need to get far away from this place.¡± . ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯ll fill you in on the way.¡± He said stoically. Kyrion and the others were now waiting for their turn to pass through the gate. Nico was still unconscious and carried over Damian¡¯s shoulder like a log. ¡°What¡¯s with this country and taking kids from their homes and forcing them to learn how to fight?¡± Kyrion asked absentmindedly. ¡°Practicality, when, the path to becoming a spirit master needs to start at a young age. As progression is much easier at those points in life. Not everyone is suited for this life and though it may be more dangerous, the rewards are worth it. Longer life, a chance at power, and the potential to gain lots of money. Don¡¯t you have a goal or dream? Why else would you come here?¡± Damian rattled off. ¡°My dad said to come here for health reasons. Now I¡¯d say I want to see the world. Maybe hunt down some treasures why I¡¯m at it.¡± Kyrion remembered that he had to retrieve a few items for that weird spirit. Those would probably count as treasure. ¡°Like a pirate?¡± Kiara butted in. ¡°No? Maybe? What¡¯s a pirate exactly?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°So you don¡¯t know. Then I shouldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Kiara stated. ¡°Booo¡­¡± Kyrion responded. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to get plenty strong then. Treasure hunting takes a lot of research, preparation, and ability. Lots of hard work, I would have thought finding a city where you can work as a paid healer doing minimal work was your thing.¡± Damian grinned as Kyrions eyes went wide. ¡°That¡¯s an option? I can just set up a shack in a back alley and heal people for money?¡± ¡°Yes? Though healers are welcome in most places, not sure if you should be in a back alley though.¡± Everest replied. ¡°You¡¯d likely get taken into a mafia or other crime syndicate. At least as you are now.¡± ¡°I see, no back alley healing then.¡± Kyrion nodded. Wura looked at their tailor friend. ¡°How would you know all this?¡± ¡°Ah, well you see...?¡± Everest started as he was interrupted. ¡°Next group!¡± Said their transport. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we probably shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting!¡± Everest was halfway through the gate when a rock from the sky the size of a town could be seen coming their way. ¡°Hurry through!¡± Damian ran through the gate, and his groupmates followed. Soon after, a massive clamoring towards the gates as stragglers began to arrive, primarily teachers, carrying students who couldn¡¯t make it on their own. Kyrion tripped and fell on his face after passing through the gate, his nose a bit busted. ¡°My, dose!¡± He cried while standing up. ¡°Not pretty¡­¡± Asela winced. ¡°You should probably fix that.¡± Everest stated. ¡°Ahe would tha. Buh ahe cann.¡± Kyrion tried to respond. His worry grew as he thought to himself. I can¡¯t heal my nose. Why can¡¯t I heal my nose? I need to get some help. ¡°His brain is scrambled!¡± Asela stated in mock distress. ¡°All be bac.¡± Kyrion stated while holding onto his nose. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. His groupmates gave him a thumbs-up, and he ran off. Kyrion began looking for the nurse. His nose was killing him, and his head was swimming. The blood felt hot in the sun and began to dry and crack. He kept walking towards the medic tents when he overheard some loud voices. ¡°Some of Limguards southern border villages have alrady been destroyed in the invasion. Fields were razed, and there are few survivors. It seems they are using scorched earth tactics.¡± Said a dim voice. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before that kingdom falls.Though burning fields that would soon be yours sounds counter intuitive.¡± Replied a husky voice. Kyrion stopped moving and put his back to one of the tents listening intently. ¡°Well it can¡¯t be helped, the self proclaimed, Beast Lord, was the one leading the charge. Not that conquering a few weaker nations counts as a true empire.¡± The first stated matter of factly. ¡°That is how empires start you dolt¡­ Anyhow, it¡¯s probably best if they are deposed sooner rather than later. They broke all kinds of treaties with that assault. If a royal survived then it¡¯s possible for them to demand a rite of challenge, to take back their unfairly lost land.¡± The second bopped his friend¡¯s head with a chop. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­.¡± The group suddenly goes out of earshot, and Kyrion peeps around the corner. Making eye contact with a smirking brown-haired individual. The duo then turned around and left the area. ¡°Huh. Something tells me following them isn¡¯t a good idea¡± Kyrion looked down, noticing a pool of blood, and continued towards the medical tents for help, seeing that quite a few had been set up. A nurse was going between a few tents holding some sort of basket of supplies. She seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°Excuse me? I need nurse.¡± Kyrion approached. ¡°Wow. What happened to you?¡± ¡°Nose broke, nurse needed.¡± He rephrased, mimicking the face he saw his youngest sister make when she wanted something. ¡°I see. Well come along. I have to get back to work right after.¡± She eyed the boy who was putting on a puppy dog face. The blood made it look rather macabre. ¡°Thanks miss¡­¡± Kyrion began to say, realizing that he, in fact, did not know this lady. Oh well, there are lots of people here Kyrion didn¡¯t know. The two made it to a larger tent with similarly dressed people going in and out with haste. Most carried various medical supplies to and fro. Kyrion timidly walked up to the flap. His head was a bit foggy as he examined the locked structure. There was something about it, how can you have a locked door without a doorknob. He began feeling for the knob, but the door just slid from his grasp. ¡°Uh¡­ Wh¡¯erss da door gnop?¡± He asked one of the four nurses behind them. Or was it five? Was that nurse a quintuplet? A family of quintuplets working in one field spread all over. That sounds like a good idea. The nurse watched as Kyrion pawed at the tent from over six feet away before the boy spun around and began pointing at a tree to her right. Speaking to it as though it was her. She grabbed his wrist and pulled the boy into the tent. Kyrion passed through the soft wall and into a weird colorful room. He looked around to the rainbows that somehow made it indoors. A horse with a horn that resembled a cream-filled baguette danced past his vision. Kyrion began to follow the horse that started to jump over the rainbows. His body had never felt so light though he wasn¡¯t going anywhere for some odd reason. ¡°Kyrion? Are you doing ok?¡± A familiar voice asked. ¡°Bagueticornslookdelicious,¡± he responded incoherently. ¡°I see. Place him above the floor right there I¡¯ll have a quick look at him. You¡¯re clear to get back to work.¡± The voice said. ¡°I will take my leave then miss.¡± The woman who brought Kyrion there stated as she complied. ¡°Uh¡­ Miss Nurse lady, I think I broke my nose.¡± Kyrion said to a brown teddy bear with a stethoscope.¡± Am I gonna die?¡± He shook it for answers. Before he knew it, he was on his back, suspended mid-air. Various people surrounded him as everything went black. Kyrion woke after an unknown amount of time with a splitting headache. He saw the familiar nurse. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Your spirit was broken, which means you were facing backlash from one of your manifested spirits being destroyed. You won¡¯t be able to use mana normally for a few days. Good news is you¡¯re clear to start pushing towards four. Your core has become so small I have to strain my senses to find it. Bad news is you can¡¯t use any mana until you reach rank four, expect lots of physical training and boring meditation.¡± The nurse said. ¡°Uh? Nurse lady, what is your name?¡± There was now more than one nurse lady, he had to assign her one, or he¡¯d mix people up. ¡°You may call me Ms.Trice.¡± She answered. ¡°Mistress?¡± Kyrion asked, confused. ¡°No. Trice is my family name. Ms. or Mrs. if that makes it easier. Anyhow, for the next few days, you will have some heavy surveillance and have a minor concussion. Had you been in your normal state, a fall like that shouldn¡¯t hurt? Your endurance is lowered by a majority when your spirit is broken. A good night¡¯s rest will do you good. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Kyrion went back to sleep. The day was much longer than he thought it would be. The world was bright when he woke up, his nose dry and clean. No more blood was coming out. But his head still hurt quite a bit; he needed some water. Kyrion sat up on the cot and made his way out of the tent he was sleeping in. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. Where am I?¡± Kyrion looked around, seeing the area they made it to had been hit by a tornado. Scars shaped the earth in odd ways, and mountains in the distance seem to look much different now than they did before. Seven ice towers rose in the space surrounding the entire area with a thin film of power. Kyrion found the tent where Ms.Trice was earlier and entered. The nurse looked more tired now than she was earlier. ¡°Ummm¡­ Sorry to bother you but. Do you know where any water is? Also what happened while I was out?¡± The nurse produced a decanter and a cup. Pouring a clear liquid into it that looked a lot like water. Though something about it felt off. ¡°Something feels off about that water.¡± He stated. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like that¡¯s what I need. But I do feel rather parched. It¡¯s weird.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. His hair was becoming a mess today. ¡°Just drink the water then. I¡¯ll take a look at your core if you think that will help.¡± The nurse pulled out an odd pair of glasses that had twisty and turny knobs at the end that the nurse adjusted a few times. ¡°Stay still sweetie.¡± She said. Kyrion stopped fidgeting and waited. He began to count but got bored after hitting fifteen. He drank more water and then looked around a little as the nurse started to scowl. ¡°Try meditation Kyrion, hold it for a few seconds.¡± She ordered. Kyrion practiced his compression. Pulling mana from outside to push down onto his core. But, oddly enough, I couldn¡¯t get the mana to go in like it would usually. The nurse scrunched her face. ¡°Looks like you may need some actual medicine.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong doc?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Your body seems to be feening for mana the first sign of moving towards rank four. Until the metamorphosis is complete you can¡¯t absorb mana and you can¡¯t use it. The duration differs by person but the longest documentation of this stage has been ten years. While the shortest a few hours. Master Gan, will need to update his training program, it seems.¡± Kyrion pouted and crossed his arms, standing stock still. ¡°And here I thought I was free. Gotta train even when I can¡¯t use magic.¡± Kyrion shivered a bit which reminded him of the ice. ¡°What happened out there?¡± ¡°As for the stuff outside. Monsters and enemy spirit masters managed to find a way here. They are gone now and won¡¯t be coming back. Lots has happened while you¡¯ve been out. I¡¯ve sent for your teacher to retrieve you but he seemed quite busy He said he had to go to an important debreifing.¡± ¡°De-brief... That¡¯s a bit too much information. I don¡¯t want to know that he¡¯s changing his underwear.¡± Kyrion mocked vomiting a bit. ¡°Not in here.¡± The nurse lightly ushered the boy out of the tent, leaving him to his own devices. Since all he had was time, Kyrion walked around the oddly quiet field of tents that led up to a big building that seemed to be the school part. He began looking for people he knew, coming across a tent surrounded by quite a few students. On the outside, he saw Ander, his eyes bloodshot, a mix of anger and dread on his face. Kyrion looked the other way as it sent a shock down his spine. ¡°Ander, what happened?¡± Kyrion asked with trepidation ¡°Brion had his core striped. Completely pulled from his body, they are performing a spirit transplant as a way to stabilize him but he¡¯ll have to start over at best. At worst he doesn¡¯t survive the process. Kyrion he was emaciated, when I saw him. Skin and bones not an ounce of muscle or power. The others have similar injuries but they aren¡¯t as severe.¡± Ander explained. ¡°Oh.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know how to respond. Mortality was something he hadn¡¯t fully had a grasp on yet. Things lived, and then they died. But here, someone barely older than him at death¡¯s door cut deep. Kyrion was in a similar situation not too long ago though that portion of his life felt like a hazy dream. ¡°I will become someone who can save everyone.¡± Kyrion said to himself as a red bolt flashed in his Irises. Ander stared into Kyrion¡¯s eyes as the world accepted the declaration. Had Kyrion known at the time what that statement meant, he would still have said it. Had he known what it would do to the spirits in his center currently resting. He might not have phrased it like that. Chapter 26 The Selection Kyrion felt his feet come out from under him as if someone had scooped him up like a sack of potatoes. The kidnapper seemed to be leading Kyrion to a big building that resembled their school. Looking down, he saw a familiar pair of shoes and cursed himself for not being able to remember whose they were. The person carrying him spoke quickly and concisely." Congratulations on obtaining first place! Alas, you''re late for the ceremony. We will have to book it." Ah, it was just master Gan. "I was sleeping!" Kyrion replied, keeping it short as some wind was knocked out of him each stride. "No excuses." He started subtly. Gan began to speed up gradually as he ran. Kyrion lifted his head to see the staircase in front of them and panicked. "Slow down!" "We don''t have the time!" Gan gripped Kyrion harder and sped up, much to the boy''s surprise. Tears fell behind him again as his mortality was made apparent for a second time today. He then saw the ground get farther away very quickly as Gan jumped up, and up, and up. Skipping over the intimidatingly long staircase with ease. Kyrion felt his eyes extend six feet out of his skull as they landed on the other end. Gan picked it up and ran into the building, and the world blurred around them again. Kyrion lost track of the turns, stops, little hops, and loopty-loops as they made their way to some sort of auditorium. "We''re here, great. We can slow down." Kyrion thought to himself, letting out a sigh of relief. Master Gan did, in fact, slow down. Taking Kyrion off of his shoulder. "Yulon! Catch!" "What!?" Kyrion and the headmaster said in unison. Kyrion flew a good hundred or so feet, shock, and betrayal in his eyes as he crashed into the headmaster''s stomach. A loud cracking sound could be heard echoed, and Kyrion fell to the ground attempting to hold his skull together. ¡°Ow.ow.ow.ow.ow!¡± Kyrion rolled on the floor for a bit as quite a few eyes were on him and then the headmaster. Finally, they turned to an empty space where master Gan was previously standing. Yulon looked down at the boy, noticing the dent in his armor. Where a head must have connected, there was also no blood pooling from the boy''s head. "Young Kyrion, you''re fine, albeit a little late. I''m sure master Gan wouldn''t throw you without having made preparations." Kyrion tapped the top of his head a few times, wincing before realizing it was all in his head. Then, embarrassed, he stood up and took his place beside his teammates. The auditorium was filled with floating globs of water that held the faces of various people. Most of which seem to be much older and well dressed. "Now that everyone''s here we will proceed with selections. First off we have Damian, come on up!" Applause echoed through the auditorium as Damian walked next to Yulon and bowed to the images. "For you we have five offers available. The Academy of Gabon, a prestigious school that has produced many powerful spirit masters throughout this continent''s history. Founded in the Tetsan empire this school is by far the largest and most well rounded you can find. Many world leaders have once graced its halls." The headmaster pointed to the image of a portly man dressed in immaculate robes and embedded with. Damian blinked and looked back at the headmaster before continuing. The environment made him a bit nervous, however. His face slowly turned redder and redder as the ceremony went on, and various powerful figures had an eye on him. "Secondly we have the School of One Blade, a school that focuses on training swordsmen. They specialize in single blade combat and many who make it through the grueling training have gone to become the backbone of many nations'' militaries." The master of that school was a gaunt hairless man with a blank expression. Oddly enough, Damian didn''t seem interested in that school. "Thirdly, we have the Norn Military academy, a traditional school that has been around for a long time. They sport some of the most extensive libraries on the continent and have experts in many fields. They are located in Wilheim. Damian''s eyes had glossed over for a second as Yulon went on. Nico, however, seemed really interested for some odd reason. "The fourth is the Flowing river academy of performing arts, it''s a place where some of the world''s best traveling entertainers go to train. Though I''m not sure why someone like you would want to..go...there." Yulon looked into Damain''s eyes for a good second and could swear he was flashing lights. "I want to go there." Damian replied stoically. "Don''t you want to hear the fifth?" Yulon asked. "No." He replied. "Great well. Ok. Damian you may now be seated." Yulon pointed to some seats in the distance. "Next up we have Everest. Star attacker on the team. You, my good sir, have four offers." "Are any of them by chance for the Trova school of Tailors?" Everest interrupted. "Yes. Now if I may continue." "I''m going there." Everest hopped off the stage and took a seat. Yulon looked dejected. "Go become a tailor and waste your potential. See if I care." He mumbled. Everest eyed an elderly woman in silks on one of the screens, which seemed to nod in his general direction. "Next up is Noah. You have three options as well. Would you like to hear them?" Noah nodded. "Great. For you, we have the Norn Military academy, along with the Hagnar School of blacksmithing in Valvnorim. Many great smiths go there for training, and those who graduate become famous for their high-quality creations." Yulon looked to Noah, who was deep in contemplation. "Lastly we have the school of Drisil, a newer school that has steadily been rising in renown. Their teachers are powerful and all who graduate have entered the land of experts." "I see. May I have some time? Norn and Hagnar are both so interesting." Noah scratched his chin. Yulon motioned him to a seat, and Noah made it over. "Asela, your next." Yulon pointed at the smallest one on the stage. "You my dear also have three offers, one from Norn Military academy. The second from the Sect of True flame Which is located on an Island in the Tetsan empire. Safe from fighting and war and capable of creating very powerful fire based spirit masters. Finally there is the Mithas academy of elementalist. Where previous selection specialized in only fire, this academy focuses on all of the basic elements becoming more well rounded." Asela looked confused. "Can I choose later?" "Go ahead, little one." Yulon pointed to the seats, and Asela made her way down. "Nico you''re up." Nico made his way on the stage. "You have an offer from Norn and The Mithras school of elementalist." "I''ll be going to Norn." Nico replied before he took a seat. "Wura, you have two offers as well. One is to the School of Alchemy in Meis. They specialize in creating elixirs, poisons, various beverages, and food. Many alchemists worth their salt have attended here. The second option is Hagnar''s school of smithing." "I will go to the school of smithing. I can''t cook and I get the feeling that my spirit won''t help much in some sort of kitchen. I want to kick butt and take name." Wura replied before taking a seat. "Kiara your turn." She made her way to the stage and curtseyed in the direction of the various representatives. "For you we have two options, Mithras, and the Frozen citadel, this school is located in the Polaris Archipelago to the north, an academy of all female Ice mages that have been honing their craft for generations. Those who enter are unable to leave for one hundred years, unless they manage to reach the expert rank. Those who go must cut ties with their families as most will not be able to return home." "Only two?" She asked the headmaster. "Go ahead." Yulon pointed to a seat with the rest of her group. "Last but not least we have Kyrion, come here." Yulon ushered him forward. "For you we have the Gabon academy and school of Diesel." Yulon explains Kyrion looked shocked, not having a school in common with his sisters. He then looked at the representatives and found Lingard''s face. "How close is the school of Driesl to Norn?" "Norn is in Welheim, while Drisil is in the kingdom to the south away. A few days of travel by caravan could get you there." Yulon explained. "I see. I''ll go to Drisil then." Kyion nodded matter of factly before taking his seat. "Your group is now dismissed, feel free to enjoy the facilities. Since we will be spending the rest of our time here." "Isn''t that on the other side of the world?" Noah asked. "Continent. Just the continent." Nico explained. "What''s the difference?" Noah crossed his arms. "If we can find the library then I can explain it to you with pictures." Nico dragged Noah away. "I also want to know about continents and stuff." Kyrion said as he followed behind. "And that is the theory of tectonic shift." Nico said. Kyion was sitting in what felt like a soft chair filled with beans, a book over his face. Said person would say he was only resting his eyes so that he could put effort into listening to everything. Most others would see it for the lie it was and move on. Noah was visibly half asleep at a desk, a stack of books resting next to him. A lost expression can be seen on his face. "While all this is so interesting I need to pick up my student." A familiar voice stated. Kyrion looked from under the book at the visitor''s shoes and connected them with the voice. "I''m not going anywhere with you again. We talk here." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Fair enough. Do you two mind waiting outside for a moment?" Gan asked the other two boys. "I don''t. Need to stretch my legs anyway." Noah stood up and walked out. Followed by a reluctant Nico. "Great. Well it seems you''ll be going to Drisil." Gan stated. "Yes. Why does that matter?" Kyrion asked. "I, too, will be going to Drisil. For similar reasons. The thing is, you aren''t ready for that school yet. The other options are sure, if you''re settling to only become mediocre. Drisil is strict in its graduation requirements. If you''re not an Expert or equal to that level of power before becoming 22 you''re expelled, sort of strict. I''m not saying you''re weak, mind you. Just not ready yet. My recommendation is joining the academy 9 months after enrollment. Which gives us a full year to get you there, how does that sound? We can even check on your friends while we''re at it. We also need to procure the spirit cores you plan on using. How does some real world adventure sound?" "Adventure? And I can visit everyone as well. That sounds great! Wait, I thought you had my spirit cores already!" Kyrion''s eyes went wide before he started squinting. "Those didn''t suit you very well." Gan smiled like a cheshire cat. "So you lost them." Kyrion started eyeing his teacher. "Suffice it to say I no longer have them, yes." Gan did not mention the fact that he lost them in a game of Testan Hold''em, while he was supposed to be bringing Kyrion to the auditorium. That he didn''t find out until much later. "When do we leave? Asela''s Birthday is in two days after all." Kyrion asked innocently. "I can give you a week, and then I''ll need to get to the sect of chroniclers. We need to figure out your elemental affinities because from what I can tell you have quite a few. A spirit core helps you specialize but it''s better to know all your cards before asking for more. Knowing the deck stacked against you is also a necessity." Gan told his student some sage advice. "Uh..huh¡­one week. Did you need anything else?" "That is all." Gan flowed out of the room like wind through a window. "Back to studying" Kyrion put the book back on his face and got comfortable in the bean chair. Nico reentered and got back to explaining things that made little to no sense to either of the other kids. The lesson went on for an hour before Kyrion heard his stomach growling. "Noah, Nico wanna get some grub?" "Gross, no grubs are disgusting." Nico replied "Huh? No grub, food." Noah said. "Oh. Yes we should find the others then." Nico led the charge out of the room. Noah and Kyrion locked eyes before heading out of the study room. Damian and Everest sat at a table in the cafeteria, along with Kiara, Asela, and Wura, who seemed a bit too quiet. Both groups awkwardly ate while not wanting to start the conversation that''s been weighing over their heads. Everest, driven mad by the quiet, was the first to speak up. "So, did you decide on where you want to go for specialized training?" Kiara answered first, "I want to become strong enough to take back our kingdom. I was supposed to be betrothed to one of our princes after graduation. Potentially becoming a queen."If I go to that all-female academy, I''ll end up trapped there for a long time. But, if I go to Norn, then at least I''ll be able to leave when I''m strong enough. So¡­"."Stop!" Everest put down his cup of tea." What was that last part?" "If I go to norn, I can leave much sooner?" Kiara had an irritated expression on his face. She doesn''t like being interrupted. "No, the one before." Everest shook his hands to emphasize what he meant. "I am to be betrothed to one of the princes of Limguard?" "Yes. Aren''t you a bit young to be thinking about that? What are you, eight?" Everest" seemed exasperated. "I''m not thinking about it. It''s my duty to my family. Nobles marry nobles to keep the royal blood strong. The stronger I get the stronger the next generation will be. It''s what I was raised for." Kiara put her hand over her heart as she told them her response. "You''d have to get Limguard back before you could become its queen. Even then there is no guarantee that any of our princes are still alive." Damian sipped from his fancy teacup pinky out. Before daintily setting it back on the saucer. "Why are you acting like this isn''t your problem?!" Kiara asked the two boys, indignation in her eyes. Damian considered telling them now before deciding on something else. "I''ll tell everyone when the others arrive, they should all hear this together." Everest looked at Damian and then the others. "I''ll need a spirit oath of secrecy If I tell you mine." Wura looked at the two. "Well i''m fine if you forward mine to your friends it isn''t that major. My father and brothers are chefs. The former is a baker and the latter undecided. Before coming to Limguard my father worked for the great pirate, Alexander Red Beard, after being found floating adrift in the ocean. We don''t know much about his orc tribe as he was a newborn at the time. By some miracle he survived and grew up on the ship along with the other pirates. During a war with the republic, the one before the last, they were hired and became a powerful naval unit. After decimating the enemy''s forces they were allowed to become citizens, some being granted nobility. Suffice it to say my father became one through marriage." Wura copied Damian''s tea etiquette. "My mother was the great Frea Silverwind, her spirit allowed her to turn air into silver, forming layers of armor and such. Similar to mine though her powers were a lot more solid. Like me, she can''t cook to save our lives. I''m not betrothed to any one and I''m not sure my father cares who I marry so long as they can cook. He is very particular about that requirement. I don''t want to become a chef and I''m not a powerful warrior like my mother. So I don''t know where to go next. That''s why I''m on the fence." Wura started thinking to herself. "Hmmmm. So there are two nobles named Alexander. That''s confusing, does grandpa know?" Asela asked aloud to no one in particular. Wura stopped thinking and looked at her younger friend before not answering that question. Kyrion, Noah, and Nico arrived a bit late to the party and sat down at the table. Unfortunately, their cups were a bit cool. Nico waved a hand over his cup, causing it to bubble for a second before he sat down. "Look who''s late to the party." Everest replied flippantly. "We were waiting for ages. Did you learn what you went there to learn?" Noah scratched his head, embarrassed. Kyrion looked around before taking a seat. "The earth isn''t flat." Quite a few eyes opened up in shock. Wura and Damian seemed to already know that. "This changes everything." Asela stated. "So If I go off a map I won''t fall out of the world?" "No¡­ You''ll either reach another continent or end up on the other side of this continent." "There are more continents!?" Asela started holding her head. The world she knew shattered. "I know right. It makes no sense." Kyrion stated. "If there are more continents then why isn''t the map bigger? Or round." "Because no one has made a world map yet." Nico stated. "Maybe I''ll be the one to make it, see the world with my treasure hunting friend." He slapped Kyrion on the back. "I did say I wanted to be a treasure hunter. But that''s wayyyy into the future. Possibly even ten whole years." "Ten years isn''t a long time¡­" Nico tried to interject. "Says you. That''s two whole digits. I''m still in the one digits." Kyrion crossed his arms. "You know what. Ok. What did we miss?" Nico asked the others. After a paraphrased retelling of the stories, Damian took the lead. "Since everyone is here I''ll go over my reason." The other kids grew quiet as they looked at their leader. "You see, my father is a blade dancer and my mother a singer. The two traveled in a trope for many years until I was born. They settled down in a small city, north of the capital. I was taught various different sword techniques and dances by my father and how to sing by my mother. Though I had always been a bit shy about the singing aspect. One day, two years ago, while practicing my techniques, my spirits awakened. Without coaxing, I was given two different spirits at the time. My first is a sword, and I don''t want to talk about the second. No offense. My master knows, and we practice where no one can see or hear. The reason I chose the school of performing is because that''s where my parents met, and I''m a performer first warrior second." Kyrion realized he didn''t know much about his friends. Damian was the strongest of them, but he wasn''t even a fighter? "Huh. Wait, did you say two years ago? How did you awaken?" Kiara asked. "Its called a natural awakening, its when spirits find and choose you to be a medium. It''s rare and tends to be powerful. So I kind of had a leg up in a way." Damian stopped talking and looked at his empty plate. "This is all confusing." Kyrion said to himself. "And here I thought having more than one spirit is rare." Wura stated. Asela seemed to figure something out. "So Damian can really sing." Damian''s face turned a deep red. "I do ok." He answered bashfully. "Well, I''ll be going to Drisil. Mainly because I don''t like the other option all that much. Also master Gan seems to go there as well and he''s really strong." "Fair enough." Everest crossed his arms. "So it wasn''t just you. He seemed slimy, is how I''d put it." Nico added in. The silence was the only sound in the cafeteria for a moment before Asela stepped up. Asela looked at the others. "I don''t know where to go. I don''t want to be alone, and I can''t go with Kyrion. So I''ll try to figure it out after some time." "Yeah, splitting up is going to be tough. I''m going to miss you kids." Everest wiped away imaginary tears with a fancy handkerchief. "You''re a kid too! Remember?" Kyrion looked at Everest in confusion. Everyone at this moment had locked eyes with Everest. The boy shrugged before looking around. The place was vacant as uninjured students had been shepherded to the auditorium. Perks of winning first place, it seems. "What I''m about to tell you is very important. I want anyone listening to swear on their spirits that they won''t tell another soul." Silence reverberated before Kyrion went first, not knowing what that meant. "I swear on my spirits not to tell anyone else." Kyrion felt a pain in his chest near his core, a binding. Soon after being placed there, it faded into opaqueness. When he focused intensely, he noticed that he had another chain around his center only where that one was rigid. This one had room to wiggle. "Kyrion!" Nico whisper yelled. "You can''t just make spirit oaths like that. If you break it willingly or by accident, you lose your ability to use your spirits." "Yeah, and Everest is our friend. If it''s this serious then we should accept it. Though I oughta make him make a few soul oaths as well. That caught me off guard." Kyrion pounded on his chest before he drank his tea. No etiquette whatsoever. The rest of the group made their promises before Everest was satisfied. "I''m training to become an assassin. My spirit isn''t a tool, but that of the Dread Dracoider." Nico gasped in shock, while the others seemed to not know what was going on. "May I explain?" Nico asked. "If you can go ahead." Everest sat back in his seat. "You see, a Dread Dragon, spews a sticky substance that is highly flammable, their lairs are always covered with the stuff. Creatures that wander into the area and get trapped feel a sense of dread as they are burned to nothing, unable to escape hence the name. A Dracoider is a spider that has grown powerful enough to consume a dragon or has consumed enough cores to mutate it completely. In this sense a Dread Dracoider is able to create strong sticky webs that can be highly flammable." Nico felt proud with his explanation. "Among other things, like silks that are as tough as steel but flexible enough to run around in." He pointed to the clothes he had made for everyone during their time here. "Some fire resistance is a given as well." Everest stopped. Nico had a scowl on his face. "Now I can''t add that to my bestiary¡­." "The oath ended when you jumped in, so it should be fine. It''s not like I told you anything particular to my case yet, and you all have seen me fight. So there isn''t much for me to hide." Asela was now highly grossed out by the fact that she was wearing sticky spider poop. "Wait, how does fire affect the clothes?" "They won''t get burned off in a fight easily and can be used to channel fire mana." Everest stated. "I guess that isn''t so bad. I want you to make an oath to make me a new one every year forever." Asela stated proudly. "No dice. These products take time and effort, I can''t just give away clothes, and that contract highly favors you with me gaining nothing in return. Only a fool would accept that sort of oath. " "You will have my thanks." Asela promised. "Ehhh, no. Final answer." Everest stamped down. "How much would one of your robes cost anyhow?" Kyrion asked Everes, butting in. "Right now, I''d say with a day''s labor and my abilities, they could sell at a price of 5 silver credits. Since the cost of living is two silver a day for someone like me in Limguard. Though it may fluctuate depending on the country, you''re in. Threads like this are pretty weak to any fire of a category higher than practitioner in power. The average everyday individual might consider a pair of my clothes a lifesaver or convenience. Mittens for taking food out of an oven or fire could sell pretty well¡­If I could get someone to help with marketing¡­." Kyrion couldn''t tell if he imagined Everest''s eyes were gold coins. He did, however, know that the conversation had turned more to greed. ¡°Whats the difference between a coin and a credit?¡± ¡°Their general shape and the country you get it from. Credits can be more diverse in shapes while coins are mostly round. Gold is gold, so credits and coins share value. Silver and Tin vary by kingdom and I hear some kingdoms use copper instead of tin.¡± "Are five silver credits a lot? We didn''t really buy anything back home. If we needed anything we just traded our excess to someone who had what we needed." "The average farming village will make a communal total of one gold credit a year, with various fees from hiring traders to sell said goods already deducted. One gold credit is worth one hundred silver credits, a silver credit is worth a hundred tin credits. If you own a home in the city then the minimum cost of living is 10 Tin credits a day which is around one meal a day. Three meals a day is around 36 Tin credits a day. Amenities and other non essentials can raise it quite a bit. Though your appetite, Kyrion, may cost around three silver credits a day." Everest explained in a surprising amount of forethought. "So you''re saying I''ll need to make around one of your robes a day to survive?" Kyrion''s eyes widened. "Sell three you mean." Everest corrected. Kyrion decided that the subject was getting into Nico''s level of depth. "So why is it that so many of your powers have something fire-related?" "Oh you see, fire is what you would call a common element that manifests naturally. Many creatures use it or have resistance to it while many tools require fire in its creation. Fire capable of harming a spirit master is a bit different from a spark used to start a campfire. At least it is after you enter practitioner rank. Nobody knows..." Nico began his lecture with a few groans escaping from the younger group members. Kyrion took the time to peek at his center after realizing that he would probably be there for a minute and might as well use the time for something productive. Intermission chapter: The fall of Limguard A contingent of eight soldiers clad in gold and red regalia find themselves outside a mansion. Its size is relatively small compared to the others nearby, and its yard, rather shabby. Had they not looted the other empty buildings nearby, then they wouldn''t have come here. Their luck, most of the noble estates had already been evacuated, and the ones they checked mainly seemed empty. It wasn''t just there; ever since they made it to the wall and killed its defenders, most of the city was a ghost town. No panic, no riots, no crying; it was as though they knew that the army was coming. The one in front casually kicked the door before entering. The lead soldier''s steel-clad boot cracked on impact as pain shot through him. "Huh. must have worn this one out on other doors." The soldier wound his other foot up and kicked even harder, managing to kick the door open a degree. "The door wasn''t even closed." One of the soldiers in the back said. "Its made out of some hefty stuff." Another examined the print that didn''t even manage to leave a dent in the door. "Maybe it''s worth something. We should tell our commander after we finish up here." "Great. Maybe we''ll even get a raise." The soldiers enter one by one up until the sixth in line stops. "Anyone hear that?" "Hear what?" "Music. Pianissimo, very soft, like violins, harps, and a piano." "No, you doing ok?" "He''s just got goosebumps!" One of the ones in front said. "Were a group of pratinor rank spirit masters. I''m sure we can take anyone who got left behind." "Look, my doctor said I have spirit synesthesia. I can hear the power of strong spirits¡­." The nervous one started. "Quit being a coward, Tom! We''re going to loot this place, head home, and be worshiped as heroes!" The one in front said they arrived in some sort of receiving room. An old, red-haired man sat in a chair facing away from the group with a giant lit cigar in his mouth. He was looking at a portrait on the wall. The picture had an older red-haired man with an eyepatch. In each of his arms was a red-haired child. The boy on his left looked frozen and expressionless, as though he didn''t know what face to make. The girl on his right had a mischievous smile on her face as though she did something that they would find out about much later. The soldiers approached. "Surender and we will make your death a quick one old man!" said the one in front. The nervous looked around in shock. "A crescendo¡­" "The hell is that!?" Said the one in front. "Just a music thing." Said the old man. :" Kid if you leave now I''ll let you live since you know you''re out of your depth." The nervous one took a step back and found a sword in his throat. "We don''t retreat." The seventh one said, anger in his eyes. "Tsk. Why you gotta go and get blood on my polished floors!" The old man bellowed. "What?" Said the one in front, looking at the corpse of his ally and the psychopath that just murdered him. Nobody liked seven; there was something of¡­ His thoughts ended abruptly. Splat.! A giant bear-shaped arm had grown from the old man and crushed the remaining seven soldiers. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere as the old man stood up, the cigar still in his mouth a glowing arcane sigil on his chest. "Today, I leave this world. Today Limguard falls, but today I will provide a festival worthy of the name Red Beard the Demon Bear." The old man walked out the front door, mana slowly gathered around him, seeping into his body, causing him to grow and transform. "Take my arms, for they will be your tools for the carnage you will reap." His arms grew in size, exponentially settling around nine feet long and extra bulky. His human arm grew scarlet-red fur and obsidian claws from where his nails once were. His prosthetic arm grew in size and dimension but stayed the same in power. "Take my body for mine, is but flesh, and yours is unyielding." The old man''s chest grew in proportion to his arms fur growing over his clothes. A few soldiers noticed the man transforming into a monster and began to charge towards him." "Take my legs and walk this planet in my stead." The old man grew in height by quite a bit, standing around twenty feet tall, the process repeating with his legs. "Take my eyes, for I close them off to the world." The eyepatch fell from his eye, revealing a solid black sclera with a swirling red vortex in the center. The thirty soldiers surrounded the old man in a circle and began to send attack after attack at him. Spell hit his fur and left no mark, spears bent on impact as though its fur was far tougher than steel. "It''s a bloody monster!" One of the soldiers relieved themself in fear and began to run." The old man wasn''t having that, so he calmly took a clawed finger and flicked the head of one of the soldiers through the chest of the fleeing soldier. The head was crushed like watermelon, and blood fountained everywhere from the headless corpse. "I am taking my head, for I am a beast pretending to be man." So the old man''s head turned into that of a bear''s, and the body grew another ten feet. "Red bear¡­" One of the soldiers said. "I heard he was crippled¡­." The awed soldier seemed to notice the leg and arm prosthetics. "I''m gonna die." The soldier stood there in shock at the mere sight of the monster, freezing his body to the core. Accepting the fate to come as is all who face Red beard of the Scarlet seas, and crimson death. That soldier didn''t feel it come like the others; his death was quick and painless. The others did not die swift clean deaths. They ran, they resisted, and they died. Fighting the inevitable, that was coming for them. One of the commanders outside of limguard watched as a giant bear-like creature grew above the forty-foot tall city walls and continued to grow more and more. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Ready the ballista! Towards the bear! It''s an easy target!" The commander watched as the bear scooped up a house and tossed it up and down in its hand like a ball crushing it into debris. The soldiers pointed their ballista at the bear and waited for their command. The bear looked knowingly in that commander''s general direction and approached, slowly entering their range and even getting closer, almost daring them to give the order. "Fir¡­!! Oh shit!" Splat. A house-sized boulder crashed into the commander, instantly killing him and a few nearby soldiers. However, the old man was only mildly inconvenienced by the wooden bolts that got stuck in his fur. The soldiers continued firing as the titanic bear approached them, the earth-shaking in response. Five expert rank spirit masters, along with a man with no arms, approached the frontline. One of the spirit masters sat on a cloud with a copper rod in his hands. His hair was yellow like the sun, and an odd rain smell came from his body. "One of your people cut his arm off twenty years ago. Can you get the other one?" "No chance. The one who cut his arm off was the previous leader of the handless hydra. One of the strongest in millenia as well. Even he was swatted like a fly only managing to take the arm out and even then I''m sure he just sacrificed his arm to get that kill." "Isn''t he an expert like us? How is he so strong?" The one on the cloud complained An older woman in robes watched the bear with contempt. Daggers circled her body at a constant rate. "He may be a true spirit master." "True spirit master? Isn''t that what we are?" The cloud sitter looked between the two. An older man interrupted this time. "Had I known that old man would still be kicking I would not have come. The ranks don''t end at expert, they just aren''t really measured past that period. A true spirit master is one who has gained unity with their spirits and mastered their abilities to a frightening degree. We aren''t fighting a normal spirit master, but an embodiment of destruction itself." "Why the hell does Limguard have someone that strong while we don''t?" "The one''s we have couldn''t be bothered to show up, and our glorious leader seems to be an idiot." "That''s treason!" Spouted a younger expert wielding a glaive. "I''m going to die today anyway. What a little more treason." "You are taking this too well." The younger expert looked at the old man with suspicion. "Inevitability is peaceful. I know the end is coming, and I know that there is nothing I can do about it. Might as well fight, right? Weaken him a bit for me, ok?" The old man pulled out a wooden staff wrapped in chains. A few bells sat at the top of, said staff, chimes echoed as it was moved around. The others had no time to respond before the man began his incantation. "My life and spirit are near its end so take it to seal that demon within." The chains rattled and spread out as mana began to gather around their area. The spirit master on his cloud flew forward at a breakneck speed traveling five hundred yards in a mere second; with ease, a boom echoed behind him. Then, the young man began circling around the giant bear, becoming a blur of light. Nonstop shocks started to hit the bear over and over as the onslaught continued. The elderly woman let a dagger fly forward at the bear''s eye while it was distracted. The armless hydra mystic flew forward and let loose a wave of energy to lock the bear in place. The young spirit master threw his glaive and rocketed it towards the bear as it passed through layers of mana in mid-air. The last spirit master pulled out a steel wand, and fire began to gather around him. "I call upon ifrit lord of the flames, Vanquisher of man, and ender of worlds. Consume the souls of the dead to feed your flames before calling them forth to slay my enemy with your hellfire." The ball of fire seemed to grow until it was the size of a meteor. Then it rapidly shrunk to the size of an orange before it began floating upwards slowly. Absorbing the lifeforce of all the nearby soldiers along with the energy from the ones who had just died. The orb slowly got bigger and bigger as time went on. Alexander watched as the enemy set up their all-out assault, starting with the seal. He knew what they were doing and decided to humor the youngins. He swung his arm at the fast lightning spirit master gauging his movement pattern with a few wild swings. Each one missed, but it showed the enemy''s attack patterns and reaction speed. Best to save that knowledge for when it mattered. Soon after, a dagger flew towards his eye with precision, aiming for what would typically be a blindspot. The bear tried to move out of the way. When he noticed that his body was being squeezed in place. Alexander braced himself, and when the dagger was close enough, he knocked it out of the sky with a headbutt. Alexander noticed the glaive rapidly gaining momentum and the bee buzzing around his body. This was the time to act. He used his strength to rapidly overwhelm the grasping arms before he swatted the lightning spirit master through the piercing glaive weakening the impact and slaying the owner''s ally. The young spirit master looked at the falling corpse in shock for a moment before he tried to call it back. He only received pain as the bear snapped his spirit in half like a twig. He fell forward, coughing blood before the two experts were absorbed into the evergrowing orb of now purple flames. "You guys just kill each other, huh!" Alexander laughed as the titanic bear nimbly dodged a flurry of flying daggers. The elderly women let the daggers dissipate into mana before summoning a bow made from a silver light. Then, she pulled back and charged another shot as the armless mystic tried to restrain him again. Alexander took this opportunity to begin making his way forward, shrugging off the flurry of invisible arms. Crushing soldiers and abandoned homes with his strides. The earth shook under his power, and fissures became known. The elderly woman fired her arrow at the monster piercing the sky with a whistle. A black line trailed where the attack passed. Alexander sweated it out of the sky like a bug. "How the hell is that fair!" The elderly woman yelled. "It isn''t, what does one need to eat to get that strong." The deranged pyromancer continued to absorb fire for his attack before it became unstable. He fired it towards the sky, and purple and black rain pelted Limguard from above. "Genocide rain!" The rain of fire became heavier and heavier, turning the entire city purple and engulfing the entirety of Alexander. The smell of burnt flesh and brimstone was overwhelming to the soldiers lucky enough to have been far away from the blast, and a few minutes of silence passed. "Did I get him? I think I killed him! Nobody should be able to survive an attack like that." The elderly woman fired another silver arrow into the flames, but it seemed to dissipate when it hit the fire. "I can''t tell. My arrow can''t pass through." The elderly man continued chanting his spell, repeating it over and over, his body beginning to crack like pottery. Mana flowed out of said cracks powering the magic circle under him. After another minute of waiting, the pyromancer decided that it was time to finish the spell. "Hellfire Conflagration!" The purple fire exploded outwards, creating an almost empty pit where the city used to be. In the middle stood a colossal bear that seemed to have even grown in size and strength. Yet, no sign of damage seemed to have been done to the bear. "You must have forgotten your basics, demon bear, immune to fire from creatures of a lower mana quality. Plus you turned all that fire into an area based attack on a grand scale. Had it been focused on just me, then it might have stung a little." The bear scolded the pyromancer. "Well. Limguard is thoroughly destroyed. I''m getting out of here!" his body began to turn into smoke when a spectral arm latched onto him. "You know what we do to deserters right?" The armless hydra told the fleeing pyromancer. Alexander grew tired of his prey killing each other, so he flicked in the general direction of the hydra. The power created a shockwave that turned them into a pulp near instantly. "Go and tell your boss I''m waiting!" "Are we but flies to him?" The elderly woman sighed as those who could talk were either dead or gone. Alexander took a moment to sit down and close his eyes as though he was concentrating on something. The old man finished his chant. "You''re going to have to restrain him." The first new words he has said in ages. The elderly women let the bow disappear, "Oh divine light, I call upon thee to restrain this baleful entity!" chains of white light constricted around Alexander. The bear did not bother budging, nor did he consider resisting. A circle of chains appeared below, and magic flowed into the bear before it shattered. The old man began to turn into dust." So, you''re already dying, huh. This whole effort was a waste." The old spirit master was no more as all that remained was an empty cloak and rod. Alexander broke out of the chains of light with brute strength, which resulted in the elderly women''s spirit is broken. "This whole battle was a waste." Alexander took a deep breath before letting out a breath of pure spiritual energy. Slaying the remaining soldiers. "They can have the capital, though nothing is left of it now." The great red bear collapsed. "Take my core for that is all I am." The body faded into pure mana leaving behind a black and red spirit core that was swept off the battlefield by a blue tentacle. Chapter 27 Spirit cores Kyrion¡¯s core appeared like a seed about to germinate, roots peaking out as mana of a high quality slowly seeped out in a pale green mist. Resting around the center was a small silver fox and a young goose who seemed to be absorbing it. From Jala, the mixture of pink and silver mist left her and entered his center, while Issac produced a deep blue mist. What the creatures didn¡¯t absorb flowed into him at a similar rate as the other two. Kyrion could feel that it would take around two months before his core was full enough for rank four. He searched for the consciousness of the odd creature bumming around in there. What was their name again? Cy, Psychic, no¡­. ¡°Hey, Psycho!¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice echoed through his center, creating a ripple in the hazy environment ¡°Cycle!¡± It yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not the psychopath here!¡± ¡°What does that even mean?!¡± Kyrion yelled back. ¡°What do you want!?¡± The voice seemed to get closer ¡°Why are we yelling!¡± Kyrion yelled back. ¡°You started this.¡± Psycho took a deep breath despite not being real. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to be traveling with my master to get my affinities tested. What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Oh? Where is he going?¡± ¡°To the Chroniclers, or something.¡± ¡°I can tell you those quite easily. I would keep them a secret.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but then I wouldn¡¯t get to go on my adventure.¡± ¡°Adventure?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you hear everything I do?¡± ¡°No. I can¡¯t do that until I¡¯m unsealed.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that my family would be in danger twelve years from now? The kingdom was attacked by an army from the south and I hear that the outer farms were the first to be razed. That isn¡¯t supposed to happen right?¡± Kyrions voice quivered a bit as he asked the question. ¡°Attacked you say. That is very wrong. Something changed, something big. Kyrion, it looks like the info I had on the future is now obsolete if there is someone causing waves.Keep an eye out for anything suspicious as you go forward.¡± ¡°Is my family dead?¡± Kyrion asked. The worry he had been carrying all day starting to show. ¡°I don¡¯t know, though I highly doubt they would go down easily. Was your brother at home when you left for training?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well I¡¯ll tell you about your afinintes along with their quality.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice seemed to be on the brink of breaking. ¡°Affinities have three inate qualities; Control, Intensity, and Polarity. Control is how well you can manipulate the element, Intensity would be how much power you can produce with said element. Polarity is the nature of the ability, positive means it¡¯s capable of healing and protection while negative means it can only be used to disrupt. Neutral is the rare in between that can do both. Your abilities fall into the neutral category which account for lots of flexibility in your growth though you may never out damage a pure negative polarized warrior, nor would you out heal a fully positive polarized healer.¡± Kyrion scratched the back of his head, finding himself back in the real world, where Nico was lecturing the others on the various effects of fire. A tear had made its way down his cheek. ¡°You see fire can also heal though and promote growth when applied¡­You alright there Kyrion?¡± ¡±Yeah, my eyes felt a bit dry for a second. Just going to close them for a minute.¡± Kyrion quickly reentered his center and found Psycho waiting for him ¡°You¡¯re back! Now where was I? From the one you call Jala: Wind, Control Average, Intensity, High, Polarity Neutral. Space, Control weak, Intensity weak, polarity Neutral.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Space?¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°Its one of the higher affinities that tend to come along with abilities that have to do with creating something out of nothing, breaking the laws of conservation of mass or creating extradimensional spaces or transferring different planes. Your fruit ability, the reason you can only make so many is because that¡¯s how many have had time to grow and then be stored where you can reach them.¡± ¡°That makes a bit more sense. No wonder I didn¡¯t feel drained when I pulled them out.¡± Kyrion said with astonishment on his face. ¡°With the right core it could become powerful¡­Oh well, as for Issac, Water: Control High: Intensity Medium, Polarity Neutral. Beauty, Control Average, Intensity High, Polarity Neutral.¡± ¡°Beauty!?¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°How is that even an affinity? Can I trade it for something useful?¡± ¡°Sadly no, well you were a bit hard to look at previously so this helps quite a bit?¡± ¡°Your saying I would be ugly without it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m saying you had to go around in a mask for a good portion of your adult life. Don¡¯t discount beauty. This puts you around average in terms of appearance, it improves the purity of your mana along with increases your innate balance.¡± ¡°So it is useful. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t been tripping as much¡­ wait no I did it earlier¡± Kyrion felt as though Issac wasn¡¯t the only vain spirit in his body anymore. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Psycho moved on. ¡°Next is the seed, that you haven¡¯t named as of yet. I don¡¯t know what that plant is yet, as it seems to die and start over multiple times, but I do know it¡¯s some sort of tree. Currently, it gives the plant affinity, Control high, Intensity high, polarity neutral. Along with Life, Control low, Intensity high, polarity neutral.¡± ¡°I could make a super farmer with those affinities.¡± Kyrion muttered in disbelief. ¡°Or a healer, warrior or some sort of hybrid.¡± ¡°All that work and all I get is a better plant growing ability than my siblings.¡± Psycho looked at Kyrion with an odd look. At least Kyrion assumed it did, from within the faceless hood. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. Well you should at least have some time to think to yourself before going on your little adventure.¡± Psycho told him. ¡°Thanks Psycho!¡± Kyrion waved goodbye. ¡°My name is not¡­.¡± Kyrion left his center. leaving Psycho alone to think on a few things.¡± So many changes, it isn¡¯t right. Maybe it¡¯s better this way.¡±
¡°Without Oxygen a fire can not burn, though mana can compensate, the drain is exponential therefore I recommend not using fire in a vacuum, but instead find another way around it.¡± Kyrion stood up and stretched. ¡°Nico I¡¯m going to go research spirit cores and by research, I mean pick the ones that sound cool. May I be excused?¡± ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Nico replied. ¡°No, I¡¯m sure the others have a lot to learn about fire and stuff. Most of my stuff just puts it out.¡± ¡°May I be excused as well? My ability is ice, there is no overlap.¡± Kiara tried to join in. Damian stayed silent, looking at Nico with a blank expression as though he was paying very close attention. Noah took notes while Everest was working on a scarf under the table. Asela and Wura were the only other two who didn¡¯t seem lost. ¡°Well so long as you¡¯re studying then I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Nico eyed the two leaving the lecture. The latter spoke first as Kyrion and Kiara made it out of earshot. ¡°Thanks for finding an opening in the conversation, I can¡¯t do much with knowledge of fire other than smother it.¡± ¡°Nico can be a bit enthusiastic about what he likes to talk about. I learned a long time ago how to deal with said spontaneous lectures, the main method being redirection. I also heard this exact lecture before, but it seems Asela and Noah haven¡¯t gotten it yet. They should have since pyro¡¯s odd.¡± Kyrion thought for a moment. ¡°Well I really do need to look at spirit cores and then talk to my master.¡± ¡°Mine will be an Ice serpent. It should provide me with some endurance along with ice that slows and weakens enemies struck by my ice attacks.¡± ¡°I see. You must have a lot of this figured out.¡± ¡°My family has been going over what, spirit cores, I should take from before I was even born.¡± ¡°Before they knew what you would get?¡± ¡°There was a high chance I would get an ice based ability, though the one I have is mainly utility for now and didn¡¯t give many any defensive powers.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just make Ice armor then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the mana for that yet. At this rank it would just melt.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kyrion stood outside the library for the second time today. ¡°Well I¡¯m here now. Just going to start doing some boring research, feel free to go do whatever.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay, so you can bounce abilities off of me.¡± ¡°Fine with me.¡± Kyrion entered the library. Kyrion looked around the study room, soft bean chairs in the center. Shelves of books blanketed the walls. A single chalkboard was in front of a table paired with wooden chairs. ¡°Lets see, for cores Nico told me to use Horgash¡¯s core for dwarves. What¡¯s a dwarf?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a race. Never met any though.¡± ¡°A race? Like how Wura is a half-orc?¡± ¡°Yes there are races other than humans and orcs. I hear that there are elves somewhere on the continent though they tend to be very secretive.¡± ¡°Got it. There are dwarves out there somewhere and I just got to find them.¡± ¡°Need anything else here?¡± ¡°Quite a few books actually I¡¯m going to be here for a while.¡± Kyrion had gone through quite a few books as hours passed. Kiara left exhausted from the long day. moving on to the wind. ¡°Tomorrow will be a busy day¡­ Must not sleep now.¡± He read through the list of wind elemental cores that he liked. Boom Ferret: A fast creature that can move at speeds so fast that a booming echo is all that¡¯s left behind. When used as a core, the Intensity of the spirit masters wind abilities grow exponentially. Most spirit masters with this core have reported a boost in running speed as well. Teveran Devil: A doglike marsupial that defends its territory by rapidly spinning in circles, forming localized twisters. Those who use this core have reported more efficiently controlling the wind close to their body. Wind Fairy: A tiny insect-like creature, very reclusive. Some reports say that they look like tiny humans. They are experts in illusion magic and can heal with wind magic. Unfortunately, their cores rarely make it to an open market due to their exclusiveness. Sky Drake: A lesser sky dragon that is known for its ability to fly and breathe lightning. Their cores allow the wielder to gain access to the higher lightning affinity if their wind affinity is high enough. If not, it raises wind affinity by a few degrees of power. These cores are popular for budding wind spirit masters. Kyrion reviewed his four selections for a wind-based core before deciding that it would be best if he consulted his master.
Master Gan was found sitting around a table with three other teachers, playing some kind of card game. Kyrion approached the table with determination in his eyes. ¡°Master Gan! I need to speak to you.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Can it wait? I have a really good hand.¡± Master Gan said more to the other players than to Kyrio ¡°Urgent!¡± Kyrion yelled. ¡°More important than some card game.¡± The other players did not take the bluff. ¡°Sigh. Fine I¡¯ll fold then. I need to step away for a minute,¡± Master Gan followed the boy back to the room Kyrion had been using in the library. Quite a few books were sprawled about. Some footprints could be seen on the bookshelves as well. As though someone climbed them, like a mountain. Master Gan looked around the room, not noticing a ladder or other device capable of getting to the higher shelves, and sighed inwardly. ¡°A kids gotta do what a kids gotta do, I guess.¡± ¡°Exactly. I managed to figure out my affinities so now I need help picking out cores.¡± ¡°You figured out your afinites? How?¡± ¡°You could say I asked my spirits.¡± ¡°Well that saves some time. How any do you need exactly? I know you have multiple spirits but with one core per spirit how many do we need to hunt?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Your speech, abilities, and innate mana capacity. Growing flowers and cutting things with wind don¡¯t overlap much.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kyrion made a mental note to be more careful with his words. ¡°I have three.¡± ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all. Now your affinities.¡± ¡°Wind, Space, Water, Beauty, Plants, and Life.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Beauty¡­I don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Kyrion protested. ¡°Space may be useful to you in the future though going by your list, attacking is your priority. You don¡¯t need more attacks, you need some good ole fashioned utility.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any attacks.¡± Kyrion told him. ¡°Of course you do. Basic elemental Control can be fine tuned towards attacking, if it helps I¡¯ll allow you to pick up some of those attack increasing cores when you¡¯re in the practitioner rank. The fairy is a bad choice for you, since you don¡¯t have an illusion affinity, you would only get half the potential out of it.¡± ¡°So I need something that combines the two, Space and wind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I think I can get a core for that one pretty easily.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Space rare?¡± ¡°To have yes. To find? Depending on what you¡¯re looking for, I happen to know of a Space wind core that tends to go overlooked due to a lack of people capable of using them to their fullest. A bag gremlin would suit you perfectly.¡± ¡°Bag gremlin. Is it strong?¡± ¡°Nope. Though you will thank me later. For water and beauty, how about a lotus of longevity. It should give you a way to cure diseases and other ailments of the body, along with providing you with a longer lifespan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I already get a longer lifespan?¡± ¡°It increases your youth, allowing you to benefit from the perks of being a young spirit master quite a bit longer than most.¡± ¡°Do I want that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes you should.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for me though it seems like it falls into the plant category.¡± ¡°It actually touches on all four while only taking up a single core. Though it won¡¯t make you hit harder in the long run.¡± ¡°Ok plants and life, what do you have for me?¡± ¡°You said you wanted a powerful attack. This one would probably be a core from a steelbox tree, with it you should be able to create fruits that detonate when triggered, spreading a hundred or so needle-like seeds which will grow into trees when given the mana. You could potentially clear out a battlefield with an army of exploding invasive trees. It¡¯s only limit is your mana, the stronger you get the stronger they get.¡± ¡°A super attack! I want it.¡± ¡°Yeah I¡¯m sure you do. Know this however never use this ability in a tournament of any kind until you have full Control over it. Because the explosions could catch you along with the crowd judges and ect. It is literally a last resort ability.¡± ¡°Great. I think that¡¯s all my spirits, going to bed now. It¡¯s been a long day¡± Kyrion climbed into a comfy-looking bean chair, and everything faded to black. Chapter 28 Aselas Birthday Kyrion and his friends were parked outside one of the rooms early in the morning, each child carrying their own wrapped parcels. Cheery grins were plastered on their faces. Kyrion Knocked on the door before taking his position on the far left side, and they waited. A minute passed, and he repeated the Knock before retaking his spot. A yawn could be heard. ¡°Gimme a minute!¡± Said a high-pitched voice. Before a soft pitter-patter could be heard approaching the door. The door opened to a squinting Asela, who seemed to be half asleep. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Happy Birthday!!!¡± They all said together. ¡°What? Whaaat?!¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widened as she began to rapidly wake up. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Today is your day so what do you want to do?¡± Kyrion asked his sister. ¡°Ummm¡­ I don¡¯t know? We aren¡¯t in the same place now.¡± ¡°Everest, do you know the city outside?¡± Kyrion asked Everest. ¡°I say we go get a teacher first. It¡¯s dangerous to wander around in this country, those who became spirit masters are of relatively great power here. After that, there is a traveling Carnival, this country has quite a few attractions but I feel most of us are either too young or broke to participate.¡± ¡°Too young for what exactly?¡± ¡°Fighting in one of the various blood sports, gambeling, other things?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Auctions houses, dungeons, contract work. There are a few parks, not fun parks though. More places with big grass patches.¡± ¡°Breakfast, then carnival, then back here for presents, lunch and cake.¡± ¡°Cake?¡± Kyrion asked, a bead of sweat going down his forehead. ¡°Cake.¡± Asela looked at her brother. ¡°You do have a cake right?¡± ¡°Sure do! We¡¯ll be waiting in the breakfast area then. Come down when you¡¯re ready and we can start.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Asela closed the doors. ¡°How did you forget the cake?¡± Nico chided. ¡°I forgot it seems. Presents took priority on my end and I hadn¡¯t had cake until we got to Limguard.¡± ¡°No cake? What do you have on your birthday?¡± ¡°Some sort of loaf of bread with pieces of fruit and other things in it. Never liked it, was murder on my poor little tongue.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°My mom can¡¯t cook. My sisters seemed to have figured something out. Cake must have been hard to make.¡± Wura nodded in understanding. ¡°As someone without the gift of cooking I can understand the pain.¡± ¡°My ma, can cook just fine. Makes the best smothered steak I¡¯ve ever tasted.¡± Noah was confused. ¡°She isn¡¯t a chef but it¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Both of my parents are what you would call Pescatarians. Only fish, vegetables, and fruit. It¡¯s a balanced diet. They were also a bit, health nuts, so no cake for me growing up.¡± Nico looked at Damian, pity in his eyes. ¡°Ability to cook seems to inversely apply to how effective some people are in a fight.¡± Kiara looked at the others. ¡°We need to go find a cake real quick. One group will find a teacher while another will go find a cake.¡± The group split. Kyrion, Nico, and Damian made up team one, while Kiara, Noah, and Wura, made up team two. Everest was tasked with keeping Asela busy, and he plotted while the others rushed. After an hour and a half of labor, both groups had made their way to the cafeteria. Master Gan ended up becoming the group¡¯s chaperone while the rushed cake was made to look pretty good. Though Noah Wura and Kiara looked as though they were covered in some sort of white powder. Their clothes were bedraggled, and Kiara had burn marks on her sleeves. ¡°You did get a cake! So what do we do now?¡± Kyrion¡¯s stomach growled, vibrations shaking the utensils on the table. ¡°Breakfast.¡± Asela looked towards her older brother. ¡°Fine. Eat. I¡¯ll just wait another whole year for my next birthday.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take that long.¡± Kyrion stacked three breakfast sandwiches on top of each other before smushing them down a bit before consuming them. He repeated the process a good five more times before he felt satisfied. The others watched as Kyrion the All-Consuming devoured tasteless, soggy egg and sausage sandwiches. ¡°He makes them look better than they are.¡± Nico sat a half-eaten sandwich on a plate. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kiara pushed a plate away. Damian stoically ate a sandwich, a single tear going down his face. Kyrion patted his stomach a few times before he stretched. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m ready.¡±
The group made it back from their exciting day of adventure and exploration. Only to find that their cake was gone. ¡°My cake! Someone stole my cake!¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ Who could be so heartless?¡± Master Gan said in a monotone as he looked at a fanciful envelope on the table. Nico pointed at the envelope moments later. ¡°It must be a clue!¡± Asela read the note aloud. ¡°Sorry to inform you that this cake has been disposed of for hazardous content. A kid who will not be named tasted it and had to be treated for poisoning. There is another cake located in the eastern auditorium prepped for your consumption. XOXO -C.¡± ¡°What does XOXO mean?¡± Noah asked. ¡°It could be some sort of code. Does anyone know of a C?¡± Nico looked around. ¡°Could it be a name?¡± Kiara chimed in. ¡°That would be too easy. Who names themselves C.¡± Damian stated. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion stroked an imaginary beard. ¡°What do you see dear brother?¡± Asela looked at her brother in suspicion. Kyrion looked towards Gan, the chaperon. ¡°A note. Maybe we should go find this place and ask them. Master Gan, as our guide, lead the way!¡± Gan shrugged. ¡°Follow me then.¡± After a few minutes of following, the group arrived outside the ballroom. Giant colorful bubble-like orbs floated around the entrance. Music seemed to be coming from inside the room, while streamers and other decorations made it clear that this must have been some sort of trap. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°They must be holding the cake at knife point. Asela we¡¯ll go in first, count to one hundred and then follow in after ok?¡± ¡°Why Its my birthday? I should be fighting the hardest for my cake.¡± ¡°On your birthday you¡¯re a princess. That¡¯s what mom says right? No chores on birthdays. Going in to get your cake is a chore and you are?¡± ¡°A princess today! Noah, grab me a chair.¡± She said to the older boy. Noah stood there in confusion for a second, looking at Kyrion, who mouthed the words play along. ¡°Yes, your highness? Majesty?¡± Noah grabbed a chair and brought it to Asela. For him, it was a regular chair. To her, it was one of the big kid chairs. Asela examined the chair that was a bit larger than the ones she was used to. Sadly it was higher than her waist. ¡°Help me in.¡± Noah hid a chuckle as he lifted her into the chair.¡± Anything else your highness?¡± ¡°That will be all. All the power and the world and I still can¡¯t reach the top shelf.¡± Asela muttered to herself. ¡°I think it has something to do with age.¡± Nico started. ¡°Kyrion is taller than you because he¡¯s older.¡± ¡°Thats not how it works. We were the same height until he cheated!¡± Asela stated. Kyrion slipped into the room along with Everest, Damian, and Master Gan. ¡°What did you mean by cheated?¡± Nico looked to where Kyrion was standing a minute ago. ¡°When did Kyrion get so sneaky?¡± Noah asked. ¡°They just walked through the door. Nothing stealthy about it. You all just weren¡¯t paying attention.¡± ¡°And someone must have been paying too much attention.¡± Wura entered the room as well. ¡°Oh yeah. You all go find the scout while I count to a hundred.¡± Asela started counting. The others soon followed behind while Asela counted aloud. The ballroom was filled with more bubbles, which seemed to glow various colors. The cake sat alone on a table surrounded by some wrapped boxes. The music seemed to be being played by a blue-haired man, wearing a black mask with an absurdly long mask that hid everything above the nose. A headdress clad in colorful feathers covered his head. Two hands were used to play the violin while the piano in front seemed to be playing itself. ¡°Where can I learn that trick?¡± Everest looked at the person in interest. ¡°So it is you.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°So you did know them. Are you in on this?¡± Master Gan crossed his arms. ¡°Who knows. My plans shattered when we ended up over here.¡± Kyrion stated matter of factly. The group made their way to the Musician. ¡°Charles. What are you doing? Did anyone else come along?¡± ¡°Ah, young master Kyrion. Well I guess you¡¯re just Kyrion now aren¡¯t you.¡± Charles stated. ¡°Didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°And you have gotten sharper. What are they teaching you at that school?¡± Kyrion gave Charles a stern look.¡± I¡¯m not getting an answer today, am I.¡± ¡°You even know when to fold.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take credit for that. You¡¯d hardly guess he was raised on a farm.¡± ¡°Kyrion I heard that there is a large tangerine tree in the garden here.¡± A bead of sweat slowly began to pool on his forehead.¡± That is good to know. Gardens are relaxing.¡± ¡°I mean its really big. I¡¯m sure the best fruits are at the top and no one would care if they went missing. Since they are really high up, an expert climber could get there pretty easily.¡± Kyrion¡¯s foot began to face the door as his body moved before his brain could tell it not to. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°Eighty -Eight!¡± Asela yelled from outside. ¡°Do you need to hide?¡± Master Gan sat down in a chair. ¡°We have a good half a minute until Asela finishes counting. Everyone hide!¡± The people who entered much later had finally heard the command and hid behind various tables, chairs, and decorations. Fog Filled the ballroom covering everything. Asela made it to a hundred and hit the doors to throw them open. They moved a few inches, and fog rapidly rolled out. ¡°Eeek!¡± She jumped back in surprise. Asela waited a minute before she decided to push one of the two doors open with both hands. She then entered the misty room and wandered about. Headed in the direction of the music. The fog faded utterly after arriving in what would probably be the center. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± Everyone cheered. Well, everyone except Master Gan, who was drinking a purple liquid from a fancy glass. ¡°My cake! And presents!¡± Ashley ran towards the cake in a hurry.¡± Its so pretty!¡± ¡°It is a decent cake.¡± Wura muttered. ¡°Not better than the one we made but it should suffice.¡± ¡°This was actually made by your father.¡± Charles stated aloud. ¡°And no he couldn¡¯t make it.¡± ¡°Charles!¡± Asela turned away from the cake and ran towards the butler. ¡°Where¡¯s grandpa?¡± Kyrion noticed it, a sad expression on the butler¡¯s face. ¡°He wasn¡¯t fit enough to make the trip.¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s old?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Something like that. Anyhow, presents and cake time!¡± Asela ran over to the biggest present in the ballroom; it was around her height in size and seemed pretty heavy. She ripped off the paper, revealing a wooden box. She incarcerated the box in irritation, showing two gauntlets, a breastplate, and greeves, colored crimson in color with a flame-based aesthetic. ¡°Uhhh¡­ It¡¯s too big. I can¡¯t wear it.¡± Asela stated, a little distraught. ¡°It¡¯s runed. Invest some of your mana into it and it will bind to you permanently. Adjusting to fit your size. Its Spirit Armor, as you get stronger so will it, and you can even upgrade it when you reach a new rank. Though enchantments like that tend to require lots of materials to do so. Right now I should protect you from most mundane dangers, and fire up to the practitioner rank. I even supplied the basic materials for your first upgrade. I¡¯m not good enough to do that upgrade yet.¡± Noah explained his gift. Asela invested mana into the armor and began to put it on over her clothes as it resized to fit her. ¡°I like this. I feel like a fiery knight of justice!¡± Asela posed in the fancy armor, a ball of fire shooting from her hand. ¡°Huh. Noah, I think you outdone everyone here.¡± Kyrion pats his friend on the shoulder. ¡°You said you wanted something to protect your sister, honestly the experience helped quite a bit. It works the way my armor does when it grows to fit my new size.¡± Nico¡¯s gift was next. It was a heavy book clad with a red and black cover. ¡°What is this?¡± Asela asked, looking for a title. ¡°Its a book on Wards, Runes and other spell structures. You have great control so this should come easier for you.¡± ¡°I see. I will read this one day.¡± Asela sat the heavy book back down. She seemed thankful for the gift, but it wasn¡¯t exciting as a magical suit of armor as a young child. She moved on to the third gift, which seemed to be a fancy bottle of perfume. Which was given to her by Kiara. ¡°Smells good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a popular fragrance back home.¡± Kiara told her. ¡°Makes no sense to me.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. Kyrion looked to Damian, whose gift was next. Asela opened up the small box that contained a small figurine that resembled a cat with nine tails, a collar around its neck connected to a silver chain. ¡°.What is this?¡± Asela asked, looking at it with curiosity. ¡°There is a story that my mom used to sing about, it involved a nine tailed cat. It was extraordinarily lucky. The item is a good luck charm.¡± Damian took a step back to let her examine the gift. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll keep it on me at all times.¡± Asela told the boy politely. Asela opened the last box on the table. It contained a box of chocolates. ¡°One of my brothers is a maker of spirit candies. Those chocolates are capable of refilling your mana pool in a pinch and taste good too.¡± Asela started drooling a bit. Wondering if she should eat candy now before remembering that there was still a cake left. She then looked to her brother and then Everest. ¡°Oh. Forgot to put mine on the table.¡± Everest walked to another table, picked up a gift-wrapped item, and handed it to Asela. She opened it revealing three outfits. ¡°Oooo. Are these made from good stuff?¡± ¡°Yes yes they are. Very practical and in my opinion very stylish.¡± Everest said smugly. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to use these in combat.¡± Asela said. ¡°I see.¡± Everest took a seat. Kyrion produced a potted plant. ¡°This holds something called a Teleflower. When it fully blooms you should be able to communicate with anyone who has a seed from the same flower. They are really easy to raise and require minimum water and sunlight if fed mana. They would have been fully grown already but it seems my mana isn¡¯t working right at the moment.¡± ¡°If it works as you say then its the best present ever. Who has the other seeds? I have one and you can hand out the rest.¡± Kyrion handed her a bag of seeds. Asela went around and passed one to everyone in the ballroom except Master Gan. ¡°I don¡¯t really know you.¡± ¡°That is pretty fair. I am here as a chaperone anyway.¡± Master Gan wiped away an imaginary tear. ¡°Young master Asela, your grandfather tasked me with watching over you for the the immediate future. I do have gifts for both of you however.¡± Charles produced a small sword and scabbard and handed it to Asela. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use a sword.¡± Asela said.¡± What even is it.¡± ¡°Its a cutlass that used to belong to your mother. Before that it was your grandfathers signature weapon. I hope to help train you in the off time.¡± ¡°But I already have a weapon.¡± ¡°The wooden one that you don¡¯t have on you at the moment? Did you train with it after the first few weeks?¡± ¡°No.¡± She sighs. ¡°Well I¡¯ll make sure you can use this one properly in the near future should you need it.¡± Charles moved on to hand Kyrion a small box. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t need it but chances are you will one day.¡± Kyrion opened the small box revealing an eyepatch and a small orb. ¡°Why? What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an eyepatch and a spirit core. The eyepatch belonged to your grandfather. It has a legacy per say.¡± ¡°I really hope I won¡¯t need it. But why is this spirit core here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a replacement for said lost eye. It can become a spirit limb. In this situation it would replace one eye but alter both, as well as grant you another spirit. Though this spirit isn¡¯t capable of using cores until you surpass the rank of the creature it belonged to.¡± ¡°I really hope I don¡¯t need to use this.¡± Kyrion looked around, a bit paranoid. ¡°It would be a failure on my part if you do.¡± Master Gan told the boy. ¡°Though better to have and not need than need and not have.¡± Charles nodded along before breaking out a cake-cutting knife.¡± Now who wants cake!¡± The room grew happier after the cake was mentioned and the party truly began. Chapter 29 Departure Kyrion was dressed in traveling clothes with a large bag that could easily be around four times his size. Yet the boy held it with no problem whatsoever. Though Irritation was evident on his face. He looked at his master, who had almost nothing on his person, aside from light clothes and a cane. Kyrion looked at his group. ¡°Well this is it. I don¡¯t know If I¡¯ll see any of you again, so I¡¯ll say this now, while I have gotten hurt a bit these months have been the most fun I¡¯ve had in my life. So I¡¯d like to say thank you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Damian motioned to everyone. ¡°We¡¯re here because we want to be.¡± Many nods from everyone save an awkward pair that wasn¡¯t at the party the day before. Ander stood next to another boy who seemed strangely thin and sickly, confined to a chair with wheels. ¡°I¡¯m not excited. It¡¯s before dawn and this place doesn¡¯t have ramps for this thing. I don¡¯t like being carried like some baby.¡± Brion muttered bitterly. Ander poked Brion in the leg.¡±Be nice.¡± ¡°Very funny.¡± Brion gave him a blank look. ¡°I know I¡¯ll be out of this thing when the implant is added, but it still sucks not being able to feel my legs.¡± ¡°What, did happen? Ever since your injury you¡¯ve been with the medics.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I beat that kid Edwin in battle, but he managed to stab me in the back when I was walking away from him. Turns out he used some sort of runed item that did damage to my core and I blacked out. Had I not been in great health thanks to your healing, chances are I wouldn¡¯t have made it.¡± Brion scowled. ¡°Was he unconscious? Or should he have been?¡± Kyrion ¡°Yes, his breathing slowed and everything. He wasn¡¯t much for durability.Or at least I didn¡¯t think he was.¡± ¡°So he played possum with you as well.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin in thought. ¡°What¡¯s a possum?¡± Brion seemed concerned. ¡°A possum is a rodent that likes to pretend its dead when it senses danger. But thats not important, on another note did he tell you anything about his master. And do you know who Lisa is?¡± ¡°Lisa?¡± ¡°Yes there was a girl with Edwin. She used these black flames to fight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember black flames, she may have been hidden when I fought their team.¡± ¡°Wura can you help me describe her? You did fight her after all.¡± ¡°Kyrion, I didn¡¯t fight anyone, when you were fighting Edwin I was knocked unconscious for some reason. He was alone from what I remember.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Kyrion was aghast and was about to explode when a hand touched his shoulder. ¡°Kyrion, we should head out. You can talk to them at length later. But, Ander, tell your brother not to ready Kyrion¡¯s room early. I will not have a student of mine be known for their punctuality.¡± ¡°Someone isn¡¯t going to like that very much. What should I tell them?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m giving them first hand life experience along with getting him to the cusp of the practitioner rank. I may even find another disciple along the way as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really digging it deep aren¡¯t you.¡± Ander crossed his arms. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up so that we can be late quicker.¡± Master Gan started walking at a brisk pace. ¡°Wait! That makes no sense.¡± Kyrion ran behind his master. ¡°Bye Kyrion. I wish you well!¡± Asela yelled as they left the campus. Brion and Ander also left the scene. This is because their business concluded, and since they really didn¡¯t know anyone else there.
¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t get to. Say. anything¡­ and they¡¯re gone¡± Nico watched as they took off. Master Gan walked at a pace that made Kyrion¡¯s current sprinting seem slow. Although the pair were near the horizon at this point. Everest put a hand on Nico¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get another chance to tell him how you feel.¡± Nico strangely began to turn red in anger as fire danced around their fingers. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ah I must be wrong, Princess Nicole Aridella Invan.¡± Everest smirked. ¡°W-w-what are you talking about?¡± Nico said as the fire grew dangerously big. Asela seemed shocked, not at the realization but at Everest. On the other hand, Damian helped direct everyone else out of the blast radius. ¡°You¡¯re really not helping your case. Kyrion really wouldn¡¯t want to hear that you barbecued me in anger. It would complicate the friendship.¡± Everest took a few steps back. Nico saw reason and dismissed the fire. ¡°Fine, what led you to believe that I¡¯m some princess from another country.¡± ¡°Your name is in the do not kill book along with a brief description of your appearance among other things.¡± ¡°Do not kill book. What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a book with a brief list of royals who we are to not kill no matter how high the reward is. Usually because the Kings are likely able to out pay the contractor or destroy our organizations with ease. Even then, I didn¡¯t know for sure until I saw the paper birds during our test. While the scouting birds of Ivan aren¡¯t well known, I was trained to spot certain things.¡± ¡°Do the rulers know of this, do not kill book?¡± ¡°Know, they help add into it though proxy of course. Normally it¡¯s a trusted spymaster that visits to do so.¡± ¡°They just let them go around killing people?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually a legal occupation in most countries. Many people need an assassin, it¡¯s a necessary service. Sometimes we even work as detectives of sorts, tailing and gathering information.¡± ¡°Everest right?¡± Charles looked at the boy. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t go around telling people about your occupation. You never know when there are listening ears at your rank. Though you don¡¯t have to listen to me. I am just a butler after all.¡± Everest had forgotten the butler¡¯s presence here, which was unlike him. He looked hard at him and gauged him. ¡°Just a butler, my¡­.¡± ¡°Watch your mouth, we aren¡¯t sailors.¡± Charles squinted his eyes. Kirara looked at the butler for a long hard second. ¡°I will stay out of this conversation.¡± ¡°Being a sailor sounds fun. Though I want my own ship someday. I want to be a pirate like my dad!¡± Asela spouted. ¡°But your dad¡¯s a farmer.¡± Noah told her. ¡°No. He¡¯s a pirate, though I haven¡¯t seen him since I was really little.¡± Asela replied. ¡°Kyrion said that his dad was a farmer.¡± ¡°Bill is a farmer.¡± Asela told him. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°So you have a different dad.¡± Noah was putting pieces together. ¡°And mom.¡± Asela added ¡°So you were adopted.¡± Noah stated. ¡°No. Yes. Maybe¡­ Mrs.Mosley couldn¡¯t have any more children after Kyrion was born. Her brother¡¯s son, my dad, decided that he wasn¡¯t fit to raise a baby at sea so he left me there to be raised.¡± ¡°Then why do you call him brother?¡± ¡°Kyrion was a bit slow, I showed up when he was 3 and his parents told him that there is a mythical bird called a stork that brings babies to your doorstep. Then Jr. came home with his daughter and Kyrion assumed that Ilanda was another child brought by the stork.¡± ¡°Has he been given the talk yet?¡± Noah scrunched his eyebrows. ¡°What talk?¡± Damian jumped in. ¡°So Kyrion thinks that you¡¯re his sister and treats you as such, and in-kind you treat him as an older brother.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nico looked at Asela.¡± So Kyrion doesn¡¯t know where babies come from.¡± ¡°Correct, I know, but if you would like to remind us, that would be great.¡± Asela told Nico unconvincingly. ¡°So you weren¡¯t told yet either.¡± ¡°For a while I thought that their ilk just crawled out of the sea somewhere.¡± Charles said sagely. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Do you like tangerines as well Asela?¡± ¡°Why? Do you have one on you?¡± ¡°There is a tree somewhere in the garden. I¡¯ll lead you there, mistress.¡± Charles headed towards the garden. Nico and Asela took the cue to follow behind. Everest was going over the conversation they just had and got the feeling he missed out on something for some reason. The group dispersed for the last time, unable to be entirely whole now that one of them was gone.
Master Gan and Kyrion made it a good 20 miles before making it to a dirt road. Kyrion was drenched in sweat and felt exhausted while Master Gan seemed perfectly fine. He began to shrink in size. Changing into the old man he first met in the nurse¡¯s office, exhaustion could be seen on his face, though to Kyrion, it was obviously faked. ¡°Sit here and play along. You are a student training to become a merchant, we had to travel on foot with you carrying all our wares after our horse died and we had to leave it behind. If they ask you anything else, tell the truth. Except your status as a spirit master.¡± Master Gan told the boy. ¡°But we didn¡¯t have a horse.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a horse, anymore.¡± ¡°So you want me to lie.¡± ¡°And put on your best pitiful child expression. Now sit down and rest, we should have some company soon.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion sat down and started to rest. Within five minutes, a merchant caravan arrived with 8 carts with two horses each. Guarded by a few mercenaries who were traveling on foot. ¡°State your business!¡± Said one of the mercenaries. ¡°Me and the boy over there are traveling merchants, however our horse died along the way and we were forced to travel on foot. Do you have enough space to take us along at least until you get to the next town or settlement so that we may purchase a new one? We can compensate you for the trouble.¡± The mercenary left to speak into the middle caravan for a minute before returning. ¡°You may come along at the cost of ten silver though you will not be traveling in the same cart as the boy. Should we find contradictions in your story then both of you will be immediately expelled from our caravan.¡± Master Gan was brought to the first caravan to sit. ¡°We will be keeping an eye on you. The roads have been dangerous as of late with bandits among other people.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Master Gan told him. ¡°Kyrion! Come along now!¡± He called to the resting boy. Kyrion had fallen backward due to the pack¡¯s weight and struggled to get up. One of the guards went to help him up. ¡°Don¡¯t help him. He¡¯s a lot stronger than he looks.¡± The guard looked at the old man. ¡°He¡¯s just a kid, I¡¯ll go help how heavy that stuff can be.¡± ¡°I warned him.¡± Master Gan told the captain. The guard went to help Kyrion up when he was pulled down by the absurd amount of weight of this boy. The guard, who was caught off guard, plummeted into the sand along with the boy. ¡°How is he so strong?¡± ¡°He¡¯s of farmer stock, he has to eat at least ten times as much as a normal. I¡¯m sure his parents were happy to send him off with me to learn.¡± ¡°Blessed by the Imala that one must be.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Master Gan watched as Kyrion helped the guard back up after getting onto his feet. He was then led towards a carriage in the back to drop off his pack and then brought towards the carriage in the middle. ¡°Get in this cart.¡± The captain told him. ¡°Ok.¡± Krion nodded as he got into the cart. Inside the cart was a brown-haired girl with tan skin around a year older than him. She wore traveling clothes made from what seemed to be silk. A pair of glasses covered her eyes. Next to her was an older man with a somewhat stocky build, although he shared a very similar face with the girl. Kyrion assumed that she was his daughter and then decided he¡¯d let them tell him if they wanted to. ¡°Young boy. What is your name?¡± ¡°K-kyrion, sir.¡± He replied meekly. ¡°How did you get your hair to be so pretty?¡± The girl asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion was puzzled by the odd question. ¡°It¡¯s red like a ruby and for some odd reason it shines.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure honestly. My mom had hair like this though it was a bit lighter in color.¡± Kyrion grabbed his hair and looked at it curiously. ¡°Who is that man traveling with you?¡± The man asked. ¡°Master Gan.¡± ¡°Is that his real name?¡± He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms ¡°I don¡¯t know, never asked.¡± Kyrion wondered why he never asked the question. ¡°Why do you want to become a merchant?¡± ¡°To see the world. Merchants can go anywhere right?¡± Kyrion answered with a partial truth. Becoming a merchant was a means to an end on his journey. ¡°Where do you see yourself in ten years?¡± Kyrion¡¯s brain broke at that moment as he did math absently answering. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, I haven¡¯t lived that long yet..¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Eight! Wait¡­ No nine!¡± Kyrion wondered how he missed his birthday and then remembered that he was unconscious when it passed. ¡°Kinda tall for that, thought you were eleven or so. You¡¯re a bit young to be traveling like this.¡± The man told him. Kyrion looked at the girl. ¡°How old is she?¡± ¡°Twelve. Though you never ask a woman her age. It¡¯s bad manners.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry.¡± Kyrion closed his mouth. The man looked at his daughter for a minute before continuing forward. ¡°May I get your names too?¡± ¡°Adrian Belflour and this is my daughter Tiffany Belfour.¡± The man told him. ¡°Now where are you headed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know we¡¯re going to the north and then the east.¡± ¡°You really should get more information from your master.¡± ¡°That would be great. If you don¡¯t mind, where are you headed?¡± ¡°Can I tell him dad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something to be proud of. Though he may not understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the Chroniclers Sect to get awakened and become a spirit master.¡± ¡°Awakened, is that something rare?¡± ¡°Yes, normally only nobles and those of wealth and talent are permitted to use the awakening tablets and those are to be done before the child has reached ten. I however was not counted as wealthy until very recently when my trade caravans began to spread throughout the country. Therefore we are going to make an offering to the sect in an attempt to get them to get them to awaken my daughter¡¯s hidden potential.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion understood though he was a bit confused. Everyone in Limguard gets awakened, but very few get actual training though it seems that you need to be lucky to get awakened at all. ¡°I see¡­Tiffany what will you do after becoming a spirit master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to train enough to enter the Gabon Academy in this county as an homage to my family.¡± Kyrion cringed. After meeting their representative on the screen, he had felt repulsed for some odd reason. ¡°I see. Does this sect of hard to say er¡¯s happen to be north and then east?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually though there will be a town nearby where they set up. It¡¯s where we¡¯re dropping you off. It¡¯s still a few days away though.¡± ¡°I wonder if my master¡¯s taking me to get awakened¡­ Is there anything else near that area.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the Gremlin town dungeon. Its a place where young spirit masters can train and learn how to use their abilities. To the east of the sect is the forest of purity.¡± ¡°Funny¡­ No it can¡¯t be.. There has to be other stops along this way.¡± ¡°The Tetsan Empire is a united coalition of desert cities with their own regional lords that form a council. Hardly anything here is close together. Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was that bad¡­ Well, chances are we are headed to the same area. Not sure why though.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and began to rest for a bit. The cart was pretty comfortable. ¡°He¡¯s asleep. Must have been exhausted.¡± Tiffany said aloud. The guard captain opened the cart window. ¡°His master may have saw talent in that boy, he may in fact have Imala¡¯s blessing. To be so physically gifted yet so small, and have no spirits in his body.¡± ¡°So he isn¡¯t a spirit master, but he has the potential to become one?¡± Tiffany asked him. ¡°The boy¡¯s body is constantly absorbing the mana about him, at least that¡¯s what my eye is telling me. The master seems to barely be a fledgling five spirit master, which is average considering his old age. Though to a farmer he would seem amazing.¡± Kyrion listened in as he played sleep. Master Gan was definitely an expert, which meant he had tricks up his sleeves. The fact that this captain could look into his core was troubling. However, he would need to learn that trick his master was using if possible. He felt naked by that prospect. ¡°If he knew the boy¡¯s potential then it makes sense that they would be headed there. You should probably make friends with him.¡± Tiffany looked at her father and scowled. ¡°He¡¯s three years younger. Just a baby.¡± ¡°And Spirit Masters can live a long time. What¡¯s a three year difference when you can live for centuries.¡± ¡°It still feels weird when you pick my friends.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯d like it if my daughter had at least some protection around her age. But, of course, I¡¯m not saying you have to marry him.¡± He grumbled. ¡°Dad!¡± She yelled. ¡°Shh. You¡¯ll wake him.¡±
The darkness came eventually, and they set up camp near a forest clearing. Kyrion helped collect firewood and gathered edible fruits and berries, much to the delight of the pack. While master Gan used his old age to relax and provide advice to the various people coming too and fro. When the guards set up a watch, Kyrion stayed up as well, watching the twin moons above him along with the starry sky. Tiffany approached the boy looking at the night sky. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kyrion looked at her with a sheepish expression. ¡°Today has been a long day, I¡¯m just clearing my mind.¡± ¡°Because your horse died?¡± ¡°No¡­Well yes the horse thing was sad, though it was the traveling on foot that felt long.¡± Tiffany sat near him. ¡°So, did you talk with your master about becoming a spirit master?¡± ¡°No. It just feels weird being alone, it hasn¡¯t hit me until recently, I have no friends or family with me on this journey. Master Gan feels like the type that would leave me in a forest alone with a steak knife to see if I could fend for myself.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that bad.¡± Tiffany told him. Kyrion recalled the giant bear he had to fight repeatedly in his training. ¡°Possibly.¡± Tiffany looked at him for a moment and whispered in his ear. ¡°Do you need help? We could leave him behind if you need us too and get you somewhere safe.¡± ¡°It really isn¡¯t that bad, I exaggerated a little.¡± Kyrion laughed. ¡°Oh. Great.¡± Tiffany let out a breath. Kyrion looked back at the sky for a long time. ¡°Its weird.¡± ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± ¡°When I look at the sky like this I wonder what secrets lie unexplored. I want to see more of everything and for some reason I feel as though I¡¯m being pulled above to a place beyond this one. If that even makes any sense. Though the call isn¡¯t as loud as it used to be.¡± ¡°A call?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was a bit sick before I met Master Gan, and have slowly been getting better.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Were you malnourished?¡± ¡°Malla who?¡± ¡°Under fed,¡± ¡°Oh no, well maybe, the headaches stopped around the time I started eating quite a bit more¡­ Though I didn¡¯t have an appetite back then.¡± ¡°Maybe you always needed more food but just didn¡¯t eat enough.¡± ¡°Oh how I hope it was just that simple.¡± ¡°Was it not?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know.¡± Kyrion made sure not to mention anything about his training and realized that this explanation sounded bizarre without it. The two talked until Tiffany went into her tent to rest while Kyrion watched the sky and fell asleep outside. Not to say he didn¡¯t have a tent, he just felt more comfortable under the sky.¡± Chapter 30 Strength of heart The next day started early after a brief discussion with his master about the caravan¡¯s destination. ¡°So you knew where they were going¡­.¡± ¡°Do you think this meeting happened by chance? I made sure we made it quite a bit North of the city before we were found. The only place along the way is the place where we are headed.¡± ¡°How did you get all this information?¡± ¡°It was a request posted in the mercenary union. I made sure to take a look at it after we arrived. Why do you think we had to leave in 2 days?¡± Kyrion began to question everything done by his master over the year. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been a puppet on your strings. Is your name really Master Gan?¡± ¡°No it isn¡¯t though I would like to keep that a secret for a bit longer. My name is a dangerous one to know.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Kyrion looked at his master questioningly. ¡°They did mention taking me there but leavinging you behind if you were a serious danger to me. Would that work?¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­ I could die on command and meet you in the city in my real form. Well the one you know as my real form.¡± Master Gan told him. ¡°Gives me time to do a few things over there anyway.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d be left to fend for myself¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry your pretty little head, the captain here is strong. Also this experience should do you some good.¡± ¡°What do you even mean by die on command?¡± Kyrion asked the old-looking teacher. ¡°You¡¯ll only be mortified, don¡¯t worry.¡± Master Gan went towards his carriage. Kyrion waited a minute before returning to his carriage with Tiffany and her dad.
The next half of the trip was quick and peaceful, at least until they found a marauder on horseback. He carried a long halberd in one hand, his steed equally intimidating. Upon making contact with the group, he fled instantly. The captain opened the door, ¡°Looks like they¡¯re planning an ambush. I¡¯ll have everyone get ready, that man was at least practitioner level, if there are any more like them then it may be a troublesome battle. We may need your master to assist, kid.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion felt the vibrations in the ground as they traveled. ¡°Feels like a stampede is coming. As though someone is leading a large number of heavy creatures. To the right, though it may be a while before we make contact.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± ¡°Cattle drives happen every now and then though normally the cattle come from our village. I know the feeling in the ground enough to know when one¡¯s nearby.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± The captain closed the door, and the carriages continued forward. ¡°Are we going to be alright?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I hope so.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself The guards prepared for an ambush as they continued forward, spreading out to defend the front of the caravans while a few guarded the sides. As they waded forward, the first volley of arrows came. Oddly all of them missed the mark as the groups made contact. These bandits didn¡¯t talk like the first ones he saw, but they were by far a much larger force, albeit their strength seemed to be more number-based than power-based. The guards quickly cut swaths into the bandit force. As they advanced past the enemy lines, blood and corpses fell everywhere. That was when the actual battle began. The man on horseback passed through a group of guards, his weapon slaying three on impact. He left the group and began to gather momentum as he was engaged by the guard captain, wielding a sword and shield. The captain killed the horse with a thrust forcing the rider down, and the rider fell down. The captain stabbed down at the prone rider, but he rolled out of the way, quickly getting to his feet. The two exchanged many blows, and the two seemed to be on equal grounds when the rider threw sand into the captain¡¯s eyes and sent a thrust aimed at the man¡¯s stomach. There was a dripping sound as a stomach was pierced, albeit it was Master Gan¡¯s. The old man took the blow meant for the captain and stabbed a curved knife into the rider¡¯s throat. Blood flowed from them in pools as they both seemed to die. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As the guards began to clean up the remaining bandits, a pack of six rhinos led by a mounted archer was headed into the group of caravans. A few guards ran to intercept, but three more died getting there, and the rest could barely slow the charge, killing one of the six rhinos and wounding another. Unfortunately, the captain was too far to help, and most of the carriages were overturned.¡± Kyrion and the others in his carriage flew as the carriage rolled down a slope, and the vehicle was smashed to smithereens. Adrian Belfour lay crushed by some debris but still alive, while Tiffany lay unconscious nearby. ¡°Take my daughter and run. You have so much left to live for. Go!¡± Adrian told the boy. Kyrion didn¡¯t listen and began moving the crushing debris with practiced ease. Removing Adrian from the mess while revealing that his leg had been broken in the crash. ¡°Damn it!¡± If Kyrion had his powers, then fixing that could have been easy. He picked up the older man, put him on one shoulder, and then put Tiffany on the other. Adrian watched as the much smaller boy lifted them with practiced ease. ¡°Can you even move like this?¡± ¡°Would ya¡¯ll believe me if I told you that you¡¯re light?¡± Kyrion sprinted at high speeds away from the battlefield and into the woods. The fighting continued for a while, but Kyrion knew he would have to begin work on the man¡¯s leg to avoid infection along with setting it. He did so with a surgeon¡¯s precision and had the man¡¯s leg prepped and wrapped in a manner of seconds. Kyrion checked on Tiffany again and saw a bruise on her head. He disinfected it and had it wrapped quickly. He then held her head in one hand as he used some smelling salts to wake her up. ¡°What! Where!¡± She shot up. Adrian watched as his daughter was woken up. He turned his head towards Kyrion. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I had some training in healing. You should be fine should we make it out of this alive.¡± Tiffany seemed to calm down.¡± What happened?¡± ¡°We were hit by some beast with a horn on its nose. I have no idea what it¡¯s called.¡± ¡°A rhino, looks like the archer was commanding them. This isn¡¯t going like I expected, there shouldn¡¯t be bandits out this far.¡± After an hour of waiting, the battle seemed to end. As the carriages that could be seen were being reorganized. Kyrion carried Adrian back towards the caravan slowly so that if they saw something off along the way, they could flee. Luckily for them, the captain had managed to put down the remaining foes. Kyrion went into his pack for supplies and helped pack up those who had sustained injuries. He, however, was unable to treat anything significant, and some guards were put down as an act of mercy. Kyrion was disgusted by the amount of life lost over things he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Is this what a battlefield looks like during a war?¡± ¡°No. This is similar but they can get worse. Good job getting the boss out of here. The others wouldn¡¯t want to have died for nothing. I¡¯m sorry about your master If I was strong enough then he wouldn¡¯t have died saving me. He had a good heart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he did.¡± Kyrion grits his teeth. He knew his master was strong. If he wanted to, no one would have died here, and they wouldn¡¯t have been injured. He thought to himself as the group managed to leave. ¡°This was on his body.¡± The man handed him a note that was on Master Gan¡¯s corpse. ¡°To Kyrion, should I pass. Where to go next.¡± Kyrion recognized this magic and saw the world around him shift into another scene. Kyrion saw his master standing over a cliff, looking down the edge of a cane stuck next to him. The man stood in place as the content of the message was given to him directly. ¡°Kyrion there were a few traitors among the guardsmen that we were traveling with. They made contact with the supposed Black Marauders, a rival mercenary group. I had them tailed and decided it would be best to get rid of them when we made contact with the enemy. Those who died today were either a traitor, bandit, or me. Well you know the truth, there is a lady in the sect who goes by Suzen, tell her the following secret code, forty-five, thirty two, forty-four. Memorize it, these numbers will be very important to you.¡± The transmission and the only thing left in the letter were the three numbers. ¡°Must be some sort of lock code¡­.¡± ¡°I see¡­ What else could three back to back numbers even mean.¡± Tiffany looked at the note as well. ¡°We¡¯ll get you to the city free of charge, you lost someone as well and I don¡¯t feel right taking your money after you saved our lives.¡± Adrian told Kyrion. Kyrion examined the guards that died and looked for an identifier, and saw that each one of them had painted a black mark on their helmets, in a place you¡¯d need to know about to notice. The Carriages had their goods consolidated, and those who couldn¡¯t walk took up a majority of the seats. While the rest were cycled for those, who needed to rest. Kyrion himself gave up his seat to walk a bit more. It was easier to keep an eye on the injured since he was already moving about. The day ended with no complications as Kyrion watched the sunset. Two more days until they arrived. Kyrion watched the twin moves rise in the sky as they prepared to camp. Kyrion decided to use some of his equipment today so that the carriage it was on would be somewhat lighter. Though most of the equipment was rations when he thought about it. Tiffany approached Kyrion again. ¡°You¡¯re strong.¡± She told him. ¡°I trained to get this strong on a farm.¡± ¡°No, I mean in here.¡± She pointed towards her heart. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Your master died yet you haven¡¯t cried once. When you could have left us and saved yourself, you made sure that we both got out alive.¡± ¡°Oh that. My body moved on its own. Wish I could say I thought it through. It¡¯s just, I can¡¯t leave people to die if it¡¯s in my ability to try to help. Does that make sense?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re strong for the sake of others.¡± Tiffany started to think. ¡°I want to get stronger so that I don¡¯t lose anyone close to me. But, I think it¡¯s selfish¡­ This world is too bloody for that.¡± Kyrion looked down into his clenched fist. ¡°I made up my mind. I want to become strong like you. Will you help me with this?¡± ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fit to teach anyone. I¡¯m younger than you remember?¡± ¡°Yet you were much more useful today than I was.¡± Tiffany looked at him with a resolute expression. ¡°There are many paths to power, the one you take must be the one you believe in,¡± Kyrion recalled some knowledge given to him by his father before gaining his spirits. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Tiffany asked. Kyrion smiled. ¡°Something my father said before I left home. Haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So is that a yes or a no?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you train but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be going to Gabon.¡± ¡°Where are you going then. I¡¯m supposed to meet someone in Drisil after I get strong enough to attend.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t heard of Drisil ¡­.¡± ¡°Drisil , and they are a bit selective about their students though only experts are considered graduates.¡± ¡°Sounds hard. Do you think they¡¯d let someone like me in?¡± ¡°Maybe, you¡¯ll have to get really strong.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Kyrion thought about things for a bit and decided that it would be for the best if he hid how strong he was after his powers returned. Also, it would be better if she got stronger without him as a goal since he was four ranks above her. Chapter 31 Reuniting with Master Gan After a few slow days of travel, the group finally arrived at their destination. Tayrafon was the name written on a sign outside of the town. There were homes scattered about in no sort of plan as though it was a village built to be temporary despite, and ended up a permanent residence. However, the shops seemed to gather in one area. There was a chapel to Imala, the prominent deity of this world. This isn¡¯t somewhere Kyrion would expect a sect of bookworms to be. Then again, there are stranger things in this world. The mercenaries, along with Adrian, went to the chapel to get healed, leaving Kyrion and Tiffany to explore the small town. ¡°So. Should we find out where this sect is?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°We should also stay out of trouble as well. Never know who guards a place until they show up.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Kyrion looked around the area with shops and entered one that looked like a tavern. ¡°Kyrion, I think this is a tavern.¡± Tiffany scowled at the boy ¡°Yes. I hear they¡¯re the best place to get information.¡± The place was relatively empty, with a few drinkers hanging around inside. ¡°Why would a bunch of drunks know where to find the sect?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Gossip, hearsay, if it¡¯s nearby I¡¯m sure someone who probably serves them drinks would know something.¡± Tiffany scowled as she followed behind timidly. Kyrion held out his hand. ¡°Hold on. It shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous given the area though you should probably be careful.¡± Kyrion fearlessly entered the tavern leading his friend towards the bar. ¡°This isn¡¯t a place for little brats.¡± An older man slurred. He sounded drunk, it was before noon, and he was drunk. Kyrion decided to hold his tongue. The boy was on a mission. No need to embarrass the locals. The bartender kept a watchful gaze on Kyrion as he entered the bar. He was cleaning glass with a rag even though it was already clean. ¡°Mr. Bartender sir!¡± Kyrion said politely. ¡°Do you happen to know where a Suzen is? I was told to get her help after I arrived.¡± ¡°Suzen, I can¡¯t seem to recall¡­.¡± The bartender¡¯s eyes pointed to a menu with various options. Next to it was a sign. -¡°Don¡¯t bother the bartender¡¯s time if you don¡¯t have the coin.¡± It said. Kyrion palmed a gold coin into his wrist from a pouch and slid it on the table, and grinned as the bartender retrieved and hid the coin.¡± Does this help jog your memory?¡± ¡°Is money no object to this young master?¡± The bartender asked him. ¡°It¡¯s an object, though it¡¯s not mine. If you can answer my question then It was a coin well spent, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Kyrion recited a line he read in a book that master Gan made him study. ¡°Suzen is a nice lady who would never enter a bar without reason. She works at the bookstore on the other end of the bar. Say you look somewhat familiar. You act like this isn¡¯t your first rodeo, have you been here before?¡± The old bartender looked at the boy as a tear began to form under one of his eyes. ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m nine now, so I doubt it.¡± Kyrion put his hands behind his head as part of his bangs moved forward over an eye. ¡°Probably not, it¡¯s been fifty or so years, you just reminded me of a pair I met a long time ago.¡± ¡°What were their names if you don¡¯t mind answering?¡± Kyrion asked carefully. ¡°Cordelia, and Engelram, those two got up to some trouble while they were here though I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t have time for that. Your face kind of reminds me of Cordelia, it¡¯s quite uncanny the resemblance.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion scowled as he eyed the man. ¡°Can¡¯t be right, my mother would never get up to trouble, she always seemed prim and proper.¡± ¡°Must be a different person then. The one I knew was a tomboy that was always up to something. There was a glint in her eyes.¡± ¡°Yeah. Must be a coincidence. Who would have thought my mother was here like me that long ago. That also must mean that she¡¯s at least fifty. Twenty years older than she told me she was.¡± A glint appeared in his eyes as he felt as though he was starting to plan something. ¡°I bet dad doesn¡¯t even know this secret. I¡¯ll never have to do chores again.¡± Kyrion¡¯s left eye seemed to glimmer for a second. ¡°There it is. How are they doing now?¡± ¡°Well Cordelia has been raising me though I suspect that they are no longer at home. Engelram? Never heard of the dude but I do know mom had a brother who passed away.¡± ¡°I see. My condolences.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come by to get some dir¡­ I mean stories out of you later.¡± Kyrion told him. ¡°You never told me your mother¡¯s been here.¡± Tiffany scowled at Kyrion. ¡°She hadn¡¯t told me either¡­ Or maybe she did and I can¡¯t remember. There is a long list of things like that so I tend to accept things like that as truth when they make sense. I doubt a magical stork delivers babies to your doorstep but it¡¯s the closest thing I have to the truth.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to provide education on that matter.¡± Tiffany answered all too quickly. ¡°What do you know¡­.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°So to the bookstore!¡± Tiffany left the bar, her face turning red. Kyrion looked back at the bartender, who had a smug expression. ¡°A bit of advice, don¡¯t go around asking that question. Don¡¯t ask a girl your age or slightly older either. I¡¯m sure your master will tell you sooner or later.¡± ¡°You know master Ga¡­.¡± ¡°Kyrion! Hurry up!¡± Tiffany yelled from outside the tavern. The bartender waved for him to go.
The pair made their way to the bookstore. A single-store building with a single set of double doors that went in. Oddly enough, there were no windows on the outside nor vents for natural light to enter. The two entered the store; the smell of books was noticeable, and for good reason. There were enough books here to make the academy that Kyrion was in the Tetsan branch look small. He noted that the place was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Tiffany led the charge approaching a woman behind a desk wearing a brown cloak and a pair of glasses. Her black hair was knotted in a bun. ¡°Are you Suzen?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I am.¡± She seemed a bit disconcerted as Tiffany asked that question despite not meeting. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Great! The password is, 45-32-44!¡± Kyrion said excitedly. An innocent smile was shared between the two kids. A loud laugh came from the back of the library before another man returned. He looked like Master Gan usually did though the cane was slightly different. It resembled a smoke pipe now and seemed to fit on his side in a holster. Kyrion seemed unsurprised by the magic man making his appearance. The boy looked to Suzen to seem angry at Master Gan, put two together, and got three. ¡°Uh oh¡­ I¡¯ve seen that look many times¡­Suzen please don¡¯t kill him yet we need to see the chroniclers, and I¡¯m not sure who I need to find to get in.¡± ¡°Kid who gave you this code that you told me.¡± Kyrion looked at the smirking man and then back at Suzen. And forced tears to come out of his face as though it was on command. ¡°M-my late master Gan gave me this note in case he died and it told me to find a Suzen and give those numbers. It has to be something of the utmost importance right?¡± Tiffany looked at Gan for a minute in confusion before speaking. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Suzen looked at Gan as well as a scowl on her face. ¡°How could you laugh at the code given to him by his late master. How insensitive can you be, Gamodren?!¡± ¡°I¡¯d tell him but he¡¯s currently more innocent than a newborn in that regard.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I can smell the innocence in you, it¡¯s disgusting.¡± Ganodren smirked as the barb went over Kyrion¡¯s head. Tiffany cleared her throat. ¡°Is this the place? Should I go get my dad now?¡± Suzen looked at the children and sighed. ¡°This is the place you two should leave and come back. I have a few choice words.¡± ¡°That was weird.¡± Tiffany said as they left ¡°That it was. What could those three numbers mean?¡± ¡°That your master needed a good kick to the rear before he died.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell me are you.¡± ¡°I feel safer that you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°So the numbers are dangerous.¡± Kyrion scratched his head.
Gamodren stood there as they left. ¡°Told you I¡¯d get them one way or another.¡± ¡°How did you obtain those numbers?¡± Suzen eyed the man suspiciously. ¡°I met a boy whose talent in perception was beyond anything I¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Was that the one you brought here?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°No actually. They were friends, I have the feeling the next tide of spirit masters will be something to write about. No this boy was a tailor, we had an arrangement of sorts. I gave him a few lessons in hiding his presence from spirit sensing, and training his unique talents. He made a few items for me to trade.¡± Gamodren held out his hand and summoned a duplicate of the women in front of him. Only it was miniaturized so that she fit in his palm. ¡°That¡¯s tiny, explain.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°This boy can look at a person and immediately discern their motives, dominant hand, favorite color, and measurements.¡± ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± ¡°One look at this and he told me everything I needed to know. I even brought the dress. So how about that dance you promised me?¡± Gamodren pulled out a blue dress and handed it to her. ¡°You. That. Ugh!¡± She took the dress and examined it. ¡°It is really nice. One dance, though not now. Shouldn¡¯t you be helping your pupil, that boy you talked about. Is he going to be a menace to women everywhere when he grows up?¡± ¡°Depends on how you look at it. Though from what I observed probably not.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Suzen and Gamodren then went down the stairs.
The kids returned to the bookstore with a fully healed Adrian in tow. The door to the back had been opened, and it seemed to lead somewhere dimly lit. Kyrion felt a pinch on his finger as something wrapped around it. Kyrion looked down and saw a ring that soon vanished as quickly as it appeared. They went down a winding staircase and arrived at a blue set of double doors. ¡°You will arrive at the sect after going through these doors.¡± Suzen said. Gamodren opened the doors revealing an entryway with many entries of various colors. ¡°You may only leave this place with a guide as this place is linked to many different places all over. Going through the wrong door without a guide could prove lethal. So stick with me, and everything will be A-OK.¡± He entered through the doors and beckoned for the others to follow. After everyone entered the gate, the doors closed behind them and became inert. Kyrion felt mana rapidly enter his core on arrival, speeding up his recovery by leaps and bounds; within minutes, his core would have been full enough to break into rank four. Gamodren tapped the boy on his forehead, causing the mana gain to slow to nothing, and the gained mana began to disperse rapidly. ¡°Not here, you need to shape it carefully so that it flows to and fro in a manner that suits you.¡± Kyrion heard his master¡¯s voice in his head. The group passed up many doors before arriving at a solid red door. Going through the door brought them to an area with various familiar-looking tablets, among other devices. Standing in the center was a blue scaled lizard-like humanoid. They were holding a clipboard in their scaled hands. Their eyes showed a deep silver as he took in everyone who entered. ¡°Tiffany, choose whichever tablet feels right and bring it to me. From there, I will grant you your spirit or spirits, depending. Then, Gamodren take the boy to the next room, and get him situated.¡± ¡°Why are you taking him to a different room? Shouldn¡¯t he be given a chance at a spirit as well?¡± Adrian tried to defend the boy. ¡°You need not worry that boy has already been touched by the spirits that pine for him. His process is currently more straightforward.¡± ¡°So he really is chosen by Imala.¡± Adrian said aloud. The lizard man didn¡¯t respond. Instead, an all-knowing look adorned his face. The two found themselves in the next room, which had a mat in the center for sitting. There was no other furniture in this room.
¡°This is totally not suspicious.¡± Kyrion squinted his eyes and crossed his arms. ¡°Kyrion, take your shirt off and face away from me.¡± ¡°No. Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Good instincts but I need to see something before we start.¡± Kyrion removed his shirt and turned around. ¡°A circle within a circle. That is one big emblem on your back.¡± ¡°Emblem? Like what Asela had on her forehead?¡± ¡°Yes but much bigger, that explains why you draw in so much mana here.¡± A woman with long ears, skin as dark as the night sky, and hair whiter than the snow came through the door. ¡°Is this the child who needs help creating pathways?¡± ¡°Yes. He has more mana than most and needs to find a method to have it cycle through his entire body.¡± ¡°You¡­ your Alir¡¯mondri.¡± Kyrion stated as he stared at the women. ¡°Do you know what that means, young one? You seem a bit scared.¡± ¡°Demons.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you any blood.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. Did you meet¡­ Nevermind you wouldn¡¯t have. Alir¡¯mondri those from the moon is the direct translation. It¡¯s also a misunderstanding technically.¡± ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± Kyrion asked carefully. An exam table appeared in front of him. ¡°Get on.¡± She told the boy. Kyrion looked at his master, who nodded. The boy climbed onto the bed, laying down his head was set into a hole. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± The women said. Kyrion¡¯s paranoia grew three folds when a tingling sensation flowed throughout his body. He then saw his pants folded next to his shirt. ¡°Start with wind, have the mana flow down the pathway I created in your center, the line should appear green to you.¡± Kyrion entered his center, saw the green pathway, and slowly filled the mold with mana. ¡°Now cycle it like that for a minute.¡± This part was a bit harder, but it began to feel natural as the green lines passed. ¡°Great one down, quite a few more to go.¡± Kyrion continued this process repeatedly as the mana in his body felt natural, as though it flowed through him like blood. There was no longer a lag to calling his mana; it felt like he could channel it at will with a lot less expenditure. In addition, Kyrion noticed how his body felt quite a bit stronger and more durable, as though he was a new person entirely. He stood up straight and saw that the ground was further away again. His long red hair pooled on the floor next to his feet. ¡°A solid full foot of height¡­Puts you at around five eight. People really aren¡¯t going to believe your nine now.¡± Gamodren clapped. Kyrion looked at his hair and saw that it was almost gem-like in appearance, yet it still felt soft. His brown skin looked more pronounced, a solid caramel color. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°Improved your foundation and helped you break into rank four fully.¡± The woman said. ¡°Kryrion mind if I cut your hair? I bet you could sell it for quite a bit of money. Wigs made from that stuff could make us¡­You very wealthy.¡± Gamodren¡¯s eyes seemed to turn into coins for a second. ¡°Ok,¡± Kyrion responded with his patented cute child expression. Only now, it looked off as he was big enough to rival a teenager in height without the growing facial features, a true babyface. ¡°Please don¡¯t make that face again. I¡¯ll coach you later. Good news is you still sound your age so there shouldn¡¯t be any trouble before you hit your growth spurt.¡± ¡°Kyrion how tall was your grandfather?¡± ¡°A Lot taller than my dad who was six feet.¡± Kyrion tapped his chin. ¡°But my mom was pretty short. I have an older brother who is around six eight.¡± ¡°Kyrion, assume you will be taller than your father but a little shorter than your grandfather if you¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wear my clothes anymore can I.¡± ¡°Nope, and I didn¡¯t expect you to grow so much, suffice it to say you have good luck in some ways and bad luck in others. Good news is you have some rich backers in the other room.¡± Kyrion was given a robe to cover him along with a walking stick. His hair was cut much shorter. Some coins passed through various hands as the woman took a portion of the red stuff with her. ¡°Can they do anything with my hair?¡± ¡°Aside from tracking you with hunting dogs for the next few weeks, no not really. Once the spirit fades from it then it¡¯s just hair. People spend lots on hair supplies and with a rare shade like that, it should sell for quite a pretty penny. It helped pay for your treatment as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion left the room making eye contact with Adrian, which was odd now that he was much taller. ¡°Who are you?¡± Adrian asked. Kyrions eyes got wide. ¡°It¡¯s me Kyrion from the caravan. I just grew a bit for some reason.¡± Tiffany looked at him. ¡°The face looks like his along with the hair but the body looks too muscular and tall. It¡¯s like someone took his head and put it on some sort of toned sculpture.¡± ¡°He could have pretended to be a girl before he got this big. Now no one should make that mistake.¡± Adrian examined the various changes that don¡¯t seem natural with his age. ¡°He could just be a super athletic girl. His hair is still a bit long. Although I wouldn¡¯t want to be the one who made that mistake.¡± Tiffany giggled. ¡°Y¡¯all are in high spirits.¡± Kyrion muttered in irritation. ¡°Oh that¡¯s because I got this!¡± Tiffany summoned a rapier with a white guard and silver blade. ¡°I can get strong now!¡± ¡°Good to know. Should you find that The Drisil academy is worth your effort then I¡¯m sure we¡¯d gladly let you in. Now follow me, I¡¯ll lead you on out.¡± Gamodren told them. ¡°Gamodren, who are you exactly?¡± Kyrion finally gave in and asked. ¡°I am up there in the School of Drisil. I have a working contract between this place and the school. We get discounts and a discrete partner, they get information among other things I¡¯m not at liberty to tell you.¡± ¡°How much of a discount?¡± ¡°Practically free. Since he used the password along with your daughter I had them both cleared for the discount.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± Adrian told him. Tiffany eyed the man in suspicion. Kyrion raised an eyebrow, The group followed Gamodren out of the book store. Chapter 32 The first gremlin hunt Kyrion spent a month adjusting to his new abilities as the guard captain helped train Tiffany. While Gamodren taught her how to fight strategically and defensively to outlast any opponent and slowly wear down their defenses. When Kyrion wasn¡¯t training, he was healing the guards with his abilities, although he did feel bad about keeping the full extent a secret as that would reveal his full power. However, he became quite adept in this facet of his abilities the more he used them. After all, the guards were healed. Kyrion began helping those who were hurt nearby and even had a corner in the bar where he was called on to heal someone up when barfights got a bit too rough. When Tiffany reached rank two, Gamodren broached the topic of having Kyrion and Tiffany enter Gremlin town to train and gain experience fighting monsters. He and the captain would chaperone, stepping in should things get too bad. Adrian accepted the proposal as he knew the path his daughter would be walking on now was filled with danger. Gremlins could be killed by an unawakened wielding a shovel with relative ease. Spirit masters rarely have trouble with them in a fair fight. Though initially weak, some gremlins gained abilities to suit their environment. There are three types of Gremlins in the underground town that were referred to as a dungeon. Stone Gremlins, Bag Gremlins, and Shadow Gremlins. Should a Gremlin inter the practitioner ranks, their name is updated accordingly. Should they encounter the rarer breed of Gremlins, then the teachers would step in and provide support. The teachers wouldn¡¯t kill any creatures unless the children proved incapable of finishing the job. Kyrion debated bringing his wooden disc when he recalled that they couldn¡¯t kill anything. Instead, he decided to bring his walking stick along as a staff-like weapon. He wasn¡¯t training to fight with a weapon yet, so this would have to do. From what he was told, his brute strength would be enough to take care of most of them. His abilities would be limited to healing until it proved necessary to use something else as well. The two children walked down a staircase that led down into the dungeon. Torches lined the walls, providing a weak light source throughout the environment. As they went further, faint whispers and chittering could be heard. ¡°I really don¡¯t like this place¡± Tiffany adjusted her buckler and gripped her rapier. ¡°It is quite disturbing.¡± Kyrion held his walking stick at the ready. Upon making it to the end of the staircase, the space opened up to reveal the remains of a large underground town. Buildings lay demolished, bones litter the area, and most importantly, gremlins could be seen roaming about. Kyrion decided that plant growth would be necessary here. He held out a few seeds and tossed them into the entrance. A line of vines, grew from the seeds and began to wrap around buildings through cracks. Had they had the time, then he would have let them grow as they wished, but right now, he needed some way to ward off the absurd amount of creatures and restrict their movements. Tiffany looked at him.¡± What did you do?¡± ¡°Slowed them down so that we could fight fewer at once.¡± Kyrion was breathing hard. Although it was an act, he knew that the amount of mana used exceeded the amount a normal second rank could use at once, but still within the norm. Before when he did something like this, it would pull from his core directly, and excess mana was lost in the invoking of this power. Now the ability only took what it needed to work. Tiffany let him catch his breath before they ran into the first group of gremlins. Then, she thrust her rapier into a gremlin with rocks protruding from its body. The sword seeped in through the creature¡¯s body like a hot knife in butter. The first gremlin died with ease, but Tiffany had more trouble removing the sword than she did thrusting it, leaving her wide open to a claw attack from a frenzied shadow gremlin that came for her side. Kyrion brought down his walking stick on that one cracking it wide open like a watermelon. Only shadows seeped from the skull when the weapon hit. There was no blood in the creature¡¯s body. Kyrion noted how the stone gremlin seemed to bleed a sticky stone-like substance. ¡°Tiffany focuses on the ones without stones!¡± Kyrion told her. As he moved forward with his walking stick. Tiffany stabbed into a shadow gremlin and the thing dissolved into nothingness. She ended up over-extended and open to a claw from another stone gremlin. She blocked the attack with her buckler, but it seemed to knock her off her feet. Kyrion bludgeoned the stone gremlin that hit his friend, the stick killing the gremlin, but the vibrations sent the stick out of his hands and into a gremlin holding a sack. That gremlin extended their bag, catching the murder weapon inside. That gremlin then proceeds to run away. Unarmed Kyrion didn¡¯t have the reach to catch the gremlin prepping to stab her where she fell. He began to wave his hand and leave the creature in half when he saw Tiffany turn that fall into a flip evading the attack and lining up in a position to pierce the gremlin from behind. With that, the gremlins that started off in the area were either dead or ran away. Kyrion vowed to find the gremlin who stole his stick and get his revenge. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°That was a nice flip. Didn¡¯t know you could move like that.¡± ¡°My mother is a gymnast, flips, tumbles, among other things were drilled into me when I was younger.¡± Tiffany explained. ¡°Reminds me of a friend of mine. His parents were performers, he was a bit shy when I first met him. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d get along.¡± ¡°Is he nine like you and around as tall as a thirteen year old?¡± ¡°No, I bet I¡¯m a bit taller than him now. He should be ten or so now.¡± ¡°Is that friend of yours a spirit master?¡± ¡°Yes. Even got into a school for basic training.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to meet this friend of yours.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± The two checked for potential wounds, and Kyrion provided some basic healing. As they decompressed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Kyrion asked Tiffany. ¡°Yes, it was easier than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°Killing monsters?¡± ¡°Yes, I always thought it would be an uphill battle that involved a lot more injury. Those gremlins were pretty weak even with their strategy.¡± ¡°Possibly, I don¡¯t have much experience killing monsters so I can¡¯t say I understand.¡± Kyrion nodded along. Tiffany clicked her tongue and led the way forward. While Kyrion followed, trying to figure out why she seemed mad all of a sudden. They made it to the second group of gremlins three this time. Kyrion, unarmed, decided to engage in a battle of brute strength, grabbing two of the stone gremlins by the scruff of their necks and holding them out for Tiffany to finish off as she skewered the lone shadow gremlin. Tiffany practiced her technique on the two stone gremlins and found that their blood seemed to harden when exposed to air. Which was why her rapier got stuck the first time. A core fell from the second stone gremlin, and Tiffany looked at it in wonder. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A spirit core, I heard that they could be used to augment your powers at the practitioner rank.¡± ¡°From who?¡± Kyrion tried to remember the first time he saw a core and remembered Leon.¡± There was this man called Leon. He was really strong, and knew how to increase the chances that a core drops.¡± ¡°I see, are they valuable?¡± ¡°Not sure. I think it depends on the core.¡± Kyrion picked it up and put it in a cloth sack which he then handed to her. Kyrion looked around for a weapon and found a metal rod in the debris. It wasn¡¯t a conventional weapon, but it would do against the gremlins. ¡°Ready to continue?¡± Tiffany asked Kyrion. ¡°Let¡¯s go get my stick back.¡± Kyrion ran into the next room They saw a few bag gremlins along with some stone gremlins, yet they couldn¡¯t see any shadow gremlins, which meant... ¡°Ambush!¡± Kyrion yelled Tiffany turned around, catching three shadow gremlins lunging at her. She parried one and skewered the second but was hit by a third, leaving a black mark on her armor. The two gremlins forced her into a defensive battle as they fought her on two ends. Not allowing her to focus on a single enemy at once. Kyrion was unable to help as hoards of gremlins charged towards him. Kyrion filled his metal rod with wind mana and struck, sending forth a large blade of wind that cut their first two rows of gremlins in half and sending the next few flying back in confusion. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kyrion heard a scream behind him and turned around to see that the gremlins Tiffany was fighting managed to cut open her shield arm, which was bleeding an eerie purple. Kyrion felt a prod in his back as a gremlin tried to claw at him. However, the claws found themselves unable to pierce his flesh. Kyrion grabbed that gremlins head and just squeezed it. Popping the gremlin open like an egg. He tossed it aside before he walled the remaining gremlins off with a wind wall. That stopped them temporarily. ¡°Gross.¡± His wind mana was running out pretty fast, and it was wasteful, but this would probably be for the best. They needed to regroup. Kyrion swung his rod at one of the two remaining gremlins, and it died on impact leaving behind a small core. Tiffany skewered the final gremlin through its skull before falling to a knee. Kyrion picked up Tiffany and retreated to the last few rooms to catch their breath as Kyrion worked on healing the wounds. The purple ichor was cleared, and then the damage was healed and then faded into nothing. Leaving nothing behind of the injury. ¡°Thanks.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Should we leave for now and come back in a few days?¡± Kyrion asked. Tiffany looked towards the area where all those gremlins were gathered. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. Let¡¯s head out and we can try this again another day. I need to train a bit more.¡± Kyrion nodded, and the two left the dungeon returning to the surface. Gamodren stared at the two kids¡¯ arms crossed. ¡°You did a few good things. But you made quite a few mistakes as well. So, Tiffany, you first, what mistakes did you make.¡± Tiffany looked stricken and started to think over the fight. ¡°I let myself fall into the enemy¡¯s rhythm. I need to learn how to fight multiple people at once.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something that can be trained with the guards we have here, while they¡¯re here and working for your father I¡¯m sure they¡¯d love to help you train.¡± He looked over to Kyrion and scowled. ¡°It was quite obvious what your mistakes were.¡± He then made eye contact with the captain. The captain nodded and then looked at Kyrion with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I got cocky and it put us in danger?¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Close, but think bigger, Tiffany I¡¯m sure you noticed it as well.¡± Tiffany nodded.¡± Kyrion, you could be the best liar I know when it comes to speaking, but your movements made it clear when you were fighting. How strong are you really?¡± Kyrion looked to his master and then to the captain, who stayed silent and then to Tiffany. ¡°Around rank four, though I¡¯m still getting used to it.¡± ¡°Nine and at rank 4, when did you start, at age six?¡± ¡°No, I was around eight in a half, though my getting here is more of an accident than natural.¡± ¡°Accident.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°I got hurt to the point where I was unable to use mana. When we met I think my master was taking me there to get healed. Had I had my powers when the bandits attacked I could have healed those who were injured better.¡± ¡°That is regrettable.¡± The captain nodded. The captain looked at Kyrion again. ¡°So that¡¯s why it seemed like you didn¡¯t have a core. It was dormant. Didn¡¯t know cores could be damaged like that. I will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Why did you hold back then?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to take away from you too much. Your still new to this world and I thought that It would be best If we fought with equal amounts of strength.¡± ¡°Kyrion, you don¡¯t have the strength to hold back yet. In the fledgling ranks anything could prove strong enough to beat you when you hold back. We will try this again in two weeks. Hopefully you¡¯ll be better prepared. I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re able to use your abilities to the fullest the next time you go in.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Kyrion and Tiffany replied. ¡°Tiffany is also close to hitting rank three, so we¡¯ll have to have the foundation talk. She¡¯s going to need to condense it a bit past the minimum, and then we¡¯ll need to get her mana to flow through her body.¡± Chapter 33 Four against one are totally fair odds Kyrion and Tiffany found themselves standing next to each other face in a dirt arena. Her training fighting multiple enemies turned into a fight as a team against Gamodren. ¡°Kyrion summon both of your beasts for this fight.¡± Gamodren told him. Kyrion summoned Issac and Jala for the first time in a while. ¡°What took you so long! Where¡¯s Asela and the others, I want to get pampered.¡± Jala said. Issac nodded as well. ¡°I feel as though you don¡¯t appreciate me anymore. Your core is pretty plain. I wonder if that tells me something about the person who owns it.¡± ¡°Hey! I know its been a while but a lot has happened. Hasn¡¯t Psycho been keeping you caught up?¡± ¡°He really doesn¡¯t like being called that.¡± Jala chided him. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that. That girl over there is Tiffany, she¡¯s a friend I made. I need you two to help spar with her.¡± ¡°Why, because she can kick your butt?¡± Issac laughed. ¡°To think you have us rot in there for years and have us go fight a little girl. Go do it yourself.¡± Jala began to walk out of the arena. ¡°Listen it¡¯s been a little more than two months since we last saw each other, I¡¯m still nine.¡± ¡°Did I ever tell you that you grow like a beanstalk kid?¡± Issac told him. ¡°Because yeesh. You used to be a midget. Thought you would turn out to be half dwarf or something.¡± ¡°Are you sure Asela and you are related? Last time I saw her, she was still trying to reach three feet.¡± Jala ¡°I have my suspicions, I read that humans are mammals, cows are also mammals. There has to be a connection somewhere. Wait, quit distracting me, I need you to help us fight that dude over there.¡± Issac and Jala looked at him and shook their heads. ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll do it, for her not you.¡± Jala told him. Issac looked at him for a long moment before giving Gamodren an evil eye.¡± I¡¯ve always wanted to slap the smug look on your teacher¡¯s face.¡± Tiffany watched as Kyrion spoke to the two creatures that appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Are you ready now?¡± She asked him. ¡°Yes! They finally agreed to help. They do seem a bit grumpy though.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have more control over them?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°They are free spirits. If they don¡¯t want to fight then they won¡¯t. Haven¡¯t tried using them like this on purpose though.¡± Kyrion looked at the mana cycling through his body and saw that affinities used by the two beasts were unavailable. ¡°Oh great.¡± ¡°Good, great or sarcastic, great?¡± Tiffany asked ¡°Great as in I don¡¯t have access to a good amount of my mana now.¡± ¡°Will it make the fight harder?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Kyrion shrugged and readied his wooden stick. Tiffany flourished her rapier and readied for combat. Her strength and agility grew as she compressed her mana and increased its quality. Issac and Jala stayed within arms reach of Kyrion, the former on his direct left, while the latter was at his back right flank. Gamodren cracked his knuckles with a smug grin on his face. ¡°I feel sorry, children. I¡¯ll not be going easy on you. My intention is to train, not coddle. If I see an opening I¡¯ll exploit it for if I don¡¯t then the creatures you face again in the Gremlin city and beyond, will.¡± Kyrion and Tiffany unconsciously took a step back as a wave of mana washed over the arena. The sunlight seemed to grow dimmer as though a cloud passed overhead. Tiffany looked up to see what had happened. Crash The sounds of two wooden sticks could be heard as Gamodren was standing a mere two feet away; his pipe extended to the size of a quarterstaff and connected with the staff Kyrion himself was using. Tiffany looked back, startled to see Gamodren retreat as a whip made from water came at his face. Kyrion heard the bird spirit click his tongue. They now stood where they started at the beginning of the fight. ¡°What just happened.¡± Tiffany asked aloud. ¡°You left yourself wide open. Don¡¯t take your eyes off of him.¡± Kyrion got low to the ground preparing for a lunge. His left-hand reaches into a pouch for some seeds, which he slowly begins to drop while moving forward. Jala sent a heavy blade of wind at Gamodren in an attempt to get their opponent off balance. Gamodren casually swiped at the blade of wind as it got close, dismantling the attack with ease. He then stuck ground three times, creating three small green snakes that began to slither towards the group. ¡°Snakes? Did I ever tell you how much I hate snakes?¡± Tiffany said, slowly backing up as the snakes began to encroach. Kyrion decided to dart back and position himself in front, dropping the remainder of the seeds in his previous location. ¡°I, too, have a dislike for snakes.¡± Kyrion began tapping at the ground with his stick, and weeds sprouted out of the earth. ¡°Those plants were not there earlier.¡± The girl entered a thrusting stance as the snakes hit the patch of rapidly growing foliage. The lead snake was ensnared by the weeds and soon found itself split in half from head to tail by a blade of wind. ¡°Kyrion, tell your girlfriend that if she won¡¯t eat the snakes then I will.¡± Jala told her master. Despite his height, the implication went over his head. ¡°Tiffany, Jala said she¡¯ll take care of all the snakes.¡± The two lagging snakes seemed to spring upwards. Flying towards Kyrion this time. Kyrion swung his staff to intercept one while Tiffany lunged forwards to pierce the second. Gamodren appeared at Kyrion¡¯s flank, ready to strike as a whip of water flew at him. Gamodren ducked under the strike only to be hit in the chest by a headbutt from Jala. A gust of wind propelled the two forward. ¡°Damn, I missed.¡± Although Issac scowled, it wasn¡¯t a visible scowl but more a feeling that the bird was doing so. Kyrion took advantage of the opening to swing at the winded Gamodren only to hit the air as the attack passed through. ¡°Ahh!¡± Tiffany was sent flying along with Jala. The former was heavily winded while the latter was sent back into Kyrion¡¯s core. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Gamodren stood at the other end as though he was untouched. But then, the weapon in his hand reverted to the smoke pipe it was. ¡°Looks like you lose. Though you did pretty well today.¡± ¡°Lost? Its not over yet!¡± Kyrion yelled, a sharp point hitting his back. A rapier. ¡°It is over.¡± Tiffany¡¯s voice said. Kyrion looked at the prone Tiffany. ¡°Since when?¡± Issac had an Irritated expression. ¡°During the first clash. Damn illusions that feel real.¡± ¡°How?¡± Kyrion muttered aloud. ¡°Magic. I¡¯m a magic man.¡± Gamodren answered the question. ¡°But if you want to know the truth, this was never going to be a fair fight. This is an important lesson in pragmatism. If you can¡¯t win a fight. No I don¡¯t mean when there is a chance to win. I mean, when your opponent outclasses you in every meaning of the word, what do you do?¡± ¡°Surrender or try to run?¡± Tiffany said, picking herself up off the floor. ¡°Close, but not quite.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get trapped in that situation.¡± ¡°Correct. But how would you not know how to avoid that position to begin with?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Wrong, you need to learn spirit sensing, or mana sensing depending on your region. It¡¯s a tool for sensing things that can¡¯t be seen by normal eyes. Like the density and amount of mana gathered in an area, I believe the Captain of your caravan is a user of a lesser technique or so I¡¯ve gathered. When you master this ability most creatures will be unable to hide from you. Had you known those gremlins were hiding behind it would have been a much easier fight.¡± ¡°Why not just go with sight. Isn¡¯t it easier to just see things?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Yes and no. You all are young enough to learn this technique much easier as you¡¯re still malleable. Spirit sight is a weaker derivative and won¡¯t be able to see past those who are experts at hiding their presences. Like assassins, spies, and other similar occupations.¡± ¡°What makes you think that we can learn that so easily?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you can expand your senses to plants. That¡¯s a talent not commonly seen. It requires an amount of intuition that can¡¯t be taught. I¡¯ve also seen you hide your presence as well. Quite unsettling when I know you¡¯re lying in a tree napping but all I can see with spirit sight is the tree. A type of camouflage when in plants. Doing that when you haven¡¯t been trained to do that isn¡¯t something normally occurs in those who don¡¯t have a sensitivity to the world around them.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Kyrion thought back quite a bit and began to wonder how long Gamodren had been observing him before he started teaching. ¡°Tiffany has shown skill in adapting to changes in battle. She was even able to figure out that I trapped her in a different illusion. A decent battle sense needs to be refined. This training could serve two purposes in that sense.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Issac seems to have some way of finding me however. It¡¯s as though he can see something that I don¡¯t yet know how to hide.¡± Gamodren stopped talking as Issac seemed to be eyeing a blank space. ¡°I am a predator in a sense. I will not be prayed upon by anyone!¡± Issac aimed his beak upwards. ¡°Why is your bird honking?¡± Tiffany said. ¡°I¡¯m 75 percent sure that Issac is looking right at mas¡­Gamodren.¡± Kyrion threw a seed into the air making contact with something that wasn¡¯t visible and then fell to the ground. ¡°How do I see what you can see?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°You really don¡¯t want this ability. It¡¯s a vain one.¡± Issac said. ¡°He said that it¡¯s a disturbing thing to sense.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The sun came back down as Gamodren fell down from the sky. ¡°You can fly?¡± Tiffany was distracted. ¡°Kind of. More like floating by increasing the density of certain things.¡± Gamodren eyed the bird. ¡°I¡¯m going back in.¡± Issac vanished in a puff of pretty feathers. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I think that swan may be of the salt water variety.¡± Kyrion shrugged and sat down. ¡°Now then. I need you to both consume this mysterious purple tea. As a trickster of sorts I¡¯ll tell you some important information. Don¡¯t drink anything given to you by someone you hardly know. Unless they¡¯re a practived healer and you need their help to live or trust them. Not even I can be trusted at times. This isn¡¯t one of them, but when you¡¯re in a situation where the only one you can trust is yourself, don¡¯t be hasty when choosing friends. For those may be the ones after you. Another thing, don¡¯t take candy from strangers, it could be drugged.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes shot open as he counted off when he did such things. ¡°So you don¡¯t want me to drink it.¡± ¡°Oh no I do want you to drink it. But¡­¡± ¡°Do we need to drink this?¡± Tiffany asked, catching on. ¡°No. You really just need to inhale it. Though drinking it is more effective in some cases. You¡¯d need to drink every last drop to get the full benefits.¡± Kyrion proceeds to drink the whole thing. ¡°If it will make me stronger.¡± Gamodren¡¯s face widened with mirth before it turned into stoicism as Kyrion seemed unbothered by the concoction. Tiffany looked at Gamodren¡¯s face and then Kyrions blank expression. ¡°How did it taste?¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°Not good either.¡± He turned the empty cup over to show that it was empty. ¡°Every last drop. Tiffany you don¡¯t have to drink it. Remember that, though I did just confirm a suspicion.¡± ¡°If he can drink it then I can too. I¡¯m not afraid of some bad medicine taste.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your life.¡± Gamodren took quite a few steps back as the girl took a sip at the liquid. Kyrion was lying on his back over a bed of grass that seemed to form under him directly. Tiffany gagged, dropping the cup onto the ground before turning away. After a few minutes of hacking, she turned back.¡± What was that?¡± ¡°A potion that enhances the consumers ability to sense the mana around them.¡± ¡°Why was it chewy and so revolting?¡± ¡°It was the cheap kind. Easiest to make as well.¡± Tiffany was about to continue when she lost her balance. Gamodren retrieved her and then laid her a few feet away from Kyrion. ¡°So many colors¡­.¡± Kyrion felt his body sink into a soft green substance that his instincts told him was grass. He knew there was no grass outside 6 feet from where he was landing. Kyion felt as a substance made from various colors landed on the ground where Tiffany was standing. The stuff then reappeared much weaker in the direction the girl turned. He then looked at his master and saw a faint trail emanating from where he stood. However, it seemed to go quite a ways away. He noticed a creature in humanoid flesh was watching him with a powerful aura in the opposite direction. He felt this chill before when it was pointed at someone else. Kyrion rolled over and stood up, looking to the sky, watching as most of the world¡¯s mana seemed to flow from the world around them into three areas. The dungeon that held the gremlins, the bookstore that took them to another place, and the supposed forest of purity. He shivered as Gamodren¡¯s clone finger touched him on the shoulder. ¡°This feeling will naturally fade over a few weeks but the seal has already been destroyed. Spend two hours of your day training this sensation and you will find yourself able to do so at will.¡± Gamodren seemed to grip harder and tap four times which meant don¡¯t reply aloud. Kyrion blinked twice in response, which meant continue. A message entered his mind. ¡°We have been followed and for some reason, I get the feeling they¡¯re after you.¡± Kyrion blinked twice again. ¡°Listening walls are always a thing to worry about, the main thing you should know is that the cores that were available to you after beating that snake. They were corrupted by some sinister mana. It binds the victims soul to the corruptor giving them full control over your core. Giving them direct control over your life. I was given three such cores claiming to be yours from that first trial. Suffice it to say, we now both know that you¡¯re being followed.¡± Gamodren tapped twice more, marking the end of the message. ¡°Great, now remember repetition of good habits builds great habits for life.¡± He then walked over to Tiffany, who was also lying on the ground, and instructed her. Chapter 34 Back to Gremlin Town Kyrion and Tiffany returned to the underground town after a week of practice and effort. Some innovation was also made in their positions. When Tiffany hit rank three, her speed and endurance shot up quite slightly. Which meant Kyrion didn¡¯t have to play meat shield anymore. Issac and Jala were also summoned to assist in attacking and padding their numbers. Kyrion stood in the back, staff in hand, a few pouches wrapped around the head with a rope. He still wore the travel clothes made by Everest as they were the easiest to move around in. On his back was a bag with various medical tools and supplies to the camp. Unlike their last trip, this time, they were meant to make it all the way to what Gamodren called a Gremlin boss and kill it. ¡°What is a boss?¡± Tiffany asked Kyrion. ¡°Probably a ruler type monster. Something that leads, much weaker monsters.¡± Kyrion looked around the ruined town, noticing that his vines had spread significantly in the time. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Didn¡¯t you grow these?¡± ¡°Yes, but after I give plants mana they can grow on their own. These vines must be invasive if they spread this much so quickly. I¡¯ll need to be careful where I plant things.¡± Kyrion extended his hand to one of the vines. A torrent of information flooded his mind causing his head to hurt for a second. The boy let go of the vine he had latched onto before pulling out a sheet of paper. Drawing up a quick map of the area based on what he managed to discern. The knowledge was seared into his mind. He couldn¡¯t entirely forget it anytime soon, even if he wanted to. ¡°This place is big. Hundreds of gremlins are here lurking about, killing all of them could take days. And the way this place is structured we will need to kill all of them if we want to make it where I think the boss is and not worry about ambushes.¡± Tiffany brought out her rapier and did some light stretches to prepare herself. Issac looked sheepish at the force they would have to go through, while Jala seemed bored at the moment. ¡°Hundreds of gremlins¡­ That¡¯s a bit of exponential expectations.¡± ¡°We were given a week¡¯s worth of supplies. It should be easy for the four of us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting cocky again. What did Gamodren just teach you?¡± ¡°Ah. Let¡¯s stay alert then. Issac I want you to focus on the stone gremlins, Jala I need you to take care of any bag gremlins or shadow gremlins if they¡¯re at range.¡± ¡°Oh how I love to serve.¡± Jala replied sarcastically. Issac shrugged with his wings. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± ¡°Are they going to do it?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I believe so.¡± Kyrion pointed his staff ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill some gremlins then!¡± Tiffany charged into the first room. Three gremlins were loitering around when the charging girl came into the room thrusting her rapier through a napping bag gremlin. It did not bleed shadow, nor did its blood turn to stone. Instead, this gremlin exploded with a popping sound leaving behind a cloth sack. A shadow gremlin moved to get up when it found that its torso had been separated from its head by a quiet and sharp blast of wind. The third gremlin found itself crushed under a water whip. Its body melded into the earth. Kyrion jogged into the room after the attacks and started searching for cores. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything special aside from the bag.¡± He handed the sack to Tiffany. ¡°Whats this?¡± ¡°Your loot. The sacks from a bag gremlin are capable of holding more items than should be possible. It was your kill, and It¡¯s probably better for you to fight unencumbered. Since items in the bag also lose their weight.¡± ¡°I see. My first earned magic item is a bag.¡± ¡°To the next room then?¡± ¡°Master? I want a bag!¡± Jala declared. ¡°Do you even need one?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. But I want one anyway.¡± Jala told Kyrion with a straight expression. ¡°If we¡¯re making requests then I want a crown.¡± Issac butted in. ¡°Reasonable request please. Where would I even get a crown swan sized?¡± ¡°Abyss if I know.¡± ¡°Should we go to the next room now? Or do you two love birds need to fight it out?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I am not a bird.¡± Kyrion responded sagely. ¡°What about the love part?¡± Jala asked. ¡°I love all my spirits equally. Some days I may tolerate one of you a little more than the others.¡± Kyrion used a phrase that he heard his dad say a while back, changing a few words. Tiffany and Issac entered the next room, clearing it out with ease, and were moving onto the third when Kyrion realized he was left behind. The day was spent fighting small waves of gremlins one after another until they found their way into the remains of a ruined mansion. ¡°Let¡¯s clear this place out and set up camp.¡± Tiffany suggested. ¡°Sounds good to me. Fifty two gremlins and only three cores. Two of which came from the stone gremlin and the third from the shadow gremlin.¡± ¡°Why are you keeping count?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Jala and Issac wanted to see who could kill the most gremlins. They kept count, and shouted out the numbers as we cleared the rooms.¡± ¡°How many gremlins do you sense here?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Eight spirits, one of which seems to be a bit stronger than the others. Not a practitioner rank yet but almost there.¡± Tiffany clicked her tongue. ¡°There could be more then. Be on guard.¡± Kyrion pulled out a small bag of stones. Infusing mana into them caused the rocks to glow. Bringing light to the dark mansion. Kyrion tossed the bag into the air before pulling out his staff and cracking it with a loud smashing sound. The stones spread throughout the room and kept it well-lit as the growth spreading through the stones seemed to spread to where it landed. ¡°Glow moss, an invasive moss that glows in response to the amount of mana it absorbs. That swing should have been loud enough to get their attention.¡± ¡°You want them to come to us?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Easier to set up defenses with my abilities than it is to fight directly.¡± Kyrion set up a few vines and spread them throughout the room. ¡°So you want to ambush them in their own territory?¡± ¡°The first three will be here in three two¡­.¡± ¡°Ag!!¡± Screamed a gremlin that tripped over a vine and soon found itself covered in them. Jala immediately cut it in half with a blade of wind, the creature melding into the earth and solidifying soon after and burying a majority of the vine under the solid stone. Kyrion ran towards the second gremlin and swept his staff, aiming to take out its legs. The gremlin disappeared with a puff of smoke and reappeared next to Kyrions chest and clawed at him, leaving a shallow mark on the boy¡¯s flesh. Kyrion headbutt the creature who was now all too close, sending it falling to the ground. Tiffany capitalized by piercing the creature through the heart before getting back up. Issac grabbed the third gremlin with a tentacle made from water and squeezed it until the shadows came popping out like confetti. Kyrion looked around, a sense of dread crossing his face. ¡°The others are on top of us!¡± The party members dived to various sides as a loud booming sound from above came crashing down. Rubble furniture among chunks of ceiling and floor lay where the group was standing. Standing in the destruction was an eight-foot-tall gremlin with long stone claws that held an inky black aura. ¡°Kyrion you said that there weren¡¯t any practitioner rank monsters here. What do you call that?¡± ¡°No idea. There are four more to keep an eye out for along with this one. I¡¯ll dely it while you and the others take the rest of them out.¡± Kyrion charged at the large gremlin. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The gremlin swiped his claw, intending to kill the boy. Kyrion redirected the swipe with his staff forcing it to miss his body. The gremlin opened its monstrous yellow eyes wide as it brought down its second hand to squash the bug, Kyrion rolled out of the way. Throwing some entangling vines at the creature to restrain its movement. The creature broke through with ease, though it took long enough for Kyrion to start planting plant mines. The gremlin stepped forward, and an explosion of weak vines tangled its limbs. Unhindered, the creature cut away at them as it moved towards its prize. Meanwhile, Tiffany was having trouble with an alert bag gremlin. The creature was adept at dodging her thrust and shot out an endless supply of stones and other trinkets from its bag, forcing her to dodge back and stay on the defense for moments on end. Jala had slain another shadow gremlin but felt lifted by a stone gremlin into the air. Restrained by a creature she couldn¡¯t see, squeezing the life out of her. Jala couldn¡¯t send a wind blade at it, and she couldn¡¯t break free with her brute strength. The fox began channeling wind mana into a powerful blast to blow the creature away. The gremlin squeezed harder, breaking Jala¡¯s concentration and almost her neck. In an act of benevolence, Issac grabbed the gremlins head with a tentacle made from water and popped it off. Unfortunately, the creature¡¯s blood covered Jala, freezing her in position due to its hardening properties. Instead of struggling, Jala returned to Kyrion¡¯s core which freed herself from the trap. Kyrion felt the mana in his core increase as Jala returned, giving him a little more to work with. The giant gremlin saw an opening in Kyrion¡¯s defenses and quickly swung at him with the strike sending him through one of the mansion¡¯s walls. Kyrion got up and saw that his staff had been broken in the attack.¡± I need to stop losing weapons.¡± Kyrion picked up a surprisingly clean knife and felt a connection to his wind mana. ¡°It¡¯s sharp and pointy.¡± The boy then picked up a wooden rolling pin connected to his plant and life mana. Then, dual-wielding the chef¡¯s tools and charged back into the fray. The gremlin was surprised to see the boy still out; it was hit hard by the rolling pin, which broke on impact. Kyrion looked up in surprise as a fist came falling onto him. This time Kyrion poured all of his wind mana into the knife and swung it at the creature¡¯s falling arm. A whistle could be heard as the large gremlin lost its entire right arm from the shoulder along with a portion of its head that seemed to seep shadows. The knife took that moment to break as well. Kyrion started running as the enraged gremlin chased after him with one arm. Tiffany was having much better luck after tricking the gremlin with a feint and landing a lethal strike, the next few gremlins were easy pickings for her, and they were just about to help Kyrion when they felt a rumbling coming towards their direction. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Tiffany dashed to her right, getting out of the charging duo¡¯s way. ¡°Oh boy.¡± Issac seemed to sigh. Kyrion jumped over a patch where he planted some vines rolling with the momentum. The giant gremlin found itself wrapped in vines stronger than the ones from earlier. Unable to break free as easily. Kyrion caught his breath and felt his wind mana starting to slowly refill. ¡°All a part of my plan.¡± Kyrion panted. Much to his surprise, the winded feeling seemed to get worse. Issac wrapped the enemy with a whip of mana, opening it up to a thrust from Tiffany¡¯s rapier. She pierced the creature¡¯s open skull with a powerful thrust that would have killed an ordinary animal. Kyrion ripped open his shirt, noticing the scratch on his chest had grown to be much bigger than what it started as. It glowed an eerie purple glow reminiscent of shadow gremlin claws. Kyrion countered the malady by using a good amount of his life mana purifying it. However, he realized that he wasted a bit too much mana on those recent maneuvers. The creature melted into a smaller ball of sludge and froze solid, the shell much harder to break than the body. Issac barraged the shell with water whips to no avail. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion had picked up an old but solid broom and was ready to whack the enemy to death. ¡°Why are you using a broom?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been having a bad day. Weapons wise anyway.¡± He wiped away an imaginary tear. ¡°What about the thing you used to cut that creature¡¯s arm off?¡± ¡°It broke right after¡­Rolling pins no matter how tempting don¡¯t make good weapons.¡± ¡°And is that broom going to be any different?¡± Kyrion sighed.¡± Having a spirit weapon must be nice. Not having to worry about it breaking.¡± ¡°I do, if it breaks, then I¡¯m literally stunned and my spirit is broken. It¡¯s a weakness with weapon spirits.¡± ¡°Ah. Maybe I just need to bring more weapons with me, that or this area is cursed.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to let you two talking but I think the monster is done with its metamorphosis.¡± Issac told the boy. ¡°Like the thing butterflies do?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Close, like the thing caterpillars do to become butterflies.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s going to have wings.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it will have. But it¡¯s going to be a bit closer to practitioner rank in terms of abilities.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion healed Tiffany while they waited for the gremlin to emerge. The shell slowly began to fall apart, revealing an emptiness. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything there.¡± Tiffany proclaimed. Kyrion opened up his senses and felt surprised as his stomach was his with a tiny fist that sent him flying into the opposite wall. Some of his ribs were broken from the impact. The gremlin was now much smaller in size, even for a gremlin. Its lost arm had regenerated, and its body seemed leaner than it had previously. Black horns protruded from its head, and mana flowed into the creature rapidly. Tiffany thrust her rapier at the creature, only for it to spin out of the way. In a moment of genius, Issac slapped at the creature with a slow tentacle made from water. This, too, was deftly evaded by the creature. But, unfortunately, its speed had increased to troublesome levels. The gremlin entered melee with Issac and kicked it into the opposite wall of Kyrion. Issac didn¡¯t die, but he was hurt pretty bad, and he decided that returning to the core would be for the best. Tiffany swept the creature¡¯s legs with her weapon and attempted to finish it off. However, the creature¡¯s reflexes proved too great, and it rolled to the side as soon as it made contact with the ground. Kyrion felt his regeneration working overtime as ribs reset and healed. Finally, Kyrion pulled his body out of the debris and let the rest of his injuries heal while his wind and water mana regenerated. Tiffany and the gremlin danced back and forth, exchanging thrust, parries, and riposte. Tiffany with her rapier and the gremlin with a black blade extended from the creature¡¯s arm. The two went at it for a few minutes when the girl saw an opening and attacked. The gremlin produced a second blade made from the same material and pierced through Tiffany¡¯s shoulder, pinning her in place and stopping her attack. The gremlin pulled out the blade and jumped back to avoid a kick sent at him by the girl. Tiffany¡¯s sword seemed to glow brightly for a moment before Tiffany fell unconscious, her sword vanishing. Kyrion felt anger as the creature walked over to his friend to finish her off and moved to stop it. But, only running was too slow. So he put strength into his legs and leaped towards the creature. The gremlin was inches away from the girl raising a sword arm to cut off her head. Kyrion wasn¡¯t going to make it in time with just this and instinctively conjured a platform made from wind which he pushed off with an even greater force than his first leap flying into the creature with a kick that removed the creature¡¯s skull and made contact with a ball in its skull. The ball shot out and bounced around the room before landing intact, while Kyrion found his leg had been sprained when he landed on his feet. ¡°A quick fix!¡± Kyrion turned off his natural regeneration and went to heal Tiffany. Noticing that the black mark on her shoulder was spreading quickly. He pressed his hands on the wound and cleansed it with his life mana cleaning the damage with water mana. ¡°I need to rest. What¡¯s with that thing, was it playing with me?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Probably biding its time. You started to slow a bit at the end there.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help me sooner.¡± ¡°Is that anyway to treat your hero?¡± ¡°Maybe you saving me, over and over, is becoming a trend.¡± Kyrion thought about it for a moment and realized that was mostly true. ¡°Well I am a healer.¡± He looked at the slowly dissolving viscera. ¡°Mostly a healer.¡± Kyion added. ¡°One day I¡¯m going to pay off this debt before you¡¯re wise enough to try collecting.¡± ¡°Friends don¡¯t count favors. Well I don¡¯t and I don¡¯t plan on changing it anytime soon.¡± Kyrion felt a groan in his center as both Issac and Jala mooched off of his life mana. ¡°Lets go set up camp. I think I¡¯m hungry after all that fighting.¡± ¡°Kyrion, that may be the best idea we¡¯ve had all day.¡± Kyrion collected a gray core with inky black splotches surrounding it and put it in a bag. He then searched various cabinets, cupboards, and boxes on both floors of the building. By some twist of fate, he found a halberd with a flag under the blade and spear the back end with a rounded pommel. ¡°Nice, I can¡¯t wait to use this¡­.¡± Master Gan, who didn¡¯t appear when they were fighting the monster, almost dying in the process. Popped into existence right in front of me. ¡°Kyrion mind if I get that weapon appraised? Don¡¯t want you using a cursed weapon to fight.¡± ¡°I find this situation suspect. Is this weapon valuable or something?¡± ¡°As you should. Do you want to find out that its a cursed item in the middle of a fight when it turns you against your alles or something else that could get you or Tiffany killed?¡± ¡°Good point, take these as well.¡± Kyrion gave him his collection of cores and loot, aside from the sack that he picked up from the dead bag gremlin. ¡°So, I assume you at least have a decent weapon for me to use.¡± ¡°Kyrion. Kyrion, sigh. You need to learn how to reinforce your weapons before I get you anything substantial. You should also learn a style of fighting, I thought your family would have one.¡± ¡°Why would they have a style?¡± ¡°You know your parents fought in the last war right?¡± ¡°They never really talked about it¡­ They did give me a book of exercises when I left.¡± Kyrion pulled out the makeshift book. ¡°Can I see that?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°If you must.¡± Kyrion passed his master the makeshift book. Gamodren looked through it and sighed. ¡°Just some breathing exercises and basic movements. No fighting style, the pictures do look nice.¡± ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t have a style of fighting. Shouldn¡¯t you know that already?¡± ¡°Yeah, at first I just thought you had bad training but to think you had no training whatsoever.¡± ¡°I grew up on a farm. So I didn¡¯t need to learn how to fight.¡± ¡°So everything you did up to now has been instinct. Not that you need to use a weapon with your stores of mana. Though you do tend to lean a lot on beating these things to death. I¡¯m starting to worry if you¡¯re spreading it a bit too thin.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You hit hard, can take hits, control elements, and heal. That¡¯s taking you down the path of a jack of all trades. Not mastering a single thing but dabbling in many things.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°At your age and rank nothing, your abilities will just be easier to mold when you know what you want to do.¡± ¡°And if I say I want to do it all?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s greedy and then look for a way to make it happen.¡± ¡°I see. Can you at least give me another staff?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you five no more no less. Please try to be more careful with them.¡± Gamodren pulled out five wooden staves bundled together and passed them to the boy. ¡°I still feel that I¡¯m getting a raw deal out of this.¡± ¡°Possibly. You may have found the Great legendary polearm of Nwot Nilmerg. It should still be appraised before use.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± After Kyrion said that his master had vanished from sight, Kyrion couldn¡¯t even sense his presence. Tiffany found Kyion upstairs, and the two set up camp and some defenses. Apparently, Kyripn¡¯s trick with the dagger cut through to this floor, leaving a gouged-out area. Tiffany took first rest while Kyrion worked on refilling his mana and rigging one of the staves given to him by his master. Kyrion pulled out a knife and cut it in a spiral in the center before planting a vine that took root in the grooves. The vine soon enveloped the entire staff and stopped growing in its entirety. ¡°Vine staff version one. Let¡¯s see if this is what he meant by reinforcement.¡± Kyrion swung the staff a few times with half-strength, and it stayed together. Next, the boy sat down and looked for any enemies in the vicinity. There were none, and his shift passed with no issue. Tiffany took her shift soon after faced no difficulties, as the duo found themselves refreshed. Issac and Jala were resummoned, much to their distaste, but their injuries were healed, and the mana they could use was fully restored. After eating a breakfast made up of rations, the four made their way out of the mansion and back into the field of gremlins. Chapter 35 The Death of a Backpacker The two hundred or so gremlins that were, slain on the path to the boss proved nothing special. However, Kyrion¡¯s staff proved better than he could hope as it was capable of extending an extra foot in with help from the vines and could restrain what he hit, making Jala, Issac, and Tiffany¡¯s job much easier. What made it easy was that up until now, each group of gremlins they faced had a maximum number of five at once. Two of which could easily be taken out from a distance and the rest in a quick melee. This, however, was a bit different. Kyrion and Tiffany found a weird stone in the middle of a ditch, surrounded by fifty or so stone gremlins and a single gremlin who wore a backpack. Kyrion¡¯s senses told him it was stronger than the large gremlin they faced yesterday. ¡°Do you want to fight that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Not without a plan. Do you have one?¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°Turn around and go home?¡± Kyrion offered. ¡°That¡¯s just fleeing, we can take them, we just need a plan.¡± Tiffany eyed the boy. Kyrion looked at the ruined houses and other debris. ¡°I could plant a few trees.. Cause a landslide but that will take up alot of time and mana. Trees are greedy, I have a few seeds.¡± Kyrion pulled some acorns out of his pocket. ¡°Why do you just keep acorns in your pockets?¡± Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°Tiffany. Tiffany, we both know thats a stupid question that your not going to like the answer to?¡± Kyrion said with an oddly condescending voice. ¡°Just answer the question.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°Squirrels.¡± Kyrion answered as though that was the end of the story. ¡°Elaborate please.¡± Tiffany waved her hand. ¡°Squirrels eat acorns, squirrels are helpful when trained. Squirrels are fond of mischief when the opportunity arises.¡± ¡°You train squirrels?¡± Tiffany asked with a bit of skepticism. ¡°I may or may not, know how to train squirrels, but do not assume every squirrel near me is trained.¡± Kyrion looked away as he marked out some places to grow the trees. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Tiffany was skeptical about that last part. Kyrion planted acorns around the perimeter near some debris and ruined homes. He then infused each acorn with mana creating a link between him and the acorns. Next, Issac soaked the ground on top of them with water, a pretty generous amount of it. ¡°That¡¯s all my mana. This should be done until they reach the source below.¡± Issac. Told Kyrion. ¡°Why would you spend all your money on this?¡± Kyrion squinted at the bird. ¡°You¡¯re about to cause more trouble than you could possibly understand. Do you know what a dungeon is?¡± Issac asked, an imaginary eyebrow raised. ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion responded unashamed. ¡°They are a type of spirit that forms when a certain mana threshold is met near a core from a deceased being. That being is reborn as a dungeon. What makes them different is the innate ability to call nearby spirits and integrate them into their ecosystem molding the world around them. You¡¯re about to throw the ecosystem out of whack, among other things.¡± Issac blew on a loose feather that fell over its eyes. How it worked was something Kyrion didn¡¯t want to know. ¡°So is that giant rock its core?¡± The boy asked ¡°Oh gods no, that thing is a spawner for gremlins, it pulls in mana from the environment and moldes them into gremlins. It¡¯s probably a gremlin incubator at most. When it absorbs enough mana to create five to ten of those accused things then it does so all at once before it starts absorbing more mana.¡± ¡°So I may be creating tree gremlins.¡± ¡°Possibly. Destroying that rock should at least delay the process quite a bit.¡± Issac nodded. ¡°How do you know all of this Issac?¡± ¡°It¡¯s inborn knowledge, monsters know other monsters.¡± Issac said bluntly. ¡°So Jala should also know this stuff. Why don¡¯t you tell me this stuff before we end up this deep in gremlin territory?¡± Kyrion scowled at the bird. ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple, you didn¡¯t ask. Ask and you will receive. Remember we are here to help and don¡¯t know everything you lack knowledge wise. Aside from common sense that is.¡± Issac reentered Kyrion¡¯s core. Kyrion felt a pull on his core as his body slowly replaced the lost mana. He didn¡¯t let it fill up as he still had work to do. Using four of his affinities to fill up the scattered acorns. Plant, water, and life made the trees grow strong quickly. However, it was beauty that reacted weirdly. Although this tree would normally grow green leaves, these leaves came in various colors and shapes. The only consistent thing about them was a pattern that resembled an eye. The tree was an otherworldly natural beauty. In a sense, it got your attention and held it, but there was something off about it. Kyrion tapped out on the remainder of his mana, giving only a single command. ¡°Encroach.¡± The trees began to slowly grow, greedily absorbing mana from the environment. Their roots slowly surrounded the perimeter. Digging deeper, disrupting the foundation, and finding their way under the ditch. It took only a single command, and a majority of the gremlins would be dead. Kyrion Jala and Tiffany retreated to the mansion and stayed there for an hour, letting Kyrion refill enough mana to resummon Issac. The sound of a battle could be heard as the group made their way back. What they saw was surprising. The gremlins were killing each other, the ditch steadily filling with stone and locking them in place. ¡°What did you plant?¡± Tiffany asked, disturbed by the scene. ¡°Just some white oak acorns. I know the leaves are weird but this shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Just drop the debris.¡± Tiffany told him. Kyrion connected his mind to the eight trees and gave them the command. ¡°Destroy.¡± A good number of gremlins started self-destructing, quickly filling the lake to the point where none of the gremlins still inside could escape the fallout that occurred. Building brick, boulders, and other plants began falling into the hole, crushing them into a fine paste. At least that¡¯s what should have happened. The center of the ditch was unharmed by the falling debris, along with a small gremlin wearing a backpack. Although, before, Kyrion may not have paid any attention to the accessory, now the boy saw that the gremlin was holding the bag wide open. ¡°Huh¡­ I must be an idiot for not realizing this sooner.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tiffany pulled out her rapier, ready to fight. ¡°Thats a practitioner rank backpack gremlin, in terms of natural power and endurance it¡¯s weaker than the thing we fought yesterday though not by much, what makes it dangerous is what¡¯s in the backpack. What we don¡¯t know could be used to kill us.¡± ¡°Should we leave it alone?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°This should be easy.¡± Krylon cracked his knuckles. ¡°Where is this confidence coming from?¡± Tiffany seemed concerned. Kyrion stopped and started to think. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Shouldn¡¯t keep us from beating this thing though.¡± Jala looked at Kyrion questioningly. ¡°You do seem a bit different now.¡± Kyrion shrugged before planting a foot into the ground and pushing forward at great speed. The gremlin, shocked, aimed its backpack at him, and a shaped stone spear came flying at him. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kyrion kicked off the spear midair and pushed towards the gremlin even faster. The gremlin panicked as the boy seemed to gain speed and put the backpack in between the two. As a result, the open end faces the human cannonball. Kyrion tried to do that wind step thing that he did against the gremlin yesterday to get out of the way when he realized that he didn¡¯t have access to wind mana at the moment. His eyes widened at the realization as he punched himself into the bag. Tiffany watched in horror as Kyrion entered the bag, vanishing from sight. Issac was the first to laugh, the gremlin was second to laugh, and somewhere in the dungeon, a certain master was also laughing. Tiffany charged forward towards the gremlin rapier poised to strike. Jala rode on her shoulder, summoning wind mana. Issac followed slowly behind, using tentacles made from water to knock aside any flying boulders that got too close to Tiffany. The gremlin retreated while summoning a flurry of stone spears in an attempt to skewer its enemy. Tiffany dodged them with ease and moved in to stab the gremlin from ten feet away, shooting out an arrow of light that hit the gremlin in the chest and left behind a mark. ¡°Ah!¡± The gremlin squealed before firing out a ton of giant boulders. Tiffany dodged most of them, Issac caught the strays with tentacles made from water, and Jala sent a wind blade at the creature¡¯s legs in an attempt to slow it down. The two groups exchanged ranged for a few minutes, neither group willing to approach. A wind blade cut deep into the creature¡¯s left leg, and it began to bleed profusely. Tiffany used the opportunity to close the distance and deliver a shot from her rapier into the creature¡¯s eye. The gremlin took a few steps back, screaming in pain and falling down a slope. After rolling back to its feet, it grinned wickedly and opened its bag, firing an entire one-story house at the two. Tiffany flinched as the thing came at them and she was already committed to moving forward. Jala covered the two in a pink mist as they crashed into it. The gremlin laughed in glee as it eliminated two of its enemies. A tendril of water wrapped around its torso, locking it in place as Tiffany and Jala reappeared behind the gremlin and stabbed through the creature¡¯s neck. The gremlin¡¯s body flickered for a moment as it reappeared sixty feet away, the wound in its neck quickly healing. ¡°I¡¯d ask you what that was Jala, but I don¡¯t understand you.¡± A soft voice spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Kyrion I did that.¡± ¡°You can talk? And why not?¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t mess with that power right now, it¡¯s dangerous and he is a wildcard.¡± The fox looked at Tiffany with a withering glare. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the fact that you can actually talk a secret as well. Is there a reason behind that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to mess with him. We should be fighting though.¡± Tiffany smacked herself on the forehead and locked onto the gremlin that seemed to be having trouble with its bag. Issac slapped the gremlin with a whip made from water, and the creature fell back and rolled towards one of the new trees attempting to put it into its bag, when a root shout out of the ground whipped it for its trouble. Tiffany ran towards, and Jala began to fire wind blades at it, mostly cutting off the path it was traveling, but on occasion, one would hit head-on and leave behind a minor bleeding wound.
Kyrion had fallen into a pit with no natural color. Everything here was a shade of black, white, and gray. However, the mana here was strong, and Kyrion could feel some of his stores refiling quickly. Inside the place lie various interesting items, equipment, and architecture. Kyrion pulled out his sack and began piling in anything he found interesting, and in a matter of minutes, his sack had looted almost everything he wanted here. Every now and then, a stone would shoot up from a pile and out of the area. ¡°Human.¡± Said a deep voice from inside the area. ¡°What was that?¡± Kyrion jumped in surprise. ¡°Human!¡± It repeated. ¡°Time to get out of here,¡± Kyrion whispered, looking for a pile of stones, and started running towards it, the voice slowly getting louder. ¡°Yes, human this way!¡± Kyrion stopped planting his feet on the ground and began to turn around when he noticed that there were chains on the ground here around what seemed to be a circle. ¡°Please don¡¯t run, I need your assistance.¡± Kyrion¡¯s left eye twitched as he heard the plea. ¡°Why would you need my assistance?¡± ¡°I need someone to break these chains and free me from here.¡± The voice said. ¡°You sound pretty strong yourself.¡± Kyrion replied, getting closer. Suddenly, twenty or so boulders began flying up rapidly, revealing a powerful lizard-like figure chained to the ground. ¡°My strength is sealed and these chains make me much weaker and force me to obey the great one.¡± ¡°So what are you?¡± Kyrion aked. ¡°I am an earth dragon.¡± Said the big lizard. ¡°You seem to be a bit small for a dragon.¡± Kyrion rubbed his chin. ¡°I am a young earth dragon.¡± The small dragon replied. ¡°How young.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°A decade.¡± The small dragon seemed shy. ¡°That¡¯s old.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms matter of factly. ¡°Why do you think that¡¯s old?¡± The dragon¡¯s voice raised in pitch a bit too much as it was dumbfounded. ¡°It sounds old. Two whole digits.¡± Kyrion discovered a weakness in the dragon''s visage. ¡°My savior is an idiot.¡± It grunted its voice returning to its deep pitch. ¡°Yeah yeah, why does the almighty dragon need a nine year old child¡¯s assistance.¡± Kyion emphasized the child part a bit. ¡°I only have a year on you¡­ Most who make it here do not survive the fall and those who did don¡¯t tend to live long.¡± Its voice started light before pausing and returning to the deep pitch. ¡°Ah, it did hurt a little.¡± Kyrion sat down to rest a moment. The dragon nodded in understanding. ¡°So what do I get for helping you?¡± Kyron pulled out a notebook, pretending to write things down. ¡°My thanks?¡± It seemed puzzled by the question and didn¡¯t notice its voice slip register completely. ¡°Favors are nice and all but you¡¯re a dragon can¡¯t you offer something more?¡± Kyrion rubbed his fingers like a debt collector looking for money. ¡°I am a broke dragon at best, I don¡¯t have much to give. I could become your spirit. It would just take a brief contract.¡± ¡°Nope, don¡¯t need any more spirits. Not now at least, already have four, well three.¡± Kyrion shrugged. The dragon¡¯s eyes glowed red for a second, disrupting the black and white by quite a bit. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. You do have the mana for it. We could do a master-servant contract then, dragons have a strict code of honor. If I must serve you until I die, then I will.¡± It offered. ¡°What is a master servant contract?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t become one of your spirits but you gain the ability to call for me so long as I am on the same continent. Your body is enhanced by my magic and mine is enhanced by yours. I will not be able to willingly do you any harm.¡± ¡°Interesting, is it like having a free spirit core?¡± Kyrion rubbed his chin some more. ¡°Possibly¡­¡±It answered. ¡°Just going to ask, are you a girl?¡± Kyrion looked deep into the dragon''s eyes. ¡°Girl? Why did you ask that?¡± The deep voice seemed shocked by the question. ¡°Just my luck. I had a hunch that was the case. The gods must be messing with me.¡± Kyrion held his head with both hands. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Too many sisters, too many female friends, I need a dude friend to hang out with. You know to do dude stuff with, like fishing, and pranking. We could even talk about dude stuff.¡± Kyrion punched the circle on the ground causing the world they were in to shake and break the outer line of the spell. ¡°I could pretend to be a boy if you want.¡± ¡°That would just make things awkward.¡± ¡°What do dudes even talk about?¡± Kyrion froze and began to think. Kyrion actually didn¡¯t know, Noah was about smithing. Nico had books, while Damian loved fighting. Everest had a fondness for fashion while his master seemed to have eyes on other pursuits..¡°You know, I really don¡¯t know what dudes are supposed to do together. Maybe train?¡± I¡¯m strong, I''m sure we could train together.¡± The dragon watched as the baby-faced boy casually ripped chains that even she, a dragon, couldn¡¯t tear off. ¡°If so, how did you get stuck in here anyway?¡± ¡°I was an egg when it happened, the first thing I knew when I woke up was that I was here and that I couldn¡¯t leave. Memories of honor and devotion are ingrained into my kind however.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After removing the final chain, Kyrion took a step back eyeing his carnage on metal. ¡°I swear on my spirit to serve you until death and beyond my body is but a tool for you to use as you see fit. Do you accept my meager offer?¡± The dragon said humbly. Blood left Kyrions face as she made that promise. ¡°Umm¡­yes?¡± He accepted, causing a chain to materialize and wrap around his core before fading away. He gripped his chest and grimaced. The young dragon¡¯s form began to change as Kyrion watched in awe and pain as the light burned his eyes. Finally, the dragon shrunk, taking on a human form with a shell made from rock covering her body, and the light faded. ¡°Master as a warning I now require clothes.¡± She said from behind a boulder. ¡°What happened to the cool dragon?!¡± Kyrion felt heartbroken. ¡°I lost that form it seems.¡± The dragon said bluntly. ¡°Maybe I should have just asked for a ride.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t you like this form? It¡¯s like yours, which means I can protect you from anywhere.¡± She said stoically. ¡°The muscles, the scales, the wings, and fearsome gait, it¡¯s all gone.¡± Kyrion fell onto his knees in despair. ¡°No, I can¡¯t change this shape.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you at least be, you know, taller than me,?¡± Kyrion asked, raising his hands up and down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master, I will find a way to turn back on my own. Please just het up.¡± The dragon seemed worried for her master¡¯s sanity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My mental image has already been destroyed.¡± Kyrion pushed off the ground and snapped to his feet before walking away. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The dragon asked. ¡°There was a house nearby with a whole bunch of girl clothes. Since I don¡¯t wear girl clothes, I ignored them. So I¡¯m taking you there.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Thank you, master.¡± She said, bowing her head. ¡°Call me Kyrion, please. What¡¯s your name?¡± Kyrion had begun tapping his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± She responded. ¡°Huh, Ceres then,¡± Kyrion responded a bit too quickly. His eyes went wide before they seemed to glaze over a bit. ¡°How long have you been thinking of that name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the name I would have given my daughter.¡± Kyrion said, his voice deeper than it had any right to be. The boy slapped himself in the side of his head in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The dragon asked, confused. ¡°What the abyss did I just say... I¡¯m nine. It must be something else.¡± Kyrion shook his head a bit. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Ceres eyed her new master. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kyrion held onto the side of his head as they entered the house, and Kyrion dropped his new friend off before taking a seat in a chair. Slowly blood began to leave his nose, and he passed out.
A boulder hit Issac hard, forcing him back into Kyrion¡¯s core, to regenerate. Jala was pouring all her mana into wind blades while Tiffany darted in and out of melee range, dealing critical blows that could have dropped an average soldier in one hit. Another house appeared from the creature¡¯s bag and went hurtling towards Tiffany. Jala jumped in front of the projectile and covered Tiffany in the same mist before a loud crack could be heard, and Jala returned to Kyrion¡¯s core. Tiffany reappeared behind the creature and stabbed it where its brain should be, removing its second eye. The creature turned around and began recklessly firing houses in her general direction. Tiffany danced around the creature. Finally, putting it out of its misery with a slash from her rapier to its neck. For a moment, the sword had grown an edge from white light. Right after, a core fell to the ground along with its backpack. The fight was over, and Tiffany had to find a way to get Kyrion out of the bag. She fell back, breathing heavily. Kyrion walked out of the first house, shot out, and approached the incubator in the center of the ditch. His eyes and sclera were as black as night, where whips of pure white seemed to move about. His red hair started to turn black at its ends. He placed a single hand on the odd stone, and black mana left his hand pouring into the stone, causing it to disintegrate. A large glob of raw mana lay there before being absorbed by the boy. Increasing the number of wisps in his eyes. The boy began falling to the ground. His master appeared from out of nowhere and caught him. Concern marked Gamodren¡¯s face, which was a rare expression. Tiffany approached the duo with worry on her face. ¡°What the abyss was that?¡± ¡°A power he shouldn¡¯t have access to. The mana he absorbed didn¡¯t enter his body. The question is why is he storing mana somewhere else, and was it him doing it, and does he know.¡± Gamodren eyed his student before he layed him down on a cloth and started dragging him back to the mansion. A purple-haired girl left the same house and ran towards the fallen Kyrion. ¡°What have you done to my master!¡± She threw a wild punch at Gamodren. Gamodren, a gentleman, incapacitated her without making physical contact and placed her next to Kyrion on the same cloth. ¡°Kyrion. What have you done? I¡¯m going to have to take a more active role it seems. Good news is you all have proven strong enough to fight on your own. This will just be to keep events like this from occurring.¡± Gamodren sighed as he removed the black growth from the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°What? Who? Huh? Master?¡± Tiffany began. "No no no." Gamodren started. Tiffany¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she passed out where she sat. Her brain finally took as much as she could that day. ¡°Now I have to carry you too.¡± Gamodren sighed. Chapter 36 First Core Evolution Kyrion awoke in the mansion surrounded by Tiffany and Gamodren. Kyrion eyed Gamodren before asking the question. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°Depends. What is the last thing you remember?¡± His master prodded him. ¡°I was somewhere weird and my head started feeling fuzzy. It was like a dream honestly, I met a dragon who offered to be my servant. It felt a bit too out of my control. I remember a house shaking and then pain in my head before everything went black.¡± ¡°I see a little more than four hours then. So that girl over there is a dragon?¡± Kyrion sighed, looking to where Gamodren pointed.¡± Yes.¡± ¡°Master Kyrion, are you alright?¡± Ceres asked. Kyrion groaned. ¡°Young Master¡­¡± Ceres was cut off. ¡°Hey Tiffany, thanks for beating that thing. I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°No problem, I had a feeling something was off about you then. Your help would have been nice in the fight however.¡± ¡°I felt Like I did enough.¡± Kyrion pulled out the sack at his side and began pouring out his proffered loot. Weapons, armor, art, and trinkets. ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± Gamodren said, embracing the child. ¡°You¡¯re not my dad.¡± Kyrion pulled himself free. ¡°But I am your master. I¡¯m too young to be your dad.¡± Gamodren waved a finger. ¡°Are you now?¡± Kyrion squinted at him before crossing his arms. ¡°Can we use this?¡± Tiffany asked, picking up a gauntlet. ¡°I¡¯ll go get this appraised hold down the fort. Ah and Kyrion this wasn¡¯t cursed though it is a tool for earth and metal affinity spirit masters. So it wouldn¡¯t suit you. ¡° Kyrion looked at Ceres and sighed. ¡°Give it to her. It would probably suit her better.¡± ¡°There are a few staves here, maybe one could suit you perfectly.¡± ¡°I want something with a blade,¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the sword and shield type.¡± Tiffany told him. ¡°Bull!¡± Kyrion pouted. ¡°I can truly have this mas¡­.¡± Ceres started. ¡°Ah, bup bup. None of that master stuff. I already have a spirit that teases me with that title. I¡¯m tired of it.¡± Kyrion pouted before looking to his master for assistance and saw that Master Gan had already left. In his place was a confused guard captain. ¡°I¡¯m here to hold down the fort until your master. Though I do not know how I got here. We were just getting ready to leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be getting compensated for your trouble.¡± Tiffany told him. ¡°Captain, do I really look like someone who shouldn¡¯t use a sword and shield?¡± ¡°I mean no offense but with your build and innate Brute strength and endurance, a normal sword and shield would prove counterproductive. A greatsword would work if that was all you had, but you¡¯re a healer with elemental control, your position in a fight should change to suit the encounter.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to stand idly by while everyone else fights.¡± ¡°You had the right idea by using plants remotely to limit your enemies movements. Being able to control the flow of a battle is a great thing to have mastery of, healing is great but not having to heal is better.¡± The man told Kyrion. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Kyrion noded After staying in one place a few hours, Gamodren returned bearing gifts. Tiffany received slightly better armor and a gauntlet with a shield symbol emblazoned on it. ¡°Whats this do?¡± Tiffany hefted the gauntlet. ¡°When you infuse mana into it, you should be able to conjure a shield. It also works as powerful armor for your arm even when the shield isn¡¯t up. Ceres was given a full suit of plate mail and a necklace. ¡°Why am I supposed to wear this armor?¡± ¡°Your job will be as a defender, first line of defense against the enemies to come, as a dragon, your power should at least be practitioner tier.¡± ¡°Dragon?¡± The captain asked in surprise. ¡°Oh right.¡± Gamodren waved an arm, and the captain vanished. ¡°So you call yourself a dragon expert then?¡± Ceres eyed the man with suspicion. ¡°I am an expert in many things and a master in others, I believe dragons fall into the master category.¡± ¡°Ah bup bup. Ceres I order you not to fight with Gamodren.¡± ¡°Yes master.¡± Ceres changed her posture and did not push any further. ¡°Why did you just order her around?¡± ¡°For the sake of brevity. Gamodren is a monster in his own right and what he just said resonated with what I¡¯ve seen. I¡¯d rather not have my new friend lose heart by starting a fight she can¡¯t win. He¡¯s also not likely to hold back very much either.¡± Gamodren appeared behind him. ¡°That is true. I did manage to sell a good amount of the stuff obtained. Here is your share Kyrion.¡± Kyrion received a feathered headdress and a staff made from a special type of oak he hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to explain what Cere¡¯s stuff did?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Gamodren said plainly. ¡°Your stuff is next, first off we have the spirit core dropped from that backpack gremlin.¡± ¡°What? I don¡¯t see a core anywhere? I¡¯m also not rank five yet¡± Kyrion looked around. ¡°Rank five and practitioner zero are one in the same, once you reach rank four your body begins to infuse mana of a higher quality, rank five is when you fill your vessel completely and gain the ability to use mana from the world around you as a weapon. You did that in the fight against the giant gremlin yesterday, and again today when you poured mana that was not your own into the plants. While you were unconscious you used your space mana to pull in an absurd amount of raw mana that did not enter your core. Jala is ready for this evolution, and so should you.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Kyrion nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll go speak to Jala then.¡± Kyrion entered his core and found it had grown by quite a bit. The sprout was now a full-grown tree with walnut-like seeds starting to grow above the blue pomegranates. Issac¡¯s island had grown. Now resting above an ocean of water mana. Jala had grown a bit since the last time she was summoned. Her area was now a forest that was larger on the inside than appeared on the outside. Upon entering it, there was no direction, only purpose. ¡°Jala!¡± Kyrion called out as he entered the forest, his body appearing in a familiar clearing. ¡°Kyrion. You¡¯re ok.¡± Jala seemed surprised. ¡°What did you do?¡± Kyrion eyed the fox. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t notice before, but ever since I used that big attack yesterday, things have been slipping into my head, memories that are mine but don¡¯t belong to me. I¡¯m sure psycho has something to do with it as well.¡± ¡°Oh that. You were confused. The shadow gremlin that hit you left behind a curse that removes limiters on your mana. When you used all your mana, you used more than just wind, you used space as well. Which broke quite a few floodgates.¡± ¡°What do you mean.¡± ¡°The Cycle asked me to store the excess mana in your body and keep it from running rampant. I don¡¯t know where the knowledge come from but I was just trying to keep you alive.¡± ¡°I see. So you used, that mana today as well.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°It knocked me unconscious. Do you know who was controlling my body?¡± ¡°The Cycle used the opportunity where you were unconscious to prevent the spawning of more gremlins.¡± ¡°What is that Psycho really?¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°No idea it¡¯s spending most of its time messing with our pocket space at the moment.¡± ¡°Pocket space? Is it like a backpack?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s where I¡¯ve been keeping the fruits that fall from that tree. Inventory and the like.¡± ¡°You should tell them that I¡¯m going to be absorbing that backpack gremlins core.¡± ¡°What are you doing here then hurry up and absorb it!¡± Kyrion found himself kicked out of his core. ¡°Well. She said yes.¡± ¡°Great, this will probably hurt quite a bit,¡± Gamodren said, a bit too cheery. ¡°What?!¡± Kyrion and Ceres seemed aghast. Tiffany did not fall for the ploy, just waiting for the two to settle. ¡°Not much, though any changes to your body may cause some mild inflammation which is nothing to you.¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Kyrion looked away from his master as something cold touched his shoulder, and he felt a pinch and flinched. ¡°And done.¡± Gamodren said vaguely, wiggling his fingers mischievously. Kyrion examined his arm in confusion, noticing a small weird whelp on his arm where he felt the pinch. ¡°Is that the core? Gross.¡± Kyrion held his arm and watched as it healed and returned to normal. Tiffany squinted. ¡°Are you done already? Everything got foggy all of a sudden.¡± Kyrion looked around, noticing that the fog was dissipating. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different.¡± ¡°Really. Try summoning a pomegranate.¡± Kyrion did so, and the blue pomegranate appeared in his hand along with some information. ¡°Huh. I have ninety two of these things now along with eight walnuts. Though it feels more like a small world than a backpack.¡± Kyrion¡¯s mind entered the space as he saw that the world mirrored what he could find in his core. Kyrion checked on his core and found that it was now vacant. He also noticed considerably more mana at his disposal. ¡°That is new.¡± Kyrion summoned Jala. Jala appeared much bigger, her silver fur more lustrous, and the image of a partially open eye appeared on her forehead. She was now the size of a wolf and carried a new type of intelligence. ¡°What exactly happened? Why does it feel as though my core now has more mana than it did before?¡± ¡°Because we moved to your extra dimension space. Do you mind putting a few houses in there for us by the way? Before staying in your core took up mana, and staying out of your core restricted it. Moving there is still within your core but with the influx of mana we got, its self reliant. We don¡¯t need to take up as much space in your core anymore.¡± Said a soft voice that came from the fox. ¡°I am confused. Did you say that out loud?¡±.Kyrion looked to his master. ¡°Yes, yes I did. It¡¯s a new ability.¡± Jala lied. ¡°Is this normal?¡± Kyrion asked his master. ¡°Kind of, it¡¯s more they moved their homes from your core to a miniature world. Both are connected to you.¡± ¡°So they no longer take up as much space.¡± ¡°Correct, the connection is still there and they don¡¯t have to take up space unless you fully summon them.¡± ¡°Can I use their elements while they are in that place.¡± ¡°Yes. I recommend doing so when you need to fight someone alone or you find that they have been heavily injured in a previous fight. The space grows with you, as you grow stronger the space will grow larger and you can also absorb raw mana from the world to fill it up, preferably from large sources like that gremlin hatchery. I do not recommend trapping enemies in your world as that puts more than just your spirits at risk.¡± ¡°I see. It is not a shortcut to defeat enemies. But it can be a tool¡­ I wonder if I can teach them how to farm.¡± ¡°That is a recipe for disaster.¡± Jala replied ¡°.What about the other stuff? Kyrion asked.¡± ¡°The staff is a training tool; it weighs around ten times as heavy as a normal staff and is very hard to break. I¡¯d say it¡¯s impossible but I have no doubt that you will find a way to do so.¡± ¡°And the headdress?¡± ¡°Oh that just hides your face and has a minor enchantment that alters your voice as well. It will make you sound older, so don¡¯t go abusing it now.¡± ¡°Why would I want to be older?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be questioned when ordering alcohol in most countries. Certain establishments will let you in without a second though..¡± ¡°So I could drink spirits with this mask. I don¡¯t need it right now.¡± Kyrion pulled out a pale white walnut and handed it to his master. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Gamodren asked his student. ¡°I do not know.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°Why are you giving it to me.¡± ¡°I want you to eat it and tell me what it does.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto it then.¡± Gamodren made the nut disappear, ¡°I appreciate it.¡± Kyrion stood up, sent Jala back home, and did some practice swings with his heavy staff. It was too heavy to use in a fight, but it would help him grow in strength during training. ¡°What now?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Since I¡¯m here now I say we head straight for the boss without stopping.¡± ¡°Actually I need to retrieve a few houses before we get there. Then I¡¯ll be ready.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Tiffany agreed. After they left the mansion, Kyrion decided to put it in his world and was surprised by how easy it was. ¡°Just how much space do you have?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Too much.¡± Kyrion replied. The group arrived back at the ditch Kyrion, easily pocketing fully intact buildings. But, as they stopped and waited, a group of ten gremlins of the various kind attempted to ambush them. Gamodren stood there doing nothing, not so much as lifting a finger as the gremlins scratched at him. Tiffany was dancing with a nimble shadow gremlin, the two exchanging blows as Tiffany was making sure she didn¡¯t get hit by its claws. Ceres was chasing a stone gremlin down with her halberd, managing to run it through after exhausting it. She was not trained in using the weapon, but she was effective nonetheless. Kyrion fought using his newfound quantity of mana and conjured a spear made from water. He then used wind mana to freeze water, turning it into a brittle ice spear that he launched at a surprised, stone gremlin. Instead of melting when it died, the gremlin shattered like a clay pot. The process took a while to do, but it seemed effective against the stone ones. ¡°Kyrion don¡¯t experiment with new moves.¡± Gamodren ordered. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll figure it out later then.¡± Kyrion stuck to conjuring well-timed wind walls that disrupted the enemy¡¯s movements and led them into traps meant to slow them down so that the others could take care of them. The fight ended quite quickly as the gremlins discovered that they were outmatched. ¡°Kyrion, how much mana did that ice eat up? ¡°Gamodren asked. ¡± A little water, but a lot of wind, getting the water that cold was hard. Shouldn¡¯t it be easier?¡± Kyrion said, a bit winded. ¡°I want you to practice freezing and boiling water, with just your water mana you should be able to alter the temperature. Using wind can only do so much.¡± ¡°More practice, yay¡­.¡± Kyrion said in a monotone. A thought struck him. ¡°Why would I need to boil water?¡± ¡°To purify it of course, people need to drink water to survive, albeit spirit masters don¡¯t need it as often.¡± Gamodren lied. Kyion looked at his master in shock. How did he know his master was lying? ¡°That¡¯s funny¡­ but my water mana should be pure enough as it is. Why else would I need to boil water?¡± ¡°You caught me, I want you to be able to boil enough water for a hot spring, you have the mana for it. It¡¯s rather lucrative and I can even teach you how to create scented soaps that we can sell.¡± That didn¡¯t feel like a lie, Kyrion thought. ¡°I can¡¯t get a read on you at all.¡± ¡°Have any more questions?¡± Gamodren cleaned some gremlin debris off his staff and looked at the boy with a tired expression. ¡°Tons but I¡¯ll ask them when we¡¯re out of danger.¡± Kyrion motioned to the entire area but left his arms lean in a direction a bit longer. ¡°Silly Kyrion, as long as you¡¯re within ten feet of me you¡¯re never going to be in danger.¡± Kyrion felt that was a partial truth. The number felt a bit small for what he¡¯s seen his master do. ¡°Any more?¡± ¡°What exactly is your power?¡± ¡°Now that is a good question.¡± Gamodren started walking forward towards the next batch of gremlins ahead. Kyrion shrugged and followed. ¡°Had to try anyway.¡± Intermission chapter: A simple Job I have one mission, fly to the outskirts of Limguard, drop off the baby, and retire. It was a simple job, so why am I looking after two babies. It all started last night after, a very successful looting. ¡°Stork! I have an important job for you, will you accept?¡± Said my red-haired boss. He was a lean man with fiery red hair and a short goatee of the same shade. On his head was a tricorn hat and at his waist a whip. ¡°Aye captain!¡± I replied. ¡°Good, you¡¯re a good egg. Meet me in my quarters shortly. Be ready to travel.¡± Captain left the topside and headed to his room. I went to my room and packed my travel satchel. Jobs like this were common for me as message and parcel delivery were my talents. Not many spirit masters gain the ability to fly before expert, due to control. But I can transform into a bird, and not just any bird but a Vermilion Stork, known for its swift flight and ability to carry prey long distances. I tied back by black braids and changed into my traveler¡¯s clothes. I made my way to the captain¡¯s quarters, ready to take off, when I heard a small voice babbling on the inside. Probably the captain¡¯s infant daughter. I decided to knock. ¡°Come on in.¡± I heard a feminine voice say. I entered the room and saw the baby swaddled in a blanket, reaching for her parents. The feminine voice belonged to a short woman with blonde hair. The captain¡¯s girlfriend and the little one¡¯s mother. ¡°Miss Aisha, didn¡¯t expect you to be here as well.¡± I told the women. ¡°It¡¯s an important mission we have for you. Believe it or not, Samantha, I recommended you for this job.¡± The captain watched with a confused look on his face before jumping in. ¡°We will be going into some rough waters soon. It¡¯s going to be too dangerous for a baby to take along. My aunt has had quite a few kids over the years and they turned out fine. For the most part anyway. She is experienced in more ways than one. I wrote a letter that should explain everything, the trip should be an easy one. Outskirts of Limgard just a simple farming village, my aunt isn¡¯t able to use mana anymore so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone too dangerous to deal with.¡± ¡°So you want me to drop off a baby and return?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to return, in fact it may be better if you stay in hiding for a bit. Not sure how much heat we¡¯ll have on us after this. I have sat aside quite a few gold for you to take along with you. Enough to retire and live out your days quietly. After things blow over then finding us again should be quite easy.¡± ¡°Should I bring the child with me?¡± I asked. ¡°No, I¡¯d rather she not be raised along with pirates, no offense but I want her to live a safer life.¡± ¡°Aye captain! I will accept this mission.¡± ¡°Great, take this, it¡¯s enough supplies to keep my baby girl fed for the next few weeks. I¡¯m sure Cordillia knows what to do when it runs out.¡± ¡°Captain¡­ Isn¡¯t Cordilla.¡± ¡°Yes that one. She doesn¡¯t fight anymore.¡± ¡°Is it because she¡¯s hiding?¡± ¡°No, she got sick after her last one was born. She can no longer bear children because of it. It also took away her ability to use mana. Though I¡¯m sure she could still best you in combat with a pitchfork or machete.¡± ¡°Should I try not to be seen?¡± ¡°The approach is up to you, just know even if you can¡¯t see them doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°Good bye little Asela. I hope you live a happy life away from this bloodshed.¡± Aisha kissed the baby on her forehead before swaddling her tightly. The captain kissed his baby, and the child was soon wrapped around my chest. Then, I slowly transformed into a giant bird. Wings of a reddish-orange, a beak black as night with talons to match. I soon found myself flying away from the ship, my home away from home. I left the crimson leviathan behind for the last time. The flying was easy; hardly anything naturally flew at the speed I did. The little pit stops were tedious but not something I hadn¡¯t done before. I fed, burped, and changed the baby when necessary, and she seemed to enjoy the ride. I was the oldest child in my family and learned how to care for my younger brothers and sisters while my parents worked. It took two days of flight to make it to the location provided. However, I wasn¡¯t given an exact address. ¡°The biggest house, they said. These are all just farms. Not a single tavern either. Probably the biggest farm then.¡± I made my way to the largest plot of land, where there seemed to be a barn, fruit trees, and various fields of crops. The house looked nothing special, so I decided to circle around it from above. While hovering, I saw a red-haired woman leave the house, haggard from a long day. Her red dress was covered in various stains and splotches, and at the moment, she was wearing house shoes. ¡°Kyrion?! Where are you? It¡¯s time to eat dinner.¡± She looked around only to see nothing. The woman left the porch and continued to look around. I took a few glances but couldn¡¯t see anyone that small running around. ¡°I look away for five minuets and you go waddling out the door.¡± A man with sandy red hair walked out of the barn. A gardening hoe rested over his shoulder and a bemused look on his face. ¡°I told you he¡¯s a slippery one. Nothing seems to have triggered any of my alarms or traps so I doubt he¡¯s outside of the fields.¡± ¡°Jr. are these deadly traps?¡± The woman looked at the man with suspicion. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°No, the ones he could trigger were made for him, and uninvited guest. Nonlethal, at worst he may get some dirt in his eyes and we can find him by his whining.¡± ¡°Why include him to begin with?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a fast one sometimes. Once you lose him he could be anywhere. I know from experience, spending all my attention on watching him limits productivity. If I look away and he¡¯s off to the races.¡± ¡°How many times has he gotten away from you?¡± ¡°Out of my reach? Never, out of my immediate sight I lost count.¡± ¡°Any tips for bribing the little troublemaker?¡± ¡°We could try to use tangerines, it¡¯s a bit low considering.¡± ¡°Just like his grandfather in that regard then.¡± The two picked made their way to a tree with tangerines growing from it. The one called Jr knocked down two fruits and handed one to the women. ¡°Let¡¯s put one on the porch and leave it there. We leave it here and have you wait behind the door leaving it ajar.¡± The two separated from each other, with Jr roaming around the perimeter. I watched Jr make it behind the house and looked back to the porch, noticing that the tangerine was gone. ¡°When did that happen?¡± I mumbled to myself. There was no better time to land, so I made my way to the porch, gently landing before setting the baby down in their basket. I moved to knock on the door when I heard some surprising words from behind me. ¡°Big! Bird!¡± I turned around to see a tiny boy fearlessly standing on a tree branch. How did he get up there? His arms aren¡¯t developed enough for¡­ Before finishing the thought, I saw the boy reaching for me. His foot began to move forward onto the air, and I instinctively lunged forward to catch the falling toddler. I lunged forward to catch the boy who seemed to have an impish grin on his face. Upon catching the boy, I felt a pluck as one of my feathers was pulled out. ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled in surprise. ¡°Bird talk! Bird talk!¡± The toddler repeated. He then moved to pull out some more feathers, probably thinking that is how you make birds talk. I was holding the boy straight up when the front door opened up. The woman from earlier, Cordelia, almost stepped on the baby on her doorstep. Looking down with a confused expression. She picked the child up, examined it, and then positioned me in my prone position. Her eyes rested on the laughing toddler who was swinging around his proffered feathers. ¡°I¡¯d ask you to put my son down, but I currently have my hands full, and he¡¯s a runner.¡± Cordelia eyed the trouble maker, who seemed to realize he had somewhere to be, and started squirming. ¡°Slippery too it seems.¡± I replied, standing up with the child in my feathered arms. ¡°Slippery too!¡± The toddler replied. Jr eventually made it back to the front of the home and examined the scene. ¡°Is that a stork holding my brother?¡± He asked, a confused look on his face as he looked at his mother, who seemed to be holding a baby. ¡°Stork! Stork!¡± Kyrion yelled. ¡°It seems to have delivered a baby as well.¡± Cordiella looked at her oldest son. ¡°Baby?¡± Kyrion pointed to himself. ¡°This is not going to confuse the little one is it?¡± ¡°It should be fine, he only pays half attention to things.¡± ¡°Oh. He¡¯s going to be really confused then.¡± Cordilla read the letter and sighed. ¡°Come on in, I just finished dinner, we can talk over that.¡± I entered the house immediately, noticing that it was bigger inside than the outside. Having given up escaping, for the time being, the toddler hung limply in my arms, snoring. I took a moment to break my transformation. The dinner was a mess. It looked edible. The 3 girls at the table had a resigned look on their faces. A man resembling Jr had an excited look on his face eating his hash with practiced ease. ¡°You need to eat if you want to grow big and strong.¡± ¡°Should I wake him?¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s exhausted himself, he¡¯s sick in a sense.¡± Cordilla told me. ¡°He holds mana too powerful for him in his body and it¡¯s a drain on him. When he runs off like this its normally when he¡¯s exhausted. Most of the time we find him passed out napping. Other than that he doesn¡¯t cause trouble.¡± ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been two. Unless you count the first two years of his life that was spent comatose.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was surprised. ¡°He¡¯s a bit behind the physical growth curve In the sense that he seems to age half as fast as he should normally. Side effects from the mana running rampant and messing with things.¡± ¡°How did he get up a tree with all that going on?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°He did what?¡± Said the second oldest girl at the table. ¡°He fell from a tree that he seemed to be standing on.¡± I informed them. ¡°His arms are too stuby for tree climbing.¡± Bill Sr. blurted out. ¡°Apparently not.¡± Cordelia sighed. ¡°Anything else I need to know?¡± I asked. ¡°You should know that we have been lying to this boy for a while. I will continue to do so for a bit longer if it keeps him alive. I plan on teaching him the bare minimum, no fighting syles, no prior spirit mastery knowlege and none of my training. He can¡¯t use an awakening plate when he¡¯s of age since it would only cause problems for him. It will be easier for him to enter the academy if he believes he¡¯s the age he thinks he is.¡± ¡°So you need an actor?¡± ¡°I need someone who can help me keep up the ruse.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°A hunch. Do you have any experience caring for children?¡± ¡°Yes my younger siblings, it¡¯s why I was. Tasked¡­¡± I partly knew why I was chosen, but things seemed to be fitting into place. ¡°My captain knew, didn¡¯t he? So I¡¯ve been set up .¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to say you have a choice. I¡¯m not fit to look after two little monsters.¡± Cordelia coughed into her hands, red liquid coating them. ¡°So, your guilt tripping me now.¡± ¡°Maybe father could raise Asela, Laferal turned out fine.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think captain would want his daughter ending up like him.¡± ¡°Then you will have to help.¡± ¡°Probably, your younger than my oldest daughter Curella and the hair is a bit wrong but other than that your just what I need.¡± ¡°A babysitter?¡± ¡°An older sister, one that just returned from schooling. My younger girls will be going to the academy soon and won¡¯t be returning for a while. Curella is busy with her experiments most of the time and isn¡¯t free to help.¡± ¡°So you want me to pretend to be his sister.¡± ¡°Yes. I need all the help I can get. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time you did something in the gray area Ms.Pirate?¡± ¡°You got me. I have to lay low anyway. Will I be getting paid?¡± Laughing came from the older man¡¯s mouth. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to pay, how about free room and board?¡± Cordillia looked at her husband with a scowl. ¡°Bill?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet.¡± He got back to eating. ¡°If this is the food then I¡¯d rather move on.¡± ¡°How about our first born son?¡± Cordilla throughout. ¡°Mom!¡± Jr seemed exasperated. ¡°I want to pay, whether it be a portion of the crops or coins. I can fly pretty fast and deliver goods if necessary. Getting to and from the capital is child¡¯s play to me.¡± ¡°It could work. 25% of what you deliver goes to you in coins.¡± Cordelia stated. ¡°That sounds like hard work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s optional work, for customers that need things delivered quickly. You make more of course, from what I know you don¡¯t need to worry about coins anyway so what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t one.¡± I sighed. ¡°A place to lay low and a job when I need one.¡± ¡°Where do you spend coins here?¡± I pushed the plate forward and began to stand up. ¡°There aren¡¯t any shops worth buying from here. Though I¡¯m sure the capital has plenty of things to spend gold on.¡± ¡°Incentive to make deliveries then. So should we make introductions now?¡± Cordelia nodded to her husband, who spoke first. ¡°I guess it¡¯s age before beauty, my name is Bill Mosely, and the man who¡¯s been eyeing you on the other side of the table is my son Jr.¡± I looked at the man with sandy red hair and waved. He waved back before eyeing his empty plate. Cordelia spoke next, ¡°As you may no I¡¯m Cordelia Mosely disowned noble. Or that¡¯s at least what¡¯s been spread around. Can¡¯t exactly make myself known in this weakened state. My oldest daughter over there is Curella.¡± A dark red-haired woman with pale skin looked at me and grinned. Shivers ran down my spine, and I looked away. ¡°Your sisters now play nice.¡± Cordellia sighed and looked at the other two girls. ¡°My next two girls are Dwen and Thalia. They are a year apart but look almost like twins, don¡¯t get them mixed up or they will mess with you.¡± Cordellia told them sagely ¡°I¡¯m Dwen.¡± Said the one on the right. ¡°I¡¯m Thalia.¡± Said the one on the left. ¡°Got it.¡± I did not, in fact, get it, but I did understand that they had already tried confusing me. ¡°Now, who are you?¡± Cordellia asked me. ¡°I am Samantha Mosely.¡± ¡°Good good. The little one you¡¯re holding is Kyrion. The baby is Asela.¡± Cordellia looked at the baby in her arms and almost teared up. ¡°Your family lives on, brother don¡¯t worry.¡± Chapter 37 The Grim Father Kyrion¡¯s group made their way through swaths of weak foes. Gaining both treasure and experience facing gremlins, Kyrion noticed that he learned less from fights when his teacher did most of the work. Gamodren only stepped in when things were taking too long to finish, they were having trouble, or when he got bored. Gamodren seemed to have a short attention span because he got bored a bit too often. The group made it to a large building with an abundance of gremlins. These fuzzy humanoids had nice clothes on, suits with matching shoes. Most had daggers, while some had oddly shaped crossbows. On their heads were little black fedoras. ¡°Can I keep them?¡± Kyrion asked his teacher. ¡°While I¡¯m sure the inner child inside you would like to stuff all of them into your backpack space and summon them out to fight for you, I¡¯m thirty percent sure that you can¡¯t fit them all in that space and even you could, then you¡¯d have to feed and take care of them for an extended period of time. You would also be putting your spirits in danger, which is something I don¡¯t recommend doing.¡± Gamoden explained. ¡°We could have them run the hotspring.¡± Kyrion brought up. ¡°Isn¡¯t that slavery?¡± Tiffany brought up an important point. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Kyrion asked as Limguard did not practice slavery. ¡°Its when¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re intelligent monsters, yes, but it¡¯s limited. I¡¯d explain more but I literally can¡¯t without breaking rules. Think of them as humanoid spirits. They would be working for you like that dragon girl. Only they¡¯d have a higher position in the hierarchy and receive payment.¡± ¡°Do you have a problem with me, human?¡± Ceres sneered. ¡°Aside from attracting dragon slayers, no.¡± Gamodren said flippantly. ¡°Can you not argue right now? We have enemies to take care of.¡± Tiffany ordered the two. ¡°Good job Tiffany.¡± Kyrion patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they go at each other like that.¡± ¡°Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m the oldest one here, which is concerning.¡± Tiffany crowned behind a boulder and waited for a gremlin to turn around. .¡± Kyrion fed mana to a vine in his hands and gave it the command. ¡°Capture.¡± It extended under the gremlin¡¯s feet before shooting up. Then, wrapping itself around the gremlin¡¯s neck and strangling it instantly. ¡°I was not trying to kill that.¡± Kyrion dropped the vine. ¡°Sure. It was the vine¡¯s fault.¡± Tiffany pointed her sword at the dead gremlin tied up in vines. Gamodren coughed into his hand. ¡°You did capture it, the vine just didn¡¯t know if you wanted it dead or alive so it gave it to you dead.¡± Kyrion sighed as they continued to the next lurking gremlin. It found itself looking down at a shaft from a rapier. The one after that was squeezed to death by Ceres after she chased it down. The one Gamodren captured was foaming at the mouth but mostly alive, so Kyrion threw it in the bag. ¡°What did you do to it?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I gave it that walnut thing that you gave me earlier. I wouldn¡¯t eat that if I were you. Not yet at least.¡± Gamodren told the boy casually. Kyrion warned the spirits in his space and continued forward. As they continued on, there was no trouble until one of the gremlins that Ceres was chasing down blew on a horn, and more gremlins began to converge on the area. ¡°Be a bit more subtle next time.¡± Gamodren told the girl. ¡°Subtle is not the dragon way.¡± Ceres told him. ¡°What do you know about the dragon way whelp?¡± Gamodren tapped his staff on the ground, and like a scene out of many nightmares, snakes began to appear in waves surrounding the group and intercepting the approaching gremlins. Ripping them to shreds with ease, blood and garlic were everywhere. Yet, when the smoke cleared, not even the corpses remained. The area had been cleaned out in an instant. ¡°What was that?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°A show off. Why didn¡¯t you do that sooner?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°That was a good waste of mana, is what it was.¡± Gamodren continued forward unhindered by his show of force. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Kyrion lingered, looking for loot only to find none in the immediate area. ¡°We should be getting close to the boss now?¡± Gamodren was brought up. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Kyrion, explain. She doesn¡¯t question you.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t just¡­.¡± Ceres started. ¡°There is a strong source of mana below us, surrounded by a force almost as strong and a few slightly weaker ones.¡± ¡°Under us, so we need to find some stairs then.¡± ¡°Hah. Stairs¡­ No no, we get the drop on them. Tiffany and Ceres get back.¡± Kyrion raised his foot high into the air. Tiffany and Ceres watched as the boy brought his foot down and the building shook. Glass shattered, furniture moved, and best of all, the floor went down along with the boy, Upon landing, Kyrion jumped to the side, drawing the enemy¡¯s attention as Tiffany and the other fell in and flanked their enemy. Under the debris, uninjured by the assault, was a humanoid with long ears and albino white skin. Its eyes had a half maddened look in them. One was red like fire while the other glowed silver. Kyrion noticed as he looked at the creature longer. It wasn¡¯t that the face was weird. Instead, the face was a mask made from diamond hiding its true nature. ¡°Hello, hello, take a seat. You must be here for the interview, yes?¡± It asked, pointing to where a seat was before waving its hand and causing four of them to reform from the destruction. The ceiling also seemed to fix itself. Ceres jumped as objects began to float around and move without physical interaction. ¡°Do you know what a tomato is?¡± Was the first question it asked. ¡°It¡¯s a red fruit or vegetable, depending on who you ask. We had an area for them at my family farm.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°Can any of you cook?¡± It asked. Kyrion looked to his group mates, who seemed to find the ceiling fascinating. He then raised an eyebrow and waited for someone to respond. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no. Can you work well in a group?¡± It asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Kyrion answered before adding. ¡°What are these questions for.¡± ¡°Gotta find a slot for you new gremlins.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t gremlins.¡± Kyrion said as his group mates seemed out to lunch. ¡°Thats silly, only gremlins are down here in gremlin town.¡± It laughed. Kyrion eyed the creature with suspension. ¡°What else do you do?¡± ¡°I make sure the Gremlins fall in line and meet their quota for the father.¡± ¡°Father? Where can we find this father?¡± Kyrion opened his senses to the area and felt that the creature in front of him held more than anything else here. The second strongest was a domineering presence in the adjacent room. ¡°The father is in the next room, he is quite a glutton and has a habit of eating other gremlins, most dread being assigned the position in the first place. Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your father won¡¯t need any new staff after we start working under him. We will stay with him until he dies.¡± Kyrion promised, choosing his words carefully as he felt a chain wrap around his core. He was starting to hate that feeling. Gamodren nodded, keeping his mouth shut. A smirk could be seen on his face. ¡°Great news. Go on in!¡± The door flew open, and Kyrion and co entered the room. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Kyrion asked his group mates. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to mess up my master¡¯s plan.¡± Ceres said. ¡°You looked like you had it under control.¡± Replied Tiffany. ¡°You did well, though you could have worded your oath differently, while it works here since we¡¯re going to do a dreadful deed. It means we can¡¯t leave until it¡¯s done. Keep this in mind words become law as a spirit master. As you grow stronger your words will carry more wait. A speech by a mortal can move hearts while a speech from a spirit master can move mountains.¡± Gamodren led the way this time, shrouding the group in fog. Kyrion sighed. ¡°What was that guy outside anyway? He was stronger than the thing I felt in here.¡± ¡°That was the dungeon. It seems that its core has been damaged, which is probably why gremlin town is ruined. This place used to be a training hotspot, I can see why fewer people have been coming here now.¡± ¡°Why take us here then?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°It¡¯s close to the town and another place I need to take Kyrion for his training.¡± Gamodren said before stopping as Tiffany eyed him. ¡°Things are starting to add up now Master Gan.¡± Tiffany looked him dead in his eyes. ¡°Really now you call me out on it now, right before we fight the boss.¡± Gamodren didn¡¯t try to hide it, closing his eyes and smiling ear to ear. ¡°He looks more like a fox than Jala does sometimes.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°And Kyrion clearly isn¡¯t surprised, why didn¡¯t you just come out and say that you were an expert spirit master?¡± ¡°Well your captain figured it out when I told him about the traitors in his midst. He realized that my strength didn¡¯t match what I was showing him. I told your father about a week ago about are circumstances, he seemed quite surprised. So I was going to tell you one day preferably not before you three have to go kill a mid-practitioner rank monster on your own.¡± Gamodren disappeared. ¡°Is he always like that?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Yes actually, I¡¯m just now learning to discern truth from lies. Though that may be something else entirely.¡± Kyrion stopped walking forward. A sixteen-foot tall obese gremlin sitting on a cushioned chair that seemed to be made for it. At its side was a spiked club that could easily crush and tenderize them if they just stood there and took hit after hit on purpose. Ceres took vanguard while Tiffany and her rapier were right behind. Kyrion summoned Jala and had her rest on Tiffany¡¯s shoulder for this fight, while Issac seemed to be on strike after getting crushed. The father sat in the chair staring into space as Ceres conjured a hammer made from earth and hammered it into the creature¡¯s big toe. ¡°That''s a low blow.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Would you prefer I fought it head on master?¡± ¡°If you still looked like that dragon I saw earlier, then yes, now I think it has a size advantage.¡± Kyrion grabbed the creature¡¯s injured foot with a water whip and drilled a fire pepper seed into the open wound, causing it to grow from the wound. Glowing red energy spreads through the creature¡¯s veins, slowly encroaching on its core. The monster got up, stomping its foot on the ground, partly in agony and partly trying to crush Ceres. Tiffany stabbed into the creature¡¯s large Achilles tendon. Piercing deep into the monster¡¯s flesh but not causing the injury she expected. As it was only inconvenienced and had a minor limp. The gremlin barked a command, and ten small gremlins ran into the room only to be swept up and consumed in an act of cannibalism. The wounds on the creature¡¯s foot began to heal, along with the many stabs. The fiery veins, however, continued to spread. Ceres began climbing the creature¡¯s leg using a series of earthing pitons stabbing into the creature as she made her way up. With none of that, the father fell forward, crushing the dragon with ease before rolling over with a nimbleness that belied its size. It felt a piercing sensation on the third swing as a dart passed through its left eye and severed something. Next, a mighty gust of wind came and knocked it out of its socket. The remains fell to the ground, the wound unable to heal fully now that the limb was missing. Enraged, the creature wildly swung at the slowly falling duo. Strikes that should have hit found themselves missing as the two disappeared in a pink mist. Kyrion gripped his head and channeled the plant mana lingering in the creature¡¯s body, causing the fire to spread through the monster¡¯s veins. The creature began hitting itself in confusion and even fell to the ground rolling in an attempt to put out the fire. Ceres¡¯s plate armor had been bent in many places but mainly remained intact. Her body was bruised after the series of attacks. But, thanks to her bond with Kyrion, even those were healing as the fight went on. She would never tell her master that she got the better end of the deal. Ceres caused the earth to wrap around the rolling creature stopping it in place. It slowed significantly and even tried to fight it. But in the end, it died wrapped in a blanket of earth. Chapter 38 Wraping up Gremlin Town ¡°What now?¡± Kyrion asked, lying on the nice carpet in the middle of the room. He really had to take some with him. The amount of stuff he could hold in his pocket space, made him want to take everything he could. ¡°We leave, letting the dungeon repair itself.¡± Gamodren said, unconvinced that what he said was going to happen. ¡°Can¡¯t I heal it?¡± Kyrion asked while cutting a big chunk out of the decorative rug. ¡°You can try. I definitely won¡¯t be stopping you. When you feed a stray pup then it will follow you for life.¡± Gamodren stayed expressionless. ¡°I¡¯m going to try.¡± Kyrion left the room. Gamodren stayed behind and made sure the rest of their group was in walking condition. The room that they fell through had been repaired and th ¡°What about your promise to stay with the Father?¡± It asked. ¡°It came down with a mysterious terminal case of death.¡± Kyrion wiped away some conjured perspiration from his eye. ¡°He died after you were in there for ten minutes.¡± It said, skeptic. ¡°It was quite overweight, it probably had a heart attack or another underlying health condition.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°I heard fighting from inside.¡± It said slowly. ¡°Just exercise. We were trying to help.¡± Kyrion made up on the spot. ¡°By stabbing out its eyes?¡± ¡°Yes by¡­You saw the fight. You weren¡¯t in the room and I¡¯m sure that door was closed.¡± Kyrion could feel the creature raise an eyebrow. ¡°I see everything that happens here.¡± It said uncaringly. ¡°Ah. Straight to the meat then. I want to help you.¡± ¡°Is that a euphemism for killing me?¡± Mana began to slowly gather under Kyrion¡¯s feet. Kyrion took a moment to recall what that word meant and came up empty. ¡°I don¡¯t think so? I want to try healing you. My teacher said that you were broken.¡± ¡°Broken. Shattered. Lost. Something like that. I doubt you could heal me with your meager abilities. But I will let you try anyway, show me this healing magic.¡± The colors in the creature¡¯s eyes switched places. Kyrion watched as the creature¡¯s personality seemed to change, becoming a lot more confident and sure of itself. ¡°Huh¡­ ok. Take my hand and I¡¯ll start.¡± The boy held out his hand and waited. The creature took Kyrion¡¯s hand and griped it relatively hard. Kyrion started by infusing it with pure life mana and found that the creature¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t change, and the mana didn¡¯t want to stay in. Like putting water into a bucket that had a hole in its bottom. ¡°Not going to work I¡¯m afraid. I can¡¯t be healed by pure life mana, I need something with a bit more substance. Physical materials or something that can be converted into what I need. Potions have helped a little but their so hard to get down here.¡± ¡°So you can eat?¡± Kyrion pulled out a blue pomegranate and broke it open. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± It asked curiously. ¡°I can produce fruit that heal wounds and stuff. Try it.¡± Kyrion gave the creature the pomegranate seeds. It brought the seeds under the mask, and they disappeared. ¡°Interesting. Would you happen to have anything stronger?¡± ¡°The only other one I have is a walnut. I do not know what it does. Gave one to a gremlin and it started foaming at its mouth. ¡°Kyrion produced another and passed it over. It took it and eyed it carefully. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be poisonous. Looks like a small brain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a walnut, I think. Eat it at your own risk.¡± Kyrion observed the creature. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It popped the nut next to its mask, and it connected with a clicking sound. The nut then fell to the ground. It tilted its head before retrieving the nut and slipping it under his mask. It screamed a baleful scream before turning into a cube-shaped object falling to the ground. Kyrion put the object into his space. ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Kyrion¡¯s head was wracked with a powerful headache for all of two minutes. When it passed, he made his way back to his group with a sullen look. Ceres had been working on fixing her armor, not as injured as he thought she should have been. Tiffany was meditating. Getting close to another tier of compressions. The quality was almost on par with Kyrion¡¯s before the attacks on his core by Edwin. Gamodren was gone. At least he seemed to be gone with Kyrion¡¯s senses. The boy tried to sense further out when a hand touched his shoulders. ¡°How¡¯d your act of goodness go?¡± Gamodren asked, possibly teasing. ¡°I killed it. On accident, it ate the walnut and died.¡± Kyrion said sullenly. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t¡­Did you pick anything up?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Yes, this cube thing.¡± Kyrion went to remove it from his bag and couldn¡¯t find it. His face went from sullen to scared. ¡°Kyrion¡­ I do not recommend putting everything you find in your space. While it may be easy to do, you need to make sure that your spirits are prepared for it. How¡¯s that gremlin doing by the way?¡± Gamodren said sagely. ¡°Uh-huh¡­ It¡¯s just so convenient.¡± Kyrion felt like he¡¯d been played but couldn¡¯t figure out how. So he looked into his space for that well-dressed gremlin they captured earlier that day and saw that it was up. Kyrion took the creature out of his space.` ¡°Hello boss!¡± It said with a squeaky voice. Saluting Kyrion with a wide smile on his face. ¡°What the abyss,¡± Tiffany said. ¡°It spoke! Kill it!¡± Ceres started running towards the creature when a snake appeared and tripped the dragon out of nowhere. ¡°No. No. Its one of Kyrion¡¯s servants¡­ Oh its all coming together now.¡± Gamodren seemed to produce four more unconscious gremlins. ¡°When?¡± Kyrion started to ask when he realized that he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Give each one of these a walnut and they will work for you.¡± Gamodren told him. ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°That nut you gave them gave them sentience and intelligence to boot, they are thankful for that and wish to repay your gift.¡± ¡°So it doesn¡¯t heal?¡± Kyr ¡°Just ailments of the mind and core it seems. The sentience is what happens to a creature that consumes the nut without having their own. For all intents and purposes they now consider you their god.¡± Gamodren ¡°So its slavery.¡± Tiffany didn¡¯t seem happy about the new ability. ¡°My master is not a slaver.¡± Ceres scolded Tiffany. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve only known him for a day. When the honeymoon phase fades, you¡¯ll see him for the slave driver he is.¡± Jala added as though she were trying to scare Ceres away. ¡°Why are you so angry now?¡± Kyrion asked the fox. ¡°You made me miss Asela¡¯s birthday party. There was cake! You also only ever summon us when you need something.¡± Jala pouted. ¡°Hey. That wasn¡¯t all my fault.¡± Kyrion told her. ¡°I didn¡¯t say the anger was logical. Ceres if you serve under him chances are you¡¯ll be sitting around for a while bored. He¡¯s prone to commas and passing out. You may have to carry him from time to time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only had one comma for a few months, and I went there willingly.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jala looked at the boy. ¡°Master, are you really that fragile?¡± Ceres asked, concern filling her. ¡°I¡¯m not fragile.¡± Kyrion said something wet was leaking from his nose. ¡°Kyrion, take the hint. You need help, don¡¯t throw it away.¡± Jala said plainly. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a nosebleed all right. You sure you don¡¯t feel off?¡± Gamodren got a bit too close. ¡°Nosebleed?¡± Kyrion touched his lip, noticing the pooling blood on the floor. Jala began to vanish into his core and not the extra space this time. ¡°Can I get the walnuts before you pass out?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Kyrion pulled four out of nowhere, a bit agitated. Gamodren took them and passed one to each of the gremlins, having them eat the nuts. Ceres caught the boy as the vision faded from his eyes. Kyrion saw the older man from last time only now. He seemed to be really close to him in height now, and the facial structure was a bit different now. In front of him were two gravestones, although only one grave seemed to have been dug. There were younger versions of the two boys he saw playing outside. The man looked at him, and the boys vanished. ¡°You are already so different, so much stronger than I was at your age. Not physically but in here.¡± The man pointed to his chest. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kyrion asked the man. ¡°When I was young I thought I needed to do everything alone. I became strong on my own, learned to fight alone and became a powerful warrior. I didn¡¯t make many friends on that path, and was a bit too trusting of those who betrayed said trust. I was cocky as well, thinking that I was invincible.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°After reaching the realm above experts I entered a world much wider, alone, met a woman who I will not name and we got married. During that time of peace I angered someone who took it out on her and next thing I knew I was raising them alone. When I became strong enough to take my revenge and did so the man fled through time and space. My consciousness is sealed inside yours due to the amount of the world¡¯s laws. When someone messes with time those most affected, and have already reached that realm will be given their memories as they gain in power. This is the only way I can speak to you, I just want you to know that the path that you¡¯re going down now is right. Make many friends, grow in power and know you never have to go in it alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re depressing¡­ Just like psycho?¡± ¡°Psycho? Oh you mean him. He just wants what¡¯s best for us, his powers won¡¯t suit you very well.¡± ¡°Are you the one making my nose bleed?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Were you why I kept getting so cocky in that fight earlier?¡± ¡°Highly likely. Memories and thoughts bleed over as you gain in strength.¡± ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t like them bleeding over, can I just you know, not get those memories?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°If you don¡¯t like this then you¡¯ll hate the incarnation process.¡± ¡°Who what? Wait, aren¡¯t you going to teach me something like last time?¡± ¡°Yeah no, you already surpassed me in healing. I only learned the basics.¡± ¡°What about a fighting style?¡± ¡°Mine definitely won¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°Did you make me lose so much blood for this?¡± ¡°Partially, it was also to distract you from the headache. Your space is growing quite a bit after absorbing that dungeon¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re stalling.¡± ¡°Figured me out already huh.¡± ¡°I¡¯m perceptive in a sense. So that little grave must be Ceres. Who was the mother? Someone I know?¡± ¡°Possibly, not sure how well however.¡± The older man said. ¡°So what are the chances I¡¯ll pass you in height?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Highly likely.¡± The older man stated. ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡± Kyrion said plainly. The older man was caught off guard by the statement. ¡°Why is that ?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You just got this depressing arua about, and I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t become me. Don¡¯t give in to your anger, and don¡¯t lose yourself to vengeance. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Kyrion was scowling. ¡°You know what they say about a crucible.¡± The older man said sagely. ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡± Kyrion stated. The two talked until he was given the go-ahead to return to consciousness. Unfortunately, Kyrion was not told what a crucible was, and most of his questions were left unanswered. His irritation with the man who called himself an older version of himself had grown quite a bit. Chapter 39 Operation Hotspring Kyrion found himself surrounded by friends and smiled. ¡°Well, looks like I am prone to commas. How long was I out this time?¡± ¡°Only two days. I¡¯d say that was a new record. You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t die from blood loss.¡± Gamodren told him bluntly. ¡°Master, are you really ok?¡± Ceres said as she picked the boy up with ease. ¡°Yeah. If you happen to find an evil time traveler please kill them and make sure that they¡¯re dead.¡± Kyrion ordered. ¡°Ah so you met him?¡± Gamodren flexed his fingers. ¡°Who is him?¡± Kyrion asked skeptically. ¡°The sealed mind in your head. I can sense it paritaly, which is partly why I decided to take you as my student.¡± Gamodren said plainly. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a lie. Why didn¡¯t you teach me about it sooner. Can you help me get rid of it?¡± ¡°Those memories are there to prepare you for the foe you may face in the near to late future. I¡¯m sure you know who I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°Edwin¡¯s boss?¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°Yes and no, Edwin¡¯s boss is a bishop in chess terms. While a king in name they are only a means to an end. The Ruler of the Beast Blood empire is an enemy to you and all of the Goskin continent though you are someone they need put down.¡± ¡°Why would a king be after me?¡± ¡°Their leader is an orc shaman of great power that is inhabiting a vessel belonging to your deceased uncle. He is after your body to turn it into its next vessel. I would rather that not happen for various reasons.¡± ¡°I too would like to keep my own body. So where did Edwin fall in the hierarchy in terms of chess?¡± Kyrion asked with his arms crossed. ¡°The one you met was qualified as a pawn. They had a knight and rook at the school as well. I¡¯m sure those are who you sensed earlier. They¡¯re gone now but may return sooner or later.¡± ¡°I see. Why can¡¯t I have a simple journey. I think my desire for adventure is a bit more dangerous than I thought.¡± Kyrion pouted a bit. ¡°Life in this world is dangerous which is why I¡¯m here to get you as prepared as possible.¡± Gamodren put his hand on his face in a dramatic gesture. ¡°What is beyond expert anyway and why haven¡¯t I met or heard of anyone that strong?¡± Kyrion asked bluntly. ¡°You had two in your immediate family, your oldest brother and your grandfather. The reason why you haven¡¯t heard of it is due to the fact that those who reach that level of power aren¡¯t allowed to use it here. Using that power puts them somewhere they can¡¯t leave until fully incarnating. After that they move onto the homeworld where the real battle begins.¡± Gamodren eyed his student carefully. ¡°So grandfather isn¡¯t of this world anymore and neither is my brother¡­ Why didn¡¯t I know they were that strong?¡± Kyrion was aghast. ¡°When I saw what they could do at the arena I thought my brother was pretty lame for being able to plow a field with a single swing of his hoe, cut down multiple trees with a swing of his axe, and harvest crops in seconds. He made it seem so easy.¡± ¡°A dragon that announces its nature and causes trouble becomes a dead dragon. While a dragon that hides its claws, wings and fangs, while being productive, becomes a hidden dragon. Sometimes deception is necessary, If they knew how strong the people in your family were they would have sent stronger warriors.¡± Gamodren explained. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it until you told me how strong Jr was. Does that mean dad is strong too?¡± Kyrion asked his teacher. ¡°Your dad isn¡¯t that strong. Had he been raised and trained at an early age like you and your brother, or even had the opportunity for it at an early age he could have been. But fate isn¡¯t that nice, he reached practitioner rank pretty late and never attempted to go further down the path as a spirit master until he met your mother. At least that¡¯s what i¡¯ve been told.¡± ¡°Ah, so I¡¯ll be leaving him behind one day?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You may leave a lot of people behind one day. You could try keeping the people you love in that space of yours.¡± Gamodren told him. TIffany and Ceres listened intently because it was rare to get answers this straight from Gamodren. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t leave anyone behind if I don¡¯t have to then.¡± ¡°You sure are a greedy boy. Don¡¯t change.¡± His master said with a sad smile on his face. Gamodren led them out of the dungeon and into an Inn, ordering an extra bed for Ceres in Tiffany¡¯s room. While Kyrion and Gamodren shared a room. Much to Ceres¡¯s distaste. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I just summon a house?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because I had your spirits get to work on something while you were out. I have found a few beavers nearby that may be useful in this endeavor as well. For the next month you will be learning how to boil and freeze water and increasing your bond with Issac while recruiting monsters for your cause.¡± ¡°How can I hold so much in my space anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a world within a world. You had alot of excess mana in your space that had been put into growing its size for quite a while. Since quite a bit was of expert rank it had explosive growth when you absorbed the backpack gremlins core. And now you even have something that manages your world from inside.¡± ¡°The dungeon is alive and inside the space?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure it will be much more orderly now than it was before.¡± ¡°Still. Why is it growing so much anyway?¡± ¡°Your quality of mana is high, your absorption rate is also high. When your body is full of mana the excess goes into expanding the space. The longer you live the bigger it will get. You saw how big the Backpack Gremlin¡¯s was yourself. I can imagine that yours is only approaching that size now.¡± ¡°I see. So growth is dependent on how much mana I can put into it. Since I had a lot to get rid off to begin with It had alot to work with. Well back to sleep then.¡± Kyrion spent three weeks learning how to freeze water. It was challenging but fun in a way. His drinks would always be cool and refreshing now. Boiling water was much easier after learning the previous process. After two weeks of practice, he could boil a tub of water in moments. After that, Gamodren had the boy spend a few days filling up a large wooden tub with water and then bringing it to a boil. Kyrion was able to boil the large tub in minutes after another two weeks of practice. Finally, Gamodren gave Krion a set of blueprints and a lot of wood, nails, and other materials for building, along with a book. ¡°You want the dungeon to build this hot spring hotel thing?¡± Kyrion asked his master. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re getting really close to the water control you¡¯ll need. Now we just need to put your workers to work.¡± Gamodren smiled. ¡°Can¡¯t they do that outside?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°How would you feel if monsters would build homes back in your village?¡± ¡°Point taken. So they build it in my space, and I just summon it when it¡¯s done?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the point.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can summon something this big. Are those five floors I see here?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure you can do it at least once a day.¡± Gamodren nodded. Ceres scowled at that answer. ¡°Are you using my master for profit?¡± ¡°Yes. Our profit. He¡¯ll get a fair cut out of it. Did you know Gremlins can be quite crafty when taught properly? They have been preparing soap from those scented flowers I had grown. Shampoo has also been completed and perfected for general use.¡± ¡°While you¡¯ve been teaching us to fight, all you had Kyrion do was boil and freeze water. How is that useful in a fight?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Kyrion, summon a water whip and bring it to a boil..¡± Kyrion created a water whip that bubbled steam emanated from it, but the pops never seemed to leave the whip. It didn¡¯t require much mana to maintain. ¡°Now freeze it.¡± Kyrion flash froze the whip, leaving its stature behind, some of the bubbles visible in its shape yet all connected. ¡°Most things can¡¯t handle a rapid temperature change so it¡¯s a win win in my book.¡± ¡°I see. So long as he isn¡¯t falling behind.¡± Tiffany looked at Ceres. ¡°O-of course.¡± Ceres stuttered before the two left to continue their training. ¡°What is the other reason for teaching me how to boil water?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°In preparation for our encounter with a winter wolf.¡± Gamodren told the boy plainly. ¡°Huh?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t get it. Gamodren patted the boy on his shoulder. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t need to do it if that helps.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Kyrion stretched ¡°Have you considered turning that dungeon into one of your spirits? It could make building easier.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know that was possible. How would that work?¡± ¡°Like a normal spirit you¡¯d gain some of its affinities.¡± ¡°How many affinities can I even have?¡± ¡°The limit here is around sixteen, before cores are absorbed. Theoretically anyone can have tons of spirits, you need a lot of mana to use them effectively. You my student have too much mana, four or five spirits could help use the wasted mana. The more you spread yourself thin the more you begin to stagnate, as of currently your powers can complement each other.¡± ¡°What would be two powers that went against each other?¡± ¡°Fire and Ice, without water manipulation. You can attack with either one or the other and getting both out at the same time is hard. It doesn¡¯t mean that a spirit master can¡¯t grow with those abilities, it will just be difficult. You should theoretically be able to conjure a wall of wind along with a wall of water. It requires a lot of control to mix affinities to get what you want and doing it carelessly can cause damage.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t wind and earth conflicting? And cant we just give it to Ceres?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Ceres could use it. In fact she probably should. The benefits would be reduced as it would just go into increasing her own abilities and not by much. Dragons aren¡¯t weak. She just needs some mental training. Your friend isn¡¯t very¡­Stable? She lacks certain traits that would help her blend in. She needs to be more human, if that makes any sense. Dragons are a priceless treasure to some and a trophy to others.¡± Gamodren looked Kyrion in his eyes. ¡°I get it. Ceres is the weakest in our group despite being a practitioner. I don¡¯t want to say it to her, but¡­.¡± ¡°Oh that. No she isn¡¯t. I just told her to hold back alot. Ten year old practitioners tend to be weaker or unable to control their powers. She could probably put a stone spear threw your chest if she so desired.¡± ¡°Your helping her blend in? I thought you two didn¡¯t get along.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her personally. Its her race, I despise all deep dragons with a passion.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a racist.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°My family and deep dragons have a long feud that dates back to one of my oldest relatives.¡± ¡°Wait. Ceres is an earth dragon!¡± Kyrion yelled. ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what she thinks she is.¡± Gamodren smirked. ¡°Will you tell me what a deep dragon is?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A rare species of dragon that makes its home deep in a planet¡¯s core. They leave their eggs near the surface but still deep underground to keep it from cracking prematurely from the pressure.¡± ¡°How do you know so much about these dragons?¡± ¡°Know yourself, know your enemy, and know what you need to do to deal the most damage.¡± Gamodren smiled as he began to walk away. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something?¡± Kyrion mumbled. The two months of construction came and passed, with Tiffany reaching rank four and her growth shocking even Gamodren. Ceres was busy learning what humans call common sense, though Gamodren called it dragon sense as it included never telling anyone that she¡¯s a dragon. When Kyrion wasn¡¯t working on the hot spring, he was eating or training. Just whipping the wind around himself at a constant rate could create a barrier to himself and push away anything too close. Not enough to make a cyclone, but enough to be helpful. Chapter 40 The Forest of Purity The day came when Kyrion was tasked with entering the Forest of Purity with nothing but his heavy staff and a paring knife. ¡°Not even a steak knife¡­.¡± Tiffany muttered. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t need it. Its to take the core from the lotus.¡± Gamodren said plainly. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go in?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try?¡± Gamodren grinned. Tiffany did and ran straight into an invisible force that pushed her back twenty feet. ¡°Oww.¡± Tiffany rubbed her face. ¡°What sins are you hiding Tiffany?¡± Gamodren laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t see you trying to enter.¡± She glared at him. ¡°Oh that¡¯s because I know I¡¯m not pure. Age does things to people. In my humble opinion, what this forest, considered pure is a bit distorted.¡± Gamodren crossed his arms. ¡°Why am I the only one allowed in? What standards does it even measure? My shenanigans have caused many of problems.¡± Kyrion said as though he wanted to not be able to enter. ¡°Literal innocence, the easy way to get in is to not have entered puberty meaning certain thoughts and actions are yet to slip through your mind.¡± ¡°He¡¯s that tall and hasn¡¯t even started his growth spurt yet? Wait why can¡¯t Ceres go through then she seems innocent?¡± Ceres also rammed straight into the invisible wall; however, she was sent back thirty feet as though it tried harder. ¡°Dragons have been barred from entry longer than humans. They¡¯re a bit too destructive.¡± Gamodren stated. Ceres stood up, dusted herself off, and approached Gamodren. Planting an armored fist to his gut, sending the man flying back thirty feet into the brush behind him. ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him that hard. You could have warned me sooner!¡± Ceres said, confused as it was meant to be a nice punch. ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Kyrion left his groupmates behind and entered the forest. The forest was full of life. Small, winged humanoids flew around everywhere like butterflies opening up flowers. The trees were humming while releasing tons of mana. The animals native to the area were peaceful. Not a single predator made this forest its home. Kyrion felt happiness and peace from the environment, the feeling so strong it rubbed off on him. The boy became one with the world around him and easily traversed the wilds. Kyrion came to a clearing and encountered an injured fawn. He was currently not hunting anything and got the feeling that it would be a bad idea. So he covered its leg with an open palm and began healing the small creature. It was upon its feet in moments and bowed to the boy before trotting in a different direction. Where Kyrion traveled, life seemed to flourish as plants became more vibrant and grew in his presence. Like a lord¡¯s presence uplifting and nurturing their citizens. As he continued down the path, he felt the presence of humanoids slowly begin to surround him, some curious others hostile, which put him on edge. He slowed his pace noticeably, spinning around to catch his assailants in the act. Kyrion saw a set of trees and bushes that he was pretty sure wasn¡¯t there and decided to turn around, marching at a faster speed. The sense of someone following him increased as it tried to keep up. Kyrion stopped again, turning around only to see the same trees and bushes, only there were more now. Kyrion took off at a full sprint, leaving the creatures behind, and could hear something rustling behind him. Leaping forward onto a platform of wind and upwards onto a second, he pushed off of it, backflipping over the trees following him, spinning two whole times before he missed the landing a bit. His stomach hit the ground, and he bounced a few times. ¡°Come on out. I know you¡¯re there!¡± Kyrion demanded, slowly getting to his feet after the wind was knocked out of him. The trees and bushes transformed into women covered in leaves, bark, and twigs. Some were big, others were small, and their ages were something he didn¡¯t try to figure out. The thing wasn¡¯t that he had gotten behind them. Instead, they were now surrounding him on all sides. Kyrion raised his hand and sighed as they seemed to be prepared for a fight. ¡°I mean yall no harm.¡± Kyrion¡¯s speech slipped up a little. ¡°What is an outsider like you doing here? Men aren¡¯t allowed here.¡± Asked one of the creatures Kyrion thought may be of the younger variety. ¡°I¡¯m not a man.¡± Kyrion sighed, hating having to explain his height. ¡°You clearly aren¡¯t a woman!¡± Another said, pointing at his muscles. ¡°He could be an amazon.¡± Said one of the creatures. ¡°The amazon¡¯s were wiped out years ago. Human war and such.¡± Said a more mature one ¡°He could be a decedent?¡± ¡°Possibly. I¡¯m a boy, though a young one.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°Liar! Human boys aren¡¯t that tall! I think¡­¡± It paused for a second as it thought. ¡°Y-you must have done something to the barrier!¡± ¡°It¡¯s still up. My friends couldn¡¯t get in. Does telling you I¡¯m nine help?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I sense no deception from the boy. But he does have that affinity he could be good at lying.¡± Said a much older voice. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight.¡± Kyrion sighed again, letting his staff hit the ground and removing the knife from his belt. One of the women retrieved his knife, and another struggled to lift the staff, much to her surprise. ¡°How heavy is that staff?¡± Another asked. ¡°Only two hundred pounds,¡± Kyrion said, surprised by the inability to lift the training tool. ¡°He can¡¯t be a mere boy!¡± The yelling started all over again. ¡°How do you even lift this?¡± Was the question he decided to answer. ¡°Quite easily. It hurt for a while, but my arms are used to it. My master said it was compressed Iron oak, meaning that it¡¯s highly dense despite its size. He said he¡¯d get me a heavier one when I master this one.¡± Kyrion said, not understanding the issue. A much stronger-looking tree lady came and hefted it up with ease. ¡°Compressed Iron Oak? You can¡¯t get that material easily. I see¡­ where are you going, child!¡± ¡°I¡¯m supposed to find this magical blue lotus and absorb its core for my water and beauty affinity.¡± Kyrion stopped trying to escape. ¡°Beauty? You mean¡­Nevermind. So you¡¯re looking for the lake of purity you know this will cost you quite a bit. That lake is sacred to our people. We don¡¯t let just anyone get there.¡± The leader replied. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What¡¯s your price?¡± Kyrion squinted. Adults all had a price. In his humble opinion, that was stupid. Still, he was clearly out of his depth. ¡°Your first, second, and third born children.¡± It said plainly, as though it didn¡¯t expect any agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t like that price. I won¡¯t sell lives.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. He dared not ask these strange women where children came from. He also didn¡¯t know where to find storks. ¡°Then two pints of your blood should do.¡± It replied. Kyrion scrunched up his face. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to give away my blood¡­What are you going to use it for?¡± ¡°To grow beastly Dryads. Human blood is a catalyst.¡± It told him. ¡°So watering plants with blood grows dryads?¡± ¡°Warriors of nature. Depending on the source the result will vary. Most are just brutes mindless guardians of the forest. Lesser than the intelligent counterparts that you see here.¡± ¡°I see. Can I give you something else?¡± Kyrion tried to back away. ¡°Is there something wrong with your blood?¡± One of the younger ones asked. ¡°I just don¡¯t want my blood being used to kill others. And like I said, I can¡¯t just give it away¡± Kyrion pulled out a walnut and tossed it to the one he assumed was in charge. ¡°This, do you know what this is?¡± Said the large dryad, clear deference was in her voice. ¡°Not quite. Still figuring it out.¡± Kyrion said, observing her reaction. He now knew that it had value to them. ¡°How many do you have?¡± She examined the nut carefully before it was whisked away by the wind. ¡°A few. I found them in a dungeon that collapsed recently.¡± Kyrion said a half-truth, seeing greed or something else rise inside the dryads. ¡°I see. Give us those and we will take you there?¡± She said plainly. Kyrion pulled out three more walnuts and passed them to the lady. ¡°What will you use those for?¡± Kyrion asked curiously. ¡°Use your imagination.¡± ¡°...Wait¡­ no you can¡¯t!¡± Shock rose in the boy¡¯s face. ¡°Can¡¯t what?¡± A younger dryad asked curiously. ¡°Open up a rival hot spring by using beavers,¡± Kyrion answered that the images of a rival hotel owned and run by beavers made his blood boil. Therefore, the Busy Beavers Bathaporiam must never exist. ¡°You can¡¯t fake innocence.¡± The leader said. The group quickly made their way to the lake unhindered by natural roadblocks. Kyrion felt his body hungrily absorbing mana as they continued. The tree in his core seemed to be growing faster than it hit before the closer he got to the lake. ¡°This is the lake. Hold out your hand.¡± The dryad told the boy. Kyrion held out his hand and felt a surge run through his body as a leaf appeared on his hand, and the dryads vanished. ¡°You are a friend of the forest.¡± So he heard from the trees around him. Kyrion examined the lake and saw a single blue lotus floating on the lake. Flora and fauna of many kinds made their homes inside the lake, working together to build a happy ecosystem. For the second time that day, Kyrion felt at peace. In the middle of the lake was a sword stuck inside a rock. ¡°Hmm.. Nah I don¡¯t need a sword.¡± Kyrion went to cut the core out of the plant when he noticed that he no longer had the knife. The glowing symbol on his hand vanished moments later. But, of course, that didn¡¯t help with his lack of knife issues. ¡°Uggg!¡± Kyrion recalled the paring knife being left on the ground. So he took off his shirt and shoes. Rolling up his pants legs. Slowly but surely, walking towards the sword set in the stone with practiced ease. Kyrion saw some writing on the stone that he didn¡¯t recognize, so he ignored it. Instead, he casually removed the sword from the stone. The sound of metal scraping against rock could be heard, but after the deed was done, the boy turned around and went back to the flower to cut it. The job was swift and easy, the core easily fitting into his palm. He turned around to return it when he noticed a blue-skinned woman who appeared shirtless from the water. Her hair was the same color as the lotus that he just palmed. ¡°Oh, Great Hero, chosen by the world to save it from destruction! Puller of the Sword of Kings, I vow to¡­.¡± It started. ¡°Up bup bup!¡± Kyrion ran across the lake, slid the sword back into the stone, and locked it back in. ¡°Huh? I could have sworn the sword was pulled from the enchanted stone. The enchantment is even broken, which means the legend¡­.¡± ¡°No.¡± Kyrion said bluntly, making his way back to shore. ¡°No?¡± The spirit seemed perplexed. ¡°No. I got what I needed. Find someone else to be this hero you need. I have a bit on my plate already. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll meet a mark willing to listen to your spiel one day. I won¡¯t trust some lady who tells me that I¡¯m a hero for picking up some random sword.¡± Kyrion, now on dry land, bowed and turned around. Grabbing his shirt and slipping his shoes on. ¡°What? I am Undine of the lake. The Great Water Spirit!¡± It took a minute to think before realizing that her mar¡­ legendary hero was running away. Finally, she pulled the loosened sword from the stone and gave chase. Kyrion was making good reasonable distance, following the voice of the forest to the exit, when a wave of water rose up to block the path. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion stopped and tried manipulating the water and found that whoever summoned it had control that far surpassed his. ¡°Just take the sword, oh great hero destined to save this world.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡± Finally, Kyrion was forced to use his secret weapon. He began rolling side to side, repeating the line over and over again. Secret technique petulant child act. ¡°This is not something a grown man should be doing now, get up and take responsibility.¡± ¡°B-but I don¡¯t want the sword! I don¡¯t want to be your hero!¡± He continued rolling back and forth. ¡°I will make you a hero whether you like it or not! What are you fifteen, sixteen? You should be much more mature than that.¡± The spirit didn¡¯t like the idea of having to turn him into a brave defender of the world. ¡°Mature and pure are two different things.¡± Kyrion whined as he rolled some more. ¡°Ah. It must not be you then. Well, looks like I¡¯ll just have to kill you then.¡± It raised the sword in preparation to put the boy out of her misery. ¡°You¡¯d kill a child? You monster! Ah, I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Kyrion sent saltwater into his eyes to make them red and look like he was genuinely crying. Never in his life had Kyrion wished he was shorter. Now, however, he cursed the abrupt height gain he received. ¡°Child? But you look at least¡­ wait, you just summoned salt water!¡± The spirit eyed the boy with suspicion, raising the sword in a throwing motion. Kyrion sensed the dryads approaching in large numbers and began to milk the situation some more. ¡°Someone please! Save me!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Undine asked, suspicion rising on her face. ¡°Help this spirit wants to take advantage of me and then kill me!¡± Kyrion screamed the final nail in the coffin. ¡°What¡¯s going on here!¡± Said a familiar dryad¡¯s voice. It eyed the spirit with a quizzical look. ¡°That man pulled out the blade of kings and is now running from responsibility.¡± ¡°I see no man here.¡± The dryad leader said plainly. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that he isn¡¯t a man? I¡¯m not blind.¡± ¡°He is a child. He said so, and didn¡¯t lie. Yet you try to force yourself onto him. For shame.¡± The leader shook her head along with the other dyads. ¡°What?¡± Undine seemed shocked. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Nine.¡± Kyrion said innocently. Undine¡¯s face dropped, and she held her head in her hands. ¡°What freak of nature are you?¡± ¡°A pure one.¡± Kyrion blew a raspberry before pulling down his right eyelid. ¡°Please don¡¯t taunt the spirit. We can only protect you so much.¡± The dryad said. ¡°Ah well I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± Kyrion turned around and began to leave when the water encircled him. ¡°Boy? I see that you¡¯re a spirit master. I could become one of your spirits and help you on your journey.¡± ¡°I have a water spirit as well. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d like you very much. You¡¯re pushy.¡± Kyrion said, his face blank. ¡°Excuse me!?¡± Kyrion grabbed his head, and Issac popped out of his core and eyed the women. ¡°Who is that?¡± Undine asked. ¡°I am the great Issac Madroc, of the Cerulean swan race. I would love for you to join me on my island. Just the two of us, alone. There is a man known as Ghilis Koln, a leader of orcs known for having more wives and concubines than stars in the night sky. Such a shame he was afflicted with Ed¡¯s curse. Nevertheless If you join with me, you¡¯d be getting lots of me.¡± Tentacles of water began to rise from the ground and wiggle menacingly. The Dryads choked back a laugh. Kyrion didn¡¯t know why but wanted to kick Issac to the moon. The wall of water began to waver a bit before it stiffened back up. ¡°I won¡¯t be your slave bird. But I will make you strong. None of that¡­stuff.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°None? Well, Kyrion, why don¡¯t you go ahead and absorb that lotus.¡± Kyrion was pulling out the core he had just acquired in preparation to absorb it. ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll¡­stay with you on the island but you won¡¯t be able to touch. No touching.¡± A whip of water knocked the core out of Kyrion¡¯s hand. ¡°Traitor!¡± Kyrion declared. ¡°Looks like your spirit accepts my proposal.¡± Undine crossed her arms. ¡°Fine. But only if you cover yourself, too many floppy bits.¡± Kyrion rubbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯d be glad to.¡± Undine said as a dress made from water appeared and began to cover her. Issac was heartbroken and pounding the ground with its wing in frustration. ¡°Looks like none of us are happy.¡± Kyrion stated. Issac looked at the boy as though he remembered something. ¡°You don¡¯t look your age, and it¡¯s disconcerting.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s fault is that?¡± Kyrion eyed the bird. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was bad, you¡¯re just going to have some trouble in the near future. While I may welcome that trouble, I ask that you make your stance known and keep your innocence safe.¡± Issac tapped a webbed foot on the ground. ¡°Huh? Fine, you can join Issac then.¡± Kyrion watched as Undine fell to the floor like a sea blue spirit core. An evil plan went through Kyrion¡¯s head. He recalled Issac and then approached the core and sent it into his special space for later use. ¡°After all that I may as well take the sword. Then at least I can sell it to someone. Or decorate a wall.¡± Kyrion retrieved the sword, picking it up with ease. ¡°Why do you seem so irritated?¡± The dryad asked.¡± ¡°Because this was supposed to be an in and out job. Not some tale of legend in Nico¡¯s books. I swear, one day I will complete something that doesn¡¯t go off the rails in any way whatsoever and it will catch me by surprise.¡± Kyrion pouted. ¡°I hope you find inner peace one day.¡± The dryad said. ¡°I tasted some while I was here until I met that water spirit. What happened to that knife anyway?¡± ¡°That knife?¡± The dryad pointed to a knife hanging from his belt buckle. ¡°When did that get there?¡± Kyrion eyed the knife with suspicion, noting a glowing set of runes. Chapter 41 Two and Four Gamodren laughed to himself as they were waiting outside the forest. ¡°What did you do, Gamodren?¡± Ceres asked as they were waiting outside. ¡°Oh nothing. Everything is going according to my plan.¡± Gamodren kept laughing. ¡°What plan?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Ganodren laughed again, tucking away a wand. Kyrion arrived a few minutes later, covered in dirt and mud; a highly irritated expression was on his face. ¡°Did you get the core?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Yes, but. This spirit forced herself onto me. I didn¡¯t like it, so I ran.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes were quite blank. Tiffany seemed red-faced while Ceres was planning on finding a way into the forest. ¡°Kyrion phrasing¡­ Please use better phrasing. What was the spirit that forced herself onto you?¡± ¡°Some Undine or whatever. That evil spirit. If you know a good place to dump it, let me know.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. Tiffany looked shocked. ¡°Undine that Undine? Great Spirit of Water, Undine?¡± ¡°Yeah, she also kept trying to force this sword onto me after I may or may not have pulled it from a rock. I lost my dagger only to find it after the fact.¡± ¡°The great spirit Undine? Ceres asked, a bit puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s a great spirit?¡± Kyrion asked. Gamodren examined the sword as the question went over his head. ¡°Interesting. It¡¯s got a soul of its own, I can transform it into a weapon spirit and embed it into your core if you want though that risks it no longer being a sword.¡± ¡°Doing so would make a better medium for your abilities when you use it to fight. Like how that knife seemed more effective when you had an edge. It could become your main offensive weapon. Adversely you could give it to Ceres, I wouldn¡¯t give it to TIffany however. She already has a weapon spirit.¡± ¡°Please use it on yourself, master. I have no need for a weapon.¡± Ceres said. ¡°Was this your plan?¡± Kyrion asked his teacher. ¡°If it happened it was meant to be. I¡¯m not mad that you captured a great spirit. Might as well use it.¡± Gamodren seemed a bit too proud of the result. ¡°What is a great spirit?¡± Kyrion asked again. ¡°It is an embodiment of nature itself. So, for example, Undine is the embodiment of water which should mean that your ability over water will become a lot stronger.¡± ¡°What can I use this on then?¡± Kyrion pulled out the lotus core. ¡°On the tree preferably, this will probably result in another creation ability.¡± ¡°Ah. If I use these now would it push me fully into the practitioner ranks?¡± ¡°Yes. Which is why I want you to have a fourth spirit first.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just turn the dungeon into one of my spirits?¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°You could. It has the earth and order affinity. Order improves the abilities of those you align with and earth complements your other abilities so well.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯m stronger with friends.¡± Kyrion grinned happily. ¡°What is it?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Give the sword core to Brion. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s tough enough to handle it.¡± Kyrion pounded his fist into his hand. ¡°You¡¯re a nice kid. I can get it there and have the process done in a day. Since school has already started and all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already late.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I want you to make waves when you go in.¡± Gamodren raised his hands to the sky. ¡°Now I can literally make waves.¡± Kyrion raised the hand on his head to the sky. ¡°Should I be getting a second spirit?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can get from the school. Your mana is average in quantity so more than two for you may be pushing it.¡± ¡°I see. How much mana does Kyrion have?¡± Tiffany seemed surprised. ¡°Too much.¡± Gamodren replied. Ceres nodded along. ¡°More than a dragon. That shouldn¡¯t be possible for a human.¡± ¡°Not impossible, just rare. I¡¯m sure Jala¡¯s tale informed you on how dangerous that was for him.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s had more than two commas?¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here you know.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Around four to five, I heard the first one was a year and a half long. After that, you were conscious for a full week before passing out for another six months. ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t remember that.¡± Kyrion looked around. ¡°The Third took place after an incident when you were four, that one was four months long. I met you around that time. After that there was the incident involving snake venom. The final one was in the dungeon. Shortest one yet.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s three years of my life missing¡­ Wait, how do you know so much about me?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯m close friends with someone I doubt you could remember, but will meet very soon. Oh will she be angry.¡± Gamodren stared off into space. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you. Can you do the core thing with the dungeon so I can get some practice in?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Yes. Try to bring the spirit out of your space.¡± Gamodren ordered. Kyrion looked into space and couldn¡¯t find the core. He looked closer and still couldn¡¯t find it. It was then he realized that he was looking wrong. Kyrion backed out and saw that the dungeon was enveloping most of the space in the world. He sent it out of its core and watched as the masked man appeared quite confused. ¡°I was working, you know. What do you want, oh great master?¡± It said in a monotone. ¡°I want you to become one of my spirits. Officially.¡± Kyrion stated. It laughed maniacally before coughing into its hand. The creature brought its hand to the mask on its face. ¡°I¡¯ll take your offer after you see my true face.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The spirit removed its mask, revealing a smooth slope, no mouth, no nose, its eyes glowing orbs. It replaced the mask on its face. ¡°Nothing here.¡± Kyrion looked surprised. ¡°So you don¡¯t have a face but you do have ears and eyes. How do you eat?¡± ¡°I kinda just absorb it. Do you still want me to be your spirit?¡± The creature said. ¡°I mean you aren¡¯t going to win any beauty contest but that¡¯s what Issac is for. Your name will be Karl¡± Kyrion touched it on the shoulder. ¡°I think I like Karl. It¡¯s a name. May I ask why you came up with that name?¡± ¡°You look like a Karl.¡± Kyrion nodded to himself. ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll join your core.¡± The cube from before hit the ground. Gamodren picked Karl up and placed it in Kyrion¡¯s back. Two new channels formed as earth and order mana entered his body, causing the others to compress in response. Eight affinities lined up evenly before expanding to fill his body. He felt his mana veins twisting and compressing into a more efficient form outside his core. Everything felt more efficient, including his brain. Kyrion could recall information with a lot more ease. Many things didn¡¯t make sense, but he didn¡¯t have time for that now. ¡°I¡¯m not nine am I¡­.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Oh? What makes you say that.¡± Gamodren raised an eyebrow. ¡°A hunch. Time isn¡¯t adding up.¡± Kyrion furrowed his brows and scratched his chin. ¡°You may or may not be right. Though comma time shouldn¡¯t count in my opinion.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Which sister were you talking about?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Oh how your mind is growing. Be careful while I am away. I¡¯ll return with some help. I shouldn¡¯t be gone for more than two weeks. I¡¯ll leave the opening of the hotspring to you.¡± Gamodren disappeared in a puff of smoke along with the sword. ¡°Your life is dangerous.¡± Ceres said, looking at the sky. Gamodren then reappeared behind Ceres.¡± Oh right catch! A present and tool.¡± Gamodren tossed the boy a cloth sack. Ceres turned and swung at the man who just yelled right next to her. Sadly her hand only seemed to touch air. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A potential trump card, use your days of freedom to prepare for a potential attack.¡± Gamodren¡¯s voice told him. After a minute of silence, Kyrion responded to Cere¡¯s Statement. ¡°Yes it is. If you want to leave I¡¯m sure you could find somewhere to wait out the coming disaster.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°We¡¯re friends. All in this together.¡± Tiffany looked at the boy whose world was shattering. ¡°Yes of course. Friends...¡± Kyrion had a grin on his face and a glint in his right eye. ¡°Oh no.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Ceres asked, not knowing what that look meant. ¡°He¡¯s plotting something.¡± Tiffany scowled. That night after arriving at their newly built hotel. That had been catching some attention from the townsfolk as it had appeared out of nowhere. Kyrion looked at a potted plant that he had been taking care of but hadn¡¯t been using. Ceres, who had quietly followed behind, spoke up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Making a call.¡± Kyrion said, tapping one of the plant¡¯s leaves. A rustling sound echoed in the otherwise quiet room, followed by a click. ¡°How does this work?¡± Said a faint stoic voice. ¡°You put the green bell by your ear and the red one by your mouth!¡± Kyrion yelled, assuming that his friend had it backward. ¡°Ah there we go. Hey Kyrion!¡± Damian yelled into the bell. ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell when you have it right¡­ So, how is your training?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°This academy isn¡¯t what I thought it would be. Actors, singers, dancers, among other professions, but none of them are serious. They just sit around flirting and playing games with people. There are also very few guys here. I¡¯ve counted six since I¡¯ve been here, one being me and two were teachers. Among those six guy¡¯s none of them know how to use a sword. I have been feening for combat. My teacher is probably the only other blade dancer at the school.¡± ¡°They could just be hidden, I¡¯m sure if you mingle a bit and play their games, gathering the info you¡¯re looking for will be possible.¡± Kyrion cheered for his shy friend. ¡°So why did you call. I doubt it was just to cheer me up.¡± Damian¡¯s stoic response returned. ¡°How dare..!¡± Ceres stated before Kyrion cut her off with a look. ¡°Who was that?¡± Damian asked. ¡°No one.¡± Kyrion said quickly. ¡°Master!¡± Ceres was aghast. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s Ceres you¡¯ll probably meet her sooner or later. I am in need of assistance however, how quickly can you get to the town of Belfour?¡± ¡°Never heard of that place.¡± Damian asked. ¡°Oh right. My friend¡¯s dad just bought it¡­ It¡¯s that town west of the Forest of Purity in the north East of the Tetsan empire.¡± ¡°If I leave tomorrow two day¡¯s but I¡¯ll need to get permission first. Tell your people a new hotspring just opened up, with water capable of curing impurities and bringing out your inner beauty.¡± Kyrion coached his friend. ¡°Is that true?¡± Damian asked. ¡°It¡¯s what my master told me to tell people.¡± Kyrion shrugged. The only one seeing it was Ceres. ¡°If it¡¯s true then I may be able to convince my master to schedule it sooner.¡± Damian nodded. ¡°I knew I could count on you.¡± Kyrion thanked his friend, and the call ended. ¡°When did Gamodren tell you that?¡± Ceres asked, confused. ¡°He didn¡¯t say so many words.¡± Kyrion held up the lotus core and placed it into the tree slot in his core. Kyrions skin got cleaner. Its light brown color now glistened a bit. His hair gained a shine to it. The cleanliness soon extended to his clothes, cleaning them from the inside out. A lotus bud lay in his hands, which grew as a sweet smell enveloped the room. ¡°Wow, how does that work?¡± Ceres said. He passed it to Ceres and watched as the flower began cleaning her. ¡°Like that.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­ How much are you charging for this?¡± ¡°These are pretty easy to make. If placed in the hotspring they are meant to act as cleaners and filters. I also know the location of each one of these so long as it has a little of my mana invested into it. So if it¡¯s stolen then I can just cut it off.¡± Kyrion told her. ¡°How do you already know what It can do?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what Gamodren told me was the minimum of what I could do with this flower if used with my tree spirit.¡± Kyrion took back the flower and made it disappear. Ceres looked a little heartbroken by the leaving flower. Kyrion moved on to the next call pulling this time. His expression seemed a bit worried. ¡°Hello Master Kyrion.¡± Said Charles. ¡°This one knows respect, master.¡± Ceres said. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Asela¡¯s line?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It is, but she¡¯s a bit busy training right now.¡± Charles responded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get Asela involved, but I want you to know that someone is coming to Kidnap me within the week. Leon, the one from the caravan trip. I was planning on inviting all my friends and their teachers for assistance, should things come to blows. Under the pretense of trying out a hot spring that I built in the town of Belfour.¡± ¡°The one owned by Adrian Belfour?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I keep an eye on things. We¡¯ll show up. But I don¡¯t recommend having Asela fight with you this time. So I¡¯ll take her place in that regard.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re just a butler?¡± Kyrion seemed confused. ¡°A butler to the strongest pirate in the world.¡± ¡°So that association makes you the strongest butler.¡± Kyrion wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°I can also train your servant in various etiquette if you so wish. I will also invite your other friends that made it to Norn. We should be arriving in around four days.¡± Charles told him. ¡°Thank you Charles.¡± Kyrion smiled as the conversation ended. ¡°Wow. The strongest butler. I would love to learn under such a person.¡± Ceres seemed excited. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would. Noah, Nico, Asella, Wura, and Kiara, all made it to Norn. It¡¯s funny how things work out sometimes.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± ¡°Not surprised, just said that it was funny.¡± Kyrion rubbed his eyes and waited a minute for his phone to ring. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Said a hurt feminine voice. ¡°What is it?¡± Kyrion said with a straight face. ¡°How dare you not invite me to your hot spring party. I thought we had something between the two of us.¡± The voice seemed distraught. Kyrion raised his hand to cut off Ceres before she started. ¡°I assume you must be one of Everest¡¯s teachers?¡± ¡°My my, you¡¯re quicker than I thought.¡± The woman said, not answering the question. ¡°I see, I was honestly expecting him to be the one who called with this line. Assuming you heard the basics from Damian.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Yes, but things don¡¯t add up.¡± The woman said. ¡°Someone is attempting to capture and kill me while my master is away. My goal is to set them up and do whatever I can to gain aid. However, I cannot beat an expert ranked spirit master on my own.¡± Kyrion said honestly. ¡°So why would I let you endanger my student or me in a stunt like this?¡± She asked. ¡°Because the Town of Belfour, will be growing. With the addition of this hot spring along with the sponsor¡¯s finances. I¡¯m sure your group would love to start in such a town, we will also need a large amount of towels and robes for our guests. If I die, the hotspring doesn¡¯t open, and a potential business partner is lost. I¡¯m sure that we could make lots of money together if you¡¯re willing to partner up.¡± Kyrion told the women. ¡°Everest said you were a little sly. But it seems you took well to your master¡¯s teachings. Very well, we will arrive tomorrow afternoon.¡± She said, ¡°That fast. Well I¡¯ll be expecting you.¡± Kyrion said happily. ¡°Most aren¡¯t happy to be expecting us but oh well.¡± The women spoke. The call ended. ¡°What was she?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°A tailor, don¡¯t think too much about it. Follow me.¡± Kyrion moved on to the next part of his plan. Ceres did follow. That night Kyrion planted the seeds given to him by his master. He was feeding them with both water and life mana. But, much to his dismay, the plants were the hardest he ever needed to grow, requiring more mana than even the trees he created in the dungeon. ¡°So¡­you knew this would happen.¡± Kyrion rubbed his chin as he filled the seeds with more mana than he had, pulling from the world around him. After around a minute of it, he saw that the plants were starting to grow. He commanded them to stop and pulled up a block of earth, adding it to his space before repeating it a couple more times. Ceres carried an exhausted Kyrion back to his room and placed him on his bed before returning to her room. Intermission chapter: A Home Erased Back in a particular farming village, a man with a straw hat looks over the horizon as an army of beasts arrives. ¡°Huh. Well I¡¯ll be a monkey¡¯s uncle.¡± He plants a shovel into the ground and goes inside his house. ¡°It¡¯s time to evacuate! Samantha, get Ilanda and mom out of here and alert the capital. That should give them at least five day¡¯s notice.¡± ¡°On it!¡± Samantha responded. immediately getting to work. ¡°Uh Curella? Mind telling the villagers to make their way here?¡± Jr muttered aloud. ¡°I already did.¡± Replied a voice in his head. Jr. felt a chill go down his back. ¡°Never going to get used to that.¡± Bill Jr. began to chew on a sugarcane stalk as he watched the monsters make their way toward his first line of defense. ¡°Well. Time for some fun I guess.¡± He waited another bit longer before pushing his shovel into the ground. ¡°I prepare the soil for the destruction brought by the land.¡± The earth where the monsters were treading slanted into a steep slope, and the ground began to shake. The monsters continued their charge unhindered and much faster with the downwards acceleration. Soon after, a rift appeared, and the earth rose rapidly, creating a slope. The monsters traveling on land begin to slide into the split without much struggle. The hole then closed with a loud crunch. ¡°The seeds of death, sown with these hands.¡± He pulled up the shovel revealing a long double-bladed scythe. He swung the blades up in an arc, and waves of mana flew at the flying creatures, slaughtering them instantly. Their bodies painted the land red. ¡°Dad, quit making yourself sound cool!¡± Said a small raven-haired girl. ¡°Ilanda. Shouldn¡¯t you be with, mother?¡± ¡°Huh? But you¡¯re supposed to be the strongest one here.¡± Illanda said ¡°Eh. Curella is pretty close, power wise, and she will be instrumental in the defense of our home. Thing is, the mayhem rocked here will cause quite a bit of collateral damage.¡± ¡°What about our neighbors?¡± She asked, ¡°Curella, is spreading word they will be evacuating with dad. Once they hit the forest an ally should be there to keep them safe as the army passes.¡± ¡°So why are you staying?¡± ¡°Kiddo. I have spent years preparing for the day. The Reaper of Denvall, will be known again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretending to be cool again. Even I, don¡¯t know who that is.¡± Illanda, the five-year-old self-proclaimed historian, ran back into the house. Jr slapped his forehead. ¡°It may be best that you don¡¯t.¡± Samantha left the house with Cordelia in tow. Her body transformed into a giant vermillion stork as she ran. ¡°The color scheme matches a bit too much, don¡¯t you think so too, daughter in law?¡± Cordelia attached a harness to the stork and strapped herself and Illanda in. ¡°Its the way things tend to go sometimes.¡± Samanta sighed. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Illanda cheered. ¡°Goodbye, Bill,¡± Samanta told Jr. ¡°Goodbye Samantha, Illanda, and mother.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Bye, Daddy!¡± Illanda said. Samanta took off, causing a shock wave on the ground as they left for the capital. ¡°Cuerella, this is going to be a goodbye to you as well. The traps are set and we both know you don¡¯t fight anything directly. What will be has already been set in stone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you here to die brother.¡± ¡°Who said anything about dying. I¡¯ll be incarnating as soon as everything has been done on my end. I will no longer be able to manifest here anymore. I know you¡¯ve started hearing them as well.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re just going to leave your wife and child alone here?¡± Curella yelled at him. ¡°I cleared the way for them as well. Their incarnation will be alot easier than mine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing.¡± ¡°In a way it is. I¡¯ll be waiting for them with open arms. But, Samanta is aware, should I not need to incarnate today then they will have greatly underestimated us.¡± ¡°So you plan on using it as a trump card.¡± ¡°I plan on turning this area into a castle of bone, its foundation built on the backs of my enemies.¡± ¡°Got it. The first wave of enemies are done merging. You will have four mid expert rank beasts at your disposal.¡± Curella told him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Four of those monsters¡­ I¡¯m glad I skipped breakfast today.¡± Jr watched as his father led the evacuees past him and into the forest. ¡°That¡¯s everyone, son. The village is yours and you know how our kingdom likes their scorched earth tactics. As much as it hurts me, leave nothing for them to plunder. The longer we can delay their arrival the longer we can evacuate.¡± Jr sighed as he looked at where he was born and raised for his early childhood. ¡°You know, I never really liked farming.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Bill Sr. asked his son. ¡°Gods no. But the refugees would never believe that.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. This is goodbye to my son.¡± Bill Sr left the village with the refugees, and with that, the destruction could finally begin. ¡°The bodies of my foes become fertilizer for things to come.¡± Four giant-sized amalgams, made from a macabre combination of the creatures that died before, tore through the earth and made their way to the second wave of enemies. These were made up of primarily humans of the fledgling ranks and lower. The four expert tier beasts cut, bit, sliced, and chomped their way through with no equal. Despite the numbers arrayed against them, the soldiers stood no chance. Their formations were useless, their tactics inefficient. Their power negligible, a third and fourth wave arrived soon, meeting a similar fate. The corpses on the field were quickly added to the bodies of the amalgams, which caused them to continually grow in size. ¡°Burn the corpses!¡± A soldier yelled. That shoulder soon sank into the earth, leaving nothing behind. Their dead were burned, leaving the soldiers doing the burning open, leading to a vicious cycle. That was when the first squad of practitioner rank spirit masters arrived. A white greatsword that emanated radiance easily cut through the first amalgam¡¯s flesh, causing it to screech in pain. The creature began retreating towards Bill, who was just patiently leaning on the pommel of his tool. ¡°My divine blade is working! Charge behind me!¡± The greatsword-wielding spirit Master pushed forward, leading them on as the spread-out monsters seemed to be split up completely. Finally, they were separated to the point where they could form a circle around the enemy¡¯s invading army. ¡°Irrigate the fields with rivers of blood, leave the enemy all but done.¡± The soldier cut off the would-be amalgam¡¯s head, and all four of them exploded at once, the force pushing the soldiers close together. A circle of mana surrounded most of the soldiers, and a loud popping sound began as heads began to disappear. A fountain of blood shot up and began pooling over the field. No one in the circle survived. However, an unlucky few were outside the circle, horrified by the sight and stunned. They did not survive long. ¡°Remove the weeds with a single slice.¡± A wave of earth as sharp as a guillotine and thrice as fast rolled the remaining soldiers leaving the battlefield empty, save a farmer with a straw hat chewing on some sugar cane and a field of blood and bone. ¡°Still haven¡¯t incarnated¡­ They must have really not known how powerful I am. The more creatures to die here the stronger I get¡± The next wave was led by a red-haired youth on a warhorse flanked by two expert rank spirit masters and a force of over four thousand. ¡°What happened here?¡± A familiar voice asked. ¡°Just some monsters that defend the area. I¡¯m just a lowly farmer you see?¡± Bill bowed to the new arrival. ¡°Like hell! Three thousand soldiers are dead and you¡¯re the only one here!¡± There it was again. The voice that he¡¯s heard so often over the last few years. ¡°Kyr?¡± Bill squinted at the boy. ¡°How do you know that name?¡± One of the other experts got uppity. ¡°I see, that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. You know, being here is against the rules.¡± ¡°What do you know!¡± Kyr yelled. ¡°More than you it seems.¡± Bill shook his head ¡°I am the great general Kyr of the Beast Blood Army, youngest and strongest expert rank spirt master in the world!¡± ¡°Well then come at me pawn. Let¡¯s see if you all talk.¡± Bill raised an eyebrow at the proclamation and entered a fighting stance. ¡°Curella did you catch that?¡± Bill whispered. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s too early which means they have a world walker on their side.¡± ¡°Do you think mom will be mad if I kill my brother?¡± Bill Jr asked. ¡°If it¡¯s a doppelganger I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind. It makes his job easier as well. Just don¡¯t make a habit out of it.¡± Curella warned. ¡°If one this strong is here, then another is as well. It¡¯s like he¡¯s trying to stack the deck against our brother.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Looks like our brother is never going to be able to know true peace in this world.¡± ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Kyr charged forward on his horse, lance in hand and flanked by the two other expert rank spirit masters. ¡®So weak.¡± Jr watched them approach and raised his hands. ¡°This grim harvest will turn bones into ice.¡± The two flanking spirit matters were covered head to toe in blood as they followed behind their leader and their horses fell over. They tried to get up, only for their bodies to freeze solid as the blood on them froze the world around them. Kyr jumped off his horse and stepped into the air, pushing himself forward, his lance raised at Bill¡¯s head. Bill dodged, letting his hat get knocked off by the strike. Using the momentum to deliver a spinning roadhouse to Kyr¡¯s ribcage. Kyr twisted his body and landed on his feet. Taking a long look at the man who countered him effortlessly. ¡°T-those moves. B-brother? But you¡¯re dead!¡± Kyr¡¯s lance transformed into a saber, and he lunged forward at the farmer. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am, do you?¡± Bill redirected the thrust with his left hand and moved forward with an uppercut to the boy¡¯s chin, knocking him down the slippery ground. ¡°My brother was just a farmer. You can¡¯t be him.¡± Kyr said, getting up off the ground. ¡°That incarnation of him was much weaker, that is correct. He willingly submitted and I will carry a piece of him with me. Which is probably why you¡¯re still alive.¡± Bill changed stances. ¡°Incarnation?¡± Kyr asked. ¡°Boy you aren¡¯t from this world yet you are unaware of the rules.¡± Bill started switching up his stance a bit. ¡°That makes no sense!¡± Kyr air stepped forward again, sword poised to thrust. Jr. moved forward into the thrust bringing a knee to the boy¡¯s chin. The boy abandoned the attack and tried to roll forward when an elbow crashed into the top of his head, knocking him down. ¡°There are eight worlds that revolve around the homeland. You aren¡¯t a true spirit master until you arrive there. Each of those worlds hold a version of an individual. Normally you can¡¯t cross over to those worlds without being at least in the expert ranks and you do it willingly. Sometimes rifts in the world open up or sometimes you¡¯re forced through one.¡± Bill kicked the weapon away and moved to pick up the boy. The boy grabbed Jr.¡¯s leg and started biting. ¡°There are two options for you. One is to die here and now. The other is to merge with the Kyrion from here and live on as a part of him.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not living!¡± Kyr argued. Bill¡¯s voice changed a bit, becoming much calmer and resigned. ¡°We are one. It¡¯s better than just dying. I¡¯ve seen that fate for most of the other¡¯s. I¡¯m not even here most of the time if that makes sense.¡± ¡°Brother?¡± Kyr looked into his brother¡¯s eyes and watched as he faded. ¡°I can give you that chance. I made the offer. What do you say?¡± Kyr held his head and backed away from Jr.sliping on the ice and falling back. The remaining army began to approach. ¡°Kyr! I¡¯m sorry but you don¡¯t have much time. If you don¡¯t decide now you¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me?¡± ¡°No, it will.¡± Bill pointed to a blue flower that had sprouted in the field of blood. Kyr saw it. ¡°Where did all that power come from!¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a choice. I¡¯ll let Kyrion make that decision then.¡± Jr¡¯s scythe turned into a spear, and he stabbed it through Kyr¡¯s heart. The body faded into mana, leaving behind a book. Bill¡¯s spear reverted to being a hoe, which he then used to send the book deep into the ground. ¡°Curella did you get the item?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a book with weird runes, quite bizarre.¡± Curella stated. ¡°Have Charles deliver it when you make contact, his master will know what to use it for.¡± ¡°Goodbye brother.¡± Curella¡¯s voice vanished. The rest of the army arrived with over a thousand low expert rank spirit masters prepped and ready to fight. In front of them, leading the charge, was a brown-haired man with hawk-like features and a metallic gauntlet resembling a talon. ¡°You did well outlier! Now you will leave this world. Edwin will be the name of your Killer, remember it well.¡± ¡°Another pawn. Great!¡± Bill clapped his hands ¡°I am no pawn! Soldiers attack!¡± The man named Edwin stated. ¡°Ah, the type of pawn that leads from the back.¡± Jr leaned back onto the hoe as the army approached. ¡°That¡¯s an army of six thousand right!¡± There was no response. ¡°Who needs your answer anyway¡­. What was that line again¡­.¡± A fireball flew towards him. Bill shifted the frozen earth upwards to block the attack before pulling a flag out of the ground. ¡°The demon brought to this world will exact its price.¡± A circle formed around Bill¡¯s feet, and his body grew utterly static. The coming force began to fall to the ground, dead. First, it was slow, but as soldiers died, the number that died at once seemed to grow exponentially. Rank and ability meant nothing to the attack. It wasn¡¯t an attack but a large-scale sacrifice, meaning those in the area of the spell were dead. The area was limited to the blood spread throughout the land. The one called Edwin watched in awe as his army fell so quickly, hardly noticing that he was just outside the pooling blood. ¡°This really isn¡¯t right, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone this strong in these backwoods!¡± Bill didn¡¯t reply. He just stood motionless as the last of the coming soldiers expired. From the corpses, the flower began to grow bigger and bigger until it was the size of a full-grown elephant. Finally, the petals opened up into three huge leathery black wings with 3 sets of plant-like blue wings. The creature inside had a bull¡¯s head with a mask of bone covering its face and sharp curved horns. Its body held six muscular arms, and its torso extended backward with four hoof-like legs. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± The one called Edwin stood in awe as a creature that didn¡¯t belong to this world came here anyway. ¡°Well Edwin this is goodbye.¡± Jr waved. Edwin charged forward and stabbed his metallic hand at the creature, only for the claw to shatter on impact. ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± One of the six arms grabbed Edwin¡¯s skull and squeezed. A body fell to the ground. ¡°Leave nothing behind!¡± ¡°A monstrosity born from earth and clay.¡± Seven creatures made from earth and bone rose from the earth. Each bearing a heptagon on its chest. In moments bones began to rise from the ground in the shape of a building. ¡°To bring about the wicked spell Necropolis today.¡± After thirty minutes, a castle formed from the bones. Malistic took a seat upon a throne in said castle. Moments later, hundreds of blue bulbs began to bloom from the ground, releasing lesser versions of the creature along with skeletons, zombies, and other fleshy abominations.
Bill Jr¡¯s body began to disintegrate. ¡°Looks like Imala didn¡¯t like this spell.¡± ¡°You know. Mom must have been mad when she wrote this spell.¡± Curella stated. But she never got a reply as her brother left the world. Chapter 42 Tailors Kyrion pulled himself from his bed the following day, sore from a long night of labor. He let his regeneration heal the soreness in seconds. Afterward, he made his way to the hot spring pools on the hotel¡¯s ground floor. The pools of water were quite large, enough to comfortably fit thirty people in each. He brought the water to the necessary temperature and placed a few lotus heads onto the surface to float. He did the same on the other side before leaving the bathing area. As he made his way down the hall, he noticed that the gremlins he captured were running back and forth carrying various towels, robes, and articles of clothing, among other things. Huh, much earlier than he thought. Kyrion made his way to the front of his building. A cart full of towels, robes, and other supplies was parked in front of the building. Kyrion saw a group of five people dressed in traveling clothes. A boy he recognized as Everest was helping two older men transport crates. A giant of a man with a shiny bald head and a full beard. His skin was the tan of a man who spent most of his time outdoors working. Kyrion could tell this man was strong. But he didn¡¯t know how or why. The other seemed utterly remarkable. Eyes like a dead fish with average height and build. Brown hair in the standard cut. The more Kyrion tried to perceive him, the harder it got to lock on. The boy eventually moved on. Unlike the previous man, the woman behind them had a woman with an odd beauty about her. Kyrion had just met his first love. She had light blue eyes that reminded him of the sky, hair pink like the Azalea flower. A pressure entered his forehead, and he knew¡­ ¡°Kyrion, what took you so long? It¡¯s well past noon!¡± Everest yelled to his stunned friend. Which interrupted his thoughts. Kyrion noticed pressure in his head and flushed it out with a surge of beauty and water mana. The pressure faded, and he was suspicious. ¡°Kyr-riii-oooonnn!¡± Everest reappeared in front of his friend¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, hey, Everest. What did she just do to me?¡± Kyrion asked, his right eye twitch. ¡°Did that old harpy do something to you?¡± Everest looked at the women with a stoic expression. ¡°Yeah. I broke out.¡± Kyrion told his friend. ¡°It¡¯s her enchanting aura, she¡¯s training to be an enchantress so most of her abilities involve attracting the affection of those around her.¡± Everest stated. ¡°Yeah. Gonna stay far away from her.¡± Kyrion said seriously. His first love did not even last a full page. ¡°And that¡¯s why I missed you. Most seem to go towards her, after that warning.¡± Everest hugged his friend. ¡°Oh¡­ So she did that on purpose.¡± Kyrion no longer counted the manipulator as his first love. ¡°It¡¯s more a natural occurrence. She did the same trick on me, but for some reason it didn¡¯t work. So I must just be special.¡± Everest said, scratching his head. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Kyrion looked at the last person in the group, noticing that there was a young girl around his age. Only a head taller than Everest. Her gaze had been on him for longer than most of the others in the caravan. Yet when he probed the area with his senses, the only expert rank spirit master nearby was one of the men. So it felt off to him when he thought that the small girl appeared as a fledgling one, rank spirit master. ¡°So is the kid you brought with you a student under your teacher?¡± Kyrion asked his friend. ¡°She is from the same school but we aren¡¯t in the same class.¡± Everest said. If she knew Gamodren, then she could be able to hide her core like he does. ¡°I see. So she is like a mentor, but still a student herself?¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°Huh, figured it out. No need to hide that from you. Would you be interested in joining our group of go-getters?¡± The small girl approached, and Kyrion recognized the voice. ¡°I don¡¯t, my abilities fall into a support category. I can use them for destruction but it takes more work than it does to create this. Then again all I did was recruit monsters.¡± He motioned towards the building. ¡°So you tamed those gremlins?¡± The girl asked. ¡°Yes. Is that bad?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re someone we¡¯d like to keep on our side then, but no, your abilities aren¡¯t all suitable for tailoring.¡± ¡°When did you learn how to tame monsters?¡± Everest asked. ¡°I just give them one of these and they want to work for me.¡± Kyrion tossed his friend a walnut. ¡°That¡¯s a new one? Does it heal as well?¡± Everest asked. ¡°Ailments of the mind, like confusion, fear, and some other things. It makes monsters smarter as well.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°You¡¯re a foot away from practitioner rank, aren¡¯t you.¡± The girl stated. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Do not give those walnuts away, if it¡¯s what I think it is then it¡¯s quite a precious resource.¡± The girl told him. ¡°They¡¯re made from excess mana so I tend to get quite a few.¡± ¡°How many can you make in a day?¡± She asked. ¡°Somewhere around five.¡± Kyrion answered. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Five. If you started now you could probably build an army over the course of your training. Which means if those people capture you then chances are you¡¯d be used to tame, creatures for war. Can¡¯t let that happen now can we.¡± The girl jumped to mat Kyrion on his shoulder before heading on in. ¡°A Lot of that went over my head.¡± Everest said plainly. ¡°Ah, someones out to get me. Do you remember Leon?¡± Everest went stark white. ¡°That corrupt teacher?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion got concerned. ¡°Remember when we were in that jungle during the first trial? I saw him take the cores from the monster we beat. We didn¡¯t get credit for those cores and when I brought it up, he said that I must have been making the story up since he didn¡¯t see me there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd. You broke your ankle when you missed that landing.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°How do you know about that? I didn¡¯t tell anyone that happened.¡± Everest eyed his friend ¡°I saw it happen. It¡¯s why you had to stay out of the fight. I wish I could have healed it back then.¡± ¡°So you believe me?¡± Everest opened his eyes. ¡°The Leon you met doesn¡¯t know how to sense or manipulate his mana the way I and Gamodren do so easily. His actions are pretty messy now as I¡¯ve sensed his presence quite a few times.¡± ¡°Gamodren and I¡­ Continue.¡± Everest pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°The one I met on the trip to the capital was much different, his mana emitted control.¡± ¡°What do you think happened?¡± He asked. ¡°Possibly a body snatcher, or something else.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°So you want as many weapons as you can get to fight him off?¡± Everest asked. ¡°Yes. While his control may be bad, it was a lot of power. LIke watching a mountain made from ice follow you.¡± ¡°That is quite bad.¡± The girl said from behind him. She returned with ten keys that were then handed to each of the tailors, who received two each. ¡°What now?¡± Everest asked. ¡°I want you to meet some new friends of mine.¡± Kyrion led them to the training room he built into the hotel. ¡°Why is there a place to fight in your hotel?¡± Everest asked, examining the dirt ring in the center of the room. ¡°It¡¯s limited to just physical stuff, we have a place outside for heavy mana use. Things like sparring and weight lifting are done here.¡± Everest eyed his friend. ¡°I noticed that you got a lot taller. Is that what all that food was fueling?¡± He asked matter of factly. ¡°I think so.¡± Kyrion pointed to a girl with brown hair doing stretches.¡± Anyhow that right there is Tiffany, we met on the way here and she¡¯s training to go to Drisil.¡± ¡°I see. An acrobat, how good is her training in combat?¡± Everest asked. ¡°I think it¡¯s good but I have only been taught the basics myself.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll go talk to her then.¡± Everest made his way over to the girl and whispered something into her ear. Kyrion took out his staff and started on his practice swings. He watched as Tiffany¡¯s face turned as red as a tomato before the duo made their way to the ring. ¡°Everest! Why is she so mad?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You see, it¡¯s because¡­.¡± Everest stalled in a way to give Tiffany a chance to deny. ¡°You can¡¯t just blurt stuff out!¡± Tiffany, enraged, just charged at the younger boy with her rapier aimed at his body. Everest ducked under the thrust, countering with a kick to her chin that turned into a flip backward. ¡°Left yourself wide open.¡± Tiffany rubbed at her chin and attacked again, this time with more thought, A sweep to his legs then a thrust. Everest rolled into the attack, and before she could draw the blade back, Everest tapped her on the neck. ¡°You¡¯d be dead if this were a real fight.¡± Everest said as he backed up, a claw appearing over the finger. ¡°What was that about?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°She has potential. I assume she fights with a buckler as well. Wouldn¡¯t change the ending, does she have experience fighting people like me?¡± ¡°We fought some shadow gremlins but they aren¡¯t don¡¯t fight as smartly.¡± ¡°She was attacking with the expectation that I¡¯d dodge a certain way. While it¡¯s not a bad thing to learn. It¡¯s an ability that comes with training and experience. Not sure the extent of her powers however.¡± Everest rubbed his chin. ¡°Ah. Would you mind helping her train? I¡¯m not as quick with subtle movements. Your styles are somewhat similar in a few ways.¡± ¡°Not really, most of my attacks are meant to kill. You should know this already. The rest revolve around traps and baiting. Her style is more direct, though if you¡¯re talking about how we were both acrobatic then yes, we are similar.¡± ¡°Kyrion. Who is he? Explain.¡± Tiffany demanded in short spurts. ¡°This is my friend Everest. He¡¯s a tailor.¡± Kyrion told the girl. ¡°He¡¯s strong is what he is. How did he know what I was going to do? I felt like I was dancing to his tune.¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°It¡¯s how he fights, be lucky that you figured that out now.¡± Kyrion restored Tiffany¡¯s stamina and minor injuries. ¡°Kyrion, how heavy is the stick you¡¯re using?¡± Everest asked. ¡°Around two hundred pounds.¡± Kyrion lifted it in his right hand. ¡°No way.¡± Everest asked. ¡°Set it down for me just in case.¡± Kyrion sat the stick down. Everest approached the stick, and with both hands, he attempted to lift the object but to no avail. ¡°I can see why she had to learn how to dodge if you were her only training partner.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°How heavy do you think a normal sword is?¡± ¡°A hundred pounds?¡± Kyrion knew nothing of blacksmithg but those big swods looked heavy. ¡°Wrong, somewhere between 3 and 8. Do you know why they seem so light?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Because a normal human can¡¯t wield anything much heavier as a melee weapon. Now if a normal person would swing a fifty pound sword then they¡¯d break some arms. You my friend are swinging around a 200 pound stick with ease. When did you get so strong?¡± Everest looked over his taller friend and eyed his deceptively thin build. ¡°I was always strong, it just jumped quite a bit during the fight with Edwin. My master told me I shouldn¡¯t hit people with my bare hand. Use my powers, since they don¡¯t hurt as much and I need the experience.¡± ¡°What is your weight limit at the moment?¡± ¡°More than five hundred and I have trouble.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°With one hand or both Kyrion?¡± Everest eyed his friend. ¡°Each, though I don¡¯t know how strong I am with both.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°You know Kyrion. Sometimes I wonder if you¡¯re a monster pretending to be a person.¡± Everest laughed. Tiffany looked at Everest. ¡°So he¡¯s just freakishly strong on his own. It¡¯s not a common thing?¡± ¡°There are some with enough strength to make him look weak, but most you run into will not focus this much on physical strength; it¡¯s one of those things you have to train from when you¡¯re young. You can¡¯t laze around with that sort of training. Kyrion is a good kid and must train a lot.¡± Everest explained. ¡°I am not good¡­ All the time¡­You should know that I can cause trouble with the best of them.¡± ¡°Petty pranks do not make you evil. How you convinced the local squirrel population to periodically leave droppings in the shoes of only two students and only those two students was amazing however.¡± Everest nodded Tiffany eyed the Kyrion and squinted. ¡°Local squirrel population¡­ Is that what you¡¯ve been up to in the forest?¡± ¡°Kyrion I¡¯m going to go get a friend of mine that focuses on fist fighting. He¡¯s an expert with tons of brute strength. He¡¯s the reason we got here overnight.¡± Everest took that as a chance to escape. Everest left the room. ¡°No, I tamed the squirrels around two months ago, currently I have been bribing beavers, and moles. How else do you think the hotel was put together so quickly.¡± ¡°Had I not known about magic then I¡¯d think you were insane.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Yes¡­ I used magic to convince them.¡± Kyrion didn''t meet Tiffany''s gaze. A few minutes later, Ceres arrived, donning her armor. ¡°Morning master. You were not in your room this morning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the afternoon.¡± Kyrion stated matter of factly. ¡°I must have stayed up too late with you then.¡± Ceres yawned. ¡°I needed your help. How else would I have gotten back here?¡± Kyrion said. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°One of my friends just arrived.¡± ¡°The Everest one?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Yeah. He just beat Tiffany in a fight, she has a lot to learn.¡± ¡°How strong is he?¡± Ceres seemed excited. ¡°Deadly when he needs to be. Other than that he¡¯s just a tailor.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°A tailor. Like someone who makes clothes?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°I lost to a tailor?¡± Tiffany seemed dejected. ¡°Correct. Tailors can be very powerful.¡± Kyrion nodded. Chapter 43 Hotspring Opening Commence Everest returned to the room with the tall, meaty, giant of a man. His head and brows had been fully shaven, leaving a long majestic brown beard. His hands were covered in metal gauntlets. ¡°Everest said that you don¡¯t know your own strength. I can help you figure that out. Is there somewhere outside we can do this?¡± The giant looked down at the boy. ¡°Yes, we have a field not too far off. Why do we need to leave?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not accidentally tear this nice place down.¡± The man said. ¡°I see. Names Kyrion.¡± Kyrion introduced himself. ¡°You may call me Stone.¡± Stone said. Kyrion led them to the place away outside the hotel to the arena that they used in the fight against Gamodren. ¡°This works.¡± Stone entered a low crouch and held out his hands for the shorter boy. Kyrion approached and stood in front of him. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Punch my hands as hard as you can.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes. Do the best you can.¡± Stone replied. Kyrion punched the man in the hand, and he hardly moved. ¡°Pretty strong, but you aren¡¯t using your full strength.¡± Stone approached the boy and showed him how to stand, that he should breathe out when he punched, and finally, he taught the boy how to put his full strength behind him.¡± Kyrion tried a second time putting his body into the attack and breathing out. The idea was simple enough, but he didn¡¯t see how much of a difference that could make. The contact was loud, and a clashing sound echoed around the quiet area. ¡°Which hand are you dominant with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ambidex..something or other, equally bad at writing with both hands and I use them both to do stuff.¡± ¡°Punch me with your left then.¡± Stone waved his hand in the come-on gesture. Kyrion repeated the process with his opposite hand. Adjusting his stance accordingly. The attack pushed Stone back slightly, though his feet still solidly lay on the ground. ¡°How was that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You¡¯re a little stronger with your left, though your accuracy was a bit off. Now I want you to infuse your punch with mana. Either wind or earth should work. Water is a bad fit for this test and healing me would be counterproductive in this test as well.¡± Stones gauntlets glowed in power as he stayed in his stance. Knowing that it was unlikely he could injure the man, Kyrion infused his left fist with a large amount of wind mana and punched. Rocks and debris flew behind, and Stone himself had been pushed back a full foot by the blast though his body looked uninjured. Stone grinned. ¡°I can see why your master doesn¡¯t want you to use that on people. A punch like that could easily kill someone without my endurance. Hell if you caught a practitioner rank unprepared and they had no physical defenses then I doubt they¡¯d get out with anything less than a broken rib. The thing is, while you have a lot of mana to waste, attacks like that aren¡¯t suitable for your abilities. Your strength isn¡¯t your ace, it¡¯s another card in your deck. Now as for strength going from the second display you could lift around five hundred pound in each hand and a little under a ton together. Quite monstrous for a teenager.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a teenager.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t kid¡­ you¡¯re at least thirteen right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Kyrion said plainly. Closer inspection would say he had a look on his face that seemed a bit tired of explaining his height. ¡°Twelve?¡± Stone said, a little surprised. ¡°Somewhere between eight and eleven depending on if you count the amount of time I¡¯ve spent comatose.¡± Kyrion tossed out ¡°Huh, you are quite a little monster then, strength could be an ace then if you put in the effort. Do you know how tall you¡¯re going to be?¡± ¡°My grandfather was eight feet tall, though my mom was only around five and my dad six. My older brother was a bit taller.¡± ¡°That hair and size. You aren¡¯t a descendant of the red bear, are you?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A pirate captain that plagued the seas before settling down in Limguard. He was known for his red hair, absurd height and monstrous strength. A true bear among men.¡± Stone explained. Kyrion recalled his grandfather, who seemed so gentle and kind. He then thought carefully about his interactions with the man. From the gladiator fights to the weapon shops, to the training, then the fist-sized holes in the walls he noticed from time to time. ¡°You know. I may have met the man. Though I¡¯m not sure. My grandfather¡¯s hair was mostly silver.¡± Kyrion dodged around the subject. ¡°A shame. If you¡¯re that young and I doubt you¡¯ve hit your growth spurt then training your body will only make you stronger in the long term. Is this enough madam?¡± Stone asked aloud. ¡°Yes you may rest now Stone. If what the boy says is true then I can see why someone would want to steal his body. Though from the looks of it his training seems to be going in another direction.¡± The girl descended. Ceres eyed the girl. ¡°She sounds like the one who was talking from the plant.¡± ¡°Talking to a plant. Just what did you do last night?¡± ¡°I made some calls¡­ I should probably get you one or two. Must have forgotten about it.¡± ¡°So more rude people are coming?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Maybe just Kiara, don¡¯t let her catch you in any trees.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°Another girl? How many girlfriends do you have?¡± Tiffany eyed the boy. ¡°Two¡­you forgot to separate it.¡± Kyrion started. ¡°Three. Kyrion isn¡¯t as perceptive as he should be sometimes.¡± Everest interrupted. ¡°Ah that¡¯s why he seemed disappointed when I turned out to be a girl. He is outnumbered.¡± Ceres nodded ¡°It was actually a fair split before he met you two.¡± Everest prodded. Kyrion held his head and started counting with his fingers. ¡°Wait. That would mean Nico¡­ Nah¡­ Damian? That would be hilarious, but no. Noah is a dude. Everest, are you? ¡°One hundred percent pure undiluted man? Yes, yes I am.¡± Everest motioned to his abnormally lithe physique. ¡°Then it would have to be Nico. Huh Nico never told me he was a she. Well Nico never cared too much about that stuff anyways.¡± ¡°Disguises. Nothing gets past my eyes.¡± Everest shook his head as though that explained it all. The girl took a moment to approach Tiffany. ¡°I¡¯ll be assisting you with your training. Before I taught Everest the few tricks he knew, he probably would have lost to you in a fair fight.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Fair?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± The girl said, grinning. ¡°Kyrion, show me around, I have been quite busy you know.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll lead the way then.¡± Kyrion started with the bartender he had gotten along with. ¡°Young Kyrion, what brings you in?¡± The bartender asked. ¡°Leading a friend of mine around.¡± ¡°This is hardly a place to take a kid.¡± The bartender stated. ¡°There is a bookstore, smithy, tailor and blacksmith. Most are locals, there isn¡¯t anywhere to play.¡± ¡°You could play with the local kids.¡± Everest looked at his friend and then the bartender. ¡°I doubt that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s an accident waiting to happen.¡± Kyrion imagined playing tag with someone his age and then stopped before things got brutal. ¡°Kyrion, why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°His wife makes the best sandwiches I¡¯ve ever had.¡± Kyrion said blankly. ¡°So you¡¯re hungry.¡± Everest shook his head. The bartender looked at Everest, ¡°You don¡¯t eat as much as he does, do you?¡± ¡°No. Though he was a lot shorter the last time I saw him eat.¡± Kyrion happily sat at the bar waiting for the Kyr special, a footlong of bread cut in half. The contents changed daily. Right now, he had sausage, bacon, poached eggs, ham, hash browns, cheese, pickles, and oatmeal to thicken it. ¡°Is your wife really a good cook?¡± Everest asked. ¡°She does alright, if not eccentric Kyrion is a good test subject for her Avant garde ideas. Sometimes he eats the accidents. Today is a good day as you can take off the pickles, the oatmeal is to fill him up.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t eaten this village into a famine.¡± ¡°He and his master hunt for meat to help keep him fed and he helps with the crops on the local farms. So he more than makes up for it.¡± Everest watched his friend put the sandwich out of its misery. ¡°Good to know he¡¯s still him. The height is disturbing. He was a little tall for his age and now he¡¯s giant.¡± ¡°We have warned the local girls, they won¡¯t be messing with him.¡± ¡°What did you tell them?¡± ¡°The truth, that he¡¯s nine, innocent, and doesn¡¯t know how to hold back.¡± ¡°He can pull his punches.¡± ¡°Oh, I know. I meant Kyrion¡¯s a troublemaker at heart. When he goes in on a plot, he goes all in. So I assume you and the other Tailors are here because there is a problem.¡± ¡°More or less, so you know what tailors do?¡± Everest asked. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a thing or two.¡± The bartender cleaned a glass and watched as Kyrion finished the sandwich. ¡°When will the bathhouse open for customers, Kyrion?¡± The bartender asked. ¡°I was going to open it in five days but truth be told I should probably do it now and let you all enjoy it. That way you can spread the word to the guests that will be here soon.¡± ¡°Hey, if you want we could move your bar into my hotel. That way you could help run things.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather keep this place the way it is. It runs in my family, you know. I do thank you for your confederation. You could probably convince a few of the younger people in the village, those who won¡¯t be inheriting their parents¡¯ trades. You would need a lot of people to run a place like that.¡± ¡°Yes I will. Not sure what my master was planning when he gave me the blueprints.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°The monsters are polite enough but it will take some integration. What are you paying them by the way?¡± ¡°I pay them with nuts.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°You can¡¯t pay people with nuts. They need money to buy things. It helps the economy quite a bit.¡± Kyrion rubbed his chin. ¡°I see, are you sure you don¡¯t want to run it while I¡¯m away?¡± ¡°I know someone who can help you with numbers for a while. Though I¡¯m sure his parents would rather have him go to a school for scholars when he¡¯s old enough. School is expensive but someone with your connections could probably figure it out.¡± The bartender said. ¡°I see Everest, do you want to meet this person, go big game hunting or continue looking around.¡± ¡°You need a price for customers, so I recommend meeting with this person. His name is Jared.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Kyrion paid for his meal, and the two left the tavern. Kyrion found himself back in the bookstore. Suzen was there reading a book with a bored expression on his face. ¡°Oh I know her.¡± Everest stated absentmindedly. ¡°Why? Have you been here before?¡± ¡°Ah a tailor¡¯s secret, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Everest put a finger over his lips. ¡°Uh-huh. You don¡¯t have to tell me what those numbers mean. I¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡± Kyrion eyed his friend before he got bored and started looking for this Jared person. Reports say he is tall, mysterious, and awkward. So he looked through the bookstore and found only one other person here. A lanky boy who seemed more bone than person. He was standing in front of a selection of books Kyrion decided were too complicated for himself. Gray disheveled hair tied back in a ponytail fell to his shoulders. His eyes held black bags that made him resemble a raccoon. ¡°Do you think this is Jared?¡± Everest asked his friend. ¡°Looks kinda plain. Very weak mana as well, why do they think he¡¯s mysterious?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe the rumors were exaggerated. Could be the hair, he should be fifteen right? That¡¯s quite early for hair to turn gray.¡± Everest grinned. ¡°We could just have the wrong person. I heard that Jared was five-two.¡± Jared seemed to cover his face with a book to hide his expression. Kyrion looked at Everest, who nodded as they flanked him. ¡°So do you know this Jared person?¡± Kyrion asked as he raised the book that the older boy was holding. ¡°T-thats me.¡± He said shyly. ¡°Listen. I have a job opportunity for you. You know that hotel that was just built?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± ¡°Do you know that I built it?¡± The boy seemed shocked. ¡°N-no I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well I did, and I need someone good with numbers to help me set prices and pay my workers. We may also need to recruit some more people as well. I have it on good authority that you¡¯d be a great manager. If you do a good enough job then I¡¯m sure Mr.Belfour would be happy to sponsor your schooling and if not then you¡¯d be able to save a good amount of money if you so wish.¡± Kyrion said to the older boy. ¡°It would also make you really popular, I¡¯m sure the girls will come running to work at the hotel with you.¡± ¡°Everest? What are you planning?¡± Kyrion looked at his friend, who had gone off the books. ¡°I do like ladies¡­.¡± The young teenage boy said. Kyrion¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw the boy blush. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine Kyrion.¡± Everest grinned. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Jared said. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°I said I¡¯m in.¡± Jared said. ¡°Huh. I do not understand what just happened, but great, happy to have you onboard.¡± ¡°Makeover time.¡± Everest said. This time both Kyrion and Jared were lost as they found themselves back in the hotel with Kyrion locked out of the room. While Everest laughed maniacally on the inside. After around thirty minutes of waiting, Everest presented his work. Jared was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his gray hair cut short and combed, and a pair of white gloves decorated his hands. His tired eyes and complexion still made him look half dead, however. ¡°That should work before he tries out the beautifying water that you claim to have.¡± Everest said smugly. ¡°Mind making me some clothes like that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯ll make you some training clothes but that¡¯s it. You grow too quickly for me to guess how big you¡¯re going to be.¡± Everest said plainly. ¡°Let me guess they stretch quite a bit and are durable?¡± ¡°More or less. Isn¡¯t that what you want?¡± Everest eyed his friend. Kyrion thought about it, hand on his chin. ¡°Yes, I would actually.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Everest grinned. The rest of the day was spent teaching Jared about his new position and current gremlin coworkers. The tailors and new workers were allowed to use the communal bath that night. Mana contracts had to be signed to prevent guests from doing anything unscrupulous in the bath. Kyrion didn¡¯t understand why, but his master recommended that course of action. Jared, having been cleansed, looked inhuman. His gray hair now shined with the luster of silver, and his skin was cleansed of all blemishes. The local girls wanted him, and the local boys wanted to be with him. After a single bath in the magical springs, that much change to your appearance was enough to make it an overnight sensation. It was a good thing that Jared had the potential to pull off such a metamorphosis. He had a feeling that the bartender was well aware of this. Kyrion did not bathe with the others. He wanted to go last so that he could monitor the purification properties of the water before having his workers begin cleaning. He met the tailor lady he saw earlier upon leaving the bath and eyed her with suspicion. ¡°That bath was amazing. Who should I thank for such an experience?¡± She asked. ¡°Probably Everest, and his teacher.¡± Kyrion did not like the feeling in his head. As though something was trying to plant ideas into his head. ¡°I see.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes seemed to close. ¡°Would you mind not doing that thing with your magic?¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Oh, sorry if I made things awkward. I just...¡± She started to say. ¡°Aria, he¡¯s nine and more innocent than a newborn. What are you trying to do with him?¡± Everest appeared from behind the women. Aria seemed to pause for a moment before responding. ¡°Like hell he¡¯s nine, do you see him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a friend of mine from the Academy where the oldest graduates could be eleven. When he hit rank four I assume it started a mana fueled growth spurt.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying I almost flirted with a baby.¡± Aria began to turn redder than a strawberry. ¡°A baby half your age. Now you can¡¯t use ignorance as a defense. Keep your distance.¡± Everest told her. Aria flushed and quickly went to her room in the hotel. Everest walked back to his friend. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to help me. But thanks anyway.¡± Kyrion told his friend. ¡°She was unaware of your age, which is our fault. Looks like my master is purposely leaving out information. She thought you were her age.¡± ¡°I miss being short. How old was she?¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Sixteen.¡± Everest stated. ¡°That¡¯s old.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Dude. That is the opposite of old, what is with your perception of time?¡± Everest looked at his friend in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s two whole digits,¡± Kyrion said wide-eyed. ¡°Kyrion when you hit ten are you going to be considered an old man in your book?¡± Everest was watching Kyrion for any signs of deceit. Kyrion tapped his chin. ¡°Yes.¡± Everest burst out laughing. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Kyrion was actually confused for once. ¡°If ten is old then what¡¯s twenty?¡± ¡°Very old.¡± Kyrion responded. ¡°And forty?¡± Everest asked. ¡°Super old.¡± Kyrion was dead serious. ¡°Eighty?¡± Everest raised an eyebrow. ¡°People can live that long?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes.¡± He said plainly. ¡°Maybe I need to push the old scale up a bit. How long do spirit masters live?¡± ¡°They say experts can count their age in centuries.¡± Everest stated. ¡°That is confusing.¡± Kyrion responded. ¡°So twenty isn¡¯t old at all, if people live that long. It just feels like it¡¯s long.¡± Chapter 44 Dancers Kyrion awoke the next day after a good night¡¯s sleep and made his way around the town, noticing that most of the villagers were happy with the sudden and convenient addition to their village and the influx of activity that came with it. Working at the hotel was considered one of the more prestigious jobs in the eyes of the young. Its rates were nice, and the cost was relatively cheap for travelers. Luckily, while the tavern¡¯s inn was cheaper, it didn¡¯t have anything else to offer aside from food. The hotel did not have anyone who could cook, so most went to the tavern to eat. Kyrion closed his eyes and looked up to the sky before starting his morning training with the new addition of boulder lifting. Solid stone proved heavier than Kyrion thought, and the process of pulling up some with his mana was pretty trivial. He started with what he thought was eight hundred pounds for the first set and then moved on to a thousand for the second set of lifts. He tried hefting one thousand and one hundred pounds. He felt his arms creek and hurt while his body strained to push it that much. His regeneration worked overtime to heal the damage caused to his arms which drained his stamina and mana quite a bit. Increasing weight by one hundred pounds was not as gradual as he thought it would be. Ceres approached her master as he lay in a heap on the ground, sweating. First, she looked at the boulder and then the boy who was face down in the dirt. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± She asked. ¡°Uhhhh.¡± Kyrion complained. ¡°What was that master?¡± ¡°Foummmd¡± He tried harder. ¡°How much?¡± Ceres interpreted. ¡°Ahall i cam eaa.¡± Kyrion let his body rest and heal. Ceres nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s a tall order, master, but I will do my best.¡± Ceres left and returned with three of the Kyr Specials. Rolling him over, she found that her poor master was too tired to eat it on his own. Bringing a piece of the sandwich to his mouth, she opened it and put the food inside. Moving his jaw up and down to chew said sandwich. She didn¡¯t have to feed him. He could eat the sandwiches by himself. But he liked her initiative and played along, making her job as easy as possible. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped feeding him the food. He watched as she bit her thumb, thinking. Kyrion tried to move when he realized that he wasn¡¯t pretending. Ceres watched as her master seemed to struggle. ¡°It¡¯s ok, master. I¡¯ve seen birds do this before. I¡¯ll just chew the food for you so that you can just swallow it,¡± In a pragmatic sense, that could work, but to Kyrion, that seemed like a fate worse than death. ¡°S-stop!¡± Kyrion heard someone say in the distance. Ceres clearly didn¡¯t hear it. Kyrion, having gotten a break to breathe, opened his mouth to speak but found his jaw sore. Wait, not sore, broken. His mouth opened wider than he intended and pain shot through his body. ¡°Looks like the master is already ready.¡± Ceres began to chew the sandwich. ¡°I-I said stop!¡± Repeated the same quiet voice. Kyrion almost swore that he recalled the voice. It had been so long since he last heard it. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m attending to my master?¡± Ceres said, having accidentally swallowed the first part. ¡°You¡¯re making it worse can¡¯t you tell?¡± The boy stated. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°His jaw is broken and he looks like he¡¯s about to cry¡­ It looks rather odd on his face.¡± Damian stated as he examined the clearly injured teenager. ¡°My master would not get a broken jaw from me, helping him. He¡¯s too strong for that.¡± Ceres said matter a factly. Ceres was tired of the nosey kid and tried to get the food to rise up like a penguin does. ¡°Please just leave him alone. I can¡¯t stand for this.¡± The boy stated. ¡°Then sit down!¡± Ceres yelled, frustrated by her inability to get it back up. Kyrion had recognized the voice, and while the two kept each other occupied, Kyrion crawled his way towards a safe place to hide. The bushes next to that tree seemed fine. ¡°Take another bite and I will be forced to fight you, to defend my friend.¡± Damian seemed a bit too happy at the prospect of a fight. Kyrion looked up at the speaker from his bush after turning back on his regeneration. ¡°Who the?¡± Kyrion stated. Damian had gone from a bald kid with a stoic face to a dark blue-haired noble-looking boy. His hair was still pretty short, but he wasn¡¯t bald. His manner and dress were fancy. Carrying himself a bit more proudly than before. One look into his friend¡¯s eyes told Kyrion that he needed this fight as much as Kyrion needed to avoid eating chewed food. Kyrion decided to keep his mouth shut and set his jaw to help the healing process. A sword appeared in Damian¡¯s left hand, and Ceres motioned for him to wait as she donned her plate armor. All in all, it took her a surprising bit of time. Kyrion was ninety percent sure she forgot why they were going to fight, the same way she didn¡¯t notice that he slowly crawled away. Sometimes there were only clouds up there. Kyrion knew he was the pot and she was the kettle in this scenario, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m ready to fight!¡± Ceres charged at the boy, halberd in hand. Damian copied the maneuver, and the two found themselves close and personal. Ceres swung down, attempting to hit him in the head. Damian moved up the shaft of a halberd like a striking snake and landed a dropkick to her helmed head before pushing off with a second foot and landing a few feet away, which had the added benefit of causing her to stumble. Kyrion was chewing on a blue pomegranate as the two fought. Which helped his natural healing quite a bit. Now all he had to do was capture the breakfast that the two warriors were dancing over. Kyrion planted one foot on the ground and broke the earth a bit, constricting his muscles in preparation for the massive leap he was about to facilitate. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ceres repeated the same overhead swing that missed digging into the ground. Damian ran up the shaft in an attempt to knock her off balance. Ceres grabbed the boy by the ankle and spun him around a few times before throwing him away. ¡°Your sacrifice isn¡¯t in vain my dear friend.¡± Kyrion whispered. A booming sound could be heard as a puff of smoke rose where Kyrion had been hiding. He stepped on a platform of solid air and stepped again. Swiftly grabbing the three sandwiches before flying into another set of bushes. He was exhausted from the maneuver, but at least he had his sandwiches. ¡°Priorities.¡± Kyrion sat in his spot with his prize. His jaw started to fix itself. Kyrion ate the three sandwiches as Damian landed onto his feet while Ceres was distracted by the sudden sound behind her. The two danced in a circle of blows, swings, sweeps, and parries. Damian was being pushed back by the practitioner rank dragon. Kyrion examined his friend and saw that he hadn¡¯t reached that level yet. Though Damian was a fifth-tier fledgling. Unlike Kyrion, Damian had a lot more experience in combat. At least he fought like he did. Damian pulled out his second sword, and his style changed quite a bit. ¡°What is that?¡± Kyrion was surprised by the second sword, Damian probably didn¡¯t think too much about it, but it made a lot more sense when he saw it in action. A black-haired woman in flowing pink robes appeared in between the two fighting. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that, Damian. Don¡¯t we have some business to take care of? Like finding your friend, I heard he¡¯s been missing since breakfast. From what I¡¯ve heard, he doesn¡¯t sound like the time to miss a meal. He said he got a lot bigger, which means we need to find an obese kid in a village, which shouldn¡¯t be this hard.¡± Damian raised an eyebrow. ¡°Big as in tall.¡± ¡°Is what you say.¡± The woman crossed her arms. Kyrion was awestruck. He¡¯d never seen someone so sparkly. It was as though flower petals were surrounding her. He felt his heart speed up and his face flush. He also felt a familiar pressure in his head. For the second time in two days, Kyrion saw his first love, then a familiar wave of mana cleansed the effect from his body. That second first love died where it stood. But, of course, he wouldn¡¯t tell anyone about this fact. ¡°Armor girl, what is your master¡¯s name?¡± Damian asked. Ceres took a long moment to think. First, looked to where she left Kyrion and then where she sat the sandwiches down. She then looked at Damian with suspicion. ¡°What did you do with master Kyrion! And his breakfast!¡± Ceres yelled. ¡°Nothing. Shouldn¡¯t you have kept a better watch?¡± Damian looked around, glancing about. ¡°I had to put on my armor!¡± Ceres yelled, getting ready to fight. Damian began to hum a tune causing vibrations to fill the world around them. Finally, the sound made it to Kyrion and past him. ¡°He¡¯s eating breakfast over there. Please don¡¯t try to feed anyone else like that. It¡¯s disturbing.¡± Damian explained. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with chewing his food for him?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± The women in pink robes and Damian said at the same time. Kyrion stood up full and fully healed after a solid breakfast. ¡°Good to see you Damian, haven¡¯t seen you in what feels like forever. Everest is already here as well, I was just getting some training done when I hurt myself.¡± Kyrion pointed to the boulders he had been using. Kyrion then pointed to Ceres. ¡°While a bit zealous, your head was mostly in the right place. Don¡¯t try to feed me like that again please.¡± ¡°What should I do if you hurt yourself again?¡± Ceres asked worriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t chew anything for me¡­ If you must just lay me somewhere and let me rest. I didn¡¯t feel you break my jaw. Until I tried to move it.¡± Kyrion rubbed his chin. ¡°I- I did break your chin? How? I¡¯ve seen your chin break walls.¡± Ceres was surprised. ¡°It probably had something to do with you forcing it open and closed without much care for my body. You also may be much stronger than me. Have you been holding out on me?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°So. Kyrion, right? You¡¯re taller than I assumed. Do you know the owner of the hotspring?¡± The black-haired woman spoke to him with a melodious voice. ¡°Yes. I am.¡± Kyrion replied, not letting too many words spill out as he defended his mind from the subtle invasion. She laughed a bit before eying him closely. ¡°You may be talented but this is something that could only be built by a great architect. It¡¯s quite solid and is something that requires a deal of experience for a farmer¡¯s son shouldn¡¯t have. ¡° ¡°Oh¡­ No, my master got the blueprints from somewhere. I just recruited the beavers, gremlins, moles, and ect. They did most of the construction thinking and whatever..¡± ¡°You taught woodland critters and monsters how to build architecture?¡± She asked, a bit confused. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Damian said matter of factly. ¡°Why is that?¡± His teacher asked. ¡°He already knew how to train squirrels, it was only a matter of time before he figured out bigger animals.¡± Damian said stoically. Damian¡¯s teacher bowed. ¡°If your friend is telling the truth then I will apologize. It¡¯s just unusual for one to find the non combat aspects of their abilities so early on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what my master has been focusing his teaching on lately. I hate it.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°I am currently trying to help Damian discover that aspect with his powers but he¡¯s a bit stubborn when it comes to this. Maybe a peer could open his eyes a bit. I¡¯ll be taking the first group into the baths. Feel free to play around a bit more, the only stipulation being, you can¡¯t fight.¡± Damian sighed as he watched his master leave. ¡°Everest is here. He¡¯s currently training with a friend of mine. Would you like to go meet them now?¡± ¡°No¡­ not yet. I need to figure out what my teacher meant by trying out my powers outside of fighting.¡± Damian eyed his friend. ¡°Have you tried singing to animals?¡± ¡°I thought his spirit was that sword.¡± Ceres pointed at the weapon. ¡°Oh this?¡± Damian brought out his second sword and showed it to her. ¡°Were you holding out on me?¡± Ceres seemed surprised. ¡°It¡¯s just how I fight. The longer a fight goes, the stronger I get. My first sword chips away at my targets defenses, slowly weakening anything it hits while the second weakens my target¡¯s senses, making them distorted.¡± Damian explained. ¡°I see. Have you tried singing to woodland critters?¡± Kyrion brought up. ¡°No, why would I do that?¡± Damian asked. ¡°Yeah why would he sing?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°It¡¯s one of my abilities.¡± Damian said shyly. ¡°What does singing have to do with swords?¡± Ceres seemed confused. ¡°He has two spirits.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Yes, two swords.¡± Ceres stated. ¡°No, the two swords are one spirit.¡± Damian said blankly. ¡°How does singing become a spirit?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Abyss if I know.¡± Damian replied. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been training that skill?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes. But not with anyone else around. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Damian covered his face. Kyrion clapped his hands in a pattern which caused various woodland critters to come out of the woodworks. Damian eyed Kyrion as though he had grown a second head. ¡°Why? How? You know what nevermind.¡± ¡°I want you to sing to the woodland critters.¡± Kyrion said blankly. ¡°But¡­¡± Damian started. ¡°They¡¯re animals. If they hate it then they will just get up and leave. The perfect test subjects.¡± Kyrion smiled at his friend and sat on a stump. Ceres took a seat next to him. Damian gulped a bit, waving his blades around, the tassels forming a hypnotic pattern before he began to sing a lullaby. One by one, the smallest of mammals began to sleep. Kyrion was unaffected by it while Ceres looked at the singing boy in awe. After a few minutes, Damian stopped singing and earned a couple of claps for his trouble. ¡°Your voice. It¡¯s so peaceful. Can you do another one?¡± Ceres asked, a bit too excited. Her eyes seemed to have fogged over. ¡°Another one? Uhhh.¡± Damian¡¯s face reddened¡­ ¡°This is the only song I know how to sing right now. Well the only one that affects others.¡± Damian quickie added. ¡°What did that song mean to you?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It was a lullaby my mother sang to me when I was smaller.¡± ¡°You can remember things like that?¡± Kyrion tried to remember if he had heard his mother sing. But unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t recall such a situation. He recalled Samanta singing a few songs to Illanda, but it wasn¡¯t the same. ¡°More or less. I used to have trouble sleeping when I was younger.¡± Damian stated. Ceres laughed, recalling how quickly she¡¯d seen her master go to sleep right after a fight during their time in the dungeon. Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°So the song means something to you?¡± ¡°Yes. Like I said, it helped me sleep when I was younger.¡± ¡°I could hear that you love this song, in your voice. Maybe the first requirement for your ability is emotion?¡± Kyrion looked up at the sky. Damian slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°How did I not figure that out?¡± ¡°My friend, you are pretty dense.¡± Kyrion grinned. ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk.¡± Damian laughed. ¡°Hey. I have been training to fix my lack of common sense.¡± Kyrion finally fell back. Ceres looked back and forth, confused as the two were laughing at something that she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°So no second song?¡± ¡°No se...¡± Damian started. ¡°Damian, are you happy?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes. Why does that matter?¡± Damian started again. ¡°Try singing.¡± Kyrion looked toward his friend. Damian¡¯s smile widened as the idea made sense, and he began to hum a song that expressed his elation. The woodland critters got up and started running around at a speed that Kyrion hadn¡¯t seen them used before. Ceres seemed to be entertained by the humming. Kyrion raised an eyebrow and slowly soaked the note that Damian¡¯s teacher had slipped him. Emotion is the catalyst for his abilities. But he doesn¡¯t listen to me, sometimes you have to hear something from a friend to understand. ¡°They¡¯re moving faster than normal as though they were enhanced by something,¡± Kyrion ordered the critters to do a little dance, and they happily obliged. Damian stopped and watched as the critters continued to dance at that speed. The effects were reminiscent of when he used his sound affinity to enhance his speed and power. ¡°I think I understand what my teacher wanted me to learn. The reason she wanted me to mingle with others was to experience different feelings with this ability at my disposal.¡± ¡°Yeah. It doesn¡¯t suit Other Guy very much. He was a bit too stoic. Any reason for that Damian?¡± Kyrion eyed his friend. ¡°You know I have trouble with strangers. I¡¯m just naturally shy, which is ironic for someone whose parents were performers. I just freeze up, sometimes unable to speak.¡± Damian said truthfully. ¡°You spoke to me?¡± Ceres said. ¡°I-I s-saw you hurting my friend. Of course I had to step in.¡± Damian stuttered and then scowled. ¡°Ah. So you can speak when the situation is dire¡­.¡± Ceres nodded. ¡°Can we move on now?¡± Damian started messing with the tassels at the end of one of his short swords. After a minute of silence, Kyrion stood up. ¡°Well that¡¯s that. Everest and Tiffany should be done. I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m pretty hungry.¡± Ceres recalled that Kyrion¡¯s food had disappeared. ¡°Ah you missed breakfast. That sandwich thief! I will get them for this master.¡± Kyrion looked at Damian, who seemed to be squinting at his friend. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Chapter 45 Delirium The trio made their way to the tavern, where he and the others had a light lunch. They then found Tiffany and Everest. ¡°You brought another one with you?¡± Tiffany asked, surprised. ¡°Yes, this is Damian, another friend of mine.¡± Damian stated ¡°I see. I just finished sparring with Everest and was going to go for lunch. Going by the sauce stain on Kyrion¡¯s shirt I assume you just came back from lunch.¡± The sauce on the haunch of pork Kyrion ate was good. So instead of cleaning off the sauce with his magic. Instead, he took a finger and scooped it up to finish it off. ¡°Good sauce.¡± Kyrion stated. Everest sighed. ¡°Oh.¡± Kyrion cleansed his shirt and hands with water before drying it out. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Tiffany shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine with a second lunch.¡± Kyrion volunteered. Rolling his arm in a circle. ¡°We can also go talk in the tavern, we haven¡¯t seen each other in a while.¡± ¡°Some better introductions would do.¡± Tiffany stated. Ceres turned around and ran to warn the innkeeper. Luckily for the innkeeper, Kyrion wasn¡¯t very hungry. He talked, ate, and then played around the small town. Finally, the sun began to set very quickly, and it was time to visit the springs. They then went to the indoor springs. Dawning swimwear is made for them by the tailors. So easy to move in and very durable, Kyrion felt as though he could fight with complete freedom of motion. ¡°These are nice.¡± Damian started. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about fighting in those.¡± Everest said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Damian said stoically. ¡°I was. I will try not to.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°That¡¯s the most I will ask. Aria will be the agent in charge of the swimwear store. An easy way to make money and keep track of tourists.¡± ¡°Bla bla bla, money. Let¡¯s go play in the springs!¡± Kyrion dragged his friends to the pool leading them into the hot water with a cannonball. Damian was raised by travelers, growing used to harsh weather conditions and temperatures. Everest had gone through some deep conditioning to prepare for torture and injury in the field. Neither of them had a low pain tolerance and were fine entering the deep hot water. The trio horse played in the water for half an hour before Everest brought something up. ¡°Where¡¯s Issac? Doesn¡¯t he love water?¡± Everest said. Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°Almost forgot about that bird.¡± ¡°You should summon him.¡± Damian said. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± In his merriment, he summoned Issac. Issac appeared angry. Had the bird had eyebrows, they would be furrowed. ¡°Who is Sir Issac?¡± Issac asked with irritation. Kyrion recalled his childhood companion, Sir Issac, the brave! A taxidermied meerkat that did little dances every now and then. He and Asela had gotten a bit of a pulling match, and the poor hero was pulled apart. Stuffing, straw, plants, and insects came spilling from the insides. ¡°One of my best friends from childhood?¡± Kyrion said as a question. ¡°Well it¡¯s a macabre figure no normal kid would play with something so disturbing.¡± Issac stated. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Kyrion said, recalling the many adventures that they¡¯d been on. ¡°Oh it was. Not to mention you named me after that creature.¡± ¡°Your Issac, that was Sir Issac. Completely different.¡± Issac raised a figurative eyebrow ¡°Mmmmhmmm. Well I¡¯m mad, and to make matters worse you¡¯ve kept my companion trapped in her core!¡± Damian and Everest looked at each other, then back at the indignant bird. ¡°Fine, fine. If it will make you happy then fine.¡± Kyrion pulled Undine¡¯s core from his space. Noticing that a lot of water had been pooling in there Undine materialized in her full glory, resulting in Damian turning as red as a strawberry. Kyrion immediately ran to heal his friend, but nothing happened. Everest looked at the spirit apathetically. ¡°Ninety, forty-five, Ninety. Twice the size of a normal human in height. Would take a lot of¡­.¡± He mumbled, dressing the greater spirit. ¡°Look who came kno¡­.¡± Undine started. ¡°I forgot. Feel free to join now. You can talk to Issac about it later.¡± Kyrion interrupted. The great spirit decided not to push the human and returned to being core. Which Kyrion absorbed before melting into the hot water. In a peaceful trance, Kyrion¡¯s body floated to the surface. ¡°Huh. He can float on water.¡± ¡°I would prefer the term all terrain for our friend here.¡± Damian didn¡¯t know how well he was on the mark. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Kyrion felt as though all of his blood had evaporated. It then reformed with a much cooler feeling. It felt goooooood. Kyrion opened his eyes halfway and looked at his friends, who looked at him in horror. ¡°What happened?¡± Kyrion asked as though he wasn¡¯t all there. ¡°There is a lot of blood in the pool.¡± Everest stated. Kyrion let his body sink into the water to see the change better. He could clearly see an absurd amount of blood starting to spread in the water from the bottom. With a casual wave of his hand, the blood congealed and compressed before vanishing into a jar in Kyrion''s space. It was a lot of blood, after all. ¡°Could be useful one day.¡± He said while underwater, not noticing how clear he was. Kyrion stood up and approached his friends. ¡°Do you feel any different?¡± Damian asked. ¡°Aside from feeling really goooooood?¡± Kyrion stretched with a chuckle. He wasn¡¯t facing Damian but a space to the right of Damian. ¡°Yes, aside from feeling really good.¡± Damian said stoically. ¡°I¡¯m as hapbe¡­ hamknee? Haddy as a newborn benquin in the dessert.¡± Kyrion reached to pat the area next to Damian. ¡°Huh. You need to eat more, Damian, you¡¯re kinda thin.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Kyrion, are you drunk?¡± Everest asked. ¡°No. I¡¯m Kyrion. I don¡¯t know who this drink is, but I¡¯m not them.¡± Kyrion pointed to Damian, who was to the right of Everest. ¡°How do you feel Kyrion?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯m full of bubbles!¡± Kyrion slapped himself on the chest, and bubbles came out of his mouth in a loud burp. Damian and Everest watched as the tips of Kyrion¡¯s hair turned blue, and he climbed out of the pool. ¡°Kyrion! Where are you going?¡± Damian asked. ¡°Out!¡± Kyrion said as he walked into a wall. The wall seemed to open up for him because he clearly walked through it without breaking the thing.
Kyrion awoke in the ballroom in his hotel, surrounded by a bunch of people sleeping on the floor around him. He had a righteous headache that was slowly fading and a gap in his memory that started right after he started absorbing Undine¡¯s core. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion asked, extricating himself from the bodies on the floor, still sleeping. Tiffany and Ceres were already up and in the ballroom watching the boy with worry in their eyes. ¡°Kyrion? Are you really Kyrion?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion said, confused ¡°Then you have a lot of explaining to do.¡± Tiffany scowled. ¡°What I¡¯d do?¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°Follow me.¡± Tiffany led Kyrion to the indoor garden. Kyrion did not recall having a garden in the hotel. In fact, he was sure that this was the training hall. Ceres was shaking her head. ¡°I tried to stop you, master.¡± ¡°Its a nice garden. Whats wrong with a garden?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°This was the training hall. You turned the training hall into a botanical garden.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°There¡¯s even a fish pond in here. Where did you even get the fish?¡± Ceres asked. Kyrion blinked twice before walking to the ornate earthen pond that seemed quite well constructed. He also noticed that it was somehow connected to the plumbing and irrigation system while freshwater seemed to cycle in on its own. ¡°I had to have help.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did. Though you¡¯re the first one to wake up.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Why am I still not wearing a shirt?¡± Kyrion looked down, confused, pulling a tunic out of his space and slipping it over himself. ¡°Well you solved that issue. Last night you were a kid possessed.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°If what Damian said was to be believed.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°It is!¡± Ceres stated. ¡°Anyway, he said you lost a lot of blood and had a big case of delirium. Somehow in that state you threw a party that only ended three hours ago when you finally passed out. Which apparently was contagious as most of the people from Damian¡¯s school passed out with you.¡± Kyrion blinked twice. ¡°Why would they do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But it¡¯s what happened. You¡¯re going to need to clean this up however.¡± Tiffany said. Kyrion looked around the room and clapped his hands before filling the space with life mana. ¡°Ok, plants, start moving. I want you out of the building in five minutes. Feel free to take root outside of the hotel. Just remember to make yourselves look pretty for the tourists.¡± ¡°Kyrion, you can¡¯t just tell plants to up and¡­move¡­.¡± Tiffany said as shock appeared in her eyes. One by one, the plants uprooted themselves from the floor and somehow hobbled over to the door. Within a few minutes, the pant portion of the garden was gone from the largest tree to the smallest blade of grass. ¡°You can talk to plants?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Nope, I talk at them while feeding the mana. I think they guess at what I want them to do.¡± Kyrion lied. He could command plants with ease, but those weren¡¯t typical plants. How the dryads got here and why they left. Were questions he¡¯d rather ask directly and not in front of people who would think he was crazy. Tiffany didn¡¯t say anything and just left the room with an irritated expression. Ceres shook her head and made her way out of the training hall. Kyrion was, in fact, confused. Still, that fish pond was good and stuck there. He could remove the fish and purify the pond, making it a drinking source or something. ¡°This is odd.¡± Kyrion pouted as he started clearing the ground and cleaning out the room. Throughout the day, Kyrion noticed that various creatures that were clearly out of place were, in fact, living right outside of the small town. Kyrion decided to get some food in him before moving forward with his investigation. The tavern was strangely empty this morning. Most of the usual patrons were gone, and the only worker seemed to be the owner. ¡°You¡¯re going to run me out of business at this rate, Kyrion.¡± The bartender joked. ¡°Did I grow anything in here?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No, but many tiny floating people claiming to be your friends ordered tons of liquor. The heavy stuff by the barrel, and they paid with gems and other valuable rocks.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make much sense¡­I don¡¯t recall very much of yesterday, but that¡¯s outlandish.¡± ¡°You were out of it. Had I not been the only source of liquor in town, I¡¯d think you¡¯d have been drunk. But knowing you, you probably stayed up past your bedtime and were confused.¡± The bartender stated. ¡°Some sort of blood loss thing¡­ Now I¡¯m tired, hungry, and lost.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°Then you should probably avoid alcohol.¡± The bartender said honestly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to sell alcohol?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I also have juice and other non-alcoholic beverages.¡± The bartender placed today¡¯s breakfast abomination in front of Kyrion. It appeared to be some sort of large piece of bread. Enough to fill a large plate. Large by Kyrion portions was a plate the size of a circular dining table. Upon opening it, the young boy found golden eggs mixed with bacon, cheese, potatoes, tomatoes, sausage, and onions. Suffice it to say, he had all the food groups covered as far as things went. ¡°I like this one.¡± Kyrion said honestly. Filling up just on that alone. Kyrion returned to the training hall to find that the fish pond seemed to have up and moved itself. ¡°Odd¡­ Oh well!¡± Kyrion said as he turned around to leave. ¡°Kyrion. How are you feeling?¡± Asked Damian¡¯s teacher, who was standing in a doorway. ¡°Decent¡­A little tired.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Are you who I should speak to if I want to build here?¡± She asked. ¡°No? You should ask Tiffany and by extension her father. I don¡¯t own the land here.¡± ¡°Huh, by what I¡¯ve heard various you seem to be the one in charge.¡± ¡°Nope. I do have a deal with them, though.¡± Kyrion looked at the woman, who seemed to be covered in petals. ¡°I see. If I give you my name can you put in a good word?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being honest. I¡¯m probably not going to remember it.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a pretty famous entertainer, you know.¡± She said. ¡°And If I cared you wouldn¡¯t have to say that.¡± Kyrion retorted. ¡°Maybe the name, Glersora will jog some memories.¡± She said proudly. Kyrion slowly blinked before cleaning his ears out. ¡°You don¡¯t know? I¡¯ve performed in every country on the continent.¡± Glersora said with surprise. ¡°Listen Linda. I don¡¯t know you. You¡¯re my friend¡¯s teacher. Go talk to the land owner.¡± Kyrion could feel hostility rolling off the women and decided to end the conversation. A wave of mana collided with Kyrion, and a pressure formed on his forehead. His body removed it much faster than expected this time. ¡°Hmmmmm. I see. Such a shame. Since you¡¯re my student¡¯s friend I¡¯ll leave it at that. Just keep in mind that in this world you¡¯re still weak. Many creatures can still overpower you.¡± Glersora sighed, walking away, looking a bit more cheery for some odd reason. Kyrion waited until she left before he cleansed himself with warm water.Making himself squeaky clean ¡°What was that pressure?¡± Kyrion left the training hall. Chapter 46 Conspiricy and delivery It was now well past noon, and Tiffany was sitting inside an underused study room in the bookstore. Everest had a clearly irritated expression on his face. While his teacher had a smile on her face that could scare away murderers. ¡°I know what happened to your real mother.¡± The young girl said to Tiffany. ¡°What are you talking about? My mother is Mrs. Belfour.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Politics is a dangerous game to get into. A realm of subtlety and intrigue. Especially in the Tetsan Empire, where merchants can buy their rank and nobility with money. Money is power here after all.¡± The girl stated. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Tiffany seemed irritated. ¡°Because one of our organization¡¯s was in fact a part of her assasination. As by association with someone we wish to make an alliance with you are also an ally by association.¡± The girl stated. ¡°What does Kyrion have to do with spies and assassins?¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Fledglings shouldn¡¯t be able to alter the world outside of their general area. I¡¯m sure Gamodren had you lie about your ability to sense mana. It isn¡¯t something that can be taught in a week or two. Yet he was able to see far more than he should for someone of his age. Had we known about him then I¡¯d have made sure to scoop him up before that man got involved.¡± ¡°Making clothes doesn¡¯t sound like something he¡¯d like doing.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°No you misunderstand, we have many covers. Tailor is just the most common for those in our organization. Stone is an Armorer believe it or not.¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t wear armor.¡± Tiffany was lost. The girl smiled before moving on. ¡°Your friend has talent, and he clearly knows how to pick up those who also have talent considering his other friends. Your innate ability is high and truth be told, I¡¯d scoop you up as well if I could. But I won¡¯t cross that line.¡± ¡°What do you want then?¡± TIffany was skeptical. ¡°I want you to learn some of our techniques of course. Some for moving quickly and quietly. More for vanishing from sight, and a few for taking out opponents for good. Your friend needs people to fight by his side and kill when he can¡¯t. Should he make it to expert level without killing any other humans, I imagine his potential will continue to grow exponentially.¡± The girl stopped. ¡°I want you to tell me what¡¯s going on first. Kyrion hasn¡¯t told me what¡¯s going on and I don¡¯t like being left out of the loop. I also want every bit of information involving the one you say is my mother.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. ¡°My, you are a shrewd one.¡± ¡°Never take a job for free.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you a full explanation in six years. That¡¯s when you should reach your age of majority after all. Vengeance is a good motivator but it tends to blind the very young.¡± The girl smirked. Tiffany was mad. But decided that it was a better offer than nothing. Everest didn¡¯t seem to be happy. It probably had more to do with the fact that he had to sit there and stay silent. This wasn¡¯t his deal, and loose lips didn¡¯t last too long in this line of work. Getting up and leading his teacher somewhere else to keep her busy for the time being. Tiffany moved on to the meditation exercises that Gamodren had taught her to supposedly increase her mana pool. Unlike Kyrion, she didn¡¯t have absurd strength and mana. Tiffany was also far behind in terms of rank. Apparently, she should already be in or near the practitioner rank at her age, yet she couldn¡¯t skip over her foundation. A lesson becoming more apparent as her friends grew in leaps and bounds. The book in front of her that she didn¡¯t notice until then had a dark leather cover covered in runic symbols. She recognized it as a codex, a book made by someone who knew their way around runes. One may absorb the knowledge from inside by connecting it with mana, engraving it into their soul. She, of course, placed the book into her bag and started to think. Sadly a woman in pink robes with black hair approached Tiffany. It was that Damian guy¡¯s teacher. ¡°What do you want, and what can you give me?¡± Tiffany didn¡¯t blink twice as the woman pretended to be caught off guard. ¡°You kids have no respect for your elders. I would like a building or two built in this town. A tea house with a stage, or maybe a theater. Somewhere permanent to hold performances and bring some more light to the town.¡± ¡°The land is easy, building is something you¡¯d need to either pay in gold to someone else for or add on to the fee for land as well.¡± Tiffany said tiredly. ¡°What can I give you?¡± Glersora asked. ¡°What do you have? How important is this to you?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Not very much. It¡¯s a gamble after all. I also don¡¯t know your abilities so I don¡¯t know what you can do.¡± Glersora said. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re completely in the dark. Anyhow, I use a rapier, which is normally a dueling sword, to fight. Mostly stabs and stuff. Sometimes it shoots out light that burns things.¡± ¡°And for defense?¡± Glersora asked. Tiffany raised the buckler at her side. ¡°This is an item I use to create a shield. Other than that I just dodge.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Glersora covered her face in frustration. ¡°Your teacher isn¡¯t a swordsman is he?¡± ¡°No, I think he¡¯s some sort of illusionist.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°That was probably a stopgap measure then. I¡¯ll give you a few lessons to give you some more survivability. Defensive abilities tend to manifest at rank two, though you¡¯ll need to figure out how they work first. The training hall should be cleared. Show me what you can do there.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Tiffany got up from her seat and led them back to the training hall.
Gamodren arrived at his destination, which was Drisil. Across the map, and it only took him a few days of travel. After he passed through the front gate, a man with black hair and sunglasses appeared in front of him. ¡°Father, to what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Gamodren said. ¡°Just wondering why my son is keeping one of my students away from the school.¡± ¡°The first few months are boring and the classes they need to take didn¡¯t start until this month anyway.¡± ¡°They?¡± The black-haired man asked. ¡°One practitioner ranked, Deep Dragon, with no life experience or training, one sharp young lady with an unfortunate past. One kid who seems to recruit everyone he gets along with.¡± Gamodren said. The man with sunglasses shook his head with a smile on his face. ¡°Must be genetic then when you think about it.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Ah. Right, why are you here exactly?¡± The man unashamedly changed the subject. ¡°A delivery to Brion. How is he doing?¡± ¡°Decent. He¡¯s hard headed and determined. He¡¯s rank three in both fledgling and in combat ability for his age group.¡± ¡°So. Kyrion pulled this legendary sword from a stone.¡± Gamodren sighed. Tossing the man a sizeable unusable sword. ¡°Was this apart of your plan?¡± The man asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I let him try. Didn¡¯t expect him to pull it. I wasn¡¯t able to go in for obvious reasons.¡± ¡°A divine sword¡­Did he not want it?¡± The man asked. ¡°From what I can infer he read, the Accounts of Edgegar Mclord, wielder of the divine dark blade.¡± ¡°Hilarious and not how swords like this work. I imagine you didn¡¯t try to correct him.¡± ¡°I am not a swordsman, nor can I teach him how to fight with one. It would also clash with the abilities he already has.¡± ¡°And he doesn¡¯t need another sword at his side.¡± ¡°I tried giving him various durable staves, and most broke in his attempt to use them. The iron oak is hardly intact.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want him to be a brute.¡± The man smiled. ¡°He has the mark. The biggest mark I¡¯ve seen. Like a well done tattoo on his back. Given his mana pool it makes sense. Had he just had wind, I imagine Lingar would have been more suitable.¡± ¡°Wind, water, life, and plants. Lingar is more focused in the wind aspect. You, my son, have a versatile skill set. While your abilities are quite different, you know how to bring out his potential. People like us need to be creative sometimes.¡± ¡°Yeah. I think that¡¯s lost on him. He prefers to beat his opponents into submission.¡± Gamodren shrugged. ¡°Hopefully, he¡¯ll grow out of it. Opp. Time to go give this to Brion. Good luck.¡± Gamodren¡¯s father vanished right in front of him, leaving behind a tiny reflexive surface. A hand grabbed Gamodren on his shoulder, and he turned around with a horrified expression on his face.
That night Kyrion heard a knocking sound on his window. ¡°I¡¯m sleeping, go away!¡± Kyrion responded to the knock by covering his head with his pillow. The knocking repeated ten seconds later, which cemented the fact that the knock was real. He climbed out of his king-sized bed that he may or may not have personally picked out from the selection of mattresses from the houses shot out by the backpack gremlin. He brought a rather nice pillow with him as well. Nice, soft, and surprisingly sturdy, If he could have a favorite pillow, this would be it. Still, the boy dragged his feet on principle. He was having a sweet dream about¡­Kyrion tried to recall the dream but came up empty. He scowled. The knocking sound came a third time, followed by a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder in the distance. The boy then noticed that he also heard rain. Why did he hear rain? It hadn¡¯t rained that he¡¯d been here in the past few months. He decided that it would be better to let them in if it was raining. What could possibly go wrong¡­ At that thought, Kyrion summoned his heavy staff, just in case. He opened the window, prepared to defend himself if he needed to. Turns out he didn¡¯t. The person at his window appeared to be a dryad with blue skin instead of the normal green. A rose lay in what could be interpreted as hair. The creature entered his room and sat in a chair, bringing along a pool of water wetting the nice carpet he had imported from the mansion. Kyrion realized he was spoiling himself. That realization was followed by. I deserve this as much as anyone else. The dryad coughed into her hand. ¡°Young human. I come bearing gifts from the forest. As thanks for your generous donation.¡± The women produced a small humanoid creature with butterfly wings. It was wearing yellow overalls made from stone and had a beard made from rock. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°An earth fairy. I wish for you to make it a part of you. Like you did with Undine.¡± The dryad said. ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t fairies masters of illusion?¡± Kyrion eyed the dryad with suspicion. ¡°That is the case with only wind fairies. Earth fairies shape the earth and create defenses for creatures under their care. It would give you a bit of power over your control over earth.¡± ¡°A bearded fairy.¡± Kyrion eyed the creature curiously. ¡°It¡¯s something all earth fairies tend to have.¡± She said vaguely. ¡°Didn¡¯t I see you earlier today?¡± Kyrion asked, scratching his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± It lay not even looking Kyion in his eyes. Kyrion looked at the rose sticking out of the plant creature¡¯s head. He saw it earlier that day. ¡°You were that rose bush weren¡¯t you. You¡¯ve been following me around all day haven¡¯t you.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Humans normally can¡¯t tell the difference between us.¡± The dryad did not answer his question. ¡°So your great spirit. Can you absorb the earth fairy in a similar way?¡± The dryad attempted to change the subject. Kyrion rubbed his chin. ¡°What do you mean like I did with Undine?¡± ¡°When a spirit willingly joins you, they keep their physical shape. You don¡¯t have to kill spirits to obtain their cores. The stronger the creature the stronger your connection to the elements. If you kill the spirit then you just get their basic powers and have to work on improving the ability your own way but growth is much faster early on. Willing creatures weaker than you will grow with you. Willing creatures stronger than you will give you great power, but won¡¯t get any stronger until you surpass what they could do before. After that growth in that element will be exponential.¡± The dryad explained. ¡°So. Undine is still conscious in my core since she wanted to join me?¡± Krion blanched. ¡°Yes. Haven¡¯t you spoken with her? It should be an honor to obtain a great spirit.¡± ¡°I have been a bit busy, it¡¯s been a long day. Mind if I absorb the fairy later or give it to a friend of mine? I need to ask my master about it as well.¡± Kyrion eyed the creature in his open palm and set them down on his dresser. ¡°Do as you wish. So long as you aren¡¯t cruel to the creature it will be willing to join your side.¡± The dryad answered. Kyrion stood there in silence, waiting for the creature to leave. When it did not, Kyrion gave her two of his walnuts. Its eyes widened in shock. ¡°I can truly have this?¡± It asked with a strange excitement. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion answered. The creature bowed and then left the hotel as though she thought Kyrion would change his mind. ¡°Now what to do with you.¡± Kyrion muttered aloud. ¡°Ya could get me a thimble of ale and we can discuss a partnership.¡± The fairy said with a gruff voice. ¡°Sure. In the morning. I can¡¯t exactly enter the tavern before it opens up.¡± ¡°Guess ah cann wait. Shouldn the tavern be open though?¡± It asked dejectedly. Kyrion fell asleep on his giant bed, not having the brainpower to answer just how wrong his thinking was. ¡°This is a problem for, the me, from the morning.¡± Chapter 47 Soldiers Kyrion awoke the next day to the sound of trumpets pre-dawn. The sun wasn¡¯t going to rise for at least another hour. Combined with the fact that his sleep had been interrupted that night. Along with pushing himself nonstop in preparation for the fight to come. He was a bit cranky. To top things off, his stomach was also growling. He was hangry. ¡°Time for breakfast. Fairy, whose name I¡¯ve yet to learn.¡± Kyrion growled. ¡°Finally!¡± The fairy cheered. The duo left the hot spring. Kyrion had tunnel vision. Didn¡¯t look at anyone, didn¡¯t talk to anyone, and didn¡¯t hear anyone, for all intents and purposes. Passing a group of six people dressed in uniforms he didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Kyrion?¡± Said a small yet familiar voice far below him. Sadly Kyrion was a man on a mission and didn¡¯t give them a cursory glance, let alone a second. He noticed that they were following him deep down in his subconscious but didn¡¯t care. His instincts took him to the tavern. ¡°Hey Kyrion, you look hungry. What can I get you?¡± The tavern owner smiled. ¡°Four.¡± Kyrion said the sound of his stomach growling in protest filled the tavern. ¡± Five I mean.¡± Kyrion corrected himself, placing the coins on the table. ¡°You eat more and more everyday. Yet you haven¡¯t grown narry an inch. Which is surprising after a growth spurt like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to my muscles.¡± He said vaguely, flexing an arm that didn¡¯t look nearly as strong as it was. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt any of that.¡± The bartender said. Had it been two months ago, he would have had doubt, but the boy never hid his monstrous strength for someone his age. ¡°¡®I have been pushing myself further than just my regeneration can heal with just mana. I need the nutrients or something.¡± Kyrion rubbed his eyes. ¡°Uh huh. Well if becoming a spirit master doesn¡¯t suit you then I¡¯m sure you could go into contract construction. The speed in which you can build things is astounding to say the least.¡± The bartender cleaned the glass. ¡°Eh em.¡± The fairy said next to Kyrion¡¯s ear. ¡°Oh right. One mug of ale for my friend right here.¡± Kyrion sat the fairy on the table. The bartender shrugged and poured a frothy mug for the fairy. It was much bigger than the creature. The fairy proceeded to climb into the mug. A long bendy tube made from stone extended to the bottom. It then started drinking from the tube. Kyrion underestimated his appetite and consumed a total of six of the specials before his stomach shut up, and he could think clearly again. ¡°That hit the spot.¡± He leaned back into his chair and started to relax. ¡°Kyrion?¡± Asked the familiar voice from before. Kyrion looked down and saw a small girl with red hair giving him the stink eye. ¡°Asela? When did you get here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cause I¡¯m short isn¡¯t it! This isn¡¯t fair you know!¡± Asela was mad over something. ¡°Huh?¡± Kyrion stood up and saw that he now dwarfed his sister by a large margin. ¡°You¡¯re almost as tall as your dad now.¡± Charles entered the conversation eyeing Kyrion expectantly. ¡°Yeah. How come you get all the height?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Lots of pain.¡± Kyrion shivered a bit. He then looked to Charles, who was only a few inches taller than him now. As though he was just noticing the butler. He then looked around and noticed that the others weren¡¯t there. ¡°They decided to check into the fancy hotel before meeting with you. You had a mean expression on your face.¡± Asela pats Kyrion on his side, mostly because she couldn¡¯t reach his shoulder. Tiffany entered the tavern and eyed the duo before looking at Charles. ¡°Kyrion, I didn¡¯t know you had a daughter?¡± Tiffany said with mock shock on her face. ¡°I am not!¡± Asela protested, eying the much older girl. ¡°Then who are you?¡± Tiffany smirked. ¡°I¡¯m his co...¡± Asela started. ¡°She¡¯s my sister. as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°Ah so this is Asela. She is much shorter than you. What is she four?¡± Tiffany eyed the small child. ¡°Seven¡­¡± Asela seethed, the room starting to get a little hotter. ¡°Just what is going on¡­.¡± Kyrion muttered before he paid his bill. ¡°Wanna leave them to it?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Might as well.¡± Kyrion and Charles left the girls alone to bond or whatever they were planning on doing. ¡°About Asela. I know that you haven¡¯t been told recently but I know.¡± ¡°I have learned the story from the birds and the beavers. Still doesn¡¯t change the fact that I remember Asela being brought by a stork, when I was really little. She can deny it as much as she wants but I saw that bird.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Who informed you of the birds and the beavers?¡± Charles asked. ¡°No no no. I learned about it from both birds and beavers. Some of the beavers I had under me gave birth to litters. I asked Issac about it and he said that people are just mammals with extra steps and babies come from their mother. Birds just lay eggs and put dirt over them. Or was that backwards.¡± ¡°Was that all he told you?¡± Charles asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yes, is there more I should know?¡± Kyrion asked innocently, a glow shining in his right eye. ¡°Ask your teacher to explain it to you when he gets back. More for your own safety, if anything.¡± Charles pats the doe-eyed boy on his head. They arrived at the hotel in a matter of minutes. ¡°Kyrion. Did you really build this?¡± ¡°Yes, mostly. I had help from various animals and spirits.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°Have you considered becoming an architect?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Yes I have, and I won¡¯t. My teacher said that this is just a part of my training. He wants me to stretch the limits of my abilities by thinking outside of combat. I can now freeze and boil water, jump higher by using wind, and recruiting help from various monsters to assist in construction.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°I see. Your powers are versatile from what I¡¯ve seen. I assume he¡¯s been trying to get you to embrace creativity as well I assume.¡± Charles eyed the boy. ¡°Yeah. I think that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t want me fighting with my body.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°Yeah, all that mana and potential would be a waste if you only trained to be a better puncher.¡± ¡°Huh. Makes sense. I heard something very similar recently.¡± Kyrion led Charles to the hotel and opened the door. Jared was behind the counter checking on some paperwork given to him by a girl with white hair and a pair of glasses. Kyrion eyed the voice in the sky suspiciously. ¡°Kyrion what are you doing?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Thinking on a few things that make more sense now.¡± Kyrion sighed before entering the hotel entirely. He made a big deal of walking past the people assembled to see him without looking at them before he suddenly turned on his heels. ¡°Friends! How have you all been!¡± Kyrion yelled. Jared answered first. ¡°It¡¯s been busy lately but I manage enough.¡± The others took a minute to respond. Noah was first. Noah had also grown considerably upon reaching rank four, placing himself at a full six feet tall and exceptionally muscular for his age. It looked like his uniform had been custom fit for his body, allowing it to fit him snuggly. His brown hair now resembled a lion¡¯s mane, and he exuded an air of confidence that he didn¡¯t have before. ¡°Wow.¡± That was all Kyrion could say as he looked up. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who grows.¡± His voice had also gotten a little deeper. ¡°You can also make yourself taller too. How big can you get now?¡± Kyrion was a little jealous of the change in his voice. ¡°Double my current height seems to be my limit right now.¡± Noah began to think. ¡°Just checking. We are the same age, right?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I turned ten during the school year and will be eleven in a few more months.¡± Noah answered. ¡°How tall do you think you¡¯re going to be?¡± Kyrion tried to make himself look taller. ¡°Around seven or eight feet naturally. My powers are a bit more physical strength based so the more mass my body has the more power I can exert.¡± Noah started. ¡°Got it your bigger and possibly stronger than me as well.¡± Kyrion held his head as the information made his head hurt¡­ Before he had an idea. Noah saw the glint and sighed. ¡°What did you just come up with?¡± ¡°I need a weapon heavier than this.¡± Kyrion pulled out his wooded staff and handed it to Noah, who was surprised by the weight but otherwise unbothered. ¡°I¡¯ll need a forge and some very dense metals. Though it would only be a blank weapon. Didn¡¯t think to bring anything for rune carving.¡± Noah explained. Kyrion did not have either of those things. ¡°Maybe I can ask Mr. Belfour to pick it up for me¡­.¡± The white-haired girl approached the distracted Kyrion and poked him in the ribs to get his attention. It did not work as Kyrion continued to talk with Noah. The finger then began to burn a bit. ¡°Mr.Belfour? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A friend of mine¡¯s dad. I helped save him and his daughter on the trip to this town.¡± Kyrion answered. The fire seemed to get hotter. Kyrion stopped talking to Noah. ¡°Hey, is someone cooking here? It smells good. Kinda like bacon.¡± Noah looked down and noticed Nico was right there. ¡°Kyrion. You should probably be more attentive sometimes. Height has some glaring weaknesses,¡± Kyrioon looked down to see a red-faced Nico poking him in the side with a finger made from flame. ¡°Long time no see. Did you get taller?¡± Nicole asked plainly, attempting to dig a bit deeper. Kyrion looked at his friend in confusion. ¡°Yes, a lot taller and sturdier too. You look different than what I remember.¡± Nico looked at where her finger was and eyed it suspiciously. She then pulled it back and found that his clothes didn¡¯t even look burnt. ¡°Seems so.¡± ¡°So. You didn¡¯t tell me you were a girl.¡± Kyrion eyed his friend with suspicion. ¡°Didn¡¯t tell you I wasn¡¯t one.¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Asela knew as well I bet, which probably means Everest also knew. I thought that was a slip up.¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°I was in hiding. Not much you can do about that. Your hair has some blue in it. Did you build this place?.¡± Nico changed the subject. Kyrion motioned to the hotel, letting a cool breeze enter the room, cooling the occupants. ¡°I built this place mostly with my own power.¡± ¡°I see. Where did you find blueprints for a place like this?¡± ¡°My master gave them to me.¡± Kyrion shrugged. She scowled. ¡°Master Gan gave you blueprints? Kyrion I didn¡¯t want to speak ill of the man but I¡¯ve never heard of him before.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How about Gamodren?¡± Kyrion asked, keeping his face vacant. ¡°Oh. The stage magician. I heard he put on a show in the capital of Invan. Nothing special, wasn¡¯t even awakened, but he had the ability to do magic through tricks and such.¡± Nico said matter of factly. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion combed a hand through his hair, a bit surprised. ¡°What does Master Gan have to do with Gamodren?¡± Nico asked not to put two and two together. Kyrion slapped his forehead. ¡°What does Master Gan specialize in?¡± ¡°Illusion¡¯s duh. He was strong enough to cover a mile or so of land in one big illusion for the last trial.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t Master Gan just be a fake name?¡± Kyrion asked. Nico started laughing. ¡°Your master looks nothing like Gamodren. He was a short old man with a cane, Kyrion.¡± Kyrion looked at Nico as though she had grown a second head. ¡°You can¡¯t be Nico.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± She asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t as inquisitive. That or I truly underestimated my friend.¡± Nicole felt insulted and turned around, walking away. Wura had grown a little though her height wasn¡¯t that drastic. Her silver hair was a little longer, but not by much. ¡°Gamodren and Master Gan are the same person. I think your friend is just a bit confused at the moment. School is quite a bit draining after all.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°So, why did you choose to go with the others?¡± ¡°I realized that I¡¯d be alone in a place with nothing but craftsmen. I got the feeling I¡¯d go insane in a place like that.¡± Wura answered, though her attention seemed to be looking for someone else. Kyrion thought for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Jala. I would have thought she¡¯d love to run around in a place like this. I even bought treats.¡± Wura said honestly. Kyrion realized. ¡°Oh right.¡± Pounding his left fist into his open palm, a pink cloud appeared out of nowhere. Jala appeared on top of Kyrion¡¯s head. Proceeding to hop down and start stretching as though she had been cramped. She then tiredly examined the group and nodded in acceptance. ¡°You¡¯re quiet for once Jal¡­.¡± Kyrion started. ¡°Wura! Other people! It¡¯s been so long.¡± Jala hopped onto Wura¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is it me or did she get even more adorable?¡± Kiara pet the silver fox. Nico also seemed to examine the fox, leaving Noah alone with Kyrion. ¡°What are we, chop liver?¡± ¡°I rather like chopped liver and onions.¡± Noah stated. ¡°I only like it when Samantha cooks it. Anyhow, let¡¯s get going, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d like to see Damian and Everest.¡± Kyrion led Noah to the training hall, where Damian and Everest were sparring that morning for possibly the sixth time. ¡°And here we have the combat maniac¡¯s.¡± Kyrion pointed. Ceres was acting as the referee. Damian used a set of twin blades, while Everest used a dagger gauntlet combination. Seeing this fight made Kyrion realize one thing. Both of them had been hiding their strength while at the academy. Which made sense considering their current schools. One groomed to be, one who lurks in the shadows, while the other dances in the light. Noah nodded as he saw the look on Kyrion¡¯s face. ¡°Looks like we were the only ones going all out.¡± ¡°Yes it does.¡± Kyrion said. Damian managed to disarm Everest and held a sword to his friend¡¯s neck. ¡°And the winner is Damian!¡± ¡°I call bull. I totally won that fight.¡± Everest jokingly protested. Ceres looked at Damian, confused. ¡°No, he lost this one. Though I¡¯m sure he could have one had he wanted to five moves ago.¡± Damian replied stoically. ¡°So you saw that. Do you belatedly admit defeat?¡± Everest smiled. ¡°Had you done the move, sure. Loss is the price of secrecy.¡± Damian smirked. Noah approached the armored Ceres and started examining the material. ¡°Inefficient. Too big in places and clearly too bulky given its material.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Who are you?¡± Ceres seemed ready to fight the strange giant. ¡°Noah, just checking out your armor, with some help from Everest I¡¯m sure we can get you something more suitable for your form.¡± ¡°What about me? I¡¯d like some armor.¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°My dude. While I¡¯m sure you could move in armor, I don¡¯t think you need it. Wind spirit masters tend to hate being confined by such things,¡± Noah answered. ¡°If I made you anything Kyrion then it would probably end up in tatters sooner rather than later.¡± Everest added. ¡°Not fair.¡± ¡°Kyrion, a healer who can jump in and out of a battlefield is more welcome than another knight to take the brunt of damage. Armor slows people down quite a bit.¡± Noah stated. ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°So what now?¡± Damian asked. ¡°Well. We have a few days left so let¡¯s meet up with the others. To discuss training in the mornings and play in the afternoons.¡± Kyrion told his friends, and their reunion truly began. Chapter 48 The Storm begins Four days of hellish training led by Stone, Glersora, and Charles put Kyrion, Tiffany, and Ceres respectively through their paces. Kyrion spent two hours training his body every morning before moving on to two hours entering his body of water mana, followed by earth and wind. Afterward, he¡¯d check on his friends and heal any lingering fatigue and training injuries. Four days of dumping mana made one thing certain. Kyrion¡¯s mana pool was quite huge. Ceres had spent four days learning how to properly hold herself and deliver food. Clean and repair clothing, among other butlery duties. After that, she learned how to better fill in her role as a defender while in combat. Tiffany learned more about her abilities in those four days than she had in her time with Gamodren. This made sense, considering that her weapon wasn¡¯t just a weapon. She grew to the point where Damian had to use both swords, and Everest had to start using his traps. She couldn¡¯t beat them yet, but she was getting stronger. Oddly Kyrion hadn¡¯t had the chance to speak much with Kiara or Nicole. Not much of a difference but habits were habits. Jala had decided not to re-enter Kyrion¡¯s core unless he needed access to her wind affinity. Noah was, in fact, much stronger than Kyrion. To Stone¡¯s bewilderment and interest. As a fellow in a similar trade. Damian spent the next few days singing to woodland critters, along with Ceres and Charles, who seemed to listen intently. Asela and Tiffany seemed to get along exceptionally well despite their initial meeting. Talking and training during their free time as many of Kyrion¡¯s darkest, most traumatic childhood secrets were exposed for mere favors. Wura and Nicole seemed to spend the majority of their time in the bookstore. ¡°Studying alchemy.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know why he instinctively hated that combination of words. Didn¡¯t change the fact that they seemed to do a lot of it. Kiara changed what she did daily as her abilities had grown in versatility. She could now create various things with ice, no longer limited to a bow and arrows.
On the night of the fourth day, Kiara approached Kyrion, who was resting high up on a tree. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know that right?¡± Kiara said with crossed arms. ¡°You really don¡¯t like me huh.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Honestly I¡¯m indifferent. Not that you know what that means.¡± Kiara looked up at him. ¡°Ah. I do know. If that¡¯s the case, what have I done did this time?¡± Kyrion made an effort of rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re up here in a tree, when all your supposed friends are together. There¡¯s also the fact that you haven¡¯t told us much of what¡¯s going on. Apparently you hadn¡¯t told Tiffany anything about our appearance either. Nicole has been acting funny as of late, I won¡¯t pretend to know what¡¯s going on there.¡± Kyrion yawned and rubbed his eyes before hopping down from his perch, landing on some grass. ¡°I¡¯ve just been thinking. As I suspect you may be aware that thinking isn¡¯t a talent of mine.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°Are you going to tell me why you¡¯re thinking?¡± ¡°Apparently someone wants to steal my body and use it for nefarious purposes. That Leon dude is spearheading it.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Leon of the Hunt?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°The one who had a pet wolf. Suffice it to say he¡¯s been weakened for some reason and his control is bad. I think what¡¯s trying to take my body had also taken his.¡± Kyrion shivered. ¡°Why did you call us then. To put us in danger?¡± ¡°A spur of the moment decision. I thought bringing my friends to help would make things easier. But now it seems that bringing you all here may have put you in danger. He¡¯s an expert while we¡¯re still just fledglings, chances are we won¡¯t be able to beat him on our own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we have experts here as mentors and bodyguards. Most of us will be safe though I now probably won¡¯t trust your invitations. You¡¯re the type that doesn¡¯t call unless they want something, aren¡¯t you? Well, trust us and communicate. Also, remember to tell them all this. I¡¯m not a carrier pigeon.¡± Kiara walked away back to the group, leaving Kyrion alone. ¡°Hmmm. I¡¯m starting to think I misread her intentions.¡± Kyrion shook his head, and various squirrels retreated into their tree home. Kyrion made his way toward the group. ¡°Looks like someone decided to make it to the party.¡± Everest said from behind Kyrion. ¡°When. How?¡± Kyrion looked to where Everest was just standing and saw that he hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°That¡¯s not me, Kyrion.¡± The Everest in the bunch said. ¡°It¡¯s me, Lisa. Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± The fake Everest said as she turned into a somewhat familiar dark-brown-haired girl. Kyrion felt pressure in his head as he looked at the girl. ¡°Not really. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll go talk with you later. Shoo!¡± ¡°Y-you t-told me you liked me and now you toss me aside? Do you think of me as nothing more than a piece of garbage?¡± Lisa¡¯s eyes started to tear up. Nicole and Asela looked at Kyrion as though he was the bad guy. Damian was clearly flustered along with Ceres. Wura and Everest had blank expressions. While Kiara and Noah were scowling in Lisa¡¯s direction. Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°Listen. I don¡¯t know you. Go away.¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Lisa turned and stomped away with a pout. ¡°Kyrion.I didn¡¯t know you could be so cruel.¡± Asela shook her head. Nicole ran in the opposite direction. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kyrion held onto his head. Everest smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember Lisa? She was the one Wura fought during the last trial.¡± Wura nodded. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right.¡± Noah looked at Kyrion. ¡°We may need to get ready for a fight. Everest, catch up with Nicole and tell her what you suspect. Asela and Kiara go find Charles and stick with him. Wura, Damian and Ceres, let the adults know something isn¡¯t right. Kyrion go find Tiffany, she was just here and now she isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Right!¡± They all said in semi unison.
Kyrion opened up his mana senses, spreading his perception across the town. Four visible experts were in the range: Stone, the second Glersora, and the third felt like Leon. The fourth was someone he hadn¡¯t seen before. When he opened up the range of his senses, he noticed a large group of creatures making their way toward the town. Something told him that they were not friendly. Only one person was moving away from him, and it belonged to someone in the fledgling tier. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Kyrion took off in that direction, drawing his staff. Just in case he had to fight something. After ten minutes of traveling, Kyrion heard someone above. ¡°Oh my! Kyrion you¡¯ve come to rescue me. My hero. Please get me down from here.¡± Lisa appeared to be hog-tied to a tree branch and hanging down. Kyrion noticed quite a few oddities in the scene, the lack of any struggle being one. As a spirit master, a mundane rope is something one can quickly deal with. The main one being her status as a practitioner ranked spirit master. Finally, his brain had cleansed the intrusive mana. She was purposely trying to alter the boy¡¯s memories. She was still trying to do so. ¡°Kyrion! Help me!¡± Lisa yelled. Kyrion decided to keep on walking, leaving behind a present or two, assuming she¡¯d follow him. After a minute of walking, a few yelps of surprise could be heard as various plants and woodland critters got to work, slowing her down.
Nicole was in the bookstore skimming through a section of fiction novels. Everest slipped the book out of her grasp to gain her attention. ¡°Hey! What was that for?¡± Nicole tried to take the book back. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you heard but someone with mental manipulation abilities was messing with us until very recently. I don¡¯t know what you think Kyrion said but I do know we need you to get it together. There is a fight coming and I¡¯d rather you be ready.¡± Everest said, tossing the book back towards her to catch. Nicole did not catch the book as it flew at her. She just raised her hand and thrust it at Everest. Instinctively Everest ducked under the strike, using the momentum to flip away. Nicole¡¯s hand turned into a black metal gauntlet. Bringing the clawed hand to her face. She began to pull it off, revealing someone else entirely. Someone with hawk-like features. ¡°Tch. You should have just let me kill you. It would have been so much easier.¡± Edwin said, flexing his fingers. ¡°Since when?¡± Everest stated. ¡°When we had Nicole run off I had her grabbed, now we have two of your friends.¡± ¡°So you used an illusion to manipulate her. Good to know. Edwin, I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Everest smiled as a black aura emitted from his body, and the boy vanished from sight. Edwin rolled forward as a slicing sound whistled where his neck used to be. Before moving behind a bookshelf to hide.¡¯ ¡°Shit!¡± Edwin squawked. Within moments, wires of mana seemed to cover the area leaving the boy trapped inside with no safe way out. ¡°Kyrion was right, you are incompetnet.¡± Everest said from the front of the store before walking out of the door. ¡°You tricked me!¡± Edwin yelled from inside. ¡°This is bad,¡± Everest thought. ¡°I¡¯ll need to inform my handlers.¡±
Asela and Kiara found Charles performing in a tavern without a care in the world. The customers and tourists seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere, and quite a few were already drunk. The tavern owner was serving the various customers with gusto as cups and tankards floated over to their tables along with plates of food. ¡°Didn¡¯t know he was a spirit master.¡± Asela said. ¡°Asela we need to inform Charles.¡± Kiara reminded her. ¡°Oh right. We should let him finish this song though.¡± Asela scratched her chin. ¡°Why?¡± Kiara was clearly in a hurry. ¡°It¡¯s a good song and I¡¯m sure he knows we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°How was he allowed to be our escort? Isn¡¯t he just your family¡¯s butler?¡± Kiara asked. ¡°I dunno. But he¡¯s at least an expert.¡± Asela shrugged. ¡°At least you say.¡± Kiara raised an eyebrow. Asela covered her mouth. Neither had noticed that the song had ended moments ago. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that. I assume you¡¯re here because of the hostile tourists headed this way.¡± Charles said. ¡°Something like that. How do you know?¡± Asela asked. ¡°A little birdie told me. Now let¡¯s get you kids to safety.¡± Charles led them out of the tavern. ¡°But we can help.¡± Kiara said after they made it out. ¡°Help get yourselves killed¡­ You know what? If you want to help Kiara climb to the top of the hotel and use the cover to provide some support fire. Return inside if you see anything that flies.¡± Kiara nodded and ran off. ¡°What about me?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Stay as close to me as possible until a fight starts then just hang back and watch.¡± Charles said. ¡°That sounds boring.¡± Asela was irritated. ¡°If I left you here then you¡¯d trick Kiara into abandoning her post. This Isn¡¯t a playground try to stand out and you¡¯ll just draw attention.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Asela clearly wasn¡¯t happy. Nicole lay in a stone cage on top of a four-legged golem with a large torso. The sound of galloping could be heard outside the cell. She looked down and saw a runic circle that seemed to prevent those inside from using mana. She couldn¡¯t physically break out, and she couldn¡¯t use magic. ¡°Why¡¯d you have to go and lie like that? I hate you. Go away.¡± She heard Kyion say. In hindsight, the words didn¡¯t match his lip movements. Nicole had let herself be duped. Kyrion was right. She hadn¡¯t been thinking or acting like she used to. ¡°This sucks.¡± Nicole bit her thumb. ¡°Oi! Keep it down, in there!¡± Yelled someone from the outside. Nicole went to poke her head out to see, but a shock passed through her body and sent her flying back into the middle of the cell. Drawing a small stone pick, Nicole began to attempt to disarm the trap she was in. If she got caught and they came in, she could escape if they tried to attack from the outside, then they¡¯ll hurt themselves. A wolf¡¯s howling could be heard ahead as they continued forward, and the world got colder. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Nicole scoffed, her disarming of the spell gaining in speed.
Ceres, Wura, and Damian had just finished informing the various chaperones when golems made from stone began to invade the small town. ¡°Master must be in danger. But¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave you behind. Let¡¯s go together!¡± Ceres was panicked. ¡°We need to get rid of these first. Kyrion wouldn¡¯t want anyone getting hurt because we went after him instead of defending the town.¡± Damian said as he pulled out both of his swords before singing a song that made his allies stronger and faster. Wura covered herself in armor made by a hardened version of her liquid metal spirit. She equipped a long spear in her left hand and a tower shield in her right. Ceres decided that she wouldn¡¯t hold back for this fight as she spun her halberd and got into a ready combat stance. Damian led the charge as he fought a golem with only legs, arms, and a torso. It was around a foot taller than him, putting it at a little over five feet. The golem brought down both of its arms where the child was at that moment and missed. Damian used his speed to slide under the creature¡¯s legs and to its back, where a purple spherical core was embedded. So Damian, of course, started slashing at the creature¡¯s weakness. The golem¡¯s legs pulled together, and its arms rose as the creature started to rotate at high speeds. Damian ran from the creature that was now a spinning tool of death. With Damian out of the way, Ceres put both hands on the ground. Which caused a pillar of earth to erupt from where Damian was standing previously. The pillar pierced straight through the golem¡¯s core and snaked out a bit. The creature flailed for moments as the last of its mana ran out. ¡°You made that look easy. Can you do it a few more times?¡± Wura said as she looked at the nineteen remaining golems of a similar size. ¡°I should be able to keep up the pace.¡± Ceres replied, looking to Wura. ¡°Great. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Damian said as he pulled his blades out of the shattered remains of a second golem. ¡°What did I just miss?¡± Ceres blinked twice in confusion before getting back to work.
After distancing himself quite a bit from the town, Kyrion decided to turn around and acknowledge his stalker. ¡°Hey. Why are you following me, person I don¡¯t know?¡± Kyrion said. ¡°I¡¯m Lisa, don¡¯t you remember me?¡± She sent out a probing wave of mana which was suppressed almost instantly. ¡°Listen. Do you know why I got this far away from the town?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. I have no idea why you¡¯d be out here on a beautiful night such as this.¡± Lisa said, clearly not knowing when she¡¯d lost. ¡°Terrain advantage.¡± Kyrion walked behind a tree and disappeared from sight. Lisa¡¯s eyes went wide as her target vanished from right in front of her. ¡°What in the never ending abyss! Show yourself!¡± Lisa¡¯s nails turned into black flame-like claws that extended to three feet. She swung the claws in a circle but didn¡¯t get so much as a reaction. From the top of a tree, Kyrion hid. Pulling his two hundred pound staff out of his space. Kyrion asked a squirrel to toss an acorn towards the craz¡­ towards Lisa. An acorn landed behind Lisa, and she laid into the thing leaving the back of her head wide open. Kyrion leaped off the tree branch, his movement muffled. Slammed his wooden staff into Lisa¡¯s neck, which resulted in a loud crash. ¡°That hurt!¡± Lisa held her snapped neck and popped it right back on straight. Kyrion observed his broken two hundred pound staff and sighed as he carelessly tossed it onto the ground. ¡°Of course it did. That was my favorite stick! Well second favorite, the first isn¡¯t complete as of yet.¡± Kyrion mumbled as the woman charged at him. ¡°Just die already.¡± Lisa stabbed her claw towards where Kyrion was standing but missed. She was a practitioner rank no way should she have missed someone who hasn¡¯t even had their first major increase in power. But he did, and the fist that met her skull sent Lisa flying back into a tree. Roots and red vines began to wrap around her. Her claws disappeared as the vines drained her of mana and consciousness. ¡°Just..¡± Lisa mumbled as her strength left her. ¡°That should keep her busy for a moment.¡± Kyrion turned and began to jog forward further. Chapter 49 Rain of Blades Noah had come to realize that after delegating and sending his friends to fight. He himself didn¡¯t have a job. Luckily for him, there were golems to fight. Mana moved through every part his body, ash he grew from six feet to twelve, his skin grew golden fur, and his mane of hair grew more pronounced. Red hot armor molded onto its form and solidified along with a maul. Immediately a golem half his size ran up to attack the lion man¡¯s shin. Pounding fist after fist into Noah¡¯s durable form. With his knowledge of crafting, Noah grabbed the golem by its midsection and began to pull its core apart. A wrenching sound could be heard as the golem ceased to function. Dust and a strange liquid seemed to pool on the floor. More golems came, and Noah faced them with all his might. Minutes passed, and eventually, the wave of foes ended. Noah took a deep breath before someone snuck upon him. ¡°Oi! Noah! Over here!¡± Everest caught his friends, attention before motioning towards a large group of spirit masters organized by Glearsora and Stone. ¡°I¡¯ll go help the townspeople first!¡± Noah yelled. Everest smiled, but the expression didn''t make it to his eyes. He was worried for his friend but knew better than ordering someone like him to stop.
Wura¡¯s spear proved to be easily the strongest tool they had against these golems. The liquid slipped into the cracks and then expanded when it struck a golem. Destroying her targets from the inside with minuscule mana. When she was hit, the liquid would seep in and weaken the limb that connected with her armor. Ceres cut swaths through the golems with her enhanced halberd, while Damian would jump in and deal the lethal blow. Shattering the creature¡¯s cores with ease. By the time they finished the first wave, they noticed a group headed towards a makeshift stage. ¡°Looks like we have a long day ahead.¡± Wura sighed. ¡°You know. I¡¯m starting to think Kyrion attracts trouble.¡± Damian joked. ¡°My master does not attract trouble.¡± Ceres protested. ¡°Ceres, to Kyrion trouble is a question and the answer is yes. Somehow some way something will happen eventually. Either by his hand or someone else¡¯s.¡± Wura corrected. ¡°Master Kyrion said he doesn¡¯t like trouble.¡± Ceres scratched her head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like other people forcing their trouble on him.¡± Damian stated. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him cause trouble since i¡¯ve been here with him.¡± Ceres said proudly. ¡°Four days ago he summoned a woman made of water on the boys side of the hot spring. Then proceed to trounce around time in his skivvies.¡± ¡°He was delirious from blood loss.¡± Ceres defended. ¡°What about when you broke his jaw trying to feed him?¡± Damian raised an eyebrow. ¡°That was on me.¡± Ceres said. ¡°And she was wearing a shirt. You didn¡¯t see anything, water doesn¡¯t even have those parts. And. Skivvies Damian. Really? They were underwater combat battle suits. Or professional swim trunks.¡± Everest appeared in their circle. ¡°T-those parts?¡± Damian muttered, his face flushed. ¡°No time to be bashful Damian, we have work to do.¡± Everest pointed to where students were gathering. ¡°We can talk about this later.¡± Wura said as she led the way. ¡°Or not at all.¡± Damian mumbled. ¡°No. I¡¯m getting all sides of this story.¡± Wura said as though it was set in stone.
A white wolf observed four men escorting a golem that held a prisoner outside the small town. No one had followed them as too much was going on, and the spirit masters visiting were preoccupied. This wolf, however, had a bone to pick with these soldiers. One of the guards in the back of the line didn¡¯t notice as a wolf seemed to approach from behind and decapitate the fledgling spirit master before pulling the corpse away. The maneuver was silent, and it was clear that none of the guards expected any trouble, so they made it another mile before someone looked back and noticed one of their own was missing. ¡°Someone killed Kenneth!¡± One of the three remaining soldiers stated. ¡°I¡¯m sure he just went to relieve himself. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he wanted some privacy to relieve himself.¡± Said the second. ¡°Kenneth has Kidney rot. So he needs to piss alot.¡± Said the third. The wolf went some distance and removed the tainted flesh from its system before returning. ¡°He¡¯s been a while. I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± Said the second soldier. ¡°These guys might be Idiots.¡± The wolf thought. ¡°Don¡¯t go alone. I¡¯ll come too.¡± Said the third who followed behind. ¡°The golem is a practitioner tier, weapon at its peak so I¡¯ll be fine with it by my side.¡± Said the first. ¡°Correction, these guys are Idiots.¡± The wolf skulked forward as the soldiers were now out of sight. A long blade made from ice appeared between the wolf¡¯s teeth, and the creature quickly bisected the remaining guard with practiced ease. The golem reeled back to trample the wolf. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The white wolf turned the blade forward and jumped through the golem. Piercing its core. Nicole dismantled the spell keeping her in before summoning a greatsword coated in blue flames. The pommel of the blade had the symbol of a three-headed dog, while the rest of the weapon was mostly hidden. She swung once the stone cage shattering the bars with ease. The sword vanished as quickly as it appeared, and she climbed out. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Nicole said bluntly. ¡°Now, now milady. I had to wash some filth from my mouth. That Kennath was disgusting.¡± The wolf said. ¡°Leon, this is why I told you not to eat everything you kill.¡± Nicole chastised. ¡°I¡¯m sorry milady. Just instincts don¡¯t like me wasting food.¡± ¡°So. Shall we get your revenge?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°What they did to Bliz was unexpected. I guess telling people I have a beast spirit that¡¯s a wolf is easier than telling people I''m a wolf with a human spirit.¡± Leon barked out a laugh. ¡°It is quite rare for a beast to have another beast spirit.¡± Nicole stated. ¡°Yet they possessed my human. I ought to chew them up and spit them out. The worst part about the whole situation is the fact that I¡¯ve been stripped of my abilities. Now I¡¯m just a glorified snow wolf.¡± Leon stated. ¡°You could try becoming a spirit. I have a friend with an Ice affinity who would love a companion like you.¡± Nicole scratched the wolf¡¯s chin. ¡°Is that so. Well, Bliz was convenient I guess I should move on though.¡± Leon shook his fur and led Nicole through a path deep into the forest.
Kiara fired shot after shot of ice arrows which helped to stagger golems and allow others to capitalize and take them down. In the distance, she saw blades begin to fly high up into the air and towards the town. ¡°Everyone! Find some shelter!¡± Kiara yelled before running into the building. Stone clasped his hands together and spoke a few intelligible words as a barrier rose. The falling swords seemed to slow significantly, giving everyone outside enough time to evade as the two forces collided. Glersora unsheathed her long straight sword, which she then slashed multiple times in succession. The force from the blade seemed to knock the swords coming down on them out of the way. Noah used his body as a shield. Protecting a family that was out of the range of the barrier. His body was pierced by multiple blades, most stopped by his armor, but quite a few managed to pass through his arms and legs. Ceres and the others watched in horror as their friend was stabbed multiple times. From inside the barrier, they were trapped but protected. Only able to watch it all play out.
Kyrion saw the swords come. He didn¡¯t really care. The person he was chasing was leaving quickly. He wasn¡¯t losing a friend who was in danger. Not if he could help it. A sword fell from the sky, and pierced Kyrion''s left foot. Cleanly and with hardly any resistance. ¡°Aggg!¡± Kyrion yelled more in surprise than pain as he pulled it out of his foot, and the wound began to fix itself. Looking down, Kyrion also noticed that a black sword made of fire seemed to have pierced his chest. It hurt but hardly did any damage. The head of the weapon was curved and jagged as though it was meant to inflict pain. Oddly enough, the damage done to Kyrion''s body was negligible and he walked out of the jagged weapon. ¡°You should be whimpering in pain. Why aren¡¯t you whimpering in pain?!¡± Lisa said, a bit freaked out. ¡°A foot a foot. I stubbed my toes all the time growing up. The surprise hurt more than the actual damage. Being stabbed doesn¡¯t hurt. It¡¯s the surprise of being stabbed that hurts. You stabbed me when I pulled out the sword so it was like I was only stabbed once. Do you follow?¡± Kyrion stated matter of factly. ¡°Are you insane?¡± ¡°How many times are people going to get that wrong? My name is Kyrion. I¡¯m not a monster, I¡¯m not insane. Now stupid is a possibility along with weak, fragile, and ugly.¡± Kyrion casually walked behind another tree and disappeared. ¡°Not this again.¡± Lisa began rapidly slicing at the tree with her black sword parts that were cut off seemed to die almost immediately. Sadly Lisa left herself wide open to a kick that connected with her chin that held enough force to kill an average person or fledgling rank monster, break the neck of a practitioner and hardly budge an expert. Lisa, being a practitioner, soon found herself fifteen feet in the air as sword after sword from above seemed to impale her. As a corpse made its way to the ground. ¡°I d-didn¡¯t mean to¡­.¡± Kyrion stopped as he noticed Lisa¡¯s body began to put itself back together. "Not this again." Kyrion pushed out the mana, trying to manipulate him again, and ran off. Hopefully, he¡¯d make it in time to save Tiffany.
After the first wave of swords fell from above. A man with a black blindfold and black hair descended from above his body, surrounded by floating blades. ¡°Hello, everyone! I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ve been hired to capture someone named Kyrion as well as destroy his will to fight back. Though I clearly wasn¡¯t told he¡¯d have this much assistance. Not that it matters much. The destroying of will was an ad on. Bring out the child and I¡¯ll go.¡± The Eyeless man said. Stone walked forward and stomped, causing a wave of force to push the man back. ¡°You come here, attack the villagers and then go making demands. For someone, not guild affiliated, you sure are bold.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± The Eyeless man turned his gaze towards Stone and raised his hand. Swords flew at the bald, bearded man. Cutting the wind with a wide enough splash range to hit students if he dodged. Stone clapped his hands, and the blades fell to the ground inert. An arrow of ice flew towards the eyeless man and pierced his shoulder from inside a windowed room. ¡°Out of my range¡­.¡± Swords began to rise and point in the general direction of the hotel. Damian had appeared coated in a yellow aura aiming to disarm his opponent. The Eyeless man easily evaded the attack by jumping backward. This maneuver led him into a sticky weblike cage that quickly began to burn as he was impaled by a spear of strange metal. The Eyeless man sent out a wave of power that pushed all of the children on him away as his wounds sealed and burns healed. Swords rose from the ground again, only this time a woman in pink robes intercepted him. Sword strikes made to kill were made. Forced the blindfolded man to adjust his focus. Drawing a sword from the ground to use for himself. The first clash of blades told Glersora one thing. This man is way more skilled in swordplay than her. Which wasn¡¯t an easy feat. She was quickly one of the best swordswomen on the continent. The eyeless man smiled as he jumped backward and adjusted his stance to mimic hers. ¡°Sakura style, petals grow.¡± The Eyeless man said aloud. Glersora was taken aback. How did he know the name of that style? She discovered it in a tomb said to have been sealed for a thousand years. It was the only one of its kind. ¡°How do you know that style?¡± Glersora prepared to strike. ¡°I spared with someone who knew the style. A long time ago.¡± The Eyeless man smiled. Glersora was taken aback, which left her open. The eyeless man sliced his sword upwards towards Glersora¡¯s throat. Glersora parried the attack and thrust forward at the Eyeless man¡¯s heart. The two danced around each other for quite a few minutes. Neither was tired from the physical exertion.
Ceres removed the swords pinning Noah to the ground, and he was able to move away from the people he saved. Many were lucky, some weren¡¯t, as a few corpses littered the area. The people Noah saved, a mother, and her two children, bowed to him before running to shelter. Noah, however, was bleeding profusely from his arms and legs. A vial of blended blue pomegranate juice was given to him by Wura. After drinking it, his body began to rapidly heal at the cost of his own mana. From lion man to just a giant, as his transformation ended. The boy soon fell as his energy left his body. Ceres carried Noah into the hotel to rest as the group followed. Kiarra was on them in seconds. ¡°Is he alive? Please tell me he¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°He¡¯s alive. Just needs to rest.¡± Wura said. ¡°Stay here all of you. I¡¯m going to catch up with Kyrion.¡± Ceres demanded. Ceres ran after Kyrion rather or not she''d be on time was something only time could tell. Chapter 50 Bringing the lightning Charles knocked falling blades out of the sky with a wave of his gloved right hand while holding onto Asela with his left. Like Kyrion, they didn¡¯t encounter any golems. Nor did they find any spirit masters. Quickly moving through the forest, set to collide with Kyrion in a few minutes. ¡°Agg!¡± They heard in the near distance. ¡°That¡¯s Kyrion! We should¡­.¡± Asela began. Charles motioned for her to get quiet as they continued forward. Slowing instead of speeding up to keep hidden for a bit longer. Eventually, they came across a woman made of black flames pulling swords from her body one by one. ¡°I¡¯m going to rip that brat to pieces!¡± She seethed. ¡°Be careful not to make promises you can¡¯t keep.¡± Charles said as he left Asela in the brush and approached the woman. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lisa asked in fear. ¡°Just a butler. Possibly the strongest butler you¡¯ll ever meet. But that¡¯s not why I¡¯m talking to you. I¡¯m here to let you go so long as you promise not to harm my young mistress Asela. This is Kyrion¡¯s problem after all. He decided to spare your life so if you go and throw it away in an attempt at petty vengeance. Its your choice as well.¡± Charles mended Lisa¡¯s wounds after pouring a drop of viscous green liquid. ¡°And If I don¡¯t?¡± Lisa asked with suspicion as she prepared to strike. Charles enveloped the practitioner with his presence which began to burn the woman from the inside. Slowly he brought his head next to the woman¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you in a way that makes you wish you¡¯d done it yourself.¡± Charles whispered before pinching the woman on her ear. The pinch stung, but it didn¡¯t hurt. Lisa watched as Charles walked away and then left to go further ahead. She stayed trapped, still feeling the pain of the pinch and unable to move as she had been paralyzed.
Nicole and Leon had entered the small town. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Leon asked. ¡°I need to apologize to one of my friends.¡± Nicole said. ¡°You apologize? How unlike you.¡± The wolf scoffed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Smell this to get his scent.¡± Nicole pulled out an ornate box and removed a lock of red hair. ¡°...No offense but that¡¯s kind of creepy. Borderline obsessive even.¡± Leon said. ¡°He has a habit of disappearing. Everest gave it to me.¡± Nicole said, not looking the wolf in its eyes. ¡°Emmmhhmmm. Well you¡¯re right about disappearing. He¡¯s currently chasing after my possessed spirit. Apparently he convinced some mindless wolves to assist in the kidnaping of some girl.¡± ¡°Is that so? Let¡¯s catch up to them as quickly as we can then.¡± ¡°We could help here, you know.¡± Leon pointed to the town covered in blades. ¡°Yeah, even I know not to challenge an expert at that level.¡± ¡°Yet you think you can defeat an expert at my level.¡± Leon laughed. ¡°The person who swapped bodies with your spirit clearly doesn¡¯t know how to use its abilities. I can swoop in and save the day if that¡¯s the case.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes glazed over. ¡°Milady¡­¡± Leon shook his head as he followed the scent.
Kyrion was having trouble of the mental, persuasion. A long sword with a primarily flat blade and single edge was sticking out of the ground. Had this been a different time, then he would have stuffed the sword in his space and given it to Gamodren to deal with. ¡°Young man. Thou hast been chosen to be my wielder.¡± The sword said. ¡°Not this again.¡± Kyrion thought and kept walking. ¡°Young man?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t respond and made it ten feet away. He noticed that his target had stopped moving, so a break didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Young man! Please Kid!¡± Kyrion stopped. ¡°Kid?¡± ¡°I mean young man.¡± The sword corrected itself. Kyrion scoffed and kept going. ¡°Oh how mature. Kid please, I¡¯ve been looking for a real wielder for so long please.¡± ¡°So long as you call me kid. None of this young man¡¯s business. I¡¯m nine. I¡¯m not old and I don¡¯t like people calling me old.¡± ¡°Kid, no offense but only old people don¡¯t want to be called old.¡± ¡°Well, I just don¡¯t want people expecting me to act like I¡¯m some old man of twenty-five or eighteen. Two whole digits of age is old. My height is not my age.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Kid. You may be having what some would call an early life crisis. To think that becoming ten is crossing the gate into old.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t want people thinking I¡¯m that old yet.¡± Kyrion explained. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Got it you Kid. So Kid can you please pull me out of the dirt?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kyrion pulled the sword out of the earth and immediately put it in his space, along with a few other quiet weapons. Glersora¡¯s hands were bleeding by this point, and it was clear that the Eyeless man hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. It had been decades since she¡¯d been in a situation that forced her to grow this much. Yet it clearly wasn¡¯t enough. If she couldn¡¯t beat him with just swordplay, then she¡¯d need to go all out. Glersora charged forward, stopping just outside the sword¡¯s reach as she slashed toward the man. ¡°Flowers paint the canvas.¡± A sword slash cut at the man¡¯s chest drew blood as sharp mana cut into him. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that. Oww. Well, I can¡¯t keep playing forever after all.¡± The Eyeless man adjusted his stance and stepped forward, placing his right leg across his left. He flexed his hand, but nothing happened. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Glersora asked. ¡°Someone just stole Fujin! My favorite wind sword! Oh when I find them, they¡¯ll pray for mercy!¡± The Eyeless man turned and flew away. Ceres watched as the Eyeless man flew above her and sighed, trudging on. She wasn¡¯t sure why Kyrion hadn¡¯t called her yet. It would be easier to protect him had she done that. Stone and the remaining spirit masters got to work gathering quite a few people who didn¡¯t belong. A small brown-haired man with large goggles was chained up and unconscious next to a child with hawk-like features taller than the small man but obviously a child. He, too, was unconscious. Two tiny holes in the side of his neck made sure of that. Outside of the village, two fledgling rank spirit masters had found themselves captured and beaten quite badly. They were not unconscious, but it was clear that they had lost their will to fight. ¡°Pigeon, I¡¯ll yet you handle the questioning, somewhere private. Don¡¯t need you traumatizing the kiddos afterall.¡± Said the small girl who claimed to be Everest¡¯s teacher. The other man observed the four prisoners, and with a burst of feathers, the group was gone. Everest pulled out his Teleflower, and decided to make a call to his friend. ¡°Kyrion?¡± Everest said into the plant. ¡°Yes. yes?¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Did you pick up a sword named Fujin.¡± ¡°Not sure. I picked up quite a few actually. Someone just left them lying around after all.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Well, some eyeless hydra is out for blood because someone took one of his swords.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice said in a strangely excited tone. ¡°Kyrion, you¡¯re up to something aren¡¯t you. This is going to be dangerous.¡± ¡°Everything will work out fine, just trust me.¡± Kyion said, hanging up the plant. Everest sighed. ¡°Your friend really went and kicked the beehive huh.¡± The small girl said. ¡°Kyrion is always up to something. Yet he manages to prosper from things that would break a normal man.¡± ¡°I got a good look at his core while I was here. His mana pool extends past his body. Every single cell has been saturated with mana and it seems to bleed through to the world around him. Which explains your rapid growth during your time at that preschool of yours.¡± ¡°That big huh, and he compressed it that much. Sounds like something you¡¯d find in a legend.¡± Everest muttered. ¡°If he lives long enough, I suspect it¡¯s a possibility.¡± The girl observed a blue butterfly that had landed on her finger. "We''v been betrayed it seems."
A white-haired man surrounded by wolves sat on a log. An unconscious Tiffany lay tied up in front of him. A long white straight sword sat at his side. His face held a maddened smile that could scare the bark off a tree. ¡°You¡¯re here Kyrion. Now come with me and I¡¯ll let your friends go.¡± ¡°Friend. You just have Tiffany.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°No I have Tiffany, you forgot about the other one already?¡± ¡°What are you going on about, not Leon?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°What do you mean? I am Leon.¡± The impersonator said. Kyrion smiled as his intuition told him that was a lie. ¡°No you aren¡¯t, had I been facing the real Leon then you wouldn¡¯t need to do all this. He was strong, sly, and controlled.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± The man hissed. ¡°I met him before. Which makes me curious. He didn¡¯t go out of his way to avoid me before the switch. What makes it obvious is the way you move, carry yourself and how you use those wolves. How¡¯s Blitz by the way?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°He¡¯s doing great.?¡± The fake asked. ¡°Who¡¯s doing great?¡± ¡°My friend Blitz of course.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Was he your friend or best friend?¡± Kyrion stalled for time. He could feel a group of two approaching. Followed by Ceres and another pair much later. He had to stay still for at least two more minutes. The fake took a minute. To answer much to Kyrion¡¯s glee. ¡°Best friend. Now will you sacrifice your freedom for your friend?¡± ¡°Sure. Let me heal her first. I¡¯m only a fledgling after all, it wouldn¡¯t even cost you anything.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Get it over with.¡± The man motioned for him to go. Kyrion placed one hand on his friend and a second one on her backpack. He started by using his space affinity to slip a Jala into her bag and some bandages, the ping fog masking his movements. ¡°What was that?¡± The man raised his hand to strike. ¡°J-just some bandages! I-i didn¡¯t mean to offend. I need to clean the wounds before healing, I don¡¯t want to risk her getting an infection.¡± Kyrion said a half-truth. ¡°Uh huh. I¡¯ll just get closer then.¡± The man said. ¡°That is fine. I¡¯ll be done in a second.¡± Kyrion finished cleansing the wounds, wrapping the bandages, and healed her with mana. His first set of reinforcements had stopped just outside of the clearing. Tiffany got up groggy and looked around. ¡°Tiffany, I need you to run in that direction. Leave me behind. Tell my friends that I¡¯ve been captured.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Bold of you to assume that they¡¯re alive.¡¯ The white-haired man said as he raised his hand. Kyrion was encased in a block of ice, his head left free to breathe. A mistake that should not have been made. Kyrion decided to summon Ceres to a position adjacent to where Charles and Asela were hiding. She¡¯d be a distraction but not a sacrifice. Tiffany ran into the brush holding the man¡¯s attention. Kyrion began to melt the ice encasing his right arm to give Jala some room to summon the supposed awesome sword. The ice, however, proved to be more resilient than he thought. He¡¯d have to be very slow or need his opponent to be distracted. ¡°Jala. Are you ready?¡± Kyrion asked the fox spirit he sent with Tiffany. ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± Jala sighed.
Ceres found herself right next to Kyrion, who was encased in ice. Behind a man with white hair wielding a sword. It appears her master finally summoned her though it was apparent that he didn¡¯t intend for her to be right here. ¡°Master, are you ok?¡± Ceres asked as she looked for a way to free her master. ¡°How did you get behind me!¡± The white-haired man whirled and raised his hands and sent a spear of ice to pierce the human-looking dragon. Ceres summoned a wall of earth to shield herself. The spear shot through the wall and hit Ceres in her chest, sending her and the flying spear far into the distance. Then, green bubbles floated around the area, popping whenever they made contact with something to no noticeable effect. The pops, however, were pretty loud. ¡°What¡¯s! Going on here.¡± The body snatcher yelled. Charles slowly passed wolf after wolf like a tool of death and destruction with an apathetic look on his face. Popping the opposing creatures on the nose with his hand, while rather mundane when he did it, made the wolves stop moving. ¡°Young master Kyrion, shame on you for letting yourself get captured without so much as resistance shame on you.¡± Charles shook his head at Kyrion. The white-haired man drew his sword and charged at the butler. Charles retaliated by pulling out the bow to a violin. Much to everyone¡¯s confusion. Asela stayed hidden in that exact spot watching the encounter. She wouldn¡¯t interfere in their fight as it was meant to be a lesson. Kyrion may be trapped, but she could see that look on his face and a long blade in his hands that wasn¡¯t there before.
The blade had just appeared in his hands which meant it was time to put his plan into action. ¡°So you wish to use me now?¡± The sword asked. Kyrion didn¡¯t answer with his mouth and tried to convey the message like he did with his spirits. It only seemed to work because he was holding it, however. ¡°I need your help.¡± Kyrion communicated. ¡°Great! What can I do for you?¡± The sword asked. ¡°I need something that can cause you to break. Like a super attack.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°What is a super attack?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a normal attack but a lot cooler and more destructive. I think it¡¯s supposed to use all my mana. I used it on a few weapons of mine before, knives shattered, sticks snapped ect.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°I can turn mana into lightning. The more you give the stronger the attack. Though I¡¯m not sure if it could hurt an expert. And it would take a lot of mana to break me. Though it will lower my durability.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Somewhere between five and ten minuets. Or until you run out of mana.¡± ¡°What if I force all my mana into you at once, can you do it faster if I do that.¡± ¡°That could hurt you. Forcing out tons of your mana at once causes damage to you mental faculties along with your body. It would take you out of the fight to come. Though, it has a better chance of destroying the vessel and freeing my spirit.¡± The sword told him. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be free?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You¡¯d be releasing a dark power onto the world by freeing me.¡± The sword said in a deep voice. ¡°Who are you anyway?¡± Kyrion seemed disinterested. ¡°I am the dark wind spirit Fujin.¡± The sword said with gravitas. Kyrion started immediately pumping the sword with mana. ¡°Kid. Are you ok? This is alot of mana all at once and your speeding up.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t respond as he continued to pour every last drop of his available mana into the sword. Chapter 51 Wrath of thunder Charles parried the impostor¡¯s blade with his violin bow and countered with a slap on the man¡¯s face. The white-haired man was sent reeling after the attack. While not physically damaged, he was certainly staggered. Charles did not capitalize on the opening as he waited for his foe to get up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking this seriously?¡± The white-haired man charged at him again with a series of slashes. ¡°I am but a humble butler and you have taken one of my charges. I assure you. I am taking this very seriously.¡± Charles said as he seemed to barely evade each strike in a way that would make an inexperienced warrior think he was just lucky. ¡°You¡¯re a lucky one aren¡¯t you.¡± The white-haired man said. ¡°Well that answers that.¡± Charles dodged and countered by slapping the exact same spot he hit before. The false Leon held his face as he noticed a few teeth had been knocked out. Charles waited for the man to come back, doing his part by holding the warrior¡¯s attention. Minutes passed, and the false Leon found himself battered and bruised. Missing quite a few teeth. ¡°You haven¡¯t moved from that spot! You¡¯ve just been playing with me!¡± He yelled. ¡°Guilty.¡± Charles bowed in the middle of a fight that left him open. A large gray wolf pounced on the bowing butler. Knocking him off his feet and into the brush. The sounds of a slaughter followed by some screams echoed from the forest, and Charles didn¡¯t return. The sounds of something eating and tearing flesh filled the background. Ceres made it back and used the opportunity to send a spear of rock at the grinning white-haired man. Sadly the spear connected with his body and shattered into dirt and dust. Not even leaving behind a bruise. ¡°Tsk. Tsk. You should have run away when you had the chance, whelp.¡± Her target said. The white-haired man waved a finger at Ceres, sending a wave of ice mana at her legs, freezing her in place. Tiffany appeared from behind and traced an octagon in the air with her sword of light, sending the construct at the white-haired man. He brought his sword down to break the unknown ability. This resulted in a blinding light hitting everyone in the vicinity. When the world cleared, a lance of ice seemed to have flown through where Tiffany¡¯s heart should have been carrying the bloody appendage with it before Tiffany collapsed to the ground. Unmoving. Kyrion¡¯s calm veneer shattered as rage began to build. From around his general vicinity, mana entered the blade as his body struggled to stay on its own. ¡°Kyrion, that feeling in your chest. That sense of loss, the hatred for the one who was taken before their time. Give in to the cycle of death and destruction so that new life may bloom in its place.¡± Said the older voice from inside of him. ¡°No.¡± Kyrion fought the feeling. Now was a really bad time after all. Memories that weren¡¯t his own tried to force their way into his mind. They were trying to overwrite everything he¡¯d worked so hard to build. The years he¡¯d spent in constant agony due to his condition. The years spent around people who only gave him half-truths at best and outright lies at worst. Memories of a childhood spent training to be a warrior, a slaughterer, a destroyer. The memories of a monster that lay hidden within him. A lifetime so far removed that it didn¡¯t matter. Except it was this mind that was trying to push forward. Trying to break out. ¡°No!¡± Kyrion said as blood began to leak from his pores as the mana of a high quality began to run rampant in his body. ¡°Will you shut up, kid!¡± The white-haired man turned and approached Kyrion. Kyrion¡¯s hair began to grow darker and darker along with the sclera and irises of his eyes. Parts of his skin began to burn as well. The sword in his hands showed signs of breaking. ¡°You need someone strong for this little Kyr. Someone with experience. I won¡¯t let you die here.¡± Came a much deeper voice, one much older and resolved. ¡°I said no! You damned Idiot. You¡¯re messing up my plan!¡± Kyrion kept clawing at the overwhelming force. ¡°You planned to let your friend die? You¡¯re a coward.¡± The older voice said. The white-haired man watched as Kyrion appeared to be arguing with himself. ¡°I¡¯m charged up now, use me before I shatter.¡± The sword reminded them. ¡°Let me handle this.¡± The older personality said. Kyrion¡¯s right eye twitched as he forced his will onto the older soul. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± The older spirit bellowed as it felt resistance. ¡°Taking my body back!¡± Kyrion yelled his will, proving to be surprisingly the stronger one of the two. Kyrion reasserted control of his own body. ¡°So¡­what was that about?¡± The white-haired man seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°Drama that I can¡¯t wait to push onto someone else.¡± Kyrion said with a smile on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning, but you sacrificed someone you just came here to save.¡± ¡°I have what my teachers call a really bad poker face so I¡¯m going all in. You need to give up now or you¡¯re probably going to die. Since I know you¡¯re not Leon, why don¡¯t you let me know your real name.¡± Kyrion said as he brought up the sword. Stolen story; please report. Lightning that seemed as dark as a night sky danced around the blade. ¡°Mighty cocky for a brat.¡± The white-haired man took two steps forward. ¡°Oh no. I know I can¡¯t beat you alone. I¡¯m just here to bring the lightning.¡± Kyrion threw the sword at the expert rank spirit master, and it cut through the sky, leaving behind a black streak. Leon deflected the attack with enough force to shatter the opposing blade. The black lightning arched outwards, spreading from one place to another. Sparkes scared Leon¡¯s body as pain ran through him. He whirled on where the boy should have been, only to find that the whole area was empty. Not even the corpse of the girl who he stabbed through the heart remained. Hardly even a drop of blood remained where her heart lay though there were quite a few broken swords where she had been previously. ¡°Wait. I¡¯ve seen these before.¡± The false Leon¡¯s pale face became ghostly. ¡°How dare you destroy my precious swords!¡± Said a man from above. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, it was him!¡± The false Leon pointed where Kyrion had been previously. ¡°There¡¯s no one there.¡± The Eyeless man raised a single head of blades. ¡°Listen to me. Look right there!¡± In his panic, the false Leon kept pointing. ¡°You know know I can¡¯t see right? None of my senses are picking up anyone in that direction either. There is another expert in this direction but he just seems to be feeding his pet spirit. There¡¯s another girl over there but she was busy protecting herself from that wild attack of yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an ice user that was lightning!¡± He replied, exasperated. ¡°I know, you shattered Fujin... of your own accord. To think you¡¯d be so stupid. Draw your sword or die where you stand.¡± The eyeless man said. ¡°Are you stupid!?¡± The false Leon yelled. ¡°Now you¡¯re ridiculing me!¡± The eyeless figure acted chastised. ¡°It was all that kid¡¯s plan. He sat this up. That Kyrion brat put all of this up. Blame him!¡± ¡°Kyrion? Oh is that the name of the person we were after? That¡¯s Alexander¡¯s grandson¡¯s name if I recall correctly.¡± The eyeless man scratched his head. ¡°Why does that matter?¡± The false Leon was worried. ¡°Well if it¡¯s true then you¡¯re both at fault. Give me one of your eyes.¡± The eyeless man smirked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. It¡¯s an eye for an eye or an eye for your life. I¡¯ll be making the same offer to the boy, so it will be totally fair.¡± The Eyeless said with a smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re insane! What are we paying you for! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the second strongest person on the planet? Or was that just false advertising.¡± The false Leon said. ¡°A few months ago I was the third. The second from then is still so far above me it didn¡¯t make any sense, and the first. Well I¡¯m sure your leader now knows what happens when you poke a sleeping bear. I have no desire to do so when I may work for them in the future.¡± The Eyeless man smiled. ¡°What are you not telling me?¡± The false Leon smirked. ¡°The fact that this one is able to hide from me is proof enough. Your kingdom is headed towards ruin as even the land you walk on is actively fighting against you. So eye, or your life?¡± The Eyeless man said. ¡°You know what? I think you might just be a coward.¡± The false Leon raised his hand, preparing to send out a wave of ice with his sword. A right-arm holding onto a sword fell to the ground, followed by a left arm. Then the body fell as the legs seemed to have been removed from the torso. The body writhed in pain as a giant knife descended to remove the prone warrior¡¯s head. ¡°Didn¡¯t even need to help.¡± Said a guttural voice. A white wolf trailed by a girl with white hair entered the area. ¡°Ninety-four, you finally make your appearance.¡± The eyeless man said to the wolf. ¡°Heh, not even that anymore, since you permanently killed my spirit.¡± ¡°It was already ripped from you. Not that it matters, you¡¯re still an expert tier spirit with control over ice.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already been told about a potential master.¡± Leon said. ¡°Darn.¡± The Eyeless man sighed as he descended from the sky. Charles walked out of the forest and made his way toward a red-haired girl. Asela was frozen in fear, not because of any of the damage caused by the white-haired man. Nor was it because of any of the blood and apparent death. No, what scared her the most was the pressure she felt from the boy she called her brother. It hadn¡¯t even been turned at her, yet she knew not to rise to her feet. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons I don¡¯t worry for your brother.¡± Charles said. ¡°H-he¡¯s my cousin.¡± Asela said, trying to regain her senses. ¡°I mean technically he¡¯s closer to an uncle since you¡¯re a generation behind. Though it¡¯s easier to say your siblings.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Asela asked. ¡°His willpower and innate presence. You wouldn¡¯t notice it unless you know what to look for and it normally isn¡¯t something someone this young should have as much of. It has more to do with mentality and mana. It¡¯s how people without spirits use their mana. Your brother nurtures and endears everything around him naturally. Animals like him, plants like him, and he seems to easily make friends with those who wish him no ill will. He isn¡¯t a monster but he does keep one locked deep inside.¡± Charles explained. ¡°What monster is that?¡± ¡°In short, a version of himself that went down a dark path and found nothing but death and anger. The further it went the more he lost, until his enemies made a deal with a devil to turn back the clock. I¡¯ll tell you what I know when you¡¯re old enough.¡± ¡°So the person I saw was a monster that tried to break out and then my brother came back after beating it up.¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± ¡°This has happened before hasn¡¯t it. Kyrion¡¯s hair used to be red, but something happened and it all started to turn black and it stayed that way for a while.¡± Asela said. ¡°Yeah. Though I¡¯m not at liberty to say what caused him to get that angry. From what I¡¯ve seen it has nothing to do with Kyrion¡¯s own feelings. He took his friend faking her death in stride.¡± ¡°Wait, Tiffany didn¡¯t die?¡± Asela looked surprised. ¡°No I certainly did not.¡± Tiffany said from behind Asela. ¡°Ah! When and how?¡± Lightning began to pool on her fingertips as the young girl prepared to open fire. ¡°Lighting that¡¯s new. It¡¯s normally associated with a high affinity in the wind branch.¡± Charles looked at the dancing bolts. Tiffany sighed as Jala crawled on top of her shoulder. ¡°It was my manuver. Bow to my ability to trick and deceive our enemies.¡± ¡°Tricky, he¡¯s already worse than his mother was when it comes to plotting.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°He does seem to think quickly when it comes to causing lots of trouble for others.¡± Tiffany nodded. ¡°Save¡¯d you didn¡¯t he.¡± ¡°For a moment I thought I was dead. I couldn¡¯t move for a while.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°That was me, sorry for scaring you milady.¡± Charles bowed to Tiffany. ¡°Just what did I get myself into.¡± Tiffany shook her head. ¡°You can still turn back.¡± ¡°He¡¯s saved my life a few times already. I feel indebted to him.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got that same look Nicole gets¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡± Asela squinted. ¡°Nicole? That porcelain girl?¡± Tiffany said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. You have a few years to get sick of him after all. Speak of the devil he¡¯s on his way here.¡± Charles added. ¡°I still can¡¯t see him.¡± Asela started looking around. Charles pointed upwards as a quiet thud could be heard from above. ¡°How do you keep track of him?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I placed a little of my mana on him to keep track of. Not enough to stand out but enough for me to keep track of the little trouble maker.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nice. We should get out of here. I¡¯d rather not lose an eye.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d rather lose your life then?¡± The Eyeless man said from behind the boy. ¡°How did you find me so quickly?¡± ¡°My hearing is excellent, I didn¡¯t have to hear you, I had to hear Charles. I still need to focus on you to even notice your presence. While I don¡¯t hate you, I have to be consistent. One day I¡¯m sure I¡¯d look forward to borrowing your abilities. But right now I¡¯ll be taking one of your eyes.¡± Kyrion pointed to his right eye. ¡°My right one then.¡± ¡°Why that one?¡± The Eyeless asked curiously. ¡°Apparently people can see when I¡¯m up to something. Some glint or whatever. I don¡¯t like people knowing when I have one of my ideas.¡± Kyrion said honestly. Asela looked left and right while Charles had an odd smile. Tiffany was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re ok with just giving up one of your eyes?¡± ¡°I mean. If the eye¡¯s a snitch then it¡¯s best I get rid of it.¡± ¡°Sounds like I¡¯ll be doing the world a favor if I take your left instead. The thing is, I don¡¯t like doing favors for the world, so you¡¯re in luck.¡± The Eyeless man passed his hand over Kyrion¡¯s right eye, which vanished. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad¡­.¡± Kyrion shut both eyes immediately as pain from the missing limb seemed to hit him. Blood leaked from the open wound. Nicole found him next, a look of worry on her face. ¡°Your eyes. Why would you do something so stupid? Couldn¡¯t you have just waited for us?¡± ¡°Nah. I actually liked Leon, though I kinda get why his presence threw me off before. You were in charge the whole time. Weren¡¯t you Bliz?¡± ¡°Huh. Not as dumb as you look. Though I was actually Leon. I used to prefer to have people think I¡¯m a wolf spirit rather than a wolf spirit master. Less human purest drama.¡± ¡°We could have helped you know.¡± ¡°Nicole. I already know you¡¯re hiding a lot. For whatever reason I get the feeling it¡¯s all for good reason so I won¡¯t ask what. Planning while expecting the unexpected is one thing. Planning something while relying on an unknown variable to fix everything is just dumb.¡± ¡°You¡¯re different from the semi illiterate kid I helped teach how to read.¡± Nicole crossed her arms. ¡°Aww shucks. Now seriously we need to get back. I have alot of healing to do before I go to sleep.¡± Ceres made her way towards the group from her hiding spot a reasonable distance away. She was with Kyrion until he decided to run off. ¡°Master. Your eye!¡± Ceres exclaimed. ¡°It was the price I paid to rid a thorn in my side. Now come on. It¡¯s time to go home.¡± Kyron said. The group made their way through the forest sans the Eyeless Hydra, who had taken the eye and decided that was enough. Chapter 52 One day I鈥檒l never pass out again A man with dirty blond hair looked at the damage done to town with a concerned look on his face. His student was gone and apparently ran off to face that Leon fellow directly. Next to him was a sickly-looking young red-haired woman that resembled Kyrion in a few ways. In her hands was a strange book. ¡°Master. Your back early. What happened?¡± Kyrion said from behind. ¡°Ah while I was going to dawdle and spend some time relaxing. An unexpected guest had a different agenda¡­ What happened to your eye!¡± Gamodren said as he turned around. Curella appeared from behind Gamodren. ¡°Bill left this for you.¡± ¡°Huh? Dad? Wait, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°No, our brother. Dad¡­ he¡¯s training somewhere secluded. Our brother is no longer of this world and our home is gone.¡± Curella handed him a book. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion nervously took it. ¡°An army from the beast blood empire and engaged the Butcher of Denvall, our brother is no longer of this world.¡± A pressure formed behind Kyrion¡¯s left eye, but the feeling soon faded. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°What was what?¡± ¡°You just used mana on me. What did you do?¡± Kyrion resisted the probe. ¡°So you can notice it now¡­ Interesting¡­¡± ¡°Notice what?¡± ¡°A parasite that I put in your brain.¡± ¡°You did what?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So you¡¯re still gullible. You¡¯re going to need to get wiser and more skeptical.¡± Curella confirmed. ¡°You don¡¯t joke like this¡­.¡± Kyrion pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not joking. There is a parasite that uses your mana to do things. It helps me keep track of you.¡± ¡°You can read my mind?¡± Kyrion covered his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m just good at reading you. I have the Death, Plant, Mental, and Order affinities.¡± ¡°Mental? What¡¯s that?¡± Kyrion hadn''t realized he''d been distracted. ¡°Beauty is a vague affinity. It and Mental are two sides of the same coin. Those who gain otherworldly beauty and the ability to passively influence others. Mental is where you find people who can read, or influence, minds, and emotions. Among other things, it can also make you a target of witch hunts. Most with the latter normally claim to have the former. I guess your sister doesn¡¯t care.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°I¡¯m trying to have a heart to heart with my favorite little brother.¡± Curella smiled. Kyrion shivered a bit and could swear the smile got wider. ¡°Uhh¡­ Aren¡¯t I your only little brother?¡± ¡°There was Tod, he died a cruel death after he took something that didn¡¯t belong to him.¡± ¡°That was a lie.¡± Kyrion said as his left eye glazed over and his consciousness left him. Gamodren caught the unconscious boy. ¡°Very funny¡­.¡± Curella looked at her brother with a lack of emotion in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re sworn to carry his burdens. That is a trigger phrase by the way. Only I can use it though.¡± ¡°This is getting too normal. I¡¯m going to need to start carting around a stretcher at this rate. Did you know this was going to happen?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m just here to deliver the book and then check on him. That thing came again if his hair is black. Is this why he lost his eye?¡± ¡°Maybe you should have asked him?¡± Tiffany approached the two. ¡°He tricked Leon into breaking some of the Eyeless man¡¯s swords.¡± ¡°Huh, if you can¡¯t beat an opponent, let them defeat themselves. Guess I¡¯m the reason he lost an eye then.¡± Gamodren muttered impressed. ¡°If you can help it, never take revenge on an eyeless or any other mystic. Especially when they aren¡¯t looking for a fight. Kyrion didn¡¯t mind losing an eye which means that somehow he believed the result was worth it.¡± Curella stated. ¡°He went there to save me. He seems to do that alot.¡± Tiffany muttered, a bit of sadness in her voice. ¡°Listen here, while technically he¡¯s probably only a year younger than you physically the gap is around three years mentally. Which means as his senior you¡¯re going to have to protect him from his naivete.¡± Curella told her. She also slipped the girl a pendant. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It turns black when that other thing takes over and blue when the Kyrion you know is in charge. The dial in the center changes color based on what emotion Kyrion is currently feeling. Now run along, grownups need to talk.¡± Tiffany took it and made her way away from the pair. Sliping it into a pocket. ¡°Did your grandfather know this was going to happen?¡± Gamodren asked as Tiffany vanished from sight. ¡°Both he and my older brother have been cryptic, but they both seem to know more than me about the little devil.¡± ¡°Devil?¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°Just a turn of phrase. You probably shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think your whole bloodline may be demented.¡± ¡°Blame mother, she raised us to be ruthless.¡± ¡°She was nice when we met.¡± ¡°That was after she calmed down. Her brothers death shook her and Kyrion¡¯s predicament sobered her up.¡± ¡°So the Death Tyrant wasn¡¯t just a tyrant in name.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Nope, I prefer her this way. We get into fewer fights now and I can see deep down in all that fire and brimstone. She cares for us and wants us to get stronger. Dad seemed happier as well.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­ Why don¡¯t we go have dinner someplace after this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ten years too young and caring after my injured brother. I¡¯d rather not make you choose wrong.¡± Curella faded into black petals and was gone with the flowing wind. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Sighing, Gamodren carried the boy out of the forest, his eyes bandaged as the patch was placed over it.
Kyrion awoke, holding his head. His empty eye was covered in a bandage and hidden behind an eyepatch. His body was trying to heal over the limb, and he stopped it in that general area. He looked down at long flowing strands of black hair. ¡°Why can¡¯t I see out of my right eye?¡± Kyrion asked no one he could see. Gamodren answered from the boy¡¯s blindspot. ¡°I thought it was weird that your grandfather gave you an eye as a gift. I guess he must have had some great foresight.¡± ¡°Did you put it in already?¡± Kyrion asked his teacher. ¡°No. Things like this are very important. Do you even know what this belongs to?¡± ¡°A dragon? A big gold fire breathing dragon.¡± Kyrion said excitedly. ¡°You wish¡­ But that¡¯s the issue. The only thing I can say about this is that it¡¯s at least an expert rank.¡± ¡°So I can¡¯t use it?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You can but if I¡¯m being honest this may not even be a monster¡¯s eye.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It could have belonged to a human or some other powerful being.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean by just an expert? Is there more after that?¡± ¡°Yes but it won¡¯t make much sense until you reach that realm.¡± Kyrion grimaced. ¡°Can¡¯t you just get it appraised?¡± ¡°Oh trust me I tried. Well, we can have it put it in after you get to the academy. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d know what to do.¡± Gamodren explained. ¡°Just put it in. I don¡¯t like being blind in one eye.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°This is something that you need to do with a professional healer nearby.¡± ¡°So I need to change my look¡­.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s up to you. I¡¯ll just say this. Don¡¯t appear with that new eye too soon. ¡°I think I may hate swords now.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°That is a fair opinion given your experience, just don¡¯t force it onto others.¡± Gamodren stated, Asela, who had woken up from the crash, stood up. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°It did at first, there is like a ringing in my head, as though something is trying to overcompensate.¡± Asela squinted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make up words. Just say it hurts.¡± Kyrion scowled, but Nicole walked into the room as though she had been waiting to come in before he could reply. ¡°Kyrion, can we talk?¡± She asked with a bit of emotion. Kyrion raised his black right eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Asela, Gamodren, have anything else to ask?¡± ¡°No actually.¡± Gamodren left the room. ¡°I wanna hear this.¡± Asela said bluntly. Gamodren whispered something into her ear, and the girl acquiesced with a scowl on her face. Kyrion sat there and eyed his friend with a confused look. ¡°Do you know why I hid my status?¡± ¡°Your secrets are your own, they aren¡¯t my problem.¡± Nico winced. ¡°I¡¯m trying to have a heart to heart.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really starting to weird me out¡­ Not in a bad way but in a confusing way.¡± Nico stopped and eyed the boy. ¡°You really are making this hard.¡± Kyrion kept his mouth shut. Why would two hearts touch? That sounds dangerous. The last time he heard that phrase, he passed out. ¡°Listen, the others already know. But I want to at least catch you up.¡± Kyrion had the feeling he¡¯d be here for a while. ¡°I¡¯m a Princess.¡± She started and waited for something. Kyrion dug into his ears and examined his finger. ¡°No response?¡± Nicole was surprised. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just be the second princess?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Of Invan. We were neighbors west of Limguard.¡± Nicole pursed her lips as Kyrion had a blank look on his face. ¡°Ohhhh¡­ I get it.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°You didn¡¯t even know of Invan did you.¡± ¡°You say that as past tense.¡± ¡°The people of my homeland were unable to flee and evacuate before the slaughter happened. Most who survived are now slaves and most of the population was killed off.¡± ¡°That seems counterproductive. Why kill after you conquer?¡± ¡°No idea. I went into hiding in Limguard when it happened and learned that I am the only surviving member of my line. They were not weak, but it seems they lacked a strength that alluded them. Peace paired with our nature as a country of scholars left out armies weak and our soldiers inexperienced.¡± Kyrion eyed his good friend and waited for her to finish. ¡°I want my revenge and get strong enough to participate in the war against that accursed empire.¡± ¡°Why tell me all this?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I like you and want you to know that, should we never meet again.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± Kyrion was confused. Girls made no sense sometimes or all the time as far as he was concerned. She¡¯s one of his best friends, after all. Up there with all of the others, after all. ¡°Just ok?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°It feels a bit melodramatic, of course I like you, you¡¯re one of my best friends after all. If you need a hand just let me know and I¡¯ll bring the storm.¡± Kyrion looked around as his hypersensitive ears picked up some snickering. ¡°Melodramatic¡­ Are you sure you aren''t using the wrong word?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes seemed to light up. ¡°What¡¯d I say?¡± Kyrion backed up on his bed as he saw a fire pool on the girl¡¯s fingers. ¡°Think.¡± A feather of fire appeared in her hand. ¡°Wait, it was makeup you put on me!¡± Kyrion changed the subject. ¡°Huh?¡± Nico was confused as she looked at a grinning Kyrion. ¡°The hints were there the whole time. Why would a boy carry around a vanity kit full of makeup?¡± ¡°To be fair Everest has a vanity kit and your just repeating yourself..¡± Nicole said. ¡°True enough. But he¡¯s obvious about it. You were trying to lay low. The fact that I never saw you near the boys dorm. It¡¯s like you lived in the library." Kyrion narrowed his good eye. ¡°I could have been more discreet, well it¡¯s not like I can turn back time, so I¡¯ll live with it. Didn¡¯t really talk to anyone else anyway.¡± Nicole said. ¡°Stay safe and don¡¯t do anything stupid. You seem to get dumber when fire is involved.¡± Kyrion said as he let go and started looking out a window. Nicole began to leave the room. ¡°Goodbye Kyrion.¡± ¡°Until we meet again.¡± Kyrion replied as he stared at a box in his hands. After a few minutes of silence, the rest of his friends talked to him a bit before saying goodbye. The event had a few casualties mixed in with quite a few injuries when multiple experts were acting as bodyguards. Safety was compromised, so they returned to their prospective academies after things settled down.
A month had passed since his friends had left. There was nothing more to be done in the town as it began to grow. Today was the day they finally moved on. He was at the point where he would spend all of his free time trying to get stronger. Something about the events leading up to her death was fishy. He was a lot stronger than he thought, and his master knew. Kyrion pulled out a knife and raised it to his eye to see his reflection. He then brought it to his face and removed his eyebrows before shaving his hair to his scalp. His emerald-like eye stood out with his brown skin as he examined himself. The eyepatch made him look pretty cool, in his opinion. ¡°Kyrion. We¡¯re headed to the academy. What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± Gamodren asked from another room. ¡°Giving myself a haircut!¡± Kyrion replied Gamodren walked in and looked at the boy, and started cackling. ¡°Kyrion, what did you do?¡± ¡°This is serious.¡± Kyrion started squinting his good eye. ¡°Yes your head is a mess.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°This marks my rebirth as a better and stronger person.¡± Kyrion pouted. ¡°I should really stop getting you those books. It¡¯s bad.¡± ¡°Reading?¡± ¡°No that haircut. You missed some spots. It makes you look like a bandit with a few screws loose.¡± Gamodren picked up the knife and tossed it aside before grabbing some clippers. ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad.¡± Kyron said. ¡°Do you have a mirror on you? Or did you conjure a bowl of water to look into?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion said without a sense of shame. ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± Gamodren produced a mirror that showed all the spots and patches that Kyrion had missed. Most were at the back of his head, the second main patch on his right side. ¡°Can you help?¡± Kyrion asked as his eyes widened. ¡°Already done.¡± Gamodren was putting his supplies away. Tufts of black and red hair fell to the ground. Kyrion noticed that he was now fully bald and didn¡¯t like the look. ¡°Why¡¯d you cut it if you didn¡¯t want to be bald.¡± Gamodren threw his hands up in mock exasperation. ¡°I wanted to make a promise to myself. One day I¡¯ll never pass out again.¡± ¡°Good on you then.¡± Gamodren walked out of the room, and Kyrion followed. Meeting up with Ceres and Tiffany. The group made it to the Caravan that would see them off towards the Drisil academy. Intermission chapter: Epilogue of part one Lisa, the practitioner rank spirit master, had managed to escape her restraints. It was scary being paralyzed for so long, as time moved slower than normal. Though that wasn¡¯t what currently scared her now. A lizard-like man with scales that seemed to absorb all light passed nearby. The more she looked at him, the more fear she felt. A tuft of dirty blonde hair protruded from its head as eyes glowed a predatory golden hue. ¡°You failed again Lisa. That was your second chance and the fourth failure your boss has faced. How hard can it be to capture one simple child?¡± It asked in a deep gravelly voice. ¡°He had a lot of help. You said his master was missing!¡± ¡°He should have been. What sort of help?¡± ¡°Multiple experts, practitioners and other fledglings.¡± ¡°Leon was the forerunner, his failure ended in death. But that means you¡¯re an expert who can make things easy. Go home and report this failure to your master.¡± ¡°But he¡¯ll kill me! It doesn¡¯t matter whose head I bring back mine is on the chopping block!¡± Lisa yelled. ¡°Sounds like a you problem. Tell your boss that he has five years to get his act together lest we get rid of him personally.¡± The lizard man said. ¡°Thank you for this opportunity,¡± Lisa said with gritted teeth and bowed. The scaled figure faded away into the air around them. Lisa was alone in this section of the forest, and her ride was dead. The trip back to the Beastblood Empire would be a long and dangerous one.
A man in a wooden mask bowed before an imposing red-haired man in shamanic clothing. The man in a wooden mask was manacled, beaten, and starved, for his crime was desertion from combat. Had he not been the only survivor who saw everything, he¡¯d already been executed. But the man was a loyal servant of the Empire, a man who did set the capital ablaze yet failed to execute the royal family. ¡°This whole operation was a shit show. The force was overwhelming and their preparedness was¡­ Most of the citizens that could be evaluated had already been, save for the lame and elderly. Before everything went down, we had to deal with a wheelchair bound man on top of a roof wielding a bow. He took out two of our best, had we had the backup we were expecting, things may have been different.¡± The masked man said. ¡°Someone able to kill over a thousand experts among the ten thousand soldiers I sent that direction decided to salt the land.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened. That giant bear-like devil took out our best like they were just play things. I¡¯m pretty sure he let me go on purpose.¡± ¡°Bear¡­ Was the fur red?¡± The ruler seemed surprised. ¡°Yes, master. His power was beyond comprehension.¡± The man said. ¡°You, who captured the core of the Great Fire Spirit Ifrit, have one last chance. Leon has also failed in his capture of my intended target. Sources say the boy I want has captured the Great Spirit of Water Undine. I sent Leon after him. Suffice it to say, he is no longer in this world and I have yet to receive any information from my other operatives.¡± The masked man seemed surprised for various reasons, but Leon¡¯s death was a major setback. He was one of the strongest spirit masters that they had turned to. ¡°Five years, I¡¯m giving you five years to train and prepare for the next operation. My dear deranged pyromancer will work in the first training school for spirit masters near our borders. A small one, mind you, but it¡¯s meant to be a cover for the tournament happening at that time. Winning the tournament isn¡¯t your goal but capturing a red-haired boy with green eyes and a tendency to cause trouble. The kids I¡¯ll be sending for you to train have already been chosen. In fact they are already training there. You will be their escort for the tournament, and you will capture my target. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to fail me again.¡± The ruler leaned on his fist, bored. ¡°Y-yes your Majesty!¡± The masked man said. ¡°Good. Take this man to the location.¡± Two large orcs picked up the weakened expert and dragged him out of the room. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. A young boy walked from behind the throne with a disgusted look in his eyes. Hair an inky black and skin green and sickly. His green eyes held no life in them. ¡°You should have just killed him. I have nothing to learn from a coward like that.¡± ¡°There is a difference between being a coward and being an idiot. If a deity comes down from above and gives you a chance to escape. You run and warn the people in charge. Patience isn¡¯t our strong suit but a little of it would have kept more of us alive. Remember Milo, living to fight another day when you know that you can¡¯t isn¡¯t cowardly, it¡¯s a necessary evil. Running from a fight with someone on equal footing however, is cowardly.¡± The shaman stated. Milo bowed.¡± I think I understand. Is Edwin to be executed for his failure?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll force him to expert before swapping his soul with someone more suitable.¡± The man said stoically. ¡°Why do you want that Kyrion so much anyway? He seemed so weak.¡± Milo stated. ¡°Milo my child, that boy houses a power in his body that could propel us forward. It¡¯s a more concentrated version of what you inherited.¡± ¡°Then how can he be so weak?¡± Milo asked. ¡°He isn¡¯t. It¡¯s more accurate to say his power is too much for him right now. When he grows into it then it will be like finding a diamond in the sand.¡± The shaman stated. ¡°How did Leon lose so easily anyway. I thought he was one of the strongest in this world.¡± ¡°He was, but the person we had take control of his body proved to be incompetent.¡± Said the shaman ¡°What will you do with his body then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll claim it for myself. With potential like that, and my knowledge I¡¯ll be unstoppable!¡± The man stood and laughed wickedly. Horns began growing from his skull as his height doubled. Milo stood behind his father and decided to stay quiet. If the body was so good, he¡¯d take it for himself. Then train it to the point where he could take the seat of power from his father. That¡¯s the way of the Beastblood Empire, after all.
Cordelia took a long drag on a cigar as she held the helm of the ship she was steering. After evacuating the majority of the country of Limguard, she was tasked with leading them to their new home. The Isle of Rudea, the place where she was born. A country torn apart by a civil war that ended in the deaths of nearly every man, woman, and child still there. A spirit master on the losing side cursed the remainder of the population, which led to them dying out. That was well over fifty years ago. After that, the place had been mostly cleaned out. Used as a hideout for a certain pirate fleet from time to time. This is where the refugees will hide for the time being. Martialing their forces for the retaking of their home and invasion the further invasion of the Beastblood empire. The only thing left for her to do is train up her granddaughter. She wasn¡¯t the king and had no desire to run this new territory.
A red-haired woman entered a room on the top floor of a nice hotel. It was a penthouse suite with a view of the outside. Its shape was something that didn¡¯t naturally fit in the time and place they lived in. Yet, it could quickly spark a trend in similar establishments. Gamodren stood over the Balcony, looking out the sky above longingly. ¡°So you know. Should Kyrion die and I deem it your fault.¡± ¡°Kyrion knows not to trust me. I dont have his best interest at heart. Yet it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t care. It¡¯s as though he just does what he wants on a whim. Healing that Brion kid, and then providing him with a way to surpass him in power again. Befriending the Belfour girl on their first meeting. Heck, he even managed to rope the assassin guild into his circle. It¡¯s like he sees things differently than the rest of us.¡± ¡°Does he know that he¡¯s friends with assassins?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And the Belfour girl?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t meant to survive the trip. Had we not been there then she and her father would be sleeping in the sands. Had it ended there then I¡¯d have just thought he was charismatic.¡± Gamodren explained. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ceres. Is a dragon and not just a normal dragon, a deep dragon. Heh!¡± Gamodren laughed dryly. ¡°He convinced the dryads in the forest of purity to help him get to his goal. I wasn¡¯t expecting him to pull a legendary sword from stone. Seems he¡¯s done that twice now. Undine volunteered to be his spirit but settled for joining his core. Believe it or not I did not plan for all of this. I¡¯m not omnipotent nor all knowing. I just act like this is normal because around him the laws of the world seem to shift in his favor naturally.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°That happens around him. He¡¯s been doing that since he¡¯s been born. It¡¯s as though the world around him has been helping him since his birth. The reason we had him farm so much was because it let him stay outdoors unhindered. The plants would happily absorb the excess mana that radiated from him, which would in turn keep him from exploding.¡± ¡°I still find it weird how he can just pull people in like that. Makes me question who I work for.¡± Curella sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a trait most rulers have and will kill for. It¡¯s why my grandfather was able to lead a band of loyal pirates. I guess he sensed it in Kyrion as well.¡± ¡°The blood is strong in that one.¡± Said a blue-haired man sitting at a piano that hadn¡¯t been in the room earlier. ¡°Did you notice him?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°No. But I should have known better.¡± Curella sighed as the butler began to play on a piano that had not been in the room moments ago. ¡°Charles, right? How did your employer know Kyrion would lose an eye?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Fate would be an easy way to put it. Some families are predisposed to injuries. Others might say that the eye I gave him is cursed. To be fair, he would have lost the eye, rather he had it or not. It would have felt weird giving it to him after the fact.¡± Charles stated. ¡°Is that grandfather¡¯s eye?¡± Curella asked. ¡°Yes, though it didn¡¯t fully bond to him hence it being left behind.¡± Charles said. ¡°It isn¡¯t a core is it?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Nope looks like a core feels like a core, it¡¯s more a family heirloom that passes itself down in sporadic intervals. I don¡¯t really know what it does but I do know that it is powerful in its own way.¡± Charles stated. ¡°He¡¯s been given so much. Does he even know loss?¡± ¡°Time mostly, his childhood pet, years of living with his body burning him from the inside. Now an eye. Somehow instead of becoming a psychotic murderer, he decided on the path of making lives better. That¡¯s already odd for someone in our family, you know he can kill with his abilities, it¡¯s a mental block mostly.¡± Curella stated. ¡°I told him he¡¯d gain the ability to kill if he got a lot stronger. It may be better if he never does however. So, I assume you came here to talk about my proposal? It¡¯s quite hard to act on it with the butler here.¡± Gamodren stated. Curella didn¡¯t seem bothered by the attempt to unnerve her. ¡°No. Just came here to warn you though I¡¯m sure Charles has a similar purpose as well seeing as he¡¯s here.¡± She left after saying that. Gamodren waited a minute before approaching the butler. ¡°So I assume you don¡¯t want Kyrion getting hurt either.¡± ¡°So long as he doesn¡¯t die I don¡¯t care how much danger you put in him. Hell I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get himself in more trouble than you could put him in. Pressure can turn air into diamonds afterall.¡± The butler turned his closed eyes and stared into the man. ¡°Thats. Different, are you s..¡± Gamodren was interrupted. ¡°But know this, should your schemes put our dear Asela in danger, I will give you a fate worse than death.¡± Charles opened dark blue eyes with no sclera, no pupils. His irises took up most of his eyes. At the center, his eyes seemed to grow brighter. Charles closed his eyes again and got back to playing on the piano. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to be careful. That student of mine is almost more trouble than he¡¯s worth.¡± Gamodren began to smoke from his pipe. It wasn¡¯t real. The act just calmed his nerves. When monsters surround you, it¡¯s best not to poke them if they can be friendly. At that moment, Gamodren could swear that the butler had smiled. Cordelia: part 1 Cordelia, a noble in only memory, with hair as red as an apple, eyes like emeralds, and a modest height of five feet. She was around two months pregnant and bored watching her husband work on their farm. Due to an incident involving the rotting of their entire crop, she had been banned from touching the merchandise. Bill was anything but lazy when it came to farming. When it came to training, he was adamant about doing things slowly. This is why he was still a practitioner after thirty or so years. Bill brought his gardening hoe down on a field and plowed it all in a matter of seconds before repeating the process with a bundle of seeds. The couple¡¯s two youngest daughters were playing in the dirt. Both were toddlers, at the ages of two and three. Both looked nearly identical, and both had their clothes caked in mud. Their red hair was almost brown. Cordelia stood up to reprimand the toddlers when her head started hurting, and she felt a surge from deep within her body. She could feel the world around her on a scale beyond what she knew. Her body began to fade from Imala. She knew instinctively that if she went now. The child would die. And her plans for vengeance along with it. So she rejected the influx of power and fell to the ground, blood running from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The girls looked up and ran to their mother. Quite worried about the incident that had occurred. Of course, the two started crying. Bill turned from his work and looked at his daughters before following their gaze to his wife. He immediately ran to her side and cautiously carried her to their room so she could rest. ¡°Where are the older ones when I need them?¡± Bill muttered. ¡°Mama sick?¡± Asked the three-year-old. ¡°She just needs some rest. Stay here while I go look for the village doctor.¡± Bill turned around and was ready to run when a strong grip grabbed his wrist. Turning around, he noticed Cordelia¡¯s eyes were half-open. ¡°Send for my father, tell him everything and I¡¯m sure he can find someone more suitable. No offense but the village doctor is a quack.¡± ¡°Your father¡­You know he doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Then take the children with you. He¡¯ll dote on them more than he¡¯ll despise you.¡± Cordelia told him. ¡°You¡¯ll be alone for three days, and that¡¯s me sprinting.¡± Bill stated. ¡°I won¡¯t be. Jr is returning today after all.¡± She said with a gone expression. Bill¡¯s face twisted with grief. ¡°The Reaper of Denvall is said to have murdered everyone in that Kingdom. Man, woman, and child there is no way that Jr got out of something like that.¡± ¡°Oh ye of little faith.¡± Cordelia He washed his two daughters before putting on a toddler harness capable of carrying both of them. He usually used it when he took them on walks. It was so convenient for when his daughters got tired and refused to walk. ¡°Dad?¡± Asked the three-year-old. ¡°Yes, Dwen?¡± Bill replied. ¡°I¡¯m Thalia!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. Are you sure?¡± The three-year-old shrugged. ¡°Yes, Thalia.¡± Bill corrected, shaking his head. ¡°Are you leaving mom on the grass?¡± Thalia asked. Bill stood there, his expression blank as his underused brain began to roar into motion. He placed the girls back on the ground. ¡°Daddy going fast?¡± Thalia asked. ¡°Back in a moment.¡± In around two minutes, Bill had managed to carry his wife into their bedroom and procured a glass of water for her when she woke up. He returned, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. ¡°Now we go.¡± ¡°Fast! Fast !¡± Replied the two-year-old. She seemed to like that word. ¡°Yes I will. Go to the bathroom now I won¡¯t be making any stops.¡± Bill watched as his two daughters disappeared for a few minutes and returned. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He strapped them safely in the harness, did some stretches, and jogged two the capital city. A trip that would typically take a month in a caravan. At the pace, he was going. However, he¡¯d be there that night. Sadly children don¡¯t care much for pace. Ten minutes after leaving, he had his first request. ¡°Daddy, I gotta go!¡± Bill¡¯s face looked resigned. Slowing his jog but not stopping. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go ten minuets ago?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have to then.¡± Thalia answered proudly. After a sigh, he made a quick stop near an orange tree. Picking a few as he waited for the three-year-old to finish. After another ten minutes of running, he felt both his daughters fall asleep and slowed to a stop. Pulling out his trusty hoe, he planted it into the ground and stood on the blade¡¯s upper part, propelling them forward with earth mana. Cordelia awoke to a loud knock on the door. Climbing out of her bed, she made her way towards the sound. While a bit slow, she was steadily making her way there. The world seemed to be spinning ever so slightly. The person knocked again, harder and louder this time. Cordelia was ten feet away from the door but decided to take her time in answering since the person at the door seemed to enjoy beating on it. The person knocked a third time before Cordella managed to pull the door open. The man at the door was over six feet tall, with a tattered straw hat on his head. His short red hair was ragged, and his green eyes seemed haunted. Across his body was a beaten black cloak covering a suite of heavily damaged banded mail armor. They told the story of a man who survived a battle no sane mortal would have been a part of. ¡°So. I was right about you being the reaper.¡± Cordelia stated. ¡°That place was messed up well before I got there,just cleaned it up. Long time no see mother. Mind if I lay low here for a while?¡± He cracked a weary smile that did not reach his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help with a few things. Other than that I¡¯m sure everyone will be happy to see you.¡± She let her wayward son in. After a brief embrace Jr let go in shock. ¡°Mother, your ice cold. Are you ok?¡± ¡°Not sure I resisted the call. I¡¯m pregnant again, and would hate to lose him if I don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Again mother¡­¡± Jr sighed ¡°Isn¡¯t much else to do here in the sticks. You and your sister left years ago. Can¡¯t leave the country, can¡¯t cause a scene. Well I could do those things but it¡¯d end the ceasefire early.¡± Cordelia crossed her arms. ¡°Empty nest syndrome.¡± Jr sighed. ¡°Possibly. We¡¯re sending for a doctor since things aren¡¯t right.¡± Cordelia sat down on a wooden chair. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll help where I can.¡± Jr said resolutely. The quack doctor from the village arrived, did a cursory checkup, and diagnosed the woman with an extreme case of morning sickness before giving her some tea said to help ease the symptoms. ¡°Told you not to bring him.¡± Cordelia looked up from her bed. ¡°He seemed like a better doctor when I was a kid.¡± Jr eyed the quack as he left. ¡°He is only skilled in natural sicknesses and the like. This is anything but natural.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jr asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t progress on purpose. Something must have pushed me over the edge for me to hear the call at a time like that. Pushing all my mana into that quality. Yet it locked me out of incarnation as well, since I didn¡¯t Immediately leave.¡± Cordelia sat up and scratched her chin. ¡°Sabotage.¡± Fury seemed to grow in his eyes. ¡°Someone who knows that I escaped execution. Or someone who knew I was pregnant.¡± ¡°Execution? No, probably not. Why would you say that?¡± Jr asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My father, your father and the Kind of this Kingdom are the only ones who were involved in that. Which leaves the pregnancy, that was something only Bill was aware of. He wouldn¡¯t do anything like this.¡± Cordelia began racking her brain. ¡°So he hasn¡¯t been born yet.¡± Jr¡¯s face contorted into a grimace. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a him?¡± Cordellia squinted, preparing to draw a blade should he be an imposter. ¡°Intuition? Stuff, I can¡¯t say or Imala herself will send me packing.¡± Jr said. ¡°Stuff you can¡¯t say because you passed that line already and something happened?¡± Cordelia. ¡°I can neither confirm nor Deny.¡± ¡°What can you say?¡± ¡°You are die in Denvall eighteen years from now. Well you would have.¡± Jr scratched his head. ¡°So someone went and fucked with time.¡± Lightning struck a tree outside the house. Causing it to burn blue flame. ¡°Mother.¡± Bill protested. ¡°That goddess is watching now. I know, she hates profanity. But she¡¯s supposed to leave people alone when in houses.¡± Cordelia said more towards the burning tree. ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t want you corrupting the unborn.¡± ¡°Then maybe she shouldn¡¯t have let this much happen on her world. If she¡¯s going to send her chosen at me for this much then she¡¯ll have my wrath.¡± Cordelia¡¯s eyes began to shift from green to solid black. ¡°Uh huh. Seeing it first hand makes more sense now.¡± ¡°Seeing what?¡± She seethed. ¡°Your wrath. The one in there seems to have inherited it. Didn¡¯t you all do so in one way or another?¡± ¡°No. If I¡¯m being honest he may actually have turned out worse. Hailed as a god of madness and death.¡± ¡°Madness?¡± ¡°When do jokes stop being funny?¡± ¡°When people get seriously hurt.¡± Cordelia sighed. ¡°When one who takes pride in cruel jokes goes on a rampage. What would you call them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bad huh? I planned on raising him personally. Guess I¡¯ll let Bill train then.¡± ¡°I mean why not. If the people after my brother won¡¯t play fair, why should I?¡± Bill Jr. answered. ¡°I see. Do you know who is after this little one?¡± Cordelia motioned towards her stomach. ¡°The one who drove him to madness in the first place. Can¡¯t say who can¡¯t say where. Still don¡¯t quite know how they did this.¡± Jr noticed his mother getting a little faint and decided to help her to her bed. Jr. felt one of his fingers break as the woman tried to hold on to his hand. He didn¡¯t wince, not sure if it was an accident, and led her back towards her room. ¡°Do you know who else would have memories?¡± She asked as her son lifted her. ¡°Possibly grandfather. He was the one who leveled Denvall last time, and he incarnated soon after. Charles does as well, though he¡¯s still with my cousin.¡± Bill Jr. placed his mother in the bed and tucked her in. ¡°Hasn¡¯t our family done enough harm?¡± Cordelia soon passed out. ¡°A good lil trickster. That does sound nice.¡± Jr sighed. He spent ten minutes waiting in there before heading out to case the perimeter. Cordelia: part 2 Bill had made it to the capital in under a day and stood at the front gate leading into Limguard. He was tempted to just skip the line but decided it was time to feed his irritable passengers a snack to hold them over. He peeled quite a few oranges for his daughters before it was their turn. He just flashed a badge that he held on his person at all times. His royal crest was a gift for his feats of bravery on the battlefield. The guards saluted and let him into the capital without much fuss. He then skipped over the majority of the city. Much to the children¡¯s glee. In a matter of minutes, he was standing in front of a mansion. Before he could knock, the door was opened by a tall, green-skinned orc. ¡°Dorgon?¡± Bill was quite surprised. ¡°I have been told to turn everyone away. Fath¡­ I mean Alexander is a little hungover. Partied a bit too hard and is now hungover.¡± ¡°Tell him his daughter is sick and she sent me to ask for his help.¡± ¡°What happened to Cordelia?¡± Dorgon asked. ¡°She passed out on the porch, she said something about a call. I don¡¯t understand.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Come on in then.¡± The orc led the group to an old man with streaks of red hair among silver. The old man sat there holding his head in a prosthetic hand, a glass of clear liquid resembling water. Next to it was a large cup of brown liquid. ¡°The cure for a hangover isn¡¯t more drinking.¡± Bill said stoically. ¡°Is she pregnant right now?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°Yes. We didn¡¯t¡­.¡± Bill started. ¡°Kyrion correct?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t look up from the cups. ¡°How¡­¡± Bill¡¯s face was shocked. That was the name he wanted to give his son. He hadn¡¯t told Cordelia that yet. ¡°Not much I can do if they tried to take him out through his mother¡­.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Your son is in grave danger, and will be in danger so long as the person after him exists.¡± ¡°Who is after him?¡± Alexander gripped his head. ¡°A foe that lives in the mainland. Kyrion won¡¯t encounter him for quite some time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Cordilla?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say. I was told to give you this charm by a creature that came in one of those dreams.¡± Alexander tossed him an ornament made from silver fur and a purple stone resembling an eye. The two toddlers had managed to escape their harnesses and began to explore the mansion. Followed by the large orc who kept his distance. ¡°Dwen, Thalia¡­¡± Bill started. ¡°Give the necklace to Cordelia. You can leave the children here. These next few months are going to be quite busy.¡± Alexander stood up to eight feet and casually scooped the smaller one and put her on his shoulder. ¡°So high!¡± The smaller one replied. ¡°Me too!¡± Said the second after she saw her sister get picked up. ¡°Now let¡¯s go watch some blood sports!¡± Alexander pulled out a notebook. Alexander obliged and carried the two out of the house. Giving Bill a chance to escape, leaving his harness behind. ¡°Mother, just what are you doing?¡± Jr asked. Cordelia was digging through the tangerine tree. ¡°Just getting a snack.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡± ¡°I just have a taste for tangerines¡¯¡± ¡°But you hate tangerines.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been craving them lately.¡± ¡°You could just ask me to get them for you.¡± Jr crossed his arms. ¡°Nah.¡± Cordelia made her way back into the house and sat in a chair. Jr was casing the perimeter when he saw a man approaching high speeds on a wave of earth. He ran to intercept the man, summoning a shovel in his right hand in preparation for an attack. The two met at a stalemate, farming implements raised. ¡°Son?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Dad.¡± Jr replied. ¡°Did you speak with your mother?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure she is a bit more informed than you are.¡± Jr answered. ¡°How much do you know?¡± ¡°That my brother¡¯s name will be Kyrion.¡± Jr stated. ¡°You too. Did I write it down somewhere?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Mom can freely explain what I told her. What I can¡¯t tell her I also can¡¯t tell you. Because rules it seems.¡± Jr answered. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t this be morning sickness. You and your grandfather both know stuff but won¡¯t give up any information.¡± Bill tried to pry a bit more but found he was talking to a brick wall. ¡°I can tell you that in his current condition, he won¡¯t survive a full term. I can see that with my mana sight. He is being slowly eaten away by both a second mind and the quality of mana running rampant.¡± Jr answered. ¡°Any good news?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Jr replied. ¡°Then I guess I do have more information. Let¡¯s continue this conversion inside.¡± The pair entered the house, with Bill running to his wife. ¡°Bill, where are the girls?¡± She asked with worry in her voice. ¡°With your father.¡± Bill replied. Cordelia groaned. ¡°I bet he took them straight to the arena. Did you find a doctor at least?¡± ¡°No but your father said to wear this when you sleep. Dorgon¡¯s with them so there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Bill placed the trinket in her cold hands. Worry spread across his face. ¡°A trinket. Did dad go senile¡­No he wouldn¡¯t. But this is bad.¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°What''s bad?¡± ¡°If they''re with Dorgon then I doubt they¡¯ll eat my cooking ever again.¡± ¡°We have bigger problems, like how our son seems to be hiding things from us?¡± Bill asked, looking at Jr. skeptically. ¡°I¡¯m right here you know.¡± Jr. said. ¡°Time isn¡¯t something that should be altered, but that goes out the window if the enemy already broke the rules. Of course there are things he can¡¯t tell us, and shouldn¡¯t. But there are things he can do. Jr. can you find Curella for me?¡± ¡°Curella. The Witch of the Isle of death.¡± Jr made sure. ¡°Yes, that Curella. I assume someone killed her if she wasn¡¯t able to incarnate.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°How astute.¡± Jr. said. ¡°What?¡± Bill was caught off guard and a little mad. ¡°I want you to fetch her and bring her back kicking and screaming if necessary. I¡¯ll need her assistance with a few things. Tell her that I¡¯ll give her the necronomicon. Yes this includes the forbidden Ritual Necropolis.¡± ¡°Oh. That should get her here in a hurry.¡± Jr nodded. ¡°On and on about that stupid spell with you all. What makes it so great anyway?¡± ¡°Dad¡­ Didn¡¯t you assist mom with this spell during the last war?¡± ¡°Yeah. All it did was kill a bunch of people and turn them into undead. How is that something we should be giving our daughter?¡± Bill didn¡¯t seem happy about the subject. ¡°Knowledge, the book has information from many different theories and concepts centered on necromancy. I burned through quite a few libraries and ancient tomes, putting that book together.¡± ¡°Burn as in figurative or literal.¡± Bill scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination.¡± Cordelia moved on. ¡°Just going to ask. Are we the bad guys here? I mean, some time traveling jackass is trying to prevent our son from being born. Like some dark prophecy.¡± ¡°I mean.¡± Cordelia thought about it. ¡°Your dad was even a pirate known for his ruthlessness.¡± Bill was exasperated. ¡°What do you want me to do, to keep him ignorant of our powers leaning toward nefarious purposes?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Let me train him. Keep your corruption away from my baby boy.¡± Bill offered. Cordelia looked to Jr., who hid a smirk. ¡°Well, if your volun¡­.¡± Cordelia started as blood began to pour down her nose before she passed out. Cordelia was stuck in a forest. No matter where she went, the destination she arrived at was an empty clearing. After exhausting her routes, she took a seat in the clearing and waited. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°A life, for a life.¡± The sound came from every direction at once. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cordelia stood up as though she was going to fight. ¡°I can provide a way to save your child but the cost will be great to you both.¡± ¡°What type of cost?¡± ¡°You will lose your ability to incarnate on your own, along with access to your spirits. For all intents and purposes you will be a normal human with a slightly increased lifespan.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the other cost.?¡± ¡°The child will know great pain, in a body saturated with mana. More than likely, the child won¡¯t fully make it to their age of awakening. They will be quite frail and prone to attacks.¡± ¡°Will he live?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°It¡¯s probably the only way. You can gain back your abilities later. But I am not certain of the method, just that someone had succeeded in doing so before.¡± ¡°So what are you getting out of it?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°As with most things in life there are strings attached. While his chances of survival may be limited, he will be all the stronger for it. I intend to have him form a contract with the spirit of one of my children.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he have a spirit already? It isn¡¯t something you can just pick under normal circumstances.¡± ¡°The cure will alter everything inside his core. The connection to that spirit should either be erased or greatly weakened. If it¡¯s weakened then it may resurface in time. All this means is that he has the capacity to hold multiple spirits.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Cordelia¡¯s face fell as she seemed to recall something. ¡°Find me in the forest nearby, I will answer your questions there.¡± Cordelia awoke with a headache and dry throat. ¡°H-ow was I out?¡± ¡°Two months.¡± Replied an irritated feminine voice. ¡°How the witch graces me with her presence.¡± Cordelia sat up and examined the woman in front of her. Standing at a whopping five-ten, straight black hair reached her shoulders. Her eyes were an eerie blue, and her skin a sickly olive color. ¡°What did you do to yourself?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Nothing. Just remote possession.¡± ¡°Where is your real body then?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± She answered. ¡°And I wont give my book to some stranger who claims to be my daughter.¡± ¡°But I am Curella.¡± ¡°Whose body is that then?¡± ¡°Something like, a follower.¡± ¡°So you formed a pact with it¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you at least come in person.¡± ¡°I am here. Just busy doing research. Can¡¯t wait on you forever.¡± ¡°So heartless. I can see why Bill wants to raise the next one near you. Can you let the others know that we¡¯re going to have a family meeting?¡± ¡°Uggg! Fine. But you better have your book.¡± Bill Jr. sat at the dinner table with a stick of straw in his mouth. His straw hat stuck to his head. Currently, he was relaxing in his chair. Bill sat next to his wife with a tired expression on his face. He had made dinner, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the reason for their gathering at the table. The black-haired woman stood in the corner of the room, patiently waiting for something to happen. Her eyes seemed to have reverted to a dark brown. There was a plate for her at the table, but she didn¡¯t care to sit. She wasn¡¯t a member of the family after all. Across from Cordelia was a bronze-skinned woman with curly red hair. Atop her head was a big pointy hat and a black dress that seemed all too revealing for the occasion. She seemed to be around five two, her emerald green eyes shining through. Her glare was boring a hole into Cordelia, or at least it would if she had that ability. Cordelia had a stoic look on her face and took everything in. ¡°FIrst thing¡¯s first. When this child is born, the use of your powers is to be limited to mundane or subtle uses. Don¡¯t make them obvious, and don¡¯t expose the dark nature of said abilities. Do not bring up killing anyone in casual conversation near said child. I want him to be innocent at least for a little while. Don¡¯t need your influences corrupting him.¡± Cordelia looked at her two oldest children. Who nodded in understanding. ¡°Bill will be handling his training when its time to begin. I don¡¯t want you teaching him how to fight.¡± ¡°But dad¡¯s weak!¡± Curella spoke loudly. ¡°Do you want to train him?¡± ¡°Well no but.¡± ¡°I know what he¡¯ll be capable of if we were to teach him, and while devastating it tends to cause a bit too much fear. We don¡¯t want him to be known as, The Demon King, or other monikers given to certain people of our family.¡± Jr crossed his arms. ¡°Mom is the Death Tyrant, I¡¯m the Witch of Death. That¡¯s only two out of four and what do you mean by you already know. He hasn¡¯t been born yet.¡± Curella eyed her brother. Jr felt mana attempt to enter his mind and repelled it casually. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again dear sister.¡± His sclera turned black as the pressure in the room seemed to get heavy. The women standing in the corner passed out from the pressure. While those at the table seemed to take it. But it had the intended effect of showing his prowess. ¡°Your aura is¡­ It¡¯s like I was drowning in a sea of corpses¡­.¡± BIll eyed his son. ¡°You didn¡¯t escape the Reaper. You are the Reaper.¡± The haunted look did not return to his face. ¡°You reap what you sow dad, and they sowed seeds of death. I just helped them out a bit.¡± ¡°Yeah none of that.¡± Cordelia seemed to be the only one unaffected by the display. ¡°I won¡¯t. Guess I¡¯ll need to pretend that my power is only an upgrade to dad¡¯s then.¡± Curella looked at her brother as though he had grown a second head. ¡°Eight Million¡­ Just who took your sweetroll.¡± ¡°Only Four million, the attack left them weak and the Beastblood Empire capitalized on it. Then stuck me with the check.¡± ¡°Any million is two much when it comes to killing.¡± Bill stated with a blank expression. ¡°How did you accomplish something like that?¡± Curella asked, suddenly interested. ¡°Plague. Humans need water, when a tasteless, clear, and self multiplying poison makes its way into a water supply, people slowly die.¡± ¡°You poisoned them?¡± Bill was aghast. ¡°Not directly, one of their nobles did in an attempt to proc a coup. I just shifted some earth and Killed said noble and his approaching army.¡± ¡°How big was the army?¡± ¡°Only thirty thousand or so strong. That poison was very potent.¡± Jr took a bite out of the roast that his dad had prepared. ¡°Not as bad as I thought.¡± Bill stated. ¡°I killed a lot of innocents indirectly. I say that¡¯s on my head. Though that incident isn¡¯t why my presence is like this.¡± ¡°End of conversation.¡± Cordella stated. There was no protest, and the group ate dinner in silence before Curellla spoke up. ¡°Why call me home then?¡± ¡°Because I need your assistance. I won¡¯t be able to use mana soon. I¡¯ll need you two to defend the farm and village in my place. Raising this one without my powers is going to be a handful.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or jealous of our new arrival.¡± Curella grumbled. Cordelia flicked her wrist, and a big black book with the front part of a human skull embedded in the cover materialized from a black flame. She then casually tossed it to her daughter. Curella caught the book in reverence before opening the book and finding that the book was empty. ¡°It¡¯s warded. You¡¯ll need to use a key spell to read it. Breaking the ward destroys the book.¡± Cordelia explained. ¡°I get the password after I help you?¡± ¡°You get the password after you make an oath to help me defend the farm until the child leaves for his early schooling.¡± Bill Jr made the oath with ease while Cordelllia eyed her mother. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°For our safety of course. I get the feeling that some time here will help what¡¯s going on there.¡± Cordelia motioned to Curella and the unconscious stranger in her house. ¡°Are you saying I can¡¯t keep her?¡± Curella asked with the tone a child might use when told to kick out the stray. ¡°She can¡¯t stay here. Can¡¯t you just send her back?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Let me guess. She was an orphan or something along those lines and now she follows you like a puppy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep her in the lab. You won¡¯t even know she¡¯s here.¡± Curella said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to take care of her because you got bored. One slip up and she¡¯s gone.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°Why can¡¯t she stay? We have the room.¡± Jr asked, as he eyed the strange woman with curiosity. Cordelia looked at her son and eyed him carefully. ¡°You, mostly.¡± Curella eyed her brother before looking at her father. ¡°Five is a big number of children to have.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t sleep with her!¡± Jr yelled defensively. ¡°Mmmhmmm. Listen son, some patterns are just genetic. I wouldn¡¯t tempt fate. At least wait till the baby is old enough to walk.¡± Cordelia said knowingly. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll just convince one of my guin¡­ friends to take her in. So she can keep an eye on things for me.¡± Curella sighed. ¡°Dad¡­Sometimes I hate you. But you¡¯re the reason I exist. Honestly, would it have been too much to ask to stop after me?¡± Curella punched her older brother in the ribcage and sent him comically flying out of the chair. Jr lay curled in a ball-like shape in a crater on the floor. ¡°Yall are repairing that.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Bill, how long was I out and we need to go to the forest after this. Also where are my other two daughters?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°With your dad. Ok. Two months.¡± He answered in the reverse order. ¡°They are going to be insufferable when they get back.¡± Cordelia chewed her thumbnail. ¡°The man loves his grandchildren. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Bill answered happily. ¡°They¡¯re going to be spoiled rotten. I bet they already forgot about us.¡± Cordelia sighed. Cordelia and Bill made their way to the forest and found themselves surrounded by fog. Bill began to raise his weapon when a swift chop to his neck from his wife seemed to knock him unconscious. Unluckily for him, he didn¡¯t see her do it. ¡°Come on out!¡± Cordelia crossed her arms and stood strong. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to knock him out.¡± ¡°I did. Though for different reasons. My older brother didn¡¯t have any spirits tied to him when he was born. We were technically twins and he was the first born. He seemed sickly and weak like you stated. My father had to obtain cores for him to even fully awaken. It doesn¡¯t seem that uncommon.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°It isn¡¯t. There is a spirit in there that needs to be sealed. It¡¯s already awake and active. The Ilunan I plan on giving you will strip it of all its power and suppress it, along with the excess mana inside.¡± ¡°All that mana in a body with no way out. Is that what you meant by he will be a risk. Physical exertion is a way to drain mana naturally. But he won¡¯t be able to do much of that as a newborn.¡± ¡°Which is why there is a chance he¡¯ll die. But isn¡¯t that better than him dying outright?¡± ¡°Always take chances when inaction leads to death.¡± Cordelia answered. ¡°Wise words.¡± The creature nodded. ¡°What next?¡± Cordelia sighed. ¡°Eat the fruit. Should he survive his birth, I will impart my mark onto him.¡± A large black and white paw appeared. Placed a basket holding a strange multicolored fruit with a Fibonacci spiral pattern covering the entire fruit. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he¡¯s a harder worker than his father.¡± She held out her hand to shake. The multicolored paw reappeared, and they shook hands. Cordelia bit into the strange fruit, and it was good at first. It tasted horrible as she finished the fruit, like churned milk left out in the sun. Quite pulpy as well. After a few minutes, she sat on the ground hacking. Blood began to pour from her eyes, nose, and mouth in a pool of black ink. Cordelia watched as the remainder of her mana had vanished, making her as mundane as a normal person. ¡°I hate this already. You better not cause trouble now. You hear?¡± Cordelia told her growing stomach. Shen then lay in the grass and waited for her husband to wake up and carry her back to the house. The rest of Cordeillia¡¯s pregnancy was more or less mundane. The only thing odd was the lack of kicks or any other noticeable effects. Mana sight determined that the baby was still alive and not moving. It was the end of the summer when the premature baby came into the world. Hair as red as blood and eyes closed off to the world. He did not cry nor scream. It didn¡¯t even move. The newborn just lay swaddled in his receiving blanket, unresponsive to the world around him. Bill eyed his son, sorrow in his eyes. ¡°Cordelia, I think somethings wrong. He isn¡¯t moving, and he isn¡¯t breathing.¡± ¡°Curella can you check on his vitals? Bill, give him here.¡± She took her baby and held onto him. ¡°He¡¯s alive¡­ But something isn¡¯t right. I¡¯ll need to test his subconscious.¡± ¡°Do it!¡± Cordelia commanded. Curella nodded and ran out of the room to pick up some equipment. ¡°Why Kyrion. Why are you not with us?¡± She held on a bit harder. Jr entered the room in a hurry and looked at the baby. ¡°The Scarlet Daemon has been born.¡± ¡°Not now.¡± Cordelia was unresponsive. ¡°I see. Can I get you anything? Water, a hot towel, spirits?¡± Jr stood in a corner and waited. Cordelia didn¡¯t answer and just looked at the child. Curella returned with a mortar and pestle along with some herbs and began mixing. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jr asked. ¡°Making something that will allow us to enter his subconscious mind.¡± Curella stated. ¡°You mean you. I am not entering his head.¡± Jr put his foot down. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go in. He¡¯s a newborn. How bad can it be?¡± Curella rubbed some of the paste under the baby¡¯s nose and then some under her¡¯s. Jr. raised an eyebrow and sighed. Curella found herself in a world with no light, no sound, and a constant burning sensation as though her body was being burned from the inside. The feeling was constant, and before long, she noticed that her throat had been hurting. She tried to leave and found herself engulfed by tendrils of darkness. Using she empowered her form with mana and pushed the shadows away, although the pressure was still there, eating away at her defenses. A bestial roar made itself known as something primal. Something angry. A creature with no understanding lashing out at anything it could find. This time she cut off the connection. Curella lay on the ground coughing. ¡°What in the Abyss was that? I was overpowered. His mind is sick.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s alive?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Yes. Though from what I¡¯ve felt he is in alot of pain. I won¡¯t trust anything that wakes up from that.¡± Curella crossed her arms after standing. ¡°Mana poisoning. Would be the closest to what we could call it. We¡¯ll have to keep a constant watch on him.¡± Cordelia said. Jr sighed. ¡°Causing trouble in his sleep. Kyr, some things never change.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? He¡¯s just been born.¡± ¡°Nothing you need to worry about.¡± Jr stuck a piece of straw in his mouth and walked out. Bill Sr. entered the room and held onto the sleeping child. Its inert nature is a bit unsettling for a newborn. A tear ran down his face as he watched its stomach rise and fall from breathing. He did, in fact, smack the baby in an attempt to wake it up. Cordelia¡¯s consciousness faded as she fell back on the bed. She hadn¡¯t been that physically exhausted in decades. The baby boy squirmed a little, but it didn¡¯t open its eyes or show any other reaction. ¡°Boy, you¡¯re going to be trouble, stay strong, stay focused, and be stubborn.¡± Bill held onto the baby a bit longer before he was cleaned. Cordelia: part 3 [End] A year passed, and the child didn¡¯t awaken. His body is oddly in a healthy position despite not being able to eat or drink anything. Appearing as though a well-preserved corpse. Save for the fact that his breathing seemed steady, his red hair had grown a lot for a baby, having reached his back multiple times. Having to be cut quite often. If there was a bright side to the tragedy, he didn¡¯t produce any waste, as mana seemed to be the only thing sustaining him. Six more months passed as they began to lose hope until one day. ¡°Mom¡­ Did you finally give up and throw him out?¡± Jr yawned, trying to keep a straight face. ¡°No. Why? Shouldn¡¯t you be watching him?¡± Cordelia asked from the kitchen. Jr. had been watching him, but the boy had been asleep for more than a year. There were no signs of him waking. He was sure that the boy wouldn¡¯t have minded if he had taken a brief nap. Yet the bed Kyrion had been laying on for more than a year now lay empty. Jr looked around the room to see if he missed a baby falling off the bed. Finding that there was no missing baby on the floor. He did find red hair that hadn¡¯t been there earlier. Jr sent mana into his eyes and searched the area, finding nothing that seemed out of place. ¡°Odd¡­¡± He heard the door behind him open as Cordelia entered the room. ¡°Where did he go?¡± She was confused. ¡°Did dad move him?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you on watch?¡± ¡°I may have nodded off.¡± A frying pan hit the young man upside his head. However, due to his physical enhancements as a spirit master, it did no physical damage. His pride, however, did take a hit. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t expect him to just up and vanish. I wasn¡¯t out very long.¡± ¡°Well. If your dad didn¡¯t move him, then chances are he woke up.¡± Cordelia had a ray of hope in her eyes. They scoured the house before looking for Bill on the farm. He was currently harvesting cabbages as they became popular in the kingdom and were in high demand. ¡°Bill. Did you pick up Kyrion?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°No. Why would I pick him up? Shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Bill started ¡°He isn¡¯t in the house. Do you know what that means?¡± Jr added. ¡°He isn¡¯t in the house¡­ He moved. Who, how. Is he awake?¡± Bill asked ¡°Not sure. Hopefully. Help us find him.¡± Jr answered. ¡°But my cabbages¡­.¡± Bill looked longingly at his harvest. ¡°Damn the cabbages! We need to find our son.¡± Cordelia decreed, so it should be. They looked all over the farm and nearby area, yet they couldn¡¯t find the boy. Returning to the front of the house, they noticed that a large older man had been examining a tree. On his shoulders were two girls of a similar age and appearance. ¡°You didn¡¯t come back so I thought you had forgotten about them.¡± Said an old boisterous voice. ¡°Dad? What are you doing here?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°I just said. I¡¯m dropping off your two girls and checking on the grandson you said was sick. How long have you been making him sleep outside?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°He just up and vanished about an hour ago. How did he even get out the door?¡± Jr asked. ¡°I was in and out around that time but I wasn¡¯t looking out for a child at the time.¡± Bill realized his incompetence. ¡°So that newborn crawled out here on his own and took a nap under this shady tree. What¡¯s he holding?¡± Alexander motioned to clasped hands. ¡°That or Curella is messing with us. We walked past that tree a few times already, he sticks out like a sore thumb.¡± Cordelia eyed the boy¡¯s hands. She reached down to open them up. Inside rested a red and gold egg. The sound of pecking could be heard from inside. ¡°Hmmmmm. Mind If I take that off the boy¡¯s hands?¡± Alexander said. ¡°What is it?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Some Phoenix Egg. Looks like Imala is trying to recruit him herself.¡± ¡°What are you going to give me for it?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°I doubt a Pheonix egg would do him any good, though something of equal potential. I¡¯ll pay for his spirits.¡± Alexander¡¯s left eye shifted color as a red spiral began to form inside the pupils. ¡°Mom? Isn¡¯t this the tree she struck?¡± Jr said, examining the blue markings left on the bark. ¡°That sick bi¡­.¡± Cordelia started as a storm cloud appeared overhead in moments. ¡°What are you going to do with that egg?¡± Bill squinted. ¡°I have it on good authority that a descendant of mine will need it.¡± Alexander said with a stoic expression. ¡°Great. More cryptic stuff.¡± Bill picked up his son and sighed. ¡°Is that our new brother?¡± One of the two girls asked. Observing the baby slung over his shoulder. ¡°Yes he is.¡± Replied Cordelia, who did not want to get her two daughters mixed up at the moment. Alexander placed them both down before poking the small baby. ¡°He¡¯s got the hair. His father¡¯s skin, and your nature. He¡¯s definitely going to be a handful.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jr asked. ¡°A normal baby wouldn¡¯t just decide to go off on their own after waking up from a nap. They would at most look around and then start crying. Did you hear any crying? Any loud thud from a baby falling over?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°No. I did not.¡± Jr answered. ¡°This tree probably called towards him. He isn¡¯t as asleep as you may think. It¡¯s closer to being comatose, he mindlessly approached because it was pulling the mana out of his body. She then gave him something that would indeed her to him as it drained mana from him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯s essentially bleeding mana at the moment and mana tends to naturally spread slowly, stagnating is bad for him right now. I recommend taking him on strolls around the farm to help ease some of the burdan.¡± Alexander eyed the tree with suspicion. ¡°So working the farm will actually be good for him.¡± Bill stated. ¡°Exactly. It seems nature has decided to lay claim on this child.¡± Alexander sighed, raising his prosthetic right arm to the eyepatch over his left eye. ¡°You ok father?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Yeah, just the thought of someone with my blood working on a farm to survive feels off.¡± ¡°I have no intention of raising my children to be dogs in this empire. No offense dad, but while I want them to be strong I don¡¯t want them to be bound here. Make sure the schools keep up their test in this general area. Consistency makes situations like this easier to hide.¡± Cordelia seemed irritated. ¡°Fine fine. May I?¡± Alexander motioned for the child. ¡°Sure, try not to drop him.¡± Bill said with a straight face. Passing the baby to the older man. He held onto the baby, whose eyes seemed to open. Glaring at something curiously. His tiny hands slowly and methodically moved into a blind spot. ¡°He¡¯s awake.¡± Alexander said in surprise, holding the baby above his face. Cordelia moved to take her baby back lest he imprint on the old bearded man. She didn¡¯t have to worry for long as Kyrion did something no sane man, woman, beast, or deity would do willingly. He pulled off the old man¡¯s left eye patch. Waving the item around like a trophy, the baby soon found himself upside down. Looking into green eyes, which made him laugh, his victory achieved. ¡°Dad¡­Can I hold him now?¡± Cordelia said. ¡°Hmmm¡­ He¡¯s a quick one, all right. Watch your words around him. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he had woken up minutes ago and was just being quiet.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes followed the patch ¡°Where did you get that charm?¡± Cordelia asked as she held out her arms. ¡°A promise made is a promise kept, my dear.¡± Alexander handed the baby to his daughter. Cordelia cradled the baby in her arms and watched as his emerald green eyes stayed open for a brief moment. Before they rolled back into his head and he passed out again. He didn¡¯t wake up for another six months after that. Though the eyepatch was carefully removed from the child¡¯s grasp. Kyrion opened his eyes and looked around. The red-haired dude was sleeping again. So he climbed off the bed and slowly crawled to the room¡¯s exit. Suddenly he was in mid-air, suspended and trapped. The baby kicked, thrashed, and cursed his oppressor. Though the cursing came out as incoherent babbling. ¡°Not going to get me twice little Kyr! Good morning!¡± The straw man said with a smile on his face. The baby did not understand a thing he said and continued to thrash. ¡°Kyr stop that your going to take an eye out. Hey!¡± Jr held onto his brother. Kyion grabbed hard on his straw opponent and pulled with all his strength. The hat came off with ease! The child held it up for maybe half a second and then dropped it to the floor. Jr went to put the baby down so that he could put on his hat. But decided against it as he noticed a grin on the baby¡¯s face paired with a glint. ¡°Devil baby indeed. Sadly Kyr didn¡¯t give up the fight, and Jr had let his guard down, thinking he¡¯d won. A stray hand had latched onto his hair, and the baby started pulling. It didn¡¯t hurt, but it was an annoyance. Not doing any physical damage but messing up its style. ¡°Geeze. Kyr. I¡¯ll go let mom deal with you then.¡± Jr said. Kyrion continued to play with the hair in confusion as his oppressor finally took the hint and brought him out of the room. ¡°Mom guess who¡¯s up and active again.¡± Jr asked his mother. Jr passed the child to Cordelia¡¯s open arms, and Kyrion began to reach for her hair. An instinct resided deep inside his bones, and he stopped. Not sure what that feeling was. Just eying the woman who was now holding him. Kyrions stomach growled, and he smacked his lips, revealing a perfect set of baby teeth that had grown while he was out. ¡°Guess we can skip straight to solids.¡± Kyrion did not understand those words, but something deep in the pit of his stomach told him that everything in the room that could fit into his hands was food. On the table, he saw this bright orange ball of deliciousness. He wanted to eat that ball. He began reaching toward it. ¡°Oh, baby wants the tangerine?¡± Cordelia sat down and started peeling one. By the time she looked up to give him a piece, he had taken a bite out of a second one. Though the peel as though he was eating an apple. He devoured said tangerine whole with no trouble whatsoever. ¡°Ummm¡­ I don¡¯t think he cares about the peel.¡± Jr stated. Kyrion eyed the man with the straw hat as though he had just been insulted. ¡°He doesn¡¯t speak the common tongue yet does he?¡± Jr seemed a bit curious. ¡°No but he may have picked up on your tone. You¡¯ll need to be careful.¡± Cordellia joked. Kyrion made an uh oh face as he swallowed a bit too quickly. Clearly not chewing it enough. After a brief panic, he seemed to get the whole thing down. Oddly enough, not a single cry came from his mouth as he studied the people around him. While the family relaxed, he moved towards the rest of the basket on the table. Again an oppressive force lifted him off the table. This man was bald, dark, and mean-looking. He had this curly black stuff stuck to his chin, swinging back and forth. ¡°See, I got this. He loves me.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know what was said. But he did know that the thing on his chin showed an opening. Boom! Both hands latched onto the parisite, and he started pulling. After five seconds of pulling, the creature didn¡¯t go anywhere. The boy soon became bored and then went limp as weakness overtook him. ¡°He is going to be, trouble when he gets older¡­ He can¡¯t pass for a toddler yet¡­ but he already has a full set of working teeth. His growth is bizarre. If anyone asks, he¡¯s six months old and just an early bloomer in this case.¡± Cordelia announced. ¡°Can¡¯t walk, can¡¯t talk, can bite. We can just say he got his teeth early. It¡¯s not unheard of.¡± Bill sat down, relieved that his ropelike braided beard was still in place. Kyrion slowly eased his way out of the man¡¯s grasp like a noodle before falling to the floor. He slowly started crawling away from the loud giants. ¡°He¡¯s smart for a baby.¡± Thalia said, butting in. The five-year-old watched the baby who had slipped away unnoticed by the grownups. Slowly making his way towards the door. Both father and son panicked as the boy seemed to vanish out of thin air. ¡°Like I said, trouble.¡± Cordelia walked over, picked him up, and looked at him with a discerning eye. That sensation of fear waved through him again. He did not budge when she held him. The angry red-haired woman was in charge. ¡°Where is Curella?¡± Cordelia asked aloud. ¡°Well, she is convinced that Kyrion is some sort of possessed demon baby sent to set off the apocalypse.¡± Jr stated. ¡°Is she wrong?¡± Cordelia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hopefully.¡± Jr shrugged. Kyrion was giving his captor puppy dog eyes. Which seemed to cement his captured position. He saw the little giant with the even smaller little giant and came up with a plan. He began reaching for them as though he wanted to play. ¡°Mom. I think he wants to play with us!¡± Dwen said excitedly. ¡°Don¡¯t fall for it. I know that look in his eyes. He has that glint.¡± Cordelia stated. Both Bills went pale as the two youngest didn¡¯t seem to get it. Curella entered the room, looked at Kyrion, and noticed the active baby. The baby tried his puppy dog eyes on Curella to get her help. Curella responded by backing out of the room and maintaining eye contact with the baby as she left. With no way out and all hope dashed. Kyrion actually took a nap. ¡°And so it begins.¡± Cordelia sat down on a rocking chair, the child in hand, looking out a window. To the sky and the two moons above. Cecil: Twist of fate Cecil Calhoun, prodigy, thirteen-year-old valedictorian. Son of the town¡¯s janitor and doctor, an odd pairing anywhere else in the world. Given the nature of janitors in the town he lived in, it was a respected position. Apprentice to the old wizened archmage Sam. A master of all things religious, arcane, and the occult. Seller of all things charms, potions, Knickknacks, and baubles. Today was the day Cecil graduated from apprentice wizard to journeyman. Which would allow him to wield his powers in the open. It also meant he could move on from cantrips to actual one rank spells. He could become the man he always wanted to be. A dense harem protagonist. He looked at a poster hanging from a wall of some niche anime. Cecil pulled on the white cloak he¡¯d custom-made, something that didn¡¯t fit their modern world but screamed the words wizard. The training wand he¡¯d been using to focus his spells was in his side pocket. Something an archmage wouldn¡¯t need but an apprentice couldn¡¯t leave home without. His blond hair in a ponytail, blue eyes behind coke bottle glasses, and a relatively scrawny frame. He¡¯d have been a generic nerd if his early homeschooling had bullies. While his brief stint in high school, a solid two years time, made it clear that even in a school of monsters, he was a prodigy. Leaving his house was the easy part. Making it all the way to Uncle Sam¡¯s magic shack was a 30-minute run that could be trivialized with a car ride. The thing was, very few people owned cars here. Of those who did, maybe three had an actual license. And of those three, only two actually drove. Sadly one was a professional truck driver under Sam¡¯s employ and was busy picking up supplies for the small town. And the other one, Lorenzo, was running an errand for the old man. ¡°Land give me strength, wind give me swiftness.¡± He pointed his wand at his feet, and his legs began to glow. He quickly made it through the countryside past the weird building they were renovating and into prairie lands. In ten minutes, he¡¯d arrived at his destination. A little worse for wear, though on time. He walked up to the door and knocked with the special knock. An elderly Native American man with black hair answered the door. His face was done up in ritualistic paint, a feathered headdress on his head and paired with a feathered robe that held the skull of a small cow on his shoulder. ¡°Cecil, my boy! Follow me!¡± Sam led the boy into his shack. Towards the back room, which was hidden behind a cloth tarp. Upon passing through the tarp, the two arrived at what one would call an elevator. The visibly one-story building had no use for such a thing. The box didn¡¯t go up or down, while it did feel as such. It was what one would call a gate in the world that transports the box to its intended location. ¡°Mr.Sam?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Call me Uncle Sam.¡± Sam said. ¡°Uh huh¡­ Anyway, where are you taking us?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see in three¡­two¡­.¡± Ding Cecil arrived in front of a heptagon, the symbol of his brand of magic. The symbol of the four main elements and three metaphysical. In the middle of the arcane symbol was a golden bowl the size of ahead. ¡°Where are we?¡± Cecil asked, concerned. ¡°Hell. Is the short answer, the long will just confuse you. Now,I want you, to go stand in the circle next to the bowl.¡± Uncle Sam said, pointing at Cecil. ¡°Ok, Mr. Uncle Sam.¡± Cecil ran to his position. ¡°Good, good.¡± Sam walked past the circle into the inky red darkness and then back with a rabbit covered in black fur. ¡°Whats that?¡± ¡°A demon. I¡¯m gonna use it for the ritual.¡± ¡°Why a demon?¡± ¡°Why kill a normal rabbit when I can kill a demon one?¡± Sam said unapologetically ¡°Great now what then.¡± Sam began to speak in a language that didn¡¯t belong here, causing ritualistic symbols to rise from the ground. As they did, the humming of mana could be heard as it began to burn into Cecil¡¯s flesh like a brand. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Cecil screamed. Within moments, the mana coalesced on Cecil¡¯s hand, creating a symbol representing a black cat with nine tails. As it slowed to a crawl, Sam slit the throat of the demonic rabbit. Its blood flowed into a bowl. When the rabbit ran out of blood, it fell to the ground uselessly. Sam grasped the bowl with both hands and held it above the boy. He then turned it over onto the blond boy¡¯s hair. Sam then produced a pair of scissors and a comb, which were used to give Cecil a bowl cut. But, first, catching the hair in his open hand. ¡°Be reborn in this baptism of blood. Let this ritual mark the birth of the last true mage to walk the earth.¡± The bowl was removed from Cecil¡¯s head. The blonde hair was placed inside, along with the rabbit¡¯s corpse and a few gems. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Form a contract with me oh being of great power and give me a familiar to help me achieve my desire.¡± Cecil said. The magic stopped flowing, the magic circle vanished, and the blood, hair, and rabbit corpse were given as a sacrifice. ¡°That seems to be a bit more of a warlock pact than wizard pact.¡± Cecil said with creased eyebrows. ¡°Warlock would require more sacrifices and a bigger chant. I just asked the guy upstairs to give you mana channels. You¡¯re going to be my predecessor, young Cecil. Now hold out your hand, palm down.¡± Cecil did so, revealing the nine-tailed cat. ¡°Well shit kid. You¡¯re going to die today. Which means I¡¯m plum outta luck on delaying the apocalypse.¡± ¡°What. What? But my harem!¡± ¡°God damn it Cecil! This is much bigger than you can imagine. That desire, that damned early puberty desire has pushed you onto some train tracks. You¡¯re going to die very soon in an absurd way. Then be reincarnated into a world where you¡¯ll be able to get your damn harem!¡± ¡°Really!¡± Cecil seemed really happy about it. ¡°Cecil. You¡¯re going to be gone from this world, with no way to speak to your mom, dad, or any of your friends. They¡¯re going to be left behind to mourn your loss.¡± Sam tried to convince the thirteen-year-old boy, who was grinning wickedly. ¡°I¡¯m going to go tell Bella the good news!¡± Cecil said as he excitedly ran towards the elevator. Sam sighed and shook his head. It had been quite a long time since he¡¯d been thirteen and dumb. He¡¯d thought Cecil would have been better a genius among humans, the most gifted boy he¡¯d trained. But instead, his life was forever changed due to a natural chemical imbalance caused by growing. Sam brought them back to the shack. After saying his goodbyes to Cecil, old Sam began to put on his demon-fighting armor to prepare for the battle. Cecil¡¯s day went from bad to worse as he walked out of the building and into the open air, chanting a spell of swiftness as he ran home. Pulling out a pin and paper, he wrote a letter thanking his parents for raising him. The reality of the situation not quite hitting him as it should. As he left the house, he heard a clicking sound followed by the smell of smoke. In moments, his home was visibly on fire. Cecil pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. ¡°911 what¡¯s your emergency.¡± Said a calm feminine voice. ¡°Jill? This is Cecil. I don¡¯t know how¡­Achoo!¡± The smoke made Cecil sneeze, which caused him to drop his phone at an angle that destroyed it as it hit an edge bypassing its case. It bounced off the surface and into a leftover pool of water from the night before. Cecil went to retrieve his phone but decided against it as he noticed the hair on his arms begin to stand up. Electricity, the phone was essentially dead and gone. ¡°Breathe in. Breathe out.¡± Cecil took a deep breath as he reached for his backpack. Only to find that he had mistakenly left it in the house. His robes and hair were stained with blood. He¡¯d need to find somewhere to wash off. Cecil had never been a superstitious person despite being aware of magic. ¡°This is just a coincidence, luck doesn¡¯t exist.¡± As Cecil walked toward his best friend Bella¡¯s house, he noticed that the town was in need of some severe fortification. Street lamp bulbs shattered, the sewage pipes exploded, and trees rotted and fell into homes. ¡°Huh. What is it, bad luck day?¡± Cecil said as he rang the doorbell at his friend¡¯s house. ¡°Yes actually.¡± Said a tiny girl who seemed to be ahead shorter than Cecil, despite being the same age. Her pink hair stood out as it had been done upon braided pigtails. ¡°Wait, is it really?¡± Cecil asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah Friday the thirteenth, though you don¡¯t normally care for that stuff. You smell good by the way, is that a new cologne?¡± The girl asked. ¡°No Bella, it¡¯s actually demon rabbit blood. I got my spells today, though apparently I¡¯m going to die and get sent to some fantasy world. My dream of becoming a dense harem protagonist will be realized soon enough.¡± Cecil said proudly. ¡°Cecil. You¡¯re probably the densest boy I know. And I have five younger brothers.¡± Bella sighed before her face went white. ¡°Did you just say you were going to die?¡± Bella asked. ¡°I mean yeah, later on today actually, don¡¯t know how, but it¡¯s going to happen. Nothing I can do about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± Bella said plainly, her eyes turning extra serious. ¡°No. I know I have a free card. Get me out of death. But you might just die. I don¡¯t want that on my conscience. Maybe I¡¯ll even find my way home. So I¡¯m just here to say goodbye.¡± Cecil turned around and started leaving. Bella Wulf was not one for standing idly by as her best, possibly only friend, marched off to his death. ¡°I¡¯m coming with. That wasn¡¯t a question, it¡¯s a fact.¡± Bella grabbed her friend by his wrist and squeezed. Despite her size, Bella was very strong. Being a werewolf tends to grant all sorts of physical abilities. Even if she is technically a runt. Cecil was stuck in place. He couldn¡¯t pull himself free, and his strength was relatively weak, and using magic would only end with a broken wrist as she¡¯d lose her patience if he drew a weapon. ¡°I won¡¯t let you throw your life away.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Stupid hypocrit. Let¡¯s now lets enjoy this last day on earth.¡± Bella then proceeds to drag the boy around the small town. Buying food, visiting the arcade, destroying the arcade due to a strange domino effect. By the end of the day, the two were standing in an open field. ¡°Any regrets?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Plenty. You never showed me your familiar.¡± Bella said. Cecil nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it either,¡± Cecil mumbled. Then, holding out his marked hand, Cecil let the mana flow through the symbol. ¡°Appear.¡± He said. A black cat appeared. It had one tail that seemed to swish in a way that left behind afterimages as it passed. On the cat¡¯s head was a big black tophat and around its neck was a collar that looked like a red bowtie. ¡°Hello cat.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Hello human.¡± Replied the cat. ¡°I have a name you know.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Is that so. Well give the boy a cookie then.¡± The cat said sarcastically. ¡°The cat just talked.¡± Bella said, frozen in shock. ¡°What is your name then cat, mine is Cecil, so you know.¡± ¡°Oh believe me I knew that already. You may call me Samandreal.¡± ¡°Little Sam it is then.¡± Cecil said plainly. ¡°Little Cece for you then.¡± ¡°Hey, I want a nickname.¡± ¡°Bell,¡± said Cecil. ¡°Ella.¡± Said Samandreal The two exchanged looked as though they were going to fight. ¡°I¡¯ll take them both. So Sammy, we¡¯re going to die today. What can you do about that?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Well you could get out of the. Only Cecil needs to die, you my dear Ella are safe.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming with him.¡± Bella said. ¡°Little Cece, convince your friend to go home.¡± Sammy said. ¡°I tried multiple times and she said no.¡± Cecil added. ¡°I have nine lives. When we die and get transfered that will cost one each. I don¡¯t get these back quickly. Each tail takes a century to regrow. Where we go is random as we are thrown into another universe entirely. Master can build his harem in these unsuspecting universes.¡± ¡°Ok so you can give me one of your lives and we can all go together?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Yes, but should you die no where near me then your soul will be sent to that world¡¯s afterlife where you would be lost forever. Something that i¡¯m sure neither of you would want.¡± Sammy said plainly. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my best friend to some unknown world alone. I¡¯m coming with.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°I¡¯m fine if she comes with. Cecil gave his good friend a hug and held on tight as he saw it coming. There was a giant airplane coming down towards them in the sky at high speeds. Cecil had the feeling that if he tried to dodge. They¡¯d still die. There was no way out of the falling plane¡¯s splash zone. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Was the last thing Bella said before everything went up in flames. Book Two: Prologue The journey to Rispalt was the most straightforward journey Kyrion had ever been on. Monsters didn''t attack, bandits didn''t make themselves known, and carts didn''t lose wheels. Unfortunately, the stability had the bald, one-eyed young boy so paranoid that he was stress eating. The boy pulled out a haunch of meat. But unfortunately, it was the last bit of food he had for the trip. "Kyrion. Don''t eat that now or you''ll be hungry during your test." Said a man with dirty blond hair. "But I''m hungry now." Kyrion finished his haunch of meat. "Don''t blame me." Gamodren shrugged. "Master will be just fine. Though we could stop to hunt something." Gamodren looked at the predawn sky. "We are on a very tight schedule. We''re already late." "What! How are we late already?" Tiffany asked. "I told them we''d be here a week ago. Didn''t account for adapting to a missing eye." Gamodren sighed. "You expect him to fight with one eye?" Tiffany asked. "I expect him to lose in the first round as he is now. I even bet good money on him sweeping away the competition." "Is that so? That might be a good idea." Kyrion said after he finished his pre-breakfast snack. Tiffany sighed. "What are you up to?" "Thinking about breakfast. If I pass all the tests, Gamodren, will you pay if I win?" "If you pass all three trials then I''ll pay for your dinner. But if you fail even one then you''ll pay for your own food." Gamodren said. "One of these trials is a trap." Kyrion said matter of factly. Gamodren smiled and stayed quiet for the remainder of the trip. Which lasted a whole two hours. Kyrion hadn''t known it was possible to keep him that quiet.
A man with gray eyes and long orange hair looked out to the worlds below from one of the tallest points of a mountain. The man''s eyes saw many things at once. First, Imala''s lands were being damaged, which meant war was on the horizon and at a horribly awful time. Then, Icaron summoned a whole bunch of criminals from another world through the medium of a plane crash and gave them powerful abilities. Then there''s Almira, with her theocracy and summoned heroes. "Just eight more years until the conclave begins. The rulers should know this and yet they start fighting each other. So much bloodshed over something so pointless." A young-looking man with a scar over his right eye and short red hair approached the orange-haired man. His height was over eight feet tall, and his build was muscular. "Greetings, great one." "Ah, young one. Looks like not even time can stop your incarnation, yet you took so long why is that?" The red-haired man scoffed. "Sorry. Been so long since anyone had called me young. Great one." "Do you know what''s going on in the lower worlds?" "My grandchildren are causing trouble. Or being the targets of trouble. That one seems to have lost to his younger counterpart. Something I find hilarious in its own way." "That one lost to a child. How fitting." The orange-haired man laughed. Another man-made it up the cliff. He, however, seemed exhausted. His skin tone was darker than the man who came before, and his height was around six-five. Yet the hair color and eyes were the same. On his head was a straw hat. "Great one?" The shorter one said. "Welcome back to the faction, Guardians! The Great Tree has missed you both. It''s time to get you up to speed." The orange-haired man held out two golden bracers, which he passed to his two guests.
A boy, a girl, and a cat stood in an audience chamber. Their physical features mainly were gone as they were currently just outlines. The only color in the areas belonged to a tall, lithe woman with hair whiter than snow and eyes that held blue, green, and brown within. Over her body was a green dress. The silence was awkward, so the boy spoke first, "So are you supposed to be the key person in my harem? Or am I misreading this." He said to lighten the mood. "I have an offer for you, Cecil. Become a warrior under my banner and I''ll lead you down a path where women all over will come to you." "Can I get a hard number?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "As many as you can handle." The goddess said. "Four, plus the girl right here, can you take away my common sense as well? I want to be dense." "Four is easy, I have many priestesses'' after all." "One priestess is enough. What I need is some variety." Cecil pulled out a notebook. "People have free will. I can''t just override it for your flights of fancy. How about a guarantee? Women will come to you as long as you''re with the person I want you to watch over." "Is this person a girl?" Cecil asked. "No he is not, he has red hair and green eyes. He does have an older sister around a year older than you though. Can''t make any promises but if you play your cards right." The goddess raised her eyebrows. "Hmmm." Cecil held an oddly happy look on his face. His eyes shone with more life than they had on earth. "Cece, you''re being manipulated." The cat warned. "More like womanipulated." Bella crossed her arms. "Nonsense, I only wish for you to do a simple job. You''ll be compensated as well." "How old is this boy." Cecil asked. "Ten, though he''s mentaly eight." "Who are you?" Bella asked "I am the Heavenly Body Imala, creator of the world you will be going to." She said, crossing her arms. "Top tier harem material. If I do this, I want you to join my harem." "If you make it to my level along with the boy then sure. I''ll gladly join your harem if that''s all you want." A grin went across her face. "Well. I want magic. I don''t know how all this stuff works but I want magic. Maybe something that will allow me to control my weight as well." Bella said, crossing her arms. "So a gravity spirit." "A whosa whats it?" Bella was confused. "Spirit, it''s a forign being that binds to your soul giving you powers. Had you been a native I could have done an awakening though given your age I''ll need to raise you up to Practitioner at the very least." "I want magic." Bella said. "Just take it Bella. I think it''s like magic, just slightly different." "Much easier to learn and accessible to everyone. The path I prefer, actually. I have a gravity elemental spirit. Doesn''t have much of a mind, but it can become powerful. Your first core will give you the ability to create fields of controlled gravity. Your foundation will be weak, but the potential for strength¡­." "No for the core, yes for the spirit. I won''t hold my best friend back because I''m weak. I know about foundations so I''ll train hard." "Fair enough. I want you to become a practitioner by your seventeenth birthday. Can''t have you fall behind." "Do I get a spirit too?" Cecil asked. "No, you''re on a path different from the majority, those who practice the black arts tend to come from the Linvir continent, or land of the elves. Even then very few remain, who can call themselves true mages. On the other hand, I''m sure many will do anything to learn what you know." Cecil''s face darkened for a moment as his grin faded into a scowl. "Can I just say that Sammy here is my spirit and call it a day?" "Sure, just say he gave you the order and magic affinities. And that brand on your hand hides your core from sight." "I see. I would like a mirror of planar communication." Samadreal yawned. "That''s a tall order for a mere feline." "Oh trust me, I know it''s well within your power." The cat started to groom itself as though the matter was settled. "Fine." The goddess grit her teeth as a mirror with purple edges appears in front of the cat. The mirror then molded and shifted into something that resembled a locket before finding its place inside the cat''s hat. "Now where will we drop?" Cecil asked. "The town of Rispalt, in my chapel. I can have you enrolled in the school there quite easily. But you will need to train hard." The goddess waved her hand, and the three visitors vanished.
A man with a black blindfold that covered where his eyes used to be. With long hair just as dark stood in front of another man sitting on a throne. This man had a sour expression on his face. Around them lay the corpses of his best guards, killed in a mere moment. "What do you want Eyeless. Why do you betray me?" The man spat. "Oh, this? They were just in the way. You were the one who tried to betray me first." Eyeless, juggled two blue eyes above his hands with psychokinesis. "Those are Leon''s eyes. If you have those then you must have killed him. Which means you betrayed us." "Yeah, your plan wouldn''t have worked anyway. My abilities dwell within my mind and soul possessing my body would be a waste. Oh I also know you never intended to give me one of your eyes. Just here to tell you that if you plan to renege on a deal again I will cut your head off and take those green eyes of yours." "What of the brat I asked you to capture?" The man used his willpower to stay seated. "He''s safe and down one beautiful eye." The Eyeless pulled out an emerald green eye that held a glint within it despite no longer being with its owner. "You blinded my vessel, you bastard!" The man was now out of his seat. His arms grew bigger, and as one became chitinous like that of a crabs claw, the other was furry and had sharp claws resembling a bear. His head morphed into a horned abomination resembling a bull and goat. His legs, torso, and neck grew to support his body as cloven feet emerged from his shoes. The green eye in the hands of Eyeless began to morph as mana hardened around it. A green hilt appeared, with an eye in its center in a burst of green light. A pommel grew from the bottom of the handle, resembling a plant yet to bloom. A multicolored blade grew from the hilt, stopping before the edge was complete. That was when the corpses around the two warriors vanished, and light flew into the remainder of the blade. The colors had converged into a bright white light that shot off into a black point. "What the hell was that!" The abomination said as he instinctively took a step back. "Aggg!" The eyeless pulled off his blindfold and winced as two new eyes began to grow where there had been nothing. The abomination thrust its pincer at the man in an attempt to decapitate him and end the fight now. The black-haired man moved through the attack like mist. Unphased and unaffected, arriving behind the monstrosity. Slashing the sword across, he bisected the man''s torso. "Agh!!" He winced as he tried to hold himself together. Only his guts were not spilling out. Though the pain was still there. "A sword that can''t kill. Interesting." He brought the sword across his opponent''s body, reducing him to nothing but a curled-up heap on the floor. "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m¡­" The abomination was curled up on the floor, his mind shattered at the torture that went beyond what a mind could and should handle, and then refused to go into shock. "So it heals just as quickly as I cut, and it regenerates my own lost limbs. A true treasure in its own right, any other sword can do for killing, this one is my ticket out of here." The Eyeless eyes had finally regrown as golden discs that seemed to rotate clockwise in his left eye and counterclockwise in his right. "I imagine you''ll be up soon and back to ruling your kingdom, but send anyone after me or my faction and I will be back." The Eyeless flew out of the throne room somewhere far off to the east. Book Two: Chapter 1 Welcome to Drisil Rispalt was much bigger than the village he had spent his training in. A river split the town in two marking the separation between the school¡¯s territory and the town¡¯s. The main branch of Dirsil academy was located on the southern end of the town. To the center was the market square, located just north of the academy near the river. Past the market was the church and guardhouse. Beyond that was the residential district. Outside of the main village were large farmsteads. Spread out and well cared for. They could feed the entire town and then some, which was probably why the place seemed so prosperous. Gamodren, acting as the shepherd, led the way as his curious sheep looked around in awe. A bald boy, with one eye, followed his nose to the smell of something delicious. ¡°Not now Kyrion. We have to get there before eight.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m out of food and it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡± Kyrion complained. Ceres started moving towards a stall, planning to use up her meager allowance. ¡°Don¡¯t feed him. He needs to learn from this. I told him we¡¯re on a tight schedule.¡± Gamodren put his hand over his face. ¡°B-but he¡¯s so hungry.¡± Ceres started as she somehow found herself back with the group. ¡°He¡¯s always hungry¡­We also don¡¯t have much time.¡± Gamodren shook his head as he grabbed Kyrion and Ceres by their wrist. Tiffany showed the most self-control as she pinched herself on the back of her hand. Now wasn¡¯t the time to get an idea of what sort of goods this town could produce. Her previous occupation as an apprentice merchant tried to make itself known. Kyrion was more or less dragged as they continued forward. The smell of food was making his stomach growl noticeably. He looked longingly at all the restaurants, and street vendors as Gamodren pulled him away. Gamodren brought the kids through the city and past the market district. Over a bridge that arced over a river. Past a few dorm buildings and an empty plot of land. Finally, arriving at the front gate. ¡°Reason for entry?¡± Asked a tired-looking man with his dirty blonde hair cut short. ¡°Three students for the Trial by Dirsil entry test.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Cutting it a bit close aren¡¯t we?¡± Asked the gatekeeper. ¡°The big one kept trying to stop for breakfast. The amount of time wasted stopping him is why we were almost late.¡± Gamodren lied. ¡°Uh huh. Forever late, never punctual Gamodren the pla¡­ Oh right there are young ones here.¡± The gatekeeper pulled out some paperwork and handed it to the group¡¯s babysitter. Gamodren waved a hand over the pile, and everything was filled out. ¡°Should I give them the warrior¡¯s challenge or the full test?¡± The gatekeeper motioned towards the group of melee-looking spirit masters. ¡°The full. They can handle it.¡± Gamodren crossed his arms. ¡°¡®Fine, fine, three for the full test.¡± The gatekeeper gave each of the children a wristband. ¡°Is the test already prepared?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°We can gather the people here today. It should only take an hour to get it ready. These tests are popular with the students after all. Some consider it a hazing ritual, others a test of mettle. It¡¯s rare that students actually complete the test.¡± Ceres looked at Kyrion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this test thing is but I already hate it.¡± Kyrion just nodded in response. ¡°Now go out there and strut your stuff.¡± Gamodren held a grin on his face. The four were then separated as the kids were put into waiting rooms. A man with short black hair, and black glasses that hid his eyes, entered the room. Wearing a suit with black and white vertical stripes. ¡°This test is dangerous. The first round is a twenty vs one battle. Your opponents will be freshmen of the lowest class. Meaning that they are probably weak. Even so weak by our standards doesn¡¯t mean that it will be easy. The round ends when you¡¯re knocked unconscious, or surrender.¡± The man with black glasses said. ¡°What if I win?¡± Kyrion asked, looking at the guy skeptically. ¡°Hardly anyone wins this challenge. Though if the judges say you win, then you win.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°Ah so it¡¯s best to end it quickly then.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Boy aren¡¯t you cocky. You shouldn¡¯t take them lightly.¡± The man stated. ¡°Take off your glasses.¡± Kyrion said suddenly. ¡°Beg pardon?¡± The man said. ¡°Take them off and let me confirm something.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± The man sighed, taking off the glasses and revealing very bushy eyebrows. Kyrion noticed his left hand slowly moving towards them and stopped himself. Under the eyebrows were a pair of silver eyes. Each one held countless tiny hexagons, bound together and trapped inside the irises. ¡°Are you blind?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Nope. I have better vision than most. They just seem to distract those who look into them hence the glasses. Though I¡¯m sure your asking for another reason?¡± ¡°You resemble someone who took my eye. Just making sure I get a good look at you.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Have any questions related to the trial?¡± The man asked. ¡°I just wanna finish this and go get lu¡­ I mean explore the town. Are weapons and powers allowed?¡± ¡°Of course. Why would you hold back?¡± The man said as he replaced his glasses. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to. Gamodren said to strut my stuff. If these students can¡¯t handle it then it¡¯s their problem. What happens if I use too much power?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Ah guess they wouldn¡¯t tell you. There are safety thresholds on the stadium that convert damage into stamina loss. Swords connect but don¡¯t dig too deep unless you use all your stamina. At that point the wards will expel you before you can be hurt any further. I can¡¯t wait to see how you turned out.¡± The man stated before vanishing from Kyrion¡¯s sight. Kyrion did some stretches before making his way to the large circular ring where he¡¯d be fighting. Kyrion watched as an army of twenty kids was arranged against him. He stood in the middle of the ring as they surrounded him on all sides. Using his mana senses, he discerned that none of them had entered rank three. And despite the cocky way they held themselves, he was much taller. This fight was not going to be fair. So he thought of a way to win, show off, and not make himself out to be a bully who picks on those weaker than him. The same man with short black hair was now standing at the stadium¡¯s edge. He hadn¡¯t been there when the kids were coming. But now, there he was. ¡°We will now begin the First trial of Drisil! The challenger vs twenty of our students! Ready?¡± The man said, raising his hand. After confirming that both sides were ready, the man took his hand and shouted. ¡°Begin!¡± Magic and other projectiles fill the air. While students charged toward Kyrion with reckless abandon. Kyrion stomped on the ground, causing quite a few. ¡°You have until the count of ten to surrender! I won¡¯t hold back against anyone still here after that time!¡± The force of the stomp had caused a few to fall prone from the force that spread outwards. Cracks in the stadium floor arched in multiple directions as a Kyrion now stood in a crater that spanned a ten-foot perfect square. Some who knew his abilities would have known he used earth mana. Building the power into his foot and spreading it outwards. But, unfortunately, none of the students here could tell that Kyrion wasn¡¯t going to let them from a glance. ¡°Ten!¡± Kyrion yelled. A single student hopped out of the ring immediately. That show of force was enough to scare them. The remaining nineteen approached him cautiously, moving towards his blindspot. Kyrion began spinning the wind around him as though charging for an attack. Not holding back whatsoever. The sound of high speed and wind made itself known. An overzealous kid created a giant ball of fire which he hurled at Kyrion. While impressive in appearance, it was pretty weak, and as it entered the swirling wind, it went out. The heat of the wind growing significantly. ¡°Nine.¡± The wind kept circling around him and gaining in speed. A bolt of ice flew at Kyrion. It seemed to melt into nothing instantly, not even making it to his body. ¡°Eight.¡± Kyrion let a smile across his face as the students began to back away. ¡°His defenses are strong! So his attack must be weak! We just need to hold out and attack his blindspot!¡± Yelled a longsword-wielding student. Kyrion sighed, which slowed his barrier a little as his concentration slipped. ¡°Seven!¡± ¡°He¡¯s lost control! Charge!¡± Said the de facto leader. Kyrion noticed the referee slap himself on the forehead. Preparing to stop the fight should something happen. Five of the students who made contact with the still spinning barrier were sent flying outside the stadium. Slowly sinking into the grass outside of the stadium. Clothes and bodies were cut and singed slightly. Four managed to slip in. however. The longsword user going through the front. He raised his arms for an overhand chop. Kyrion grabbed the student holding the longsword and cleanly snapped his wrist with an ease that no one save Gamodren expected. The kid lost consciousness as his body was shot out of the stadium by the ward. Landing safely on the grass as he started to whine. ¡°Six,¡± Kyrion said, bored. ¡°He damaged him through the wards¡­.¡± Another student volunteered to not get hurt by running out of the ring. A great club aimed for Kyrion¡¯s head missed. Kyrion countered with an open palm to the boy¡¯s chin that immediately sent him out of the stadium through the wards. ¡°Oops.¡± He hadn¡¯t meant to hit the kid that hard. That student was immediately attended to and placed on a gurney brought for the kid with a broken wrist. Another two engaged as Kyrion continued to concentrate his spinning his wall of wind. ¡°Five!¡± Kyrion ducked. A quarterstaff aimed at his neck missed, knocking into a student wielding daggers. Kyrion slapped the quarterstaff wielder in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. ¡°Fou..¡± Kyrion was hit by a flying boulder to the head. It left him a bit dazed and was pretty dangerous. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Didn¡¯t mean to hit your head!¡± The earth user said. ¡°Fi¡­our?¡± Kyrion growled as the confusion quickly left him. Another boulder came flying at Kyrion. This time Kyrion grabbed hold of the wheezing quarterstaff wielder and threw him into the big flying rock. The impact forced the quarterstaff user out of bounds while knocking the boulder off its course. ¡°Three?¡± Fire came at him again though ice and rocks came with it this time. Kyrion created a ball of water to catch the projectiles before freezing them in place. ¡°Two.¡± The boy scratched his chin. A few students decided to give up at that announcement while the rest attempted an all-out charge. The referee prepared to step in if things got too dangerous. ¡°One.¡± Kyrion exhaled as a wave of powerful wind was set free from his grasp and sent everyone careening out of the arena, including the referee. His expression looked bored, though it would be hard to tell what he thought as he was bald, lacked an eye, and contained no eyebrows.
The judges were in deep discussion. ¡°I¡¯d say excessive force on the kid with the longsword. Though I get the feeling that his multitasking was the cause, since that palm strike could have accidentally turned lethal had the wards not been there.¡± Said an old man with very thick glasses and a long white beard. ¡°Water, Wind, Regeneration, and great physical strength. Just what sort of monster did Gamodren train?¡± Said a thin man with a brown goatee. ¡°Monsters.¡± Said an older girl with short red hair. Who just entered the booth. ¡°All three of them beat their opponents with ease. Though I¡¯ve been told, Kyrion took his sweet time.¡± The girl eyed the lone contestant in an empty arena. ¡°He was pretty quick. So I guess his teaching method is viable¡­ Doesn¡¯t mean that it isn¡¯t questionable.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°I know. Though that student was already slated to come in as a low priority candidate. His performance was rather lacking.¡± Said the red-haired girl. ¡°I don¡¯t remember a bald, one-eyed giant coming to attend here.¡± Said the thin man. ¡°He wasn¡¯t bald or tall. When he was chosen.¡± The red-haired girl replied. ¡°Ah so he must have had a growth spurt when reaching rank four. That would explain some of the power difference he showed. He must be a practitioner already.¡± ¡°Still a fledgling. Apparently he¡¯s been holding onto his final spirit.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s that strong before the first major empowerment, and he knows to hold off on it. How old is he.¡± ¡°Technically eleven. Physically and mentaly nine. There is a two year gap in his growth, possibly three if you count the time he spent in a coma at the academy and prior to.¡± She placed a clipboard on the table and walked away. ¡°You sure know alot about that student. Is he trying to recruit him?¡± ¡°No. Not yet at least. I know because he¡¯s my kid brother.¡± The girl disappeared. ¡°Ah those monsters, had yet another one squirreled away for the winter.¡± The goateed man stroked it with thin fingers. ¡°Can you not refer to them as monsters?¡± Said a black-haired man sitting in a corner. A pair of black glasses cover his eyes. ¡°I mean don¡¯t we want monsters?¡± The man asked. ¡°We want strong individuals.¡± The black-haired man stated. ¡°The student¡¯s have gone to calling the strongest in each tier things like Demon Generals, Divine Guardians and stuff along those lines. They have gone to calling Gamodren¡¯s class the Four Dragons. Or the Four D''s. I¡¯m just trying to stay hip.¡± ¡°Still to train three students that well in such a short time. He really is the headmaster¡¯s son.¡± Said the one with a beard. The black-haired man sighed before leaving the room without so much as a goodbye. ¡°They already gave him a nickname, The One-Eyed Berserker.¡± ¡°Thats a bit blunt for a nickname.¡± The old man groomed his beard. ¡°Doubt it will stay like that for too long. So far he¡¯s only shown brute strength and overwhelming force.¡± Book Two: Chapter 2 Conspiracies and Gluttons Kyrion hopped out of the ring and approached the boy whose wrist he snapped. ¡°Let me fix that for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you touching me! Get away!¡± The boy yelled. Kyrion didn¡¯t listen as he placed a palm above the injury aligning it perfectly before restoring the break. ¡°Huh? It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. What did you do?¡± The boy squinted in suspicion. Kyrion had moved on to the others whom he hurt in the battle, checking them for any injuries. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Asked a kid whose head obtained a cut when he landed outside the ring. ¡°Because I imagine your healers are preoccupied with the injuries in the other stadiums.¡± With his job done, Kyrion waited for someone to retrieve him.¡± After a while, the referee appeared behind him, seemingly untouched by the large attack he let out. ¡°You have some of our elders talking. They don¡¯t know who to choose for the next round. You are at the end of rank four, so finding someone equally as capable and able to put up a challenge. So instead of one fight you will have to fight three people. One of the strongest in the class, and the other two should vary in strength..¡± ¡°Great, when do we start?¡± Kyrion hopped on his feet. ¡°In around an hour. With ten minute breaks in between.¡± ¡°Awesome time to go eat lunch and come back, right?¡± Kyrion smiled, heading towards the exit. The man looked at him with a sullen face. ¡°You can¡¯t leave once you¡¯ve gotten here, any food would need to have been brought beforehand.¡± Kyrion imagined his teacher¡¯s smug expression. He then turned and punched the mental image. His one good eye twitching. ¡°I have a biscuit leftover if it¡¯s that bad.¡± The man seemed worried. Kyrion held his stomach and felt it starting to roil. ¡°That would do nothing more than make it mad. Can you make them arrive faster?¡± The man shook his head. Drinking water made from his mana and eating the fruits he created himself. Didn¡¯t do much for his appetite. Food had to mostly come from an outside source. If he grew a fruit tree here, he¡¯d be able to eat though it would give diminishing returns. ¡°Wait¡­ Do you have a cafeteria?¡± ¡°Yes but it¡¯s restricted to teachers and students.¡± ¡°Listen, we both know I¡¯ll be a student by the end of the day, so just let me into the cafeteria.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the headmaster or something. Rules are rules, you can¡¯t just change them for convenience.¡± ¡°Those rules suck.¡± Kyrion pouted. ¡°Or. You can try one of my nutrition bars.¡± Said a voice Kyrion did not recognize. ¡°Is it food?¡± Kyrion asked, looking at the diminutive girl that stood a solid five-two. ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste good but one of these contains enough nutrients to keep a grown man fed for a day.¡± She replied. A memory scratched at the surface of his head. ¡°How many can I have?¡± ¡°Kyrion. Are you sure you can handle those bars? I hear the last person to taste them found themselves with food poisoning.We don¡¯t get many guin¡­.taste testers.¡± ¡°Food is food.¡± Kyrion took one of the bars and consumed it. Most would say that the texture was dry and brittle. The crunch of eggshells would have turned quite a few away as he bit deeper and found an ooey-gooey center where dried egg mixed with something else could be felt. It was salty, sweet, bitter, tangy, and then spicy as he consumed it entirely. The boy felt as though he had consumed one of the Kyr specials. The referee looked at him in disgust. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°I like these. The taste is negligible but this little bar has me around a quarter full. I can eat three more and I¡¯ll be completely full. Thanks Thalia.¡± Kyrion stated before scratching his head in confusion. Thalia raised an eyebrow.¡± Are you sure you got it right?¡± ¡°Got what right?¡± ¡°My name. Answer now, and I¡¯ll give you the rest.¡± She produced a container with around fifty of the things.¡± ¡°Do they go bad? And I am one hundred percent sure your name is Thalia. I guess you just look like a Thalia. Is that so bad?¡± ¡°You guessed my name correctly I¡¯m just surprised you¡¯d remember me. I haven¡¯t seen you since you were little.¡± Kyrion had no idea what that girl was talking about. She did have the hair and the eyes. Don¡¯t tell me. A connection was made in his mind before it burned out. Smoke rose from his head as sweat on his head boiled. He happily took the bars popping three more down his gullet, and put the rest in a safe place. ¡°Well thank you Ms. Thalia now I won¡¯t have to fight on an empty stomach. Now the only problem I have left is waiting a whole hour.¡± Kyrion found a soft patch of grass which he slowly grew as he laid down. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Well Kyrion, I have some business to attend to. If you want to find me, head to the alchemy wing in the health building.¡± Thalia skipped away as Kyrion eyed the strange girl with suspicion.
Kyrion napped on the grass outside the arena as the hour passed and his first opponent arrived. He awoke to the referee shaking him awake. ¡°Well Kyrion, this guy is in the top ten of new recruits and a talented spit user if you get past his eccentricities.¡± The man said. ¡°Ah, strong opponents right off the bat. Sounds fun.¡± Kyrion said sarcastically. On the other side of the arena, a raven-haired boy sat with a cloak of inky darkness over his shoulders. Eyes as dark as midnight, and a hand covered his face. ¡°Darker than dark. Blacker than black. I am that which lurks in your nightmares and dwells in the hearts of man! I am the Dark Raven!¡± The boy stood up and struck a pose. Black feathers seemed to hover around him. Kyrion really hoped this boy was strong because he wasn¡¯t holding back after an entrance like that. Kyrion entered a charging stance. His opponent didn¡¯t have a weapon, so either they were some sort of Elementalist or a hand-to-hand fighter. ¡°Round one of the second challenge will now begin. Ready! Fight!¡± The referee commanded. ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion,¡± Kyrion said as he entered a sprinting stance. Arms spread out as he was on all four legs, prepped to spring forward. ¡°I need not repeat myself, for you face the master of conspiracies.¡± Raven pointed at Kyrion using his right, middle, and ring fingers. Blackbirds flew forward at high speed, their bodies almost amorphous from the movement. Kyrion, like an idiot, charged straight into the attack as the birds struck hard. But didn¡¯t slow down whatsoever. ¡°Stop! You shouldn¡¯t run into these!¡± Raven¡¯s composure broke as his opponent broke the pavement. Four more birds flew at Kyrion. This time, however, Kyrion rolled to the side, evading all four birds as the balls of his feet pushed him forward again. Raven stood there shocked at the physicality his opponent displayed by evading something that moved faster than a crossbow bolt. Within moments a palm strike landed on Raven¡¯s chest, sending the boy flying into the barrier, which he bounced off and landed back on the stadium floor. Kyrion stood there as his body began to leak mana where the birds had hit them. He had started to recognize this as a trait of shadow magic. It slowly caused mana to seep out from his core and other effects. The Gremlins caused lingering wounds. Edwin stole power while damaging the core. Kyrion did not want to find out what the birds did. ¡°That was too easy¡­.¡± Kyrion mumbled as he started healing the damage done, which was when he noticed five more birds had managed to hit him in retaliation as he struck. ¡°Uggg¡­¡± Raven slowly got to his feet, now fully aware that he shouldn¡¯t let himself get hit. Kyion wondered why his opponent was letting him clear the damage. While Raven wondered why he was allowed to catch his breath and think. Had either known what was going on. Then magic and fist would be flying in an attempt to end the fight now before either could catch their breath. But that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, Kyrion charged forward again, testing the waters as he surrounded his form with wind mana as though using it as a shield. Something an untrained eye wouldn¡¯t have noticed the signs. A flurry of ten birds flew at Kyrion this time, draining Raven significantly. Five of the blackbirds were torn by the wind in an instant, much to Raven¡¯s surprise and Kyrion¡¯s irritation. The other five poked more holes into him where mana would benign to drain from his body. Every step exhausted him more than usual as Kyrion entered melee range with Raven. Focusing his remaining mana into his fist as he punched at the boy again. Raven dodged the obvious blow, moving to the side, though not as well as he thought. A loud crack echoed across the arena as the glancing blow sent Raven straight through the wards where healers had been waiting in preparation for the fight¡¯s end. Kyrion fell to a knee, exhausted as he worked on healing the wounds left by the blackbirds. ¡°That hurt more than I thought It would.¡± Unfortunately, Kyrion couldn¡¯t heal the damage he¡¯d taken on account of using too much mana on that punch. ¡°The challenger wins by knockout!¡± The announcer cheered. A tall woman wrapped head to toe in white bandages approached the exhausted boy, lying on the stadium floor. ¡°I¡¯m here to help. Don¡¯t move.¡± The white wraps connected with Kyrion¡¯s battered body and then turned black as the black mana was cleansed from his body. Kyrion sighed in relief as he felt some of his energy return. ¡°Ah, snack time.¡± Kyrion pulled out some of the bars he obtained from that weird Thalia lady. Eating one after another and refilling his stamina as he began to rapidly take in mana. ¡°Urrer?!¡± Said the boy¡¯s stomach. ¡°I just fed you. Be quiet!¡± Kyrion yelled at his stomach. After half an hour of waiting, Kyrion realized he was tired of waiting. ¡°Excuse me! Who am I supposed to fight next?¡±
Tiffany wasn¡¯t having a good day. After beating her twenty opponents, she was exhausted. It wasn¡¯t that they were strong. It had more to do with her limited mana capacity and training. Still, she pulled off a victory despite all that. Yet they brought him out to be her opponent. A boy was brought into a circular arena in a wheelchair and left alone. The boy, with great effort, rose to his feet as a greatsword appeared in his hands. Then, he entered a defensive stance and waited. Tiffany summoned her rapier, aghast because she had to fight someone who seemed to have trouble standing. Nevertheless, she thought that ending the fight quickly would be a blessing for him. She then looked to the black glasses-wearing referee, who nodded. ¡°Ready? Begin!¡± The referee stated. Tiffany was in front of the boy in seconds, opening the battler with a thrust to his chest. Which was a feint. Her real goal was to knock him down or take him out quickly. Brion blocked the thrust with the broadside of his sword and used his strength to push her back a great distance. The boy did not pursue. Well, it was more apt to say he was unable to pursue. Tiffany rose to her feet as she paced around her opponent. ¡°Strong. I need to be careful.¡± Brion observed his opponent carefully, never moving from his spot. Though he did seem to rotate slowly as she moved, not exposing his back. Tiffany approached from the front with a dash. Brion brought his sword down with the broadside in an attempt to knock her out. Tiffany quickly stepped to the side, slashing upward, leaving behind a white line of light. Brion swiped at the bright line that had limited his vision. Leaving him open. Tiffany moved behind him and capitalized on his open back, landing a thrust that seemed to do little damage as it bounced off his flesh, not even leaving a mark. Brion stabbed his blade into the arena, and a sword made from rock came out under Tiffany¡¯s feet. The girl backflipped out of range of the attack with surprise on her face. Brion did not turn around to look at her as he took the sword out of earth. Tiffany shot out a dart made of light, which Brion deflected using his sword as a shield from behind his back. The light lingered inside the blade after it struck. Tiffany began circling the boy, firing dart after dart, which slowly but surely drained her mana. Brion blocked a few more of the darts. However, the damage done to him had him lit up and glowing. Though his durability was extremely high, even he had limits. ¡°Ahh!¡± Brion yelled as the darts finished their assault. Brion boy thrust his sword into the ground again. This time the earthen blades seemed to home in on Tiffany¡¯s location when she tried to dodge, which led to one of them hitting. A strike that would have cut her leg off instead caused a bit of pain and exhaustion. Much to her confusion. Gamodren had told her it had something to do with a ward around the stadiums to limit physical damage and prevent deaths. Though bones may still be broken if enough force is applied too quickly. Luckily her leg wasn¡¯t too hurt. She got to her feet and decided to charge at Brion again. This time she stayed close as she didn¡¯t have the mana to waste on raged attacks. Slashes and thrusts landed, doing minor damage that slowly began to add up. Brion blocked what he could and left himself open to the assault as he the pommel oh his weapon into Tiffany¡¯s stomach, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to retreat. Brion was huffing at the moment. He was visibly near his limit. Tiffany was also tired. This fight would be hard, and now she was confident they didn¡¯t send her this opponent because she was weak. Brion¡¯s greatsword shrunk to the size of a longsword which he held in one hand as a shield appeared in his right hand. Tiffany charged again, and the two engaged in a series of exchanges. As both sword users began to grasp the other¡¯s abilities, it was now clear that Tiffany was far behind her opponent. Still, she didn¡¯t give up. Tiffany thrust upwards towards Brion¡¯s open chest. Brion parried the strike with earth mana. Somehow shifting the shape of his shield in nearly an instant. Tiffany rolled to the side as the sword came at her. Moving in for another strike that didn¡¯t come. A chop made by the shield came down on her neck with a loud smack, and Tiffany faded from consciousness. Her body was transported out of the arena. Brion looked down and noticed a bruise over his heart. His consciousness faded soon after as the damage added up. Though this time it was Tiffany who lost, the fight was obviously close, as the number five of the new students fell to the ground in a heap. Book Two: Chapter 3 Not so long awatied battle Kyrion watched as the arena changed shape forming a perfect rectangle. Walls of mana encased all but two areas. Where both he and his opponent would be fighting. A boy with green hair entered the ring. A spear held at his shoulder and an analyzing gaze. ¡°Ander! Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be fighting the strongest right off the bat.¡± Kyrion entered a defensive stance, hands ready to reach into his pockets. ¡°Wrong. I¡¯m currently number three at the moment. Lots of powerhouses in our year.¡± Ander smirked as he entered a low stance. Kyrion eyed the boy curiously. ¡°Well. Let¡¯s get this over with. Going to have to fight the number one after this.¡± The announcer spoke. ¡°The first to admit defeat, fall unconscious or get knocked out the arena loses. Ready? Fight!¡± Kyrion started the fight by spreading seeds around the arena, which he then buried into the ground. Ander was at his chest in an instant, moving with the wind, his spear aimed at Kyrion¡¯s chest, a quick thrust. Kyrion moved into the strike and pushed the boy back with a clumsy open palm. While clumsy, it had enough force to push the spear wielder back quite a distance. Though not as much as it should have. Kyrion began to supply mana to the plants in the arena, causing them to grow quickly. Ander slowed his fall by thrusting his spear into the ground. ¡°You hit hard. Guess your size isn¡¯t just for show.¡± The first of the vines had sprouted, and the battlefield slowly started to favor Kyrion. Ander spun his spear, and lightning began to gather. This charge toward Kyrion was much faster than the one he started the fight with. Kyrion couldn¡¯t react as he felt a shock to his shoulder, and things started to go numb. The thrust was followed by the back end slamming into the Kyrion¡¯s head. Kyrion let himself hit the ground. Pushing himself forward with a burst of wind. Quickly moving across the stadium and getting back to his feet. Ander spun his spear again. Gathering lightning once more and dashed towards him. This time Kyrion was prepared, and he surrounded himself with a cylinder of stone. Hiding behind a few inches of earth. Ander stopped his charge and circled the wall, the lightning fading from his spear. Kyrion began to summon wind and life mana, gathering it around him and whipping the area outside the cylinder with a torrent. ¡°That¡¯s cowardly!¡± Ander jumped back, getting himself out of the attack¡¯s immediate radius. The wind carried life, mana restoring the plants and fueling their growth. A few trees grew from the ground roots embedded deep into the arena. Soon the wall of earth became obscure as the environment shifted significantly. ¡°What in the?¡± Ander leaped back as a tree grew where he had been standing along with quite a few more all around. It was as though a miniature forest had sprung up out of nowhere. The spear wielder used the new heights to get a good vantage point. Kyrion left the cylinder and slowly moved about quietly, looking for a way to surprise his opponent. It was then he saw the boy¡¯s open back and readied himself. Then, pressing his feet into the softened ground, He pushed off with enough power to send him careening towards Ander¡¯s exposed back. Ander noticed and dodged upwards with a high jump. Leaping high into the sky as he readied his spear. Kyrion pressed his foot onto solid air and pushed off towards the boy. Ander used a similar technique jumping a second time, avoiding the punch. The green-haired boy passed by Kyrion¡¯s bald and shiny head. ¡°Hey Kyrion, I¡¯m not the number one here.¡± Ander said in passing. Kyrion¡¯s eye widened as he twisted his body and used the momentum to kick off another platform of air, sending his body away from his opponent. Though it became apparent that Kyrion was clearly not as skilled in aerial combat as he thought. Ander moved higher up in the sky, and, with a sharp turn, he began to plummet downwards. Lightning gathered around the end of his spear as he rapidly approached Kyrion. ¡°No no no no no!¡± Kyrion started railing against the wind attempting to use his remaining mana to get out of the way. Which led to him spinning out of control. Ander was ten feet away and gaining when a tendril of water whipped him across his face while another struck the spear. Lightning passed between the two as they careened into the ground with a boom. Both warriors were on the ground unmoving for an entire minute. Seeing as the wards didn¡¯t kick anyone out. Both were still alive and had stamina to spare. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Ander got to his feet first. Stumbling a bit as he was heavily beaten and battered, parts of his body singed. Though none of the damage showed on his body. His clothes, however, were unsalvageable. Kyrion stood second, his clothes in a worse condition as the spearhead managed to hit him quite a few times. He now understood why Everest didn¡¯t waste too much time on clothes for him. Kyrion would fight in anything, whether nice clothes or simple robes. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± Ander said as he tossed his spear aside and ran towards his bald opponent. Kyion engaged, and the two exchanged blows. His lack of martial arts training was made apparent as multiple hits to his body landed. Punches Kyrion threw were exploited. Kicks were dodged, and his charges countered. Kyrion knew at that moment he couldn¡¯t win but had to try anyway. He charged at his opponent again. Instead of a straightforward charge, however, Kyrion used his head. Ander met the charge head-on with a low stance to flip his one-eyed target over. Kyrion blasted past his opponent at high speeds Missing intentionally as a few vines grew from the ground and wrapped around his opponent¡¯s feet. Ander¡¯s eyes widened as he found himself unable to turn around. ¡°You cheeky.¡± Kyrion turned, pressing his feet on solid air as he boosted himself forward at his opponent¡¯s exposed back. His head connects, shooting the green-haired boy forward quite a bit. As he landed on his stomach, unmoving. When Ander didn¡¯t rise to his feet, Kyrion realized the fight was over. Though he was pretty sure his opponent let him win as Ander wasn¡¯t out of stamina, and the wards didn¡¯t kick him out of the stadium. ¡°The winner of this challenge is Kyrion!¡± The ref stated. Upon hearing that, Kyrion fell to his back, exhausted. A stretcher came and retrieved the unconscious Ander. While another healer checked to see if Kyrion was able to continue. Moments later, he was approached by an older man with Auburn hair and green clothes. ¡°You will need to evacuate. The arena needs to be a blank slate for each fight and we will not be able to clear it completely in a short amount of time. You seem to have done quite some damage to the foundation as well.¡± An older man with an auburn beard and tangled hair told him from behind. Kyrion examined the older gentlemen. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Professor Willow, I teach botany and research plant augmentation. This mess here is going to be moved if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He stroked his long majestic beard. Kyrion looked at him in awe. ¡°So you¡¯re going to keep them alive?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s rare for roots this strong to be in plants grown from mana. Especially from someone in the fledgling rank. It takes an absurd amount of mana to be able to grow just one. Be careful many would kill to have a pool as big as yours.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Kyrion''s eye widened. The man nodded grimly before focusing on his task. ¡°Eh em! Kyrion. You¡¯ll have a bit of a wait for your third fight. Your opponent is a bit preoccupied at the moment. So we¡¯ll have you go ahead and take the written exam while you wait.¡± The black glasses man said with an evil look in his eyes. Well, Kyrion couldn¡¯t see the referee¡¯s eyes at the moment, but he just knew that this would be bad for him. ¡°O kay¡­¡± The boy sighed.
¡°Again I ask, what sort of monsters did Gamodren train?¡± Asked the man with a goatee. ¡°The Tiffany girl lost to Brion. Which we expected given her first trial and experiences reported. Still she put up a hell of a fight, had she had more experience then I imagine Brion may have lost.¡± ¡°He is quite strong. Though when his rehabilitation is complete I imagine it would be a rather one sided match.¡± ¡°You¡¯re assuming that she doesn¡¯t get more combat experience.¡± ¡°No the opposite. By then I imagine she¡¯ll surpass him as he has to adjust to being mobile. Growth isn¡¯t set in stone and she is growing fast.¡± ¡°I see. Ceres is an oddity though. To think she¡¯d last this long. She¡¯s still fighting her opponent.¡± ¡°They have been going at it for two hours now. I don¡¯t know If that means she¡¯s weak or her opponent is that strong. Since he¡¯s still a fledgling and she¡¯s a practitioner.¡± ¡°According to Gamodren, she is a Greenhouse practitioner. She¡¯s still learning her limits and she isn¡¯t the worst applicant. Given what we know, she¡¯s been growing pretty well.¡± Beard ¡°Not even the number two can match up to him. Heck, their fight lasted less than a minute. So I¡¯ll say Ceres is pretty strong, just ineffecient which is why she¡¯s a student. Given her apparent age is ten then it¡¯s likely she rushed there without additional training.¡± ¡°Ugg. Now we have the last applicant. So far he¡¯s shown high levels of strength for his age, a monstrous mana capacity, and has yet to reveal what his spirits are. I¡¯ve seen elements thrown around but nothing finite.¡± Beard ¡°What makes you say he has that much mana?¡± Goat ¡°If his showing in the first found wasn¡¯t obvious then, then look at his fight with Raven.¡± Beard ¡°Raven¡¯s abilities cause mana to leak from what we know.¡± Goat ¡°Exactly, someone with a small mana pool, like Tiffany there. Would be downed in two hits from those birds. Given that they are both of the same rank.¡± The old bearded man said knowingly ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Someone like Ander has an average capacity when it comes to mana. His perceived limit for birds was four before he¡¯s exhausted of mana.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like how you said perceived.¡± ¡°He took two at the start and kept moving forward with enough energy to evade a flurry. Then he hit Raven and took five head on. That would drop some practitioners and most of everyone else in the first year class.¡± ¡°That much huh?¡± The goateed man gulped. ¡°We both know he can heal and given that he had the time to do so, it¡¯s possible he slowed the damage though he wouldn¡¯t have time to regain all the mana he lost. Still Raven hit him with five more of those birds and he still had the mana to make an attack that knocked out his opponent with a mere glancing blow.¡± ¡°That is scary to think about. And when you think about it he wasted so much of it getting hit. If he wanted to be scary then I¡¯m sure he could do so very easily.¡± ¡°The forest on the stadium floor. I¡¯m not sure what Gamodren is after but I¡¯m sure he knows how much mana the boy has at his disposal.¡± ¡°Kyrion, whose combat potential was said to be very low, beat two of our strongest fledglings. I was expecting a supporter or healer. He seems to be an all rounder.¡± The goateed man put down a clipboard and sighed. ¡°That or the boy has been through some heavy training. Which I guess is why Gamodren¡¯s trying to create a new curriculum. One based solely on exploration and real world experience. Like a mercenary group that goes around the continent and spreads our influence. Only they don¡¯t get involved in murders or politcs.¡± ¡°The Drisil Guild us what I intend to call it.¡± Gamodren said as he sipped a hot cup of tea next to a man with black hair and dark glasses. ¡°When did you¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s plainly obvious Ander let him win. That boy has a bad habit of trying to hide his strength. Especially when he¡¯s trying to overtake someone he deems as a rival. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he wanted to see someone with a wind affinity fight against the strongest of their class.¡± Gamodren interrupted. ¡°Kyrion will lose to our rank, one that¡¯s a given. He wasn¡¯t taught his family¡¯s fighting style, nor does he have one. It will be a good show I bet and¡­ looks like Ceres barely won. Good on you, making our number one lose.¡± ¡°Huh, thats new. Didn¡¯t know she could do that. Girl cost me fifteen gold.¡± ¡°You bet against your students?¡± ¡°I bet Kyrion would lose two out of three of his fights. I oughta hit that Ander upside his head for that.¡± ¡°He did push Ander past his perceived limit. As in, we haven¡¯t seen him show that much power before. I could see that he didn¡¯t intend to show much more to an audience before he¡¯s prepared to snatch the number one spot.¡± The sunglasses-wearing man said. ¡°Amadeus needs to rest and heal for about thirty minuets. He¡¯ll be ready to prove his strength by then.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll need to stall for time then. Amadeus will need to be at full power for that one and even then it may be close if Ceres could pull off a win.¡± Gamoden said. ¡°Time for the written exam then.¡± The sunglass-wearing man said. ¡°Are you some sort of Devil?¡± Asked the man with a goatee. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Most fail that test. I don¡¯t think anyone is prepared for that test.¡± The man with a goatee sighed. ¡°Most children fail that test. We are looking to stall for time.¡± The sunglass wearing man said. ¡°Is that the only reason?¡± ¡°I also find it hilarious.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a sick sick man. But it should do.¡± ¡°Wait. Kyrion¡¯s gotta be hungry by now he¡¯s probably starving right now.¡± ¡°He has a bunch of those food bars that Thalia made. So I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡± The sunglasses-wearing man said sarcastically. ¡°Thalia made bars¡­How many did he eat?¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°Around two dozen. He didn¡¯t show any signs of sickness so far so they should be fine.¡± ¡°Let me proctor the test this time. I swear I won¡¯t do anything to sabotage the boy for that test.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. Give him the general knowledge test after as well.¡± The sunglass-wearing man said. Book Two: Chapter 4 The written exam The referee left for a moment and returned with a pen, inkwell, and some parchment along with a desk. Which he set up in front of Kyrion, who was consuming bar after bar, trying to regain his stamina. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion asked as he looked up at the referee. The black-haired man smiled. ¡°While your opponent is getting ready, we¡¯ll have you take the written exam.¡± Kyrion scowled as he looked at him. ¡°All that fighting and you want me to take a written test.¡± ¡°Yes it¡¯s important to be a balanced person after all.¡± The man said with an all too familiar look on his face. Though Kyrion could not place where. ¡°Fine, fine. What do I need to do?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You need to read the instructions carefully before taking the test. Then you need to complete all the questions to the best of your ability.¡± The devil said. Kyrion didn¡¯t know why he now hated this man. But he got the feeling that he deserved it. That smug, condescending glare. Kyrion was going to show him what for and ace this test. But first. Kyrion sat down and got to work on his test. Please read all the instructions before answering any of the questions. Answer in a clear and concise manner. 1. What is your name? Kyrion Mosely. The boy wrote carefully and in big letters. Unfortunately, the lines did not provide enough space. 2. What is your favorite color? Blue. ¡°Why do they care about that¡­.¡± He mumbled. 3. Which set is worth more? A group of five coins with a 1 written on them are on the left. While a single coin with a 5 on it on the right. The one on the left is more. 4. What weighs more, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? Kyrion tapped his chin, thinking. The bricks because they are denser. 5. ¡°Two spirit masters walk into a bar. Why do they owe the bar money?¡± Because they walked into the building! Kyrion started laughing. This test was getting silly. 6. Place the paper on your head and walk around the table three times without it falling. The proctor will come by and give you a stamp and a piece of candy. They had him at candy. Kyrion stood up from his chair. Placing the not fully dried parchment on his head and proceeding to walk around his chair. The proctor came by and placed a single soft white candy thing on the table, and Kyrion was about to eat it. But the paper didn¡¯t say he should eat it. 7. If you make it ten minutes without eating it, you will be given a second one. Kyrion looked at the proctor. ¡°You can go ahead and give me the candy now. I got this, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth. The proctor shook his head, and Kyrion moved on to question eight. 8. If Tod has eight pieces of candy and he wants to give you half. How many pieces of candy do you have? None. Because as far as you know I probably already ate the candy. 9. What color is the sky? Blue. Kyrion wrote down. 10. Rip this test in half. Kyrion did so without a second thought. The proctor came up and flipped the top half of the paper, revealing an eleventh question. 11. Do not answer any of the questions after the first. ¡°Eh?¡± Kyrion¡¯s confident expression faltered. ¡°You seem to have failed this test.¡± The proctor smiled. Kyrion¡¯s brain broke. ¡°Eh he he.¡± He laughed in a monotone. ¡°Are you ok?¡± The proctor asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been tri¡­.¡± He mumbled. ¡°What was that?¡± The proctor held his hand up to his ear. ¡°I¡¯ve been tricked. I wanna rip the test in half again!¡± Kyrion picked up and popped the candy in his mouth in an act of frustration. Slowly calming down. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°When you said that you didn¡¯t have food earlier? Were you lying?¡± Kyrion eyed the proctor with suspicion. ¡°No. I was given them for this test.¡± ¡°Ok, now that your heads been cleared this is the real test.¡± The proctor produced a packet of parchment. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°So I failed the first test, and now I have to take a second one.¡± Kyrion moved onto the second sheet of paper, reading every page front and back before answering the questions written inside. The proctor waited as Kyrion seemed to answer what most kids would have considered much harder questions with ease. Most of those questions dealt with applying healing magic and were only surface level in depth, but not things someone who didn¡¯t train in the art would know. The proctor looked surprised at the quickness Kyrion knocked out some of those questions. After around forty-five minutes and some double-checking, Kyrion was more or less done. ¡°That was quick. So, do you have some knowledge of healing?¡± ¡°A bit. Though not enough.¡± Kyrion sat in his chair. ¡°Your power doesn¡¯t fit your age, and rank. Though it can be explained by the extremely large mana pool that you have put on display and even then. You don¡¯t even seem tired yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mentaly tired. Had you had me fight someone stronger or equal to Ander after the first round then I¡¯d be out. I barely won. I¡¯m not cocky enough to say I¡¯d win against him again right after this fight.¡± ¡°Sadly the other two near Ander¡¯s level of skill and power have been busy in their respective fights. The one called Tiffany lost, but even then the fight was close, both fighters are talented in the way of sword fighting.¡± ¡°And Ceres?¡± ¡°She won. It wasn¡¯t even a fair fight considering. Even then she almost lost. It was as though she was adjusting to her body.¡± ¡°How do you already know all this?¡± Kyrion asked the black-haired proctor. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I have a way to share info from a distance. Not going to tell you how.¡± The man waved as he left the arena.
¡°So. What¡¯s the verdict?¡± ¡°The months that he¡¯s spent training with my son really helped him discover some of the boundaries of his abilities. He is like a diamond in the rough. All that power and potential but no idea how to draw it out to the best of his abilities. Which is normal given the versatility he has from his powers. I have two of his eight classes picked out over these next few years. First will be with spirit surgeon, Exac. The second being Gus. For obvious reasons.¡± The sunglasses wearing man said. ¡°Gus¡­ That flighty¡­ Well I guess it makes sense.¡± Said the man with a goatee. The old man with a silver beard eyed the boy from above. ¡°I assume he¡¯s going to be taught how to fight by Exac. I¡¯ll put him with Professor Willow, though he may need to be an advanced student. Then Alchemy with Professor Bunsen.¡± ¡°Alchemy?¡± Asked the headmaster. ¡°If he can grow ingredients he can learn how to use them. He also seems like a valid subject for their nutrition supplements.¡± The old man seemed resolute. ¡°Not sure he¡¯s fit. Not that it matters much, if he gets kicked out then he just has to apply for a new course.¡± The headmaster nodded. ¡°Physical Exertion, with Coach Teus, and Miss Leona, for his water abilities.¡± The goateed man said bluntly. ¡°Great. That leaves most of what we¡¯ve seen accounted for.¡± ¡°You say that like there¡¯s more.¡± Silver-Beard stated. ¡°Space, Earth, Beauty, and Order.¡± The headmaster stated. ¡°Order¡­and Space. That can be a dangerous combination. Though with proper training he could prove to become a reliable asset.¡± Said the goateed man. ¡°I¡¯d like to replace my idea of alchemy with basic spell theory, he can always volunteer to do a taste test. They won¡¯t turn him down.¡± Silver-beard volunteered. ¡°Noted. This is going to be a full plate¡­ I¡¯m sure Kyrion will know what to do with his last two classes.¡± The headmaster wrote down a selection of suitable classes. Eatiquette, Strength training, Meditation, Music, Art, Weapon training, and Board Game Studies. ¡°Why is etiquette spelled wrong¡­.¡± The old bearded man questioned. ¡°Oh no¡­ My pen must have slipped.¡± The headmaster slapped his head. ¡°Board game class?¡± The goateed man raised a thin eyebrow. ¡°The strategy course. Most of these are one year classes anyway so if he doesn¡¯t like it then he can just choose another one next year. Each of these classes moves up to one more complicated later on.¡±
"You need to select two classes by then and we will have you join in tomorrow.¡± The proctor said to Kyrion. ¡°More paperwork.¡± Kyrion read over the options. Eatiquette, Strength training, Meditation, Music, Art, Weapon training, and Board Game Studies. He circled Eatiquette and Meditation. So that he could eat and nap in peace. ¡°Oh. That was decisive.¡± The man raised an eyebrow that wasn¡¯t quite as bushy as he remembered. ¡°I know what I want,¡± Kyrion stated. To eat and sleep, he thought to himself. ¡°Great great. Your third opponent will be here shortly.¡± The referee stated ¡°Finally.¡± Kyrion unconsciously grabbed his stomach as he stood. The desk and its friends were transported out of the stadium as the man left for a few minutes. ¡°I bet fifty gold that Kyrion loses to our number one.¡± Gamodren said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fifty that he wins. Though we should disable the damage wards and only leave the evacuation one up for this one. Don''t need a four hour fight.¡± The man with sunglasses says with a smile on his face. One that was much more mischievous than the boy who just wore his face could ever hope to mimic. ¡°Then it¡¯s a bet.¡± The two shook hands as the man with black glasses left again.
Ceres left the arena, her armor heavily dented in quite a few places. Outside the arena was a figure clad head to toe in golden armor. Breathing in and out heavily, both knights were brought to different places to be healed. The stadium was unrecognizable as chunks were shattered, moved, smashed, and scorched. The square was more a crater than it was a square. ¡°To think they had people that throng. I hope my master is doing well.¡± Ceres followed a man with black glasses out of her area. ¡°Would you like to be on the stands where your friend is fighting?¡± ¡°Master Kyrion has fights left?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Yes. He will be fighting the person you just battled.¡± ¡°Oh? Master will win this quickly, I just know it.¡± Ceres said optimistically. ¡°Is that so? Is there anything he¡¯s done that lends credence to that statement?¡± ¡°Nope. I just know he won¡¯t lose to someone I just beat. Master¡¯s too strong for that.¡± Ceres said as her eyes twinkled through her visor. ¡°Why do you keep calling him master?¡± ¡°Because a master saved me.¡± Ceres said as she was led to the stands. A boy in a wheelchair watched the stadium intently with both of his hands raised. Ceres could tell that this boy was one of those who looked shorter while sitting down. Next to the wheelchair riding boy was one with green hair braided into a ponytail. His eyes were locked on the stadium, withholding excitement. A spear was held at the boy¡¯s shoulder out of habit. Ceres sat behind the two. Her halberd in a wooden case at her side and armor was still quite beat up. Tiffany arrived with a tired look. ¡°Oh hey Ceres, how are you doing?¡± ¡°Someone ran into me multiple times for two hours straight. Then I got it a strong hit and managed to win.¡± Ceres said, her vizor seemed to make her voice sound deeper. ¡°Ah, I lost to a boy in wheel cha¡­.¡± Tiffany scowled. Brion turned around with a confused look on his face as he noticed his opponent. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡± Ceres looked back and forth between the two. ¡°You lost to him? He looks pretty strong, but I don¡¯t see how someone can fight like that.¡± Brion raised an eyebrow as he thought of something to say. ¡°Thats rather rude. He beat me in a fair fight. I wouldn¡¯t let my guard down around him, he¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Ah. Well why is someone who won their fight watching this one?¡± Ceres asked. Ander¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°I¡¯m here to watch the Blind Berserker fight our Amadeus.¡± Brion said. ¡°Blind Berserker? I¡¯m here to watch master Kyrion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what the others are calling Kyrion. Since he¡¯s been fighting like a madman with inhuman strength and abilities. Heck he even took me down.¡± ¡°Huh. You must be just as strong as Brion is then.¡± ¡°He¡¯s much stronger than me, and I¡¯m sure he lost on purpose.¡± ¡°I really wanted to see him fight. Had I continued and lost I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be in intensive care. Raven got a concussion from a glancing blow. Through the barriers.¡± ¡°Ah, better to take the loss than risk permanent injury.¡± ¡°No. If I lost and missed this fight I¡¯d be pissed is all. Chances are I¡¯d accidentally reveal my trump cards. It¡¯s not even a ranked battle so losing doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Ander said. ¡°So you didn¡¯t take him seriously.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Before today, I knew he was a healer. So I didn¡¯t expect the fight I got and would like to see what he has at his disposal.¡± Ander replied, his eyes watching as someone in golden armor entered the stadium. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the person I just beat!¡± Ceres said happily. A spear lost control and clattered against the ground. ¡°Wait what?¡± Ander was dumbstruck. Book Two: Chapter 5 A Fight Worth Forgetting Kyrion dispatched another of the oddly colored food bars, and his stomach groaned in protest. ¡°Why are you so hungry, stomach?¡± Kyrion asked the organ that responded with a string of odd wet sounds. ¡°Kyrion, you will now fight our top student. Don¡¯t give up without a fight. I¡¯m rooting for you, don¡¯t spread that around too much though.¡± The proctor said conspiratorially. Kyrion smiled before he frowned. ¡°Gladly¡­Spread what?¡± Someone covered head to toe in golden armor entered the ring. This was followed by various cheers. There were no weapons on their person, through the gauntlets were spiked. Oddly enough, his opponent wasn¡¯t lifting their feet to walk. It was as though they floated forward. An odd smell hit Kyrion pretty hard as they entered. Like something was burning. ¡°The battle between Amadeus and The Blind Berserker will begin shortly. The wards will no longer take stamina in exchange for damage. When you can¡¯t fight you can¡¯t fight, and either must surrender or stay imobile for one minute or voluntarily leave the ring. The wards against death will still work.¡± The referee said. ¡°Ummm. Ok.¡± Kyrion said nervously as he eyed his opponent. Of course, he¡¯d have to be extra careful. Ready? Fight!¡± The proctor said. In that split second, the golden warrior had disappeared in its entirety. Kyrion felt a fist hit his face, stomach, and sides multiple times in the blink of an eye. Kyrion responded with a wild punch that connected with nothing. But something vice had managed to wrap around his arm. For the first time since the battle began, he saw his golden armored opponent clearly. ¡°So shiny, it¡¯d be a shame to break it.¡± he thought. Sadly it wasn¡¯t for long as he was flipped. His body launched into the air. Somehow a kick struck Kyrion in the back as he flew, taking him to the ground hard. ¡°Owwww.¡± Kyrion rolled to his feet, only for his legs to be swept out from under him. Punch after punch laid themselves into the boy¡¯s back in quick succession. Sadly the attacks were lacking in the raw power department. They stung and were annoying but did very little damage to his body. Kyrion built up a vortex of wind and water mana as the assault continued. His mind was on other things as he focused through the pain. When enough power was built up. He let it run free. Both fighters were sent careening into the stadium¡¯s barrier, where they bounced off and landed back in. ¡°Oww! What was that?¡± The armored figure seemed surprised. Their armor had some scrapes and a minor dent in the stomach area. Kyrion looked at his surprised opponent. His own wounds visibly healed themselves as bruises faded from his body. A torn lip knitted together, and his eyepatch was loosened slightly. ¡°Do you surrender?¡± The armored figure said. ¡°No? We¡¯re just getting started.¡± Kyrion entered a defensive stance, arms parallel to his face, as water slowly and subtly leaked from his body, almost like sweat. If sweat was made of water mana. The assault returned, hit after hit on his body, the golden warrior moving around as they struck to avoid the sloppy counters. The two danced like this for ten minutes, and it was clear that Kyrion stood no chance in a hand-to-hand fight, but his endurance and healing restored the damage almost as fast as it was being dealt. Unbeknownst to the golden warrior, the whole arena had been covered in a film of water. So when the flurry came this time. Kyrion froze all the water mana he placed on the floor, creating an uneven and slippery surface, leading to his opponent slipping on the ice and becoming airborne. Kyrion moved forward and threw a punch at his armored opponent as they seemed unable to move. The boy¡¯s fist passed through his target as a pair of arms wrapped around his stomach and squeezed. Kyrion soon felt his head rushing towards the hard ground. The boy turned the ice, into water, but he didn¡¯t have time to soften the arena floor much as his skull shattered the pavement. Kyrion was headfirst in the arena floor and didn¡¯t enjoy it very much. Breathing was hard as his nose was busted and compressed. His arms stuck on the outside, flailing uselessly. Finally, he decided to lash out with mana, hoping to hit something. The golden armored warrior looked to the referee. ¡°What is he made of?¡± They asked. The referee said nothing and smiled smugly point at the opponent. Kyrion let loose a few spinning tendrils of water and wind to get his opponent away from his position. ¡°What?¡± Golden knight stubbled as a tendril of water whacked them upside their head, and a gust of wind sent them flying back. Kyrion pulled his head out of the small crater and shook off the debris. Next, he got to his feet woozily eying his opponent. A golden helm was lying on the stadium floor. A diagonal whiplike crack could be seen in the items. A shock of silver and gold passed by the boy before pain was all he knew. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kyrion felt a stabbing pain in his legs as he looked down and noticed two daggers had buried themselves above his knees. Kyrion looked down at the injured appendages and then up at the golden armored figure, helm back on their head. ¡°Do you surrender?¡± The figure asked. Kyrion quickly removed the buried daggers as he healed the wounds. It didn¡¯t take long, much to the surprise of quite a few onlookers. ¡°I¡¯m keeping these.¡± Kyrion tossed the blades into his space. ¡°Those are mine!¡± The golden armored figure said. ¡°Yeah yeah. I¡¯ll get you back for that in a moment.¡± Kyrion tried to take a stance but found that his body wasn¡¯t listening to him as well as it should be. He felt pressure on his temples before something whispered to him. ¡°Hey. Little Kyr?¡¯ Said an older familiar voice in his head. A flurry of blows sent Kyrion onto his back as he felt at least ten punches connect with his body. Each strike got harder and harder as they tried to take him out of the fight. ¡°You¡¯re fast. Faster than I can face head on. So I¡¯ll be going all out, sorry in advance if I hurt you.¡± Vines rose from the ground, and roots made themselves known. Saplings grew rapidly, earth was distorted and made one even. Then, ice coated choice sections of the stadium, creating a hazard for anyone who wasn¡¯t careful. The student in golden armor looked around, holding their hands on their hips, and laughed a distorted laugh. ¡°Ha! Can¡¯t fight me fairly, so you rely on cheap parlor tricks like this?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re strong and I don¡¯t know any proper forms or whatever its called. I can¡¯t see your movement with one eye so the best I can do is limit your options.¡± Kyrion said unashamedly. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°You¡¯re a coward!¡± The figure said. ¡°I¡¯m using my head to fight an opponent that beats my physical abilities.¡± Kyrion said, grinning as the earth under his feet slowly softened. ¡°Spineless!¡± The golden figure yelled as they blurred toward Kyrion¡¯s position. Kyrion brought a hand up and watched as a cube of earth and ice shot up and intercepted his foe. ¡°I am not an invertebrate.¡± Crash! The golden knight crashed into the cube and fell backward, staggered as vines wrapped around their body, pinning them to the ground. Then, he jumped over the cube legs, prepped to land a falling kick. Knives flew up at Kyrion while he was in the air. Kyrion created a platform of air and pushed himself out of range of the projectiles. A barrage of punches battered Kyrion in his face, neck, and chest, loosening his eye patch further as the boy was beaten. Kyrion landed a blow to his opponent¡¯s stomach, cracking the golden armor as his opponent was sent flying backward. Amadeus got back to their feet, slowly catching their breath. Kyrion stood up again as his eyepatch fell to the ground exposing the injury. A gasp resounded from the crowd as Kyrion stood up with a bit of irritation on his face. ¡°Hey, Kyrion. You¡¯re going to lose at this rate. Let me show you how to use that body of yours.¡± Said the older voice, though it was much louder than it was previously. It felt much closer to his conscious mind. ¡°Shut up.¡± Kyrion held his head as blood began to rush to his good eye, his sclera darkening as he eyed his opponent. The armored warrior moved again as they did. Kyrion could actually see more of their movement before it was as though his opponent was teleporting. Kyrion stomped, opening up a rift under his opponent¡¯s feet which they fell into, much to their surprise. Kyrion moved forward as he drew a metal staff out of thin air, slamming it into his armored opponent and knocking them to the ground. There was no one there when the dust settled, and Kyrion¡¯s good eye widened significantly. As he backed up, Kyrion fell prone as his Achelis tendons had been severed in both ankles. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kyrion¡¯s opponent moved forward and laid into his prone form as punch after punch was laid into his chest. Kyrion wrapped his arms around the armored figure and headbutted his opponent¡¯s armored head. ¡°That was stupid.¡± The armored figure said as Kyion fell back. The golden helm was quite dented. In addition, the visor now blocked part of their vision. ¡°I won.¡± The armored figure looked at the boy, fading from consciousness. ¡°Not yet. Deal a blow that will trigger the wards or wait three minutes.¡± The proctor said. ¡°This is sick!¡± The golden armored figure was aghast. Pointing at the fading and bleeding figure on the ground. ¡°I know a few things you don¡¯t. You should also focus on your opponent.¡± The proctor smiled.
Kyrion found his mind wandering into his core as a hooded figure watched him knowingly. Jala Issac and Karl were sitting on various chairs. Looking at a rectangles screen that showed what Kyrion could see. The screen was quite blurry at the moment. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± The older voice said from within Psycho¡¯s hooded cloak. ¡°Oh. So you¡¯re the same person. I never liked you. Too many things never added up.¡± Was all he said as he was forced to take a back seat in his own body. Jala looked at Kyrion with pity in her eyes. ¡°Get your head back on straight as soon as possible. Your commands have priority. He¡¯s currently piloting your body like a meat puppet but if you can regain full consciousness you can take back control.¡± Issac shook his beak. ¡°I would have preferred if the fight ended here. Unfortunately, it¡¯s going to get ugly before it gets good. Psycho is an apt nickname.¡± ¡°How can he do this? He¡¯s supposed to be locked away!¡± Kyrion protested. ¡°There was a seal, its been weakening as you gained in strength. Still not enough for you to control hence the puppetry. Now eat this and lets discuss my futre and the things I require from you.¡± Karl handed Kyion a bowl of white fluff. ¡°Wish I knew these rules. Wait, if I¡¯m unconscious don¡¯t I technically lose?¡± Kyrion took the bowl and ignored the last bit The spirits shrugged. ¡°Well this sucks.¡± Kyrion ate the white fluff. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s tasteless. But chewing should help you calm your nerves.¡± Karl said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The popcorn. It¡¯s tasteless.¡± ¡°What are you¡­ no, the back seat thing. So who is Psycho anyway?¡± Jala sighed. ¡°Technically he¡¯s you, post expert. You know how he said that when you reach a certain level of power, effects that revolve around time are limited.¡± ¡°No. No I do not. I always get the sense that he¡¯s hiding information from me. Wait, if he¡¯s me then is that why you follow his orders?¡± ¡°Yes master, we are bound to him master, he asked me to butter you up and then throw you into a pot.¡± Issac said with wide lifeless eyes. A pot made of water appeared around Kyrion. ¡°You could have just said no.¡± Kyrion grumbled. ¡°To be fair. Your will is stronger than his. I¡¯m pretty sure his mind is mostly gone. Had you been weaker than I assume you wouldn¡¯t exist.¡± Karl said knowingly. ¡°Huh.¡± Kyrion¡¯s face went blank. ¡°Huh what?¡± Jala said. ¡°Just having an existential crisis. Didn¡¯t know how close I was to not existing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mostly dormant. Your body physically can¡¯t handle its power yet...¡± ¡°Karl!¡± Jala yelled. ¡°What. Did I say something wrong? He should learn the truth.¡± Karl said in a monotone. ¡°I swear you¡¯re some talking rock.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°So what are the affinities then?¡± ¡°Blood, death, chaos, and law.¡± Karl said bluntly. ¡°Chaos and law? How do those make sense together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an affinity that belongs to those who reach a level of power that goes beyond what you can achieve here. One cannot exist without the other yet they can¡¯t occupy the same place at the same time. You do not have those affinities in your body and won¡¯t possibly ever as long as you stay on Imala...¡± ¡°Blah blah blah. So I can¡¯t use those two. Yet blood and death can be used?¡± ¡°No. Those are locked until you manage to reach expert. Like most of your space, affinity was sealed. Spirits can control it perfectly. You can not. We don¡¯t need you accidentally decapitating yourself before you know what you¡¯re doing. ¡°So you can limit my powers?¡± Kyrion looked at Jala. ¡°It was Psycho¡¯s idea. He said if you knew what it was, then chances are you¡¯d try using it to peek at girls bathing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just sick.¡± Kyrion said with a deadpan expression. ¡°Is it?¡± Issac asked, interested. ¡°Yes it is. That was a lie right?¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Humans are apes, and in four or five years you may become corrupted as your body changes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this conversation and we both know I need to learn about it. I could put that power to better use anyway.¡± ¡°Like sneaking into the cafeteria to steal food?¡± ¡°Or sneaking out of your classes undetected?¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯d go around messing with those who have wronged them by stealing their left shoes and socks.¡± ¡°When have I done anything remotely like that?¡± ¡°None of the first two yet. I did hear about the squirrel incident. That isn¡¯t an affinity you know, I can¡¯t tell you what you¡¯re doing until you give them a walnut.¡± Karl said bluntly. ¡°Stealing is bad, pranks are good fun. Pranking friends is bad, however, I believe in people getting their fair comeuppance.¡± ¡°Ah that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t go through with your plan to have squirrels drop acorns on Kiara when she passed by trees.¡± Jala said. ¡°Huh? Oh gods no, I don¡¯t think we became friends until after the first trial. Asela would have caught on and sometimes she¡¯ll snitch. Her friends remain prankless and she turns around when birds leave hearty droplets of dung only on certain peoples yards.¡± ¡°It always bugged me how different you two are. I¡¯m starting to think that the peeking was something he¡¯d have done.¡± Jala sighed. ¡°So will you teach me now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Nope. Maybe when you¡¯re older and more durable. Space is dangerous to manipulate, your backpack ability is easy and simple to use. Though it¡¯s quite a bit bigger than a backpack. You won¡¯t be able to physically travel through it for a while.¡± ¡°You took Tiffany there multiple times.¡± Kyrion observed. ¡°She¡¯d be a guest. You¡¯d be going into a world within yourself, both mentaly and physically , with no way to know where you¡¯re going as you are.¡± Jala stated. ¡°Booo. Oh I¡¯m moving.¡± Kyrion watched as his body began to move without his orders. ¡°Master! Get up!¡± Ceres yelled from the stands. ¡°Fight Kyrion! You arn¡¯t done yet!¡± Tiffany cheered on her friend. ¡°Berserker! Berserker!¡± The crowd began to chant over and over again. Ander gripped his chin in contemplation. ¡°So he did lose his eye. That explains a bit of the weirdness then.¡± ¡°No depth perception.¡± ¡°More than that. I want to fight him again.¡± Ander¡¯s face turned into a battle-hungry grin. ¡°S-stay away from master!¡± Ceres said, disturbed. ¡°Oh I¡¯d like to fight you as well. Brion, and your friend can join too, we could make it a battle royal.¡± Ander said in a sultry tone as his voice got a lot deeper all of a sudden. It was clear that it wasn¡¯t a purposeful drop as his eyes widened. Ceres turned red-faced under her armor. ¡°How barbaric!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it better?¡± His voice cracked towards the end of the question. ¡°Nice dude.¡± Brion gave his confused friend a high five. ¡°Tiffany help here!¡± Ceres said. ¡°Sure later, I would gladly have a rematch after I train some more.¡± Tiffany replied, distracted. ¡°But¡­¡± Ceres started. They watched as Kyrion began to stir in an oddly puppet-like motion. Tiffany took out a pendant and looked at it. It was currently black, and the dial was turned towards excited. ¡°I feel bad for who he¡¯s fighting.¡±
Gamodren actually looked disappointed at his students¡¯ apparent loss. ¡°A shame.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you fifty gold richer?¡± ¡°No. The fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± ¡°He gave himself a concussion.¡± The goateed man said. ¡°He can regenerate, a concussion isn¡¯t much to him its what happens when he gets up and causes trouble.¡± ¡°Then what is the problem?¡± The goateed man asked. ¡°My dad had more information than I did. Looks like Curella was here to let the headmaster know of potential problems that a certain bald student may cause if pushed. He wasn¡¯t saying that to Amadeus, he was saying that to me.¡± Gamodren started pacing around the viewing box. ¡°Do we need to stop the fight?¡± The old bearded man asked. ¡°No, this is good. I need to see this, he holds back too much subconsciously. I actually don¡¯t know how much mana he can wield at once. You haven¡¯t seen the maximum I know of yet. Given that there is a diffent pilot at the helm.¡± ¡°So that isn¡¯t him down there.¡± ¡°Spirit possession.¡± Gamodren said. ¡°Thought that was a myth.¡± ¡°It is uncommon. I don¡¯t know the details. All I know is he blacks from time to time. During the first trial he was possessed for brief instances multiple times. Though those instances strained his body he came back as himself.¡± ¡°Possession is said to be permanent.¡± The bearded man closed his eyes. ¡°If the weaker one falls into despair, then their soul is lost. My student is too stubborn to give up to anyone stronger than him.¡± Gamodren ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Observation. Lingar was saved because of that stubbornness. Tiffany and her father were saved when he was nothing more than a strong human. There was also the confrontation with Leon, the white wolf died at the end of that confrontation after falling for one of the boy¡¯s tricks.¡± ¡°He killed an expert?¡± The goateed man looked worried. ¡°No, he incurred the wrath of an eyeless.¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s how he lost an eye, and I guess Leon got too cocky.¡± ¡°Yes, he does.¡± Gamodren nodded. ¡°He¡¯s got a mind buried in all that childish innocence and brutish form.¡± The goateed man said. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle he managed to stay dim as long as he did.¡± The headmaster said, breaking his silence. ¡°Did you know he was like this before he became a candidate? The type to take on stronger opponents. I mean.¡± The bearded man asked. ¡°I found that out on the first day we met.¡± The headmaster said. ¡°At the Bean Sprout academy?¡± The goateed man asked. ¡°Oh no. It¡¯s a story for another time.¡± A smile grew on the headmaster¡¯s face. Book Two: Chapter 6 End of the Trials Kyrion lay on the ground unmoving, his iris gone, and his sclera had gone completely black. ¡°The fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body said in a maddened sing-song voice. ¡°Stay down! You arn¡¯t fit to fight.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body began to rise. Ignoring the request. Amadeus charged toward the downed target intending to take him out of the fight. Kyrion¡¯s body stood and then collapsed as it realized that it needed to heal first. The tendons in his legs were reknit and restored. Amadeus kicked Kyrion in his side with enough force to send him airborne. Kyrion rearranged himself with wind mana and landed on his feet, albeit his stance resembled that of a puppet on a string as his limbs moved sloppily. Amadeus reappeared with a punch that should have connected with Kyrion¡¯s head. Instead, it missed as the boy ducked under the blow. Kyrion¡¯s body countered with a punch through his opponent¡¯s golden armor connecting with their stomach and blasting them away with a mix of wind, earth, and healing mana. The golden armored figure stood back up and began to move around, seemingly unbothered despite the hole in their armor that revealed a white tunic that seemed undamaged. ¡°That hurt. I¡¯ve been taking it easy so far. Now I¡¯m serious!¡± Kyrion watched as his opponent slid towards him in a zig-zag motion. Faster than before, but now he could see it. How could he see it? Kyrion¡¯s left hand caught the right fist, and he spun. Slinging the golden armored figure into the arena¡¯s barrier. The golden figure landed feet first and began to circle their opponent at high speeds. Their armor started to glow and smell like burnt cloth. Large tendrils of water appeared in the arena as various plants died and ice melted. They circled Kyrion counterclockwise, on the ground easy enough to be hopped over at the rate it was going. The referee stood there unbothered as the tendrils just passed through him, not doing any physical damage. The armored figure had to jump and duck the accelerating tendrils. Each rotation grew closer to the mark. ¡°I¡¯m going to punch you in your face really hard this time!¡± The figure said as five rocks and a dagger flew at the boy. Kyrion picked up his staff and spun it at high speed, deflecting the dagger and rocks before rolling to the side. An explosion of fire and sound erupted from Kyrion¡¯s previous position, the force knocking him aside further despite his distance from the blast. Blood flowed from the boy¡¯s ears as he stood unbothered. A maddened look rested in Kyrion¡¯s eye as he charged forward, staff in hand. Amadeus sidestepped an overhead slam from the staff that quickly dug into the ground. An explosive fist into Kyrion¡¯s side detonated in a blast of stone and shrapnel. When the smoke cleared, Kyrion looked physically unbothered by the blow, although some burn marks on his chest were still healing rapidly. ¡°I hit you head-on. That should have triggered the wards! This! You¡¯re healing!¡¯ The golden armored figure was dumbstruck. ¡°Not strong enough yet,¡± Kyrion said happily as his staff came out of the ground. Now resembling a large hammer, the staff was slammed into his opponent¡¯s body, flinging them back exponentially as more armor was shattered and dented. Finally, their body bounced off the barrier and into a tendril of water that grabbed them. Amadeus was dragged across the arena before being flung into the barrier over and over. Scraps of golden armor began to fall to the ground with each strike. The tendrils started to speed up before they stopped suddenly. The tendrils collapsed into water, and Kyrion took in a deep breath before coughing. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. We have more mana than this!¡± Kyrion¡¯s body began to alter The sclera of Kyrion¡¯s eye slowly retired to normal as Kyrion began to stumble and collapse from dizziness. Blood was still flowing from his ears. Suffice it to say, Amadeus was quite mad at this point. One wouldn¡¯t have been wrong to say that they were pissed at the whole situation. So when they walked over and picked up the confused bald boy whose only injury seemed to be in their ears. They laid into him as a flurry of punches aimed at his stomach made contact, each blow dealing more damage than the last. ¡°What in the? That was sudden.¡± Kyrion said, his consciousness finally returning to him as a kick to the head knocked him across the stadium floor. He rose back up to his feet but felt that it was troublesome at most. He was nauseous, dizzy, beaten, deaf, his stomach felt funny, and his blood felt like it was burning him alive from the inside. Even his heartbeat was annoying him as it was going at a speed that it shouldn¡¯t. He also felt drained, opening his mouth wide to make his surrender known. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He stood with his staff, using it to hold himself up as a gauntleted fist made direct contact with his stomach. ¡°Ahhii¡­¡± Was all Kyrion got out, before the incident. Kyrion grabbed the fist and squeezed, denting the metal and trapping his opponent out of an unfortunate reflex. Then he hurried. Not the intended punch, not a kick. But a putrid black bile that landed inside his opponent¡¯s suit of armor in an unhealthy even coating. Had it been a little, that could have been cleaned easily, but no. Thirty bars worth of bacteria and nutrients flowed from his stomach quite quickly, and it didn¡¯t stop even as the boy¡¯s consciousness faded some more. A scream echoed from inside the armor as Kyrion¡¯s opponent ran off. Out of the arena and then the stadium. Which led to Kyrion falling into his own filth, unable to support his own weight. Kyrion did not get up for three minutes after the fall. ¡°Amadeus has left the arena by the rules stated. Kyrion has been downed for three minutes. So I must conclude that this fight ended in a draw.¡± The referee stated. A hole burned into the floor of the arena floor where Kyrion was lying. So the benevolent proctor decided to drag him out of the arena into the waiting room. But to rest on a wooden bench stomach first so that he wouldn¡¯t choke.
Kyrion was inside his core again. His arms crossed as he observed the five spirits that lived there. ¡°Psycho. Don¡¯t take my body without my permission. Never again, you did more harm than good. Also, remove your hood.¡± Kyrion crossed both of his arms. ¡°Fine. Though you may regret your choices.¡± Kyrion looked at Jala. ¡°I want to get stronger, I don¡¯t want any of you hiding abilities from me because the lack of such things may get me killed. I will not die because I didn¡¯t have all my options.¡± ¡°That is fair. I will teach you but you won¡¯t be able to practice until you reach practitioner fully.¡± Jala didn¡¯t budge much. Karl took a step forward. ¡°About my¡­¡± ¡°Issac, I like what you taught me about balance and control. What I want next is your assistance in using Undine¡¯s power. I haven¡¯t felt much different despite absorbing it and like I said with Jala, I need to know how to use my abilities, all of them.¡± ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Issac smirked. ¡°Tree, I wish you could talk. You have quite a few secrets, my body has been steadily growing tougher. If you can transfer Knowledge again then do so when I sleep.¡± Karl stayed silent. The tree was also silent. ¡°Ok Karl. You need to get stronger. I need to get stronger. Teach me what I need to learn. I haven¡¯t had much time to focus on your growth since you¡¯re a newer power. Now I¡¯m ready to learn.¡± ¡°Good. That works, Kyrion. I¡¯ll need quite a few materials to build my dungeon here.¡± ¡°Here as in my core.¡± Kyrion pointed down. ¡°No. Your pocket space. I¡¯m building a dungeon there when you have the space.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°When you hit practitioner rank, it will be easier to understand. I am simply squirting away things and building my template for them. You¡¯ll be able to get so much training here when it¡¯s done, a special training ground that only people you chose can enter. A place with rules you will learn to manipulate.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°Ok. Still can¡¯t wake up¡­.¡±
Ander had grown pale by the end of the fight. But, for him, it was a wild ride until the end, like riding a speedy and angry horse that could fly. ¡°Well I learned quite a bit. Though I don¡¯t intend to win like that.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­Kyrion was moving funny towards the end there. Had Amadeus been more patient, then it¡¯d be a different story. Kyrion would have passed out on his own.¡± Brion said, rubbing his chin. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°His equilibrium was shot when his eardrums were ruptured. Combined with the continuous strikes to his head and stomach it was clear he was losing his balance. His equilibrium was shot and his vision was limited. Combined with blood loss and the sudden drop of his attacks it was clear he used up all his mana. His regeneration had stopped completely and that last hit made it to his undefended stomach. All I¡¯m saying is that the opponent should have just waited.¡± ¡°How could you figure all that out?¡± Tiffany asked. Brion slapped his wheelchair. ¡°Can¡¯t fight very long right now, so I study those I see as my opponents closely and develop ways to combat them. The brain is also a muscle or so I¡¯ve been told. I¡¯ve lost too many fights because I didn¡¯t observe and plan before rushing in and getting hurt.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Tiffany looked at her prone friend lying on the stadium floor as the pendant was glowing blue again, its dial set to irritation. ¡°Poor master. Let¡¯s go meet him outside.¡± Ceres said to the others. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I got some training to do. Brion you coming?¡± ¡°Yup. After seeing that he¡¯s passed me that much I have to train at least twice as hard now.¡± Brion said cheerily as he started rolling towards the off-ramp. ¡°Guess it¡¯s just us two.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°That is fine.¡± Ceres replied.
After a thirty-minute wait, Kyrion finally started to stir. ¡°Kyrion the Barfbarian. How does a title like that make you feel?¡± The proctor asked. ¡°What!?¡± Kyrion eyed the man with a half-lidded eye. His eyepatch had been replaced on the boy¡¯s face while he was asleep. Some slaps to the boy¡¯s face got his attention as the proctor pointed to his ears, and Kyrion put two and three together. ¡°Oh! Sorry! I was tooo quiet! Speak up!¡± He yelled. The proctor placed a finger next to Kyrion¡¯s ear and drew it back as it was stained with dried blood. Kyrion sent mana into his ears to heal him and felt a pop as he could hear again. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like I need a new everything. What happened?¡± ¡°You technically achieved a draw considering that they knocked you unconscious and you unleashed an attack that made them flee the arena. I ruled it that way since you were clearly out of it. That is some endurance you have.¡± Kyrion withdrew a blue lotus which he planted on his person allowing it to clean his body and clothes before he stood. The process was slow, which showed that the concoction was very potent. ¡°Blame my teacher. It was the first thing he trained me on. Why I¡¯m not sure.¡± Kyrion felt exceptionally weak despite the almost damage-less form he was taking. Most of his outer wounds were healed. Although he wasn¡¯t getting any outside help on his insides. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± The sunglasses-wearing man said.
Gamodren and the headmaster were standing in an office. Two cushioned chairs faced each other with a desk between them. Paperwork, ink, and pens line the desk with quite a few bits and baubles. A bookshelf lined the walls filled with a collection of works that may or may not have been read by the owner of said office. The door to the room was closed and blocked from all sorts of scrying and snooping. ¡°Pretty lenient to call that a draw.¡± Gamodren crossed his arms, suspicion on his face. ¡°I needed to push my pupil. They got a bit too cocky from leading the pack so long. I knew that under the right circumstances your student would push them one way or another. What we showed was that people from outside the school could be just as strong if not more power than them.¡± The man in sunglasses smirked. ¡°Mmmmhmmm. Father, what are you not telling me about my pupil?¡± Gamodren¡¯s pupils seemed to shrink as he eyed the man. ¡°Enough to know that he¡¯s more dangerous than you let on, just soft. Some people are genetically ruthless and embrace it. Others have spent time keeping themselves under control. You¡¯ve been too soft in your teaching, that boy needs to be pushed to his limits and beyond. Which probably sounds insane given how much growth he¡¯s had so far. He¡¯s learned to adapt and use his abilities for the good of others. Now it¡¯s time for him to really learn how to fight, otherwise my own pupil will lose their rival.¡± ¡°Kyrion can¡¯t compete with your student normally?¡± Gamodren said with raised eyebrows. ¡°It isn¡¯t that. They have a power that can get very destructive, they¡¯ve never met anyone at their level who could endure many of their attacks. Heck the explosive attack is what kept them on top, most go down when hit. They haven¡¯t tried to make that attack any stronger since they developed it.¡± ¡°Ceres was too durable, but she¡¯s a practitioner so that can be overlooked because rank. Kyrion is at the same rank and he shrugged off multiple blows healing and countering. Had he been trained purely in combat the whole time he possibly could have won.¡± Gamodren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wrong partially. While winning is important, it¡¯s more to do with embarrassment.¡± The headmaster said. ¡°Is that why you tampered with those bars he¡¯d been guzzling down.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Only you would poison the horse you bet on to make it seem like an underdog.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°I see nothing wrong with such an arrangement but I didn¡¯t touch anything he ate.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t going to trust his sister for a while. Do you like messing with people?¡± ¡°Yes. Though Thalia shouldn¡¯t use ingredients with bad reactions with common airborne spores. The kind that slowly enters one¡¯s system.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a miracle he lasted that long.¡± Gamodren said. ¡°Is it now?¡± A bushy eyebrow was raised. ¡°How premeditated was this?¡± Gamodren realized his student had been getting played from the beginning, and he, too, had a few things to learn. ¡°Little Gamodren, a magician, never revealed his secrets.¡± The headmaster vanished from sight. ¡°About the lies I told the elders.¡± Gamodren eyed the man who raised him with suspicion. ¡°A necessary evil. We don¡¯t know what spirit possessed him at which moment. He wasn¡¯t our student then either so we wouldn¡¯t have cared back then. He didn¡¯t have any hair to watch turn black either. Mutations do happen with growth, hair colors change.¡± ¡°Got it. What happened there was the same that happened here as far as we are concerned.¡± Gamodren shook his head. Book Two: Chapter 7 Post Combat Buffett After cleaning and changing his clothes, Kyrion left the arena and headed toward the front gate. His face was a bit red as he tried to hide it from others. His eyepatch had been replaced. Tiffany lay under a shady tree, exhausted, while Ceres patrolled next to her. ¡°How are you doing, oh wise barbarian?¡± Tiffany teased. ¡°Bad¡­ Very bad¡­ I need some real food. I¡¯ve never been this hungry in my life.¡± Kyrion leaned against the tree and let out a breath of relief. ¡°Well color me surprised. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d survive a fight against someone who outmatched you in almost every way.¡± Gamodren said slyly. ¡°To be fair, they punched me in the stomach over and over. Amadeus had it coming, though I¡¯m sure I would have lost if they weren¡¯t so squeamish.¡± Black ichor leaked from Kyrion¡¯s pores as his body cooled down. The ichor was then cleansed by the lotus on his person. ¡°Gross.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Gamodren took a step back. ¡°So ready to go explore the town?¡± Kyrion was ready to start jumping up and down. Had he not been exhausted. Gamodren smacked his bald student on the back of his head. ¡°Eh em. You need to figure out housing. Are you going to build or rent? If you choose to build, then I know of a great place to set up near the south. Though you will need a bit more Kyrion eyed him in suspicion while holding his head. ¡°The first one was just a test to see if I could do it, wasn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Yes. There is a lot of money and A.P. to be earned by building a dormitory and making it public.¡± ¡°Let me guess. You already have a prime location picked out and conveniently prepared for building.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to catch on, aren¡¯t you young Kyrion?¡± Gamodren smiled wickedly. ¡°I should have known¡­Though¡­ I¡¯ll need to stay in the dorms before I can get it built. Did you have anyone already picked out to assist me in building? Or is there some forest nearby with an army of woodland critters to help me?¡± ¡°Both. Though you will need to stay in a dorm on campus until it is built.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just borrow some land and use one of the ready made houses?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I mean yes. But then you¡¯d have to commute to class which isn¡¯t that hard. This way you¡¯d be able to sleep in more, and also earn points that can be used to purchase things at the school. They can also be converted into currency, at a five to one, silver standard. Heck you could afford to eat all the food you want.¡± ¡°How big is it going to be?¡± Kyrion asked as he closed his eye and yawned. ¡°There are going to be four wings. Each wing holds fifty spacious rooms, fit with a bathroom with running water, a workable kitchen, meditation or training room, and a bedroom. On the bottom floor of every even building there will be a bath. Boys in buildings three and four. Girls in the one and two. On the top of each building I want gardens that can grow various plants for alchemy. On the odd floors I want a miniature shared training hall. In the center of the building I want a fountain in the middle of a park where you can go to relax and enjoy the scenery. You don¡¯t have to build the fountain, I already have it built.¡± Kyrion eyed the man. ¡°Is this what you had planned from the beginning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also going to help you with your training. I expect buildings one and three will take a month while three and four will take another. The park a week after that. I knew you had a lot of mana but to think you were holding out this much on me.¡± ¡°Your ambition knows no bounds master. I didn¡¯t know I could do all that. I also won¡¯t do that ever again if it does that much harm to my body.¡± Kyrion said, squinting his eye before rubbing it. ¡°I know my limits, and most of your capabilities. We can get this done if we work together. It will also be very durable with the materials that I¡¯ve procured. There will be a ward artist assisting as well.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Which means that you¡¯re all in¡­Which means It¡¯s best I help so that I can reap the rewards.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Great. Now let¡¯s go get you some lunch. I know a restaurant where you can eat all you want. I¡¯m going to let you get kicked out on your first day.¡± Kyrion¡¯s stomach started growling, but it was half full. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I¡¯m running on near empty now. And I feel a little sick.¡± ¡°Oh dear.¡± Gamodren nodded as he took them to Kyrion¡¯s first All You Can Eat Buffet.
¡°That boy threw up on me. I¡¯ll kill him!¡± Said a silver-haired figure. ¡°Easy now, you punched him in the stomach over and over again.¡± Replied a lean figure in a hood. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hit him in his eye. That¡¯s in poor taste.¡± ¡°You could have gone for the throat. Letting the ward sort him out.¡± ¡°Yeah. Why don¡¯t I just accidentally kill him while I¡¯m at it.¡± ¡°You just said you wanted to kill him. Now the thought of actually doing it is what makes you hesitate.¡± ¡°Well yeah. I don¡¯t want to kill him. I just want to punch him in the face some more. Beat him till he runs out of mana and stops healing the blows as I hit him.¡± ¡°To think the great Amadeus lost twice in one day.¡± ¡°The first was a practitioner that got stronger as we fought. The second doesn¡¯t count. I¡¯ll exact my revenge, believe it.¡± Knuckles cracked. ¡°Don¡¯t get too obsessed. I hear he already has a devout fan club. You know how weird they can get.¡± ¡°Anyone who would join that one¡¯s fanclub would have to be depraved.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s said that Silver Knight is the supposed leader of the fan club.¡± ¡°Silver Knight? The one that beat me in that two hour long battle?¡± ¡°Yup. They call him master for some reason.¡± ¡°That sick bastard. I¡¯m going to make his life a living hell.¡± ¡°Well. Good luck with that. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s my problem.¡± The hooded figure left the waiting room. Leaving the silver-haired figure alone to their own devices. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat him to a pulp.¡± They muttered. ¡°Young one. Why didn¡¯t you win that fight?¡± The black-haired man appeared in front of the silver-haired figure. ¡°Because he threw up on me!¡± Amadeus said. ¡°That isn¡¯t why you didn¡¯t win.¡± The man crossed his arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough power. My attacks did nothing to him until the end.¡± ¡°Your opponent had enough endurance to take your strongest attacks. And enough power to take you down if you weren¡¯t careful. You may be strong, but that showing wasn¡¯t a coincidence, if you don¡¯t train harder then you will be surpassed sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°I will get stronger, master. I won¡¯t lose like that again.¡± ¡°Oh. Didn¡¯t you hear? The fight ended in a draw. Had you let him he would have passed out on his own. That last hit knocked him out for half an hour. You also need to learn some patience as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Good that you do. Training will be upped quite a bit. Hope you can handle it.¡± The headmaster vanished again.
Had you told Kyrion that this place wasn¡¯t heaven on Imala, he would have thrown you out of a window. The smell was the first thing he noticed, baked meats, smoked meats, barbecued meats, some vegetables, pasta, rice, fruits, and desserts. All the food groups were there and in large amounts. ¡°I would like a table for this group of three children and one adult.¡± Gamodren said. The host looked at Gamodren before locking eyes with the large child. ¡°1 silver for the normal buffet, but one gold for the glutton pass. It lets the chefs know that they need to make more food.¡± ¡°Glutton¡¯s pass. Is that new?¡± Gamodren was shocked. ¡°Yeah, ever since she came along, we have been struggling to stay open. The price helps offset the sheer enormity of it all.¡± ¡°How much does this glutton eat exactly because, I¡¯m sure my pupil is tame in comparison?¡± ¡°She looks like she weighs fifty pounds but eats twice that amount.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Interesting. Wait, why does something seem off?¡± Ceres looked at him in curiosity. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Tiffany, then Ceres, Undine and now another one¡­ I¡¯m losing my mind here.¡± ¡°Did you forget me?¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I, Gamodren, should be one of your best friends.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eye seemed to cross with an imaginary copy as he started thinking. ¡°How do I put this without hurting your feelings¡­ You¡¯re like a fath¡­ no¡­ Brot¡­ nope. If my father had an irresponsible younger brother he¡¯d be you.¡± ¡°At least you didn¡¯t call me old. Guess your learning.¡± ¡°How old are you anyway?¡± Kyrion glared at his teacher. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Gamodren crossed his arms. ¡°Nope?¡± Kyrion¡¯s stomach started making weird noises again ¡°See? You shouldn¡¯t waste your time thinking about useless things like this. It will just leave you confused and hungry.¡± Kyrion started to feel a bit faint. ¡°Odd¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ceres asked, concerned. ¡°My appetite won¡¯t stop growing.¡± Kyrion rubbed his still bruised stomach and winced as he noticed his stomach hadn¡¯t healed properly. ¡°So like normal?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°No¡­¡± Kyrion focused to better observe the damage done to his body. It was slow, but something in his stomach was causing damage, which was then healed, though the damage was constant. Most of the food in his stomach seemed to be acting up. His eyes went wide. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°I think I¡¯m injured in a different way. The bars I got from Thalia gave me, did some damage. Oh that¡¯s why I threw up¡­¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Kyrion, you should really know better. Didn¡¯t I tell you to save some food for later? Sometimes you can¡¯t trust those around you when it comes to food.¡± ¡°My whosa what now?¡± Kyrion asked as his stomach cursed at him. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Another one?¡± Tiffany eyed Gamodren with suspicion. ¡°Nothing nothing. You should focus on cleansing your stomach. Go outside and take care of that. We¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Gamodren let Kyrion go alone. Kyrion conjured a ball of water mana and slowly sipped on it as he made his way around the building. Into a nice dark alley. Continuing his trek forward, he noticed a set of trash cans ripe for use. The next part grossed people out, so he did it in an alley. So suffice it to say, he pulled the bad stuff from his body and cleansed the hurt organ before depositing that toxic waste into a trashcan. All that magic left him hungry and tired. The regeneration and previous fights left him weak, battered, and tipsy. Which made him prey to two goons approaching him. Each saw the bald sick boy as an easy mark. Soon finding a foot in his weakened gut, the boy was sent flying quite a bit. Kyrion didn¡¯t get up as he was frankly too tired to do so. One of the goons was an older boy with blond hair and piercings going into his ears, lips, and nose. The other was an orange-haired pudgy boy with a mohawk. The beatdown Kyrion endured was more of an annoyance as he was too tired to get up, and his regeneration kept trying to heal despite the lack of nutrients and mana to work correctly. It didn¡¯t even hurt. So Kyrion decided to get these two back at the first chance he got. Oh, wait¡­ When they were satisfied, they began rifling through his things. Kyrion didn¡¯t keep money on him, and he traveled lightly. The only thing resembling a money pouch was a sack of seeds, acorns, and other nuts, half of which had been coated in potent laxatives. The kind that gets stuck to your fingers if you don¡¯t wash your hands. A trick Everest taught him keeping a throwaway pouch to be stolen when getting robbed. ¡°Stop it!¡± Said a quiet voice. A smile formed on Kyrion¡¯s tired face. Had his right eye been there, one may have seen a glint of mischief. The two goons didn¡¯t seem to hear him. A loud boom echoed through the area as something flew into the air and exploded into a flurry of light and sound. That scared the two goons so much that they took the sack and started running. Kyrion lay body dirty and beaten, though no open wounds or signs of bleeding could be seen. Suffice it to say, he looked a lot worse than he felt. Although he was hungrier now, so maybe they did do some damage. Footsteps could be heard as a blond-haired boy approached him. He was wearing a blue blazer paired with slacks. On his waist was an oddly curved wand. ¡°Are you ok?¡± He asked. ¡°Hgmmm. Mmmy hero.¡± Kyrion groaned as he tiredly fluttered his eye. Some dirt had gotten stuck in them. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± The blond boy asked. Kyrion¡¯s stomach growled. ¡°Take me to food. Please.¡± His finger weakly pointed to the buffet before falling limply. ¡°Ummm¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± The boy began dragging Kyrion to the buffet. If Kyrion could complain, he would. But he didn¡¯t feel like getting up, so he didn¡¯t. He could get up and run into the buffet, but he¡¯d have to use energy. Kyrion was helped to his feet as they slowly made their way in. ¡°Young master!¡± Ceres yelled in surprise, immediately running to pick up the stumbling Kyrion. Kyrion was too tired to protest as he listened to his friends talk about gibberish. ¡°Earth to Kyrion¡­Well he¡¯s out.¡± Gamodren placed a gold coin on the counter Kyrion didn¡¯t respond, his mind almost gone to lunch as the smell of edible food wafted to him. The boy looked at Kyrion in awe. ¡°Did I just trigger a flag?¡± Gamodren sighed as that¡¯s not what he meant as they brought Kyrion to their booth. A special gold-colored towel was placed at Kyrion¡¯s seat to mark his status as a glutton. They decided to eat after paying for the boy who helped his student¡¯s entry along with Ceres and TIffany¡¯s. It took around two plates brought to his table by Ceres before Kyrion could sit and move properly. Now he knew something was wrong¡­ He¡¯d need to be careful when eating as his regeneration uses nutrients from food as fuel and mana. The bars had nutrients and something akin to a small amount of poison. The more he ate, the more that stuff entered his body. Kyrion took out a food bar and examined it carefully before giving it to Gamodren. ¡°What is this?¡± Gamodren sniffed it before putting it far away from his body. ¡°It¡¯s what poisoned me.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Oh¡­Interesting. I wouldn¡¯t eat anything purple and filled with unrecognizable ingredients.¡± Gamodren sniffed it and reeled. ¡°It¡¯s moldy in bits as well¡­.¡± Kyrion eyed the man with suspicion. ¡°So those bars are bad for me. Did she do this on purpose?¡± ¡°Probably not on purpose, but some people shouldn¡¯t cook. These could be a month or so old and kept in storage. Keep this in mind. Potions, pills, and food have expiration dates. If you have them, don¡¯t be afraid to use them. Once alchemical creations lose all their mana, they expire, and some may do more harm than good.¡± Gamodren said before sighing. ¡°Got it.¡± Kyrion began eating a haunch of meat bigger than he was before becoming a spirit master. After that, he moved on to a second and then a third. The food showed no signs of going to his stomach as it disappeared into his body. But he felt a lot better. ¡°That hit the spot.¡± Kyrion¡¯s skin became clearer, his clothes and body cleaner and healthier. Black stubble began to grow from his head. ¡°So it isn¡¯t you.¡± Cecil murmured under his breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Kyrion asked, head tilted. ¡°You eat like a werewolf.¡± The blond-haired boy stated as he looked at Kyrion. ¡°A whosa whatsit?¡± Kyrion asked, fully aware of the lie and not pushing it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Gamodren looked a bit too curious. Kyrion squinted. ¡°Wolves and I have a touchy relationship, some even tried to kidnap me once.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a human that can transform into a beast. Wait kidnap?¡± The boy raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, so like a beast spirit master?¡± Gamodren changed the subject as a wave of mana passed over the group, and they decided that this wasn¡¯t the time or place. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s innate. My friend does have a spirit though.¡± The boy stated. ¡°So. It¡¯s like being a half human, half wolf, and inheriting the spirit abilities of a humanoid?¡± ¡°No. No. It¡¯s a bit more complicated than that. I actually came here to check on her.¡± The blond boy stated. Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°So your friends with someone who people say can out eat me?¡± ¡°Kyrion no one said that they could out eat you.¡± Gamodren said with a straight face. ¡°I¡¯ve seen people with beast spirits eat. You¡¯re putting down five times as much as you should be able to consume. Two beast spirits, one tree, and a dungeon.¡± ¡°Ah, so what is your friend like?¡± Tiffany asked curiously. The blond boy blushed for some reason, which earned him a confused glare from Kyrion. ¡°Well¡­ Suffice it to say she¡¯s headstrong and a bit of an overeater. But she protects those she cares about and is dependable when it counts.¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± Kyrion asked as he eyed the boy a few years older than him. ¡°My name¡¯s Cecil Calhoun, a student of Drisil academy, and training to be a spell slinger.¡± ¡°Spell slinger¡­ Well ok Cecil, why did your face turn red? What do you know that could embarrass you so much?¡± Kyrion prodded, suspicion on his face. ¡°I-I just don¡¯t get.. To.. talk to pretty girls all that often¡­You know?¡± Cecil said shyly. Kyrion eyed him in suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡± Kyrion said dumbly. A slap echoed throughout the buffet as Gamodren slapped him. Kyrion held his cheek. ¡°Kyrion, turn off your regeneration and think about what you just said.¡± Gamodren ordered with an intensity he hadn¡¯t heard before. Kyrion did so and sat down after a while pouting. He was clearly confused about why his teacher would act like that. ¡°I am sorry Tiffany, Kyrion can be a bit of an airhead.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°How old is he?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Eight. It¡¯s been rough and despite having so many sisters, tact has managed to evade him. Which is probably why they tricked him into taking etiquette.¡± Kyrion scrunched his bald eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s pronounced eatiquette.¡± He mumbled. ¡°Oh my mistake. Did you figure out what you said wrong?¡± Gamodren stared daggers into Kyrion. Steam was rising from Kyrion''s head as he boiled the sweat on his forehead and rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ Head hurting. Should I be quiet when people turn red like that?¡± Kyrion mumbled aloud what he had been thinking. Tiffany looked at the pendant and saw that it was blue, the dial set on confused. ¡°He¡¯s an idiot sometimes. Better to learn now then make that mistake when it matters.¡± Cecil nodded in understanding. ¡°He¡¯s still in the girls have cooties phase.¡± ¡°What are cooties? Are they bad? Why does it sound like cookies?¡± Kyrion began to panic. Ceres stayed silent. ¡°Master does need to think a bit more before he speaks.¡± ¡°You basically said that you didn¡¯t think Tiffany was pretty. That one was free, Issac is happy to assist you in becoming a gentleman.¡± Isaac¡¯s voice entered his consciousness. ¡°Ohhh.¡± Kyrion slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°Sorry about that, didn¡¯t mean to insult you.¡± Kyrion apologized to his friend Tiffany. Gamodren raised an eyebrow as he noticed the sudden change. ¡°Great. Now don¡¯t make any mistakes like that again.¡± ¡°I get the feeling you aren¡¯t together then.¡± Cecil grabbed his chin. ¡°We train together.¡± Kyrion said before shutting his mouth and looking around in a panic. ¡°I¡¯m not going to bite your head off Kyrion, I doubt that slap even hurt.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°I mean, it hurt my stomach. I don¡¯t think I can eat as much as usual.¡± Kyrion stated as he ate through an entire rack of beef ribs. ¡°Yes I can see that you¡¯re starving yourself.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°So about this girl friend of yours? The werelion.¡± Kyrion changed the subject. ¡°Werewolf.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Yes that.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t my girlfriend.¡± Cecil stated. Gamodren shook his head while Tiffany covered her face. Ceres blinked in confusion, not knowing what ship she was riding on as the waters were turbulent. ¡°You said she¡¯s a girl and your friend right?¡± Kyrion asked. Oh, gods, he¡¯s an Idiot. It could be easily read on Cecil¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Kyrion eyed the boy, almost reading his mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you were. Yes she is a girl that is a friend. Nothing more.¡± ¡°What would be more?¡± Kyrion asked, lost again. ¡°Your teacher will tell you when you¡¯re older.¡± Cecil nodded to Gamodren. ¡°I taught him already. He is just a bit too innocent to understand it yet. Which is how someone as big as him could enter the Forest of Purity.¡± Gamodren politely consumed his fifth plate. While he didn¡¯t advertise it, he could keep up with the biggest eaters if he tried. Kyrion had left to go get dessert. The chefs had just brought out a four-layer cake with its name. The boy had been waiting for this moment and was going to swoop in and take the cake. Sadly he wasn¡¯t alone. A diminutive girl with pink hair appeared at his side, walking towards the cake. Kyrion locked eyes with the girl and began walking faster, using his long legs to his advantage. A small weight landed on his shoulder as his body began to slow as his body felt heavier. Nevertheless, Kyrion pushed through the force with brute strength and continued forward. The weight intensified, and Kyrion was eventually passed by the girl. Kyrion slipped a binding root into her hair and infused mana, causing the seed to grow and restrain his target. That tactic had the added effect of freeing Kyrion from the pressure, and he passed her back up. Using some unseen strength, the girl ripped through the vines, grabbed him by the ankle, and tripped him. The fight lasted longer than it should have and ended with Kyrion reaching the cake first as a passenger held on to his back like a koala climbing a tree. He didn¡¯t notice the extra weight as he made his way toward the table. Placing it down with a proud grin, he took a seat. Examining his cake.¡± ¡°One. Two. Three rows of deliciousness¡­.¡± He rubbed his hands together. ¡°Wait for it?¡± Gamodren watched in anticipation. ¡°One of the rows is missing¡­.¡± Kyrion grabbed his chin before he sat down. ¡°Bella! You made it!¡± Cecil exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion.¡± Kyrion eyed Cecil. ¡°This glutton right here stole my prize. So I skimmed some off the top.¡± ¡°And proud of it Wait¡­.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Sharing is important.¡± Gamodren stated. Kyrion did not express his irritation, but he did eat the bottom two rows by himself while leaving the rest for his friends. Everyone save, Gamodren, who snuck a slice, and Bella, who consumed the remaining row, stayed out of the way. After Kyrion finished his first entire run, he was almost satisfied. He looked over to the chefs with an impish grin and waved. He could have sworn he smelled fear imitating them. ¡°So is this what fear smells like? Interesting¡­¡± Bella examined the boy¡¯s back, checking to see if she had left behind any wounds. Lucky for her, not even a mark was left behind. So she didn¡¯t accidentally turn him into a werewolf. ¡°Are you some sort of beast or something in human skin?¡± Bella asked in awe. ¡°Possibly. According to some people my grandfather can turn into a bear. I¡¯ve never seen him do it.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­¡± Gamodren whispered through his teeth. ¡°Ah, so your part beast.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Kyrion. I don¡¯t think I can transform into an animal¡­.¡± Kyrion summoned Issac and Jala simultaneously. Bella jumped back and started growling at the bird. While Cecil seemed surprised by the two animals that appeared out of nowhere. A waiter was coming to tell him that animals were banned when Kyrion muttered some simple words. ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m not as hungry anymore.¡± The waiter then turned around, choosing the lesser of two evils. ¡°Can I turn into a beast using your abilities?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Jala answered. ¡°Hell no.¡± Issac stated. ¡°Hell?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Abyss no¡­¡± Issac growled. ¡°Ohhh.¡± Kyrion got it. ¡°So how old are you, babyface?¡± Bella asked in suspicion. ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird to ask a stranger their age?¡± Kyrion raised a missing eyebrow ¡°Women. I¡¯m sizing you up.¡± Bella squinted. ¡°The answer is nine and no I¡¯m fully dedicated to my training.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t your teacher just say that you were eight.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know my birthday. Was kinda comatose when it passed last.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°Are you physically eleven?¡± Cecil asked next. ¡°I do not know.¡± Kyrion answered truthfully. ¡°What color is your hair?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Why are you asking?¡± ¡°For a friend, I¡¯m looking for someone with red hair, green eyes and is the same age as you. A shame you have black hair though.¡± ¡°Who is this friend?¡± Kyrion smiled, mana slowly pooling into his feet. ¡°Someone with the Church of Imala.¡± Cecil was quite sure he found his person ¡°I see. I see, my parents weren¡¯t the religious sort. Heck, I¡¯m sure many would have called her a heretic because she hated the common religion. It¡¯s highly unlikely that a church would care about little ole me.¡± ¡°Ok, well if you figure anything out mind letting me know?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Kyrion said in a noncommittal fashion. ¡°With that done, how tall are you going to be?¡± Bella asked, looking at a figure that hid muscles too well despite his size. ¡°Somewhere between six and eight feet I assume.¡± Kyrion repeated what he¡¯d been told. ¡°A bit young¡­.¡± Bella eyed the boy in curiosity. As though she were sizing up an opponent. Or potential adversary. ¡°Yup.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°He¡¯d be an alpha back home. The tallest of my brothers wasn¡¯t that feet tall before he turned fourteen.¡± Bella stated. Cecil nodded. ¡°Very strong template. Are you going to take the entry exam? I heard that the group that showed up today put on a very good show.¡± ¡°Test?¡± Bella asked, confused. ¡°It¡¯s what was behind all the commotion today.¡± Cecil explained vaguely. ¡°I may have slept through it then¡­ Isn¡¯t it still breakfast?¡± Bella scratched her head, confused. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s lunch time.¡± ¡°Oh. Then I don¡¯t need to hold back for morning training.¡± Bella got up to get another plate. Kyrion eyed his spirits. ¡°Why are you two so hungry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you haven¡¯t fully entered the practitioner rank. We want as much mana in our systems before you become a practitioner.¡± Jala told him as she tore into a steak. ¡°I see, so you¡¯re why I¡¯ve been so hungry lately. But, Gamodren, why can¡¯t I become a practitioner yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to be settled. Learning or building a fighting style suitable for your powers. Master your powers now and know their limits, so that you know how much you¡¯ve grown when you reach that level. The more you train now the stronger you will be in the future.¡± ¡°Training and technique are good and all. But you also need to start eating higher quality food. Stuff that still holds large quantities of mana. It¡¯s more effective than just gorging yourself. You should also get some actual gear. I¡¯m sure your master can afford to accommodate you.¡± Issac started at Gamodren. Kyrion looked at Gamodren as well. ¡°Yeah. I can. I was hoping you¡¯d take that legendary sword, but you didn¡¯t. So I just need to get someone to build you something. I¡¯ll need some fur from Jala, feathers from Issac, a gem or stone from Karl, and a branch or leaf from the tree in your core. Have you ever tried to fully manifest that thing?¡± Gamodren asked. Kyrion clipped some fur off Jala¡¯s side and pulled a feather from Issac. Kyrion then reached somewhere and produced a leaf and an oddly perfectly cubed emerald. Those items were then handed to Gamodren with the same ease he had when he handed over his own eye. His blank expression was a bit concerning. ¡°Well great. That was convenient.¡± ¡°Karl got those ready for me.¡± Kyrion yawned. Much to Jala¡¯s Irritation. But she seemed madder at Issac than Gamodren. ¡°You and your big beak.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯d rather our master be weak?¡± ¡°No. I just hate having fur pulled off.¡± Jala rubbed a patch of silver fur that was slowly growing back. ¡°Ah. Sorry.¡± Issac bowed before approaching Cecil, and the two immediately came to an understanding. Kyrion raised a bald eyebrow. Issac didn¡¯t like anybody. He waited for something to happen, but Issac just faced him. ¡°Kyrion! I want you to stick close to this boy and learn alot from him. He is a valid role model.¡± Issac revered the older boy. Bella squinted, understanding what was going on. ¡°Cecil is building a harem with all kinds of women, still your dream?¡± Cecil¡¯s eyes burned with passion. ¡°I am a lover of all women. The ultimate gentleman. The embodiment of every man¡¯s desire is the harem.¡± ¡°Amen.¡± Issac stated, his head nodding knowingly. Kyrion looked at Tiffany. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this harem stuff is, mind explaining?¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone who surrounds themselves with people of the opposite gender. Mostly for gross things.¡± Tiffany explained with a bit of irritation. Not towards him, thankfully. ¡°This is why I said we need more dudes in the group. I don¡¯t like being outnumbered. Soon I¡¯ll be going to tea parties and makeup practice. I hate makeup practice.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Such a sad fate for someone predisposed to forming harems.¡± Gamodren fanned himself. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna harem! That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going to go find some dudes. Amadeus sounds cool, Cecil you¡¯re a bit weird but your welcome to join in.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­ Be careful, harem¡¯s don¡¯t just have to be the opposite gender.¡± Gamodren sipped his tea. Bella¡¯s nose started bleeding all of a sudden. ¡°You¡¯re going to turn me into a sociopath. A magical, bloodthirsty healing weirdo.¡± Kyrion pointed to his teacher as his head started hurting. ¡°I¡¯m only saying, your beauty affinity has an ability that makes you seem a little more interesting while looking like a work of art. Even bald and one-eyed people still find themselves staring at you when you aren¡¯t hiding.¡± Gamodren explained. Kyrion scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t like this affinity.¡± ¡°Master Kyrion. I truly hope you don¡¯t change when you get older.¡± Ceres added. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy to hear it, but you¡¯ll be nothing more than a little brother at most.¡± Tiffany said as she eyed the blue pendant as the dial turned towards scared. ¡°Gods, not another sister¡­.¡± Kyrion shook his head, panicking. Book Two: Chapter 8 Silverlocks and the one bear Gamodren showed the kids the various vacation spots in the large town along with introducing them to the main market. Basic weapons and equipment could be bought, but anything special must be obtained at the school or during a field trip. Bella was telling Kyrion about the mythical pastime called thanksgiving. While based on a lie, people celebrated it by eating something known as a turducken. A bond of gluttony was formed between the two. The thing is, gluttons don¡¯t get along in the same restaurant, so they agreed not to eat in the same buffet at the exact same time. Kyrion and his group eventually made it back to campus. Cecil and Bella split off to go do whatever. The group stayed quiet when it came to Kyrion¡¯s natural hair color, as it was obvious that they were after him or someone who looked like him. The three, led by Gamodren, were brought to a relatively cheap-looking dormitory that was currently falling apart. The building was split into two wings separated by a ward. Males on the left, females on the right. Somehow Kyrion felt these beds would be more uncomfortable than those at the Beansprout Academy. ¡°I hate it here already.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s only temporary and this is the only dormitory that doesn¡¯t charge A.P to rent. This way we can get the building done and move in as soon as possible.¡± Gamodren clasped his hands. ¡°So you¡¯ll be staying here Gamodren?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Gods no. I have a suite in another dormitory. I¡¯m planning on upgrading when the building is done however.¡± Gamodren replied with a smile. The receptionist for the dorm was half asleep. Her old eyes staring off into the middle distance and wrinkled face made her look like a husk. White balding hair on her head and a flurry of missing teeth were noticed when she gave a cheerful yet disturbing smile as she saw the new tenets. ¡°Excuse me. We require the finest rooms you have, Ms¡­.¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Mars. You may call me Ms.Mars.¡± The old woman said. ¡°Ok. Ms. Mars. May we please have the finest rooms you have available?¡± Kyrion put on his adorable child face. Which looked bizarre when combined with his height, baldness, and lack of an eye. Gamodren shook his head with a smirk. ¡°Well arn¡¯t you a charmer. Saddly our best room on the boys side already has someone in it. It¡¯s meant to hold two though. So I¡¯m sure you could share it.¡± ¡°Another roommate¡­ Gonna have to keep an eye on them.¡± Kyrion rested his face on his right hand. The old lady seemed to take that as a joke and laughed before realizing no one else was laughing. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Luckily for you two the girls side doesn¡¯t have many occupants. Mostly because of the rat and roach infestations.¡± Tiffany squirmed a bit at that revelation. Ceres looked fine, if not happy. ¡°So meals are included?¡± ¡°My aren¡¯t you an optimist.¡± The old lady looked to Gamodren. ¡°I¡¯m just dropping them off.¡± Gamodren said before he backed out of the dormitory. ¡°Fine fine.¡± The old lady had the kids sign a few things before handing them room keys.
Kyrion entered his room on the third floor of the building. Curiouslly he examined the two small bedbug-ridden beds and sighed. ¡°This is not going to work.¡± Kyrion¡¯s bed had to go, and so it did. He put it into his space and walked to a discrete area where he dumped the evil thing. He then returned to the room and cleaned before placing some choice plants near the window. Rodents would now be turned away from the room. Summoning a ready-made king-sized bed, Kyrion effectively took up 50 % of the room. ¡°Hmmmmm¡­ That other bed is an eye sore.¡± So Kyrion disposed of that bed as well. Moving the stuff that didn¡¯t belong to him into the closet. Kyrion was not a great roommate. One could argue that he was a horrible roommate. That same person may also refer to him as an awful person. Sadly Kyrion was running on delirium, the day proving to be highly exhausting, and he had a lot to unpack. His brain immediately went into a deep sleep.
A boy in grey clothes entered the room hours later. A perplexed look on his face as he looked at the room that had been heavily redecorated. Then at the fact that there was only one bed in the room. His beds were gone, and his stuff was missing. And some brute snored loudly enough to shake the room on a king-sized bed. The boy sighed as he rubbed a hand through his silver hair. ¡°This has got to be some sort of sick joke. Two can play at this game.¡± The boy rolled the sleeping Kyrion onto his stomach to get him out of the middle. Kyrion rolled again in his sleep. Off the bed and into the floor, where a loud crash echoed. ¡°Sorry are you ok!¡± The boy checked on his roommate, only for the loud snoring to continue. The boy sighed as he sat on the bed. Moments later, he fell back on the soft bed. Sleep quickly caught up with him, and he gave into the mattress.
The following morning Kyrion woke up with someone else in his bed. While he was on the floor. Kyrion stood up and looked at the silver-haired boy sleeping in his bed. Kyrion was suspicious. Walking around the bed with his arms crossed, Kyrion didn¡¯t look happy. Though on closer realization, he did remove his roommate¡¯s bed. Why did he throw out the other bed? The silver-haired boy started to stir, so Kyrion waited patiently. He needed a guide, and this one was ripe for the position. ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡± Silver asked groggily. ¡°Watching you sleep.¡± Kyrion said, bored. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°I need someone to give me a tour. I don¡¯t even know where breakfast is.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°So you want me to help you. What do I get out of it.¡± The silver-haired boy looked up at his roommate. ¡°A friend!¡± Kyrion said with a sunny smile on his face. ¡°My first class is afternoon. Goodnight.¡± The boy covered his face with the nice blanket. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I¡¯ll let you keep the bed when I move out.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°You got rid of the bed in the first place. Its your responsibility to provide a replacement.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. ¡°So you give up?¡± The boy asked from under the cover. ¡°I¡¯ll be your servant for a day.¡± Kyrion bowed. ¡°Hmmm¡­ What can you do?¡± He asked, an eyebrow raised. ¡°Anything within my power so long as you ask.¡± ¡°Three favors then. You may try to run out on the deal. I don¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°So you do one and I do three?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. I take you to the cafeteria and then your first class. I only get one extra, though that doesn¡¯t matter much as I¡¯ll give you a tour of the campus after all of that.¡± ¡°Mmmmhmmmm.¡± Kyrion squinted his eye. ¡°Is that a no?¡± The boy started to go back asleep. ¡°I accept those terms.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°What? Ok. I Maximus will be your guide today.¡± Max got off the bed. Kyrion stood there staring at his roommate. Something about them being similar but different. ¡°Can you go? I need to get changed and your staring is starting to weird me out.¡± Max said. Kyrion decided to leave it alone and wait in front of the dorm. Quite a few people had gone, yet he hadn¡¯t seen Tiffany or Ceres leave the dorm. Something wasn¡¯t right. So he decided to open up his mana senses to try and detect them. Suffice it to say, the dorms were warded against these abilities. And the backlash had the bald boy¡¯s nose bleeding. ¡°Got it, got it. No peeking.¡± Kyrion healed the wound and then sat down. Minutes later, Maximus arrived in a grey uniform. His silver hair was combed back, a white-glove over his right hand. ¡°You took forever¡­ I¡¯m starving here.¡± ¡°Follow me then Starving.¡± Max led the way to one of the dining halls. A self-serve spread with tons of breakfast options for a growing spirit master. ¡°I have memorized this route.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Go get us a table. I¡¯ll get a plate real quick.¡± ¡°Is that a favor?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Does it have to be? Would you rather get food and have nowhere to sit?¡± Max asked. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion found a small empty table and took a seat. Before he started, people watching. Oddly enough, Kyrion had a feeling that he was being watched from somewhere. Though whenever he¡¯d look, the pressure was gone. Had his previous attempted kidnapper been half as competent, Kyrion would probably be six feet under right now. Suffice it to say, Kyrion was on edge. Max returned with a frugal plate of food in hand. A rude expression on his face as he sat down. His glove, not quite on his right hand. ¡°Your not going to gain any weight if you only eat that much.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Why would I want to gain weight?¡± Max asked. Kyrion squinted at his roommate before he stood and shrugged. ¡°Just thought you¡¯d want to grow big and strong. Did you do something to your hair or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just the wind.¡± Max said. Kyrion raised a nonexistent eyebrow. ¡°You sure have a lot of expressions for someone without eyebrows.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Kyrion left to get a few plates of food. Squiring some extra away in his space for later. He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but something was off. Returning to his table, two unfamiliar goons were surrounding Max. Kyrion dubbed them Dee, and Dumb, as he didn¡¯t bother learning their names. The thin blond boy with piercings slammed a hand on the table. ¡°Me and my brother here are very tired. Why don¡¯t you stand up and give your betters this table along with the food on it.¡± ¡°Very hungry. If you don¡¯t move now, we may need to get physical.¡± The pudgy orange-haired boy said. Max seemed more irritated than scared. When Dee (The blond), grabbed Max by his shirt and threw him to the ground before taking his seat. ¡°Go get me another plate. This is hardly anything!¡± The ruckus drew the attention of some of the younger kids, who looked at the older pair in fear. The older kids were apathetic at this point. Kyrion was also apathetic when he looked at the scene. He¡¯d help his roommate, but he wouldn¡¯t fight their battles. Well, not for free anyway. Kyrion crossed his arms and approached Max. Holding an overflowing plate of food in one hand, he placed his right on his roommate¡¯s shoulder. Passing a wave of healing mana throughout their body, healing the minor scrapes from that throw. They were pretty sturdy. ¡°Oi! You¡¯re the drunk from yesterday! Come here for more robing? No one¡¯s going to save you today.¡± Dumb said as he raised a fist threateningly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kyrion asked the shorter duo, his height of 5¡± 8 proving to be intimidating to the preteens. ¡°Adults shouldn¡¯t be here. This is a battle between youths. You can¡¯t be a student and your too weak to be a teacher.¡± Dee said. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion was now lost. ¡°Give me that plate you got there, and we won¡¯t embarrass you, old man.¡± Dumb demanded, capitalizing on said confusion. ¡°So this is what it feels like being called old. I¡¯ll have to apologize to a few people.¡± Kyrion sat his plate on the ground as he whispered to Max. ¡°Do you want me to get rid of these idiots?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°They¡¯re older. More experienced. We¡¯d get thrashed trying to fight them.¡± Max said, shrinking into a shell. ¡°I can try on my own if I have too. If you want me to that is. We could always give up and find another table.¡± Kyrion helped his roommate up. Noticing calluses on the hand hidden by the glove. He also saw that it didn¡¯t quite fit the glove it was in. ¡°Fine. If you can make them leave us alone then go ahead and show off.¡± Max said with an odd glint in his red eyes. ¡°Hmmmm.¡± Kyrion sat his plate on the table. ¡°You can go now.¡± Dee said as he moved some excess food to the other plate on the table. Kyrion did not move. He stood still in the lunchroom as though he was a fixture. The gazes of the onlookers passed on as though he had always been there. A trick he¡¯d been using ever since he was a child to escape from classes, chores, and other minutia had become something he¡¯d learned to invoke purposely. Something he improved on further with some help from Everest after convincing him that he¡¯d mostly use it to avoid being a target. Since he was a healer and healers are targets when they can be seen. The two brutes were a minute into eating their food. They felt their heads slammed into the table with enough force to break through the wood. Cuts and scrapes were made against their skin as splinters attacked them. They soon felt a cool sensation as they were healed without the debris being moved. Which meant the wounds would have to be reopened later to avoid infection. The worst part for the duo was that their heads were now fused to the table for the time being, and they would need a teacher to come and remove them from their predicament. The rest of the cafeteria heard a booming sound followed by some cracks and, with delayed reactions, noticed that Dee and Dumb were restrained by a table. Kyrion and Max were nowhere near the crime scene at this point. As the former immediately carried that latter away. Along with a good portion of food from the self-serve area. They were a good distance away when Kyrion put his roommate down. ¡°Your pretty heavy for your size. Is most of that muscle?¡± Kyrion asked innocently. A fist connected with Kyrion¡¯s jaw as Max fell to the ground and dusted himself off. ¡°Owww. What was that for?¡± Kyrion asked, a sense of nostalgia washing over him. ¡°You have a very punchable face.¡± Max said. ¡°Well with that two favors are done. Since I didn¡¯t retaliate.¡± ¡°My aren¡¯t you cocky.¡± Max¡¯s muttered though something felt off about it. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Well can you take me to class. I¡¯m looking for an Exac.¡± Kyrion said stoically. ¡°So you arn¡¯t eating breakfast?¡± Kyrion pulled out a fine porcelain plate that could have probably been sold for quite a fortune. Had he known the value. Sadly he didn¡¯t, and since a plate is a plate, he summoned food on top of the fancy dish. Max seemed to wince as food poured onto the plate. Sadly the food had gotten cold in the space. The ability not one that keeps items in a stasis. After eating the food, Kyrion pilled on a second helping and a third before stopping. ¡°Ah, right they took your food too. Want a plate?¡± Max shook his head and took a step back. ¡°You eat like a giant.¡± ¡°I am a giant. Kind of.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Is that one of your requests?¡± ¡°Friends don¡¯t count favors. You aren¡¯t good at this.¡± Max smirked as though he found ¡°You¡¯re the one who said they didn¡¯t want to be friends.¡± Kyrion closed his eye and took a deep breath. Max froze for a moment before scratching his head. ¡°Lets get you to class before your late follow me.¡± After a few minutes of walking, the duo made it to the room where Kyrion was supposed to meet for instruction. Unfortunately, nobody was there. Luckily a note was pinned on the door. ¡°Master Exac will be holding a practical lecture in training hall 4C.¡± Kyrion read it aloud. ¡°Down the hall and turn left. It¡¯s the training room with a C on it.¡± Max explained. Kyrion turned around to say thanks, only for Max to already have gone. ¡°Must not like doctors.¡± Kyrion shrugged. As Kyrion made his way forward as he did so the sound of screaming could be heard, and he slowed his pace. ¡°Hokey! Pokey!¡± That was followed by some more screaming. Kyrion looked into the viewing window that showed training hall 4C. An old man around three and a half feet in height, bald save for a single white hair that shot straight up another foot in height before bending side to side. He was dressed in a white coat and slippers. On the ground were various students in various states of unconsciousness. The old man¡¯s head turned away from him before rotating his a full two hundred and seventy degrees and locking eyes with the boy. ¡°Who?¡± The old man asked before running to the window at full speed. Kyrion flinched as the old man jumped into the window at full speed. The sound of shattered glass did not echo across the hall. The old man did not reach his target as he slowly slid down the glass-like window. ¡°Ah. He¡¯s a quack.¡± Kyrion sighed. Book Two: Chapter 9 Questionable teaching methods Kyrion ran into the room to help the old man up. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Kyrion asked. Getting the old man to his feet. The old man held Kyrion¡¯s left hand. ¡°That¡¯s one strong left hook you got soney.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you.¡± Kyrion tried to take back his left hand, but it didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Oh I know, just checked the structure of your limb. Quite sturdy, in some places, but shoddily built.¡± The old man poked Kyrion in his arm, and his ulna bone snapped like a twig. The man then poked the boy on his clavicle, snapping it with a simple touch. ¡°Oww!¡± Kyrion threw a punch at the old man in an attempt to get him away. Sadly the old man dodged the blow with ease and poked Kyrion in his sternum. While not breaking any bones outright, it broke his posture and left him open to a sweep, forcing the boy to fall on his back. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Quite uneven, very bad, you need some basic instruction. Have you been skipping classes?¡± The old man eyed Kyrion before taking a step back. ¡°Who?¡± Kyrion coughed. ¡°You need to work on reinforcing your body, you¡¯re saturated with mana but it isn¡¯t reinforced. How to put it for you to understand¡­Do you know anything about blacksmithing? You¡¯re built like a blacksmith.¡± ¡°Is that the one where you beat metal with a hammer, until it becomes a sword?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A carpenter?¡± The old man asked, examining the muscle density of the nine-year-old. It wasn¡¯t anything overly bulky. If anything, he seemed to resemble a statue when stationary. Nearly perfect by artist standards. A near-perfect example of symmetry and grace. Which was odd for someone of his age. ¡°I¡¯ve built some buildings. But I mostly just have animals and monsters do the building part.¡± ¡°Professor Willow also has you so¡­ Do you know how seeds and soil work?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re done here.¡± Exac turned around. ¡°What does it have to do with seeds?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a bunch of seeds planted in the ground. Then you flood the seeds with an overabundance of water and or use special aids that increase the plants¡¯ growth speed. What happens to those plants when you force them to grow quickly?¡± The quack asked while he turned back to face the boy. ¡°They get stronger quickly but have weekspots in places where there shouldn¡¯t be?¡± Kyrion nodded as though he had figured something out. ¡°Your body looks like it was forced to grow recently. So the mana saturated in your body is just sitting there being wasted. You haven¡¯t reinforced your body enough. Those gaps may be small now but when you get stronger those gaps will get you and others killed.¡± The quack stated. ¡°I see. My body has all this mana, but it isn¡¯t reinforced. So I¡¯m wasting the mana I have? ¡°The reinforcement process is slow and arduous. In fact, I highly recommend taking your time. The process will make you hardier, before you reach practitioner, and you will need to grow used to that state before augmenting it with the full practitioner package.¡± Exac replied. ¡°Does everyone reinforce if its so powerful?¡± ¡°No. It require that you have tons of mana already in your system to even start. You are enhancing your body with mana. Rolling out all the kinks.¡± ¡°Do I even need to be stronger? I just want to help people.¡± Kyion said honestly. ¡°You¡¯ll help your enemy by getting yourself killed. A healer is a target in any situation. So if you can¡¯t at least defend yourself, how do you expect to save anyone else. At most you¡¯d doom two people.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t even want to fight anywhere on a battlefield, I don¡¯t want to kill anyone. I want to heal people.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°One day, you may find yourself burying your friends and family because you were too weak to save them. Too slow to catch them. Too scared to say no when captured. Instead of going on a rampage in those situations wouldn¡¯t it be better if you were prepared to act.¡± Exac said while slipping off a slipper. ¡°And reinforcing my body will help with becoming better at using magic?¡± Kyrion squinted. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°It will make you stronger physically. Any natural endurance is good endurance. It wall make you faster, your body will become a better conduit for mana. Meaning you could dump more mana into attacks without damaging your body.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t pump out that much mana.¡± Kyrion defended. ¡°You have multiple times. You even did it yesterday. Using mana to speed up your perception as well as raise the oxygen levels in your blood to make you faster. I¡¯m sure you felt terrible after all of that. Heck you¡¯re still a bit sluggish from¡± ¡°I see. Thank you for your guidance.¡± Kyrion scowled. How did this man know that psycho did all of that? He didn¡¯t even know the specifics. But, on the other hand, it did clarify quite a few things. ¡°No need. Now focus you mind and the places I hit you with the slipper will need to be reinforced.¡± ¡°Can you help me with this first?¡± Kyrion pulled out his small box with the eye replacement inside. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± The teacher stated. ¡°An eye replacement.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Do you know what abilities it will give you?¡± Exac raised an eyebrow. ¡°Nope. Does it matter? I just want my death perception.¡± ¡°You mean depth perception.¡± The nutty professor stated. ¡°Did I stutter?¡± Kyrion did not admit his mistake. ¡°Well it¡¯s your funeral.¡± The old man kicked Kyrion in his knee, bringing him to a kneel. The orb was placed where the eyepatch and bandages used to be. As light passed through them. Kyrion was surprised to see how effortlessly the eye thing turned out. The iris was a kaleidoscope of colors, silver on the outer layer followed by green, blue, brown, and black. Kyrion could see again for a moment, and then his head started pounding as his sight was suddenly returned. After a while, the colors in his iris fused into an emerald green that mimicked his left eye. The boy, of course, promptly passed out. ¡°I really hope he doesn¡¯t do this often.¡± The teacher sighed as his head rotated 180 degrees, locking on to an owl perched above the door to the room. Kyrion woke up a bit later. Left alone in the room, Kyrion decided to replace his eyepatch and head on out. It would take time to adjust. Assuming it was time for his next class, he made his way out the door.
Kyrion arrived at the G courtyard, looking at his map and finding that no one was there. ¡°Why does this thing even exist?¡± The only person there was a green-haired man with hair flowing down past his feet and big, extremely bushy eyebrows that seemed to take away from his closed eyes. Kyrion didn¡¯t want to bother the strange old man. Kyrion corrected his thinking. Strange middle-aged man. ¡°Child. Why did you come here?¡± The man asked with a melodious voice. His eyes stayed closed, and despite that, Kyrion could feel the man¡¯s attention. ¡°Well Mr. Strange Middle aged man, I come looking for Gus.¡± Kyrion stated without a hint of rudeness in his tone. The man furrowed his bushy brows, and it looked like two islands crashing into each other. ¡°I am he. If you¡¯re a student, then go play. I do not teach on days that end in Y. Wind is something you need to learn the flow of. It can¡¯t be taught.¡± ¡°Then why is it a class?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know actually.¡± The man blankly looked up at the sky, his eyes still closed. Kyrion thought about it and sat down, mimicking Gus¡¯s pose. After ten minutes of meditation, his stomach rumbled. ¡°The wind tells me that I need to go eat some lunch¡­Or breakfast¡­.Brunch time.¡± Kyrion brought out a nice blanket and began arranging the plates of breakfast food he procured by perfectly fair means. The next thirty minutes were spent eating. Much to Gus¡¯s distraction. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Next is Professor Willow, the plant teacher. I have another thirty or so minutes¡­.¡± After that, Kyrion decided to get some training done. Procuring a fallen stick, Kyrion drew a line in the dirt. He leaped from that position and landed twelve feet away. A second line was left here he landed. Kyrion then practiced jumping back and forth from one side to the other. Within minutes Kyrion began to gain in speed to the point where he couldn¡¯t stop himself, so he tried to slow down a bit by using more wind mana. But, of course, he missed his target altogether and crashed into a boulder. Leaving a rather impressive imprint on the stone. Kyrion fell backward, his vision fading. That boulder did a lot of damage to the reckless boy. Gus was still in deep meditation when Kyrion woke up. A welt on the boy¡¯s bald head that hadn¡¯t been healed properly could be seen. Head injuries had to be dealt with delicately. Healing them while passively could do more harm than good. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ I think its time for my next class.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been out for over an hour.¡± Gus said melodiously. Kyrion¡¯s jaw dropped.
Packing up his stuff, Kyrion ran, finding his way to the fifth garden. He was forty minutes late, but he made it. A good number of students were sitting in front of the Auburn-haired professor in loose-fitting green robes. There was a blackboard behind and in his hand was a white rock. ¡°Ah yes Kyrion glad you could join us. Would you like to learn the basics of gardening or get right into the dirt?¡± The older man asked. Kyrion looked at a tool rack that held various farming and gardening implements. They seemed to be slightly different then what he was used to. ¡°Are these tools magic?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes, maily for high durability. Use the plot with your nameplate on it and grow whatever you want. That will be your plot of land for the year. Every now and again I may come and make suggestions and teach when I see that you¡¯re lacking. The easiest way to learn is by doing after all.¡± Kyrion started by plowing the field in preparation. After adequately preparing it, he began to plant a tangerine tree in the center. Around the tree, he planted a few plots of corn. ¡°This is enough for now.¡± Kyrion watered the plants with a mix of water and life mana. Enough to nurture them but not enough to force growth. Willow looked at the growing field in interest. ¡°So you aren¡¯t forcing growth this time around.¡± ¡°Trying something new. Apparently by forcing growth I¡¯m doing more harm than good. Not growing them to their full potential. This is just a te¡­.¡± Kyrion stopped and scowled. ¡°Experiment works as well. I see that you don¡¯t like the T word.¡± ¡°Something about it stirs something up in me.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Perfectly normal, its also good that you came to this on your own. Saves me from having you start over tomorrow.¡± ¡°Wait that¡¯s an option?¡± ¡°I want you to learn how to properly grow plants. Speed growth may be good in a fight or for villages of magicless humans but spirit masters require more potent food to satisfy them. I¡¯m sure you noticed when you force an apple tree to grow. The nutrition is lost in the apples that are produced. Eating them doesn¡¯t restore much mana if any.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eye widened. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well enough of that. Take this.¡± Professor Willow passed Kyrion a notebook. The Chronicles of (Blank). ¡°What is this?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Plant growing can be quite boring if all you do is sit around. This is to help you pass time, write in this journal during your free time, marking the growth of your plants along with your own experiences. Let it become a good habit.¡± There was a pen on the inside that seemed to hold its own ink. The boy wrote his name on the cover. The Chronicles of Kyrion. Kyrion didn¡¯t know what he needed to learn about plants, but he did know that what Professor Willow was teaching was part of the bare basics. Most of his initial writing in his notebook were badly drawn doodles followed by an organization of memories that were starting to contradict when he wrote them down and thought about it. ¡°Something is wrong, but I don¡¯t know what.¡± Kyrion stood up when he noticed that some of the students were leaving. The sound of something snapping went off behind him. Kyrion turned around and noticed a set of charred footprints on the ground before he left. With so many powers, it could be anyone, so the boy didn¡¯t know who it could be just yet. He¡¯d only been here a day. Can¡¯t have too many enemies. Book Two: Chapter 10 Oops Kyrion¡¯s lunch consisted of stealing a lot of food from the cafeteria for later consumption while eating enough to tide him over as he made his way to a lecture hall. Ms.Nox was a younger woman with black hair and blue eyes. Her clothes consisted of a black robe and cape which also reminded him of a certain person he beat in the trial the day before. Kyrion was sitting next to a very confused blond boy. His height was a bit noticeable in the class full of kids who were mostly his age. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in a more punching oriented class?¡± Cecil asked bluntly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in a more advanced version of this class?¡± Kyrion tried to raise an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m in a few, there are some holes in my knowledge. How''s your first day going?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Good enough. A bit of a pain. One teacher attacks his students while another doesn¡¯t teach at all. Professor Willow reminds me of a wise old man, but I''m pretty sure he¡¯s Gamodren¡¯s age. This is my first normalish class. Well if normal was boring.¡± Kyrion whispered. ¡°You¡¯ll adapt to the lessons soon enough. Looks like I let a dam loose though.¡± Cecil shook his head and looked to the side. His eyes widened and his lips puckered in surprise. Ms. Nox was standing right next to the two. ¡°What''s so interesting? You''re hardly paying attention to the lesson.¡± ¡°I was, up until around forty five seconds ago you were going over the difference between rituals, wards, and runes. I was just getting some of the basic information that I¡¯m missing from my neighbor. He seems to be better informed than me. The talk on mana channel, ley lines, and fonts of mana were terms I was unfamiliar with. I would love to cure my ignorance.¡± Kyrion replied unperturbed and with minimal breakage. One could say he lied through his teeth, had they known how good he got at the act. That same person would also have to be either Gamodren or Curella, the former who taught him how to lie, while the latter had a method to pick up on deceit. Nox and Cecil both seemed quite surprised. A kick to Cecil¡¯s shin got him back into it. ¡°There are a few books in the library related to said subject in the library, and while i¡¯d love to go over them now. We¡¯re in class. I was going to tell him to isolate what he didn¡¯t know when you arrived and I''d help him later.¡± Cecil explained. ¡°I see. Next time, keep your questions until after the lesson is finished.¡± Nox walked away and continued her lesson. Cecil was surprised by his friend''s ability to improvise. He was sure that Kyrion had been focused on their conversation. The boy didn¡¯t even know what subject the professor was going over when she arrived. ¡°Incantations are a primary trait in spell crafting, sure a fire ball can be conjured by anyone with a fire affinity, and enough stubbornness. But through the use of the right incantation you can consistently obtain the same results, with less mana. It is recommended that you don''t start using these incantations in combat until you''ve reached the practitioner as some are more draining than others. Here you will learn how to write and create basic spells, and runic symbols as a foundation of knowledge is better than one built on ignorance.¡± Nox continued her lesson. Ms.Nox had a bit of a flair for the dramatic. What she was teaching was dry and technical but the way she spoke of it made Kyrion think of it as an art form. After the main lesson, the students spent the remaining time drawing runes and theory crafting spells. ¡°Why are you in the class?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m a wizard, Kyrion. I have a cat with the order and mana affinities which allows for better control when it comes to spellcraft and artifice. Back in my world I was an apprentice wizard.¡± Cecil''s eyes went wide as that came out of his mouth. ¡°Your world¡­are you a foreigner?¡± Kyrion rubbed his eyepatch as a wave of tiredness washed over him. Cecil nodded and forced his mouth shut, confused. How could he spill something like that to someone he just met. ¡°We can talk about this later, or not at all. if it makes you uncomfortable.¡± Kyrion stated as he kept his attention on Ms.Nox. ¡°Yeah...¡± Class ended and Kyrion made his way towards the next thing on his list. Physical Enrichment with coach Teus.
Tiffany did not like her accommodations. When she opened the door to her room she saw a bunch of giant roaches moving the bed in her supposed room. An intricate spider web covered the ceiling as a dog-sized spider lie in wait. Something would get stuck eventually and it would feast. Tiffany hadn¡¯t seen bugs that big in all the time she spent outside camping. Instead of entering the room, Tiffany left and grabbed Ceres before heading towards a local inn. Price be damned. She was the daughter of a merchant and had a steady surplus of funds from her father. An inn was nothing so long as it didn¡¯t have bugs this big. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I still don¡¯t see the problem.¡± Ceres stated as a spider crawled out of her hair. Tiffany cringed. ¡°Bugs bite, and crawl, those were at least fledgling ranked monsters and while I''d love to exterminate them, something tells me that that whole wing is tainted. They must have been nesting there for a while. It¡¯s not a place befitting maidens like us.¡± ¡°Uh huh. What about master, isn''t he the maidenesst maiden of them all?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk like that. You do know he hates that moniker right? And you can¡¯t just make up words.¡± ¡°Mana who?¡± Ceres cocked her head. ¡°Nevermind. We¡¯re here.¡± Tiffany opened the doors to an Inn and paid for a room. This room didn¡¯t have giant bugs and was well cared for. She could sleep in peace here all for the price of one silver a day and a long commute. The next morning the girls went to their first classes. Most of which were physically oriented. Ceres moved earth with Mrs.Grishla who instructed the class on a few techniques that focused on control rather than speed and power. As it turned out earth worked better with slow and deliberate motions which were trained and increased accordingly. An earth user had to be steps ahead of their opponent. Predicting where they¡¯d dodge, attack and land if they were in the air. Tiffany practiced her swordplay as she learned various exercises and techniques suited for building her fighting style. A lot of evasive techniques with an emphasis on quick and dangerous strikes. They then spent their second class in the physical enrichment class with coach Teus. Both worked on building their physical strength. As Kyrion¡¯s brute strength served as a landmark they wanted to reach. Ceres exercised while wearing heavier armor increasing the strength of her body. While Amadeus was strong, Ceres¡¯ endurance proved to come out on top. She wanted to make sure no one could get through her defenses. Tiffany spent her third class in a business-oriented class, one that specializes in money management and increasing revenue. Tiffany got in due to her status as a merchant and decided to keep herself business savvy. It was possibly the one field where she passed Kyrion¡¯s by miles. Ceres spent her fourth class learning how to properly wield her weapon. It was clear she was untrained and that wasn¡¯t going to do. Ander that green-haired boy was leading the class in a few exercises, which was odd. Until she learned that their professor was currently on a mission and he was the most experienced among them. Tiffany was exhausted but luckily for her, she had a class on rune script. Since her sword let her draw runes in the air it served as an important class. Swordplay was nice, but the more ways she had to use her limited mana the better.
Kyrion made his way to the outdoor training lot. Various dirt circles were marked out as a giant green-skinned man with, muscle tone that reminded him of Stone. Large tusks protruded from his mouth, and on his head was a helmet with a single horn that stood straight up. Kyrion was curious about how far the man could throw him. He did not speak of this curiosity, as he approached the man. ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion Mosely, first year, are you coach Teus?¡± ¡°Teus I am. Coach I be. You are early.¡± ¡°How early?¡± Kyion looked at the empty field. ¡°Come back tomorrow. Dress light. Bring water.¡± Teus ordered. Kyrion looked at his schedule. ¡°So does the 2 in this column mean day 2?¡± ¡°Tuesday, thursday.¡± ¡°Ok. What about friday?¡± ¡°Homeroom. Here.¡± Teus pointed to the top right corner of the page. ¡°Gamodren¡­ So he¡¯s still my teacher¡­Thank you. See ya tomorrow.¡± Kyrion sighed. Teus nodded solemnly as the boy ran away. ¡°So that''s the boy who tied with your pupil?¡± Teus said to someone behind him. ¡°Had to weaken him a bit. He has more stamina and endurance than most. The fight would have dragged on for days before it ended in a draw.¡± ¡°I see, he can¡¯t beat Amadeus, but they can¡¯t beat him either.¡± ¡°Pretty much. For a trail he already passed it was easier to expedite things like that.¡± ¡°I see. He¡¯s going to have it tough, making an enemy of the champion of the fledgling class.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s a friendly rivalry. So long as he doesn¡¯t grow his hair out and start acting like a rooster.¡± ¡°Gamodren, your son is his teacher. If he doesn¡¯t have that boy hiding his strength and acting like a buffon by the end of the year. I¡¯ll be worried that he¡¯d been swapped.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s already doing that. He broke a table this morning and escaped from the disciplinary committee.¡± ¡°Did you help him?¡± ¡°Nope, he¡¯s got a talent for disappearing in plain sight. Hence why he¡¯s training to be an illusionist.¡± ¡°You mean a professional liar.¡± Teus shook his head. ¡°That too. The others are doing well for their first day. No trouble, they did however move to an inn. Though that was expected, given that dorm¡¯s inhabitants.¡± Teus shook his head as the man in front of him vanished.
Kyrion was now officially lost. He didn¡¯t know where Max was, and his friends were MIA. He needed to start recruiting. As Kyrion tried to leave campus a brute of a boy with black hair and dead fish eyes appeared in front of him. His hair was cut short and well-groomed, and his face was stoic if not mad. ¡°Kyrion Ahanu Mosely. You are suspected of brutality against other students, damage to school property, and now leaving campus without permission. How do you plead?¡± ¡°What''s Ahanu?¡± Kyrion raised a metaphorical bushy eyebrow. ¡°Your middle name.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­ Why haven¡¯t I heard it before?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Since I don¡¯t know this Ahanu, I can only assume that you have the wrong person. I''m sure you¡¯ll find this Ahanu person, somewhere.¡± Kyrion patted the taller boy on the shoulder and turned around. Headed in a different direction. ¡°That''s him. That''s the bully!¡± Dee said from the side. Kyrion hadn¡¯t cared to notice and sighed. ¡°Perjury as well. Kyrion Ahanu Mosely, you now have detention.¡± ¡°Is that some sort of disease? Is it contagious?¡± Kyrion asked aghast. ¡°Someone your age should know better than to cause trouble without going through the proper channels.¡± ¡°I¡¯m nine and have only been here a day. Shouldn¡¯t you know all this?¡± Kyrion scowled, opening his senses to mana he discovered that the boy in front of him was a practitioner. The boy pulled out a scroll and examined it with his blank eyes. Kyrion vanished from sight and proceeded to sneak away when a familiar green-haired man appeared in front of him. ¡°Kyrion, just take your lumps and get it over with. I¡¯d rather you not cause too much trouble. You have the right to an appeal, but only if you give up.¡± ¡°Lingar!¡± Kyrion hugged the older, but slightly shorter boy. ¡°Kyrion? You can let go now. Hey. You''re squeezing pretty hard.¡± The plain-faced older boy stated. ¡°Oh sorry.¡± Kyrion let go of his friend? Recruiter? The man who helped save his life? ¡°Stop right there criminal scum!¡± The dead fish-eyed boy ran towards Kyrion and clapped his hands. A pair of cuffs appeared around Kyrion¡¯s wrist and wrapped around his back. ¡°Attempted escape as well. That''s four marks against you.¡± ¡°You mean five. Who do I talk to to get this cleared out? It was them who started it by jumping me in an alley yesterday. Then they provoked me in the cafeteria. I was only paying back what was owed. As for th¡­¡± ¡°No more of your lies to detention!¡± Lingar just shook his head and sighed. Kyrion was tossed over the boy¡¯s shoulder as he was dragged away. He saw that the boy dubbed Dee had a smirk on his face. Kyrion tried to tie a knot of grass in front of the boy¡¯s feet but the mana stopped at his hands. ¡°This sucks.¡± Kyrion had half a mind to kick and scream bloody murder but he was being carried which was always sooting to him. In moments he was unconscious and drooling all over this person¡¯s shoulder. Book Two: Chapter 11 Detained Kyrion awoke at a desk in a room with a scarce population of students. An older man with a long gray beard sat at a desk in front of the room near a door. In his hands was a large leather-bound tome. He held a contemplating expression on his face and when Kyrion opened his senses to gauge his power. The boy got nothing, which for him represented a lot. Two rows to his right was a girl with multicolored hair and eyes that seemed to change colors the longer he looked at him. To Kyrion¡¯s left was that Raven kid he knocked out yesterday. Krion went to turn around when a loud slam impacted his desk. ¡°Eye¡¯s in the front boy.¡± ¡°Can I plead my case?¡± Kyion asked innocently. ¡°Sure. Make sure to write it down and hand it to me at the end of this session.¡± The old man said. Kyrion¡¯s eye twitched. He eyed a window, and then he looked back at Raven, who proceeded to hide his face in his hands. ¡°My sister¡¯s going to kill me.¡± He whispered. Well, if Kyrion was stuck there, he might as well train. So Kyrion closed his eyes and mentally entered his space.
¡°Hey Karl, I have some time to discuss training your power now.¡± ¡°So you have finally come for my cubic knowledge.¡± ¡°You¡¯re what now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°When you use earth mana have you notice that everything is always a perfect cube no matter how much you try to shape it? It doesn¡¯t seem malleable or versatile.¡± ¡°Huh. I did not notice.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Well you see cubes are the building blocks of my powers. The more you use the more you can alter the shape and the smaller you can make them the more control you have over the shape.¡± Karl conjured a sphere. ¡°Thats no cube.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°No but it is made up of at least billions of tiny cubes. Thats my earth mana. Complex and rigid, but with the right for knowledge it can be easy to mold.¡± ¡°Is this why when I used your power to make the ground break it formed a square?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°To use this power, knowledge of all kinds of higher mathematics will be required. Algebra Geometry, Calculus, Trigonometry¡­¡± Karl prattled on.
Kyrion left his space as fear washed through him. ¡°Nope. Not happening. Those words sound evil.¡± ¡°Is something the matter Kyrion.¡± The old man said. ¡°No.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Well then. Keep your mouth shut. You¡¯re in detention right now.¡± Kyrion sighed and got to work on his ¡°Homework.¡± from Ms.Nox. Just some rote memorization and examples, she said. Kyrion did not like this Rote fellow, and if he ever found him, he¡¯d throw them into the darkest pit he could find. By the time detention had ended, the room had begun to turn into a sauna. ¡°Detention is now over. Now tell me what you learned.¡± ¡°Not to fire black birds anywhere near windows. It was reckless and someone could have gotten hurt. Experiments with magic should be done in a contained space with someone experienced to supervise.¡± Raven said while looking down. ¡°Good young Sid.¡± ¡°I thought your name was Raven?¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°Well Kyrion, since you¡¯re so talkative? What did you learn?¡± ¡°That Raven¡¯s name was Sid. Duh.¡± Kyrion scratched his bald head. He knew what the old man wanted him to say, but Kyrion held no remorse for those two. ¡°You broke school property. We don¡¯t have the funds to replace tables willy nilly. Destruction of school property and vandalism are bad.¡± ¡°Wait. So you arn¡¯t mad that I put Dee and Dumb through a table?¡± ¡°Those two have a month of detention for various accounts of bullying and assault. After they heal from their injuries. After that they will have to face a semester of empathy related classed. Finally they will be able to return to school on a prohibitory basis. One wrong move from there and it¡¯s the ax.¡± ¡°So. All of this because I broke a table?¡± ¡°Today its a table, tomorrow it¡¯s a wall and six months later a building is destroyed. You are playing with a scale of mana that is dangerous for someone your age. You of all people need to be accountable for your own actions.¡± Kyrion shook his head and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much mana.¡± ¡°You kinda do. Those birds I hit you with during the trials should have downed you in moments. Since most of your abilities were physically based I thought that you were running low. That blow would have killed me, you know. Had it been anywhere else, I¡¯d be a headless corpse. The head being pulp.¡± Sid didn¡¯t look Kyrion in his eye or near his face. The boy seemed scared. ¡°Exactly. I understand that you don¡¯t go around flaunting power at that level every day. But you need to know that your actions have consequences. We can¡¯t afford to let you run around like a tool of demolition. Literally and figuratively.¡± ¡°Fine. Sorry, Sid, Raven?¡± ¡°It was a controlled environment. Still I was deafened by the blow even after getting healed it took a few hours to reach a state where I could move freely. I don¡¯t begrudge you your victory. Next time maybe you should stop short and announce an obvious victory.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Any time when you¡¯d deal a blow that could be lethal it¡¯s important to announce that that level of force is lethal. The wards will activate and put extra defenses on your opponent and if that blow would kill them all the damage is absorbed and your opponent is ejected from the arena. If it isn¡¯t enough force then they take no damage from the blow.¡± The old man explained. ¡°So, none of you are mad? What¡¯s with the guy rattling off crimes and such?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Oh you me Jude, his father was a Justicar. He had been molded to take that position since he was young. Since the republic fell, that job is no more and his father is as well. He believes wholeheartedly that every law must be honored to the letter.¡± ¡°Got it. Jude is a stick in the mud. But he¡¯s a good stick in the mud.¡± ¡°Now Freya, what did you learn?¡± ¡°That you people have no respect for art.¡± The rainbow-haired girl stated. ¡°Your art is considered unbecoming of a lady.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Freya asked, confused. ¡°I¡¯ll lead your group to the scene of the crime.¡± ¡°Max what did you do?¡± ¡°Apparently I skipped first period.¡± Max had a scowl on his face. Kyrion turned and saw the boy covered in bruises and scratches. He looked like he¡¯d gotten beaten pretty badly. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°No, you were colluding with Kyrion here. Though given your state, someone enacted their twisted sense of justice. Someone said that you were involved so we took you in. Who did that to you by the way?¡± ¡°N-nobody.¡± Maximus looked away. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyone healed him yet!¡± Kyrion yelled as he moved toward his roommate. ¡°There are very few healers here. Some of which are working abroad, with our allies. The one we could get to heal him has a limited ability.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me heal him then.¡± Kyrion was now seething. ¡°Maximus, are you in any pain?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± Max said clearly. ¡°You are aware that you look really bad right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be better in the morning.¡± ¡°See. It wasn¡¯t anything to worry about. Better to get him in here before those who did that to him could return. We aren¡¯t omnipotent; there are things we elders can miss. Some believe that there is a faction in our school that has taken to eliminating competition. The pain of trying to grow is that some must think they¡¯d lose their opportunity to learn one on one.¡± ¡°So. You want us to deal with it.¡± Freya crossed her arms. Kyrion got to work patching up Max. The wounds were surface level, and with his assistance, he removed the marks and bruises that were added to his body. ¡°So you¡¯re a healer. Did not expect that.¡± Max stated ¡°No one expects a buff healer.¡± Kyrion removed his hands and examined his roommate. ¡°No, I want you to be aware. Five years from now there will be a nationwide tournament where schools will send out their strongest teams to compete for the opportunity to represent the country in a bigger event two months later. Those who compete will be the best and the brightest. I believe that when the selection of students begins that faction will try its best to eliminate the competition. Be wary and train hard, because life here isn¡¯t going to be easy.¡± ¡°Who are you? I¡¯ve been calling you old man in my head and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m right.¡± Kyrion asked the old man. ¡°I am Elder Shoe.¡± The old man groomed his beard. ¡°Like the things people put over their feet.¡± Max stated. ¡°Spot on. Some seem to think it¡¯s Shu, but no. I am not of elven descent. I am from shoemakers.¡± Elder Shoe led the group to a large mural. A stick figure with three legs was running towards someone holding two balls over their chest. ¡°It¡¯s two people fighting.¡± Kyrion stated as he squinted at the picture. ¡°Yeah. The great Berzerker vs Amadeus.¡± Freya said with excitement. Max stared at the painting and stifled a laugh. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Sid asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Max covered his mouth with a hand. ¡°Some of the older boys seem to think that the third leg is something inappropriate. While some of the older girls think that the other figure is making seductive gestures.¡± Shoe coughed. Maximus was the only one laughing as the other three kids seemed to blue screen. ¡°Nevermind. Please don¡¯t paint your art on the walls without permission. Someone will have to remove it.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Can I try?¡± Kyrion asked as a ball of water appeared in his hand, slowly growing larger. ¡°Are you going to start breaking walls now, Kyrion?¡± Shoe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ah. Maybe find a professional. Don¡¯t need to break any walls.¡± Krion dropped the globe of water mana and watched with confusion as it expanded, taking up more space than it should have. ¡°See? Imagine if you tried using something as big as the wall to clean it. It¡¯s concentrated, the density of the water increases drastically through magic. That¡¯s what happens when you create those tendrils. The water is concentrated. Slightly pressurized..¡± Max took a few steps away from his roommate. Not wanting to get any wetter than he was at the moment. ¡°Got it, got it. Are we free to go?¡± ¡°Yes you may go.¡± Elder Shoe crossed his arm and watched as the fledglings left his side. ¡°Those two sure know how to find recruits.¡± The portrait came to life, and the stick figures began to fight. Reenacting the match from the day before.
Gamodren was waiting in front of the dormitory with Tiffany and Ceres when Kyrion made it back. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Gamodren stated the obvious. ¡°I got detention.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°I see. Could you not make this an everyday occurance?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been one time.¡± ¡°Thats how it starts. The ratio is one to one. What did you even do, I doubt it could be¡­¡± Gamodren started to whine. ¡°I broke a table. By using two other students¡¯ faces.¡± Kyrion said in a monotone. ¡°Did they at least deserve your wrath?¡± Gamoden¡¯s tone became serious. ¡°Yes, they had it coming. Apparently they have been causing trouble with others.¡± ¡°Eww. Well, next time request a duel, or match. Do you know how much a good table cost?¡± ¡°At least a good tree?¡± ¡°That and the work of a good carpenter, who also has to get paid. Boy do you know how much of my own funds I had to scrounge up just to get the materials for that hotel.¡± ¡°No. I do not.¡± ¡°Over ten thousand gold. It will take two years to recoup my funds there. That¡¯s excluding your cut and the paychecks of the workers. This building is much more ambitious. I have fifty grand riding on it and it¡¯s on a tight schedule.¡± Kyrion¡¯s jaw dropped. Tiffany¡¯s jaw dropped. Ceres tried to close their mouths for them. ¡°How are you so rich? Wait how much was that table?¡± Kyrion tried to compose himself but he didn¡¯t even know money got that high. ¡°Probably 5 gold, unless it had durability runes on it.¡± ¡°Where did you get all that money?¡± ¡°I may or may not have borrowed some from a bank that no longer exists. I also may have cleaned out a dragon¡¯s hoard. And when the dragon went on a rampage, I may or may not have claimed the reward for its bounty. I perhaps may have illegally won a few very high stakes poker games. Those casino¡¯s also no longer exist, though that has nothing to do with me. Since Invan was razed by the Beast Blood empire.¡± ¡°Are you evil?¡± ¡°I knew it, you¡¯re a monster,¡± Ceres said blankly. Her halberd slowly fell to her hands ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re the Legendary Prismatic Dragon!¡± Max said dumbstruck. ¡°You¡¯re a dragon!?¡± Ceres then dropped her halberd dumbstruck. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a literal dragon. It¡¯s a title given to those in my year. There are four of us total.¡± ¡°Only four graduated?¡± ¡°Only four of us graduated that year. You know how we don¡¯t let anyone who isn¡¯t an expert graduate? Well, we also don¡¯t keep those who haven¡¯t reached that level at the age of twenty two. We already spent a good amount of time training you up. Since we skipped all the usual first semester indoctrination and ranking. It¡¯s a wasted time for most, but a decisive one. What I did for you three was skip all that and train you to be better experienced and mostly flexible. You should be on par with those who got the training that the first year provides.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be able to go toe to toe with their best. Which isn¡¯t something you expected.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Right. They arn¡¯t weak, but the experiences you obtained have put you all near the top. Ceres surpassed the head as well. But that could be because she¡¯s a practitioner fighting fledglings. Even still winning against that one should be tough. Max, do you know how many times Amadeus has lost?¡± ¡°Only once, it was yesterday sir.¡± Max didn¡¯t bring up the fact that this senior shouldn¡¯t even know his name. The shock was leaving him dumbstruck. ¡°Right, do you know how many practitioners they beat?¡± Gamodren smirked. ¡°They¡¯ve beaten twelve but only fought thirteen.¡± Max said in a trance. ¡°Right. And who trains this Amadeus kid.¡± ¡°The headmaster.¡± ¡°And do you know how i¡¯m related to the headmaster?¡± ¡°Rumor¡¯s say he¡¯s your dad. Sir.¡± ¡°Well, he is, and there are also people who think i¡¯m trying to take his seat. That¡¯s a lie, I¡¯m not trying to takes his spot. I¡¯m going to inherit it, in ten or so years. Some faction¡¯s in the school want to expedite this, thing is. I¡¯m rarely here. But now, two of my students put the undefeated Amadues through the ringer. Those talks are going to start again and I¡¯d rather they don¡¯t. Be sure to let them know that we have nothing against them.¡± Gamodren patted Max on the back and sent him in the direction of another building. Max seemed to understand the cryptic words and got to work leaving.¡± I need to get going. See you in a bit, Kyrion.¡± ¡°What? Why do I get the feeling something just went over my head?¡± ¡°Because it did. You¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Think of it as part of your training.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done for the day. Brain is all thunked out. Later.¡± Kyrion left to enter the dorm when someone grabbed his wrist. ¡°Meet me at the pens tomorrow morning. Max can show you the way. Also, remember to water you¡­¡± ¡°Willow has a system in place for watering plants in the morning.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Ah. Well then, just meet me in the pens. The faster this is done, the faster you can rest in a nice dorm. Without bugs.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, I put down some bug repellent. Scares them right out.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I didn¡¯t give you anything like that.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡± Kyrion pulled out a book from his space. A botanist guide to defensive plants. ¡°W-where did you get that?¡± ¡°I got it from Suzen. Your, girl friend, or whatever. She became a regular at the hotel while you were away.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring this up.¡± ¡°She said, ¡®I¡¯ll give you this book for free if you keep my usage of the baths a secret from Gamodren.¡¯ I like the word free.¡± Kyrion replied innocently. ¡°I feel betrayed.¡± ¡°So was it related to those three numbers?¡± Kyrion asked, still trying to get a hint. Gamodren did not fall for the childish provocation. ¡°Who knows.¡± ¡°Booo¡­¡± Kyrion was free to go and he left. He needed a power nap before dinner and second dinner. ¡°What about those¡­ and he¡¯s gone.¡± Tiffany sighed. ¡°So that dragon that you killed.¡± ¡°Got rid of. No one here will see that dragon ever again.¡± ¡°I see. So your a liar. Why are you stringing us along?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°I¡¯m stringing Kyrion along. You two are just collateral damage.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you a merchant?¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°I am. That wasn¡¯t a lie. I even have a two star rank in that guild. Since most of my assets were claimed in non mecrential sources they need to be cleaned somewhere no one would second guess.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re playing some kind of long game. Since chances are, you¡¯ll live a very long time.¡± ¡°Exactly. If I¡¯m lazy I¡¯ll be counting my years in centuries.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t make much sense.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon enough.¡± Gamodren shrugged. Book Two: Chapter 12 Moring of Day 2 Kyrion woke up a bit sore, removing his eye patch and looking around the room. He was on the floor again; however, he did at least have a blanket this time around. His two green eyes passed over an eyepatch on the window seal. The eye still gave him a minor headache when exposed to light, which hurt quite a bit. Though he could see out of it fine enough. Still, he wore it to avoid the headache. Maximus was sleeping soundly with some sort of stuffed bear. Curled up in his pajamas. The boy was also snoring. His pillow had fallen on the other side of the bed, along with a nice blanket he didn¡¯t recognize. Kyrion decided to leave quietly and find the pens on his own. He had gotten a tour after his nap and knew his way around campus. So he didn¡¯t need the help. Looking at the predawn sky, he saw the two moons. As he looked between them, he could see another world. It was a much wider world, far vaster than the one he knew, yet it was far out of his reach. Nevertheless, a feeling in his bones told him that was where he would eventually go. After finding the monster pen, Kyrion, in his wisdom, decided that going in blind could prove to be dangerous. Monsters are monsters, and he didn¡¯t know what to expect... After ten minutes of waiting, Gamodren appeared behind him. ¡°You¡¯re pretty early.¡± ¡°Am I? Or are you late? Oh mighty prismatic dragon.¡± Kyrion asked with mock reverence. ¡°No I¡¯m right on time.¡± Gamodren smirked. ¡°Very funny. Well Gamodren, what now?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°We go in, of course. How many magic walnuts do you have on you?¡± ¡°Ten, since fish eyes stopped me..¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Good good.¡± Gamodren led them inside. Kyrion saw nine four-armed bucks that he recalled seeing in his first trial. A fifth one twice as big with eight arms seemed to be their leader. The creatures had muscles that had muscles, and it was pretty disturbing. Sharp antlers grew from their heads, and their heights dwarfed even Kyrion. ¡°Ummm..¡± Kyrion was a little intimidated. It was rare he met creatures that made him look weak. ¡°These will be your builders, they are all tamed and will benefit greatly from your ability.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­ How strong are these creatures?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°At least ten times your strength and endurance. Which is why I want you to immediately put them in that space of yours.¡± ¡°Wait. You want me to build the dorm inside my space like you had me do last time?¡± ¡°Yes. And every morning for a week you will come here and recruit the monsters that I need you to recruit.¡± ¡°What happens after that? To the monsters I mean.¡± ¡°I could release them into the wild to live out their days. They will grow stronger faster that way. Or I can donate them to the Etravonian Military. For use as military monsters.¡± ¡°What are military monsters?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Monsters that are trained to fight alongside soldiers. A common occurrence when a country has good tamers.¡± ¡°Any solution that lets them grow without fighting? I want them to choose.¡± ¡°You could house them in your space. Where they will live out their days. They won¡¯t grow much but they will be able to live in relative peace.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t they just live here?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°They are dangerous monsters with sentience. They could learn to live with everyday humans one day. But it¡¯d be hard to convince the locals to adapt to monsters roaming about let alone tourists.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you use them for training? Like the other monsters?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°That would fall into slavery.¡± Cough. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Wouldn¡¯t they be slaves if we sent them to the millitary?¡± ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s the lesser of two evils.¡± Gamodren nodded. ¡°So releasing them into the wild to grow is the best thing for them.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Said a voice in Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°Into the wilds where it¡¯s dangerous? Where they could be hunted for sport or meat by humans and other monsters?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°What¡¯s your idea then! This is hard!¡± Kyrion started shaking his head. ¡°Well my idea¡­.¡± Karl was interrupted. ¡°Decisions are never easy when lives are on the line. Keep that in mind. There is always something lost rather it be lives, resources, morale, and money. Well money could be resources, but I like to keep them separate because?¡± Gamodren led Kyrion on. ¡°You love money? Sorry, can you give me a moment?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Exactly. Now¡­ Oh sure go ahead and talk to yourself.¡± Gamodren asked. Kyrion called for Karl. ¡°Hey. What was your idea?¡± ¡°We have them become my dungeon monsters. Imprint their souls into my compendium and then have them hide in the space. When you finally build me a dungeon, you can have these monsters act as its defenders.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Ummmmm. So i¡¯ll need to build a dungeon. Does that require math?¡± Kyrion¡¯s concentration faded as he thought of a name. ¡°Math, architecture, you name it. With your space affinity you could probably build said dungeon here and summon it to the outside world when you need it.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°Ten years.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be an old man by then.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Kyrion?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Karl sighed. Kyrion sighed and left his head, looking around sheepishly. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Build a dungeon. Gonna take ten years at least.¡± Kyrion stated ¡°In that special place of yours?¡± ¡°You need to find a better name than that.¡± Kyrion stated as he seemed to recall doing something. Gamodren sighed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ask how big the place is? Since you seem to have so much space.¡± ¡°Right. I should probably know that.¡± Kyrion re-entered his head. ¡°Welcome back Kyrion. Would you like to learn about pi?¡± ¡°Pie? For breakfast. Where?¡± Kyrion was already distracted. ¡°Pi is 3.141592¡­.¡± ¡°What? I wanted pie. Wait no there was something else.¡± ¡°Ah yes, the pizza pie. It¡¯s like a pie but it isn¡¯t sweet, and you can have it any time of the day.¡± ¡°Pizza pie?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know what that was, but it sounded like food. ¡°There is also a cake equivalent known as lasagna. Layers of meat, cheese¡­.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here for something else. But circle back on that. This pie of pizza and lazy anna discussion will happen later. Now what was it again?¡± ¡°Pizza waits on no one, master Kyrion.¡± Karl was aghast. ¡°What no.. it was something important.¡± This seemed to upset Karl. ¡°The space is one cubic mile though it only goes up three fourths of the way. Anything else?¡± Karl answered disinterestedly, his voice sounding slightly different than it was earlier. ¡°Did you lead me in a circle just to mess with me?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°I would never.¡± ¡°Oi I¡¯m here. When are you going to absorb me? I¡¯m almost outta booze.¡± Said a familiar drunk fairy. ¡°Did you try checking one of the other houses?¡± Karl asked. ¡°Oh right.¡± The fairy turned and awkwardly flew away towards another house. Its movement swayed considerably.¡± ¡°When are we supposed to tell him that we already have an earth core to absorb? The Tyrannical mammoth is supposed to make you stronger and tougher.¡± ¡°You know? I¡¯d give that one to Ceres. This fairy is entertaining.¡± ¡°Fine, just so you know, absorbing that fairy will raise your alcohol tolerance through the roof. You¡¯ll never be able to enjoy those beverages again.¡± ¡°What are those beverages?¡± ¡°Oh right. You¡¯re a baby. Don¡¯t worry about it, just remember to grow the tomatoes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just go now.¡± Kyrion left the space. ¡°Oh right, remember to grow the tomatoes.¡± Kyrion held out the ten walnuts. ¡°Apparently I¡¯m scatterbrained. Can we fix that?¡± ¡°Age and discipline. Now how big is it?¡± ¡°A full square mile with 3/4ths of the vertical distance being above ground.¡± ¡°Good good. Higher than expected. Now feed the nice murder deer.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion fed the deer monstrosities and sent them into his special space. They seemed willing to help out, which weirded Kyrion out a bit. ¡°Domain. From here on out i¡¯ll call it my domain.¡± Gamodren produced a large toolbox which Kyrion also placed into his domain. Along with a copy of the blueprints and some heavy materials. ¡°Great, now go get some breakfast and please avoid breaking any more tables and furniture.¡± ¡°Want me to put them to work?¡± Karl said. ¡°Sure.¡± Kyrion sighed as he started his second day of school. After a modest breakfast, Kyrion made his way to his Physical Enrichment class. Or P.E for short. Coach Teus had a blackboard and a small boy wearing goggles on his head. ¡°Guest talk person.¡± Teus announced to the class. The boy spoke in an eerily jolly tone. ¡°Welcome, fledglings. Today we have a special history lesson.¡± ¡°No. No. No¡­¡± A few kids paled at that explanation. Quite a few tried to run. Coach Teus stomped a foot, and a circular barrier covered the class, locking them in. Swiftly ending the rebellion. ¡°Listen, he teach. Good learning!¡± Coach Teus said with a smile on his face. One studious kid attempted to burrow under the barrier. Moments later, he was shocked and sent flying as he made direct contact. ¡°Good. Now listen. Spirit mastery was originally a technique developed by orcs for orcs. On this continent. Gosk was the first spirit master on the continent and he taught his family those methods. Within centuries the whole continent was teeming with orc spirit masters. Back then the orcs were a nomadic people. Can anyone tell me what that means? You with the blue hair.¡± A girl with light blue hair sighed. ¡°They didn¡¯t get mad?¡± A few laughs rose from the others in the class, and the small boy shook his head. ¡°No, Nomads are people who don¡¯t settle down in one place for too long. Never setting down roots permanently.¡± ¡°Oh. Why not just call them hobo¡¯s or hitchhikers?¡± The blue-haired girl asked. ¡°Moving on. For millennia only orcs had power over spirit master and they quickly discover the in¡¯s and outs. An orc gains the ability to connect to spirits when they turn six and are trained in a path relating to that spirit from that moment on. At fourteen they join their tribe¡¯s hunting party or militia. Those who survive to eighteen are given a series of test designed to push them into the expert ranks. Fail once, you wait a year, fail twice you lose a hand, and fail a third time, you and your spawn are kicked from the tribe for weakness.¡± ¡°I thought becoming an expert was hard.¡± ¡°It is for humans, dwarves, elves, and even us gnomes.¡± The small boy said. ¡°Oh. So that¡¯s what you are.¡± Kyrion muttered. The Gnome shot Kyrion a look. ¡°Anyhow, for a natural born otc the process for mastering spirits is inborn. If they work hard they will become an expert. Orcs also don¡¯t live that long without mana so they treat every moment with a purpose.¡± ¡°If this was the orcs continent how come there are so many humans here?¡± ¡°Bleh,¡± Teus spat in the dirt and buried it. ¡°Humans came and discovered that this method was so much easier than the one they practiced. Marking the decline for sorcery and mysticism. Of course the two species went to war for quite a few centuries and by the time it did end. Neigher force remembered why they were fighting. Eventually orc blood mingled with human blood and a new race was born. Half orc¡¯s Followed by quarter orcs and one sixteenth orcs. Eventually the bloodlines dried out so much that most humans on this continent wouldn¡¯t know if they were of orc descent.¡± ¡°So any of us can be part orc?¡± Said a wide-eyed boy with gray skin, black hair, and slightly sharpened canines. ¡°Correct. Though orc genes aren¡¯t a requirement for spirit mastery. They were just the first to practice and perfect it. Elves and dwarves soon made it to the continent after, and wars that should never have occurred broke out. People began to kill one another for land, power, and resources. Which led to the first great incursion.¡± ¡°Incursion?¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Yes. You see Imala isn¡¯t the final power at be, every half century or so, the prophets send out a missive proclaiming the time and location of what we refer to as an Incursion. As many of you may know it¡¯s occurring in eight years. Many of you will still be students then and represent our soon to be esteemed academy. As I was saying, the first incursion killed quite a few orcs, humans, elves, and dwarves. Leaving ruins buried all over the continent, since then the continent united to fight off the threat and the Orc Empire of Limguard was born. The capital in modern day Clomois.¡± ¡°Wait. If Limguard was so big what happened?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No more interruptions!¡± The Gnome snapped. ¡°Well like all empires tend to do, the ruler died unexpectedly in his sleep and everything went up in flames. Nobles in power tried to maintain their lands and began to war with each other all over again. The fifth incursion ended the fights for the time and many were unprepared, ending in high death tolls and lost Kingdoms. The Tetsan Empire and the Etravonian Empire became the biggest countries on the continent. Spanning the western and southern borders. Orcs decided to continue their nomadic lifestyle becoming a power on their own and continuing their practices. Turning out what they called true spirit masters.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Now we stand at a precipice, many of you will act as our vanguard. A strong force should lead the charge when the fighting starts and many of you will meet those standards. Hence the lesson. I want each and every one of you to think of what your role on the battlefield will be. And then I want you to model your training in this class to better suit your role.¡± The Gnome sighed and looked to Teus. Who nodded knowingly. ¡°Get good at getting good.¡± The orc said knowingly. The other kids in the crowd roared in excitement, while Kyrion was a bit concerned. The remainder of P.E. was focused on running while wearing weights to build stamina. Of course, Kyrion decided to go for a light, fifty pounds on each limb with one hundred on his body. Kyrion maintained a continuous pace with three hundred pounds of extra weight while observing the others who seemed accustomed to this practice. He was not unique in quite a few others were carrying over five hundred total on forms smaller than his. Which was enlightening. He didn¡¯t have to worry about doing too well. Kyrion didn¡¯t like standing out when he could help it. The class eventually ended, and Kryrion noticed something quite interesting. Most of the students were heaving on the ground, unable to move. Most of those who weren¡¯t heaving were quite exhausted. Kyrion soon found that his state of slightly strained wasn¡¯t very high compared to the great majority. As his regeneration, and endurance, worked to keep the strain away. Kyrion looked to coach Teus upon realizing it. The orc held a serious expression as he acknowledged the situation. It was his first day, but one thing was certain this class was about pushing limits. He wasn¡¯t going to make it by pretending to be small potatoes. After washing himself off and adjusting his workout clothes, he made his way to his soon-to-be favorite class. Or so he hoped.
Eatiquette and Etiquette, one was real, the other not so much. Believe it or not, Kyrion did learn table manners and all the noble peacockery. He just hated it. People let their guard down when you¡¯re a farmer¡¯s son and act as such. Unaware of all the faux pas, he made on a daily occasion. Suffice it to say, when it came to dealing with the stuck-up kind of people. Kyrion played dumb and aloof. But what he was looking at right now almost made him drop the act and be a commendable little noble. In front of the boy was a tiny plate full of delicious cake, a small cup of tea, and a handkerchief. Had his mother made cake for the lessons, he wouldn¡¯t have had¡­No had his mother made cake for those lessons, Kyrion would have gone to live with the wolves for safety. This was good cake, and Kyrion was doing the best he could in a class with a subject he hated. All for a single slice of cake before his first lunch. Ms.Breaux was a woman of frills. Standing a solid five-foot-six with curly blond hair that seemed to bounce when she moved and a dress that held multiple layers of poof. Kyrion turned to all the other well-dressed students in his class. Most wore dresses of fine quality, while the few boys who managed to get this class were dressed up in various formal wear. Kyrion¡¯s training garb covered his body, somewhat stained with grass, as he hadn¡¯t had a chance to clean it. The class continued with Kyrion getting his second chance to eat dessert made with ingredients from fledgling and above sources. This was beyond delicious. Moving close to Dorgon¡¯s level of quality. However, something was odd, Kyrion¡¯s appetite was gone, and he didn¡¯t have a desire to eat anymore. The etiquette class ended with nothing special as a flash of silver passed by him. Knocking the boy off his feet and onto the ground. It was as though he was pushed. As Kyrion got to his feet, he heard a sigh and looked up at a disappointed Ms.Breaux. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to fall, Milady Breaux. Sorry for such an unsightly showing.¡± Kyrion was talking to the teacher, but his eyes kept gravitating toward the cake. ¡°Be at ease, young Mosely, I don¡¯t blame you for that. And no you can¡¯t have the leftovers, I have another class after this one.¡± Ms.Breaux said vaguely. Kyrion had a surprised look on his face. His mouth formed the how expression. ¡°I read your file.¡± Kyrion decided to get out of the classroom before the teacher could get more out of him. Book Two: Chapter 13 End of early childhood On the other end of the school was where he was supposed to meet Leona for lessons on water manipulation and other applications. Leona was a tall, dark-skinned woman with hair as white as snow and ears that were sharp to a point. She sat meditating in the middle of the pool of water. As bubbles seemed to form and freely float around her. The bubbles twisted and swirled, going to and fro. Hither and thither. Though not a single one landed on a student. She showed absolute control in her ability to manipulate water. ¡°Today you will learn how to create bubbles. It¡¯s a simple technique when learned and can become useful in various situations with a few modifications. I will start you all off with wands when you figure out how it works. I¡¯ll transition you to your hands. After that, you¡¯ll do it with just your mana.¡± Kyrion knew of bubbles. He had seen plenty after building the hotel. However, he had never used bubbles as a fun training implement. So he may or may not have gotten distracted and fallen behind on the lesson. Though he certainly wasn¡¯t alone. Class ended, and if someone asked, Kyrion would say he didn¡¯t learn a thing aside from that. Had they pried, he¡¯d have responded with a sigh. ¡°Bubbles are not edible.¡± Kyrion found Gus for the second time that day. This time, however, he seemed to be preparing for a class. His half-asleep eyes passed over everyone in the courtyard. ¡°Oh, I have you twice. Relax and take a seat, we will begin meditation.¡± Kyrion may have just met his favorite teacher. Kyrion took a seat, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind. ¡­ Within seconds Kyrion began napping. A fan popped him on the forehead, waking him from his deep slumber. ¡°Meditation isn¡¯t for napping, it¡¯s training your mind and will. You need to focus.¡± ¡°I was just clearing my mind.¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It seems plenty empty. Step one clear your mind, step two feel the mana in your body seal it in. Step three begin to probe the environment.¡± ¡°Wait. Is this just spirit sensing?¡± Kyrion asked, raising a nonexistent eyebrow. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Gus asked with irritation on his face. ¡°Am I not supposed to?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You normally don¡¯t learn about that technique until you¡¯re in the fourth or fifth year of this course. It¡¯s the capstone requirement. Kind of the whole point.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Well Tiffany can do it too so it¡¯s not impossible. Maybe Gamodren¡¯s just a better teacher.¡± Kyrion shrugged. Gus sighed. ¡°Well then. Do all the steps up to sensing and I¡¯ll see what you need to do next.¡± Kyrion emptied his mind, ensuring that the mana within his body was still locked in. This state of mind enhanced his ability to sense mana. The circumference of Kyrion¡¯s senses quickly encompassed the training ground. Gus twirled his fan and sighed. ¡°This is troublesome¡­ Signs like these should be blatantly obvious.¡± Mana began to exit the meditating boy like steam from a boiling pot as the sky slowly started to darken. A closed fan came down on Kyrion¡¯s head at a startling speed. Kyrion¡¯s eyes shot open, rolling to the side without thinking. Kyrion¡¯s body was prepared for a fight. ¡°What was that for?¡± Kyrion asked, huffing as the sudden movement had jolted him into consciousness. Gus pointed to the ground where Kyrion was sitting. The grass underneath him had grown a bit. ¡°You were expelling mana. Which is a problem as I told you to keep it sealed. Though its clear you have already mastered the level of meditation I teach.¡± Gus said with a yawn. ¡°I just made some grass grow.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Among other things.¡± Gus looked up towards the sky into the dark clouds above. ¡°Oh it¡¯s about to rain.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°No, you almost summoned rain. Releasing that much raw mana into the atmosphere at once can cause things like this to happen.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t make it rain.¡± ¡°You can call a storm. You¡¯re mostly just irritating the clouds with your antics. Thought that isn¡¯t all... Didn¡¯t know you were a redhead by the way. Had me fooled by the tuft of dark hair that started to grow.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion patted his short tuff of red hair. Then he messed with his eyebrows. ¡°I could cut it off if you need some help.¡± ¡°Ugh. It was symbolic, mostly. Rebirth and yada yada. Not going to shave it off unless it gets too long.¡± ¡°Yeah. You look different with all that hair. Almost perfect.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Kyrion squinted his visible eye. ¡°I mean, the eyepatch and mole ruin the symmetry.¡± Kyrion had a tiny black dot right next to his left eye that he inherited from his father. A mole. People tend not to bring it up because they don¡¯t care. But he can¡¯t help that it¡¯s there. ¡°I see. People tend not to mention my physical flaws.¡± ¡°I said it ruins the symmetry. Makes you look human to an extent. I¡¯d think you were a golem otherwise.¡± ¡°Sure¡­So what now? If I¡¯m so far ahead, what do I have to learn?¡± ¡°Nothing that you can¡¯t figure out in a week. I¡¯d recommend getting a schedule change. It¡¯s uncommon but it happens. Since this is a five year maximum course.¡± Gus yawned. ¡°Five year maximum?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Yes. Classes get harder each year, and each class has requirements for progression. Mana sensing is the capstone project for this class. If you can sense mana then there is very little I can teach that won¡¯t be mastered with experience.¡± ¡°So. Can I use this class for naps?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Sadly no. You¡¯ll need to choose another class. preferably of a higher tier.¡± ¡°Mmmmmhmmm.¡± Kyrion did not believe everything the man had just said. Deciding that he would do so on Thursday. Instead of going there, there. No need to rush it. Gus saw a glint in Kyrion¡¯s good eye and had no idea what it meant. Upon arriving in his dorm room after a long day of thinking, Kyrion decided to rest on his uncomfortable bed. Which reminded him of his deal with Gamodren. They were supposed to meet with him a bit later. Maximus walked into the room and dropped his satchel. The boy smelled like he¡¯s just gotten out of a fire. Some of his hair was a bit crispy. ¡°What happened to you?.¡± Kyrion asked his roommate. ¡°Who are you?¡± Max took a defensive stance. ¡°Uhhh. Your roommate. Kyrion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Let me heal you then. Just covering you with my water can heal and clean you.¡± Kyrion asked, wiggling his fingers. ¡°No! I don¡¯t want your weird water anywhere near me.¡± Max was moments away from attacking. ¡°Did you get hit in your head?¡± Kyrion asked as he stared into his roommate¡¯s eyes. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll leave, just need to get something out of the closet real quick. I¡¯ll be out. Weirdo.¡± Max said suspiciously. Sliding the door to their closet open. Max then pulled out a cylindrical tin. ¡°Excuse my paranorma. But what is that?¡± Kyrion pointed at the tin. ¡°It¡¯s ointment. Speeds up the natural healing process. External use only and ect. Relatively cheap in most places that make it.¡± ¡°Sounds like a waste. I could heal you in seconds.¡± Kyrion shrugged as he sat on the bed. ¡°Wait, you meant paranoia, right? I don¡¯t want you. Keep your magic away from me.¡± Maximus said with a hint of viciousness. ¡°Oookay...¡± Kyrion knew something was off but decided that it was cutting into his nap time. ¡°Well then. I have some things to attend to.¡± Max left the room, and Kyrion took his nap. Two hours passed and Kyrion awoke well rested. On the floor again. ¡°This is getting annoying.¡± Kyrion stood up and saw his roommate was back and taking up the whole bed again. Oddly enough, Max smelled a lot less burnt. His clothes also seemed to be in better condition as well. Kyrion did a few stretches and then grabbed the comforter that Max was lying on. Gripping it with both hands and preparing to attack. With measured force, Kyrion pulled the cover right from under his roommate, jerking him off the bed. His body fell to the floor. Thud. ¡°Owww!¡± Max yelled as he was jerked awake. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Kyrion had already made the blanket disappear. ¡°Welcome back to the land of the waking. Do you need any healing?¡± Kyrion asked curiously. ¡°Huh? Ok, sure,¡± Max yawned as he tiredly got to his feet. Kyrion wiggled his fingers before latching onto Max¡¯s shoulder, healing mana washing over him. ¡°Ohh thanks. That feels pretty nice actually.¡± Max said. ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s weird?¡± Kyrion asked with a skeptical expression. ¡°No. Not really. Your hair is a bit longer and more red than I remember.¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t we talk about that already? Nevermind. What time is it? I need to be somewhere.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what time it is.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Well I have somewhere I need to be.¡± Kyrion walked towards his door. ¡°I¡¯ll come along.¡± ¡°Are you sure? My teacher¡¯s gonna make you work really hard for no pay if he can get away with it.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Max said. ¡°I see. Are you feeling ok?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Lead the way.¡± Kyrion did so. Taking Max from their dorm to the construction site. It was an empty plot five times as big as the dorm building he was staying in. It seems his teacher wasn¡¯t exaggerating about his intentions. ¡°This is a big plot of land. Are you building a castle here?¡± Max asked. ¡°Kind of¡­¡± Kyrion approached a large stack of wooden logs, hitting one as hard as he could. His hand was hurt more than the log as it appeared unblemished save for some runic lettering he hadn¡¯t learned yet. They glowed for a moment and then faded. ¡°What does that have to do with your training?¡± ¡°Oh I was just testing the materials we¡¯d be working with. Sturdier than I thought.¡± Kyrion¡¯s hand healed itself quickly. ¡°Are you doing this alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping with it.¡± Kyrion tried to pick up the wood and found it too heavy for him to lift. Can¡¯t break it, can¡¯t pick it up. Kyrion tried pushing the wood with all his strength. Nothing happened aside from some dirt under his feet being shifted, showing that force was indeed being applied. Maximus got far away from the stack of logs. Coach Teus arrived and casually picked up one of the planks Kyrion was trying to push with ease. ¡°Teus get cut.¡± ¡°Teus, pretty strong.¡± Kyrion nodded in awe. ¡°Very. Teus here help build.¡± Teus stated. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion nodded and let the big man start moving the dense wood. ¡°So, what am I here to do?¡± Kyrion grabbed his chin and waited before heading to a pedestal in the center with blue paper. ¡°Ah yes blueprints¡­ Might as well start.¡± Day 1 Kyrion¡¯s team: Dig sixty feet into the ground in all the plots. Teus: Move wood to blue lines. Workers: After the digging is complete, set up the sewage system. Day 2 Teus: Supervise. Workers: Set up the runic pipeline for the sewage system. Kyrion: Absorb the building materials. The list went on for three more days with no changes, and Kyrion saw his first free day on the schedule. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to help dig today. I¡¯ll go ahead and get started.¡± Kyrion went to the plots and decided to get to work. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Max asked. ¡°I would love some help but this is training..¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and began to remove four by four cubes of dirt with his earth mana. Each uniform block went into his space for later use. As he pulled in the dirt, he came across some sort of old monster bones. He put them in the bag and kept on digging. Ceres arrived a few minutes later. ¡°Master? What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m digging a hole for a new set of dorm buildings. Mind helping me move earth?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry for being late, master.¡± With Cere¡¯s help, the first plot only took an hour. Kyrion tried to refuse her help, but as per usual. She didn¡¯t listen and helped anyway. Maximus was clearly bored with his job of just sitting there. After a while, he gave in to his boredom and strong-armed his way in. Finishing the second plot in a mere thirty minutes. Tiffany, Cecil, Ander, Brion, and Bella arrived, led by Gamodren, who had a raised eyebrow. ¡°Kyrion you¡¯re early. This is when we were supposed to arrive.¡± Gamodren shook his head with a smile. Teus was at the pedestal supervising the workers who had just arrived. They were setting up a sewage system. ¡°Oh¡­Thought I¡¯d get it done early.¡± Kyrion rubbed his bald head. Ceres started glaring at Gamodren before looking at Tiffany and the others. ¡°Are you here to help?¡± She asked. ¡°Not really, I came here to train. We are training right?¡± Brion said bluntly ¡°I said we were doing some team building exercises.¡± Gamodren smiled. ¡°Does that consist of sparring?¡± Brion asked hopefully from his chair. Gamodren conjured a shovel for everybody and pointed to one of the plots. ¡°Good news is you¡¯re halfway done for the day. Bad news is Kyrion and Ceres will be excluded from helping with one whole plot. That does not include animal labor however.¡± Gamodren grinned wickedly. ¡°Why do I have another shovel? I helped a bit.¡± Max grimaced. ¡°No better way to build bonds than to get down in the dirt and work. And you need the exercise.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Are powers allowed?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Sure. So is training equipment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Ander said to Teus, who nodded in understanding. ¡°Brion, and others, who I have yet to meet. Do you want any weights?¡± Bella spoke up first. ¡°How heavy?¡± ¡°How much can you lift with the shovel as well?¡± Ander asked as he began to spin his spear. A whirring sound could be heard as it gained speed. The wind started to build up. The small girl hefted the shovel. ¡°Thirty each if you can carry that much. I don¡¯t want you to hurt yourself.¡± ¡°A hundred each.¡± Brion grinned. ¡°That¡¯s light for you. Oh right you¡¯re going to be standing.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Still in recovery, I¡¯ll have to focus a lot on my legs when I can walk again. Kyrion, do you want any weights?¡± ¡°I want help carry them since I can¡¯t help anymore. Mind if I tag along?¡± Kyrion asked Ander. ¡°If you can keep up, sure.¡± Ander threw his spear, and it began to fly off. He leaped through the wind and grabbed it. The wind propelled him forward through the air. ¡°Just don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± Kyrion pressed his feet into the ground, breaking the earth a bit as he pushed off the ground in a twenty-foot leap straight up and then proceeded to start propelling himself on platforms of wind. Increasing his velocity with each push. ¡°Wind spirit masters sure love to show off. Flying before the practitioner, and expert tiers.¡± Gamodren grumbled. ¡°You know. I think Kyrion may be a bit dumb sometimes.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°How so?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°He¡¯s going that fast knowing full well he doesn¡¯t know how to stop.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­ no¡­ well he¡¯s heading to the training yard which is outside. He shouldn¡¯t cause too much collateral damage.¡± ¡°Was his hair red?¡± Cecil asked, confused. ¡°Oh that, yes it was.¡± Gamodren answered. ¡°Does he have a sister here my age?¡± ¡°I¡¯d avoid her like the plague. She isn¡¯t into boy¡¯s.¡± Gamodren said in a monotone. ¡°So she¡¯s...¡± Cecil tried to prod Gamodren. ¡°A sociopath that is focused on her research into plants and alchemical augmentation.¡± ¡°Why does that sound familiar?¡± Cecil mumbled. ¡°Dwen was the town alchemist, you know, your first love or whatever. She tricked you into being her guinea pig and she awakened the mana inside of your body by accident.¡± Bella scowled. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s where she ended up. Cecil, if you want to go home, speak to Thalia and tell her about Dwen.¡± Gamodren seemed to write a few things down. ¡°So Kyrion there is the person I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡± Cecil smirked. ¡°Great¡­¡± Bella rolled her eyes. A black cat with a top hat seemed to look up from its perch on a stone wall before tiredly curling into a napping position. Kyrion caught up to Ander, who had begun to slow down as he was now gliding. ¡°Kyrion, why are you only using wind mana as a way to jump again?¡± Ander asked. Kyrion opened his mouth, and air rushed in. He closed it soon after and nearly missed a leap as he began to approach the ground. ¡°You¡¯re also not covering yourself with an aerodynamic barrier of wind¡­ What was your plan?¡± Kyrion kept his mouth shut and shrugged mid-jump. ¡°Well, it¡¯s training. Spin a wall of wind mana around your body.¡± Kyrion did so and could feel his movement stabilize a little. ¡°Now try to expand it like a ball and grit your teeth.¡± A ball of wind covered his body like a barrier. It was quite big in size. Ander let himself fall behind and kicked the ball with enough force to send Kyrion careening into the dirt below. His fall slowed the closer he got to the ground. The mana caused him to land relatively softly at the cost of a lot of mana. ¡°Who taught you how to use wind mana like that?¡± Ander demanded. ¡°Myself?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Ah. No. Don¡¯t do that again until you¡¯ve had training. Who¡¯s our teacher?¡± Ander stated. ¡°Someone named Gus.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Ah. Find Lingar or our study group in the training field D. It¡¯s where we meet up to train and discuss our experiences with wind.¡± Ander told him. ¡°So no one goes to his class.¡± Kyrion grimaced. ¡°If he wants to teach, then he¡¯ll find you. He¡¯s flighty like that.¡± Ander replied with an irritated expression. ¡°Teachers here are weird.¡± Kyrion stood up and dusted himself off. ¡°I could see how you¡¯d come to that opinion.¡± Ander looked off with a world-weary gaze. Ander led them to a rack of weights that could go around a person¡¯s arms, legs, and torso. ¡°These don¡¯t look that heavy.¡± Kyrion picked up a fifty-pound weight with ease. ¡°Around three hundred on each arm and leg then a five hundred pound vest on my chest is my limit. A little over half a ton.¡± Ander seemed bored. ¡°Were you holding back that much during the trial?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s a bad habit. I¡¯m aiming for the top seat so every day I strive to get stronger than the number one. The number two is pretty weak but I¡¯m of the philosophy that number two is second best, number three just means I¡¯m in the top three.¡± Ander said unashamedly. ¡°Amadeus wasn¡¯t that tough.¡± Kyrion grumbled. ¡°Said the person who managed a draw. A neverending flood of attacks that can¡¯t be dodged, blocked or countered without the right training. When competing with your endurance and healing it seems that you are perfect counters for each other. Most of my attacks are physical, mostly wind based, while lightning takes a lot of my mana.¡± Ander nodded. ¡°Lightning doesn¡¯t take up that much mana,¡± Kyrion recalled Fujin and his gift. That spirit still owed him one, maybe¡­ ¡°Hurry up. Let¡¯s not keep the others waiting.¡± Ander had a look as though he had just remembered something. Kyrion went over to the three hundred braces and hefted it. He then moved to the five hundred and found that he could still lift it with one hand though it was a little heavy. He strapped those to his legs and found that he could move well enough. Two four hundred pound weights went on his arms, and Kyrion felt heavy. Ander grabbed the weights and held them over his arms as he began to spin his spear again. Taking flight and flying much faster than he did before. Even with all the extra weight. ¡°Show off.¡± Kyrion ran back, and honestly, it was hard. The total weight was more than the rock from earlier. However, he had the added benefit of not being drained from battles before and only made it back to the building site ten minutes after Ander. The groups were loading up dirt and transporting it elsewhere. ¡°So. Heavy.¡± Kyrion¡¯s legs were tired, while his arms seemed fine as he swung them around. ¡°You¡¯ll live. What did you do with the dirt from your excavation?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°In the domain.¡± Kyrion said in quick succession. ¡°Great. Deliver it to professor Willow tomorrow, it¡¯s pretty fertile land.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kyrion rested as his friends worked on clearing out the area. Soon after, he was quite bored. Taking a seat near a stone wall. Kyrion pulls out a few plates of roasted fish, chicken, and some haunches of other meat. ¡°Meow?¡± A cat spoke from above the peckish redhead. ¡°Hello, kitty. What can I do for you?¡± Kyrion asked as he pulled out a delicate bowl. The cat looked at the fish and then the chicken. ¡°Ah, I can share. I¡¯m not a selfish glutton.¡± Kyrion put some food into the bowl and sighed. The cat consumed the food and looked at Kyrion with an intelligent expression. ¡°For feeding me human I will tell you a few secrets of the universe.¡± The cat spoke. ¡°No thanks?¡± Kyrion began to scoot away. ¡°Too bad.¡± The cat spoke to him anyway. Kyrion¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head as blood began to flow from every orifice on his head, and his body began to spasm.
One hour later, Kyrion awoke a bit confused. His food was gone, and it seemed he was under some shade. Tiffany was currently looking down at him. His head was presently on a pillow of red grass. ¡°Kyrion, are you ok?¡± Tiffany asked Kyrion opened his mouth and began to cough. In moments he was rolled onto his stomach as the crimson attack continued. Cecil was passed out under some shade alone. He had gone down ten minutes ago. ¡°Ah right. Healer is down for the count. Since the day has taken a turn for chaotic. I say we should call it a day here. Get Kyrion back to his room while I¡¯ll look for another healer.¡± Gamodren vanished in a puff of smoke. ¡°He¡¯ll get to it eventually. I¡¯ll bring my friend back to the dorms.¡± Bella picked Cecil up and began to carry him back to the dorms. Ceres removed the weights from Kyrion and brought them to Teus. Tiffany and Maximus helped drag Kyrion back to his room. ¡°Sorry,¡± Kyrion said as his vision faded.
Kyrion awoke with a metallic taste in his mouth. He looked down and noticed his tan clothes were now a rusty red. He left his dorm room and washed off. Cecil approached Kyrion when he finished. ¡°Did you wait here all night?¡± Kyrion looked at the sun, which was currently in the wrong position. ¡°You were out for about five hours. So, you¡¯re the guy?¡± ¡°I am Kyrion. I do have a friend named Guy. Well Guy is his middle name technically.¡± Kyrion tried to derail the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ll shoot straight with you. Imala told me to find you. She also told me that if I brought you to her then she¡¯d willingly join my harem.¡± ¡°What is she going to do to me when she gets me?¡± ¡°Hell if I know.¡± ¡°Hail? It¡¯s still the fall.¡± Kyrion looked at some red tinted leaves. ¡°Uggg. I like keeping things simple. What do you want as compensation for my bringing you to Imala in whatever amount of years it takes to get you there?¡± ¡°What do you have?¡± ¡°Nothing aside from knowledge on magic and technology. I could push this world forward into a technological revolution.¡± ¡°Techno what?¡± Cecil produced his curved stick and pointed it at a boulder. He pulled the trigger and an orb coated in fire and lightning shot out and exploded in a ball of destruction when it connected. Plants caught fire, and most of the boulders had become rubble. ¡°Wa?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyebrows raised before he snuffed out the fires with a water whip. ¡°Impressive right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weapon for killing isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°It can be used as one yes. There are some nonlethal cartridges I can load into it. This is just a demonstration.¡± ¡°Oh. Can anyone use it?¡± ¡°Yes. Anyone with this weapon can use it so long as they have access to mana. There is a ritual for granting access. I could teach it to you.¡± ¡°No. This country is one at war with the Beast Blood empire. If you want to make and sell these weapons, that¡¯s your business. If you want to be my friend then you''re a little late with that request.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Cecil holstered his gun. ¡°Because we¡¯re already friends. My allegiance right now is to the academy, if you desire to help me accomplish my goals then I will help you with this harem or whatever.¡± ¡°Now about your sister.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t add Asela to your harem. She¡¯d roast you alive.¡± ¡°Who? No, the other sister.¡± ¡°Curella? She¡¯d take out your innards and replace them with plants.¡± ¡°No¡­ Thalia. Your other sister.¡± ¡°Did I¡­ Oh right, I haven¡¯t seen her in years. She might accidentally poison you. Good luck with that.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You aren''t going to introduce me?¡± ¡°You know how I was weakened when we met. I was sick and vomiting when those jerks jumped me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I had gotten food poisoning from a bar that she gave me.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°I see. So you won¡¯t be mad if I make any moves?¡± ¡°Listen. If you hurt her in any way, I won¡¯t heal you after she gets her vengeance. I have some very vindictive family members so tread lightly.¡± Kyrion warned. ¡°That has been noted.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Kyion gave his friend a broad smile that reached his squinted green eyes. ¡°Well see you tomorrow Kyrion.¡± Cecil ran off. ¡°Well then. Time to get to work.¡± Kyrion did some stretches and left the campus unhindered. Book Two: Chapter 14: [Post timeskip] Trouble makes a pit stop Three years passed at Drisil academy before Kyrion was permitted to enter the practitioner rank by Gamodren. The following two years were spent learning the limits of his new abilities. Which will not be laid out in a convenient menu-based format. Suffice it to say versatility and misdirection were the focus. Ceres reached the third threshold of the practitioner tier in that time. Making her the strongest in terms of rank in their group. Tiffany entered practitioner a year earlier than Kyrion and was now at the second threshold. Her swordsmanship and magical ability grew exponentially. She made it to rank four in their class, right under Ander. Ander was still as secretive as ever but had managed to bind with Fujin for his second threshold spirit. Giving him access to a new form of lightning to hide from the rank one. Brion regained full mobility after two more years of training. He then became a practitioner at the three-year mark. Bonding with the supposed legendary sword Kyrion had gifted him. His rank stayed at five as he continued to grow in power. Cecil did not enter rank matches, preferring to practice his craft in peace. Nevertheless, a few odd gadgets and gizmos made their way into the arms of this country¡¯s army. Bella was a first threshold practitioner like Kyrion. She preferred to shadow Cecil and avoided rank matches when she could. Maximus turned out to have a taming ability. Which disqualified him from participating in one on one events for rank battles. Tamers had their own system of rank. They need to pass eight different tests and earn the chance to compete in a grand tournament. Max is currently ranked two in the tamer¡¯s ranking. Kyrion never got to fight Amadeus again, and he didn¡¯t want to. He was unranked and preferred it that way. Easy to skip when no one cared who you were after all.
Kyrion was headed to the capital of Etrevonia. On official business. He had a letter to deliver from the headmaster, or so he had been told. Along with the letter was a list of tasks he had to complete before his arrival. Obtain a horn from a Golian Buffalo. Then, take the hide from an Oterian Bear and check on the village of Coran. It was a bit of a roundabout trip, but it should be easy. One he could make on his own. Standing a solid six-foot-eight Kyrion with long red hair that flowed to his back and light-brown skin that evenly coated his entire body. His traveling robes hid most of his bulk and muscles gained from training. At his side was a metal staff with a feathered fan lined with silver fur, while a walnut sat inside an emerald. As though the gem crystalized over the nut. Hidden in his robes were weights that each weighed more than a ton on each limb. His total weight was a bit over eight tons total. An enchantment that prevented them from adding pressure to the ground below him was a necessity. The Golian Buffalo were residents of the Golia plains northeast of the Draxis River that split the continent in two. From there, he¡¯d travel North to the village of Coran which was near the border of Etrevonia, Welheim, and Lodrim, to rest before taking on the Oterian bear. The Oterian bear is a creature not native to this country and had forcibly migrated here when the war destroyed its territory a few years back. It was supposedly of the practitioner rank and had been relatively peaceful until recently. Kyrion began his trek through the plains of Golia in search of his target. Moving with the tall grass and masking his appearance. Kyrion spent the day skulking in the grass and adding its scent to his own. That night he set up a defensive ward and went to sleep without a fire. The following day he sat out and found a pack of the creatures traveling. Kyion stayed on the trail of the animals for two days before he saw one had begun to lag behind. By nightfall, Kyrion had caught up to it. Finally, putting the beast out of its misery with a jab near the creature¡¯s thick temple. After some inspection, he found that the meat wasn¡¯t clean. Instead, something sharp and jagged was embedded from the sole to the ankle. Signs of infection had set in, and the animal suffered for it. Kyrion cut open the wound with a scalpel and discovered that some sort of leach had buried itself into the creature¡¯s corpse. Kyrion buried the animal after taking its horn. He then planted a flower where the creature rested. Kyrion arrived at Coran the following day. It was a small farming town Southeast of his final destination. Much smaller than the village he grew up in, with very few shops. There wasn¡¯t even an inn. He¡¯d have to find and secure a place to sleep before anything else. Kyrion found his way to the local tanners and knocked on their door. There was no sign, but the smell of rot was a dead giveaway to someone with common sense. A grumpy bearded man answered the door. ¡°Who are you and wha? Do. ya. Wan?¡± The man paused as he saw the giant lined up at his home and place of business. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a place to rest. I¡¯m passing through. If you know of anyone with an extra room I could borrow and in need of help, can you let me know?¡± Kyrion¡¯s still tenor voice asked as that had yet to change much in his years of growth. ¡°Kid wha ah they feed¡¯n ya to git so big.¡± The tanner was wide-eyed. ¡°Everything and the pot used to cook it.¡± Kyrion answered with a smile. ¡°Oh right. The Miller¡¯s daughter got sick, poor thing. Work is slow. I¡¯m sure they have room.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Kyion handed the man two silver. It was a lot of money in a village like this, and giving someone gold with no place to spend it was a bad idea. ¡°No. Thank you traveler!¡± The grumpy man was a lot less grumpy now. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Kyrion made his way toward a windmill that was currently turning. The house nearby was a two-story building. A wheat field lay nearby. It looked like the plants hadn¡¯t been watered in two days. Some of the plants showed signs of damage. Kyrion knocked on the door. There was no answer. Kyrion knocked again and waited five minutes before he decided to find another way in. The second-story window was slightly ajar. It wouldn¡¯t have been hard to get it that way. The house was also made of brick. Kyrion closed his eyes and let his senses ping inside the building. Three people were on the second floor. Two had a minuscule amount of mana that seemed to waver like a candle low on wax. While a third source on that floor had quite a bit more, although it was also slowly fading. Kyrion decided to use the obvious entrance this time around. Jumping from the ground floor to the second-story balcony. Landing softly on the roof. He opened the window and poked his head in. ¡°Excuse me!¡± Kyrion said into the room. ¡°Y-es?¡± Asked a weak voice. ¡°I heard someone here is in need of assistance. Is this the Miller¡¯s residence?¡± Kyrion looked into the room and saw a small form lying on the bed with sunken eyes. Their skin was excessively wrinkled, and their hair was very thin and brittle. The color was a sickly gray hue that seemed to be unnatural. It was like looking at a corpse. From the window, Kyrion¡¯s red hair was covered in sunlight, making it appear lighter. His form was covered in radiance. ¡°Are you an angel?¡± The figure on the bed asked. ¡°No. I¡¯m here to help the Millers get back to work. People need their bread afterall. Can¡¯t believe they¡¯re just sleeping here.¡± Kyrion sauntered into the room. ¡°So you aren¡¯t here to help?¡± The figure turned away from him. ¡°I¡¯m just here to mooch off of your hospitality. I need a place to sleep and food to eat. Though you seem quite out of it. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Kyrion placed his hand on the shoulder of the man who collapsed near the bed. He shook the man gently, and there was no response. His body was cold like a corpse, and there was no pulse. He then placed another hand on the shoulder of the woman on the other end of the bed and grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve been cursed.¡± ¡°Do you know the origin?¡± Kyrion asked with a calm expression. Kyrion closed his eyes and opened his senses to the world around him. First, he discovered two tendrils of mana leaking out from the corpse-like adults and down the stairs. A third line, much thicker, was on the sick girl¡¯s neck. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She muttered. ¡°Fine then. Can you swallow medicine?¡± Kyrion asked as he pulled out a dark red berry. ¡°Medicine? Is it nasty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the sweetest medicine you¡¯ll ever eat.¡± Kyrion said cheerily before eying the two corpses with dark rings under their eyes and blank expressions. Kyrion subtly removed his eye patch before placing the pea-sized berry in her mouth. After it was consumed, Kyrion watched as the mana from the berry seemed to get siphoned off to the top of the girl¡¯s neck. His sense traced the line down the stairs and pinged. Something was under the house. ¡°I¡¯m going to sit you up. Is that ok? The medicine needs you to be sitting up so that it can flow down. Is that ok?¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Ok.¡± The girl said tiredly. Kyrion sat her up and pushed her hair to the side, revealing a black leech-like creature on the back of her neck. Kyrion sent a wave of life mana at the creature, and it faded into ash. ¡°A few days of rest and some food should get you back to a hundred percent. That¡¯s quite a lot of mana you have by the way. You could probably become a spirit master if you wanted to.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a spirit master? Are you from the clergy?¡± ¡°No. Just passing by on business. Do you mind if I root around in your cellar a bit?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The girl said. Kyrion sat a tangerine on the dresser before he moved down a set of rickety stairs. ¡°Hmmm¡­ There is no way I can think of to explain how I broke into someone¡¯s house and healed a child and discovered that the parents were dead before I got there. She clearly looked worse than the adults yet she was mostly fine.¡± Kyrion stood above a door that led to a staircase that went downwards. ¡°Would this have happened if I hadn¡¯t come here?¡± Kyrion scowled as he opened the door. A giant rat lunged at the boy from the doorway. ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion slapped the creator across its snout, snapping its neck with ease and sending it into the cellar wall. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Kyrion closed the cellar door behind him and lit an oil lamp to light the room. Five rodents had turned their heads towards the light and then the red-haired giant. One immediately started playing dead. That was not going to work. Kyrion let a wave of wind mana pulse from his position and bisected the creatures in an instant. Their corpses were placed inside a bag before getting sent to his domain. Walking into the storage section of the cellar, Kyrion saw a humanoid with purple flesh and a leech head. It had no eyes and only a mouth with a set of whirling teeth. At its slimy tendrils that were supposedly feet were a series of other leeches that were carbon copies of the one that was on the neck of the girl above. The creature turned towards him and attacked by sending a wave of psychic force at Kyrion. Kyrion felt a pressure in his head that faded instantly. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re here for a fight.¡± Kyrion cracked his knuckles as his body became infused in a thick layer of life mana. The leeches that flew towards him died when they made contact with the barrier. Which proved to be an antithesis of their own being. The leech-headed monster flinched as Kyrion slowly walked towards the creature covered in a bright radiance of life mana. ¡°I sorry! No kill!¡± The creature panicked. Kyrions senses told him that the monster was only a fledgling. Still, in a remote place like this, any sentient monster could do much damage. It had taken the lives of at least two humans. Kyrion didn¡¯t like killing needlessly. In fact, had it been a person that could have been subdued and placed into the custody of the empire¡¯s guards. But no, this creature was a monster whose first thought was to take the lives of villagers who couldn¡¯t fight back. He also noticed that the beast had over 32 brains that seemed to move about. So it couldn¡¯t be subdued through normal means. ¡°Did you give them a chance to surrender?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re here because of them. They¡¯re still alive, don¡¯t worry, in fact I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll happily come down and show you.¡± A blood-curdling scream echoed from above. ¡°Mommy! What are you doing! Help!¡± The girl cried from above. Followed the thudding of footsteps heading downstairs. ¡°What did you do?¡± Kyrion asked as his voice cracked and began to sound a bit off. It went from tenor into a falsetto as though he sang the last word of the question. His hair had started to hide his eyes. ¡°Nothing, yet. See, just turn around and you¡¯ll see that everyone is alive.¡± ¡°Ahh yes, rage, I can fill it. Are you going to let me take care of him? I promise I''ll make it quick just let me hold the reins.¡± Psycho said with a giddy voice. ¡°No. This is my fault. I should have come here first, the horn could have waited.¡± Kyion whispered aloud as he began to clench his hand as a sphere of wind surrounded his foe. ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± The leech began to worry as it was trapped. ¡°Nothing yet.¡± Kyrion said in a sing-song voice. ¡°Just turn around and you¡¯ll see that they¡¯re fine.¡± The leech said. ¡°So that you can fling one of your parasites onto my neck when I¡¯m not looking? Ok. I¡¯ll humor you.¡± Kyrion turned around and confirmed that the two adults were walking corpses animated by the leech¡¯s mana. A splat sound echoed behind Kyrion, who held his somewhat clenched hand up. A leech that had connected with the wall of swirling wind had been turned into pulp in an instant. ¡°Close your eyes and next you open them, this nightmare will be over. Ok? Your life may be different but this nightmare will be over.¡± Kyrion told the girl as he approached her, his back facing the enemy. The girl was scared but did as she asked. Kyrion balled his clenched hand into a fist and whispered. ¡°Rend.¡± The creature behind him was eviscerated by blades of wind. The liquid that remained left behind was a purple stain on the ground. The two undead collapsed as the mana animating them stopped flowing toward them. ¡°This left a sour taste in my mouth.¡± Kyrion tied up his red hair and left the cellar. Cleansing the muck on his sandals with some water. Kyrion sighed as he picked up the weak girl and injected her with healing mana in a place that would induce a nap as he left the house. ¡°She won¡¯t want to see this place again anytime soon.¡± Book Two: Chapter 15: [Post timeskip] Hero? Maybe Kyrion made his way to the well and placed a hand inside. His mana infused the water killing any bacteria and waterborne viruses. He then pulled out all the trash and gunk and disposed of it. Finally, he purified what remained just to be safe. ¡°No leeches in the water. So, where did they come from? Kyrion made his way to the town hall, an unconscious child in his arms, passing by the local militia. One of which smelled a bit funny. They didn¡¯t even try to stop him. A secretary sat at a desk before a set of double doors. ¡°H-how may I help you?¡± ¡°Why do they even have a secretary? This place is as backwoods as it gets.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the mayor¡¯s daughter. Why do you have a child in your arms.¡± ¡°Ah. That makes sense. Her parents were killed by a leech monster and she was a soon to be victim.¡± ¡°A monster? Here?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why she looks so shriveled. She¡¯s dehydrated and in need of some rest. Since I¡¯m a child myself, I¡¯ll be placing her in your care.¡± Kyrion tried to pass his responsibilities onto someone else. ¡°Uh-huh. And I¡¯m a monkey¡¯s uncle.¡± The woman eyed Kyrion with a look of suspicion. ¡°But you¡¯re a girl. You can¡¯t be an uncle. Also I¡¯m only fourteen.¡± Kyrion said with an innocent look on his face. ¡°I see. Are you Kyrion Mosely?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ How do you know?¡± ¡°We received a letter weeks ago saying that you were coming this way. We were expecting you.¡± ¡°I see. Does this girl have any family?¡± ¡°Her uncle on her fathers side left town years ago and found himself killed by bandits and her uncle on her mothers side left the country years ago to become a vagabond.¡± ¡°I see. You seem to know alot about this girl¡¯s family.¡± ¡°Small town I hear all the rumors.¡± The secretary said. ¡°So she had no family. Is there anyone here who could take her in?¡± ¡°No. Alot of families here don¡¯t have to room or the means. Mine included.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°I see. Can I leave her in your care for a minute while I meet with your father?¡± ¡°Sure. Just sat her in a chai¡­.¡± Kyrion produced a twin bed setting it up in a corner. He then placed the girl on top with a blanket. Next, he set a nightstand with a bowl of oranges sitting on top of it. He then produced a full water pitcher containing water and sliced lemons inside. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion then placed two glasses on the nightstand. ¡°Make sure she gets some water when she wakes up.¡± Kyrion entered through a set of double doors. ¡°O-k¡­¡± ¡°Greetings, you must be Mr. Mosley, take a seat.¡± ¡°I prefer to stand, and don¡¯t call me Mr. I¡¯m not that old yet.¡± Kyrion looked down at the small chair. ¡°Well then. I¡¯ve been told that, you came here to take care of a few of our problems. Quite a few monsters have been headed our way as of late and causing problems. There have been quite a few sightings of violent monsters. Etrevonia is too busy preparing for war and martialing resources for the inevitable fight to come. So Drisil offered to pick up some of the slack and here you are.¡± ¡°I see. Well then. What do you need me to fight?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A swamp troll has taken to the nearby forest and has begun attacking any who enter its territory. A few deaths have already occured, and trade has all but stopped because of it. Next is the Flame Pterodactyl has been flying around and snapping up livestock and caravans.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I heard that the Millers need help with¡­.¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°The Millers are now dead. A monster had snuck into their celler and turned them into undead. Only the child has survived.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Thank you then. Will the young one?¡± ¡°She just needs some nutrition and rest,¡± Kyrion said with the conciseness of a professional healer. ¡°Are you by chance a healer?¡± ¡°Mostly a healer. Fighting is a secondary skill I have.¡± ¡°I see. Well then, what do you plan on doing with the child.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave her in your care. Duh. Do you want me to take her with me to monster dens?¡± Kyrion said as though it was the only logical option. ¡°She¡¯ll be seen as an outsider and potentially sent out of the village. By no fault of her own.¡± ¡°Ugh...I see. Bad luck and all that. I¡¯ll come back for her after I take care of these monsters. Do you want their heads as proof of completion?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A troll head will be a bit tricky as its regeneration would make it grow a head from the decapitated body and a body from the decapitated head. You need to use fire to kill it, or so i¡¯ve been told.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°So I need power I don¡¯t have, to kill a creature I need to kill¡­ Guess I¡¯ll go for the fire thing first.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Do you need any assistance? The mayor asked. ¡°What can you give me?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I have a few militia¡­.¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll take on the monsters alone.¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°I look forward to some good news.¡± The mayor stood and bowed.
Kyrion left his sleeping ward in the town hall and, moments later, the town. His body started to feel the strain as he hiked down the supposed road where he would fight the wannabe dragon. The road wasn¡¯t well paved, so Kyrion decided that he might as well build one out of the raw materials nearby. This slowed his pace, but each step led to more of a paved road. It was well past noon when Kyrion noticed a small bird flying toward him. ¡°Caw!¡± The creature bellowed as a stream of fire came out of its mouth. ¡°That¡¯s no bird.¡± Kyrion stopped building his road and summoned a stone wall to block the attack. The fire slammed into the makeshift wall and destroyed it. There was nobody behind the wall. ¡°Caw?¡± The Pterodactyl was confused as it landed on the side of the road. It looked left and then right, but there was no one there. The dinosaur began to summon all the flame it could when a fast-moving projectile came from the ground and impaled the creature¡¯s mouth resulting in the conjured fire losing its exit point. However, the creature¡¯s fire continued to build and build until an explosion echoed across the plains. Kyrion¡¯s head rose from the ground moments later, looking left and right. He then pulled himself out of the dirt. The severed head of the Pterodactyl rolled on the ground. ¡°I was going to eat that.¡± Kyrion looked at the incinerated remains of the creature. He then picked up the head and threw it into his domain. ¡°Now I just need to find that troll. That explosion gave me an idea.¡± Kyrion created an intersection in his trail as he started heading due north. Trees began to rise as he traveled, and with an exertion of mana, he moved the plants out of the way by shifting the earth to better pave the road he was building. This action was the most mana-intensive feat he¡¯d done that day, and still, he had a lot more to give.
A caravan of three carts was headed down a dirt road that passed through the forest. The road had been marked as too dangerous for propper merchants. The thing is, these people were not proper merchants. The carts were waylaid by a large creature with a big mouth, green skin, and an uprooted tree used as a makeshift club. The first cart flew off the trail and flipped over the driver¡¯s head, being pulped as the force through him through a few trees. ¡°Raa! Num num¡¯s smell many¡­ Hungry feed!¡± The troll picked up the dead merchant and tossed it into its mouth, swallowing them whole. One of the merchants stopped their cart, and two warriors in the back brought out a string of people tied together on a rope. So many of them were women and children. A blank look could be seen in their eyes. The few men present were injured, some of which had a recently amputated hand tied around their necks. ¡°Eat them and let us pass, oh honerable troll. This is our tribute. Let us pass and you can have all of them.¡± ¡°Num num¡¯s skinny. Will need to eat lots of them.¡± ¡°W-we can spare more if you wish, there are some in the cart you knocked over as well. Yes, very nummy, yes?¡± The merchant was rubbing his hands together. ¡°Fine. Give snack now then I let go to bring more num nums.¡± The troll stated assuredly. ¡°Yes. Boy¡¯s you know what to do.¡± The slaves started getting pushed forward.
Kyrion arrived at the scene with horror in his eyes as he saw the state of affairs. After the carriage had gotten knocked over, Kyrion wanted to gather information before acting. However, he didn¡¯t expect the troll to eat the first driver. Nor did he expect the merchants to be slave traders. ¡°So¡­ Kyrion¡­I could end this for you very easily.¡± ¡°Psycho¡­This is a forest, in a place like this my powers are at their finest. I will stop this myself. Well not fully by myself.¡± Kyrion opened his domain and let a total of six four-armed bucks out, each creature holding an arsenal filled with various weapons. ¡°What are we building today master Kyrion?¡± The leading buck stated. ¡°I¡¯m fighting a troll. I need one of you to provide me with a spark when I give the symbol.¡± Kyrion raised his hand and mocked, snapping his fingers. ¡°Got it.¡± One of the bucks put away their axes and pulled out a compound bow. ¡°Good. The rest of you get the women, and children out of here, the men with weapons are to be subdued if they interfere. I want one of you on each cart, the rest I want you to assist where you see we need help. No killing, If you can help it.¡± The bucks nodded in understanding and began to skulk. Kyrion¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t noticed as he casually stumbled in front of the troll. He casually looked around the area with an apathetic gaze. Despite his anger, Kyrion kept calm and bored. Emotions were a liability in situations like this. A kid with black hair and a set of heterochromatic eyes where one appeared green while the other blue had locked eyes with the older boy. Both seemed to widen with confusion. Kyrion¡¯s right eye twitched as he put a finger over his lips. He was standing right before the trader, yet he was unnoticed. Kyrion casually poked the lead merchant on the temple and walked away, moving towards the guards. In the time it took for Kyrion to make it to the guards, the leader had fallen to the ground, and his eyes rolled up in his skull. The two lightly armored guards near the slaves received a pinch to their jugulars and found themselves fading to black. ¡°What go on!¡± The troll looked down at the people who started to pass out. A crash echoed from the third cart as the guards were knocked unconscious. The driver was dragged by his head. Kyrion couldn¡¯t hide the obvious, and he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Hello there mr.troll I have a proposition. Leave this territory and never return and I will let you continue your simple life.¡± ¡°Hey let me go!¡± The man being held by the top of his head struggled only to feel something start to squeeze down. ¡°I big you small. I strong you weak. Why I listen to small weak num nums?¡± The creature bellowed as it brought down its tree on the bored-looking red-haired boy. Kyrion laughed as the tree hit his head, his hand raised above to catch it. ¡°You just lucky.¡± Kyrion pushed the tree back at the troll knocking it off its feet. ¡°Maybe. Maybe I¡¯m stronger than you. Sadly you chose the wrong answer. So let¡¯s play a game.¡± Kyrion pulled out a small red pepper and held up the human he held in his other hand. ¡°One. One of these things can kill you when you swallow it. The other will force me to kill you if you try to eat it.¡± The troll stood back up and growled. ¡°I eat you!¡± Kyrion sighed, flicking the pepper into the troll¡¯s mouth. The slaver in his hands was thrown into a cart, his consciousness forced out of him. The troll coughed and then hacked as it nearly choked on the thing. ¡°Well then I¡¯m done here.¡± Raising the trunk again, the troll tried to slay the small cocky human. Kyrion stepped to the right and raised his hand to snap a finger. An arrow holding oil coated the troll. Bringing his fist into the troll¡¯s solar plexus, his fist punched through the monster breaking the pepper in its gullet, causing seeds to open up and spread around inside its body. The troll bellowed as the broken bone repaired itself, pressing against the ground it then charged toward the red-haired human. A frenzied rage in it eyes. Kyrion moved forward into the troll¡¯s back right leg and kicked it, snapping the bone of its shin with an ease that seemed unnatural. An elbow came down onto Kyrion¡¯s head, connecting head-on. Knocking the red-haired boy for a loop, forcing him to back away from the fight to heal the near concussion. ¡°No dead?¡± The troll looked dumbstruck as its stomach began to turn purple. ¡°Now I know what it feels to fight myself. Is your regeneration limited?¡± ¡® ¡°Die!¡± The troll charged at Kyrion again. Kyrion spun, his foot connecting with the chin of the creature, using his healing mana to seal the creature¡¯s mouth shut and moved to rip open the wound with its fingers, the tree falling to the ground. Kyrion moved behind the troll and poked it in the back of its neck, sealing its movement. ¡°Mmmmhhhggg!¡± The troll. Kyrion raised his hand up again as he stepped away. Snapping his fingers to call for a fire arrow to light the oil-slick troll. The arrow pierced the troll¡¯s stomach, coating it in a purple and green flame that burned the creature inside and out in moments. All that remained by the end of the burning was a spherical core. ¡°Gross.¡± ¡°Amazing. You¡¯re like a real hero!¡± Said the odd-eyed boy who had been watching Kyrion fight the troll as his people were led somewhere safe. ¡°A what?¡± Kyrion¡¯s sour mood seemed to fade as his pride seemed to inflate. ¡°A hero! Like the one in the stories.¡± The boy let out a gap-toothed smile. ¡°A hero you say. I guess I am in a way. Would you lead me to your injured? When did they lose their hands?¡± ¡°This morning. We were just headed back from the underground dungeon. It¡¯s where they take us to work for weeks on end before taking us back to the camp.¡± The boy brought Kyrion to the men with their left hands tied around their necks. ¡°Where is the camp?¡± Kyrion asked as he disinfected a hand, clearing it of bacteria before connecting it to the stump. A flood of life mana bound bones, muscle, nerves, and tissue back together in moments. ¡°Agg!!!¡± The man he was healing screamed in sudden pain as he could suddenly feel his hand again. ¡°Hey, I can move my hand. It feels funny, but it¡¯s back. What are you?¡± The older man looked at the red-haired boy who was pulling out a blue pomegranate. The boy then broke it in half. ¡°Limbs take a while to settle. Eat some of these to get your blood flowing properly. Pass them to the others when I finish with them. Limb reattachment takes a bit of mana.¡± Kyrion moved on to the next person. The odd-eyed boy followed right behind him. After healing everyone up and chaining up the slavers, Kyrion continued his conversation with the kid and some of the older people in the group. ¡°We were taken from our homes in Lodrim by the empire and enslaved. I don¡¯t know where we are now.¡± ¡°Slavery is illegal in Etrevonia so you know. Something isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°I thought we were in the Beast Blood empire.¡± An older woman scowled. ¡°Currently you aren''t, but we are close. It seems monsters aren¡¯t the only refugees.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with them?¡± One of the former slaves asked Kyrion. ¡°Nothing. Take them to the authorities and let them take care of it.¡± ¡°You aren''t going to kill them?¡± A number of them started to look manic. ¡°Killing is a weakness, it¡¯s the easy way out. It also isn¡¯t my job to be judge Jury and executioner since none of this had anything to do with me. I don¡¯t kill people and will only kill monsters if I have too. Now you all are invested in the lives of these people if you decide to get your own vengeance, I won¡¯t stop you. Many of you were wronged and had I not been here chances are you¡¯d have been eaten by that troll. It¡¯s up to you if you want to become like those who captured you.¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t¡­.¡± Asked one of the younger men. ¡°Ohh sorry I have a Golian bear to slay. I¡¯ll be back in around three hours.¡± Kyrion left to let them decide what they wanted to do. Book Two: Chapter 16 Trobuble comes across a bug bear As it turned out, the bear was close. Much closer than what was reported. It seemed to be standing in front of a cave with its arms crossed. Which was quite odd for a bear. Kyrion was spotted the second he appeared as though the bear knew he was coming. ¡°Come out human.¡± The bear said through an orifice that wasn¡¯t its mouth. Kyrion proudly walked out into the open, his hand on his head. ¡°Sorry about that Mr.Bear, didn¡¯t notice any of the usual territorial marks that I know to look out for. No excreta or other scented warnings either. I could leave if you want.¡± The bear rigidly moved its arm back and swiped it at speed untraceable by an untrained human eye. Kyrion bent backward with flexibility that betrayed his bulk. Dodging a wave of force that cut through various trees and shrubbery near his location. A few of which fell over immediately. Sadly that movement was too sudden, and the weights on his body slowed him down too much, causing him to slip and fall on his back. A downward slash sent more claw-like blades at the prone boy. Kyrion rolled to the side, evading the strike before hiding behind a bust. A third swipe destroyed the bush, yet there was no sign of the boy left behind. Kyrion popped out of the ground behind the bear. His weights moved to his domain and a staff in his hands. ¡°Well. Looks like you don¡¯t want to talk. What¡¯s in the cave?¡± ¡°Nothing. Now die!¡± The bear brought down both claws forming and cross shape as they fused into a single powerful attack. Kyrion waved his staff, summoning a gust of wind that redirected the attack to the side into a boulder. The boulder split into four uneven pieces. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°So now you want to talk. Good, what¡¯s in the cave?¡± ¡°.That body¡­ I want it.¡± The bear seemed to be drooling. Kyrion flinched as a giant wormlike creature poked its head out of the bear¡¯s skull. It was a white thing with no eyes. Instead, a mouth full of an absurd amount of teeth could be found. The bear¡¯s broken head morphed and shifted, wrapping around the wormlike hide armor, which looked disgusting. ¡°Got it. Monster. No animal left. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Kyrion vanished from his spot as though he had disappeared. A booming sound hit the bear as Kyrion was now standing under it. His staff connected with the bear¡¯s heart. The heart soon stopped beating altogether. Still, the creature kept on moving. The bear brought its paws together to crush Kyrion¡¯s head. The boy moved under the attack and circled around to the creature¡¯s back, letting loose a kick that cracked its spine and sent it tumbling forward. The bear struggled to get to its feet. And let out a screech that pushed Kyrion back a bit. Kyrion ran back towards the creature and swung his staff at its head. The creature¡¯s head wrapped itself around the staff and went to bite Kyrion¡¯s face. Kyrion pushed his staff forward and jumped back as the bear stumbled. After righting itself, it began to charge. Vines shot out of the ground restraining the injured bear that seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. Moments later, the creature fell to its back, unable to resist. Kyrion sent wave after wave of wind blades at the prone creature severing tendons and arteries with a surgeon¡¯s precision. In moments the bear¡¯s corpse could no longer move. ¡°What did you do!¡± The wormlike head screamed. ¡°Severed your connection to the body of that bear your puppeting. You¡¯re acting as the creatures brain without being fully reliant on it. You should have died when I stoped its heart but you didn¡¯t. You did however get slower. So now that the body has been dismantled you can no longer send commands to it. You will die in a few moments. Any last words?¡± A sphere of wind surrounded the creature. ¡°I am but a pawn. The Beast Blood empire has hundreds of my kind hidden about. We will destroy this country and I will be avenged.¡± ¡°Rend.¡± Kyrion watched as the creature became nothing but a bear claw. After purifying the limb, he put it in a sack and hung it at his waist. The cave seemed to be just that, with nothing special about it from a cursory scan. So Kyrion marked the place down on his map and went back to the group, being watched over by his bucks. The boy with odd eyes approached Kyrion. ¡°My hero! You came back for us.¡± The boy said Kyrion examined the scene, noting his squad of bucks watching over the scared humans. The slavers had been killed, which disappointed Kyrion deep down. Though since he wasn¡¯t the one wronged, it wasn¡¯t his place to judge. ¡°So. What will you do now?¡± Kyrion asked the people. ¡°We¡¯ll take the horses and make our way to the capital as refugees. From there I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Good. I look forward to meeting up with you in the capital. Mind if my friends help escort you?¡± ¡°We will be grateful if you could spare them.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kyrion loaded them up with a month¡¯s worth of rations for the twenty still alive. But, of course, he¡¯d have to watch his food consumption over the next few days. The caravan left towards the capital; the only people there were the odd-eyed kid and Kyrion. ¡°Where to next Mr.Hero.¡± Kyrion looked down at the boy. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be with the rest of the people?¡± ¡°They think I¡¯m bad luck. My eyes are unnatural and seem to scare alot of people. Doesn¡¯t help that i¡¯m an orphan with no relatives.¡± ¡°Not another one.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Two orphans in two days. Leaving you to die would go against my own sense of justice. So come along If you can keep up. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Bastion, just Bastion.¡± The boy said. ¡°Well then, Just Bastion. We¡¯re headed to a small town to turn in a few items. After that it¡¯s to the capital.¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Hero Sir.¡± ¡°Oh right. Call me Kyrion."
Kyrion and Bastion arrived at the outskirts of the town the following day, where a set of two freshly dug graves were being tended to by a girl with light green hair. ¡°Mr.Kyrion, did something happen here?¡± ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry about it. Actually, can you look after that girl over there while I tend to some business. Think of it as hero training.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Bastion saluted. Kyrion entered the town hall and walked past the secretary, who seemed nervous. Moving straight into the office. ¡°Welcome back Kyrion. Did your hunting go well?¡± The mayor rubbed his hands nervously. ¡°Yes. Only took a day to find and take them out. Not a fan of killing but you gotta do what you gotta do.There were a few hiccups though.¡± Kyrion admitted. ¡°I see, I see. Well Kyrion I have signed off on the completion of your mission, feel free to take the kid and run. Keep your trophies as well. Consider them your reward for all your hard work.¡± The mayor had a bead of sweat falling down his forehead. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Good. Are you feeling ok Mr.Mayor. You seem a bit feverish.¡± ¡°I-i¡¯m fine¡± The mayor¡¯s eyes dipped down for a second and then back up. Kyrion knew something was off, so he probed the environment with his mana sensing and found a foe. The boy left the building, walked behind the town hall, and disappeared. ¡°Good. Now that he¡¯sss gone, we can talk businessss. Some of my petsss were ssslaughtered recently. Ssso now i¡¯m here to kill and raissse everyone in thisss village to fuel my numbers.¡± ¡°P-please just let my daughter go.¡± ¡°So she can tell. No after I skin you alive and take your flesh I¡¯ll be moving onto her and then.¡± ¡°Got you.¡± An earthen hand shot up from the ground, pulling the snake-like creature underground. Kyrion pulled the snake-like creature¡¯s head out of the ground and stared at it. ¡°So who are you?¡± Kyron asked. ¡°That isss none of your consssern.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion ripped a scale off the creature¡¯s head. ¡°Owww! Why!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyrion asked again. ¡°I¡¯ll never tell!¡± Kyrion removed another scale and poked the open flesh. ¡°Aggg!¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyrion said slowly. ¡°You call this torture I only have so many scales you can pull off!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion pushed his finger into the scaleless portion of the creature¡¯s head and placed it into a coma. ¡°I hate this.¡± He then encased the serpent in an earthen box and threw it into his domain. ¡°This is suspicious.¡± Kyrion sighed. Kyrion made his way to where he¡¯d left Bastion, who seemed to be having a heated discussion. ¡°Mr.Kyrion is my teacher. We¡¯re going to the capital and he¡¯s going to teach me how to be a hero!¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s mine. He saved me, so I owe him my life. So I¡¯m going with him.¡± ¡°No me!¡± ¡°You both are coming with me and first chance I get I¡¯ll be dumping you on someone more responsible.¡± ¡°Master Kyrion? When did you get here.¡± Bastion said. ¡°You said when I woke up it would all be over. So why are they still dead?¡± The girl asked him with a blank expression. ¡°You¡¯re still alive, and I¡¯m sure they are happier for it. You have two options, stay here and be held back by the events that made you an orphan or follow me for a while and see where the winds take you. I¡¯m headed to the capital. There should be a daycare there or something.¡± ¡°A daycare?¡± Both kids said in unison. ¡°I need to dump you somewhere.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t keep up. I¡¯m too young to be held back by a pair of brats that won¡¯t work together.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°But you¡¯re like an old man!¡± The girl pointed at him with a gap tooth grin. ¡°Me old? I may be five or six years older than you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m eight.¡± The girl crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m only seven.¡± The odd-eyed kid looked at the girl with reverence in his eyes. ¡°I called it wrong. Guess I used to be a runt. Whats your name?¡± Kyrion recalled being shorter than his tagalongs before his magical growth spurt. ¡°Eden Miller.¡± The girl stated. ¡°Great. Eden, Bastion, your first task will be keeping up with me good luck.¡± Kyrion proceeded to walk at inhuman speeds on the road headed North. ¡°You aren¡¯t getting rid of me that easily. I¡¯ll follow you until the end of Imala!¡± Bastion started sprinting to keep up. ¡°Oi! That¡¯s too fast.¡± Complained Eden. ¡°You gotta keep up or I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± Kyrion kept his pace steady enough to stay in sight but far enough to be out of her reach. As though she was chasing a star. Bastion ran out of juice soon after and fell behind Eden. When night came, Kyion set up camp by summoning a house in the middle of nowhere. Runic plumbing, running water, and climate control. An item that could spoil someone not used to camping properly. Kyrion could sleep in the middle of a forest and wake up fine. Two small children were not used to this life not, so it was better to ease them in with indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and fresh running water. Of course, it was all for the kids. Kyrion was just being nice, he said as he got out of his bubble bath and dressed. A curious knock on the door jolted Kyrions attention, so he ensured he was dry and answered the door. Bastion collapsed when he ran out of juice. The road that appeared as Kyrion walked kept him from getting lost, but it was quite the distance he¡¯d run. Eden turned when she heard the sound of something hitting concrete. ¡°Are you ok?¡± She asked the boy. ¡°Yeah just go on without me.¡± Bastion said with the light fading from his eyes. ¡°I will not. We¡¯re in this together. No student gets left behind.¡± Eden helped the shorter boy to his feet, and the two stumbled down the road together. Arrived at a house in the middle of nowhere where the road seemed to stop. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°This. Is. The. End.¡± Eden was exhausted, hungry, and dirty. ¡°I see.¡± Bastion began to knock on the door. Kyrion opened the door with a towel around his neck, and his red hair appeared shinier than before. ¡°Eden Bastion, you look exhausted but I guess you managed to keep up with me for today. Need something to eat, or drink? Maybe some lemon water?¡± Kyrion opened the runic fridge and pulled out a pitcher of the stuff. ¡°What is this place?¡± The girl looked around in wonder. ¡°It¡¯s what a friend of mine called Cecil calls a modern home powered by mana. Since I provided the mana for most of these he let me get a version for free. Ah, you wouldn¡¯t be interested in joining his harem would you? You would probably get one of these for free if you did.¡± Kyrion had told the same thing to Ander and Brion, but they were turned down. So there were some standards that Kyrion had yet to understand. Ceres and Tiffany said that they wouldn¡¯t join out of pride. He did manage to convince Freya to join Cecil¡¯s little group. Quality of life runes were complicated but very nice to have. ¡°Uhhh. I don¡¯t want that life. I wanna follow you around, not some carpenter.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the ice cream machine he¡¯s been working on yet. It¡¯s called Schrodinger¡¯s Cream Machine. Sadly it only works fifty percent of the time.¡± ¡°We are here for you.¡± Eden stomped her foot down, and Bastion followed suit. ¡°Listen, Eden, Bastion. I am probably a bad influence on kids like you. So I want you to be trained by someone I can trust. I have some other options for potential teachers but I¡¯m not ready for a responsibility like that.¡± Kyrion said in a tone similar to that of a con artist who needs an absurd amount of gold to pay his sick mother¡¯s medical bill. ¡°I see. So you aren¡¯t even going to try. You¡¯re more spineless than you look.¡± Eden stated. ¡°You¡¯re up to something.¡± Bastion said with a scowl. Kyrion¡¯s facade cracked. ¡°Fine, if you want to follow me so much don¡¯t blame me for what happens. I can only do so much for you.¡± Kyrion aggressively poured two cups of lemon water and handed them to the confused kids. ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been tricked?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ Did you bring a change of clothes?¡± ¡°Uhhhh¡­¡± Eden¡¯s expression was blank. ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡± Bastion said proudly. ¡°Oh dear. I¡¯ll be back in an hour with your things. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge. You can also take a bath in the bathroom on the second floor.¡± Kyion left the house and sucked the thing into his domain. ¡°Jala, please keep an eye on the kids, and don¡¯t tell Issac.¡± Kyrion told his spirit. ¡°I can try, but¡­.¡± Jala replied. Kyrion was already sprinting towards the small town, a second road following him. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m supposed to get something out of this fridge.¡± Eden looked at the shiny rectangular box and opened it. A blast of cold air hit her, and she jumped back in fright. ¡°What is this thing?¡± ¡°Magic.¡± Bastion said while wiggling his fingers. ¡°I know its magic, why is everything cold?¡± ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go ask him how it all works.¡± Eden ran towards the door to follow after Kyrion and opened the door only to discover that the ground outside was gone. Instead, they were floating in an odd place with various items and knick-knacks moving about. There were quite a few homes inside this place. A floating head made of smoke with three eyes appeared in front of the girl, causing her to jump back in surprise. ¡°Do not leave this place, lest consequences follow.¡± The floating head whispered as the door closed itself and locked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The girl ran into the house, looked at the strange cold box, and walked back to it. Bastion was looking through the contraption. A large haunch of ham was on one shelf, along with a large block of cheese. There were other things as well. Plates of uneaten food were covered with lids. Bastion decided to try one of the prepared food plates since it was lighter than the haunch of meat in the fridge. ¡°Now, where are the utensils?¡± A drawer opened itself, and the boy looked inside. In his honest opinion, he found that the place was full of fancy dining utensils, many of which looked a bit funny. With a fork in hand, he left the fridge open for Eden, sat at a dining table, and consumed the cold food. Eden followed suit, grabbing a fork and preparing a meal before closing the fridge. The sound of water running could be heard. Eden took the first bath and found her way to a room. Her clothes were miraculously clean. Bastion followed suit. Although the boy¡¯s rags seemed to have been replaced by a new set of clothes. One of Kyiron¡¯s old sets of clothes that he¡¯d held onto but couldn¡¯t fit anymore. One could call him a hoarder. But in this situation, he was just well prepared. The two kids found themselves in Kyions large king-sized bed knocked out. ¡°Poor kids.¡± Jala said from outside a window. Kyrion had made it back to the village and made his way through the room he found the girl in earlier. Unfortunately, all the clothes in the room were immediately sucked into his space. Afterward, he checked their food stores and found them lacking in quality. Hopefully, they could find someone to take over this position. On his way through town, Kyrion noticed that someone had begun tailing him. It became more apparent the longer he walked down the trail he had built. Kyrion stomped his foot on the ground kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Kyrion was missing from his current location. Minutes later, a trio of wanderers arrived at the spot of the dust storm. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Said a tall and gaunt figure. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He shouldn¡¯t have lost us.¡± Said a much more muscular figure with a greatsword. ¡°If he reports us to the capital, they¡¯ll begin a witch hunt and snuff us out.¡± So said a hooded figure with staff much shorter than the rest. They were standing behind the two warriors. ¡°We must inform our leader of this. He should still be staying in the Leaking Lemur at the capital.¡± ¡°How long will he be at the Leaking Lemur again? If we get there and he¡¯s gone then what?¡± Said the staff wielder¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re right there. But he¡¯s our mole in the army. Captain Vendral, he won¡¯t be going anywhere for a long time.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± That¡¯s the captain that had been requisitioning gear from Cecil. Kyrion knew the man¡¯s face made sense. He¡¯d need to inform the tailors association. But first¡­ Kyrion coated his staff with mana and slammed it into the heads of the unsuspecting stalkers. They¡¯d have been brained on the spot if it had not been healing mana. This, however, left them unconscious. He then injected them with sedatives before sealing their cores. Finally, he tied them up and tossed them into his domain. That made four prisoners of war. ¡°Why can¡¯t a trip ever go as easy as it¡¯s written on paper.¡± Kyrion found a secluded section of the forest and summoned his house. He then set up a few defensive wards around the building before entering. ¡°Well, the place is still intact. That should be a good sign.¡± Kyrion tried to turn the doorknob, but it seemed to be locked. Kyion held his hand up to the door, and it unlocked itself. Trying again. Kyrion entered the house, locking the door behind himself. He then went to his room and noticed the kids were in his bed, with his stuffed teddy bear and nice alpaca fur blanket imported from the overseas nation of Alvaris. Pillows filled with swan feathers from Issac¡¯s various sheddings made some of the softest things in the world. ¡°Maybe I should have told them where their rooms would be.¡± Kyrion looked into the other room, which was mostly barren aside from a twin-sized bed with no blankets. ¡°This is just great¡± Kyrion pulled out his third favorite blanket and emergency pillow and got onto the small mattress. His body curled into a ball as he squeezed himself into the bed. Book Two: Chapter 17 Arival at Norn The following day Kyrion prepared a hot breakfast for the kids, who seemed surprised by the portions the older boy had prepared. They were even more astonished by the amount he could consume by himself. The two kids wondered if this person was a giant pretending to be human. ¡°So. Do we have to walk more today?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°Yes. Cardio is one thing you¡¯ll need if you want to become a spirit master¡± Kyrion set one of his weights on the table. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Eden asked skeptically. ¡°A training tool. A type of weight actually.¡± ¡°You run around with weights on your body?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m pretty strong physically. It¡¯s one of my foundations since I¡¯m mostly a healer.¡± So Kyrion put the weight back on. The kids were not surprised by that statement. ¡°Why does a healer need to know how to fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m someone with a lot of mana. I didn¡¯t know how to use it and when I was still learning I felt like I was the weakest person in my first group. I thought I was holding them back. Then my training began and my teacher knew exactly what kind of talents I had and helped me discover just how powerful I could be. During the past five years the main lesson he taught me was mimicry. If you can do the same thing in different way¡¯s people will find it hard to figure out how you do it. Misdirection is a tool for survival.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Eden said blankly. ¡°Me either.¡± ¡°Have either of you been awakened yet?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Awakened?¡± Bastion asked. Eden just shook her head. ¡°Well then. Looks like I¡¯ll need to ask for a favor or two.¡± Kyrion left the house with his students and then absorbed the building. The three of them watched as Kyrion led them towards the Capital. The road was built as they went along. The closer he got to their destination, the more caravans they noticed along the way. It was mid-morning when he arrived at the gates. It was time for his second breakfast, so his face looked slightly sour. ¡°P-purpose for entry.¡± A nervous guard asked Kyrion. ¡°Business with the school.¡± Kyrion picked up both of his wannabe students and showed them off. ¡°And you are?¡± Kyrion eyed the man with an irritated expression one would have after escorting two small kids who seemed to have endless complaints about heat and tired legs. Although to be fair, they hiked a good thirty miles with supplemental healing whenever they complained too much. ¡°It¡¯s the red bear!¡± Said another guard. The guards retreated through the gates running for their lives. ¡°Does that mean I can go in?¡± Kyrion asked, his tone a little shaken. ¡°The red bear?¡± Bastion looked at Kyrion closely. ¡°I mean he¡¯s big and has red hair. He could be anyone though.¡± ¡°I am no red bear.¡± ¡°Well then. Asela sure has an interesting taste in academies. With guards that flee like that this place has to be totally safe.¡± Kyrion walked through the gate, his appearance drawing the gazes of many onlookers. Quite a few seemed to be intimidated for some odd reason. ¡°Bunch a cowards I say.¡± Kyrion led the way forward. Eden looked at the bounty board and then at Kyrion. ¡°Well his name isn¡¯t Alexander and he doesn¡¯t have a scar like that. The eyepatch is a match though.¡± ¡°Come on, we gotta go.¡± Bastion took Eden¡¯s hand and tried to lead her to their master, who seemed to wander off without them. It was then Kyrion caught on to the whiff of sweet rolls and followed it to a bakery. The divine smell caught his attention. Kyrion opened the door and dipped into the bakery, being careful not to rip the door from its hinges. He¡¯d gotten control, but accidents still happened from time to time. Upon entering the bakery, Kyrion found that the owner was trembling for some reason. Kyrion went shopping around for confections to pull out his bread basket before he noticed something in a basket in front of her chest. ¡°Excuse me? But how much are those?¡± Kyrion pointed at the basket of steaming donuts clutched to the women¡¯s chest. ¡°These are not for sale!¡± The woman prepared to grab a dough roller. ¡°Hadn¡¯t had a good donut in years. Well then I¡¯m ready to check out.¡± Two kids entered the shop and ran towards Kyrion. ¡°Oh.¡± The women looked down at the glazed pastries. Her demeanor shifted in an instant as she went into sales mode. ¡°The donuts are nine copper apiece.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like two dozen. Visiting family, I¡¯d like to bring a gift. These two would also enjoy the treat, I bet.¡± Kyrion took out ten gold knowing full well how much he was overpaying and didn¡¯t really care. ¡°Good sir this is too much.¡± ¡°Consider it a tip for dealing with someone as scary as me.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t that scary. It¡¯s the height and eyepatch. A lot of us have families that remember when The Red Bear was a pirate.¡± ¡°I am not the red bear. Do me a favor and let the neighbors know.¡± Kyrion left the baking with the baked deliciousness in his space. It was then he caught onto the scent of tasty sausages. ¡°Mmmm.¡± Kyrion followed his nose. ¡°Uh Kyrion. Don¡¯t you have something you need to do first?¡± Eden asked. ¡°I¡¯m stocking up on food. That¡¯s pretty important.¡± Kyrion continued his shopping. After his shopping, Kyrion took the kids to a restaurant for a light lunch. After some more time wandering around, Kyrion eventually made it to the outskirts of the Norn Military Academy, later than intended. He may have gotten carried away. The money he brought along almost emptied. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at a gate where an older man with white hair tiredly looked at him. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°I have business with the headmaster. A message from Drisil academy. I¡¯m also here to check up on my sister Asela. These two are my guests.¡± Kyrion told the man. ¡°You know one of the flame princesses by name?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°I just said I¡¯m here to see my sister. Why wouldn¡¯t I know her...¡± ¡°Proof of status.¡± The white-haired gatekeeper asked. Kyrion pulled out a green badge that he obtained after reaching the practitioner. It resembled a tree with many branches and leaves spreading outwards and up. ¡°Oh, high ranked aren¡¯t you. Do you know what this means?¡± The gatekeeper asked. ¡°I¡¯m probably here to cause trouble. Which means that I¡¯ve been set up one way or another. I bet I¡¯ll be monitored by people I can¡¯t sense the second I step onto campus.¡± Kyrion put the badge away with a bored expression. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± The gatekeeper asked as they raised a left hand. ¡°A hunch.¡± Kyrion put his left hand over his eye patch. A small boy with chestnut hair came to greet him. Small by Kyrion¡¯s standards, they were of similar ages. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re as big as the prince of metal.¡± ¡°That has to be Noah.¡± ¡°Wow. You must be well connected to know him.¡± ¡°Something like that. What¡¯s your name by the way.¡± ¡°Jesse Olair. Well Jesse, if you work hard like them maybe you¡¯ll become just as popular. The Jessintor has a nice ring to it.¡± Kyrion said cheerily. ¡°Yeah good luck Jesse.¡± Bastion eyed the slightly older kid with reverence. ¡°The sarcasm is strong in you isn¡¯t it.¡± Jesse squinted. ¡°I was being honest. But it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to listen to me.¡± Finally, Kyrion arrived at a set of double doors. Two stone dog statues stood guard on each end of the door. ¡°Just go on in. You are expected.¡± Kyrion opened the doors and entered his entourage behind him. A young blond man in military regalia was standing behind a desk, his arms held behind his back. He had a noble appearance and grace to himself, showing that he was of a high station. ¡°Welcome, Young Kyrion Mosely, I can see that you¡¯ve taken after your master. Though I was told that you¡¯d be arriving alone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to train out bad habits in others when you don¡¯t lead by example. Things happened and I¡¯ll need to talk to you about them privately.¡± ¡°Fair enough, you¡¯re here. Please take a seat. Would you like a drink?¡± Kyrion took a seat. ¡°No thank you. I shouldn¡¯t be here long.¡± Kyrion procured the letter and handed it to the headmaster. Eden pulled on Kyrion¡¯s pant leg. ¡°I want a drink, teacher.¡± The headmaster took the letter and broke its seal before eyeing Kyrion. ¡°You didn¡¯t peek did you?¡± ¡°No, of course not.¡± Kyrion looked down at Eden and sighed. ¡°If it¡¯s a non-alcoholic mind, if my companions get something to drink?¡± ¡°I believe you.¡± The headmaster of Norn said with a tone that said the opposite. He then read the letter and knew that Kyrion was telling the truth. The door behind the boy locked, and runework coated the room. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion asked.¡± ¡°Some anti-scrying procedures.¡± ¡°I see. May I ask why?¡± ¡°Kyrion. Youv¡¯e been volunteered to participate in an expedition match between Norn and Drisil.¡± ¡°Ugg. Why me?¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°To stir up the ant hill. Apparently a majority of our star team know you and think of you as a friend. The continent-wide tournament is coming up and they want us prepared.¡± ¡°Bull.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what is said on the letter. It also said to make the fight two on one.¡± The note was passed to Kyrion. Kyrion read the note and then unconsciously crumpled the ends. ¡°So, if I don¡¯t swear to do my best I¡¯m to be expelled immediately?¡± ¡°Yup. It¡¯s a strange thing to make a star pupil do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been sandbagging in my efforts to gain rank at my school.¡± ¡°So they want you to lose and learn some humility?¡± ¡°Possibly, but I doubt it. Gamodren probably wants me to show off. The war is getting worse and they want you to know that Drisil is more than ready.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t out of character for him. Any suggestions.¡± ¡°Send your strongest and I really hope I lose. So long as it isn¡¯t Asela.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in the top five, but not the most durable combatant. Noah, and Isaiah then. Given your build and apparent fighting style they should give you a run for your money.¡± ¡°Great. Do I have to fight right now? Or can I meet up with my friends and catch up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to get the fight over with. You can relax tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not have people scared of me.¡± Kyrion looked away from the headmaster. ¡°Kid you may be big but you¡¯re only a practitioner of at the first threshold. It isn¡¯t going to be one sided with you on the offensive. You¡¯ll be outnumbered and outranked. You¡¯re at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°Boy do I hope you¡¯re right. I swear not to lose without doing my best in the upcoming battle between Isaiah, Noah, and I.¡± A chain of mana wrapped around his heart. ¡°Doesn¡¯t get better. I¡¯ll tell you that now.¡± The runes faded, and the door was unlocked. ¡°Good. Now for my other business. I have discovered agents of the Beast Blood empire here in multiple areas. They are running a slavery ring in your country as well. From what I¡¯ve been told, there is a traitor high up there. Possibly multiple. Kyrion pulled out his map and pointed to the location where the cave was discovered. ¡°Whats there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet that this is an area where they hide slaves. One of the monsters I slew claimed to be a member of that empire. It hijacked the body of a bear I had to hunt down.¡± ¡°I see. You aren¡¯t lying are you?¡± ¡°Teacher would never lie about that! He saved me from those slavers that worked with the empire. They had us working in a mine! So many of my people died there, had he not been there I¡¯d be working there right now.¡± Bastion put his foot down. ¡°I see. Then the refugees were telling the truth. Captain¡­¡± ¡°Stop. If the name you say is Vendral then we have a problem.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s one of the people my sources said were dirty.¡± ¡°He¡¯s taking them out of the city tonight.¡± ¡°Listen, you need to stop them ASAP. He¡¯s also been procuring a ton of powerful weapons from a friend of mine. If the refugees survive chances are that they¡¯ll either be killed or taken back to the mine.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes bored holes into the headmaster. ¡°You have an hour to talk with Noah before your fight begins. Things need to go as scheduled. He will be dealt with, though do you have any proof?¡± An unconscious body appeared on the table. ¡°This is one of them. Still alive and you could probably interrogate them. I have more but if he ends up dead in your care before he can be questioned.¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯re holding onto your witnesses. When will it awaken?¡± ¡°In four hours. Where should I take the kids?¡± ¡°Let them follow. Chances are they¡¯ll be in danger as well.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kyrion opened the door and came face to face with someone his height. It was pretty disconcerting. ¡°Hello? I was told to meet with the headmast¡­ That hair¡­¡± The tall boy seemed to have a wider frame and, all in all, more muscular mass. ¡°Noah! You got big. I really thought I¡¯d passed you.¡± Kyrion looked at his tall, muscular brute of a friend. ¡°Kyrion? What are you doing here?¡± Noah was aghast. ¡°Apparently fighting you and Isaiah. Also I got two kids now.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Oh? Headmaster, did you need anything? Wait, kids? How!¡± Noah asked from the outside. ¡°Just head to the arena, you have an hour. Walk and talk.¡± The headmaster replied. The two boys caught up on life and training. As it turned out, Noah¡¯s drive to grow stronger was infectious and led to his status as his team¡¯s leader and the top student in his class regarding martial ability. Kyrion told the story of how he found two kids on his doorstep the night before when a stork dropped them off. The kids explained the truth, which seemed much darker than the stork story Kyrion came up with. ¡°You¡¯ve been through alot. But I need you not to hold back. For your own safety, because I can¡¯t hold back. My mana pool and control have grown exponentially. Had that been all then I wouldn¡¯t be worried. I just don¡¯t want you scared of what I show you, so this is my warning.¡± Kyrion said grimly. ¡°You¡¯re a healer Kyrion. How scary can you get, sure you were strong, but¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a hero! Not a healer.¡± Bastion interjected. Noah looked at the odd-eyed boy who interrupted and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t like using my powers offensively but I do know how to kick up a storm if I need to. This fight won¡¯t be fair in the least and you¡¯ll understand soon enough. Go all out from the get go or you won¡¯t have a chance to win.¡± Kyrion warned his friend. ¡°Eden, Bastion.¡± Kyrion called his two students and bent down to be at their height. ¡°Yes?¡± Eden watched as Kyrion planted something on the inside of their shirts. In a moment, a small black bud bloomed into a tiny blue flower that she had never seen before. ¡°Now then if anything happens speak up and I¡¯ll come running.¡± Kyrion reassured the two kids. Kyrion split off from his friend and entered the colosseum. The kids were taken to a private room where guests were supposed to watch the fight from above. Changing out of his traveling robes which fell to the ground with a loud thud. He then carefully removed his weights, placing them into a hidden space. Kyrion changed into some light fighting clothes capable of him moving freely. Kyrion¡¯s muscle tone was more athletic than bulky. With minimal extra mass, he looked a bit lanky for his height. However, his monstrous strength was hidden with efficiency. Issac¡¯s influence on his body made him well balanced. Tying up his hair into a ponytail, Kyrion then cut it with a knife making it shorter and more manageable in a fight. His hair grew too quickly to care much about maintenance when he had to give it his all. His eyepatch was tied loosely so he could remove it if needed. Dropping his metal staff into his space because he needed to be measured and not overly destructive. Book Two: Chapter 18 Asela progress report Asela was combing her hair when she heard her cou¡­brother had arrived in the capital. Her followers are already on the lookout. Her twelfth birthday had come and gone, and all and all, she¡¯d maybe only grown a few inches. Standing a solid four-foot-four, her height was a bit of a sore spot. She adjusted her blue uniform and put on her shoes. She was now ready to meet with her brother. Chester, her number one self-proclaimed servant, was waiting at her door with a glass of orange juice. Chester was a good egg. He studied under Charles with the full intent of becoming her butler. Chester was kind of weird, but he was competent. He even managed to make the team. As their final string, of course, but that in and of itself was an accomplishment. Defending his spot on the pile as their weakest member was hard work. ¡°Milady, I heard that your brother had begun to frequent various food stalls. Should we meet him?¡± ¡°That fool went and got distracted! I was going to warn him, but it seems he¡¯s too late.¡± A few candles in her room and hallway were suddenly lit and then snuffed in and second. ¡°I take it that¡¯s a no.¡± Chester said stoically. ¡°Darn right. That boy can go eat all he wants. Let¡¯s go find Nicole.¡± ¡°Miss Nicole is in her lab practicing alchemy. She¡¯s been down there for a week now. Something about baking an experimental love potion for a friend. She did not say which friend. Would that happen to be you, milady?¡± Chester said as he led the way to the lab building. ¡°She¡¯s hopeless. It¡¯d be bad for team coeasion if I left her down there when he¡¯s here. But whatever she¡¯s concocted is going to be dangerous, and no, pretty sure she¡¯ll say it was Wrua or Kiara who commissioned it. If you do ask.¡± ¡°But Wura¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apply logic to that you¡¯ll lose brain cells and I need you with all of them. Your our strategist afterall.¡± ¡°Milady said she needs me.¡± Chester swooned without his blank expression changing whatsoever. ¡°Oi! None of that.¡± Asela lightly hit him on the back. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be more professional. And we¡¯ve arrived.¡± Chester opened the door for Asela. The smell of chemicals and sweat perforated throughout the room. A girl with disheveled white hair was standing over a large cauldron with a giant spoon, laughing maniacally. ¡°Nicole! Kyrion¡¯s here. Time to get out of your creepy laboratory! Before he gets bored and decides to leave.¡± ¡°He¡¯s here? He¡¯s early.¡± Nicole stopped stirring and looked up in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve been down here for a week. Smells like a skunk died in here.¡± Asela backed out of the room and got a reasonable distance away. ¡°What now Milady?¡± Chester asked, the door still in his hand ¡°Close the door. We need to find Kiara and Wura now. Nico¡¯s been informed if she misses him oh well.¡± Asela shrugged. Kiara was talking to Noah about nothing when Asela arrived. Sadly she was beaten to the punch by a chestnut-haired boy. ¡°N-noah the headmaster has requested your presence immediately.¡± ¡°Oh Ok. Kiara, see you when I get back.¡± Noah seemed chipper. ¡°What was that about?¡± Asela asked. ¡°An outing in the city later.¡± Kiara answered. ¡°Another date? He¡¯s going to get complacent if you keep this up.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s great. Who does he have to contend with?¡± Kiara stated. ¡°Well Kyrion just arrived in the city.¡± ¡°Great. Just great. My time in peace has just ended I know it.¡± Kiara seemed to deflate ¡°Rude.¡± ¡°Where Kyrion goes things seem to happen. I bet Noah¡¯s going to go back to nonstop training after today.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kiara looked at Chester, who was standing next to a rumor mill. ¡°It¡¯s a fact of the world. There are three certainties I have observed in my lifetime. Death, paperwork, and Kyrion stirring up trouble one way or another.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Um Asela? It seems your brother will be fighting two of our teammates in the colosseum shortly. He also has two kids with him.¡± Chester walked over and told the two. ¡°You may be right about that. He did say his teacher wanted him to deliver something while he was out.¡± Asela sighed as the last bit started to hit her. ¡°Why does he have two kids with him?¡± Asela added. ¡°Told you so. Let¡¯s find Wura and Isaiah.¡± Kiara shook her head. ¡°Just Wura, the two chosen were Isaiah and Noah.¡± Chester explained. ¡°Our heavy hitters. One and two against my brother. Oh how wrong is this going to go. Where¡¯s Charles?¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here young Asela.¡± Charles said from right behind them. ¡°How!¡± Asela yelped in surprise. ¡°Ask your brother, he figured it out on his own.¡± Charles replied. ¡°That¡¯s an assination technique and you know it.¡± Kiara squinted. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is, now let¡¯s go, the show is just about to begin.¡± Charles clapped his hands. ¡°Wura first.¡± ¡°She¡¯s already there.¡± Charles led the trio to the colosseum, where they met a surprised Wura. ¡°Uh. Kyrion¡¯s here.¡± ¡°We know. Fighting our captain and co captain.¡± ¡°Both at once?¡± Wura asked. ¡°Yup. If it isn¡¯t quick I suspect it¡¯s going to be interesting.¡± Charles said with wisdom befitting his age. ¡°I see. Great. Nicole just grabbed some seats. Apparently the stores are running low on food today so no snacks and a show today.¡± Wura said while squinting her eyes. ¡°Yeah, it was probably that glutton again.¡± Asela followed Wura to their box seating. None of the loud cheering or tall neighbors blocked sight. After ascending the stairs, they arrived in their particular viewing room. Nicole had cleaned up quickly. Her white hair was in a braided ponytail with flowers braided in. Her brown eyes looked through a pair of fancy glasses with silver trim. A white dress covered her form, as a smell that reminded Asela of fresh roses emanated from Nicole¡¯s form. ¡°Really?¡± Asela took her time blinking and then looked at Chester. ¡°Deploy sentinels.¡± Chester opened his jacket, and various wooden birds flew from inside before they floated out the window and began to circle the arena. Multiple screens made from mana appeared, showing various angles of the stadium. ¡°Nice forethought.¡± Asela complimented. ¡°Watch carefully there is a lot you can learn from this fight if it goes as I expect.¡± Charles looked at an adjacent box with a smirk.
Bastion and Eden entered a door held open for them where quite a few adults and odd people were seated. In moments they had become the center of attention as uninvited guests. ¡°What are brats doing here?¡± So asked a figure coated in golden armor, their face entirely hidden by a helmet. ¡°Now now, you were a brat like them not so long ago, be courteous.¡± Said a man in black sunglasses. ¡°Who are they?¡± So asked a girl in silver armor. Her short purple hair drew the odd-eyed boy¡¯s attention. ¡°Kyrion picked them up on his way here. Apparently they¡¯re both orphans.¡± ¡°Two orphans¡­ Does that make three now? Or does the Silver Knight not count as an orphan.¡± Said a red-haired woman with tired eyes and a weary expression. A young girl with raven black hair sat next to her. Curiosity in her face.¡± ¡°Three. I don¡¯t know what to say about that track record.¡± ¡°He¡¯s almost as bad as my father. Why are you two following Kyrion.¡± The red-haired woman asked the kids with a smile. ¡°My parents were turned into monsters by a leech thing. Mr.Kyrion saved me.¡± Eden said, trying to keep tears from coming. ¡°Parents were killed during an assault on Lodrim. I was enslaved after that fight. He came across us during a transport when we were going back to the camps when a troll stopped us.¡± Bastion said with a hopeful expression that made him look crazy due to the mismatched eyes. ¡°I see.¡± The woman sighed and shook her head. The black-haired girl hopped out of her seat and pulled a squirrel out of her pocket. The creature observed the two kids with a blank expression. ¡°Why do you have a squirrel in your pocket?¡± Eden asked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have a squirrel in my pocket?¡± The girl said with a lost expression. ¡°Because¡­¡± Eden did not know how to answer that. A line of drool leaked out of the silver knight¡¯s mouth, and the squirrel went right back into the pocket. The girl looked at the silver knight. ¡°You can¡¯t eat Snickers!¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry, I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡± The words were nice, but the girl still looked hungrily in the creature¡¯s direction. ¡°So how strong are the people Mr. Kyrion¡¯s fighting?¡± Bastion asked the headmaster. ¡°The strongest in our current batch of students. Most of us graduate at eighteen and then take on positions in the military based on their rank here and various recommendations. ¡°Can they beat a troll alone?¡± ¡°They can quite easily.¡± A lot of firepower in this batch. ¡°Wow. Kyrion needed help for the troll he beat. Had a deer person with a bow assisting.¡± ¡°How does one beat a troll without a fire affinity¡­.¡± The gold knight asked no one. ¡°The help was a fire arrow. He made it swallow a pepper first.¡± ¡°Ah. Brutal.¡± The red-haired woman stated. ¡°What did he do?¡± Eden asked. ¡°Probably used a plant to amplify effects. Plants aren¡¯t my specialty but something like that is commonplace. Using items with trace elements of an affinity to supplement what you don¡¯t have. If he¡¯s doing things like that already then we won¡¯t see much of what he can do in the upcoming battle.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± The sunglasses-wearing man asked with a smirk. ¡°Caeden, your son has taught Kyrion how to fight smart. You know how much of a troublemaker Gamodren is. If his disciple is being forced to fight a fight he doesn¡¯t want to then he¡¯s going to mess with the audience he suspects is watching.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± The headmaster of Norn asked. ¡°My son has always been free-spirited. He doesn¡¯t like doing anything he has to and will actively find a way to do the bare minimum when forced to do something he doesn¡¯t care about.¡± The red-haired woman¡¯s right eye seemed to twitch. ¡°That explains his grades¡­ Only thing he excelled in was anatomy and other healing related classes. Which should be hard, yet everything else he barely manages to pass. Which made sense given that he skips his classes on a regular basis.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he been expelled?¡± The gold armored figure asked. ¡°Let me reiterate. He¡¯s never failed a class despite taking test on subjects he wasn¡¯t in class to show up for. He has a method for obtaining knowledge that he missed and is clearly capable despite his attempts to fall back. If he doesn¡¯t do his best in this fight he¡¯ll face the pain of breaking an oath.¡± Caeden said bluntly. ¡°He did say tell Noah that if he didn¡¯t go all out at the beginning then he¡¯d lose.¡± ¡°He pulled one over on me. He said he wouldn¡¯t lose before going all out.¡± The headmaster of Norn steepled his fingers. ¡°So if Noah survives the beginning Kyrion will be all tapped out and run out of mana.¡± The gold figure stated. Ceres, the headmasters, the black-haired girl, and the red-haired women looked at the gold figure with a sense of pity. ¡°Noah defends while Isaiah attacks with powerful spells. The two work well together, so long as Isaiah is in the fight Noah won¡¯t have to worry about going offensive. My students won¡¯t lose to a slacker like that so easily.¡± The headmaster linked unsure but stated it plainly. ¡°He¡¯s up to something.¡± The red-haired woman looked around the area before taking her seat. Eden looked at the woman curiously. ¡°Wait, Kyrion is your son!?¡± The room went silent as Ceres realized what was stated and looked at the red-haired woman. Caeden shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s a sharp one.¡± Kyrion removed his hand from his ear and laughed to himself. So the mother is watching along with the headmaster and Illanda. If Ceres is there, then it¡¯s likely that Gamodren and Tiffany are in another room, if not in the stands. They didn¡¯t talk about dad, so chances are he isn¡¯t here. Kyrion knew planting those flowers on his students would come in handy. The best part of the only person who¡¯d know to remove them was Gamodren, who wouldn¡¯t tip his hand by doing so. ¡°So I¡¯ll need to do my best to put on a show.¡± A glint appeared in an eye hidden behind an eyepatch. Book Two: Chapter 19 Two Princes encounter Trouble Kyrion entered the arena with a bored look on his face. In his hands was a bread roll that he was snacking on before the fight started. Noah entered the arena in a complete set of heavy armor that covered him from head to toe. In his right hand was a large greataxe holding a chain on its pommel for retrieval. In his left hand was a large tower shield. Next to Noah was a purple-haired boy who also wore a bored expression. His hands were covered with various rings, and an oaken staff was held tightly in his hands. He was in battle robes. That boy was Isaiah, their prince of destruction. A man in a red and white striped shirt stood on a pedestal outside the barrier. His voice boomed throughout the stadium. ¡°Today, we have a special expedition match between the Dirsil academies Crimson Berserker and our very own Prince of Metal and Prince of Destruction! Last team standing wins! The death ward is on, but damage taken to the body will stick until properly healed. Ready?¡± Kyrion loosened one of his sandals before taking a deep breath. ¡°Fight!¡± Kyrion kicked his sandal forward directly towards Isaiah¡¯s head. The shoe cut wind and left a sound behind as it flew. Noah intercepted the shoe with his shield. The shoe embedded itself in the defensive tool. Much to the surprise of everyone watching, along with the two who survived the attack. ¡°That could have eliminated me outright. Nice block.¡± Isaiah was surprised. He then decided to stay behind Noah for a moment. Kyrion stomped his barefoot down onto the arena surface. ¡°Transmute sand.¡± Kyrion commanded, and it was. The solid arena surface began to shift into sand slowly but exponentially. Within moments the surface was uneven and unsuitable for Noah¡¯s armored legs. Kyrion removed his second sandal and tossed it into the sand. He then began to summon a ball of water in his left hand. Isaiah pointed his staff at Kyrion and released a few fire bolts. Kyrion threw the ball of water up and opened his mouth. A blast of wind stuffed out the weak flames. Noah created a dome of molten metal around Isaiah with a targeting hole for his spells. The dome rapidly cooled into a solid barricade. Kyrion shifted his bare foot in the sand, drawing a circle. Spears of ice came from the barricade, flying past Noah and towards the red-haired boy. Kyrion held out his hand and concentrated, slowing the spears of ice and melting them simultaneously. ¡°Ice and Fire¡­ But it¡¯s weak...What are you¡­.¡± Kyrion mumbled to himself as Noah began to charge forward with his shield. ¡°Rain!¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers, and the ball of water floating above them rapidly expanded before popping. Showering in the sandy field with rain. Noah was forced to slow his pace even further. ¡°Light come forth, and bring ruin to my enemy. Holy Bolt!¡± Isaiah said. A bolt of lightning passed by Kyrion¡¯s head. An inch short by either dumb luck or skill. ¡°That was pretty close. Much stronger than¡­.¡± Kyrion rolled to the side as the lightning returned the way it came, returning to Isaiah. ¡°Transmute water to blood.¡± Kyrion drew a second circle on the ground. The rain above turned crimson. The water was becoming a bit thicker and smelled of iron. Noah¡¯s armor began to show signs of rusting. ¡°What in the abyss..¡± Noah closed his eyes to keep the blood from getting in them. Kyrion took his time removing his eyepatch. He then revealed that both of his eyes were closed. This was a ploy as he opened his senses to the mana around him. ¡°Fire whirl around my foes and engulf them in your everburning flames. Conflagration!¡± A pillar of flame erupted where Kyrion was standing. Unluckily for Isaiah, Kyrion flipped out of the area of effect. The broad side of an ax nearly hit Kyrion¡¯s side, the boy barely avoiding the attack. Kyrion poked Noah in the side, knocking him off balance. Noah fell to a knee and seemed to have trouble getting to his feet. A wall of red sand rose from the arena ground to protect Kyrion against a spiraling purple blast. ¡°So close, too bad. You just wasted your one chance of winning this fight. I told you to go all out, didn¡¯t I?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes were still closed, but he was coated in so much red that it was hard to tell. ¡°I¡¯m trying to win. It¡¯s clear you¡¯re holding back as well.¡± Noah said, his helmed head dipped down. ¡°Oh? Well then. Guess it¡¯s time l get to act more overt. Please don¡¯t hate me for this.¡± Kyrion charged toward Noah with a ball of wind mana in his left hand and a ball of red water mana in his right. Noah held up his shield, preparing to bash and break Kyrion¡¯s stride. Kyrion stopped suddenly and feinted to the left. Noah swiped his shield towards Kyrion only to catch onto nothing. ¡°Bloody rose!¡± Kyrion said from directly under Noah in a crouched position. Kyrion raised his left hand with an open palm pushing Noah ten feet into the air and covering him in a prison of red water. Kyrion then shot his right hand coated in wind mana to help with his freezing process. Roots of ice came down and embedded themselves in the ground holding up the red rose made of ice. Noah was suspended in a frozen construct in the air and blood like water. He immediately started attacking his barrier. ¡°Tri cast! Fire gather and grow into a giant flame. Grant my magic the radiance of the divine. Lightning comes down and invokes judgment of my enemy! Divine Judgment!¡± Isaiah rattled off at high speed as mana gathered around his staff. Kyrion¡¯s back was to Isaiah, who had just cast one of their strongest spells. He shouldn¡¯t be able to dodge a strike like that. A swirling pillar of fire, lightning and radiant energy erupted on Kyrion¡¯s location, blinding the audience.
The light cleared, and a burnt pile of charcoal was all that remained. A layer of glass stood where Kyrion had once been. Not even bones remained. The smell of burning copper wafted through the arena, followed by roasted pork. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m going to roast Isaiah when he gets back.¡± Nicole¡¯s right eye twitched as a black knife suddenly appeared in her right hand. ¡°The arena wards should have kicked in.¡± Chester gripped his chin. His eyes betrayed his stoic voice. ¡°Huh. My pupil sure did inherit my flair for the dramatic.¡± Gamodren said from one of the seats. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s a page from your book. Is this fight over?¡± So asked a young woman with long brown hair and a saber at her side. ¡°I doubt it. That Noah hasn¡¯t transformed yet, though he really should do it now. Do you know what they did wrong?¡± ¡°They created a dome with no normal way in or out, one that obscures sight from above. They also took him too lightly.¡± Five heads turned towards the two new residents in their room. ¡°When did you get here?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Charles?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°They were here the whole time. It¡¯s just those two. The rest of their group are with the headmaster.¡± Charles answered, bored. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Asela was scowling, and the room was starting to heat up. ¡°Ah right. This is technically his progression trial. Since he doesn¡¯t fight in ranked matches. Had to trick him into showing his prowess to the higher up¡¯s. They were worried he was using up resources without learning a thing.¡± Gamodren took a hit from his pipe and let out a puff of smoke resembling Kyrion¡¯s face.
¡°They killed him!¡± Bastion¡¯s face was against the widow as he watched the fight. Both headmasters seemed to close their eyes for a moment, and when they opened them, they looked at each other. Caeden had a grin that seemed to surprise everyone else in the room. ¡°That cheeky brat has been spying on us. Kids mind coming here for a moment?¡± Caeden asked. ¡°Me and my big mouth.¡± The headmaster for Norn looked dejected. Bastion wasn¡¯t moving from the spot as his face was glued to the window. Eden wasn¡¯t near the window and decided to get up since nothing was happening. The headmasters removed the flowers from their persons and destroyed them instantly. When the flowers were destroyed, Isaiah appeared outside of the arena unconscious. Much to the confusion of the people watching. ¡°He¡¯s taken after you son.¡± Cordelia smirked ¡°You mean he¡¯s taken after you. He was like this before my son got involved.¡± ¡°And your son nurtured those aspects pretty well. I¡¯d be proud If I didn¡¯t know he¡¯d use the information he¡¯s gathered to flee from me.¡± Cordelia shook her head. ¡°And if he does?¡± ¡°Let him. He¡¯s a little stubborn in his own way. If I give chase he¡¯s in trouble. If I don¡¯t he¡¯ll probably come back.¡± ¡°Ah so the harder someone tries to approach him the more uneasy he feels. Sounds like an awkward teenager.¡± ¡°Oh right he¡¯s that age now.¡± Cordelia scratched her chin. Kyrion was currently underground. If only he didn¡¯t have to go all out. He could have used that attack as an excuse to lose. A shame that was two hundred pounds of boar flesh wasted for a distraction. Traveling through the sand was much easier than moving through solid stone, and when people are distracted, it¡¯s much easier to disappear. Kyrion didn¡¯t want to do it this way, but he agreed to give it his all. Standing there and getting hit was against the boy¡¯s oath. That, however, didn¡¯t mean he needed to let them see what he was doing. Isaiah was standing dumbstruck, looking at his work. The wards didn¡¯t kick in. The wards always kick in when he uses a spell like that. It was his strongest level of spells. His fight ender, Kyrion, shouldn¡¯t be right there in the blast radius. ¡°That smell, I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± Isaiah went to a corner of the shed leading his back wide open. ¡°So you don¡¯t like the smell of roasted pork? I get it. It¡¯s not for everyone. You also burnt it quite a bit.¡± Kyrion said from right next to the purple-haired boy. ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°Bang.¡± Kyrion flicked his finger on Isaiah¡¯s temple. A jolt of mana passed through his finger and slammed into the target, instantly sending him out of the arena. Noah was shocked. His friend just got roasted by a potent attack. But mere moments later, Isaiah appeared outside the stadium unconscious. ¡°Wait. You conniving trickster! Come out and fight!¡± Noah yelled through his ice prison that had taken a severe beating. Still, it wasn¡¯t broken completely. Noah decided to superheat his armor, causing the temperature to rise rapidly, melting the ice encasing him at the expense of damaging the runes he had placed on the armor. Eventually, it was big enough for him to escape. Kyrion went to the metal barricade and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s hard fighting you while your ally is throwing magic like that at me. Why didn¡¯t you break out sooner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m big, area magic tends to hit me when I¡¯m near an opponent so I let that run its course as per usual. I¡¯ll also need to craft a new suit of armor after this.¡± The ice prison now had enough room for Noah to leap out of. So he did, landing with a loud thud. ¡°Yeah had we been engaged I guess you would have been hit. You could have used that to eliminate me by holding me in place¡± Kyrion drew a circle in the red sand. ¡°Guess I need to go all offensive now.¡± Noah gripped his ax with two hands and ran towards his friend. ¡°Combine blood and sand into iron.¡± The red sand soon became a light gray as an odd mix of metals shifted seemingly uncontrollably. ¡°Iron? That¡¯s no Iron. Iron doesn¡¯t float like that,¡± Noah stated. ¡°For a blacksmith you sure don¡¯t seem to know much about magnets.¡± Kyrion taunted. ¡°What?¡± Noah growled. ¡°I told you to go all out from the beginning. Your window for victory has been lost.¡± Kyrion kicked up a wave of the iron sand and sent it at Noah. Noah couldn¡¯t dodge, so he took the blow with his shield. And then watched as the shield floated off in the other direction floating in the air. ¡°Oww. Something stung my hand.¡± ¡°Theory proven. Cecil was right.¡± Kyrion nodded as he watched the shield gather electricity and then shrink in size until nothing but a small and dense metal sphere.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Long story short science. Fields of magnets or something.¡± ¡°That.. Why does my head hurt?¡± ¡°Science does that. You should probably surender.¡± Kyrion subtly drew a symbol in the iron sand and sighed. ¡°I thought you were going all out?¡± ¡°Oh I am, but if I beat you when you¡¯re holding back I can hardly call it a win. The fights over you just don¡¯t know it yet.¡± Kyrion yawned. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Noah ran towards his opponent. Kyrion sighed. ¡°So you¡¯re still going to fight?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Well. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kyrion fell back onto his butt as a chair of iron rose behind him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Noah¡¯s charge was stopped by confusion. ¡°I said it¡¯s over, you lost.¡± Kyrion leaned onto a closed fist and waited. His chair seemed to resemble a throne. Noah was dumbstruck. He backpedaled a bit and almost stumbled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you make an Oath? You can¡¯t make an oath to do your best and not do your best!¡± Kyrion smirked and waited in his chair. ¡°Are you sure you want me to fight you while you¡¯re sitting?¡± Kyrion flippantly motioned for Noah to get it over with. ¡°You asked for it.¡± Noah charged toward the sitting boy, his ax prepared to swing overhead. Kyrion replaced his eyepatch and relaxed. The ax came down, and still, Kyrion did not react. The blade suddenly stopped an inch away from Kyrion¡¯s head. Noah strained to push further, but some unseen force had managed to freeze him in place. ¡°I can¡¯t move!¡± Noah was a bit shocked as fear began to set in. ¡°I already told you, magnets. Now you can no longer attack or move. Transforming is also impossible. You should surrender now.¡± ¡°This is a cheap trick, Kyrion!¡± Noah¡¯s body began to shift into a lion when everything clicked and his armor wasn¡¯t shifting with him. ¡°It used quite a bit of mana. It also took a while to set up. Like I said you need to take me out immediately or else you won¡¯t get another chance. This trick wasn¡¯t for you though.¡± Kyrion mouthed the last part. ¡°Ah. Let¡¯s do this again sometime.¡± Noah laughed to himself as consciousness left him. Noah fell outside the arena unconscious. His armor was still in the hall, currently crackling with electricity. Moments later, the armor turned into a metal ball, collecting the odd sand as it rolled off the arena floor.
¡°What just happened?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Your brother won without showing any of his actual tricks. It was testing incantations and magical theories that are a few centuries too early.¡± Gamodren answered, a bit annoyed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you teach him to fight like that? Show little, and be over the top?¡± ¡°I did. He¡¯s figured out that we¡¯re here hasn¡¯t he. No, he knows Amadeus is here; he¡¯s revealing a card from his deck. I¡¯m honestly proud he¡¯d think that far ahead.¡± ¡°So he has a plan for countering Amadeus and he wants to lead them to the wrong conclusion.¡± ¡°Correct. Tell Cecil not to teach Kyrion anymore about this magiology stuff. He¡¯s somehow abusing the rules of nature.¡± Tiffany shivered. ¡°Does it have to be me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll listen to your request. It was also my idea to have him learn from Cecil. That was before I learned that he can overclock his brain at will now. The brain is a muscle and by reinforcing it in manipulating chemical¡¯s one can alter perception.¡± Asela started tapping her foot. ¡°So, he¡¯s just been playing with our strongest team members?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been putting on a show. He was told to go all out. It seems that this school doesn¡¯t have anyone in the practitioner rank who can test him. Do you have a high level practitioner or expert willing to test against my pupil?¡± ¡°No one eligible for the tournament which I assume you¡¯re preparing him for.¡± ¡°Had to try.¡± Gamodren shrugged. Charles shook his head. ¡°Those two will need to learn some situational awareness. Leaving Isaiah in a secluded location while well defended is a hazard when you¡¯re fighting someone who¡¯s skills are unknown. Had Isaiah been able to run or dodge, he¡¯d never have been forced into a situation like that. Noah didn¡¯t transform until it was too late. Had he started the battle in that form he could have applied more pressure and shed some armor. I already told him he needed a hard counter for lightning, now it¡¯s been used against him by someone who doesn¡¯t have a lightning affinity.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to be training more often aren¡¯t we?¡± Kiara sighed. ¡°Kyrion¡¯s a giant¡­.¡± Wura said, shocked her eyes had glazed over. ¡°Yeah we know.¡± Asela said with irritation. ¡°But he was so tiny when we met.¡± Wura squinted. ¡°Kyrion¡¯s never been tiny.¡± Nicole stated. ¡°No, he was Asela sized when we first met.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a unit of measurement!¡± Asela seethed. ¡°Of course not Milady. That is an interesting way to fight though. He used incantations and chants ment for minor alchemy but on a very large scale. He manipulated the environment to suit his needs. Maybe we should go over there to test our mettle against their students. A friendly competition between schools.¡± ¡°I doubt Kyrion will participate in those matches. He¡¯d weasel out of it by saying he¡¯s only in the top seven and not a suitable opponent.¡± Kiara shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it over him.¡± Tiffany sighed. ¡°You two lack imagination. He¡¯d give himself a virus or disease he could easily cure and say that he can¡¯t do so while keeping most of the symptoms in check. Technically he can¡¯t catch a cold unless he wants to since his regeneration normally kills it before it can progress. If that doesn¡¯t work he¡¯ll say he¡¯s training his natural immune system or resistance to poisons.¡± Gamodren pulled out his pipe and took a long drag. Book Two: Chapter 20 A Minor Reunion ¡°Victory to the challenger...¡± The announcer was stunned. Nothing had hit the challenger head-on. But, all in all, it was a flawless, one-sided victory. This was a feat higher-tier practitioners would have to struggle to reach. The crowd was stunned into silence. ¡°Thank you for this experience, it was smooth.¡± Kyrion bowed to his fallen opponents before he stomped. Reverting the stadium floor into its original concrete. Kyrion looked towards the box he knew his mother was in and decided that he would need to find a way to escape. How can he get his students and vanish before his mother finds him? Kyrion placed his weights in his domain and cleansed his body with water mana. Moments later, he was leaving the changing room. Using mana to hide his presence as he tried to get away. Sadly he was encircled by a group of people waiting for him. ¡°Mr.Kyrion, are you ok?¡± Bastion ran up and hugged Kyrion¡¯s leg, which surprised quite a few people. However, it wasn¡¯t the fact that Kyrion was being hugged that caught them off guard. No, it was the fact that in a group containing practitioners and expert tier spirit masters, the first person to notice Kyrion was there was an unawakened child. Cordelia eyed the child with curiosity before looking at Kyrion, who was clearly coming up with a plan. Before anyone else could respond, Kyrion¡¯s mischievous eyes softened, and a wide innocent smile covered his face. ¡°Mommy!¡± Kyrion slowly shuffled his way towards his mother as Bastion wasn¡¯t letting go, and it wasn¡¯t much of an inconvenience. Cordelia seemed surprised for a second as she recalled the last time Kyrion had said, mommy. He had gotten caught. ¡°Kyrion Ahanu Mosely, what are you planning?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not planning anything.¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice cracked as sweat boiled on his forehead. Kyrion didn¡¯t know why he was unable to lie to his mother. Usually, he was good at this sort of thing. ¡°Kyrion?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to grab the kids and sprint back to the academy if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I-I still need to meet with my old friends after all. Can¡¯t leave without saying hello after all.¡± Kyrion scratched the back of his head. Kyrion looked for said friends and only managed to see Ceres, which confirmed his suspicion of the two groups. ¡°So you¡¯ll be fine while I wait to speak to your girlfriends.¡± ¡°Two words. Friends that are girls. I don¡¯t like it when people say the words like they¡¯re supposed to mean something else.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°My my, a heartbreaker if I¡¯d ever seen one.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re trying to build a harem?¡± Eden looked aghast. Kyrion closed his eyes. ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s my friend Cecil¡¯s goal. He just asked me to help out when I could.¡± ¡°Master Kyrion does not care much for matters of the heart. Despite his height certain subjects still go over his head.¡± ¡°Hey. I¡¯d take offense to that but I¡¯ve heard it before. I¡¯ve fulfilled the mission¡¯s I¡¯ve been given aside from the bear¡¯s pelt. The creature was tainted. Ta ta for now.¡± Kyrion picked up Eden and began to sneak off. While Ceres and his mother discussed things he believed were best left alone. ¡°Uncle Kyrion? Where are you going.¡± ¡°Uncle?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Kyrion where are you going?¡± Illanda corrected. ¡°Away from this conversation. I have a few shops that I haven¡¯t visited and¡­ I should also visit the bank and pick up some more funds. I need the gold.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°So are you building a harem or are people just flocking to your position like vultures?¡± ¡°Huh. Mostly the latter though I wouldn¡¯t call them vultures.¡± Kyrion looked down at his youngest supposed sister. ¡°Call them what you want. Do you have a gift for me?¡± Illanda held out her hand. ¡°Geez, when did you get so spoiled?¡± Kyrion summoned a fox with silver fur and a purple pattern that resembled a closed eye on her forehead. After that, a blue swan appeared in the air flapping its winds as it landed gracefully. ¡°Your giving me more animals?¡± ¡°Where did they come from?¡± Eden looked down from Kyrion¡¯s arm and observed the creatures that came out of nowhere. ¡°Oi Kyrion what¡¯s going¡­ oh hello there madams.¡± Issac combed his plumage with a feather. Jala walked over and slapped the sparking bird. ¡°None of that.¡± Bastion let go of Kyrion¡¯s leg to approach the large bird. ¡°These are two of my spirits. Thanks to them I¡¯m capable of using magic.¡± ¡°I already have a spirit Kyrion, been awakened and everything.¡± Kyrion began to walk and talk, leading his group away from the conversation, when a figure in golden armor appeared right in front of him. ¡°Kyrion, you will fight me in the stadium when we get back.¡± The figure vanished as fast as it appeared. ¡°That person must really hate you. Did you do something to anger them?¡± Eden observed. ¡°I did nothing wrong. What happened to them was their own fault and they¡¯ve been trying to get their own twisted sense of vengeance.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°See Mr.Hero can do nothing wrong.¡± Bastion defended. ¡°So what was the thing you did?¡± Eden grilled Kyrion. ¡°You see, I was suffering from food poisoning and towards the end of the fight they kept punching me in the stomach and eventually the poison came out along with some food.¡± ¡°Ok so you threw up gross but it happens.¡± ¡°They were also holding me steady to keep me from escaping. It only had one place to go.¡± ¡°Just spit it out.¡± Illanda said. ¡°I threw up all over them. It was mostly their fault and now they hold some kind of grudge.¡± Kyrion rattled off. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Yeah that was gross but at least you said you were sorry. You did say you were sorry right?¡± Bastion¡¯s eyes widened as Kyion couldn¡¯t respond to that. ¡°I was knocked unconscious by the last blow and was a bit out of it.¡± Kyrion never considered apologizing for his hiccup, but maybe the golden knight would leave him alone if he did. Illanda, Bastion, and Eden introduced themselves to the spirits and entertained themselves for a bit as Kyrion looked for a place to sit and relax. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Said a somewhat familiar voice, belonging to someone who looked almost unfamiliar. ¡°Who in¡­¡± Kyrion found himself enveloped in the arms of a stranger. Bastion¡¯s first response was to try and remove the strange person. Sadly his human strength was nothing compared to the inhuman strength of a practitioner. Eden looked at the white-haired girl and flinched as her eyes seemed to lock onto hers. ¡°Eep!¡± ¡°Eep? Oh right, you¡¯re that Nickle girl aren¡¯t you. The one that said something about being Kyrion¡¯s girl friend.¡± Illanda looked at the young woman. ¡°Nickle? Name doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Can you let me go now?¡± Kyrion closed his eyes. ¡°Nicole! You know full well what she meant.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that? Oh well. Eden, Bastion, I saw a park on my way through the city, let¡¯s go play there and let the big kids be boring.¡± Illanda led the group away from the confused boy. Kyrion continued to look at Nicole as though he¡¯d never seen her in his life. ¡°Kyrion.¡± ¡°Please let go.¡± Kyrion said with a much deeper voice as his hair began to shift in color. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Please. Let. Me. Go.¡± Kyrion gripped his head as though it was in pain. Nicole did so, and Kyrion fell to his knees for a second. A stream of blood flowed down from within his eyepatch. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I may have overtaxed my body during the match. So you¡¯re Nicole? Did you get shorter?¡± ¡°No, you just shot up like a beanstalk. Do you have any fat on you? I heard you eat.¡± Nicole poked Kyrion¡¯s ribs. ¡°Not really, peak human condition was the state I trained to reach before becoming a practitioner.¡± ¡°About that.¡± An older blood girl with piercing blue eyes looked Kyrion over. ¡°And¡­ Kiara right?¡± ¡°Correct. Why didn¡¯t you fight Noah head on then? Make the fight seem more fair. You do know you embarrassed him with that last maneuver.¡± ¡°Peak human in my case is well balanced, strong yet flexible, fast, yet durable. I am the embodiment of balance. Noah is still ahead of me in terms of brute strength. In a head on wrestling match I¡¯d have lost since I lack the mass and size to overpower him directly. He¡¯s also trained in throwing and grappling. So trying to use his force against him would have been fruitless. He restrains a target, locking them in place while the other one would hit me with powerful spells.¡± ¡°How could you know that before fighting them?¡± Kiara squinted. ¡°Gotta use my head for more than headbutts. The strength in his arms and calluses on his hands are from more than just swinging an ax.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°Hmmm¡­ So you deduced a way to take out your opponents before fighting them. Excuse me if I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°A healer needs to know alot about anatomy. I¡¯ve had to heal a lot of different injuries.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll leave you to your reunion. Gonna go to check on Noah and the others.¡± Kiara promptly left. ¡°Why does she seem mad?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because of you, our training time will increase again.¡± Said a short red-haired girl. ¡°Asela. You haven¡¯t changed at all!¡± Kyrion observed the short girl and attempted a wide hug. Asela seemed to dislike that statement but didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, opting to step out of the way. ¡°Ok¡­¡± Kyrion put his arms back down. ¡°Kyrion. Been a while, why are you here?¡± Wura looked into the abyss that was Kyrion¡¯s green eye. ¡°I came to visit but things went wrong in the usual fashion. Managed to pick up two orphans, not sure how many there are in this county for me to just walk in and pick up a kid with no parents.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­Most people don¡¯t just find orphans and adopt them.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was adopting. My goal is to get them tested and have them go to an academy. My job is done there.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to save their lives as well did you?¡± Wura raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well I did but...¡± ¡°Kyrion, you don¡¯t want to be known as someone who sheds responsibilities like clothing do you? I know you want to be a healer but abandoning those in your care wouldn¡¯t be a good thing to have hanging over your head.¡± Wura chided Kyrion. Kyrion looked dumbstruck. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that. I guess I could use some assistance, and assistants need to be trained . So I¡¯m sending them to school so that they can get an education and potentially assist me in my work.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Wura closed her eyes. ¡°That sounds better.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and nodded to himself. ¡°With your cover story done what are you going to do to make up with Noah?¡± ¡°Not fight him again. Nope. Gonna keep this win. I told him to go all out in the beginning. Had he transformed chances are I could have lost before I really got started.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°Ah so he didn¡¯t listen. He shouldn¡¯t be too mad then. Though he will want a rematch.¡± ¡°Yeah, no. Like I said, no rematch. Not even in the big tournament coming up. I¡¯ll be avoiding that one like the plague if I can.¡± Kyrion looked to Asela, who had been calming herself down. By talking to a kid whose manner reminded him of Charles. ¡°Kyrion. Nicole made you some cookies. She worked really hard on them so please eat every last one.¡± Asela patted Nicole on her back and walked away at a brisk pace. ¡°Y-you m-m-made m-m-me c-c¡­.¡± Kyrion employed all his self-control to control his glutenous urges. ¡°Yes I made you some cookies. They were going to be a surprise but now¡¯s a better time if there ever was one. There¡¯s a nice hole in the wall that I can take you to. They have amazing food in large portions. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it.¡± ¡°Wura, be sure to tell Noah I said hi. Oh right, tell him to come meet me. I have a work order, can you hand this off to Noah, I¡¯d have given it to Kiara but I don¡¯t know when he¡¯d get it.¡± ¡°I can¡­¡± ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be back in a minute. I¡¯m sure my disciples will love to come.¡± ¡°But Kyrion, I was thinking that you know it could just be the two of us.¡± Nicole grabbed Kyrion¡¯s robe. ¡°Nope. It would be irresponsible for me to eat in luxury while my students starve. Or are you saying I should leave them unsupervised with no way to find me for an extended period of time.¡± Kyrion looked aghast as he slipped free. Nicole grit her teeth. ¡°Sure. Mind if I come with you?¡± ¡°If you can keep up.¡± Kyrion¡¯s form disappeared as he reappeared fifty feet ahead, thirty feet in the air as he leaped in the direction he saw them headed. Jala and Issac looked at each other and then vanished into motes of mana that trailed after Kyrion. ¡°Great¡­ Why does he have to be difficult?¡± Nicole grimaced as she gave chase. ¡°He¡¯s always been that way. You¡¯re the one who thought it would be a smooth transition. Asela, Iets go tell Mrs.Mosley where Kyrion ran off to.¡± Wura grabbed Asela¡¯s hand and led the way. Chester scowled but didn¡¯t say anything as he watched and silently followed. ¡°Kyrion used his friend as a distraction didn¡¯t he?¡± Asela squinted her eyes. ¡°Not too surprising.¡± Wura answered.
It took a few minutes to arrive at a tea shop that Cordelia had picked out. The two were sitting at a table talking. Codrelia held a hand over her face clearly trying to hide mirth as she spoke to the stoic purple haired girl. ¡°Oh hello there Asela, looks like your brother¡¯s been terrorizing other students at his academy. That rude gilded brat had been sending challenge after challenge. He hadn¡¯t showed up to a single one. He even convinced the school to add a rule called consent to challenges. If you don¡¯t agree to fight, another student can¡¯t force you to do so. As an anti-bullying procedure.¡± ¡°So he went out of his way to avoid fighting someone. Wouldn¡¯t someone like that just give up? Kyrion can be stubborn.¡± ¡°When an unstoppable spear meets an immovable mountain, what gives first?¡± ¡°Nothing happens.¡± ¡°Exactly. The mountain would either need to outlast or break the spear or the spear would need to pierce through the mountain. One will eventually either give up or give in. Anyhow, he¡¯s been mostly quiet, and is regarded as the first healer to visit when injured. As he doesn¡¯t charge anyone for his services.¡± ¡°I imagine that challenging everybody¡¯s favorite healer is seen as incredulous.¡± ¡°One could see it as an attempt at bullying. Sadly their first and only fight ended in a draw and they want to know who¡¯s stronger.¡± ¡°Well they lost to Noah. So it¡¯s clear who¡¯s stronger.¡± Asela informed ¡°Oh? Well then that puts Caeden in a spot.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Asela asked. ¡°An old friend. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Cordelia sighed. Ceres scowled as she tried to recall where she¡¯d heard that name. Book Two: Chapter 21 Lunch with a friend Kyrion landed near his students. Eden and Bastion sat near a pond as Illanda played a tune on a dark wooden flute. A fish shot out of the water, did a flip, and jumped back in, which led to clapping and shouts of excitement. ¡°What is that?¡± Kyrion asked. There was no response as Illanda played the instrument, and the creature seemed to repeat the act and do other tricks on top of it. Nicole arrived soon after, a few beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°I¡¯m done now. Did you like my performance?¡± Illanda bowed. ¡°It was awesome. Can you control fish or something?¡± Bastion asked, beaming. ¡°A bit more than that.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°You¡¯re a tamer type. One that commands monsters and animals.¡± ¡°Is that so? That sounds correct.¡± Illanda scratched her head and then gave up. ¡°My.Kyrion did you come to check up on us?¡± Eden asked. ¡°Yes, that, and my friend is treating me to lunch at a special restaurant. I wanted to ask if you wanted to come along.¡± Kyrion asked. Nicole smiled in a way that did not reach her eyes as a wolf maw made of fire appeared in her hands next to three small human-like figures. ¡°That sounds good to me though I¡¯m just going to go. Not very hungry, where is it?¡± Eden watched the wolf-shaped fire swallow the three fire children whole. Kyrion turned around, and the fire disappeared. ¡°Some place with a hole in its wall. Right Nicole?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hole in the wall¡­ A place hidden pretty well from most people and serves great food in a discreet location.¡± ¡°Why call it that if there¡¯s no actual hole in the wall?¡± Bastion scratched his head. ¡°I know right?¡± Kyrion agreed with his disciple. Looking him in the eye. The wolf head of fire reappeared and repeated the same action a few more times before Eden figured out what was going on. ¡°Eep!¡± Eden hid behind Illanda. The fire disappeared as Kyrion turned around again. ¡°Aww...¡± Illanda seemed a bit lost. ¡°Is something going on?¡± ¡°No, I just can¡¯t wait.¡± Nicole said through her teeth. ¡°Great, where was I?¡± ¡°Something about punching a hole in a wall.¡± Illanda answered. ¡°Ah, yes. Would you care to join me on this luncheon? If not I may have to leave you in mother¡¯s care. Or at least let her know where to find you.¡± So Kyrion played the. You can tag along with me or stay with the boring grown-ups card. ¡°I¡¯ll go where you go, Mr.Kyrion. Though I¡¯m not really hungry. You fed us a few hours ago.¡± Bastion patted his chest, honestly. Kyrion felt terrible using the kids as a buffer, but something told them it was better this way. ¡°If you need us to go with you then fine. I¡¯m also not hungry. Unless it¡¯s a desert. ¡° ¡°I¡¯ve been told that there will at least be cookies.¡± Kyion nodded knowingly. ¡°Sounds¡­¡± Eden seemed confused, almost as though she was looking at something. Kyrion waited patiently. ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Illanda grabbed Eden and Bastion¡¯s hands, and she began to drag them forward. ¡°Fine, fine. I guess we will be on babysitting duty.¡± Nicole did not seem fine. Kyrion felt relieved as now he had a few scapegoats. Kyrion liked his friend, but sometimes she could go on and on about one theory after another. He was on an adventure, with no lessons until he decided to return to school, and with kids here, he could easily steer the conversation towards other things¡­ Like colors. Or maybe shapes. News? ¡°Kyrion, what¡¯s taking you so long? We have to go.¡± Nicole said. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Kyrion decided to ask about their interest. They mainly did force themselves, through guilt, into his life. Kyrion strode behind them. Nicole slowed and let Kyrion catch up. Upon doing so, she asked a simple question. ¡°Kyrion. Can you give me your hand? You seem a bit out of it I-I don¡¯t want you to get lost.¡± A hair on Kyrion¡¯s head stuck straight up as he realized something. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Bastion you take my hand and Eden you take Nicole¡¯s. That way no one is left behind!¡± Eden seemed to figure out what was going on when she gripped the young woman¡¯s hand and found it to be a bit too warm. Illanda skipped the way as she was clearly in the middle of the chain. The restaurant they were standing at was relatively small and very well hidden. A well-dressed human man in a white button-down shirt and black pants stood outside the door. In his hands was a slate. ¡°Greetings. I have a reservation for Nicole and Kyrion.¡± ¡°Ah yes. It says here that the table was for two. It appears that there are quite a few more here than two.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Sorry about that. Some things came up on my way here and I ended up picking up these kids. They are my guests and I will pay for any inconveniences their presence brings.¡± Kyrion kept the sweat from showing on his brow. The host looked up at the giant boy and gulped. ¡°Not a problem sir. Please I¡¯m sure we have an open booth.¡± Kyrion smiled and read the name tag. ¡°Thank you, Theadore.¡± ¡°Y-yes r-right this way.¡± The host led the group to the booth, where they all took a seat. Kyrion waited so that he was the last person to sit down. The restaurant was classy. A glass chandelier hung in the center above a woman playing a melody on a harp. The furniture was enchanted in discrete places and of very high quality. Kyrion doubted he could break the table if he wanted to. There were no holes in the wall, which was a little down. They did, however, have lovely artwork decorating the walls. The smell of the food was something else. A line of drool leaked out of Bastion¡¯s mouth, and Kyrion wiped it away with a cloth napkin. ¡°Bastion, be careful. This is a fancy place. We need to use our manners.¡± Kyrion looked at a lengthy menu that seemed to not have any prices. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Bastion and Eden looked at the menu and then at Kyrion. ¡°Can we get some help?¡± ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Illanda asked. ¡°Deserts. We can¡¯t read.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s written with calligraphy. Fancy letters that make places seem more noble or ritzy.¡± ¡°I mean at all. Never had a reason to learn.¡± Eden blushed. ¡°I can¡¯t. It just looks like a bunch of lines that don¡¯t have a rhyme or reason.¡± Bastion replied with a flat tone. ¡°Let big sister Illanda show you how it works then.¡± Illanda flipped to the back of the menu and pointed at a picture that looked like a desert. ¡°This is cake. If you can find the picture with the cake on it then just stick your finger on it. When the waiter comes, just point at the cake.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to read out the list of deserts for them?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh this is for when I¡¯m not with them. Let¡¯s see¡­.¡± Illada led the children through the desert section. ¡°This all looks so delicious. I¡¯m ready.¡± Kyrion ordered and consumed one of everything on the menu, including the desserts. Some waiters and waitresses were surprised and left that table alone. The older staff members, however, knew better. Big eaters tend to be generous tippers. ¡°Wooh. Haven¡¯t eaten this well in ages.¡± Kyrion rubbed his stomach. ¡°Where does it go?¡± Bastion looked at the stomach that hadn¡¯t grown despite eating more than its size in food. ¡°An abyss probably. Thank you Nicole, this place was enchanting.¡± Nicole pulled out a pouch containing cookies. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s time for these then.¡± ¡°Ah yes the cookies. I knew I saved room for a reason.¡± Kyrion stated joyfully. ¡°No, this is just the coin for lunch. The cookies. Well they were burnt so I tossed them out. Sorry for deceiving you.¡± Nicole lied ¡°I see. Well considering the fact that I ate a menu¡¯s worth of item¡¯s let me pay for the damage.¡± ¡°No I insist. I brought you here.¡± ¡°And I ate everything on the menu.¡± ¡°Jeez. How about Nicole pays her tab along with the kids and Kyrion pay¡¯s for himself. Girl friend, with a space that is for certain. You¡¯re almost like brothers trying to show off. Guess Kyrion was telling the truth.¡± ¡°Ah, this was a date!¡± Bastion shouted. ¡°N-no, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Nicole denied. Eden shook her head and sighed. ¡°Dates? I don¡¯t remember eating one of those.¡± Kyrion frowned. ¡°Oh, sorry jumped to conclusions. You took your good friend to a fancy place like this for lunch. Wish I had friends that could do that. Oh wait¡­¡± Bastion looked up at Kyrion. The receipt landed on the table, and Kyrion sighed as he placed a coin pouch on the table. The bag bulged in the shape of the coins. ¡°I thought you were out of money?¡± Bastion leaned towards the pouch. ¡°I went over my travel budget. Now I¡¯m using my personal funds.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Bastion lied as he took a seat. The waiter took the coins to be counted and returned with the change. The group left the change on the table as a tip. ¡°Your just going to leave all that money right there? What if someone takes it?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°We paid for the food, that was for the service. It¡¯s important to treat those who serve you mountains of food well.¡± Kyrion answered sagely. ¡°Doesn¡¯t have to be mountains but the sentiment is there.¡± Nicole started walking ahead. ¡°Where to next?¡± Illanda asked. ¡°Home, it¡¯s been a long few days. I need¡­¡± Nicole collapsed. Kyrion debated letting his friend fall, but sadly his body had already moved to catch the unconscious form. ¡°Huh. She¡¯s lighter than she looks. I¡¯ll need to be carefull. Ugh¡­ Bastion I need you to find Gamodren. He¡¯s my teacher. Long dirty blond hair and cat-like yellow eyes.¡± ¡°Do you want me to go alone?¡± Bastion was surprised. ¡°Eden, do you want to wait with him?¡± ¡°Sure but how will we know where to find him?¡± Eden asked. Kyrion wanted to say, ¡°Because he¡¯ll appear when I leave to question you all.¡± But he didn¡¯t. Instead, he handed them a note as He threw Nicole over his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s not a dignified way to hold a companion.¡± Illanda stated. ¡°I needed a free hand.¡± ¡°Kyrion, how would you prefer to be held?¡± ¡°Across the stomach so that I can land either on all fours or on my feet when I wake up.¡± ¡°Do you know what a princess carry is?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t care how she¡¯s carried. She¡¯s asleep.¡± ¡°Kyrion. Holding someone like that makes you look like a kidnapper. Like you don¡¯t care how the person in your arms feels.¡± ¡°...How would you carry her?¡± Illanda held out her arms as though she was trying to carry someone in front of her.¡± ¡°So you want me to carry her like she¡¯s a corpse.¡± ¡°... It¡¯s called a bridal carry. It¡¯s how princesses are hreld in my picture books.¡± ¡°No thats a mortician¡¯s carry.¡± Kyrion corrected. ¡°Just carry her like that.¡± ¡°Fine. Jeeze.¡± Kyrion moved his friend into the mortician¡¯s carry position, and he did not look happy. ¡°Huh. Try smiling a bit more.¡± ¡°Now I can¡¯t even have my own facial expressions.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes as he walked back toward the academy. Upon arrival, something dawned on Kyrion, and he voiced the question. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go with the others?¡± ¡°Do you know how to find Nicole¡¯s room?¡± Illanda asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you know who to ask to find Nicole¡¯s room?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you need me with you.¡± Illanda let them through a dormitory and to a room ornately decorated with symbols resembling fire. ¡°Is this Nicole¡¯s room?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s Asela¡¯s but she has a key.¡± Illanda knocked on the door. Asela answered the door. ¡°Hey Illanda!¡± Asela hugged the younger girl before taking a step back and looking at the person in Kyrion¡¯s arms. ¡°What happened to Nicole?¡± Asela asked worriedly. ¡°She passed out. Seems to be from exaustion not a lack of nutrition.¡± Kyrion said plainly. The worry faded as quickly as it arrived. ¡°She needs some sleep. Apparently she¡¯s been up for a week straight preparing for your arrival.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit weirded out by that.¡± ¡°Did you eat the cookies?¡± ¡°She said she burnt them. I won¡¯t read anymore into that.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Fair enough. Place her on my bed. She can go back to her room when she wakes up. This isn¡¯t the first time this has happened. You¡¯d think she was copying you.¡± Asela looked at Krion with a raised eyebrow. Kyrion carefully entered the room, going sideways to avoid hitting the doorway. Then he placed his good friend on the bed, and that was that. ¡°So if mom¡¯s here where¡¯s dad?¡± ¡°Gone. Bill decided to lead the refugees toward Valnorim. He¡¯s hasn¡¯t been seen or heard from since. There is a chance that he may have died.¡± Asela answered. ¡°That¡¯s alot to take in. What about Samantha? Did she make it out?¡± ¡°Mommy¡¯s in Clast checking on our ship.¡± Illanda said with a lost expression. ¡°But mom¡¯s in the capital with us.¡± ¡°Oh right.¡± Illanda said slowly as her head turned towards Asela, who shrugged. ¡°Curella decided to disappear after Limguard fell. Something about a debt repaid and experiments she had to get back to.¡± ¡°Sounds like my oldest sister. So both Bill¡¯s could be gone?¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression was sour. ¡°It¡¯s not an uncommon occurrence. Losing parents during a war through death or displacement is a possibility.¡± Asela said as though she had gone through something similar. ¡°So. Did your parents?¡± ¡°Right after they dropped me off with you. They died at sea, I wasn¡¯t told this information until I arrived here. I guess that¡¯s why they brought me here in the first place and didn¡¯t want a newborn dead at sea.¡± Asela broke down. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Here I am thinking about possibilities when you¡¯re clearly wounded worse.¡± Kyrion regarded the young child he grew up with as a sister, and his expression softened. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Still don¡¯t go getting all sen..¡± Asela found herself wrapped in arms as she had been hugged. Kyrion then held his sibling at arm¡¯s reach. ¡°This world takes so much from so many. It¡¯s flawed and painful. If someone like me can just go on a trip and pick up two orphans from different tragedies then it¡¯s clear that things need to change.¡± ¡°Kyrion what are you going on about?¡± ¡°Things will change.¡± Kyrion¡¯s green eyes seemed to burn with mana as he¡¯d made up his mind about something. ¡°And he¡¯s off to Icaron¡­.¡± Asela laughed as Kyion left the room as though he was on a mission. ¡°Oi! Wait up!¡± Illanda turned and ran after the distracted Kyrion. Book Two: Chapter 22: Part 1 The edge of a knife
A man in a white mask resembling a dragon paired with a young woman in a silver masquerade mask appeared behind an unperturbed Bastion, and a surprised Eden jumped. ¡°You scare too easily, he¡¯s been trailing us for half an hour.¡± Bastion said plainly. ¡°That. How¡­¡± The man in the white mask seemed impressed. ¡°You must be Gamoderen right. Those eyes really are like a cats. Guess i¡¯m not the only weird one.¡± ¡°More like a lizard but sure. Quite a few people with talent have various markings and odd traits on their body. My guess is one of your eyes may be magic or your ability may be in your eyes.¡± ¡°Kyrion said to give this to you.¡± Bastion handed him the note. Gamodren took it. ¡°Well you noticed me thirty minuets ago, and he noticed from the beginning. That boy has an eye for talent. Which means I have an eye for talent for picking him.¡± ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t seem very trustworthy.¡± Eden whispered into Bastion¡¯s ear. ¡°Yeah but it¡¯s too late to run now. You saw the people Kyrion regards as friends this guy is probably a monster if he taught Kyrion how to fight like that.¡± ¡°Wait. Do you think he can make us that strong?¡± Eden¡¯s stance shifted. Tch! Gamodren clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s like were not even here. Right Tiffany.¡± ¡°Kyrion really can¡¯t leave well enough alone. I knew he was a good kid but this is ridiculous.¡± Tiffany seemed disappointed. ¡°Ah so you must also like Kyrion.¡± Eden said plainly. ¡°Like is about right. He¡¯s like a younger brother with all that childlike innocence. Its a face I¡¯ll give my life to protect.¡± ¡°Ah so different than Nicole?¡± Tiffany shivered. ¡°Nicole is a bit too much. It isn¡¯t love as much as it is obsession.¡± ¡°Yeah she¡¯s a bit scary.¡± ¡°I mean. Kyrion is her first real friend. So I¡¯m not surprised if our little princess got a bit too attached and wanted to push their relationship forward.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it. Then again, so far someone willing to try that hard for someone so free spirited has my condolences as much as my blessing.¡± Gamodren coughed into his sleeve. ¡°Looks like we have work to do. Apparently we have an agent to deal with.¡± ¡°Great. What is it?¡± ¡°Were checking on some of his Deerkin workers he had escorting a caravan. Apparently there is a mole in the country with ties to Cecil. He won¡¯t be pleased that his prototypes are being funneled to that empire.¡± ¡°The harem guy?¡± Eden asked. ¡°Ah.. A runic prodigy, a genius among geniuses. An inventor of incomprehensible tools of war and peace. Yes, the harem guy.¡± Gamodren scoffed. ¡°It is like thirty percent of his personality. The thing is he¡¯s also trying to be dense while building a harem yet he doesn¡¯t have the charm or personality for it. If he wasn¡¯t trying to play aloof then he could have almost any women that desired money over love. Quite a few vultures in the Tetsan empire would happily become one of his concubines.¡± Tiffany seemed bored. Eden and Bastion looked at each other and decided to keep quiet. ¡°Yeah¡­ he¡¯s obsessed in a different way than Nicole though both are blindly motivated by their goals.¡± The note in Gamodren¡¯s hand turned into a swarm of butterflies and flew away. ¡°Huh?¡± Eden and Bastion were quite surprised by the scene. ¡°We have work to do now. You two will need to stick to us like molasses on fingers.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to lick us?¡± Bastion asked. Eden blanched before backing up. Gamodren paused. ¡°Like bark on a tree. How does that work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better. So long as there are no lumberjacks.¡± Bastion nodded to himself. Gamodren looked at Bastion for a hard second before smirking. ¡°Kyrion deserves a student like you.¡± Tiffany chuckled lightly. ¡°Was that an insult or a compliment?¡± Bastion asked as they were escorted to a safe house.
Noah awoke on a bed in the infirmary, uninjured if not a bit dizzy. Two metal orbs sat next to each other. One with a six inches diameter, the other 1 foot in diameter. ¡°Huh, guess he was right. Kyrion knew I was holding back and punished me for it. If this was a battlefield I¡¯d be dead and so would Iseah. What¡¯s the use of a trump card when your opponent is three steps ahead from the get go.¡± Noah mumbled to himself. ¡°Only the strong have a reason to hold back.¡± Said a stoic, well-mannered man who stood in the corner of the room. ¡°Instructor Charles?¡± Noah squinted as his vision began to clear. ¡°You lost because you underestimated an opponent who had shown limited combat ability in the past. Holding back isn¡¯t something you should let become a habit. Pacing yourself is something else however. If you fight at full strength don¡¯t use up all your power too soon. It¡¯s a thin line but with effort you will master this lesson. Then we can move onto mastering your full manifestation. You are at the middle tier of practitioner after all.¡± Charles adjusted his glove. Isaiah sat up in his cot a few feet away. ¡°He flicked me and I died. He literally just flicked me and boom. Noah I know he¡¯s your friend and all but that was scary.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I mean I could probably do the same thing.¡± Noah said bluntly. ¡°No you couldn¡¯t.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°Is he that much stronger?¡± Noah looked down. ¡°No it¡¯s because he¡¯s a healer. He knows the human body on a level most couldn¡¯t comprehend. That flick wasn¡¯t just hard. It was precise enough to hit a place that told the wards that you were in grave danger. No, that is not against the rules. A slight adjustment to his angle could have put you in a coma even with the wards in place.¡± Charles approached Isaiah and whispered the following line. ¡°And with more force he could have killed you in a way that kept your body alive. Healers can get scary, don¡¯t you think?¡± Charles stood straight up after speaking with a stoic expression. ¡°So he just played with us?¡± Isaiah gritted his teeth. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to fight him when he¡¯s out for blood. He was very serious in his methods. You have asked yourselves, ¡°Why did they want two of you to fight him at once?¡± ¡°They wanted to get a gauge on his limits by testing him.¡± Noah said. ¡°No, they wanted to show that they were prepared for the tournament by sending one of their weakest combatants to kick up a storm.¡± ¡°Weakest? No way!¡± Isaiah was shaking. ¡°According to my sources Kyrion doesn¡¯t appear in ranking matches at his school as he¡¯d been actively avoiding them. His rank is near the bottom and yet they had him fight an exhibition match against some of our strongest.¡± Charles explained. ¡°If he lost it was because he was at a disadvantage. If he wins we look bad and he looks like a powerhouse. We didn¡¯t get out of this looking good in any way.¡± Isaiah sighed. ¡°Close. They wanted him to lose so he¡¯d take his martial training seriously. Some of the higher ups couldn¡¯t decide if Kyrion was worthy of being on the team for Drisil even if it was just as a healer.¡± ¡°Ah, now he has a spot whether he wants it or not. ¡°What about the oath? He couldn¡¯t have lost before going all out.¡± ¡°He was going all out from the get go. Isaiah, try turning this rock into solid lead with the transmute incantation.¡± Charles tossed the boy a rock. ¡°That¡¯s a minor incantation. What¡¯s so special about it?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Isaiah drew a circle on the rock in his hand. ¡°Transmute.¡± The rock shifted slightly from brown to gray before falling to the floor. Isaiah breathed heavily. ¡°Wow that. Was exhausting.¡± ¡°It is a mana heavy incantation the more changes are needed. From the get go he was releasing as much mana as he could to alter the battlefield. He was doing his best from the get go, had Noah transformed and abandoned Isaiah then the fight could have easily swayed in fact Kyrion would have gone down quite easily since his regeneration was off. All his mana went into the big arena altering effects.¡± ¡°He told me how to win and gave me a handicap. How did I not see that he was trying to give me a hint?¡± Noah hit his bed. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m glad you kept me in the fight. Although I need to gain some evasive and mobility based spells. Standing in one place is more of a detriment and if shoes can fly that fast I¡¯d hate to get hit by a dagger or bolt.¡± Isaiah said plainly. ¡°Good good. Training starts tomorrow morning, get some rest. The training will be relentless; the preliminaries begin in a few months after all.¡± Kiara enters the room and looks about. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°More training.¡± Noah smiled and waved a hand nonchalantly. ¡°Oh. Well I expected that much anyhow. Kyrion wanted to give you this?¡± Kiara bought a rolled sheet of paper. Charles casually peeked over Noah as he opened it up, revealing a curved wand with absurd proportions and mana cost. ¡°That looks like an ancient dwarven weapon¡­.¡± Charles mumbled. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re going to visit Drisil a month before the tournament for an exchange.¡± Charles sighed and shook his head.
Cordelia was having tea with Ceres and Wura. The former went over all the various shenanigans Kyrion had pulled in the five years at the academy. And the latter bored out of her mind watching as the red-haired woman spiked her own tea. Wura seemed quite surprised by the most recent exploit involving a gold coin embedded in the ground. It took three fledglings and a practitioner to remove the coin. And when they did, they found that it was just a rock made to resemble a coin. Though that wasn¡¯t until after they fought for it. They followed him, hoping to get money from him because of his supposed wealth and generosity. ¡°Where did people get that he was generous?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°He lends his friends money. Well, he lends Cecil money for his experiments and gets repaid when the items are brought to market. So Cecil makes a lot of different things.¡± ¡°Ah, investment. And the kids following him thought he did this out of the kindness of his heart.¡± ¡°Master is very kind. Offering to work as a healer while on campus for free.¡± ¡°Ah, do the other healers charge?¡± ¡°Yes, a variable amount of Academy Points, based on the level of injury. Since most don¡¯t have endless pools of mana and time.¡± ¡°Not endless but I know what you mean. What do you mean by time?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t go to half his classes, something about fulfilling their requirements early so that he could slack off later.¡± ¡°What classes does he go to?¡± ¡°Nox¡¯s lectures on magic because she lets him sleep in class. Exac for anatomy and healing. Professor Willow because he needs to tend to his field daily. And coach Teus for private endurance training.¡± ¡°Private?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Its really just Coach Teus beating him until he can hardly stand so that Kyrion can regenerate himself and ignore the pain. He volunteered for said lessons.¡± ¡°That monster. What is he doing to my son?¡± Cordelia¡¯s hand shook as she held her tea. ¡°If he¡¯s going to be a healer the first thing he needs to be able to do is survive. If you¡¯re too busy wallowing in your own pain how can you save others? That¡¯s one of his tenets.¡± ¡°Did he make that up?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°He altered another phrase.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get a body that strong just from pushups.¡± ¡°Has he always been like this Miss?¡± Wura asked. ¡°Somewhat, he used to get bullied by one of the local kids for being sickly. Its why he enjoyed working on the farm doing what he could. It was a way for him to build strength and people rarely told him not to help.¡± ¡°That¡­explains a lot. On another note can Kyrion really talk to squirrels.¡± Ceres asked. ¡°They understand him and he understands them. Little Illanda has a similar talent, apparently the pet squirrel Kyrion gave her taught her everything she needed to know about the language of animals.¡± ¡°Was he creating sentient monsters before he had affinities?¡± Ceres prodded. ¡°Can he do so with affinities now?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s something he¡¯s been doing to help with construction. Both inside and outside of his domain.¡± ¡°Sentiance, that is a dangerous thing to play with.¡± ¡°Why? Would something happen?¡± ¡°It means he has access to a higher state of life affinity, which means one day he could have access to magic that can bring the dead back to life. At the cost of his place on Imala.¡± ¡°If he brings someone back to life he¡¯ll die?¡± Ceres scowled. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, just know that the cost is just as high as the reward. Resurrection isn¡¯t a power mortals like us should possess.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ceres scowled. Book Two: Chapter 22.5 A severed cord Gamodren left the two kids in Tiffany''s care at a park as he went to take care of the mole on his own. The mansion belonging to Captain Vendral was nearly on par with a noble''s estate, only it was a touch more modern. It had been built a year after he obtained the rank due to various acts of valor. He had been gifted some land and a mine along with the estate. "And now he''s using it to hide slaves and terrorists. This reeks of puppetry, and by someone strong, but clearly not capable of finding competent help." Gamodren mumbled as a fog washed over the estate. The two guards outside the building had eyes glossed over as Gamodren quietly entered through the front door using the ring of keys from an addled guard. The entryway was gaudy and expensive as various pelts, art, and decorative weapons covered the wall while statues filled the ground. The door was quietly shut, and Gamodren covered his body in smoke, causing it to disappear. The young man''s first victim was a guard that had gotten out of the john at a really inconvenient time, his body slumping to the ground outside the bathroom. The heavy smell of alcohol from his mouth and no sign of a struggle would make even the most skeptical shake their head and move on. The second victim wasn''t so lucky. A lion with a tail that resembled a serpent''s head and the head of a goat protruding from its torso made eye contact with Gamodren, who drew his cane and vanished in a puff of smoke as flames coated the hallway where he''d once been. Gamodren had put his hand down on the chimera''s serpent tail and pulled, snapping it off easily." Only a practitioner. Huh." Instead of running to attack from the shadows, Gamodren slapped his staff into the creature, cutting it in half as though it were a blade. Then, with a wave of his hand, the mess vanished. Still, the fire did its job and alerted the others in the building, which made this messy. Gamodren hated when missions got messy. So he altered the crime scene. When it came to creating chimera, if something went wrong in their creation, then it could explode randomly. By the time the guards made it, they had found no signs of a fight and assumed that this chimera had expired. Gamodren, staying unseen, trailed the two guards putting them in a trance as he approached them. Gamoderen''s hands gripped the skulls of both guards as he asked a simple question. "Where is your master?" "Floor two, central wing." Said one guard in a monotone before it passed out. The second guard resisted, his eyes widening before it self-destructed. Taking out itself and the other guard, but not harming Gamodren in the slightest. Gamodren stepped out of the gory mess and cleaned himself off with a flicker of mana before moving on. Making sure to step on the white worms that were attempting to escape. The sound of footsteps could be heard, and the expert did not have much time to escape. So Gamodren didn''t try to escape. The remains of the guards vanished and were replaced by copies of both guards. "Whats going on?" "The chimera exploded." The false guards stated. "Yes but there was another explosion." Gamodren watched as one of the guards seemed to scowl and draw their weapon. As it went to kill the false guard, Gamodren made the fake swap places with another guard, which led to confusion and paranoia as the guards began fighting each other. Chaos filled the hallway as the cause went unhindered to the next floor. The second floor was full of hidden traps and secret alarms that would only work on an amateur. Gamodren was no amateur, and as he casually stepped through the wards and traps. Not a single one triggered. This section of the hallway was probably the easiest for him. Arriving at the location, Gamodren closed his eyes to get a clear picture of the room. There was a corpse on the bed; from his senses, it had been dead for over a few days. Another figure in the room erupted into movement as it noticed something was off. Gamodren let fog wash over the room as he appeared behind the imposter, his hand on the head of his cane. The stick soon found its way in front of the man''s adam''s apple as the captain was placed into a lock. "Who do you work for?" Gamodren said in a venomous tone. "The king. I serve the king." It said truthfully. "Which king, parasite?" "You already know who I serve." The captain slipped a stiletto down his sleeve in preparation to strike. In an instant, a spatter of blood began to pour from the captain''s neck as Gamodren held a long thin blade that seemed to have been pulled from the cane. The captain was pushed forward as Gamodren approached, slicing tendons and removing the creature''s ability to fight back. "You can die from blood loss, or I can put you out of your misery. The latter requires that you answer a few of my questions." Gamodren stabbed his blade in their abdominal cavity and began to twist. "Aggg!" Gamodren stopped and waited, his eyes locked onto his prey. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "I''d rather die than tell you anything." "Is that so. Fine go. You have two minutes to run. If you can escape, parasite, the military will kill you on the spot and are already arriving. You can last maybe ten minutes before you go into shock. Since you can live on shortly after the body dies. Believe it or not, you being here as all but confirmed their involvement." Gscamodren drew back his blade and resealed it in his cane. As he left the room, a bored expression could be seen. "What do you want? Don''t have time." "If you tell me everything I need to know I''ll help you disappear. It isn''t much." "Like what?" "Do you serve the emperor or its consort?" Gamodren asked. The creature''s eyes widened as green flames erupted from its body, turning it into ash as a circle formed. A woman with golden eyes locked on to Gamodren the rest of her body, an amorphous fog. "Found you, my son. It''s time for you to come home? This is an order. You have sixteen hours to gather your things. Aren''t I so benevolent to a traitor like you?" Said a painted voice. "What?" Gamodren tried to retreat, but his eyes went from gold to red before his body froze. Moments later, the feeling passed, and Gamodren was somewhat released. "Your order has been given. See you soon." The fire faded, and Gamodren''s eyes went dim. His body fell to the floor against his will. He couldn''t rest long as the military was already beginning to make their way through the building. The young man took a few documents relating to the equipment Cecil had sold to the man, among other things. As the door creaked open, guards rushed in. Finding the charred corpse of their guard captain next to some documents. Moments later, attention had been turned towards the copse on the bed. "Who did this? What sort of monster could do such a thing!" That guard picked up a stray red hair of unusual color from off the bed.
Gamodren reappeared a bit shaken as he returned to Tiffany, who was busy babysitting two babies at the park. "Tiffany?" Gamodren''s complexion had significantly paled. "Yes? Whats wrong you don''t look right?" "Something came up. I''ll have to leave Kyrion in your care." "He can take care of himself." Tiffany said bluntly. "No he can''t. The brat would get himself killed trying to help others." "This is no time for jokes. What do you expect me to do?" "You''re probably the most adept at strategy and subterfuge. You have a nose for these things. Keep him from making stupid decions like adoping an orphanage full of people he can''t look after or trying to save someone like me from a fate they deserve." "You are bloody serious. What did you get involved in? I swear you''re worse than Kyrion." Tiffany threw her arms up. "This would have happened eventually. I''d rather it be like this then at an inconvenient time. Also lead the kids to Kyrion''s room. It''s his job is to find his guest lodging." Gamodren passes a key to Tiffany. "How can you trust me with something like this? I''m pretty sure I could sell this on the black market for a bit of coin." "You wouldn''t be here if you were the type to do something like that." Gamodren said slyly as he left the area. "Ugg. Guess I''ll go find Kyrion then. Do you know where¡­" Tiffany heard a scream, looked up, and saw a familiar red-haired young man with someone on his back falling from over fifty feet in the air. "Good luck." Gamodren vanished without his usual smoke. It was as though his body disintegrated into bits of red light. "Hmm¡­" Tiffany watched Bastion describe how Kyrion just entered the middle of a confrontation and beat up the slavers that kept him and some others captive. Which sounded like Kyrion was using an ability to hide from others. She''d seen him activate it and, through training and effort, managed to somewhat recreate said technique. She had also gained a sixth sense for finding him when he did use that ability. So a random kid being able to detect Kyrion when he was purposely hiding was ridiculous. Tiffany seemed to turn invisible light refracted around her form, creating a barrier that made it seem like she had never been there. Testing the waters. She moved slowly, eliminating all sound from her movements. In moments she appeared ten feet behind Eden. Tiffany quietly stepped towards her target, first unarmed and nonchalant. Bastion seemed to look up, but that could have been anything as he immediately switched his attention back to his conversation. "And then he went woosh. Making the beast swallow a fire pepper." Bastion was now rolling his arms to simulate the burbling in its stomach. Eden seemed entranced. Tiffany stood right behind the girl as she drew her silver rapier. That was when she noticed that Bastion had stopped his story as he looked at her in confusion. Not fear but confusion. Tiffany thrust her blade forward, piercing through. The child with ease. Eden looked down. Her eyes widened as she began frothing at the mouth in panic and passed out. Her body fell through the rapier without much resistance. Not even a wound or the usual shedding of blood. Bastion just scowled with an unperturbed look on his face. "That was mean? Why''d you have to go and spook Eden. She''s a bit jumpy." "I just stabbed your friend." Tiffany reappeared in front of Bastion. "No. You didn''t. That attack wasn''t real." Bastion was looking to his right where the real Tiffany stood, her sword still hidden. "How can you tell?" Tiffany asked curiously. Bastion threw up his hands and shrugged. "Kyrion has some mean girlfriends." "Two words, and you aren''t wrong. I was actually coming to get you both. Didn''t expect her to pass out from an illusion." Can you give me a hand? Bastion looked at Eden, who was a few inches taller than himself, and then at Tiffany. "Fine." Tiffany picked up Eden and threw the kid over her shoulder. "That doesn''t look very comfortable." Bastion said. "Well, you didn''t want to help. Let''s go. We''re going to go meet up with Kyrion. "Will I get to hear stories about him?" "I don''t want you to be too disappointed by your Idol." Tiffany said soundly. Bastion scowled. "Mr. Kyrion could never disappoint me. Tiffany put her other hand on Bastion''s right shoulder. "I remember when I thought the same." Bastion''s scowl deepened, and his eyebrows furrowed. "Scary aren''t you with those eyes. It''s like I''m looking at two people instead of one. I heard a long time ago that eyes are the windows to a soul. What does having two different eyes mean?" Tiffany poked the boy between the brows. Bastion crossed his arms. Book Two: Chapter 23 Tea Time with Cordelia Ceres and Wura sat at a table with Cordelia as they discussed the state of the world, rising clothing prices, the number of classes Kyrion skipped while attending the academy, and how many of his teachers were worried that he was falling behind in places. When Kyrion arrived, he¡¯d have a lot of explaining to do. Sadly Kyrion was still hopping around the city looking for his mother and had not been able to explain himself. ¡°Ah right and that¡¯s when he skipped his water manipulation class to go cheer on his friend Max who was participating in his tamer¡¯s tournament. He only got number two, but it was a success given his previous showings. Shakalot proved to be a good partner for combat. A chipmunk that accidentally ate a magical walnut and gained the ability to channel lightning mana.¡± ¡°A walnut that gives animals magic. Where would a chipmunk find something like that?¡± ¡°Oh right. Kyrion can create nuts that give animals powers. Though he keeps him for himself. Max has to pay a hundred Academy Points, to use them.¡± ¡°A hundred sounds like a lot.¡± Cordelia crossed her arms. ¡°It is. But it¡¯s to make sure that Max takes good care of the creatures he does have at his disposal.¡± ¡°Hopefully he has a family discount available. He missed Six to seven birthdays afterall.¡± ¡°Kyrion does not bend, even to family.¡± Ceres stated. ¡°He¡¯s flexible. On a serious note if Kyrion can make monsters stronger then he¡¯ll probably be able to stop the bottleneck tamers tend to face early on. Guess I¡¯ll have to speak with an old friend.¡± Cordelia tutted. Wura looked at Ceres suspiciously. ¡°Are you trying to get Kyrion in trouble?¡± ¡°Master in trouble? I¡¯m just informing his mother of all the fun he¡¯s been having at the academy.¡± ¡°You mean how he¡¯s been doing the bare minimum and hiding from anything that would give him more responsibilities?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see it like that. A lot of people want him so the weaker he seems the less they care about chasing him down before he¡¯s worth capturing..¡± ¡®¡°Do you think he¡¯s learning anything at that school?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°He¡¯s learned how to lie.¡± Ceres shrugged. ¡°He could always lie. But he had a tell he¡¯d get a familiar look in his eye. Almost as though it was shining.¡± ¡°Yeah. That eye was replaced by a prosthetic hence the eyepatch.¡± Ceres squirmed. ¡°I know. It¡¯s my fathers eye. He never told me what it was for, he just called it annoying.¡± ¡°Sounds familiar. I guess it was just a replacement.¡± Ceres shrugged. ¡°I really thought he¡¯d get another affinity from it given what the others said.¡± Wura seemed surprised. Cordelia sighed. ¡°My father had a lot of secrets. Most of which were things he didn¡¯t get around to speaking about. Mostly because they were questions I didn¡¯t know to ask.¡± ¡°How did your father lose his eye? I only know the bits that Charles told me.¡± Ceres asked. ¡°To a sword wielding maniac with a thing for collecting unique eyes. The way my father told it, the two fought for five months straight without rest and it was a stalemate before they made a deal.¡± ¡°What was the deal? And why does that sound familiar.¡± Ceres asked. ¡°He laughed whenever I asked that question. Still don¡¯t know what it was about.¡± ¡°Five months straight. I know who you¡¯re talking about but still it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± . ¡°Your dad was there. He¡¯s also the reason why¡­.¡± Boom ¡°Found you. Mother, we need to talk.¡± Kyrion said as he landed on the road with a loud crash. Many looked his way and went the opposite direction choosing not to be near the leaping spirit master. ¡°Where Illanda?¡± Cordelia squinted. ¡°Here.¡± Said a weak voice from behind Kyrion. A small hand reaching upwards could be seen. A few ragged breaths later, she pulled herself over Kyrion¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I thought I was going to die. Horses don¡¯t move that fast. They also don¡¯t leap through the air like a mad man!¡± ¡°You can fly already?.¡± Cordelia stated. ¡°Jumping off platforms of wind. Flying traditionally is a bit sketchy. I have two speeds. Fast and not moving.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good and all. But why are you here? You want something don¡¯t you?¡± Cordelia¡¯s gaze softened. ¡°I want you to tell me the truth. You¡¯ve lied to me about a lot of things.¡± ¡°No, there are very few lies I¡¯ve told you, most of which isn¡¯t your burden to bear. Bill Jr was actually in his early thirties when you were born. Though he didn¡¯t want you calling him old like you call everyone else old. You did it anyway¡­.¡± Cordelia stopped herself from going further. ¡°Will you answer my questions?¡± Kyrion asked, his focus not letting him get distracted. ¡°Depends on the question. You¡¯re old enough to make your own decisions, more or less.¡± Cordelia nodded as Kyrion didn¡¯t bat an eye at the blatant attempt to warn him away. ¡°Now, don¡¯t lie. This sounds good but no more tricks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. A chance meeting like this may not occur again in my lifetime.¡± Cordelia pulled out a flask and poured a good amount of brown liquid into her tea. Not altering its color in the slightest. Kyrion eyed his mother suspiciously before asking. ¡°Is father dead and if not do you know where he is?¡± Cordelia took a sip of the liquid before a tired gaze looked up at Kyrion. ¡°No he is not dead. His current whereabouts are unknown to most. I do know that he brought the refugees into the forest of dreams. Everything after that is a mystery. We haven¡¯t spoken since the attack began. I know he is alive because this is still intact.¡± Cordelia flashed her wedding ring. ¡°What¡¯s so special about that?¡± Kyrion looked at the piece of bronze. ¡°My wedding ring. There is an enchantment on it. Till death do us part. If one of us were to die the ring¡¯s gem would split in half, until then the gem is unbreakable and the ring can¡¯t be lost.¡± Cordelia threw the ring across the street, and it disappeared, reappearing on her ring finger. ¡°Huh. That makes a lot of sense. Very practical.¡± Kyrion was dumbstruck as he realized how he could use something similar to a healer to check vitals. ¡°It¡¯s a common enchantment that also works as an object that can¡¯t be stolen. Technically it¡¯s a form of curse.¡± Cordelia rubbed the gem in the center. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you looked for them? Dad and the villagers I mean.¡± ¡°Kyrion. I¡¯m weak now. My body is stronger than a normal humans but without mana making a trip like this alone is suicide. Going onto hallowed ground in my state is beyond even that. He probably didn¡¯t go too far as it seems the Northern Orc tribes haven¡¯t been conquered.¡± ¡°Where were you?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I won¡¯t say.¡± Cordelia said quickly. ¡°Why?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°I won¡¯t say.¡± Cordelia took a long sip. ¡°Why did we live as commoners when we¡¯re technically nobles?¡± ¡°Oh that? Because I was supposed to be executed and since I did a favor for the empire I was forced into political hiding.¡± Cordelia seemed nonplussed. Kyrion¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Executed? What did you do?¡± ¡°Kyrion, what do you know of the Dancing Skeleton?¡± Cordelia steepled her fingers. ¡°It was a contagious plague that spread like wildfire and caused many on the eastern side of the continent to decompose while alive and unaware. It infected millions of people in the republic and led to a combined effort to contain those affected. Apparently the plague was created by the Death Tyrant.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°So you are learning things in your school. I¡¯m glad to hear. Ceres made it seem like you skipped all your lessons.¡± Cordelia steepled her fingers. ¡°I only attend when they have something to teach me. Why would you bring that up? The plague died after a few years. That was over thirty years ago.¡± ¡°When my brother was killed during the war. The republic sold his body and used it in a ritual to place the soul of an ally inside the corpse and bring them back to life. That man in my brother¡¯s body killed my sister in law and caused the distraction that led to my father losing his arm. My brother was my twin and his death shook me in a way that drove me insane for a while. Life lost its weight on my conscience as I worked to end the war as quickly as possible. And as recompense the republic ordered my public execution on grounds of a ceasefire. Of course I¡¯m not dead. That¡¯s a story you¡¯d need to ask your father for.¡± Cordelia finished the mostly brandy at this point and poured some more from the flask into the teacup. Kyrion didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, Kyrion¡¯s eyes seemed to be saddened at the tale. ¡°This world is flawed. The strong prosper and the weak face a fate worse than death.If you aren¡¯t leading your being used as fodder. I will never regret my actions that day. I will never forgive the king of the Beastblood Empire that wears the flesh of my brother. I devoted the years before you were born on creating a weapon that could tear souls from a body. Under the castle of Necropolis should you make it there you should find the schematics for the rune work on such a weapon. But thats in a long time from now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same person that was after my body.¡± Kyrion¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°After your body? Are you sure? You may need that weapon sooner rather than later then.¡± Kyrion explained his involvement with the agents sent by the beast blood empire. Cordelia was unsurprised. ¡°for you, anyone attempting to do so would have to take your body would have to break through two lines of defense.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Cordelia shrugged. ¡°Just repeating something an old friend said.¡± ¡°Ok. Does it have something to do with the hobo in my head?¡± ¡°A hobo?¡± ¡°Freeloader. Menace. Crazy man. Whatever.¡± Kyrion reiterated. ¡°Oh that¡¯s you. Do you know about alchemy?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°More or less. I¡¯m not an expert.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Do you know the difference between a compound and a mixture?¡± ¡°Yes. The first can¡¯t be reversed while the latter can.¡± ¡°Right. The person in your head is a like oil while you are water. While both wet in degrees, something is preventing you both from mixing properly. When you reach a certain level of power you will slowly become similar in make-up and eventually become a compound but until then you are two souls mostly inhabiting a body.¡± ¡°So I can¡¯t kick him out.¡± ¡°Why would you want to kick yourself out?¡± ¡°He¡¯s different. I bet he¡¯s the type that enjoys tearing the wings off butterflies.¡± ¡°You know us so well,¡± Psycho whispered in Kyrion¡¯s head. Kyrion¡¯s visible eye bulged. ¡°You did do that once when you were around four. That was when your hair turned black. You also started acting like an angsty teen huffing about. Had me thinking you got a hold of Curella¡¯s old romance novels and used it as reading practice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± Kyrion searched his memory. There was nothing but a whistling sound in his head as the memories were being kept away from him. ¡°I was a bit confused back then.¡± Psycho said shyly. ¡°So he¡¯s active right now?¡± ¡°Too active. He keeps trying to fight my battles or make me do stupid things. I can feel him clawing for control at times and cringing when I do something he doesn¡¯t agree with.¡± Kyrion said, his eyebrows scrunched up. ¡°Stupid things like what?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°He wanted me to leave the kids out of the picture when I had lunch with Nicole. My brain is too tired for all the things she¡¯ll try to fill my head with.¡± Kyrion admitted. ¡°He¡¯s talking about a date right?¡± Cordelia asked Wura. ¡°It could go either way with those two. Both are a few minutes short of a baked cake.¡± Wura shrugged. ¡°Who is this Nicole to you?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°We¡¯re friends, she helped me remember how to read.¡± Kyrion said with a monotone. ¡°You mean to learn.¡± Cordelia corrected. ¡°It didn¡¯t feel like I was learning something new. Like something I¡¯d already spent time doing and was just regaining memory of. Anyhow I¡¯m thankful to her and glad we¡¯re friends but I don¡¯t know if I can trust her. I get that she was in hiding and I didn¡¯t bother to ask. But it would have been nice not to be the last person to learn that one of their good friends was a princess. Or a girl though that aspect doesn¡¯t change much.¡± Kyrion seemed a bit bored by the conversation. ¡°Everyone lies, Kyrion. That¡¯s just the way things go, princesses have a responsibility and hers involved staying hidden you can¡¯t fault her for doing what she needed to do.¡± ¡°She also keeps a few strands of my hair in a box that preserves freshness. Apparently it was to track me down when I get lost but¡­ It kinda creeps me out.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s a little creepy?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ The hairs on my neck stand up when she¡¯s nearby and my heart beats irregularly. Like I need to escape the jaws of a predator. At least that¡¯s what it feels like when she¡¯s staring at me for two long.¡± ¡°Kyrion, do you have a crush?¡± Wura asked, aghast. ¡°I didn¡¯t crush anybody. Well not lately.¡± Kyrion proclaimed. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s either fear or confusion. When hunting a gazelle, if you startle it, it isn¡¯t thinking about who you are, it¡¯s getting to the safest place it can find without turning back. Nicole startled Kyrion and now he¡¯s running for his life. Acting like a prey animal. Honestly, If you¡¯re not overthinking this then she sounds obsessive which probably means you should be careful. No harems you got that.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s too late. I¡¯m already in one.¡± Kyrion said unabashedly. ¡°You already have a harem? With who? Please explain.¡± Cordelia wasn¡¯t sure she knew her son anymore. When did he become such a fiend? I mean, he still had her looks and his grandfather¡¯s stature. ¡°Let¡¯s see. There¡¯s Max, Tiffany, Bella, Ceres, Cecil, Ander, Brion, Raven, and Freya.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Brion the son Vicount Forest? You¡¯re including boys in your harem? I¡¯m not against it its just a bit progressive.¡± ¡°My harem? No, it¡¯s Cecil¡¯s harem. I don¡¯t run anything. I¡¯m trying to get Bella and Bastion in on it as well.¡± ¡°Ceres? Are you really apart of this harem?¡± Wura asked with worry. ¡°I think so.¡± Ceres tapped her chin. ¡°Kyrion for the love of all that is holy. Do you know what a harem is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group of people who get along. Almost like a team and since Cecil kept complaining about it I got my friends to join his harem as well.¡± A sigh passed over the table as Cordelia temporarily pushed her empty cup away. ¡°Why was I even worried?¡± ¡°Did you run out?¡± ¡°Back on topic. This Nicole seems to be the obsessive type. Many tragedies begin or end with obsession. I won¡¯t tell you to stay away from your friend, but you should be clear on where you stand. ¡°Uncle Kyrion you just had to say that the lady was scary. We would have saved you.¡± Illanda patted Kyrion on the back. ¡°Uncle? That¡¯s. Why does she keep calling me uncle?¡± ¡°Oh that. It¡¯s because she¡¯s Jr¡¯s and Samantha¡¯s daughter.¡± Cordelia said unbothered. ¡°But the¡¯re siblings!¡± Kyrion¡¯s jaw dropped in surprise. Cordelia slapped herself on the forehead, which hurt, so she smacked Kyrion on the forehead. ¡°This wasn¡¯t a lie. You just don¡¯t listen. Samanta and Jr got married, she became your sister in law. A year later Illanda was born while they were away on their honeymoon.¡± ¡°Oh. Ohhhh.¡± Kyrion remembered calling Samanta his big sister, and she used to correct him by saying in law. Then he kept getting on her nerves when she corrected him, so she stopped doing so. ¡°Wait. Why didn¡¯t they get their own room then?¡± ¡°They did and then Illanda was born and well she was a bit clingy.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Illanda said, still clinging to Kyrion¡¯s back. ¡°You were a baby. To be fair you didn¡¯t like leaving your mothers side for a while and Kyrion needed someone to keep an eye on him after he started sleep walking and falling off the bed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sleepwalk.¡± Kyrion stated The teacup was empty again, and Cordelia pulled out her flask, which was also empty. ¡°What are you drinking?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Burning Liver brandy. But I¡¯m out now. So I guess you should get your last few questions over with.¡± ¡°What do I need to do to help you?¡± Kyrion asked with a straight face. ¡°You can¡¯t help me, Kyrion. I no longer have a core for mana. It was put into you hence your dilemma. You have too much mana for someone your age and rank and it¡¯s only been growing. Don¡¯t worry about a villain like me who would only use their reawakened powers for bloodshed and vengeance.¡± ¡°How would I help someone that isn¡¯t you in a similar situation?¡± ¡°There is a sealed tomb that can only be entered by practitioners under the age of twenty in Clomonis. Inside there is a slate known as a reawakening tablet. It allows the user to reawaken their spirits and evolve them but it sets them back to the beginning of their tier. For someone like me it would bring me back to the start of the expert rank. But it would be a waste. It shines for those who are young and in need of it most. The tablet can be used six times before it becomes inert for ten years. There are multiple but each participant in the trial may only take one in their lifetime. You don¡¯t need something like that.¡± ¡°So It can be used to make my friends stronger. And I can use it as an excuse to get out of class!¡± Kyrion hugged his mother and stood up. Ceres shook her head. ¡°You need to return to school first, let¡¯s use the transportation shrines!¡± Kyrion winced. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go talk to Gamodren. He should be about done.¡± Before leaving the area, Kyrion handed a note to a seamstress with a red scarf around her neck. ¡°Mark has a weird mole under his nose. I told him that it needed to be lanced but he didn¡¯t listen. Now the mole seems to have grown and is in dire need of a surgeon. It¡¯s a shame there aren¡¯t that many who can accomplish such a job.¡± Kyrion said in code. ¡°Poor Mark. I¡¯ll ask around and see if we can find a surgeon suitable for the job.¡± ¡°Good good.¡± Kyrion smiled and left. ¡°What did you do? That made no sense.¡± Illanda asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with grandma?¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°She¡¯s boring and you¡¯re up to something. You sure took to calling her that fast.¡± ¡°A slip of the tongue. I may end up in a fight sooner or later so you¡¯d be in the way.¡± ¡°Doubt it. I can help¡± ¡°No you can¡¯t. It¡¯s been serious. Everywhere I go I can sense people watching me.¡± Kyrion said honestly. ¡°...uh.¡± Illanda mumbled as she looked for the words. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. You should go see the doctors.¡± Illanda ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. In fact, I¡¯m headed toward a hospital right now. Noah should be up now.¡± Kyrion vanished from his niece¡¯s sight. Book Two: Chapter 24 Capture Kyrion walked at a casual pace as he headed to his destination. His steps were not fast or slow; as he did so, he became harder to track, becoming one with the crowd. The smell of fried gatosarus made an excellent cover as he covered his red mane with a hood while slipping a mask over his mouth. ¡°Freshly hunted sarus tail get your saurs tail here!¡± Despite its high nutritional value and excellent taste, the vendor had a small line as many seemed uncomfortable eating monster meat. Kyrion stopped by and ordered a skewer with a voice much deeper and more suitable for someone with his statue. It only cost him a bit of mana and a lot of control. As he sat at the booth and began attempting to eat his prize, an armored hand gripped his shoulder. ¡°Sorry but we must ask that you remove your hood. There is a very dangerous fugitive rugitive supeted of murdering the captian of the city guard. The suspects name is Kyrion and he has red hair and a large build.¡± ¡°Oh? I must inform you that I am not this Kyrion.¡± Kyrion pulled down his hood, and like magic, his wild red hair was now a mane of curly black hair shorter than it was moments before. Even his eyebrows had shifted to match. That didn¡¯t hide his eyepatch, however. ¡°Sorry for the trouble sir. Won¡¯t happen again.¡± A guard bowed before retreating. ¡°Mistakes happen. Just because I¡¯m big doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m your person. There are plenty of us, after all. The guard stood there awkwardly before retreating a few feet. Kyrion noted that the guard rested his hand on his hilt and tightened a few muscles. ¡°I see. What¡¯s your name sir?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Kyrion paused as people rarely addressed him with that title, which confused him. ¡°Your name is Sir. Are you a knight?¡± The grip tightened, and mana slowly began to coat the blade. ¡°No, Sirbastian is my name. I really should get going. I have a busy schedule.¡± ¡°Odd name. That eyepatch. Where did you get it?¡± The guard asked calmly. Kyrion grabbed his food skewer from the table and reinforced it with mana using it to intercept the sword aimed at his neck. ¡°Oh, you''re a quick one, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with.¡± Kyrion held the blade in place with his wooden skewer. The guard drew their sword back and swung again, putting his full force behind the attack. Kyrion stopped the strike aside with his skewer again with a bit of ease. ¡°Final chance to surrender. Shouldn¡¯t you be asking more questions or at least try to take me in to be judged?¡± Kyrion stepped back, twirling the stick through his fingers with just as much ease. ¡°Die!¡± The guard thrust forward, attempting to disembowel Kyrion. ¡°Fledglings shouldn¡¯t attack those much stronger than them.¡± Was Kyrion¡¯s response as he drove the skewer through the wrists of the sword using guard. ¡°Agh! You bastard. I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°O.k. Now listen here. I don¡¯t like threats so I¡¯ll take this as you being blinded by grief and rage. So I¡¯ll let you off easy.¡± Kyrion took the sword from the guard¡¯s pinned hands and threw it in his domain. The guard attempted to headbutt Kyrion as his hands were unusable. Kyrion dodged the attack using his foot to trip the man. A second skewer was used to sever the guard¡¯s Achilles tendon leaving him prone and writhing in pain. The guard seemed to begin frothing at the mouth and started wiggling towards him. Kyrion grabbed a tankard belonging to a customer that had vacated when the fight began and poured it on the madman. The man soon stopped moving. ¡°So you know. I didn¡¯t start this. You all saw him draw his sword on me, right?¡± Kyrion looked to the other customers, who began backing away. ¡°I¡¯ll testify. This doesn¡¯t sit well.¡± The chef was an older man with a scar that passed diagonally across his face and various other marks of battle. By his barring, Kyrion could tell that this man was at least a practitioner. ¡°Did you hunt the beast that you served yourself?¡± Kyrion asked the cook. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be asking questions.¡± The chef stated as he nodded his head towards where a contingent of guards headed their way. Kyrion decided to run. Anyone strong enough to recognize him would either leave him alone or try to capture him. As the boy entered the crowd, his eyepatch disappeared, and his outfit changed as he was now wearing a common tunic and work pants, a shovel in his hands and his short black hair made him look like your average farmer. Aside from his build, he shouldn¡¯t be recognizable. Still, Kyrion made sure to weave his way through crowds and actively tried to disappear. Within minutes he was free of his pursuers and on the Norn¡¯s campus. The boy then opened up his senses catching onto Jesse, who happened to be the closest person he knew. The chestnut-haired boy was talking to a brown-haired boy with glasses and a streak of gray hair that seemed to show signs of stress. The most notable thing about the boy, however, seemed to be how every one of his movements was measured. Kyrion scratched his chin and hid a smirk. ¡°Jesse! Who¡¯s your friend?¡± Kyrion said, ending their conversation. ¡°Huh?¡± Jesse seemed shocked, while the boy in glasses didn¡¯t even pretend that this wasn¡¯t part of his plan. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Chester. I am Lady Asela¡¯s personal aid.¡± Chester bowed his hand over his chest. ¡°I see. So you must be his apprentice.¡± Kyrion had a suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± Chester tried to lie. ¡°Either Charles is training you or you¡¯re a threat to Asela¡¯s safety. Given that I can tell we¡¯re both running similar con¡¯s at our schools I recommend answering truthfully.¡± ¡°Similar? I don¡¯t run around making a fool out of our top brass.¡± ¡°But you could. If you needed too. You just come across as an efficient person. But I digress, do you know why guards are after me?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Jesse asked before he collapsed into Chester¡¯s arms. ¡°You didn¡­ Guess you did actually. I do not know who sent them but I do know something is fishy. The captain died and a group of guards are using that as an excuse to abuse their position. Similarly I don¡¯t know why they care about someone like you in the first place.¡± ¡°Good. Good.¡± Kyrion began to circle around Chester, his muscles visibly tensing as the boy seemed to eye his prey. Chester looked Kyrion in his eyes before catching on. Kyrion threw a wide punch meant to take Chester¡¯s head off. Chester rolled to the side, barely evading as the wide blow connected with something hard. A crunching sound reverberated as Kyrion incapacitated his hidden pursuer. ¡°Took me too long to notice that one.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°When did he get there?¡± Chester asked. ¡°I noticed him when you knocked out Jesse. He must have just arrived as that was when the grass began to press down where he was standing.¡± ¡°How did you notice something as minute as that?¡± ¡°Training. Now can you tell me where Noah is resting?¡± ¡°He¡¯s already entered secluded training. I can take a message.¡± ¡°Tell him that he won¡¯t be fighting me in the upcoming tournament. Also tell him that he should have been able to counter the black sand as it was mostly metal.¡± ¡°Why give up your strategy?¡± ¡°Because I stole it from someone else. I once asked a friend how he¡¯d deal with someone who wore armor and moved quickly. He told me to first prevent their movement, then he told me to make their armor work against them.¡± ¡°Amadeus? I guess we are similar.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve done your research. I look forward to seeing you beat my team in the upcoming tournament.¡± Kyrion turned and watched as a black dagger came soaring at him. Kyrion caught the burning dagger, looking for his attacker when a set of manacles restrained him, and his body floated two feet off the ground. A man with stitches over his mouth approached him, and Kyrion felt his connection with his mana vanish. Kyrion tried to cry out, but no words came out. ¡°Hey what are you doing!¡± Chester put up a front. ¡°Kyrion is wanted for the murder of Captain Vendral and his elite guard, as well as the slaughter of Tovile, espionage, and entering the capital without optining an entry permit.¡± Kyrion floated above, a bit irritated. He would get to the bottom of this if he had to break this city apart piece by piece.
Cordelia sat across from headmaster Caeden. ¡°They arrested my son and you want me to sit here and do nothing?¡± Cordelia¡¯s calm tone betrayed her anger like a tiger hiding behind a veil. The silhouette can be seen, but it has yet to make itself known. ¡°I can get him out by tomorrow afternoon. Thing is, this situation is tricky.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well, he maimed a guard. Eyewitnesses say the guard drew his weapon first but¡­.¡± ¡°He attacked a guard. While the guard was out of line, Kyrion isn¡¯t of this land.¡± ¡°Gotta love politics.¡± ¡°What do they want?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Nothing so far. They don¡¯t want trust in the city guard to drop so if they try to execute him then I imagine riots would start.¡± ¡°Mmmhmmm.¡± ¡°Anyhow they¡¯d want to do this trial by the book. Did your son have an alibi?¡± ¡°He was carrying his girl friend back to campus after she collapsed. He didn¡¯t run, the boy was very careful and a lot of people saw him.¡± ¡°Girlfriend? When? Who?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated. The one they call Nicole.¡± ¡°Take the teleporter to Drisil and rest Kyrion should be back in a no longer than a week.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to try to break out? Probably succeed you can¡¯t hold an ocean in a cup of water.¡± ¡°He was seen as a threat and has been subdued by the voiceless.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t even an expert.¡± ¡°But they are a third party. One that wouldn¡¯t try to kill him without just cause.¡± Caeden said. ¡°I don¡¯t like this Caeden.¡± Cordelia stood up. ¡°Me either. I¡¯ll stay nearby. Just in case.¡± Caeden tipped over an empty glass. His body vanished as it shattered.
¡°Well Brion¡¯s going to be disappointed.¡± Tiffany muttered as she led Eden and Bastion to the teleporter. ¡°Are they going to execute Kyrion?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°Slaughter? He wouldn¡¯t do something like that would he?¡± Eden asked. ¡°He totally would if they were bad guys.¡± Bastion answered. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t. Kyrion doesn¡¯t kill people. Monsters with levels of sentience? If they have already taken a life or will do so.¡± ¡°But the slavers¡­Were killed by my people. It was their choice to get revenge.¡± ¡°As for your question, if they try to execute Kyrion there are going to be quite a few problems. He¡¯s wanted by a few organizations. Some for religious reasons others for less than reputable ones. If anything they want answers and think he is the easiest way to get them.¡± ¡°So they picked him up for no reason?¡± Eden grimaced. ¡°No. Chances are that a slaughter did occur but the culprit isn¡¯t someone we know.¡± ¡°I see. So, everyone I knew before coming here, my friends. They¡¯re dead.¡± Eden didn¡¯t cry. It was clear she was holding it back, however. This wasn¡¯t the time or the place to mourn. ¡°I¡¯ll get you all somewhere safe.¡± Tiffany led the kids towards the nearest shrine to Imala. A place that lets one teleport from one shrine to another for a price. Those of devout faith, however, received a discount. Public teleportation was heavily documented, and just in case, the user was of less than honorable conscience. Their trip back to Drisil only cost them 750 gold.
Chester knocked on Asela¡¯s door before taking a step back. ¡°What do you want? It¡¯s almost time for lights out.¡± Asela said a bit grumpily from the other side. ¡°It¡¯s me, Milady. I come with dreadful news. Kyrion has been arrested for the murder of the guard captain, along with some other charges.¡± Chester would have continued, but the sound of a body hitting the floor stopped him. ¡°Nicole! Get back to bed, you''re exhausted.¡± Asela ordered. ¡°But Kyrion beads our help!¡± Nicole said in a daze. ¡°You¡¯re not even speaking straight. You can wait until morning. Not much you can do now except go to your own room.¡± ¡°Oh right. What happened?¡± ¡°Kyrion carried you back after you collapsed.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯ll go get some sleep.¡± Nicole left the room, her face as red as an apple. ¡°Chester, please procure transportation for tomorrow morning.¡± Asela looked to Chester. ¡°Yes milady.¡± The door closed. ¡°Thank you.¡± Asela whispered. Book Two: Chapter 25 Jail house rocks By the time Kyrion was allowed to speak, he had been standing outside a rather stinky cell with a few occupants. He didn¡¯t like the weird look some of the guards gave him and some of the prisoners. He knew that those particular guards were bloodthirsty and twisted. ¡°Can I get my own room?¡± Kyrion asked the voiceless with the stitched-together mouth. The Voiceless was one of the few with no malice towards him or the others. Another guard came and punched the boy in his face. Which should have accomplished nothing. Instead, Kyrion was knocked against the cell, his head banging against the bars as another guard restrained the other one. Kyrion used the push that wouldn¡¯t have worked on him if he¡¯d resisted stealing the guard¡¯s key to his manacles. He also didn¡¯t force himself to the ground hard to exaggerate the push. Of course, this was one of the guards that had malice toward him, so it was only fitting that he robbed that one. The voiceless guard opened the cell door as another pushed Kyrion in, ensuring the door was locked when they left. Kyrion didn¡¯t get up immediately. He realized what was going on the moment the manacles went across his wrists. If he showed them that the ones they placed on his wrist couldn¡¯t handle all his mana, they¡¯d just put something stronger on him, and he¡¯d have more supervision. Unlike the other occupants, he was the only one visibly restrained by manacles. Which meant he should probably find a corner and stay quiet. Sadly that wasn¡¯t up to him. A thin man with a goatee and jet black hair approached him. ¡°What are you in for?¡± ¡°False charges.¡± Kyrion stated bluntly. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all? What do they say you did then?¡± ¡°Mass murder, arson, assassination of some offical, Illegal entry, attacking a guard, and maiming said guard. The rest wasn¡¯t worth noting.¡± Kyrion said bluntly as he casually slipped one hand out of the manacles, followed by the other. The short man decided that what he did wasn¡¯t up to half of what Kyiron was accused of doing. What¡¯s worse was with Kyrion¡¯s build, many of those accusations could have been true to a degree. ¡°What did you do, tiny man?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I was a thief. Took something from the wrong person and ended up here.¡± The shorter man all but whispered. Kyrion looked at a red-haired man with an eyepatch. ¡°Ha! You must be a poser! For I, the great Red bear, am the one who did all those things!¡± The muscular man said. He was a few inches shorter than Kyrion, which wasn¡¯t short by any means, and his bulky form was a bit unbalanced. Kyrion walked up to the man and looked down at him. ¡°If you really did do all those things that I¡¯ve been accused of then I¡¯ll kill you right now.¡± Kyrion lied, but this man wasn¡¯t going to be killed by him, but spreading false rumors were dangerous. ¡°Like I, the Great Alexander¡­!¡± Kyrion punched the wall leaving a creator next to the imposter¡¯s head before slipping his manacles back on. He then slammed his head into the wall dealing some surface damage to himself, before taking a seat under the debris, feigning unconsciousness. A welt on his face was starting to show. As though someone had struck him. A guard came to check out the noise, saw the scene, and just hit the bars. ¡°Oi! Don¡¯t go causing any more racket!¡± The guard left, and Kyrion shot right back up. ¡°Well then. Poser. What are you really in for?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just use that word, it¡¯s my word. I came up with it.¡± The impersonator said. ¡°I am ten seconds away from using you as a battering ram to break down this wall.¡± Kyrion stated in a serious tone. ¡°Fine, fine. I am just an actor. When I was practicing my lines in my home the guards came in and grabbed me.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Meh Thod.¡± The actor said, a bit shaken. ¡°Good, now I don¡¯t have to put you through any walls.¡± Kyrion pointed to an old drunk man currently swimming on the floor. ¡°Excuse me sir? Why are you here?¡± Kyrion looked at the old man lying on the ground and grimaced before bowing. ¡°Got drunk, got angry, fun fight¡­hic.¡± The old man closed his eyes and began rolling around on the ground. ¡°When do they come back?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Once an hour until lights out.¡± The thief stated. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion pulled out a doorknob and some chalk and drew a doorway, placing the doorknob against the door. ¡°Are you going to escape?¡± The thief asked. ¡°Who knows. Knock If the guards need me.¡± Kyrion walked into the doorway, and nothing happened. ¡°Escape isn¡¯t that easy.¡± The drunk rolled over onto his back and laughed. Kyrion grimaced and closed his eyes, finding that he was still connected to his core, so his mana wasn¡¯t sealed, but the place was warded against magical interference. Placing his hand to his black hair, Kyrion ruffled it, and its color shifted back to its straight and red form. A scowl adorned his face. They knew who he was, so what was the point of hiding? Meh Thod spoke first. The actor bowed. ¡°You must be the real Red Bear.¡± ¡°Just a passing resemblance, I assure you.¡± Kyrion lied as his hands dug around in the rubble. Kyrion sent a query to his earth spirit. ¡°Can you scan this building? I¡¯m looking for a way out. Preferably without tipping my hand and walking through the front door.¡± ¡°So this is a guard house cell. You sure ask me to scan the nicest places. Casting Grid¡­¡± Karl said with some sarcasm. ¡°I know right?¡± ¡°...¡± Karl did not reply. ¡°Karl?¡± ¡°Large mineral deposits detected. Possibility of another dungeon buried sixty feet below under layers of dirt and granite. I detect artificial lifeforms in said location, one humanoid. Lots of gems for material use. I recommend looting this area for minerals. This dungeon seems to be gold ranked. Middle-high practitioner level in difficulty. It will be hard if you go alone.¡± ¡°How do I get down?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I have already altered the runes to accept your ability to sink into the earth. This is very amateurish work. While down there you¡¯ll have a solid six to eight hours to explore.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms and spoke aloud. ¡°You see what?¡± The thief asked. ¡°Tim? Can you fight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my name.¡± The pickpocket grimaced. ¡°You look like a Tim, so you are now Tim. Unless you want to give me a birth name.¡± Kyrion waved his hand as though the matter was trivial. ¡°Fine¡­What do you want then?¡± Tim scowled. ¡°Can you fight? Are you a spirit master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a peak fledgling, I haven¡¯t gotten what I needed to transition into practitioner yet. I can move shadows and use them to attack and hide.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± Kyrion asked immediately ¡°Seventeen. Wait why does¡­.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°Have you been approached by any tailors?¡± ¡°Yes? But what would clothing makers have to teach me?¡± ¡°Figures. Anyhow, I have a great opportunity for you to earn some legal money. Though you won¡¯t be getting any sleep here tonight.¡± ¡°You have a way out of here?¡± Tim asked. ¡°Not directly. This is literally what I said it is an opportunity to earn some money while here. When do the people come to let you loose?¡± ¡°The magistrate see¡¯s new cases every five days. So if you did something serious then you¡¯ll be here to rot until then. It¡¯s their version of rehabilitation.¡± ¡°And if you¡¯re innocent?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t say the system was perfect. The drunk will probably be gone by morning as public intoxication isn¡¯t strictly magistite worthy. Neither are bar fights. He¡¯s probably here until he sobers up. Same with the actor being picked up mistakenly. Given that you were probably the target.¡± ¡°And you?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Five day¡¯s they say I robbed a noble. They really want me to rot.¡± ¡°Did they confiscate what you took?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible they found it. But unlikely. Why am I telling you this?¡± ¡°I have a way to make it seem as though you were here the whole time while we go make some money. Do you have a way to store goods without them being visible?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t just have this tunic, they confiscated all my weapons and armor. Didn¡¯t they do the same to you?¡± Kyrion looked at his loose-fitting clothes. All that had been taken was his cloak. They did check him thoroughly but didn¡¯t take much. As Kyrion never kept much on him. ¡°Didn¡¯t have much to get taken.¡± Kyrion tossed a seed into the air, and a plant grew from a ball in the ceiling. ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± ¡°Grab my hand and hold your breath.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t..¡± A plant-like film covered the two, and then various vines grew on their bodies, forming into a skin-tight covering. The vines then fell to the ground and began to gain shape, becoming more like the two who had been covered. During this process, Kyrion and Tim sunk into the ground and disappeared. Twenty, thirty, fifty feet, sixty. Kyrion popped down inside a cave with very poor oxygen circulation. Immediately he used wind mana to filter it and convert it into something breathable. Tim was actively wheezing as he struggled to his feet. ¡°Eat this.¡± Kyrion handed him a white berry. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Tim asked. ¡°A fresh air fruit. It allows the consumer to breathe underwater or in areas with poor oxygen content for twelve hours. The effect fades gradually and you will need to take another before it completely fades.¡± ¡°Did you bring me down here to hold me over a barrel?¡± The rogue looked for a way out. ¡°Nope. I may need some assistance. I can give you two weeks worth of those berries right now.¡± ¡°Where am I going to keep them and how do I know they won¡¯t go bad?¡± ¡°Question after question. Can¡¯t you just give me some blind faith?¡± The pickpocket looked at him skeptically. ¡°Fine. Do you know how to bind to equipment?¡± Kyrion pulled out a sack before drawing a ritual circle on the ground. Tim began to cough. ¡°Eat the berry.¡± Tim looked into Kyrion¡¯s eye. Kyrion consumed a white berry in front of him. ¡°See? Not poisonous.¡± Tim seemed to take that as truth and ate the berry. His symptoms immediately felt as he took a deep breath. ¡°So you¡¯ll give me more than enough to survive.¡± ¡°Yes. Nod can you put your blood on the circle?¡± Tim bit his thumb and let his blood drip into the circle. ¡°Now what?¡± Kyrion threw a sack into the circle.¡± Send some mana into the circle and say bind.¡± Tim sent some mana into the circle, causing it to emit a shadowy black flame. ¡°Bind?¡± The sack disappeared. ¡°Where did it go?¡± ¡°It¡¯s bound to you. All you need to do is call for it and the bag will appear in your hand. The bag doesn¡¯t increase in size like it would for someone with a matching affinity but it will let you haul some loot undetected. While someone can¡¯t erase a binding they can keep you from calling it. Those manacles were tools capable of doing so.¡± ¡°But you weren¡¯t as trapped by those things as you appeared.¡± ¡°There are tricks that I can¡¯t teach you.¡± Kyrion rotated his wrist 360 degrees. ¡°Your double jointed.¡± Tim stated. ¡°It isn¡¯t natural. Had to shatter my wrist multiple times to get it perfect.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Are you some type of surgeon?¡± ¡°What makes you ask that?¡± Kyrion narrowed his vision. ¡°The way you move and speak. I once knew a physician with similar mannerisms. I tried to steal medicine from him only to get caught. After a scolding he gave me what I needed for free.¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯re still a thief.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t steal from healers.¡± Tim stated. ¡°Good to know. I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± Kyrion pulled out a staff covered in a glowing moss that emitted enough light to fill the room. Various glittering crystals filled the room of various sizes, shapes, and colors. ¡°Did you get yourself arrested for this?¡± Tim asked. ¡°No. I just can¡¯t sit still. When I sensed that there was something I could do to pass the time well.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d rather spend your time mining gems and stuff over relaxing?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t relaxing. Like I said, my time is too precious for me to waste time in a stinky cell doing nothing.¡± Kyrion lied. He knew that his enemies were up to something, and if he could convince them to think he used a decoy to escape, then life would be much simpler. ¡°Why did you leave the other two up there?¡± ¡°A game of numbers. As you said they should be out shortly. Also, that old man is an expert rank spirit master. Either he drank something very hard or he¡¯s pretending to be drunk. The other guy is just a normal human with some muscle. He is exactly who he said he was.¡± ¡°How can you tell that?¡± ¡°I can sense a vast well of power leaking subtlely from the old man¡¯s body. Either he¡¯s doing it on purpose as a warning or he¡¯s lost control and can¡¯t hide his core anymore. Thod, on the other hand, smelled as though he ate a hefty bit of asparagus.¡± ¡°Asparagus?¡± ¡°It has a distinct smell when the consumer is scared. That effect is reduced greatly when consumed by anyone with mana.¡± ¡°Wait. He didn¡¯t!¡± Tim seemed to figure it out. ¡°Moving on. Do you know how to use a pickaxe?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t but I¡¯m willing to learn.¡± ¡°Good. You get to keep everything you mine.¡± Kyrion educated Tim on the ways of mining. It was eerily similar to farming. In Kyrion¡¯s opinion, only more muscle and finesse were required when avoiding precious gems. ¡°I think I have a hold of it.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll lock us in until we clear out this area.¡± Kyrion raised his hands, and an earthen barrier rose from the ground cutting off the one exit from the area. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°There are monsters down here. I¡¯m putting up a barricaid so that we can work freely. We aren¡¯t here to challenge the dungeon. We¡¯re here to loot its untapped mines.¡± ¡°Are you sure there are no monsters?¡± ¡°Ninety percent sure. We can rotate watches, but I¡¯d prefer it if you trusted my warning.¡± Kyrion began pacing around the tunnel, slowly expanding his senses to encompass the next few tunnels in the mine. After the first four hours of work, Tim needed a break, and Kyrion was his turn to start mining. Unlike the pickpocket, Kyrion had an earth affinity, and with it, he could easily pull the stones from the wall, making an unorthodox but efficient method of obtaining rare gems. Though with this method, it was only a matter of time before he managed to clear the corridor. ¡°That has to be unfair.¡± Tim said as he sat on a boulder. ¡°Its why I let you go first. Should have been six or so hours. I¡¯m going to check on the dummies.¡± ¡°Dummies?¡± ¡°The body doubles.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Ah. Why?¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and checked on his clones, only to find that they were mostly inoperable, which meant someone or something had killed them. That didn¡¯t matter as much as he began to draw a square in the sand. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡± Kyrion muttered as silvery mana flowed from his fingers. ¡°What isn¡¯t good?¡± The square began to glow and float out of the ground, and a scene appeared before him. ¡°What happened?¡± Tim watched the screen appear in both awe and worry. ¡°Something disabled our doubles. Yet my device is still in working order.¡± ¡°Device?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a plant that can record and transmit sound and pictures. It¡¯s something a friend of mine helped me develop. Sound was simple, the picture not so much.¡± Tim looked at the scene in horror. Blood was everywhere, limbs and a few primarily whole corpses. One of which belonged to Tim, although it was just a severed head with no body. The old man lay slumped against a wall asleep while Meh Thod was sitting in front of them, panic in his eyes. Kyrion¡¯s double had nothing remaining of it anywhere. It could have been taken. ¡°The guards killed me? No they tried to kill me. This has to be a lie right?¡± Tim began to panic. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. We need to get out of the city.¡± ¡°But the kids. If they know who I am then they¡¯re in danger.¡± ¡°Are you a father or something?¡± Kyrion stopped and eyed his peer. ¡°No, just some orphans I take care of. People don¡¯t donate enough to the orphanage so I took it upon myself to help feed my family.¡± Tim stated. Kyrion¡¯s eyes seemed to roll audibly. ¡°So you have baggage.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Tim scowled. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have been a simple pickpocket. Now I¡¯m emotionally invested.¡± ¡°Sorry for having a reason to steal from the rich. They rarely even notice. And with what I have now I won¡¯t have to steal ever again.¡± Tim hugged his visibly empty bag of gems. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because we need to find another way out. While I could go back the way we came doing so will require me to show myself and given that they thing that I¡¯ve been captured then it¡¯s safe to assume that a quick resurface would cause trouble.¡± ¡°How do you know so much about hiding from guards?¡± ¡°I have caused a bit of trouble in my time at school. You could call escaping such situations a common occurrence. What¡¯s surprising is the fact that there is a dungeon here that isn¡¯t frequented much. Gems don¡¯t build up quickly which means whatever makes this place its home has been isolated for a long time. While escape is a necessary evil, exploration and looting could be a once in a lifetime chance at riches.¡± ¡°What about food? The berry¡¯s won¡¯t fill us up.¡± ¡°I have a month¡¯s worth of rations that can be stretched if necessary. If worse comes to worse I¡¯ll leap above ground. And we can sneak back into the capital.¡± ¡°So you can just escape. And yet you stay here and collect treasure? Why?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a dangerous maneuver. Falling this far is easy. Traveling up is always tricky and if I miscalculate then squish.¡± Kyrion clapped his hands. ¡°I¡¯d rather not be squished.¡± Tim stated. ¡°Uh huh. Do you have a weapon of choice?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t fight often, but I know how to use a dagger for self defense.¡± ¡°Have you fought monsters before?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of giant sewer rats before. My shadows were enough.¡± Kyrion looked at the ceiling as a sheathed golden dagger appeared in his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll lead then stay behind me. The monsters here are in the middle practitioner rank. This will be tough alone but the two of us should be able to take them out.¡± Tim took the blade and gave it a few test swings. ¡°Lightweight and durable, but a bit too extravagant eh?¡± Kyrion handed him a second golden dagger. ¡°The owner of these shouldn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°So you got them from somebody?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say on the matter. We should get some rest.¡± A doorway appeared in the wall of the corridor, and Kyrion opened it. ¡°Oh. Is that what you were doing in the cell?¡± Tim seemed surprised. ¡°Yeah. There were wards to prevent me from doing so.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t work then.¡± Tim said, a bit of worry creeping in. ¡°I guess you should be. Anyway, go on in, we start after breakfast.¡± Kyrion motioned for Tim to go on through the door. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. But it¡¯s better than dying.¡± Tim walked through and was led to a room. And thus ended one of the longest days of Kyrion¡¯s life. Book Two: Chapter 26 Baggage The duo of Kyrion and Tim stood at a stone wall. The former wore a set of brown robes made from earth while a set of circular bangles hung from his wrist. The latter was now in some loose-fitting leather armor that clearly wasn¡¯t made for him. But, with a few alterations, it was wearable. ¡°Now this is an adventure.¡± Kyrion pounded his fist into his hands, and his chakram jingled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be quiet?¡± Tim stated. ¡°You aren¡¯t as durable as me and as we don¡¯t have a defender so I¡¯ll play that role.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°What about healing?¡± ¡°Aggg. If you get hurt, drink one of these.¡± Kyrion produced a bandolier of blue vials. ¡°Are those potions?¡± Tim asked. ¡°Yes. I have a lot but that doesn¡¯t mean you should be reckless.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± Tim nodded as he twirled his new daggers. ¡°Good now, follow.¡± Kyrion brought both of his arms down, revealing a giant creature of stone with one glowing eye on what appeared to be a stone head on a roughly human-shaped body. The golem sucker punched the red-haired boy sending him tumbling down the corridor. Tim, not being as durable, decided to run away. Tim dodged stomps, evaded crushing fists, and rolled out of the way of thrown rocks, all while screaming for his life. Kyrion took ten seconds to heal from that. He was back on his feet when it passed, watching as the thief ran for his life. Kyrion charged back into the fray, his disc immediately getting thrown at his target. The golem didn¡¯t notice as the metal disc buried itself into its stone body. ¡°Fight back!¡± Kyrion yelled as he approached. ¡°I!¡± Tim barely evaded a stomp. ¡°Can¡¯t!¡± Using a roll, Tim ran through the golem¡¯s legs. ¡°Geez. Well at least it¡¯s distracting.¡± ¡°Issac, manifest in your vessel and wash away the earth and stone that bind you.¡± Kyrion chanted as he sent mana into one of the discs in the golem¡¯s arm. Water flowed from the chakram, entering the cracks on the golem¡¯s body before spreading throughout its body and expanding. Creating more and more cracks through erosion. The golem froze before letting out some rumbling that resembled a roar before a line of fire shot out from the creature¡¯s eye and burned through the corridor, cutting straight through anything that got in his way. The water eventually hit the core of the golem and became inert. Expanding to the point where the golem¡¯s body sloshed away from its singular eye. Leaving behind a modified spirit core. One covered with so much runework that Kyrion had decided to give it to someone with the free time to figure it out. ¡°You made that look easy.¡± ¡°Its a low practitioner rank monster, still it had enough strength to send me flying. More physical strength than anything else.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come back sooner.¡± ¡°I too am a low practitioner. The sucker-punch knocked an arm out of socket and cracked a bone.¡± ¡°So you¡­¡± Tim examined the now whole form Kyrion had. ¡°I healed before coming back.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Ah. Well good on you then. Lead the way.¡± Kyrion and Tim made their way through the area, avoiding golems and stealing gems Making sure not to come across any more of the creatures. The thief proved quite skilled in his techniques for avoiding sight. Methods that blended his mana and trained stealth, making himself harder to detect. The duo eventually arrived at the halfway point. A golden treasure chest sat in the middle of the room. ¡°Thats a trap.¡± Tim said bluntly. ¡°Yup.¡± Kyrion responded. ¡°Should we ignore it?¡± Tim asked. ¡°For now. Follow my lead.¡± Kyrion removed the second Bangle from his wrist and twirled it as he walked around the chest to the exit, where he then stepped through, noting the bars that seemed to have been set to fall down when a trap was triggered. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tim asked. ¡°Something you¡¯d be jealous of.¡± Kyrion aimed his chakram before throwing it vertically. ¡°Jala, into your vessel. Grab what does not belong to us and return.¡± Kyrion ordered. The chakram hit the chest, and they both disappeared. The gate in front of Tim and Kyrion fell down, and eight stone monsters appeared in the middle of the arena. ¡°You¡¯re right about the jealous part. Being able to steal from a distance is useful.¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°What¡¯s in the chest?¡± ¡°Jala is going through it at the moment. She gets first dibs on the loot when she takes it herself. ¡°Who¡¯s Jala?¡± ¡°My main spirit,¡± Kyrion stated, removing a sword from his domain and giving it a good twirl. ¡°Your spirit¡¯s a weapon?¡± Kyrion grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s lightweight, well balanced and seems to absorb mana for a strike. A magical weapon.¡± A sheath appeared over the blade, and it soon found itself in Tim¡¯s hands. ¡°No, but it¡¯s a useful weapon. So I¡¯ll let you keep it for now.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use a sword.¡± ¡°It could also be a legendary weapon worth millions of gold.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ Kyrion?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll hold onto her?¡± Tim stated, his voice a bit deeper. ¡°Why? Wait her?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°The sword is a girl. Ah I mean a woman. Sorry.¡± Tim apologized to the sword. ¡°Uh huh¡­That sword may be cursed. You should probably put it down.¡± ¡°Styx is not cursed. She¡¯s just misunderstood.¡± Tim seemed aghast. Kyrion moved to take the sword away when he had to jump back. Tim swung his sword aiming to take Kyrion¡¯s hand off. ¡°Fine, keep the cursed sword that has you wrapped around her little hilt. See If I care.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you had a change of heart ¡­.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir, who exactly are you? We got this far but I don¡¯t know what to call you.¡± Tim asked, masking his fear with a wall of respect. ¡°You may refer to me as Kyr.¡± ¡°Well then Kyr. I¡¯m sorry for overreacting.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°No big deal. If you attack me again then you¡¯re leaving in a bag and missing out on the reminder of the loot I was planning to share.¡± ¡°What else was in the chest?¡± ¡°Nothing. Well a tiara with places to set jewels but aside from that seemed plain platinum, and aside from that was small enough for Jala to wear.¡± ¡°You have a talking weapon, why is mine so weird?¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Must have misheard something.¡± Tim held his head as he led them through the dungeon with ease. Bypassing traps and avoiding dead ends. Kyrion had a map of the area thanks to Karl, yet this was bizarre. He hadn¡¯t shared that information with Tim and was opting to see where this led when he noticed that a large number of enemies seemed to be converging on the two. ¡°Tim, you know your leading us into a trap right?¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about? What trap?¡± Tim lied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Go on ahead and good luck.¡± ¡°I can wait.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t¡± Kyrion watched as Tim left against his will. ¡°You¡¯re going to leave a possessed ally to die? That¡¯s quite cruel.¡± Psycho stated. ¡°For someone who claims to be me, you sure don¡¯t understand my actions. Six are coming down this hall with another four from the other direction. Among those four is a bigger one but it¡¯s not leading the pack. I¡¯d rather a potential traitor not see my abilities.¡± Kyrion told psycho. ¡°Mmmmhmmm.¡± Psycho didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Jala, Issac, lend me your strength and enter your vessels.¡± Kyrion sent mana into both of his chakrams, causing one to glow green and silvery color while the other was deep blue. The two together seemed to hold back the power of a hurricane. The golems arrived rolling at high speed. Kyrion then backed up to the mouth of a corridor and relaxed. When the red eyes on the golems began to glow. He vanished from sight. The lasers shot forward, hitting the wall and damaging some of the earth, keeping the corridor stable. Kyrion reappeared on the room¡¯s ceiling, which seemed to be a hundred feet up. Pushing off the ceiling, Kyrion spun both chakrams in his hands as wind and water gathered around him like a small hurricane. Then, the boy vanished again, his chakram continuing the fall alone. When the four golems looked up, Kyrion was gone. And a twisting avatar of death and destruction descended on the golems, leaving nothing behind.
Tim pulled out his sword as black mist began to surround his arms forming gauntlets of shadow before spreading to the rest of his body like armor. ¡°Full manifestation, Dark Lord¡¯s Arsenal.¡± Tim¡¯s voice didn¡¯t sound right. It was much darker, much deeper, older. With those simple words, Tim¡¯s armor hardened and grew. ¡°To think my decedent would find his way here. In this sealed place, long lost by time.¡± A loud crashing sound echoed out of the corridor where the red-haired pest had been stationed. The silence after the crash made it easy to assume that the redhead had been crushed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re doing things a bit too fast?¡± A flippant voice asked from a corridor. ¡°How did you survive!¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re not pretending anymore. Tim, are you going to let some old fossils take your free will?¡± Kyrion asked as he entered the chamber. The corridor collapsed behind him as he did. ¡°He must. For I am his ancestor who had been sealed here for countless years. He should be happy to serve me.¡± ¡°No offense dude but the body you possessed is really weak and his foundation is lacking. As you are, I won¡¯t even need mana to beat you.¡± ¡°You dare insult your dark lord?¡± ¡°Not just a fact. I don¡¯t even have to fight you. In two hours Tim will begin to suffocate and as I¡¯m the only one with the fruit that could prevent such a fate.¡± ¡°You¡¯d let your friend die?¡± ¡°No¡­ How about we play a game? I call it reaction testing. I start slow and try to touch you. If you dodge, the next strike will be much faster; if you avoid that, I¡¯ll up my seed until I do. If I hit you, I¡¯ll do the opposite and work until we find a speed you can consistently dodge. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Kyrion punched the air to his right so fast that it was as though the wind shattered, and a loud boom echoed throughout the chamber. ¡°I don¡¯t want to accidentally kill you. This method lets me gauge your durability. You don¡¯t want this fight to end with you dying from a single blow do you?¡± Kyrion¡¯s mischievous smirk was masked by a hand covering his mouth to make himself seem surprised. ¡°Fine. Play your game. It will be a good warm up.¡± Tim said in a condescending tone. ¡°Great!¡± Kyrion relaxed his body as he moved forward, his hands left at his side. Tim sprung into action when Kyrion entered slashing range, stabbing Kyrion¡¯s shadow. Kyrion felt an ache in his gut and looked down at the figure currently impaling his shadow with his sword. ¡°What is that?¡± The sword was taken out and then thrust a bit higher. ¡°You were going to knock me out. So I¡¯m just putting you down first.¡± A blast of wind crashed into Tim, sending him flying back thirty feet, landing on his back and flipping over. Kyrion held a hand to his stomach. ¡°Tim, when we get out of this, you¡¯re going to owe me a meal.¡± Tim got up slowly, noticing that he couldn¡¯t feel his right arm. His sword arm had gone numb. ¡°You know, I hate math. All boring numbers on a page that go nowhere. Physics is interesting however, by using those numbers on the page one can calculate how much force would be required to send a practitioner with a minimal foundation flying and how they will land on top of what wound they may receive if they don¡¯t correct said fall. Now it¡¯s up to you to determine if I¡¯m telling the truth but while you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯m going to play another game.¡± ¡°Another game?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s called pinball. A friend of mine told me about it and even carved a replica out of wood.¡± Kyrion cracked his knuckles.¡± ¡°Pinball. You won¡¯t distract me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to you. Tim will have to be broken and reforged quite a few times before he¡¯s stong enough to last on his own.¡± Kyrion vanished from sight. Unlike his usual means of sneaking around, he was not hiding in plain sight. No, he had quietly reappeared behind Tim with a fully wound kick that would have missed if it came from the front. A loud boom echoed as Kyrion broke Tim¡¯s back with a kick that sent him flying towards the opposite wall. Before his head could collide, however. A fist came up from the ground along with Kyrion¡¯s body and sent Tim up sixty feet to the ceiling. As Tim fell, Kyrion moved under, waited patiently, and watched as Tim prepared to impale Kyrion as he fell. The red-haired boy vanished again. ¡°What?¡± Was all he managed to get out as a roundhouse kick hit his stomach in midair, sending him flying into a wall. His sword was forgotten and dropped. Tim bounced off the wall, blood leaking from his mouth after a rib pierced one of his lungs. Kyrion watched as Tim¡¯s screamed in pain and lurched to the ground unconscious. He then watched as the wounds he inflicted finally began to heal themselves. ¡°Stupid sword. You don¡¯t even qualify to be a mini boss. Why did you get so cocky.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not from the sword. Tim stated as he got to his feet. Clutching his stomach and dry heaving.¡± ¡°Tim? Are you in the sword?¡± Kyrion asked for the weapon. ¡°Styx has the ability to link its wielder with a long dead ancestor. Transferring their memories into the body of its wielder. My memories proved too powerful and overwrote his own.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Not cursed. Just confused. I know, I¡¯ve been there. Tim? You do know you¡¯re still in there right? Nobody possessed your body, it¡¯s just an old fogie enacting his will over yours. The sooner you realize that, the less I¡¯ll beat you up. I mean even babies are willful enough to do what you can¡¯t.¡± Kyrion smirked as he crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m ready for your barrage of teleportation now. I won¡¯t be caught off guard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡± Kyrion adjusted his sandal and sighed. Shadows rose from the ground and began to move towards Kyrion with deadly accuracy. A sandal hit Tim in the stomach for the second time that day. Tim had the wind knocked out of him. Along with a foot-shaped fracture in his ribs. The sandal seemed to arc and fly back into Kyrion¡¯s hand like a boomerang. ¡°Wha? You. Monster.¡± A shadow cut through Kyrion¡¯s leg, and he felt the muscle, bone, and nerves get severed without breaking his skin. ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue and brought out his glowing staff. Using its light as a shield against the blades of darkness, trying to get his own shadow. In moments Kyrion had reattached his leg and healed it. ¡°Shatter! Issac, Jala, return to my side!¡± Kyrion yelled as the sound of glass shattering on stone echoed from the hall. Two discs flew from the corridor leading to the previous chamber and found themselves wrapped around Kyrion¡¯s right wrist. ¡°Now, what am I going to do with you?¡± Kyrion watched as Tim struggled to his feet and collapsed, blood pooling from his mouth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong exactly?¡± Issac asked, having missed the action. ¡°Memories forced themselves into his head and now he¡¯s confused.¡± ¡°Oh. So he¡¯s addled. Kyrion? Have you tried giving him one of those walnuts that recenter a person¡¯s mind?¡± Issac asked with a condescending tone. Kyrion could slap himself. A walnut appeared in his hands, and Kyrion cracked the shell, removing the nut. He then crushed the nut into a fine powder and suffused it with water mana. Slowly but surely, Kyrion made his way towards the nearly catatonic rogue, wrenched his jaw open, and willed the mixture into Tim¡¯s system. Tim began screaming in pain before his consciousness faded. The black shadowy armor fading from his body Kyrion then uncorked one of the potions in Tim¡¯s bandolier, poured that down his throat, and sighed. ¡°How does one forget that they had a ton of healing potions on them? At any point he could have used one to heal the wounds I did to him.¡± ¡°Healing willingly weakens mental effects slightly. Kinda like how eating after drinking heavily sobers you up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how that works.¡± Kyrion looked plainly at the bird. ¡°It¡¯s like taking cold medicine when you have allergies. It reduces some of the symptoms but doesn¡¯t cure it outright.¡± ¡°Ah. Your species explains why your aren¡¯t a doctor.¡± ¡°Why does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a quack.¡± Kyrion shook his head. Looking for somewhere to hide, Tim. ¡°I¡¯m a swan. Not a duck!¡± Issac protested. ¡°Enemies incoming.¡± Karl stated, interrupting the bickering pair. The sound of marching could be heard coming down the hall. Loud and coordinated footsteps were the only warning Kyrion got before four metal golems entered the room. Tim was dropped to the side as Kyrion went to engage the new arrivals. Book Two: Chapter 27 Metal Golem Force Kyrion saw four metal golems, each with a distinct theme and color scheme, enter the chamber he was in. One had the lower body of a horse and the torso resembling a horribly proportioned human with large misshapen muscles that were impractical. In its metal hand was a lance three time¡¯s its usual size, but in the golem¡¯s hand, it fit perfectly. It was painted a bright orange color with fire motifs decorating its body. The second golem held a sword and a shield. It had two legs and the same wrong proportions as the previous golem. The color scheme was blue with a water motif that seemed to bring a sense of calmness and tranquility. The third resembled an old fertility statue that he saw in one of the books Nicole made him read all those years ago. It was painted a bright pink and was covered in those weird heart symbols that seemed to be a popular design choice. Of course, Kyrion knew what a human heart looked like, and that wasn¡¯t it. In its hands was a pink staff with a heart at the end of it. The fourth golem was a thin yellow and almost ape-like thing. Its metal prehensile tail and hands, where its feet should be, fit the motif. It was bare-handed and seemed to hop from foot to foot while letting out weird noises. ¡°Where is the red one?¡± Kyrion asked aloud as he leaned on his staff. His bangles jingled mischievously. ¡°Such varily impudence show you knave!¡± The green one stated. ¡°Huh? Dems fighting words horsey.¡± Kyrion put up a mock pugilist stance and punched at the air, his bangles jingling more. ¡°It attacketh!¡± The orange one charged forwards, its lance leveled at Kyrion¡¯s head. Kyrion didn¡¯t bother dodging in any sort of flashy motion. He just walked through the golem¡¯s legs and watched as it continued to run and run. Passing into the next corridor and slipping on the absurd amount of ice. A series of crashes echoed throughout the room, followed by an explosion. Finally, falling rocks could be heard as the corridor caved in. ¡°He killed Orange!¡± Yellow charged at Kyrion, hopping from side to side, aiming to make its prey confused. Blue charged forward to attack head-on and engage Kyrion with its sword and shield. Pink let out a masculine roar as it began to charge up a very big spell. Kyrion didn¡¯t move until Blue brought its sword down on Kyrion¡¯s head. It just so happened that Yellow was attempting to grab the boy at the same time. Kyrion grabbed Yellow¡¯s arm and pulled it in the way of Blue¡¯s crashing sword. The metal limb was cleaved perfectly and fell to the ground in seconds. ¡°You cut off Yellow¡¯s hand! I¡¯ll.¡± Blue yelled before a sweeping kick to the golem¡¯s legs knocked it off of its feet onto its back. The kick did not come from Kyrion as he was too busy watching the uncoordinated batch of golems destroy themselves for him. ¡°Love Ball!¡± The pink one yelled with a deep base. A pink ball of light shot into the back of blues back, leading to an explosion that sent both golems flying in opposite directions while Kyrion stood there quite happy that his entertainment couldn¡¯t aim. ¡°How dare you destroy Yellow and Blue! I¡¯ll kill you! Love Love.¡± Pink began charging up another attack without giving their weapon a chance to cool down, and Kyrion noticed the signs of something about to explode from too much mana. He had helped Cecil for too long not to know the signs of mana overload. Pink exploded, leaving behind a small metal container and nothing else. It popped open as it clattered to the ground and a long-eared green creature with odd malformed features. The creature was quite small, and its nails oddly uneven. The thing smelled worse than it looked and was hideous. ¡°They beat themselves for me.¡± ¡°That is a goblin, master Kyrion.¡± Karl informed the boy. ¡°I thought you said there was no sentient life here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s debatable. Some say goblins are sentient. Others say they aren¡¯t. They are born from dungeon spawners and return there when they die like gremlins. Most goblins are idiots to the point of being nearly self-destructive and don¡¯t work well in an organized group. That is at least before a goblin lord uses its abilities to unify them. Then they are almost dangerous. They are also paranoid creatures capable of using secret pathways while trapping the most direct way in but¡­.¡± ¡°But this can¡¯t be right. I hardly did anything to them. They defeated themselves. I just indirectly killed people.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t kill anyone here. I imagine that they are already up and at it.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°This dungeon has been around for a long time. It¡¯s probably bored if it hasn¡¯t gone senile.¡± Karl seemed angry. ¡°I get the feeling you don¡¯t like goblins.¡± ¡°Pssh¡­ No I love those incompetent buggers. Put ¡¯em in a catapult and you have nearly unending ammunition.¡± Karl said with a thick layer of detest. ¡°That doesn¡¯t help your case.¡± ¡°Making gremlins harms no one. They are wild mana that takes on a humanoid form and set loose. They are baby elementals, in a way. Goblins are gnomes that have been captured, tortured, and modified to be servants to a certain faction of dungeons. Through millennia of augmentation, they no longer resemble their ancestors and have diminished faculties. I don¡¯t hate goblins. I hate the monsters that created them.¡± Karl seemed to actually have emotion in his tone as he spoke of goblin history. ¡°Why care about Gnomes in the first place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ll tell you in a safer place.¡± A rolling sound came from the hall, marking the arrival of a red metal golem with a cannon as its left hand and a sword as its right. It was much bigger than the previous golems and even stronger. ¡°Me likey. Me want. Me take.¡± Kyrion drooled as he eyed the red golem that probably contained a goblin. ¡°Kyrion don¡¯t you do it!¡± Karl began to panic as the boy prepared to charge forward. Sadly Kyrion was well beyond reason and was already charging with reckless abandon. ¡°You monster! For killing all my teammates I¡¯ll force you to pay up in blood. Wait, no let go! What are you doing?¡± A familiar female voice came from the metal golem. Kyrion was currently climbing across the golem like a squirrel on a tree. Ritualistically tapping on the metal carapace, looking for a hollow spot. ¡°Oi! Let go!¡± The golem began hitting itself in a futile attempt to catch the boy. Kyrion heard a voice from inside the metal golem and knew that was where he had to strike there. Plunging his hand through the golem¡¯s stomach was relatively straightforward with his space affinity. Pain shot through his hand as some of his fingers were removed by sharp blades. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kyrion took back his hand and looked at the stumps. Then back at the cockpit. The pain didn¡¯t stop him, but his mind was stunned. ¡°You bit me. What kind of teeth do you goblins have.¡± ¡°Ah, spicy. Blood burns.¡± A spitting sound could be heard from inside. Kyrion gripped the golem with his legs and began punching the cockpit with his good hand. Within moments, quite a few dents had appeared when the golem fired its cannon backward. Using the momentum to slam Kyrion into the ground, squashing him like an insect. Various thoughts about his situation passed through his mind. Kyrion knew if he let himself get crushed this way and die. Then he¡¯d be remembered for the tale of such a death. Crushed by a giant... ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion sunk into the earth and traveled, reappearing on the other side. Entirely of his bones had been broken, and he was quite mangled. He hoped his fingers were still whole, regenerating limbs took a lot of calories, and he was currently rationing his food. Maybe Tim had some snacks on him¡­ Kyrion looked at his unconscious ally before remembering something important. ¡°Tim wouldn¡¯t have any snacks on him. He was in a cell wearing rags.¡± The golem had gotten back to its feet, leveling its sword at Kyrion¡¯s body. The golem moved forward, attempting to skewer the red-haired boy. Kyrion pivoted on his left foot and barely spun out of the way. Then, bringing out his gem-embedded staff, he slammed it into the ground. A wave of force knocked the golem off its feet as green plants began to spread rapidly, consuming the ambient mana and entangling the collapsed construct. While this happened, Kyrion grabbed Tim and hopped towards a wall using mana to defy gravity as he planted himself feet first on the wall and stood straight, looking down at the chaos. ¡°Cross, Buster!¡± An X of fire shot from the golem¡¯s chest and burned the plants, which seemed to result in a popping sound as seeds began to appear and spread even faster due to the supposedly destructive attack. Kyrion looked down at the vast field of vampire moss spliced with the pyrophyte trait. The plants would spread where there was mana absorbing everything, and fire would cause them to disperse their seeds in hopes of regrowth. Creating a cycle. This was his secret weapon in case Nicole did something strange like try to kidnap him. Or give him poison, or in the most likely case, the headmaster made him fight her. Nicole wasn¡¯t unique in that regard. Kyrion had been trained in paranoia and had learned the best way to defeat all of his friends. Without killing them, of course. Kyrion watched from his perch as the plants made their way in, his signal to act. ¡°Nooo!¡± Kyrion hated tipping his hand but regrowing his fingers would be a pain. He took off his eye patch and sent out a wave of mana that passed through everything in the area and gave him a good idea of where he could break in. But, of course, he didn¡¯t like what he saw. There was a woman in there, although that wasn¡¯t the worse part. She held his fingers in her hands like a macabre trophy. Her mouth was stained with his blood. ¡°Oh Abyss no.¡± Tim was slid on the wall and left hanging as Kyrion jumped into the golem¡¯s center. A quick jab to the woman¡¯s neck knocked her out. Kyrion got a good look at the white-haired woman that seemed to have deep red irises. Aside from that, she looked exactly like Nicole save for some pointed ears and paler skin. A number was tattooed on her shoulder, 84653. ¡°What the hell.¡± ¡°Alir¡¯mondri¡­One from another moon.¡± Karl said bluntly. ¡°Why does she look so familiar?¡± Kyrion held his head, feeling a memory belonging to psycho get repressed. ¡°She¡¯s probably one of the other seven shards that make up Nicole,¡± Karl said, bewildered before realizing what he had said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing you should worry about. You should probably kill her. You¡¯d gain a lot of power for doing so.¡± Karl said in a monotone. ¡°I won¡¯t kill an unconscious person that looks just like one of my friends.¡± ¡°And that is why you have so many friends.¡± Karl rolled his nonexistent eyes Kyrion tore his fingers from the unconscious woman who wasn¡¯t Nicole¡¯s claws and reconnected them. Unfortunately, some of its mass was lost, so some of his stamina was exhausted to make up the difference leaving a need to eat in Kyrion¡¯s stomach. ¡°Mine. Bad not Nicole. No biting people.¡± Kyrion said, forgetting the urgency he had moments prior as he kicked the exit open and stepped out onto the moss, the girl in his arms. ¡°What was that phrase again. Gotta catch them all? No. A fisherman gets no fish from caves and a minor finds no gems in a lake? That¡¯s not it either. Ah!¡± Kyrion dropped Not Nicole and turned towards the golem. ¡°To the victor go the spoils!¡± Kyrion yelled as he stole the metal machine. Kyrion sensed Psycho and Issac¡¯s disapproval. ¡°Oooo. I always wondered how one of these worked. Sadly it¡¯s a little too complex. Let Cecil look over it. This seems more up his ally.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Really? Looks a bit too bland for him and it isn¡¯t blue.¡± ¡°Just pick up chunks of the blue one.¡± ¡°Ah right. All these golems are belong to us.¡± Kyrion felt blood pool from his nose, another aneurysm. Kyrion stumbled forwards, his fingers fully reattached, but his head felt like someone drove an ice pick through his nose popping out his eye and into his brain. The stumble turned into a fall as his consciousness was ripped from him. His body landed next to the figure that resembled Nicole. An hour later, a pair of black metal golems entered and picked up the unconscious duo before dragging them deeper into the dungeon. Tim lay hanging from a wall, hunched over to reveal a blade embedded in the wall as the reason for his pinning. Book Two: Chapter 28 Trouble in the goblin dungeon Kyrion awoke in a pot of some sort of stew. Slathered in herbs and butter. An onion had even been stuffed into his mouth. His clothes were gone, which was a dilemma as he was enjoying the soak and didn¡¯t want to get cold as he wandered about. Kyrion started chewing the onion in his mouth as he thought. The first time being cooked is scary. The second time. You just accept that you¡¯re delicious. His red hair had fallen past his shoulders and shifted to black. Kyrion looked around the room and noticed that he, in fact, was not alone. Saw a heavily worn chest in the corner of the room, along with a goblin chopping vegetables on a wooden table. The knife was clearly unsanitary. ¡°Hmmm. Hey goblin. Pass me my clothes. I also have a few questions I¡¯d like you to answer.¡± Kyrion said as he relaxed in the cooking pot. His eyes, as dark as night, looked through the goblin as though it was prey. ¡°Why not dead! Die meatman!¡± The goblin ran at Kyrion, still soaking in the pot, and tripped over a black apple-like fruit that rolled in front of it. As the goblin fell, its knife pierced its chest own chest. Blood did not flow quickly. A blue ichor left the creature¡¯s body like molasses as the light faded from its eyes. ¡°I said fetch my clothes.¡± Kyrion said with a darker tone, his black hair matching the color of his eyes. The goblin did so. Moving against its will, its body walked rigidly towards the chest and pulled out the tattered robe Kyrion had been wearing. Kyrion got out of the tub covered in a blanket of black water, which was used to rinse off his body before redressing. The brown robes Kyrion was wearing didn¡¯t suit him, and he waved his hands, turning them into an immaculate white. ¡°Better.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on the goblin¡¯s chest and sealed the wound, and with a tap, the goblin¡¯s heart started beating again. ¡°I have saved your life. You now belong to me.¡± Mana flowed from Kyrion and into the goblin, causing it to grow in size from two feet tall and scrawny to five feet and a little more athletic. A ladle the size of a broom appeared in its hands, and a white poofy hat grew from its head. ¡°Yes your majesty.¡± The taller goblin bowed. Karl was the first spirit to respond. ¡°Psycho. You sure seem capable and all. But how do you know how to capture and promote monsters?¡± ¡°We have a dungeon as one of our spirits. If that¡¯s not enough then just assume I know a few tricks you aren¡¯t aware of. A hobgoblin would be a great temporary servant.¡± Psycho adjusted his robes. ¡°What is your plan?¡± Karl asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to loot this place until it¡¯s empty, get the girl and escape.¡± ¡°What about Tim?¡± ¡°Oh right Kyrion¡¯s ally. Then I¡¯ll explore. If we meet up then we can all escape together.¡± ¡°So long as you remember his priorities I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Karl said in a monotone. ¡°Yeah yeah. It¡¯s his fault for misusing the eye. His brain can¡¯t handle the strain as of yet and it messes with the seal that keeps our minds separate.¡± ¡°So why does this seem to happen when he sees Nicole?¡± Jala asked, her form appearing on Psycho¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you really care?¡± Psycho grimaced. Jala stared into Psycho¡¯s abyssal eyes. ¡°It¡¯s someone else. Kyrion hasn¡¯t met her and hopefully he never does for both our sakes.¡± ¡°Ah. I think I understand.¡± Jala seemed to move on. A goblin entered the room with a gong and mallet in its hands. ¡°Oi. Oi. How¡¯s dinner coming along!¡± ¡°Not well. The entree has a bit of a kick to it.¡± Psycho brought a ladle out of his domain and took a scoop of the sludge they called a stew. The goblin began hitting the gong in a panic. Psycho slung the liquid at the goblin, freezing it into needles. Said needles turned the goblin into a pincushion. It was still alive. It just didn¡¯t look like it had long left. ¡°Accept my gift and work for me and you will be so much more than you are.¡± Psycho caressed the goblin¡¯s face and held it in his hands. The goblin agreed, and mana filled it, causing it to take a similar form as the other hobgoblin, only the gong in its hands turned into a sort of armor that protected its front and back while the mallet itself grew until it was the size of a maul. ¡°I live to serve you Odin.¡± ¡°Why¡­ Oh right, the eye patch.¡± Psycho shook his head. ¡°What will you have me do?¡± The gong goblin asked. ¡°You and the other one will pacify the other goblins that attempt to face me. I will not fight weaklings and I will not kill unnecessarily.¡± Psycho straightened to his full height and walked with his hands behind his back as the two hobgoblins led the way.
Tim awoke dangling twenty feet up a wall, a sword pinning him in place. His face contorted with confusion as he tried to remember what led to this predicament. Then, a flash shot through his head as he recalled a red-haired figure beating the living abyss out of him. It wasn¡¯t even a fight. Thinking back at it, the boy was treating him like a ragdoll. A cold sweat pooled down his face as he fell to the ground. Landing on his feet. ¡°Master Atimn. You have come to your senses.¡± Styx, the sword at his side, asked him. He was starting to feel short of breath. Like he was running out of air. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°One hour fifty-two minutes exactly,¡± Styx asked in a dry monotone. ¡°I need to eat another berry.¡± Atimn reached for his bag and found it missing from his person. Atimn spoke a single word as he held out a hand. ¡°Return.¡± ¡°Not to be that sword but when will you bind with me?¡± Styx asked. The pouch appeared in his hands, and Atimn consumed a berry letting out a deep breath. ¡°Not anytime soon. You let me run around possessed, and I don¡¯t want to get beaten up again. ¡°Fine, at least train a bit, you won¡¯t lose your mind this time. Just close your eyes. Your lucky Kyrion¡¯s mind rejected me. I¡¯d have made him a monster.¡± ¡°Rejected? Wait, Kyrion? I heard that name recently.¡± ¡°Cuckoo. Listen, some people are born with strong minds but that. It was like walking into a labyrinth filled with tentacles. If I went any further, I¡¯d only get consumed. Something isn¡¯t right in there. I¡¯ve seen the depths of the abyss and been less worried. He¡¯s also marked by a holy weapon already, we could just be incapatable, those who use divine weapons tend to be a bit touched in the head.¡± ¡°For a sword you talk too much.¡± Atimn swiped the sword down and closed his eyes. As Tim meditated, images of how to use the weapon flashed through his mind, and its ability to summon his ancestors to teach him was imprinted. It was then the fight with Kyrion made sense. ¡°Ah so I lost control. But what happened here? There wasn¡¯t grass when he was brutally beating some sense back into me.¡± Tim made his way down a corridor where he came from before the fight began. Only to find a total cave-in. As though the entire area had been destroyed and solidified. Deciding that going that way could make things worse, Tim turned around and made his way down the other path, one where the grass was tramped down by some giant beasts. As Tim entered the next corridor, he noticed a large set of tracks headed into a large metal wall. To his right and left were sets of small doors. Tim opened the door on his left and rolled to the side. An axe swung out of the door and embedded itself in the door adjacent to it. ¡°What da ya want!¡± A goblin exited the other room and found itself impaled by a series of arrows and burned by a bottle of liquid fire. ¡°My bad.¡± A goblin with various vials attached to its waist ran out of the room and tripped. Tim had severed the legs of the goblin¡¯s shadow before taking the creature¡¯s head with a swipe of his sword. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Why fall down.¡± Then, a rolling sound could be heard as a large creature crashed into the doorway, unable to get out due to its size. The creature continued to leave the room by ramming the wall to no avail, eventually giving up. The door closed itself automatically as the large creature went somewhere else. Atimn wondered how such a creature got into the room, to begin with when he heard another door open in the room. Peeking in, he saw a giant metal creature resembling a golem move through a large gate. From there, Atimn inferred that the golems had unique paths. He also concluded that he¡¯d probably die if he was there when it arrived. Tim moved into the room where the unlucky goblin rested, checking for traps as he moved about. The straight way through the room was loaded with magical and mundane traps. Atimn brought out his sword and used its shadow to disable an obvious bear trap. Unfortunately, the way around was also heavily trapped. There was no easy way to get across. When he did a second trap over the first revealed a spiked pitfall. Tim watched as the bear trap fell. ¡°Huh. Guess they¡¯re smarter than they look. Should probably look for something to test the waters. Tim sighed as he approached the goblin corpse. ¡°Sorry bugger, but I Imagine you¡¯re the ones who set these traps, to begin with. After using up the goblins¡¯ belongings, Tim discovered a path through the room. Unfortunately, it was not straight and required quite a bit of maneuvering. ¡°They trapped this whole room¡­.¡± Tim sprinted forward and lept onto a table near the right wall. Using his momentum, Tim jumped again, planting his feet on the earthen wall. The boy rotated and ran down the wall at an angle, leaping to another table. Atimn bent backward, evading an arrow that would have pierced his head. Using his sword, Tim cut the front legs from under the table, causing it to fall forward, sliding across the room over an open pit. Atimn jumped onto the chain of a swinging axe embedded in the wall and climbed until he got to the ceiling. From there, he threw another wrench. Watching as a second axe passed through it and implanted itself in front of him. Atimn then hopped to the next chain and held tight as he prepared to leap down to the floor. ¡°Oh.¡± Atimn noticed another trigger for a pressure trap. ¡°How do they even get around if the place is trapped this much?¡± Tim scanned the room a second and third time before noting the oddly large ducts that seemed capable of fitting a person of smaller stature. Tim threw a bolt on the ground and watched as it triggered the last pressure trap. Only the door opened. Tim sighed as tens of arrows passed three feet above where the bolt landed, hitting the wall in a barrage before settling. The wall flipped, hiding the arrows, and Tim could swear he heard them move through the wall. Jumping through the doorway, Tim landed in another room decorated with art depicting the goddess Imala in all her glory, along with a large magic circle. Various trinkets and treasures decorated the statutes, and even a large chest potentially containing loot was to his right. ¡°Is it blasphemy if I take everything in here¡­Also that looks like a transporter. Maybe we can use it to escape.¡± Tim walked over to the chest and decided that this was probably a safe place to wait for Kyrion to arrive. He closed the door and listened as the traps reset and the bodies were disposed of. "Yea...you shouldn''t stay here. I can sense death in the air."
Asela, Nicole, Noah, and Chester were all at the guardhouse waiting to check on Kyrion. First thing in the morning. Various guards, soldiers, and officials were running to and fro, attempting to figure out what had happened. They ignored the commotion and entered anyway, the smell of blood making itself known as they entered. Noah stopped a panicking guard. ¡°An expert went on a rampage killing guards and prisoners alike. The prisoner didn¡¯t go anywhere and had taken a drunk, hostage. Anyone who enters the cell from here on out is killed on the spot.¡± ¡°You dare imprison the great red bear and then come at night to assassinate him with such weaklings? How dare you!¡± A voice yelled from the cell. ¡°Sir calm down, no one is here to kill you.¡± A guard said from outside a cell. ¡°Then explain why you took one of us in the dead of night and tried to kill the rest of us?¡± The prisoner barked, and the building shook. ¡°Whats going on here? Who died?¡± Noah had to be restrained as he was moments away from ¡°Just some street rat with red hair. Though I¡¯m not sure¡­.¡± Chester noticed as a well-dressed man with black hair seemed to slip out of the room unnoticed. The guard didn¡¯t get to finish as a blank hand gripped the guard¡¯s throat. ¡°That boy was no street rat. You¡¯d have known if you used your eyes.¡± Nicole¡¯s hand began to heat up as she squeezed before letting go of the taller guard, who was now having trouble breathing. ¡°None of that. The guard is also lying. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d do such a thing but he is. I suspect that he was the one taken.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asela asked with an annoyed expression. ¡°His pulse increased as he gave a description of the deceased as though he was trying to hide something. Given that the royal inquisitor slipped out in such a fashion probably means he went to inform those who need to know.¡± ¡°Inquisitor? Where?¡± The guard seemed surprised. ¡°Nicole. Kill him, he isn¡¯t a guard.¡± Chester scowled. The guard didn¡¯t have time to react as a head found itself rolling on the ground, thoroughly cauterized. A worm-like creature began crawling out of the guard¡¯s ear before the heat turned it to ash. There were two reactions, guards who seemed surprised by the scene and other guards that pulled out blades and began attempting to kill their comrades. ¡°Noah? We have trouble, something has taken over the bodies of the guards which means a large portion of our contingent has some sort of corruption. You and Nicole should go and inform the headmaster immediately.¡± ¡°Ches-ter why am I leaving?¡± Nicole began seething. ¡°If Kyrion has been taken he¡¯ll need someone capable of tracking him. We can interrogate the prisoners.¡± ¡°...Fine¡­ Let¡¯s go, Noah.¡± Nicole began dragging off the much larger boy. ¡°Why did you really make her leave?¡± Asela asked with a stoic expression. ¡°This was too personal for her milady. I¡¯d rather talk to the prisoners without her anger and potential rashness. Now follow closely we¡¯re going to need to move quickly.¡± Chester took Asela¡¯s hand and weaved them through the crowd of fighting guards. ¡°Who comes to bother the great red bear!¡± Said a giant man with semi-athletic muscles and an eyepatch over the wrong eye. His eyes were also brown. ¡°You arn¡¯t my grand¡­.¡± A hand covered her mouth. ¡°Oh great Alexander, tell us what really happened here.¡± A prism of clear magic enveloped the four people sealing out all sound and making their conversation private. ¡°Like I said the guards came and stole one of us and then tried to kill the rest of us.¡± ¡°Only Kyrion didn¡¯t get taken, did he?¡± ¡°Kyrion?¡± Meh Thod was poked in the ribs by an old man lying at his side. ¡°It¡¯s safe to talk here, this barrier is sound proof.¡± Chester tapped on the prism, and it sounded durable. ¡°Interesting young ones aren¡¯t ya. What tipped you off.¡± The old man rolled to his feet. ¡°Charles had me go see the play a week ago. I recognized the actor.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go to a play!¡± Asela looked betrayed. ¡°He thought you¡¯d be offended having met the legend yourself. It isn¡¯t a nice rendition of an old tale.¡± ¡°You met the red bear yourself? How.¡± The actor seemed awe-struck. ¡°He¡¯s close with my family. Anyway what really happened.¡± Asela rolled her eyes. ¡°That boy must be more observant than he looks. The second he got into the cell he looked for a way out. I didn¡¯t really get why and when he brought out the clones I decided to see where things went. The boy jumped into the ground and vanished with one of the other prisoners. Four hours later the guards came and attacked, beheading a clone belonging to a thief before moving to this young man.¡± The old man pointed to Meh Thod. ¡°So he figured out that they were trying to take him. He¡¯s observant but not omnipotent.¡± Asela muttered. ¡°He knew my rank and was bored. He was probably going to come back if nothing had happened but you know dead and kidnaped clones are never a good sign. I could probably tunnel after him but I won¡¯t. Gotta go through the proper channels afterall.¡± The old man stood stretched and watched as everyone else in the guardhouse was knocked prone. A regal man with long pointed ears and platinum hair entered the building. Two long thin blades rested on his hip while a bow and quiver rested on his back. As he passed the guards, they seemed to sink into the ground. Half of the guards died instantly as blood flowed from their ears. The prism blocking sound shattered like glass, causing Chester to fall to a knee. ¡°So the parasites are vulnerable to my aura. How quaint.¡± The man said stoically as he eyed the carnage. The elf arrived at the cell door and moved to draw his blade from its sheath. Only a gloved hand stopped him. ¡°You will put that away while the children are still here. Don¡¯t forget your place.¡± A blue-haired man stood next to the swordsman. His eyes closed, and a smile on his face as he kept him in check. The man with long ears looked down and grimaced. ¡°Sorry got a bit carried away seeing her majesty in such an abhorrent cage.¡± ¡°I understand. Just subdue your presence and let the kids under you go.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Moments later, Asela and Chester stood up, taking a good look at Charles, who was clearly subduing a powerful expert with practiced ease. They then got a reasonable distance away. The old man walked to the cell. ¡°Does this mean I can go?¡± ¡°You are being released along with Meh Thod. Had Kyrion not been taken he would be released as well. Prior to his fight he cut his hair and threw it away. The hair found at the scene of the crime was a match to hair he lost not its current length. A guard was seen carrying a bundle of it around town, delivering it to the captain¡¯s estate. That same guard was the one who attacked Kyrion unprovoked outside a food stall and had been taken by the inquisition prior to the events here.¡± Charles stated. ¡°So we don¡¯t need to testify?¡± Asela asked. ¡°He¡¯s free wherever he is.¡± Charles shrugged. ¡°Is this the infamous Scarlet Maelstrom I¡¯ve heard about? A child who has caused chaos all over the continent just by passing by? Reminds me of his grandfather in more ways than one.¡± The old man casually bent back the bars and walked through. ¡°He¡¯s hard to look at sometimes. Especially when he¡¯s up to something. Iv¡¯e known that look most of my life.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°I noticed. All he needs is an orphan sidekick and¡­.¡± The old man started. Charles held up two fingers, and the old man started cackling. Asela looked to Chester and then the swordsman, who seemed to cover his face with a hand. The two silently agreed that it was better to leave and let these grown-ups talk. Book Two: Chapter 29 Psychotic Doppelganger Psycho led an army of hobgoblins who were prudent as they disabled traps and bested their lesser kin. Stepping in only to disable the golems that proved too difficult for the hobgoblins. By the time he arrived, his trail of construction had led him to a medical tent. Psycho entered his black eyes, scanning over the surprisingly efficient medic tent. Kyrion could use one of these. A dagger flying at Psycho was casually caught by a hole into their domain. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me. Alive is more convenient but dead doesn¡¯t change much.¡± Psycho said coldly. ¡°What are you?¡± Not Nicole. ¡°I am the cycle of death and rebirth, life and death. I am what greets you in the beginning and embraces you in the end.¡± A black circle began to form behind Psyho¡¯s form. Not Nicole shivered. ¡°You¡¯re psychotic.¡± ¡°See? I¡¯m not the only one who thinks so.¡± Kyrion said from inside his head. ¡°When did you wake up?¡± Psycho asked aloud. ¡°Contingencies. Why do you keep brute forcing your way into my mind?¡± ¡°He¡¯s nuts.¡± Not Nicole threw a second dagger aiming for his head. Kyrion caught it out of the air without looking. The blade had been aimed at the boy¡¯s blind spot. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m back. Great.¡± Kyrion sighed as his hair returned to its typical red color, and his eyes shifted back to green. ¡°I will not do your work for you when you can do just fine yourself.¡± ¡°You were doing great. Being a real team player and taking my feelings into account. I was also looking forward to that thing you were going to do. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Not Nicole asked as she reached for a glass vial to throw. Psycho didn¡¯t reply. Kyrion eventually turned his attention to the girl. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Why would I tell you?¡± The glass vial went flying. Gong moved in front of Kyrion and intercepted it with his metal body. Kyrion placed a hand on the hob¡¯s shoulder and healed him. ¡°Now thats not nice Ms Viole. I was trying to be diplomatic.¡± A second glass vial was grabbed. ¡°Who told you!¡± ¡°Who told you?¡± Viole demanded. ¡°You confirmed it.¡± Kyrion picked up a list of names in near intelligible letters. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The check in sheet. Last name from the bottom. Here plain as day. Odd that I don¡¯t see the good doctor.¡± Kyrion looked around. ¡°What are you going to do with my people?¡± ¡°Lets see¡­ I¡¯m taking you with me, looting this place down to the last bone. Finding my friend, and then escaping.¡± ¡°Alpha, Beta, now!¡± Viole commanded. 3 human-sized metal golems attacked, wielding sharp medical implements. These golems were not made for combat. Kyrion spun as they attacked, opening up his domain and instantly absorbing all three of them. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to break them, and now that you¡¯re weaponless, come on with me and let us escape this dark and nasty place. I¡¯m getting hungry, and if I don¡¯t escape soon, I¡¯ll find myself in a rather bad situation.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. He was gonna miss Brion¡¯s birthday at this rate. ¡°Why do you want me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t but Psycho does and you look alot like one of my friends. Personally I¡¯m still mad at you.¡± Kyrion said without showing any anger whatsoever. ¡°Your fingers chipped my teeth.¡± Viole said, revealing a set of sharp inhuman teeth, some of which were quite damaged. ¡°Uh huh¡­ Well I tried.¡± Kyrion turned around and left the tent, followed by Gong and the rest of the goblins. ¡°Oi! I thought you were here to kidnap me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it any more. If you¡¯re going to follow me then come on if not?¡± Kyrion kept going. Kyrion didn¡¯t look back as another person begrudgingly joined his entourage. ¡°Now where is the treasure room?¡± ¡°Behind the mech hanger and through a secret pathway. There is a 2 headed Mech guarding the way forward.¡± Kyrion recalled a conversation he had with Cecil. He used that word a few times. ¡°Lord Odin. We have arrived.¡± Kyrion and his cohorts were in a large room with ten metal golems that were currently inert. ¡°Hmmmmm¡­ So these golem things. How do they work?¡± ¡°Mechs, we get in and we make them move. They don¡¯t move on their own.¡± ¡°Can anyone use them?¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°Yes but one must be able to fit inside and the controls can be a bit tricky even for our best.¡± ¡°How much combat experience do your people have?¡± ¡°Little to none aside from the corrupted renegade goblins.¡± ¡°Corrupted?¡± ¡°Some parasitic creatures have been taking over the bodies of our kind, mutating them and turning them into abhorrent creatures.¡± ¡°So those stone golems used to be goblins. Why didn¡¯t I find any corpses behind when I destroyed them.¡± ¡°For the lesser golems their bodies are turned into cores and the cores absorb what¡¯s around them and redistribute it throughout the creature¡¯s body.¡± ¡°I see, what are the cores good for?¡± Kyrion asked. Gong shrugged. ¡°Do you mind if I take all of these Golems?¡± ¡°The mechs?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight them, Lord Odin.¡± Kyrion laughed as he held out both hands, and mana began to pull the giant metal golems into his domain. Along with various tools, spare weapons, and goblins cowering in fear. ¡°You consumed all of them. Lord Odin, does goblin suit your palette? I can¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t eat them. They¡¯re just in my domain. I can let them go later. Right now they should be getting introduced to the gremlins.¡± ¡°You harbor our race¡¯s natural rival?¡± Gong was aghast. ¡°Not your natural rival. Anyhow if you¡¯re going to work for me you need to get used to working with all kinds of people and monsters.¡± Kyrion looked the shorter hobgoblin in its eyes. ¡°Yes Odin!¡± Kyrion had no idea why they kept calling him that and decided to humor them for a bit longer. He could use the workers as his bucks weren¡¯t coming back. ¡°Well then Gong lead the way.¡± ¡°All of you are traitors!¡± Viole continued to rant in the background, while being mostly ignored. The hobgoblins have chosen allegiance to Kyrion over their previous dictator, who has still yet to make their presence known. This bothered Kyrion intensely. Either the enemy didn¡¯t care or wasn¡¯t aware. Chances were, he was leading them straight to a trap. Gong and another hobgoblin covered in brass tubes opened a set of double doors. Gas immediately rushed out and quickly enveloped the group, and by the time Kyrion recognized the smell, fire enveloped his vision, and chaos began. Boom! Kyrion whispered some words after being hit, but only one person heard him between the screams and explosion. The aftermath was horrifying. Gong and the brass hobgoblin were nothing but dust. Kyrion had blocked the area off with a wall of wind and water. Shielding the other hobgoblins and Viole at the cost of exposing himself to the brunt of the assault. Layers of skin were charred. Bits of exposed muscle and bone could be seen on his exposed face. Still, the boy stood unmoving, unflinching, and almost unbothered. That, at least, was how it seemed until he fell to the side motionless as his regeneration began rapidly, draining nutrients from his body and mana to stabilize himself. ¡°Lord Odin!¡± Another goblin ran up to the unconscious Kyrion. A drum over its belly and two large sticks protruding from their knuckles. Kyrion didn¡¯t respond, his body still, like a corpse. Moments later, a giant metal behemoth of a golem with two skull-shaped heads and streams of fire leaked from its mouths. All four eyes glowed red as they wildly looked in nearly every direction. ¡°Looks like you all have come to be culled. Your genetic blueprints will be delicious. Ha! Ha! Ha!¡± The monstrosity lagged maniacally as it brought a sizeable skeletal hand down on the hobs. Nearly killing them outright. Their bodies were stronger now, but all that did was give them time to scatter or flee. Viole stepped up. ¡°You¡¯ll spare me right? I¡¯m not going to betray you. I was trying to talk them out of it!¡± ¡°Come here, child, and I will release you from your worries.¡± The monster¡¯s skeletal hand rose high above Viole. Viole did so with full confidence. A skeletal hand came down hard on top of Viole¡¯s head. A large crash echoed across the room, and when the hand was raised, all that remained was a pile of blood and crushed bones. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°You outlived your usefulness when you built this.¡± The monster began striding forward to no avail. As though something was stopping it from moving forward. ¡°Did someone call for a hero?¡± Tim said as he raised his sword towards the golem. Its shadow spread out like a web restraining the monster. But that wasn¡¯t what was stopping it in its tracks. That honor belonged to a figure clad in full plate armor, their hands held adjacent and their form wide to cover more area. Their brute strength was rooting it in place. ¡°Calvary? I knew of one of you, but where did you come from?¡± The golem dropped a flaming skeletal hand on top of the knight, who took it head-on. Unbothered. Kyrion was currently in a corner consuming a tray of sandwiches pulled from his domain to replace what he lost. He looked as though he hadn¡¯t eaten in weeks as his skin was wrinkled. Kyrion¡¯s red hair was the last thing to grow back. As his body began to fill out, everything was converted into fuel. An unconscious Viol at his side. The only thing odd about the situation was that he was currently wearing a cloth cloak as a skirt due to his clothes being destroyed by that attack. ¡°I am Ceres Guardian of Kyrion and the harbinger of your death.¡± Ceres pushed forward, tipping the golem over with a strength that seemed almost inhuman.
When the fire came, Kyrion had put nearly all his elemental mana into the barrier he crafted, and even then, he couldn¡¯t entirely escape the blast. ¡°Ceres!¡± A plant-based body double lay where Kyrion had been standing as the real one sunk into the ground. ¡°You¡¯re alive. What do you need master?¡± Ceres appeared next to him, and as the space around him expanded, they were currently moving towards a corner. ¡°Can you keep that girl and Tim alive? Tim is a human with a goatee. I need to heal and get back some mana.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to be quick.¡± Ceres dashed towards the fray, her body sinking into the earth as she became one with the ground. ¡°Ahh?¡± The golem fell to its body, restrained by invisible chains. Atimn kept his sword pinning the golems¡¯ shadow, visibly straining himself. He never had to fight something like this. Giant rats were killable. This was something different.
Kyrion got up and threw Viole over one of his shoulders as he walked to the double doors. Retrieving the ashes that belonged to Gong and Tuba, who he hadn¡¯t gotten to officially name. He walked into the next room and set Viole in a safe place. ¡°I need power, Karl, Jala, Issac, and great tree lend me yours.¡± ¡°No. Not yet.¡± Psycho stated to Kyrion and his spirits. ¡°What do you mean by that? I need more mana and more power to fight that thing. I almost died!¡± ¡°You need to activate your full manifestation, and for that, I¡¯ll need to give you more access to your mana pool. Even then you will have some trouble. So I suggest you destroy the root and let me pilot one of those plant puppets for a little while.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You need acess to your full manafestaion and while I am out of your body you¡¯ll be on your own. Your spirits will show you the way. That tree doesn¡¯t like me, so while i¡¯m gone I expect you to use this time well.¡± Psycho stated stoically. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done this before? And do I really have time for this?¡± Kyrion scowled as the golem got to its feet which broke Tim¡¯s hold. Resulting in the shadow user suffering backlash. For Tim, that involved flying backward and landing hard, unable to move for a while. ¡°You have to consent to this knowing the ramifications if you fail to keep me separate. The key being you will die and I will as well.¡± ¡°I see. I accept your terms.¡± Kyrion. ¡°Good. Now pull out one of those mirror seeds Gamodren gave you on your fifteenth birthday.¡± Kyrion did so, feeling a consciousness shift around in his mind. ¡°Now wha...¡± Kyrion grimaced as mana seemed to cycle through his brain at high speed, repairing some damage he hadn¡¯t known was there as blood pooled from his nose. It was another level of control and understanding of the vast ocean of mana he was holding inside himself, and understanding came with that knowledge. He shouldn¡¯t use all his mana at once to summon or destroy anything. If what ordinary people had was a cup of mana, Kyrion had a pool of it at his disposal. But now he saw what he could have, and expanding that pool to a lake was huge but not his limits. All it would cost him was everything, and he wouldn¡¯t survive to see what happened next. Kyrion slowed the flow when he felt his body couldn¡¯t hold much more. Wooden horns sprouted from his head, his hair grew exponentially, and the ends turned silver. A cape of earth wrapped around his neck and solidified. His bangles shrunk significantly and now hung on his ears like earrings. When the changes were solidified, Kyrion topped off his pool and made sure to cut it off. Then, pulling out a seed holding Psycho¡¯s presence Kyrion filled it until it bloomed into a near identical copy. But, unlike usual, its eyes were a malevolent green that seemed to radiate mana instead of the pitch black he had known.
Ceres threw the golem to the side for the third time; however, she couldn¡¯t dodge the liquid fire that coated her armor and began to superheat it. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Ceres yelled as she tried to put out the flames. It wasn¡¯t easy, and by the time she finished, the golem had brought down another skeletal hand, partially crushing Ceres. ¡°Time to end this.¡± Tim said as he took a knee. His shadow held back the creature¡¯s strike for a moment. Light filled the room, covering Atimn directly and cutting his connection to the golem. ¡°But that¡¯s not fair.¡± So Atimn moved, and wherever he went, the light followed like some sort of beacon. Large metal tubes rose from the mech¡¯s shoulder and set them at Tim. Ceres brought both hands into the earth and caused a thick barricade to cover Tim. That didn¡¯t save her from the barrage of attacks that came after. By the time it was done, the purple-haired girl¡¯s armor was decimated, and she was set free, almost entirely uninjured by the assault. When the next barrage came, she dodged with an unnerving proficiency for someone previously encumbered. Then, leading the golem away from Atimn towards an empty area where the dance continued. ¡°Need a refill?¡± A familiar voice said as a hand landed on Atimn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Refill what?¡± ¡°Mana, and stamina, you aren¡¯t injured physically.¡± ¡°What? Oh, right kinda forgot you were a healer after¡­.¡± ¡°So you good?¡± ¡°I could use some mana if you have some to spare.¡± ¡°Great, tell me when you¡¯re full.¡± Kurion said briskly as mana flooded Atimn¡¯s system. ¡°Stop!¡± Tim said a bit too loudly as he stumbled forward. ¡°Good. If you can hold that thing a bit longer. I¡¯ll rip it to pieces... I mean disable it.¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice went up an octave ¡°But the light.¡± ¡°Let me handle that.¡± Kyrion walked through the stone golem. Ceres stabbed a foot into the earth, forming a wall of earth around her as she sunk into the ground and reappeared thirty feet away, sprinting towards the dome of earth and passing Kyrion on the way. ¡°How did you survive my incendiary assault? Nobody survives that.¡± ¡°It cost me around a hundred sandwiches worth of nutrition and alot of rest.¡± Kyrion cracked his neck. ¡°Sandwiches?¡± ¡°Yup, and now I genuinely have a reason to hate you. Gong was one of my allies. I don¡¯t take too kindly to those who harm my allies.¡± Kyrion¡¯s tone had broken a bit as his country drawl seemed to show itself. His arms were far apart and in a grasping formation along with his legs. ¡°Who is this bumpkin who has wandered into my territory. I wonder what you taste like. Did you get your muscles from shoveling cow manure?¡± The golem laughed, and Kyrion traced the sound to something in the golem¡¯s ribcage. ¡°Let¡¯s play a country game, one of my favorites. It¡¯s called chicken. I¡¯m going to come at you head on and you¡¯re going to come at me head on. Whoever turns away first is the loser. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Like a stupid game but I¡¯ll happily run you over.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll try your best.¡± Kyrion dashed towards the golem building up an absurd amount of mana into his right hand, and sharpened it into a thin surgeon¡¯s scalpel. The golem thought nothing of this and moved forward, charging a big fire attack after it ran over the human. During the last ten feet of movement, Kyrion jumped forward towards the creature¡¯s stomach. With his mana-infused hand, he stabbed into the golem¡¯s chest cavity and pulled it out before swiping it a few times, resulting in a bloody snap as the cockpit was breached and the pilot was executed. The combination of wind, water, and earth mana destroyed the internal switches, and the golem began moving wildly and almost unpredictably. ¡°Atimn, stop it now!¡± Kyrion yelled. The dome opened wide, and a slab or earth shot diagonally upward, providing shade for Atimn to strike. Shadows shot forward, latching onto the golem and seizing its flailing before it went motionless. Kyrion sighed, letting his guard down as the fight ended. Four red eyes locked onto Kyrion¡¯s location, and a red light shot from it. Kyrion had barely managed to shift his body in a way that caused the light to pass through something nonvital. ¡°Locked on. Target hit head on.¡± Kyrion griped his side in pain, noting that whatever hit him had cauterized itself on the way down. He¡¯d need to open the wound and heal it personally. ¡°That was cheap. You¡¯re supposed to be down.¡± A monotonous voice spoke next. ¡°The goblin is dead yes, but I was using its body as a vessel. Operating like this require more of my focus, luckily for me your threat has been registered as very high.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the dungeon aren¡¯t you?¡± Kyrion grimaced, holding his wound. ¡°Correct. I have been ordered not to kill you so I¡¯d like you to surrender now and you can die later.¡± ¡°Hmmmmm. Will you let my friends and allies go if I agree?¡± ¡°I hold the leverage here mortal. You have nothing to offer aside from the time you are wasting by not giving up.¡± The dungeon stated. ¡°So you¡¯re really pulling my arm. If you wanted me to come quietly, you should have sweetened the pot.¡± Kyrion stomped the ground, causing a fog of dust to cover him. ¡°Is this an attack?¡± When the dust passed, Kyrion removed his hand from his visibly healed wound and kept an eye on the golem. ¡°Just frustrated. Can¡¯t you just let us go?¡± Kyrion pleaded. ¡°I have nothing to gain from letting any of you go. And everything to gain from your corpses. And your capture.¡± ¡°Fine then. I¡¯ll just kill myself then.¡± Kyrion drew a golden dagger and held it next to an artery on his neck. ¡°Human? What are you doing? Don¡¯t you fear death? Why end it all now.¡± ¡°Because if you capture me I get turned into a soulless puppet and cease to exist. I¡¯m more of a go out on my own terms type of guy.¡± Kyrion said with confidence. ¡°Foolish human. Like you would¡­.¡± A bead of red blood trickled down the blade as the tip broke the skin. Strangely quite a bit of blood seemed to flow. ¡°Imagine the despair and anger on your master¡¯s face when he finds me in this state. Too inflexible to make a deal. I bet he¡¯d destroy your mind before having it filled with worms.¡± ¡°Stop!!! Don¡¯t you dare! What do you want!¡± The dungeon seemed to grow worried. ¡°You know what I want. Let my friends and the goblins go and I won¡¯t kill myself. It¡¯s that simple.¡± A brief moment of silence passed through the area. ¡°I agree to let them go if you don¡¯t kill yourself here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need that as an oath.¡± An extended period of silence passed as Kyrion let the blood flow. ¡°I sweat to let ¡­Wait you!!!¡± The golem¡¯s red eyes shut off. Hostile detected in the core chamber. Sustaining damage. Critical threat range. Entering Stasis. Requesting aid from a shepherd¡­ Quarantine protocol engaged. Please be patient. You will be seen in approximately one week and three days. A much deeper and angrier voice seemed to replace the monotone one from earlier. CoRuPtIoN EnGiNe started. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± Psycho sighed. The golem shifted significantly as the goblin in the cockpit and the mech fused into one. Its size doubled and then doubled again, filling the large area completely as its weapons seemed to grow with it. The skulls split wide open, exposing a few moving gears and tanks that seemed to fuse into one. Atimn immediately sent shadows to restrain the golem. The shadows were bypassed as the monstrosity greatly affected Atimn in power and ability. Water coated the internal mechanisms, but the golem turned towards Atimn, all four eyes locking on and charging an attack. A thick stone wall rose to block the four lasers congealed into one. The blast connected tunneling through the dome and one of its inhabitants. A roar echoed from the dome, which had broken wide open, revealing a winged lizard of absurd size and proportions. Fangs as large as a person and claws sharper than the toughest blades. Purple scales covered its body, and a bloodthirsty gaze had locked onto the golem. Ceres¡¯ hind leg had a hole in it the size of a ballista bolt, only it was visibly healing and shrinking as the dragon stared the mech down. Atimn collapsed behind Ceres, who had transformed into a creature that struck fear in people¡¯s hearts everywhere. She had used her body to protect him but fear when seeing a dragon in all its magnificence was scary. ¡°Atimn. Get on my back. I want you to cut its shadows with your sword while I fly around keeping you safe and attack from afar. ¡° ¡°But my shadows didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t stop it but you can weaken it if you keep swinging. It¡¯s moved onto peak practitioner in terms of power which means that I can¡¯t afford to hold back. It isn¡¯t about winning, it¡¯s about surviving.¡± ¡°What? Surviving? Do you have an escape route?¡± ¡°When, master gives the signal I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all be out safely.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on.¡± Atimn climbed onto the scaled dragon¡¯s back. While scales were good hand and foot holds, it was quite uncomfortable. Atimn knew not to say this out loud and opted to hold on for dear life. Book Two: Chapter 30 Troublesome Encounters Kyion was having a bad month. Just once, he wanted to have a simple relaxing week away from school. He had waited for this chance for some fresh air, and surprise, surprise, he found himself neck deep in this country¡¯s drama. He¡¯d better get compensated for his trouble. Kyrion scowled as he continued a trail of blood flowing behind him down the corridor. His mana was tearing into his body like pressure in a vacuum. The path was long, and he couldn¡¯t afford to expel any of his mana. This was going to be a surprise visit. A laugh left the red-haired boy as he held the wall and eventually arrived in front of a large cube in a tube surrounded by various silver screens with symbols, letters, and numbers racing across them. ¡°Karl? Is it time to smash?¡± Kyrion asked the dungeon spirit. ¡°Go crazy. They get what¡¯s coming to them.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kyrion drew his staff from his domain and wound up for a swing. Putting his body into the swing, Kyrion shattered the barrier like glass and watched as his staff connected to the core, causing a small crack. A coolness passed through him as mana rushed out from his body. ¡°Hostile detected in the core chamber.¡± ¡°The cube talks. Karl shouldn¡¯t we take this core with us?¡± ¡°No. Destroy it. This dungeon has gone against the grand design. What remains will be absorbed for later use.¡± Karl said in a monotone. Kyion infused his next strike with one-fourth of his mana and watched as the cracks extended much further, yet it didn¡¯t break fully. The corridor did, in fact, shake as damage spread throughout the area. Sustaining damage. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion looked behind the cubic core and noticed that his attack had damaged the area around the core. First, the screens were shattered, and the devices were broken. Then, walls started crumbling, and rivets in the ground began to form. ¡°Cores are resilient, but you¡¯re almost there.¡± Kyrion spun using his momentum and another quarter of his mana. Even then, excess slipped through, and a crack in the world started opening up. Still, he failed. The core split into two perfectly whole chunks, and a small white bead fell to the ground in front of him. It was around the size of a marble. ¡°Be a dear and pick that up for me?¡± Karl said stoically. ¡°Ok, but¡­ What is that?¡± Kyrion pointed to the hole that began expanding.¡± ¡°Now that it¡¯s gone I can see the layout. This dungeon is directly under the capital. It seems that they were planning an assault from here. This dungeon shouldn¡¯t be here. The one placed here originally had already been destroyed. Huh, it used to be a dungeon for experts which means someone powerful had to destroy it¡­That explains some of the loot. Was probably left in place to keep people from growing suspicious.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I guess that makes me a hero huh.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You could say that Tim did all the heroic stuff.¡± ¡°Tim is at least a native. I¡¯m sure he can handle the rest.¡± Critical threat range exceeded. ¡°Whats that? Karl?¡± Entering Stasis. ¡°Shoot! Kyrion, why is there a portal here!!¡± Karl yelled. Requesting aid from a shepherd. Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Oh now you care.¡± Quarantine protocol engaged. Kyrion watched as the purple hole turned golden and enveloped him in a warm light. When the light passed, Kyrion was gone. ¡°Greetings, young one.¡± Said a feminine figure with green and blue hair that seemed to pool on the ground. ¡°Where, what, how? Karl?¡± Kyrion tried to summon a weapon or a spirit and found it impossible. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re surprised but we need to talk about a few things before you go back.¡± ¡°No we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°We do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are and my friends are fighting out there.¡± ¡°Then I guess I¡¯m holding them hostage until you change your mind.¡± Kyrion¡¯s gaze grew sharp. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°I am Imala the¡­.¡± A blade left Kyrion¡¯s right earring and flew towards the goddess, only to fall flat halfway there. ¡°What was that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Imala telekinetically lifted the dagger, floated it towards herself, and examined it. ¡°So Imala. What do you want?¡± Kyrion seemed irritated. ¡°I want you to not do one thing. I want you to refrain from accessing enough power to greatly alter the shape of the world until you¡¯re an expert. An oath to do so, one you can¡¯t break willingly. So I¡¯m putting a cap on your power until you can handle it because if you accidentally trigger my call, you aren¡¯t ready for it.¡± ¡°What do I get out of it?¡± ¡°A core from a world tree. It will allow you to spread your domain across that space between now it should also give you the ability to resurrect monsters. A long way down the line you may be able to resurrect people. When you¡¯re at the realm beyond comprehension, you could potentially create new worlds.¡± ¡°Why does my mom hate you?¡± Kyrion asked stoically, not bothered by the powers offered. ¡°I know why but it isn¡¯t my place. My job is to make sure things run their corse. I¡¯m not supposed to directly interfere in such matters. I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t jumping at the chance for a resurrection ability.¡± ¡°I get that. Everything has a price ect. One day this one day that. What is your end goal?¡± ¡°Those of my kind are immune to temporal effects; we can see the changes. The route your on is a dangerous one, I have my people in play to ensure that you don¡¯t kick the bucket too soon.¡± ¡°Not that. Why are you helping me at all? What else are you getting out of this? I already know about Cecil and Bella.¡± ¡°A wise one you are. I want a seat on your pantheon when you reach that level of power.¡± ¡°That makes zero sense.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I would be happy if you ridded the world of the emperor of the Beastblood empire. But he isn¡¯t the biggest threat to our world. And when the Incursion begins you¡¯ll understand your role.¡± ¡°Fine. I guess I¡¯ll take the core. But I¡¯m not happy about it. I swear on my mana that I will not use my mana to forcibly trigger my call before I¡¯m at least an expert rank spirit master.¡± ¡°Good. Any questions?¡± ¡°Three. Why Cecil and Bella?¡± ¡°This world is behind technology due to reliance on mana and infighting. Since he was coming here anyway I decided to send him and his friend where they would have the best impact.¡± ¡°Why does Viole look like Nicole?¡± Kyrion asked. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°They are parts of the same whole. When a person is born in any world seven other versions of them are born in the other worlds. Viole is from a different world. When a person is strong enough to be called then they will be given a chance to fuse with or eliminate their other counterparts.Those who die before fusing become artifacts and are normally sent to the nearest counterpart if on the same world or given to the chroniclers who facilitate the call. Using an item like that is normally a boon and allows one to gain access to memories and knowledge from that other world.¡± ¡°Huh. Do I have one of those items on me and if so how do I use it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now I have more questions¡­If you can answer another one then I¡¯d like to find a quick way out of here.¡± ¡°Atimn, has the answer. I enjoyed this chat.¡± ¡°Did you really agree to join Cecil¡¯s harem? It¡¯s getting quite big now and we¡¯re running out of spots. Clubs are limited to thirty or so people before we need to take a test to raise the cap.¡± ¡°Oh that. Don¡¯t worry about it. By the time I can legally join he¡¯ll have given up on it.¡± Imala said as Kyrion began to fall into darkness.
Ceres let out a roar that caused the dungeon to shake as earthen spikes began to impale the golem on all sides. Atimn readied a thrust as he passed through the golem¡¯s shadow. Stabbing down into its arm as they passed, Ceres¡¯s momentum pushed them forward where Atimn would be stuck. Lasers shot from the golem, cutting the earthen spikes and flying towards the dragon. Ceres shifted her wings and rolled out of the way as Atimn held on for dear life. Sadly Atimn¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t enough, and he slipped. The lasers passed and left a faint cut on Ceres¡¯ midsection. Aside from that, they were uninjured. Atimn fell alone, his sword left his reach, and his life flashed before his eyes. Ceres¡¯ silhouette appeared above as she dived to try and catch him. Leaving herself wide open to a concentrated laser as thick as a tree trunk that pierced through one of her lungs and came out her back, taking a wing with it. ¡°Sorry, master.¡± Ceres whispered as she lost control of her descent. Her body was poised to crush Atimn even if he did survive. Atimn hit the ground with a splash. Ceres hit the ground with a crunch crushing some of her own spikes in the process.
Kyrion held the spirit core in his hands as he saw Ceres get scared by the laser. He instantly decided to absorb the core, pushing his life and healing capabilities to the second rank of practitioner; his body grew slightly tougher, and his capacity to restore had greatly improved. More stuff for his defense and Utility. He watched in horror as the golem lined up its lasers to hit the dragon head-on. ¡°Ceres!¡± Kyrion sprinted before moving onto small hops as he transitioned into larger leaps as he aimed to knock the golem off target. The shot fired, and he was too late to stop it. Still, Kyrion didn¡¯t stop. Mana flowed out of his body from every pore as his rage seemed to pull from deep down. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this!!!¡± The world around Kyrion seemed to go hazy as mana began to surround him like a heatwave. A full body tackle from Kyrion knocked the golem to the side while the mana flowing from him entered the mech and caused a giant explosion that sent shrapnel into Kyrion¡¯s body as he flew twenty feet in the opposite direction, landing on his feet. His green eyes shifted to red as he madly charged forward, unconsciously calling forth a power he wasn¡¯t supposed to have access to. A second Kyrion rose up from the ground, its eyes sharing a similar color. Then, the plant-based doppelganger faded into leaves, and Psycho¡¯s mind returned to Kyrion¡¯s body. ¡°Ceres!¡± The golem had lost a power source, but it was still moving. Still functioning, and it still had working weapons. The golem¡¯s remaining two eyes turned and looked at the boy, firing as it locked onto his head. Kyrion adjusted slightly and fully evaded the attack when it came, his body striding forward despite the debris in his body. The arms and fingers on the skeletal golem¡¯s arms combined into large, sharp blades. ¡°Ce¡­¡± Kyrion was cut off as he hopped through a blade attempting to take his head, while another aimed to take his legs. The ease with which he moved through the attacks was uncanny. ¡°Die human.¡± The golem screeched as it tried to take back its arms. A tendril of water shot out from Kyrion¡¯s left hand and wrapped around the golem¡¯s body. Then, using a platform of air, Kyrion shot to the side and began speeding around its body like a tetherball hit by a club. The golem soon found itself tied by water mana. It could easily break free with time, but it did not have time. With a speed that the boy hadn¡¯t shown prior, Kyrion jumped past the golem with a hand coated in a lot of concentrated wind mana. The golem¡¯s shoulder went slack as it fell to the ground. Severed concentrated by erosion and weathering. With that, the band of hobgoblins that had been hiding charged forward with rusty shortswords, tools, and musical instruments. One unique hob with a white poofy hat and a large ladle. They bashed. They crashed. They disassembled, and they smashed. The hobgoblins gave it everything it had. The golem panicked and began to charge for another laser attack when something different occurred. The golem¡¯s chest exploded as the built-up power was let loose inside the golem¡¯s body, sending Kyrion and the hobgoblins far away from their position. Kyrion bounced off the ground as even more shrapnel left his body. His regeneration had slowed to a crawl, and he was now losing a lot of blood. With his left hand, he reached out to his draconic friend, his right hand holding chunks of a severed metal tube. Still, the golem stood on its feet, its body shrinking as its cannons focused on Kyrion¡¯s location. Kyrion stumbled back to his feet. ¡°Tch. Didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d have to use this technique so early. Sending it to your subconscious.¡± Jala seemed irritated. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion¡¯s stance changed as his right hand was in front of his body, his left hand behind him. Then the laser came searing through the space between it and Kyrion. Kyrion made a minor circular movement with his hand, and a purple portal opened up and sent the red beam into his domain, where it continued to travel. The laser continued to stream for thirty seconds, causing the area around him to slag. Some of his fingers began to disintegrate from exposure, but the boy proved able to stave off the attack. Kyrion rotated his body, and with his left hand, he made another small circular motion causing the laser he had stored in his domain to come out at full force. Unlike absorbing the last attack, this didn¡¯t damage him at all. The Golem? Exploded in a blast so big that it caused quite a bit of the ceiling to come crashing down. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Kyrion scratched his hand with his skeletal hand, which was currently regenerating, and sighed, and then for the first time in a long time, pain and shock caused him to go catatonic. His body flopped to the ground as his mind went to war with itself.
Being dead sucked, Atimn thought. Everything was cold, dark, and wet. What was worse was the fact that he kept whispering that dragon¡¯s name over and over again. It was quite annoying. Atimn floated there for a while before he began to go towards the light floating upwards against his will. The light felt warm and comforting. He then actively swam towards it and escaped. Atimn was not dead. He was sure of it mainly because the ringing in his ears hurt quite a bit. That Kyr dude was unconscious, his bony fingers covered in dirt and healing over. ¡°That can¡¯t be sanatiry.¡± Atimn took a few steps away. The dragon, Ceres, was still alive, a wound in her side noticeably closing up. The hobgoblins who survived were standing around the unconscious duo. Some even attempted to remove some of the debris so that he could heal. Atimn gave the dragon a bunch of potions before approaching the goblins. ¡°Hey mind if you help you dear Odin by dragging the dragon¡¯s wing over here? We can reconnect it so that the limb doesn¡¯t go bad.¡± Atimn and the swarm of hobs reattached the wing with great effort and the assistance of a mech that Kyrion didn¡¯t see. ¡°Now what?¡± Asked a somewhat female hobgoblin. A flute was held at her side. ¡°Flute. Right? Yes, flute. Well as the acting leader I say we take the injured somewhere they can rest and recuperate. Then we get the abyss out of here. If you have anything you want to take with you, grab it now.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Odin the leader?¡± Flute pointed at the one-eyed young man. Kyrion¡¯s hair had shifted to black again, and Atimn watched as the boy stumbled in the opposite direction towards a wall. He hit a switch revealing a large ball of green mana. The ball was brought into the boy¡¯s domain. Kyrion got on his knees and carefully laid back down. ¡°He sleep walks.¡± Atimn said blankly. ¡°Ok leader!¡± Flute saluted. Some other hobgoblins saluted as well. ¡°No, no, no, no! I¡¯m your leader. I¡¯m supposed to be the leader. We¡¯ve been together for years.¡± Viole walked into the room with a large cylindrical tube in her hands and a surprised look on her face. ¡°Where were you when we were fighting for our lives?¡± Atimn asked stoically. ¡°I...¡± Viole stammered. ¡°You were unconscious. The reason you were brought to safety was because Kyr ordered it.¡± Atimn lied. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°He could have left you to die but he didn¡¯t. Made sure you were somewhere safe before he rejoined the fight. One of his friends almost died!¡± Atimn pointed to the dragon. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for his help.¡± ¡°Would you rather I take that as a request for a refund?¡± Atimn drew his blade and angled it towards Viole¡¯s shadow. Viole rested her pointer on a small switch under the tube. ¡°Would you like to die?¡± ¡°You kill the shadow man then you attack us as well. We defend our new king.¡± The hobgoblin stated. Atimn didn¡¯t know how close to death he was, so the goblin¡¯s warning worried him. But, deciding not to show his fear Atimn continued. ¡°Hobs take her into custody until Kyrion wakes. Then find your best healers and have them come treat the wounded.¡± Atimn demanded. ¡°Fine. You idiot.¡± Viole didn¡¯t resist as the hobs carried her away. The flute-toting goblin looked at him. ¡°She is our doctor. Ontop of our mechanic. Since we come back when we die, and she doesn¡¯t¡­.¡± Atimn watched as Viole smirked while being dragged off. ¡°I am not suited for leadership.¡± Atimn poured the last of his bandolier of potions into Cere¡¯s open maw and watched the wound to her body closed. Oddly enough, one wing seemed to be a bit shorter than the other. Nothing he could do about that, however. Book Two: Chapter 31 One to one To say Kyrion awoke feeling a bit peckish would be like saying that a category five hurricane was just a minor storm. Kyrion was starving. So much so that he began to consider the taste of fried hobgoblin before his mind snapped together. ¡°Ceres!¡± Kyion coughed. He was covered in quite a few bandages. ¡°Right here master.¡± Ceres wheezed on a cot parallel to his. ¡°Bless the stars.¡± Kyrion looked up at the stone ceiling. ¡°Our regeneration ability grew suddenly. If it hadn¡¯t I might have been more injured. It was very close. But we did it. Glad to see that they couldn¡¯t get you. People on the surface think you¡¯re dead. We also missed the court date. Apparently you¡¯ve been out for a week.¡± Kyrion consumed a white berry and took a deep refreshing breath. ¡°Much better... Wait a week? I missed Brion¡¯s cake day!¡± Kyrion got to his feet too quickly and felt his legs give out. His body hit the floor soon after. ¡°Master!¡± Ceres tried to move to pick him up, but she wasn¡¯t in a much better state either. ¡°How bad is it, Ceres?¡± Kyrion looked up at his friend restrained in a full body cast. ¡°You¡¯ll need to re break and set one of my wings, and some of my organs were destroyed. I won¡¯t be able to move much until I can fully repair those. I¡¯ll need to get a check up when we get back. I also won¡¯t fight unless I have to.¡± ¡°Lucky you.¡± Kyrion got to his knees and attempted to. Call a whole roasted boar from his domain. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°I feel lightheaded. I can¡¯t use magic, no thats not it. My body is low on magic. Need to eat something quick.¡± ¡°You used quite a bit. You need to get to the surface and start absorbing mana as fast as you can to refill your stores. There isn¡¯t enough in the air here to sustain your pool.¡± ¡°Great. So who¡¯s carrying us?¡± Kyrion asked. And right on time, a large hobgoblin with a pot on its head as a helmet and a large two-handed ladle in its grasp approached Kyrion. ¡°Ah yes Chef.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Cook, Walter Cook, to be exact. This one greets the great Odin.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Well Mr.Cook, do you require my presence? I am not in the mood for any hot butter bathes if you catch my drift.¡± Kyrion smiled as his threat was stated. ¡°I apologize for my insolence. I did not understand what you were.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know what he was, so he changed the subject. ¡°You can do me a favor then. Find me, Atimn and all will be forgiven.¡± ¡°Shall I carry you to your throne or help you back to your bed.¡± ¡°One such as I, needs no assistance getting to their feet. Hip hip. I don¡¯t have all day.¡± Kyrion summoned his favorite staff and was relieved that it appeared. However, the pain that hit him when he used his magic hurt quite a bit, and he winced. ¡°You ok?¡± ¡°Why are you still here, Mr.Cook.¡± Kyrion used his staff to get to his feet and took a few practice steps. He felt closer to the ground though that could have more to do with him being hunched over. Walking felt a bit hard at the moment, but he could do it with his staff¡¯s assistance. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Cook left the room. Kyrion sighed. ¡°How long till you can move out of that cast?¡± ¡°Later tonight. They went a bit overboard wrapping me up and I¡¯m not strong enough to break out on my own yet.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Kyrion stumbled out of the makeshift roofless room he was in. ¡°Hey. You need to go back to sleep.¡± A white-haired woman with a clipboard scowled at him. ¡°I just need some food and I¡¯ll be good as new.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Are you sure? We don¡¯t have anything you surface dwellers will call edible.¡± ¡°You have butter.¡± Kyrion eyed the woman. ¡°It¡¯s closer to a type of lard and it isn¡¯t exactly delicious once you figure out what it¡¯s made of.¡± ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s made from a type of insect larva that has fermented before preparations are made to make it more palatable. It¡¯s made from the unhatched nest of a mother, Gigaroach.¡± Kyrion had eaten bugs. It didn¡¯t mean he enjoyed them, but they were full of protein, and he needed that to rebuild the parts that still felt broken. ¡°Where can I eat this mother Gigaroach?¡± Viole shivered. Kyrion waited a moment before starting over. ¡°Where can I find the mother Gigaroach?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t eat the gigaroach. The Gigaroach eats you. They make the golem you fought earlier look weak and they leave their nests everywhere. If we didn¡¯t eat them then they¡¯d spread here.¡± ¡°Ok. So I need to eat the larva to regain my energy.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°If you can stomach it then go ahead.¡± Viole led Kyrion to a mess hall where a pungent smell almost made him sick. Viole sat him down before getting a plate of odd white, almost see-through eggs. ¡°Now go on. Eat up.¡± Viole watched Kyrion with contempt. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You don¡¯t like me very well. Not that I mind. It¡¯s better that way.¡± Kyrion popped one of the white things in his mouth and let out a cry as it tasted much worse than the area smelled. But it gave him a jolt that seemed to revive his nearly empty core. The jolt then turned into a type of shredding as two forces in his body began to fight. The new thing getting shredded almost immediately. ¡°How was it?¡± Viole asked with an odd look in her eye. ¡°Effective but never again. Disgusting.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel any different?¡± Viole asked questioningly. ¡°Why? Did you do something to the food?¡± Kyrion asked, adjusting his staff so he could flip the table over if necessary. ¡°No. The larva made me sick the first time I ate one. Didn¡¯t feel the quite the same afterwards.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t eat anymore, his intuition telling him something was off. ¡°Must not have much of an appetite. I heard you could eat a lot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. We leave in 5 hours. So what¡¯s with your numbers?¡± Kyrion glanced at the spot where the tattoo he had glimpsed earlier had been. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Viole seemed to grow agitated. ¡°You know, the numbers, 84653.¡± Viole drew a hand cannon and pointed it at Kyrion. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, but I¡¯m sure your master wouldn¡¯t want me dead,¡± Kyrion said calmly, analyzing the familiar weapon in Viole¡¯s clutches. ¡°If I kill you now it¡¯s over. All of this torture will be over. Icaron will¡­¡± A shadow shot out from across the room, grabbing the shadow of Viole¡¯s arm and moving it to the side. This caused Viole to mirror the action. As Viole fell, Kyrion launched forward and tapped the girl on the side of her head, cutting off circulation and putting her into a temporary coma. ¡°You can just poke people to death now. Why didn¡¯t you do that to me?¡± Atimn asked, quite irritated. ¡°She isn¡¯t dead.¡± ¡°That makes it worse. You were beating me half to death. I almost met her lady personally quite a few times.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t anything to write home about.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°The beating or me almost meeting the goddess? Because that sounds like blasphemy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s near practitioner rank in physical strength, I knew how much pressure I needed. You my friend are squishy, I had to find your breaking point before knocking you out.¡± ¡°So¡­ That was you trying not to kill me with one hit.¡± Atimn walked and examined the unconscious girl. ¡°If you didn¡¯t stab my shadow the first time it would have been simple.¡± Kyrion shook his head, both of his palms up. ¡°You¡¯re saying I did that to myself.¡± Atimn said as he took the cannon from Viole and curiously pointed it at the wall before pulling the trigger. A red ball shaped like a wolf¡¯s maw shot out of the cannon and hit the wall causing an explosion that left a wolf-shaped crater in the wall. ¡°Paritaly. But you weren¡¯t in the right mind. Some patients need to be physically restrained.¡± Kyrion seemed unbothered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you seem surprised by this amount of destruction?¡± Atimn looked at the cannon and then at the unconscious Viole. Then, he took a few steps away. ¡°It¡¯s not the strongest cannon but it is made to be held in a hand. So this is where Cecil¡¯s technology had been brought after the captain paid for it. She must have built this after taking apart his work. Pretty smart, despite her stupid decisons.¡± Kyrion threw Viole over his shoulders before his soreness caught up, and he almost fell back. Atimn took that as a sign he needed help, and the two carried the unconscious girl to the medical tent. ¡°Kyrion what happened?¡± ¡°We had to double team Viole.¡± Kyrion said, gasping for air. ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that.¡± Atimn scowled. ¡°She¡¯s with the empire. The beast one¡­.¡± Kyrion and Atimn lifted Viole onto a bed, and the red-haired boy pulled out a syringe, which was injected into the unconscious figure. ¡°With that she should be out for three more days, that needle had enough vitamins to keep her healthy for that time which is very generous given that she tried to kill me.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Yeah with this thing.¡± Atimn held up the cannon. Ceres laughed. Kyrion laughed. Atimn shook his head with worry. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what this did to the wall?¡± ¡°Tim? That isn¡¯t a weapon. I can see why you think that, but it¡¯s a specialty mining laser. It looks intimidating and is entirely impractical given what it shoots out, but¡­ Shoot me and see what happens. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°As sure as I can get¡­.¡± ¡°Master, you are weaning my cloak¡­.¡± Atimn shot Kyrion, and the wolf passed through him and hit them all, leaving Kyrion primarily alone. His clothes had been all but destroyed. Atimn. Looked down at the giant¡¯s lack of a skirt and quickly turned around. ¡°Its a weapon that destroys nonliving material. It¡¯s a tool for gem mining with some special runes in place that make it pass harmelsy through living material.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need an explanation just put on some pants.¡± ¡°Well I can¡¯t. Access to my mana is very limited. Find Atimn and ask if he and the oher hovs can find me something.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Atimn partially turned around before remembering. ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°He¡¯s just a bit shy. I don¡¯t know why though.¡± Kyrion put his hands on his hips and laughed. ¡°Listen. Why are you looking for me?¡± ¡°Atimn knows the way out. Is what Imala said.¡± ¡°Imala. The goddess told you I knew the way out?¡± ¡°If you are Atimn then yes. Now go.¡± ¡°Kyr. If you think I¡¯m going to leave you alone with two young women in that position, you¡¯re dumber than I thought.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Nicole was always quite shy when it came to stuff like that. Lead the way.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. On the way to the trap room, Kyrion was graciously given a black armored beetle shell skirt which seemed to calm Atimn down quite a bit. The trap room stood in front of Kyrion, and Atimn, who was going to lead the way forward, soon found himself over Kyrion¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°This place is trapped so I¡¯m skipping to the end.¡± The red-haired boy bent his legs and leaped across the room, traveling forty feet forward. Landing in a crouch to evade the arrows that passed over him. Atimn screaming all the while. The door opened, and Kyrion carried Atimn in. ¡°Huh that was easy.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Atimn asked. ¡°The difference between a fledgling and a practitioner.¡± Kyrion stretched, his blood finally flowing correctly again. ¡°That isn¡¯t an answer.¡± ¡°It is. Build your body up a bit more and you could do stuff like that. When you hit a practitioner. Eventually. Maybe. You¡¯re kinda scrawny.¡± Kyrion stood still and looked around, eventually eying the unopened chest. Atimn stayed silent. ¡°You didn¡¯t open this.¡± Krion kicked the chest. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still sealed. I thought you were a thief.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m more of a free agent. More of an acquisitions expert if you will. I don¡¯t just take it because I¡¯m greedy. People hire me to find stuff for them. It just so happens from time to time said lost or missing items are in the hands of someone they don¡¯t belong to and I correct these mistakes.¡± ¡°Are you an orphan?¡± Kyrion scowled as he asked. ¡°No. But my mother was a servant of Imala. She¡¯s a nun in charge of an orphanage, the other kids are kinda like my siblings.¡± ¡°Your father?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Don¡¯t know the bastard and don¡¯t care to. He clearly isn¡¯t donating any money.¡± Atimn turned away. ¡°I see. Well you¡¯re lucky in your own way. You get half of whatever¡¯s in here.¡± ¡°Only half? I could have looted the entire place.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t. Do you love your country Atimn?¡± Kyrion seemed to smile. ¡°Of course.¡± The goateed young man said sharply. ¡°So you won¡¯t leave it even after all the drama you have seen?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t because my family is here.¡± Atimn said. ¡°What if they could go with you?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It¡¯s not the best place, but it¡¯s home. I won¡¯t abandon it.¡± Atimn stated. ¡°I see. Well that¡¯s a shame.¡± Kyrion pulled a flower out of thin air and winced. ¡°What is that?¡± Atimn asked. Kyrion just smirked. Book Two: Chapter 32 Peace talks Nicole stood above the corpse of a large red-haired male with an eyepatch and a familiar face. His green eyes blankly looked up. The body was also quite cold and stiff; they hadn¡¯t made it far, and it didn¡¯t take much. He had died long before they arrived, and his skin had wrinkled significantly. Behind Nicole was a carriage that was currently on fire. The driver was a headless corpse. The other guards on board had various wounds, from blades of ice protruding from their hearts to guards who were boiled alive in their armor. Quite a few showed no sign of physical damage and had just fallen dead. Charles stood behind the four who had gone to carry out the rescue mission. Wura, Nicole, Noah, and Kiara were furious in their way. The way they took out the trained guards who had turned to treason showed as much. The older man had suspicions about what had happened, but it wasn¡¯t his place to act. A quiet hum echoed in his handkerchief pocket, and a small dome of mana covered his body. Charles pulled out a handkerchief with a small red flower threaded in as decoration. The handkerchief covered his mouth, masking his speech. ¡°Master Kyrion, is that you?¡± ¡°How? Oh right. Listen, I have someone right here than I want you to take in as an alternate. Really talented but only a fledgling right now. He has an interesting spirit that¡¯s great for support.¡± ¡°I see, master Kyrion. You know I just can¡¯t.¡± ¡°His ability can ignore some physical defenses. Cut straight through me despite my endurance.¡± ¡°You truly have your grandfather¡¯s eye for people. So you know they all think you¡¯re dead. Well everyone except Chester and Asela.¡± ¡°Ah right Nicole¡­I found someone who looks just like her and has a similar temperament. According to Imala¡­¡± ¡°How much have you been told?¡± ¡°Bits and pieces.¡± ¡°Nicole isn¡¯t ready for that drama yet. I¡¯d rather she not have to deal with a divergent personality in her head.¡± ¡°So its like having two people in you head?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like having access to the thoughts and memories of another person who could be quite similar to you or very different.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Need anything else?¡± ¡°Just thinking. Spirit masters can go insane quite easily can¡¯t they.¡± ¡°Those who break become stepping stones on the paths to greatness.¡± ¡°Thats¡­¡± ¡°You should be fine, it¡¯s not like you use your brain much anyway.¡± Charles pretended to wipe away a tear as he cut off communication.
Kyrion scowled. He seemed quite irritated as he stared at a flower. ¡°You ok?¡± Atimn asked. ¡°No. No I am not.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°So¡­ What¡¯s the verdict?¡± ¡°My, in, didn¡¯t say no. So you have a chance to get in if you can impress him.¡± ¡°In where exactly?¡± ¡°Norn.¡± Kyrion shook his hands. ¡°Norn. The main school in the city?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°How do you have an in?¡± ¡°I know some important people. My imprisonment has caused quite a few problems.¡± ¡°I can see that now.¡± Atimn. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have any baggage then I¡¯d have you join the tailors. Your powers are better suited to their meticulous work. Now open that chest I have better things to do.¡± Atimn opened the chest and scowled. ¡°There is a mysterious blue vial and a black sphere.¡± Kyrion poked his head over Atimn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A spirit core. Lucky you.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Pick it up and take a seat.¡± Atimn did so. ¡°Now close your eyes and send a small amount of mana into it.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The sphere began to surround Atimn in almost tangible darkness. ¡°Now breathe in.¡± Atimn took a deep breath. ¡°Now as you breathe out, speak its name.¡± ¡°Ulsafaric thou, who has become the greatest.¡± ¡°Ah¡­You should probably sell that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably a demon lord¡¯s core. Not the Demon lord, no a demon lord from one of the six hundred and sixty-seven layers of the abyss. Their titles tend to have a similar naming structure, lots of hubris and junk. I only know this because It was drilled into me. While powerful, the core of a demon lord is something that has strong effects on the user¡¯s personality.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I can handle it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not have to fight you again just because you got a bit stronger.¡± ¡°Fine I¡¯ll...¡± The core exploded into black fog and entered Atimn from every exposed orifice. Before causing him to go prone. Kyrion sniffed his potion and watched Atimn start writhing in pain on the floor. The potion smelled like condensed mana and something else. ¡°I do not want to fight you. Atimn if you get possessed I¡¯m going to be mad.¡± ¡°Aggg!¡± Foam began to form in the Atimn¡¯s mouth as his sclera went black. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s what you look like when you transform. Psycho? Why do we look like that when you take over?¡± ¡°When two souls fight for dominance the host may reject the new pilot behind the well. The black eyes are a side effect of using my magic to move you around like a puppet while your body resist. Like white blood cells attacking foreign bodies..¡± ¡°So your magic was evil. No wonder.¡± ¡°Magic isn¡¯t good or ev¡­.¡± ¡°Not now he¡¯s getting up and uggg.¡± Kyrion downed the small potion and felt his blood begin to bubble as his bones seemed to condense, his wounds healing. His carefully aligned core¡¯s structure crumbled into dust and reformed as a single thread that extended throughout his body, eventually looping around to his head, where two bumps seemed to form. Kyrion let out a blast of wind mana and felt it come easier with more available. Walls separating his affinities had been forcibly broken, the sum combining before something else joined in. Words entered his mind, and he knew how to access the power that was finally back at his disposal. The distinction was something he no longer needed. ¡°Jala, with your control over wind and space grant me swiftness and guide my strikes.¡± A looped purple and silver earring appeared in Kyrion¡¯s left ear. ¡°Issac with your control over water and mind, grant me focus and overwhelming force.¡± A silver and blue earring appeared in his right ear. ¡°Karl cover my body in armor of earth. Grant me control and endurance.¡± A brown robe covered Kyrion¡¯s body, and he soon found that he was a lot more durable now. ¡°Spirit of nature dwelling in me grant me the strength of a mighty tree and the vitality last.¡± A pair of horns made of wood grew from Kyrion¡¯s head, resembling small antlers made of branches. Blue flowers bloomed from the horns on his head. Sadly it was accurate as ¡°Full manifestation World within a world.¡± Kyrion made up a phrase that sounded cool towards the end for dramatic effect. Atimn seemed to look at the practitioner leaking absurd amounts of mana and then at his own meager form before surrendering. Atimn looked up with his clear eyes. ¡°Guess I¡¯m a practitioner now.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t have to knock you into next week.¡± As fast as the transformation came, it faded as Kyrion¡¯s body reabsorbed all of it. He wasn¡¯t fully healed yet. ¡°Dude, you just intimidated a demon by looking at it funny. I¡¯d rather not be hit by a fist that sends me to the future. You¡¯re scary enough as is.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­Well possibly. If you¡¯re unconscious for the entire time I guess I could call it that.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes went blank for a moment as the potions¡¯ effects continued to run through his brain before fading. ¡°So. What did your drink do?¡± ¡°Do you want the technical explanation or the in depth explanation that I¡¯m pretty sure you won¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°The simple one.¡± ¡°My afinites used to split my mana evenly, this allowed for me to use all my powers separately without the mixing that tends to happen when you have multiple affinities. While useful, it was more of a hindrance for me. Especially when it limits the output of certain abilities. My output doesn¡¯t need to be limited. This was originally something I was supposed to get removed when I hit the middle area of practitioner, where my control would have been maximized. This elixir however seems to have kept that in place for now. I¡¯ll need to be careful from here on but believe me shenanigans are back on the table.¡± ¡°My head hurts,¡± Atimn stated as he stood and examined Kyrion, who lost a few more inches in height but didn¡¯t seem any shorter. ¡°Looks like this is how tall I¡¯m supposed to be at my age.¡± Kyrion had been demoted to a solid 6¡¯3, and it was quite annoying. He¡¯d have to get his clothes adjusted. ¡°What about your height?¡± Atimn asked. ¡°Ah, my body was forced to grow to contain my mana pool when everything was separate, very inconvenient, but it was a necessary evil. I am much, much scarier than I was before, I am aware of that. Not that it matters much to me, most of this will go towards healing anyway.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to use that power to fight?¡± ¡°Not unless I need to prove a point.¡± Kyrion stretched. ¡°Do you have to do that often?¡± ¡°Not until recently and I get the feeling I¡¯m not quite done yet.¡± ¡°Huh, why do you do it then?¡± ¡°Why do I do what?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t someone with a warrior¡¯s heart. Not to be insulting, but things like honar, chivalry, pride, and bloodlust aren¡¯t quite what you follow. Abyss, I don¡¯t even think you care much about rules and laws. If you did you¡¯d have never done what you did to get out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a screw the rules I have mana type of guy.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, but dude, you¡¯re a criminal.¡± ¡°I mean so are you.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not what I meant. Where you go chaos follows, I¡¯ve known you for maybe a week and even then you were conscious for maybe two or three of those days. Yet here we all in a mine that shouldn¡¯t have pathways here, in my own capital. We discovered a source of corruption and embezzlement that has been going on right under our noses.¡± ¡°The stakes of my life have never been this high. Failure could have meant the destruction of my home on top of death.¡± ¡°I guess that makes you a hero then.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°But you also did those things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also dead. They won¡¯t care if you come back alive.¡± ¡°Right. Well the exit, its here and we have what we need, lets go get the others.¡± ¡°Hey Atimn, I¡¯m about to flex so stand back.¡± Kyrion stood and let his muscles relax before tensing rapidly. His makeshift clothes started tearing at their seams as he summoned an absurd of space mana and created a purple doorway, his cloth goblin shirt that fit him like a crop top ripped. The pieces got left behind as the brown-robed Kyrion passed through the fog beckoning to Atimn. ¡°I¡¯ll trust you this time.¡± Atimn followed, stepping into a world of gray that overlapped his own. In moments color returned, but everything, save for the two, was transparent. ¡°So this is my overlap ability, follow me and don¡¯t deviate. This place isn¡¯t stable.¡± Kyrion slowly and deliberately stepped forward through the wall in front of them. Passing through as though it wasn¡¯t there. Atimn followed, keeping quiet as he went through the doorway, wonder and curiosity had peaked as they walked through another pink circle, and the two were back in the solid world. In the mess hall, they had been in earlier. Sweat beaded down Kyrion¡¯s form as he bent down and wheezed. ¡°Not much of a flex if it leaves you exhausted.¡± ¡°Heh. Taking you took more mana, but that wasn¡¯t it. I¡¯m not filled back up yet.¡± ¡°We have to go through the traps the next time don¡¯t we.¡± Atimn stated. ¡°Well, I could probably ferry the goblins and Ceres by sending them to my domain. But, unfortunately, Viole will need to be carried, and I won¡¯t be able to make three leaps.¡± ¡°Why not leave her here?¡± ¡°Pragmatic, but I can¡¯t. I suspect keeping an eye on her myself will be more effective. If she gets out alone I won¡¯t be able to keep a close eye on her¡­Oh I¡¯m stupid.¡± ¡°Yes you are. Mind telling me why?¡± ¡°Duck.¡± Kyrion drew the earth-shredding cannon, which he began firing into the wall as a new jagged, almost dog-shaped doorway appeared, the tool getting tossed aside as it seemed to him before melting into sludge. Atimn looked at the hole and then at the sludge of a weapon. ¡®What?¡± ¡°I overloaded the tool with my mana. Pushing it past its safety. I assume you¡¯d rather not be naked given your shyness.¡± ¡°Oh, well you¡¯re right there, but don¡¯t call it that.¡± ¡°What else should I call it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Shyness works.¡± Atimn seemed to think about the other options before sighing. ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± Kyrion decided that they were wasting time and moved on. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Go gather all the goblins, I¡¯m going to make a speech.¡± Kyrion said with a tired smile. ¡°Well you should probably go the other way, there¡¯s a podium and stage over there.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­ Thank you. I¡¯ll leave rounding up the goblins to you then.¡± Kyrion walked away at a brisk pace. Book Two: Chapter 33 Homeward Bound Kyrion stood on a stage in front of him was a a large group of goblins and hobgoblins. Ceres had been freed from her casing and now stood next to a cot holding an unconscious Viole. Atimn stood behind Kyrion on the stage patiently waiting for Kyrion to make his announcements so that they could get back to the surface. ¡°Listen up my people! You all work for me and since you work for me, there are conditions and restrictions to doing so. Condition one!¡± Kyrion held out one finger and waved it about. ¡°You must agree to work four day¡¯s a week when I have projects that need to be done. You will be compensated and given all the basic necessities in return.¡± ¡°Condition two! You will not tell outsiders where you are when your working. These jobs are skill oriented the better you do the more chances you will have to move up the ladder.¡± ¡°Conditon three! You will not kill anyone in the place I send you without my express permission. ¡° Kyrion held out three fingers and waited for the worried muttering to stop. ¡°Those who agree will have a chance at life in a place that isn¡¯t so dark and damp with food beyond your wildest imagination. To your right I have set up boxes of what we call donuts. Take one from the box and pass the box down. This is a sacred human ritual that expresses unity.¡± Kyrion lied with ease.¡± Eventually every goblin and hobgoblin had a donut along with Ceres and Atimn. The former had a blank expression as though this was normal. The latter couldn¡¯t hide his downright puzzled expression. Kyrion took a donut and held it next to one of his charkram. ¡°This circle represents unity and when we take a bite together we share in this momentous occasion together. The cycle you were on has been broken.¡± Kyrion took a bite out of the donut and watched as the goblins did so as well. ¡°This is insane.¡± Atimn took a bite of the donut, it was quite fresh, which didn¡¯t make much sense given the amount of time he¡¯d been down here. The goblins quickly gobbled up the donuts and before they realized what had happened Kyrion cleared his throat. ¡°The donut is but a minor treat from the world above and if you want more then you¡¯ll have to work, to earn money ad purchase these delicacies in time you will be self sufficient to grow and create your own sadly, you all are at the bottom of the totem pole with the Squirrel Armada leading exponentially and don¡¯t get me started on the bucks, most of them have moved on and taken an active role in human society. That is my end goal. Coexistence between all of my people. Those who refuse to work for donuts and coins may leave now.¡± None of the goblins budget. ¡°You''re insane.¡± ¡°Now then. All of you must make an oath!¡± Kyrion persuaded the underground goblins and hobgoblins to serve him with unyielding loyalty. He was their leader, their liberator and to some, their god. ¡°Donut! Donut! Donut!¡± The goblins cheered as Kyrion sent them into his domain for safe keeping. ¡°I thought you were exhausted.¡± Atimn scowled. ¡°There is a trick, If I can summon food I can eat it to regain mana and stamina faster, by eating my fill I can regain all my mana. It''s why I came straight here to have a snack while you were hard at work. I gained enough energy to absorb all the goblins here. Now we just need to leave. Lead the way Atimn!¡± ¡°I wonder about you sometimes.¡± Ceres stood next to Atimn as he led the way. Kyrion threw Viole over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. And the group made their way to the teleporter. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you used one of these before?¡± ¡°No, I imagine you just think of home and it takes you there.¡± ¡°Thats not¡­Take us to the capital of Welheim!¡± The magic circle glowed golden and the three along with their baggage entered the circle.
Asela heard a knock on her window. It was past lights out and she knew not to go open the window so that weirdos could come in. Sadly a flower on her dresser began to vibrate. ¡°Hello?¡± Asela asked, irritated. ¡°Hey, can you summon Cheseter? I need him to share a room with someone. If anyone one asks , he''s his cousin.¡± ¡°Ask him yourself, he¡¯s in the boys dorm directly across from this one go knock on his window.¡± ¡°Would he mind if I made myself at home? Gotta make an impression on my brother in law.¡± Kyrion hung up his flower and watched as Asela¡¯s room lit up from the inside like fireworks. Atimin followed as Kyrion ran towards the adjacent room not bothering to even look back. ¡°I¡¯ve see her before. They call her the princess of fire or something. How do you know her?¡± ¡°That is a lame title.¡± Kyrion laughed as he grabbed Atimn by his shirt and threw him into a purple circle and out inside another room. One much more well organized. Chester was reading through a book, his focus slipping. ¡°Huh. What are you doing here this late.¡± ¡°No good to see you again. You must not want my blessing. Maybe I misread your intentions to court my dear Asela.¡± ¡°What? N-no you misunderstand I don¡¯t want to court her. She¡¯s milady. Its a butlers duty to¡­¡± Chester seemed distracted. ¡°It''s fine you just had to say you aren''t interested in her like that. Here I was going to put in a good word for you about your upstanding character.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to agree with him. He wants me to join your team for some reason. I have an ability that lets me control shadows to an extent and apparently it ignores some physical defenses. I can tell you that this is a particularly powerful ability and from what I¡¯ve seen it balances out your team quite a bit.¡± ¡°Thats good and all but he doesn¡¯t have much training or discipline. If that''s all he could do¡­¡± ¡°I can also restrain people and to a decent degree take things from them without getting close.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± If you can take this coin from me you''re in.¡± Chester tossed a gold coin in the air and it vanished before it could flip in the air. ¡°Got it.¡± Atimn said with a bored expression he hadn¡¯t moved from his spot. ¡°I didn¡¯t say go, but you took it. I guess that makes you our eighth member. When the others get back we are headed to the mountains of Chalek to train. Welcome. Now that that''s done, how did you get in here?¡± Chester looked through the spot Kyrion had been standing nothing was there ¡°Makes you wonder which one of us was really a thief. Doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°He has ties to an assassins guild. This much isn¡¯t so surprising although it is concerning.¡± Atimn recalled the threat Kyrion gave Meh Thod. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t kill anyone would he? He doesn¡¯t look the type. But¡­¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t a fighter and he only kills when necessary, given what I''ve dug up on him he only kills monsters and he does it as quickly and painlessly as possible, most of the time.¡± ¡°That guy isn¡¯t a fighter. How strong are you trained spirit masters anyway?¡± ¡°Oh no he¡¯s very good at fighting, he just doesn¡¯t have fighting spirit. No bloodlust, no malice, just pure efficiency and a bit of unpredictability. No it isn¡¯t him who''s scary it''s the school filled with people who trained him that is.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he let me go there then?¡± ¡°Different country. He¡¯s the Crimson Berserker of Drisil.¡± ¡°Wait. That fight made it through the streets very quickly. I heard he beat your top two.¡± ¡°He did. And yet I¡¯m sure you know more about his limits than we do.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t teleport. But he can make it look like he is teleporting. Consider that a tidbit of information. I do not want to fight him so I¡¯m playing my part and informing you.¡± Atmin said before taking a seat in a plush chair and passing out. ¡°Well guess it¡¯s time to form a cover story for Nicole and the others.¡± Kyrion¡¯s death has motivated them, they can find out after the training session ends.
Kyrion stopped and stretched as he cracked his back and reentered the cathedral. A woman with long platinum blonde hair and long pointed ears waited for him, along with a swordsman with two blades on his hip. He also had long ears, and very mean eyes. Meh Thod was laying in a corner surrounded by five guards who hid their heads with helmets and faces with veils. Ceres lay unconscious next to Viole, both of whom were behind the pair of experts. Hostages would have been putting it lightly. Kyrion didn¡¯t like getting bullied by experts but this wasn¡¯t quite right, they knew he was coming here. They knew and they prepared. The only reason the other two were unconscious was so that he could drop Atimn off while he was conscious. ¡°So the Scarlet Maelstrom has kept his word. How refreshing. Given that you haven¡¯t run away you must not have all your memories.¡± The swordsman scoffed. ¡°Now now. None of that this is supposed to be a peaceful reunion.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I need to know you before this becomes a reunion?¡± ¡°Oh you know us. Deep down you know who we are.¡± Kyrion thought deep down and came up empty, he then shifted his attention to the freeloader. ¡°Hey these people. Who are they?¡± ¡°The matriarch of the elves, a near extinct race on this planet and her bodyguard. Scarlet Maelstrom, was actually my nickname, because everywhere I went blood would follow. There was also a spell that turned my enemies and corpses into a blended tornado of flesh and blood. Hence the red maelstrom.¡± Kyrion looked to his left and scowled. ¡°How the hell are you not the one in control of our body?¡± ¡°Your soul is different from my own. Let''s say my blood type is A and yours was O, while I can use your body from time to time if I were to fully take over we¡¯d slowly get weaker as your body fought me off like an infection. We¡¯d die before we could get strong enough to seperate.¡± ¡°Separate?¡± ¡°Spirit mastery is like a loan. Your spirits give you powers and a way to use your mana while feeding off your growth. When you get enough power to enter the crucible and survive then the spirits will leave your core and you¡¯ll keep all the powers and abilities you gained. Some may choose to stay while other spirits will go.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what Jala¡¯s mother meant.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Why are you talking to yourself?¡± The matriarch asked ¡°He¡¯s psychotic always has been.¡± The guard scowled even more. ¡°It¡¯s pronounced Psycho, he''s a freeloader that takes up space up here.¡± ¡°So you couldn¡¯t become one with your own soul, how bizarre..¡± The scowl on the guard''s face turned into a smirk that he tried to hide. It made him look constipated.¡± ¡°Sir do you need to go to the bathroom? You''re kinda distracting.¡± The swordsman coughed into his hand and remembered. ¡°We can work with this can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s not like we have to point him in a direction and let him run wild. Things go straight to him this time around. His enemies must be acting on what Psycho would do. Let''s see if he¡¯s changed deep down.¡± Kyrion what would you do if someone were to kill your mother?¡± The swordsman asked. ¡°Do you really need to hear my answer?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t bat an eye but his irises did seem to shift to an almost light brown color, it was almost red. ¡°Well you didn¡¯t attack immediately so that''s something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been taught to choose my battles and I really hate fighting.¡± Kyrion stated his eyes seemed to brighten. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°We will keep that in mind. And inform the republic of your stance on the matter should they find the gall to call or your mother¡¯s execution. The republic has been shattered after the invasion but that''s only temporary. They took the land but it''s being run into the ground. When the inclusion happens in two years time every expert on this planet will disappear for a year and during that time the Beast Blood empire will be most vulnerable. The whole world will be vulnerable as demons will descend onto our world and with the intention of wiping everyone out. You may or may not be aware, but this landmass is the last remaining major continent on Imala. There are quite a few islands and shattered earth but due to war quite a few places have fallen. Although to someone who has yet to live past two decades that doesn¡¯t matter much.¡± ¡°No it doesn¡¯t. So what happens if we lose?¡± ¡°Imala could be destroyed, at worse. At best we will be reduced to living on small islands.¡± ¡°And you''re telling me this, why? I¡¯m not some battle tyrant or unstoppable force. I can¡¯t just go save the world. Not for free anyway.¡± ¡°No but your presence seems to light a fire around those nearest to you and where a hurricane passes¡­¡± ¡°Destruction is left in its wake¡­ Wait, I''m bait for the real hero of this story. Phew!¡± Kyrion let out a deep breath and laughed as he looked at the two experts who held blank expressions. ¡°This is no joke young human, you are probably one of the only people who can keep the planet going while we are away.¡± ¡°You¡¯re putting the fate of the planet in the hands of a sixteen year old boy still going through puberty. This is insanity, you can¡¯t honestly think this will end well can you?¡± ¡°You did it before. Albeit it was quite gruesome.¡± The swordsman said with a blank expression. ¡°Psycho? What¡¯s he talking about?¡± ¡°You know that scene I showed you when you first stirred my consciousness? I said twelve years back then. But¡­ Things have changed. I didn¡¯t quite notice it at first but I suspect that the time is coming up sooner than I thought. Live for centuries and time gets all wonky. Tee hee!¡± Psycho¡¯s robed figure knocked on its skull. ¡°I thought I had time¡­ You can¡¯t just do things like that!¡± ¡°You do have time, when you come to Clomois for the tournament I want you to make an impression.¡± ¡°So just barely appear to win all my fights and throw some here and there?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Or decimate everyone, we just want that fire sparked in preparation for the tragedy to come.¡± ¡°Fine, but what do I get out of this deal?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Peace and quiet, but thats not happening anytime soon. Can you send us back to my school''s campus? I need to sleep in my bed.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°I also want to eat a whole 72 pound steak. I can cook it if necessary.¡± Kyrion started with something he considered to be a reasonable request. ¡°I think you meant, ounce.¡± The swordsman slapped a knee and lagged before he realized no one else was laughing. ¡°I can eat thrice my weight in beef. I¡¯m being lenient when I¡¯m only asking for 72 pounds.¡± ¡°But¡­Where does¡­¡± ¡°He has a beast based spirit, among other things. They eat quite a bit.¡± ¡°Technically I have two beast spirits but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡±Kyrion''s stomach began to protest. ¡°Make it a farms worth of cows, beef and dairy varieties. That way I can eat them when I get ready and they can become food later. Should look out for future hunger pangs.¡± ¡°So you plan on having a butcher shop''s worth of meat on your person at all times?¡± ¡°Yes and more if things work out. Does this qualify as a minimum enough boon for saving the world?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes rolled as he took the request. ¡®So you know.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be getting my cows until after I help save the world. Nah duh. If I fail it will be pretty obvious.¡± ¡°Such disrespect. Though thats the best I can get out of someone who thinks with his stomach.¡± The leader sighed. ¡°My gut is the brains of this operation. Said gut also told me I should run quite a few times. But as I''m still here my willpower must be quite high. Anything else?¡± Kyrion sped along the conversation. ¡°Fine, you act like you have better things to do. You sure took your sweet time.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Yeah yeah. I get it. Still I need to get going as soon as physically possible, the run back will be quite annoying if I have to lug those two along with me.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Those are young women, are you calling them heavy? There are waters even the bravest don¡¯t dare tred.¡± ¡°I mean Ceres can get really heavy but that''s partly due to her armor, that stuff is dense. But no I mean logistically, how would you run, while carrying two people across the country?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡± Kyrion pulled a large metal piece of armor out of his domain and took a step back watching as it left a large crack where it fell. ¡°Quite heavy.¡± ¡°That is quite heavy for a practitioner to lug around freely." ¡°I do get your point however. But that''s just proper etiquette and bedside manner. Nobody like a doctor who doesn¡¯t know what to say. Oooo that''s bad, and, uh oh, aren¡¯t things you tell a patient. Among other things.¡± Kyrion opened up his domain again and rolled the piece of armor in his domain. ¡°I see, this is our last gift, step onto the circle. We will pay for your trip home.¡± ¡°Huh? Your going to buy us a horse and carriage?¡± Kyrion seemed surprised. ¡°No. I¡¯m sending you to the chapel near Drisil.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Teleportation circle. Step on, go home. Just like that.¡± ¡°Would Drisil have one of those as well?¡± ¡°Of course they do cost quite a bit to use. The more mass teleported the more mana needed to teleport someone. With your height and mass someone like you would cost around seven hundred gold on your own. But we¡¯re sending you on for free with your friends.¡±The leader said as the circle began to glow a golden color. ¡°Friend and prisoner.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Well then Kyrion the circle is ready. Goodbye for now.¡± The swordsman stayed silent and watched closely as Kyrion moved forward onto the circle. ¡°Now what?¡± Was the last thing Kyrion got out before he was transported back to Drisil. Book Two: Chapter 34 No rest for the immoral Teleporting into an empty Chapel was quite annoying. Nobody to greet you or offer you a hand with any luggage or unwelcome guests. Maybe he could force his foist his problems onto someone else. A self-proclaimed protagonist who would happily do him a favor as he was a hero. Pulling a large wagon from his domain, Kyrion began dragging the two unconscious girls toward a safe place. Somewhere with cool air, clean water, and potentially free food. Now that he was free from that dungeon, mana flowed freely into his body. So as he dragged them forward, he cleaned himself with a layer of water mana, his skin becoming a singular unblemished light brown, and the smell of lotuses washed over him. Knowing better, Kyrion did not share his cleansing abilities with the two unconscious people, as cleaning others with water mana against their will can be seen as disturbing. Furthermore, cleaning must only be done if unconscious for a set period with no sign of waking, as waste must be removed. But he was here now, so the other healers or teachers could handle the cleaning should it be required. Arriving at a large garage, Kyrion put his ear in the door and listened. There was clearly someone moving around in there at the late hours of midnight. Drisel did not enforce a lights-out policy for those with their own place to stay. Which meant that this place didn¡¯t have to close. Kyrion knocked on their garage. The movement inside stopped, and Kyrion heard someone¡¯s heart rate increase. Kyrion waited a whole thirty seconds before the person¡¯s heart rate slowed down, and he knocked again. The figure inside stopped moving again before quietly moving into another room. ¡°Whats taking him so long¡­ Go to so much trouble.¡± Kyrion hit the garage door so hard that the sound reverberated inside and knocked some stuff near the door down before running to the back of the room. ¡°What in the blasted hell do you want!¡± Cecil yelled from inside his garage. Kyrion didn¡¯t need to listen as he had entered through his special door and taken a seat on a perch above one of the many vehicles Cecil was trying to finish. Cecil opened his garage door, a long tube in his hands, ready to be fired immediately. Only he looked down. ¡°Why are there two girls in here? Why is one of them Ceres?¡± Cecil scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s not nice to keep someone waiting.¡± Kyrion said calmly. Sadly Cecil turned his blond hair disheveled, his blue eyes covered in bags, and his face more gaunt than usual. ¡°Ghost!¡± A net shot out towards Kyrion at a surprising speed. Had Kyrion been any closer, he may not have been able to react, but given his distance, all the boy had to do was jump from his position, somersault over the net, and land on his feet. Kyrion attempted to do that, but, given his exhaustion and slightly altered form, he overextended and landed face-first on the ground next to Cecil. It was not a pretty sight as a face-shaped crater was left behind. ¡°If it isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s favorite idiot. I heard you were captured.¡± An irritated voice said. Kyrion got to his feet and sighed, dusting the dust off his face. ¡°I was, and I wasn¡¯t. Managed to evade those after me and picked up a few gifts. One new friend for your harem and some interesting machinery. It seems your buyer was giving your products to someone who could repurpose them.¡± Kyrion brought out the semi-destroyed blue mech and smirked. Cecil¡¯s bags seemed to disappear as his eyes seemed to widen. ¡°You found a mech?¡± ¡°And someone to join Cecil¡¯s Harem.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°This is a mech Kyrion. A giant robot!¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± Kyrion seemed annoyed. ¡°Every man dreams of piloting a giant robot.¡± Cecil said. ¡°You sure like to use everyone alot. Every man wants a harem. Every man needs to be able to do calculus. Every man needs some time to themselves.¡± ¡°This is beyond that. Listen, if I can make one of these then I¡¯ll. Nevermind. Your gift to science will be noted. You just earned yourself a page in my memoir.¡± ¡°Great. Now I need one of those stasis coffins for her. She¡¯ll be a bit uncooperative if she see¡¯s that were weakened.¡± ¡°What about your stasis coffins?¡± ¡°I have a few prisoners who need to be interrogated thoroughly. One has already been sent to my friend in the tailor¡¯s guild while the other will be meeting with the headmaster for a private discussion when I get a chance.¡± ¡°Busy week?¡± ¡°Surprisingly no. Was out of it towards the end there.¡± So you¡¯re doping off a prisoner? How can you be so sure I can keep them safe?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a very bad liar. You¡¯re also a hero and heroes don¡¯t do anything that can harm their reputation. She also resembles one of my good friends. I¡¯m sure we can come to an agreement on this without going into threats.¡± Kyrion said in a monotone. ¡°It¡¯s not me you need to worry about. If she really is a spy then there may be a contingency pill or dead switch.¡± Cecil rolled his eyes. The blond-haired boy had no time for this. ¡°Oh right. Place her in stasis and we¡¯ll have Exac look her over before letting her work with you. She¡¯s the one who built that mech after all.¡± ¡°Fine. For a benefactor you sure ask for a lot.¡± ¡°I am the vice captain of your harem. It¡¯s my job to be a bit much.¡± Kyrion said proudly. ¡°You arn¡¯t in my harem. Why do you keep telling people that?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s funny. I also get quite a few snacks from people who would otherwise avoid me. Something about sharing them with my best friend.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°Really? Best friend.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s clear what B.F. stands for right? Though I think Gf is better. We¡¯re good friends.¡± ¡°Please stop. You¡¯re going to give me a headache.¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Kyrion let out an exasperated breath. ¡°Now if you will please take Ceres to her room.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Can¡¯t you just call for Bella and have her do it.¡± ¡°Its past midnight if she isn¡¯t studying she¡¯s sleeping.¡± Cecil rolled out a rectangular box and removed the lid. It was big enough to fit a body. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Kyrion picked up Viole and placed her in the box before closing it. ¡°I¡¯ll take her to the lobby, carrying her to her room could get me in trouble.¡± ¡°A wise decision.¡± Kyrion left Cecil alone as he pulled his wagon towards the girl¡¯s wing of the 4 Dragons Dormitory. Significantly few people moved around this late, and all hopping around on rooftops would get him a week of detention. Of course, Kyrion didn¡¯t have a desire to go to detention any time soon as the professor in charge was onto his antics. Being the responsible teenager, Kyrion knocked on the door loudly before running away. This method wouldn¡¯t get him detention, but his knocks were quite loud, so anyone with an open window near his position heard it. Lights came on as he dashed towards his own safe house. A figure covered in black opened the door. After scoping the area, the figure walked out and grabbed hold of the wagon¡¯s handle, and pulled it into the dormitory. In minutes Kyrion had made it to his dorm, one he had helped build personally back when Gamodren first started teaching him formally. Suffice it to say, its creation put a few of the cheaper dorms out of business. The free dormitory seemed to magically burn down with no one inside after everyone left, and the second cheapest dorm became the free dormitory. Opening the door to his room Kyrion prepared to jump into his bed when he noticed someone was sleeping in it. Upon closer inspection, three small people were sleeping in it. Kyrion walked to the front door and checked to ensure he was in his room. He was in his room. So why were people in his bed? Kyrion entered his guest room and saw that someone else was already there. Something told him that waking up this person would be a bad idea. So Kyrion left the room and then paused. ¡°Wait.¡± Kyrion went back into his room and looked at the three intruders. Bastion, Eden, and Illanda had claimed his room as their own. ¡°Gam-oh-dren!¡± Kyrion left the room, his mouth seething, and decided to sleep in the training room. Maximus was lying on a pallet on the floor of the training room. Kyrion couldn¡¯t be mad, as he asked his friend to dorm sit. The circumstances were not his fault. Still, Max had a room next door and a spare bedroom he wasn¡¯t using. Kyrion shook Max awake. ¡°Wha? Where is the fire?¡± Max said while half asleep. ¡°Max your on fire we need to get to your room and put you out.¡± Kyrion said calmly ¡°Oh no. Not again.¡± Max stood up in a haze and began walking towards the front door. Kyrion opened the door, and Max walked towards his room, fumbling for his key. Finally, with some coaxing, the door managed to open. Then, with some careful leading, Max was in his own bed. As Kyrion passed by Max¡¯s room, hear heard some thunderous snoring and decided to go back to his training room and sleep.
Kyrion awoke with dark rings under his eyes. These were not natural, and he got the feeling someone used makeup on him to play a prank. Looking into a mirror, Kyrion noticed that quite a few drawings in makeup were on his face. ¡°Kids.¡± Kyrion grumbled as he had a light breakfast and did his morning exercises. It appeared that his guest had left earlier that morning. He then freshened up and put on some non-tattered clothing. Unfortunately, he was late due to unforeseen circumstances and now had to report to the headmaster. Leaving his dorm room and then the dormitory as a whole, Kyrion decided to go see the headmaster before 2nd breakfast. The primary school building was intimidating. Despite spending five years here, he hadn¡¯t had a class here yet. Apparently, it was meant for those who were nearing graduation. Kyrion wasn¡¯t there yet. Placing a hand on the gilded door handle, he pulled and entered an old-smelling building. The wood floors were well polished and cared for. The doors also seemed to be made of darker wood, and the hall seemed to go on forever. He stepped into the building and felt something touch his mana pool before fading. Raising the hairs on the back of his neck. ¡°Focus Kyrion. You have a purpose.¡± Kyrion had been here before and had been expecting that sensation. Sadly expecting a creepy feeling and being immune are entirely different things. In a matter of minutes, Kyrion arrived and waited a moment. ¡°Come on in.¡± The headmaster ordered. Kyrion closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and entered the room. ¡°I have returned later than expected and would like to report my progress on the mission assigned to my person.¡± There was no response, and Kyrion opened his eyes and lifted his head slowly, spotting Bastion, Eden, Illanda, and his mother. ¡°Did I come at a bad time?¡± ¡°Your alive!¡± Eden cheered. ¡°I told you he was immoral!¡± Bastion proclaimed. ¡°Immortal. And no one is immortal.¡± Illanda corrected. Cordelia looked at the three kids, and they quickly grew quiet. ¡°No this matter concerns you heavily. As the three of these students will have to be sponsored by you if they are to attend this academy.¡± ¡°Sponsored?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The headmaster answered without giving a real answer. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°What I said. They will get in under your status as a pupil of the headmaster.¡± ¡°So all three of these kids will be put in my care. Under my name. What¡¯s the catch? When did I become your pupil?¡± The headmaster sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t an overly benevolent gift come without a price?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Very funny.¡± ¡°Fine, you will be selected as the team captain for the squad that were sent to Clomonis. Every school on the continent will be sending representatives to participate for their school or organization. And despite my better judgment I¡¯m choosing you to be the leader.¡± ¡°Why me? Why not Amadeus?¡± ¡°Because Amadeus couldn¡¯t beat your friend Noah and you made fighting him look easy.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°It was a bad matchup but they still lost. You fought two on one and came out on top. Why wouldn¡¯t you be the top pick?¡± ¡°Bastion? Eden? Are y¡¯all in on this?¡± Kyrion asked. The two kids shook their heads, a bit worried. ¡°No, they weren¡¯t Kyrion. Though I was, Caeden here is an old friend of mine from childhood. Originally I was going to use your status as an excuse to get Illanda into this school as it has a decent tamer¡¯s program. Though I didn¡¯t expect the methods to be so heavy handed. Luckily for you this helps you way more than it hurts.¡± Cordelia stated. ¡°Sorry for causing trouble.¡± Bastion poked his finger together and looked downwards, trying to hide his shame. Kyrion felt guilty. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault that he¡¯s gutting me for what I¡¯m worth. Just disgusted by the methods that were used to accomplish it.¡± He then tried to push the guilt onto the headmaster. ¡°Now, now, I may be the headmaster but even I need to follow my own rules. This helps both of us.¡± Caeden sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t even like fighting.¡± ¡°As captain you¡¯re the leader. If you don¡¯t want to fight, just make sure your team is strong enough to let you sit out and play support.¡± ¡°Oh? So I don¡¯t have to fight if I don¡¯t want to? Helping team morale and healing wounds. I¡¯ll be the mascot! Doesn¡¯t change much aside from the fact that I¡¯m supposed to be dead.¡± Kyrion decided to take the job since he needed to go there anyway. This was just a detour. ¡°Good good. Now about your assignment.¡± Kyrion placed a horn on the table next to a bloody bag holding a bear¡¯s paw. ¡°These are both very low quality. You were supposed to get the roaming bear¡¯s hide.¡± ¡°Given that the creature had odd worms shooting out of it I decided to eviscerate it so that I didn¡¯t get tainted.¡± The bag with the bear claw was tossed into a fire, and the sound of screeching could be heard as it turned green. Everyone in the room shivered. ¡°Ok. That was too good to be true. What about the horn?¡± ¡°Took it from a dying bison. Didn¡¯t want to kill unnecessarily as it was going to die anyway. It also had worms in one of its legs.¡± ¡°The horn seems fine. That country is in more trouble than we thought. Which is troublesome given its location.¡± ¡°It is. I have one more thing for you.¡± Kyrion pulled a large coffin-sized device from his domain and placed it on the table. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Caeden asked. ¡°An agent of the Beastblood empire. A prisoner of sorts when you open the lid the magic keeping them suspended in time will wear off.¡± ¡°Where did you get someth¡­Oh right Cecil. About him.¡± ¡°Yeah the person he¡¯d been selling weapons to was dirty. He¡¯d been shiping at least a portion of the stuff he purchased to a dungeon where the stuff was worked upon.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The headmaster seemed surprised. ¡°Now why were they in my room?¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple. They needed to stay in one room and yours was one with enough space to accommodate you. We all left relatively late last night.¡± ¡°Where did you get a key to my room?¡± ¡°Maximus let them in. Well more, he opened the door and they didn¡¯t stop walking.¡± ¡°He said I was shorter than he remembered.¡± Cordelia seemed perturbed. ¡°Must have been half asleep.¡± Kyrion was a bit closer to the ground but still a giant compared to most people. ¡°Well then these two will need to be awakened. The price for doing so with our tablets are a thousand Academy points a piece.¡± ¡°A thousand?¡± Bastion was the one who was surprised. ¡°Who needs a thousand of anything!¡± Eden protested. ¡°The tablets are expensive but I know he can more than afford that. Isn¡¯t that right Mr.Dorm owner.¡± ¡°Dorm owner? Do you own the room you¡¯re using?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Cordeila your son is one of the wealthiest students at the academy. He owns all four of those buildings.¡± Caeden seemed to be waiting for that. ¡°All I did was help Gamodren. It was his blueprints after all. Wait all four?¡± Kyion shot up ¡°Kyrion, I didn¡¯t know you had a fortune. How many credits does it cost to rent out for a year?¡± ¡°Fifty-two. The average student makes five credits a month before doing jobs and tasks for the academy are factored in.¡± ¡°Kyrion, would you mind paying for Illanda¡¯s first few months so that she could settle in? A favor for you poor old mother.¡± Cordelia uses guilt. Kyrion resisted due to low enough empathy. ¡°It really was a nice room, uncle Kyrion. But if you want me to use one of the lower quality¡­.¡± Illanda used fake tears. Kyrion has given in. ¡°Fine I¡¯ll pay for your room until you can afford to pay for it yourself. And I¡¯ll pay for the two awakenings as well.¡± ¡°Will they be getting rooms?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that later.¡± Kyrion pulled out a piece of paper, signed it, and added some numbers. ¡°Thanks for doing business. I will see you later.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Kyrion stood only to realize that some things had been carefully left out. ¡°Bastion? Eden? It¡¯s time to go.¡± Kyrion led them through the hallway. Book Two: Chapter 35 Magic and Adaptation The meeting with the headmaster was enlightening in that Kyrion could now see the resemblance both Gamodren and his father shared. Now he had two unawakened students and would have to meet with Dr.Exac to discern if they should use a tablet or go spirit hunting. The former would make life much easier, but Kyrion didn''t hold his breath. Illanda had already gotten a room in the dorm building adjacent to Kyrion''s. She didn''t have a roommate, and while it was a bit smaller than Kyrion''s suite, it was still quite big for someone her age. The odd part about the arrangement was that he owned all of the buildings. He was paying himself. Hopefully, he could leave Eden in the care of Tiffany and or Ceres for the time being. Bastion could stay in his spare room as well. Kyrion didn''t want to leave any of them on their own this early because he didn''t know their habits. The arrival at a lecture room was a bit underwhelming. It was currently empty as there were far too few healers in the school, and even among them, most had taken his required classes and ran off. Kyrion was one of two students taking the practicum level of these classes. This was also one of the few teachers whose classes Kyrion never skipped. Kyrion stepped into the room and swiped a shoe that had been flung at him faster than most eyes could track. Moments later, Kyrion was gone from his spot, rapidly reappearing across the room as the impacts could be heard where brief trails of movement could be followed. The chairs and desks seemed untouched. However, a smear of blood decorated the floor in a rather macabre fashion. After about two minutes, Kyrion was a heap of dislocated limbs. "Ahhh!" Eden ran off. Bastion was frozen in his spot, his legs a bit warm for some reason. "Hey. Bastion. Mind taking a few steps back?" Kyrion asked, looking up at the kid? Bastion fell back as the corpse he was observing spoke to him. "Y-your dead." Kyrion popped his bones back into place and stood as he popped everything else for good measure. He''d be lectured if he couldn''t ensure every bone was corrected and every joint was positioned correctly. "No. Just disabled. He''s the one who taught me how to use my body for combat. Strikes that disable an opponent without killing. He''s also a healer. Not that his demeanor makes it obvious." Kyrion shook his hands, felt something was off, and examined his wrist. A joint had been sealed backwards near seamlessly. But he hadn''t healed a wound over there. Kyrion snapped that joint where the ends didn''t line up and moved them into the correct place. A maneuver that could break more than just someone''s bones done without flinching as the split healed properly. "So, the shoe thing. You stole that from him?" "Oh that? Yes, if you''re worried about a shoe hitting you then you''re not paying attention to the healer who could be doing anything.Including carrying an injured ally away." Kyrion stated. "Like turning the arena floor to sand? A healer wouldn''t waste that much mana on something so frivolous. Though as that was a formal match and it led to your victory I can''t dock you for methods. On a battlefield however, using that much mana at once would leave you open to an attack. Unlike everyone else I know how you nearly emptied yourself out. How much did you have to eat?" "Is he powered by food?" Bastion hadn''t gotten back up. "Pretty much. It''s converted into energy rather effectively and rather quickly as well, very little nutrition is lost. Poison enters his veins faster and does its damage just as fast as well. It has upsides and downsides. It''s a good thing he has an ability that can counteract poison, when he''s aware of it." Exac slapped Kyrion on the back. Kyrion caught on and consumed a blue pomegranate seed, the minor poison in his body flushing itself out. "So thats why I thought you were moving faster. You slowed my perception down." Kyrion squinted. "When did I do such a thing?" Exac played dumb. "When I caught your shoe, something cut my hand. Unfortunately, I was too distracted to notice as the wound was healed over. My regeneration has become more effective but¡­." "Good. Your teacher asked me to mix in a few tricks to make you think more so you know. That''s why I hinted it out to you. From here on, you may not know when you''ve been poisoned." "So you''d let me die?" Kyrion''s eyes widened. Exac pulled out a green vial and shook it. "All this one does is make your skin turn a sickly shade of gray. That''s all it does. It would be a potion if it didn''t also numb your tongue and slow your perception for the duration of the effect. Which are three hours, by the way. So, symptoms appear immediately for you, and the effects entirely fade in thirty minutes. "That''s why you thought I was dead." Kyrion told Bastion. "I am lost right now." Bastion stated "Hi lost nice to meet you." Exac said to the boy. "Huh?" Kyrion dropped a blue lotus into Bastion''s hands and ran off to capture Eden. Eden was taken back a minute later, a bit confused. "Now it''s time for you two to get tested." Exac blinked twice. "Oh so you didn''t come for a refresher course. Did you already pay to use the tablets?" "Yeah. Two thousand points paid in full. It''s a shame that it''s so expensive." "Says the person who makes fifty-two A.P., or academy points, a year off a student living in the dorm he helped build. Heck with the amount of students currently living there you should be swimming in wealth." Exac stated. "I should be. But I''m not¡­ Well I guess I am. Why is Gamodren being so generous now?" Kyrion adjusted his robe. "You are too young to become a miser Kyrion. Now help me prep the circle. We''re going to need to start early if you want to make something of your investments. These two will need all the training they can get." Kyrion drew a circle in blood, his blood, as it had a high concentration of mana and was as cheap as a snack to replenish. Upon adding the runes, the circle sunk into the ground and became one, with the floor glowing a platinum hue. Exac returned with a stone tablet and sighed. "If your blood was half as effective as it is I still wouldn''t get on you about being frugal. That stuff could bankrupt an alchemist if it was sold for auction. Did it increase in purity?" Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "If only there weren''t spells that could track the source of said blood. Spells available to those rich enough to afford it and hire mercenaries to capture me and use as a blood bank." Kyrion sighed. "Yeah, it''s a controlled substance. But think of what you can do for science!" The circle started to settle. "Eden you first. Step into the circle and touch the tablet." "M-me? B-but why?" Eden shuffled away. "Because you''re older. Shouldn''t you lead by example?" Kyrion used reason. "But Bastion''s a boy. Shouldn''t he take charge?" "He could. But wouldn''t you rather not have to stand in a puddle?" Kyrion motioned to a blue lotus that seemed to be absorbing moisture. "Oh ewww. I''ll go first then." Eden stepped into the circle. "Mr. Kyrion¡­" Bastion looked betrayed. "What. You need to dry off. You also need to stop eating so many sweets and drink more water." "Fine. Wait what?" Bastion crossed his arms. Exac entered the circle, tablet in hand, and stood in the center. "Place your hand on the tablet, young one and gain power over your own fate." "Okay¡­" Eden prodded the tablet questioningly. A jolt zapped her finger as she was flung out of the circle by mana. Kyrion caught the girl and placed her on the ground outside the circle, which now glowed a purple hue. "A pure magic affinity mixed with order. Above average mana capacity with room to grow with training. Great potential with great effort." Eden was frantically blowing onto her hand, trying to stop the burning sensation that seemed to be growing. Finally, a circle with runic symbols floated out of her hand as a pentagram began to form above. An explosion of raw mana knocked Bastion prone and moved a few adjacent tables as the light began to shift into an object. In moments a long wooden staff appeared in her hand. A straw bundle tied together by runes was attached to the end of said stick. "It''s a broom. My spirit is a broom." "A magical broom." Eden laughed to herself and sighed. "Is that it? Do I just go home now." "At least you have a spirit from the get go. It''s shape doesn''t matter, what you do with it does. I know a dragon slayer whose spirit was a hoe." "Like the thing used to farm?" Eden asked. "Yes." "He killed a dragon with a farming tool." "In one mighty swing. I didn''t say they were a he, but you are correct." Kyrion swung an imaginary stick at the wall, and a blast of pure force crashed into it, reverberating. "So I''m not weak?" "Oh no your very weak. That''s just where everyone starts. Although you may be better of in the care of someone who could teach you." "Did it hurt?" Bastion asked suddenly. "Huh?" Eden blinked twice, not understanding the question. "The blast. Did it hurt?" Bastion asked again. "For a second. Now I feel better than ever. Like a shackle has been taken off of me." "My turn." Bastion accidentally stepped into the circle, ready to get awakened. "Place your hand on the tablet young one and gain power over your own fate." Exac repeated to the odd-eyed boy. Bastion slapped his hand down onto the tablet with gusto. Crack A shift in the world around them followed by a rift appearing in the world around them. Then, a creature made of eyes left the circle. "An eye tyrant¡­ But what kind." Exac was surprised, but no fear appeared on his face. Eden was gone. The creature looked at Kyrion for a long minute. "I sense great mana in you. Along with a familiar aura. But it wasn''t you who called out to me." "That would be him." Kyrion pointed to Bastion, who, for the record, did not produce another puddle. Then again, by the way, his legs were utterly still in terror. He might have just passed out. "He''s quite odd. Don''t see too many humans with mismatched eyes. A chaotic gift for a kindred spirit I suppose." "..." Bastion didn''t move. "Hold still." A blast of light froze Bastion in his place. Bastion was screaming internally when the eye poked him on the forehead. It then embedded itself into his flesh, leaving behind a diamond-shaped mark that shifted and entered his green eye, altering the shape of the pupil until it was diamond-shaped and pure white. Black fire filled the circle as Bastion began to glow, his body going through a transformation. Or so they thought. When the fire left, the only other thing different about Bastion was that there was now a black glove on his hand that didn''t go with the clothes. "Huh. It didn''t hurt." Bastion patted himself down and noticed that everything was in place. "Good, it took to you well. I''ll be watching your progress." Another crack opened in the world and the creature left. The circle vanished altogether with it as though the materials keeping it open had been stolen. "What just happened?" Kyrion asked. "Interesting. Your blood was used as a catalyst for that creature to come here and it came to personally hand the boy his gift. Lets use proper materials next time it seems overpaying has it''s side effects." Bastion grabbed Kyrion''s arm with his gloved hand. "Get it off!" Kyrion turned and noticed that the kid''s nose was bleeding profusely. Exac pulled Kyrion free and poked the boy on his head, knocking him unconscious. "Don''t heal him. He absorbed some of your mana on accident. It seems that the glove can take mana from those he touches. As he''s below average in capacity this is to make up the difference. Healing him will just do more harm than good." "Then what can we do?" Kyron asked. "The hokey pokey. Block his mana circulation in positions 42 and 49. I''ll hold him still and then remove the glove." Exac directed Kyrion poked the boy in a few select places that temporarily cut off the Bastion''s access to mana. Exac broke the boy''s wrist and removed the glove, which caused it to disappear. The doctor then healed the wrist using the mana already present in the boy''s body, a technique Kyrion couldn''t master. Kyrion poked the veins again, and mana began to flow as the bleeding stopped. "Interesting." "What is?" "He''s using your regeneration ability, abilet it''s a bit weaker, all I need to do is direct the flow." "So he can steal powers. That''s. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself." "It means he doesn''t have an innate power of his own. The headmaster will love this kid." Exac sighed. "Was that sarcasm?" "Nope. A talent that allows one''s actual ability to be hidden is one that those two look for in a pupil. Kyrion, if you thought Gamodren was tricky, you don''t know¡­." Exac paused as Kyrion turned his head towards a mirror on the desk in the back of the room. "Oh I do. The headmaster is worse and a lot more subtle. In fact I''m eighty percent sure he''s been watching us since we came here." "Maybe he''ll be your student then. Didn''t realize you took to their lessons so well." "The headmaster will probably be the one training him while I''m away. Eden could probably learn under Cecil. Since he''s probably the most qualified to teach her. I like Ms.Nox and all but it''s obvious that there are gaps in her knowledge." "To be fair, Cecil has an eidetic memory and has memorized a lot of magical theory and compiled it within his own head. If he decided to mass produce a book on his discoveries and current knowledge he''d bankrupt old Invan." "Ah right I''m sure they''d get along well. They both like books. And science and junk." Exac shook his head. "The world doesn''t always work like that, Kyrion¡­." "Is that so? I''ll think about it." Kyrion left the room, leaving Bastion behind. The headmaster appeared in the room moments later. His eyebrows raised. "How''d he figure out I was here?" "That boy has some imbalanced training. I wasn''t scared when a creature that could kill me easily entered the room. He picked up on that and from there deduced that we either had countermeasures or had someone capable of stopping it in its tracks." "And Gamodren was worried he wasn''t taking the lessons properly." "In matters of the heart he is as dense as a brick." "His mother''s a sociopath. Always has been. He isn''t used to affection. Given that he imprinted onto a tree before his own mother¡­." Caeden sighed. "He imprinted onto a tree? How does that work?" "You did read the file I gave you right?" "I did. Doesn''t mean it made sense." "A tree was the first thing he saw when he woke up after being born." "That doesn''t seem right." "Shouldn''t it be the first person he saw?" "I''m pretty sure a dryad tried to steal him and failed. That or they had a method to wake him up." "Why would you think that?" "The mark on his back is led by a tree, everything else is subservient. You do know Imala is trying to use him for something. Wouldn''t using one of her dryads be prudent?" "So Kyrion''s a few planks short of a bridge because the goddess tried to kidnap him." "Pretty much." Exac laughed to himself. "This makes no sense. I know you know why people want him. I also know you can''t tell me. Not out of mistrust but an oath. Can you say with whom?" "Lok is adamant that I keep what I think the big players are after, a secret. When a seer tells you a maelstrom of power will gather around one person. You bloody listen to the request to stay silent about the important stuff." "I see. That makes things complicated. Will you be taking Bastion as a direct disciple?" "If he can really borrow powers from those he touches, speed and adaptability will need to be drilled into him above all else. He could be a powerful warrior if given half the chance." "And Eden?" "If she can learn half of what Cecil can teach her then she''ll grow to be a powerful mage." "Not a spirit master?" "No I mean mage. The elven kind from long ago. Masters of controlling external mana." "I see. Maelstrom indeed. Where he goes a storm follows." Exac sighed. Bastion squirmed in Exac''s arms. Book Two: Chapter 36 Broomsticks and Black cats ¡°Oi Eden!¡± Kyrion caught up to the green-haired girl who was still running away from the building. Well, more jogging, and to someone with his physique, it was as if they were moving in slow motion. ¡°I¡¯m done. Nope, monsters are scary. That thing just broke the air. I can¡¯t even fight with what I have.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fight as you are. There is a difference. Very few who gain a gift like this start off killing rabbits. That¡¯s around three to four months in. Unless we were to follow Gamodren¡¯s method, my teacher was not a patient person.¡± Kyrion yawned. ¡°But I¡¯ll still have to fight monsters.¡± Eden crossed her arms. ¡°You¡¯ll have to learn how to fight monsters. Learn enough to at least survive on your own and then find the path you want to take. You now have access to your mana, whatever you want to do after your training is your decision. Just like my goal of becoming a healer. In a time of war I¡¯ll be a high priority target. Bringing powerful warriors back from the brink is my role and it¡¯s a rare one. A pure magic affinity is rare worldwide, ever since the great elven genocide that led to the inhabitability of their home continent, followed by sporadic birthrates and interbreding with other races for survival.¡± ¡°So what are you saying¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Kyrion paused as he scratched his chin. ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± Finally, Eden had come to a realization. ¡°No no, I was onto something but the knowledge wasn¡¯t all there¡­ Your vagabond of an uncle, do you remember his name?¡± ¡°Uncle Augustus, but he left a long time before I was even born. Before my parents met, I don¡¯t even know what he looks like.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­Wait.¡± Kyrion¡¯s right eye twitched though something didn¡¯t feel quite right about the statement. ¡°So, what does all that mean?¡± ¡°Hair color says alot about heritage. I¡¯ve seen quite a few people with green hair as of late. It could be a coincidence. Anyhow, you need to meet Cecil now, he¡¯s in the lab building. I imagine it¡¯s where you¡¯re going to spend the majority of your time for the remainder of your stay here.¡± ¡°So where does your red come from?¡± ¡°A seafaring nation that had been sent to the bottom of the ocean. The survivors became mercenaries and traveling guards. Apparently my great grandmother is where this trait originated, and from there it was passed down. It used to be a color synonymous with war and as such now it¡¯s quite rare.¡± ¡°And my green?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask someone with more knowledge. I learned this from a lecture Thalia gave me. I was testing a mind enhancement potion she made and now I¡¯m full of incomplete ideas.¡± ¡°Did the potion work?¡± ¡°Debatable. It worked on the other two test subjects as intended and I learned a bit. So¡­ Oh look, we¡¯re here.¡± Kyrion stopped outside a large stone building with various people going in and out. The entry resembled that of a large warehouse. Only instead of cargo being prepped, it held various tools for oddities. Cecil called some cannons, which apparently could be used to tear big things down. Due to enchantments, this tool is incapable of killing anyone directly, using a similar enchantment to the mining equipment sold to the now-deceased captain. ¡°So what¡¯s with all this metal.¡± Eden examined a device with a chain surrounding a metal oval. A series of metal blades covered the outside of the chain. A blue box with a handle holding everything together. ¡°These are tools made by Cecil. Apparently they are supposed to help him bridge a gap and get people used to magical technology.¡± ¡°And who is Cecil.¡± Kyrion pointed into the garage. A young man in a long, thin white coat stood in front of a large blue circle. Inside the magic circle was a suite of golden armor currently unoccupied. Runes and magical lettering floated about and fused to the structure. Lines upon lines were stacked until the surface was fully colored. ¡°Enchant! Come alive oh armor of ancients and protect your wearer!¡± Cecil crossed his right hand over his left and struck an odd pose as he started yelling. Kyrion eyed the armor suspiciously. ¡°Helping my enemies huh?¡± ¡°Enemy?¡± Eden seemed confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He should be done.¡± Kyrion entered the lab and approached the magical circle with confidence. The light show ended, and Kyrion examined the armor questioningly. ¡°So, what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I got a special work order. A rush job from the headmaster who payed double my fee. Apparently the owner needed something to protect against armor forming into a ball of dense metal because iron sand surrounded it. Along with enduring twenty tons of brute strength without breaking.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know about that would you?¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°Not even going to give me a hint? That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Kyrion held his chest. ¡°Mr. Kyrion what are you going on about?¡± Eden asked. ¡°He knows the answer. People saw me do something and now they¡¯re trying to prepare. Cecil, I got quite a bit stronger after my trip so know that I have ways of getting past armor very easily.¡± ¡°Figured as much. Sadly they didn¡¯t pay for an anti-teleportation enchantment so they¡¯re kinda stuck. Such things are expensive to make, niche and annoying to get right.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ve already had the Suemoxide device removed from your prisoner. An infection using a magic tattoo set to move through nerves like a snake into the victim¡¯s brain before consuming everything and vanishing to the Abyss. Quite insidious, had Exac look at her along with Thalia and Perana.¡± Kyrion growled. Perena was Kyrion¡¯s rival student in Exac¡¯s classes. She was a focused healer with little to no combat experience. Perena wouldn¡¯t last long on a battlefield, but she also wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near one. She was also more effective at treating life-threatening ailments with surgeries. But, like Nicole, Kyrion felt that predatory aura around her, along with something darker. More malevolent and clearly murderous. ¡°Anyhow she¡¯s in recovery and I¡¯m busy. They paid for a masterpiece. I¡¯ll give them a masterpiece.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°Huh. Can I try to break it?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Eden looked at the tall, well-mannered blond man with glasses and then at the wild red-haired Kyrion. Cecil ignored the kid, pulled a blue runic block from a stack, and placed it inside the armor. ¡°Nope. You wouldn¡¯t like it if I sold your weaknesses to your enemy and built them a weapon that drained your mana, poisoned you and shut off your regeneration. It would also appear in the form of a tangerine. For you to eat of your own volition as well.¡± ¡°Ah right Cecil, I know someone who would be a great candidate for your harem.¡± Kyrion changed the subject. ¡°Kyrion. If you say it¡¯s that girl right there I¡¯ll punch you with all the strength I have. Did you rob an orphanage or something?¡± Cecil said bluntly. ¡°That isn¡¯t it, although she already said no. I even brought up the free house.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one spreading that rumor? So many girls have come to me expecting houses and to be pampered with my vast wealth. All my money goes into experiments and debt...Do you know what a harem is? Also I need to be dense. If I know their attention is on me then it isn¡¯t right.¡± Cecil looked away. ¡°A harem is made up of people who really like each other. Isn¡¯t it like a group of friends? Just made with one word.¡± Kyrion stated as though that was a fact. ¡°I guess that makes sense. Must mean two different things.¡± Eden paused and thought for a moment. ¡°Anyhow, she¡¯s to learn under you. Think of it as returning an investment. I pay for your research and you¡¯ll help me out every now and then. Right now I need you to take her as an apprentice.¡± ¡°Kyrion. If I take a student then it means that I lose my protagonist status.¡± ¡°Cecil, you¡¯re the protagonist of your own story. I¡¯m giving you someone who will look up to you and treat you as a mentor. She can be the candy character.¡± ¡°Cand¡­ Kyrion? I¡¯ll accept her as a student but you need to stop using words you heard me use to describe stuff.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion smiled mischievously. ¡°You know what I mean. Anyhow show me what you got kid. Impress me.¡± Eden looked towards the hills and then back at Cecil. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything impressive.¡± ¡°She was awakened about thirty minuets ago.¡± ¡°Can you read?¡± ¡°Eh¡­.¡± Eden shook her hand a little. ¡°How about mathematics?¡± ¡°Sounds evil.¡± Eden replied. ¡°It is. Did you know that a pound of bricks weighs the same as a pound of feathers? And if you drop them from the same height and equalize wind resistance, they will both land at the same time?¡± A black cat with a tophat answered. They were currently lying on a desk with various notes and books scattered about. ¡°Ahhh! Hearsay!¡± Eden¡¯s broom appeared from out of nowhere and found itself headed toward the talking cat. From a resting position, the cat dodged the clumsy maneuver while flipping in mid-air and landing on another desk in a similar state of disorder. ¡°That cat just talked. Cats don¡¯t talk.¡± Eden had begun to lose her grasp on reality. None of her parents or fellow villagers had magic, so seeing so much in one day was starting to get to her. ¡°Some do, Little Sammy here loves breaking people¡¯s perception of the world.¡± ¡°Why does the cat have a hat?¡± ¡°He took to wearing it. It¡¯s not real. That¡¯s how it stays attached even when its evading brooms. Please don¡¯t swing brooms at the resers tables. If you want to become a janitor then you¡¯ll need to learn some disipline.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to become a janitor. I want to use magic.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Cecil raised an eyebrow. ¡°What does sweeping have to do with magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. A janitor is a third tier mage the equivalent to an expert in spirit mastery in some ways. Since where I¡¯m from Janitors are responsible for protecting the world from extradimensional threats.¡± ¡°You lost her. Anyhow, teach her the basics. I sense someone rapidly approaching my position with killing intent.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eden asked as she watched Kyrion run through the wall and vanish, the wall fully intact. ¡°I wonder if he¡¯d let me use that.¡± Cecil turned around, looking at the pupil forced onto him. ¡°Is he insane?¡± Eden asked. ¡°He¡¯s a few screws short of a dresser. Though his heart is mostly in the right place.¡± ¡°Is my new armor done?¡± Asked a figure clad in golden armor standing near the doorway. ¡°No. I have a few more finishing touches. Come back in the afternoon, Amadeus. A watched pot never boils after all.¡± ¡°It does when I cook. Have it done by one.¡± ¡°Do you want it good? Or do you want it strong enough to survive Kyrion¡¯s brute strength.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be back at night.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re that gold person from before!¡± Eden pointed at the armored figure that had entered the lab. ¡°Ah. So he has spies here now. What depths will that coward stoop to. Just for an edge over me.¡± ¡°Mr.Kyrion is not a coward.¡± Eden stomped her foot. ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t he accepted any of my challenges?¡± ¡°Because in a peaceful world he¡¯d have been a pacifist. But no, this world is warlike and it¡¯s clear that the idea of fighting is hammered into the young while they¡¯re still developing. Kids are pushed into a world where the weak are at the mercy of those with power. Even still Kyrion desires to be a healer above all else. Since fighting isn¡¯t something he likes doing he avoids it when possible and when he has to. He doesn¡¯t enjoy it like you and others who fight for rank. Fighting him won¡¯t be fun, people like us choose to be efficient rather than honorable.¡± Cecil adjusted his glasses. ¡°So you¡¯re defending him?¡± Amadeus growled. ¡°If you want to fight him, then you need to get him angry enough. To get him angry you¡¯d have to hurt one of his friends or steal his lunch. Just saying, we aren¡¯t weak so doing so will be a risky business.¡± Cecil got back to work, and Amadeus left. ¡°Did you give him a reason to attack me?¡± Eden asked with a scowl. ¡°They won¡¯t attack you. The current number one wouldn¡¯t resort to attacking little kids. They want a fight not a blood feud. Now let¡¯s get your training started. It appears you¡¯re stuck with that broom. You should at least learn how to sweep properly.¡± Book Two: Chapter 37 Fate of a Dragon After successfully dumping his wards onto other people, he met up with Ander, who was currently headed to his training hall. The green-haired boy stood a solid five-six despite being sixteen. He also had gotten a bit more toned. As he approached, his green hair was braided behind him into a single braid. The hair swayed behind him. ¡°Hey Kyrion! Looking cherry. Did you get a third breakfast today?¡± ¡°Not yet but I feel so free now. I still need to meet up with Gamodren though. Have you seen Brion today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see him soon. Why?¡± ¡°Can you give him this?¡± Kyrion tossed Ander a core. ¡°Where is this from?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a troll core, it should give him a way to regenerate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty nice. Are you in a hurry?¡± Ander tossed the core into the air and caught it. ¡°A minor one. Well I¡¯ll be back later.¡± Kyrion continued forward in a bit of a hurry.
Around this time of the late morning, Gamodren could be found in his library, which wasn¡¯t saying much as there were few books of note worth reading. Kyrion suspected most of which were just there for the thickness of the pages as he¡¯d opened one once and found the pages were blank. Aside from books, there were quite a few scrolls, trinkets, and staves spread across the floor. During most visits, they¡¯d be up on the shelves or in their proper stands, so this untidy state of things wasn¡¯t like the composed teacher Kyrion knew. The more Kyrion looked around, the more the following became obvious. Gamodren wasn¡¯t there. The place had been ransacked, but nothing was taken. Instead, some paperwork sat at his desk, among a few other things. Kyrion approached his desk and took a seat. On the table was a letter hastily written and directed towards him.
Dear Kyrion, I don¡¯t know how else to start, so I¡¯ll lead with an apology. I¡¯m sorry for a lot of things. Mostly for leaving you to face imprisonment for a crime, I know you didn¡¯t commit. As you may know, the Beastblood empire had agents in that city, and they were up to something. Said agents used your presence and the death of one of their puppets as an excuse to use force and capture you. We wouldn¡¯t be in this situation had I not gone to kill their captain. My impatience is what led to me having to take these measures. I¡¯m sorry, Kyrion, but because of circumstances, I can¡¯t communicate. So next time we meet, I may kill you without hesitation. Train hard else it will be a swift death, one you can¡¯t heal fast enough to repair. That is the only mercy I can show you. What they will do to you otherwise is horrifying to imagine and worse to experience. Should you be strong enough to kill me, do so. Despite our relationship, I know very well that I won¡¯t be able to spare you, so you shouldn¡¯t do the same. My fate was determined from birth, and I¡¯ve always been your enemy. It was me who poisoned your mother all those years ago. Albeit I had direction and assistance, my actions still led to your state. It was my fault that Edwin managed to attack you and that the solution to the problem involved limiting your output and turning you into a more ideal vessel. Hampering your potential temporarily. It¡¯s my fault that Leon was allowed to attack you in the first place when I could have handled him alone. I was a double agent this whole time, and now I can leave everything out in the open. I am no longer a teacher at Drisil, and due to that, you will be promoted to the headmaster¡¯s direct disciple. You will also inherit all my buildings and land acquisitions since my leaving constitutes my death. An agreement I made with my father long ago. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Learn some new tricks as well. What I know you can do will probably be leaked shortly. So the upcoming tournament will be more challenging for you if you go against any of the nations affiliated with that empire. Kyrion, these past seven years have been the most fun I¡¯ve had in my life. So grow strong and put me down next we meet. Expect tricks, lies, traps, and my full power. I won¡¯t underestimate you. Because I know better. Best wishes, Gamodren Ikratax.
Under the letter were a series of deeds, books on techniques, and a pouch of exotic seeds. ¡°This. Uggg!¡± Kyrion wanted to hit something as anger began to boil over. Mixing with confusion and other emotions, the red-haired boy held it in. Now was not the time. Kyrion stood from the chair very slowly and deliberately. He then patiently absorbed everything in the room and took it into his domain. Clenching his fist, Kyrion left the room only to find the headmaster standing outside the door. ¡°He¡¯s gone. Six days ago.¡± He stated. ¡°Yes. He left everything to me. He said he was joining the empire.¡± ¡°That damned witch!¡± Caeden broke down. Kyrion watched in surprise as the first time he saw the older man¡¯s composure break. It started with the sunglasses over his eyes splitting into two perfect halves. Next, the world around them seemed to go upside down as Kyrion fell upwards, along with quite a few objects on the floor. Then, moments later, everything began to change shape and color. For a while, Kyrion was convinced that he was and had always been a sentient magical headband. As quickly as things changed, they reverted, and Kyrion landed on the floor no worse for wear. ¡°What was that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Lost control and some anger leaked out along with other things. Do you know what a blood debt is in Kyrion?¡± ¡°No, not really. But apparently I own a few.¡± ¡°Considering you have someone who swore one to you. Then you¡¯re lacking in the research aspect.¡± ¡°Ceres? She did that on her own. The goblins, now that is debatable.¡± ¡°Yeah. Had you been wicked or more like your mother than I¡¯d trick you into relinquishing it. But given all it does is make her stronger and you¡¯re not cruel I¡¯ll let you keep it for now. At least until she¡¯s strong enough to live on her own. Wait what goblins?¡± Caeden stated. His prismatic eyes shifted in color. ¡°Why are you bringing that up?¡± ¡°I was stupid once. Naive once, I didn¡¯t understand things about the world that I do know. My first wife was a dragon that was using me to give her a clutch of useful servants. I didn¡¯t find out about what she¡¯d done until years later when I came across Gamodren while traveling. Apparently he was the last survivor out of eight, and was being used as a tool by the Beastblood empire. He had killed four of his siblings in the process of his training and absorbed their power. A half dragon of exceptional power bound to a blood debt to his mother for daining to let him live that long.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is that why he didn¡¯t like Ceres?¡± ¡°Deep down he was probably jealous.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°If he¡¯s with the empire then you¡¯ll need to know what¡¯s trying to kill you. Not capture. He¡¯d rather kill you and pay the price than surrender your body. It¡¯s a fate worse than death to become a vessel.¡± Caeden said. ¡°Ah. So he won¡¯t be going easy on me then. What is his power?¡± ¡°Reality manipulation. In the space he occupies and a distance away, everything is under his control. If he has enough mana to alter it. And no he can¡¯t use it to kill you. Manipulating people takes a lot more mana. You especially that leak almost drained me dry which is concerning for other reasons.¡± ¡°How does he teleport then?¡± ¡°I can move through objects reflective surfaces I¡¯m familiar with . It just so happens that I¡¯ve enchanted quite a few things and sold quite a few mirrors I¡¯ve made. A few of my friends and comrades have those things readily available. Gamodren isn¡¯t much different. Those buildings he had you built have enchantments that let him hop across the world with ease.¡± ¡°He can enter my space.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No he can¡¯t. That actually involves a power we don¡¯t have. That doesn¡¯t mean he hasn¡¯t found a way to do so however. He also needs to own the buildings he teleports to.¡± ¡°He transferred ownership to me¡­ I¡¯ll need to be careful.¡± ¡°The dormitory does not have that enchantment. I made sure to check. His range is also much much smaller than mine.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill me then. End all of this chaos.¡± Kyrion stated. A hand met his face hard enough to break the skin. ¡°Because your death wouldn¡¯t change the situation he¡¯s in! My son trained you. Do you think he¡¯d want you to give up before fighting back!.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an expert. How can I compete with that?¡± ¡°Get stronger. It¡¯s as simple as that. As a dragon his growth is exponential at first before becoming linear and tied to his age. As a human he could train and push himself to grow stronger. As a dragon slayer he¡¯s gained the potential of nine other dragons, one of which was quite powerful.¡± ¡°Dragon slayer? What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? Do you know why your father refused to progress into the expert rank after becoming a practitioner?¡± ¡°Why would I know that? I just thought he was too busy farming. ¡°Thus us why I hate how your family does things like this. Your father did kill a dragon. Because of this he grows stronger every year and ages very slowly. How else does someone in his late fifties stay so young without being an expert.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion took a step back. ¡°A dragon slayer doesn¡¯t just kill a dragon. They consume its flesh. Pretty sure your dad thought it was good eating. At least that¡¯s how he so blatantly put it¡­.¡± ¡°My dads fifty?¡± Kyrion was aghast. ¡°Kyrion, your oldest brother is in his late thirties. If your dad was twenty-something when he was born¡­.¡± ¡°Jr is thirty!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you seventeen? It would barely be a fifteen year gap.¡± ¡°Fifteen I am fifteen and thinking about it. He would have been fifteen when I was born..¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Caeden was now quite sure he did terrible math. Jr would have definitely been in his forties now. He was in his late seventies and was a very late bloomer¡­ Wasn¡¯t he two years younger than Cordelia¡­ ¡°Headmaster? You have that look Gamodren gets when doing taxes. You¡¯re pretty sure you lied about something but aren¡¯t quite sure where you did so.¡± Kyrion scowled as he began to go over what the headmaster had said with a fine toothcomb. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re a baby compared to half of your older siblings. That¡¯s just how it is.¡± Caeden decided to leave the minefield. ¡°Allright. So dragonslayers are strong and because killing dragons gives them power. Gamodren will get stronger the longer he lives and fighting him ill prepared is suicide.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the gist. I imagine that¡¯s why Leon was targeted. Stories say he was a dragonslayer.¡± ¡°I see. So If I become an expert, it won¡¯t be impossible. But I may need to kill dragons to do so, not Ceres since she¡¯s a friend¡­.¡± ¡°Correct. You should have some time before they. It¡¯s not like your that empire¡¯s only target. Even they, should know not to act now that Gamodren is there.¡± ¡°The expert thing. Your all going to go away for some time soon. In nine months.¡± ¡°What!? No we have five more years!¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t what the goddess or the elf person said.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t right. It¡¯s too early.¡± ¡°Huh. Then it¡¯s not just me. What¡¯s going on?¡± Psycho stated from inside Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°Could she have been lying?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have. Something must have happened if the incursion is happening so early.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Well then, it seems you have nine months to become the strongest practitioner on this continent. Looks like winning this tournament will be very important.¡± ¡°So why would it have been a bad idea?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°The winners of the tournament are granted a divine boon from Imala herself. Breaking her rules and purposely going after potential participants or current participants is considered blasphemy. Clomonis is neutral due to their status as Imala¡¯s holy land but they can declare a holy war. When a holy war is declared, armies of Imalla¡¯s divine begin to freely enter that nation and begin enacting judgment. Assisting Clomonis is incentivised.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying, Gamodren was taken to act as a teacher for a school sent by the Beastblood Empire. ¡°Most likely in disguise as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight him. I won¡¯t kill him. Even if I have the chance, how could I betray a friend like that?¡± ¡°There are ways to release the debt. One involves removing the debtor. I don¡¯t want him dead either, just so you know.¡± ¡°Wait, was Gamodren the traitor?¡± ¡°Partially, did he let you get injured by Edwin? Yes. Did he let the attack on the empire happen? No. He did leave you alone to deal with Leon but thats because then at most he could have been ordered to watch and do nothing. The more orders given in quick succession the weaker they get. Through the longer you hoard them the stronger the bond gets.¡± ¡°Five years¡­I don¡¯t want to ask Ceres to do anything again if that¡¯s what she¡¯s going through. Why would she let me do that to her.¡± ¡°So you know I¡¯ve asked her about the orders you give. They only seem to involve food and are quite rare. Most of the time you¡¯re too exhausted to get it yourself. If you stopped giving orders like that then she¡¯d be worried you were saving for something big.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°She also needs the bond for a few more years, she won¡¯t be able to maintain a human form naturally for a few more years.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me.¡± ¡°No I am not. You are now officially my direct disciple. From one to four in a day. It¡¯s a good thing I won¡¯t have to teach you and Tiffany much.¡± ¡°What abou Ceres?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t teach her how to be what she is and I can¡¯t teach her how to fight the way she does. She¡¯ll figure everything out on her own.¡± + ¡°I think I need a nap.¡± ¡°Before you go.¡± The headmaster handed Kyrion a note. Kyrion examined it. ¡°Amadeus wants to challenge me to another fight. In the private square. In four hours. Or else. I¡¯m not in the mood today. Or evey, can you tell them i¡¯d rather we not fight.¡± ¡°Is my star pupil too much for you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion said too quickly. ¡°Why not just accept, lose and get it over with.¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t feel like being pushed around. Right now.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t want that to happen because?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I could hold back my aggression.¡± Kyrion answered in a careful monotone. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll let them know that you said no.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion ran off. He needed some air. For the first time in his life, clearing his mind wasn¡¯t easy.
Kyrion sat across from Ceres in the dining hall, his expression distraught. The armored girl held a confused expression as she looked back at the red-haired boy. ¡°If you ever don¡¯t want to do something. Let me know. I don¡¯t want to force you to do anything.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°No.¡± Ceres said as she took a sip of tea. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I said I won¡¯t because I¡¯d rather not. You aren¡¯t forcing me into anything.¡± ¡°Huh. Are you sure?¡± ¡°Do you feel like I¡¯ve repaid my debt to you master Kyrion?¡± Ceres rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes you¡¯ve been nothing but helpful most of the time.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve done enough yet. Ten years of solitude in a place I couldn¡¯t leave. No new things to see, no one to teach me, or nurture my abilities. I was just there, hardly even existing as my mana was drained. I will follow you into the abyss if you ask. Quite a few of us will do the same.¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°Me, Brion, Tiffany, and those two kids you found. We are loyal to you.¡± ¡°Not Ander?¡± ¡°Ander is dedicated to fighting and pursuing strength above all else. If you promised him a fight I¡¯m sure he¡¯d come along. But¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, he wants to fight me at my full strength.¡± ¡°And refuse to do anything outside of light sparing.¡± ¡°There is something about his abilities that he is nowhere near mastering. It¡¯s a subtle blonk that can be fixed with special training and I feel that he¡¯s close to a breakthrough. Thing is, lighting is dangerous. If he were to accidentally hit me with a fully powered shot when I¡¯m not prepared or expecting it, heck if I¡¯m weakened then chances are he¡¯d accidentally kill me.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t stop anyone else from sparing with him?¡± ¡°Brion could endure it enough to survive and keep grounded most of the time. Tiffany wouldn¡¯t be given the chance to push him that far. She lacks his experience. You are like Brion in the sense that you could push him and be fine but I¡¯m mostly sure you¡¯d be forced to transform.¡± ¡°How much stronger will Ander be if he could get past this barrier?¡± ¡°He¡¯d be a monster on and off the battlefield. You do know how good he can fly. Combat in the air and on the ground are realms no one here can challenge him. A master of close, mid, and long range fighting. But that¡¯s all he can do if you don¡¯t count teaching. He can counter almost any form but is bad at fighting people on their home field advantage. Which is why he trains so diligently.¡± ¡°What did Gamodren tell you about my debt?¡± ¡°Nothing The headmaster did. Gamodren was taken because of his.¡± ¡°Gamodren was taken?¡± Ceres seemed surprised. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s human, that doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move on. Why did you not tell me about the debt?¡± ¡°I asked Gamodren not to tell you the details he accepted and I kept quiet as well. I didn¡¯t want you feeling guilty for freeing me. Since he didn¡¯t I shouldn¡¯t be bad, at least now I get why he avoided me.¡± ¡°Sorry for wasting your time then, on another note can you join my team for the tournament?¡± ¡°My kind can¡¯t compete in those things. Dragons tend to die when their locations become public knowledge.¡± ¡°Well that sucks.¡± Kyrion looked towards the ceiling drumming on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll look after the kiddos while you¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Good good. Thank you.¡± Kyrion seemed a bit lost. ¡°Well I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡± Ceres stood and left as Kyrion sat in contemplation. ¡°What now¡­t.¡± Max entered the dining hall, blood pulling from his nose and a black eye on his face. He was covered in bruises. In his hands was a letter that was slammed on the table hard. ¡°Amadeus beat me up because you refused the challenge! They know where I sleep, Kyrion. I can¡¯t take it! Please just fight them and get over it.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m in a bit of a bad mood but if the number one wants to put themselves at risk then. Fine! I don¡¯t care.¡± Kyrion threw up his hands. Max smiled as the words finally came out before he shook his head. ¡°Thanks Kyrion.¡± ¡°Want me to heal you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fighting through the pain. As a tamer I need the mental strength to command even if I get hurt.¡± Max lied. ¡°I see. Fine then. Take it easy.¡± Kyrion watched as Max left. An unhealthy amount of rage had been building to the point his mana began to leak from his body creating a minor distortion in his movements. Like a walking heatwave. Book Two: Chapter 38 A Gap in Ability Kyrion arrived at the non-public practice stadium. While there, he removed his weights and sighed. ¡°This has to be a trap. I¡¯m not in the mood for these games.¡± Tiffany entered the stadium with a sad look. ¡°It probably was. I¡¯m sorry about Gamodren.¡± ¡°Do you know what changed?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. Why are you here?¡± Tiffany looked just as sad. ¡°I have a fight with Amadeus. You?¡± ¡°A special training session for the top five students at the Academy.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Kyrion took a seat on the stone surface. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan?¡± ¡°First I¡¯ll get knocked around a bit and then I¡¯ll surrender. Not in a mood for fighting and would like it if my outsides matched what I feel in my gut.¡± ¡°Are you doing alright Kyrion?¡± ¡°Nope. Well maybe. I¡¯m really here to try and recruit Amadues. Since I¡¯m currently the captain of the team representing Drisil in the tournament. Would you like to join my team Tiffany?¡± ¡°Maybe, do you intend to involve me in the stuff after the tournament?¡± ¡°If you want. I was going to go along but I won¡¯t say no to help.¡± ¡°Then sure, I could use the experience.¡± Tiffany popped her knuckles above her head. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°Oi! What are you two doing here?¡± Brion asked before thinking. ¡°Hey, Kyrion, are you here for healing duty after the training?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t care. Amadeus challenged me again and I don¡¯t feel like saying no.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it but ok. I¡¯d love to fight Amadues head on.¡± Brion held out a thumbs up before he proudly walked onto the stadium. Ander arrived soon after. His expression was stoic as he pieced things together. ¡°This must be for the tournament.¡± ¡°What tournament?¡± Brion asked. ¡°The one against all the schools on the continent.¡± Ander answered. ¡°Oh. Oh, right, that¡¯s coming up, isn¡¯t it.¡± Then, finally, Kyrion seemed to remember something. ¡°It¡¯s in a few months. This is a bit late. I assume Kyrion is here for healing duty.¡± ¡°I wonder if the number two is going to make it.¡± Ander muttered. Amadeus entered while inside their golden armor. Behind them was a hooded figure covered head to toe in black cloth. It seemed as though they were quietly humming as they moved. Tiffany squirmed instinctively and backed up as they entered the room. After those two, Max entered the place with a confused look and not a single bruise. Next to Max was Bastion, who seemed to brighten up as he saw Kyrion. Then, finally, the headmaster himself entered the arena, his expression stoic. Amadeus also seemed surprised to see that Max was here for some reason. ¡°Something smells off.¡± ¡°Because it is.¡± Tiffany stated the obvious. ¡°All of you are gathered here today because you have shown talent in one way or another and have been selected to be potential members of the team representing Drisil. Your captain here will be Kyrion, if has an objection then they will need to best him in combat. This will be a first come first serve sort of deal. You need seven members, and one alternate.¡± Amadeus looked at Kyrion and then at the headmaster. ¡°You need to best him in combat. Today he can¡¯t refuse, and you have a week to continue challenging him. Fail two attempts and he¡¯s free to remove you from the team despite your talent.¡± Caeden stepped away. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for five years.¡± Kyrion¡¯s green eyes darkened in a way that didn¡¯t involve using the other mind in his head. He was expressionless, as though all emotion had been thrown away. His movement seemed precise as he walked to a section of the stadium and carved a circle into the concrete floor by dragging his foot across the surface. ¡°If we do this then we use my rules. You have two minutes to get me out of the circle to win. If you can¡¯t then it¡¯s a loss on your end. I won¡¯t use any mana and that includes regeneration. For the first minute and a half I will only counter. That should even up the playing field a bit.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that? I¡¯m strong! I don¡¯t need that handicap.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m angry and will need to adjust my strength to keep from accidentally killing you,¡± Kyrion said in a cold monotone with a bored expression on his face. Tiffany looked at the pendant. He was angry, but the gem seemed to be stuck between Kyrion and the other being inside of him. As though they were one. ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡± ¡°No, this is as close as you¡¯re going to get to seeing who and what Kyrion is.¡± Headmaster Caeden stated from her side. ¡°A titan bound in the body of a human.¡± Bastion stated. ¡°A titan?¡± Tiffany looked down at Bastion, whose odd eyes seemed even more creepy. ¡°A form of deity that predates the gods we know. Said to stand as tall as mountains and could consume villages worth of food. But no that¡¯s not what he means. Bastion can sense what¡¯s hidden and he¡¯s currently feeling the storm that is Kyrion¡¯s core running rampant through his body.¡± Amadeus growled as they took their stance, two golden daggers getting drawn from a sheath on their hip. ¡°I¡¯ll put an end to your smug attitude.¡± The others had left the stadium as a field covered the two fighters. ¡°As you are both practitioners, the rules here have changed a bit. Win either by knockout, ring out, or surrender. By now, you should have a handle on what you can take and dish out. So no moves that would force evacuation to survive.¡± Caeden ordered, keeping a close eye on Kyrion just in case. ¡°I am anything but smug.¡± Kyrion said in a flat tone. ¡°Huh. I¡¯ll have to be careful then.¡± Caeden sighed. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Are you showing favoritism, teacher?¡± Bastion asked Caeden. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want a student dying on my watch. Especially with Kyion in the current head space he¡¯s in at the moment. Rage is a dangerous weapon when directed indiscriminately. Not quite sure if I should even let it happen.¡± ¡°Rage? He was so happy this morning.¡± ¡°Are you ready? Fight!¡± Caeden decided to start the fight. A dagger aimed at Kyrion¡¯s face was snatched out of the air and then used to deflect a blade going for his back, his legs not moving from their positions. The crowd looked on in silence. Quite a few didn¡¯t even see the dagger get thrown. Had they not seen the blur that was Kyrion¡¯s left hand. Kyrion didn¡¯t move as the gauntleted right fist connected with his jaw. An explosion that left a crater in the stadium around them hardly left a scratch on the boy who took it head-on, not even bothering to evade it. Another punch to Kyrion¡¯s face came and went as he spun, his opponent¡¯s attack passing through empty space and leading them forward. Then, finally, a foot stuck out to trip them, causing them to fly toward the arena¡¯s edge with their own momentum. Amadeus landed on their feet and circled around carefully, plotting their next move. ¡°One minute!¡± The headmaster called. ¡°What? Already?¡± Amadeus charged forward again, aiming to strike from multiple angles at high speed. Kyrion made minor adjustments, moving his head out of the way of a punch as his left arm deflected a punch to his gut. A sweep of Kyrion¡¯s leg ended in him grabbing hold and throwing his opponent away. ¡°One minute thirty!¡± Amadeus came again and attacked with an explosive fist strong enough to destroy a wall. Kyrion¡¯s hand grabbed hold of Amadeus¡¯ wrist and squeezed. Crushing the metal and damaging the person inside. ¡°Ahh!¡± blood flowed through the wound, and it was pretty evident that the limb was shattered. The explosion ceased to exist as the mana for the attack was wasted. A jab to Kyrion¡¯s throat missed as the boy leaned to the side. ¡°You broke my wrist!¡± Amadeus yelled as they moved behind Kyrion. A series of attacks from different angles found their mark but still little to no damage had been done when the dust settled. ¡°Ten!¡± Kyrion twisted his body to dodge an attack aimed at his head and exhaled as an open-palm strike passed through the golden armor without leaving any sign of entry. The blow left no mark on the gold armor, while it sent a shock through various internal organs and cracked a few ribs. ¡°Great. Now I can surrender.¡± Kyrion walked off the stage. ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t¡­¡± Amadeus wheezed. ¡°Oh? Here I thought you wanted to win no matter what? Isn¡¯t that why you challenged me the way you did?¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression seemed a bit stoic as they stopped moving and turned around. ¡°Victory to Kyrion!¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­.¡± Amadeus lost consciousness. ¡°Should I heal them or?¡± Kyrion waved a hand around thematically. His expression returned to the cheery light one he usually wore. Although no one who knew Kyrion would assume he was actually happy. ¡°That would be convenient. What¡¯s your play? Fixing what you broke?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a noncombatant. My job is not to fight, just do the healing. My emotions seemed to get the best of me.¡± Water pooled onto Kyrion¡¯s hands as he sent the liquid into their body through their skin. Kyrion closed his eyes and let his healing mana do the repairing. ¡°Huh. She must have a pretty big chip on her shoulder.¡± Kyrion whispered quietly enough for only the headmaster to hear. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Caeden said in a monotone. Kyrion stood up and looked around, and shrugged. ¡°People need to realize I don¡¯t play fair when playing a game I don¡¯t care to play. Rules are for those who care. My rules didn¡¯t leave me at a disadvantage. When your opponent is faster than you, stand your ground and fight them from a secure position. Moving while fighting your pupil only causes more problems.¡± ¡°Kyrion, how do you feel about the second round?¡± ¡°I¡¯m open for another go, just know that fighting me directly will always be a bad idea. Especially with a power like that it¡¯s so wasteful.¡± ¡°What!¡± Amadeus woke up with a start. ¡°Good morning sleeping beauty. How was your nap.¡± Kyrion stood up and got some distance after his taunt. Amadeus got to their feet and ran to the other side of the arena. The headmaster stepped into the center of the ring and projected his voice. ¡°So we have the previously undefeated Amadeus and our unranked Kyrion. If you go to my left then you will be on team Amadeus. If you go to the right then you will be on team Kyrion.¡± ¡°So are we doing teams of three? Or four?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Teams of four. You¡¯ll need to find someone to be your alternate. Good luck.¡± The headmaster vanished. Kyrion scowled. ¡°So, who will join me?¡± Amadeus asked aloud. The number two, whose name Kyrion never learned, was the first to approach Amadeus. The second was Brion. Who smirked as he looked toward Kyrion. ¡°Sorry Kyrion. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t trust you. Its just that you broke your promise to make it to my birthday party.¡± Tiffany walked over to Amadeus¡¯ side, her arms crossed as she looked Kyrion in the eye. ¡°Even his girlfriend knows he¡¯s use¡­.¡± Amadeus started. A rapier of light appeared at the throat of the golden-armored Amadeus. It vanished soon after but not before a small trickle of blood seemed to leak from where the well-controlled attack struck. ¡°I could care less who wins. But this makes four. Do not insult my friend. Especially since you already lost once.¡± Tiffany said coldly. Amadeus took a mental note. The attack was too quick for Amadeus to dodge at the moment. Ander sighed. ¡°Does this make me Co Captain?¡± ¡°Vice leader. Bastion?¡± Kyrion looked over to the odd-eyed boy, who seemed to be gone. He had seriously considered bringing the little kid along. Primarily for shock and awe. A second healer could be convenient. ¡°Max?¡± Kyrion looked at the boy who stood there with a stony expression. ¡°I can¡¯t join you.¡± Max crossed his arms. ¡°Why? Are you scared you¡¯re too weak?¡± Ander asked. ¡°No, I just have a date tomorrow. It¡¯s the weekend, I have a life.¡± Max lied through his teeth. ¡°Max, I get that Amadeus seems to have some power over you but this is your chance to fight back. If you need help getting out of your commitments you could always join Cecil¡¯s harem. It stops the weird letters from coming. Although some girls seem to like asking detailed questions about what it is we do.¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that debauchery. I really have other things to do.¡± Max continued to lie, not about the debauchery. He literally had nothing else to do. Kyrion squinted, throwing an arm around Max. ¡°Listen. I get that you may have some unimportant things to attend to. But we are bros doing something important for the school. Also I need you on my team for other reasons. I need your help training monsters. It has come to my attention that I left my worker bucks with the refugees and I get the feeling that they are living happy lives near Norn. And have recently acquired an army of goblins.¡± ¡°So you want me to help train some monsters while we¡¯re out.¡± ¡°Yup. We could use the assistance.¡± ¡°Still a no. Aside from a few monsters I don¡¯t think tamers can participate in these things.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you at least try.¡± Ander floated upwards and put his hand on Max¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Listen, you¡¯re coming with us. End of story. Now we just need one more¡­¡± Kyrion slipped a little as Max squirmed. ¡°Why me? I¡¯m nowhere near as strong as anyone here.¡± Max protested. ¡°Simple everyone else I was hoping would be on my team jumped ship. Not that I could blame them.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m your last choice.¡± Max seemed to simmer down. ¡°No, now I gotta try and convince Cecil. I need to talk to him twice in one day. He¡¯ll want something.¡± ¡°Why not Ceres?¡± ¡°She won¡¯t participate in public matches. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say on the matter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need another attacker with me on your team. But you do need someone to either act as a defender.¡± ¡°Huh. Now I wish Brion didn¡¯t switch sides. Did he not like his gift?¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°It will be fine. It¡¯s more fun this way.¡± Said the short green-haired vice-captain, who seemed to avoid looking Kyrion directly in the eye. ¡°You want to fight everyone on that team, alone. Don¡¯t you?¡± Max suspected. ¡°Yes.¡± Ander said unashamedly. ¡°You do realize whatever the task is, it won¡¯t be a direct fight right?¡± Max said. ¡°But there will be fighting right?¡± ¡°Possibly, but given our combined talents, utility seems to be something we have in abundance. Flight, healing, ally monsters. We can accomplish anything so long as we use our heads and I don¡¯t mean just for headbutting.¡± ¡°To the lab then?¡± ¡°Ugg. Do I need to go?¡± Ander sighed. ¡°Yup. You¡¯re the main reason we¡¯re going.¡± Kyrion led the way.
¡°No.¡± Cecil had moved on to another project and was now observing a carriage made of metal with very thick rubber wheels. It was also covered in an abundance of enchantments and runes. Kyrion hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to ask the question, but Cecil was prompt. ¡°What type of beast is that?¡± Max said as he started touching the metal monstrosity. ¡°It¡¯s an all terrain truck. Given the lack of formal roads this vehicle is capable of finding new ones. It can travel on sand, stone, uneven earth, and more. There is a tread¡­ Nevermind you wouldn¡¯t get it. Anyhow this is part of an experiment. A test of ability, if it works as intended then I¡¯ll be able to make something else sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you come?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Had someone not given me a student in a very volatile developmental stage of growth in need of guidance. Then I¡¯d gladly abandon all my other responsibilities and hop in on this adventure. Oh but that¡¯s not all. I also have a POW that I need to convince to help join my cause which will probably be impossible.¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry. Where is she?¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°Eden? I gave her an enchanted skill book that will impart literacy on every recorded written language. She¡¯d need to learn how to speak it, but reading was in her abilities. This includes my native languages as well.¡± ¡°You can make those?¡± ¡°One can make skill books by using a special enchantment and one¡¯s own memories. As my memories can¡¯t be corrupted easily, the information gathered in said books is efficient and effective.¡± ¡°Wait. If people can just make¡­.¡± ¡°One of these could sell for thousands of gold easily. The price it took me to make this one was five copper two silver and a pint of mana rich blood. You can guess where I got the last component.¡± Cecil adjusted his glasses. ¡°So¡­ How much do you need?¡± Kyrion drew a scalpel and placed it over his palm ¡°None at the moment. I just can¡¯t teach someone who can¡¯t read Latin, Cuneiform, Classical Hebrew or Yucatec. From there we move onto the language of origin, which is the true language of magic and what the runes you learned from Ms. Nox is a derivative of.¡± ¡°Sounds complicated. Listen, I could use some help, you¡¯re a genius among genius and the densest person I know. Do you know anything my friend here could use to spread your brand and make you more popular without you knowing?¡± Kyrion used his trump card. His ace Cecil¡¯s illogical thought process. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I do have quite a few untested trinkets. What are your talents?¡± ¡°Wind and lightning?¡± Ander leaned on the truck. ¡°Does he know about voltage, electromagnetism, and the other stuff we spoke about?¡± ¡°I keep my secrets. Mostly, I also don¡¯t feel confident in my ability to teach that to anyone.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Follow me. Kyrion, keep an eye on Max. This is going to be a private session.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to let anyone who asks know that you¡¯re in the back room with Ander.¡± Kyrion put out a thumbs up. ¡°Do not tell anyone that!¡± Cecil slammed the door shut. Max scowled. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re doing that on purpose or by accident.¡± ¡°Probably a bit of both. His reactions are funny, though I¡¯m not quite sure why.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin before looking about. Book Two: Chapter 39 A Shocking Development Ander was led to a closed-off room filled with various diagrams and tools he''d never seen. Some of which had no apparent use. Among the instruments he saw, the one Cecil grabbed was a glass ball that held a single blue speck. "What can you do with lightning?" Cecil asked. "I can blast things, sometimes cook them. Why?" "Do you know what plasma is?" "The stuff in blood?" "No. The fourth state of matter." "What''s a state of matter?" Ander asked seriously. After an hour-long explanation involving the water cycle and other things, Ander stopped him while holding his head. "What does that have to do with me?" "Fine. Lightning is plasma. Through various methods, we can artificially increase your power with the use of implants and runic tattoos." "I want to get stronger with my own power. Can you help with that?" "I know I can if you put in the practice to master your craft. Hit that wall right there with everything you''ve got." Ander drew his spear and spun it, building up a charge before thrusting it forward. The stream of lighting that came out spread throughout the room and left a small burn mark where it landed. "Were you holding back?" Cecil asked as he seemed unimpressed. "The longer I spin the more I can build up but that''s what I can normally produce in a fight." "Is that your secret weapon? Because given what I''ve heard the prince of destruction can do with a set of amplification gear. This is nothing in comparison." "What gives you the right to lecture me about lightning?" Ander seemed irritated. "Lightning is one of the things that Krion can''t immediately heal from. Getting hit by it slows his regeneration and addles his brain. The strike that ended your fight last time should have beaten him. Quite easily in fact, so I must assume you aren''t doing something right. You tend to enjoy handicapping yourself so I assumed that this was purposeful. The thing about pushing limits is that one learns from the experience and grows, if you hold back even subconsciously people die. You could find yourself outmatched and as you are a side character, there won''t be an epic transformation sequence." "You lost me at the end there." "Don''t worry about it. Suffice it to say I want to bring out your true power. And then we will amplify it with science. Now try to manipulate the speck in this orb." "Max? Get out of there!" Kyrion tried to force the door open, but it didn''t budge. The defensive enchantments were too strong for him. "Ohhhhhh¡­. I don''t know what this is, but I like it." As he started the vehicle, Max''s eyes seemed to glow blue with mana. The sound of something roaring bellowed from the truck''s magical engine. Lightning shot out from the car, sending Kyrion away from the truck, his body twitching uncontrollably. "Sorry Kyrion!" Max said as he curiously examined the various buttons and levers. "It''s ok. Just get out of the metal monster so that I can destroy it." Max clearly wasn''t listening as he looked at a big blue button. "What does Nitro mean?" Max pressed the button, and a sound began to emanate from the vehicle''s speaker system. "Please shift gears into drive to invoke turbos." A younger Bella said. "Nitros!" Cecil yelled from the background. "Does it matter? Nevermind. You must be in drive to invoke the nitro function." Bella corrected. Kyrion got up. "Bella? Are you in there? Can you tell Max to get out of the truck?" The red-haired young man started banging on the door again, only to receive a much stronger jolt to his system. Leaving him in a catatonic state. "Threat neutralized." Bella said from the speakers. "Uh Bella? How do I turn this off?" Max asked as he looked at the smoldering body near him. No response. Max turned the key in the opposite direction out of curiosity, and the truck seemed to quiet down. "Huh. I''ll need to get me one of these to deal with Mina¡­." Max opened the door leaving the key in the ignition as he exited the vehicle. "Is everything all right?" Cecil yelled from the back room. A stray bolt of lightning exited the room and hit a light. All the lights in the room flickered before turning off. "Do you have anything I can read to learn how this truck thing is supposed to work?" Max asked. "Yeah, there''s a manual on the desk adjacent to it." "We''re all good. Kyrion just decided to take a nap on the floor." Max picked up the thick booklet and got to reading. A few hours passed before Kyrion got to his feet with a scowl. "Do you enjoy me being in pain?" "A little too much. Given that you forced me into your group this is the least I can do." "I thought you hated Amadeus." "I can''t hate Amadeus, Kyrion. Why would¡­ Oh right." Max rolled his eyes. "There is something you''re not telling me. Does it have something to do with you being a girl? As you know I don''t judge." "It has something to do with why you seem to think I may be a girl. I just have one of those bodies that can''t gain fat or muscle to any degree and resemble my mother far more than my father." "I understand the pain. I hoped to have a long majestic beard like the one my father had when I was younger." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Good luck with that. At least people don''t get confused in your case." "They used to. My height was a drastic shift not a natural one. Though that''s just how it goes." "Fair enough. If I could have half that tone." Max examined the statuelike person in front of him. "Enough with the self pity, do you know what it''s like having to duck to go into most buildings?" "I said tone not height." "It was two and one for me, then again I''ve been doing strength training all my life in a way. Growing up as a farmer and helping out on a daily basis was my life. It was never easy but nothing was impossible. Few things are in this world." Kyrion stated. "You never told me that you were a farmer. So I suspected you were a commoner? But even so..." "No, no no. I was part noble in a way. My mother was one, she just didn''t inherit her father''s title for reasons and Limguard doesn''t exist anymore so¡­." "Oh. Oh¡­ so you are, you don''t carry yourself like a noble." "I was too sick to care. Believe it or not I was dying before I became a spirit master. My mana was killing me on the inside." "Why are you telling me this?" "Because if I open up maybe you''ll open up. You''ve hid stuff from me for a while. And we''re supposed to be good friends." "Fine. As you may or may not know, I have a sister. She is a prodigy in everything she does, the perfect successor to inherit our family''s name and carry it on. The only problem with her gaining our fathers position was the fact that she is a girl. Etrovonia doesn''t allow women to run their families, they must abdicate to a younger male in the family or marry someone worthy of succeeding the patriarch. Despite how hard I train I can''t build muscle, I can''t use weapons, all I can do is bring out the strength in creatures I''ve tamed. Something not worthy of earning the title of Golden Patriarch." "Golden¡­Wait¡­¡± A stream of blood flowed from Kyrion''s nose, and he held his head with both hands, using healing mana to repair the injury. "Don''t strain yourself too much. I''ve decided, I will do my best and If I lose I lose if we win we win. I won''t give up even if we do seem outmatched." Max stood with a resolute expression. "Ok. Well now I get why I was confused. Your sister looks a lot like you doesn''t she?" "Yes. She''s ten minutes older. Identical twins." "Max? Are you a boy or a girl?" Kyrion stared at Max''s face for a long time. "I''m a boy!" Max yelled, exasperated. "Then it''s fraternal. You can''t have Identical twins of different genders. Technically you shouldn''t look that much alike though given that she''s pretending to be you, I assume some effort was put into the act." "I bit more than some. In my opinion." "Yeah yeah. Sisters are just the worst sometimes. But they are always in your corner. One way or another." Kyrion recalled his childhood in a new light. He was a bit of a brat, but they were mean. Although the favoritism Samantha showed Illanda made a lot more sense now. "Do you have a sister?" Kyrion did some math. "It''s complicated." "So you can''t answer it?" "The answer is yes but the line between sister, cousin and niece have been forever blurred. Somewhere between three and five. Maybe six?" "Oh in the literal sense." "Yup. What''s taking Ander so long? Ander was now at the final stage of the test. He demonstrated his control over input and output, firing speed, and conductivity. Now it was finally time to test his spirit. ¡°Touch the glass ball and follow the signal.¡± Cecil said for the fourth time. Ander¡¯s hand touched the ball, and a line of electricity passed through his fingers. Quickly arriving at his wrist and right shoulder before passing through his spine and into the boy¡¯s brain, where it seemed to waste time as it then traveled back down his other shoulder, wrist, and fingers into his spear, where the power seemed to build. ¡°Ander focus your mana into the spear tip, imagine the blade opening up to let the lightning pass through.¡± Cecil added for the first time. Ander concentrated as the mana seemed to build up in the tip, the blade seeming to split in half the longer he held it there. The process lasted another five minutes and ended with a beam of lighting as thick as a person shooting from a wooden stick. The blades of the spear were pushed off the stick and floated, guiding the power upwards. When the lightning made it two hundred feet away, it gathered into a giant ball of energy and exploded in a stunning light show. Ander collapsed on the floor, completely drained of mana. ¡°Well then, that explains a lot.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It always seemed like you were doing something wrong. You aren¡¯t the most mana rich person but you are above average, given your mastery over wind I knew you at least put in alot of effort. The tips of your spear are magnetic. When closed the electricity is supposed to build when released the spears blade becomes lightning and allows for better control of the element. Closed for wind, open for lightning.¡± ¡°Closed for wind, open for lightning.¡± Ander practiced splitting and connecting the spear blade and sighed. ¡°With a weapon like that do you still think you need my help in whatever tournament you¡¯re competing in?¡± ¡°If this is what you can do in a day, I¡¯m excited to see what you can do with more time.¡± ¡°Not much. I just saw that you were doing something off and helped you out.¡± Cecil held out his hand. Ander took the hand and shook it. When he let go, they were both shocked. Both boys had hair standing up on their heads. Both looked quite ridiculous. ¡°Ander, good luck tomorrow also try not to kill anyone. Voltage is dangerous, keep it on the stun setting when at all possible.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ander left the room, meeting up with a bored Kyrion and a preoccupied Max, ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Kyrion asked, hoping to his feet without using his arms. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m alot stronger now.¡± Ander said. ¡°Can¡¯t be. You were there for a few hours!¡± Max stated. ¡°You were doing something wrong weren¡¯t you?¡± Kyrion smirked like a cat who swallowed a canary. ¡°You knew?¡± Ander stared at the red-haired boy with amazement. ¡°I suspected, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what the problem was. I don¡¯t know how all the science behind stuff works like Cecil does.¡± ¡°You could have told me sooner.¡± ¡°Ander, you¡¯re proud, strong and competent most of the time. Had I told you that you were doing something wrong then you¡¯d ask me what and I couldn¡¯t explain in a way that could help you. Hence why I asked Cecil to look into it a while back. Honestly thought he forgot about it.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t, Cece¡¯s too mad to leave his lab when there are questions to be asked. Smells good in here. Did someone cook bacon?¡± A young woman standing a solid six-two with pink hair entered a predatory gaze. ¡°Oh hey Bella.¡± Kyrion waved. ¡°Hey, Tiffany said you¡¯d need a fourth for tomorrow, some sort of contest... You¡¯re much shorter.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re deciding on who¡¯s going to be the team leader for a tournament.¡± ¡°Ah the smell is coming from you. Does your scent have anything to do with the truck being flipped upside down?¡± ¡°Kyrion¡¯s mad that it kept shocking him and I didn¡¯t want him to break it. This was a compromise.¡± Max sighed. Kyrion stood proud of his accomplishment. ¡°Help me flip this over. That¡¯s a million gold invention right there.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes became dots as he hurried to help flip the vehicle back over. ¡°Great now, will you accept me as your fourth member of your team?¡± ¡°What about Cecil?¡± ¡°Cece would be happy if I helped him do some field testing for him. It would also be a good chance to test out our vehicle.¡± ¡°Cece is right here and can answer for himself. Thank you very much.¡± Cecil interjected. ¡°What does Cece think?¡± ¡°Thanks to some new responsibilities and things to test out I will be too preoccupied to go and fight. Gonna build me a Mech that screams dense harem protagonist all while teaching a kid how to use magic.¡± ¡°Can I drive?¡± Max asked, his eyes glowing. ¡°Huh. I mean we¡¯ll need to teach you, but aside from that I don¡¯t see a problem with it. But, of course, Cecil would loave to have someone willing to test out his death machine.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Please don¡¯t let him drive that into¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give him some lessons.¡± Bella stated. ¡°Wooo!¡± Max jumped up and punched the air. ¡°And if he wrecks it?¡± Cecil shook his head. ¡°Then you aren¡¯t prepared to mass produce and sell them.¡± Bella crossed her arms. ¡°You want me to get in that? But it hates me!¡± Kyrion pointed at the truck. ¡°It can¡¯t like or dislike you. It¡¯s not sentient. Anyhow, should we do some drill tonight or just hop into things tomorrow?¡± Cecil seemed to have a headache the way he was holding his head. ¡°See ya I¡¯m going to get some special training done before the battle tomorrow.¡± Ander ran off towards the nearby woods. Max grabbed Bella¡¯s hand and began dragging her towards the truck. Leaving Kyrion alone with the blonde engineer. ¡°So¡­ Cecil¡­ How¡¯s my project coming along.¡± ¡°What project?¡± ¡°The one that does the thing.¡± ¡°What thing? Kyrion it¡¯s late.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me say her name¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Kyrion squirmed. ¡°...Anastesia.¡± ¡°Shhh¡­ It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°It¡¯s literally just a¡­.¡± Kyrion covered Cecil¡¯s mouth with his hand. Cecil glared, and Kyrion removed his hand. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll have Eden bring her to you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°That electricity didn¡¯t fry your brain did it?¡± ¡°Go get some sleep pal, you sound crazy.¡± Kyrion said to a pole ten feet away, swaying from foot to foot. ¡°Are you doing alright?¡± Kyrion fell back with a thud. His body spasmed as trapped lighting left his system. ¡°Very few are immune to electricity. You are no exception, although you did well not to have passed out sooner. Way to be inconvenient. I will not move you.¡± Cecil left the lab and shut off all the lights. Kyrion lay helpless on the floor, twitching in his sleep while he was forced into sleep. Book Two: Chapter 40 Team K.B.A.M Gathers The following day Kyrion was waiting with his group in the headmaster¡¯s office with a tired look in his eyes. He didn¡¯t sleep peacefully, which wasn¡¯t something he usually had a problem with. Max and Bella looked somewhat excited for entirely different reasons. Bella was finally getting a chance to potentially cut loose while Cecil was given permission to drive the truck if the test was off campus. Although Bella would have to be his co-pilot as there were too many buttons, she was the only person who knew how to shut things off should Max mess something up. Ander was wearing a green robe with black cloth-like bandages over his arms. A pair of metal stud earrings were on his ears. Those who didn¡¯t know Ander would see this as an act of vanity. Most who did wonder what sort of boost to power they gave him. ¡°Why are you dressed like that?¡± Kyrion asked plainly. ¡°Apparently I¡¯ve been promoted as a main cast character and have earned a power earring. This is apparently a battle uniform from his world.¡± Kyrion looked at the green headband around Ander¡¯s forehead and sighed. ¡°I want one of those battle suits too. But in orange, like a tangerine.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°Here I¡¯d thought you¡¯d go red to match your hair color.¡± Max said jokingly. ¡°Is it supposed to match hair colors? If so we can make it dark red then. I¡¯d rather not look like a target.¡± ¡°Not sure if that would change much of anything.¡± Bella chimed in. ¡°You haven¡¯t watched him disappear in plain sight. It¡¯s disconcerting.¡± Max said plainly. Kyrion did the thing, his presence fading as he sunk into the background. ¡°Disappear? Kyrion?¡± Bella looked through the spot where Kyrion had been standing and then past him, her eyes glossing over. ¡°Oh, that is disconcerting.¡± Ander seemed quite surprised, but unlike Bella, he hadn¡¯t lost track of Kyrion and watched as he walked around her and began putting acorns in Max¡¯s pockets. Until he noticed the weight. ¡°Huh. Do you happen to know what I¡¯m doing?¡± Kyrion after he moved back to his previous spot. ¡°Nope, but it takes a bit of effort to keep you in sight.¡± Max checked his pockets and squinted. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Eh em!¡± Headmaster Caeden cleared his throat. ¡°Oh sorry. What¡¯s keeping the other group?¡± Kyrion asked, a bit more distracted than usual. ¡°No idea, so the choice is yours for our little game. Will you be offensive or defensive?¡± Kyrion looked to Ander. ¡°I vote offensive. If that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing.¡± Max shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a fighter and only have a few animals at my disposal. I¡¯d rather not endanger any of them however. Anything I bring with me can be killed in a tournament or test setting.¡± ¡°Offensive. It¡¯s easier to attack than defend.¡± Bella stated. ¡°Two offensive and one I don¡¯t know. Sounds like we are attacking.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Here are the coordinates for where this is all taking place. You have four months to train and build cohesion before¡­.¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± Ander blurted out. ¡°We leave for the tournament, so we don¡¯t have time to waste.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ander blushed. ¡°Now go, we begin a bit after noon.¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Ander bolted out of the room. ¡°What¡¯s with him today?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to go all out and wants to show off..¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really see how that will make much of a difference.¡± Caeden scowled. ¡°So you weren¡¯t watching him.¡± ¡°Bastion is a bit of a handful. We went away on academy business.¡± ¡°Why would you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one with surprises.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion led the rest of his group out of the office.
A half-hour later, Amadeus arrived with their team. ¡°You all seem a bit tired.¡± The headmaster stated. ¡°We just had a long training session.¡± Amadeus said. ¡°It was essentially a sword measuring competition to decide the hierarchy. I did some warm ups so my blood is pumping. Though do I really need to wear this armor?¡± Brion seemed a mix of energetic and annoyed. Tiffany huffed. ¡°The leader¡¯s orders are absolute. No matter how redundant they are.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Amadeus commanded. Amadeus received two irritated glares. ¡°Anyhow, since you were late, it seems you will be defending, here are the coordinates we start a little after noon. You have two hours to get there. Good luck.¡± ¡°As we do not have time to waste¡­.¡± Brion started. ¡°We leave immediately.¡± Amadeus finished. ¡°How about breakfast?¡± Brion raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Kyrion told me it was the most important meal of the day and that you need to have at least one to be productive.¡± Brion stated. ¡°He also eats three of them some days.¡± Tiffany sighed. ¡°Can we not talk about him?¡± Amadeus said. ¡°I¡¯ll talk as much as I want.¡± Tiffany said as she left the room. ¡°Oi!¡± Amadeus followed. Brion laughed. ¡°Gotta love team cohesion, what would you have done if the two of us didn¡¯t jump sides?¡± ¡°We would ask inferior warriors for help and have lost because of it. Unlike Amadeus I¡¯ve actually kept a watchful eye on you all. He can revive his unconscious companions, we can not.¡± Said a small voice. Brion raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not very confident are you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just pragmatic. We aren¡¯t good at making friends and from what we¡¯ve seen that one seems to have a talent for it.¡± ¡°Wait, is Amadeus jealous?¡± Brion almost started laughing. ¡°You can infer what you like.¡± The number two left the room, leaving Brion alone with the headmaster. ¡°So what¡¯s their name?¡± Brion asked. ¡°We call her Hel. Her name is something she keeps close to the vest but we really shouldn¡¯t go about keeping secrets from each other.¡± ¡°Sounds complicated. Ander would probably be a good match.¡± ¡°Romance in the air?¡± Brion¡¯s expression went blank as his eyes sharpened. ¡°Please don¡¯t joke like that¡­ I¡¯ve figured out what you were doing when Kyrion told us he¡¯d been poisoned before the final round. Now that there are stakes, your political game is on pause.¡± Brion walked out of the room. The door locked itself, and the headmaster looked into an ornate mirror. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°He isn¡¯t as dense as he lets on. He could be dangerous in the future. So many young monsters in this batch.¡± Caeden smiled as he touched the reflective surface and vanished.
¡°Why am I blue? Shouldn¡¯t you be blue, it¡¯s your favorite color.¡± ¡°I¡¯m red because I¡¯m the main character.¡± Cecil stated. Kyrion shut his mouth. ¡°I am happy to let you be the main character then. But I want orange.¡±¡± ¡°Huh, thought you would fight harder for red.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. I just want some of that nice equipment you have lying around. Like this weapon.¡± Kyrion picked up an odd rubber bell attached to a wooden stick. ¡°That¡¯s not a weapon its a plunger.¡± Kyrion pressed it on the ground and watched as It got stuck. His eyes glowed in surprise as he tested its suction ability. ¡°Can I get six of these?¡± ¡°Seven. I can think of twenty uses.¡± Karl whispered. ¡°What do you need with six plungers?¡± ¡°He eats a lot.¡± Bella joked. Cecil shook his head. ¡°If I stick it to a wall then I could potentially use these to climb up? Also I need seven now.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you run up walls?¡± Cecil asked, crossing his arms. ¡°What about as a ranged weapon. I could throw them at people.¡± ¡°You can throw a lot of things at people¡­Just wouldn¡¯t recommend this.¡± ¡°Fair enough. What about this thing?¡± Kyrion picked up a prototype chainsaw. ¡°Please put that down.¡± Bella demanded. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion put down the chainsaw. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get your weapon?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Kyrion pulled out a black case with the word Anesthesia written on the cover. Kyrion sat down in a corner and waited. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting, Eden approached him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked. ¡°The headmaster is making me fight again. So I¡¯m forming a plan. How¡¯s your training?¡± ¡°It¡¯s sooooo boring. It also makes my head hurt. We argued for thirty minutes about my illiteracy. Apparently, I can read well, and I just didn¡¯t know it.¡± ¡°Keep at it. Also no he gave you the ability to read, don¡¯t ask me about the details all I know is that he expedited the first part of your training.¡± Kyrion gifted the kid in front of him with a voucher worth fifty A.P. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Oh currency. Take this to the treasurer and you can add them to your account to spend later.¡± ¡°So this is like money. Ok, thank you I guess.¡± Eden looked at the scrap of paper and put it in a pocket. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Looks like my squad is ready to go.¡± Kyrion watched Max enter the driver¡¯s seat, and Bella sat in the front passenger seat. Ander got in the back. ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion hopped onto the roof with grace and stood. ¡°Kyrion, that¡¯s dangerous.¡± Cecil said stoically. ¡°I am not getting in this metal death carriage. It hates me, therefore I will stand right here.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll fall off.¡± Cecil tried to explain. ¡°No I won¡¯t.¡± Kyrion reassured Cecil. ¡°I warned you.¡± Cecil didn¡¯t bat an eye as he decided not to waste time on this. The truck began to rev up without moving. ¡°You need to shift gears first. Remember?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Max put his foot on the break and shifted the gear. To neutral, and the truck began to roll. Bella grabbed the shift when Max scowled. ¡°Oh. I went one too far.¡± Max shifted to drive and began to slowly accelerate. ¡°The beast is moving!¡± Kyrion opened the case and drew a long black wooded great club with the words Anesthesia engraved on the body. ¡°Kyrion! It¡¯s supposed to do that. Don¡¯t you dare try to smash my prototype!¡± Cecil yelled. ¡°Fine. Onwards!¡± Kyrion pointed his bat forward, and the truck took off.
Despite the warning, Kyrion did not, in fact, fall off the vehicle. He did, however, swallow a bug or two whenever he started trying to complain about Max going too fast. The road they took needed a touch of work, and the ride was, in fact, bumpy. Kyrion had to occasionally redirect wild animals that were nearby. Kyrion was going to starve this monster if it was the last thing he ever did. It took two hours to arrive at the general location as they dove at a consistent thirty miles per hour. Ander¡¯s face matched his hair color as his stomach didn¡¯t agree with the metal box. Max was excited the whole time, while Bella seemed to have a heavy hand on the emergency break. The truck parked near a castle that wasn¡¯t on any map Kyrion had looked at. There wasn¡¯t even a town or settlement nearby. ¡°I don¡¯t like this one bit.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like the carriage is still moving?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you fly around faster than this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Ander climbed out an open window with his thin form. Falling to the ground, he then began to kiss the earth. Max opened the trunk and released a caged mastiff that seemed confused. It did not look happy as it hopped to the ground and began sniffing. ¡°What have you done to my comades?¡± Kyrion asked the inanimate object. ¡°He just has motion sickness. Which is stupid given how much he flies around.¡± ¡°My ailment is not stupid.¡± Ander said from the ground. ¡°It is¡­ What¡¯s the difference between this, and you flying about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sitting still when that happens. Flying is freeing, this. This is like locking myself in a box and getting pushed down a mountain..¡± ¡°You should have stood on the top like I did.¡± Kyrion told his shorter and lighter ally. ¡°I¡¯ll try that next time.¡± Ander then pulled himself to his feet. ¡°What now?¡± Bella said as she left the truck. Max also left the truck, the engine was still roaring, and oddly enough, it began to roll forward as they approached. The beast had gone wild. Kyrion smiled as the vehicle ran away. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s right.¡± Bella slapped her forehead as she saw the vehicle continue forward very slowly. ¡°You forgot to put it in park.¡± Max was quick enough to catch up and fix the problem by parking the truck and taking the key out of the ignition. ¡°There is a lot to remember about these things.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­. These are a century or two too early. No offense, but Cecil is trying to start a magitech revolution. He has a lot of theories to test.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he going to do with the giant wand?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It¡¯s a giant wand, probably to cast really big spells.¡± Bella threw up her arms. ¡°Well I¡¯m bored now. Kyrion do you still have your disc thing? I wanna play fetch.¡± Max asked. ¡°You want to use one of my weapons to play with your dog?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°No I want to use it to help warm up Snickers.¡± Max pointed to the dog that seemed to laugh as it sniffed the ground. Kyrion pulled out two of his ornate wooden chakram and debated letting Max get his way. He then sensed a presence watching them from the shabby castle. So he threw the first disc in that direction before sprinting to the wall. The chakram embedded itself in the building a foot to the widow¡¯s right while Kyrion prepared for a running leap. Using momentum and his mana, he managed to hop to the second story by using a platform of air to jump a second time. Where he made it through the window. A dazed blond girl in a dress lay on the ground, frozen. Her life flashed before her eyes as her consciousness faded. ¡°I told you not to peek through the window, young lady.¡± The headmaster sighed and grabbed a teacup. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That was a rather aggressive entrance, Kyrion. Did you skip your second lunch or something.¡± The headmaster took a sip from a teacup. ¡°I may or may not have been a bit bored. I also don¡¯t like ambushes, for all we know this was hostile territory.¡± Kyrion said from the window. ¡°The others are still late. I doubt that they¡¯ll be here in the next two hours. Didn¡¯t expect you to be early either.¡± Kyrion settled on the ground and rolled the unconscious girl onto her stomach. ¡°Curses. What are we doing now?¡± ¡°Well the easy answer is here. Your job as the offensive force will be to kidnap this girl.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Kyrion asked before quickly adding. ¡°This isn¡¯t illegal is it?¡± ¡°She has consented to being kidnapped in our little game.¡± ¡°So we are the attackers and they are the guardians.¡± ¡°Yup. I won¡¯t say anymore on the subject until the other team arrives.¡± ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°One of the Daughters of Etravonia, there are around thirty of them. The Patriarch wanted a male heir and went through quite a few marriages until one appeared. The Patriarch was very unlucky in that regard and only had two sons out of thirty two children. Most of the daughters have been disinherited for obvious reasons.¡± ¡°Thirty sisters¡­ and here I thought I had it bad.¡± Kyrion felt for the two younger boys he hadn¡¯t met. A kind of kinship, one could say. ¡°The Patriarch, is well over four hundred years old. The sons were born from his thirteenth and fourteenth wives and are his most recent batch of children.¡± ¡°That is bizarre. Wait, why did he have a second son?¡± ¡°It¡¯s how the world is. Live long enough to watch various loved ones come and go, and your heart hardens. The mother died a week after giving birth and the son was premature and sickly.¡± ¡°Still¡­ I asked for a name.¡± ¡°Mildred is the name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an old person¡¯s name.¡± Kyrion scowled ¡°... Please don¡¯t say that aloud again. Especially if she¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°Fine. So she¡¯s technically a princess and she¡¯s here because she wants to be entertained.¡± ¡°Oh no, apparently I¡¯m a really sick kid who wished to meet her.¡± Bastion pointed to his odd eye. ¡°So you tricked her¡­ Well I guess I¡¯ll wait up here for a while.¡± ¡°She is also hopeful for our academy. If we can impress her then she may join the school as a student.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to inform your teammates of the goal?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need the handicap and as I won¡¯t be taking an active role in this game. My early knowledge won¡¯t be spoken.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to lose are you?¡± ¡°We will win without my combat ability. Is it cheating if I walk around a bit?¡± ¡°It would be prudent, given your team arrived first. You have first right to scout the area.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Kyrion nodded to Bastion and then walked over to the unconscious princess towards a set of double doors. ¡°Karl? Can you scan this building?¡± Kyrion thought towards his dungeon spirit. ¡°Oh now you remember I exist. Only when you want something.¡± Karl said in a monotone. ¡°It¡¯s a castle. We¡¯re going to make a map. It¡¯s also a new blueprint.¡± ¡°Fine, but you owe me one. You should also use some of these goblins. If some die then we can place them in stasis until the cit- I mean the dungeon has enough resources to support them all. After that we can work on reviving monsters?¡± ¡°No. I will not. That¡¯s inhumane.¡± ¡°You let go of a squad of our most efficient builders. I need time to get them situated. Let that Max person lead them. I don¡¯t care. Your supply of food is also running low as all they do is eat and sleep while training for their positions.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. But fine. Anything else?¡± ¡°I want to scan that metal behemoth.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that without Cecil¡¯s permission. I¡¯ll ask him when we get back. How does that sound?¡± ¡°I need an oath.¡± ¡°You have my word if that isn¡¯t good enough...¡± ¡°Bah. I¡¯m trying to build you a habitable environment inside your domain and you¡¯re being stingy.¡± ¡°You could build a castle there couldn¡¯t you? Put one of your main defenders in the castle.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± A cube appeared out of Kyrion¡¯s body and began to scan the castle. It took all of two hours to get everything, and by then, his own team had wandered into the place to check on him. When the job was finished, the four met near the truck for lunch before the test began. ¡°You want me to lead the charge?¡± Max said with a considerable amount of skepticism. ¡°Your dog is as strong as a practitioner and is more than capable of defending you. You will also have a small squad of five goblins at your disposal. Let the headmaster know that they are expendable and can be revived later on.¡± Bella will follow behind and provide support with her magic.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ll be working on crowd control.¡± ¡°Correct, Ander you will be our attacker but you won¡¯t go into the castle. Assault from the outside and draw whoever you can out of the building.¡± ¡°Divide and conquer. What will you be doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be running around taunting Amadeus, wasting their time while you fight anyone who exits the castle. Aside from that I will be a mobile healer.¡± Kyrion looked to Ander. ¡°There is one thing you didn¡¯t account for. The rank two has the ability to control bugs. It¡¯s what they use to fight, scout, and paralyze enemies. They can use a lot of them as well. If the opponent is thinking strategically then they will be in charge of defending the building.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Bugs?¡± Kyrion pulled out a spray bottle filled with a blue liquid. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a perfume that makes you invisible to insects.¡± ¡°You could not have known to bring that for this fight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I use to keep bugs away when camping. They¡¯re pretty peaceful and all but I¡¯d rather not sleep eat. Some bugs can be poisonous, you know, others are covered in bacteria.¡± ¡°So you happen to have a tool that nullifies someone¡¯s powers?¡± ¡°No. If they can direct them personally then this will be useless. So long as the owner doesn¡¯t know your location you should be fine but once spotted.¡± ¡°Would you happen to have a cardboard box?¡± Bella asked. ¡°What¡¯s cardboard?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Nevermind. Max, you and the dog.¡± ¡°Snickers. His name is Snickers, and he¡¯s a mastiff not some poodle.¡± ¡°He looks like a runt to me. Listen here Max, do you have a weapon?¡± Max drew a shortsword from a sheath on his waist. ¡°It¡¯s for self defense.¡± Bella sighed. ¡°What do you do when Snickers fights?¡± ¡°I stand in the back and give orders. Using my mana to grant him strength and speed.¡± Bella squinted. ¡°So you¡¯re just a squishy target¡­ Stay in the back and if anything gets past your squad. Retreat.¡± ¡°Kyrion?¡± Max looked at his friend. ¡°Sounds good. Retreating is probably for the best if you¡¯re vulnerable.¡± Kyrion opened his domain, and five hobgoblins appeared. One had a head that came out of the horn of a tuba while the body was protected by brass plate armor. The second was covered in various tools for tinkering. The third had a bandolier of what Kyrion recognized as crude explosives, along with a pair of dark goggles. A fourth held a small black box floating above their hands. The fifth was covered head to toe in blades, from butter knives to machetes. Some even resembled sheers and branch cutters. ¡°Boss!¡± The goblins said at once. ¡°At ease. You have a mission. Protect and serve under Max here. He¡¯s a monster tamer capable of boosting your abilities. Our mission will involve subduing our opponents, so we avoid lethal attacks.¡± Kyrion looked at the blade-covered hob before the explosive hob until they nodded in understanding. ¡°Yes Boss!¡± They agreed. ¡°Good now, feel free to discuss what¡¯s coming next.¡± Kyrion lay on a grass bed. ¡°Are you going to take a nap?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Wake me when the others arrive.¡± Kyrion did not hear the protest as he drifted into the dream world. Book Two: Chapter 41 Low stakes Tag ¡°With both teams here you may now begin. Team A wins by capturing the princess. Team B wins by either incapacitating all their opponents or the one our time limit is reached. The goblins are allowed to be killed as their owner seems to be able to revive them.¡± The headmaster said from the top of the walls. ¡°Kyrion, wake up!¡± Max shook Kyrion. Kyrion did not respond. Bella picked the unconscious Kyrion up and began shaking him. There was no response, so she dropped him and started going forward. ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the plan much. Let¡¯s go, Max. To the side entrance.¡± Bella began to run ahead as her body elongated, growing in size. Her clothes melded into her body as fur covered her, and she fell onto all fours. Her head soon became that of a wolf¡¯s, and her hands and feet became claws. She moved quickly and quietly. Snickers, the mastiff, was now unbothered by being called a runt because, compared to that, he was. Still, the dog made sure not to be too far behind. Max watched as his ride left him and continued to jog after them, surrounded by his squad of hobgoblins, who seemed to be moving in a defensive formation. Brion stepped out of a set of double doors, his body covered by a suit of steel armor, his long greatsword held in his hands in a counter stance. Next to Brion was the golden-armored Amadeus, who wielded two sharp golden daggers. The world around them seemed to boil with power. ¡°Oi Kyrion. It would be really nice to have that distraction right about now.¡± Ander said through his teeth. Amadeus charged forward at the speed of sound, a fist raised to take Ander out of the fight. Ander dodged inwards and slammed his armored opponent with the shaft of his spear powered by a healthy amount of wind mana. Which launched them through the air. The two daggers flew at the unconscious Kyrion. Ander kicked their team leader in the side, which caused him to roll out of the way. Sadly a blade did manage to cut into his leg as it passed. ¡°Oi Kyrion, wake up! The test has already started!¡± Ander then tore off his green bandana and wrapped his leg in the cloth to stop the bleeding.
Bella entered the side of the building only to immediately have to dodge out of the way of a white dart made from light. ¡°How did they know we would come in here?¡± Bella seethed as she shifted to a monstrous bipedal form. Her brown fur became pink, and her body became slightly more defined. Snickers bounded into the room and continued forward, dodging the darts with ease. A wave of light came next as Tiffany slashed and Snickers dodged by hopping onto the wall and then hoping upward again into Tiffany. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Doggy! Drop!¡± Bella increased the weight of the reasonably sized mastiff, and it seemed to gain in power as it came down. Tiffany evaded the attack and moved forward when the ground was hit by a heavy object that shook the ground. Tiffany slipped and was compensated by an open palm strike to her stomach. Rolling with the attack, Tiffany readjusted herself as she eyed her opponents. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were that strong.¡± ¡°Girl, we¡¯re just getting started.¡± Bella cracked her knuckles, and Max finally made it to the building, his body tired from the running. The hobgoblins were unimpressed.
¡°Ohh¡­ My ribs he kicked me in my ribs¡­ Now I¡¯m covered in sauce?¡± Kyrion awoke, removing a slab of wrapped emergency pork ribs that he kept over his ribs in his robe. To keep them warm and protect them from those who would steal his food in his domain. Kyrion realized that he was covered in blood. He ate his emergency ribs plain, after all. The sauce just gets everywhere, and he¡¯d instead not stain everything he touched. So Kyrion washed himself clean of blood with a thought and unwrapped his ribs. ¡°Hmmm¡­ They¡¯re safe, but I probably shouldn¡¯t eat here. But¡­ I do feel quite peckish.¡± Upon sitting up, the boy watched as Ander took on Amadeus as Brion steadily approached. He watched the exchange go on for a few minutes as he ate in peace. Ander hadn¡¯t used any lightning. In fact, it appeared he was using minimal mana as well, but one of his legs was injured. Kyrion got to his feet and pulled out a blue potion. ¡°This should help.¡± Pressing both of his feet to the ground, Kyrion leaped forward, also breaking the sound barrier. As he began to chain jumps and fly into the fight. Unfortunately, as Kyrion handed the potion to Ander, he slipped. His body spinning as his head crashed into the stomach portion of Amadeus¡¯ armor. A loud crack could be heard as a layer of gilded armor fell to the ground. Amadeus was on their back. The wind had been knocked out of them. Trying to steady their breathing. Ander took the potion and found shelter behind a boulder where he could drink it in peace. The cut on his leg healed instantly. Kyrion didn¡¯t budge as Amadeus climbed back to their feet. ¡°That was a cheap attack, Kyrion. But now you¡¯re too weak to fight.¡± Amadeus brought their golden greeves down on Kyrion¡¯s head. Kyrion rolled out of the way and then back onto his feet. His body swayed as his vision straightened. ¡°You¡¯re pretty quick. But can you dodge this?¡± Kyrion blocked the next attack with an open hand and drew Anesthesia from his domain with the other. ¡°Don¡¯t need to. Your punches are weak and predictable. Maybe you aren¡¯t using your abilities properly.¡± ¡°Ahhhgg!¡± Amadeus coated both of their fists in explosive mana and began to attack faster. Kyrion kept dodging the strikes even as the air where they passed seemed to heat up. The air also seemed to gain a weird smell. ¡°Ignite!¡± Amadeus threw a punch so fast that it created a spark, and that spark erupted into a large fire. Kyrion was too late when he jumped back, guarding his body with his weapon. His skin blistered and burned and a whole layer of skin seemed to redden. ¡°My eyebrows, Not again!¡± Kyrion screamed as his body was repaired just as quickly as damaged. ¡°You just had a layer of skin burned off and you complain about eyebrows. How vain are you?¡± ¡°Do you know how hard it is to grow eyebrows purposefully? I¡¯ll have to spend twenty minutes trying to get them to look like they used to!¡± Kyrion lied as he retreated, giving Ander some distance. ¡°Get back here!¡± Amadeus reappeared next to Kyrion, this time attempting to sweep his legs. Kyrion hopped over the sweep and ran up the air like he was going up a flight of stairs. ¡°Get down here and fight me!¡± Amadeus bellowed. ¡°No chance! I¡¯m going to the roof to steal your princess!¡± Kyrion was, in fact, headed towards the roof. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± When Kyrion landed on the roof, a trail of flame led straight up the building where Kyrion had landed. Moving at a speed that was much faster than what was shown previously. A highly powered fist hit Kyrion in his gut. The punch knocked Kyrion off his feet, and the explosion pushed him off the roof. Kyrion sped up his thoughts as he fell, looking for a way to profit from this attack. He found it half a second later when he contorted his body and pushed himself through a glass window. Breaking it with ease and landing uninjured. There was no one in the room, so Kyrion closed his eyes and opened up his senses, confirming that no one was in any of the side rooms. Kyrion locked and slammed the door before he stepped into a space between his domain and this one. Using it to slip into another room. Using his now-hidden position, Kyrion erased his presence and looked at his wounds. The power was definitely turned up quite a bit for him to still have any injuries. However, the burns healed, and the damaged skin fixed itself in moments. With a punch, Amadeus destroyed the door before leaving the room to find the missing target. Speeding past the one Kyrion was currently in. They could have unlocked the door as it was locked on the inside, but it seemed that person lacked common sense. Or they just hate doors. Book Two: Chapter 42 Lighting Decends The explosive-carrying goblin threw a green ball at Tiffany after pulling a pin before jumping to the side for cover. Tiffany cut the object in half with her blade as Bella threw herself over, Max. The hobgoblin with the tuba-shaped head put itself between the blast and the back line, a barrier of sound walling off what came next. A blinding light and deafening boom centered on Tiffany¡¯s position erupted, sending fragments of magic and debris flying into an invisible barrier that seemed to sparkle where contact was made. ¡°This is just great¡­.¡± Tiffany took a few steps back only to see Bella had run past her while carrying Max and Snickers, as the goblins had her surrounded.
Bella was running with Max over one shoulder and Snickers over the other. It was better that they avoided fighting her head-on. Bella didn¡¯t have any nonlethal methods of knocking someone as strong as her out, and wasting mana on it would only complicate things. ¡°Bella, what¡¯s going on! Everything is ringing!¡± Max yelled. Bella did not answer that as she pressed her foot down hard, marking her path before taking a few steps backward into another room which she carefully entered. Max was set down on the cold wooden floor. ¡°I¡¯m so cold¡­ Bella? Where are you Bella? I can¡¯t see you.¡± Max reached upwards. Bella sighed as she pulled out a blue potion Kyrion had shared with them. She then forced him to drink the potion. ¡°You¡¯re only a bit blinded and deafened. You aren¡¯t dying. Just mildly inconvenienced.¡± Max¡¯s damaged eardrums were repaired, and his sight began to return. ¡°I¡¯m alive, thank¡­.¡± ¡°Quiet you idiot. You are far too delicate to be on the front lines of anything. Why did you let Kyrion talk you into this?¡± ¡°I have Snickers and the goblins to fight for me. I also have a score to settle.¡± ¡°Well Snickers is out of the fight and your goblins will probably lose to Tiffany?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you give him a potion.¡± ¡°It could do more harm than good. Testing these things on animals can have unintended consequences.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right.¡± ¡°Dogs get sick when they eat chocolate. Humans don¡¯t. There is a chance the potion would do more harm than good. The dog just needs to rest. Stay hidden, stay quiet and things should turn out fine. When you can move freely, go get the truck.¡± Bella handed Max the keys before she stood up and left the room. Where she continued to run down the hallway. Leaving Max and the hobs alone to go deal with Tiffany.
¡°Well, Brion. It looks like we won¡¯t get to have the fight you wanted.¡± Ander said as he shifted his weight to his uninjured foot. The wound had sealed, but the potion was still repairing the muscle underneath. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make this quick.¡± Brion hefted his greatsword. ¡°That¡¯s my line. Why are you even wearing armor? It doesn¡¯t suit your abilities. Kyrion may be called a berserker but you are one. In fact it will be what holds you back in this fight. Your downfall.¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally going to go all out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need that level for you right now.¡± Ander shifted his stance, pushing his weight onto his back foot as he built power in preparation for a throw. Only the spearhead was backward. Brion did not look down on his friend as he charged forward with the intent to knock Ander out. Ander threw his spar past Brion and watched as the head opened up when it landed in the dirt. Brion paused in confusion before the last thing he¡¯d felt that day struck him in the back. A powerful jolt followed by a buzzing sensation, and within seconds Brion was out of the fight. His armor from falling forward as a spear protruded from his back as though it had passed through. ¡°That was easier than it should have been.¡± Ander pulled the spear from his friend¡¯s back, only there was no blade attached. There was no damage to the armor, either aside from a burn mark. Ander tapped his headless spear on the ground, and two small metal triangles flew back where they belonged as the head of his lighting spear. Sure it was a cheap shot, but Ander had to get back to work. ¡°With the roar oh a lion, you come from the sky! Destruction marks your path where you fly. By the time you notice, it¡¯s far too late. For your awareness itself has sealed your fate. Lightning Manifestation!¡± Ander let loose a stream of lightning into the sky above himself. It then flowed into a patch of clouds which darkened as the rain began to fall. The dark clouds let loose a powerful bolt that roared down onto Ander¡¯s position. A resounding boom echoed as a crater was formed around his position. The ground scared in a twisted manner. ¡°Oh¡­ that hurts. But now I understand why this ability was so impractical before.¡± Ander moved forward at speed untraceable by vision, his form appearing as though it was pure light. His body crackled with electricity as he searched for his next opponent.
Kyrion was sneaking around the castle slowly towards a room with two presences, one unfamiliar and the other he assumed belonged towards his mark. Amadeus hadn¡¯t found him due to his ability to disappear. It was only a matter of time before he was cornered, but he at least had some forewarning. Pulling a seed pod from his domain, he threw it down the hall and watched as vines spread like webs and created a green coating. Moments later, the plant shifted in color and shape as a wall matching the materials of the building was formed. Kyrion then built another false wall meant to be a dead end down another hall. Past that wall, he planted a modified type of grass that would explode into a bunch of angry burs. With that done, he moved upstairs, where he encountered a swarm of angry bugs. Pulling out a piece of cloth, he covered his face before charging forward. Through the swarm while shielding himself in a barrier of wind mana. Nothing died, but the bugs were pushed out of the way rather forcibly. Kyrion made it down the hall to the designated room where a stag beetle the size of a horse stood on its hind legs and sucker-punched him. Sending Kyrion flying through a wall. ¡°Owww¡­¡± Kyrion got to his feet and opened up his senses. He couldn¡¯t sense the bug because it didn¡¯t. It was a creature conjured from the owner¡¯s core, like Jala and Issac. A black-robed figure pointed at Kyrion, and the boy watched as a swarm of various bugs made their way toward him. Kyrion punched a hole through another wall and jumped, only to see that it was filled with even more bugs. Then, running towards the end of another room, Kyrion sent out a punch that created another doorway at the end of the building. Raising his fist up to the sky, Kyrion punched through the fourth wall and jumped through a gate created by his domain. Arriving on the next floor of the building. The bugs couldn¡¯t follow him through his domain place, which was good. However, the fact that he had used that ability twice meant that word would probably spread, and that power would be exposed at an inconvenient time.
Bella found herself trapped at a dead end. It hadn¡¯t been on the map she had earlier, so she suspected shenanigans were afoot. She didn¡¯t know what powers these students had, but this could easily be one of them. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A golden armored figure appeared with a confused continence as though they also didn¡¯t expect a wall either. The two opponents sized each other up, and the hall was soon filled with the sounds of combat. A golden fist met a furred arm and was soundly countered by a headbutt that pushed Amadeus to the ground. Amadeus retreated a few feet to leave their opponent¡¯s range when they found themselves lying face-first on the ground, unable to move. ¡°Gravity crush.¡± Bella said as she held out her hand. ¡°What did you do?¡± Amadeus struggled to move, using their knees to push up to lackluster effect. ¡°...I just said what I did..¡± ¡°Fine. Keep your parlor tricks!¡± The armor began to vibrate as Amadeus poured mana out of their body and caused the ground to heat up and shift in color. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Ignite!¡± The floor exploded, and the armored Amadeus landed on a floor below, which they promptly left. Noting that the dead end wasn¡¯t in this hall, the golden armored warrior ran forward, opting to check on their ally over wasting time with an opponent like that in a secluded environment.
Tiffany knocked a dagger from the air and moved forward her rapier passing through the blade hobgoblin¡¯s heart. Slaying the monster turned it into raw mana that floated upwards and vanished. That wasn¡¯t what normally happened when monsters were killed. The goblin with the black box let loose a blast of pure sound that crashed into a shield of light. Tiffany evaded the tuba hobgoblin and moved into melee with the one wielding the box slitting its throat as it too evaporated. ¡°Alpha Formation!¡± Max yelled from behind Tiffany as his magic activated and flowed into the hobgoblins. Chains of mana connected the tuba hobgoblin, to the tinkerer, and demolition expert and they seemed to gain in power. ¡°What is that?¡± Tiffany watched as the tuba hob doubled in size as it let loose a loud blast of sound that sent her flying. The demolition hob coated the area where she should have landed with small stun based explosives that led to a series of pops that should have left her open to an attack that would have taken her out of the fight. Sadly the Tiffany that hit the ground didn¡¯t interact with the explosives as a third hob corpse hit the ground, the tinkerer in the back. Soon after the demolition Tuba hob found themselves impaled by blades of light. Only the three didn¡¯t quite fade like the others. Tiffany examined the downed hobs and found that they were still alive. That was the last thing she heard as static filled her system. A crackling sound was the last thing Tiffany heard as her consciousness suddenly left her. It wasn¡¯t even a fight as she didn¡¯t even see who or what hit her. Was there a student this strong at the academy? She couldn¡¯t recall, it didn¡¯t really matter anyway. They were doomed from the start if that was the case. Max watched as a streak of lightning passed right by him leaving the blond swordswoman unconscious. ¡°Did we have someone like that on our team?¡±
Ander continued down the hall. He had just beaten the second opponent. Ander hated fighting like this, but this power had a time limit, and it wasn¡¯t long. He¡¯d also need some healing afterward. The cost for this power was high, but the reward was mostly worth it. He really hoped Max and Bella were doing their part. Mere moments later, he encountered another figure moving down the hall at a quick pace, albeit much slower than the one he was traveling currently. Nevertheless, he soon caught up to the golden-armored opponent before overtaking them. ¡°Oh it¡¯s just you.¡± Ander adjusted his form with a cocky expression on his face. Lighting crackling with the gesture. ¡°Just me? Are you here for round two or something?¡± Amadeus prepared to counter. Ander didn¡¯t respond verbally as he had already moved to attack. The others could find out who beat them later. But Amadeus was one who he needed to know who defeated them in combat. A golden dagger flew at Ander before it was redirected with a clang. Ander moved into melee range and let loose a palm strike that sent lightning through his opponent¡¯s cacked armor. A gauntleted fist connected with Ander¡¯s jaw, and an explosion erupted from their position. Shrapnel flew everywhere, as the castle floor wall and staircase were now destroyed, with Ander being sent into a sort of freefall. ¡°Shit!¡± Amadeus panicked before they saw Ander turn in mid-air and hover. ¡°So you¡¯re finally taking me seriously. I guess that means I¡¯ve caught up. Now let¡¯s see if I¡¯ve surpassed you.¡± Ander threw his spear forward, the weapon shifting from side to side as it traveled. Amadeus threw another set of daggers at the spear to redirect it, only for the daggers to shoot outwards as they approached. The spearhead of Ander¡¯s fell off to reveal a blade of lightning. The spear hit the same part Ander had just struck with lightning, seizing up and forcing Amadeus to fall to a knee. Ander moved to finish the bout when something stabbed him in the neck, and everything went black. The lightning crackling around his body ceased, and his body entered freefall. A series of vines snaked out from the roof and caught the falling boy pulling him up. Slowly and steadily to prevent further injury. Ander now lay in front of an irritated Kyrion, who was currently collecting blood from a wound and pouring it into a beaker which he shook until the color changed into a sickly yellow ¡°A paralytic toxin, not good, but not deadly with a minor dosage. So you won¡¯t die from this, but seriously man. Eight broken ribs, a shattered collarbone, various burns and lacerations. And worst of all your mana is damaging your body from the inside. What in the bloody abyss possessed you.¡± Ander was too out of it to respond to the query. Kyrion knew deep down, alone, they wouldn¡¯t have been life-threatening, but pushing your body when this injured was a dangerous game. Still, as Kyrion was a healer, he got to work by calming the maelstrom of mana that ran rampant in the boy¡¯s body before he started restoring the bones. He then moved on to the burns and lacerations and cleaned the areas revealing unblemished skin. He then cleansed the paralytic toxin from his friend¡¯s body. Ander still did not rise, but he was breathing steadily. He needed to change their plan. If Ander couldn¡¯t fight, then it was up to him now. He didn¡¯t doubt Bella¡¯s power, but she was outclassed in this scenario. Only being able to fully restrain one target. Well, it was a good thing he had a backup plan. Of course, he didn¡¯t like it, but Cecil would play an essential role despite not being here. ¡°Huh?¡± Ander tried to get up but soon found that he was currently restrained by vines. ¡°Don¡¯t move just yet.¡± Kyrion looked at the truck. ¡°What about me? I can still fight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re healed but also nearly out of mana. Whatever you did nearly took everything from you. I can handle the rest of this on my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to fight them both?¡± ¡°...Your right. Amadeus, I can handle but the bug person can out maneuver me if I have to deal with both. I could give you some of my mana on top of healing your wounds. You will probably be more than full so be careful with the power I grant you.¡± Kyrion waved his hands and motioned to a series of plants that seemed to have rooted into the building. An odd plant with a large bell shooting upwards extended, and Kyrion picked up a flower. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ander looked around. ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Kyrion winked at no one in particular. ¡°Why did you just make a weird face at nothing?¡± Kyrion had winked using the eye under the eyepatch. ¡°Exactly, Bella is on the third floor in front of a false wall. Max is on the first floor with Snickers and the hobs. I¡¯ll let them know what the plan is.¡± Kyrion spoke into a rose. ¡°Bella, Max, how are you all doing?¡± ¡°Kyrion did you due are you a ghost? How are you in my head!¡± Max seemed to be panicking. ¡°Ander and I are about to do some severe structural damage to this building, and we will need you to move the truck outside the east wing on the fourth-floor window 37. You may need to catch someone.¡± ¡°Should I remove Tiffany from the building as well?¡± Bella asked. ¡°That would be convenient. Preferably get her ten feet away from the building.¡± ¡°And the hobgoblins? I had to leave them behind.¡± Max asked. ¡°They will be fully healed in a minute and will follow Bella.¡± ¡°Are you mad that she killed two?¡± ¡°Not at all. Now go before they catch on.¡± Kyrion hung up and sighed. ¡°People need to learn what they¡¯re asking for when they want me to go all out. It will never be direct. It¡¯s just not how I was taught.¡± Kyrion lay a floor over where the princess was waiting. His hand cupped his ear as he snooped in on their conversation. Two other people were talking conspiratorially. ¡°Minah. It appears we¡¯re all that¡¯s left, Ander took out both Brion and Tiffany. He also injured you. We should surrender.¡± ¡°Like hell I¡¯d give up now. It¡¯s too late for that. This is my one shot getting into the tournament.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the one who decided to fight with the one person who can heal and teleport.¡± ¡°He can bloody teleport!? When. Shit!¡± Amadeus shuffled around the room. ¡°He isn¡¯t on this floor¡­ A healer that can take multiple hits, heal, and teleport. My poisons only affect those who are weakened. If Ander were to return to fight in better condition we don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°Then we take him out. Set a trap for him that he can¡¯t escape.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°We kidnap Max.¡± ¡°But¡­ Ohh¡­ Capture their weak link.¡± Kyrion watched as Max got into the truck from his vantage point. The engine was revved up. The best part about it was that even he couldn¡¯t see through the black windows. This is going to be fun. Kyrion stood, removed his eyepatch, stretched, and then drew his staff which he began to spin in a circle as he did two circular discs that seemed to materialize, one coated in silver fur and the other with pretty blue feathers. ¡°Jala, Issac manifest in my weapons and lend me your aid.¡± Kyrion felt the spirits enter the weapons which floated above his shoulders as he continued to spin his staff. ¡°Karl cover my body in armor of earth.¡± Kyrion¡¯s robe elongated and took on a brown color baren ground. A silver tree appeared on the back of the robe as it glowed. ¡°Spirit of nature dwelling in me grant me the strength of a mighty tree.¡± 2 horns made of wood grew from Kyrion¡¯s head, resembling small antlers made of branches. Blue flowers bloomed from the branches on his head. If the people wanted a show, he¡¯d give them a show. ¡°Full manifestation.¡± Kyrion¡¯s green eyes turned blue the tips of his hair shifted a silver shade. Those without mana sight could see mana flowing out of his body like steam from a tea kettle. The floating disc snapped and pierced a hole in his ears as they shrunk to the size of the jewelry. ¡°The headmaster is going to yell at me for this, isn¡¯t he.¡± Gamoden had never seen Kyrion use or practice this technique as it was a new weapon. While placing a hand on Ander¡¯s back, Kyrion filled the short boy up and beyond with mana while partially getting a gauge of his abilities. ¡°I guess Gamodren feeding the enemy old data works in my favor.¡± Kyrion smiled sadly as he looked down at the roof he was standing on. ¡°Who are you talking¡­ Oh, that¡¯s a lot of mana.¡± ¡°Are you going to take off your training weights?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No, to be fair, I need some restraint in this form. The weights will keep me engaged with all my motions. It would be bad if I accidentally killed someone. Aren¡¯t you the same? You¡¯re worse than me with those weights your wearing despite being a healer.¡± Ander crossed his arms. ¡°Yeah. I use them to keep my muscles engaged. I may have gotten too used to them actually.¡± ¡°Your lost the key didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Worse, they got melded. I¡¯ll get them removed after this game. Now get ready.¡± Kyrion took a few steps back. Ander winced before taking a deep breath. ¡°Light from the sky grant me power, the price my mana which you will devour. Lightning and thunder will tear the sky asunder. Thus begins the second dance of the lord of thunder. Full Manifestation!¡± Unlike the last time the lightning came back down, Ander¡¯s features shifted, his green hair became longer, and his pupils turned a solid white as his clothes seemed to start billowing. The world around him smelled like static. Book Two: Chapter 43 Shatter ¡°This is very dangerous!¡± Bella climbed onto the roof, her claws embedded into the metal surface. Max began to drive towards the castle, and as he did, he noticed a blue light gathering above the building. ¡°What is that?¡± One of the hobgoblins asked ¡°I don¡¯t know, but you can speed up!¡± Bella yelled as the adrenaline started to kick in. Max hit harder on the gas, moving to the 50 mark and then sixty. He was barely close enough to see a strange figure raising something high in the air. Max slowed and turned the steering wheel until he was parallel with the building, parking right under the window. Throwing the hobs that hadn¡¯t put on their seatbelts. ¡°What, the¡­¡± Bella¡¯s eyes widened.
Kyrion raised a foot up in the sky and then brought it down like a pickaxe shattering the earth under him right between Amadeus, the number two, and the princess. His body fell with the stone. Kyrion landed on his feet and locked eyes with the princes. Then, smiling wickedly, he pushed his hand forward, wind mana on top of strength, safely pushing the princess out of the window. ¡°Huh?¡± The girl seemed confused as this happened, the fear not even setting in as this happened. ¡°Mildred!¡± Amadeus rushed to grab the falling princess, only for a hand to grip their skull through the helmet. That same hand slammed the gold-armored warrior into the ground with enough force to send them both on that floor down a story. As they fell, Kyrion raised his hand and used the fall as a force multiplier as he slammed his opponent through the next floor, causing them to arrive on the ground floor of the poorly built structure wobbling due to all the damage done over the day. Noting that Amadeus was unconscious was the only thing protecting them from a third slam into the ground. ¡°You!¡± The cowled figure yelled as bugs of all kinds began to flow downwards from above. The bugs, however, weren¡¯t the only thing to come down. A streak of lightning came straight down from the opening and branched countless times, slaying swarms of bugs in a near instant while remaining there long enough for some of the dumber bugs to fly into the light of death. ¡°Ambush?¡± The figure in black robes drew a long black scythe and ran towards the spar user. The two danced across the room. In Ander¡¯s current state, he had overpowered his opponent in multiple ways, and it would only take one solid hit. Sadly he couldn¡¯t let up. But, in his defense, one sting could take him out, and he was never the type to let the same trick work twice. Ander saw an opening and stabbed his opponent in the leg with a blade of electricity. Ander evaded a counter aimed for his legs and flashed behind his opponent. A second poke at his opponent¡¯s neck caused them to seize, and all the bugs in the area fell to the ground, a stinger moments away from poking him in the neck. Ander took a deep breath before seeing that his nose was bleeding quite a bit now. ¡°What? Maybe I overdid it.¡± Ander fell to his knees as he began to feel really dizzy.
Saying Amadeus had a concussion would be accurate. The methods were barbaric but effective, and the surprise left the golden armored knight unable to fight back as the fight ended before it could begin. ¡°Not very durable. A power like yours is wasted like this.¡± Kyrion looked at the helm in his hands and then at the unconscious young woman who looked eerily like Max. ¡°Why is it that everyone who has an unhealthy obsession with me also has a penchant for lying.¡± Kyrion dragged all three remaining students out of the crumbling castle with a tired look on his face. The flowers on his horns were in full bloom. Kyrion left the three people outside the helm still under his arm as he headed towards the headmaster. ¡°Good job, winning. It was a good show. But don¡¯t you ever use my voice in your schemes again.¡± Caeden poked the taller Kyrion in his chest, and Kyrion stumbled back, almost falling over. The other students were now in the headmaster¡¯s arms as he seemed to move back a good amount. ¡°You bastard!¡± Was the last thing Kyrion heard as a truck crashed into him, his body getting tossed about.
¡°Bella? There¡¯s someone falling from a window?¡± ¡°I see them two I¡¯ve already started slowing her fall. But we¡¯re under the wrong window. Drive!¡± Max hit the gas, and the two began rapidly moving toward the falling princess. The goblin tinkerer holding the map flipped it before slapping his forehead. ¡°Stupid!¡± Max would have been surprised that the creature could talk if he wasn¡¯t focused on getting to the falling princess. Chains of mana surrounded his hands and wrapped around the steering wheel as the vehicle seemed to move according to his will. It¡¯s the vehicle now moving up the side of the building. As Bella got into catching distance, she let go of the truck and jumped, grabbing her in her pink-furred arms as she began to land. That was when the girl let out a scream before passing out. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bella landed with a soft crunch as the truck settled on the ground. ¡°What was that?¡± Max said as he let go of the wheel, and the chains vanished. That was when he saw Kyrion carrying a figure in gold armor by their head. His vision turned red, and he hit the gas screaming a few select words.
Kyrion awoke to Max shaking the unconscious Amadeus. ¡°Minah! Wake up Minah! Please! You can¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Max was crying and panicking; he clearly wasn¡¯t thinking straight. ¡°Max.¡± Kyrion got to his feet and watched as Amadeus was carefully set down. Max bounded towards Kyrion and punched him in the jaw. Unfortunately, he was too short of reaching his target, so he hit him in the chest instead. Which did a few points of emotional damage as Kyrion tried to figure out why his friend was mad. ¡°Why did you do that to her! Why!¡± ¡°Her? Oh. Oh¡­ Right¡­Siblings?¡± Kyrion pointed towards Amadeus and then to Max. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Max was clearly considering running Kyrion over again, but an amused Bella had already taken the keys from him. ¡°Oh. Well then, Amadeus or Minah, they are still alive. I didn¡¯t kill anyone.¡± ¡°So she¡¯ll recover?¡± Max asked. ¡°Max, I hated doing that to your sister. But it had to be done to win. I did what was necessary to end this feud.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°But we won when Bella caught Mil...The princess. All you had to do was delay them.¡± ¡°Did we now?¡± Kyrion tapped his chin. ¡°Yeah. Pretty sure all you had to do was push her out the window and buy time. You and Ander just kept fighting though¡­.¡± ¡°If you want I can heal her.¡± ¡°I thought you said she¡¯d be fine.¡± ¡°She will most likely have a headache ontop of what Ander had already done. She won¡¯t die.¡± Kyrion reassured. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll leave her in the truck to rest. The air condition should help her wake faster. Talk to her then.¡±
Brion rose to swing his sword, ready to attack, only his hands were empty, and he was in the middle of a field of grass. ¡°What in the abyss is going on here?¡± ¡°We lost.¡± Tiffany sat down next to him with a sullen look. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to fight.¡± Brion sighed. ¡°Well my opponents blinded me and ran away and left me to fight some goblins before a sneak attack got me..¡± ¡°We¡¯re behind aren¡¯t we. I¡¯ve been training my whole life to be a commander. A leader, I was a noble. Yet here, I¡¯m weak, hardly able to keep up. I doubt I¡¯ll even make it to the tournament.¡± Brion sighed. ¡°For someone who¡¯s that diligent in training you do seem weaker than normal. Almost as though you aren¡¯t using your powers properly.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°My abilities are mostly defensive. Before my spirit was a giant sword that gave those around me strength. After an injury I had to do some work. Truth be told, I haven¡¯t told anyone what ability I gained from incorporating the sword Kyrion sent me into my core. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing.¡± ¡°If the requirement is eight then don¡¯t worry. Kyrion is the leader, his intuition tends to be a bit on the mark. If he compliments your ability he is being serious, if he says you need work in an area it¡¯s because he spotted a weakness. Mine being my frailty before I activate any defensive symbols. I need preparation and forethought. Charging headlong into battle will only quicken my defeat.¡± ¡°Ander said this armor made me weaker. Something about slowing me down. But isn¡¯t armor supposed to protect me?¡± ¡°No. It hampers your movement and natural endurance.¡± Ander yawned from behind them, his spear used as a walking stick. ¡°You look horrible.¡± Tiffany said. ¡°Trust me I feel worse and this is after the healing. Need to get a handle on that ability.¡± Ander took a seat on the grass. ¡°Natural endurance?¡± ¡°You do know that you get stronger the longer a battle rages on? The more damage you take the stronger you get. Healing does not hamper that ability. I noticed it when you went back to fight Edwin, Kyion healed you up and you fought off what I now know was a practitioner and an item boosted fledgling. It was all but confirmed when you told be about your little dance with Tiffany. Running away from pain makes you weaker, while taking it head on seems to give you power. Armor is like trying to run away for you. The metal armor is hampering that power.¡± ¡°How does that work?¡± Tiffany squinted. ¡°Brion. What is your weapon made from?¡± ¡°Stone and earth.¡± ¡°Good good. Do you know what happens to lightning that hits an earth based monster?¡± ¡°Nothing, sometimes if powerful enough it can pierce through but that¡¯s rare. Can you pierce through earth now?¡± ¡°Not yet. You¡¯re just not as protected when covered in metal. Endurance abilities are rare; it¡¯s why Kyrion doesn¡¯t wear armor heavier than robes.¡± ¡°Huh. I just thought Gamodren was cheap. Wait. Was it you that knocked me out?¡± ¡°Naturally. I didn¡¯t have time to fight you after you¡¯d prepared. I know my competition. Though Amadues can get scary.¡± Ander went to wave at the explosion left behind by Amadeus when he remembered that Kyrion had somehow leveled the whole building. ¡°Yes but they had been upstaged it seems. Well I guess it¡¯s she now. That makes three of the top five women now, doesn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°The symmetry¡­ How does he pull this off? Was this his goal?¡± Ander realized. ¡°Is it bad that I want to put her through a few walls myself? That insult wasn¡¯t ignorance, she knew what she was doing.¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t even gotten up, Tiffany. Just chill.¡± Brion stated. ¡°You heard what she said.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let that get to you.¡± ¡°Doubt he thought once.¡± Max said as he grumpily arrived and sat down. ¡°Spill it. Is Amadeus really your sister?¡± Tiffany changed the subject. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you let her beat you up to provoke Kyrion?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You gave Kyrion a note yesterday, right?¡± ¡°First time I saw him was when we picked teams.¡± ¡°How do you expl¡­.¡± ¡°We¡¯re twins. It¡¯s probably why he thought I was a girl.¡± Ander observed his teammate. ¡°He saw her in makeup and a dress. They both had the etiquette class. I too thought you had been dressing up because you were being bullied.¡± ¡°Oh. Ohhhh. Is that why he kept moving to the floor?¡± ¡°No...Kyrion is a bad sleeper. Sometimes he stands up and starts fighting imaginary enemies. On one occasion he climbed up a tree in his sleep and it took us too long to find him.¡± Tiffany shook her head. ¡°And you know this how?¡± Max squinted. ¡°When we had to camp out on the way back sometimes he¡¯d wander off in his sleep. Eventually we had to set watches to keep him in check.¡± ¡°So you were all part of a big group. He never brought up how you all met.¡± ¡°He saved my life and then he saved Ceres. He can¡¯t help sticking his head in other people¡¯s problems.¡± ¡°Who here hasn¡¯t been saved or healed by that trickster?¡± Brion asked. Mildred raised her hand. ¡°All he¡¯s done is scare me. He is quite regal looking though. He¡¯s got a dark prince air about him going on though.¡± ¡°He just pushed you out a window and you¡¯re swooning.¡± Bella said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s only recklessness when it¡¯s done without thinking. This was predetermined and calculated and as it worked as he envisioned one could call him a genius.¡± Ander also smirked. ¡°It¡¯s still endangerment. Had I been a little slower then we¡¯d be in trouble.¡± Max crossed his arms. ¡°I doubt it. The headmaster had been in the room with them the whole time. Kyrion probably saw him.¡± Bastion said with reverence. Bella stared at the odd-eyed kid. ¡°Is that natural heterochromia?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bastion was confused. ¡°Nevermind. What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°The headmaster stood out of range as the others fought only dodging when necessary and following the combat in case he had to end it early.¡± ¡°Bastion. Don¡¯t go telling the others the headmaster¡¯s secrets.¡± Kyrion said from right next to him. ¡°Oh right, sorry¡­.¡± Bastion looked at the fake Kyrion before seeing the real one on a truck fifty feet away. He then scowled. ¡°When did you get here? Oh.¡± Tiffany closed her eyes and shook her head. The headmaster¡¯s illusion faded, and he reappeared in Kyion¡¯s place. ¡°Oh right. Brion. Kyrion wanted me to give you this, happy birthday.¡± Ander tossed the boy an ornate box. ¡°My birthday was three days ago.¡± ¡°And he wasn¡¯t here then.¡± Ander began to stand and stretch. ¡°What is it?¡± Brion asked as he opened the box revealing a green spirit core that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. ¡°It¡¯s a troll¡¯s core.¡± Ander stated stoically. ¡°How long have you had this?¡± ¡°I got it yesterday morning. Was going to give it to you then but decided not to. Since you chose the wrong team.¡± ¡°You could have used it yourself and as you didn¡¯t I¡¯m grateful. But I¡¯m still a bit mad that you gave me this after beating me in a battle. As I need time to take off my armor and absorb this core I will let go of this slight today.¡± Brion smirked. ¡°Really. That¡¯s good.¡± Ander began doing some stretches as though he wasn¡¯t prepping to run away a moment ago. ¡°Smooth tiger.¡± Bella shook her head. ¡°What tiger? And why would it be smooth?¡± Bastion looked around. Book Two: Chapter 44 Amateur Negotiations The next to wake was Amadeus, who was currently resting in the back row of Cecil¡¯s truck. They touched their head, her hand landing on her silver hair. ¡°Did they see?¡± Amadeus looked around and noticed there wasn¡¯t anyone else in sight. ¡°Why does my head¡­ I need to tell the headmaster about¡­ But wait, why am I still alive? Am I a prisoner? How do I break out?¡± Amadeus tried to use her mana to speed up, only for the headache to heighten. ¡°Now what should I do?¡± Said a familiar voice that seemed to get on her nerves. ¡°As we won¡­ Who should we cut from the main team. Bella and Max are indispensable, Ander proved to be our best attacker. Brion went down so easily and Tiffany did as well. Then there was Amadues and Bug girl. One fainted to a single one of my attacks, while the other lasted a few minutes against Ander. Maybe I should make one of them an alternate and let Bastion come along.¡± The voice sounded more condescending than usual. ¡°Did he say one attack? You¡¯re the one who ambushed me!¡± The truck began shaking as Amadeus tried to escape, not knowing how to open the door. She kicked it with all her strength, and nothing happened. However, the second kick was followed by an explosion that caused the vehicle to jump a foot upwards before it fell back to the ground unharmed. ¡°Hey, chill out. You aren¡¯t going to escape from this vile beast through brute force. Try using your head for more than a bludgeon. Also, you¡¯ll probably run out of oxygen if you keep setting off those explosions.¡± Kyrion sat unperturbed on top of the roof as he stole a line from Cecil. ¡°Get me out of here!¡± Amadeus yelled. Kyrion did not know how to open the doors from the inside and had a stinking suspicion that if he did, she¡¯d punch him so hard that he¡¯d be sent a week into the future. ¡°Only if you agree to my conditions.¡± Kyrion said with a glint in his hidden eye. ¡°What sort of conditions?¡± ¡°Four conditions that cannot be refuted.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die than agree to some slimy deal.¡± Another hit to the interior caused the vehicle to shift again. Kyrion looked into the middle distance, recalling a conversation he had recently. Bastion said that he should apologize. With his foe trapped under him and ample reason to listen, he decided to try his best. ¡°I¡¯m sofey.¡± Kyrion squinted as his tongue seemed to not agree with his lie. ¡°What?¡± Amadeus said, clearly not hearing correctly. ¡°I¡¯m coffee.¡± Kyrion felt his tongue act all funny in his mouth. ¡°Will you quit blabbering and get me out of¡­he¡­re.¡± Amadeus tried to take a deep breath. ¡°Fine i¡¯m sorry you punched me in the stomach and made me barf on you. I didn¡¯t do it completely on purpose.¡± Kyrion said truthfully. ¡°Slim¡­ no¡­.go¡­d¡­¡± Amadeus began to fade. ¡°Oi oi. You shouldn¡¯t be running out of air this quickly¡­.¡± Amadeus didn¡¯t respond. Kyrion opened up his senses and did, in fact, notice that his rival¡¯s heart rate was, in fact, slowing along with their breathing. That concerned Kyrion and led to him hopping down and opening the door. As the door opened, Kyrion felt he needed to duck. Sadly it was too late as a fist aimed at his midsection connected. An explosion shook the nearby area, which led to a chain as more explosions seemed to follow one after the other rocketing the red-haired giant across the land in a perfect parabolic arc as he crashed headfirst inside a boulder.
¡°That¡¯s a hard head.¡± Brion commented with a calm expression. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s just faking it. He softened the boulder as he landed and reshaped it. He¡¯s being dramatic.¡± Tiffany sighed. On cue, Kyrion pulled his head out of the rock, took a seat on a soft patch of grass, and began healing himself. ¡°Though he does seem hurt.¡± ¡°Minah!¡± Max stood only for a solid hand to grab his ankle. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Though she isn¡¯t right in the head. Blinded by rage. You aren¡¯t that durable.¡± Bella pointed at the now shirtless Kyrion, who scowled as he tried to save the burnt tatters, opting to turn the bottom half into a skirt until he could get changed. ¡°Still someone has to check on her.¡± ¡°Bastion? As your first lesson on mediation go talk to Amad¡­ Minah.¡± The headmaster stated as he stood. ¡°M-me but why?¡± ¡°Because if she attacks you then I¡¯ll have her dropped from her position as one of my pupils. I can¡¯t have someone without reason becoming a bad influence.¡± Caeden slapped the boy on the back and pushed him forward. Bastion slapped Caeden back before he whiled into motion, his short legs holding him back. It took him two minutes to arrive at the flipped vehicle as Amadeus tried using a dagger to slice open the window. ¡°Excuse me, miss?¡± Bastion squatted to better look into the vehicle ¡°What do you want?¡± Amadeus asked as she continued not to make progress. ¡°I¡¯m here to be the mediator between you and Mr.Kyrion.¡± ¡°Why are you being formal with him and not showing such reverence towards me?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Bastion closed his eyes and thought carefully before speaking. Because Kyrion saved my life, and all I¡¯ve seen you do is act like a jilted toddler and punch things when angry. ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how I should refer to my senior. Ms? Mr? How would you like to be seen.¡± ¡°Ms. Amadeus.¡± Minah said. Bastion looked up and stood as he rolled his eyes out of sight. ¡°Ok, Ms. Amadeus. As the loser of this challenge, you are at the winners mercy as per your deal with the headmaster. He asks that you don¡¯t make matters worse through insaporaiton.¡± Bastion bit his tongue as he tried to say the long word. ¡°Insubordination you mean?¡± Amadeus had no empathy. ¡°If that¡¯s what it sounds like.¡± Bastion partially lied as he was trying to help Kyrion out. Bastion was neither a fair mediator nor impartial, and he wasn¡¯t really trying to hide it. ¡°Fine I¡¯ll talk now, can you get me out of here?¡± Amadeus asked. Bastion didn¡¯t touch the vehicle as if it was magic. Instead, he opted to run off. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Kyrion.¡± Bastion skipped away, taking his sweet time as far as Amadeus was concerned. ¡°Oh hey there Bastion. What¡¯s up?¡± Bastion looked up and pointed at Icaron. ¡°The moon Mr.Kyrion.¡± ¡°Not what I meant. Anyway, why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m acting as the meteor between Amadeus and you.¡± ¡®What¡¯s she want?¡± ¡°To get out of the truck. She¡¯ll have to agree to do 4 things no questions asked.¡± ¡°This seems highly in my favor. Aren¡¯t you supposed to find an agreeable compromise?¡± Bastion¡¯s eyes went blank as the squirrels in his head seemed to get lost on their way to the wheel. ¡°Uhhhh. But you won. So you make the rules.¡± ¡°Fine then tell the lady I settled for three if she agrees to listen to me until after the tournament if she doesn¡¯t want to participate she¡¯s free to run back to the academy. She can¡¯t ignore my words and runs off. That¡¯s hazardous and strong or not we don¡¯t need a loose catapult.¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°Can I get that and your three requests in writing?¡± Bastion coughed, not trusting his memory and comprehension in recalling so much information. ¡°Can you read now, Bastion?¡± Kyrion raised a strangely wrinkled eyebrow. ¡°Nope! But I¡¯m sure she can.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion wrote his demands on one of Gamodren¡¯s fancy scrolls and pulled out a well of ink and a quill. He started with the major condition that required her to listen to his orders.
Kyrion laughed an old laugh before he crossed out request number 4 and scribbled some runes onto the paper. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°I thought of a prank but decided to take it back. She¡¯d find a way to twist my motives. Now just go deliver this.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what it says?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, accept my healing when hurt, follow my orders and¡­ you can have the last one. All they need to say is that they agree and the scroll will disappear. Not an oath but it is a contract. If they lie then they will be forced to wear purple bunny ears for 24 hours.¡± ¡°Why bunny ears?¡± ¡°Because I hate rabbits almost as much as I hate those who can¡¯t follow simple rules of civility.¡± ¡°Why do you hate rabbits?¡± ¡°Do you want to hear a story or do you want to get this over with?¡± ¡°Both!¡± ¡°Well I want to get this over with. I¡¯ll tell you on the trip back.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Bastion kicked the ground and took the letter with him. ¡°Oi! Meany! I mean Ms. Amadeus, I have your orders.¡± Bastion put the paper against the window. ¡°I can¡¯t read that handwriting. What does it say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hit me. Listen to me, accept my healing, and the most important one. Let me touch you for a second.¡± ¡°Why would I accept that last one? It¡¯s ridiculous. Is he that perverse?¡± ¡°Huh? No. I want to touch you. Your power is curious.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you touching me?¡± ¡°Just agree so that we can get this over with.¡± Amadeus thought about the terms Bastion listed. ¡°Fine, I agree to those specific terms you listed.¡± The paper vanished. ¡°Yay!¡± Bastion opened the door and scowled. How did he know how to do it? Oh well. ¡°Great, now get your touching done already.¡± ¡°Your hand. Any bare skin will work.¡± Bastion stated. Amadeus took off a gauntlet, and Bastion took the hand. A familiar sensation enveloped him. ¡°Interesting.¡± Bastion vanished from sight quite quickly as he moved back to the group. Amadeus slowly made their way to Kyrion, who was relaxing on the broken rock with a smug look. ¡°Good we¡¯re done now. Kyrion said he¡¯s going to tell me a story on the way back so let¡¯s go!¡± Bastion said ¡°No. No I didn¡¯t.¡± Kyrion was making a large, heavily loaded sandwich in preparation for the first lunch. Bastion looked at Kyrion for a hard moment and then back at where Kyrion had been a moment ago. ¡°When did he trick me?¡± Kyrion placed a hand in front of his mouth and surrounded them in purple fog. ¡°We swapped places when you went to talk with Amadeus the first time. He has something planned and I don¡¯t mind so long as his sister stops trying to fight me. I rarely like fighting, so I don¡¯t fight fair when forced to do it. Don¡¯t repeat that of course. I¡¯d prefer if people just assumed I was weak and let their guards down. Especially since physical strength doesn¡¯t mean much unless it¡¯s absurdly high.¡± ¡°The more tools in your position the more you can adapt and exploit a weakness. Is that right?¡± Bastion said. ¡°A lesson from the headmaster?¡± ¡°No. Your mom actually. She¡¯s a nice lady, she even gave me this sword to practice with.¡± Bastion unsheathed a wooden cuntless with the name Ace carved into the side. ¡°A training blade¡­Are you taking up the sword?¡± ¡°Not likely. My power seems to be more hands-on.¡± Bastion sighed. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finishing up.¡± Kyrion looked to the side before fading from the group¡¯s notice.
¡°You know. I don¡¯t have a reason to hate you anymore. Welcome to the team.¡± Kyrion held out a hand. ¡°Well I have enough reasons for the both of us.¡± Amadeus moved to shake the hand only something was off. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion sat up only to get a hard and quick punch to the forehead, which sent him back down. ¡°Like I¡¯d agree to your terms.¡± Amadeus said with a smirk. ¡°Did you not agree to the contract?¡± Kyrion sunk back into his rock. ¡°I agreed to the revised contract.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we talk this out? I¡¯m really not mentaly stable enough to fight.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°This isn¡¯t a fight¡­.¡± Amadeus stopped as something told her continuing could be dangerous. ¡°Great. Anyhow if you want to be our alternate than you on the team, under Max who is our number seven.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making him fight!¡± Amadeus seemed to start ignoring her instincts. ¡°Until you can be trusted no to go off and get us killed, yes he is our anchor. We¡¯re already going to be at risk. I don¡¯t need a show off who won¡¯t follow orders. You¡¯re also too weak too be on our team despite your rank.¡± ¡°How am I weak¡­.¡± Amadeus seethed. ¡°We both know what your power is and it isn¡¯t fire related in the slightest. A gimmick like that can only get you so far.¡± ¡°What do you¡­.¡± ¡°Acceleration and deceleration. You utilize flammable materials when you move and attack to create your explosions and path of fire junk.¡± ¡°Did¡­¡± ¡°Max isn¡¯t quite aware. His ability is quite different from yours despite their similarity.¡± Kyrion yawned. ¡°When did you figure this out?¡± ¡°After the first fight. It¡¯s a power that¡¯s easy to counter if you can sense mana well enough.¡± ¡°What then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the first things I learned how to do. It apparently isn¡¯t as common as I¡¯ve been told. Your attacks are choreographed at times, knowing this makes a fight with you winnable. Not easy, no your weakness is your adherence to melee combat. It¡¯s a literal waste sense your power can¡¯t be used to slow others down. All I need to do is let you hit me, lock you down and counter.¡± Amadeus looked at Kyrion for a long moment. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°Amadeus. Or Minah since that seems to be your real name. Your a bit of an idiot if you haven¡¯t figured out how yet.¡± ¡°Watch it.¡± ¡°I swear¡­ Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m very observant. I¡¯ve seen you fight Ander quite a few times already. All losses though he was also not using his powers properly. In one day he was able to gain enough power to surpass your raw speed and explosive power. Albeit he hasn¡¯t figured out how to use it yet. So yeah, you¡¯re behind, five years of stubbornness have left you in this predicament while the people around you have been growing in different ways.¡± ¡°What gives you the right to.¡± ¡°Did I not say that this tournament was going to be dangerous? If you¡¯re going to be on my team you¡¯re going to need to be striving to get better not because I want to win. No if we¡¯re going to make it past this trip alive then I¡¯ll need everyone at their best. You aren¡¯t anywhere near that and you¡¯re not pushing yourself in the right way.¡± Kyrion said with a scowl that seemed to have wrinkles that didn¡¯t match his face. ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like my teacher¡­.¡± Amadeus scowled. ¡°Well maybe the handsome and intelligent headmaster had a point.¡± Kyrion said all too easily. ¡°Yeah¡­ Well you¡¯re clearly even weirder. Fine. I¡¯ll listen your orders.¡± ¡°Be sure to say Kyrion¡¯s orders. Gotta specify now. Sorry if I don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°Fine. I swear that I¡¯ll follow Kyrion¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion stood up and vanished from his position. ¡°He could have dodged that attack if he wanted to. He¡¯s quite strong.¡± Book Two: Chapter 45 The 1st official team Meeting The Kyrion eating a sandwich with the others watched as the headmaster pretending to be him, spoke with Amadeus. ¡°Bastion, keep this in mind just because you can see through illusions doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re immune to being fooled. Words are one thing, but there are also techniques that let one change their physical structure. Like my current appearance.¡± Kyrion pointed to his horns. ¡°So he tricked me. Yup.¡± Kyrion seemed to unhinge his jaw as he took an inhuman-sized bite out of his sandwich. ¡°Are you really a human?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°I¡¯d say you should ask my mother because I don¡¯t know.¡± Kyrion said in between chewing. Max looked up. ¡°Why are you tricking my sister?¡± ¡°This is the headmaster¡¯s idea. I¡¯d rather not fight her again, ever. He¡¯s probably telling her how I analyzed her patterns and style of fighting before developing hard counters to everything she showed capable of doing.¡± ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion took another bite. ¡°So he¡¯s lying.¡± ¡°No. He¡¯s half right. I didn¡¯t spend any extra time figuring out the weaknesses before yesterday. I got the attack pattern and reaction speed down yesterday before I knocked her out. Since she can¡¯t change much in a day she wasn¡¯t able to fix her bad habits. The headmaster knows this but that truth would probably break her pride more than the lie involving me being a diligent hardworking study of my enemies.¡± Ander eyed Kyrion with a stern gaze. ¡°You seem to be a natural fighter. With instincts like those, how can you not enjoy combat.¡± ¡°Yeah, natural is the last thing you can call it. As a healer I know what to break and how to exploit openings to break things that shouldn¡¯t be broken with minimal risk to myself. There is no honor in what I do to my enemies.¡± ¡°I see. So you won¡¯t mind if I lead the charge?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Go ahead. If they think you¡¯re the strongest then chances are I¡¯ll be left alone to win accidently.¡± Bella scowled. ¡°You¡¯re going to make yourself an underdog?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need a nickname.¡± ¡°The starving Cyclops.¡± Brion started. ¡°One eyed Devil?¡± Bastion put forward. ¡°The Scarlet Maelstrom. Those I will protect are in my eye while everything else will be destroyed when it gets in my path. A storm does not choose to hurt but anyone who willingly charges into it wanting a fight will get what they deserve.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°My next few abilities will be weather and season based. We¡¯re going to be hunting cores for our teammates and training before we head to Clomois in three months¡¯ time. We will be ready then. This should also build cohesion.¡± Kyrion ordered. ¡°I second that.¡± The headmaster said as he sat right next to Kyrion. Amadeus arrived moments later. ¡°How did¡­ Nevermind. What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Hunting for my second tier of practitioner cores along with anything the others need.¡± ¡°I could use my third. I¡¯m near that level already.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Still on my second.¡± Ander stated.¡± I don¡¯t need anything new yet I just need to push my limits.¡± ¡°I¡¯m near my fourth.¡± Amadeus scowled. ¡°Second here as well. If anyone cares.¡± Max sighed. ¡°Me too. Brion stated. Well Kinda, I¡¯m still transitioning into two.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s discuss details later¡­.¡± Bella fidgeted. ¡°Bella¡¯s still at one. Her spirit is one that¡¯s hard to find good cores for.¡± Kyrion answered blankly. ¡°What¡¯s surprising is that I¡¯m three thresholds higher than you yet you seem to be way stronger than me in raw strength. How does that work?¡± ¡°Did you do the thing where you jumped straight to practitioner before properly sculpting your body? Did you also do the thing where you compressed just enough to hit rank three before moving onto four?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Amadeus or, well, Minah scowled. ¡°Oh? Max? Did you not tell her about the static boost to raw power one gets when they pass through the practitioner thresholds?¡± The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Oh I told her. She just pushed me away thinking I was trying to be detrimental towards her growth.¡± Max had a blank look. ¡°My strength was stretched to its maximum growth potential for my body type before I even entered practitioner. Before that however I compressed my core until it was as small as possible before an Injury forced me to stop and use that quality which was a bit higher than normal but not as high as it could have been.¡± ¡°My teacher did all the picking and direction. So I just followed my teacher¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Do you even know where you¡¯re going with your powers?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°...¡± Amadeus didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Please don¡¯t blindly follow a path without knowing the destination or roadblocks ahead. That is an easy way to end up dead.¡± Bastion said. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°The headmaster told me this when we arrived a week ago.¡± ¡°I do recall him saying that to me as well. So I think I¡¯m starting to figure out what he meant.¡± Minah scowled. ¡°Great¡­ Our supposed strongest person doesn¡¯t know how to use their abilities while the rest need to get to their next threshold in practitioner.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Said a quiet voice that Kyrion didn¡¯t recall hearing. ¡°Hello stranger? What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m apart of this team too, you know.¡± Kyrion turned his head to the person in black robes. Their masked face and cowl hid their appearance, but they were clearly fidgeting. ¡°You didn¡¯t make the cut. Buh bye.¡± Kyrion said with a mock deadpan face and a shooing motion with his left hand. ¡°Ok.¡± The hooded person stood and began walking away. Minah slapped Kyrion on the shoulder to get his attention. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion rubbed his shoulder. It didn¡¯t hurt, but he wouldn¡¯t act as such. ¡°Don¡¯t use sarcasm with her. She¡¯s a bit¡­.¡± Minah spoke quietly to Kyrion. ¡°Can you get away from my ear? I have enough going on in my head already.¡± Kyrion moved away from the gold-armored warrior that he didn¡¯t trust as of yet. ¡°Clearly isn¡¯t anything important.¡± Kyrion held his head as Psycho seemed to tug at something important. ¡°We need to talk. Also, put on your eyepatch.¡± Psycho said. Bastion was the only one who tried to catch Kyrion. Luckily one of the wiser students pulled him out of the way. The black-robed figure stopped and turned. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m just peachy. Who are you?¡± Kyrion stood with his only visible eye closed, an irritated look on his face. Though it was clear, he was speaking to the robed figure. ¡°Hel and I¡¯m not ready for my third core yet.¡± Hel said rapidly. ¡°That¡¯s a long name.¡± Kyrion shook his head and reattached his eye patch before letting out a deep breath as his brown robe and earrings began to disappear. ¡°My name is just Hel.¡± ¡°Much shorter. Is Just your first or last name?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hel seemed confused for a moment. ¡°So your name is Hel? Is that a title, surname or just your name?¡± ¡°Just my name.You won¡¯t get my surname yet.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Three letters I think I can remember that. So Mel I know you can control bugs but how does it work? Are they conjured or tamed?¡± Kyrion noticed that his makeshift skirt was starting to disappear. ¡°Both¡­¡± ¡°I see. I need a minute to ch-clear my head.¡± Kyrion cut them off as he ran into the forest and disappeared.
¡°Oi psycho? What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion said as he put on a fresh robe. ¡°Mana drain. Transforming like that takes a lot of mana along with maintaining it. Since you weren¡¯t fighting it didn¡¯t expend as much as it would in active combat. When you put on the eyepatch it altered the flow of mana and everything conjured from your mana began to be reabsorbed.¡± ¡°Ah, I need to figure out how this transformation works.¡± ¡°Yeah. Your manifestation is much different than mine. Which is odd¡­.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be different then mine as manifestations have more to do with your soul spirit only playing a minor role in that.¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± Psycho changed the subject. ¡°I think I know who the heroes your supposed to help are.¡± ¡°Heroes? Plural? As in there are more than one?¡± ¡°There are. But only one really matters. When the tournament begins they will single handedly decimate the Grand Tetsan Academy for the Gifted in the first round. If things are the same you should see them there.¡± ¡°I see, anything else? I get the feeling you¡¯ve been keeping some important info from me.¡± Psycho clicked his tongue. ¡°Mighty observant aren¡¯t you. Try reading that book. You should gain something from it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not saying everything..¡± Kyrion waved the figure off. ¡°I only have a suspicion. If you can read that book then things will become clear. At least partly to me.¡± Psycho faded and re-entered his corner of Kyrion¡¯s core.
¡°You know, I could write a book about how much I hate you. Won¡¯t be too long. Around ten things, to be precise. Maybe I can get someone to draw pictures of it. And I¡¯ll make it long and whimsical. Maybe hire Meh Thod to play me.¡± The boy muttered aloud as he returned to the group with a scowl. ¡°Are you good, man?¡± Max asked. ¡°As good as a rotten tangerine in the desert. Just need a bit to think and I have some reading to do. Nothing new.¡± Kyrion climbed on top of the truck and began to read. ¡°Is he all there? Minah asked.¡± ¡°I learned a long time ago that Kyrion is a bit of a space cadet.¡± Bella stated. ¡°Space cadet?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°He appears to have alot of space in his head most of the time while processing hard to understand information like it¡¯s basic math. A kid his age being able to play the role of surgeon isn¡¯t a normal thing in any world.¡± ¡°Surgeon?¡± Minah did not like the word. ¡°Oh. Guess you wouldn¡¯t know. Kyrion has had to perform a few organ transplants for other students while Exac is away. He¡¯s been on call for emergency situations for a while now and even knows a guy who can get him fresh organs in three days. Kyrion has saved quite a few lives believe it or not.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°So what he took out someone¡¯s heart and put a new one in? Doesn¡¯t sound that hard?¡± Minah stated. Bella slapped her own forehead. ¡°It¡¯s a bit more complicated then that. Kyrion is smarter than he leads on. It¡¯s why you lost today.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right. How would he know a guy who can get him organs so quickly?¡± Hel asked, only to get ignored. ¡°Have you tried to read a book on anatomy?¡± Bella tried to shift the subject. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that word means but it sounds important.¡± Brion scowled. Ander slapped his friend on his shoulder. ¡°You better learn. You have a regeneration ability now. If you aren''t careful you could create cancers.¡± ¡°Do you know what it means?¡± Minah asked in a way to provoke a response. ¡°The study of something related to the workings of certain things. I read a few books on the anatomy of lightning. Now did I understand what I read? Kinda. Lots of misinformation everywhere. Most of it was wrong apparently. Lightning is not divine fire from the heavens meant to strike down the wicked for example.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Close enough.¡± Bella sighed. ¡°Uh¡­ Hello? I think you skipped over something important. Where does he get the organs?¡± Hel waved her hands to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Let¡¯s head back. I¡¯m driving.¡± Max ran off, clearly not wanting to talk about Kyrion¡¯s source. ¡°Hey Brion, can I ride with your group? That truck thing makes me ill.¡± Ander asked. ¡°Ride? Oh right, we each took a horse here¡­ I think they fled¡­.¡± Brion turned to where the horses had been left behind. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Is anyone going to answer my question?¡± Hel watched as the others left. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll fly back.¡± Ander stood up only to stumble a bit. ¡°To the metal behemoth!¡± Max yelled as he ran off. Bella looked down and noticed the keys were missing. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t just take the keys!¡± Bella ran after Max. Tiffany sighed as Hel waited, irritation on her face. ¡°He has a source. The source is reliable and trustworthy. At least towards him. Kyrion is someone with friends from all over, he knows people you¡¯re better off never meeting.¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t tell me where he gets extra organs?¡± ¡°Some questions are better left unanswered it seems. Let¡¯s just say that the donors don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hel paused as she tried to figure out what they were avoiding. With everyone save Kyrion, who was on the roof, strapped in, the truck sped off toward Drisil. Book Two: Chapter 46 Kyrie Kyrie, Son of Cordelia and Bill, was raised in the academic city of Parc. Citizens in Parc are born with nanomachines that lie mostly dormant until awakened. These nanomachines work to keep track of vitals on top of eliminating diseases and foreign viruses of a non-magical nature. The children have their aptitudes tested at an early age before they take their base class. From there, they train in said class until they reach 10 and evolve their basic class into their primary class, normally done at around ten. Marking them as a fledgling in this city. When their primary class is evolved into an advanced class, they became practitioners. When they reach the end of practitioner, they may undergo the trial known as integration. After that, the nanomachines in their body undergo an evolution that allows them to perform at a higher level giving them access to legendary class labeling the Experts. Kyrie had been the youngest expert of his generation, mastering the Warrior class, before taking the Spell Meister class, a caster class focused on combining big spells with his strikes for maximum destructive potential. Later it evolved into the Living Arsenal legendary class. He was going to reach the realm of Myth one day. He was going to be the greatest warrior in the world. At least, that was before that man claiming to be him sent him to some backwater world to kill and absorb his infant doppelganger. It was supposed to be an easy battle, but he proved ill-prepared. Kyrie encountered a man who resembled his brother, and the two fought in a ritual circle that absorbed the mana of anyone using magic and empowered the caster. Magic like that was weak where he came from. It takes a long time to prepare and an absurd amount of knowledge to put to work. What happened there reeked of understanding of their arrival. With a blade through his heart, his tale ended. A small book, the only thing remaining of him. His entire life¡¯s story. It was pretty small but dense with adventure.
Kyrion slammed the book closed as his brain absorbed the information and placed it to the side. He could feel a new soul in his core beginning the integration process. The one belonging to Kyrie, Kyrion, got the feeling that his head wouldn''t get any quieter in the coming days. "Hello there." Kyrion said to no one in particular. "What the hell is going on?" A confused voice replied. "Welcome to the insanity that is Kyrion''s brain." Psycho stated. "You. You''re not an infant." Kyrie looked at the old hooded man that was known as Psycho. "I am referred to as Psycho. However, I live here for now, and I suspect that something big is afoot." "Why is that?" "Because the two of you don''t seem compatible." Kyrion said from a sitting position in his head. "What are you saying?" Psycho asked Kyrion. "My soul houses yours out of necessity but for some reason you''re rejected like a disease and whenever you try to forcefully implant memories it leads to my brain getting damaged. Kyrie however did so without harming me whatsoever.." "Yeah, I can feel a kindred spirit despite your slothful nature." Kyrie said. "Slothful?" Kyrion looked at Psycho for reassurance. "Yeah. If he spent more time learning how to fight properly instead of how to cheat his way to the top then he could be half decent." Psycho yawned. "No, no, get this straight, a healer that fights fairly is a dead healer." Kyrion argued. "He isn''t wrong. What is fairness in a life and death battle? I died because I believed more in honor than pragmatism." "Yeah¡­ To be fair, I learned that from my grandfather. He was physically strong but one time during training he told me something. Winning with ideal''s and honor will only get you so far. Those on the top will use every little thing at their disposal to destroy their enemy before they can reach their true strength. Give away nothing and end the battle without showing your true power. For those like you will search for a weakness. Let them believe your lies and know how to capitalize." "What. Was your grandfather a thug?" Kyrie took a step back. "Who really knows." Kyrion put his hands behind his back as he got to his feet. "Where is your grandfather now?" "Probably dead. He was like a bajillion years old." Kyrion moved his arms to shrug. "You haven''t said that out loud before. If you don''t know your best then how will you fight when it matters." Psycho stated. "My full manifestation is powerful, but no one here has the ability to push me into using it. Aside from the headmaster and some other teachers. We both know my level of power my best is. Not something I use on anyone I''m not prepared to kill." "You''re also limited to not going over practitioner rank in terms of output remember?" "Right¡­ Right. I really did step on my own toes there." "Not really. It''s to buy you some time." Psycho stated. "It means I can''t harm Gamodren. Not alone anyway." Kyrion scowled. "You just need to last until the incursion begins. After that, hit the expert rank and you will have power beyond human comprehension." "I see." "So, he''s weak. How can he be me if he''s so weak?" Kyrie pointed at the meditating Kyrion. "Each path to power is different. While your path is intended to be fast, it isn''t flexible. Physically the Kyrion here is only slightly weaker physically. His next stage of practitioner will make him stronger physically. Quite strong for a human to be honest, but a necessity. Channeling high amounts of mana can be dangerous to a weakened vessel. His body will be perfect for large scale magic in the future despite his mental limitations." "Very funny. I don''t have to take this from you." Krion scowled The voices in his head heard the proverbial door shut. As Kyrion let his concentration fade.
Holding out his hand Kyrion willed the mana in his body to create a long staff-like weapon in his hand. Almost like a trident, only it had four stabbing bits. To the average observer, it looked like a pitchfork. To those with a keen eye, it looked like a high-quality pitchfork. And to a farmer, it was the pitchfork. A Paddington 200 is a pitchfork with outstanding durability. His father had always wanted one of these. Sadly it was only a replica. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°A pitchfork¡­ Red hair, horns, and a pitchfork. Wow. Just wow. Do you know what a devil is?¡± Karl asked in surprise. ¡°Not a pitchfork. The pitchfork. Get it right or get done.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Sure. You get the ability to turn your mana into weapons and the first thing you make is a farming implement.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really need any more weapons, I have Antastesia, and my Chakram, plus I have quite a few different staves. Why would I need a new weapon?¡± Kyrion said aloud. ¡°Kyrion? Are you doing ok up there?¡± Ander asked as he was halfway hanging at a window. ¡°Yeah! Just talking to the voices in my head. They tell me that I should use a different weapon.¡± Kyrion rolled to the side of the roof and looked down at the green-haired boy. ¡°Ok. I heard the word¡­.¡± Ander looked a bit green as he turned his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to get you something for your motion sickness before we leave.¡± Kyrion leaned back into his position. ¡°Max, can you slow down? We¡¯re going too fast!¡± Minah was panicking quite a bit as she looked left and right. ¡°Minah, we¡¯re only going 20 miles an hour. You run faster than this quite easily.¡± Max groaned. ¡°It¡¯s kinda tight in here. Do I need to wear this seatbelt thing?¡± Brion said as he tried to loosen it. Snickers the dog had his head out of another window. The three surviving goblins were stuffed in the back row with Tiffany, Bastion, Hel, Mildrid, and the headmaster. The situation was quite awkward as The goblins had a bone to pick with Tiffany. Bastion, being a curious boy, asked Hel personal questions without a filter. While the headmaster seemed to be appeasing the confused guest. Bella wore a set of fuzzy earmuffs to ignore the ruckus that was going on in the backseat. Max quickly seemed to be losing his joy for driving and was quite tempted to ram them into a tree. Luckily his self-preservation kept him from doing that, and the group slowly made it to the academy.
Holding out his hand Kyrion willed the mana in his body to create a long staff-like weapon in his hand. Almost like a trident, only it had four stabbing bits. To the average observer, it looked like a pitchfork. To those with a keen eye, it looked like a high-quality pitchfork. And to a farmer, it was the pitchfork. A Paddington 200 is a pitchfork with outstanding durability. His father had always wanted one of these. Sadly it was only a replica. ¡°A pitchfork¡­ Red hair, horns, and a pitchfork. Wow. Just wow. Do you know what a devil is?¡± Karl asked in surprise. ¡°Not a pitchfork. The pitchfork. Get it right or get done.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Sure. You get the ability to turn your mana into weapons and the first thing you make is a farming implement.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really need any more weapons, I have Antastesia, and my Chakram, plus I have quite a few different staves. Why would I need a new weapon?¡± Kyrion said aloud. ¡°Kyrion? Are you doing ok up there?¡± Ander asked as he was halfway hanging at a window. ¡°Yeah! Just talking to the voices in my head. They tell me that I should use a different weapon.¡± Kyrion rolled to the side of the roof and looked down at the green-haired boy. ¡°Ok. I heard the word¡­.¡± Ander looked a bit green as he turned his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to get you something for your motion sickness before we leave.¡± Kyrion leaned back into his position. ¡°Max, can you slow down? We¡¯re going too fast!¡± Minah was panicking quite a bit as she looked left and right. ¡°Minah, we¡¯re only going 20 miles an hour. You run faster than this quite easily.¡± Max groaned. ¡°It¡¯s kinda tight in here. Do I need to wear this seatbelt thing?¡± Brion said as he tried to loosen it. Snickers the dog had his head out of another window. The three surviving goblins were stuffed in the back row with Tiffany, Bastion, Hel, Mildrid, and the headmaster. The situation was awkward as The goblins had a bone to pick with Tiffany. Bastion, being a curious boy, asked Hel personal questions without a filter. While the headmaster seemed to be appeasing the confused guest. Bella wore a set of fuzzy earmuffs to ignore the ruckus that was going on in the backseat. Max quickly seemed to be losing his joy for driving and was quite tempted to ram them into a tree. Luckily his self-preservation kept him from doing that, and the group slowly made it to the academy. Upon stopping, everyone inside the vehicle departed. Only one person was missing. ¡°Huh. Where did Kyrion run off to?¡± The headmaster asked, knowing the answer but checking the students¡¯ awareness of the situation. ¡°What? When did he? Did he fall off?¡± Minah asked. ¡°Doubt he fell off.¡± Max replied. ¡°Blind faith?¡± ¡°No, we left going much faster while he stayed unbothered,¡± Ander said as he hugged the solid ground. Bella scowled as her stomach growled. ¡°That damned bastard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where he is. I bet it had something to do with food.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he just eat a giant sandwich before we left?¡± Hel brought up? Bastion curiously turned around and began to wander off, the headmaster following behind him. Both weren¡¯t seen leaving as the students were distracted. Brion threw Ander over his shoulder. ¡°I did hear a loud thump. Tiffany pulled out the pendant and examined it, seeing a rare emotion. Distress. There was something he didn¡¯t want to talk about. Which meant he had gone to his personal grove. ¡°I bet he¡¯s just tired. Probably jumped to his room when we were getting out.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a long day. I¡¯ll get Ander to the nurse¡¯s office.¡± Finally, Brion seemed to catch on. ¡°Great. Well, it¡¯s time for lunch. Anyone care to join me?¡± Bella hadn¡¯t really asked as she grabbed Max and Minah and began to lead them off. Hel followed behind, not wanting to be the only one left behind. Only Hel hadn¡¯t been alone. Three goblins stood near the trunk unsupervised. ¡°They forgot about us.¡± The tuba-wearing goblin said, dumbstruck. ¡°Bah. Do you think they¡¯ll care If I start blowing stuff up?¡± ¡°Of course. Since we¡¯re out lets be responsible goblins and go find the person who created this thing.¡± The tinkerer led the goblins deeper into Cecil¡¯s warehouse.
Kyrion sat in a field of flowers, meditating his mana flowing outward into the air, plants, and water as he cleared his mind. ¡°How are you holding up, Kyrion?¡± The headmaster asked. Both he and Bastion were standing outside the circle of mana Kyrion had begun manipulating. ¡°Physically I¡¯m fine. Mentally? I think I¡¯m losing myself. So many people expect much from me and honestly I hate it. Others want me dead, and I have to expose myself to them very soon. I can see why my dad had chosen to live as a farmer so long. It¡¯s so much less stressful.¡± Kyrion held up a patch of red hair that had fully become silver. ¡°SIlver? You¡¯re graying earlier than most.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°What do you want? A vacation? Last time you went on one of those you were arrested.¡± Kyrion squinted as a leaf slowly began to float down toward the headmaster. The leaf transformed into a dagger as it fell, gaining speed before stopping an inch away from his head. The blade then turned into a teddy bear. Which was handed to Bastion. The bear returned to its original leaf shape immediately. ¡°Aww.¡± Bastion looked at the leaf questioningly. ¡°My aren¡¯t you aggressive today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you noticed.¡± Kyrion lay on his back and looked up at the sky. ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± ¡°No. Just need some personal time to work things out. Preferably not on people who come interrupting my meditation.¡± ¡°Fine, fine I¡¯ll just tell the others that our special training retreat will have to wait. We were going to take a cruise to an island nation to the west of our location. Exotic foods, relaxing hikes, hot springs of the highest quality. There are quite a few things to do there as well.¡± Kyrion seemed to perk up when food was mentioned. His attention was now focused on his second chance at a vacation. ¡°Best part of all. The Beastblood empire can¡¯t touch the place.¡± ¡°You had me at , food.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll also need to find yourself a new teacher. One that can teach you how to better use your abilities. Gamodren taught you how to think and Exac taught you how to heal but you need something else now. You need to master that manifestation of yours. I can tell that you held back quite a bit.¡± Caeden said. ¡°You mean I¡¯ll have to learn how to kill.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t flinch as he said that. ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll need to learn how to deal with human threats that won¡¯t back down. You have that killer instinct, and I can tell it¡¯s like a caged beast whirling at its cages. You¡¯re scared that once you start, you won¡¯t be able to stop. Which tends to be one of those self-fulfilling prophecies. ¡°Huh? No. Killing is one of those things that¡¯s a last resort. I have killed before. Sentient creatures even, that''s what the whole gremlin dungeon was for. Gremlin¡¯s are sentient like everyone else, they just aren¡¯t normally free to choose.¡± ¡°You say that now. Monsters are one thing, humans are another. That¡¯s why you¡¯re training.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be training Minah. She needs it the most. I shouldn¡¯t have been able to win the way I did. That environment, while helpful in most ways, was chosen so that I don¡¯t go reckless and kill innocents.¡± ¡°I already did when you so kindly let me borrow your face. I¡¯ve been telling her that using an ability like hers to fight people head on was an exercise in futility. It¡¯s a flexible ability that has been poorly utilized. Especially given its defensive potential. That was why I took her as a student in the first place. But no, punching stuff and causing explosions is uber cool.¡± The headmaster quoted with his fingers. ¡°Maybe there is merit in teaching someone how to create before destroying.¡± Kyrion offered. ¡°Yeah. Bastion is getting the boring lessons first. Especially when you consider that he doesn¡¯t have a natural offense as of yet.¡± ¡°There¡¯s going to be lots of reading there isn¡¯t it.¡± Bastion looked down. ¡°Not at all. You seem to have a form of dyslexia, and my handwriting is atrocious. You will need to learn how to read in a non-traditional way.¡± Caeden instructed ¡°Great.¡± Bastion didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Huh. You didn¡¯t tell me you were dyslexic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that word means.¡± Bastion said honestly. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion stood and sighed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I need to go get my allowance and get ready to go. Is Cecil allowed to come along?¡± ¡°He should agree quite easily.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t argue. He stood up and left, headed towards the academy town to purchase a good amount of rations after selling off the materials he¡¯s gathered to the blacksmith for a good amount of school credit. His last trip for the day involved visiting his sister for some potions. This was probably the most challenging thing he¡¯d have to do today. He wasn¡¯t very attached, and with his mother hanging about nearby, it was highly likely they¡¯d be together. If she wasn¡¯t with Illanda. Book Two: Chapter 47 Clast the City of Greed Kyrion and his friends had to take three trucks off the campus. One was driven by Max and Bella, another by Cecil, and the third by Berry, formerly known as Raven. He wore noticeably less black now and had a bland look about him as he carefully drove the vehicle he helped develop. His passengers were Bastion, Illanda, Cordelia, and the Headmaster. The path was bumpy and long, but they arrived before noon. A feat unmatched when compared to the speed of an average carriage. Clast was a large port town, primarily slums with large houses belonging to various officials. Many of the buildings were in disarray. Years of no repair became more and more apparent the longer he looked. Kyrion smelled something delicious. ¡°Hey don¡¯t wander off.¡± Minah tried to grab him. But the boy passed into a crowd and disappeared. ¡°We need to go after that idiot.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Knowing him, he¡¯ll come back with either a kid or a friend.¡± Tiffany eyed Eden, who flinched, then Bastion, who shrugged. ¡°If he finds a kid here then. Then all hope is lost.¡± Cordelia squinted. ¡°Why is that?¡± Max asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
Kyrion entered a stall selling gyros and placed his hand in the bulky pouch on his hip, opening up his domain and withdrawing two gold coins for a Kyrion-sized portion. ¡°One of each, and whatever extra this gets me.¡± ¡°High rolling aren¡¯t you.¡± The cook said. ¡°I manage.¡± Kyrion took his food and noticed someone carefully approaching. They proceeded to snatch the pouch off his hip and ran off. Quite smooth. A normal person wouldn¡¯t have noticed the maneuver. Sadly they robbed Kyrion, and he made it his prerogative to teach them a lesson. Kyrion long ago stopped keeping money on his person. That bag contained various wood chips coated in contact laxatives that would give anyone practitioner rank and ill-prepared a bad day. Anyone under-practitioner would have a bad week. After that, he loaded his bag with a few other seeds and pouched the mixture dubbed his last surprise. With his haul, Kyrion sat on a bench next to a sizeable brown-haired boy sleeping. Since people seemed to actively avoid that bench. Opening a wrapper, Kyrion began to take a bite when a large growl could be heard. ¡°Hey man, let me get a bite.¡± The brown-haired boy said in a trance. ¡°Take the whole thing. This one is mine. But.¡± Kyrion tossed his neighbor a different gyro. ¡°Ah, thanks.¡± Both gluttons consumed their snacks. ¡°Well I gotta go, stranger. Headed overseas for a while.¡± ¡°Name isn¡¯t stranger, people here call me Sloth, though my real name is Sinbad.¡± ¡°Names Kyr. Nice to meet you. Until next time. Also, watch out for pickpockets. I¡¯ve run into quite a few lately.¡± Kyrion stood after carefully disposing of his remaining sandwiches and headed to the port. Hopefully, he won¡¯t get into any trouble along the way. ¡°Is that so? Shame a nice guy like you was robbed.¡± Hmmm? Oh no, I didn¡¯t lose anything important. Although the place may get a bit loud for a while. Nice to meet you, Sinbad.¡± Kyrion walked away. He didn¡¯t want to be left behind after all. Sinbad watched as Kyrion left, laying back on his bench.¡± Who was that weirdo?¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The ship was a relatively small vessel capable of transporting minimal equipment. The trucks were too dense to go on the boat. And the captain would prefer it if the ship wasn¡¯t cramped. This led to all three trucks getting rolled into Kyrion¡¯s domain. Cordelia bid them farewell as she boarded another ship. One of a noticeably larger size. ¡°Now my young impressionable students, let¡¯s board the ship for training awaits.¡± A very unenthusiastic cheer was let loose from Ander, who seemed to be sweating profusely. ¡°You don¡¯t want to train?¡± Brion asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get on that thing.¡± Ander looks at the ship with disdain. ¡°You¡¯d think that someone like you would love ships.¡± Brion sighed. Minah approached. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The former rank one asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can make it.¡± Ander stated as he looked to the ground. ¡°Is that so?¡± Minah made a face that resembled a smile. Max recognized it immediately and decided to get on the ship before being targeted. ¡°Let me help you on board.¡± Minah grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Wha?¡± A fist was embedded into Ander¡¯s stomach, and the green-haired boy lost consciousness. ¡°Great. Now I gotta carry him on board.¡± Brion sighed as he tossed him over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Oi! Save the fighting for when we¡¯ve docked!¡± Kyrion yelled from the top of the main mast.¡± ¡°How did¡­ Nevermind.¡± Brion shook his head as he boarded. Eden and Bastion were talking with Mildred, who had apparently come along for diplomatic reasons. Cecil was drawing up blueprints while Bella and Tiffany discussed joint training exercises. All and all, this trip was going to be good. ¡°Hello?¡± A buzzing sound from behind Kyrion almost caught him off guard. ¡°Oh. Hel. Shouldn¡¯t you be literally anywhere else? There are other masts to stand on.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be with your friends. Conversing?¡± ¡°I will, eventually. Just came up here for some peace and quiet. I like to climb up high surfaces to clear my mind. It¡¯s relaxing to me.¡± But, truth be told, that was a lie. Kyrion wanted to see the fallout with his own eyes. ¡°I get the feeling that something else is wrong? You¡¯re watching everyone like you¡¯re not sure if you should be trusting them.¡± ¡°That is a wrong observation. I¡¯m making sure things run smoothly. As captain it is my duty to make sure nothing too crazy goes on. Do you happen to know if Minah is a punch first, think later kinda person?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­She isn¡¯t one for forethought or planning. Is that going to be a problem?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­Do you mind looking after the girls¡¯ side of things? You seem to have a clearer head than most.¡± ¡°Is that an insult?¡± Hel asked. ¡°No idea. You seem to be responsible so¡­¡± Kyrion got into a meditative stance and sent out a wave of his mana. Spreading his consciousness to the pouch containing seeds. ¡°So what?¡± Hel scowled. ¡°So worth it.¡± Kyrion had a smile so cold it could freeze the ocean. Boom! A yellow cloud of smoke rose up from an area near the slums. It wasn¡¯t in any dilapidated building. No, it was in one of the estates that Kyrion learned belonged to a local crime lord. Figures of all kinds began fleeing the building as the windows were knocked out by a gust of something inside. Then bugs from all over seemingly began to flock towards the estate, so numerous that they could be seen from a distance. They were after something in the estate. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? My bugs are acting up,¡± Hel asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry your pretty little head. I¡¯m sure what¡¯s going on has no connection to anyone still boarding the boat. And I¡¯ve been up here this whole time talking with you and being seen.¡± ¡°Pretty?¡± Hel flushed. Kyrion pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°You stopped paying attention there didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kyrion reentered his meditation and found that there were still people in the building, so his next attack was a big one. He released spores that caused shortness of breath and confusion with a side effect that added purple spots all over their skin. Screams erupted from the port city of Clast as people tried to escape. Now that the building was empty, Kyrion released the termite bait. Among the series of bugs, termites became the most prevalent. That building would be lost in hours. Had it been in the slums, he wouldn¡¯t have gone that route, but this was organized crime, and they thought they could get away with robbing him. Eventually, the local spirit masters arrived in a wave, some protecting the civilians and others dealing with the infestation of countless insects. If they wanted to save the building, then they couldn¡¯t afford to go all out, but if they didn¡¯t go all out, the termites would get too far into the building to be detected. That was when Kyion felt pressure. Someone was starting to trace his mana. Kyrion smiled when he realized who it was and killed his connection to the chaos he had caused. Book Two: Chapter 48 Sinbad Sinbad awoke from his bench when an explosion occurred at the Marino family compound. He wasn¡¯t a fan of that band of cutthroats and thieves. But they weren¡¯t dealing in human trafficking or drugs, so he didn¡¯t go out of his way to antagonize them. In the Marino family, there are 3 practitioners and 12 fledglings. The late leader was the only expert in the family. Still, the practitioners were quite strong. Rumors said Beno Marino was near the expert rank. Had the family stayed quiet and kept the activities low, if not non-existent, Beno could have become an expert, and then the family would have been untouchable. Sadly that was not the case. A chance like this only occurred once in a lifetime for most people but wiping out a family single-handedly was worth many points at his school. He could use the facts, plus it would piss off Midas. Sinbad smiled as he got to his feet. That alone was reason enough. Like he¡¯d let that attention hog stay in the spotlight. In moments Sinbad blurred as white gauntlets covered his hands, and his legs were covered by white bonelike appendages. Then, with a kick against the air, he was moving towards the location. White-scaled wings popped out of his back, and he began to flap them. Increasing his speed as he flew. In moments he found a lone practitioner belonging to the family. Since it wasn¡¯t Beno, he passed threw him along the way, him like a spear through tissue paper. Pieces of human were all that remained. Then, as the torso fell from the roof, its intestines and other organs littered the ground. That was when the screams began. Sinbad learned a long time ago that those who got awakened in these crime families have already killed a lot of people. Those who continued to gain power had to kill exponentially more. So what was the use of unused power? That is why Sinbad didn¡¯t so much as blink. They would do the same to him if they got the chance. Moving forward, Sinbad noticed a crowd of fledglings writhing on the ground clutching their throats in main. Had they not been wearing the regalia of the Marino family, he would have left them alone. Sadly all four fledglings died with holes in their chest left by red balls of mana. ¡°One squad down.¡± Closing his eyes, Sinbad sensed another gathering of five closer to the blast¡¯s epicenter. With a dive, he landed on two of the fledglings, his clawed feet passing through their torsos, killing them instantly. ¡°The Sloth Devil!¡± The practitioner stepped back in shock before resolving himself and letting loose a black blast of mana. Sinbad didn¡¯t dodge, but he did grab the fledglings to his sides by their heads, using their bodies as living shields as both turned into burnt slag. The smell of decomposed flesh wafted through the area. Before the practitioner could ready another blast. Sinbad had stabbed through their heart with a clawed hand. ¡°Beno, will avenge us.¡± Was all they could get out. ¡°Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you can place a bet in the underworld and make some coin if you¡¯re lucky.¡± Sinbad flung the practitioner off his hand and crushed the heart before letting it fall to the floor. A swarm of insects flew into the compound, and Sinbad followed. He knew he wasn¡¯t the only one attacking. But for the life of him, he didn¡¯t know how he would be so brazen as to attack a family compound. As he approached, he noticed a paralytic poison in the air, and a scaled white mask appeared over his mouth and nose. The vent under his nostrils filtered the air and kept the stuff from seeping in. A black tattoo appeared briefly on the top half of his face before a white horned helmet connected with the mask and hid his appearance. Sinbad sensed as four fledglings were slaughtered, their mana flowing into another source as though they were being absorbed. ¡°So we have a guest! Are you the one killing my men? Did you set this trap? If so, I¡¯ll need to kill you.¡± Sinbad stepped into the room and looked at the orange-haired man who had a maniacal look on his face. ¡°The white devil came himself! And alone. With your power, I could easily become an expert.¡± The madman charged forward, blue waves of mana cycling around his hands. Sinbad stepped to the side to avoid the first slash before ducking to avoid the second. While he was on the ground, Sinbad kicked at the fellow practitioner¡¯s chest, and the man was pushed back ten feet and slightly injured. ¡°That¡¯s some kick you got there boy. But you¡¯ll need to do harder than that to harm me.¡± Beno flung his hand forward, and water flowed along, cutting anything that got in its way. Sinbad summoned red mana in both hands and put them together as a red shot forward and connected with the attack. The magic clashed, and the epicenter of the collision was a large crater. Chairs were flung about, tables flipped over, and debris littered the room. ¡°Jokes on you, I have plenty of power left. And you have what two, maybe three of those shots left?¡± ¡°Wanna mess around and find out?¡± Two red balls began to grow in Sinbad¡¯s protected hands as he condensed them into tiny beads and fused them together. This ball seemed much smaller and a lot less threatening. ¡°Is that supposed to scare me?¡± ¡°No.¡± The mouth of Sinbad¡¯s mask opened up, and he swallowed the red bead. The white bonelike material shimmered as flesh and scales covered everything. His eyes turned from brown to purple, and his body seemed to condense as mana seemed to flow into him rapidly. The scales seemed to form into the Fibonacci sequence. Time stopped briefly as a blue-haired man appeared in the room¡¯s rafters. His presence was undetectable. He didn¡¯t say anything, but he snapped his fingers as time flowed normally. Sinbad charged forward. Beno smiled as his form shifted to that of a blue eight-headed serpent and let loose a stream of pressurized water. The strike seemed to miss by the narrowest of margins, and Beno rapidly moved to intercept him with one of his eight heads. Sinbad quickly decapitated the head with a claw as he got into range of the torso and thrust his hand into the creature. The other seven heads reached down and grabbed Sinbad, throwing him into the air and letting loose a blast of water that shot him through a wall. In seconds the head regenerated, and a second joined it. Making nine total heads. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°The more you hurt me the ssstronger we get.¡± Beno laughed a shrill laugh and charged up another attack. Sinbad didn¡¯t come back for more; moments later, all nine heads fell to the ground and regenerated into eighteen. Then thirty-six, and seventy-two. The heads continued to die and regenerate. The Hyrda¡¯s brain was incapable of thinking long enough to move, and the loop continued until countless heads lay dead and on the ground. Beno¡¯s transformation faded. The man was now wrinkled, old, and motionless as it died countless times. Sinbad appeared from behind Beno, where he had been for a while. ¡°You may be powerful but the moment you relaxed I had won. I have a gift of precognition. During battle I can glimpse possible futures and use them to my advantage I saw the pattern of your regeneration I kept triggering it until you ran out of mana while I searched for your core. I didn¡¯t give you a second to realize what I was up to. Now where did you get the power to steal the lifeforce from others?¡± Beno spat. ¡°Like I¡¯d tell you. The great Tay will bring back the power we lost!¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Sinbad separated Beno¡¯s head from his shoulders and looked around for loot. As to the victor goes the spoils. Placing everything of worth in his dimensional bag, he made his way toward the epicenter of the madness. The maelstrom of mana that gave him this opportunity. That was when the mana stopped rampaging. ¡°I¡¯m being watched.¡± Sindbad looked at a flower on the wall that had begun to wilt. ¡°I don¡¯t know any plant spirit masters capable of this outside of a teacher. Even then, I doubt they would get involved in something like this unless it was a part of someone¡¯s training. Did he interrupt a training drill? Doubtful. He would have been intercepted long before if that was the case. Where the mana had resided, a small pouch lay on the floor. ¡°What is this.¡± Sinbad picked up the pouch and red noticed a red embroidery. Property of Kyrion. If found, please return it. If stolen, you will be cursed. ¡°That was the name of that red haired dude. He did say that his pouch was stolen. So he caused the disruption. Guess I was warned.¡± ¡°Oi Sinbad what the abyss is going on here! Did the Marino family piss in your lemonade or sumthin.¡± Sinbad recognized that flippant voice and cursed himself for knowing it. ¡°They pissed off an expert that loose a rain of magic on their stronghold. Apparently they stole his students bag and they didn¡¯t appreciate it. I saw a chance to clean the streets and took it. The expert only caused damage.¡± ¡°A messy job as always.You left the human goons alone. Had to put em down myself.¡± ¡°Midas. They were humans. Most of them were in because of the family¡¯s intimidation tactics.¡± ¡°Well maybe they¡¯ll learn better.¡± Midas said before sauntering off. ¡°I expect a cut for my help.¡± Sinbad used the self-control that had been tempered for years at the academy and avoided striking the golden-haired boy. ¡°Fine. But we need to find him.¡± ¡°Oh thats easy. If he¡¯s with an academy its most likely Drisil.¡± ¡°The backwater school?¡± ¡°Of course. In the middle of nowhere. The past few tournaments they participated in amounted to poor showings. Losing in the first few rounds is a tradition for them. Although I heard only experts are allowed to graduate, those who fall behind are drummed out. So the actual percentage of Alumni is low. They are nothing like our Emira.¡± ¡°A shame. Was looking forward to testing my mettle against someone strong.¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get to fight my older sister. I heard she was top of her class. The weakling, doubt you¡¯ll even meet my older brother, he can¡¯t even hold a sword properly.¡± Midas laughed. Sinbad knew better than to judge someone based on what they could do in the past. Especially when powers are involved. ¡°Are you coming jerkface? If so come along. I don¡¯t have all day.¡± Midas headed towards the port.
The anchor was raised, and the ship started sailing when two intruders landed on the boat suddenly. Moving Kyiron from his stopper on the mast. Hel hadn¡¯t moved and had just been staring at him. In a flash, headmaster Caeden appeared in front of the intruders. ¡°This one greets you both. May I ask what two promising individuals from Emira¡¯s Academia, are doing on our ship.¡± ¡°Oi! Which one of you gits had their bag stolen.¡± Midas yelled. The students on deck looked around before the red-haired boy on the mast jumped down and entered the conversation. ¡°Oh Sinbad you retrieved my bag for me, thank you.¡± Kyrion bowed to Sinbad. ¡°I helped too. What¡¯s the reward?¡± Midas said. Sinbad sensed death for a brief moment. ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± Kyrion closed his one visible eye and smiled cheerily. ¡°Sinbad did you discuss payment?¡± ¡°The man lost his wallet. Didn¡¯t you find coins on the people you killed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°That was probably his money. How can he give us something he doesn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Why did you do all of this then?¡± ¡°Easy points.¡± Sinbad tossed Kyrion his bag. Kyrion nodded. ¡°So ontop of being weak you¡¯re poor. Great. This was a waste of time then.¡± Midas turned around to leave when he noticed that there was someone familiar hiding behind a large man. ¡°Oi! Is that little can¡¯t hold a sword Maxie? Ha! Enjoying a nice vacation before you get your asses kicked during the tournament?¡± Sinbad seemed to sigh. ¡°N-no I no we are going to train before it begins.¡± ¡°Why even train. Weaklings like you will always be weak. Nothing strange about that.¡± ¡°Leave him alone Midas. You''re out of line.¡± Sinbad crossed his arms. ¡°Dear sister, you¡¯re here too? This must be all Drisil has to offer then. If this is all you have then father really wasted resources sending you to that backwater. If you¡¯re the captain then you may as well surrender now.¡± ¡°I am not the captain, little brother. Sorry to say that I lost my top spot recently.¡± ¡°Ha. What was father thinking sending a woman to a school like that? We both know what you¡¯re good for.¡± Crack. Midas had moved to make a rude gesture when a strong hand clamped down on his collarbone, snapping it with ease. Midas let loose a string of swears before looking up at the red-haired boy who held him up. ¡°Now listen here, Dumbass. You should go before you make me angry. I¡¯m happy you helped get my bag back, but those good graces are getting used up. Insult me if you want but leave my teammates out of this. Blink twice if you understand.¡± Midas didn¡¯t blink. Kyrion moved his hand to the other side and snapped that one as well. Another snap of a collarbone followed by a scream of more curses and a forced blink. ¡°There one. Do you un-der-stand?¡± The hand moved to his neck. Those looking at Kyrion saw that the green in his eyes had gone dark, and the cheerness he generally had was gone. Sinbad stared at him for a long moment. ¡°Midas. Surrender now. You don¡¯t have a chance at this moment. Train and fight him at the tournament.¡± ¡°Help me you idiot¡­Ahhh!¡± Krion applied pressure to both broken limbs as his hands inched closer. Sinbad shook his head solemnly, enough for the headmaster to realize the current danger. ¡°That boy is the crown prince of this nation. Killing him will be problematic despite how much of an insolent brat he is. He is also important.¡± Kyrion removed both hands from the shoulders and grabbed him by the head, sending mana through his brain and knocking him unconscious. ¡°Kyrion!¡± ¡°He won¡¯t remember today whatsoever. The last 24 hours will be forever in a haze. Instinctively he may feel fear towards me but that¡¯s a given.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Minah asked. ¡°I destroyed the pathways where memory is stored and healed them over as blank portions of his brain. There will be a gap in time but this is an injury that can¡¯t be healed by anyone accept the person who caused it.¡± Sinbad whistled. ¡°Kyrion, I think I actually like you. And trust me when I say that¡¯s rare. I¡¯ll put in a good word for you with the king. Considering we jumped on your boat, we were trespassing and he could have easily ended up dead.¡± ¡°Dad will be pissed.¡± Max held his head. ¡°If you put on good enough of a show at the tournament he¡¯ll probably overlook it. But know this, memories or not Midas will be training hard. Don¡¯t underestimate him when the tournament arrives.¡± ¡°I never underestimate anyone. He must have a pretty good pain tolerance level. As captain of the Drisil team I urge you to bring your death for I will call forth natural disasters if necessary to win.¡± Kyrion then tossed Sinbad, the unconscious boy. Sinbad smirked. ¡°See ya later team Drisil. Glad to see the tournament won¡¯t be too boring.¡± Sinbad flew off, his wings flapping twice as hard as he headed to his school¡¯s infirmary. Book Two: Chapter 49 (Not so) Chance Reunions ¡°Kyrion. Were you going to kill that boy?¡± Caeden asked as the other students quickly went below deck. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about. The plan was always to knock him out. I could snap his neck but leave him alive and heal the wound instantly. He¡¯ll just be comatose for a little while. But I¡¯d only have done that If Sinbad tried to attack.¡± ¡°And he didn¡¯t know that you could heal.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Did you know about his gift?¡± ¡°What gift?¡± ¡°Sinbad can see glimpses of the future. When he shook his head I thought it was because you¡¯d kill him if he acted.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess to precognition it would look like I snapped his neck. Interesting. Thanks for the info. Fighting him will be an interesting experience.¡± ¡°Maybe I underestimated your willingness to kill.¡± ¡°My capacity for violence is surprisingly high. Especially when my friends are involved.¡± ¡°You see Minah as a friend?¡± ¡°Not just yet. But meeting Midas clued me in on a bigger piece of the picture. Minah and Max are looked down on in the family by Midas¡¯ faction. Because that young piece of work, had been lauded over like a talent. Minah wants to prove her worth as a warrior and Max wants to become a stronger person. I take it Max wasn¡¯t even considered to be a successor.¡± ¡°The ruler thinks he has potential. Which is why he sent them to me. He thinks Drisil can force them to grow.¡± ¡°Why would he think that?¡± ¡°A seer he trusts gave him a hint on what¡¯s to come.¡± ¡°What was the hint?¡± ¡°The descendant of your best friend will be their staunch defender in a time of need.¡± ¡°Great. More problems. Is Hel this defender?¡± ¡°Possibly. Now if you excuse me, I need to write a formal apology.¡± Caeden went below deck, and Hel came out. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Minah would like to say thank you.¡± ¡°Then she should say it herself. I need no thanks. I¡¯ve only met one other person with a face so punchable.¡± ¡°She would, but the two of you¡­.¡± ¡°Pride then. Don¡¯t mention it then. I¡¯d have done that even if she wasn¡¯t a part of my team. You don¡¯t talk to your family like that. Even I know that. The way things were going she wasn¡¯t going to fight back and Max couldn¡¯t fight for her.¡± ¡°Still. Actions like that can go a long way into getting in someone¡¯s good graces.¡± Kyrion looked away. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Fine fine I¡¯ll drop it then.¡± ¡°Good. Now go get some rest. I need to rest.¡± Hel went back below deck. ¡°Oi. What was that? I felt twice as angry there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal. Kyrie¡¯s anger was added onto yours. Was worried you¡¯d actually kill him.¡± Psycho said. ¡°We are of one mind when it comes to slimeballs like that.¡± Kyrie agreed. ¡°Sheesh. I¡¯ll need to be more reserved then.¡± ¡°Holding emotion like that will be dangerous. If anything, you need to find a healthier outlet for it. I recommend pulling wings off butterflies. It¡¯s always entertaining.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll embrace this sentiment stuff.¡± Kyrion said. ¡°I do like a woman in armor.¡± Kyrie nodded. ¡°...¡± Kyrion stared into his subconscious. ¡°What did I say wrong?¡± Kyrie said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my business.¡± Then, Kyrie seemed to leave the area. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his personal preferences.¡± ¡°Nothing just kinda caught me off guard. I thought I was done with puberty and here it comes striking twice in the form of a thirteen year old.¡± ¡°I mean, you aren¡¯t wrong. But you should embrace the emotions. That will make his integration run much more smoothly. You are both the same person now.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll try to be nicer.¡± Kyrion shivered.
The sea was calm and peaceful the first day as they left the territory of the Goskin continent, many for the first time in their short lives. Unaware of the dangers to come. During the trip, Cecil taught his new student the basics of magic theory. These lectures seemed to garner more attention than anticipated as quite a few other students on board seemed to take a seat nearby. Which didn¡¯t bother the crew much as they didn¡¯t have to worry about avoiding the young spirit masters. By the fourth day, Kyrion had run out of food and decided to sneak into the storage room. There were 4 stasis coffins. Unlabeled. How was Kyrion supposed to know which one had food if they were not labeled? ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. ¡°One contains food, another, perishable supplies. What were the other two?¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t been told what they were bringing along. Opening the first coffin revealed perishable supplies. It was immediately closed. The second coffin revealed an unconscious Viole. The lid was carefully slid back on as Kyrion didn¡¯t want to get stabbed. He was moving onto the third coffin when a voice came behind him. ¡°Oi! What are you doing down here?¡± ¡°Just looking for something to eat. No luck.¡± ¡°Get to the deck, we¡¯ll be arriving shortly.¡± The crewmate doing the rounds said as he waited for Kyrion to leave. Following the red-haired boy out. ¡°What took you so long?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°I ran out of food.¡± Kyrion mumbled. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t get the chance to find any.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I see. Well there are plenty of fish in the sea. Have you tried fishing?¡± ¡°Never learned how to fish. Believe it or not. But I¡¯m sure I can catch some before we arrive.¡± ¡°Catch¡­ You mean with a fishing pole right?¡± Kyrion walked over to the edge of the boat and closed his eyes. He then sent feelers of mana into the water and grunted as he began to pull. ¡°Great, he¡¯s just standing there. Wait. Kyrion don¡¯t!¡± Kyrion takes a powerful stance as he opens up a domain above the ocean while raising a bubble of salt water containing a school of tuna into his domain. ¡°Oh. Good for a second I thought you were going to bring that on board.¡± ¡°Do I look like an idiot?¡± Kyrion turned and took a step back, shock plastered on his face. ¡°You would be surprised by how stupid the smartest students can be at times. Unfortunately, I¡¯m also not sure where your head is at.¡± ¡°Headmaster! It''s on my shoulders. Are you doing ok?¡± Kyrion gasped.
The ship docked a few minutes later, and the headmaster ensured everyone was gathered before making his announcement. ¡°Welcome to the Eye on the Ocean, Izfan. Here you will be free to spend your free time enjoying the amenities while the rest will be spent in getting you all to the peak of your abilities before the tournament. Now eat well and be sure to get a good night sleep, because after tonight most of you will be training eight days a week.¡± ¡°What does that mean? Aren¡¯t there seven days in a week?¡± Bella asked. ¡°For the sake of clarity, 8 days in a row before a day of rest. Others will have smaller training sessions. If you want only one day of training a week then you must beat Kyion in a fight. Two days Ander, three Bella and 4 Max. Next up we have Hel at 5 Tiffany at 6, Brion at 7, and Minah at 8.¡± The headmaster stated. ¡°Why am I last?¡± Minah raised a hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t lead your team properly and you didn¡¯t win. You may not be the weakest but you need this training more than the rest.¡± Cecil raised a hand. ¡°Yes Cecil.¡± ¡°How did we get here so quickly?¡± Cecil pointed towards the ocean. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°While you were sleeping I used a teleportation spell to vastly expedite this trip. I can teach you the runes if you want.¡± ¡°I see. Quite convenient.¡± ¡°Any more questions?¡± The group stayed silent as a group of people arrived. None quite understood the feat the headmaster pulled off more than Cecil. For none knew that Izfan was on the other side of the world. A bald young man led the new group with a plain look on his face as he examined everyone here. ¡°Welcome to Izfan rookies. I am your Alumni, Lingar! Nice to meet you all. Some of you already know me of course.¡± ¡°Lingar!¡± Kyrion cheered. ¡°Brother?¡± Ander took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m glad the two of you made it. Can¡¯t wait to see how far you¡¯ve gone. Sadly I don¡¯t think I¡¯m here to teach either of you.¡± ¡°That is correct. Bella? This man here will help you master your abilities. You should be able to do more with your powers. Take flying for example. That¡¯s one of your natural abilities yet you can¡¯t do it yet.¡± The headmaster stated. ¡°I see. Well Lingar, please take care of me.¡± Bella bowed. ¡°I only hope you don¡¯t hurt me on accident. Gravity is an easy affinity to learn but difficult to master.¡± ¡°You have experience with my Affinity?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got wind and gravity.¡± Ander crossed his arms. ¡°Correct. It¡¯s why I¡¯d be a bad teacher for my brother. Flight was one thing but his lightning is not in my wheelhouse.¡± Lingar stated. ¡°I see.¡± Bella looked to Ander, who didn¡¯t seem surprised. The next to approach was a diminutive person with a cane, his appearance hidden by a cloak. Upon removing the hood revealed a familiar gap-toothed old woman. ¡°Hello kiddies. Which one of you calls themself a tamer?¡± ¡°T-that would be me.¡± Max said warily. ¡°Hmmm¡­two out of ten. Nothing special.¡± The old woman shrugged. ¡°Huh?¡± The silver-haired young man looked surprised. ¡°Nothing nothing. Just gonna have to whip you into shape.¡± The old woman said. ¡°Can I get another teacher?¡± Max turned to the headmaster. ¡°They can¡¯t all be winners. Lady Monstrum is a powerful tamer. You¡¯ll learn a lot.¡± The headmaster pushed Max forward. A giant bald eagle descended from above and grabbed Max by his shoulders with its talons before carrying him off into the middle distance. ¡°Whaaaaaaa!¡± Was all the group heard? ¡°Now what?¡± Another woman approached, much younger than the previous one. Brown hair and a figure that could make a celibate follower of Imala second guess their decisions. ¡°Which one of you boys is Brion?¡± Quite a few jealous glares tuned to the large boy. Cecil¡¯s jaw was unhinged as he looked on in shock. ¡°What can you teach me?¡± Brion frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d rather I keep your situation private. They don¡¯t need to know what you¡¯re learning.¡± ¡°I see. So be it. Should we discuss things in private?¡± Brion asked. ¡°Traitor.¡± Cecil fell to his knee while holding his heart. Ander shook his head, and Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is.¡± The red-haired boy stated. ¡°That¡¯s how what is?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kyrion kept silent as he observed the woman in front of them. As planned, heads turned towards Kyrion as Brion, and his teacher slipped out. ¡°You know it¡¯s quite clear that she wasn¡¯t using charm magic, yet apparently some of you need to learn self control. Sheesh. You¡¯d think people training to be warriors would have more self control than that, leering at a woman like that. She¡¯s an expert. Killing you would be easy and yet you gawk for shame.¡± Kyrion shook his head. A collective gasped as the implications made themselves known. ¡°She could have killed us if she wanted. She had enough cause to do so.¡± ¡°Good. Now that that¡¯s done. Who¡¯s next.¡± A tall and thin figure with a full head mask approached and looked at Hel, and the two left, not saying a word out loud. The following person to arrive was a one-armed man wielding a sword on his hip. A claw-shaped scar crossed his face at a diagonal. ¡°I am Phineas, but you may refer to me as Phin.¡± The man pulled the hilt from his scabbard, revealing a guard with no blade attached. ¡°Awaken Sword of Lumin.¡± A blade of white shot out of the hilt and extended until the sword was a shortsword. ¡°You must be here for me then.¡± Tiffany crossed her arms. The swordsman nodded. ¡°Seems so.¡± ¡°Great. Are we headed off or¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your lodgings so that you may drop your stuff off. After that day one of your training begins.¡± ¡°We have lodgings?¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Of course. Although I doubt your team will be staying there most of the week. We don¡¯t need to travel much for your training.¡± ¡°Is it going to be less?¡± ¡°No. But you will need to get as much sleep as you can when you can.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Tiffany bowed, and the two left. ¡°Lets see¡­ That leaves Ama, Ander and Kyrion.¡± ¡°Do you believe in chance encounters?¡± A familiar voice stated. Kyrion unconsciously covered his eye and stepped back when he heard it. ¡°Because I am a valiant believer in fate. We are all connected somehow.¡± A figure stepped in front of the group and removed their hood, revealing a black-haired man with eerie golden eyes that seemed to rotate, one going clockwise while the other counter. ¡°...¡± Kyrion lept backward onto the ship 60 feet away from his position. ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you, fateless child. For the blade I received was well worth the loss of a rebellious blade.¡± The former Eyeless smirked. ¡°Fateless? What does that mean?¡± Bastion asked the headmaster. ¡°Now, now, none of that here.¡± A serene figure interrupted as he stepped next to gold eyes. Removing their hood to reveal a glasses-wearing blue-haired man. They were much shorter than Kyrion had remembered. Possibly around 5¡¯6, but this was him. ¡°Mr. Lok!¡± Kyrion yelled. ¡°Yes, it is me, young one. Been a while. Now that that¡¯s settled. Maldain please take Ander to do his training.¡± Maldain looked at Ander and smiled. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. It should be fun teaching someone with drastically different abilities how to fight like a hydra.¡± Bastion whispered to the headmaster. ¡°He has weirder eyes than me. ¡°Shh¡­¡± ¡°Did someone say weird eyes?¡± Maldain began to move past Ander before realizing it. ¡°No no. We gotta get you ready fellow number three.¡± ¡°Who are you talking to exactly?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Hmmm? You of course. My fellow third place aficionado.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m at least second now.¡± ¡°No no. Your third. The way I heard things, you didn¡¯t exactly get to finish your fair fight. So you¡¯re in third despite only getting two days of my time a week. You probably could be the strongest fighter in your group but you¡¯re not leadership material.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Cecil.¡± Ander squinted ¡°I do not sound like that.¡± Cecil intruded. ¡°Pretty close.¡± Kyrion rolled his visible eye. ¡°So you know, you aren¡¯t hiding anything with your eyepatch.¡± Maldain stated as he smiled at Kyrion.
Kyrion felt his blood run cold. One would think that it was fear that stopped him. That person would be right. What¡¯s the point in poking a sleeping lion with a stick. It could only end badly for him. ¡°Huh. You shut him up pretty quickly. How did you accomplish that?¡± Minah asked. ¡°I¡¯m the one who plucked out his eye.¡± Maldain said with a mad smile. Minah recalled seeing said injury during their first bout and shivering. Mildred looked at the headmaster. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s trustworthy enough to teach?¡± ¡°Nope. But Lok has vouched for him and I trust his judgment. He was the most level headed of my friends.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t say as much as you think.¡± Lok said with a blank expression. ¡°So¡­ Who¡¯s my teacher?¡± Minah asked. ¡°That will be me.¡± Cecil said from behind. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No one else understands the potential of your power like he does. Not even the headmaster himself. How would you like to formally join Cecil¡¯s harem!¡± Kyrion said from the safety of the ship. Cecil slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°Please don¡¯t go indoctrinating people for my sake. It isn¡¯t as helpful as you think.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m not good enough for your harem. Is that it?¡± Minah asked irritatedly. ¡°Cecil¡¯s harem has little to no standards or restrictions. Even Max is a proud member.¡± ¡°What?¡± Minah paled. ¡°He was worried at firszzzzz¡­.¡± Kyrion fell to the ground and started seizing up. Cecil had drawn a curved wand that was sparking from the tip. ¡°Let me speak. Minah you do not have to join my club. Nor do I care if you even get along with me. I am here to give you a crash course on how to use your abilities. When you¡¯re not writing stuff down you will be doing a few field tests using what I¡¯ve taught you. You will be broken down thoroughly before getting built back up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alot of talk from someone who can¡¯t take me on in a fight. Your not an expert spirit master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a spirit master to begin with. But I am a mage, if you want to fight me then fine. I¡¯ll show you the true meaning of despair. But not now and not here. Wouldn¡¯t be fair if I fought you unprepared while you got your armor.¡± Cecil stated before releasing the spell on Kyrion. Kyrion got to his feet and shot his friend an eye. ¡°That wasn¡¯t very friendly. Is that any way to treat your best friend?¡± ¡°Best? Sorry but you¡¯re not even in my top five friend group.¡± Cecil didn¡¯t say the reason because if Bella and Kyrion had both entered a restaurant simultaneously, the bill would be astronomical. ¡°That¡¯s mean. You¡¯re breaking my heart.¡± Kyrion conjured ugly fake tears. ¡°Wait if he¡¯s teaching her, then who¡¯s teaching me?¡± Finally, Eden asked an important question. ¡°You¡¯ll share teacher¡¯s with Kyrion when I¡¯m not able to look after you.¡± ¡°Share?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kyrion has one day of direct training a week. After that, he¡¯s free to do as he wishes. Kyrion squinted. ¡°Sounds too good to be true.¡± ¡°Correct. Now follow me to the tower of sight.¡± Lok led Kyrion away from the group ¡°Do we really need to do this?¡± ¡°You need to experience killing in a place with no real victims.¡± Lok stated. Kyrion didn¡¯t reply until they made it over a bridge. ¡°I¡¯m not squeamish. I won¡¯t freeze up seeing a corpse or hesitate to kill when necessary.¡± ¡°That has yet to be seen.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s just your first assignment. We¡¯ll be working on improving your range and sensory abilities. Assuming you want to lie low, you¡¯ll need to be able to keep track of changes to the environment. Lastly we will try to get you to understand the capabilities of your manifestation. Transformations are quite rare but that doesn¡¯t always make them powerful.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Some increase versatility, others raw power. Very few are purely aesthetic. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound easy.¡± ¡°No path worth taking is easy. This one is no exception. Things have worked out so far but from here on out you can¡¯t bet your life on chance. You need absolutes. Or at the very least contingencies.¡± Lok stopped as they arrived at a tower that seemed to pierce the clouds above. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because Kyrion, causality is beginning to catch up and when the beings in play realize the pieces have changed drastically they won¡¯t be happy. The fact that you¡¯re here and as strong as you are now can attest to that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I like where you¡¯re going with this.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. There is only one other person in your family who is aware of what I¡¯m referring to. They too have pieces in motion.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Kyrion stared at Lok with piercing eyes. ¡°Because I can see potential futures and have a grasp on the truth that is the past. I know who you are and I know what lives within you. Your younger brother isn¡¯t an enemy, he¡¯s just lost for a while.¡± Lok¡¯s irises and pupil vanished before his sclera turned a deep blue. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion began squirming. Lok adjusted his glasses, and his eyes returned to their usual brown. ¡°I ramble at times.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­ Do we go in?¡± Kyrion pointed to a set of double doors with an eye insignia engraved where they meet. ¡°That we do.¡± Book Two: Chapter 50 Island Training Max was cold, wet, and hungry. Laying on the forest floor, Max thought he was going to die. Despite Max¡¯s training, he wasn¡¯t good at adapting to new situations. And had a habit of just trotting along on whatever path seemed most tenable. Furthermore, he was frail for a spirit master but still strong for a human, which meant he was reasonably athletic. Getting to his feet, the boy noticed he wasn¡¯t cut where the eagle had grabbed him. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even bruised. Of course, one could think that doing things like this could make travel convenient. First things first, however, he needed to dry himself off. The eagle had dropped him in a small pond, and he had to swim out to avoid drowning. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this training? I have no tools and no tamed creatures by my side. How am I supposed to survive?¡± Max asked aloud, hoping for an answer. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get a response which meant he was supposed to figure things out on his own. Max stripped off his shirt and wrung it out before throwing it over his shoulder. There wasn¡¯t much to see as he was pretty thin, his ribs present through his skin despite being reasonably healthy. He had no visible muscle tone and was quite pale as well. Max decided to start looking for firewood. As the young boy walked off, some rustling could be heard in the brush behind him. ¡°Do I really need to wear that?¡± Brion said, looking at a small piece of cloth. ¡°Yes. Until you can use your manifestation properly then you¡¯ll be having quite a bit of trouble melding and unmelding. Transformation abilities sometimes use the mana in your outfit leaving the natural form undressed. You don¡¯t want to do that during a tournament and if you think you can get away with not using your full power and still succeed then you¡¯re wrong. Beyond that, if you go onto a battlefield ill prepared then you¡¯ll find yourself dead or worse you¡¯ll live with the knowledge that your hubris let your friends and comrades die.¡± ¡°My transformation is literally useless. I know that and i¡¯m sure you know that.¡± ¡°Not useless. The more restrictions on a power the better it is at doing its job.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m the vanguard. I stand in the frontlines and take hits. This would drastically change our dynamic.¡± ¡°Ugh. Your team has two people who can evade hits and a healer. You should be fine.¡± ¡°Fine. So I just need to put this on.¡± ¡°Yes you need to put on the transformation thong. Feel free to put it under your regular clothes so long as you know the will probably be the only thing you¡¯ll be wearing when you revert.¡± ¡°What if I put it over my clothes?¡± ¡°...¡± The woman eyed Brion for a long moment. ¡°Not that I¡¯m shy or anything but if people are already seeing it then it isn¡¯t underwear, it¡¯s overwear.¡± The woman stared at Brion for a long time. ¡°How did you come up with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s common sense. I¡¯m not a sicko. This is clearly the only option if I don¡¯t want people to think I¡¯m weird.¡± Brion said aloofly. The woman¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°So it¡¯s common sense to you.¡± ¡°Of course. What else would it be?¡± Brion said plainly. ¡°Well then. Fine, do it your way.¡± The woman turned around. ¡°Great.¡± Brion put the thong over his pants and soon covered himself in light. Bella stood in a horse stance. In her arms was a tree branch; at this very moment, it was the heaviest branch she¡¯d ever held. Lingar stood adjacent to her, mirroring the stance only instead of a branch. He held the trunk of a tree. Unlike his student, he didn¡¯t seem to be straining as much. The rules of this game were simple, Bella was increasing the weight of the log in Lingar¡¯s hands while he did the same to her stick. The first to break their stance would lose and have to do a hundred push-ups while exerting their own gravity ability on themselves, equal to the amount of force used on their opponent. Bella had tried hard to knock Lingar off his game the first few times, using an absurd amount of force to take the older boy down to no avail. Eventually, she learned that she wouldn¡¯t win and should pace herself. If she can¡¯t handle her own force, then she shouldn¡¯t use it on others to that degree. Gravity users should be able to move freely in their own fields while their opponents are restricted. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you trying to beat me anymore?¡± Lingar ¡°I can¡¯t beat you this way. I¡¯m not stupid. You¡¯re an expert with years of experience and training.¡± ¡°Not by that much.¡± Lingar pouted. ¡°Enough for a late starter like me not to be able to catch up.so now i¡¯m practicing control.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then get some rest. And we move on to your next stage tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°But we just started?¡± ¡°No we didn¡¯t. Look up.¡± Lingar pointed at the moons dancing in the night sky that kept the world lit. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This type of training requires alot of mental concentration. Things like time seem to pass by quickly.¡± ¡°No. I can continue further. I¡¯m only just getting started. Unless you¡¯re starting to get old. I¡¯m actually much stronger when the moon is out.¡± ¡°Ah. Should I adjust our training schedule then?¡± ¡°Up to you.¡± ¡°I only need a day of rest a week and have nothing better to do at night. So fine. Lets continue.¡± Lingar amplified the gravity exponentially and watched as Bella fell to a knee. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re pushing past our scheduled training period then I¡¯m pushing you as hard as I can. Gotta find your limits here too.¡± Lingar smiled as the younger girl began her push-ups. ¡°I bet you just want me to win so that you can get some training in.¡± Bella said in between reps. Tiffany parried a strike aimed at her face with a shield of light on her wrist and retaliated with a rapier thrust at the man¡¯s body. The one-armed man evaded the strike and twirled his wooden wand covering himself in a shimmering barrier. Tiffany jumped back as the two were covered in a magical light, and the one-armed man changed his stance. ¡°Dance of the seven armed dragon.¡± The man spun before engaging Tiffany with his blade slashing rapidly. Tiffany blocked a strike aimed at her face but found herself slashed in three spots on her left arm, while her inner right leg also ended up getting cut twice. She tried to jump back but found that two strikes had hit her ribs, and the side of the wooden implement was placed against the back of her neck. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a variant of a technique you may face in the tournament although it¡¯s meant for dual wielding. You have the basics down, but you need to learn to use your techniques against skilled opponents. There are holes in your movement. Moments where you should be capitalizing on an opening and ending the bout. Not that you need to worry.¡± ¡°I do, the style I use is about disrupting mana flow by injecting light in key parts of my opponents body. It looks like it could cripple or kill an opponent if used that way.¡± ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s a style meant for killing. That¡¯s every style. That''s what swords are for. You should embrace that aspect and don¡¯t worry about me, go all out. Even if you do hit me you can¡¯t kill me with your abilities and the tournament will pull your opponent out before lethal damage is done.¡± ¡°I see. Again?¡± Tiffany asked as the marks of light on her form faded. ¡°Again.¡± The two continued their training. Ander sat in the middle of a circle meditating. His spear was placed in front of him, yet that wasn''t what he had been focusing on. Instead, Ander''s goal was to find the root of his spirit. Then, he needed to connect with it and set new boundaries to complete his manifestation. What he had been doing now was fine, but it needed to be more efficient, and it wasn''t complete. "Get your spirit to wake up and speak to you. Find the voice that told you it''s incantation. You don''t make those up. They come to you naturally. Find that thread and trace it to the root." Ander scowled. That''s what he was doing. He focused harder on his core. Maybe you need to have a few screws loose to talk to your spirits. Kyrion made it seem so easy. Just casually talking to himself in public. "Hello?" Ander asked his core. "..." The core didn''t respond verbally, but it did seem to vibrate. "Oi! I''m talking to you!" Ander spoke louder this time. "..." The core vibrated more. "Oi! I know you''re there, at least answer me!" "Ugh. Can''t you just like go away? I''m tired." Said an annoyed voice. "What?" Ander broke concentration. "I told you to focus. What''s wrong?" "I heard a voice in my core¡­He sounds like a layabout. I could feel the lazy on him." "Not surprising. Most spirits rarely talk, in fact it''s normally beast spirits that can do so. For some a spirit is an extension of one''s soul for others their soul was strong enough to summon another being. Weapons tend to be silent for the most part." "So you expected me to fail." "Very much so. Your power is lazy. Like a cat sunbathing. Your incantation didn''t mention a spear, however, it mentioned a beast." "Was that enough reason?" "Ander. You have an above average amount of mana and had trouble using it to its full potential. I''ve had enough weapons that housed spirits to know when one is playing coy. Do you know what a second awakening is?" "No. And you''re not a spirit master." "I''ve known many in my long lifetime. I''ve killed half as much and have taken their swords. Luckily you have a spear." "I see." "Aside from that this confirmation doesn''t change much." The golden-eyed teacher stood up and crossed his arms. "What do you mean?" "It just means you won''t be able to reach your full potential until you get that second awakening. You can manifest but it won''t be complete or powerful and there are only two ways for that to happen. The first is the natural method where you are forced into a near death situation that pushes you to your limits and beyond causing a the beast in your spear to break free. Or you can win the upcoming tournament a much safer method but will be much harder to accomplish in a weekend state." "So ontop of using lightning wrong I''ve also been hamstrung by my own spirit." "Yup. But thats normal for your age. You probably would have learned this after you hit expert. But since I have a vested interest in watching a fateless wreck havoc on the universe I''ll help you out." A sword floated above Maldain''s head and flew right past Ander''s cheek. Blood fell from Ander''s cheek, and before his mind could process what was happening, he had gotten to his feet. Spear in hand, ready to deflect the sword as it returned to strike again. "What are you doing?" "Trying the first method. Meditation is boring, you can do that when we''re not fighting." Ander had a suspicion, but truth be told, he also hated meditation. "Fine then." The sword returned to Maldain and floated above his head as a second blade joined it. An emerald gem was embedded in the hilt of this new sword. Ander didn''t know it, but he would be pushed to the brink quite a few times. Hel¡¯s training was the easiest, plain and simple. She didn¡¯t actually need the push. She needed to break out of her shell. The bug user only had one real friend, and she was a sociopath. Hel knew this fact. She also knew that Kyrion was hiding his real abilities. She knew he had wind and water affinities along with earth, but he only showed them a portion. As the self-appointed team strategist, she needed to know what everyone could do. If not, then they¡¯d bumble into the first round and lose. This is why she had entered the tower with her teacher. They would watch him train and devise a strategy around what he could do. Teleportation is powerful, and if used correctly, it could be a hidden ace. Her teacher stood silent as they looked through a screen as the words ¡°Trial of Resolve.¡± raced past it repeatedly. On the screen, two bandits stood above the corpses of a woman and a small child as Kyrion was frozen in place. Minah lay on a hospital bed strapped down. Her battle with Cecil was quick and definitive. Unfortunately, it also left her unable to move on her own. She had opened with her daggers and then a punch to his chest that ended up doing nothing. Her attack was then countered by a blast to both of her legs and a shot to her ribs. She hadn¡¯t been healed with magic and was currently suffering through her own wounds. ¡°Force = Mass * Acceleration. Which means the faster you go the more force you will have. Sadly you also need to have more mass to amplify the damage you deal. You ability is acceleration and deceleration. Increasing kinetic energy. So why in your goddesses good name are you using your ability to accelerate a mundane chemical reaction to create explosions?¡± ¡°Because explosions are cool.¡± ¡°I get that. But it¡¯s resource draining and inefficient. Guns won¡¯t do much to a spirit master with a durable body. So what you¡¯re doing will only get you so far.¡± Minah groaned. ¡°Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.¡± ¡°Are you calling me crazy?¡± ¡°If the shoe fits. Now, since you¡¯re taking up most of my vacation time, let¡¯s continue.¡± Minah tried to get up, but all it accomplished was to remind her of the wounds she had received in the duel she requested. ¡°Good now Eden where was I?¡± Eden jumped as she had stopped paying attention when Minah interrupted. ¡°Something about time and force?¡± ¡°Close enough. Please take notes and stop using your journal for drawing.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Fine.¡± Eden pouted. ¡°Good. Now, if acceleration is your power and you want to do more damage how would you do so?¡± ¡°Move faster?¡± ¡°And if you¡¯re going as fast as you can?¡± ¡°Stab it?¡± ¡°That could pierce potentially. But there is only so much you can do with those small daggers of yours. Sure you could kill with them but they aren¡¯t enough, you need multiple tools and adaptability. You also need to find a way to amplify your strength exponentially. Potentially adding more power to your golden armor. I can do that part if you let me make you a suite. But you will need to learn how to use your power. You also need to learn how to decelerate your opponents¡¯ attacks. Kyrion shouldn¡¯t have been able to touch you if you slowed his attacks. And if he did then you should have been able to prevent the damage by slowing down his attack exponentially. If acceleration becomes zero, force becomes zero.¡± ¡°Does he know about this?¡± ¡°Of course he knows. He probably did that to spite you. You did make yourself a pain in his¡­ Oh nevermind.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll forgive you. Kyrion is a nice guy.¡± Eden said reassuringly. ¡°I doubt it.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about you. So far you¡¯ve made yourself an annoyance. He doesn¡¯t care for those, but if you were to stop being an annoyance then he may forgive you. He also may put birdseed in your pockets or slip some sort of squirrel pheromone lure on your person.¡± ¡°That sounds mean.¡± ¡°He¡¯s also the type to have a purse of copper coins coated in a chemical laxative and mixed with burrs.¡± ¡°That sounds paranoid.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been robbed a few times. Now he embraces it, almost welcomes it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a laxative?¡± Eden asked. ¡°It makes people use the chamber pot, or toilet depending on where you¡¯re from.¡± ¡°Huh. It¡¯s mean that he does that but its meaner that they take his stuff. This is a conundrum.¡± ¡°So I only get what I deserve. Sounds like a fair person. Still, why did he force my brother into his and your debauchery?¡± ¡°...This was all a practical joke that went too far. You know how Kyrion has a water affinity?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°He can also manipulate mixtures that are mostly water, like ink and blood to a degree.¡± ¡°Following.¡± ¡°I filled out a club creation form for my lab.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°We came up with the name Magitech research society. Well I did. My best friend Bella floated the Idea of Cecil¡¯s Harem as a joke. Kyrion seemed disinterested at the time and he hadn¡¯t shown that he could manipulate ink. When the vote came Ceci¡¯ls Harem was chosen but I decided to veto it for practical reasons.¡± ¡°Sounds fair.¡± ¡°They agreed and I asked Kyrion if he could deliver it to the headmaster.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°If you really want me to, I¡¯ll do it but I gotta tell you, if you start acting like a tyrant then you¡¯ll be the only person in your club. If you want to change the world then you¡¯ll need a group of loyal followers.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°What happened next.¡± ¡°While he was walking he moved the ink about and made it say Cecil¡¯s Harem. He also mimicked my handwriting perfectly. Which isn¡¯t saying much but still it was enough to raise club morale a bit. They all think I changed the name back myself. After a while I stopped caring.¡± ¡°Does he know what he¡¯s insinuating?¡± ¡°Nope. Nor does he really care. Although he does share our activities in a colorful fashion for cakes.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°So he¡¯s the reason for the rumors.¡± ¡°Yup¡­¡± ¡°So my brother hasn¡¯t been tainted.¡± ¡°Not by Kyrion, I do recall Kyrion saying that Max had to cancel a date because of that game you played though.¡± ¡°Date? With who?¡± ¡°Back to the lecture Minah.¡± Book Two: Chapter 51 Tightrope Kyrion sat in a circle in deep meditation as his mind was projected out of his body into a form that mirrored his own. Standing in a savanna in front of him was a cart that had been turned over. The brown grass was stained with blood as an arrow had pierced the horse¡¯s head. Outside the cart, a woman clutched a small child in her arms as 2 bandits approached, both frozen in time. Lok appeared next to him with a solemn expression. ¡°This place exists nowhere but the scene is a common one in some places. The world won¡¯t be kind, I¡¯m sure you know that. Your job is to save the woman and child. Good luck.¡± Lok faded from view. ¡°What, nothing else?¡± Kyrion asked as time resumed, and the bandits were alerted. But unfortunately, both civilians were killed before he could act, and he felt the world reset and pause. ¡°What in the abyss was that?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as the scene began again. The bandits were the same, but the civilians were slightly different. New faces, new clothes but the same screams. Kyrion was too frozen to act and watched as both were killed again. The realism of the whole scene caught him off guard. The third reset began, and Kyrion was ready. ¡°Stop! Or I¡¯ll¡­.¡± An arrow pierced Kyrion¡¯s skull from somewhere out of sight. The fourth reset began. Kyrion covered himself in a wall of wind before yelling. ¡°Stop now, or I¡¯ll be forced to kill you!¡± The two bandits turned. Rusty swords were raised to engage the intruder. An arrow bounced off Kyrion¡¯s wall, and Kyrion ran forward. He punched through the first bandit¡¯s stomach and began to kill the second when he saw two arrows pierce the people he was working to save. The eighth reset began, and Kyrion opened by cutting off the head of the first bandit with a blade of wind before brutally ripping the heart out of the second. A wind wall intercepted the arrows as Kyrion eyed the location where the arrows came. ¡°Rend.¡± He whispered as the bandit archer was tuned into ribbons of flesh. ¡°Monster!¡± The woman clutched her child and backed away, pointing the blade at him before she did something unexpected. He had saved them, so why did they resort to extreme measures. Kyrion froze as blood pooled around him, and he found that he needed to recenter. On the 21st reset, Kyrion acted by freezing the blood in bandit 1¡¯s brain, causing them to collapse as a wind wall covered the bandits. Bandit two turned as a palm strike discreetly removed their heart and sent it to his domain. The wind wall stayed up, blocking arrows as Kyrion motioned to strain himself. ¡°Find cover! I need to get close to the archer!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, just go!¡± Kyrion ordered as he expanded the wall and rapidly approached. Slipping behind the bandit and snapping their neck unperturbed. The world froze, and Kyrion was floating in an empty white space. There were no walls and no visible floor or ceiling. There was no source of light. ¡°The ruthless approach tends to make people fear you. Some will choose death over being in the hands of someone who chose to kill with such brutality. You¡¯ve been in a similar situation before with Bastion. Only you didn¡¯t have to deal with archers. The bandits also cared more about their target than they did about you.¡± ¡°What about that arrow? It shouldn¡¯t have worked.¡± ¡°Magic arrows exist. Not that it matters. Your endurance is limited for this calibrating trial. You succeeded at a decent pace, not the fastest but also not the slowest.¡± ¡°Others had to do this?¡± ¡°Yes, most break after their first failure. Others break after the 3rd, many give up before making it to nine. You froze but never asked to stop the test. You took a while thinking but that was after a near success failed. I never saw hope leave and I didn¡¯t feel much hesitation in killing. The warning proved useless as they were never going to talk.¡± ¡°Do they not talk here?¡± ¡°Not for this test. They have a simple set of orders.¡± ¡°Orders?¡± ¡°Yup. Only the civilians had a semblance of free will. The next runs through here, will have enemies with increasing levels of autonomy until they are at the level of a human. This is why you only get one day of training for a week.¡± ¡°Ah, break my mind and give me six days to recover?¡± ¡°No. Break your mind then let you go train on your own. But you aren¡¯t as effected as you¡¯d like me to think.¡± ¡°Anything else? Any more torture?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t seem as bothered by the accusation. ¡°No, but you should start looking for your wind core this week in the forest to the south west of the tower. If you see Max don¡¯t interfere with his training, you can heal him if he¡¯s asleep but don¡¯t get caught by him.¡± Lok said. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion left the tower and brought his house out of his domain. He opened the door and went to his room to get some rest. He needed the nap, his mind was too drained. After that, he¡¯d go check on his friends. ¡°What was that?¡± Hel asked her teacher. ¡°Training. Along with a psychological test.¡± The shrouded figure replied. ¡°Why would you test that?¡± ¡°To gauge how realistic the next few stages of his training would be. He isn¡¯t squeamish, but there was a little hesitation. He didn¡¯t start dry heaving so it¡¯s clear he isn¡¯t exactly disturbed by death. Most don¡¯t actually try, most give up and say that it¡¯s hopeless.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s stubborn.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t quite it.¡± ¡°Well he is a healer, I don¡¯t think this is the first time he¡¯d seen a human die in his time here.¡± ¡°You would be correct. A small amount of students die in training, some of those die from natural causes, others organ failures caused by poisons or magical injuries. He¡¯s probably lost 1 for every fifty he could save.¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Yeah, students your age have died. This clearly isn¡¯t the first time he watched someone he was trying to save die. He was too calm. Did you catch anything else?¡± ¡°He was too brutal during the eight round.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was out of character but explainable. He over compensated and killed like a tool meant to do nothing else. Hopefully you understand the implication.¡± ¡°He can be dangerous when he wants to be. Tomorrow you shadow Ander, now go get some rest.¡± The hooded man collapsed and vanished as an empty robe hit the ground. ¡°Sleep sounds pretty good actually.¡± Upon leaving the tower, Hel noticed a large house that hadn¡¯t been there before. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t curious, so soon after finding the building, she scampered off. Max had just finished drying off his clothes near a fire when he heard some rumbling behind him. Upon turning, a small blue raccoon-like creature approached from the brush, looking for something to eat. Max eyed it suspiciously as the creature circled around him. He knew that look. Kyrion wore that look on his face when he was up to something, and his intuition was rarely wrong. More rustling sounded behind Max, and he turned only to see something fuzzy quickly duck back into the brush. That was when the attack came. Claws scraped across Max¡¯s back as the raccoon tackled him to the ground. Using his meager training, Max knocked the raccoon off of him. The raccoon scrambled to its feet and charged toward him again. Max countered with a kick to the creature¡¯s maw that did some damage, but it was nowhere near enough to put it down. The raccoon rolled to its feet. Next, it began to quickly circle around Max, aiming to disorient the human. Max sadly fell for it as blood flowed down his back. The boy tripped over his own feet, and the creature pounced. Biting and claw strikes aimed at the boy¡¯s throat fell short as adrenaline gave him access to strength he didn¡¯t have. The raccoon eased closer and closer as Max struggled to keep it away. They wouldn¡¯t let him die here, would they? Had he been anyone else in his group, he could have easily beaten something like this alone. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t strong like Kyrion, tough like Brion, or capable like Ander. He had no combat abilities of his own. Which was quite odd for a spirit master. Most tamers had an ability or two they could use to defend themselves, but he didn¡¯t. Max was like his sister in that regard. He didn¡¯t properly know how to best use his abilities. Suffice it to say Max had accepted that if he died here, then he had lived an ok life up until now. But he wasn¡¯t giving up without a fight. A chain of mana snaked around Max¡¯s right arm as he pushed the raccoon towards his left shoulder, letting the creature get out a bite. As he let it loose. Pain shot through him as he grabbed a sharp stick from his campfire and plunged it through the creature¡¯s neck, causing it to rapidly cook before becoming a cooked corpse. Max pulled out a potion that Kyrion had given him before the trip and drank it, his wounds repairing themselves rapidly. However, a scar would probably remain until Kyrion could heal it properly. As another blue raccoon was flung at him, more rustling came from the brush behind him. However, this raccoon was clearly dead. The rustling continued as an orange owl waddled out of the brush. It looked left and right before looking at Max. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to fight you.¡± Max said with a mix of fear and sincerity. The owl didn¡¯t attack. Instead, it looked at the cooked corpse of the other raccoon with respect before looking at Max expectantly. Max motioned for the owl to take the raccoon and watched as the creature was rapidly consumed. The owl then looked at the raccoon it had brought before looking back at Max. Max took a knife from a sheath and began skinning and dressing. He wasn¡¯t an expert at the process, but it was raccoon meat, so it probably didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll cook it.¡± Max began roasting the strange raccoon as the owl looked on in curiosity. The two kept quiet until Max seemed to grow more curious than wary. ¡°So. Owl. Do you have a name?¡± The owl turned its head, looking away from the young human. ¡°I take that as a no. So you have no name. Would you like one?¡± The owl gazed at Max with a calculating look. Max took the meat off the fire and examined it. It smelt like cooked meat, not delicious whatsoever. He wasn¡¯t a chef, but he was sure the owl actually cared. After the meat cooled enough to be eaten, the owl seemed to open its beak considerably before sucking the large mammal up and consuming it whole. The law of conservation of mass was, in fact, broken. Although it wasn¡¯t enough to surprise him. ¡°So¡­ Was it good?¡± The owl hooted in satisfaction before looking at the human with curiosity. ¡°What? Do you want to follow me around or something?¡± The owl nodded. ¡°Well then. If you¡¯re going to follow me, then you¡¯ll need a name. How does Arthur sound? As a friend of mine would say, you look like an Arthur. That whole dignified air.¡± The owl stomped a taloned foot in agreement. Arthur then took up a regal-looking pose before a Chain shot out from Max and connected to the owl before fading. Max then let out a yawn before passing out soon after. ¡°The power of a ruler. Such a shame the headmaster didn¡¯t notice sooner.¡± An older woman said, perched above Max. ¡°The power of a ruler, you say? What is that?¡± Asked a curious red-haired boy. ¡°When the!¡± The old woman looked as though she was going to have a heart attack. ¡°Shhh. You¡¯ll wake him up. I¡¯m pretty sure that this is meant to be some high stakes survival training.¡± ¡°I swear, something isn¡¯t right about you. No normal human should be able to hide their presence from detection so naturally.¡± ¡°Huh, I just assumed everyone here could tell that I¡¯ve arrived. Since Bastion¡¯s never had a problem spotting me.¡± ¡°What sort of Abyssal daycare did the headmaster dig through to find little hellion¡¯s like you all.¡± ¡°Most of it is nepotism. Pretty sure my mom was friends with the headmaster.¡± ¡°Oh. I retract my question. Kid. Are you the grandson of Alexander the Red?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°That man has angered quite a few people in his relatively short time here. Me included.¡± ¡°Are you going to try to kill me if so?¡± ¡°No. Anger doesn¡¯t mean hate in this case. You can¡¯t choose your family after all.¡± Kyrion squinted, ¡°So, what is this power of kings?¡± ¡°You¡¯re dangerous. Aren¡¯t you? Didn¡¯t even get distracted.¡± ¡°Got it. It¡¯s something I¡¯m not supposed to know. So long as you¡¯re looking after him I shouldn¡¯t have to worry. Should I plant some healing berries nearby so that he can forage and prepare?¡± ¡°A good friend aren¡¯t you. But how will he learn if you just give them away?¡± ¡°I could splice them with something else or spread poisonous bushes.¡± ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t as nice as you let on.¡± ¡°This is training. The poison won¡¯t be lethal. Just inconvenient at most. Burning tongue puffy lips. Green spots on his shin. Light itching. That sort of thing. If I¡¯m helping with his training I¡¯ll keep things balanced. The real question is why this hasn¡¯t come up sooner? He has used his powers as a tamer for a while.¡± ¡°The first beast is known as the foundational beast, one must form a bond with a wild spirit, it can¡¯t be domesticated or tamed by magical means. They also can¡¯t be properly passed down until the foundational beast has been obtained.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t he do that sooner then?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°There are different kinds of powers out there, his type is rare, one of the most recent to have a similar power was known as the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°And the headmaster wanted to make sure that he was at least mentaly stable enough before bringing out his full potential.¡± ¡°No, he just couldn¡¯t figure out why someone who trains a reasonable amount was stagnating in the power department while only glimpses of his ability have been shown. He isn¡¯t limited to animals, but his first should be one. His real ability is amplification. Anything under his control can be used to its full potential and beyond. That includes people to a much lesser extent. He won¡¯t be slinging fireballs anytime soon so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Good. That will keep him from becoming like his sister.¡± Kyrion stood up from his position on the tree branch and held out a handful of seeds. With an exertion of wind mana, they flowed all over the forest before planting themselves, and with some mana sent to nurture them, the fruits would be ready for consumption in six hours. Almost as quickly as Kyrion had appeared, he vanished without a trace. No trace of his presence being left behind. Not even a creak in the branches as he moved about. ¡°Where in the abyss did something like that crawl out of? Thats an assassination skill. Erase your mind, erase your breath, erase your presence, erase yourself.¡± Ander was covered in blade wounds from various stabs and slices. One could say that he was a walking corpse. Maldain thrust his green-eyed blade through Ander¡¯s chest near his heart and watched as a small crack formed on the shaft of the boy¡¯s spear. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was something. Too bad that things ended here today. Ander collapsed as all his wounds were rapidly healed, the sword returning to its sheath. ¡°That¡¯s one powerful training tool.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? I can fight as long as I want with something like this.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If I heal my opponent then we can fight indefinitely or at least until they get a lucky strike and kill me.¡± Maldain said stoically. ¡°I. See. Well then let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re done for today.¡± ¡°If I push you anymore you may break.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not weak willed.¡± ¡°No. I mean, I may actually break your spirit and then you¡¯ll be injured in a way I can¡¯t heal. Your next lesson is in five days. Do the meditation exercises and get some rest while you can. I know your limits now and I will push you towards them,¡± Maldain pointed to the crack in Ander¡¯s spear. ¡°It¡¯s been two days already?¡± ¡°That it has. You can hardly stand in the state you¡¯re in. Now go. I was promised a fight with someone half a world away and would like to get that over with. People like me are always busy.¡± The gold-eyed swordsman flew upwards and away at a speed that distorted the clouds. ¡°If he can fly then maybe I shouldn¡¯t be fighting on the ground.Then again, I barely survived on the ground. There are more variables in the air and it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be fighting in the air often enough.¡± Book Two: Chapter 52 It is unhealthy to beat yourself up After a day of going around and healing most of his injured teammates, Kyrion had begun to start on his own secret training. In a place hidden in the forest to the southwest. A clearing surrounded by plant sentries he had created. This was where his insane plan had been concocted. He was going to beat himself up. But, more precisely, he would learn how to fight two people with more melee experience and vastly different skill sets. Where were those people? They were currently sleeping in his core and taking up residence. ¡°Oi! Kyrie! Psycho! Wake up!¡± Kyrion woke up everyone with that stunt. An angry bird appeared out of his core. ¡°Kyrion. What are you doing?¡± Issac asked. ¡°Training.¡± Kyrion pointed to inanimate bodies that seemed to resemble Kyrion. ¡°Training this, training that, you need to relax. Looking through your memories I know there¡¯s a hotspring you should visit.¡± ¡°Maybe later.¡± ¡°You should invite the girls as well. They also deserve the break. I¡¯ll go with that Bastion kid and keep him safe. You don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡± ¡°Where would Bastion be?¡± ¡°The girls¡¯ side of course. He¡¯s a little kid. I¡¯m going to milk that for all it¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why he¡¯ll be on the other side.¡± ¡°Bastion is little and you aren¡¯t trustworthy with kids. I¡¯m sure I can coach him.¡± Issac took off into the air towards the town near the tower. ¡°Oi you can¡¯t just! Huh. He¡¯s gone but I can still use water. That¡¯s new.¡± Kyrion flexed his fingers and conjured a small water ball in his hands. Jala popped out next. ¡°I too intend to enjoy my vacation. I wanna go talk to Sammy.¡± ¡°Cecil¡¯s cat?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s quite knowledgeable. Apparently we¡¯re similar.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°We¡¯re attached to people lacking a degree of common sense.¡± Jala lied as she ran off. Fading in the autumn leaves. ¡°Karl?¡± ¡°Yes master Kyrion?¡± ¡°Are you going to run off two?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯d rather watch the show.¡± ¡°So you know what I¡¯m planning?¡± ¡°It only makes sense. You plan to push yourself to near death.¡± ¡°Huh how¡­¡± ¡°You called for two people who would love to beat the snot out of you now if it keeps you all alive in the future.¡± ¡°Figured as much.¡± Psycho said from the core. ¡°That¡¯s great and all but how are you going to¡­.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on each plant clone on the ground, imparting a third of his mana pool to each one. After filling the clones up, he sent the consciousness of both Psycho and Kyrie into the puppets. The one containing Kyrie sat straight up as it looked around in a mix of joy and confusion. ¡°I¡¯m alive! How?¡± ¡°Not quite alive, your mind has just been transferred into a new vessel temporarily. When it breaks you will return to me.¡± Kyrion cracked his knuckles. Psycho looked around as his hair went from red to black. ¡°What do you plan to accomplish by fighting us?¡± Kyrie flexed his hand. ¡°I need to find my limit. Fighting against those more experienced should do that. Plus you have a lot to teach me about killing.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t need to kill in the tournament.¡± Kyrie said, hesitating. ¡°He¡¯s referring to after. We will die if he isn¡¯t prepared for what¡¯s to come.¡± ¡°I¡¯m decent enough at incapacitation. However, I don¡¯t have that instinct and will probably hesitate if I¡¯m to fight another person. This training is antithetical to my desire to save people, but I will kill if it will kill to keep my friends safe. I will kill to keep those I wish to protect safe. However, I will not find joy in it, nor desire to do it.¡± Kyrion said with a serious glint in his eye. ¡°I see. Anything else?¡± Psycho crossed his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, but don¡¯t kill me. If I mess up, you have my permission to pierce my organs or sever my limbs. Punish me so that I may learn. Anything save my heart and brain can easily be regenerated.¡± Kyrie looked to Psycho. ¡°And he named you crazy.¡± ¡°Psycho. And yeah. Even I wouldn¡¯t put myself through something like that. But it does sound effects, and given his level of regeneration, this will be the most effective method in our time. So get ready, Kyrion, because we¡¯ll make you wish you were dead.¡± Psycho plunged a hand through Kyrion¡¯s gut, causing him to bend forward as he looked at his insides. ¡°Oi! He didn¡¯t say start.¡± Kyrie yelled Psycho brought his hand back, the appendage covered in blood and viscera as he looked Kyrion in his eye. Kyrion glared as he coughed, the wounds visibly healing and fading in seconds. ¡°In a real fight the first strike to connect can be the last so be ready at all times.¡± Psycho informed him. ¡°That. Was. Cheap,¡± Kyrion said in between bursts of active healing. ¡°How are you not passed out?¡± Kyrie took a step back. ¡°Oh it hurts, I just have a very high tolerance for pain.¡± Kyrion got back to his feet, prepared for the next attack. Kyrie winced. ¡°Should we continue?¡± Kyrion nodded before spinning to the side as a slice from a chop empowered by wind mana sent out a blade of wind that would have taken his left arm. Instead, it bisected a few trees before leaving a cut in a boulder as it faded. ¡°Should I join in?¡± ¡°Quit hesitating and fight! For a soldier you¡¯re pretty passive.¡± Psycho said as he attempted to cut off Kyrion¡¯s left foot with another wind blade. Kyrion hopped over the attack and placed his right foot down on Psycho¡¯s head before pushing off into the air pushing the latter into the ground as Kyrion flew towards Kyrie. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Kyrie conjured a halberd and swung in an attempt to disembowel his foe. Kyrion flipped forward and grabbed the blade, using it as a handhold as he brought his foot down on Kyrie¡¯s head. A sharp blade of wind severed both of Kyrion¡¯s arms from his elbows along with some hair, the velocity he had built up sent him careening into a tree. The kick missed his foe, and he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Kyrion muttered a few swears as he looked at his new stumps. A kick to the head knocked him for a loop, and a hand tapped his throat, signifying his defeat. Kyrion willed his blood to flow so that he didn¡¯t bleed out before getting to his knees. ¡°I surrender. Can I get some help? I kinda need someone to bring me my arms.¡± Kyrie scowled. ¡°That seemed to be a bit too brutal. It¡¯s like you were trying to kill him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why he went to take you out first. I have more experience killing. I know how to prolong a battle. Little mana is wasted and most attacks were made using his abilities at his disposal. Wind is a useful tool for killing. One could turn their hands into deadly instruments with a minor exertion of force on top of control. He didn¡¯t use any offensive magic. So get your hits in now so you don¡¯t have any regrets when he finds his rhythm.¡± Psycho placed the right arm where it belonged. ¡°Maybe he should get used to fighting me first. You enjoyed cutting him up a bit too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s tomorrow. After a break I¡¯ll be ready to continue.¡± Kyrion adjusted his left arm before healing it. Kyrie hadn¡¯t lined up the nerves properly. In moments both arms were functioning as intended. Not well by any means, but they did, in fact, do what associates did. Kyrion conjured Anesthesia and sighed. ¡°Read¡­¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t get to finish as Psycho was at his throat in a matter of a blink. Kyrion saw the feint for what it was and moved into the inside of his opponent¡¯s range slamming his club full force into his opponent¡¯s stomach. This resulted in Psycho flying up, up, and away out of sight. ¡°That is also why he¡¯s trying to take me out immediately. It only takes one solid hit for me to do damage. If he survives, then he should be unconscious for five minutes. Kyrie no longer hesitated as he attempted to sweep Kyrion¡¯s legs. Kyrion jumped up to dodge only to get hit by the heft of the polearm as it passed by a second time, the attack cutting into him partially as it sent him back. The wound healed quickly, and Kyrion reengaged with Kyrie. Most of his attacks were glancing blows, while Kyrie landed more concise strikes that only strained his regeneration. However, it looked like the fight was going to last all day when a blade of wind stealthy took his foot and caused him to take a hit to his body that knocked him prone. ¡°Just because I went down doesn¡¯t mean I was out.¡± And so the training continued until Kyrion¡¯s regeneration slowed to dangerous levels. His spirits returned to him after the drain got to them as well. Kyrion slept in the clearing, covered in his blood better than he had slept since finding out Gamodren had vanished. Minah had felt refreshed. Not even a minor sprain had remained. Today she was going to test out the new golden suit Cecil had made. It was different, a lot more form-fitting, despite being more flexible and durable. The wheels on the soles were designed to work with her ability amplifying her speed. Her new gloves contained pistons designed to cause explosions of force when amplified to a degree. Instead of daggers, she had a crossbow that shot metal ball bearings with various enchantment spells etched into them. Suffice it to say she was potentially a lot more dangerous now than in her previous bout. ¡°I wonder where that loon is. I can¡¯t wait to prove that I¡¯m the better warrior. He¡¯ll gladly hand over the team captain position if I can. Amadeus went to the location on her map. The southwest summer forest. An area that stayed summer all year round. Here she would face a middle practitioner ranked Sand Bull. A creature capable of creating small sandstorms where it ran and charged often. She needs to work on slowing down her targets while enhancing her abilities. This would be the second time she faced a monster without supervision or assistance. A dangerous endeavor, as even the weakest of foes, can get lucky. Still, she needed that experience, and she would not let herself fall behind because of it. Arriving at what appeared to be a desert in the middle of a forest, Minah looked for her quarry. Tracking hoof prints and listing closely, she found the creature near the edge eating some grass that strangely existed in a place it shouldn¡¯t be growing. When the bull moved on, Minah noticed that the bull drained moisture and life, leaving nothing but a sandy patch of earth behind. ¡°Is it draining all the life from the plants it consumes? If so, I may have my work cut out for me.¡± Minah muttered as she crept closer to get a clean toss of one of her knives. The blade vibrated in her hands as it flew toward the bull. The bull didn¡¯t dodge as the knife failed to penetrate and fell to the ground ineffectually. Only a clinging sound reverberated. The bull charged towards Minah in rage as the ground shook as it pounded against the earth. With a minor burst of speed, Minah rolled behind the creature as it passed, retrieving her dagger from the ground and examining it. Then, with a minor exertion of mana, the blade began to hum more as it gained power. When the bull turned around for a second charge, Minah threw the dagger again. This time, the blade struck true, penetrated the outer armor, and made it into the flesh, where mussels were immediately turned into mush. The bull let out a roar as it blindly changed forward, the sandstorm picking up power. Minah attempted to move out of the way with her wheels but found that they had gotten jammed, and she was too close to evade it entirely. Sticking out both of her hands, the bulls¡¯ changes slowed to a screeching halt as her mana acted defensively for the first time in a while. It was highly draining, and she hadn¡¯t fully understood what had happened. Still, Minah charged up a punch and laid into the bull. The bracers on her right gauntlet shot forward, passed through the bull¡¯s thick skull and pulverized its brain. ¡°Yeah. With this power Kyrion doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll! Get you for that, you conniving! Sneaky! Sucker-punching jerk!¡± Yelled a figure that looked just like Kyrion save for the pitch-black hair. Amadeus recalled that it did that sometimes. ¡°So you come here and insult me? Do you have no honor?¡± ¡°Huh? Who? No. Just a training incident. Slipped on an air platform and got sent flying. Bye!.¡± Psycho lied as he dashed back to his location. ¡°What was that. You know what. Maybe he¡¯s just weird. Need to report my success to Cecil.¡± Minah made her way back to the town. From a tree, a figure in a blue suit, loud enough to be seen from a distance, lowered a long wooden stick with a scope attached. ¡°Good. Didn¡¯t have to step in. She had me worried towards the end there. She¡¯d have survived at least four full-on charges. Her skill is nothing to scoff at. It¡¯s the application that needs work.¡± The blue figure floated upwards into the sky and shot off at a speed that would have made Ander jealous. A black cat sat on a perch looking over a creature that had piqued its interest. "Why is something like that here?" "Kyrion has a talent for making interesting decisions about friends." "I can see that. It''s rare that my kind take an interest in mortals. But still. Something is missing." "What do you mean?" Jala asked. Bastion was currently playing hopscotch with Eden. The two kids were apparently on a break from learning under Lok, the headmaster, and Cecil. "He feels human but more. Like he has something else in him. Or maybe he''s something with human qualities." "Too soon to discern that." "Correct, keep an eye on him for me. Since you work for his savior, he shouldn''t care. I, on the other hand, may be seen as suspicious." "So. Can you guess why the incursion is happening so early?" "It isn''t happening early. I suspect the goddess is planning to use someone with a powerful time based power to freeze the world and trade time for training. But who could do that?" "I assume a certain blue haired butler may be able to accomplish that." "Butler?" "Yeah. There is a man my master knows who seems to be much more dangerous than he lets on. It hasn''t been confirmed, but I saw him turn back time on a crack a long time ago. Space recognizes time and time recognizes space when either is in use near the other. " "What?" "You aren''t the only one here who knows things. Little Sammy." Jala''s form flickered. "Looks like you need to head back." "Six hours. What''s he doing running out of mana in six hours?" "Sounds like your spoiled." Sammy smirked. "Very funny. You can sense that capacity. He''s like a heatwave to your kind." "He has too much heat on him for me to put my paw in the ring. There is a game being played by beings well past my station." "I see." Jala faded into a mote of mana and shot off towards her home. "If only you understood my nature." Sammy curled up and took a nap. Issac spent his eight hours spying on Brion. And by Brion, he meant Brion¡¯s teacher. The swan casually floated on a lake with a smug expression. ¡°Did you really have to handle me like that? I won¡¯t be able to walk straight for days.¡± Brion stumbled to his feet before falling back down. ¡°Yeah. I did swing you around a bit too much. Looks like you¡¯re getting the form right. Now you need to find how the cores you absorbed work with it.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I learned something useful?¡± ¡°This is useful.¡± ¡°In a fight. I won¡¯t be able to fight on my own. Not the way you¡¯re teaching me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight on your own.¡± ¡°Ughh.¡± ¡°Now. Get dressed. Your transformation is still quite faulty.¡± Brion looked down and noticed a large amount of bare skin exposed. He didn¡¯t blush. ¡°I¡¯m out of clothes now.¡± ¡°Told you to strip. And now you see why. You packed light and now you¡¯re stuck in your skivvies.¡± ¡°You were right¡­.¡± Brion looked down. ¡°It¡¯s almost as though I have experience with this sort of thing. Maybe someone you know packed extra.¡± ¡°Ah. Right. I¡¯ll ask around.¡± ¡°No no no. One more round.¡± ¡°Ugh. But I¡¯m all tapped out.¡± Brion scowled. ¡°Then at worst you¡¯ll fail and at best you get it right for once.¡± Brion grunted. Issac sighed as his time had begun to run out. Flying back towards where Kyion had last been. Book Two: Chapter 53 Hunting the Autumn Wind After Kyrion rested in a pool of blood, he finally regained enough energy to get back to his feet. He was hungry and irritable. Instead of spending another day bleeding out, Kyrion decided to go hunt his wind spirit. And so Kyrion went deeper into the forest, his mess getting turned into nutrition for the plants. As Kyrion walked, the earth went from solid to mushy as he entered a swamp-like environment. However, his training kept him from taking the plunge into the waters below. The smell of rotting animal carcasses and plants filled the air aiming to deter those who entered. The smell did not bother Kyrion as he passed through unhindered the mana around him, blowing the junk away. ¡°Huh. I¡¯m being watched.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°But of course. Do you think you can walk into a spirit¡¯s territory and not get noticed?¡± Karl said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be talking to Jala instead?¡± ¡°No. Jala¡¯s mad that you interrupted her conversation..¡± ¡°Right. And now I gotta go hunt this spirit of autumn wind.¡± Kyrion watched as the further he traveled, the redder the plants seemed. ¡°Yeah, it should give you the ability to control larger amounts of wind and manipulate storm clouds. It will also add the season of autumn to your domain.¡± ¡°Great. A non combat power.¡± ¡°Well you could extend the maximum size of your wind blades.¡± Kyrion rubbed his stomach. ¡°I¡¯d rather not give Psycho access to a distance advantage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to deal with it eventually. You need to learn how to deal with people who fight like him.¡± ¡°I hate that your right¡­.¡± Kyrion stepped on something he shouldn¡¯t. A slimy, scaly creature opened its mouth, revealing a large set of sharp teeth that it attempted to use to take off Kyrion¡¯s legs. Kyrion jumped upward when he felt the motion moving up to twenty feet straight up. As Kyrion fell, he charged his heel with wind mana and brought it down on the alligator bisecting it from head to tail. ¡°That was easy.¡± Kyrion said. As he did, 7 more alligators poked their heads out of the water and moved to attack. ¡°It was a trap.¡± Kyrion hopped up to a tree and tried to send mana through it to get a lay of the land. But, unfortunately, these plants didn¡¯t want to give him the information and instead struck him back with vicious intent. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your in the domain of creatures that don¡¯t want you to leave alive. The plants included. They want you to become one with the soil.¡± ¡°I hate this.¡± Kyrion jumped from branch to branch as he gained momentum before moving onto air platforms. The more Kyrion traveled, the more he could feel himself being forced down a path toward a blank field full of mushrooms. Kyrion realized what was happening and closed his eyes. Opening up his ability to sense mana. A trio of giant frogs hopped toward his location. Kyrionhadn¡¯t moved far past the alligators before getting ensnared by an illusion. His body slowly gets dragged toward the center of something. Kyrion moved his feet and noticed that he was on a squishy substance reminiscent of the maw of a flytrap. Kyrion opened his eyes and released a powerful mana blast through his feet. The force created a crater in the maw of the flytrap. Kyrion rose above the trees far up in the air, getting some distance. The 3 frogs were consumed as the maw slammed short soon after. ¡°Karl? How long was I trapped in the illusion?¡± ¡°Two minutes. After you got past the gators you did make progress until you started moving over that thing.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Ah. Interesting.¡± Kyrion summoned giant spears of ice which he propelled downwards into the flytrap. These were made and placed into his domain ahead of time, as Ice creation was draining and inefficient. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The spears sunk into the flytrap in a star formation, and Kyrion began to chant. ¡°You exist in three forms. From solid, to liquid, to gas you flow. Eternally changing, expanding, and growing. Now I beacon for you to swarm. Shatter into a fleet of snow.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes glowed an eerie green as the spears shattered into a fine powder and infiltrated the inside and outside. In moments the giant flytrap was covered in snow. ¡°From snow to water you will shift. Then boil over and escape your prison. Within the creature, you will lift. Bust through and prove that you have risen and¡­¡± Kyrion held his head as he had gotten tongue-tied. ¡°That¡¯s your limit for mana output in action. Good to know,¡± Karl said. Kyrion watched as the plant¡¯s core dropped in the form of a pressured green bead. ¡°That¡¯s the core isn¡¯t it?¡± Kyrion fell to the ground. ¡°Yup.¡± Kyrion took out Anesthesia and lined it up with the bead surrounding it with a layer of hard earth mana. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to keep it?¡± ¡°Now what was that spell Cecil told me when sending people forcefully. Yeet? No¡­ Begone? Not that either. Erof!¡± Kyrion watched as the core broke through the clouds and flew past the horizon. ¡°Hopefully it will land in the ocean.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Hopefully it will land in a volcano.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°Realling going for that hole in one aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t like the way it tried to eat me. And I don¡¯t want to accidentally absorb it.¡± ¡°Fair enough. We¡¯re just a third of the way there.¡± ¡°Where exactly my senses aren¡¯t working properly.¡± Kyrion ran past the crater he¡¯d left behind and continued toward his goal. After a moment of respite, Kyrion stumbled into an area full of hissing, and a dome of mana covered him. Supposedly leaving him stranded. The hissing grew as Kyrion was surrounded on all sides by venomous snakes. ¡°Great, Blood Moccasins. And they¡¯re all practitioner ranked.¡± ¡°You know your snakes.¡± ¡°Gamodren knows his snakes. I learned to deal with them out of necessity. I can cure one or two bites but thirty. That¡¯s lethal. I can¡¯t be gentle.¡± ¡°Great cause I can sense that their preparing to coil.¡± Kyrion removed his eyepatch and sent out a gust of wind that revealed the location of every snake to his senses. ¡°Inverse Rend.¡± Kyrion channeled over 100 Wind blades that began to orbit his body at high speeds. Then, with minor alterations to his mana, he sent them out just as the serpents leaped. Each blade hit a snake at least three times, the first cutting, the second severing horizontally and the third bisecting vertically. Snake blood and venom littered the area painting everything in red and purple save a dome around Kyrion¡¯s body where waves of wind continued to circle, ready to kill any stragglers. A snake buried underground popped out, attempting to go for his neck only to become a pile of gore. The dome faded, and Kyrion looked around with an irritated expression. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± There was no response as Kyrion stood there waiting for the cowardly spirit to emerge. It didn¡¯t. ¡°How lame. Do I really need this spirit?¡± ¡°It would be very convenient if we could have a season other than Spring.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Spring?¡± ¡°Everything has a cycle. Things need to grow, die and regrow to improve.¡± Psycho stated. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Captain Crazy.¡± Krion didn¡¯t like the forceful tummy tuck he received. ¡°I was just testing your pain tolerance for next time.¡± ¡°Next time it will be just me and Kyrie.¡± ¡°Bah. Please? Just a little? I don¡¯t get to stretch my legs often and you need to raise that survival instinct of yours.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Kyrion said with no intention of doing so until he got a better handle on his soon-to-be new boost to his wind affinity. Kyrion stopped as he entered a pocket of warm air that smelled of cinnamon, pumpkins, and something else. ¡°Smells good. But I can tell you¡¯re trying to poison me spirit.¡± Kyrion looked towards a statue of a spirit that seemed to be stuck in a pose. ¡°I am the great autumn spirit of this forest Pthinoporon. What do you wish of me.¡± The spirit took on a female form wearing a dress of autumn leaves. ¡°Nothing from you sho!¡± Kyrion shooed the spirit away. ¡°What do you mean shoo! I am a lesser deity you can¡¯t just!¡± ¡°Do I look like I care?¡± Kyrion did not look like he cared. ¡°How dare!¡± ¡°Shush¡± Kyrion clamped his hand down and looked about. ¡°You can¡¯t just!¡± Pthinoporon looked like she was about to fight the boy when she let loose a predatory wave of mana. The lesser deity began to feel as though they were suffocating. ¡°Found you.¡± Kyrion said in a sing-song tone as he looked at what seemed to be an empty space that began to shrink into a ball of wind. ¡°What did you do, human!¡± Yelled the angry wind spirit. ¡°Him. You want him? He¡¯s nowhere near as high quality as I am.¡± ¡°Listen. I already have too much personality. I don¡¯t need any more. Also, having met a deity you are quite weak in comparison. In fact you¡¯re much weaker than the spirits I have now.¡± Kyrion looked at the spirit and shrugged. ¡°And I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°Undine, pay your rent and come on out. Maybe you can shut them up.¡± Kyrion sighed. Undine appeared in complete form, looking down on the spirit. ¡°I am Undine, lady of lakes, Goddess of Imala¡¯s fresh waters. What else do you want me to do?¡± Kyrion looked to the wind spirit, who had stopped struggling, and then at the lesser deity. ¡°I see you have no need for me? Well, go enjoy the rest of your day. Bye!¡± ¡°I would also like to leave.¡± The wind spirit said. ¡°I know you were the one testing me. You knew why I came here and made things inconvenient. You have 2 options, be destroyed and I move on or willingly become my spirit. So you can help me vent my unwarranted anger or you can come with me freely and not be broken.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t think I made you that angry. Sheesh! Can you take a joke?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t but my blood sugar is low, and I¡¯m frustrated by things far out of my control. Please let me destroy you so that I can go back and say you didn¡¯t cooperate.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°I am confused.¡± ¡°Hi, Confused. Welcome to the family.¡± Kyrion pulled the spirit towards him, and it materialized as a young man in a toga and sandals. ¡°No Eurus, is my name. Wait!¡± ¡°I bind thee Eurus to my core. Do you consent?¡± Eurus sighed as he turned into a spherical bead and flew into Kyrion¡¯s core. ¡°You tricky. No good. Oh, it¡¯s pretty nice in here.¡± So Eurus went to explore Kyrion¡¯s domain. It would take a while for it to fully integrate. But he had convinced the spirit that it was in danger to stress it out and then knocked it off balance before tricking it into saying its true name. This is why most spirits lie about their real names. Gaining a spirit¡¯s true name will force it to give more power. Undine looked at Kyrion. ¡°Were you really going to kill that spirit?¡± ¡°Who knows. My blood sugar is very low and I¡¯m willing myself to function. This place is making me hungry and I know that the food here isn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°Are you really that pure boy I met in that forest?¡± ¡°Depends on what purity truly means. My desire to help people is pure and simple. I kill when necessary but never more. When I must fight another sentient creature I do what I can to spare their life unless they have harmed innocents. That is my code of honor.¡± ¡°And yet you were so aggressive against the Midas boy.¡± ¡°He smelled of blood, had an arrogant attitude on top of a god complex. Sinbad also smelled of blood but even he seemed disgusted by his companion. Max also wanted to punch him but knew he¡¯d only get hurt if he tried.¡± ¡°I mean the memory wipe. Did you really need to attack his brain like that?¡± ¡°We both know that the brain is a delicate organ. If I wanted to I could have left him as mindless as a newborn babe. What is 24 hours?¡± Book Two: Chapter 107/2 (53.5) Captains Sinbad was bowing to an old white-haired man with a beard sitting on a golden throne. Next to him was a younger portly man in immaculate clothing. ¡°My liege. I didn¡¯t expect you to summon me so promptly.¡± ¡°At ease Sinbad. Some troublesome rumors have hit my ears.¡± ¡°What rumors?¡± ¡°That my youngest son was injured by some commoner rabble for no reason and had to be sent into intensive care. Along with various rumors that said son went on a killing spree in the slums slaying civilians on top of unawakened members of the Marino family indiscriminately.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Speak only when the King gives you permission!¡± The portly man yelled. ¡°At ease Heinrich. You are dismissed. I know you favor Midas but your current actions are out of order. Therefore, you are dismissed from this meeting.¡± The portly man shot Sinbad a dirty look as he left the room. ¡°So. Before My interruption I was asking a question. Are these rumors true?¡± ¡°The only deaths involved he reported were the members of the Marino family I spared. No need to kill them. The family was going down anyway.¡± ¡°And of the commoner that injured him?¡± ¡°Who reported that?¡± ¡°Does it matter!¡± The king pounded his chair with a fist shaking the room. Sinbad shivered. ¡°I guess not my liege. He was injured, but I don¡¯t know if it was by a commoner. It was also not unprovoked. It seems Max and Minah made a friend in their time at Drisil. This friend didn¡¯t like the way Midas tried to belittle them and acted in his own sense of justice.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t try to stop him?¡± ¡°My ability triggered. If I attacked Midas died. If I tried to retrieve him he¡¯d die/ Snapped neck. Even at my top speed I¡¯d have been too slow.¡± ¡°Plus you believed he deserved what he got.¡± Sinbad opened his eyes and looked up at the king. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I know who you are. I¡¯ve always known. That doesn¡¯t change facts. Your aunt and Uncle were seen as black sheep. Had they had swapped powers then Max could have easily had the place as my heir. But he didn¡¯t, and he didn¡¯t show any innate talent despite his training.¡± ¡°So you know that truth. Why did you let me live that way then? Why wasn¡¯t I accepted into the household¡± Sinbad clenched his fist. ¡°Because your father said that you¡¯d end up dead a week after announcing your birth.¡± ¡°My father? You know who that bastard is?!¡± Sinbad looked as though he was about to break. ¡°He was a seer. Those like him tend to avoid their loved ones especially if they have similar powers.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a curse that keeps seer¡¯s from multiplying quickly. When two meet directly one will die. Usually the weaker one will suffer an unfair fate.¡± ¡°Assassins?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They would have come for me since I¡¯m not accepted as a royal. I¡¯m not protected by the accords that prevent our assassination.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯d have been murdered before by those belonging to the faction that wants Midas to inherit.¡± ¡°And you just accepted this?¡± Sinbad grit his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this intrigue and court bullshit. Sure I could have wiped out their entire lines but a king does not rule long by slaughtering their supporters. I could end up causing a civil war otherwise.¡± ¡°About the commoner then. What do you want to know?¡± ¡°Sinbad do you desire your birthright?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If I made you next in line to become king. Would you take it.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Sinbad almost yelled, shock written on his face. ¡°Ha! Continue then. Tell me about this commoner.¡± The old king had a twinkle in his eye. It was nice to speak with someone, not plotting to stab him in the back. ¡°He had red hair the color of blood, and a green eye that shined like an emerald. His other eye¡­.¡± ¡°Pardon me but, did that eyepatch have a skull on it?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± The king walked to a portrait depicting a ship headed by a black-haired man with a skull eyepatch and carrying a red-haired baby in one arm and a cutlass in the other. ¡°Did it look like this?¡± The king pointed to the man in the painting. ¡°Yeah. Exactly like it. They have a similar build but the red haired boy seemed a little shorter.¡± ¡°Not surprised you couldn¡¯t save that damned fool Midas.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The king removed a glove revealing a glowing 5 tattooed on his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°When an incursion ends the experts that survived participate in a combat tournament. I have participated in that tournament countless times in my lifetime. Normally I¡¯d rank 2 or 3. Given my age and power the only person stronger was my ancestor an eyeless named, Maldain who had lived far longer than I had.¡± ¡°Then out of nowhere two individuals appear and upset the balance, knocking me down two spots. Then during the next incursion someone else knocked me down a peg taking the fourth spot from me.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t there yet. Anyhow the number one is that baby in the picture. Alexander the red bear.¡± ¡°What¡­ You knew the Red Bear?¡± ¡°He grew up crawling on these very floors back when his father was a bit overprotective. The sea is no place for a babe without a mother after all. Boy was that brat a handful. I offered him and his father a place in the nobility a few times. Do you know what they said?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why tie myself down to somewhere I know when there is a whole world out there to conquer. I won¡¯t accept something I haven¡¯t earned.¡± ¡°So you already know of Kyrion.¡± ¡°I know his parentage and have been notified of his abilities as a healer. He¡¯s been to the capital a few times with his teacher. The skirmishes are getting worse and having a healer with that much mana has been beneficial to our kingdom.¡± ¡°So you won¡¯t have him executed.¡± ¡°I also heard that Midas conveniently forgot who injured him. It would be a shame to lose a healer so capable because of a misunderstanding. Let¡¯s say he took a hard hit while fighting Beno and call it a day.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Why are you being so lenient?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m not stupid enough to piss off the number 4 by killing a worthy asset that favors my two of my children enough to defend their honor. It¡¯s simple math, Sinbad.¡± ¡°So what now.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make you a king candidate but Midas has proved that he can¡¯t handle leading a team. Therefore you will be the captain of your school¡¯s team.¡± ¡°Can you really make that happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already in motion. The rumors have hurt the credibility of that son. I¡¯d like him to learn some humility.¡± Sinbad bowed. ¡°Anything else? My¡­¡± ¡°Grandfather when we¡¯re alone. Can¡¯t wait to see how much you¡¯ve grown. Now get going can¡¯t let Drisil catch you off guard.¡± ¡°Right grandfather.¡± Sinbad ran out of the room. ¡°I¡¯m not going to attack your grandson. Don¡¯t you have a fight to get to?¡± The king said to a figure standing behind him the entire time, silent and completely still. The figure vanished just as quickly, no sign of their presence left behind. ¡°A fool doesn¡¯t live this long by picking unwinnable fights.¡± The king slumped his many centuries of life showing on his face as he had a moment to himself.
¡°Thus ends the Aria of never-ending blades.¡± A young man with mostly dark blue hair save for a strand that had begun to grow a light green. He was holding two twin shortswords, poised to land a killing blow had it been a fight to the death. ¡°Damian. You¡¯re too strong. No one outside of teachers can compete with you unless you go down to one blade.¡± ¡°It still isn¡¯t enough. I can feel that I lack something, I¡¯m standing near an edge with no bottom trying to get to the other side. This isn¡¯t my best. I¡¯ve seen the power of a true swordsman and have been found wanting.¡± ¡°Damian they say it takes a century to master the sword. What do you expect?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just wish to reach beyond the peak. I won¡¯t let myself feel so helpless again. Until I can beat that man I¡¯ll never be able to move forward.¡± ¡°You must be stupid. You¡¯re already moving forward. A loss to someone who can beat an expert isn¡¯t something to be ashamed of. The fact that you¡¯re still alive proves that you were lucky.¡± ¡°Thats what they say. I need to get some air.¡± Damian returned the training swords he had been using to the rack and left the building. The early winter chill washed over his body. As he looked at the trees that had lost their leaves, a rather endowed woman with straight black hair ran towards him. ¡°The headmistress. Wishes¡­¡± The woman bent down to catch her breath. ¡°You¡¯re a practitioner. No way you¡¯re that exhausted right now. Please speak clearly.¡± Damian had no time for these games. He had vital training to get back to. The woman rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°The Headmistress wants you to meet her near the Iomir Gazebo.¡± Damian groaned. ¡°I¡¯ll head there. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°I need to get the others.¡± ¡°Others?¡± Damian scowled. ¡°Yeah. Bye now.¡± The woman ran off in a rather odd fashion skipping with both hands in the air. She hadn¡¯t always run like that. They had joined the school at around the same time. Nina had been a bit shy like him at the time. ¡°Oh how time changes people.¡± Damian shook his head as he made his way to the desired location. The headmistress was an elderly woman with piercing gray eyes and matching hair. ¡°Ah yes, young one. It seems the time has come for tournament preparations.¡± ¡°Tournament?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll get to fight your old friends on top of a bunch of different people.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Damian began tapping his foot uncontrollably. ¡°I want you to be captain of our team. As your hands down the most experienced in leading and a decent combatant it wasn¡¯t even a choice.¡± ¡°I see. So who¡¯s on my team?¡± Damian asked. ¡°That¡¯s the complicated part.¡± The headmistress handed Damian a file.
¡°This man is Gamodren and he will be training you all for the upcoming tournament.¡± Said a masked figure. Next to him, Gamodren stood visibly weaker. His expression was gaunt as manacles and a collar were strapped to him. A young man with olive skin and black hair approached the sullen man with a calm expression. ¡°Welcome to the party Gamodren. We are happy to have you. First things first however. You¡¯re going to need to teach us how to utterly destroy that Drisil team.¡± Gamodren raised his golden eyes and spoke against his own will. The weaknesses of everyone he had helped train or observed spilled out rather rapidly. After a long period. ¡°Good. So my target has claws. No matter. Edwin should be enough for him.¡± Milo pointed to a young man covered in runic tattoos. Over his right arm was a black gauntlet. Only this man was standing at the practitioner rank¡¯s peak, which meant he was one step away from the expert tier. Nevertheless, he was low enough to participate in the tournament, and it won¡¯t be surprising if he reached the next level during a fight. Still, it was clear that the training left very obvious holes in their foundation. ¡°He won¡¯t beat Kyrion. Not in the current state he¡¯s in. A rushed expert is just a dangerous practitioner. His strength can only get him so far.¡± ¡°He¡¯s expendable. We have our one agenda.¡± Milo turned and walked away. Gamodren shut his mouth. Milo was arrogant. However, he didn¡¯t know if this arrogance had anything to do with being strong or planning something behind his back. ¡°I see.¡± Gamodrren bowed his head. Not to Milo but in shame, If things turned out poorly, he¡¯d have to take his student out before the others got to him.
A shirtless brown-skinned boy with black cornrows. Over his heart was a tattoo of a horned horse. He kneeled in front of an orc with two large tusks, green skin, and a black mohawk. At the orc¡¯s side was a halberd. ¡°Beast Slayer Volain, you have shown much capability. You are selected to join human tribes for honor and blood.¡± ¡°Yes chief. Where do I go?¡± Volain asked. The chief scowled as a wealthy-looking man in robes approached the speakers. ¡°Trusdale¡¯s school of culture. We are always on the lookout for those with talent in the tribes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even an orc.¡± ¡°I can tell. We have recruited a few already. What we need is someone who can lead them. Keep them in check and protect our investments.¡± The wealthy man pulled out a sack and laid it out. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to come for free but someone needs to remind people why this continent is called Goskin.¡± The brown-skinned boy scratched his head. ¡°What does the tribe get out of it.?¡± ¡°Treasure, weapons, armor and supplies. Their lifestyle will be easier with these things.¡± ¡°No need for artificial strength. What we really need is power. Volain, go and grow strong before returning. You are the hope of our tribe. You are a warrior at heart.¡± ¡°Yes chief.¡± Volain bowed as he followed the strange man. The sack was retrieved with no intention of use.
Lin liked to think she was a simple girl with simple priorities. She had spent the morning combing her snow-white hair. Her glistening silver eyes shined with a radiance that had frozen the hearts of many. Both figuratively and literally. Her nails had been painted a light shade of blue, and around her lithe frame was a simple white robe with the symbol of a snowflake. She had been released from secluded training and wanted to look healthy when meeting the elders. Maybe this time, she could leave this cold prison of hers. Lin put the comb down and looked at the small white fox sleeping on a small plush pillow made from the skin of a polar bear she had slain. ¡°Ira, what are you doing still asleep? We need to go.¡± Lin said simply. ¡°Do I have to?¡± The fox yawned as it curled up more. ¡°Yes. You do. Who knows what will happen and I can¡¯t exactly leave my spirit behind now can I?¡± ¡°Right, you are just a useless human without my assistance, after all.¡± The fox said, somewhat condescending. Lin picked up the small fox and opened her door to the outside. The snow around her parted as she passed. Her stroll eventually ended when she arrived at the main temple. ¡°Ok Lin. Today marks the first day of the rest of your life. Don¡¯t blow it.¡± Lin entered the temple. Sitting around a rectangular table was a series of elderly women wearing silver robes while the Matriarch wore black with white trim. The only oddity in the room was a brown-skinned man with a shaved head and long beard. As far as she¡¯d known, men weren¡¯t allowed here. Coming here illegally was grounds for death. ¡°Lin, you are currently the strongest of your generation in terms of raw power. You know it, I know it, and most others know it. The only issue is the fact that you lack outside interaction. I can sense that you¡¯re near breaking through to expert which is why I¡¯m letting this man escort you to Clomois in three months. You will be there to observe the upcoming tournament and hopefully gain all you need to reach the next tier.¡± The Matriarch said plainly. ¡°What am I looking to gain?¡± Lin asked. ¡°You need to be in the good graces of the winner and hopefully they will let you partake in the prize.¡± ¡°How would I befriend them?¡± ¡°Thats up to you. I don¡¯t even care if you seduce them so long as you know not to bring back any incidental baggage.¡± ¡°Oh course not!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Still why is a mere practitioner my escort?¡± The bald man didn¡¯t say anything as he knew that doing so without permission would do more harm than good. ¡°This man here is a dragonslayer. Don¡¯t judge his power on spirit mastery. He is quite dangerous on his own.¡± ¡°What class of dragon slayer?¡± ¡°Sigfried.¡± Lin whistled. That was the second near the top tier when it came to dragonslayers. It requires one to have killed and consumed the potential of at least ten in their lifetime. The descendants of those are monsters in their own right, especially the oldest. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to¡­.¡± ¡°He can no longer sire children. He¡¯s hit his limit.¡± Another trait of dragonslayers was passing on some of their power to their offspring. Doing so limits the number of children that safely come into the world. Each one is weaker than the last until the final one is born with little to no sign of the gift and a frail body. Few live long enough to gain access to mana, and those who do tend to die before amounting to much. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡± ¡°Most of my children survived into adulthood. One vanished while at her school and the other is around your age. I¡¯d rather we not talk about this.¡± Bill shot the Matriarch a raised eyebrow as he didn¡¯t expect the child to be so knowledgeable. ¡°She is the first born of a dragon slayer.¡± Bill raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ah. This isn¡¯t a marriage meeting is it?¡± Lin took a step back. ¡°No. But this could be just as important.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation you probably aren¡¯t his type.¡± Lin felt insulted. ¡°Siegfried, you know our deal.¡± The Matriarch said. Bill nodded. The refugees were under their care. He might as well do his best and keep the young mistress safe. ¡°Yes. My village is in your debt.¡± Bill bowed his head. ¡°So whats your power dragon slayer?¡± ¡°Oh nothing special.¡± Bill summoned his farming tool and twirled it about. ¡°That¡¯s just a hoe.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t judge a power by how it manifests, anything can be a weapon.¡± The tool disappeared. And Bill eyed the fox spirit on Lin¡¯s shoulder with suspicion. The fox casually turned away from Bill. Book Two: Chapter 54 Idiots and Bathouses The first month and a half of training ended on a high note, and the group had been allotted an entire day to relax and bond. Finally, he was done capturing the cores for his spirits, and he was forced to go through various trials that left him questioning himself more and more as he was tasked with killing or capturing simulated criminals. Some were strong, and others were cunning. Few were manipulators, while some seemed to follow orders blindly. During the free day, Some discussed their training, others spared. Kyrion, in particular, was using the day to unwind and meditate. Kyrion was finally enjoying his day off. No fights, no drama, and no people trying to kidnap him. He had been soaking in the open-air bath for over six hours in perfect serenity. While he hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy the face-down reverse starfish method of soaking. As people thought he had died, so he compromised by enjoying the large rock he had molded into a perfect resting stone. In this ideal serenity, Kyrion heard footsteps enter the changing rooms. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that she made me. Ughh! I can¡¯t even speak of it.¡± Brion entered the bath with a sour expression on his face. ¡°You know that when you talk like that it makes it seem like you¡¯re insinuating that something impure happened.¡± Ander said with a straight face. ¡°It did. Who in their right minds would ever¡­ I swear. I have never been so poorly handled. It was barbaric I tell you.¡± Brion shivered despite being in hot water. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever been handled before.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°She made me think I was special and then just tossed me aside when my training time elapsed.¡± ¡°You know. This is one of the weirdest conversations I¡¯ve heard.¡± Kyrion said from behind a rock. ¡°Yeah. Well that¡¯s because someone is too shy to elaborate. Despite the truth being rather tame,¡± Ander poked Brion in the ribs. ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing.¡± Brion flushed. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion did not in fact, see. ¡°Well if your training is going well then relax. We all meet up on Sunday for a team event.¡± An older man carrying a tray full of small cups and multiple bottles. ¡°Greetings young ones. Would any of you care for a drink? These are special spirits that are beneficial to spirit masters. There are drawbacks but you have a healer here who can heal the brain damage, so they are almost negligible. It forces open the floodgates in your mind that keep the quality of your mana in check which does cause physical damage and memory loss but like I said you have a skilled healer so take advantage of the opportunity and drink up.¡± Kyrion pouts. ¡°Lucky you. I¡¯m still too young to drink.¡± ¡°You look at least eighteen. Could just be the height though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fifteen, I¡¯m also the healer you mentioned, impaired brain healing is dangerous work.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m not a healer so that makes little sense to me. But your friends could use the boost. One of the servants is doing the same on the women¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Great, I¡¯ll need to heal more brain damage.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°A healer¡¯s work is never done.¡± Ander said as he grabbed a cup filled with a clear liquid before downing it like medicine. The green-haired young man winced. Brion also took a cup and drank the liquid inside. Again, he didn¡¯t wince, but he did grimace. ¡°It does not taste good.¡± ¡°Tas cause your not goos to it,¡± Ander said. He had gotten drunk a bit too quickly. ¡°What does that mean? Ander? Why are your eyes half open?¡± Brion asked as he looked at the flushed young man. ¡°Just relaxing¡­¡± Ander collapsed into the water and started laughing. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t expect him to be a lightweight. But then again I¡¯m not too surprised. He is quite scrawny.¡± Kyrion muttered. Surprising himself. ¡°I¡¯ll hab you know¡­ What was I gonna say?¡± Ander turned his head towards a wooden bucket and a floor brush. ¡°Brion? Mind holding him down before he starts electrocuting everyone?¡± ¡°He needs his spear to create sparks. So long as he doesn¡¯t have that we should be fine.¡± Brion waved his hand. ¡°Uh huh. Are you feeling funny?¡± ¡°No, not really. I think I will have a light buzz later but I¡¯m fine now.¡± Max walked into the room stinking to high heaven with an owl next to him. ¡°Please wash off before getting in.¡± The booze carrier stated. ¡°Oh right. Yeah I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°When you¡¯re done, hand me my helmet and spear. I gots training to do.¡± Ander said. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Kyrion said sheepishly. ¡°Killjoy.¡± Ander slumped back into his resting position. ¡°Did I miss anything?¡± Max asked. ¡°Ander¡¯s a bit of a lightweight,¡± Brion stated as he pointed a thumb toward the booze tray. ¡°Why are you drinking in the first place?¡± ¡°To be fair, there isn¡¯t any real alcohol in here. It has similar effects but it¡¯s made from concentrated mana before being processed for consumption. It could also be used to awaken someone¡¯s mana, but that ritual is long out of fashion.¡± Max had finished washing off and joined the pool. His skin scared up to a bizarre level. He really needed to learn how to dodge. ¡°You know. I¡¯m never going to ask if you¡¯re a girl again.¡± Kyrion said stoically. ¡°Very funny. Can you get rid of these scars?¡± Max pointed to a gash on his head that didn¡¯t heal properly. ¡°Geeze. You need to learn how to dodge.¡± Kyrion said, trying to hide a smirk. ¡°Very funny.¡± Max shivered as the scabs healed and slid off as perfect skin could now be seen. ¡°You could make a lot of money if you sold that power.¡± ¡°I do sell it. I know my worth and to the right buyer I am very expensive. Healers are hard to find normally. Some will pay alot for vanity. Used to do it for free as practice. Sadly there isn¡¯t a shortage of people asking for my expertise. Especially after training incidents. Calluses built while a fledgling can be healed over and the endurance gained won¡¯t decrease if they already reached practitioner.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The man took a cup and downed all of the liquid inside. The group stayed silent as the next person entered. This was a young blond man with a surprisingly athletic figure and piercing blue eyes. He surveyed the group before washing off and entering the bath. ¡°So. Who are you?¡± Max asked about the new arrival. ¡°Cecil, and you? Wait.. Your Max right?¡± Cecil squinted. ¡°Cecil? No¡­You look too good to be Cecil.¡± Max said as he examined the intruder. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°He¡¯s one of those people who looks much different without glasses. He can¡¯t see well without them so he rarely takes them off.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°Oh gods I¡¯m in a bottle episode.¡± Cecil began spouting nonsense. ¡°A battle? I¡¯ll take one.¡± Ander said. The server cleared his throat. ¡°Legend tells of a battlefield just over this wall. One where even the strongest tend to fall. A place so dangerous that only the brave and idiotic ever attempt to go. The place is right over that stone wall.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the wall that leads to the girl¡¯s side¡­.¡± Kyrion eyed the man with suspicion. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that the girls are fighting while we¡¯re just sitting around?¡± Brion asked as he began to flush and sway. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Ander climbed out of the tub. ¡°You aren¡¯t fighting without me!¡± Brion also climbed out. ¡°Bravery from the two of you deserves aesthetics give me a moment. I¡¯ll go get some towels. Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡± Cecil got out of the water. Kyrion followed suit. ¡°I¡¯ll go help him find the towels. He can¡¯t see well anyhow.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going to warn the girls right?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Most definitely. Drunk idiots they may be but we don¡¯t need to ruin potential team cohesion.¡± ¡°Think they bought it?¡± ¡°Ander seems to be the innocent and gullible type naturally. That trait is boosted in this state.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion waved his hand, and in seconds he and Cecil were covered in robes. ¡°Why do you have a robe my size?¡± ¡°I have an absurd amount of space. So why wouldn¡¯t I use it? ¡°You¡¯re dodging my question.¡± ¡°Maybe your question is wrong.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said¡­¡± ¡°Fine. How do you know my size?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. The headmaster paid for the work to get done and he had me carry most of the excess luggage. I¡¯m still carrying most of it. Suffice it to say the headmaster knows your size.¡± Max had realized that the odd duo was up to something but decided not to call them out. He had finally gotten to relax. His only respite during training seemed to have been when his teacher left him alone; 3 days out of seven, he¡¯d have to survive on his own. Days he had soon learned were light in comparison. ¡°I¡¯m never leaving this spring.¡± Or so he thought. A one-eyed snake popped out of the water in front of him. It had a purple-scaled coloration, and it was quite angry looking. Arthur looked at the creature and decided to land on Max¡¯s shoulder, acting as his protection. The snake opened its mouth and spoke.¡°Your real training begins now. Have a restful sleep.¡± Before Max could react, he had been stunned by a paralytic position. Then, the magic went off, and a purple power hit him in the face knocking him out. Brion and Ander had fallen unconscious as well. Only their falls were quite a bit harder. Bacchus sighed. ¡°It¡¯s time to get to work. What is Lok planning?¡± Bachus shook his head as he returned to his natural form as the headmaster of Drisil. ¡°Looks like Kyrion hasn¡¯t returned yet which means he¡¯s busy. Time to begin phase two of this plan.¡±
Kyrion saw Tiffany and the others dressed in light clothing playing pool in what seemed to be a recreation room. ¡°We¡¯ve been set up.¡± Kyrion said quietly. Cecil scowled. ¡°That appears to be the case.¡± A sign over the woman¡¯s bath read. ¡°Closed for cleaning.¡± The two looked at each other before nodding. ¡°Kyrion. Why didn¡¯t you tell me your son wasn¡¯t potty trained when you dropped him off?¡± Tiffany looked at Kyrion with a glare, her face much redder. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion raised his hands. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Bastion all week. And he isn¡¯t my son.¡± Kyrion partially lied. He¡¯d kept an eye on the boy but hadn¡¯t interfered with his training. ¡°Your a¡­ dead beat. Why do I put up with you!¡± Tiffany raised her hands up in frustration. ¡°She¡¯s drunk.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°Shush. You¡­ Who are you?¡± Tiffany eyed Cecil in confusion. Cecil sighed. ¡°Some have referred to me as a casanova.¡± ¡°Cecil! I¡¯m surprised that you came out so early. Shouldn¡¯t you be corrupting the minds of the other boys.¡± Bella approached. She wasn¡¯t nearly as affected by the stuff in her system due to her natural resilience. ¡°I am not that kind of main character. We actually came to warn you. But it appears something happened.¡± ¡°Right. Kyrion, since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you get rid of this knot in my shoulders.¡± Bella looked Kyrion looked at the pink-haired woman and sighed in resignation. ¡°Remember to lift with your legs Bella. Not your back. You¡¯re starting to get a slouch.¡± Kyrion did not seem bothered by the situation. Kyrion approached Bella and placed a hand on her spine and another on her left shoulder to get a solid grip. He¡¯d have put her on the table, but he didn¡¯t want to interrupt the table tennis match. A series of pops, howls, and healing passed. Afterward, Bella stood straight up, visibly taller and healthier. ¡°Good stuff. How much would this cost me in your clinic?¡± ¡°5 Gold. This is simple and with that much I can afford to bankroll Cecil¡¯s Harem for three months.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t make it sound like you¡¯re selling your services to keep it going.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m doing. Most can¡¯t actually fix bones due to a lack of physical strength and those who can will charge a lot more. But I could get in trouble for charging students that much for something that takes me minimal effort. Pure cosmetics, though. That I can charge as much as I want. I will outright turn down requests for pure appendage alterations. Once you do it, customers don¡¯t stop trying to buy your services.¡± Kyrion looked off into the middle distance with a glassy-eyed expression as though he had given up on humanity. ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re doing something you don¡¯t want to do.¡± Bella stated. ¡°Cecil, Where do you even come up with all these ideas?¡± ¡°I stole almost all of them. Answer Bella¡¯s question.¡± Cecil scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing it, its just. Some request can be ridiculious. While flesh is like clay in my hands there are limits, some request can cause adverse effects to ones well being if unatural. Now anyone else need bone restoration while I feel generous?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be getting back?¡± Cecil asked. Minah looked up and then looked to Hel, who seemed to nod. ¡°I guess I¡¯m next. Don¡¯t do anything weird now.¡± Kyrion eyed his friend¡¯s sister and sighed. ¡°Your ribs are a bit too brittle. Which creates an abnormallity, incomplete bodilly enhancemnt seems to be the cause. Create an issue when fighting anyone who can counter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I fixed that weakness.¡± ¡°The brittle ribs?¡± Kyrion placed a hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes, looking into her bone structure before wincing. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Minah yelled. ¡°Are you trying to kill yourself?¡± Kyrion took a step back in shock. ¡°What?¡± Minah scowled. ¡°Oh this is quite bad indeed. At this rate you¡¯ll be bed bound if you don¡¯t reach expert by 23.¡± Kyrion began walking back and forth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be more comforting in cases like this?¡± ¡°I mean. I would, but this is truly something worth thinking about. You¡¯ve been burning your candles at both ends.¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°Spit it out before I start wringing your neck.¡± Minah wasn¡¯t playing. ¡°Well you see. If word got out that I did this for free I¡¯ll be ruined. I normally charge 2000 gold for this level of damage.¡± Kyrion began pacing. ¡°So I¡¯m not dying.¡± ¡°I mean. You¡¯re making yourself more vulnerable to attacks. Have you been eating well?¡± Kyrion seemed frustrated as he paced. ¡°I¡¯m not following.¡± Kyrion looked around and found a corner as he pulled a patient table out of his domain before walling the area off with curtains. He then returned to the group. ¡°Minah I¡¯ll need you to trust me and lay on your back, on that table.¡± ¡°Where no one can see me? Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Fine. You may take one of the others. Just thought you¡¯d want some privacy.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Hel? Make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything strange.¡± Hel gulped as she looked at the stern-faced Kyrion. Minah followed Kyrion¡¯s instructions, with Hel ready to strike should anything happen. ¡°Remember, this will hurt me more than it hurts you. Although I must ask this. Do you intend to keep dressing Max? It isn¡¯t healthy, as a physician, I need to tell you this.¡± ¡°My secrets are out and it¡¯s not like I can fool my father. But what does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see. Just to be certain, how old are you?¡± ¡°Max and I are twins. What do you think?¡± ¡°...Am I really the youngest in our group?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen. Awakening happens at eleven for most back home.¡± Hel looked at Kyrion with a blank expression. ¡°Bah. This isn¡¯t fair.¡± Kyrion felt exasperated. ¡°How old are you¡­.¡± Minah eyed her captain. ¡°Fifteen¡­ I¡¯ll be sixteen soon.¡± Kyrion lied. He was a spring baby, which meant no birthday until after the tournament began. ¡°You sure don¡¯t look fifteen.¡± Minah scowled. ¡°It¡¯s the height, and muscles. Now then. You¡¯re old enough to make decisions like this yourself.¡± ¡°If it will make me stronger then go ahead.¡± Kyrion began the process of healing his senior. This must have been what Asela had felt in her group. After ten minutes, Kyrion left the curtained-off area and looked for the exit. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Cecil asked. Kyrion didn¡¯t say anything and just started speed-walking toward the exit. Kyrion did not want to be here when the aftermath of what he had just done got around. ¡°What crawled up his robe. Sheesh.¡± Minah walked out of the tent, her robe noticeably tighter than it had been when she went in. Hel followed, her mouth wide open as the words wouldn¡¯t form. ¡°I haven¡¯t breathed this well in years! You were right. He is a decent healer.¡± Minah let out a deep breath. ¡°I can see why he doesn¡¯t heal those injuries lightly,¡± Cecil said casually, summoning a pair of glasses and aiming to put them on. ¡°He did that much?¡± Bella casually reached down and crushed said glasses. ¡°Much of what? He just healed me.¡± Minah stated. Cecil sighed and took a seat facing away from Minah after Bella shot him a look. The other women in the bathhouse seemed to sneer at Minah. Tiffany was among them as she looked down and then up. ¡°It¡¯s so sad.¡± ¡°He made me ugly didn¡¯t he.¡± Minah looked down as well before looking up in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eden asked the only one not affected by the change. ¡°I can¡¯t see my feet. Did he make me fat? I¡¯m not wearing my armor either.¡± Minah seemed confused. ¡°Law of conservation of mass. He technically can¡¯t. He just repaired what was already there.¡± Cecil stated aptly, not turning around, knowing he was preserving his life. Minah felt around her body, her ribs were not sore anymore, and she stood straighter. In fact, she had more tone. But that didn¡¯t explain why she couldn¡¯t see her toes. Until it did. ¡°Are these my?¡± Minah started. ¡°Yup.¡± Bella nodded. ¡°But.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Bella finished. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Healers are mysterious beings.¡± Cecil said with a closed eye smile. ¡°How will I fight?¡± ¡°Make adjustments, but I¡¯ll need to alter your suit.¡± ¡°I see. Do you know where he went?¡± Minah held up a fist. ¡°He ran away to keep from being hounded. You should probably keep this matter private. If word gets out Kyrion won¡¯t be able to show his face anywhere.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°So he knew this was going to happen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why you got a curtain.¡± ¡°I need to go check on the boys. Take it easy.¡± Cecil got up and made an effort not to stare despite being somewhat blind without his glasses.
¡°Bastion¡¯s log. Day 27, condishons poor. I haven¡¯t been given any snacks since I got here. Still don¡¯t know what I did wrong. The girls just started screaming for no reason.¡± Bastion sat in a corner, huddled as he talked to himself while tracing a circle on the ground. ¡°Kyrion, where are you!¡± As though he descended from the heavens, Kyrion arrived quickly and ran right past him. ¡°No! Come¡­¡± Bastion began. Kyrion clamped his hand over Bastion¡¯s mouth from behind. ¡°Shh! You can come, just stay quiet.¡± Kyrion stated. Bastion spoke his muffled agreement. ¡°Next time just nod.¡± Kyrion tossed Bastion over his shoulder and opened the door to leave when he stepped into a field of never-ending darkness. The duo disappeared. The only thing left behind was a note that neither of them had written. Book Two: Chapter 55 Tower of Team building The headmaster appeared in the middle of the remaining members of the group. ¡°The boys on your team have all gone missing. Find them before it¡¯s too late and each of you will receive a reward.¡± ¡°So we don¡¯t have to participate.¡± Bella asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to but the training is necessary.¡± Baccus said. ¡°So they haven¡¯t been kidnapped.¡± Bella squinted. ¡°Well if you don¡¯t help them then you won¡¯t receive any healing during the time they remain captured.¡± Bella crossed her arms. ¡°Really?¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°What do they need to do? I¡¯m a third party here.¡± ¡°Come to the tower. Should be quite easy, no?¡± Cecil looked at the girls, who seemed to have been drinking the supposed training tool. Surprisingly only Tiffany still seemed drunk. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± Cecil said. For the first time, Cecil understood what having the harem he wanted would mean. That innocent dream died on the way to the tower. People had too much personality, and he got the feeling trying to balance that in this world would be more trouble than he wanted. Maybe the real harem was the friends he made along the way. Cecil stopped and turned around to see a heavily irritated group of young women. Tiffany had to be carried and refused to get out of her robes. Minah could no longer fit her armor or prototype suit. Bella had to lead Hel by her wrist as she was a quiet and curious drunk. Opera music began to play from the tower as a black-haired man with a skeletal wing, curved dark horns, and black eyes that held no light in their sclera descended from the top of the tower. ¡°Is this a boss fight?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Hello there children. I¡¯m the King of Slaughter, Psycron. And I¡¯m here to stop you.¡± ¡°Bullshit. Let us through, so that we can save you.¡± Tiffany said as she pointed vaguely in his direction. ¡°Look at that troublesome pendant Curella gave you.¡± Tiffany pulled out the pendant. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I am the evil that lies in his heart. Now let¡¯s fight.¡± Minah raised her hand. ¡°Who is this guy?¡± ¡°I think Kyrion has a type of split personality. You¡¯ve seen him talk to himself at times right?¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°So he¡¯s psycho. Great, our healer is crazy.¡± Bella sighed. ¡°Indubitably, your healer does have a screw or ten loose but don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed something key,¡± Psycho stated. ¡°What?¡± Bella asked. ¡°No way.¡± Cecil squinted as he looked about. ¡°No way what?¡± Bella scowled. ¡°We are in his domain. When did he learn to manifest it like this? This range is terrifying.¡± ¡°We have been called that, yes.¡± ¡°What are the rules?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°I¡¯m limited to incapacitation and non lethal levels of force. Your goal is to get past me and through the set of double doors where Max is being kept. Then you¡¯ll beat another opponent before you can rescue Brion. Ander will be next followed by Kyrion.¡± Cecil clicked his tongue. ¡°Girls go ahead. I¡¯ll hold him off. He¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Psycho asked, not moving to stop the others from passing. ¡°You want a fight and I can¡¯t do so with collateral damage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cocky brat.¡± ¡°You could say that, but so long as you can¡¯t go over expert rank in power I can match you.¡± Cecil took out his curved wand and pointed it forward. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Psycho waited with a wry grin. ¡°Armor of Altaria cover me.¡± Cecil began to glow as a gate opened up. From the gate exited a blue cube. Cecil picked it up and placed it on his chest. It expanded and covered the young man in blue light, hiding him from sight. Before long, it faded, and Cecil stood there, his body covered in blue metal plates, his face covered by a blue and silver helmet. A black visor protected his eyes, and at each hip were curved wands.
The girls entered the tower quickly enough. The place had been covered in all kinds of vines and other plant life. Upon entering the building, most felt they were being observed by eyes they couldn¡¯t find. ¡°This place is strange.¡± Minah stated as she looked for something she could use as a weapon. ¡°It is. Be careful. I don¡¯t understand what this is but I do know that we are inside Kyrion¡¯s domain. Which meant all sorts of monsters could be lurking in the shadows.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Not true. Just us expendables.¡± Said a goblin covered in blades. He was alone and quite bored. ¡°How are you alive?¡± ¡°Karl takes care of monster respawns. Now you need any weapons?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°You aren¡¯t here to fight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to lend aid. Some of you need preparation or gear.¡± ¡°Any leather armor?¡± Tiffany stated. The goblin knocked on the wall. ¡°Anything specific or just the mundane stuff.¡± ¡°A cut resistant enhancement along with a buckler. Socks and combat boots as well.¡± The goblin knocked again, and what she asked for appeared on a red pillow in front of Tiffany. ¡°Convenient. Can I keep this or¡­¡± ¡°It will revert to mana when you leave. Supposedly. Due to dungeon law he can¡¯t give you equipment like this for free.¡± ¡°This place is a dungeon?¡± Hel asked as she wandered ahead. ¡°Lady I just give equipment. That¡¯s management knowledge.¡± The goblin shook his head. ¡°2 Mithril daggers, 4 Adamantine, a pouch of charcoal, a copper chain gauntlet, and a waterskin filled with oil.¡± ¡°A human of fine taste. Sadly we have no access to process of crafting Mithril or Adamantine. Instead, we have blades that can do the same with a noticeably lesser effect.¡± A pillow containing 2 silver daggers, four blue daggers, a leather pouch, and a gauntlet with a metal chain attached to its side. Minah shook her head and looked down again. ¡°Can I get leather armor as well?¡± The goblin nodded, and a second pillow appeared ahead of Minah, containing the armor. ¡°Any other request?¡± The goblin sighed. Bella shook her head as Hel continued forward in a haze. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Minah ran after her friend. The four followed the lighted path through the tower, moving to the next floor. Choosing to avoid turning around and exploring. The second floor resembled a large, flat room with only one way forward. Standing in the middle was a young red-haired man holding a greatsword over his back. ¡°Kyrion! What are you doing out here.? Did you escape?¡± ¡°If you wish to make it past here then you have to best me. However, I don¡¯t favor greatswords so this fight should even out quite nicely.¡± Kyrie sighed. ¡°What? Kyrion this is madness!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t Kyrion. This will make you stronger. Besides if you can¡¯t get past me then how do you plan on getting any further up? I¡¯m not the strongest being here after all.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You may call me Kyrie.¡± Hel and Tiffany started laughing as the implication was made. ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m sure naming conventions for your doppelgangers won¡¯t be much different.¡± Kyrie swung the sword to the side, and the floor shook. ¡°Dangerous.¡± Minah charged forward in an attempt to end the fight quickly. But, unfortunately for her, Kyrie was ready. Minah connected with Kyrie¡¯s chest, and an explosion of mana blasted through the swordsman. The attack did not do any damage as Kyrie countered with a flick powered by an excessive amount of wind mana. Being careful not to make physical contact. Minah flew through the air past her team, using her body to reorient and land with a skid. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Minah said as she stood. ¡°Tha¡¯ts an interesting power. Is this ten times gravity?¡± Kyrie let his cut heal before hefting the blade up and carefully swinging the sword at an increased speed until adjusted. ¡°Lets see¡­ Which one of you is the one using this on me.¡± Kyrie pointed his sword about counting his foes. Minah was at the range, preparing to throw blades While He had been summoning a dome of insects to encase Kyrie. Tiffany was behind him, charging up a light-based attack. ¡°Ah. Above. Re¡­¡± Before Kyrie could finish, a blade of light pierced through Kyrie¡¯s right lung, and the spell he was channeling went wild. Cutting up everyone in the radius amounted to the insects on top of Kyrie himself. But, oddly enough, the insects weren¡¯t killed by the blades passing through them. Instead, mana overload seemed to be the cause of exploding bugs. ¡°Tiffany a bit overboard isn¡¯t that?¡± Minah took a step back as everything cleared. ¡°You used the nonlethal version that incapacitates. Which means your holding back or haven¡¯t mastered it yet.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. But if you want to get Brion back you need to¡­.¡± ¡°Wait just one minute. Where is my brother?¡± Minah asked. ¡°You mean Max right? You should have run across him earlier.¡± Kyrie scowled. ¡°...¡± Hel spoke up. ¡°Bella Minah. Go! We should be able to handle this.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Minah ran off at high speeds.¡± ¡°Your drunk.¡± Bella stated. ¡°I said go!¡± Hel ordered. Bella turned and dashed off, her body shifting to that of a large wolf. ¡± This fight is just beginning. Do you really think the two of you can handle me alone?¡± Kyrie held both ends of the greatsword upward before he ripped them apart, creating a pair of longswords that seemed to shift to better suit his grip. ¡°Two swords. Why does that look familiar.¡± Tiffany scowled. Hel held out her hands, and hoards of bugs flew from her sleeves, rapidly flying toward Kyrie in an attempt to overwhelm her. Kyrie summoned another cutting vortex that spun outwards using his swords as an extension of his body. The bugs swirled around before getting shredded as a rapier was thrust at his neck. Kyrie countered with a kick that would have knocked her back had he landed a direct hit. But, unfortunately, Kyrie¡¯s foot passed right through her as she evaded the strike. Before he could react, a blade sunk into Kyrie¡¯s spine. An attack that could cripple most would have been seen as an excessive force in any other situation. As Kyrie stood there motionless, the hoard of bugs engulfed him and began attacking. A burst of wind sent everything around Kyrie flying, which allowed him to heal a significant wound. ¡°Really thought I had you there.¡± Tiffany prepared to strike again. While Hel began summoning more bugs. ¡°Close but not there yet. You needed to go a bit deeper.¡± Kyrie said in a humble tone. Waves of water mana flowed out of Kyrie and slammed into his opponents, sending them flying into the walls. As this happened, manacles of earth shot out and restrained them. ¡°Pretty good. But¡­¡± Kyrie twisted to the side, the water following his movements and forming a torrent of water to act as a shield. Tiffany looked aghast as she shot a beam of light into the water, only for it to dissipate.
Ander was in deep meditation in utter darkness. His senses were taken from him somehow. No smell, hearing, or touch. There was nothing there for a long time, as though he was empty. Very rarely did he have anything else on his mind. ¡°This was my future. Solitude is a single minded desire to reach the top. I don¡¯t have to be alone, I have friends. We will get there together.¡± ¡°Nice words human. But can you live up to the power you hold? Will your greed, your desire hinder you? Will you hoard your secrets until you become obscure? Will you become a footnote in history? Don¡¯t you want more? Crave more. Desire to be more.¡± ¡°I want to become a teacher .¡± Ander stated. ¡°You act so humble. But I can see into your heart boy. You won¡¯t be able to leave until you realize the truth of yourself.¡± Ander tried to leave his meditation and found that he was indeed trapped. ¡°Help!¡± Ander called to no avail. ¡°No one can hear you here. It¡¯s just the two of us.¡± ¡°Had to try, I guess. Who are you anyway?¡± ¡°You know who I am. I¡¯ve lent you my power long enough for you to realize that.¡± ¡°Your my spirit. But.¡± ¡°Say my name, boy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°You do boy.¡± ¡°Sky Lion.¡± ¡°Why do you even think I¡¯m a Lion¡­.¡± ¡°There is a cat on the side of my spear. And the mightiest cat in the world is the lion.¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯re a bit small-minded, aren''t you?¡± The spirit sighed. Ander blinked slowly. "Do you want to fight?" "You''re in no condition to face me." "Fine. Then give me the power to beat you." The spirit didn¡¯t reply as they watched Adner with a gaze. ¡°So I need to figure this out myself then. This is annoying.¡± Ander began to think.
¡°What do you hope to accomplish?¡± Kyrion asked the headmaster from the top of the tower. ¡°Always straight to the point. You have a strong team and power for spades, yet you seem to be hiding things from me.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°That clone trick you¡¯re doing right now. It¡¯s as though they have free will.¡± ¡°They do. You know I¡¯m broken up here.¡± Kyrion pointed at his head. ¡°The new guy has strong emotions that differ from my own. I don¡¯t quite know what makes him tick. Sometimes he¡¯s too soft, other times he¡¯s too aggressive.¡± ¡°You act as though he isn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I was gifted with what seems to be a shard of my own soul, something I¡¯m aware you know quite a bit about given that you¡¯ve had to have experienced something similar. On top of that, I just obtained a core so I¡¯m halfway to the next tier of practitioner.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to use something like that yet.¡± ¡°Well I did. I¡¯m not trying to hide my abilities, but by my nature, I¡¯m versatile. So most of my trump cards are kept quiet. As they only work once. Now, will you tell me why you¡¯re having them fight the beings inside me?¡± ¡°How dangerous are they?¡± ¡°Kyrie is strong but our abilities are a bit different, he also hesitates a bit too much for someone who has killed before. As though trying to overcompensate for past actions.¡± ¡°And the other one? The one most of us knew about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried he may slip up and try to kill Cecil.¡± ¡°You said try.¡± The headmaster crossed his arms. ¡°And I meant it. Psycho is strong, but he¡¯s also in a weakened state.¡± ¡°Weakened?¡± ¡°I played a dirty trick when I made his vessel. He shouldn¡¯t be able to go all out. You¡¯ll see very shortly.¡± The headmaster did not like when his students acted like this, but he recognized that it was his own fault. ¡°I guess I will.¡± ¡°Yeah... Do you have any snacks?¡± Kyrion rubbed his stomach. ¡°Cookies, but... They¡¯re for the others.¡± ¡°Not fair¡± Bastion crossed his arms. ¡°If I give him one cookie then he¡¯d want them all.¡± ¡°True. Now, look. Things are starting to get interesting.¡± Book Two: Chapter 56 Engage Cecil eyed his opponent through his visor. Then, hovering thirty feet above the ground in front of a black-haired young man flapped his skeletal wing to stay aloft. ¡°So he can fly.¡± Cecil said. ¡°Yes and no. Just takes power and experience. I just happen to have both.¡± ¡°I see. So he¡¯s moments away from figuring out how to fly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Fine then. Let¡¯s get this dance started.¡± Cecil fired a metal ball from a wand that appeared to come from his suit¡¯s right shoulder. Psycho countered by sending out a blade of wind to dismantle the attack. Upon doing so, the ball burst into five discs that fell to the ground uselessly. Oddly enough, in a pentagram formation. Psycho then flew forward, attempting to get the boy out of his comfort zone, which was clearly melee combat. Cecil didn¡¯t seem to be the close combatant type after all. A punch to Cecil¡¯s face missed as the boy twisted to the side and used the momentum to send a kick into Psycho¡¯s ribcage and sending him crashing into the tower. Leaving behind a crater. ¡°Beginner¡¯s luck.¡± Psycho climbed out of the debris and recklessly charged back into the fray. A blade of wind mana extended from his left hand, as a spear of ice extended from his right. Cecil fired a blue electrical blast out of his left hand and watched as Psycho dodged it easily. Upon reaching Cecil, Psycho released a barrage of attacks aiming to mess with his opponent¡¯s rhythm and create an opening. A kick to Cecil¡¯s head should have ended the fight, but it missed as the armored boy countered with a two-handed palm strike that let out a loud crackling sound as it passed. The strike only grazed Psycho, and the shock meant to end the fight only slightly slowed his reaction speed. Psycho screeched as the maneuver caught him off guard. Grabbing hold of Cecil¡¯s shoulders, he slammed his forehead into his opponent¡¯s nose to no avail. Cecil was hit, but Psycho hadn¡¯t put enough power behind that attack to end the battle. Cecil staggered a bit from the force but quickly regained his composure. ¡°How did you counter that? Someone like you shouldn¡¯t know how to counter that maneuver.¡± Psycho threw a jab at Cecil¡¯s solar plexus. ¡°Someone who can¡¯t fight or someone not trained in your specific style of fighting.¡± Cecil redirected the jab by pushing it to the side and moved into the wide swing that would have hit him if he ducked or moved backward as wind mana extended the strike¡¯s reach. ¡°Both,¡± Psycho said, evading a flying knee aimed at his jaw. Before spinning to the side to avoid the sharp kick that followed. ¡°You underestimate me. I was a master of Tae Bo at the age of 7. And learned a bit of Capoeira from uncle Sam.¡± Cecil rotated his metallic ankle before bringing it down. ¡°That makes no sense. What is this Tae Bo? And Isn¡¯t Sam your cat?¡± Psycho floated backward in an attempt to assess his opponent¡¯s technique. ¡°Then I was taught how to use that style from your sister Dwen¡­she was a brutal instructor.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess she would know this style. Why haven¡¯t you talked to Kyrion about it, since it¡¯s a family technique and he isn¡¯t privy?¡± ¡°Quite simply, for the same reason, you haven¡¯t tried to teach it to him.¡± Cecil stated as he fired a small ball of red energy that was easily dodged. ¡°He doesn¡¯t need it. That style is built around killing. But, as he is now, killing would be inconvenient.¡± Psycho turned his head and rolled mid-air as the ball tracked him, firing small bolts of mana from behind. ¡°I see.¡± Cecil engaged at high speed, aiming to hit him head-on with a punch. Psycho knocked the blow to the side and aimed for a blow to the throat. Not having committed to the punch, Cecil used the momentum from the parry to spin as he fell right under the counter and brought a jet-powered kick to Psycho¡¯s head. Psycho fell hard to the ground, in between the pentagram. Gripping his head as black ichor flowed from the room. ¡°You have a lot of tricks. But I won¡¯t lose. Not here and not now.¡± Psycho stated as he got to his feet. The liquid was pooling under him. Cecil seemed to relax as his subsequent actions became unreadable. ¡°Go on. Show me what you can do.¡± ¡°All life has a beginning and an end, my body is but¡­.¡± Psycho started chanting, and the area became a bit darker. Clouds began to gather to blot out the moons. ¡°Yeah, not letting you finish that. Activate! 5 Point Prison!¡± Cecil chanted quickly, his hand pointed away from his body. A barrier covered Psycho from five points in the ground. Trapping him in a place that seemed to quickly drain his mana. In moments the sky returned to its natural state. ¡°You. You are dangerous. A barrier powered by its occupant. I can¡¯t get out easily and using my mana will only make it stronger. I have said it once and I¡¯ll probably say it a few more times. You¡¯re dangerous.¡± Psycho seemed to relax. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you how it works. Don¡¯t see a reason in doing so. You have been neutralized.¡± ¡°Do you really think that?¡± Psycho smirked as a crack formed on the barrier. The damage faded in seconds as it repaired itself using its occupants¡¯ energy. Cecil floated up thirty more feet just in case. ¡°You aren¡¯t certain, a good sign. You know that there¡¯s an inherent weakness.¡± Psycho exhaled, and the barrier grew stronger and stronger. Mana flooded in faster than a practitioner should have been capable of doing while on a scale that would make experts shudder. Enforcing them until one of the devices seemed to crack. ¡°No¡­¡± Cecil fired another orb that shattered, shooting another 5-star prison around the first in an attempt to stop what would happen. Sadly he wasn¡¯t fast enough. Mana flooded the area in a highly dense cloud, and the magic began to run rampant in the small space as it flowed everywhere. Finally, the barrier cracked, and mana escaped the whole area erupting in a series of different colors as the escaped mana began to look for a place to go. A storm of wild mana flooded the area, causing trees to grow, water to either freeze or boil, earth to rise, and rain to fall. The colors of everything in the storm¡¯s area of influence began to shift, red to blue, blue to yellow, and yellow to red. As quickly as everything had changed, it all vanished when a threshold was reached. All changes were erased, and the storm had faded. The trees had still grown, and the nearby landscape had been altered slightly, but nothing had been permanent. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When everything cleared, Psycho fell onto his stomach, unable to move as his arms and legs seemed to stop working. His head, however, looked up in irritation. It was then Cecil noticed a blade of wind cut into his armor. A thin layer of blood trickled from his abdomen, and he fell to the ground. In moments the magic in his armor repaired the damage to his body before resealing itself. But the damage still happened, all that defense, and it was still broken through. Two truths dawned on him. First, this was only a portion of what Kyrion could produce when he wasn¡¯t holding himself back. The second truth was that he probably would have ended up dead in a serious fight. Cecil, despite his nature, wasn¡¯t scared when he flew off toward his lab. The next time he had to fight a monster like that, he¡¯d be prepared. Although to get the most out of this situation, Cecil would need another mind with a vision of the future. And that meant it was time to wake up his hostage. Psycho lay in the battlefield''s remains, both arms starting to disintegrate due to over-channeling the mana in his vessel. All his artificial organs had stopped functioning as they hadn¡¯t been created to handle that much. Hence, a handicap was placed on this vessel to keep him from going AWOL. Kyrion wouldn¡¯t willingly put his friends in danger. Not without a proper safety net. Not with someone as dangerous as him. And for a good reason. That storm had used all the mana in his body. 3 mid-expert-sized pools of mana. He, however, wasn¡¯t going to let Cecil know how much was used. It would be nice to have an ally capable of restraining his absent-minded counterpart. Or maybe brother, if his hunch was correct, he couldn¡¯t stay here much longer.
¡°I¡¯m so cold.¡± Max thought as he lay chained up on the floor, his body still damp from his dip. He had only a towel to cover his modesty, and even then, he couldn¡¯t move. The area he was in was dark, and he knew it was dark, but strangely enough, he could see just fine. He saw Minah and the others run past him through the well-lit area. He¡¯d have talked if not for the cloth gag preventing him from doing so. ¡°Sssso little Maxi, what will you do now that your friendsss have left you here. Will you try to essscape or will you wait for thisss all to end and sssomeone can find you?¡± Max squirmed, which earned him a peck on his hands from Arthur, who seemed confused. Max then began to try and command the owl to take off the gag. Unfortunately, this took a while, as indirect communication was flawed. The owl somehow picked the lock on his cuffs, allowing him to take the gag off himself. ¡°That works. Good job Arthur.¡± The owl preened. ¡°Looksss like we get to go two phassse two.¡± Something bit Max on his ankle as he got to his feet before slithering away into a crack. ¡°What was that about?¡± Arthur said with a refined accent. ¡°Huh?¡± Max squinted as he steadied himself. ¡°I swear. It¡¯s like you¡¯re not even listening to me.¡± Arthur shook its feathery wings in irritation. ¡°Something bit me?¡± Max took a step forward and tripped as his leg wasn¡¯t quite right. ¡°Master Max. What are you doing? We need to go. It isn¡¯t safe here.¡± The owl started dragging him down the dark hall. ¡°When did you start talking?¡± Max stared at the owl with a tired expression. The owl rotated its head 180 degrees. ¡°I could always talk. You just don¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°This is madness.¡± Max felt his ankle and winced. ¡°What¡¯s mad is the fact that you aren¡¯t trying too hard to escape.¡±
¡°In hindsight we should have come here to begin with.¡± Minah sighed. ¡°Yeah. But I never was the type to do side quests. Just run straight to the end in these situations.¡± Bella said. ¡°Still it¡¯s quite dark here.¡± A chilly breeze passed behind the two girls as words whispered directly into their ears. ¡°The walls have eyes.¡± ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Minah asked. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Bella agreed. ¡°Ghost?¡± ¡°Doubt it.¡± ¡°Why would you doubt that?¡± ¡°Ghosts are apathetic beings. While some enjoy pranking the living out of spite. Most could care less. No, this is someone trying to get us to turn around.¡± ¡°The birds see all.¡± A second whisper passed into the girl¡¯s ears. ¡°Only good birds are fried.¡± Bell stated. A trumpeting sound came from down the hall. ¡°Hoot!¡± An owl could be heard deeper down the hall. ¡°Max! I¡¯m coming!¡± Minah ran down at top speed. Bella followed on all fours. The duo eventually stepped into a puddle of water that seemed much deeper than it should have been. A giant vine monster made of plants and eyes shot out and slowly thrust a large tendril forward. Minah used her tools to quickly turn the monster into burnt debris; the hall was also now somewhat lit. ¡°That was a sentry, there could be more.¡± Minah gripped her daggers hard. ¡°I thought the goblin said that there were no hostile monsters here.¡± Minah took a second look at the now-dead vine monster. It held a basket full of torches in one tendril and flints in another. A few vials of potions had also been shattered. ¡°It should not have snuck up on us.¡± Minah stated. ¡°It was right infront of us. But yeah. You¡¯re a bit jumpy.¡± Bella observed. ¡°I am not jumpy.¡± Minah lied. ¡°Would you rather be called, stab happy?¡± ¡°Guess I am jumpy. This place just has me on edge.¡± ¡°Good grief.¡± Bella shifted into her hybrid form to carry the torches, and the two walked down the hall. The duo eventually found Max walking with an owl. ¡°Max! ¡°Minah yelled as she started running forward. But, unfortunately, her feet were blurring as she accelerated. ¡°Minah?¡± That was all Max managed to get out before a large crack filled the hall. Minah fell back, dazed as a thick ice wall cracked in response to getting rammed. A large white humanoid bird with pristine feathers, a blue navy cap, and a cigar in his beak appeared. ¡°Ahoy! Maggots! You won¡¯t get past me easily!¡± The bird yelled. Behind the bird, a woman made of water appeared. A stoic expression covered her face as she eyed her opponent. ¡°Why are there only 2?¡± Bella scowled. ¡°You smell familiar¡­.¡± ¡°I am Sergeant Pompi Swanson, and I don¡¯t know any of you.¡± ¡°You smell more like duck.¡± Bella said before sniffing the air and drooling. ¡°I am no duck! This means war Maggots!¡± Pompi adjusted his hat and stood at attention. ¡°Birds shouldn¡¯t look human like it¡¯s unnatural.¡± Bella snarled in her werewolf form. ¡°Hello pot I¡¯m kettle.¡± Pompi said balls of water formed behind him. ¡°Werewolves are completely natural. Have you heard of a wereswan?¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, I¡¯m still learning the shift, it isn¡¯t easy for all of us¡± Pompi began to move. Minah continued to swear while holding her nose on the ground. ¡°A little help here?¡± Bella asked her ally. ¡°She¡¯s out of the fight.¡± Pompi hurled a ball of water at Bella. ¡°That was cheap.¡± Bella casually knocked it to the side. ¡°Cheap would be filling the ice with spears of ice that would have been sharp enough to take out both legs.¡± ¡°So you used a wall instead.¡± Bella stated the obvious. ¡°Broken legs or no legs?¡± The water spirit said stoically. ¡°Can¡¯t you just let me go? I¡¯m on vacation.¡± Max asked nicely. The water spirit sighed. ¡°You have to beat me while they have to beat the bird.¡± ¡°Fine. Suit yourself. Arthur, lend me your strength.¡± Max held his hand out, and the owl vanished. Max soon found himself surrounded by a cloak and cowl of feathers. A dagger made from sharpened feathers appeared in his right hand. His eyes examined his target with predatory intent. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Minah looked up in confusion, her nose still bleeding.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trait of my power. I can take on aspects of the creatures I¡¯ve bonded with so long as they trust me fully. It seems I¡¯m not really a tamer.¡± Max walked around his opponent with the feathery weapon in his hand. The water spirit summoned a wave to knock the young man into a wall. Max jumped over the wave with an ease he didn¡¯t have prior. Then, while in the air, he threw the dagger. As it flew, it multiplied into a swarm of falling blades. The spirit took the buffet and countered by sending a tendril to wrap around Max¡¯s ankle. Max braced as he slammed into the wall, and a large crack filled the hall. ¡°Go forth and conquer.¡± Max said from behind his opponent. The creature turned and found itself hit with another buffet of feathers. As the water spirit attempted to flee, the feathers attacked as though they had a mind of their own. The spirit encased herself in a water ball that stopped the feathers in their tracks. But, unfortunately, the water soon froze, and Max found his feathers useless against his frozen adversary. So Max tossed a feather over the ice wall and attacked the frozen ball. The spirit held on. Bella was having trouble with that pompous bird. Whenever she began to raise gravity, it would dance out of the area while throwing darts of pressurized water to break her concentration. The attacks didn¡¯t hurt, but they were just enough to be annoying, as though the creature was playing with her. ¡°You¡¯re playing with me.¡± Bella stated her thoughts. ¡°If you believe that I¡¯m not taking you seriously then you¡¯ll lose and not understand why.¡± Pompi threw another dart of water at the werewolf. Bella moved to dodge, only for her body to start cramping, and the blast landed right between the werewolf¡¯s eyes. Bella fell over her body, not listening to her commands. ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°Now. You¡¯re completely under my control. I¡¯ve altered the signals in your nervous system. They now move as an extension of my own. You will raise your left hand and wave as an example.¡± Pompi stated. Bella¡¯s eyes widened as her arm moved against her will. ¡°Your power is strong and versatile. So why are you so obvious with it? You should have a ranged alternative way to use it.¡± Bella howled as she tried to get up to no avail. She willed her body to thrash about, but nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, she had an idea. Shifting down to her human appearance, the pink-haired girl began to set the gravity around her body to move outwards. Changing the direction, it flowed until the water on her was pushed off. Pompi threw another dart of water, watched as it slowed, and then got sent right back at him. The bird hopped to the side only for an elbow to catch him where his head met his neck, and the bird went down. Moments later, Max appeared on the other side of the wall running for all he was worth. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He yelled as he continued down the hall, his feathers following slowly. Minah soon followed out, pacing her brother. But not as quickly as she used to be able to. Bella entirely transformed into a wolf and began dashing away.
¡°Big cat, bad attitude, and has an affinity with wind and lightning.¡± Ander used his underdeveloped thinking muscles. ¡°Watch it human.¡± ¡°Unless you want to help me along, don¡¯t interrupt, I¡¯m thinking.¡± ¡°Fine. I think I¡¯ll just go for a bit of a stroll.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ander¡¯s body woke up and began the process of stretching. The spear in its arms held in front of him. The spear in Ander¡¯s hands shattered and entered the young man¡¯s core. Black lines began to cover his body in a pattern. After they appeared, they congealed and then faded into a single black mole that appeared near his mouth. ¡°Doubt anyone will notice the difference.¡± Ander¡¯s body slowly made its way down the hall toward the top of the tower. Book Two: Chapter 57 Sword of Stone Tiffany got back to her feet and jumped to the side as a wave of wind passed through her hand, severing the nerves. And causing her sword to fall from her left hand. With a twist, she retrieved the blade with her right and began to launch darts of light at her opponent from range. Kyrie counted the darts with his swords, only for a bright red centipede to fall from above. The creature landed.on his shoulder and clipped the red-haired boy on his neck. He stumbled as one of his swords clattered to the ground. ¡°Partial paralysis? How annoying.¡± Kyrie took a step forward. Then after adjusting his movements, he pushed his left foot into the ground. Easily breaking the concrete tiled floor as he charged towards Hel. Hel stood there surprised as her opponent seemed unbothered. Then, reflexively she summoned her giant horned Beetle to block the charge. The bug, however, wasn¡¯t much of a roadblock was hit head-on by the change and flung through the wall, a green ichor painting the room. ¡°That had to be lethal force. You cheated.¡± ¡°Nah. At most you¡¯d have several broken bones. Had I even hit you to begin with.¡± Kyrie grabbed his blade and cut off the bump that had formed on his paralyzed arm. Watching as the wound closed and fully regenerated in seconds. The young man swung his arm a few times, getting used to its power again. ¡°You can¡¯t just cut out that much venom.¡± ¡°I can and I have. Quite a convenient power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fighting those with regeneration. If you don¡¯t end the fight quickly then it drags on.¡± Tiffany said from behind Kyrie. Kyrie swung his arm back in an attempt to knock his stealthy opponent down. Tiffany hadn¡¯t actually been there. Instead, the hand slammed into a bubble of light and exploded, returning the force Kyrie had used on him doubled. The blast did minor damage, but it did stagger the young man. ¡°That. Is new. Nothing in his memory spoke of this aspect of your power. Tricky tricky. I may have lost my arm had I not been holding back.¡± A green scorpion crawled on the ceiling above, waiting for a chance to attack. Tiffany noticed it and used her affinity to make it disappear. Hel summoned her scythe and ran to engage Kyrie on one side while Tiffany attacked the other. However, with only one blade, he was at a disadvantage facing two skilled opponents. So instead of going at them with one sword, he summoned the second to his hands and began defending from both sides as he looked for openings. Both opponents were good and had experience facing strong opponents. They just didn¡¯t have enough experience with teamwork. Hel moved to take off Kyrie¡¯s head with her scythe. Tiffany thrust forward, aiming to skewer him. The duel-wielding goliath vanished from his position and reappeared 30 feet away. Tiffany stabbed Hel¡¯s shoulder as the pole of the scythe hit her head. A string of swears came from Tiffany¡¯s mouth as she looked about in a daze. ¡°How?¡± Hel grasped her shoulder and sighed in relief as the blade hadn¡¯t drawn blood. ¡°How what?¡± Kyrie asked casually. ¡°How did you dodge that?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°He can teleport.¡± Hel cursed herself for forgetting. ¡°No. He can¡¯t, he can mimic teleportation, but it¡¯s really just quick movement.¡± Tiffany said as she moved towards her opponent. ¡°Right and wrong, i¡¯m not teleporting. Although it could be seen as such.¡± Kyrie said while lazily holding his sword in the fool¡¯s stance. ¡°So, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Suffice it to say, so long as I have mana, I can¡¯t lose. This sword grants me a few abilities as well. However, I am essentially a god with some limitations.¡± Kyrie snapped his fingers as a scorpion fell unmoving to the floor in front of him. ¡°You should still have a weakness.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t. You should surrender now before one of you gets hurt.¡± Kyrie said, relaxed. ¡°This fight can¡¯t go on much longer can it. You¡¯re near a limit!¡± Tiffany found the truth and hung on for dear life. ¡°Preposterous.¡± Kyrie said, looking away, his sword hands retreating closer and his stance tightening. Tiffany closed the distance and opened up with a flurry of thrust aimed at his face, followed by a sweep to his legs with a low kick as she spun. Kyrie deflected the thrusts and jumped, only to be impaled by a thin stream of light. A hole through Kyrie¡¯s body could clearly be seen, and it didn¡¯t regenerate. Kyrie looked at his stomach and then up at Tiffany. ¡°Yeah. You figured it out. Kyrion didn¡¯t give us much mana. Not for a handicap, but because this is an exercise. Still, my pride won¡¯t let me give up without at least going all out.¡± ¡°All out?¡± Hel took a step back. ¡°Ah. You wouldn¡¯t know. Kyrion tends to fight with weights on so that he¡¯s alway conscious of how much power he¡¯s using. Didn¡¯t think he¡¯d put those limitations on a clone.¡± ¡°How heavy are the weights?¡± ¡°In the tons range I bet, if not more now.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Has he been holding back?¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s more pragmatism. Brute strength doesn¡¯t bridge the gap between a practitioner and expert. That chasm is the difference between a puddle and an ocean. Not because of mana size or brute strength.¡± Hel took a step back. ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t kill us. So at best we just need to not get hit.¡± Hel watched, and three more cuffs were removed and fell to the ground, the combined impacts causing the floor to break. ¡°Go forth and sting!¡± From Hel¡¯s sleeves came a swarm of red bees. The creatures were so numerous that there were no gaps to see through in their formation. Kyrie watched as the bees formed a giant hammer-like appendage and slammed the floor in his direction, giving out as the force gave the weight all the push it needed. The battlefield was filled with bees and debris, and the whole area was obscured for a long moment. ¡°Ahhh!¡± A short yell filled the room as someone hit the ground. ¡°No.¡± Tiffany stepped back and bumped into a large imposing figure shrouded by dust. She immediately stabbed the figure¡¯s torso and met a surprising amount of resistance. The dust settled, and a robed Brion was in the room, keeled over and hurling. The yelling figure turned out to be Ander. Only his skin was covered in black lines. Kyrie was now weaponless and stood across the room, his arms crossed. ¡°Your timing is inconvenient. The fight was just getting good.¡± Brion pointed to himself in confusion. ¡°Bah. It¡¯s fine. I can handle you four. Easily enough.¡± Flower petals conjured by mana appeared to take the shape of a sword as Kyrie then took the ochs stance, his blade pointed next to with head pointed at Tiffany.
Kyrion watched as Ander walked into the room, a predatory gaze in his eyes. He looked over Bastion before lingering on the headmaster for a moment and then locking onto Kyrion. ¡°Hey Ander. Is that a new mole?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side curiously. ¡°Maybe I always had it and you¡¯re just now noticing.¡± ¡°And the spiky hair?¡± ¡°It looks cooler.¡± ¡°What about the point in your ears?¡± ¡°The better to hear you with.¡± Ander seemed irritated as he flexed his hands, lightning sparking between his claw tips. ¡°And the claws?¡± ¡°The better to kill you with.¡± Ander seemed ready to pounce. ¡°I doubt that is the full truth. Are you his spirit?¡± Kyrion took off his eyepatch and handed it to Bastion. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too observant young man.¡± ¡°I doubt that. You just don¡¯t feel like Ander. Are you here to fight me?¡± ¡°Right again.¡± Ander said before vanishing from his spot. ¡°Sadly you¡¯re mistaken. I can¡¯t fight you tonight. I¡¯m currently busy keeping everything here running smoothly.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave me hanging,¡± Ander said, standing behind Bastion. A hand resting over the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We can spar some other time. Go fight the others before coming to me. I can¡¯t move yet.¡± Kyrion said with a deadpan expression. ¡°What then?¡± Ander unwittingly brought the claws closer to Bastion. A woman with black and white hair appeared behind Ander and wrapped her arms around him before falling through the ground like a ghost. Ander seemed too surprised to react and flailed about uselessly. ¡°Huh. Guess he¡¯s going to time out. Right, dad?¡± Bastion said, nonplussed, Kyrion looked around for a moment before settling on Bastion. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh. Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Bastion seemed to look off with a sad expression. ¡°Looks like you need some rest. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± ¡°Still not over yet. They still have to get here.¡± Headmaster Caeden stated. ¡°Uggg¡­ Do I really have to do that? They¡¯re coming along well in their training.¡± ¡°Your teammates have been pushing it, but they don¡¯t actually know how far they really should be.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­So we sent Ander down for no reason?¡± Kyrion closed his visible eye and sighed. ¡°You should be sufficiently weakened enough to justify a loss anyway. So there¡¯s that. It¡¯s not like gaining a false victory could make the others cocky and get them killed. And no, Ander needed to be distracted every minute counts. Now head on up and assume the position.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. Before rising to his feet and heading to a staircase behind him. ¡°It would also do, to show them the true power of a ruler.¡± Caeden said as Kyrion left the room. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Bastion asked while rubbing his eyes. ¡°Oh right. Do you know why someone like Kyrion holds back?¡± ¡°Hold¡¯s back?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°Well¡­ doesn¡¯t immediately end his opponents.¡± ¡°I dunno.¡± Bastion shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s because they were trained to do so. Kept humble by losses and told that it¡¯s best to keep their full power hidden as to keep an ace in their sleeve.¡± ¡°What¡¯s an ace?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°...Do you? Nevermind. They like to keep a trick up their sleeves.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡¯s trick is total area domination. When the world itself is actively fighting against your every action. Easy to counter early on. Tricky to catch if you don¡¯t know what to look for.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he use that against the people in the arena?¡± ¡°Yes and no. What he did was manipulate the battlefield to the point where his opponents were taken out through rather niche tactics. Had he been serious his shoe wouldn¡¯t have missed and his friend would have been buried 30 feet in the earth.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t be that strong.¡± Bastion said, catching onto the hyperbole. ¡°...¡± Caeden had a stone face. ¡°He hasn¡¯t brought anyone underground as far as I know.¡± ¡°He did. When he escaped his jail cell. Took another prisoner more than a few hundred feet underground in moments. Other earth based spirit masters do similar things to their opponents for quick wins.¡± ¡°But that Noah guy was huge.¡± ¡°He¡¯s still smaller than Brion though.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± The headmaster smiled and turned his head. Little did the headmaster know that things had gone from good to chaotic.
Ander didn¡¯t recall how he got where he was. All he knew was that his head was on fire, and his body was full of energy. His spear had vanished, and in its place seemed to be sharp claw-like nails at the end of his fingers. Getting to his feet, he noticed Kyrion holding a strange blade and a sword stance. Kyrion, as far as Ander knew, didn¡¯t practice swordplay. The arrogant look also didn¡¯t belong to him. Turning around, he noticed an exhausted Tiffany holding onto her sword for all she was worth. Footsteps coming up the stairs could be heard, and soon, Minah, Bella, and Max had made it back. The trio was not as injured but still somewhat worn from the battles. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Ander asked. ¡°The easy fights. Looks like the final boss is up a head. You should probably heal up if you can. Otherwise you won¡¯t do too well.¡± Not Kyrion said. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell me he has another person in his head.¡± Hel said from a floor below her body battered but not broken from the fall. ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s quite crowded in his core. You¡¯ll understand one day. I hope.¡± Kyrie sighed. Minah threw two daggers at Kyrie to end the fight early. Kyrie deflected the two daggers and moved towards Minah¡¯s direction, sword at his side. Minah dodged the broad swipe of the sword by moving out of its reach. At least she tried to do so. With a burst of wind mana, Minah was slammed into a wall. Brion charged in and began to exchange blows with Kyrie in a daze. Having not fully awoken. His large greatswords getting parried and knocked aside by someone slightly smaller than him. Tiffany joined the fray, and Kyrie faced three blades as his attention seemed to fill. ¡°Push and Sever.¡± Kyrie tossed his sword into the air and got low to the ground, both of his arms spread out. Blades of wind shot out of his elbows and began to sharpen. Tiffany instinctually jumped back, knowing that when Kyrion used incantations like that, it was more of a warning than a necessity. Brion, however, wasn¡¯t quick enough to get out of the path of the vortex. Getting cut all over as he was forced into the wall next to Minah. Max rushed forward with a blade made of feathers and sent many along to seek and destroy the vicious swordsman. Bella called forth a concentrated field of gravity under Kyrie¡¯s left foot, causing it to fall through the roof, stopping the spin, and allowing Max to stab through the clone¡¯s chest while Tiffany launched a dart into its torso. ¡°Huh. Guess you win.¡± Kyrie burst into a burst of flowers, and the mana left the area as the field surrounding the tower vanished. ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± Tiffany turned to Ander. ¡°I get the feeling that I¡¯m forgetting something.¡± Ander looked to the staircase going upward. ¡°Who else is there to fight?¡± Minah asked ¡°The headmaster!¡± Ander proceeded to sprint up the stairs to be the first one there. ¡°Wait. Shouldn¡¯t we rest and heal up first?¡± Hel asked from the floor below. Brion pulled himself out of the wall and shook himself off. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Ander ran off to go fight the headmaster.¡± Bella stated. ¡°Without me?¡± Brion turned and also dashed up the stairs. ¡°Ugg¡­¡± ¡°If they¡¯re fighting the headmaster, it¡¯s my job to help them.¡± Minah said as she freed herself and marched towards the staircase. Bella, Max, Hel, and Tiffany looked at each other and then at the large crater in the floor. ¡°We¡¯re going to see why our captain is still our captain. Aren¡¯t we?¡± Tiffany looked to Hel. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation. I¡¯d surrender before the fight starts. I¡¯ve seen enough of his combat capabilities to know that If Ander is the first one to face him head on, then we lose our one real advantage.¡± ¡°Wait why? Cecil told me he was Kyrion¡¯s weakness.¡± Bella prodded. ¡°Because you don¡¯t know what type of training we went through with Gamodren. Kyrion has no real weaknesses anymore. He just likes to pretend so that people don¡¯t catch on. Lighting will shut off his regeneration, so long as his feet aren¡¯t in direct contact with the ground. Otherwise he can disperse it and counter.¡± Tiffany sighed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Good to know.¡± ¡°We should go now then.¡± Book Two: Chapter 58 7 Against 1 Bastion had been given a plate of cookies to hold on to and hand out to the students as they passed. However, after Headmaster Caeden, heard that they misinterpreted their end goal. As Ander entered the room, the odd-eyed boy smiled in a way only a few people would recognize as his right eye glinted with mischief. ¡°Want a cookie? Headmaster gave them to me. He also said to lay down as it¡¯s past my bedtime.¡± Bastion said, implying that the cookies were drugged by alluding to a half-eaten cookie next to him. They were the kind that restored mana rapidly. But green hair didn¡¯t need to know that. He was mean. Ander paused. ¡°No, thank you, Bastion. But, unfortunately, I have to go fight the headmaster.¡± Bastion watched as Ander went up the stairs and vanished. Moments later, a loud thudding came from the stairway. ¡°Traveler, come and rest your weary soul and partake of cookies and milk before going off to face the mighty dragon,¡± Bastion said his lines right this time. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll take a cookie,¡± Brion said, confused, as he examined it. Noticing a D Shaped symbol on it. Upon seeing that he consumed the cookie greedily, his mana rapidly refilled despite not knowing when he spent it. ¡°Kid. Do you know the muffin orc?¡± Brion asked as he began to meditate. ¡°I just deal out the cookies, I don¡¯t talk to the source.¡± Bastion replied. Minah and Max stopped by, and Bastion considered lying again. But only Brion was right here, so doing so would be obvious. So he repeated the line he told Brion in a droll monotone that didn¡¯t befit someone his age. As though the cookies weren¡¯t really worth the effort of eating. Max stopped as he noticed Brion meditating, which prompted Minah. ¡°Do you really want to stop and eat the cookies? They¡¯re probably drugged.¡± Minah said. ¡°Would Brion eat drugged cookies and enter meditation with a fight right there? We aren¡¯t at our best right now.¡± Max pointed to the staircase. ¡°This is ridiculous, I¡¯m headed up.¡± Minah went up the stairs as intended. Bastion¡¯s face betrayed the glint in his eyes, and Max caught on. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± ¡°Did what? I just repeated my line for the third time.¡± Bastion altered his truth. ¡°Uh huh. I know that look. How you share that look with my old roommate makes no sense.¡± Max sat down and took a cookie. Arthur left Max¡¯s body and also took a cookie. The owl stared at the child in front with suspicion. Max scowled. ¡°Why are you worried about him touching you?¡± ¡°Probably because I steal the powers from those I touch. How does the owl know that?¡± Bastion said as he stared back at the owl. ¡°Did you steal my power?¡± Max asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember touching you.¡± Bastion lied, hiding his fake tells. He had done so a while back under the headmaster¡¯s orders. He wanted to see if Bastion could mimic Max¡¯s taming power only for it to do something else. Max felt his mana surge and decided it was better to direct it than interrogate a child. Bella, Hel, and Tiffany arrived next, refilled their mana with the cookies, and the group of five, six including Arthur, went upstairs.
Kyrion stood alone in a circle, his body fully transformed as his horns seemed to have grown longer with time. Scattered around the area were seeds he casually tossed into the floor, not trying to bury them yet. Ander entered, his expression bestial. ¡°You¡¯re not the headmaster.¡± ¡°And you seem to be looking with your eyes pretty well today,¡± Kyrion said with a stony expression. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the final boss of the night. You¡¯ll need to team up with the others.¡± ¡°You¡¯re cocky for someone who doesn¡¯t fight often.¡± ¡°Just because I don¡¯t fight you, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t fight.¡± Kyrion replied. Ander clicked his tongue and started the fight off by charging forward. His body shifted into wind and lightning as he traveled. Kyrion stomped onto the roof calling forth a barrier of the earth to intercept. Ander solidified and moved to the side and dashed into the opening Kyrion at his back. Then, bringing forth his claws coated in electricity, he attacked. Kyrion vanished and reappeared behind Ander, his left hand wrapped around his friend¡¯s skull and lifting him in the air. ¡°Go get some air.¡± Kyrion spun, building momentum as he launched Ander off into the distance. ¡°I¡¯ll get you for this!¡± Ander yelled. Minah entered the area soon after, confused. ¡°Is Ander fighting the headmaster overthere?¡± ¡°No. He decided to go get some air.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my opponent aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m supposed to fight all of you at once. Please sit still and wait for the others to arrive.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Minah didn¡¯t buy it and attempted to attack Kyrion head-on. Kyrion conjured a blade of wind around his hand and casually slashed it at the ground, causing a large gouge in the land around him. He then moved forward, aiming for Minah¡¯s neck. Faster than an untrained human could react. Minah used her ability to slow the boy¡¯s attack only to realize the force was too much for her to stop, so she rolled to the side instead. Sadly it was a trap, and Minah soon found herself encased in a stone sphere with a rectangular hole to see out of. ¡°Huh? How did you?¡± Minah said before getting cut off. Kyrion then caused a plant to grow under the stone sphere, raising her high in the air. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve captured a princess. Great.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t fair!¡± ¡°No it isn¡¯t. That¡¯s the point. If I can beat you that easily, how do you expect to get past the first round? I know that I¡¯m in the higher tier or strength as a practitioner but I¡¯ve met people who are just as skilled or cunning. Sinbad is one you should watch out for, as I don¡¯t think I could beat him yet. Noah from Norn is also someone to be on guard against. There are others you need to watch out for as well. Teams will be shoring up their weaker team members, you need to see the actual gap in power. Besting you alone is child¡¯s play.¡± Kyrion seemed to grow apathetic. ¡°I was trained by the headmaster before, how can you be so far ahead?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel pain on the level most do. It takes alot to actually hurt me, so I push my body until it starts breaking at every chance I get. This is to train my will power, or spiritual strength.¡± ¡°Spiritual strength?¡± ¡°A combination of mana capacity, mana output, endurance, willpower, and influence.¡± ¡°I have never heard of influence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your ability to influence the world around you. Most don¡¯t gain access until the expert rank. It¡¯s also why they say a practitioner can never kill an expert.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Experts are protected by influence. It¡¯s what makes them seem so durable. It¡¯s why no matter how physically strong I get, without using influence I can¡¯t harm an expert. It¡¯s also why Gamodren kept trying to dissuade it early on. Thing is, under the right conditions I can use influence. One of those requires my domain to cover an area completely, I also need to be in my manifested state. Finally my intention and willpower needs to be directed at my target. Strong emotions can help, along with resolve. My resolve is to win the tournament by fighting as little as possible.¡± ¡°We can unlock influence as well if we have all the pieces.¡± ¡°Yup. Have you figured out how to enter your manifestation state?¡± ¡°Still learning. I don¡¯t have the trigger quite yet.¡± ¡°No wonder, do you not train?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I train all the time. Unlike a certain promiscuous captain.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you used that word right.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°Please, half the student body knows you¡¯re using that place to satisfy your dark desires.¡± ¡°My desires are not dark. On the contrary, I find them perfectly healthy and normal.¡± Kyrion replied without skipping a beat. But, of course, nobody insults his love for food. Minah looked down at Kyrion with what appeared to be a look of disgust.
¡°What?¡± Brion, Hel, Bella, Max, and Tiffany arrived minutes later. Having noticed that Minah was trapped and Ander was missing. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Good. Now we can begin. Tiffany, it¡¯s time to stop sandbagging, you made it and they aren¡¯t as far along as they should be.¡± ¡°It took you that long to figure it out?¡± Tiffany seemed unimpressed. ¡°Excuse me for thinking my allies had reached a level of understanding considering their prowess.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Are you calling me weak?¡± Brion asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°No.¡± Tiffany answered stoically. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± Hel asked, looking between the two. ¡°Brion. Alone you are weak. It¡¯s just that simple. You know this. It has nothing to do with your endurance and prowess in combat and everything to do with you not accepting your own weaknesses and strengths. You are probably the third strongest person standing here in terms of how well your training is going. Sadly you haven¡¯t embraced it yet.¡± ¡°So. You know then.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Bella asked. ¡°No¡­¡± Hel seemed surprised. Brion charged forward to engage his opponent, ending the conversation. Kyrion moved into the charge and hit Brion in the stomach with a palm strike. His hand seemingly passed into his friend as the world grew lighter. ¡°Brion!¡± Bella raised the gravity to her current maximum in an attempt to get Kyrion to his knees. Kyrion took it head-on and seemingly continued forward. Brion¡¯s body vanished as the earth shattered. ¡°He just killed Brion.¡± Hel recoiled as she began to summon swarms of her insects. ¡°No. He didn¡¯t. Scatter!¡± Tiffany ordered as a blade of force cut through the shattered earth hiding Kyrion from sight. Kyrion carried an earthen greatsword in one hand while another seemed to rest on his hip. His weight was still amplified, yet his movements seemed perfectly stable, as though his endurance had grown significantly on top of his already monstrous strength. ¡°Now who¡¯s first?¡± ¡°Oh, silver light from the heavens, grant me strength. Come into me so that my foe may know your justice, your law. Let my words only speak the truth.¡± Tiffany rattled off a chant as her brown hair gained an unnatural shine, as though bathed in the moonlight, her eyes became silver, and her rapier became a straight sword. Bella began the process of transforming into her werewolf form while concentrating on restraining Kyrion despite not being able to fly upwards. Max kept an eye on his sister trapped in the stone prison above. He didn¡¯t quite understand what was happening, but he knew that beating Kyrion without Minah would be impossible. A streak of lightning passed through the sky and headed straight toward Kyrion. However, instead of dodging it, he reached out and grabbed it with an offhand before rotating and throwing the lightning off the tower into the lake surrounding it. ¡°Next time don¡¯t make your intentions known. I could sense you the moment you entered my range.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to hurl lightning.¡± Bella stated. ¡°One that wasn¡¯t just lightning. It was Ander semitransformed and in a manifested state. Two, only one person in our group has any resistance to lightning. That same person is capable of giving it to others under certain conditions.¡± Bella seemed confused, and her grip on Kyrion slipped. Tiffany appeared at Kyrion and cut his cheek with her blade. A wave of force shot out from Kyrion and tossed Tiffany to the side. Kyrion took that opportunity to retreat thirty feet back, tossing the sword into the air and catching it for show. I won¡¯t move from this spot. If you want to fight me ahead, then go ahead. I¡¯ll also let the others join you.¡± Kyrion tossed the sword into an area separating him from the others. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t attack from behind that sword then I won¡¯t retaliate. Anyone who crosses that line will be have consented to the battle to come.¡± Kyrion let the stone sphere holding Minah fall back to the ground. The rules were established, and the bounds were set. They now had time to plot their next move. Ander soon found his way back to the roof. His body was soaked, and his clothes were wet. ¡°Ok. So, what¡¯s the plan? Clearly taking him head-on will be dangerous.¡± ¡°Max, that greatsword. I need you to grab it and act as the vanguard. Minah will act as support, boosting our speed and slowing his attacks while I aim for the back. Ander, charge him head-on when you see an opening. Don¡¯t try to aim for his back. You¡¯ll either get in my way or face a counter you can¡¯t defend against. Finally, Bella, decrease his weight and get him off ground if you can unbalance him even a little, I¡¯m sure we can pull through.¡± Tiffany told the others her game plan. ¡°Tiffany. So you know, I¡¯m not trained in using a greatsword.¡± Max said solemnly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t matter. So long as you can grab him then you can use him. Kyrion isn¡¯t trained in swords so why would he be able to use blade techniques.¡± ¡°What are blade techniques?¡± Max asked. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Just let the blade lead the way forward.¡± Tiffany stated as he watched Kyrion wipe away the cut on his face. ¡°Do you think we can win? Also what will I be doing.¡± Hel asked. ¡°You will provide cover and aim to either hit or disable him. And no, I suspect that we don¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°You just managed to cut him. Why do you think that we can¡¯t win.¡± Minah asked. ¡°If I¡¯m right then you¡¯ll understand the truth by the end.¡± Max scowled. ¡°I think I get it.¡± ¡°Now, move!¡± Tiffany ordered. Ander turned into a bolt of lightning as he crossed the line and rounded around Kyion in an attempt to get behind him. A wall of earth shot up and protected Kyrion¡¯s back from assault before moving to meet Ander head-on. ¡°How the hell!¡± Ander was getting pushed off the roof of the tower. Minah stopped the wall from moving, allowing Ander to retaliate. Max made it to the sword moments later, grabbing hold and finding that it was really stuck in the ground. ¡°No.¡± Max pulled harder, but to no avail, the sword was stuck, and there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°Oi! You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡± A voice echoed in Max¡¯s head. ¡°Then how am I supposed to lift it.¡± ¡°Only half of the requirements met, resonance at 25%, weight reduced, strength increased, endurance increased, speed increased. Skills available for use, juggernaut fighting style unlocked and set. Lightning resistance up. You do not meet the requirements for true integration. Foreign interference detected. Resonance raised to 100%, rapid regeneration gained, pain nullification gained, physical capabilities increased by 4 stages. Hero¡¯s aura, allies within range heal passively, and have their abilities increased by 5%. Fighting style gained, way of purification. Master wielder registered Maximus. Mastery skill obtained, hero¡¯s resolve. Telepathic link established.¡± ¡°Oi! Hello! Max!¡± A disembodied voice echoed in Max¡¯s head. Max has been flooded with new information. ¡°What? Brion where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the sword. I¡¯m surprised you were able to fully resonate with me.¡± ¡°The sword? Is this what you were embarrassed about?¡± ¡°Yeah. What kind of swordsman would I be if all I did was turn into a sword.¡± ¡°Where was Kyrion in comparison?¡± ¡°80% pre manifestation 95 % post. Although it seems your ability amplified your resonance, I still may cause you harm if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± ¡°I should at least be able to beat Kyrion with you then.¡± ¡°Unlikely. That isn¡¯t Kyrion you¡¯re fighting. So I can¡¯t be too sure.¡± ¡°Who is it then?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough. Now go, the others need our help.¡± Max regained his focus on the world around him and noticed that tendrils made from plants were flying around and hitting everyone inside the area. In moments Bella and Hel were grabbed and raised high into the air. Max moved towards the vines and quickly swung the sword, which surprised him. The vines were severed, and the two girls began to circle their opponent to keep him off balance. Tiffany reappeared behind Kyrion a second time and moved to attack, only for a vine to wrap around her foot and hurl her off the tower. Instead of falling into the water below, Ander had flown after and caught her. Bringing her back into the fight. Kyrion let loose a stomp that shook the tower and caused Max to lose his balance as he entered the area. Moments later, Kyrion found himself helpless, with nothing to push off of, as he had been paralyzed by a combination of Minah and Bella. Ander shot off a lightning bolt, and Hel sent out a swarm of bees to box him in. Kyrion kicked off a shoe, and the bolt seemed to track it as he used the momentum to spin while aloft. As he did so, the wind built up, and the bugs soon found their way into a pile of ichor on the ground. Max jumped up to cleave Kyrion directly, only to be caught by a tendril of water and rooted to the ground. Tiffany appeared above Kyrion and quietly fell towards his exposed back, only to make contact with the sandal on his other foot. As though he predicted it. Kyrion used his tendril of water to through Max into Bella, breaking her concentration and allowing Kyrion to land back in his spot as Tiffany fell behind him. Wind surrounded Kyrion and forced the others away from him as wind, water, and earth began to spin around him like a hurricane on dry land. ¡°What in the abyss is that?¡± Minah stood there watching as her allies were swept up and tossed back out of range. No one was in shape to fight as one thing became clear. They were helpless in the face of true power. Max looked to the others, who seemed to nod, before eyeing Kyrion knowingly. ¡°We get it. We can¡¯t win. We surrender. Now either teach us or let us get some rest.¡± Max seemed to be bleeding from open cuts on his arms. Kyrion clicked his tongue as he removed his eyepatch. Revealing a familiar prismatic iris soon hidden by a pair of sunglasses. ¡°Well. You did good. But as I expected, only Tiffany here could actually hurt me.¡± ¡°Should have known this was a trick. No way he could beat us all at once.¡± Minah scowled. ¡°No. He¡¯s gone for a different reason. There was a required meeting for captains and he¡¯s headed back to the mainland.¡± The headmaster shook his head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t it wait?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they were waiting. I¡¯d rather not lose our spot because we kept officials waiting.¡± The headmaster scowled.¡± ¡°So. He would have had to fight us if this didn¡¯t happen. What did you expect?¡± ¡°A much quicker fight with less of me trying to teach you all lessons and more of him knocking you out one by one without harming you or letting himself get inconvenienced. Not hurt, inconvenienced. Because his pain tolerance is high, regeneration dulls it further unless it¡¯s lightning based.¡± ¡°So lightning doesn¡¯t work on you, but it still works on him.¡± Ander stated. ¡°No, I was him in all but soul. One of my powers lets me take on the form of someone else. I can only do it for a limited time and it requires components and research. I didn¡¯t do anything he couldn¡¯t.¡± Caeden stated. ¡°Earth affinity. Since when?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Since before he formally became a student here. It just isn¡¯t combat oriented. More construction based. Why else would I have summoned a wall of earth?¡± Ander stopped to think, ¡°Not combat oriented, is that why he was doing all that construction early on?¡± ¡°Yeah. My son had milked it for all it was worth, a power combination like that is rare and very good at creating. The type of expert that reshapes landscapes. Revitalizes desserts. Turns once barren continents, fertile.¡± ¡°How can he be so much stronger than us?¡± ¡°Because while rarely tested to that point, he knows the limits of his abilities and knows how they work in harmony. His spirits have reached the point where he can accommodate all into a single manifestation. I wanted you to see that if someone as powerful as him, who only wished to heal others and avoid fighting could be that powerful. What could you all do if you spread the scope of your abilities.¡± Tiffany scowled. ¡°When you say all but soul. Do you mean that only your soul remains when you transform?¡± ¡°Kindof. It¡¯s like I¡¯m changing professions. From a teacher to a chef or vice versa. I keep my mind, but my focus changes. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve taken an interest in Bastion. Us mimics need to stick together.¡± The headmaster stated. Minah scowled. The headmaster¡¯s main power was different. So why was he able to use something so bizarre? ¡°How could Tiffany cut you?¡± ¡°She met the requirements to do so and succeeded in landing a blow.¡± ¡°So. Where do we fall short?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Ah, right your issues. Ander you¡¯re strong, diligent, and passionate about training. Sadly, you¡¯re an idiot.¡± The headmaster¡¯s bluntness caused Ander to fall to the ground. ¡°The only person in the group as dumb as you is Minah. All that training and yet you haven¡¯t learned anything.¡± Minah fell to her knees as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry master.¡± ¡°Oh right. And Ander, you do know what a tiger is right?¡± ¡°A tie what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting some supplemental study sessions on top of your training. ¡°Lightning, magnetism, tigers, and you.¡± Had Cecil make it during his off time. There is also one I wrote, ¡°Spirits that lie.¡±¡± The headmaster handed Ander two hefty tomes. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You have control and mana but lack power due to the nature of your spirits. They don¡¯t trust you yet. Do some reading.¡± ¡°How to tell someone something without telling them anything. Where did you study that book?¡± ¡°Moving onto Minah¡¯s idiocy. The usage of your power while growing is in versatility, is doing so at a slow place, your creativity is also lacking. Given the nature of your ability it can do a lot more than what you use it for.¡± ¡°I know. Just need to adjust my suit.¡± ¡°Ah right. Cecil won¡¯t be back. Left with Kyrion as the Co-Captain.¡± ¡®No!¡± Minah looked down in despair. Then she looked up. ¡°Wait. Why is he Co-Captain?¡± ¡°Brion. Let Max get the hang of using you as a weapon. I¡¯ll also rotate wielders to see if anyone else here is compatible with you. We just got three more slots.¡± ¡°So Cecil has joined the squad?¡± ¡°Yup, he¡¯s been voluntold.¡± ¡°I see. Will he be fighting?¡± ¡°Only if any of you are seriously injured or find yourselves in need of training between rounds. Or if he wants to.¡± ¡°But we have a healer.¡± Ander asked. ¡°And if he gets killed or injured?¡± ¡°Given what you showed us. Assuming it was the truth. Killing him would be quite hard.¡± ¡°He could be indisposed at the time of injury as this tournament has multiple parts. It isn¡¯t a simple fight till someone collapses.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t? Then what¡¯s all this fighting for?¡± Minah asked. ¡°Problem solving. There will be times when events overlap and one ally may be on another side of the tournament. You could be doing anything from demonstrating accuracy to hunting monsters.¡± ¡°The main event to worry about however is the team event. Aside from that there¡¯s the Solo combatant tournament. Up to four members from each team can enter that one, and it¡¯s been decided that your leader will not participate in it as to not draw attention.¡± ¡°Why would it draw attention?¡± ¡°The Solo combatant tournament takes place during the first four days of the tournament. It would be troublesome if he became a target early on.¡± ¡°How troublesome.¡± ¡°You could be out a healer if he¡¯s taken out. Most teams would do so upon realizing he can regenerate. By the team tournament those who break rules will be either wiped out or removed for causing trouble. Those who bend them may still be present but it¡¯s safer for everyone if he doesn¡¯t fight until then. He¡¯ll also be fighting with his regeneration turned off during the first three rounds.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s handicapping himself?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m making sure that we get as much as we can get out of him before he has to show his cards.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Max looked at Minah and then the others. ¡°Looks like we have some training to get to.¡± ¡°Where are our other teammates?¡± Hel asked. ¡°One is eating cookies and milk, while the other is studying gone as well.¡± ¡°Those are some teammates.¡± Brion harumphed, returning to his natural form and moving behind the group. ¡°I mean. They are kids. What do you expect.¡± ¡°Wait. You¡¯re taking those fledglings with us?¡± Tiffany took a step back. ¡°Yes and you will like it. They will act as assistants and will be able to continue their own training. It¡¯s highly unlikely that they will even get to fight.¡± ¡°You could have taken Raven. Or any of the other older students.¡± ¡°I could. And the experience would be worth it for them. But not as much as it will be for those two as they can participate the next time it comes around.¡± ¡°Ah. Preparation.¡± ¡°Correct. Now I suggest you all take a bath and hit the hay. You all smell like you¡¯ve been rolling in the dirt.¡± Caeden vanished from the tower, leaving the students alone. ¡°I feel like I got bamboozled.¡± Bella muttered. ¡°We all did. I¡¯m not satisfied with showing this form and not getting to show it off fully.¡± ¡°Sorry Tiff. But I can¡¯t really move.¡± Ander fell to the ground like a stone, his body still and his reactions weak. ¡°He went over Minah and Ander¡¯s shortcomings and left the rest of us alone.¡± Bella mentioned. ¡°Max needs to up his resistance and experience in combat. You need to learn how to be mobile while using your power so as not to be captured. Hel needs to learn how to communicate and coordinate her actions better. I need to get stronger. Brion needs to master his shift so that he can go in and out of sword form quickly.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°And you know this why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s our glaring weaknesses. I¡¯m strong but even with it my spiritual strength can hardly harm an expert.¡± Brion tossed Ander over his shoulder, and team Drisil left the tower. Book Two: Chapter 59 Goodbye Eyesland A cool breeze passed over the tower as two moons kept the world lit. On top of the building stood a red-haired young man waiting for his friends to take care of his double. Kyrion had been waiting for his first opponent to arrive when Lok appeared behind him on the tower¡¯s roof. ¡°Kyrion. It seems you have important captain business to attend to. Time to cut this trial short. Luckily you completed my training.¡± Lok informed his student with a blank expression. ¡°Really?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Yes. If you don¡¯t show, then your entry may be voided. The boat is already docked.¡± The headmaster appeared behind Lok. ¡°These meetings are never mandatory.¡± ¡°This year participation is required. There seems to be some major rule changes.¡± ¡°How major?¡± ¡°Students will not be penalized for using lethal force. The barriers will still be there but accidentally killing an opponent won¡¯t get you disqualified. This is to account for the last tournament scandal when Tetsan¡¯s main school sent out a fledgling against Lingar as a sacrifice without telling anyone that they were only a fledgling. The ruling was sour and though the older boy lived, he was crippled. The ruling at the time got him and our team disqualified, before the investigation into the matter.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t that blatantly cheating?¡± ¡°No. His opponent was four years his senior so at the time they thought Lingar was being reckless. The fact that his opponent was only crippled means that he was, however.¡± ¡°Did he use Rend?¡± ¡°No, just a basic wind blade.¡± ¡°So they sacrificed him for an easy win.¡± ¡°Yes. It won¡¯t work again but still. The rules did have to change.¡± ¡°Go then. I¡¯ll fight them in your place. It does make more sense if I do it. I¡¯m not sure you can take them on alone.¡± Caeden sighed. ¡°He could, but he¡¯d struggle unless he didn¡¯t give them a chance to fight back. You could make it look effortless.¡± ¡°Great. Where do we go?¡± Kyrion walked to the edge and turned around. ¡°Next we get your Co captain.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that and won¡¯t the others notice if they go missing?¡± ¡°Ah. No, your Co captain isn¡¯t here. He¡¯s headed towards his lab right after his fight.¡± ¡°Cecil isn¡¯t even participating in the tournament.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°He is now. I¡¯m not making him fight but he does need to be there just in case.¡± ¡°Great. Should I meet you there?¡± Kyrion asked Lok. ¡°You¡¯re taking the shortcut I presume?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Kyrion called back his spirits as he fell backward off the tower. Leaving Lok on top of the building, shaking his head as he flew towards the dock.
Kyrion had lept a considerable distance before spotting Cecil. His blond ally had just entered his temporary lab, clearly inspired. It was a shame he¡¯d have to foil Cecil¡¯s plans. Phasing through the roof, Kyrion decided to spy on his friend for curiosity reasons. So instead of coming down and saying hello like a sane human being. Instead, he hung out in the rafters like a creeper. Silently watching the scene. Cecil removed a lid to one of his stasis coffins, and a young woman began to regain consciousness after Cecil cast a quick spell. ¡°Who? Where? What?¡± Viole looked around in her coffin and attempted to get out only to discover that she was being restrained by belts wrapped around the bed. ¡°I am Cecil, this is my lab. You now work for me. So let¡¯s discuss terms.¡± ¡°Like hell. I work for the empire!¡± Viole seemed to say defensively. ¡°The parasite has already been removed. They can¡¯t kill you remotely anymore. I won¡¯t say you¡¯re safe, but we won¡¯t kill you without reason.¡± Cecil said bluntly. Viole felt around her head and found a bandage. Prodding it didn¡¯t trigger any painful responses. ¡°Was I healed?¡± Viole asked. ¡°Yes. We asked this individual to leave a scar behind so they can remove it after you come to terms.¡± ¡°Blackmail?¡± ¡°No. Sometimes you need to see to believe. I didn¡¯t believe there was someone on this world capable of building mechs, but here you are, and here it is.¡± Cecil pointed to a red mech that had been totaled. ¡°How do you have that?¡± ¡°Who else would bring you here... Alive.¡± Viole looked up in frustration and saw a red-haired figure hanging from the rafters like a spider. She became filled with fear, and panic and sweat began to form. And then he blinked, and he was gone. ¡°That monster! I saw it.¡± Cecil looked up and scowled before a knock on his door alerted him to a visitor. ¡°We can discuss terms. Get some actual rest.¡± Cecil swiftly reached the door, leaving himself open for attack. ¡°Like hell. You have to get me out of here.¡± ¡°Geez, you¡¯re paranoid. Kyrion is busy being kidnapped. It¡¯s not like¡­.¡± Cecil stopped as he saw Kyrion in the doorway as he opened it. Cecil quickly slammed it shut. Sadly Kyrion was already sitting on a stool eating a sandwich, positioned right next to Viole. ¡°Knocking is just a courtesy for you isn¡¯t it.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°I would try coming in through the chimney but you tend to keep yours lit.¡± ¡°What are you doing here!¡± Viole bellowed. ¡°Eating a sandwich. Duh. Maybe you¡¯d be less grumpy with good food in you.¡± ¡°I hate you. You took everything from me. And then you turned me into a slave. I¡¯ll kill you. Ya hear?¡± Viole scowled. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I didn¡¯t turn anyone into a slave. So, Cecil, she isn¡¯t a slave, right?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s suitable to assist us either. She could be mad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here...¡± Viole scowled as she was ignored. ¡°I doubt that. Angry, yes. But I haven¡¯t done anything to her. Given that they look like a dear friend and share obsessive mannerisms. I can assume she knows one of my doppelgangers.¡± ¡°Dopple what?¡± Viole asked. ¡°Apparently there are multiple versions of each of us with different goals and desires. I just met one of mine recently.¡± ¡°Psycho?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°No, that one¡¯s been squatting rent free in my head. Kyrie is the one that fought the girls and Max. And died fighting my brother.¡± ¡°You have to be insane. Who would buy that?¡± Viole stated. ¡°You aren¡¯t from this planet right?¡± Kyrion said with a deadpan expression ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Viole seemed to start flexing her wrist strangely to no avail. ¡°You smell funny.¡± Kyrion wrinkled his nose. ¡°The ability to build a mech means you¡¯re from a place on a different technological level. Like me. Although I suspect there are some differences given the abundance of magic.¡± Cecil crossed his arms. ¡°Like hell.¡± ¡°Should I knock her out again? We should be going and I don¡¯t feel like dealing with her before dealing with people I need to be respectful around.¡± Kyrion took a bite out of his sandwich. ¡°Kyrion. Shouldn¡¯t you be nicer to a potential ally?¡± ¡°She tried to infect me with a parasite. You don¡¯t just forgive something like that. Very rude.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Viole turned her head to the side. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Well Kyrion. It seems you¡¯re a better man than me when it comes to forgiveness. You are our prisoner for the time being and if you want any sense of freedom you need to earn it. Next time you wake there will be schematics on something I¡¯ve designed. If you can improve upon it or alter them to my satisfaction then we can move on from there. If not, you will be handed over to the church for questioning. They would very much like to know how someone like you got here in the first place. Infiltration like this goes against the pact.¡± Cecil said casually as he got to his feet. ¡°Where are you going!¡± Viole struggled to get out of her restraints. ¡°Cece. You¡¯re giving me chills.¡± Kyrion mock shivered. Kyrion cleaned his hands with mana before approaching the coffin. ¡°He¡¯s headed out. But, to be honest, if you can prove that you won¡¯t betray us, then I¡¯ll talk to him about loosening up. Sweet dreams.¡± Kyrion pushed the lid closed, and the stasis coffin went into motion. Freezing time for its occupants. Cecil walked right back into the room with a sour expression. ¡°This is unethical.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Better than killing a potential asset. Ruling through fear rarely works well long term, but it is a start.¡± ¡°Did you really have to be so mean?¡± ¡°Kyrion. This is pragmatism. I won¡¯t trust a snake, but if they¡¯re genuine then I¡¯ll use them until they have earned your forgiveness. If they try to sabotage us then we¡¯ll let the headmaster deal with them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care all that much.¡± Kyrion shook their head as he shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t care. You almost died and you don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°If I die, I die. But no, the parasite wouldn¡¯t have worked. The trouble with possession is that you either need a stronger will or overwhelming power. An expert could potentially possess me. What she used was a sleeper. My body is toxic to things like that.¡± Kyrion pulled a white worm from his domain and bit a finger before dropping blood onto it. The parasite sizzled upon making contact with the blood and soon became magical ash. ¡°So¡­ Is that why you don¡¯t¡­Nevermind.¡± ¡°Hmmm? Don¡¯t what? Fight? Possibly, my blood can burn those much weaker and empower those stronger or on an even level. Let¡¯s move on. If you can make me bleed then it shouldn¡¯t hurt. It can however mess with enchantments which can be dangerous in a tournament or formal setting.¡± ¡°A real super human, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cecil shook his head. ¡°Just determined. Now we need to head to the docks.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re headed to sea, let me finish up something. I¡¯ll actually meet you there, can¡¯t let Minah be without her upgraded power suit.¡± ¡°Ah, make one for Max too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t make power armor for boys.¡± ¡°Then have your intern make it.. He¡¯s only a centimeter taller than his sister. Which is a rather recent change.¡± ¡°Intern. That works a whole lot better than prisoner. I¡¯ll write a note.¡± Cecil thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d rather be a prisoner than an intern.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes before the two parted.
The sea breeze chilled that night as Kyrion made it to the docks. His eye shone as both moons seemed to reflect in it. His white bathrobe was swapped for dark green breeches, some black boots, and a bright red tunic. Atop his head was a poofy red hat that displayed his horns. He¡¯d figured out how to make them disappear, but he felt good letting them hang out there. On the dock stood three individuals. The first was a short, plain-looking figure with gray eyes and a mask over the lower part of their face. Their black garb seemed to be made entirely of silk. Potentially wealthy or in the business of tailoring. The second was a young woman in bright white robes. Her eyes shined like silver, and her hair whiter than fresh snow. She seemed to be standing between the other two, and her mana was just hanging out there for the world to see. Quite a bit of mana. She lit up when she saw Kyrion, which was concerning. The third figure was tall and stood around six foot two, sadly in comparison to Kyrion himself. However, he didn¡¯t appear so. His build was muscular, although a cowl and mask hid his face and head. ¡°Are you the mysterious captain of Drisil I have come to escort?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± Kyrion stood straight up and looked down. If he was going to scare her off, now would be the time. The silver-haired woman held back the diminutive figure. ¡°I am Lin, one of the coordinators for the upcoming tournament.¡± ¡°I go by Rion.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Is that a nickname?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Less trouble if we use it.¡± The small figure had drawn a blade and begun actively trying to move forward. ¡°I was told to meet a Kyrion. Is that incorrect?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Kyrion died when he was kidnapped while in another land.¡± ¡°Right. But there are rumors¡­.¡± ¡°Poppycock! I never met this Kyrion lady, but they aren¡¯t ranked at Drisil.¡± Kyrion put both hands in his pockets and bent down forward, his shoulders squared for dramatic effect. ¡°Why would you call yourself Rion? Isn¡¯t very creative.¡± Kyrion leaned back and took an exaggeratedly regal pose. ¡°Because I¡¯m the King baby.¡± Lin seemed to redden, and the tiny assassin showed their true colors and sprung forward. Knife poised to disembowel. Kyrion rotated to avoid the thrust and let his hand connect with the back of their neck. The figure fell into his outstretched arm like a sack of potatoes. ¡°Princess, you need better guards than these if you¡¯re going to dethrone me.¡± Kyrion said in a cheeky tone. ¡°Princess?¡± Lin seemed surprised by the statement as she looked at her other bodyguard. The masked figure seemed to sigh as they moved faster than Kyrion could track with one eye, but still slower than his reaction speed. When the assassin was retrieved, Kyrion used them as bait to grab their mask, only to receive a push that knocked him off balance. Followed by an uppercut that would have sent the average man flying. Kyrion stayed there for a moment and sighed. This person had more experience and potentially more power. There was also something familiar about them. ¡°Fine, you may keep them. Just make sure they don¡¯t try that again.¡± Kyrion puffed out his chest in mock arrogance. Lin looked at her small bodyguard and sighed. ¡°She¡¯s a good friend. Just a little overzealous.¡± ¡°And him? Is he your dad or something?¡± Kyrion pointed at the masked man. ¡°No? Why¡­¡± ¡°He radiates dad vibes¡­Well it¡¯s none of my business anyway.¡± Kyrion waved his suspicion aside. ¡°Well then Mr.Rion, shall we leave?¡± ¡°Not just yet. My Princess, there are a few more things to discuss. Namely where we¡¯re going, how long we will be gone and what will I need to bring.¡± ¡°P-princess?¡± Lin seemed to be distracted, and the masked figure shook his head. Kyrion didn¡¯t understand why, but messing with this Lin person warmed his heart. He hadn¡¯t had this much fun messing with people in ages. He would resolve to keep this character active when she was around. He then got to his knees and began fishing through a pocket in his shoulder. Or well his domain and pulled out an orchid which he then handed over. It was an experimental plant that grew on ambient mana when sunlight and water were unavailable and tended to last a long time. All mana, aside from pure fire, could be converted into energy. ¡°A flower worthy of a princess.¡± ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re charmed!¡± Lin took a step back. ¡°Charmed? No. This can be but one other thing.¡± Kyrion stopped moving and let his mental affinity wash over him. He was clear of influence so he stopped and then let his aura slowly leak out as he took off his red cap and put effort into playing along. His red hair shone in the moon¡¯s light as he looked up. ¡°Please stop.¡± Lin looked at the hair in awe. It was shinier than hers. First, she was proud of her hair, and then she noticed his near-perfect caramel skin, only a mole near one eye and an eyepatch over another. Upon further reflection, he looked like a pirate. ¡°If milady wishes¡­.¡± Kyrion took a step back and placed the orchid back into his domain. ¡°What are you doing Mr.Kyrion?¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue as Eden came bumbling along with Cecil. With that, the spell known as Rion vanished, and Kyrion tied his hair back into a ponytail to keep it in place. Lin took a moment to think before speaking. ¡°You lied to me. So you are Kyrion.. Why are you messing with me?¡± Kyrion started then stopped. ¡°It was originally to pass time but I¡¯m not sure anymore. Although some people do seem to think I¡¯m dead and I would prefer it that way.¡± ¡°I see. So you want us to play along¡­ I refuse.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I refuse to play this game.¡± The warm feeling in his heart came back. ¡°I see then. I guess I¡¯ll have to make a big entrance then.¡± Cecil chopped Kyrion on the forehead and sighed. ¡°As your superior in age I veto that. If I¡¯m right you¡¯re going to be one of the youngest captains in attendance, don¡¯t draw attention to yourself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± ¡°So who¡¯s your friend?¡± ¡°We¡¯re friends with benefits actually.¡± Kyrion corrected. Lin seemed to go red for some reason Kyrion couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°So, you¡¯re in a relationship?¡± ¡°A rather open one since he leads his harem.¡± Cecil did work for everyone in his harem when asked, after all. And all their dealings were public. ¡°Were you trying to get me to join that debauchery?¡± Lin¡¯s red face seemed to cool as the area dropped in temperature. ¡°I recommend doing so before we take off. Once Cecil¡¯s harem has gone global, getting in will require a lot of knowledge, or funds.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rich.¡± ¡°I¡¯d gladly let you join for free if you have any interest in magitech. I am Cecil Calhoon, a somewhat proud leader of Cecil¡¯s harem. Despite the name.¡± ¡°I need to sleep on this.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try sleeping on one of his patented C Foam mattresses? It¡¯s like sleeping on a cloud.¡± Kyrion pulled out a heart-shaped king-sized bed, much to his own confusion among everyone else¡¯s. Lin marched off. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Do you remember making a heart shaped mattress?¡± Kyrion asked Cecil. ¡°No. No I do not. Good. Because I don¡¯t remember absorbing one.¡± ¡°We botched this recruitment, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Why did she mention debauchery? We¡¯re an organization.¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older.¡± Cecil slapped his friend on the shoulder before boarding the ship. ¡°Why do you have a heart shaped bed?¡± Eden asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kyrion scowled. Kyrion placed a hand on the bed. ¡°It feels like C Foam. Odd¡­¡± Kyrion reabsorbed the bed and made a note to talk to Karl about it. ¡°So. Are we going?¡± Eden asked, looking at the ship. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What about Bastion?¡± Eden asked as she boarded the ship. ¡°He has secret training, to get up to. And none of my questions have been answered.¡± Kyrion grumpily boarded the ship before climbing a mast and falling asleep. He was mentally exhausted for the day. Book Two: Chapter 60 The following day Kyrion awoke in an Inn, on top of a pretty meh bed with cheap blankets. He was no longer on a boat. He could tell by the lack of water nearby. In fact, he couldn¡¯t sense any saltwater close by. The closest thing was a river of freshwater and what seemingly passed through the roots of a giant tree. ¡°Karl¡­ How long was I out?¡± Kyrion popped his shoulders. ¡°Eight hours master.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Can you tell me how I¡¯m in a totally different place?¡± Kyrion sat up calmly. ¡°It seems you were taken to a teleporter built into the ship.¡± Karl said with a rather annoyed monotone. ¡°How did I sleep through that?¡± His sheets now tossed off the bed. ¡°To be fair you did use alot of your mana yesterday and as you hadn¡¯t turned off your abilities in the tower, you temporarily entered a spirit broken state when you were taken out of range.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Really¡­ That¡­ uggg¡­.¡± ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t know your range had extended so much. Quite interesting.¡± ¡®Yeah¡­¡± A roar came out from Kyron¡¯s stomach as he got to his feet. Hopping out of bed, Kyrion realized two things. First, his weights had been removed, and he was famished. Walking down the stairs, Kyrion looked for anyone he recognized in the lobby and dining areas. He found none. So he looked at the menu and found the portions were small and expensive. Kyrion needed a buffet for breakfast, as that wouldn¡¯t cut it. Leaving the inn, Kyrion saw that he was in a strange place. Buildings made on top of branches and trees are connected by ladders and bridges. Large birds carry citizens from one place to another in an orderly fashion. Children played down below in a freshwater lake. Most of the people here had pointed ears and slender frames. An older elven woman stood infront of a market stall buying ingredients only to be annoyed by a scarcity in their ingredients. Next to the woman was a child playing with a wooden sword. Another was an older elven man was casually walking by a breifcase in one hand and a cane in the other. So Kyrion approached the nearest native and asked the question. ¡°Where can one go to eat a ton of food?¡± The older elf blinked twice and stepped back before running for the tree¡¯s screaming. ¡°Demon!¡± ¡°Ah right.¡± Kyrion begrudgingly made his horns retract, unsure where they went as his anatomy hadn¡¯t been altered. ¡°Hm?¡± Kyrion felt someone tug at his pants leg and looked down to see a gap-toothed child with a scar on their forehead and a wooden sword at their hip. ¡°Are you really a demon?¡± The kid puffed out his chest to make himself look more prominent. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± Kyrion put a hand in his pocket and leaned forward. ¡°I am a defender of justice! Vile demon¡¯s shall be slain.¡± The kid bellowed. Kyrion saw a woman slap herself on the forehead before turning around. Sadly Kyrion was too quick. ¡°Is that so? Then this demon will take something important from you.¡± ¡°You will not beat justice!¡± Kyrion pinched the kid¡¯s forehead and ripped off the scar. ¡°Mua ha ha ha! Your character has been forever changed! You have lost your badge of honor! Now go train and in a hundred years you may be able to beat me!¡± The kid looked at the skin in Kyrion''s hand and felt around for the scar, only to find smooth skin. The child began to cry in outrage and drew their wooden sword. Swinging it at his legs. Kyrion could have dodged. He could have taken it and not reacted. But no, that wouldn¡¯t be very sportsmanlike. Kyrion took the hit and let himself fall back, defeated. The kid having none of that, pulled the scar out of Kyrion¡¯s hand and kept trying to stick it back on. ¡°Noooo!¡± The young kid cradled the scar in his hands. The kid¡¯s mother arrived, and she was quite ashamed. Before becoming perplexed by the scene. ¡°M-m-mommy!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That vile demon! H- he.¡± The kid held out the piece of dead skin. The mother looked at the scab, the unblemished portion of skin, and the figure twitching on the ground. ¡°That isn¡¯t a demon, you dolt. That¡¯s a healer.¡± Kyrion stood up without using his arms and stretched. ¡°That would be correct. Now. Where is the nearest all you can eat buffet?¡± Kyrion''s sixth sense for detecting food kicked into overdive as the woman in front of him smelled of spices and had the hands of a sous chef. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s been closed down. They ran out of food a day ago.¡± ¡°A buffet. Ran out of food...¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Yeah. Some orcs and their chief came by and left the restaurants empty over the course of two weeks. All that¡¯s left are those new ritzy places that charge a hundred gold for beans on a cracker.¡± The kid stated. ¡°Caviar, not beans.¡± The mother corrected. The kid looked at her for a moment. ¡°It comes from a plant. It¡¯s beans, tricking a demon is bad manners.¡± ¡°Plant based Caviar?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°The places left are mostly vegan in nature. Hence why they haven¡¯t been raided.¡± The mother said solemnly. ¡°That makes some kind of sense. Orcs can be rather picky about their food. At least in my experience. Never play with an orcs¡¯ food.¡± Kyrion recalled an episode where Wura snapped and challenged the academies chefs to a cook off. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Did they just out of food? Will they be able to cook if I can refill their stock?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°To reopen business or just feed you?¡± The lady asked. Kyrion took a minute. ¡°Either or. I can pay for my own dishes per plate if necessary. Just don¡¯t have a talent for cooking.¡± ¡°Per dish. How much will you pay?¡± ¡°Ten gold per dish and I will provide the ingredients. Here¡¯s a down payment.¡± Kyrion handed the woman a sack of gold coins. The mother¡¯s eye¡¯s shone like gold coins. ¡°Polaris show this man to the stuffed goose. I¡¯ll go get grandpa.¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± Polaris grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s a rather feminine name¡­.¡± Kyrion looked at the scrappy kid with short hair and a sword at their hip. ¡°So what! Can a girl not beat a demon?¡± Polaris drew her blade again. ¡°No? Yes? A girl can beat a demon. I¡¯ve met too many strong girls to think otherwise. Just cursing my luck.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Almighty Scarlet Maelstrom, bested by a little girl with a wooden sword.¡± Kyrion laughed to himself. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°To a man with a chip on his shoulder, possibly. But I want that news to spread if you catch my drift..¡± Kyrion bent down and gave the child a silver coin. ¡°You¡¯re a strange demon.¡± Polaris said with a deadpan expression. ¡°The strangest demon you¡¯ll ever meet. Now hop on and point, we¡¯re leaping there.¡± ¡°You want me to get on your back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of a city in a place I don¡¯t know how to maneuver around. I can tour later but I need to offload my ingredients before I pass out from low blood sugar or something.¡± Polaris pointed towards a building far off on another branch of the tree. The long way would have taken half an hour to get there. Longer if he¡¯d gotten distracted. Polaris boarded. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Upon feeling a good amount of pressure, Kyrion backed up before taking a long jump off the branch, propelling himself with his legs and leaping off of solidified wind walls until he reached the location in around a minute. While Polaris screamed the whole time. After they landed, the girl took a few steps before she collapsed from dizziness, and her body readjusted. ¡°That. Was. Awesome.¡± Kyrion sent a wave of healing mana through her, and she was back to her feet in seconds. ¡°Can we do that again?¡± Kyrion looked at the concerned group of elves that saw the commotion and shook his head. ¡°Could be a very bad idea. Is this the place?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll unlock the doors. My brother should be able to start prepping the ingredients.¡± ¡°Brother?¡± ¡°Oh right. My family runs this place. Although it isn¡¯t usually a buffet unless outsiders are here.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I got lucky then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still mad at you. I was grounded for three weeks after getting that scar! And you just went and took it away.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Well, get me back in a century or so. Right now it¡¯s time to get cooking.¡± Kyrion entered the restaurant. ¡°We¡¯re closed!¡± Yelled a blond boy who was currently sweeping an already clean floor. ¡°Too bad. Your mom said I can drop off some ingredients. And I eat alot.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Polaris?¡± ¡°Yes. Mom took his money and asked me to lead him here. It¡¯s a good thing we aren¡¯t bandits.¡± ¡°What about the other groceries you went to get?¡± ¡°Nothing. The stalls were mostly empty.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± Kyrion asked as he pulled out a cloak and approached a table. ¡°40 Dozen eggs.¡± Kyrion raised his cloak over the table and lifted it. ¡°That¡¯s 45 dozen, I can eat five by myself. Do they need to be chicken eggs?¡± ¡°80 Onions. 60 whole chickens.¡± The boy rattled out faster. 2 Boxes of onions appeared on the floor. ¡°Fifty in each. I don¡¯t have chickens to spare, but I do have birds that taste like chicken.¡± A coffin appeared on the ground containing over a hundred plucked and cleaned large bird carcasses. ¡°Why?¡± Polaris asked. ¡°At first, I did it because I was hungry. And then I tasted their meat after cooking it. I can¡¯t cook but it was so delicious that I nearly hunted them to extinction. I have captured a good number for breeding purposes.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re just giving it away.¡± ¡°If you can cook better than I can ,then take it. I¡¯ll be here for a while and know of a place to go get my own groceries.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°Your own personal buffet. Anyhow, 1200 pounds of pork and 2000 pounds of beef.¡± The boy didn¡¯t expect the subsequent response. ¡°I am not a butcher so I have that in storage. Where do you want me to leave them?¡± ¡°We have a special table. Get it there and our butcher can get to work.¡± A bald orc with toned muscles entered the restaurant, his grey skin the most apparent feature to notice. His tusks were small and plain, meaning he wasn¡¯t affiliated with a clan. ¡°Chad?¡± ¡°Chad is here. Chad hears there be meat. Where is meat?¡± Kyrion removed the lid from a stasis coffin, revealing the bird corpses. ¡°I need a place to put the beef and Pork equivalents. They are, however, monster meat.¡± ¡°Meat is meat. Show.¡± Chad ordered. Kyrion pulled a large boar from his domain. Well over two thousand pounds yet being carried as though it was nothing. ¡°New hire?¡± Chad asked. ¡°Customer that claims they can eat alot.¡± Chad pinched Kyrion on his arm and smirked. ¡°No fat, all muscle. Condensed muscles. Orc decent or dedicated to the way?¡± ¡°The way. My body is a temple for mana. Trained and hardened till my bones burn and my skin is stone.¡± Kyrion muttered a strange mantra. ¡°The way?¡± The older boy asked. ¡°Can I tell them?¡± Kyrion asked. The orc nods. ¡°A sound core requires a strong vessel. To have a strong vessel, one must have a strong body, willpower, and Wurakjah(Ru-Ahk-Ajah). From there you build up everything slowly and simultaneously through everyday activity. Everything is training. Everything must require resistance. There is no easy way for true power. One of my secondary teachers was an orc, and my body type led to me learning the way. Don¡¯t spread it around too much, though. It¡¯s not secret but tends to put you on their radar.¡± Kyrion explained as he handed the boar to the orc, who smiled in appreciation. ¡°Far along. Betting on you.¡± The orc said knowingly. Kyrion then understood at that moment, he was speaking with an expert. He bowed before taking out an elephant size cow which he hefted onto the table to be cut. ¡°Good. Now go. Many tasks are left for you.¡± And so Kyrion spent most of his morning producing ingredients to later be cooked up for consumption. The chef arrived around ten minutes after the rest of the staff and eyed Kyrion suspiciously. The chef was surprisingly stout. Not quite plump, but there was meat on him. Which made him look more whole than the other elves he¡¯d seen. A poofy white hat atop his head kept his blond hair mostly hidden. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before.¡± The chef said knowingly with a wistful expression. ¡°No you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°60~ years ago, although you looked paler.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Thirty years before that I also saw you again, same eyepatch. Same curious look. You have family history here. Young human, to us elves, it¡¯s quite interesting watching multiple generations of people enter my restaurant and order their meals. The similarities in your actions and differences are something we observe.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying I look like my uncle and grandfather?¡± Kyrion caught on. ¡°Yet you have your own way. Now then what will you order today?¡± Kyrion looked at the menu and scowled. It was in a different language and was squiggly. ¡°One of everything you can make, minus any alcoholic beverages.¡± ¡°Are you sure? We normally make big portions.¡± The older elf asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion had yet to meet a chef that could best him. ¡°Well I hope you can eat as much as you think you can, otherwise you¡¯ll have a lot of leftovers.¡± The elf laughed at a joke only he understood. Polaris approached him. ¡°Your stomach is going to explode if you try to eat all that. Even the orcs had to come here multiple times before we ran out of stock.¡± ¡°How many.¡± ¡°Three times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner for about a week straight. They¡¯d have been given a discount if they replaced anything they ate. Mostly the meat. You better be able to replace what you consume if you really eat as much as you say.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mighty demanding for a brat.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Fine. Suit yourself.¡± Polaris walked away. Moments later, a sizeable family-sized dish was placed in front of Kyrion by the young blond boy who had been sweeping earlier. Book Two: Chapter 61 Defeat never tasted so good Kyrion almost cried when he looked at the dish in front of him. If this was every dish, he may very well find the limits of his stomach. However, these people didn¡¯t hold back on portion size, and he vowed to replace what he consumed today if it helped keep a business like this open. Taking his fork, Kyrion looked into the pasta containing the bird meat he picked up, on top of various vegetables and a white sauce. Kyrion took a bite, and he did, in fact, shed tears. He¡¯d tasted fine cuisine in the form of pastries and snacks, but this had no business being so good. On top of everything else, the bird was truly brought out in this dish. ¡°Spearbeak is the new chicken.¡± Kyrion considered scouring the world for culinary delectabilities before noticing that he was already done, and two more dishes had arrived. By dish twelve, Kyrion felt a fullness he hadn¡¯t before. He showed no signs of bloating, but his body was no longer breaking down the food passively. As he continued to finish the stuffed spearbeak, Kyrion found his limit and looked into himself. His body was full of concentrated mana, and he knew he couldn¡¯t push further without reinforcing his body. As a practitioner, this was an optional step toward increasing power and reinforcing the strength of their organs and limbs. The main reason for this step being forgotten is that it can permanently decrease one¡¯s mana pool if not there isn¡¯t a source of mana nearby. He had a source of mana, and he had the will. ¡°Everything is training.¡± Kyrion started with his stomach and felt something tingling. He raised his hands. ¡°May I use the bathroom? And if so, where is it?¡± One of the staff handed him a key and pointed towards a set of double doors. Kyrion managed to fully infuse his stomach and intestine, with mana leading to a loss in excrement that gave off a foul odor and contained impurities that he hadn¡¯t known were there. Nevertheless, his stomach had been reforged. And he was hungry again. Upon washing his body with mana, Kyrion left the bathroom, standing up straighter with his hungry expression back as he quickly devoured four more dishes. The mana in these went into his liver, cleansing it of impurities and enhancing it further. Opening small gates into his domain within his body Kyrion siphoned away the impurities while waiting for more to come. He had enough mana to clear both kidneys as six plates were brought to the table. ¡°Psycho? Lungs, heart, or brain? ¡°What are¡­ Oh, oh no¡­ Eyes, then lungs, followed by skin. Then let me take over for the rest. Brain requires fine control and unlike you, I can fix what I mess up there. The heart will leave the one in charge unconscious and all you need to do is make it beat again. Heart can be done here while brain can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You left something out.¡± Psycho didn¡¯t respond. Kyrion sighed as he finished enhancing everything else and noticed that he had gotten much thinner. It appeared as though his body was now imbalanced. Then, fading into the recesses of his mind, he found himself sitting in a chair and watching the world through his own eyes. That was when the pain began, as all muscles in his body were disconnected, and his bones and their marrow were enhanced along with his heart which led to him sending a pulse to make it beat again upon completion. When his heart came back to life, he felt blood flowing faster and knew that his regeneration had increased in speed and his cardiovascular fitness had broken past the wall he hit while training. ¡°Hey kid are you doing ok?¡± Kyrion opened his eyes and looked quite confused. ¡°How long was I out?¡± Kyrion rubbed his eyes. ¡°Ten minutes, you passed out with your head face down in mashed potatoes¡± The chef eyed him suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I think I may have had a brief food coma. How much did I have left?¡± ¡°Aside from desert you had two entree¡¯s left. Sadly some people have come to get you.¡± ¡°Time is my worst enemy. Well I lost, sixty two dishes. Here¡¯s six hundred twenty gold. I will be back later. Although I¡¯ll stick to three dishes. I was pushing my body to a degree it didn¡¯t seem to like.¡± ¡°You also reek of iron and death. May need a bath. Your heart was beating but you weren¡¯t moving. I had thought you entered a manifested state but you seem fine now.¡± Kyrion felt around his body and noticed that his muscles seemed to have been strengthened while he had lost mass. As though they were woven together like metal ropes. His hands seemed to move faster than his brain could process without overclocking. Which is a problem for any precision work. ¡°Odd.¡± ¡°Not really. You just started enhancing your body. Given your current strength I¡¯ll put you near peak practitioner physically if not well into expert, on that alone. Your control over mana will grow with time and your power. Do you know what form your power will take in the end?¡± ¡°Where I pass life flourishes.¡± Kyrion removed his eyepatch for the last time and placed it into his domain. Kyrion felt mana pass into him faster than before and finally understood the last element he had obtained, rounding him out completely. Kyrion held out his hand, and a warm flame sparked to like, wild and free, it wanted to explore. ¡°No way. Guess Rion will be fire based.¡± Kyrion clasped his hand shut the fire, winking out. ¡°New affinity?¡± The chef asked. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yeah. Gonna use this as a handicap. Let¡¯s see if I can win while publicly only using fire.¡± ¡°Can you win by just using fire?¡± ¡°No. But if I mix it with other stuff, I can be quite destructive.¡± Kyrion pointed a finger upwards, and a flame appeared. The flame began to shift as wind infused it before sparking and becoming a small bolt before vanishing. ¡°It¡¯s like a new muscle. I need to use it alot and train it. Is there any place to get some private training?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a cave on the sixth layer. A local secret, you pay to gain entrance to a closed-off room to train, and then you¡¯re free to use your power to your heart¡¯s content. Tell the old goat working there, you know Nidhogg that sent you, and they¡¯ll give you one immune to scrying.¡± The chef told him. ¡°Nice. I¡¯ll go greet my handlers then.¡± Kyrion scampered off to leave the restaurant. Outside stood the masked man from earlier standing next to Eden. ¡°Told you he¡¯d be where there is food. Look at him, he¡¯s half starved.¡± ¡°So. What happened to my weights?¡± Kyrion asked as he casually leaned on a wall that wasn¡¯t there. ¡°They were thrown into the sea when they moved you to the teleportation circle.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t give away his movement, as he ended up behind the formally masked Sigfried with the mask in his hands. He moved to see their face, only for the mask to fade. And cover its owner¡¯s face, locking it into place. ¡°Nice try. You¡¯re faster than before. Almost dangerous to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the lack of weight.¡± Kyrion hopped from foot to foot. ¡°Rion...What did you get up to?¡± The masked figure took a step back. ¡°Who knows... What do you need?¡± Kyrion did a spin that, while distracting to the onlookers, let him get a gauge on his current condition. ¡°Meeting of the captains on the fifth layer. Two layers up, started thirty minutes ago.¡± ¡°Huh. Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me?¡± ¡°You slept for at least 30 hours and then vanished. Your body wasn¡¯t budging.¡± ¡°Why would¡­ ohh¡­¡± Kyrion realized he hadn¡¯t called back the magic he had cast on the tower, and it had to find its way back to him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I had an injury that needed focused care and spent that time fixing it.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s started, and you¡¯re late. So let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± ¡°Walk? Shouldn¡¯t I be running?¡± Kyrion stopped. ¡°You¡¯re late, showing up now will be in poor taste. We are going to go meet with Lin and Cecil afterwards at a planned location.¡± ¡°Booo. Come get me in an hour. I have some training to finish. Seventh floor.¡± Kyrion put his thumb down and squatted as though he was going to jump before vanishing from his position. Before the stranger could grab him. ¡°What did he do?¡± The man asked Eden. ¡°He probably teleported. Don¡¯t ask how he does it.¡± ¡°I swear it¡¯s like he was raised in a barn.¡± ¡°Mr.Kyrion is a hero, so what he¡¯s doing is fine by me.¡± ¡°Right¡­About that. Why do you think he¡¯s a hero?¡± ¡°Because he is!¡± ¡°He¡¯s no hero. He¡¯s a Demon Lord. And when I grow up, I¡¯ll beat him.¡± Said a girl from the door of the restaurant. The guard sighed as the shouting match began before catching on to what he said. ¡°Why Demon Lord?¡± ¡°My grandpa started muttering something like that when horns popped out of his head and his hair turned black.¡± ¡°Oh. So you met Psycho?¡± ¡°Psycho?¡± The guard seemed lost. ¡°Kyrion hears voices from time to time and sometimes it takes over. When his hair goes black get back. Is what Bastion told me.¡± ¡°Bastion?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s his son. But I¡¯m not quite sure. He calls him dad when we talk about him but never in front of Mr.Kyrion.¡± ¡°How old is he?¡± ¡°Seven, I think.¡± ¡°Not possible then. His file marked him as 15, it is physically impossible and highly improbable. Maybe he imprinted on My¡­Mr.Kyrion.¡± Eden shrugged before ignoring the adult.
Despite entering his domain, Kyrion could hear what they were discussing and decided to snoop for a bit before leaving, hoping they would slip up. Which gave the red-haired boy another idea. From this point forward, Kyrion would put his disguise together. First, Kyrion sent mana into his teeth and made them much sharper. He then adjusted his hair, making it stand on all ends as he willed it into wild spikes. Then with a brief exertion of mana, the shade of red turned orange. His green eyes turned vermillion, and his shirt had been removed as silvery tattoos covered his form. The mark on his back had shifted to a large circle with markings inside while he ate. Its nature was unknown to all but those in the know and hidden within the tapestry he painted on his body. Kyrion made it to the fifth layer and entered the building Bill had pointed to earlier by walking through a hole in its wards. Upon entering, he opened his senses and decided to head to where he felt the most pressure. Hiding his presence from senses just in case there was another mage capable of sensing disturbances in the world. ¡°Rion is here.¡± Kyrion altered his voice, making it sound more profound, but that didn¡¯t fit. So instead, he took it up an octave and tried to emulate Psycho¡¯s madness. ¡°Your lord has arrived. Bow your head or be laid to rest by my might.¡± Kyrion shook his head. A comfortable middle ground between deranged and honorable hit him. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll win this tournament, so get a good look at my face now and get used to it. This is the face you¡¯ll see at the top of the heap!¡± Kyrion put on a cocky smile as he entered the area and looked about. 31 other individuals aside from staff could be seen taking notes on the scene. ¡°Knowledge flows into me, liberation ok knowledge.¡± Kyrion chanted a spell and absorbed various interpretations of the rules before getting hit by a rebound when he got to Cecil, Chester, and a few people he hadn¡¯t recognized. Everyone who noticed aside from Cecil seemed to whisper to their group mates while Cecil tapped his paper a few times to get his attention. Kyrion approached and looked down as Cecil scribbled down instructions. There was no speaker, as far as Kyrion could tell. ¡°Intermission has just begun. I assume you know the rules. If so, materialize slowly and stay quiet. You¡¯re late but that¡¯s to be expected. The team from the republic along with the gifted school seem to be trouble. This Damian guy keeps asking questions about your status. Go back a page and read the strategies for approach unless you have one already. I¡¯ll play yes and. Just don¡¯t imply that we¡¯re in any non professional relationship.¡± Kyrion reappeared, much to no one¡¯s notice, as he skimmed through it. Cocky, arrogant, extra obnoxious, and ruthless to those who wrong you. ¡°Good.¡± Lin turned her head in confusion. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°I was here the whole time. Did you not notice your future lord? Rion?¡± Kyrion stood up dramatically. His presence and trained showmanship caught everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± Asked a young man with a large hammer and shield on his back. ¡°I dunno. I haven¡¯t talked with him either.¡± Lin looked at him with confused eyes. ¡°Who?¡± She started before she recognized the mole. Kyrion shook his head as he made it to the front of the group. ¡°Listen here, my future subjects! I, Rion, will be taking the crown in this tournament! Any who get in my way will be destroyed. As the representative of Drisil, I will put on a show never before seen on this grand stage. So get used to this face, and you better like it. Cause you¡¯ll be seeing a lot of it in the near future! Ya hear!¡± Kyrion looked up at the crowd before him as though he was looking down on them with a condescending glare, and it seemingly pissed quite a few as they rushed to the stage to engage. Rion sighed. ¡°Looks like we have dissenters. Come. Let me make an example of you.¡± A figure wielding a maul brought it down on Kyrion¡¯s head while a pugilist moved to attack the back of his head and spine. Sensing that they intended to use mana. Kyrion decided that he would indeed make an example. In one swift motion, Kyrion knocked the maul to the side before slapping the maul wielder into a wall head-first. The next movement was less swift as his hand passed the martial artist guard with surprising ease. ¡°If this was a fight to the death, you¡¯d be dead.¡± Kyrion demonstrated by turning his hand to the side and letting loose a torrent of flame so strong that a nearby chair went from wood to ashes. ¡°Get the picture. These are the big leagues. If you can¡¯t make it then submit.¡± Rion looked down before slipping both hands in his pockets and headed towards his seat next to Cecil. Lin was clearly trying to hide her face. ¡°We will have words.¡± Lin said with venom. ¡°Whatever you say my princess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve caught onto your antics that won¡¯t work on me anymore.¡± ¡°Fine, fine. How long is this demonstration, I have some training to get to. I lit the fire, and displayed my force of personality. I intend to win and I won¡¯t hear any excuses when I burn them alive.¡± ¡°Fire affinity, right. The hot tempered, yet cool minded Rion of the demonic flame.¡± Cecil nodded. Book Two: Chapter 62 (Ky)Rion, "Lord of Fire" The speaker returned ten minutes later, ignoring the unconscious competitors on the stage as he explained the rules further. Moments after, the group was dismissed, and Rion was called to speak with one of the proctors. His stunt cemented the fact that he was trouble to mess with and a serious contender. A wizened elf looked at Kyrion with an inquisitive gaze. Then, brushing a hand through his white beard, he seemed to take in the person who hadn¡¯t matched any descriptions yet hadn¡¯t tripped the sensors meant to catch intruders. ¡°Why did you destroy that chair?¡± ¡°It was just a chair. A rather cheap looking one as well. I also needed to demonstrate my power. Those who now fear me will surender the moment I get my hands on them. This character doesn¡¯t play around.¡± ¡°It was still someone else¡¯s property.,.¡± ¡°Not done. Like I said, it was a demonstration of might.¡± Kyrion pulled the chair out of his domain and set it down in the office. ¡°The smell of burning wood?¡± ¡°Woodchips. Fire can obscure among other things. The control isn¡¯t quite where I want it yet.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Me? Haven¡¯t you heard of the captain of team Drisil? Rion the Vermillion Lord of flame?¡± ¡°Ah. So you would be Kyrion then.¡± Kyrion slumped his shoulders and conjured a plush chair. He then fell into it as though his strings had been cut. ¡°Can¡¯t you take a hint? I¡¯m hiding my presence in plain sight. As far as some people need to know. I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°You were said to have a versatile skill set, but fire hadn¡¯t been listed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been building towards it for a while. Trust me when I say that I can put on a show as soon as I figure out how to make it stop healing things.¡± Kyrion stood back up. ¡°So it¡¯s new?¡± Kyrion grabbed the old elf on his shoulder and pulled him up as mana flowed into him, strengthening his back and making him appear years younger in mere moments. ¡°Very.¡± The elf took a few steps before scowling. ¡°I¡¯ve been deaged. That shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°No you¡¯ve just been hit with an influx of life energy and restored. It¡¯s better to say the effects of aging have been weakened, as though a flame had been rekindled. Do we have any more problems to discuss?¡± ¡°No. Rion. You are dismissed. Don¡¯t forget to look annoyed though. Your team will be the last team to fight on the first day.¡± Kyrion smirked before turning it into a sneer as he left the room, quite a few people snooping. A ball of hot flames appeared in Kyrion¡¯s hand as he looked down with irritation. ¡°Are you bugs going to move? Or do you want a fight?¡± ¡°Rion, get over here.¡± Lin said through her teeth. Kyrion¡¯s fire died down instantly as he walked through the parted crowd. As he headed towards Lin, Kyrion noticed seven other individuals who hadn¡¯t reacted to his antics. Sinbad, who was too busy napping to care. A dark-skinned boy wit, was currently devouring a stack of ribs belonging to a giant monster as though he hadn¡¯t eaten in years as a few orcs seemed to dispose of the bones for him. Kyrion noted that he had been eating the whole time. A green-haired woman who, while looking at him, had only a predatory gaze. One Kyion knew all too well and tended to avoid. He was going to stay far away from that den of snakes. He¡¯d seen her kind end the careers of many older male students. Still wasn¡¯t quite sure what happened to them, but he knew they just stopped caring about graduation afterward. Chester looked at him with a neutral expression while Atimin, next to him, scratched his head. Unfortunately, the rest of the Norm team was not present. Finally, there was Damian, who shook his head knowingly before moving on. The stunt not getting past him as he could recognize his friend even if he had been a demon. Then there was that familiar-looking young man he hadn¡¯t spoken to at Limguard academy. Their name was Milo, and the more he looked at them, the more he saw similarities in their natural appearances. Next to Milo was Edwin, who seemed bored, which confirmed one thing. Everyone on that team was an enemy. Finally, there was a white-haired man with strong facial features and blue eyes. He seemingly didn¡¯t care about the current state of affairs as he evidently already thought he had won. Seeing the rest of them as stepping stones. If Kyrion was pretending, then this guy was deluded. A fact that seemed to invigorate a fire under Kyrion. He would be training hard shortly. ¡°R-I-O-N? What¡¯s taking you so long?¡± Kyrion felt more absent-minded than usual as he walked toward his group. ¡°Ah yes my Princess.¡± Kyrion bowed. ¡°Don¡¯t, my Princess, me! This event is done. We¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Cecil asked. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Anywhere.¡± ¡°Then I know a quiet place to talk.¡± Kyrion led them out of the building. Into the clutches of two blue-haired figures, Kyrion hadn¡¯t expected to see together. Lok seemed to have been waiting next to Charles. As though they knew he¡¯d be here, which wasn¡¯t too odd ¡°May I have the eyepatch back? It seems to have served its purpose.¡± Charles said, bored. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You no longer need it. It¡¯s my duty to see that it finds its next master.¡± ¡°Can you see through¡­¡± Kyrion pointed at his altered face. ¡°No. But I had some help who foresaw this outcome.¡± Kyrion took the eyepatch out of his domain and handed it over with a scowl. ¡° Charles looked at it before handing it to Lok. Lok then looked at Lin and handed it over with a rather sorrowful expression. ¡°Keep it safe for me. You¡¯ll know who it belongs to in due time.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lin was confused. ¡°Seer, you shouldn¡¯t worry about it. Hopefully you don¡¯t lose an eye like I did.¡± Kyrion pointed at the prosthetic. ¡°Now then. Rion. Are you going to train?¡± Lok asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Seventh layer?¡± Lok questioned. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Brain?¡± Lok scowled, his hand in a bag. ¡°...Yes.¡± ¡°Take Lin with you and have her use these on you.¡± Lok handed Kyion a box containing small white pills and a choker. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Lok shrugged before turning, sprinting off a branch, and jumping down. Sinbad left the building confused and soon came face to face with Kyrion. ¡°Do I know you?¡± Sinbad asked. ¡°Doubt it.¡± ¡°Right, I must be half asleep.¡± Sinbad yawned as he headed towards an inn, followed by his assistant, who seemed quite annoyed. Charles looked at Kyrion for a long minute. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t tell you everything. When the time comes you¡¯ll understand that the secrets surrounding you are a shield more than anything else. Someone with your potential doesn¡¯t come around often. Once in a trillion years. Beings beyond your comprehension will come after you in hopes of stealing your body. Now go before Nicole decides to look into you. She¡¯ll be here in a few minutes. Apparently she was investigating a red haired boy causing trouble near a restaurant known for large portions. We had to send Atimin to fill her shoes as co captain.¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go. Lin, can you push me off the edge? Free falling looks fun.¡± Kyrion asked with a wry smile. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you want a lift?¡± Kyrion ¡°No. Who¡¯s Nicole?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Feel free to take the long way. See ya soon.¡± Kyrion fell backward off the edge and felt the wind fulfilling under him. He shifted the wind currents with wind mana and shot fire from his limbs to make it seem like he was propelling himself with flame. Be flew through the layers rapidly, landing near a building on the seventh floor. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Descent rest stop.¡± Kyrion read aloud. Figuring that this was the place, he entered and looked around, noticing an absurd amount of items for sale, from food to magical gear. Approaching the counter, Kyrion looked at the elven shopkeep. ¡°Nidhogg sent me.¡± Kyrion whispered. ¡°10 gold to get in, 100 gold an hour to rent out a room.¡± ¡°Do you take cores for trade?¡± ¡°Speak to the people past the entrance .¡± ¡°I have people coming to see me, do they have to pay?¡± ¡°The entrance fee but not the room.¡± ¡°At max, there should be 5 people who come by. A blond boy with glasses, a girl with white hair, a man with a mask, a small girl with green hair¡­ I forgot the fifth already.¡± Kyrion put the gold on the counter and entered. He¡¯d be broke if he didn¡¯t set up shop soon. Maybe he could set up his dungeon here. ¡°You may go. I¡¯ll return the funds if none of those people show up.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Kyion entered the back room and soon found his way into a black market. Anything from magic items to drugs in bulk was being traded within this area. If it was for sale, people bought it. Two things made sense immediately, this place was hidden from the public so as not to tarnish the elven image of happy order. As well as the fact that people were not being sold. Just items and places to rent out. He didn¡¯t see an obvious house of Ill repute nor any bars. A hall further down the path led to what he assumed were the training rooms. Deciding to pawn off some common spirit cores and rare herbs he¡¯d grown, Kyion managed to pocket eight hundred gold, which he then used to purchase a room for eight hours. They had a time dilation of 4. For every hour in the outside world, four passed in there. He¡¯d have time to train, so he used it for such. Kyion stood in a blank space in a strange place between worlds. Testing the waters, Kyrion used every affinity, aside from order, to test their functionality. Space did not work well here, which was a good thing to learn. Instead of starting small, Kyrion summoned the largest fireball he could at once before compressing it slightly before it popped. Sending the practitioner flying away into a white wall he hadn¡¯t known was there. He could see the door he entered through nearby and decided to use that as a marker for direction. Kyrion focused and tried summoning a few small balls of flame at once. When he summoned one, it would appear, two and the first would flicker, three, and they all exploded. It was as though he was trying to split his consciousness between the orbs. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Kyrion summoned a vortex of wind around himself and filled them with hot flames creating a storm of fire around himself. Only that was a bad idea as his breeches caught fire and his skin began to itch, although that happened well after his pants had been turned to ashes. ¡°Uggg¡­¡± Kyrion sighed as he looked down and created a skirt made from earth, as he approached a stall on the outside and purchased a pair of supposedly fireproof pants for two hundred gold before retreating back into his training cave and spending the next few hours creating finishing moves that were flashy, effective and went with his style. Summoning targets made from stone, Kyrion began his practice. ¡°Blooming Phoenix!¡± Kyrion surrounded himself with a large flame that resembled a rose. In this state, it acted as a shield capable of taking lots of powerful hits so long as they weren¡¯t water-based. If anyone got close, the petals would spread out rapidly and in the form of a Peony. Then, from the bloom, Kyrion blasted upwards with wings of fire and let loose powerful fire attacks from the sky onto the waiting targets below. When the smoke cleared, only one of the dummies had been destroyed as the rest of his ranged attacks either missed or fell short due to miscalculating the level of power. Aesthetically it was beautiful. A technique like that in combat or during a war can destroy enemy morale and end many lives if they hit. ¡°Missed again.¡± Despite the showiness, he was using minimal mana for maximum repetitions. It took four hours before he could hit more than four targets out of the nine he made. That was when Lin arrived. She clearly had an irritated look on her face as Cecil followed curiously. ¡°Why is it so hot in here?¡± Lin asked. ¡°A lot of fire, mana.¡± Kyrion sat down and refilled his mana pool, his horns popping out to speed up the process. ¡°I see. That¡¯s some nice progress in one hour.¡± Cecil commented. ¡°Four. This place has 4 times the time dilation.¡± ¡°Reasonable progress then. Although I may get one of these rooms myself. How much are they?¡± ¡°One hundred gold an hour.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Expensive. Given the effect, it is also reasonable.¡± A greedy look entered the blond boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Bring Cecil¡¯s Harem here, along with all our products, and use that money to buy time.¡± ¡°Exactly. We have two months, and a few thousand gold between us. If we work together I bet we can squeeze out four months of training and development.¡± ¡°Kyrion, this is why you¡¯re my friend with benefits.¡± Cecil wiped away a fake tear. ¡°You¡¯re messing with me on purpose now. Your harem is actually an organization isn¡¯t it.¡± Lin crossed her arms. ¡°Yeah. Kyrion seems to think it means a group of like minded individuals who share a goal. Back then we had a vote and the other founding members found it hilarious. I¡¯ve also been misleading him on what certain phrases mean.¡± Cecil admitted. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said they wanted the girls to leave you alone.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t it backfire?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Oh big time. But I am no longer the thirteen year old who dreams of having a harem. It¡¯s actually more exhausting than it looks, trying to be a dense harem protagonist. I don¡¯t have that natural stupidity.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up Cecil. I know you can do it.¡± Kyrion tried to give his friend a pep talk. ¡°Got it. He¡¯s just an idiot.¡± Lin nodded. ¡°Not quite, while the kindness and innocence are real, the idiocy is only half of an act.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m the one being insulted?¡± Kyrion squinted in mock outrage. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lin stated. ¡°Good. I have a few other tricks to master and was going to perform them. Sadly it seems they will have to wait.¡± Kyrion signed. ¡°Right. What exactly are you doing?¡± ¡°Sit down then. You¡¯re in for a ride.¡± Kyrion sighed. Book Two: Chapter 63 Shatter Lin, Cecil, and Kyrion sat in a circle as the still vermilion-eyed Kyrion took a deep breath as though he were buying time. ¡°I am reinforcing my body now so that when I reach the realm of experts, I¡¯ve maximized the potential of my physical form. Spirit mastery isn¡¯t something meant to be done by itself. The body must be strengthened as well. It is originally an orc path to power. Orc¡¯s rarely keep written records so it isn¡¯t something you¡¯ll find in a book somewhere. They also don¡¯t tell this to non-orcs unless they deem them worthy. Do you know why?¡± Kyrion asked smugly. ¡°Why?¡± Lin seemed captivated by the knowledge she had been missing. ¡°Spirit mastery belongs to the orcs. Those following their path must be strong. Their fledglings build up their bodies to a degree while compressing, and don¡¯t enter practitioner until fourteen or fifteen. After their bodies have finished their rapid growth cycle. As a practitioner they refine their bodies to better become a vessel for mana. Those who don¡¯t train their bodies to their physical limits become weak experts. It¡¯s why there are legends involving practitioner¡¯s slaying experts and also why two experts of the same tier can vary vastly in power. It starts with the foundation, but the path must be reinforced as well.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°Makes sense given the attempted genocides and the great war for land a millenia ago. The other races migrated here and proceeded to steal everything. Makes sense that there are secrets that haven¡¯t gotten out.¡± Cecil nodded to himself. ¡°Why are you telling me then?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Because it isn¡¯t a secret. Doing this without preparation or the right knowledge can lead to a long and painful death. If you ask them they will tell you the method but unless you prove your worth they won¡¯t teach it.¡± ¡°Is that why you wore those insane weights?¡± ¡°Yes. My body needs to be at its peak, and my peak is higher than most for some reason.¡± ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing. I always found your physical strength strange. This method requires someone with extensive knowledge of the human condition, you could help the others do this as well.¡± Cecil seemingly understood. ¡°Only Tiffany could handle it to my knowledge given her status on manifestation. Brion will be ready soon. Hopefully Ander has his stuff together by the time the tournament rolls around.. The rest aren¡¯t anywhere near ready as of yet. Unless you¡¯re going to tell me that Minah has been holding back on me for some odd reason.¡± ¡°No, she hasn¡¯t managed a full manifestation as of yet. Partial incantations like Ander due to lack of truly understanding the root of their power. I don¡¯t know if Bella¡¯s anywhere near mastering her abilities. Does one need to be a spirit master to do this?¡± ¡°Yes. In practice no, in theory yes. With an unenhanced body it is possible in small doses over time. It could take years to get a fraction of the results.¡± ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯re wasting time. What¡¯s the collar and pills for?¡± Kyrion looked to himself and found Psycho scowling before giving in. ¡°My time is at its end. As you stated a long time ago, we are not the same people.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Quite simply, you were right. We are not the same person A fact becoming more obvious. You¡¯ll understand soon.¡± ¡°How soon?¡± ¡°When I enhance your brain my soul will; leave your body. The pills will restore your mana and heal any damage caused by my forced extraction. You¡¯ll finally be the main voice in your own head. Congratulations on winning the genetic lottery.¡± ¡°What are you then?¡± Kyrion grits his teeth as he feels his consciousness being forced back. ¡°An accident, half a soul that wasn¡¯t able to integrate with a body I thought was my own.¡± ¡°And your enemy. Who are they?¡± ¡°Kyrion. You are my enemy. You¡¯ve always been wary of me. I lessened the effects over time but I could never understand why we couldn¡¯t fuse. This was my body. Only it wasn¡¯t. After the tournament, head to your old home and find your mother¡¯s lab. You should understand then.¡± Kyrion scowled as his vision went dark. Psycho put the collar on and began enhancing Kyrion¡¯s brain. Black mana flowed out of Psycho and entered the choker quickly. The white room darkened from the concentration of mana as the world tried to shift to no avail. ¡°What¡¯s going Psycho!¡± Cecil yelled as he was getting pushed back. ¡°Make sure Kyr doesn¡¯t fall into darkness, will you. This is where I leave.¡± Psycho gave a wistful smile. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin asked. When Psycho finished, his last words were spoken. ¡°Goodbye for now. Grow strong. I know you can.¡± Kyrion¡¯s vision faded back into place as he felt his brain adjust to the world around him. His vision was more precise, his nose sharper, and his thoughts seemed to come faster. He felt he could still temporarily enhance his brain further through his overclocking technique but shouldn¡¯t have to do so anytime soon. Getting to his feet, Kyrion looked about as though looking at nothing while taking in everything, the box of mana restoration pills in his hands. The world around him seemed to break as his domain kept trying to open in a place it shouldn¡¯t. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°What did I just¡­.¡± Kyrion felt as if thoughts came to him unfiltered, unedited. His hunger subsided as worry passed over him. This felt different. He knew it did, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. ¡°Was I being manipulated¡­creating chemical imbalances to offset strong emotions and keep me mostly clear-headed.¡± Can¡¯t charm someone already under powerful effects. A trait that had saved his life more times than he could count. One he hadn¡¯t known wasn¡¯t natural. Yet it also inhibited him and kept him from mentally maturing as fast as he should have in some aspects he now thought were important. Somewhere deep within Kyrion¡¯s psyche, Kyrie realized that the mental effects of puberty had been getting subdued as well, hence his previous disinterest in the advances aimed at him. ¡°This is really inconvenient.¡± His emotions had begun to leak out, but his reactions had been subdued. Kyrion held his head as the past few events seemed to play themselves back. Before landing on Gamodern, his previous master, one whom he now had to kill. The anger at the forced betrayal of his friend and mentor. His older brother in all but name. ¡°Get out! I feel like I¡¯m about to explode!¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice cracked as his composure broke. Cecil grabbed Lin, instantly realizing something was wrong as the temperature rapidly rose around them. Lin sighed and encased Kyrion in a wall of ice before she was fully taken and dragged out of the room. Everything burned by the time Kyrion¡¯s rampage ended. The white walls were charred to the degree that it took a while for their enchantments to repair. His new pants proved useful as they had survived, where his boots, among other things, had become ash. As he looked down, he noticed that he stood in a crater with a thirty-foot radius and a drain on his pool. Kyrion was empty. He didn¡¯t remember what he did as everything went red, and knew he had run out of mana. None of the ice surrounding him remained as he got a good look. He did, however, feel great. As though he let out all his pent-up anger, aggression, and frustration. Kyrion touched his face where tears seemed to have boiled on his skin, creating small burn scars he could remove when his mana returned. Leaving the training room, Kyrion found Cecil and Lin waiting outside with concerned expressions. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ok. Do you have any of the mana restoration stuff?¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice was hoarse. ¡°What are you going to use it for?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t try to resist the influence. ¡°I need to regenerate and then recenter. I¡¯ll be taking a brief nap before I¡¯m of any use. Then I¡¯ll get back to training. Now isn¡¯t the time to get distracted.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t know what happened but I do know that you seem to have exercised a foreign entity from your soul. I¡¯ve seen long term possessions end before. They aren¡¯t pretty. Are you ok?¡± ¡°...I actually don¡¯t know. Were my previous actions my own, or was I being led down this path?¡± Kyrion slapped his own face and began smushing it together. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± ¡°Psyching himself up, I think.¡± Kyrion then scratched his chin as he looked up. ¡°You know what? I am the person I am now, no need to think over the potential implications.¡± ¡°Is he convincing himself or us?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Are you convinced?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Not in the least.¡± ¡°He should be fine then.¡± ¡°I am a complex and emotional person.¡± Kyrion stated in a monotone, having managed to find the breaks. ¡°I have concerns.¡± ¡°Whatever is wrong my¡­.¡± Kyrion found himself suddenly getting embarrassed. ¡°Hmmmm¡­ My my. This may be my only chance. How do you feel about Tiffany?¡± ¡°She¡¯s like an older sister that looks out for me. I¡¯m thankful for her. A good friend.¡± ¡°And Ceres?¡± ¡°You ever go out for groceries and give food to a stray only for them to follow you home having imprinted?¡± ¡°No. Can¡¯t say I have.¡± ¡°Ceres feels like a daughter to me which I find quite bizarre. Since I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s older.¡± ¡°Bella?¡± ¡°You do know she has feelings for you, right? Even I¡¯m not that oblivious.¡± Kyrion said, catching on to the fact that he was charmed by a spell that forced him to tell the truth and hadn¡¯t tried to resist despite being capable of doing so. ¡°Hel?¡± ¡°Creeps me out.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Minah.¡± Cecil attempted to catch Kyrion off guard. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to know what I feel about her.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Wait. Are these all women?¡± Lin looked at Cecil. ¡°Yeah, mostly people on the team. I thought I¡¯d get this settled now.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°I really do want to know so elaborate.¡± ¡°She¡¯s my friend¡¯s sister. I tolerate her presence, she isn¡¯t a friend but she is a comrade. I protect my comrades, a slight against them is one against me.¡± ¡°Nothing. Even given her¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care much about certain aspects of her anatomy. If I¡¯m being honest, she kinda gets on my nerves. I understand her situation but it doesn¡¯t make up for her own actions.¡± ¡°You¡¯d break a shoulder for just about anybody?¡± ¡°And Max since he¡¯d actually need it. Brion can fight his own battles and I pity the fool that provokes Ander¡¯s wrath. I¡¯d be more worried about cleaning up in your case. Now if anyone harmed Bastion, or Eden, nothing sort of divine intervention will stop my rampage.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Because they¡¯re weak?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s my job as captain. If Brion can¡¯t beat them then I¡¯ll step in. If Ander can¡¯t win I won¡¯t show him up. Just some spot healing and support.¡± ¡°What about Nicole?¡± ¡°Best friend that wants something more while I¡¯m happier just staying good friends. Can we stop here?¡± ¡°Lin?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bring me into this¡­.¡± Kyrion popped a hand over his own mouth before glaring daggers at Cecil. A searing sensation closed his mouth in a rather gruesome fashion. ¡°That¡¯s a response.¡± ¡°I would bet whatever he says next is a lie.¡± Cecil grinned. With a brief exertion of mana, Kyrion had fully healed his body before conjuring a bed and heading back into the training room, the King-sized mattress fighting through the door with ease. ¡°Did he seal his lips to keep from speaking?¡± Lin scowled ¡°Welp. I¡¯ll need to sleep with an eye open.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to get me back somehow.¡± ¡°He does that often?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what friends do. I think.¡± Cecil didn¡¯t seem convinced. ¡°Should I?¡± Lin asked. ¡°At most he might mildly inconvenience you passively. Nothing painful but you may be annoyed.¡± ¡°How bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat or drink anything he tries to give you if he¡¯s been consuming it. Especially if you see him season it himself.¡± ¡°He¡¯d poison himself?¡± ¡°No. He just likes his strong flavors. If it¡¯s good then he won¡¯t season it.¡± ¡°Can he not taste?¡± ¡°Food is food, unless it¡¯s really good.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s picky.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s a glutton with an odd sense of taste. The seasoning is what¡¯s known as a calorie multiplier, they enhance how much nutrition one gets. Unless you¡¯re working out constantly, you¡¯ll probably start gaining weight.¡± ¡°Why would one eat such a thing?¡± ¡°He needs more food than most to function at peak efficiency.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t eat after him.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stand too close unless you want his smell to stick to you either. He has a flower he uses to clean and sanitize everything around him.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound bad. Where¡¯s the mischief.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually drawing a blank on how he¡¯d try to inconvenience you. Me? Simple he¡¯d switch the labels on my tools or alter their colors so that I¡¯d have to re sort them.¡± ¡°Ah, fairy shenanigans.¡± ¡°...¡± Cecil scowled. ¡°What.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s nothing. Just have a few enchantments to put on my tool box.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me much.¡± ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t ask for anything he eats. And if the situation isn¡¯t dire he¡¯s likely to be planning something.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll make sure my bodyguard is nearby for all of our interactions.¡± ¡°Probably for the best.¡± Cecil stated. Book Two: Chapter 64 Cecil was sitting at a bench, a set of gaudy rings along with a necklace with a strange tooth Kyrion had managed to acquire. The tooth was tied to a silver chain with various other ornaments from gems of rare quality and feathers belonging to multiple birds. Then there was the cape made from fur belonging to something with silver fur. Cecil was creating a set of enchanted gear to drain Kyrion¡¯s mana rapidly and constantly with no upper limit. The catch was that while wearing these items, his endurance and ability to control his mana would shoot up while his mana went down. Such items could kill an ordinary Spirit-Master within a day, but he doubted it would be enough given what he¡¯d seen the green-eyed monster throw about casually. There was also a safety measure set in to shut off should the occupant be in a critical mana-drained state. ¡°Why am I making you new toys when you break the old ones so frequently?¡± ¡°Because I promised to act as a battery for your other projects. Including armor and weapons of mass destruction.¡± Kyrion was cross-legged in the training room turned lab. In front of him was a greatsword he had been using to train. It had a heft that he liked, a density that didn¡¯t make sense, and a killer look in the young man¡¯s honest opinion. The guard of the blade was rounded and went into the handle like a dueling sword allowing him to use some unorthodox techniques. He didn¡¯t like using weapons and tended to keep to staves or chakram due to his desire to heal over killing. Sadly he would be fighting for his life sooner rather than later. Rion, however, was no healer. He was a warrior of fire and overwhelming power. On top of that, Kyrie¡¯s memories and Psycho¡¯s training had taught him how to use a weapon, as anything can be used to cut if you put enough power behind it. Kyrie had been trained in many weapons as a child, but due to his short stature, he favored polearms and spears for reach¡­Kyrion did not continue that train of thought. ¡°Right. But if you¡¯re drained of mana constantly, how do you plan on filling up my stuff?¡± ¡°Oh? I thought you were smart. Just take it from the gear when I¡¯m not using it and use the extraction rune in reverse to funnel the mana into whatever you want.¡± ¡°So you plan on fighting while low on mana?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use my full power during this tournament due to the nature of that power. It¡¯s in the expert tier already. I am by no means an expert however. And if I force myself into that stage it could cause harm to more than just myself.¡± Kyrion looked to Cecil. ¡°So if you can¡¯t fight at full power you¡¯d rather fight like an underdog steadily getting stronger as you adapt to your new fighting style.¡± ¡°Which is true. This should also train my mana capacity as well¡­ Which isn¡¯t something I should be doing. But I am going to do it anyway.¡± ¡°Why do you of all people need power?¡± ¡°I am no hero Cecil. I know my limitations and I know a rage that far surpasses my sense of reason. There are a few people I need to kill. Most have wanted me dead since birth while others want my body to use me as a vessel. Those people have been ruining my life and will continue until I am dead. I love everyone, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll sit Idle and let my enemies scoop me up.¡± Kyrion stood up and held out his greatsword. ¡°I am a healer but...¡± Kyrion pulled the blade off the hilt showing the lade could extend to quite a degree as enchanted chains pulled the blade back into the hilt. Lin walked into the training room with a scowl on her face. ¡°You have all this time and yet you¡¯re late to today¡¯s meeting!¡± ¡°Was that today?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Yes it was today! You have ten minutes!¡± Kyrion started threading his fingers through his hair to alter its color as his eyes shifted to vermillion. ¡°Great. Rion will make another grand entrance.¡± Rion placed his greatsword into a sheath behind his lower back. ¡°Rion no!¡± Lin tried to block the doorway upon realization ¡°Hehehe.¡± Rion flicked a bolt of fire through the doorway and teleported to the position the flame had occupied before dashing down the hall and into the open air. ¡°No! Don¡¯t you¡­¡± Lin stopped moving, having accomplished her goal. Like a toddler on the loose, Kyrion did not turn around as he ran. Instead, taking a leap off the edge of a bridge, he summoned large wings of flame incapable of burning due to the mix of healing mana used in its creation. In minutes he glided to the meeting area they had been using. Kyrion moved to open the door only to realize it was locked. A large hand clamped down on Kyrion¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve been tricked, haven¡¯t I Siggy.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°I suspect that to be the case. ¡°Fine, guess we should start my sword lessons.¡± Kyrion approached the masked figure, seemingly within arms reach. ¡°Yes. But first meditation, followed by hunting, fishing and swordplay.¡± ¡°Fishing? Why fishing?¡± ¡°You need to relax, clear your mind. Reset your emotions by doing things you enjoy. You¡¯ve been training nonstop to improve your physical health but one can only do so much before breaking their mind. Especially after enhancing your brain. It tends to leave one susceptible to emotions. Combined with your age and lack of being able to fully act on them. You¡¯re going to be a bit lost.¡± Kyrion made a weird face. ¡°Thanks. But I have a dad already.¡± ¡°And where is he at the moment? I¡¯m not here to be your dad. Think of me as a mentor and a friend.¡± Siegfried stated. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. And fine. This better not be a waste of time though.¡± ¡°Nothing is a waste of time. Now let¡¯s go.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°,,,Did I just smell hypocrisy?¡± ¡°No. Start by meditating then we do have a lot on our plate after all.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Siegfried said bluntly. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion sat in a crisscross position and entered his core. Jala and Issac had grown slightly, and the tree that had started as a seed had grown thicker and taller. Karl left behind a copy made of rock to signify his presses and the affinities to be used. But it was clear they had been in his domain. Kyrie seemed shorter here as the young man began to circle the meditating Kyrion as though he were the center. A new figure had also appeared here, covered in scales, skin as black as obsidian and yellow eyes that reminded him of Gamodren in a way. ¡°Fateless child so we finally meet. It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve spoken. But you aren¡¯t ready to meet with me yet. I am the fire that burns within you, I am the rage you managed to subdue over the years. There are memories you locked away rather forcibly, and until you find them we have nothing more to discuss.¡± The figure spoke before fading into nothing. ¡°What in the abyss is that?¡± Kyrie asked. ¡°A friend I hope I get rid of one tenant and get another.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°That one isn¡¯t new. They just don¡¯t make their presence known often.¡± Jala yawned. ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion felt someone flick him on the forehead. ¡°Mediaite. Clear your mind.¡± Kyrion exited his core and sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± He muttered to no one in particular. Clearing his mind was harder than usual, as when he did, his control over his emotions wavered, thoughts entered his head, and the meditation ended. Most of the said thought originated from Kyrie, as it turned out the doppelganger was a handful to keep in check. After about an hour of attempted meditation with thirty minutes of success, Kyrion had found peace and serenity. But, unfortunately, he also found it wanting as Kyrie woke up from his nap and began pestering Kyrion about sword training. Kyrion left his meditation and stood straight up. ¡°I am as calm as a forest fire. Now let¡¯s get to sword training.¡± ¡°Did you find peace?¡± ¡°No. I did find madness though. He has black scales and a penchant for insults.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move on then. Seems you have some energy to burn up.¡± ¡°That I have in spades.¡± ¡°Fine then, did you bring a sword?¡± Sigfred drew a greatsword from its sheath. It was quite large and heavy looking, with ornate runes carved from the point to the hit. Many of which seemed quite familiar to Kyrion, yet he couldn¡¯t place them. ¡°Of course I brought a sword.¡± Kyrion pulled his special greatsword, about twice as thick as Sigfried¡¯s and a foot longer. Kyrion gave the absurd blade a few practice swings. ¡°That¡­ That is quite absurd. Are you going to fight with that?¡± ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m going to win with it as well.¡± ¡°You really must be mad. Do you even know how to use a sword?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I know the basics.¡± Kyrion lied. He had learned quite a bit more than the basics from Kyrie¡¯s memories and some training. But outside of that, he hadn¡¯t had direct combat practice with a skilled opponent. ¡°The basics. Fine then let¡¯s see what you got.¡± ¡°First off, is magic allowed.¡± ¡°Only the affinities you plan on using in the tournament.¡± ¡°Which means you¡¯ll be using magic.¡± ¡°Only if I have to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to need magic if you aren¡¯t outright stronger than me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cocky practitioner.¡± ¡°Just pragmatic.¡± Kyrion took a defensive stance, his left hand acting as a shield. ¡°Your going to lose an arm fighting like that.¡± ¡°If you can cut it off, I deserve to lose it.¡± Kyrion said flippantly as he moved forward, the grass under him following his movements as he swiftly closed the distance and cut diagonally using a tenth of his strength and finding quite a bit of resistance as his blade was blocked. Sigfred pushed the blade back and aimed for a strike at Kyrion¡¯s left arm, which had been brought up to act as a shield. The blade connected and bounced off as it hadn¡¯t had enough force to break through Kyrion¡¯s natural endurance. Kyrion used the momentum from the strike to his arm to spin. Moving into Sigfried¡¯s personal space and bringing the broadside of his sword up like a hammer. Siegfried evaded the attack but was pushed back by the wave of hot wind that trailed the swing. Siegfried began to circle Kyrion, which caused the latter to start moving around, as the training he hadn¡¯t had, pushed him into motion. ¡°More than basic or you¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Kyrion said bluntly as he analyzed his sparring partner. Siegfried ran forward, closing the distance, and slashed much faster than his previous attack. Kyrion deflected the attack with his sword using fifty percent of his full strength and was surprised when that had barely managed to work, as a shockwave of force caused the ground under them to break. Siegfried retreated and leveled his blade toward Kyrion¡¯s chest. Kyrion scowled and jumped to the side as spears of earth shot up from under him. Then, pushing his feet off the ground, he flew forwards at high speed right toward the swordsman, purposefully leaving his body open. Siegfried swung at the opening, aiming to end the spar there. Only to watch as his opponent danced through the air, using flames to alter his direction and slam their sword into his own. Siegfried was pushed back ten feet but hadn¡¯t fallen over. So they stabbed their blade into the ground, sending earthen copies of the sword upward and outward, trailing the now evasive moving Kyrion. Kyrion continued to dance through the blades in the air as he flew about and flew toward his opponent. Siegfried rapidly conjured a dome of granite around himself to block the incoming attack. Kyrion threw a hand forward and filled the dome with bright fire as it was closed. Siegfried was surprised that fire could float in an area with little oxygen and not give off any heat while lighting the area. Still, they had a spar to end, so Sigfried ignored the mote and began to sense Kyrion¡¯s presence through heat, sending blades of earth at the young warrior when he tried to burn the dome from a distance. Kyrion, tired of being fired at, flew toward the dome, propelling himself with fire and attempting to break the dome. Like a porcupine, the dome shot spikes out in all directions when he entered its reach, and a lucky spear pierced his right shoulder but stopped when it hit bone. Jumping back, Kyrion used fire to heal the wound and scowled as that wasn¡¯t the only healing fire he had in motion. He felt another one. Still in the dome, he sensed he could shift to it through his space affinity at any moment like he had done with his short-lived bolt. He had a mischievous smile on his face as he dashed about erratically while firing bolts of fire at his opponent¡¯s dome and keeping their attention. When Kyrion felt his opponent had found a comfortable rhythm, he set out a few delayed bolts of fire as he shifted to the mote within the dome and attempted to bring his fist to Sigfreids face, his curiosity surpassing his drive to win. Surprised by the sneak attack, Siegfried used their full power thinking that they would deflect a sword only for the blade to find some resistance but not enough as it cleanly severed the hand from the wrist. The fist, however, managed to crack Sigfried¡¯s mask but didn¡¯t break it. ¡°Darn. I was this close to getting it this time. I surrender.¡± Kyrion willed his blood to stay in his body as he altered its flow. The dome retracted, and Siegfried took a step back in horror as the vermillion-eyed boy held out his stump for a handshake. ¡°Well played¡± ¡°Your hand!¡± ¡°Oh right. Cut it off quite cleanly. Good job.¡± Kyrion retrieved his hand, cleaned it with water mana, and casually reconnected it. ¡°That was mad. What if your regeneration didn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°My regeneration is stronger than my healing ability. So I wasn¡¯t worried.¡± Kyrion sighed as he retrained his limb. ¡°I see. So you¡¯d rather lose a hand than a blade?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d rather not burn down a forest while lighting a lamp. That¡¯s something my real dad taught me.¡± Kyrion said as he tried to gauge his teacher¡¯s reaction. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what he said?¡± ¡°Who knows? You sure don¡¯t. Also your cologne stinks¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°What cologne.¡± ¡°Hook line and sinker.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We should get the fishing stuff together. I¡¯m actually feeling a little peckish.¡± ¡°Fishing, then hunting. I¡¯ll cook up what we find and then we can move to that room for your sword lessons. Don¡¯t think I hadn¡¯t figured you out. Today I showed that I can beat you. Which means I have a few tings to teach you.¡± Thus began the final stretch of Kyrion¡¯s training. And the eve of the tournament. Book Two: Chapter 65 Suprise Kyrion and Cecil had spent their free time efficiently while increasing the quality of life in the capital, and within a month, the two had had enough coin to stay in the dilation chambers for a year. Through time and dedication, he had managed to get a negligible hold of his volatile emotions. He had figured out how to keep his body in its normal state of calm, fully aware that if he got angry, it would take a while to reassert control. as he came to terms with the fact that Psycho kept him from running rampant. Kyrion¡¯s control over fire increased dramatically over the four months of training, and he was even trained in swordplay by Kyrie and Sigfried when they were available. Overall, Kyrion¡¯s ability to push himself past exhaustion and beyond proved useful in maximizing his growth time. All good things came to an end, and as it turned out. His team had arrived at the capital, and it was time to introduce them to Rion. Still, he was quite surprised when his team arrived. All of them had gotten much stronger. But not enough to close the gap he had created through his training. Popping his knuckles, Kyrion looked at his allies with an irritated glare. ¡°Captain Rion is here, but he is surprised, you all are still weak, not even fit to ride my coattails. Well that is fine given I, Rion had more time to get ahead.¡± ¡°Captain Rion. I assume you¡¯ve gotten stronger during your time away.¡± Tiffany eyed Kyrion closely. Kyrion handed everyone except Bastion a key and looked over his group. If they wanted to put on a good show and bring glory to the school. Then they would do so. Sadly he was determined to win. And to win, he couldn¡¯t do that alone, hence why he wasn¡¯t entering the solo battles. Despite the idiocy that appeared on the surface, there were perks. In the solo tournament, when a captain is defeated, the school that beats them gets an extra ten points, while the captain¡¯s team loses twenty. He had more to gain from letting the others fight it out than get involved and potentially lose. Kyrion knew he wasn¡¯t invincible. He could lose if he tried to fight while hiding his abilities. Which is why he wasn¡¯t going to risk it. Nothing to gain, and everything to lose is a stupid gamble. Some captains would be foolish enough to enter regardless. ¡°Who are you anyway? Where¡¯s the captain?¡± Minah approached Rion clearly in a defensive stance. ¡°Look at me. I¡¯m the captain now.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes shifted back to green for a brief moment before returning to their unnatural vermillion hue. ¡°Cecil?¡± Bella looked at her friend, who just shook his head in the leave it alone motion. ¡°I thought you had an eyepatch.¡± Minah asked. ¡°Rion never wore an eyepatch and does not know what you¡¯re referring to.¡± Krion said with a blank expression. Minah leaned into him, getting a close look as though trying to get something out of him. ¡°No change.¡± Tiffany said as she looked at a pendant that seemingly had turned white and marked Kyrion as worried. ¡°How do you feel about a fight then?¡± Minah took a step back. ¡°Rion doesn¡¯t turn down a challenge. However this isn¡¯t the time or the place.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± A flippant person butted into their peaceful conversation, their expensive clothing marking them as either a noble or a wealthy merchant that didn¡¯t know where to buy clothes. Midas, led by a figure in bronze armor, approached Kyrion¡¯s group. Rion¡¯s face crooked up into a shark¡¯s smile, like a predator who just had food wander into their lair. This seemingly terrified Bastion and caused Max to take a step back. ¡°Is this your new lover Minah? Is that how you made the team with your strength?¡± Mida¡¯s moved to approach his hal ¡°T.P! I can¡¯t believe you made it right on time.¡± Rion walked casually over to Midas as though they were well acquainted and slowly reached to place a hand on their shoulder. ¡°Get your filthy presence away from me, commoner.¡± Midas instinctively tried to jump back. Only the hand on his shoulder was much faster and anchored him to the ground. Kyrion sighed. ¡°I get that you¡¯re dumb, but talking like that only gets me fired up. Sadly I was never one for patience and forgiveness. This will be your only warning.¡± The temperature rose quite a bit between Rion and Midas. The temperature began to rise further, and headmaster Caeden subtly erected a wall of mana between Kyrion and the other students just in case they happened to be in the splash zone. ¡°What¡¯s T.P. stand for?¡± Bastion asked, unperturbed. ¡°Toilet paper,¡± said Cecil. ¡°Toilet paper,¡± answered Minah. ¡°Target practice.¡± Answered Tiffany as she created a barrier behind the previous one, just in case. Cecil and Minah watched as Tiffany was proven right. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Bruning Surprise Punch!¡± Kyrion punched his sternum so hard that everyone present heard the crack. But that wasn¡¯t the end as he moved his body into the attack, amplifying the force exponentially as white flames surrounded them both. The pest was sent barreling out of the city by a torrent of flame, a few concentrated balls of wind mana releasing compressed oxygen to create explosions of flame in the sky above that showed no intention of slowing anytime soon. Even as most lost the ability to keep track of him. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to defend me that hard.¡± Minah reddened. ¡°Hmmmm¡­? No, this is a demonstration of my power. I¡¯m not done yet. I¡¯ll be back sooner or later.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion smirked as he vanished into a puff of smoke. ¡°Ah. This. This is teleportation. I get the joke.¡± The headmaster said. ¡°How is it a surprise when he just punched him?¡± Bella asked. ¡°By mixing his fire affinity with space affinity he can link himself to any of his flames. You could see that the fire was burning even after he left sight, right?¡± The headmaster pointed. ¡°How did he get a fire affinity? That is too many.¡± Ander complained as his eyes turned into cat-like slits, and his battle lust could be outwardly observed. ¡°You¡¯re just mad that your previous strategy for beating him just crumbled. Along with mine. Gives troll regeneration, proceeds to master its main counter in secret.¡± Brion stated. ¡°He just punched that guy into the horizon and you want to go fight him?¡± Max turned his head to look. ¡°Of course.¡± Ander said. ¡°Yup. You should get something with fire resistance in your arsenal. For practical reasons.¡± Brion added. ¡°Mmmmhmmm¡­ I¡¯ll see to that. So many people use fire after all.¡± Ander stated.
Kyrion appeared right in front of Midas, quite an unreasonable distance above the ground. He casually wrapped a hand around the prince¡¯s face. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Midas said as pain filled him. ¡°Do. You. Think. I. Care? A disaster doesn¡¯t stop just because you¡¯re standing in its path.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the prince of Etervonia. You bloody bastard!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t in Etervonia. You are a nobody here, and if you want to function in my presence, keep your mouth shut. Say anything and I mean anything, and nothing short of divine intervention might be able to inconvenience me. Nod if you understand.¡± Rion let go, and the two continued to fly a bit longer. Midas hadn¡¯t been scared of anything before. He hadn¡¯t known his own mortality before, raised to be the future king of his land. He wouldn¡¯t allow himself to go down like this. A golden sword appeared in his left hand as his right gripped the arm holding his face for all its worth. Moments later, he stabbed Kyrion¡¯s chest toward where his heart should be. ¡°Go to hell!¡± The blade shattered before melting into slag and burning the owner. ¡°That¡¯s three words. You really don¡¯t understand your position here. Let me give you a taste then, the first ones on me. Demon¡¯s Decent!¡± Kyrion kicked off an air platform as he brought the two of them down near a river. Midas went head first. The only thing keeping Midas alive was the mana Kyion used to blunt the damage. Midas looked up as he was surrounded by a pillar of flame, his body slowly roasting, his hair burning, and his skin starting to blister before everything ended. The temperature dropped suddenly as Lin appeared in front of Rion. Next to her was a blue-haired man and a short red-haired girl who didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± Midas began to speak again before stopping as Kyion brushed his fingers across the young man¡¯s throat before knocking him out. ¡°You were warned idiot.¡± Kyrion stood. ¡°You know you can¡¯t kill him right?¡± Lin stated. ¡°No. I can¡¯t, but he started it. Mostly.¡± Kyrion looked away. ¡°Fights before the tournament aren¡¯t forbidden but killing is. Even if they deserve it.¡± Lin seemed sad about that fact. ¡°Did he?¡± ¡°I know of his rather derisive choice of words. And unbecoming actions. I¡¯d have let you continue had it not ended in getting expelled from the tournament.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to kill him. I don¡¯t kill people.¡± Kyrion seemed aghast. ¡°Not directly. You did cause that guy¡¯s death.¡± Asela added. ¡°He was possessed by a parasite. Also, it was their own fault.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know that then. Not like it mattered. When did you get fire?¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. ¡°I was thinking that would be kept secret from you longer.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­Do you really think you can change your face and think that I wouldn¡¯t recognize your shenanigans? You should know that your nature makes you impossible to miss when you aren¡¯t trying to hide.¡± Asela lied. Charles shook his head. ¡°Chester told her.¡± ¡°Charles!¡± ¡°That makes more sense. How does his power work? I know it¡¯s order based, but that¡¯s it. I can sense his gaze at times.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t divulge that. But there is a main reason for seeing you here.¡± Charles moved on. ¡°Ah right. Avoid interacting with Nicole as much as you can. She isn¡¯t quite right at the moment.¡± Asela warned. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t reveal yourself until either after the tournament or after Norn has been eliminated.¡± Charles added. ¡°Why is that?¡± Lin squinted. ¡°Three reasons. I¡¯d rather you not end up kidnapped by one of my students, and locked away like a princess in a dragon tortoise¡¯s castle. Second, I¡¯d rather the enemy not know who you really are. Thirdly, it allows us to keep group cohesion.¡± ¡°Kidnap? That¡¯s a bit odd for friends.¡± Lin looked at Kyrion. Kyrion looked at Midas. Midas looked at nothing as if he was unconscious. ¡°Just friends, we were like brothers a while back. I want nothing more to do with her than that. It would be like trying to be more than siblings with Asela. That¡¯s just weird.¡± ¡°And her feelings? Does she know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve hinted at it. But no. I haven¡¯t given her a flat, no, due to circumstances.¡± ¡°The force faking his death being the main one..¡± Charles explained. ¡°I am a different person now. Not sure she¡¯d like who I¡¯ve become.¡± Kyrion looked down before looking at Lin. ¡°You should wear a mask and hood. I¡¯d rather you not be a target. She¡¯s already convinced herself that Minah is a potential rival.¡± Asela told Lin. ¡°How does she know Minah?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°We left them behind when we learned what you were doing.¡± ¡°Oh. So she¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°Deranged¡­¡± Asela nodded. ¡°Why bring her then?¡± ¡°She¡¯s also very strong.¡± Kyrion added. Lin shook her head. ¡°Right fighting tournament. Not a battle of morals or ethics.¡± ¡°If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Now let¡¯s split.¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers and disappeared. Leaving the unconscious Midas with the others.
Bastion had decided that girls were scary. He looked at Minah and Nicole and watched as they seemed to fight without coming to blows. The intense glares they gave each other could chill an active volcano. Bastion pulled Brion¡¯s pants leg and then pointed to Cecil. ¡°Ask him to take us to that place.¡± ¡°What place?¡± ¡°The training place. I can sense it, he¡¯s much older now. Feels like time has shifted.¡± Bastion shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re correct. Headmaster, if it¡¯s fine with you, may I take them to the training area we¡¯ve rented out.¡± Cecil asked the headmaster before giving Bastion an inquisitive look. ¡°So you found the training chambers? So quickly too?¡± ¡°Kyrion did, apparently. Made friends with the locals and goes out to bring ingredients to their restaurant daily.¡± ¡°He would run into him first. I swear, sometimes I wonder if he¡¯s some sort of vessel sent by the gods to mess with me.¡± ¡°He was supposed to be my sword spirits wielder before Max came along.¡± Brion stated. ¡°Yes, but it was the holy sword of purification. It requires one to have all four primary affinities. On top of a strong life affinity. They knew this would happen¡­ How far does this scheme go, Lok.¡± Bastion decided to ignore that as he led the party in the wrong direction as though he knew where he was going. Brion eventually picked him up, and they left the girls to their staring contest. Book Two: Chapter 66 Poking the Tiger snd why its a bad idea Kyrion stood in front of a heap of smoking bodies. Each one belonged to a member of his team. The only exceptions to this were Eden, Bastion, and Cecil. The latter was teaching the other two in a separate room, reviewing their positions in the tournament ahead. ¡°You¡¯re all much stronger than before, but you¡¯re still cocky if you think this is the limit of your powers.¡± Kyrion stated as he began healing his training partners. ¡°How did you manage to get so strong so quickly?¡± Ander scowled. ¡°Oh that. I didn¡¯t. I have a ton of mana. My control is crap after getting past a certain distance. One foot away from my body and don¡¯t expect control. Unless I¡¯m doing something big or to affect a large area at once. Against a ranged combatant capable of staying out of my reach I¡¯m useless. The problem is getting and staying out of my reach. Past that while your teamwork has improved you are all at a disadvantage. I¡¯ve been watching you all train and fight against each other for years. I¡¯ve healed most of your wounds and learned where you tend to get hit the most. Suffice to say I know all your tells.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s it. Someone capable of beating me without competing in the ranked matches had always bugged me.¡± Ander got to his feet and debated trying a ranged firefight. ¡°Yeah. Now. Come. This next part is going to hurt. Alot. In case of serious injury and as not to scare the kiddos we will be moving to another room after lunch.¡± ¡°I can take pain.¡± Minah stated. ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯m sure you can. But you should know that you haven¡¯t felt anything like this.¡± Kyrion led his training group to a lunch only he would be able to keep down.
¡°Bastion and Eden publicly you will work as our support. Healing and providing assistance when necessary. You are by no means to engage in any combat so long as you can help it. If worse comes to worse and you¡¯re on a stage. Surrender immediately. In most cases you will be left alone.¡± ¡°And in the cases where they won¡¯t let us surrender.¡± ¡°If they force you into a confrontation, you must squeeze this. No one under expert should be able to keep standing.¡± Cecil handed the two children what resembled a modern pistol from his home world. A gun enthusiast would immediately notice something was wrong. There was no trigger, nor was there a magazine. In fact, it only seemed to have the shape of a gun. In the hands of the children, they were quite big. They were also white and undecorated. ¡°What kind of weapon is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a crossbow. Only instead of bolts, it shoots projectiles of mana and fires on intent. Fear of death is intent. The bigger the blast, the bigger the recoil; if you are forced to use it, chances are your opponent will be seriously hurt due to the amplification, even if you are only a fledgling.¡± Cecil didn¡¯t tell them that the only way for them to use it outside of training involved either him forcibly being killed, knocked unconscious, released the safety himself, or if he wasn¡¯t within proximity and the spirit inside deemed that something needed to die. ¡°So with this we can fight?¡± Eden asked. ¡°No. With this you can defend yourself if push comes to shove.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Bastion held the weapon in his left hand as he didn¡¯t want to accidentally break it. ¡°Your power shouldn¡¯t break the weapon Bastion.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Bastion glared at Cecil. ¡°I can¡¯t, but your power traditionally only works on people right?¡± ¡°I break magical toys too.¡± ¡°Switch hands then and let¡¯s see.¡± Bastion placed the white gun in his right hand. The glove immediately covered his hand. Moments later, the black material covered the gun altering its shape and color. Growing a trigger and beginning to resemble a revolver as the shifting continued. Three bullets were in the chamber, each a different color. One green, another white, and the third gold. ¡°Where the hell did Kyrion find you?¡± Cecil examined the item with a screen that appeared over one of his lenses. ¡°Told you I¡¯d break it. What does it do and why is this, aim assist thing, off?¡± Bastion asked as a visor appeared over both of his eyes. Eden decidedly not wanting to be left out. Put some of her mana into the gun, trying to imitate what she saw Bastion do. Eden¡¯s gun turned hot pink and now resembled a rifle if rifles shot heart-shaped bullets and could be easily held in the hands of a child. After that, it looked more like a toy than a weapon. ¡°I love it!¡± Eden hugged the weapon. ¡°You too. Maybe it has something to do with how spirit mastery works¡­¡± Bastion curiously pulled the trigger, and a bullet shot out and scattered into five other shots before multiplying repeatedly. Where the shots landed, plants seemed to grow rapidly, doing no damage to anything they hit but creating a field that was hard to maneuver in. Cecil confiscated the gun moments later and opened the chamber, watching as the bullets lost their luster when he held them. ¡°I see, you take powers from those you touch and store them. Correct?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°The first bullet shot seeds. That one¡¯s from Kyrion if I¡¯d hazard a guess. How many people have you touched?¡± ¡°Kyrion, the headmaster, Max and Minah.¡± ¡°What does the headmaster¡¯s power let you do?¡± ¡°Nothing as far as I know.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Eden? Can I see it?¡± ¡°No!¡± Eden took a few steps away. ¡°We need to see what it can do.¡± ¡°No!¡± Eden put her foot down. Cecil sighed. ¡°Fine. Keep it. But you¡¯re still going to have to test its limits. You¡¯ll have to do a lot of writing yourself.¡± ¡°Fine. I can write and stuff.¡± ¡°Good. Now give me a few minutes. Don¡¯t play with the weapons.¡± Cecil set out a few targets and placed them on wooden pedestals while a humanoid dummy that was completely see-through stood on its feet. A set of paper targets were in rotation as the children attempted to take notes on their new toys. Eden got the most done, and that was a doodle of her new weapon. Even going so far as to color it in. Bastion traced his revolver by setting it on the paper and using his pencil to fill out the outline. It was hard when Cecil saw it and confiscated the gun when the kid got near the trigger for no reason in Bastion¡¯s mind. Moments later, a white-haired woman with blood-red eyes entered the room, trailed by the headmaster. ¡°Getting her here was tricky without anyone seeing her. Are you sure this is necessary?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°Feel free to take her back to the academy after if you must. I just need a bit of help and my focus can¡¯t be too split.¡± ¡°I see. So you¡¯re preparing to fight?¡± ¡°No way am I letting those kids fight before I risk my life. I¡¯d hate to see what demon Kyrion becomes if one of them gets hurt. He¡¯s aggressively protective.¡± ¡°He seems different.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Possession. The creature inside of him has been dampening his emotions and weakening their responses. Which, given his aggression towards those he doesn¡¯t like may be a good thing. In a tournament where he needs to be aggressive those emotions may be necessary. I also suspect that¡¯s the main reason he avoided fights. Chemical reactions in his brain forced him into finding them distasteful and a waste of time. After an existential breakdown, he just decided to be straight with people.¡± ¡°Ah. His family is known for having destructive vindictive streaks. If he makes you uncomfortable let me know.¡± ¡°No. This is better, I couldn¡¯t get a read on him before. Now I think I finally understand who I¡¯m friends with. He sees all of his friends like family and would do anything to protect them. Those who can¡¯t or won¡¯t defend themselves are shielded. So long as I know he is willing to do everything to keep them safe I am willing to help. His personality wasn¡¯t faked, but he is lost at the moment.¡± Cecil sighed. Bastion noticed Viole and grabbed Eden, and the duo backed away slowly. Having not had the opportunity to meet her during her carefully monitored internship, they assumed that this was Nicole. ¡°I don¡¯t hurt kids.¡± Viole seemed hurt. Eden blew a raspberry. Bastion tried to mimic but failed, so he scowled. Who he scowled at was anyone¡¯s guess, but he was scowling. ¡°She won¡¯t hurt you. Now why are they here?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°Right. Bastion, point this at the dummy and hit the button.¡± Cecil gave Bastion back his gun. Much to Viole¡¯s protest. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Bastion happily took it back and pointed it. ¡°What¡¯s my cat phrase?¡± ¡°Catchphrase?¡± ¡°Yes that?¡± ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Bastion scratched his chin before giving up. ¡°Get Bastioned!¡± The silver bullet he shot fell to the ground unceremoniously as the headmaster summoned a barrier to protect everyone from what they couldn¡¯t see. One of the targets in front of Bastion exploded outwards for seemingly no apparent reason. The innards of the poor stuffed dragon flew everywhere, including toward the barrier, before disintegrating. ¡°Huh. That looked like Minah¡¯s power for a moment.¡± ¡°Next target.¡± Bastion pointed it at the gel dummy and pulled, watching as the golden bullet shrunk as it flew before vanishing from human perception. ¡°Hmmm¡­Next target.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m out of the things.¡± ¡°The word is bullets. Just try.¡± Bastion pulled the trigger, and a bolt of black energy shot forward, hitting a target and doing nothing. The headmaster walked in front of Bastion and stood there. ¡°Shoot me.¡± ¡°Headmaster thats¡­¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Bastion shot the headmaster, the bullet hitting him dead center on the forehead despite being aimed low.¡± ¡°Ah. He just tried to steal some of my mana. Possibly to create more bullets. Quite curious.¡± ¡°I see. Eden you¡¯re up.¡± Having seen what Bastion did, Eden decided to test her weapon out. The targets remaining were the gel dummy, a stuffed teddy bear, and paper targets. She shot the gel dummy with little to no hesitation. A pink heart-shaped projectile hits the object head-on. Moments later, it unhooked, did a little dance, and bowed to Eden as though she were its master. ¡°Animation. Interesting.¡± The headmaster observed. ¡°That does seem to be where her aptitude lies¡­ Maybe I should get a spirit.¡± Cecil muttered. ¡°Possibly. But now isn¡¯t the time to start mixing paths.¡± ¡°Eden, could I please see that item you¡¯re holding?¡± ¡°No.¡± Eden said plainly. Instead of taking that to heart, the headmaster snatched the item, much to Eden¡¯s consternation. The animated gel dummy seemed aggressive and jumped toward him in a swirl of motion. ¡°I see.¡± The headmaster held out a hand, and the thing crashed into the wall of an invisible box before getting pressed on the ground as though sealed. Golden chains tried to reach out but also found themselves trapped in the box. ¡°Looks like they instinctively move to protect their owner.¡± ¡°Viole. I need your assistance making a suit for my apprentice or a mech she can control with her power.¡± ¡°You want a child to pilot?¡± ¡°I want her to know how to. This is the future of magical weaponry at this point.¡± ¡°Eden, can I see your hand?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°No.¡± Eden took a step back. ¡°Fine, fine. Guess I¡¯ll go poke some strangers.¡± Bastion began to walk off when a hand landed on his shoulders. ¡°My dear student with similar powers. I know a few who would gladly be targets of your ability. You can erase Minah from your list of powers by the way. You¡¯re going to be support, you can make some money selling these temporary buffs.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t trust you with that weapon unattended. Not yet anyway.¡± Bastion sighed as his days of training truly began.
¡°Why does everything hurt?¡± Minah said as she lay in a heap. ¡°If you can talk then you¡¯re fine.¡± Kyrion sat on a throne of fire and wind, practicing his control. ¡°You¡¯re heartless.¡± Max accused. ¡°I want you all to be safe.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°When I get up. I¡¯m going to stab you so bad.¡± Tiffany said, her condition a bit more haggard than the previous. Brion was standing and doing stretches, his condition nearly perfect. ¡°I don¡¯t see the issue. I do, however, need to adjust.¡± Bastion flexed and noticed as his arms seemed less bulky but were even stronger than prior. Much to everyone¡¯s consternation, save the person who did the enhancement, Brion¡¯s physical strength and natural endurance once again surpassed Kyrion. Bella was currently doing a set of pushups in her form. Quickly burning off the muscle strain while her regeneration in this state worked in overdrive. She had been going at it for ten minutes. Hel had begun foaming at her mouth before passing out. Her lack of physical enhancement and training was painfully obvious. Then there was Ander. Ander stood there in front of Kyrion, having lost two inches of height, a scowl on his face as he was only mildly inconvenienced as the only one to come out of this all but completely whole. However, the bloodlust in the young man¡¯s eyes said otherwise. ¡°Kyrion¡­ Do you wanna fight?¡± Ander had summoned his spear and was, in fact, pointing it at his team captain. ¡°I get that you¡¯re a little peeved.¡± Kyrion stopped talking as he realized that he done messed up. ¡°Little?¡± The spear opened up and began to crackle. ¡°Pleas Ander don¡¯t be so short¡­ No that.¡± Kyrion was terrible at choosing words today. ¡°Oh beast that dances in the clouds! He who roars from the heavens. One whose voice is loud. Come, O¡¯ great spirit and lend me your aid. For my target is in need of being flayed.¡± Black lines covered Adner as he moved at the speed of lighting towards Kyrion. Kyrion brought a wall of earth up to protect himself in an arc. Ander seemed to dance around such a defense and had aimed to pierce from behind, only to stab at nothing. The bolt it shot eviscerating the wall. Ander looked around the white room, his eyes slit and only seeing red. ¡°Come out, come out wherever you are.¡± There was no response. No one in the room moved as it was clear that short green-haired people clearly only saw movement when enraged. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± Ander lied, his tone a bit off. Kyrion¡¯s head popped out of the earth on the opposite side of the room, far away from the door. ¡°Really?¡± It asked, prompting Ander¡¯s catlike gaze. ¡°No¡­¡± His body turned back into a streak and dashed towards the speaking thing. ¡°Oh good.¡± The head said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡± Ander closing the remaining distance ¡°Oh no!¡± Ander brought the spear down on the head, breaking it open. Red brains shot everywhere, spreading from his face and into his mouth. Ander didn¡¯t know that brains taste like watermelon and stood there in a daze before the horror could dawn. Then he remembered that he hadn¡¯t used that much force, and he was pretty sure that his captain had taken more brutal hits to the head before. But, sadly for him, this was all too late as a door shut behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll cut off your legs and use them as stilts!¡± Ander ran towards the exit and soon out of the room as he chased someone capable of being who knows where with a head start. The door quickly shut as Kyrion rose out of the ground to lock the door. ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll be sure to buy him a potion of height gain as a gift. Or some elevator shoes. Hopefully he forgets this sm¡­ minis¡­ incident.¡± ¡°Someone tried to get in before knocking on the door.¡± Kyrion sunk back into the ground. Brion opened the door. ¡°Oh right. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Lin, the event coordinator for Drisil. May I ask why Ander is out for Rion¡¯s blood?¡± ¡°He paid a grave price for power and is mad that it was taken in inches.¡± ¡°So he was shorter. I wondered why he was hovering a few inches off the ground.¡± ¡°Yeah. Well what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Ah right. Get some rest. The tournament begins in a few days and the soloists need to be determined ahead of time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion rose out of the ground. Tactfully not from under Lin, as he wasn¡¯t that stupid. ¡°Ander, Tiffany, Minah, Cecil. Those are the four participating.¡± ¡°Are you sure they can handle it?¡± ¡°If Cecil says no I guess I could ask either Brion or Bella. If Max could use Brion without cheating I¡¯d go for that.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Also Mr. Siegfried wants to continue training you personally. He thinks that you need some direction. Due to certain actions unbecoming of you. In his opinion.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve only run into T.P. twice. And only once since we¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°No. You haven¡¯t been right since you enhanced your brain.¡± ¡°Oh. That¡­ I¡¯m sorry my Princess, I¡¯ll endeavor to get it right next time.¡± Kyrion smiled in a way that couldn¡¯t fool a toddler. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ll need to work on that.¡± Lin said in a deadpan. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him. Later¡­¡± Kyrion lied. He was planning on flying about in the open air. ¡°You have plenty of time given these rooms.¡± ¡°Why Drisil? If what I read was true. Coordinators choose an academy to sponsor and act as their liaison. What do you get?¡± ¡°Right¡­ I get nothing outright. If you want to share any rewards you can. In fact it¡¯s one of those things that¡¯s done out of obligation. If you win it is expected of you to share whatever reward you earn with me. Why would you do that? Some of us are here to help train their clients. Others do the paperwork that some can¡¯t be bothered to take care of. I am not needed for paperwork and you personally have not needed to learn from me at the moment unless you ask for a sparring partner.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t do much. In our case.¡± ¡°Does your princess need to do anything special?¡± Lin crossed her arms. ¡°...Well I promised that Ander would be our mascot due to him fitting the height requirements. You¡¯re one inch too tall for that, sadly.¡± Kyrion began to smell ozone and heard maddened laughter coming down the hall. ¡°Where is this Sigfried?¡± Kyrion asked quickly. ¡°Last I saw him he was standing near the entrance. Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a doll. Bye!¡± Kyrion vanished from sight. Ander ran down the hall moments later. ¡°Where is he? I just got his scent, and that masked guy said he didn¡¯t see Kyrion leave.¡± Lin eyed the young man who had been the same height earlier. ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡± ¡°Where?¡± Ander drew his spear and began sniffing the air. Lin sighed upon realizing that this young man was well past his naptime. She held on tight, placing a hand on his shoulder before punching him in the stomach and using her ice mana to knock him out. ¡°Get some rest. You aren¡¯t right either.¡± Ander soon found his consciousness fade as his body reverted to its previous state.
¡°Oi! Siggy!¡± Kyrion stood on the wall of a building, looking down. His expression was mischievous as he watched him jump. ¡°Darn it Kyr¡­.!¡± Siegfried turned his masked head and looked at the young boy. Kyrion looked left and right, unsure who the masked figure was referring to, before hopping down. ¡°What do you want? Your friend was looking for you.¡± ¡°I know better than to pick fights with crazy people.¡± Kyrion said, his vermillion eyes shining. ¡°Now why don¡¯t I believe that?¡± Kyrion made a weird face. ¡°Thanks. But I have a dad already.¡± ¡°Why do you keep saying that?¡± ¡°You give off what feels like dad energy. A dad aura or something. Just want to make things clear from the outset. Now let¡¯s go see if you can cut my hand off this time.¡± Kyrion ran forward and jumped off a platform flying toward the location outside where they practiced swordsmanship. ¡°Dad energy¡­¡± Headmaster Caeden appeared next to Sigfried. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t play this game with one of my students. He¡¯s trained to pick up on such paltry discussions. Even if your mask magically makes you appear to be someone else.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m only wearing it to delay the inevitable. I can¡¯t afford to die before the incursion and revealing who I am will make me a target.¡± Sigfried replied with a resolute tone. ¡°You could try to become an expert. You¡¯ve been at the threshold for years, yet you have refused to take that final step.¡± ¡°What worth is there in leaving this world when my children are young. Why should I leave and go to a place where I¡¯d have to start from nothing all over again.¡± ¡°Pragmatic, why be a lizard on the moon when you can be a dragon in a well.¡± Caeden shot Siegfried a tired look and walked away. Book Two: Intermission 64+ Ceres arrived on the desecrated grounds of Limguard. Undead walked the land aimlessly yet seemingly ignored her own arrival. Everything for as far as her eyes could see had died. No plants or animals seemed to live in this area, and even the sky appeared gray. As though a curse kept the sun from shining over the land. ¡°This is evil. How could someone do this to the world?¡± Ceres walked past the undead as they ignored her presence and made her way to a castle of bone in the remains of what was once a small farming village near the outskirts. As she walked, she began to feel reverence from the various undead creatures left here to protect the castle as though she were their Lord. The stench of death, while strong, was nothing to a dragon, and she mostly ignored it as she made her way to the castle where creatures with strange features stood guard with blades fifteen feet long and bodies made from a combination of multiple animals. ¡°Blood of our creator. You may enter this place. Please do not cause trouble.¡± They said in unison as the door to enter the castle was opened. This castle was bare of anything that could resemble art. There were no pictures, nor was there a rug or even concrete ground; instead, various plants could be seen growing indoors, somehow adapted to grow even here on top of trees and a few cattle. Keeping to the cattle were a few well-dressed zombies. As Ceres made her way to the throne room, she came into contact with a creature around twelve feet tall with six arms and six excessively large wings. Their lower torso to the waist like that of a horse. Its bull-like head was covered by a mask of bone as its horns curved outwards. ¡°You are not the blood of my creator. But I sense a bond. Why have you come?¡± ¡°To meet with Cordelia. She called me here.¡± ¡°Then you may take the door to the right. Touch nothing, and do not use magic here. Otherwise, the defenses may see you as an intruder.¡± Malistic, one of the thirteen demon lords that rule over the Abyss, took a seat on his throne of bones and began to continue gathering sacrifices. The ritual was still functioning, and every scout dying was another soldier in his dark army. Ceres walked through the door that seemingly opened itself and found what seemed to be a gallery of portraits resembling people she¡¯d met. Their ages date back eighty or so years, given how it started with a young man with red hair standing behind a kid with blue hair. Before moving to a group of three with a young woman with black hair and glasses, the kid was a little taller, and the red-haired man wore a familiar eyepatch. After that, an orc toddler seemingly joined, and the blue-haired boy was gone. A large gap occurred, and the orc was now a late adolescent. The blue-haired boy had become a man, and a woman with blond hair and regal features replaced the black-haired woman. A smaller gap led the red-haired man to take on a forlorn look with two babes in his arms. The blond-haired woman was missing, and the blue-haired man she recognized as Charles was holding onto a green-haired woman. The orc had gotten much larger over time and seemed to look about arms crossed, his clothes covered in white powder as though he had been cooking right before. Ceres watched as everyone except the older man and his two children. As they aged into adolescents, teenagers, and then young adults. The son appeared later, holding a small babe in his arms, his green eye looking down at them beside a short woman. An eyepatch resembling his father¡¯s over his right eye. The portraits on that end of the family ended, and Cordelia¡¯s began going down to a red-haired baby laying in a basket, their eyes closed, body seemingly lifeless. Two girls seemed to grow exponentially while said baby stayed the same those few years. The paintings ended there, and she arrived at a doorway. Entering the next room. Ceres placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. For what came out could be a roar, and she didn¡¯t want to break what she saw. A large tube held a tiny human-shaped in a fetal position, a head of black hair trailing behind them along with a familiar mole next to their eye and a face that reminded her of Kyrion. The creature, however, seemed to lack something, a spark of life. It wasn¡¯t alive yet. It had a beating heart. Its body grew slowly. A red-haired woman with tired eyes looked at a clipboard and then back at the figure in the tube. ¡°Hello Ceres. Did you come here to assist in project Rion?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m here because I¡¯d be useless in the tournament. If my nature was discovered then i¡¯d bring nothing but more attention than what we already have. During our battle in that dungeon I learned how weak I was. I would be dead had Kyrion not soloed that monster.¡± ¡°So you came here for power?¡± ¡°I came because I was curious about your offer to increase my draconic potential.¡± ¡°That¡¯s simple, you need to consume the blood of a dragon slayer or one of their descendents.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You heard me. You¡¯ll need to consume the potential of a Sigfried.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°One that has killed nine of my kind?¡± Ceres took a step back. ¡°Correct. I have, the object of power already. We just need to make a bond.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°You heard me. You need to make a bond of blood with me.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very wise. Given what you told me about yourself.¡± ¡°No, but it will allow the bond to go three ways. My body can hold the power it should also be able to reawaken my core and will be quite temporary. Power for power, and I won¡¯t be killing anyone.¡± Ceres considered it; the answer should be yes, but Cordelia could skirt around the restriction as far as she knew. ¡°What do you want this power for?¡± ¡°To give birth to the real Kyrion.¡± Cordelia said bluntly. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Exactly that. The Kyrion you knew is my son, but that isn¡¯t his name, there¡¯s a reason most in the family don¡¯t use it. Names can be powerful when invoked by powerful magic. For example, most curses and death spells require knowing the target¡¯s full name to truly be effective.¡± ¡°And you knew he¡¯d be the target of such?¡± ¡°Of course. It would be foolish to assume otherwise given the circumstances. There is also an aspect of his birth that I can¡¯t tell you about myself.¡± ¡°I see. So this is Psycho?¡± ¡°It is a homunculus made from Kyrion¡¯s DNA and natural regeneration accelerated with high levels of magic.¡± ¡°DNA?¡± ¡°Something that came from him directly.¡± Cordelia didn¡¯t want to have that conversation. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m his mother, getting a strand of hair, dead skin cells, or even unnecessary organs. Is easy.¡± ¡°Unnecessary¡­Like what, and don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°An eye, some baby teeth, one kidney, and an appendix. Some brain tissue as well although that was collected from a bad brain aneurysm when he was little. As though a portion of his brian was sealed by a powerful spell.¡± Ceres winced. ¡°You took so much¡­¡± ¡°The kidney and appendix regenerated when he gained his healing ability and his body was flooded with power. The eye however¡­¡± Cordelia looked away. ¡°She got that from me, baby wyrm.¡± A figure with dark hair and golden eyes with rotating irises revealed itself. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re that bastard that stole his eye!¡± Ceres looked at him and then at Cordelia and scowled. ¡°While I am indeed a bastard his eye was given to me on request. I could have tried to kill him and failed given that the expert nearby wouldn¡¯t have let me do so.¡± Maldain tilted his head to the side. Ceres stared at the golden-eyed man for a long while. ¡°Your eyes are quite pretty themselves.¡± Ceres took a step away. ¡°Fine. Fine¡­ Can¡¯t take a joke.¡± Maldain looked away. ¡°When did you get here? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Ah. Right, that blue haired demon asked me to give you this.¡± Maldain tossed Cordelia an orb. ¡°Is this the fragment?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°Correct. We can¡¯t wait to see if you succeed. For the creation of complete beings will be paramount in our goals.¡± Ceres tilted her head. ¡°So.. You took his eye to give to his mother?¡± ¡°I took his eye so that I could steal one from a foe of mine. From a certain demon lord.¡± ¡°Is his soul still there?¡± ¡°It is. Albeit dormant. Your brother could be resurrected albeit partially.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ So you need my blood to put magic into some sort of ritual?¡± ¡°I need your blood so that I may fill in the last requirement for awakening the gluttonous serpent within his blood. For that¡¯s what¡¯s born when one absorbs the potential of 10 dragons. That power will transfer through your link and into him. Both of you will get stronger, much stronger. With the power feeding into me and this little one.¡± Cordelia didn¡¯t say, but she clearly meant the figure in the pod. ¡°Power fine..I Ceres offer up my blood so that we may form a bond.¡± Ceres cut her hand with a taloned nail. ¡°I, Cordelia Antonia Delarosa Falknir Mosley, offer up my true name and blood for this bond.¡± Cordelia cut her own hand and wrapped it around Ceres¡¯. A magical circle appeared underneath them as power left Ceres and entered Cordelia, rebuilding a core and filling her body with mana, its nature fixing her damaged body from the inside. Which was quite surprising. ¡°Charles! Why did you tell me he had to win to fix my core?¡± ¡°I said that it was a way.¡± Charles appeared next to Maldain. ¡°Why lie then.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m after the best outcome for my family. You will need that power to come out as one of the dominant personalities after your second calling. Which will be quite soon.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Cordelia didn¡¯t seem pleased with that answer as she handed Ceres the vial of blood. ¡°Umm. Do you need me here for this discussion?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°No. Drink this, it should give you what you need.¡± Cordelia handed her the vial of silver liquid. Ceres stared at it and then consumed it. Moments later, everything went dark for the young dragon. As a 10-sided stone polyhedron encased her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Cordelia asked Charles. ¡°Draconic Bloodline Ascension. Which is to be expected. We¡¯ll have to wait ten years for it to complete, the good news is our enemy will be helping us make up the difference and an ally will give us a great boost near the end.¡± Charles stated as he stepped away. A crack immediately formed on the stone chrysalis.
¡°With this, the pieces have been placed on the board. All I can do is watch for now.¡± A figure with swirling irises sat before a cauldron watching the scene play out. Their swirling eyes take in the world around them. The corpses, belonging to the army of 1000 sent to dispatch him, lay broken as the entity casually erased their minds and stole their powers, adding them to his black book. A merchant didn¡¯t waste anything that could be sold later.
Imala looked at her world from her position above. A solemn look in the goddess¡¯s eyes told a story. Things were going to get chaotic soon. She traded five years with the Greater Architect of time for a boon. Her world was close to ending soon, regardless of the endless conflicts that raged on and her last continent at risk of becoming a dead wasteland in less than twenty years. Imala hated her role in this situation, for Project Rion wouldn¡¯t have existed without her meddling. The creation of a fateless, with a body to hold planets worth of a population, required old magic. Magic was sealed by the First Shepherd for its ability to corrupt and drive those who touched it madly as they gained power at a prodigious rate. It all started when she let a newborn with too much mana and potential die before it could be born. Then, after living through hundreds of failures, the soul made a connection. From there, she watched through two more failures. One where the boy ended up healthy and another where their body wasn¡¯t properly resurrected, and the soul of another was born. A whole soul, one without gaps. One that shot through the ranks at high speed before becoming a monster. The first Kyrion was the first artificial Lord. A being of death and hate. One is unsuitable for fixing anything. Soon the universe will have a Second Shepard. A new world, one without this twisted requirement of being born broken. A place where the price for power isn¡¯t being taken from their loved ones. One where the heavens are closer, and someone in her position could take more hands-on actions when an outside entity begins to destroy her world to break the seal on the Betrayer of Souls. Book Two: Chapter 67 The Tournament begins Most of Team Drisil stood in the colosseum with the headmaster. Cecil had guided the other eight members here. Among the others here, their team was the only one missing their captain. The crowd gathered and watched from above as each captain made their speeches. Of course, each captain has their own goals and desires for winning. Eventually, Chester made his way to the stage, much to the surprise of many. Going up the stairs, he managed to trip on the last foot, falling face-first onto the hardwood. His glasses fell forward. The fourteen-year-old boy was the youngest captain there, seemingly the smallest of them. Looking a bit awkward as he felt around for his glasses. Finding them moments later. Adjusting his glasses, he spoke with a timidity everyone save for his teammates believed. ¡°H-hello there. W-we of team Norn are here to do our best. Um¡­¡± Atimn whispered from the side. ¡°Honor.¡± ¡°Ah. And we wish to bring honor to our academy. I guess. I mean. Uh. Why?¡± Chester scratched his head as he seemingly forgot his lines again. ¡°Yeah. And that¡¯s all.¡± Chester speed walked off the stage, his face in his hands as he immediately went to hide within his group. The next to walk to the stage was a young man with navy blue hair. His loose robes left nothing to his imagination as his torso was partially revealed. However, he held a charisma that drew the eyes of everyone there. ¡°I, Damian, aim to be the next Sword Saint. The greatest one to ever walk the face of Imala. This tournament is but a step on the path. I appreciate learning from all of you and look forward to crossing blades. We will show you all what musicians are really capable of.¡± Damian left the stage. Eventually, Sinbad walked onto the stage slowly and deliberately before speaking a simple line. ¡°Name¡¯s Sinbad, I don¡¯t look forward to fighting any of you. Best wishes.¡± He hopped off the stage and returned to his group. Proceeding to fall asleep while standing upright. The introductions continued longer before Drisil was called upon, and their captain still hadn¡¯t arrived. ¡°Drisil captain, please come forward!¡± A minute of silence passed. ¡°Drisil, If your captain doesn¡¯t appear in the next thirty seconds then you¡¯ll be deducted ten points. One.¡± The seconds drove on.¡± ¡°Where''s the captain?¡± Minah asked ¡°Last I heard he went to eat a large meal before arriving. He may be mid mid-food coma.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even plan on fighting for this first part. What¡¯s he need the calories for?¡± Lin seemingly realized what was up immediately. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with Rion. What kind of entrance would he make on a day like this?¡± ¡°Is there anything he can do to get us disqualified before the tournament begins?¡± Cecil asked Lin. ¡°So long as he doesn¡¯t attack someone unwarranted, then we should be fine..¡± ¡°Sixteen!¡± A streak of red shot through the sky, to the notice of few the first time it occurred. ¡°Twenty-Five!¡± ¡°Look up!¡± One of the students noticed the letter written in smoke. The Vermillion Lord is here! The speaker looked up and stared as a figure with wings of fire descended from above at a speed that was clearly not controlled and aimed. ¡°Twenty-Six?¡± The speaker said as the creature of flame seemed to scowl as the ball of fire appeared to be headed towards him. A long-eared figure appeared and swiftly moved the speaker far away from the falling troublemaker. The arena was fire-filled as the shirtless Vermillion-eyed Rion stood on both feet. Willing the fire around him, scorching the area around him to return. Taking a deep breath, he eyed his competition. ¡°I said it once, and I¡¯ll say it until you get it through your thick skulls. I will be the one standing on the top of the heap. Your jobs will be hoping that your teams are placed as far away from mine as possible. You aren¡¯t fighting for first place. You¡¯re fighting for second and third. Good luck. Because you¡¯re going to need it.¡± Kyrion let half his mana loose in a strong aura that forced those unsuspecting near the front. Or splash zone, as he loved to call it. To fall to a knee. Those too weak to stand in his presence fell to their knees. One individual fell unconscious from fear alone. Those standing that close after a man covered in fire landed like that deserved to face the experience. ¡°Looks like some of you have already submitted. Good.¡± Rion hid his aura just as well as he had prior. To anyone under expert, he¡¯d appeared as a human with little to no mana. For his last trick, he leaped towards his group and landed soundly, with a smirk on his face. ¡°That was close.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°More than you know. Fell asleep while I was eating and lost track of time. Wasted all those beautiful calories on flying here and causing a scene.¡± Rion whispered to Cecil. Cecil closed his eyes. ¡°There is this thing called being punctual.¡± ¡°Punctuality is a suggestion for the strong. Unless I¡¯m a medic, then it¡¯s the opposite.¡± Rion waged his finger. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be laying low?¡± Minah asked. ¡°Walk and talk.¡± Cecil said as he led the group away from the ¡°Best way to hide is in plain sight. Now let¡¯s go. We need to get you warriors to the drawing.¡± Cecil explained. ¡°Right.¡± Ander walked up to Kyrion and scowled. ¡°I will get payback for you stealing my height.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s settle that after the tournament.¡± Rion stated. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Lin led Minah, Cecil, Ander, and Tiffany toward the sign-up booth while the headmaster took the rest of their group to their viewing seats. The first few days of the solo tournament would be dull. It took an hour for the lineup to be decided. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The lineup was quite unlucky, in Kyrion¡¯s opinion. Ander would have to fight Damian in the first and second rounds. Which caused him to do a double-take. Ander would fight Damian in the second round. Minah had to fight Nicole in the first round as well. Cecil and Tiffany would meet in the third, which was less than optimal. ¡°Well¡­ Looks like all four made it past the prelims. But this line up isn¡¯t favorable.¡± ¡°Prelims?¡± ¡°Yeah. The tournament would take too long otherwise. One person gets an auto, while each additional member needs to challenge and defeat 2 other contestants. Two wins gets you in, two losses sends you out of the running.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°No healing between that and the first round?¡± Bella seemed worried. ¡°It¡¯s about resource management. If you¡¯re the type to gauge opponents badly or waste mana on easy fights then you¡¯re probably not going to do too well.¡± The headmaster added. ¡°The first day is long. They will only fight one set of official rounds today. Two more tomorrow and on days three and four only once as those fights tend to be more taxing.¡± Lin sighed. ¡°Then the team battles begin?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°Yeah, then the team battles begin. Wake me when Tiffany¡¯s fight starts¡± Kyrion sighed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
An announcer stood under an awning looking down on the groups below with a cherry expression. His red hair and scar are prominent. A face Kyrion recognized but couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. ¡°Welcome one and all to the Academia Tournament! I your glorious host Meh-Thod, will be your announcer today. And for the first match of the day we have Tiffany of team Drisil, going up against Drew, the Captain of the school of Boom! Ha, a captain in the first round? This should be quick.¡± Meh-Thod shook his head and shrugged. Tiffany arrived, her rapier nowhere to be seen, as she eyed her opponent with a cautious gaze. ¡°I am that which booms!¡± The monk wielding chains on his wrist stated. ¡°Yeah. You already explained that. Three times actually. You do know explaining how your powers work makes you easy to counter.¡± ¡°No one can counter the supersonic boom, it¡¯s inevitable.¡± The monk stated. ¡°Ready? Begin!¡± Meh-Thod proclaimed. The chain user immediately raised both chains high in the air, preparing to do his signature move. Tiffany traced a symbol of light with her finger and dashed forward into the falling chain¡¯s reach. She evaded them both with ease as they landed silently on the ground, nothing happening. The monk opened his mouth to say something before getting hit by a punch to the jaw containing a light blast. Sending the young monk flying through the wards. The landing did not make a single sound. Tiffany released her spell as a surprised Captain looked up at the sky. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°A lady doesn¡¯t reveal her secrets lightly.¡± Tiffany looked up at the announcer. ¡°Winner of the first round, by knockout, Tiffany Belfour!¡± Meh-Thod stated. Tiffany looked toward the main Tetsan school with a resolute expression. She then turned and left the stage. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll have more time for commentary in the next fight.¡± Meh-Thod stated as he looked about. Tiffany hadn¡¯t expended much mana, so she had watched the next fight from the waiting room to see who she had to fight tomorrow. That was when an unfamiliar woman walked past her and stepped onto the stage. In her hands was a sword of black metal that seemed to whisper as it passed. Oddly enough, the next fight ended just as quickly as the first. The woman¡¯s opponent fell to the ground while breaking down into ugly sobs for seemingly no apparent reason. ¡°That¡¯s my competition. Great.¡± Tiffany scowled as something itched in her mind.
Cecil walked onto the stage a white glove on his right hand and a curved wand on his right hip. Hidden in a holster on his right ankle was a mana gun that he suspected he wouldn¡¯t use this round. In front of him was a long eared figure with an odd eye twitch. Fire crackled and popped. ¡°Today we have, the Blazing Emperor, captain of team Sunburst, going up against Cecil from Drisil, apparently he has a harem. Wow. What a show off.¡± Meh Thod stated. Half of the crowd booed Cecil after that statement. Most of it unwarranted as they had no idea what that meant. ¡°Ha. So that first girl is a member of your harem? Do the girls fight your battles for you? I¡¯ll show you what real fire can do.¡± The elven boy with white hair and a deranged look in his eyes said to Cecil. ¡°By Imalla¡¯s mercy, you must be a rare natural born ignoramus. My captain is a fire user and you want to show me what fire looks like?¡± ¡°Are you calling me stupid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling you unique as well.¡± ¡°Oh thanks.¡± ¡°Ready? Fight!¡± ¡°Wait¡­:¡± ¡°Fight started. Either start fighting or start flying.¡± Cecil stood there his hand lingering over his hip. Virgil began by throwing a large volatile ball of red mana into the sky above the blond boy in front of him. ¡°No one can stop my Mega ball!¡± ¡°Lesser disperse flame.¡± Cecil shot the fireball with a white ball of mana that surrounded it and seemed to make it vanish like someone blew out a candle. He didn¡¯t have to speak an incantation; it wasn¡¯t even a lesser spell. There was only one disperse flame spell. This was a game of psychology. ¡°Open the Abyssal gate. 66. Ack!¡± A spoking C-shaped symbol hit him in the forehead knocking him out instantly. ¡°Nope. Seems he¡¯s spirit broken. Standing still during incantations like that is dumb in a one on one fight.Like hell am I letting someone summon a demon either.¡± His curved wand emitted a glow as mana had been forced through it. Holstering it, he sighed and looked at the referee. ¡°He¡¯s using a magic enhancement artifact. He¡¯s cheating! I call for an examination! No way could your brat beat my grandson!¡± Yelled a white-haired man in the crowd. A young elven woman walked beside Meh Thod and spoke with an enthralling voice. ¡°A rule challenge? For those unaware, a headmaster or coordinator may speak out when they suspect that a student has cheated. False claims are heavily penalized so doing so is risky. Now Ash, what rule specifically do you believe was broken?¡± The elf locked eyes with the speaker. ¡°The one that restricts magical tools. We are fighting with our own power, not our wallets. That is clearly an expensive magic tool.¡± ¡°Any defense against this claim.¡± ¡°Ugg¡­Forbidden knowledge. Tournament rules.¡± Cecil¡¯s glasses went black briefly as his mind processed and tore apart the rulebook he had skimmed over prior. ¡°Cecil. Do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°Right. Sorry. Full 16.b the rule on magical tools in combat is suspended on tools crafted by either the user or a teammate. Resource management is a variable a spirit master needs to learn. I built this item myself. It¡¯s a prototype wand. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be able to find something like this in stores.¡± ¡°Bull. No human child!¡± Ash started before being interrupted. ¡°You are the founder of Cecil¡¯s Harem, correct?¡± ¡°Yes madam.¡± ¡°Then the matter is settled. How do you want to be compensated for this false accusation?¡± Cecil thought, his brain still in overdrive and locked onto the rulebook. He knew he had three options with taking. One, the opposing school would have to pay a thirty-point penalty. The accuser would be forced to offer to pay the wronged party for either an item they desire or a favor that must be honored. Finally, he could have them earn a permanent strike. For each mark, the chances that the school wouldn¡¯t be called back for the next tournament increased. Cecil¡¯s subconscious came to life in his own head. ¡°We always wanted an elf girl in our harem.¡± Said a version of Cecil that wore an obscure anime shirt. ¡°Didn¡¯t we abandon that? I say we give them a mark.¡± But, asked a somewhat aloof version of Cecil, that was cleaning dirt out of his fingers. ¡°I agree with Ota; elves are known for their secrets in every world. Having one could prove rather convenient. ¡°Cur. While right, you have to think, if they think what we made is an all powerful item. What can they offer that we can¡¯t already do?¡± ¡°We are in a fantasy world, that¡¯s like the number one requirement. Why are you resisting Al?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°No harems though. We¡¯re done with that.¡± ¡°Right Prag we get ya. Now where¡¯s BB?¡± ¡°He¡¯s busy reading the rulebook.¡± ¡°Cecil, have you made a decision?¡± The elf above asked. Cecil blinked a few times. ¡°Yes. Ah right. Sorry. Ash.¡± ¡°Headmaster of Sunburst academy, boy.¡± Not for long. Cecil thought to himself. He worded his claim carefully. ¡°Yes sir. Now I have a simple proposition, as I¡¯m building an international branch for Cecil¡¯s Harem, would you happen to have any students who would be interested in magitech? Preferably of elven persuasion. Female would be convenient as well but that isn¡¯t a requirement.¡± ¡°Like hell I¡¯d consider that!¡± ¡°So you refuse the simple favor?¡± The elven woman looked blankly at Ash. ¡°Of course. Why would I agree to something like that?¡± ¡°That would be going against your punishment. Will you stand by this decision?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ash seemed to get concerned. ¡°That¡¯s alI I need to know. For acting in a way unbecoming of a headmaster after making a claim accusing a student of cheating I hereby place a lock on any future entries into this tournament. For disagreeing to what most would call favorable terms and showing that you lack the ability to take responsibility for your own actions. Sunburst Academy has officially had their spot in this tournament revoked. One of the other academies will be notified that a spot has opened up.¡± ¡°He planned on enslaving one of my students!¡± ¡°Oh gods¡­Did you not pay attention to my words? I asked you to consider, an action that requires information gathering along with weighing the pros and cons. Had you any tact you¡¯d have figured out that you could say yes to this now and formally deny at a later date. How did you become a headmaster in the first place anyway?¡± Cecil was a bit frustrated. On a cursory examination, Cecil figured that if he really wanted to, he could take this elderly man. Sadly he didn¡¯t have to. ¡°You brat!¡± Ash lunged at him, only for Rion and the headmaster of Drisil to appear on the stage in front of him. With a blank expression, Rion drove a hand through the expert¡¯s chest to everyone, including his own, surprise. ¡°Figures. Wondered why they felt off. Can¡¯t believe that someone let one of those things inside them.¡± Cecil muttered Kyrion watched as the elderly man hit the ground, his body shifting to that of a pudgy red-skinned creature with batlike wings. ¡°Those monsters again.¡± ¡°Rion. Explain for those who don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m told most experts should know this. That¡¯s a parasitic demon, a low rank monster, one that I have run into quite before.This host must have been willing to get one of these to match their affinity, as I can imagine, its resistance to flame was unparalleled. In a place that only practices flame it would be easy to reach the top while pretending to be an expert.¡± Kyrion held up a black heart that refused to burn no matter how much fire he put into it. So he began to squeeze, and as he did, a white worm crawled out and screamed as it was soundly crushed into a paste. ¡°How did you figure that out?¡± The elven woman tilted her head. Kyrion scowled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. My hand was poised to stop, not kill. It would not have damaged an expert. It should mostly inconvenience a practitioner as well, but like I said its defenses are focused against fire not physical strength.¡± ¡°I see. Please refrain from killing headmasters in public or in general.¡± The elven woman stated. ¡°I will be sure to do my best.¡± Rion said with a straight face before turning and leaving. Book Two: Chapter 68 ¡°Kyrion. What was that? You got lucky but¡­ Are you ok?¡± Kyrion held his hand over his prosthetic eye for a moment and removed it. His green eye held a swirling red vortex in its center. ¡°I see now. Fire affinity and the ability to sense demons. Very few know he had a fire affinity as it wasn¡¯t used often. But that is now clearly your grandfather¡¯s eye.¡± ¡°Demons summoning demons. I thought they were called something else?¡± ¡°Alir¡¯mondri come from the moon or other worlds above. Demons live in the abyss, a demon lord slaying demons. My character is contradicting itself.¡± ¡°Well it didn¡¯t submit.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m under surveillance, great. Well I¡¯m headed to the lake to relax. Feel free so let my princess know where I am.¡± ¡°You''re not going to watch Ander or Minah fight?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like watching my friends fight like this and it would be bad for morale if I cheer for Nicole. While it''s bad for my health if I cheer for Minah.¡± ¡°Avoiding both death routes. Good luck Kyrion.¡± Cecil headed back to the waiting room, his expression stony. ¡°Headmaster¡­ My body moved on its own without hesitation as though It wanted to kill whoever attacked my friend. I think I got lucky that it was a demon. I''ll be doing some meditation exercises. This is weird.¡± ¡°Have you tried asking Karl what the composition is for your, what was it the kids say? Chill personality?¡± ¡°Thanks headmaster.¡±
As to be expected Ander knocked out his opponent with an ease that at that point surprised no one. It became clear that the students at Drisil were strong this year. That was when the final battle of the day was scheduled to begin. ¡°For the last fight of the day we have a battle between Minah of team Drisil, and a princess of flame from Norn¡­ Ready. Fight.¡± Meh Thod was exhausted after announcing the entire day that if he was lucky Drisil would win again and he could retire to his room. Sadly for him, this fight was not going to be fast. Nicole stood in front of her opponent with a small book at her hip.¡°Come Cerberus, keeper of the underworld.¡± A three-headed dog appeared right next to Nicole standing a solid eight and a half feet tall with its claws and teeth coated in fire. ¡°Activate C gear, monster slaying equipment.¡± Minah¡¯s base form was soon covered by a golden suit of power armor that hid her physical form while boosting her capabilities. Wheels on the bottom of her boots allowed for accelerated movement and special pistons in her gauntlets could be used to augment her striking power exponentially. Nicole eyed her opponent with contempt and sent her dog forward. Minah decided that Nicole was probably a summoner and therefore not a real threat when attacked directly. The blow aimed at Nicole''s head seemingly passed through her. Nicole thrust forward with a sword made of purple flames and hit Minah in the stomach. Her armor took most of the damage but Minah was still too preoccupied to notice the three-headed dog-like beast behind her. Two of its heads clamped down on Minah¡¯s shoulders, keeping her from moving. ¡°Surrender. Now. I don¡¯t want to hurt his Kyr¡¯s friends.¡± Nicole said with an irritated expression. ¡°Like hell!¡± Minah struggled before sensing the telltale signs of fire mana building up. ¡°How unfortunate.¡± Nicole took quite a few steps back before snapping her fingers. The fireball exploded and the area was covered in smoke. Nicole fell to her knees gasping for air. ¡±No.¡± Minah walked out of the fire and her golden armor was unmarred by flame and bites. ¡°When is an opponent at their most vulnerable?¡± Minah asked. The smoke cleared revealing the three-headed dog. Blades had gone through the eyes of each of the creature''s six eyes. ¡°When they think they¡¯ve won. Eruption.¡± She whispered. The earth in front of her shot upward and outward. Minah moved back to dodge the blast. A serpent of flame shot out of the ground and slithered after her. Minah switched her stance and drew a shortsword. Decapitating the spell proved useless as it didn¡¯t need to move. But the contact allowed her to stop it in its tracks and dodge to the side. Drawing a dagger from her hip with her off-hand she tossed it at Nicole who seemed to dodge it by the skin of her teeth. Countering with a fireball lobed at her. Minah jumped back to dodge yet the explosive blast from the fireball knocked her off balance and sent her back ten feet. The snarl of a beast was the only warning she got that her forgotten foe was still capable of moving. This time however she was ready, plunging her shortsword into its heart, plunging it straight through the creature. This was followed by a blast of compressed air that sent it out of the ring. Minah watched to make sure that the creature was gone this time. Its body exploding in a burst of mana. Sadly she had broken the most important rule of combat. She took her eyes off of a crafty opponent. ¡°You did good. But we¡¯re both holding back so as not to reveal our powers. This is a game of tactics and you have lost this round.¡± Nicole whispered. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. As she spoke a blade of flame pierced through the neck of Minah¡¯s armor gently triggering the evacuation wards. ¡°And the winning streak of Drisil has come to an end! And in a rather explosive battle!¡± The two girls met up soon after the battle to discuss their previous captain. ¡°Listen. Can you do me a favor?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I suspect that Kyrion may still be alive. Can¡¯t tell you where as I haven¡¯t seen him in months. But the person in the next round is my younger brother.¡± ¡°You want me to go easy on him?¡± ¡°No. Actually the opposite. I want you to rip him a new one in my stead. He¡¯s a misogynistic ass, if he rubs you the wrong way don¡¯t hold back. Or if you do, don¡¯t let him win.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. Where do you think your old captain is?¡± ¡°Somewhere close by. I suspect the headmaster is the only one with the exact location. Keep this a secret though. I¡¯m sure those who tried to kill him last time are still out there.¡± Minah whispered conspiratorially. Feeding her the lie that the headmaster came up with.
Kyrion meditated on a lake in his natural form, his body well hidden in a grotto that the forest would actively fight against. Kyrie sat in a similar position in his mind. Both were looking within themselves. ¡°Why does it feel like my innards are always burning? Like there is this well of rage within myself fighting to get free.¡± ¡°There is a portion of your memories that are barred from my prying. Could it be that something is buried there?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± Kyrion called for Karl. Karl appeared in the mental world next to Kyrie. ¡°Ah yes, master Kyrion. What is it you need?¡± ¡°Seems there is a lock on my memories. I don¡¯t understand why and it seems I need it removed. Can you accomplish that?¡± ¡°Yes. Although I do require something from you. We need to build a dungeon here. Doing so now will allow me to gain in power due to its proximity to the planet''s mana Nexus.¡± ¡°Will this help with unlocking those memories?¡± ¡°Not directly. But I¡¯ve figured out the runes that let people stretch time. If I¡¯m right then chances are we''ll have all the time you want for self betterment. Although staying too long can cause you to age more than you want if you aren¡¯t careful.¡± ¡°So I have to do this. How does dungeon building work?¡± ¡°Well given your space affinity? Chances are that it will be partly in this world. You need to start by tunneling underground. Then build the core chamber. Shouldn¡¯t take you long. After that, place that staff you used to favor in the center. It already has a fire affinity inside of it. From there I will take over construction. Your job from there is to bring monsters materials and any items you want broken down and replicated. I¡¯ve been doing that for years. ¡± ¡°Is that why my favorite bed is now heart shaped?¡± ¡°It was Issac¡¯s idea to modify it. I could not replicate it however. I don¡¯t have the materials or the knowledge to craft it.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Yeah¡­ Cecil keeps some of his secrets to himself. Especially when he discovered your ability to replicate anything he gave me.¡± ¡°Oh. No I can now. The secret was fire. Now that I have access to fire I can make the special compound.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡±Kyrion squinted as he didn¡¯t buy what Karl was selling. ¡°Just like I can now mess with time. Affinities are like paint, with the right mixture of colors any can be made. As a dungeon, things like complex and impossible for humans to do are simple for me.¡± ¡°So I can use any affinity.¡± ¡°Everyone can, technically, some are just harder to touch. My powers work differently than yours. But we can work together.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get to that then.¡± Kyrion pulled out a shovel and moved toward what he sensed as an empty place. From there he began the long process of shoveling. Supplementing some physical exertion with magic to speed it up. Still, he wouldn¡¯t be there to congratulate his teammates today. He didn¡¯t deserve to be there for the celebration in his own opinion. He also didn¡¯t have the mentality to deal with them today. He didn¡¯t trust himself, the time he spent with Sigfried helped but hadn¡¯t been enough to fix the problem so quickly. His rage came from somewhere deep, like a geyser that had been building up for so long. Anger towards his parents, who hid things from him. Anger towards his enemies for making his life harder than it needed to be. Anger at that lizard that took his mentor, his friend, away from him. Anger towards the world itself for a reason he didn¡¯t understand. Anger towards Psycho for not telling him everything. Anger towards himself for not seeing the writing on the wall. Had he shown the signs near Exac, his professor would have labeled this as a phase caused by increased testosterone due to growth. A common occurrence given his age and completely healthy. Kyrion did not enjoy this phase of his life. The angst itself would make him cringe when looked back on. Sadly hindsight is useless to dwell on but important to learn from.
A large dinner had been arranged by the headmaster. As today had been wildly successful. Three out of four wins were good, and given the nature of these victories, it was quite obvious that they were from their training. Minah looked at the pasta in front of her with a blank expression. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°More for me.¡± Ander, who had been sitting next to her, took her plate and dumped it on his. ¡°Hey!¡± Minah protested. ¡°You just said you weren''t going to eat. I need all the nutrition I can to get my height back.¡± Ander pointed his chopsticks at Minah. ¡°You''re an idiot.¡± Minah sighed. ¡°Say what you mean then. I¡¯m not a mind reader.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°You are a bad boyfriend.¡± Minah said with narrowed eyes. ¡°I am not your boyfriend?¡± Ander was confused ¡°And you wonder why?¡± Minah shook her head. Brion looked down at his friend. ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡± Ander looked at Brion in confusion. Missing the fact that Miinah had taken the spice tray and begun mixing it into his food at high speed while he was distracted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this paradise is but I''m pretty sure I haven''t done anything to cause trouble there.¡± ¡°Why are you using chopsticks anyway?¡± ¡°Ah right. When I was shopping with Cecil he informed me that using these utensils were a method of training dexterity. The shopkeeper also agreed that it was as well so it must be true.¡± Ander clicked his sticks together like tweezers. One of them falling from his grasp. ¡°Well. Not going to gain any height speaking.¡± Brion shook his head. Ander retrieved his chopsticks and proceeded to eat the spiced concoction with odd ease. Not even reacting to the spices added to the food. Going so far as to take another spice tray and dump it onto his plate before taking two different types of sauces and covering the food with them. Much to the disgust of everyone present save Bastion, who didn¡¯t know any better, and Lin, who hadn¡¯t been paying attention. ¡°Sigfried. Have you met a demon?¡± Lin asked her bodyguard. ¡°Yes. Forty or so years ago during a previous incursion there were quite a few that had come to our world, along with dragons that had been corrupted by the chaos from that place.¡± The headmaster looked up. ¡°Right. That was back when I was at peak practitioner. The golden years.¡± ¡°...¡± His students stared at him for a long moment silently. ¡°Right. Are demons evil?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Yes and no. They are chaotic entities from the abyss. Some beings from there aren¡¯t evil. But it is in their nature to corrupt and distort what one could see as positive traits. Ambition could become an obsession. A love for food, gluttony. The drive to grow stronger, greed. The desire to protect friends'' wrath when triggered.¡± ¡°That''s troubling.¡± ¡°It is. This tournament¡¯s just begun. Using powers from the Abyss aren¡¯t banned. But possessions are grounds for disqualification.¡± Book Two: Chapter 69 Kyrion had finished building his core chamber after building a staircase that went sixty feet into the ground. In his core chamber, he placed a single ornate door to act as a gateway into the dungeon. He didn¡¯t question how it would work as space was a confusing affinity to use. Karl appeared as a hovering green cube in front of Kyrion. ¡°Good good. Now, here¡¯s the tricky part. You can¡¯t leave for twelve hours due to our bond. Not until the anchor to my new dimension, Your domain will be fully emptied and funneled into the dungeon¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Your spirits have been evacuated to your core. Everything taken will get broken down and turned into raw materials.¡± ¡°My gold!¡± Karl winced. ¡°Already eaten. Its high mana absorption is useful.¡± ¡°My house!¡± ¡°I can make you a better house. One with better wards.¡± ¡°My food!¡± ¡°The animals and farms your monsters run will be left behind so that they can continue to do so until my ecosystem is complete.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Keep my emergency food supply separate from this place.¡± Kyrion ordered. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Karl sighed. ¡°Will anything else be left behind?¡± ¡°Your spirits, their locals, and various landmarks will be mostly untouched. The giant tree in the center will have roots that flow here. That is its nature and I will abide by its request.¡± ¡°Karl. Do you know what that tree is?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I can tell you that it doesn¡¯t come from here. Now. Any other questions?¡± ¡°How can you well can you mimic the time dilation?¡± ¡°A full 1.5* increase with my level of experience. As it¡¯s used and I begin improving it, it will gain in strength.¡± ¡°Not very useful then.¡± Kyrion prodded. ¡°Not yet. But it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Kyrion sighed as his hoard had been converted into raw materials for his future use. It was at that moment he realized that included all his extra clothes, shoes, weapons, and other magical gear he had collected over the years. Even the fruits from his magic tree had been taken. The young man steepled his fingers as the stasis coffins he had were torn apart and their contents destroyed. All that food was wasted. It was at that moment Kyrion heard his stomach growl in a way that confirmed that his appetite belonged to him. ¡°Karl¡­ Please tell me you didn¡¯t destroy my refrigerators?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t lie to you Kyrion. So I¡¯ll avoid answering that directly. Like that cat in the box. That blind kid talks about.¡± ¡°People from his world must be crazy. Why put a cat in a box? It¡¯s unethical.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming. Stay within thirty feet of the entrance. My presence should be undetectable so long as your within thirty feet.¡± Kyrion shook his head and shifted his physical appearance again. His now vermillion eyes burned with irritation. Leaving through the door to the chamber. Kyrion walked up a set of earthen steps that led back to the outside world. Outside Lin sat on a glacier in the center of the lake. The whole thing had frozen over. ¡°Ah. Rion, please come here.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t right now. Can we talk from here? How did you find this place?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I have a mana construct that requires a direct link. Going any further could cause it to collapse prematurely.¡± Kyrion told a half-truth. ¡°You''re lying.¡± Lin¡¯s eyes glowed a clear blue. ¡°Possibly. But that is the closest to the truth I will go into before it''s done. Why did you come here?¡± ¡°Rude. And I even brought you dinner.¡± Lin revealed a tall set of lunch boxes. ¡°Where did you get that? My princess.¡± Kyrion resisted smacking his lips in anticipation. ¡°From dinner. You weren''t there. As the coordinator it¡¯s my duty to look out for you.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet. I love you Lin.¡± Kyrion said in a cheery voice, a genuinely happy voice, an innocent voice. Kyrion wouldn¡¯t realize that he said something dangerous until after he finished eating. Something that could change his life permanently if he messed up. Lin turned as red as a strawberry and ran off. Leaving the food behind on the glacier. ¡°Maybe she was in a hurry.¡±Kyrion eyed the lunch in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t you do it? " ¡°Don¡¯t do what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave the space before I finish what I¡¯m doing.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°But, Lin brought me dinner.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Karl said. ¡°Lin... Oh, my princess. My blood sugar may be low.¡± Kyrion slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°Well you scared her off. Now come back down.¡± ¡°One sec.¡± Kyrion willed the basket towards himself with wind mana and began sliding it down the icy path. He picked up the parcel and headed down the stairs. Jala spoke up from Kyrion¡¯s core. ¡°You''re getting dangerous. Please don¡¯t speak carelessly.¡± Kyrion considered. ¡°Right. Incantations can carry my words. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Issac shook his head. ¡°Go eat something. You aren¡¯t thinking straight.¡± ¡°You''re the best!¡± Kyrion ignored the spirits as he consumed boxes of what used to be food but was now a semi-edible monstrosity.
Lin met Sigfried in the hotel lobby. Her face was still red, and her expression surprised. ¡°Are you sick milady?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes. No! Not at all! I mean.¡± She took a chilly breath. ¡°I am fine.¡± She said stoically. ¡°Good. How was Rion doing?¡± ¡°Well! I think.¡± Lin sighed, remembering her mission. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t try anything. He did.¡± Siegfried raised an eyebrow which was imperceptible when wearing a mask. ¡°I highly doubt it was intentional. No offense, you are a young mistress among young mistresses, but. My son is a bit of an idiot. I don¡¯t know who he gets it from. So tell me what was said.¡± ¡°He said he loved me. He even said my name. Does he say that to every woman?¡± ¡°Possibly. Men as well. Although he was around three to five when he did that, and it was usually whenever someone did something he wanted them to do. I thought he broke the habit.¡± ¡°So. He doesn¡¯t love me like that. He was just thankful I gave him food.¡± ¡°That would be right according to my own knowledge. It could be outdated.¡± Lin hadn¡¯t heard the last part. ¡°I see. Well I¡¯ll go get some sleep then.¡± ¡°Sweet dreams.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lin told herself that she wouldn¡¯t fall for that trick again. Bill pondered something by himself. His baby boy couldn¡¯t be in love with Lin. He was too little to do anything like that. They had been separated for seven years, and he was at least fifteen now. Bill needed to remember that. He realized that he should probably stay out of this potentially awkward relationship. Although his son didn¡¯t quite know what he was getting into if he was attempting to court something like her.
The second day of the tournament began with the captain of Drisil nowhere to be found. Some could assume that the captain already knew that their team would come out victorious. Those people would be fools as the simple answer was that he was currently preoccupied and lost track of time. Tiffany stood on the stage visible as her opponent stepped onto the opposite end. The woman had black hair that seemed to fall behind her in curls. Her eyes are deep purple and her clothes a gray battle dress. In her hands was a sword made from black flames. ¡°First fight of the day, we have Drisil¡¯s Tiffany up against Rendell¡¯s Lisa! Let''s make this a good clean fight. But I must let you know that the rules for these battles change slightly each round.¡± Tiffany and Lisa vanished from sight. Moments later, a purple teleportation sigil revealed itself on the arena floor. Then a dome-like screen appeared over the barrier. The dome''s outer shell revealed what seemed to be a city. Tall buildings, narrow alleyways. Rivers and shops. ¡°Today they fight in the unnamed city! Stealth, planning, and tactics will play a pivotal role in today¡¯s battle! May we see a true clash of spirits today!¡± Meh-Thod announced.
Tiffany had been teleported into a clothing shop. She took a second to consider if this was deliberate before taking her blade out. ¡°Light clone.¡± Tiffany traced a sigil as a duplicate made of light appeared in front of her. It then adjusted its colors to mimic its creator. ¡°Signal seal. Enhanced speed, minor corporeality.¡± Tiffany sent out the spell construct to go forth. If slain she will know where. Shifting the light around her caused her to appear invisible. It wasn¡¯t perfect. In direct light, she may distort the area around her slightly, and in complete darkness, she will give off a shimmer, so long as she stays careful. She could potentially get the drop on her opponent. Something she suspected would be necessary. Taking a step outside of the shop showed her that the place had been deserted. Which meant that she was probably free to do some environmental damage. So as she began her search she began to plant proximity-triggered explosive sigils. While they may destroy a wall it was unlikely that she¡¯d do more than inconvenience a practitioner. Her final set of traps was known as infrared alarms. Before her recent training, she hadn¡¯t known that light could be made outside of the visible spectrum before her lessons on the element, and it was tricky to form it into anything that wasn¡¯t a straight line. It took ten minutes for the first trap to trigger, and when it did, a series of explosions followed. Black flames filled the sky above before being brought down on a location. Several more wards were triggered, causing more explosions of light. Several paths had been closed off as a result. Lisa saw her opponent cross her path from an alleyway and gave chase. The two found themselves in an open residential district. A little place to hide without risking being buried alive in one of the buildings. Drawing her sword of black fire Lisa engaged Tiffany head-on. The young woman didn¡¯t block with her sword. Instead opting to dodge, redirect, or launch ranged light darts. The two exchanged strikes for a few minutes before Lisa found an opening and moved to bisect her opponent with her blade. Tiffany slipped up and ran head-on into the attack. She then appeared to be bisected by the blow. The young woman exploded in a flash of light and sound. Causing Lisa to stumble back into Tiffany¡¯s outstretched sword as she appeared behind her opponent. ¡°Ah. There you are.¡± Lisa gripped the blade as her body shifted into black flames. Tiffany bellowed as her arms began to burn. Her skin peeled, her hands bleed, and her sword arm weakened. ¡°Clever girl. Sadly you just showed your hand. I don¡¯t need my eyes if I can follow your screams.¡± Lisa laughed maniacally. Tiffany growled before chanting a series of short enhancement spells. ¡°Pain reduction. Adrenaline boost. Power boost. Speed boost.¡± Tiffany surrounded herself with a golden aura and moved into a low stance. As she watched the black flames attempt to consume her. The ominous flames surrounded her on all sides and encroached. ¡°Aura of radiant blades.¡± Tiffany said aloud. A series of identical swirling swords surrounded her, cutting up the flames as they appeared. Light cut the dark, and dark burned the light. The battle became one of wills, and the two were at a stalemate for minutes. The stalemate ended when Lisa regained her physical form and collapsed, heaving on the ground. Her body cut to a degree that leaned on lethal. Tiffany approached her opponent to finish her off and trigger the wards. Lisa turned out to be crafty, as she sprung forward and wrapped both hands around Tiffany''s neck. Various wounds began to cover Tiffany''s body as black flames engulfed them both. Tiffany felt her body erupt in pain, and her vision went spotty. She fell forward she drove the blade through her opponent''s neck. Which caused the wards to send her out of the arena before the damage could kill her. Tiffany fell forward to the ground, unmoving. Her open wounds faded as though they never existed. Instants later, Tiffany, was also evacuated. ¡°The winner of this round is Tiffany Belfour! A good fight to start the day!¡± Meh Thod spoke from his position as the arena began to repair and reset itself in seconds. Book Two: Chapter 70 Cecil won his second fight faster than any of the fights that followed. Sending drones he crafted into the city that sought and eliminated his foe within the first thirty seconds. Didn¡¯t break a sweat. The students that watched saw the tactics as cowardly and cheap. The merchants and more experienced experts saw that as a useful weapon to have for protection or during a war. Having gotten out unscathed Cecil was watching this fight with rapt attention. He had heard that Damian was strong and knew that Kyrion wasn¡¯t the type to exaggerate things like this. The young man suspected that there may not be another fight in this block of the tournament. ¡°Next up we have Damian from the Flowing river academy going up against Ander from Drisil. Sword against spear! What will prevail!¡± Ander stood in front of Damian, with a wild smirk on his face as he seemed excited. Damian held a stoic expression on his face as he held only one sword in his right hand. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a chance to fight you. As you turned down Brion¡¯s offer, we never got a chance to spar seriously.¡± Ander stuck his spear in the ground and let go of it. ¡°Do you think you can beat me without using your weapon?¡± Damian asked. ¡°I¡¯m only mimicking you. If you turn up the heat then I will as well.¡± Ander got into a sprinter''s stance his body low to the ground like a crouching tiger. ¡°Fair enough. But this is only the second round. I¡¯d rather not reveal my secrets early.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°Ready? Begin!¡± Meh Thod bellowed, and the duo were sent to the city. Ander stood in the center of the town. His spear was planted at his side. His face held a disturbing smirk as he yelled. ¡°I¡¯m right here Damian! Come and get me!¡± Damian arrived soon after not even attempting to hide his presence. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be any more ready.¡± ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll start.¡± Damian tossed his sword upwards as he charged forward and engaged the green-haired boy. Ander moved forward and the two met halfway. Damian started with a jab toward Ander''s chin. Ander rotated his body to the side and moved to grab Damian¡¯s arm using the taller young man''s momentum to throw him. Unfortunately for Ander Damian seemed to flow just out of his reach. The young swordsman then retreated another ten feet. His sword landed back in his right hand. ¡°Interesting rhythm you have. Are you done playing around?¡± Damian scowled. ¡°Depends, can you really fight me unarmed?¡± Ander smirked. ¡°That''s for me to know and you to lose.¡± ¡°Fine then. Come!¡± Damian took a defensive stance. Ander reentered melee range and let loose a series of palm strikes and jabs, increasing his speed after each miss, gauging his opponent''s reaction. After a few hits, Ander had a gauge on his speed and natural prowess. He got the feeling that his opponent could go faster. Damian dodged a strike aimed at his shoulder and swung his sword toward Ander¡¯s throat. The blade connected but it didn¡¯t even cut. It was as though the blade had been stopped by an invisible barrier on his skin. Ander used the surprise to hit Damian in his solar plexus, cracking the bone but not breaking it. Damian had been sent flying into a house crashing through the wall. Ander walked back to his spear and took up his position .¡±Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± Damian walked out of the rubble. ¡°You hit like a carriage¡­ And my sword can¡¯t cut you. Are you an expert?¡± ¡°Not yet. But I have been eating my vegetables and drinking juice.¡± Ander said. ¡°Is that why you haven¡¯t gotten any taller?¡± Damian tried to get under his opponent''s skin. Ander snapped. Taking his spear out of the ground he began to laugh. It was not a healthy laugh. ¡°I¡¯m going to turn you into charcoal!¡± Ander¡¯s body crackled with lightning as he seemed to move forward. He hadn¡¯t activated his full manifestation. But he was resonating with his spirit, which was a stage of understanding he had struggled with prior. ¡°Forte. Allegro.¡± Damian covered his body with a yellow aura and dashed forward. The two met halfway for a second time, their movements too fast for many of the practitioners and below watching from the crowd. A sweep from Ander aimed for Damian''s head was ducked. A slash from Damian was dodged by a hair, as Ander thrust his spear forward. The two seemed to slow for a second before the clash of weapons continued. The sight finally became visible in the viewing window, and the two continued to become blurs of motion. Damian changed his rhythm and used the gap he created to land a kick into Ander, sending him through a building. Ander blasted out of debris, floating slightly above the ground. ¡°You''re heavier than you look. Much heavier than you should be.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°You caught on quick. Are you done holding back?¡± ¡°I really hate that we met this early on. You''re strong, sadly for you I intend to win this tournament. Even if that means playing with an open hand.¡± ¡°Ugg¡­Win or lose we¡¯ll have words after this. Because I¡¯m about to go all out.¡± Black lines appeared on Ander¡¯s skin, his spirit started to manifest on its own. Damian clicked his tongue as a second sword appeared in his hands, and the glow around him got even brighter. ¡°Adagio. Piano. Lord¡¯s Aria.¡± Damian had begun humming soon after. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Are you singing?¡± Ander seemed surprised. Damian didn¡¯t respond as he seemed to be singing softly. ¡°What language is that?¡± Ander jumped upward and back into the air, instinctually trying to evade. Damian¡¯s song seemed to be in a language Ander hadn¡¯t been able to understand, those outside hadn¡¯t been able to hear the words due to the quiet tone and weak sound sensors. Ander let the metal head of his spear fall as a blade of lightning took its place. Flashes of yellow and lightning were all that could be seen by those under expert. Their speed at a level far outstripping what many could accomplish. Minah, who had trained her vision to account for high speeds, began to worry as the fight in front of her proved that speed had an upper limit to train. She was far behind than she knew, and it was concerning. Cecil produced a visor that he placed over his eyes. Pressing a button and relaxing. A lightning bolt shot toward Damian and missed, flying into the clouds. Ander jumped backward, avoiding a cross-shaped blast caused by two sword strikes. ¡°Can you go faster?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Fortissimo! Allegrissimo!¡± Damian had stopped singing, but his blades began to carry the tune. Increasing in volume and tempo gradually. Ander was hit by a ranged slash that sent him flying through three buildings. ¡°Release!¡± Ander¡¯s weights fell off his body, hitting the ground with a solid thud. He began to float naturally now that he was released from his encumbrance. Ander then triggered the lightning he shot into the sky, and a series of lightning bolts came crashing down on Damian¡¯s location. ¡°Damian danced, pranced, and dodged through the bolts that came down as he ran towards Ander in fervor until he found himself trapped in a rotating cage made from lightning. ¡°Lightning Prison!¡± Ander yelled from above, the spell solidifying as its name was spoken. Damian looked up and sighed. ¡°Wings of the ancient ones.¡± Yellow feathery wings shot out of Damian¡¯s ankles as though they were hidden. They were then followed by flapping as Damian flew upwards rather slowly. ¡°You can fly?¡± ¡°Not for long but it should be sufficient to end this fight.¡± Damian flew forward, becoming a blur as he tried to escape the prison of electricity. Every series of strikes caused him to recoil as his body was sent back a few feet. ¡°This is where you should surrender. You are but a bird trapped in a cage.¡± Ander said from above. Damian looked at the cage and then back at Ander. ¡°Are you at your strongest?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that I can control my power past this level. I''d hate to fry your brain.¡± Ander stated honestly. ¡°Good. Because If you still had tested limits then I¡¯d be worried about not standing a chance.¡± Damian replied. ¡°Talk with your fist.¡± Ander raised his spear, and lightning gathered above the area. ¡°Gigas Bolt!¡± Ander summoned a large lightning bolt holding nearly all of his remaining mana and dropped it on Damian, who was trapped in the lightning prison. ¡°Severe!¡± Damian sheathed and unsheathed his swords so quickly that it was hard for Ander to trace their path. The bolt was split in half by a sword made from mana, causing the green-haired young man to fall from the sky as though the wind was knocked out of him. Ander tried to float but found he couldn¡¯t call forth the mana anymore. That attack should have ended the fight. He never knew of anyone capable of cutting through lightning. Still, that''s what he got from using so much mana recklessly. No, this was a minor spirit break, and he was experiencing feedback. ¡°That is¡­Uggg!¡± Ander had landed on his knees and seemingly struggled to get up. Damian walked in front of Ander slowly and carefully. He brought both blades to his opponent''s neck. ¡°You''re strong. Had I known you could split lightning then this would have been a much longer fight.¡± ¡°Do you admit defeat?¡± Damian asked. ¡°Heh¡­ You¡¯d like that wouldn''t you.¡± Ander smirked Damian brought the blades back to deliver the finishing blow and then brought them close. ¡°Repel.¡± Ander whispered. A magnetic force knocked Damian¡¯s swords out of his hands. Ander leaned forward quickly and landed a palm strike on Damian''s chest breaking his sternum. The powerful blow sent the swordsman flying into another building, his body facing Ander. ¡°How can you still?¡± Damian held his chest wheezing as his breath was slowing. The attack hadn¡¯t been lethal enough to get Ander a win. So he pointed at his downed opponent, unable to move his body further to deliver a finishing blow as the mana coursing through him took its toll. ¡°You better win this tournament. I don¡¯t lose¡­ to losers.¡± Ander looked down and noticed his stripes fading. His consciousness quickly followed as he pushed his body further than he should, without a healer, which triggered the wards. ¡°And the winner of this battle goes to Damian!¡± The crowd cheered as Damian was escorted to the healers immediately, along with his opponent.
Cecil scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll have to use my suit in this tournament. Not good.¡± ¡°Do you think you can beat him?¡± The headmaster asked. ¡°No. I have the training but lack true combat experience with my suit. Killing monsters doesn¡¯t make me better at fighting people. I¡¯ll need to train with the others.¡± ¡°It''s a little late to be training now.¡± ¡°I can analyze his abilities and will do so after my match with Tiffany. From there I will form a strategy for taking him out quickly.¡± ¡°Do you think you can beat Tiffany?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t fit to fight right now. Tiffany also has a mind for strategy. She should understand the necessity of surrendering before the fight begins. Better to keep her strength hidden and heal up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure she¡¯d submit so easily.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Cecil, at least make it quick. Just in case.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Take that into consideration. I am going to prepare, see you when my turn comes up. Cecil left as a blond prince started getting mauled by a three-headed dog.
Kyrion had gone to leave his cave when he saw that the entrance had been covered by a thick layer of ice. As he reached out to melt it he found that he couldn¡¯t do so. ¡°What kind of ice is this?¡± His water affinity is not connecting with it at all. Kyrion had been ready to use fire to melt the barrier when Karl chimed in. ¡°There is a high methane concentration down here. One spark and you could cause an explosion followed by a cave in.¡± ¡°I hate it here.¡± Kyrion kicked a pebble as he entered the dungeon. Karl turned out to be very religious. The first area of the dungeon transported the visitor to a large white cathedral-like place. A painting a of brown-haired man with his hands prepped for grace seemed to be popular. Along with painting that there were white statues that resembled winged humanoids of various stages of life. Kyrion scratched his chin. Karl appeared in a humanoid form wearing a black cassock. Their face was made from diamond, their right eye was ruby, and their left eye was a silver opal. Kyrion figured that it wasn¡¯t a mask but seeing it like this confirmed it. ¡°Why do you look like this?¡± ¡°Do you have something against elementals?¡± ¡°No. No. No. Just don¡¯t know what you''re wearing.¡± ¡°I believe it''s what all the priests from Cecil¡¯s world wear.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to unlock those memories?¡± ¡°Yes. What does it have to do with the situation?¡± ¡°Listen. I sit in the wooden box on one end while you sit in another. You''re supposed to start talking, and I listen. Something about confessing sins and such.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t sin. I don¡¯t even know what that means.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t either. I think it has a lot to do with speakeasies and machine guns.¡± ¡°I only understood one of those words¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°You know. That just makes me worry even more.¡± ¡°Kyrion, save it for the box.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°This is highly suspect. You better not try to get me in a compromised state before asking me embarrassing questions.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask you anything. Are you listening?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m speaking.¡± Kyrion gave Karl an impish grin. Karl entered their end of the booth, while Kyrion entered the other. Book Two: Chapter 71 Tiffany hadn¡¯t recovered enough to fight Cecil in a head-to-head fight and with their healer missing it would be too risky for her to risk injuring herself or her opponent before the following day¡¯s match. Thus the awkward predicament had come to pass. Cecil sat next to her on her left side while a white-haired young man sat on her right. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know the guy. It was more that this was a part of her life she wanted to keep far away from the school. Cecil seemed utterly oblivious to the tension as he took notes on his potential competition. ¡°Listen Tiffany. I understand that you¡¯re your own woman but joining a harem¡­¡± ¡°Andres it isn¡¯t like that at all. I explained everything to my father in detail. He should have informed yours as well.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t in a harem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Andres.¡± Tiffany shook her head. ¡°I heard tales of this harem back home. Did you know that there are books about their debaucherous nature?¡± Tiffany tensed, and Cecil scowled. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°So you haven¡¯t heard of, Hardships of the Concubine in red?¡± Andres asked bluntly. Tiffany sighed. ¡°Right¡­That. No, things are not actually like what''s listed. There was a traveling author that came to inquire about Cecil¡¯s Harem. Our late Captain Kyrion met with them and answered questions over tea and cookies. Our former captain is a bit innocent when it comes to carnal desires and was very blunt. The author was a seductress and yet he hadn¡¯t reacted to her in the slightest. Thus when the questions started containing concepts he didn¡¯t understand he just answered to the best of his ability.¡± ¡°So he was messing with her. No boy stays innocent this long.¡± Andres scowled. ¡°He¡¯s different, and it''s why I know that all I can do is look out for him. Sadly that time seems to be at an end.¡± Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m fine calling off the marriage¡­¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± Cecil turned his head to look at the two with surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention that I have a fiance?¡± Tiffany raised an eyebrow. Cecil thought for a moment. ¡°I just thought you were trying to turn me down gently.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all friends here, don''t get your knickers in a twist. No, it wasn¡¯t anything serious. I¡¯d rather forget about it.¡± Tiffany cut that train of thought off. ¡°I see.¡± Andres sighed. ¡°So I hear your captain of the Tetsan school.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°How did your fight with Damian go?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sad to say that I wasn¡¯t prepared to fight someone that strong so early. He only needed one sword to beat me.¡± ¡°You would have known he was strong if you bothered to take my letters seriously.¡± ¡°You were an early fledgling then and a lot can change in five years. Didn¡¯t realize the flowing river had people who could fight on that level.¡± ¡°Excuses excuses. I still made it further in the solo tournament.¡± ¡°Yeah, you won two fights. The first against a captain no less. Why didn¡¯t you try for three?¡± ¡°Ander going down leaves me with the responsibility of winning this thing.¡± ¡°Where does this Ander guy rank on your team¡¯s scale?¡± ¡°Around three.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Two if I''m not counted or ill prepared. My power lies in preparation and adaptation, you could say.¡± ¡°What kind of school is Drisil if your number three can put on a show like that and not be number one.¡± ¡°You have met Rion right?¡± ¡°Yeah, he said your original leader died. Some say it was to make a strong candidate disappear.¡± ¡°I see. Well, let''s just say our current leader makes the person they saw in the colosseum look weak.¡± Tiffany added. ¡°Doesn¡¯t answer the question.¡± ¡°The teachers at Drisil do their utmost to teach us but they aren¡¯t the secret behind our success.¡± ¡°Rion has a habit of knowing what people need to grow. He also tends to see the best in most people. So when someone like that proves that they can beat you as easily as breathing, but avoided doing so as to not hurt anyone¡¯s pride, shows them what real power is. What happens?¡± Cecil asked curiously. ¡°So, he shared his knowledge with everyone else. Does he not fear becoming weaker?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to him. It isn¡¯t about power right now, it''s about results. In a fair one on one fight Ander could probably beat our captain. But that doesn¡¯t make them stronger if that makes sense.¡± ¡°Can we not talk about him right now? Aren¡¯t you trying to get rid of those rumors?¡± Tiffany asked. Cecil turned his head and watched as a shadow user was pummeled into a heap by a pugilist with black gauntlets that seemingly absorbed light. ¡°Physical¡­ based, with a gimmick. A powerful one at that. I¡¯ll have to use a lot of ammunition to take him down.¡± The shadow user sunk into the ground attempting to get some distance only for the gauntlet-wielding warrior to follow them in. ¡°Space, or something else.¡± Cecil adjusted his vizor. Atim appeared outside of the arena, his body beaten and battered with multiple open wounds and broken bones. ¡°With that brutal showing Milo makes the semi-finals!¡± Meh Thod bellowed. ¡°Looks like I will fight him tomorrow.¡± Cecil left the arena to go get some air.
Somewhere in town, a battered Midas has been approached by a figure in a white hood and a golden mask. The figure was shorter than him but not by much. ¡°A sorry showing for a royal. I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t run off in shame.¡± The voice was monotonous and didn¡¯t give away any gender. ¡°A king doesn¡¯t retreat.¡± Midas said stoically. ¡°A king rarely survives a loss in this world and keeps their kingdom. Do you think you could win if you could fight the same opponent again?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°And if you lose?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just fight them again. I won¡¯t give up until I''m victorious.¡± ¡°Good. I offer you a chance to reclaim your crown, a chance to succeed after you have failed. The power to alter fate.¡± ¡°Power? Give it to me then.¡± ¡°First you must drink this potion.¡± The figure handed Midas a red vial. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It may give you the capacity for a second spirit.¡± The creature in front of him said. ¡°A second spirit? Will I be more powerful?¡± ¡°Much more.¡± ¡°Then give it to me!¡± Midas snatched the vial. Much to the masked creature''s mirth. ¡°Good.¡± The mask fell to the ground after Midas consumed the vial. In that instant, the masked creature became a large blue-skinned creature with six arms, and three sets of solid black eyes. The creature then jumped into Midas¡¯s body and attached itself to his corrupted core. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Right. Now you just have to trigger the power.¡± The alien creature said from inside. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple really.¡± Midas¡¯smouth spoke without his command and his hand seemingly moved towards his head. ¡°Why is my arm moving on its own?¡± Midas asked internally. ¡°You just need to die.¡± Midas pierced his skull with a golden spear. A hawk-faced figure watched the proceedings next to a large red-haired man with green eyes. ¡°You were right to summon me here. That rank of demon is dangerous. Only the one posseed should be able to remember previous iterations.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure your son will hunt them down regardless. A missing temporal demon will put him on edge.¡± ¡°That''s what I¡¯m counting on.¡± The large man turned and jumped into the air as batlike wings shot from his back. The ruler of the Beast Blood Empire flew off into the distance.
¡°That was useless Karl. I didn¡¯t learn anything.¡± ¡°Maybe we aren''t performing it right. I¡¯ll go check on the ice and see if it''s melted.¡± Kyrion left the room and saw that the ice had indeed melted. Although the sun had set and he was quite famished. ¡°I need to get something to eat.¡± ¡°The minimum is done. Seal the entrance, and be on your way.¡± With a stomp on the ground, the staircase vanished behind a layer of stone that was then covered and camouflaged by plants, grass, and dirt. ¡°Right.¡± Kyrion left his grove and found his way toward the city, his hair and eyes changing to match his public character Rion. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s night already. Maybe that time dilation thingy didn¡¯t trigger.¡± Kyrion made his way through the city in the trees with natural ease. As though he had lived here his entire life. Upon passing by the residential district he noticed an elderly woman carrying a load of groceries to her home. Good habits die hard and three hours later he found himself cleaning another elderly person¡¯s gutters. By the time Kyrion remembered he was headed towards the restaurant he found that it had been closed for the day. ¡°Didn¡¯t realize it was this late. Guess I¡¯ll find the headmaster.¡± Kyrion made his way to his room in the inn and sighed as he noticed Bastion laying on the floor headfirst. His blanket pooled onto the floor next to him. ¡°Sheesh. You sleep bad.¡± Kyrion lifted Bastion and laid him back on the bed before making sure he was tucked in well. Then he walked through the wall and entered the headmaster''s quarters. ¡°Sorry I missed two days of fighting.¡± ¡°Two?¡± The headmaster turned around. ¡°I did only miss two right?¡± ¡°You only missed one. Have you seen Ander? He ran off spouting something about secret training and breaking through his barriers. His first opponent must have scared him.¡± ¡°I see¡­And Lin, have you seen her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been gone for the past two hours, something about ringing your neck, for playing with her emotions.¡± ¡°...¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°You don¡¯t remember doing something like that?¡± ¡°No. Oh I did slip up and call her by her name. Didn¡¯t realize she was that much of a title snob.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything misleading?¡± Caeden raised an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything I didn¡¯t mean. I was really happy she brought me food.¡± Krion stated. ¡°Oh god why¡­¡± ¡°Why what?¡± Kyrion said with a deadpan expression. ¡°Wasn¡¯t talking to you. But¡­¡± ¡°But what.¡± ¡°What does love mean to you?¡± ¡°Something I really really like and will fight to protect.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Do you love people?¡± Caeden scowled. ¡°I love all my friends and everyone on my team or in Cecil¡¯s Harem. I also love my family even if they do get on my nerves.¡± Kyrion said with a face that betrayed no embarrassment. ¡°Did Gamodren ever give you the talk?¡± ¡°Why are you asking that¡­¡± ¡°Just trying to figure out where you are there.¡± ¡°Well if you''re talking about that twisted kinda love then sure, I guess there¡¯s someone I tollerate a little more. But that''s none of your concern.¡± Kyrion walked towards the wall that led to his room. ¡°Just keep an eye open. Others may try to take advantage of your nature.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Kyrion waved goodbye as he passed through the wall back into his room with a grim expression.
Kyrion ate breakfast with the team and watched the second day of fights. The only oddity was the fact that Ander had not shown up for his fight with Damian. This oddity was enough for Kyrion to wonder if something happened to his friend. That was when he left to go find him. That was when Kyrion missed seeing, Nicole evade an attack aimed at her head and countered with a strike aimed at Midas¡¯s head knocking him unconscious on impact. Kyrion checked all the training spots he knew of including the rooms he had rented earlier. Kyrion made his way to a river to cool down and relax before the sound of kids at play were all he could hear nearby. ¡°What''s that kid doin!¡± ¡°I dunno! But he¡¯s sitting under the waterfall!¡± ¡°Why do that?¡± ¡°I dunno. Maybe his mom didn¡¯t tell him to avoid it. That pressure can rip skin from bone.¡± The kids seemingly gathered around a small green-haired figure on a boulder, his back facing away from them. As water crashed down upon him rapidly. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Kyrion muttered as he neared the waterfall. Ander was in a state of complete focus as his mana circulated throughout his body. Kyrion hadn¡¯t been certain of who he was watching so he used the one method that would work with him. ¡°Hey shorty! You shouldn¡¯t be playing near waterfalls!¡± Kyrion turned and dashed into the forest towards his grove. In a flash Ander appeared right next to Kyrion, his eyes like slits. Lightning crackled around him. ¡°What. Did. You. Call. Me?¡± Kyrion ducked under the punch aimed at his head. Before pushing backward with a strong leap creating a gap in their distance. ¡°That didn¡¯t work as well as I thought.¡± That was all he got out before blades of lightning passed through his chest in five places. Kyrion crashed on the ground seizing from the blow as his body¡¯s recovery was used against him. ¡°That. Was. Low¡­. Even for. Someone. Of your. Stature.¡± Kyrion spoke one last line before going stark still as though he were dead. ¡°If you can talk, you''re fine. Now get up, I have training to do. Still can¡¯t believe I lost.¡± Ander scowled as he held Kyrion up by his head which was quite the sight as Kyrion had brought both of his feet off the ground attempting to make himself too heavy to lift. ¡°Yeah¡­ You missed your fight with Damian. What was that about?¡± Kyrion stated as a foot touched the ground for a brief instant. ¡°I fought Damian yesterday, you idiot. Didn''t you see it?¡± Ander shook Kyrion''s head. ¡°Weird. Because the announcer said that you and Damian were fighting in the second round of the tournament and all our teammates seemed confused.¡± Kyrion stated as he felt the vice grip slip. ¡°Do I have time magic?¡± Ander asked himself. ¡°Tiffany won her fight and Cecil won his. From what I¡¯ve heard, Tiffany will surrender to Cecil due to injuries sustained from the previous fight.¡± ¡°I heard most of this when I woke up from my fight with that lightning cutter yesterday.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Kyrion seemed surprised as he blinked rapidly and took a step back. ¡°Damian. He can cut through lightning. Caused me to waste a big attack.¡± And thus the grip was forgotten about for a brief instant. ¡°Hmmmm¡­Where were you last night?¡± Kyrion asked as he slipped from Ander¡¯s grasp. ¡°The waterfall, doing resistance training.¡± Ander replied. ¡°Go there again later tonight. I have something to show you. But for now I need to find Lin.¡± Kyrion waved his friend goodbye. ¡°My training!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Kyrion faded from sight. Book Two: Chapter 72 Kyrion had spent most of the day looking for his handler. He checked many restaurants, clothing stores, and gift shops. When that turned up nothing, he asked around and eventually came across a small boy with wild white hair. Manacles had been placed around his wrists. The child had a mischievous look on his face despite his sickly complexion and dark circles under his shut eyes. Rion approached the elven guards escorting the child and scowled. ¡°Excuse me sirs. I¡¯d like to know whats going on.¡± ¡°Get back, this child is under suspicion of murder and is a crafty individual.¡± ¡°Very rude. I didn¡¯t directly kill anyone.¡± The boy gave the guards a very strange look. ¡°Why do you look familiar?¡± Rion asked. The boy looked towards Rion and smiled. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know. Old man.¡± ¡°I am not that old. I¡¯m only fifteen.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Thats one digit more than me. OLD MAN.¡± The boy sneered while still detained. ¡°Sheesh. Fine, guess I won¡¯t help you out afterall.¡± Rion turned to leave ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I won¡¯t get caught next time.¡± The boy took Rion¡¯s hand and smirked as Kyrion was shrouded in black fog. ¡°What in the?¡± Kyrion found his hands in cuffs while covered in fog. Knowing better he slipped them off his wrist and let them hit the floor. ¡°He¡¯s escaping northward!¡± Yelled one of the guards. Both guards turned and ran off in that direction despite neither of them saying that. As the smoke cleared only manacles remained on the ground. Their tracks were undetectable to even Kyrion¡¯s senses. ¡°That was and odd encounter.¡± Deciding that this lead turned up the wrong person, Rion decided to return to his hidden grove. Feeling as though he had forgotten something important. Passing by the waterfall in minutes he continued forward. As the sun began to set and Rion neared his destination. The temperature had dropped quite a bit. That was when Kyrion tripped an invisible magical trap, and a spear of ice soon found its way near Kyrion¡¯s neck after shooting out from the river. ¡°Ah. Hello. I am Rion of team Drisil. Didn¡¯t realize someone else was training here. I¡¯ll go.¡± Rion identified himself, waved, and made to retreat before he had been forced to stop as a fork shot from the ground and trapped his neck in place. Lin walked into the clearing with a dangerous look in her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what''s going on but you should be trapped down there.¡± Lin pointed to a thick layer of familiar ice. ¡°Oh¡­Why would that be?¡± ¡°What is your end goal?¡± Lin didn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°ladies first,¡± Kyrion said not so easily swayed despite being in what some would call a life-threatening situation. Then again, he knew he could get out of this ice. ¡°A gentleman should give a lady some information before asking for anything in return.¡± Lin said stoically. ¡°Uh. Master? This ice is more real than normal ice. Sliping through space wouldn¡¯t get you out of it.¡± Jala kindly informed her master before he went and tried something stupid. ¡°To win this tournament, protect those I love, and rescue a friend or two.¡± Kyrion decided to answer truthfully. Hiding his eye twitch caused by Jala¡¯s revelation. ¡°That¡­Not what I meant.¡± Lin was confused by the answer. ¡°It¡¯s stupid, I know. I am no hero Lin, but I do love the world. From the smallest of squirrels to the largest mountains. The world and most of the people in it.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes softened as he spoke a truth not quite understanding her meaning. ¡°You¡­ You''re serious. Didn¡¯t peg you for an altruist.¡± A pulse passed through Kyrion¡¯s head soon after. ¡°Fateless¡­One¡­Essence¡­in death¡­Soon.¡± A deep voice spoke to Kyrion through a bond he hadn¡¯t known had been there. ¡°Yeah. I am that special kind of stupid.¡± Kyion nodded as he began to fall backward onto the ice, his neck cut slightly. He refocused his mind, straightened, and stood stark still. ¡°I guess. Sieg could have worded it better.¡± Lin lessened the slack a bit to give Kyrion more breathing room. ¡°Siggy is a bit dense. Don¡¯t think too hard about it. His jokes are also bad. Almost reminds me of my¡­¡± Kyrion grumbled at the familiar sense of humor. ¡°And yet you repeat them.¡± ¡°When did I¡­¡± Kyrion started before he felt a strange pulse in his mana, and a sharp pain shot through his neck before he felt nothing.
Kyrion found himself in an odd place. The young man scowled as he flowed down a river of green ichor. Around him were various luminescent figures that likewise floated down the river. The path led towards a large serpent with scales the size of moons and eyes the size of planets. Its expression was grim as all floated towards it and vanished. Kyrion went to move but found that his body was heavy. His form was wispy, and his magic was gone. Entering his core failed as here he had no core to observe. He was trapped, he was in an odd place, and he was indeed mad about it. As though the situation was inevitable, he eventually arrived close enough to the serpent to notice a whirlpool in front of it that sucked up all the other luminescent figures that entered its pull. The serpent pointed a slate eye in front of Kyrion before it moved its massive body over the whirlpool. ¡°How are you back here when it is not your time?¡± It bellowed down to Kyrion with a pressure that sent him flying out of the river. On landing Kyrion found that he was much lighter as though he had been freed from a crushing pressure. ¡°What? How do you expect me to figure that out when I don¡¯t even know where here is?¡± Kyrion looked around the giant creature getting a gauge on what he was observing before he took five steps back and noticed that the creature didn¡¯t get any smaller. ¡°Ah. Welcome to the underworld, where the weight of your sins determine who gets you. You are where many would call Limbo as you are waiting to be judged. You are not dead however.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I see¡­ Did anyone come with me?¡± ¡°You were the only one to enter the river ahead of schedule. Behind you is a door, walk through it and you will remember this conversation with the forbidden knowledge of what happens when one dies or you may go down the whirlpool and forget we had this conversation. Lost Fateless.¡± The serpent said. Kyrion stood up, turned, and noticed that a white door had appeared over the black ground. Kyrion then looked up at the red sky cloudless sky. ¡°And If I choose neither?¡± ¡°Take too long to leave or come here too often and you will need to go back the long way. Coming back from death is an ordeal even when you aren¡¯t supposed to be dead. Try not to come back too soon.¡± ¡°Don''t count on it. Does everyone come here?¡± ¡°No. In fact very few are able to reach this area. Mostly lost souls find themselves in my domain. Many of which died either very early or lost their bodies through possesion.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­Say I ended up here in a very quick amount of time. How many times can I return?¡± ¡°You may return one time for free using this doorway. Each other free trip will cost memories, should you be in a situation where you may falsely die multiple times.¡± ¡°Memories of this place.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°And a few more.¡± ¡°I see. What is the costly way to get back with my memories?¡± ¡°A trip that takes one of your real world years at a minimum and would leave your body in a comatose state.¡± ¡°Would another shard of my soul be able to puppet my body in the meantime?¡± ¡°Well yes but¡­ You shouldn¡¯t know about that yet.¡± ¡°See you soon giant snake thing.¡± Kyrion hopped through the gate into the bright light beyond.
The world was engulfed in a blue light and Kyrion soon found himself back in his dungeon laying on the floor unable to move as he attuned to his own body before hopping to his feet but not of his own volition. ¡°What just happened?¡± Kyrie asked with Kyrion¡¯s mouth. ¡°A temporal fluctuation. Essenialy the world went back in time.¡± ¡°How long was I gone? And why do I feel funny?¡± Kyrion spoke as he reasserted dominance. ¡°Two weeks. And its a side effect. You were essentially teleported suddenly and placed back in the position you were in prior to whatever activated this ability.¡± ¡°Weeks? Thats quite the upgrade.¡± ¡°Two days actually. For me one day is essentially seven in terms of productivity.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I''m sure dilation is set to two times normal. Mostly as my current limit. I can extend it with practice.¡± ¡°Well I guess it works.¡± ¡°Now what''s wrong.¡± ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. My mana is expanding.¡± ¡°That is indeed odd.¡± ¡°Ander, my friend seems to be immune as well. He remembered the day before and is quite confused. Which is odd given that the headmaster didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°That''s a troubling. Experts are normally immune to this level of time travel, just forbidden to speak of most instances. Unless this effect was caused by a practitioner and if thats the case then the range will be greatly limited hence how I am mostly unaffected..¡± ¡°He seemed pretty concerned.¡± ¡°Then you could be a target. You need to be careful if that''s the case.¡± ¡°Just what I needed. I just need to not die.¡± Kyrion sighed. A loud sound above could be heard as someone entered the core chamber. ¡°Rude not to let me into your hideout.¡± Lin said as she walked down the stairway. ¡°Kyrion, she¡¯s seen too much. You have to go, silence her.¡± Karl said in a monotone, various cannons that Kyrion had borrowed from Cecil began to point toward the intruder. ¡°What? Karl she¡¯s a friend.¡± Kyrion stood still. ¡°If she gets in here your life is over. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t wish for such a thing when we¡¯re just getting started.¡± Karl turned into his cube form and sunk into the ground. Integrating their body into a golem body built from the mech parts Kyrion borrowed from the goblins and then built with their assistance. ¡°The abyss, are you talking about? What do you know?¡± Kyrion looked towards where Karl had vanished. ¡°Kyrion, why are you talking to yourself? What is this place?¡± Lin put her hands on her hips, ¡°An underground training facility.¡± Kyrion said plainly as he took a step back. ¡°Lie by omission. Minus 5 points¡­¡± A white fox appeared and sneered at Kyrion. ¡°Shut it Mamon.¡± ¡°But master. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He smells like trouble.¡± The fox said. Kyrion thought for a second his connection with Jala tightened. ¡°Do not reveal my presence here.¡± Jala stated. ¡°I am known by many as trouble. What are you doing here?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°I wondered where you ran off too. Why are you acting so rude, now?¡± ¡°Right. Well¡­ The simple answer is that someone is messing with time magic and it keeps getting reset. Although Lin what bugs me the most is how you managed to beat Ander here.¡± ¡°I just happened to be...¡± A bolt of lightning interrupted Lin as Ander seemed to fly down the entrance and through the door that leads into the dungeon. ¡°I thought we were meeting by the waterfall.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°We were. Until you went the wrong way and got lost. So I decided to follow you from a distance. And by you, I mean your trail of destruction and mayhem.¡± ¡°I did no such thing. Just happened to run into someone I didn¡¯t know and they happened to have been accused of assasination. They also escaped, so we should be careful if they¡¯re like us.¡± ¡°Rion¡­ You don¡¯t just run into someone like that.¡± ¡°Well I was following rumors and happened to find someone with your hair color.¡± ¡°My hair color is quite common depending on where your from.¡± ¡°Yeah. I have met quite a few with white and silver hair colors. You¡¯d think that the creators of our world were unimaginitive." Kyrion turned his head and looked at the western wall knowingly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. ¡± ¡°But thats blasphemy against Imala.¡± ¡°She knows what she did.¡± Kyrion squinted. Lin¡¯s left eye twitched. ¡°Anyhow. We need to split up and explore the city, figure out whats going on and how all of us are connected.¡± ¡°What makes you our leader?¡± Lin asked. ¡°I¡¯m Ander¡¯s leader, although he doesn¡¯t need to listen to me. However, I will let him train here in a place with twice time dilation and actual opponents worth fighting ¡°How is it better than a training room?¡± ¡°Karl? Fire a dud at Ander.¡± A cannon pointed towards Ander from behind and fired a melon-shaped projectile. Ander swiftly moved to the side out of instinct as the projectile hit the ground with a loud crash trailed by a strange whistling sound. Causing a crater to form where the young man would have been. Had it hit then bones would have been broken. ¡°That was not a dud round.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°It was the slowest and least costly ammunition. Unless you wanted me to use the stun setting.¡± Karl told Kyrion through his bond. ¡°That sould have been implied.¡± Kyrion hissed through their bond. ¡°Your saying that you have various tools I can use to train my reaction speed with stakes?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion said through his teeth. ¡°This is a dungeon. Aren¡¯t they supposed to be lost? How did you find one here?¡± Lin scowled. ¡°No more questions. We need to investigate. Right now we have two leads, the tournament, and the alleged assassin. Lin, you will watch the tournament and document anything odd. Ander you will find our assassin with hair as white as snow and a heart as black as obsidion. I will alternate between both places as needed looking for other clues.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Ander watch the fights while I look for the white haired boy?¡± ¡°Something tells me that is would be a bad idea. As Ander is likely to have to fight Damian if he shows up or questions will be asked while i¡¯m sure you will end up in a strange situation if you get involved with that boy. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Kyrion scowled as he tried to understand that expression. ¡°Sounds good. Question the kid and then go train.¡± Ander palmed his fist. ¡°Right. Lets split.¡± Kyrion smirked before heading to the confession boot to take a nap. Book Two: Chapter 73 Kyrion looked at the sky noting how dark it was that night as an overcast hid the stars. His hair and eyes once again shifted to match the hue of Rion. His shirt vanished as fire orbited around his body in rings. Ander watched the scene with curiosity as he had never seen the red-haired man do this in person. It was something he tended to either prepare beforehand or in secret. That was when Rion figured out the answer to his dilemma. Withdrawing a black seed with double helix patterns covering it he placed it into the ground with a small amount of mana containing only his water and wind affinities. After feeding the seed for a few minutes he pulls a somewhat familiar bald head from the ground. ¡°What is that!?¡± Ander jumped back panicked as the head looked at him with blue eyes but held no life. ¡°I¡¯m growing a doppleganger body one that is more adaptable than usual and will last a bit longer. I¡¯m growing it here so that Karl doesn¡¯t memorize the form and set it as the default.¡± Kyrion said as he ran his hands around the creature''s head creating a short tuff of black hair. Placing a hand on the clone''s face he erased the mole and began to adjust the bones and jawline until they no longer resembled his own. From there he pulled the noticeably shorter body from the ground. Finally, he placed his hand on the creature''s spine and caused it to increase in size from 3 feet to 5 and a half. Ander began to growl for some odd reason. "Did you just manipulate it¡¯s height? Is that something you can do to people?" Ander asked calmly. Kyrion was instantly on edge as he sensed that he may need to choose his words carefully. "Not quite. This is a humanoid replica of a body that doesn¡¯t follow the usual rules. Long story short, I can make this replica up to the complexity of my knowledge of human anatomy. I am very knowledgeable of that subject, so my dopplegangers are indiscernable for most scruteny down to their cores. Modifing limb length is simple for them but hurts alot when done to a human and may prove detrimental. There isn''t a soul in these bodies until I put one in." Kyrion explained. "I''m not scared of pain," Ander grumbled. "You also need to gather enough mana into your body to reinforce the new growth." Kyrion added. "Fine then. If I increase my mana you will give me my height back." Ander stated. "I could attempt such an act." Kyrinon placed a hand on the body''s forehead and put Kyrie into it. Kyrie shot up did some stretching, and scowled. "This form is weak, If we run into trouble I won''t be able to fight at my full potential." "Are you sure you want to send someone weaker than you with Lin?" "I mean. I''m pretty sure she killed me. She seems pretty strong on her own." Kyrion held the back of his neck as it still ached from the memory of the quick death-causing stunt, albeit that had to do with space mixing with time, magic as he suspected. "Wait what? How are you here if she killed you?" Ander scowled. "I got better clearly. Let''s just say, her magic interacted with whatever keeps sending us back in time." Kyrion popped his neck and let out a deep breath. "Ah. Time and space magic is said to create chaos when mixed." Ander squinted. "So I could kill you with no consequences." "I mean. I''ll be highly disappointed and may come back vindictive. I can be petty if I need to." "Petty when it comes to your own life. That''s lenient." "I get the feeling that it won''t be the last time I die before it sticks and I doubt it was the first." Kyrion nodded to Kyrie. Kyrie shot up and looked about. "So you want me to keep and eye on Lin." "Yes. Now get moving." Kyrion shooed the warrior away. Kyrie left the dungeon and made his way to the inn. It was way too early to meet up with Lin, and in his current form, doing so would be dangerous. "So now we just need to find that white haired kid. Who did he kill?" Ander asked. "Umm.." Kyrion didn''t know the answer to that question. "You didn''t ask?" Ander seemed mortified. "Well, he had wild white hair and kept his eyes shut. Seemed to be around Bastion''s height and age, whatever that is. Nine or less at least." Ander scowled before drawing his spear. "We are in the land of elves, light hair colors are common here. Quite a few white-haired kids live here. Along with silver, blond, and other shades of light colors.
The duo''s quarry sat atop an elven tree house and cleaned leaves from gutters which seemed to be a lesson of insanity. His eyes shut as he meticulously examined each leaf, deciding if they were to be kept or tossed away. The duo arrived at the scene a bit later as the leaves seemingly hadn''t changed, despite the collected piles the young boy had amassed. His fingers, covered in worn bandages, hadn''t slowed him down. The boy even began whistling while he worked as though that would make things easier. "What are we seeing?" Ander asked as he began to fly towards their target. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "I don''t know. But I do have concerns, so let''s go help him." Kyrion also began flying toward the boy. The boy looked up at the two arriving practitioners and smirked so briefly one could have mistaken it as a facial tick as it turned into a full-blown smile. Kyrion recognized that expression, but he couldn''t recall where he had seen it. Ander had seemingly unconsciously summoned his spear. Realizing he had done so, then sent it back to his core. "H-hello there." The boy waved before looking at the leaves and sighing as Ander''s flying blew them away while Rion''s incinerated them. "Whats wrong?" Ander asked. "This is a training exercise to help expel my excess mana." The boy picked up a leaf, and Kyrion watched as mana infused it briefly before getting tossed at Ander. Ander dodged the leaf as it landed in the area he had stood. "What is the point of training like that?" Ander asked a question Kyrion had known the answer to. "By letting your mana become one with the world around me, it expands my mana pool slightly and allows me to pull mana from the world easier. Haven''t you learned about territory?" The boy looked at Ander before shaking his head. "Of course, you didn''t." "It is something usually taught to those with earth or nature-based affinities. Anyone can do so with effort, you''d just need a bit more for anything that tends to be flightly. Not like that would stop you." "I see. Is that why you get stronger with prep time?" Ander asked. "It''s why I''m the captain. Don''t you know? These muscles are a distraction. While in the top 10% of strength for a practitioner, I am a master of misdirection." "Ok kid, we''ll help you with your training chores for a bit. Kids shouldn''t be out so late. Even if it''s for training. Good rest will also make you stronger." Ander told the boy. "Practice what you preach." Kyrion looked away briefly "Thanks, new friend. Just need to finish a rep." The boy said to Ander before continuing to work just a little bit longer before he had seemingly vanished. As it turned out, Ander was just as bad at staying on task as Kyrion, as they finished that house and found themselves doing odd jobs around the city. Ander was currently blowing the dirt off of porches with wind mana. ¡°I get the feeling we forgot something.¡± ¡°Must have not been important. I¡¯m done weeding the garden. You?¡± K ¡°Just finished clearing the porches. Oh right, my training! How could you get distracted?¡± Ander seemed to remember suddenly. ¡°I got you distracted? No, you¡­ wait. No, it was me. How can you not help someone in need? You''re selfish.¡± ¡°I am in need! Of hardcore training.¡± Ander was exasperated. "Wait... We had another reason to come here." Kyrion stated. "Ah right, that kid from earlier. Well, he''s probably asleep. We can track him down in the morning. Now let''s train in that grove of yours.¡±
¡°So instead of coming here himself, he sent you in his place. Does he think me not as important?¡± Lin sat in the arena watching as Volain rammed his opponent through three walls before the wards saw it as enough force to end the fight. ¡°I didn¡¯t consider that in the slightest. He just believes you¡¯re really strong and needs no more protection given your bodyguards. I am here to be a witness to the tournament. I also have a better understanding of direct combat.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lin sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t sigh. It hurts my fragile heart.¡± Kyrie hunched over before soundly going limp. ¡°Mr? Have you seen Mr.Rion anywhere?¡± A small boy with black hair and green eyes asked. His hand landed on Kyrie¡¯s arm. ¡°Mr. Rion is busy at the moment,¡± Lin answered. ¡°Why is he always busy.¡± Bastion pouted before looking up. ¡°Tell him he should be teaching us things, not running around and causing trouble. Those are the headmaster¡¯s words.¡± Bastion then turned and began to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be here next time.¡± Lin stated as she looked down at the twitching Kyrie. ¡°I don¡¯t have any defense against mana drain. Which means he¡¯s a dangerous foe in this body.¡± Kyrie sighed.d ¡°Is that so? He sure doesn¡¯t look dangerous.¡± Bastion had tripped over a loose floor tile and fell head-first onto the wood. The crash started a vendor and caused them to drop a tray of peanuts in panic as they rushed to help him. A stay peanut flew down the throat of a cheering patron. The man began you cough repeatedly before panicking as his face began to swell and rashes formed on his body. Bastion got back to his feet and seemingly sped up towards the booth arriving at the location ten minutes later a slight trail of mayhem followed as though bad luck seemed to trail behind him. Kyrie looked between Bastion and Lin before scowling. ¡°Huh, he¡¯s an odd one.¡± ¡°Why does he seem familiar?¡± Lin muttered. A black cat seemed to walk across Kyrie¡¯s leg before looking at him for a long moment. ¡°Do you need something cat?¡± Kyrie asked. The cat seeing enough turned and walked away disappearing from sight. Kyrie and Lin continued to watch the next few matches as they gathered some information on today¡¯s fights.
The four stood in a patch of forest that seemed to be a thicket as Kyrion looked about concerned. ¡°Someone has been snooping around here.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Someone ended up close enough to my grove for my defensive measures to activate. As there is no blood I can assume they left soon after.¡± Kyrion muttered as he waved his hands and watched as trees moved away from the entrance forming a magic circle from their position. Kyrion stepped into his grove and moved the layer of dirt and grass off of his entrance before opening up the doorway into his dungeon. ¡°I hate this part.¡± Ander muttered as he followed Kyrion into the windless realm of the underground. He¡¯d have to mostly rely on his mana. ¡°So how¡¯d your mission go?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Well for one, no one died. He managed to lay low after encountering us.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Maybe your encounter complicated things, and he decided to put off killing anyone.¡± ¡°That could be it. It also could have been an indirect murder and the boy is just really good at sneaking around. He had some of these on him.¡± Kyrion pulled out a sack of black pellets. ¡°Don¡¯t touch your eyes or mouth after handling these by the way. They are covered in a mixture that is meant to give people the runs when ingested and cause itchy eyes if they come in contact with eyes. This boy knows whats up, quite a few thieves out there.¡± ¡°When could you steal something from him?¡± Ander asked. ¡°I gots doctor hands my dead Ander.¡± Kyrion put his hand on Ander¡¯s shoulder. The green-haired boy knocked the hand away and Kyrion took a few steps back before he began to wave a green coin pouch back and forth the sound of jingling rampant. He then tossed the pouch back to Ander. ¡°Oh. Thats a talent I didn¡¯t know you had. Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡± ¡°Carry a tune, dance with more than two people, I¡¯m a horrible tactician, and even worse leader.¡± ¡°So Cecil¡¯s running the show?¡± ¡°Pretty much. I was planning on just being the team medic.¡± Kyrion stopped at a doorway which he activated with his mana causing a pink doorway to form. With a hop, he jumped through the doorway. ¡°How good of a healer is he?¡± Lin asked. Kyrie was also interested as he had only experienced it through secondhand memories with limited access. ¡°He heals twice as well as he fights. Or is it better to say he fights in a way that will let him heal his opponent injuries or let them fully recover.¡± ¡°So he holds back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird¡­ He isn¡¯t holding back it¡¯s just the style he mastered is meant for subdueing rather than killing. Most of his techniques are nonlethal in nature I believe he expected less wards in this tournament.¡± Kyrie added. ¡°Partly.¡± Kyrion poked his head out of the doorway as he was tired of waiting. ¡°I mainly use it for subdueing. My style is one that can be used for breaking if I used a little more strength. I just don¡¯t have to kill often, outside of food. Now hurry up...¡± Kyrion felt a sharp pain in his neck the world went white.
¡°Why! Am I back here!¡± Kyrion grumbled as he found himself back in the pool. This time however he was able to climb out with his own power. Deciding to stretch his legs he ran towards the large serpent. ¡°Lost or fateless?¡± The serpent asked. ¡°I¡¯m not dead right now. What are my options. Why do I keep ending up here when I¡¯m not the one dying?¡± ¡°Oh its you again.¡± The serpent sighed. ¡°Your mana is within the victim and their soul seems to be getting intercepted. I cannot say names but I do see the issue. With that person unable to die you are draged along with them when in a state of near death. I.e your head stuck between spatial magic leading to the world thinking your dead. As this is false you will get another free return. Don¡¯t go dying on purpose.¡± ¡°I will no longer poke my head through portals for a free decapitation.¡± ¡°If I were to actually die before getting sent back in time would I be stuck here?¡± ¡°Your trip back won¡¯t be free.¡± ¡°Ah well see you soon.¡± Kyrion said as the doorway appeared. ¡°I¡¯d rather not. You are courting death.¡± ¡°Well hopefully she doesn¡¯t get too tired of my advances.¡± Kyrion fell through the portal. Book Two: Chapter 74 Kyrion watched the second, round of the tournament for the second time start to finish. A clipboard in his hands and an analytical look in his vermillion eyes. ¡°Tiffany best Lisa in round two but gets injured. Then Cecil destroys Bracus. Atmin pulls off a close win against Yaklack, his arm won¡¯t be fully healed by round three. Milo and Noah fight for thirty minutes straight before Noah is hit by a blow to his side that does more that break ribs.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Anthony loses to Sinbad in a rather quick fight. Ander doesn¡¯t show up or loses which is a constant as he refuses to fight a rematch. Volain best Julia with a single flick to her forehead. Showed physical prowess close to yours.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ He¡¯s dangerous even for me. In a battle of pure physical might he may surpass me.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°Lastly Midas and Nicole.¡± ¡°Nicole should have won this one easily.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Did you watch the original fight?¡± ¡°No. I haven¡¯t. You?¡± ¡°I was preoccupied with personal business.¡± ¡°Burying me alive isn¡¯t personal business.¡± Kyrion watched the fight end after five minutes of going at it. Nicole charged forward to deal a finishing blow from close range while Midas was preoccupied. Midas narrowly dodged the blow and plunged a golden sword through his opponent''s stomach triggering the evac wards. ¡°That was close. Looks like Nicole loses. Different than yesterday but it was quite close.¡± Lin sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on her.¡± Kyrion began to stand when a hand landed on his shoulder. ¡°No you won¡¯t. She¡¯ll be fine. I also removed that tracking tag you placed on her. She was close to figuring out how to find you from it.¡± Charles said from behind Kyrion. ¡°Thanks. You''re right. We have work to do.¡± Kyion slumped and watched the remaining fights. ¡°Tiffany surrenders to Cecil. Milo obliterates Atimn quite quickly. Sinbad loses to Damian within a minute. Volain doesn¡¯t give Midas thirty seconds by slamming him through multiple buildings.¡± Lin wrote down. ¡°The first five seconds were spent finding Midas. The next twenty-five were getting bodied. He¡¯s surprisingly durable.¡± Kyrion noted as he watched Midas regenerate after the battle. ¡°Still. A bit quick.¡± ¡°Yeah. Quite fast. Winning this won¡¯t be easy.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Even for someone with your amount of mana?¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t beat my opponent with overwhelming force then I¡¯m stuck. Playing a game of defense until my opponent drains themself. If he is as tough as he is strong I¡¯ll have trouble breaking past his defenses with my current mastery over fire.¡± ¡°So you¡¯d risk losing to keep your secrets?¡± ¡°No. But I¡¯m willing to get pretty close before risking another affinity.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°You aim to win while holding back? Good luck.¡± ¡°I can only do my best.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°If your best isn¡¯t good enough. You owe me.¡± Lin stated nonchalantly. ¡°What do I owe you? You should know not to gamble on the wild horse.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Listen, I speak big. I talk a big game, and I do believe in our chances of victory. But I am not invulnerable, nor indestructible. Chances are there will be someone here who can beat me at my full strength. I¡¯ll let Ander face Volain if we face his team. He is better at focused strikes with overwhelming power. Then again I haven¡¯t seen him get hit.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you stronger than Ander?¡± ¡°If left alone for ten minutes by magnitudes. Direct one on one isn¡¯t my strong suit if that makes sense.¡± Rion lied. ¡°It does not.¡± ¡°Anyhow. With that done, let''s go get dessert with the team.¡± Kyrion led Lin to the rest of their team minus Ander. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Bastion was enjoying an ice cream cone taller than he was as he left the shop he procured it from. Taking a right turn he nearly bumped into a white-haired kid around his exact height and someone looked like him, which startled him quite a bit as he watched them go. Not paying attention to where he was going. As Bastion continued forward he crashed into a tall dark-skinned young man with cornrows and a sharklike expression. Some may ask what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object on multiple occasions. But that was not the case. Bastion could hardly be considered unstoppable aside from his inborn clumsiness and penchant for causing trouble for others indirectly. Usually in rather questionable ways. Some would call this luck. Those people would be both right and wrong. ¡°Eyy kid watch where you''re going. You could hurt yourself.¡± Volain stated as he tried to stand Bastion up. Eden, who had been with him, immediately ran into the ice cream shop to find a taller person to deal with this dilemma that was bound to occur. This wouldn¡¯t be the first accident that happened today after all. Bastion looked down and noticed his ice cream had been lost. As though the cone bounced from his hand and landed somewhere with a splat followed by a surprised scream. The boy quickly got to his feet and went to see if it fell over a railing. Bastion tripped over his own feet and stumbled near the edge nearly falling. Had gravity been working he would have met a similar fate to his ice cream. One that he watched spatter on the ground. ¡°Kid. You gotta be careful. It¡¯s high up here.¡± Volain began to pull Bastion up. Sadly this was not the end of his bad luck as the wooden plank he tripped on came loose and fell taking the whole area Volain was standing on while holding Bastion. ¡°Bastion!¡± Rion had dived off the railing towards the ground passing them quickly before changing direction and flying upwards to grab both Bastion and Volain. He had, however, considered letting Volain fall to see how durable he was. That idea lasted all of the time it took to see that Volain didn¡¯t have a way to freely move about in the air. Fire shot out from Kyrion¡¯s heels as he flew back up and landed on a much safer area on the level they started on. ¡°Hey. You''re that flashy git.¡± Volain said as soon as they landed. ¡°And you''re that Rhino dude.¡± ¡°Rhino? Is it strong?¡° ¡°One horned elephant basically. Only the horn in the middle is quite dangerous.¡± ¡°So like a unicorn, but on an elephant. Sounds manly. Sounds brutal. How does it taste?¡± Volain started drooling. ¡°Like a mix between beef and pork, only tougher due to the muscle to fat ratio. Find yourself a good cook and anything can taste good. Why?¡± ¡°Are there any nearby?¡± ¡°There are plenty native to humid grasslands. Just outside of this country.¡± ¡°Meat¡­ No Volain focus. Uh what were we talking about?¡± ¡°I.. don¡¯t know.¡± Rion pats his new friend on the shoulder simultaneously placing a mana tag in their body just to keep an eye on this character¡¯s movements. ¡°Rhino meat. Can you put me down now Mr. Ky-...Mr. Rion.¡± Bastion had been drooling before he focused. ¡°Ah right that clumsy kid of yours. Why is a kid like that even here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just a kid. I¡¯m an alternate. Don¡¯t tell anyone though.¡± Bastion nodded. ¡°You''re letting a kid fight.¡± ¡°He¡¯s here for the experience. We shouldn¡¯t need more than we have. Didn¡¯t plan for the extra open slots.¡± ¡°And cause I¡¯m an indispensable member of the team.¡± Bastion said. ¡°What do you do?¡± ¡°My job is to keep the bench warm and provide towels and water. So many things. I¡¯m also the mask scotch.¡± Volain snorted. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­Listen, if you can move that fast in the air then I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to fight you in the solo tournament. So I¡¯ll leave you all with a warning. If we fight near water surrender.¡± Volain turned and started walking away. ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± Kyrion asked. Volain ignored the question and moved forward with a grim expression. ¡°Mr. Rion. It seems I won¡¯t be able to enjoy an ice cream today. Permission to cry?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°No. I can afford to buy you another. But you''re eating inside and under supervision.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Bastion cheered, raising a gloved hand in confusion. ¡°Did you summon that?¡± ¡°Not on purpose¡­ I don¡¯t know when it happened though. Don¡¯t even know who¡¯s power I absorbed if I did.¡± ¡°...Bastion. Please don¡¯t wander off like that. You''re a bit of a magnet.¡± Kyrion told Bastion. Siegfried and the headmaster looked at each other and then back at Kyrion before the former sighed. ¡°He does know he was worse right?¡± Sieg looked to the headmaster. ¡°To be fair when trouble came his way it tended to either befriend him or get itself killed. Bastion nearly started a chain reaction that would have ended badly for everyone else involved.¡± ¡°A different flavor of a jinx is still a jinx.¡± Caeden sighed as he turned toward the alleyway the white-haired child vanished into. ¡°What are you up too¡­¡±
While Lin and Kyrion continued their investigations. The rest of their team looked on with suspicion. It was no secret that they were on decent terms, but whispering conspiratorially and sticking next to each other was bizarre. ¡°Somethings up.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Does it matter? Miss betrothed?¡± Minah teased. ¡°What they do isn¡¯t my business. Still¡­ It¡¯s. Weird?¡± Tiffany tried to put it into words. ¡°Tell me about it. I was rooting for K&C.¡± Bella sighed. ¡°K and C? What does that mean?¡± Eden asked, having tagged along. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Would you like to come with me to the park?¡± Hel spoke quickly ¡°No. You''re the scary bug lady. I hate bugs.¡± Eden blew a raspberry and ran off. ¡°At least you tried Hel. At least you tried.¡± Bella patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Do kids hate bugs nowadays? When I was growing up, catching cicadas and widows were things I did often with my family and friends.¡± ¡°To be fair, her parents were killed by bugs.¡± Minah added. ¡°Worm parasites are not bugs. They don¡¯t even have an exoskeleton.¡± Hel kicked a rock. ¡°Most children would disagree. If it¡¯s gross or creepy, it''s a bug.¡± Tiffany shrugged. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being insulted.¡± Hel scowled. Bella put an arm over Hel. ¡°We love our creepy cinnamon bun.¡± "We''ll see about that." Hel slinked away. "If that''s not a red flag I''m not a werewolf." Bella crossed her arms. "Then maybe you shouldn''t tease her." Tiffany brought up.
A hooded figure covered in black clothing stood in front of the remainder of the Republic''s team. Their expression was hidden as they caused all of the other members to look uneasy. Milo, the captain, seemed concerned for another reason, however. "Where is the time demon egg?" A deep feminine voice asked. "I don''t know." Milo said bluntly. "Is that so? Do you know who used it?" The figure asked Milo. "No. No, I do not. I would not have authorized its use today regardless, as it was too early." "The boss isn''t going to like that Miloch. You were give clear instructions on when to use the egg and who to target." "What?" Edwin spoke aloud before remembering his place. "So you haven''t told your lackeys?" The figure asked. "I told them what it was but not to touch it. I haven''t instructed them on how to use it either." Milo said as he eyed his comrades. "I doubt I would be out of the hospital if it wasn''t for this meeting." Lisa said honestly. "Gergor is still incapable of moving, which is concerning, but he couldn''t have done this either." "What about White Fox?" The hooded figure asked. "That agent is picking up something for Gamodren. A tool that could turn the tides of this tournament or kill our target." Milo said bluntly. "Keep an eye on him. I''ll go hunt our demon-possessed ally. Be sure to help them out Milo, before I kill them. That way, they will come to us when it sticks." The hooded figure stated. "Yes Madam." Milo bowed. "Good. If you can make us forget these trangressions, then I won''t have to tell the boss. Your father won''t have to deal with going against his wishes." "All this for, Tay." The group stated before splitting off to find their rogue time demon. Book Two: Chapter 75 While Kyrion and Lin wasted the day watching Volain like a hawk due to not getting a concrete answer. Ander and Kyrie were in the middle of a sparring match. Neither of them was prepared with the world around them began shaking and the ceiling cracked. In moments Ander had vanished from the space in which he stood while Kyrie ceased to exist altogether. Kyrion found himself standing in an updated version of the town Karl had built while Lin was nowhere to be found. ¡°It isn¡¯t Volian. But there is something odd about him.¡± Kyrion said unperturbed before he began to meditate, checking through his mana tags before scowling as he noticed that the number had increased by one, while another seemed to hold even more of his mana than it had originally. ¡°Oi. Kyrion. Care to let me out again so that I can continue my training?¡± Kyire interrupted Kyrion¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Sure give me a moment to grow a body.¡± Kyrion pulled out his bag of seeds and scowled. A body resembling Kyrie¡¯s form from the day before shot out of the ground already prepared. ¡°Nevermind.¡± Kyrion stated as he sent Kyrie into the clone. Kyrie did some stretches. ¡°If you don¡¯t find any clues this time then you should come train with us for a day.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Kyrion popped his back as a bolt of lightning appeared to fly into the dungeon. ¡°Can we continue where we left off?¡± Ander shifted from a mass of energy into a physical body faster than he had previously. Karl spoke from above. ¡°I can start from the last room you were in, but you¡¯ll have to start the fight over.¡± ¡°Fine by me. Rie? How do you feel about starting over?¡± ¡°Easy. Tiger Splits the heavens Heaven and Dragon Erupts from the Abyss?¡± Kyrie asked as a halberd appeared in his hands. ¡°Thats a long name.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°It¡¯s an ultimate combo technique, that can be used because you have an absurd amount of mana and I have a decent mana pool.¡± Ander stated. Kyrion blinked twice, as a memory left behind Kyrie played in his mind. First Kyrie creates pillars of earth shoot from the ground to restrain their target. This is followed by Ander shooting a bolt of electricity meant to stun the target temporarily. Then both vanish as Ander flies high into the sky, while Kyrie tunnels under their target at high speed before using fire mana to melt the earth above him. Finally, Ander summons a powerful bolt of lightning that strikes the creature from above, while Kyrie opens up a vent below the creature and lava shoots up from the earth covering the creature and coating them from below. What doesn¡¯t kill the creature will further restrain the creature as fire shoots out from below for a long while. ¡°You two are gonna kill someone with that move.¡± ¡°Thats the point. This tournament is a break, or vacation. I can feel the winds of war on the rise.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Why would a combo technique not be meant to kill someone?¡± Kyrie asked trying to alter the subject. ¡°So long as you aren¡¯t surprised. I¡¯ll let you get back to your training.¡±Kyrion left the dungeon and began to continue his meditation. The sliver of mana was within the city around the inn area. He¡¯d make a point of checking it out personally. That was when Lin arrived. ¡°Rion. I believe we can cross Volain off of our list, last I saw he was peacefully eating his third dinner when the shift happened.¡± ¡°The best dinner in my opinion.¡± Kyrion nodded as he looked about. ¡°I believe so. I can feel my mana signature somewhere in the city and would like to figure out why it¡¯s there. Well why it¡¯s getting stronger.¡± ¡°Why would your mana be inside someone?¡± Lin squinted. ¡°There are a few ways, the first being an attack or healing effect that¡¯s still lingering, the second through reproduction which is impossible, the third being through shadow mana and draining some previously. Finally they could have been tagged with a spell or sliver of mana so that I can constantly keep an eye on them.¡± ¡°One and four sound the same.¡± ¡°Yes. On paper. But unless my goal is to share regeneration or posion someone then they are completely different. I only tag people I want to avoid. Like Minah, Midas, Volain, Nicole, and Ander. It isn¡¯t getting strong within Ander and he isn¡¯t trying to cut off my legs anymore.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Why Minah though? Isn¡¯t she your..¡± ¡°Teammate, but before that she was a crazed stalker looking to constantly challenge me to fights.¡± Kyrion stated unabashedly. ¡°And Midas?¡± ¡°He rubs me the wrong way. So I¡¯m keeping track of his movements. When he encounters Minah I make it a point to be in listening distance.¡± ¡°Sounds like your the stalker.¡± ¡°Guess so.¡± ¡°And Nicole?¡± ¡°You ever feel like your being hunted by someone who has ulterior motives? It was also removed two loops ago I believe. The link is gone.¡± ¡°Not until recently.¡± Lin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then you should get it. Easier to stay hidden when you keep your distance.¡± ¡°What I don¡¯t get is how they haven¡¯t noticed your intrusion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an expensive process if you aren¡¯t trained and even then my mana tends to be hard to discern naturally. Would you notice a blade of grass that was shorter by a millimeter in a field of grass?¡± Kyrion said as he vanished from Lin¡¯s sight. Lin immediately froze everything around her in a 15-foot radius sphere. No one was there. Kyrion sat atop a tree branch 20 feet away when he reappeared. ¡°You¡¯re jumpy.¡± ¡°You just turned invisible.¡± ¡°Many seem to believe thats what I¡¯m doing. Maybe they have it right. To me It feels like i¡¯m becoming one with the world around me when I do this.¡± Kyrion dropped from the branch and moved toward the city.
Midas awoke with a start his chest was burning. Why was it burning? He must have died again. But how? Who killed him? He hadn¡¯t done it himself. The image of a fiery-haired man with vermillion eyes shot through his thoughts, that image passed as a second one played and he saw a red-haired figure with emerald eyes standing over him their hand holding his heart as the light faded slowly.¡°Who was that? Is Rion going to pretend to be someone else and kill me? I need to get some help.¡± Midas hopped off his bed and put on his golden robes. He¡¯d be hiring some assassins, as a prince he was taught how to find where they did business in case he needed their services. The tailor association was everywhere, and finding them was easy as they didn¡¯t hide. So when Midas stood outside of the old shop that seemed nondescript he entered. A young man in silk clothing sat behind a desk. He seemed bored if anything. As Midas entered the young man looked up at him with a smile. ¡°Welcome welcome. How may I be of service?¡± ¡°I need you to fit someone for the last suit they¡¯ll ever need.¡± The young man whistled. ¡°Wow. That is a rather tall order. Are you sure that you can afford such a job?¡± ¡°Yes, and i¡¯m certain that they don¡¯t have any ties to people of power.¡± ¡°Who needs the fitting then?¡± ¡°Rion, of Drisil academy, orange hair and vermillion eyes. Doubt he¡¯s anything special.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the captain of a powerful team. One whose already had a captain fitted by ammatures. I¡¯m certain that failure could be letal and success would be quite hard.¡± ¡°Who was their previous captain?¡± The young man grimaced. ¡°A young healer with red hair and green eyes. I believe his name was Kyrion.¡± Midas clenched his fist in panic as he realized that those two were working together. ¡°I see. Well this is a prince¡¯s request and my target is suspected of treason. His fitting should prove enlightening.¡± ¡°All right then. It will cost around a kings ransom paid on completion.¡± The young man stated. ¡°I can afford that. Don¡¯t you worry.¡± Midas stated as he soon left the shop. With that done he left the tailor alone. A small girl walked from a back room and eyed the young man suspiciously. ¡°Do some research on your employer. Prince or not, going after an experts disciple would be dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely that I¡¯ll actually complete this request. Even If I tried, they are a fire user which means resistant to half my techniques. As well as hard to pin down at times. It¡¯s like I¡¯m going to be hunting another assassin.¡± ¡°This will be a learning experience. Good luck Everest.¡± The short woman said before fading into a swarm of blue butterflies. Master knows something. Which means this is potentially important to his growth. ¡°What den of snakes will I have to crawl through this time?¡±
Kyrion had agreed with Lin to split up and cover more ground. He had planted a tracking rose on her clothes briefly only for her to casually remove it in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine Rion. What¡¯s the worse that could happen?¡± ¡°Fine fine. One option is team sunburst. The other is Midas who seems most likely to be up to something.¡± ¡°Sunburst should be neutral towards me. I doubt that they are strong enough to do much damage and I¡¯m used to dealing with fire.¡± Lin crossed her arms. Rion nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go after Midas.¡± Rion held out his hand. ¡°Pinky promise to meet up and discuss what we¡¯ve seen?¡± ¡°What are you? Five?¡± Lin scoffed. ¡°What? Is a pinky promise too much of a mundane act for my princess?¡± Rion winked. ¡°Fine. Fine. Why do I even put up with you?¡± ¡°Because I complete you.¡± Rion swooned as their pinkies met and Lin pulled him forward. Rion stumbled forward and was hit by a surprise slap that left a frosty brand on his face. But not before their pinkies touched and he planted a seed into her robes and sent a tiny thread of mana into it, just in case she ran into trouble. ¡°Sorry. That may have been too much.¡± Rion rubbed at his jaw. I¡¯ll meet up with you in a bit.
Volain was beyond annoyed. First, he almost hurts himself trying to save an unlucky kid. Then he gets stalked by said kid''s, guardians. Those he could forgive and understand, but no, what was unforgivable was that someone interrupted third dinner. Nobody plays with Volain¡¯s food, not even the goddess herself. The dark-skinned boy got to his feet and muttered a strange mantra. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for you, hunt you, and I¡¯ll eat you.¡± His teeth grew sharper as his mouth seemingly extended to his ears and opened into a smile with teeth that appeared to rend flesh. ¡°Boss! Why talk to self?¡± Yaclack asked. Volain looked at his uninjured teammate and scowled. ¡°What happened to your legs?¡± ¡°What you talk bout?¡± ¡°That shadow dude broke both of your legs after tricking you into following him down an ally. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°I only fight Zebra. Zebra no use shadows.¡± Volain looked at his giant orc comrade, who focused purely on raw strength alone and sighed. ¡°Who did I fight today?¡± ¡°That magic dude. Eye sometin''.¡± The orc stated as the human tongue was difficult. ¡°Oh. Oh no¡­¡± Volain realized that he had to deal with those weak opponents again, which would be a pain, given that they were both so weak and hardly entertaining. ¡°Do you need to dig a hole in the forest?¡± Yaclack asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Volain asked. ¡°You got the thinking bug. Just do what you want.¡± Volain wanted to figure out who ruined his meal. And so Volain decided to follow the scent trail of that girl always with Rion. Because, for some odd reason, his seemed to be the most inconsistent. Book Two: Chapter 76 Kyrion was positioned in an ally near the outside of the red-light district. This city did have an underbelly meant for tourists, it was just a lot closer to the bottom and hidden away quite well. Quite different from the training area he found. Peddlers selling various products in stalls could be seen with stalls near alleyways, and shops that bought and sold stolen goods. And then there were the brothels and love hotels. He entered the red light district having shifted his face further as he was now Kyrion, disguised as Rion disguised as a small-time thug. His hair was short and blond with a black stripe that cut through the hair like a lightning bolt. The melanin in his skin fades completely, making him appear very pale. His, irises shrunken and his face shifted exponentially as a pair of sunglasses was put over his eyes. As he moved through the district he let his presence reveal himself as an early practitioner to anyone with that sort of sensory ability and tinged it with wind mana. Right now he was Vick that was his name. He came up with it all by himself and not because he walked past a confused Viole earlier to test this disguise. She had indeed shot at him for trespassing in Cecil¡¯s lab. A bald brute of a man with a scar on his face approached the blond young man and smiled. ¡°Do you want Power?¡± ¡°Power?¡± Vick asked in confusion ¡°Yes. This here is power. A drug capable of boosting spirit masters to a tier of power beyond your wildest imagination. Someone strong like you could become a monster. You could easily win that tournament. There aren¡¯t any rules that go against using performance enhancement drugs. Alchamey is an accepted tool for combat after all.¡± ¡°How much is a vial?¡± Vick asked ¡°The first one is always free. From there it varies from day to day.¡± ¡°Is that so. I want more than one though¡­ What are the side effects?¡±- Kyrion used his mana in his voice to obtain an honest answer, something he rarely did due to being unethical under normal conditions. ¡°Nothing major, a low chance for addiction, infecundity, mutations and death in rare cases of overdose. They go for two hundred gold a pop.¡± The bald man said knowingly. ¡°Is that so¡­ Who do you work for?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d tell you. Now do you want a taste?¡± The man asked. ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto it. Doubt I¡¯ll need it soon. As I¡¯ll be in the team fights. But I¡¯ll be sure to come back if it works, for more.¡± Vick slid the vial into a pocket in his coat. His brown leather long coat concealed the item. ¡°I look forward to seeing you make use of it.¡± The man stated. Vick smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to paint the ring red.¡± ¡°Glad to here it.¡± The man vanished into an alley. Vick nodded. While adjusting the vial and shifting it into his domain so that he could get Karl to analyze it, and produce a recipe. ¡°All power corrrupts and absolute power corrupets absolutely.¡± Said a voice from the Alley. Vick pondered cheating a casino out of its money as Gamodren taught him before realizing that this character was a thief and not a gambler. So his first action involved getting a lay of the land as he stealthfully left seeds all over the place as he waited for his quarry in the house of ill repute to leave. Vick was not crazy enough to break into one of those and stop sneaking around. Some boys were curious about the thing. Vick was not one of them. Well, Vick probably would be someone who did that, he just wasn¡¯t skilled enough to get away with it. Vick was good but Vick wasn¡¯t that good. Kyrion was the one who had gotten disillusioned a long time ago. After performing a series of magical enhancements during his short lifetime, he could without a doubt say that the physical form didn¡¯t have much left to surprise him with. As Vick stopped pondering why one would go to a den of disease and false affection he saw a hooded individual slip out of a specialty shop in a hurry. This person wasn¡¯t stealthy in any way and seemed to be in quite a hurry. As though they were running away from someone. Whoever this person was hadn¡¯t been in this field long. Running with a hood on drew attention in a sparse place like this. While people might not expose a rat in the sewers, they also wouldn¡¯t go out of their way to defend one. Vick was a master thief, and as the figure moved further away from him, he looked towards the way they came. Vick moved like the wind and appeared in front of the thief as they were looking back towards the way they came. The figure slammed into his leg and fell back. A small amount of white hair was revealed in the process. ¡°Oi! Watch where you''re going!¡± Vick picked the small figure up by their collar and held them up. He enacted a mental pressure that caused the figure he was holding to panic and drop it. Red and panicked eyes looked into him as Vick snatched the item away in mid-air, getting its weight and size as Karl let a bundle of the same weight clatter to the ground. Said the figure kicked Vick in the stomach, retrieved the fallen parcel, and ran forward. Vick reeled a bit as the kick had held some power, but not rough to leave a serious wound behind. Vick sent a message to Karl. ¡°So. What did I just steal?¡± Karl replied through their link. ¡°Telestrine. An exceptionally rare material that is said to come from the sky. It¡¯s something that can become anything when mana is used to shape it. It takes enchantments many times as well as others.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Do you think that we can use these loops to duplicate this rare item?¡± Vick smiled as a rather smug-looking Midas left the establishment he had been frequenting. Moments later Vick noticed that Midas was being tailed by another hooded individual. As Vick moved to approach the seed he had planted on Lin went off as a purple light shot up and marked the sky. Turning on his heels, Vick vanished from sight and quickly began to fly off into the distance. He flew straight up and through the city passing through buildings like a ghost as he entered the space between. ¡°Where are the guards?¡± Vick asked himself. Even with his speed and lack of obstacles he still arrived too late. Lin was laying on the ground, dead. A wound through her heart marked it as a clear murder. Whoever she fought was much stronger as her signs of struggle were brief. Blood was still pooling through the wound. Whoever did this was fast as well given that he couldn¡¯t sense hear anyone running away nor did he sense anyone nearby. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Vick knelt and examined the area with an analytical gaze his mind focusing on this task. The weapon used appeared to be a gauntlet with talon-like protrusions on the knuckles. Examining the wound he recognized a familiar scent followed by an inky coloration in the impact point. ¡°Three minutes. Her core was shattered first.¡± Vick looked about and noticed for the first time that a distorted-looking corpse was frozen solid. A black-haired man with pointed almost elf-like ears and two curved horns poking out of his head. They were wearing bright orange and white robes belonging to members of the disqualified Team Sunburst. ¡°Team Sunburst? No. There are no burns. This looks like claws or talon wounds from a large birdlike creature. The hand is bigger but it looks familiar." Kyrion remembered a clawed hand passing into his body, years back, the wound feeling vaguely similar to how this appeared now. Vick let loose a single tear that evaporated moments after it left his body. Rage and wrath are being replaced by a cool serenity that could chill a star. His mind already going down to the few people who would have this ability and had been here. ¡°Edwin. You will die. Your masters will die. Anyone in between you and me will die for this.¡± Kyrion stated a fact and with that, a chain on his heart was formed as his oath was accepted. The sky began to fill with clouds He didn¡¯t return to his natural appearance, nor did he return to Rion. No Vick embraced a well of rage that knew no satisfaction. He became himself and that person was not one he recognized. His red hair was much darker than usual, his eyes a light green and almost white yet lifeless. His expression vacant Kyrion took in a deep breath and turned toward a prone figure on a roof to his right. While holding Lin¡¯s body he lept into the air and landed soundly as he came in contact with Lin¡¯s bodyguard her face ashen and her body unmoving. She was dead as well, although there were no wounds anywhere on her body. Kyrion checked her person for any weapons or tools that would be of use to him. Placing a container holding pellets into his domain before discovering a vial of eternal death that was unused. ¡°Cardiac arrest?¡± Kyrion placed a hand on her neck and let mana flow through her before her body vanished and a marble-like core landed in its place. ¡°No, she¡¯s a spirit. Where is that damn Sigfreid when I need him?¡± Looking around some more Kyrion let his mana sense go wild as he traced anyone with Lin¡¯s residual mana still on them. There were two targets one was close and moving here while the other was rapidly moving away. Setting Lin next to her spirit¡¯s core Kyrion tried to use the power he gained from the goddess that could resurrect people and began to focus it. His mind was split between healing and vengeance his focus as a healer taking precedence as all his affinities flowed into the corpse repairing the physical damage by replacing what was lost but when it came to bringing back her soul the spell failed a chain around his heart tightening, and the spell going berserk as the chain snapped. The frozen member of team Sunburst fell from the now melted block of ice as his horns failed off and his body became inert and something within him was exorcised. ¡°I¡¯ve been cheated. That, two faced¡­ No, no no focus. ¡± Kyrion now understood why his mother hated the goddess. Kyrion jumped from the roof and landed soundly on the ground. ¡°I will make this right? Your death won¡¯t be in vain.¡± Drawing his sword Kyrion took a chance and began moving at high speed towards the nearest approaching figure that happened to be headed in his way.
Bill had felt a jolt in his soul as his charge was attacked. It was the fox''s turn to keep watch but if things were this bad, chances are he wouldn¡¯t have been strong enough to deal with it on his own. Not that anything could kill a realized Sigfried easily. A blade shot forward and nearly took off his head as a chain passed by and went completely taut. Siegfried made sure to step to the side and avoid the blow only for a flying knee to come into contact with his forehead causing his head to fall to the ground and bounce a bit as his mask was shattered. ¡°Damn. You aren¡¯t Edwin. Sorry Mr.Sigfried but Lin¡¯s been murdered and I''m currently trying to chase the murderer down.¡± Kyion triggered a ward on his blade handle and the blade shot back into place. ¡°Kyr, you said Lin is dead? Who?¡± ¡°Edwin, from the Republic¡¯s team I suspect. You just happened to be in the way. When you see a guy with a hawk face then you¡¯ve made it.¡± Bill got to his feet despite the hit, he wasn¡¯t injured much. ¡°Where is he and tell me whats going on along the way?¡± ¡°Why would I¡­ Why do you?¡± Kyrion approached the man quickly as their distance shattered. ¡°Yes Kyr, I am ind¡­¡± Bill was cut off as a fist connecting with his jaw sent him flying thousands of feet into the air and towards his target. ¡°No time for this old man!¡± Kyrion then lept into the air and began to fly towards the fight. The guard shouldn¡¯t die as he was sure to use a lot of healing mana in that blow. That along with the fact that Kyrion didn¡¯t have time to let his target get away. He wondered why the man¡¯s face seemed somewhat familiar as he didn¡¯t have time to get a good look however he didn¡¯t take too much time and his target was swift. While mid-air Bill was wondering where he went wrong as he turned his head and noticed he was flying into a figure flying away on a large bird. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh no.¡± Bill shifted and withdrew a large two-handed blade colored with bronze scales going down from the blade and into the handle. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Ascent!¡± Bill spun his body and kicked off the air as he sliced through the large bird like a scythe through wheat. ¡°What! Was that?¡± Edwin turned as he began to fall, scowling as a large figure got the jump on him. ¡°Devils Descent!¡± Kyrion let his heel powered by all of the power he was allowed to muster hit Edwin in the head. Had he not been limited due to Imala¡¯s deal, the fight would have been over, as Edwin seemed to be a recent expert with no control or proper technique. Kyrion had been intending to go for an immediate kill and was unpleasantly surprised when he hadn¡¯t felt brains on his boot. Experts however weren¡¯t immune to physics, when it involve Imala¡¯s surface, and the kick powered by the enraged Kyrion sent him falling to the ground like a meteor. ¡°Oi! Siggy! Can you¡­¡± Kyrion looked at Bill for the first time in the light of the moon. ¡°Dad? How did you get up here?¡± ¡°... Can I what Kyr?¡± Kyrion sent mana into his brain to trigger an overclocked mental state to process all of this information. ¡°Right. Well, you would¡¯t happen to be able to kill an expert would you?¡± ¡°Yes I can and have done so. I am not one however.¡± ¡°Thats not completely true is it?¡± Kyrion grabbed his father by the arm. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert in spirit mastery. But I am at that tier of power. It has made progression difficult.¡± ¡°Perfect. I can¡¯t kill or cheat to expert-level attacks due to an oath. I can however be a pain the the butt. Hold on!¡± Kyrion spun around rapidly and threw his father towards the falling meteor that was Edwin before kicking off the air and giving chase. Edwin¡¯s body rapidly gained in heat as his head passed into the ground and his head was shaken. The reinforced mana around his body that protects an expert from most damage was greatly impacted and he couldn¡¯t think as the world around him spun. Bill landed moments later and swung his blade into the upside-down young man. The blade crashed into his stomach but did little to no damage but did uproot the buried expert. Edwin quickly rolled to the side as a falling Kyrion crashed right next to him creating a crater as he barely missed. Letting loose a torrent of flames he melted the earth underground and sent an eruption of lava that sent shards of sharp rock and molten earth all over the expert. Edwin winced as he was damaged through his protection due to the indirect nature of that attack. ¡°You! How do you have fire!¡± Edwin said as he ran towards Kyrion only for his body to sink into the earth as he stepped into slag and began to rapidly sink. Bill approached the trapped expert and leveled his sword at their head. ¡°Get back! Master! Fox! Mi¡­¡± Edwin began to panic as he found himself unable to get far out of the ground. ¡°Eat Ascalon.¡± The large blade grew a draconic maw a bit down into Edwin separating his torso from his legs as the blade swallowed them before spitting out the head of a small yellow-winged creature that had strange proportions. The sword then transformed into an old hoe, going fully inert as it was satisfied with the meal. ¡°Oh. That confirms it. But I wanted him alive a little longer for questioning.¡± Kyrion sighed his rage still not dying down enough. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask about my sword?¡± Bill asked. ¡°You¡¯ll tell me when you want to be truthful. I¡¯ve had enough deceit for the day.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I thought mom was bad but you have a sword that eats people.¡± ¡°Well. It eats dragons preferably.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Do you hate dragons?¡± Kyrion asked bluntly. ¡°If I see an evil dragon, I kill it. Simple as that.¡± Bill said bluntly. Ceres¡¯ secret was now one he had to hide from his father. ¡°Your friend doesn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No time for this. We need to find Milo or whoever is leading this assault.¡± Moments later a scream could be heard as something within Edwin¡¯s body as a yellow mouth began to howl. Kyrion sent out a wave of fire enhanced by the magic he obtained from the goddess and watched as the yellow creature turned into ash while the remainder of the corpse fell limp. ¡°The Republic is the group supplying demons. And they are really from the Beast-Blood Empire. I bet they have something to do with these loops. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°THis is too much, too quickly.¡± ¡°Yeah and time won¡¯t stop for us to think.¡± Kyrion moved to reenter the city with the world went white again. Book Two: Chapter 77 Rion stood back in the white room and moved his hand to the side before going through his domain and withdrawing the strange gem he lifted from that thief. ¡°Duplication. Now thats a strong ability. Kyrie, have you caught up as of yet?¡± ¡°Yeah. Ander and I will go with Lin this time.¡± ¡°No. I will be with Lin for the most part. We¡¯ll be splitting when I get back to the underworld. From there you and Ander will watch from a safe distance and only interfere when I call for you or someone attacks.¡± Rion watched as Karl built a body for Kyrie. As the body was formed and Kyrie began to move. Rion handed the man a vial. ¡°Use this on yourself to boost your body greatly. But only during an emergency ¡° ¡°Right. Power. I¡¯m not going to use that.¡± Kyrie passed the vial back. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Kyrion placed it in his domain. ¡°Edwin is a weak expert, but that doesn¡¯t meen the fight will be easy. Don¡¯t give him a chance to fight back, and aim to stagger and use the ground as a weapon. Unless Ander decides to go full beast.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Rion was being tailed by three people during this loop. The easiest to catch was Volain who wasn¡¯t much for stealth but was doing his best to stay hidden. The second seemed to be a familiar presence that he couldn¡¯t catch in the act easily but his senses told him that they were reasonably close. The third watcher was the masked girl that was with Lin and Sigfried. Rion had not learned her name. ¡°Lin, who is that lady that keeps stalking you?¡± Rion pulled out a duplicate of a small black pellet that he had borrowed from said lady relatively recently. ¡°Little Fox. Why are you asking?¡± ¡°...Thats not much of a name. ¡± Rion said as he threw the pellet to the ground and the whole area was filled with smoke. Two figures, one male, the other female, shot out of the smoke and went for a run. The female figure heavily resembled Lin. While the male loosely resembled Rion. Suddenly a young man hiding behind a rock jumped down to give chase. Breaking cover and revealing himself to be Volain. Soon after a shadow broke cover his face and hair reminded Rion of Everest. An assassin doesn¡¯t need to hide their face in public as that draws attention, A good assassin doesn¡¯t stand out. Little Fox stayed behind as the smoke faded and watched Lin and stood there with an unperturbed look. But she was quite confused at the glare she was getting from her mistress. Almost as though she was looking straight above her head. ¡°Your a spirit. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Rion asked from behind the masked stalker. ¡°How in the depths did you figure that out?¡± ¡°Because you didn¡¯t chase the fakes marking your connection to Lin. But you could have an item for that. You don¡¯t, by the way, I checked all your gadgets and gizmos a while back. There is also the fact that even though you stay out of the way, you''re always within a one-mile radius. And when I tagged you with a tracker it ended up on Lin.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth. ¡°You did what?¡± Little fox drew a dagger and jumped toward Rion. Rion shattered it with his hand. ¡°We are being tailed by a predator and a trained assassin. I don¡¯t want you to kill either as that would get messy. In fact, I want you to inform the headmaster and have him consent to it. I have a bad idea and I don¡¯t want Lin hearing about it, Mamon.¡± Kyrion handed over a folded note with a signature. I consent to being assassinated, Singed Kyrion. Mamon scowled as she looked at it. ¡°Your mad, and how did you figure that out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only just figuring that out?¡± Kyrion fell from the roof and stood in front of a rather irritated Lin. ¡°Why did you leave me behind to talk to her?¡± She asked arms crossed. ¡°Becasue I figured out her relation to you. You must have alot of mana to keep her out at all times.¡± ¡°You are hardly one to talk. Mr.Walking Leyline.¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t heard that one before and scowled.¡°I¡¯m going to be a dangerous expert when I reach that tier. I know it and most who want me dead know it. Given the current state of affairs I¡¯ll be running straight to expert after this tournament. If I survive that is.¡± Rion stated. ¡°You¡¯re going to burn up your potential?¡± ¡°Not at all, the foundation has been laid, watered, and nurtured. All that''s left is time. Now lets go before they figure out I tricked them.¡±
Rion was alone, cornered, and unsurprised when the assassin ambushed him when he entered the secluded area of the forest. In fact, he had been planning on it. The wires tied up his body and greatly lowered his fire resistance while promising heavy damage should he try to light the area up. Rion made sure not to move as a cold blade was slowly placed against his spine. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± A distorted and muffled voice stated. ¡°Right right. You caught me. Is this the part where you kill me for slaying your master? Or are you one of the other countless people I¡¯ve gone out of my way to irritate.¡± ¡°If you really need to ask who then you clearly won¡¯t be missed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be missed by a lot of people. In fact, if you kill me then I¡¯m 90% sure even you¡¯ll regret it. You tone deaf tailor.¡± Rion didn¡¯t move as the blade left a light cut across his back. The wound healed almost as fast as the blade passed. As though Rion was regenerating out of spite. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°In your profession? Very little. About your little crush on B¡­¡± The dagger slipped into a lung and was withdrawn. ¡°When did you learn how to shift your appearance so much?¡± Kyrion¡¯s lung may have healed but he still had to let out a chain of coughs as he drew the blood from the wound using his water and wind affinity. ¡°Not cool man. Also, I need to know who hired you and why?" "How do I know you''re who I think you are?" Kyrion sighed and a cage of roots shot out of the ground and entangled a passing rabbit. "You know that I willingly don''t eat due to a run in with a cannibalistic group that tried to cook me¡­Huh. Just realized that has happened twice now." "If you''re you. Why didn''t you just escape?" "I needed to let your tails see you capture me while I planted some trackers on their flesh." "I was followed? When?" "There''s the illusion girl, that won''t stay dead. Along with that snake Edwin." "I dont know those people." Everest half lied. "I¡¯m sure you wouldn''t." Kyrion rolled his eyes. "Someone from Etravonia hired me to get rid of the threat to his person." Kyrion squinted. "Midas¡­ But he wouldn''t have known to send you after me. I haven''t directly encountered him since I last broke his ribs." "So you''ve attacked a prince." "He isn''t a prince. Well¡­if he is then he isn''t related to Max in any direct way. His body seems to have been altered in some way." "How did you come to that conclusion?" "The king of Etravonia doesn''t have any sons. Those that are born have previously lasted up to seven years at a maximum. My friend Max seemingly being an exception and even then something is wrong.." Kyrion scowled. "So you doubt that there are two rare successes?" "I believe that I''m missing a lot of information. I also know that Max''s power isn''t spirit mastery. Spirit cores have a similar effect but don''t work the same on him as they would on me." Kyrion stated this observation cleanly. "Enough courtly nonsense. What did you need me to do?" "I need you to figure out why Midas sent you after me, the real me not Rion. I''ll slip something on your coller. And then you can follow your boss around for a bit.ler." ¡°What do you hope to accomplish?¡± ¡°The same day has been on repeat for at least six days so far. Most people don¡¯t seem to remember much. Ander being an anomaly remembering all six while Lin seems to only remember four. Although I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s lying about the first one. She doens¡¯t remember the previous loop, which is good. Considering that she died during that loop and seemed to forget everything that happened that day. My goal is to end the cycle and figure out what the team from the Beast Blood Empire has to do with anything.¡± Everest scowled. ¡°What do they have to do with this?¡± ¡°Edwin is here and he seems to be up to something. Lisa is also here which means she survived which makes perfect sense. But Milo¡­ I thought he was better than that.¡± ¡°What was it that Damian used to say? Can¡¯t judge a blade by it¡¯s scabbard.¡± ¡°That man only has one thing on his mind.¡± Kyrion added. The duo laughed before separating. As Everest got far enough away a feminine sigh left his mouth as his form shifted and he became a familiar fox. ¡°The things I do for master.¡± Jala then began to trail Everest through her access to the space between worlds.
Volain stared at what appeared to be a human-sized bird person with blueish-white feathers covering its body and a bill over its mouth. Over its torso was a blue military uniform paired with a blue beret. ¡°You aren¡¯t Rion.¡± Volain said bluntly. ¡°And you aren¡¯t blind.¡± The strange bird pulled out a cigar and stuck it in his beak to look intimidating. Volain was not intimidated but he was confused. ¡°Whats going on?¡± ¡°What have you figured out Birdman?¡± Volain crossed his arms. ¡°Your smarter than you look Orca.¡± Issac stated. Volain moved forward to punch Issac only to miss as the bird gracefully danced past him and countered with a push that caused the warrior to topple onto the reinforced wooden planks. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± Volain asked as he got back to his feet. ¡°Me, Myself, and Issac.¡± The bird stated as he didn¡¯t move to continue fighting. ¡°Fine then. Answer my first question or leave.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°I sense shenanigans a foot. The days repeating until the source is erased permanently. This would be the third time you experienced this day I presume?¡± ¡°Yes. But how do you know?¡± ¡°Mana linking. Its something most healers use to connect themselves to you for ranged healing spells or treatments. Like a benificial curse, most of the time.¡± ¡°When would I have been cursed?¡± Volain got defensive. ¡°More of a boon really. Someone connected to you is also connected to the person messing with time. Part of that ability is shared to all linked to the power.¡± ¡°How many loops have there been?¡± ¡°At least four or five, unless the binding took longer due to the connection not being strong enough.¡± ¡°Thats concerning. So are you linked to them as well?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Something like that?¡± ¡°And you expect me to believe that you aren¡¯t responsable.¡± Volain prepared to charge. Issac sighed and tossed Volain a blue orb. ¡°How is this for hush money.¡± ¡°This is a spirit core. High purity and water based but I can¡¯t figure out who it belongs too.¡± ¡°Its a child of Undine. I can spare this one if you swear to keep our secrets and assist me in stoping these vile villains.¡± Issac stated. ¡°A bribe. Wait. If I use this won¡¯t it get reversed when time fixes itself.¡± ¡°Thats not how spirits work pal.¡± ¡°Any your an expert on spirits?¡± ¡® ¡°Certainly more than you. I can see that your at the precipice of breaking into the late stage of practitioner. This could make you quite a bit stronger.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make me a stronger threat to your team¡¯s victory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too worried, I doubt anyone I know is dumb enough to fight you head on.¡± Issac twirled a feather before turning. ¡°I could take it back.¡± ¡°Fine then. I swear to help you put an end to the people who ruined my meal.¡± Volain felt a stabbing sensation in his chest. ¡°Great. Now lets go. I suspect they will be gathering shortly.¡±
Midas, crown prince of Etravonia, and the second strongest student at his academy, was panicked. In front of him stood a red-haired figure with dark green almost emerald eyes and an odd smile on their face. ¡°Ypu stole my time. So now I will steal your life.¡± The figure began shambling towards Midas. Midas sent a spear of golden mana into his stalker. The figure smacked the spear aside with brute strength and closed the distance raising its hand to crush the prince. ¡°Move!¡± A black-haired young man covered in black armor blocked the attack. ¡°Right!¡± Midas had met this person before in a previous version of this day, and they tried to save him here as well, but he just hadn¡¯t been fast enough. Midas turned and fled as he lobed golden arrows up and at his foe. A bestial screech echoed through the world as his ears popped and his body failed him. A blue birdlike humanoid stood next to Volain and smiled. ¡°Why do you smell familiar lost duckling?¡± The creature asked as a bead of water began to pool at his white fingers. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Midas asked as he began to back up. Everest stepped out of the shadows behind Midas. ¡°You said that you were in danger. Red hair and green eyes. Right?¡± ¡°I came here looking to figure out who interrupted my meal.¡± Volain stated. Midas got to his feet before a whip of water wrapped itself around his neck and lifted him off the ground. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Midas kicked at the air and found that he couldn¡¯t use his magic as the whip tightened and water entered his body through his pores, mouth, and ears. Everest drew his blade and charged at the bird creature before passing through an invisible doorway and reappearing thirty feet away. Much to his confusion. ¡°Issac, are you done?¡± Asked a feminine voice that hadn¡¯t revealed itself. ¡°Yes.¡± Issac dropped the young spirit master unceremoniously. The water pooling on the ground. ¡°You twice cursed idiot. Oh now this is hillarious. That demon in you is confused as you agreed to it while under heavy mental influnce. In it¡¯s confusion it latched onto something it shouldn¡¯t have. Attempting to alter the agreement requires consent from all parties involved.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Midas stepped away as a dagger appeared in his offhand. Milo appeared in front of Midas. ¡°More of that figures friends. We need to run, they killed Edwin and I can¡¯t hold them all back alone.¡± ¡°Edwin was mine to deal with.¡± Everest scowled. Midas panicked and ran away from the group and into the hands of his red-haired hunter. The last thing Midas saw before that accursed power activated was a hand passing through his chest cavity. Book Two: Chapter 78 Rion stood back in the white room and moved his hand to the side before going through his domain and withdrawing the strange gem he lifted from that thief in the previous loop. His spatial affinity had either kept the exact item in his domain or more than likely duplicated it. ¡°Duplication. Now thats a strong ability. Kyrie, have you caught up as of yet?¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°Yeah. Ander and I will go with Lin this time. We won¡¯t let something like that happen again. You¡¯re mighty calm.¡± Kyrie sighed. ¡°Is that how it seems? I will be with Lin for the most part. We¡¯ll be splitting when I get back to the underworld. From there you and Ander will watch from a safe distance and only interfere when I call for you or someone attacks.¡± Rion watched as Karl built a body for Kyrie. As the body was grown, Kyrie began to move. Rion handed the man a vial. ¡°Use this on yourself to boost your body greatly. But only during an emergency ¡° ¡°Right. Power. I¡¯m not going to use that.¡± Kyrie passed the vial back. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Kyrion dropped it on the dungeon floor and watched as Karl broke it down for analysis. ¡°Edwin is a weak expert, but that doesn¡¯t meen the fight will be easy. Don¡¯t give him a chance to fight back, aim to stagger and use the ground as a weapon. Unless Ander decides to go full tiger.¡± ¡°Rodger.¡± Kyrion watched as Kyrie headed off and Lin arrived moments later. ¡°Whats the plan? Volain seems to be clean.¡± ¡°That''s a rather astute observation,¡± Kyrion said with little emotion as he manually forced himself into an apathetic headspace. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Lin asked. ¡°We need to stick together, if it isn¡¯t Volain, then things are getting fishy.¡± ¡°Why did you think it was him anyways?¡± Lin asked. ¡°I felt something that I didn¡¯t understand from them. But that doesn¡¯t matter as my hunch was wrong.¡±
Rion was being tailed by three people during this loop. The easiest to catch was Volain who wasn¡¯t much for stealth but was doing his best to stay hidden. The second seemed to be a familiar presence that he couldn¡¯t catch in the act easily but his senses told him that they were reasonably close. The third watcher was the masked girl that was with Lin and Sigfried. Rion had not learned her name. ¡°Lin, who is that lady that keeps stalking you?¡± Rion pulled out a duplicate of a small black pellet that he borrowed from said lady relatively recently. ¡°Little Fox. Why are you asking?¡± ¡°...Thats not much of a name. ¡± Rion said as he threw the pellet to the ground and the whole area was filled with smoke. Two figures, one male, the other female, shot out of the smoke and went for a run. The female figure heavily resembled Lin. While the male loosely resembled Rion. Suddenly a young man hiding behind a rock jumped down to give chase. Breaking cover and revealing himself to be Volain. Soon after a shadow broke cover his face and hair reminded Rion of Everest. An assassin doesn¡¯t need to hide their face in public as that draws attention, A good assassin doesn¡¯t stand out. Little Fox stayed behind as the smoke faded and watched Lin and stood there with an unperturbed look. But she was quite confused at the glare she was getting from her mistress. Almost as though she was looking straight above her head. ¡°Your a spirit. Aren¡¯t you?¡± Rion asked from behind the masked stalker. ¡°How in the depths did you figure that out?¡± ¡°Because you didn¡¯t chase the fakes marking your connection to Lin. But you could have an item for that. You don¡¯t, by the way, I checked all your gadgets and gizmos a while back. There is also the fact that even though you stay out of the way, you''re always within a one-mile radius. And when I tagged you with a tracker it ended up on Lin.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth. ¡°You did what?¡± Little fox drew a dagger and jumped toward Rion. Rion shattered it with his hand. ¡°We are being tailed by a predator and a trained assassin. I don¡¯t want you to kill either as that would get messy. In fact, I want you to inform the headmaster and have him consent to it. I have a bad idea and I don¡¯t want Lin hearing about it, Mamon.¡± Kyrion handed over a folded note with a signature. I consent to assassination if they can catch me lacking. It''s my own fault, Singed Kyrion. Mamon scowled as she looked at it. ¡°You''re mad, and how did you figure that out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re only just figuring that out? The signs of mental instability were obvious.¡± Kyrion fell from the roof, flipping in the air a few times, and landed in front of an irritated Lin. ¡°Why did you leave me behind to talk to her?¡± She asked, arms crossed. ¡°Becasue I figured out her relation to you. You must have alot of mana to keep her out at all times.¡± ¡°You are hardly one to talk. Mr.Walking Leyline.¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t heard that one before and scowled. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a dangerous expert when I reach that tier. I know it and most who want me dead know it. Given the current state of affairs I¡¯ll be running straight to expert after this tournament. If I survive that is.¡± Rion stated. ¡°You¡¯re going to burn up your potential?¡± ¡°Not at all, the foundation has been laid, watered, and nurtured. All that''s left is time. Now lets go before they figure out I tricked them.¡±
Rion was alone, cornered, and unsurprised when the assassin ambushed him when he entered the secluded area of the forest. In fact, he had been planning on it. The wires tied up his body and greatly lowered his fire resistance while promising heavy damage should he try to light the area up. Rion made sure not to move as a cold blade was slowly placed against his spine. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± A distorted and muffled voice stated. ¡°Right right. You caught me. Is this the part where you kill me for slaying your master? Or are you one of the other countless people I¡¯ve gone out of my way to irritate.¡± ¡°If you really need to ask who then you clearly won¡¯t be missed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be missed by a lot of people. In fact, if you kill me then I¡¯m 90% sure even you¡¯ll regret it. You tone deaf tailor.¡± Rion didn¡¯t move as the blade left a light cut across his back. The wound healed almost as fast as the blade passed. As though Rion was regenerating out of spite. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°In your profession? Very little. About your little crush on B¡­¡± The dagger slipped into a lung and was withdrawn. ¡°When did you learn how to shift your appearance so much?¡± Kyrion¡¯s lung may have healed but he still had to let out a chain of coughs as he drew the blood from the wound using his water and wind affinity. ¡°Not cool man. Also, I need to know who hired you and why?" "How do I know you''re who I think you are?" Kyrion sighed and a cage of roots shot out of the ground and entangled a passing rabbit. "You know that I willingly don''t eat due to a run in with a cannibalistic group that tried to cook me¡­Huh. Just realized that has happened twice now." "If you''re you. Why didn''t you just escape?" "I needed to let your tails see you capture me while I planted some trackers on their flesh." "I was followed? When?" "There''s the illusion girl, that won''t stay dead. Along with that snake Edwin." "I dont know those people." Everest half lied. "I¡¯m sure you wouldn''t." Kyrion rolled his eyes. "Someone from Etravonia hired me to get rid of the threat to his person." Kyrion squinted. "Midas¡­ But he wouldn''t have known to send you after me. I haven''t directly encountered him since I last broke his ribs." "So you''ve attacked a prince." "He isn''t a prince. Well¡­if he is then he isn''t related to Max in any direct way. His body seems to have been altered in some way." "How did you come to that conclusion?" "The king of Etravonia doesn''t have any sons. Those that are born have previously lasted up to seven years at a maximum. My friend Max seemingly being an exception and even then something is wrong.." Kyrion scowled. "So you doubt that there are two rare successes?" "I believe that I''m missing a lot of information. I also know that Max''s power isn''t spirit mastery. Spirit cores have a similar effect but don''t work the same on him as they would on me." Kyrion stated this observation cleanly. "Enough courtly nonsense. What did you need me to do?" "I need you to figure out why Midas sent you after me, the real me not Rion. I''ll slip something on your coller. And then you can follow your boss around for a bit.ler." ¡°What do you hope to accomplish?¡± ¡°The same day has been on repeat for at least six days so far. Most people don¡¯t seem to remember much. Ander being an anomaly remembering all six while Lin seems to only remember four. Although I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s lying about the first one. She doens¡¯t remember the previous loop, which is good. Considering that she died during that loop and seemed to forget everything that happened that day. My goal is to end the cycle and figure out what the team from the Beast Blood Empire has to do with anything.¡± Everest scowled. ¡°What do they have to do with this?¡± ¡°Edwin is here and he seems to be up to something. Lisa is also here which means she survived which makes perfect sense. But Milo¡­ I thought he was better than that.¡± ¡°What was it that Damian used to say? Can¡¯t judge a blade by it¡¯s scabbard.¡± ¡°That man only has one thing on his mind.¡± Kyrion added. The duo laughed before separating. As Everest got far enough away a feminine sigh left his mouth as his form shifted and he became a familiar fox. ¡°The things I do for master.¡± Jala then began to trail Everest through her access to the space between worlds.
Volain stared at what appeared to be a human-sized bird person with blueish-white feathers covering its body and a bill over its mouth. Over its torso was a blue military uniform paired with a blue beret. ¡°You aren¡¯t Rion.¡± Volain said bluntly. ¡°And you aren¡¯t blind.¡± The strange bird pulled out a cigar and stuck it in his beak to look intimidating. Volain was not intimidated but he was confused. ¡°Whats going on?¡± ¡°What have you figured out Birdman?¡± Volain crossed his arms. ¡°Your smarter than you look Orca.¡± Issac stated. Volain moved forward to punch Issac only to miss as the bird gracefully danced past him and countered with a push that caused the warrior to topple onto the reinforced wooden planks. ¡°Who do you work for?¡± Volain asked as he got back to his feet. ¡°Me, Myself, and Issac.¡± The bird stated as he didn¡¯t move to continue fighting. ¡°Fine then. Answer my first question or leave.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°I sense shenanigans a foot. The days repeating until the source is erased permanently. This would be the third time you experienced this day I presume?¡± ¡°Yes. But how do you know?¡± ¡°Mana linking. Its something most healers use to connect themselves to you for ranged healing spells, treatments, or monitoring. Like a benificial curse, most of the time.¡± ¡°When would I have been cursed?¡± Volain got defensive. ¡°More of a boon really. Someone connected to you is also connected to the person messing with time. Part of that ability is shared to all linked to the power.¡± ¡°How many loops have there been?¡± ¡°At least four or five, unless the binding took longer due to the connection not being strong enough.¡± ¡°Thats concerning. So are you linked to them as well?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Something like that?¡± ¡°And you expect me to believe that you aren¡¯t responsable.¡± Volain prepared to charge. Issac sighed and tossed Volain a blue orb. ¡°How is this for hush money.¡± ¡°This is a spirit core. High purity and water based but I can¡¯t figure out who it belongs too.¡± ¡°It''s a child of Undine, they will become what you need. I can spare this one if you swear to keep our secrets, and assist me in stopping these vile villains.¡± Issac stated. ¡°A bribe. Wait. If I use this won¡¯t it get reversed when time fixes itself.¡± ¡°Thats not how spirits work pal.¡± ¡°And you are an expert on spirits?¡± ¡® ¡°Certainly more than you. I can see that your at the precipice of breaking into the late stage of practitioner. This could make you quite a bit stronger.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make me a stronger threat to your team¡¯s victory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too worried, I doubt anyone I know is dumb enough to fight you head on.¡± Issac twirled a feather before turning. ¡°I could take it back.¡± ¡°Fine then. I swear to help you put an end to the people who ruined my meal.¡± Volain felt a stabbing sensation in his chest. ¡°Great. Now lets go. I suspect they will be gathering shortly.¡±
Midas, crown prince of Etravonia, and the second strongest student at his academy, was panicked. In front of him stood a red-haired figure with dark green, almost emerald eyes and an odd smile on their face. ¡°You stole my time. So now I will steal your life.¡± The figure began shambling towards Midas. Midas sent a spear of golden mana into his stalker. The figure smacked the spear aside with brute strength and closed the distance raising its hand to crush the prince. ¡°Move!¡± A black-haired young man covered in black armor blocked the attack. ¡°Right!¡± Midas had met this person before in a previous version of this day, and they tried to save him here as well, but he just hadn¡¯t been fast enough. Midas turned and fled as he lobed golden arrows up at his foe. A bestial screech echoed through the world as his ears popped and his body failed him. A blue birdlike humanoid stood next to Volain and smiled. ¡°Why do you smell familiar lost duckling?¡± The creature asked as a bead of water began to pool at his white fingers. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Midas asked as he began to back up. Everest stepped out of the shadows behind Midas. ¡°You said that you were in danger. Red hair and green eyes. Right?¡± ¡°I came here looking to figure out who interrupted my meal.¡± Volain stated. Midas got to his feet before a whip of water wrapped itself around his neck and lifted him off the ground. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Midas kicked at the air and found that he couldn¡¯t use his magic as the whip tightened and water entered his body through his pores, mouth, and ears. Everest drew his blade and charged at the bird creature before passing through an invisible doorway and reappearing thirty feet away. Much to his confusion. ¡°Issac, are you done?¡± Asked a feminine voice that hadn¡¯t revealed itself. ¡°Yes.¡± Issac dropped the young spirit master unceremoniously. The water pooling on the ground. ¡°You twice cursed idiot. Oh now this is hillarious. That demon in you is confused as you agreed to it while under heavy mental influnce. In it¡¯s confusion it latched onto something it shouldn¡¯t have. Attempting to alter the agreement requires consent from all parties involved.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Midas stepped away as a dagger appeared in his offhand. Milo appeared in front of Midas. ¡°More of that figures friends. We need to run, they killed Edwin and I can¡¯t hold them all back alone.¡± ¡°Edwin was mine to deal with.¡± Everest scowled. Midas panicked and ran away from the group and into the hands of his red-haired hunter. The last thing Midas saw before that accursed power activated was a hand passing through his chest cavity. Book Two: Chapter 79 Lin and Rion encountered a confused-looking Sigfreid. The older man wasn¡¯t surprised that they were together, no he was wondering why he was being boxed in by four people yet only recognized two personally. ¡°Whats going on Rion?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°An assassination attempt or two. I would like your assistance in a project.¡± Rion started with crossed arms. Siegfried sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I have the ability to..¡± ¡°Thats after. I need answers old man.¡± Rion entered a brawler stance with obvious flaws his body cloaked in flames. Lin summoned sharpened icicles that were raised above and pointed right at Sigfried. ¡°Rion, you don¡¯t know what you are doing!¡± Bill took a step back the two he sensed before keeping their distance. ¡°You don¡¯t know me as well as you think. Old man.¡± Rion cocked his head to the right as though he were mad. While motioning to something in that direction. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you what you want to know.¡± ¡°Great! Where is the Death Tyrant? I know they¡¯re alive and in hidding. If you can¡¯t answer that then tell me how the Beastblood Emperor is related to them.¡± Rion approached while cracking his knuckles. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you ask welp.¡± Siegfried seemingly caught on and raised his sword in a defensive stance. Lin raised her hands upwards as her icicles shot up and spread out into a five-point magical circle, a spell to prevent anyone under expert from teleporting in or out of the space while limiting some at the lower expert tier. The main weakness of this ability was that it required her full focus, and it didn¡¯t prevent short-range teleporting within the space. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Rion punched forward with his left fist, as a large ball of fire shot forward, yet held little to no actual heat despite the excess mana that saturated the fire. Siegfried cut through the ball with his sword and watched as an explosion of flame engulfed everything in sight blinding everyone who relied on their eyes to see.
A loud crack could be heard followed by the sound of a muffled scream before the flames faded and a confused Edwin lay on the ground seizing as lightning passed through his body rupturing organs and frying nerves. Ander stood over the restrained figure and scowled. Laying across from Edwin was a restrained member of team Sunburst, their expression vacant and body limp despite no obvious physical wounds. ¡°Well pops. Those fishing lessons proved really useful.¡± Rion smirked as he looked at Siegfried. ¡°How in the abyss did you figure that out?¡± ¡°That there were people watching us? That you were my father? Or that you¡¯d be in this general area around this time?¡± Rion smiled. ¡°Father? Thats the dragon slayer¡­ His..¡± Edwin hissed. ¡°Ander. Raise the voltage. If he can talk then he can fight.¡± Edwin let out a bestial roar as his body began to fail and his brain began to take damage. Rion focused mana into his eyes and began to look through Edwin¡¯s skull, watching as the brain was sufficiently damaged. ¡°Stop.¡± Rion didn¡¯t yell the command, nor did he raise his voice. Yet the tone he used held a strange power behind it, one that did not beg hesitation or disobedience. Ander stopped instinctually as the hair on his arms began to rise. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Rion approached the temporarily paralyzed Edwiin and placed a hand on his head before he filled it with healing and purifying mana. The screams Edwin let out came from deep within his core causing blood to leak from his eyes and ears while his body went limp. ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t harm an expert?¡± Ander asked in a monotone. ¡°I¡¯m healing him.¡± Rion replied bluntly as he took a step back. ¡°Can¡¯t harm an expert? What are you talking about?¡± Bill asked. ¡°Made a deal with thay lying goddess. That that it matters.¡± ¡°Lying goddess?¡± Bill scowled. ¡°I¡¯d rather not elaborate and get smited.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin watched as Rion roughly threw his mana into his target, something most healers would never do, especially when working on their target''s brain. Edwin¡¯s right eye exploded into a paste before rapidly regenerating, causing Ander to turn green as he left the scene. ¡°What the hell Kyr?!¡± Ander yelled as he was covered in gore. ¡°Quite down.¡± Kyrion watched as Edwin¡¯s gauntlet arm fell off and a fresh arm grew in its place. He then picked up the discarded limb and tossed it to Bill before he stabbed his hand through Edwin¡¯s stomach and pulled out a yellow mono-eyed creature with one arm and a large mouth. ¡±Grafted limbs?¡± Bill asked as he examined it carefully. ¡°Close.¡± Rion covered the creature in his hands with white flames. The strange creature tried to jump into his body before failing as the flames grew hotter and hotter, turning it into ash in moments. ¡°But no cigar.¡± Rion dusted the creature off and approached the unconscious Edwin. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Why would Imala give me the ability to turn demons into ash without killing the host?¡± Kyrion asked his father. ¡°Oh. Oh no.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lin looked at Bill with suspicion.¡° ¡°It¡¯s about your uncle. One known across the world as the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°Wait. What!¡± Lin summoned two lances of ice pointing one at Bill and the other at Rion. ¡°Hmm? First I¡¯m hearing about a demon lord.¡± Kyrion said honestly. ¡°The Beastblood Emperor, through a dark ritual, took over his body like that of those demons you¡¯ve been encountering.¡± ¡°Ah, so he was a demon lord before that happened.¡± Kyrion nodded having caught on. ¡°I won¡¯t say he was a saint, but his soul was shunted from his body. Every fifty years there is a trial that Imala puts a number of experts through a crucible, those who come out alive are marked somewhere on their bodies with a number. The strongest of them are marked on their hands with a number. Your grandfather was ranked one before he lost his arm, your uncle was ranked number 18, your mother was 76 due to her indirect fighting style, and I was just a fledgling back then.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Wait¡­ Fifty years ago? And my mom was already an expert? How old¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask a question your better off not knowing the answer to.¡± Lin kindly informed Kyrion.¡± ¡°You were a praitioner when Bill was born.¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°That had more to do with the war rappidly raising my potential.¡± Bill said bluntly. ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion latched onto the lie having finally picked up on his father''s tic. ¡°Thats where I would like to end it.¡± Bill stated. ¡°You don¡¯t get to choose your parents. But, your uncle was a demon before he was possessed by one. The Malkit Genocide took my grandfater along with most of my other family.¡± Lin kept the points ready to strike. ¡°Genocide? Thats never the answer.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Genocide is the answer, and the question is who¡¯s next.¡± Edwin said unconsciously. ¡°Ah. Well the truth serum finally kicked in¡­ And that¡¯s not helpful.¡± Kyrion eyed Edwin with suspicion.
¡°You killed his demon, why is he still?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Yeah. He was evil before the demon boosted him to expert. It takes time or mental trauma to break ones mind prior to full possession.¡± Bill informed the youths. ¡°For a liar you sure like to throw evil around rather generouslly.¡± Kyrion kicked the slowly rising Edwin in the head, sending them flying into a building. ¡°What else¡­¡± Bill started before he was soundly interrupted. ¡°What was that for?¡± Lin asked, her spell almost forgotten. ¡°He deserved it. But no, he¡¯s really back down to early practitioner. How lame.¡± ¡°How can you tell that by a kick?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have broken his jaw with a light kick like that if he was an expert or higher practitioner.¡± ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t a vivisectionist?¡± Ander asked. ¡°I never said I wasn¡¯t. But not particularly. I prefer the term surgeon though and would rather heal and adjust closed wounds if possible. Also, people scream less when I apply anesthesia.¡± Kyrion grabbed Edwin by the neck and picked him up. He then began to slowly walk back towards the group. ¡°Whats going on?¡± ¡°Who is your master?¡± Kyrion asked as he began to squeeze. ¡°You are. Milord.¡± Edwin replied as his daze faded and his own eyes widened. ¡°You said he had to tell the truth Kyr. What does he mean by that?¡± Bill asked worriedly. ¡°Later.¡± Kyrion said to Bill. ¡°No no no no no. That shouldn¡¯t be! Master!¡± Edwin let out a scream as a hand exited his chest and ripped out his heart from within his body. The hand looked vaguely familiar before it retreated through what seemed to be a rip in space. ¡°Oh! That explains everything. The reason every attempt to kill you has failed! My blood spell was targeting the wrong person. What¡¯s worse is that I can¡¯t target you if I wanted to. How is your soul already that strong? Don¡¯t get too cocky, we will meet soon, and I will shatter you for your insolance.¡± A distorted yet familiar voice spoke through the tear. ¡°Yeah yeah, buddy. If you can do so after going through the preferred channels, I¡¯d appreciate it, as I already have a busy schedule and you currently aren¡¯t a priority.¡± Kyrion put on a poker face and moved closer to the tear in space ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡± Kyrion took out a pine cone filled it with fire mana and launched it through the tear as it passed he forcibly closed it with his space affinity. ¡°I know that voice.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°What did you toss in there?¡± Bill asked ¡°A glutteonous quillcone variant. When filled with enough mana the plant explodes sending needle-like appendages everywhere. The variant portion causes them to implant their seeds in anything they come in contact with and grow well, when attached to a living creature, that creature suffers through painful itching on top of uncontrollable bowel movements that get worse the more they¡¯re stung. The gluttonous portion causes them to eat through anyone and anything, expert-tier bodies included. As this is a tool and not my magic, I don¡¯t break any rules.¡± Kyrion put his hands behind his back. ¡°Which one of you is the villian?¡± Ander turned around and asked. ¡°I mean. He just ripped someone¡¯s heart out.¡± ¡°And you spent the better half of ten minuets torturing someone.¡± ¡°I was exorcising the demon. On top of getting rid of some pent up anger. You know what happened. Given his response chances are he deserved more.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms before he fell to a knee. Lin let out a scream as her barrier was shattered. She fell to a knee and the lances she had summoned vanished. ¡°Kyr! Move!?¡± Bill moved in front of Kyrion as a large red-haired figure appeared behind him with a pincer-like arm. In a swift motion, the claw wrapped around Bill¡¯s neck and squeezed, instantly breaking his bones but not fully decapitating the bodyguard. He then tossed the man to the ground and began to move toward Kyrion. ¡°You made this easy revealing yourself to my benefactor. I have been waiting for this since you first pulled one over on me, five and a half years ago.¡± ¡°Ander take Lin and Run!¡± Kyrion commanded as the Beastblood Emperor approached him. Ander grabbed the fading Lin and began to fly off. ¡°Not so fast.¡± The Emperor turned his arm toward the retreating duo and began to charge up a shot of some kind. Kyrion put energy into his legs and leaped forward into the Emperor¡¯s chest head first. The Expert let out a surprised gasp as a syringe passed into his body and deposited a drug. ¡°What have you done? Why do I feel weird?¡± The Emporer¡¯s form wavered as his crab arm became that of a human. ¡°I am going to turn you inside out and make you live through the experience before I destroy you.¡± Kyrion said through darkened eyes. ¡°Thats¡­ Ne¡­¡± Kyrion closed the distance at a speed that left a resounding boom behind him as his fist impacted the armored individual and only managed to crack it. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t attack when your betters are talking. How rude.¡± The Emperor brought a hand to Kyrion¡¯s neck only for him to miss. Kyrion countered with a sweep to the legs that caused the expert to fall onto a spear of earth The expert twisted, landing a kick on Kyrion¡¯s chin that sent him reeling. ¡°If only I had more time to prepare.¡± Kyrion tossed a pouch at the Emperor. The Emperor smashed it with their hand and soon found himself covered in what appeared to be sulfur along with something else that make the man feel off. Kyrion moved in and punched the expert in the same spot he had earlier. This time his punch connected and passed into the man¡¯s internal organs. ¡°Well, thats new.¡± The Emperor looked own at Kyrion and wrapped both hands around his neck. Kyrion, ever the optimist began to build up all of his mana at once should he die and let loose a surge of purifying fire.. The Emporer snapped Kyrion¡¯s neck and was surprised that the spell hadn¡¯t stopped and even more that the boy was still functioning. Kyrion¡¯s back began to glow as his features reverted to their natural state. In moments both he and the Beastblood Emperor were engulfed as something primal spoke through him. Servants of the Betrayer, you do not belong in this world. Your existence is a sin. Yet you mettle in matters that should not. One of your ilk killing a fateless directly when they have yet to make the first move is bound for a penalty. The nature of the punishment will be decided by the Council of Eight, and the verdict carried out by the Shepard himself. This will be the second time an attempt of yours has made it this close to succeeding. ¡°Why is an Arbiter in his body?¡± The Beastblood emperor took a step back. I did say that there was a first attempt. It¡¯s been handled. Continuing further could be detrimental to your empire. ¡°What rule was broken?!¡± A being from the higher realms can not interfere with those with no fate. For good or ill, unless procedures are followed. ¡°What is the penalty then?¡± I can not say, but we may have an answer in three of this planet''s years. Even then, I doubt you could understand it. The figure within Kyrion faded and the boy fell to the ground, dead as information passed through him, Memories that weren¡¯t his own were available to him as though they were first-person accounts. From his corpse a wave of powerful purification mana enveloped the beast blood emperor, causing him to stagger backward as something within him screamed in pain before falling to a knee. The expert however wasn¡¯t injured enough to be defeated. He felt that his uncle¡¯s soul was no longer in the man¡¯s body as though it had been sent somewhere a long time ago and he was going to the same place. Kyrion was now aware of the previous attempt in question, the one that led to his strange birth and current mana capacity. The gift bestowed onto him through his grandfather was planned. Jala had been trained to pick the other two spirits. He now understood that while the magic and affinities were within him, the spirits could depart after he reached the top of expert and become a master. The sight of an enraged Bill having regenerated and charged the Emperor despite the gap did awaken a somewhat odd sense of pride. Despite being aware of his death Kyrion¡¯s will lingered long enough to watch Lin escape and his father do his job. From there everything faded t black. ¡°There are so many experts but what makes a master?¡± Kyrion asked as he regained consciousness in the storage pool he found himself in when he died. ¡°A showing of mastery. Sometimes through large scale magic, other times through a hard fought combat, On a few rare occasions through the creation of something truely grand.¡± Said a familiar ancient serpent. ¡°Oh, great. I¡¯m back here again.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Yeah. Looks like you had a run in with smeone you shouldn¡¯t have encountered.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my father?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°My dad. He died moments before I did.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ That, He may have gone to a better afterlife.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more than one?¡± ¡°About thirteen in total. This is the realm of lost souls. Its place for souls that have yet to decide who they are, and what they follow as well as incomplete beings. You my boy, have been here longer than you can remember.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°It is. When you were brought back originally you decided to forget this place as you were quite spiteful of him slaying your father and wanted to give him nothing useful.¡± ¡°That sounds like something I¡¯d do.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°There is no door yet, But you should be aware that this world lives on a erratic time scale.¡± ¡°All right then. Answer me this. What will I need if I want to bring my uncle¡¯s soul back to his body?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You¡¯ll need a soul bound bag, the ability to hide, and a lot of free time as you can not bring souls with you through the normal means.¡± ¡°Right¡­On a totally unrelated note, what is an Arbiter?¡± Kyrion asked the serpent. ¡°They are of the fourth iteration of sentience, servants of the great tree born from its flesh, or something. I was dead around that time.¡± ¡°Dead?¡± ¡°Well defeated mostly. There was no true death back then. No place for souls of considerable power to rest. Bodies had no shape as you know them now. The strong ate the weak and I was once the greatest of the strong. Not that it matters to one as young as you.¡± Kyrion sighed despite not having lungs here. ¡°Is that why I don¡¯t have organs?¡± ¡°Movig on. Do you need to know anything?¡± ¡°What happens if you purify a time demon?¡± ¡°Their interactions are erased from the world and all memory directly pertaining from them are wiped from the universe. Dependiing on the range and power the creature will freeze time for anywhere from 1 year to 15 depending on how much of the world was touched.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll need to die again if I wish to stay here for a bit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re beginning to sound insane.¡± ¡°Here me out. Something has been calling for me to come here, now that I¡¯m here I belive that this was intended for better or worse and I¡¯d rather not waste such an experience.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re aware that your just a puppet for those much stronger than you.¡± Kyrion looked at the serpent and sighed.¡± Those who use me will learn that I¡¯m a vindictive tool at best and a wild card at worst.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind and will be upfront. A long time ago, I did you a favor, if you come back again I¡¯ll give you a task, on completion, I will give you access to something I locked away a long time ago.¡± ¡°No details?¡± ¡°Memories of a fool.¡± ¡°I see. How important are these memories?¡± ¡°How many times do you believe we¡¯ve encountered each other?¡± ¡°At a minimum, this will be the second. Given you recognized me a bit after I ended up here. I now know that getting here isn¡¯t easy.¡± A white doorway appeared behind Kyrion, and he felt his body through the portal. ¡°It seems that you need to go.¡± ¡°Well then. Guess I should build a pyre then. I intend to go out big.¡± Kyrion hopped through the portal and re-entered his body. Book Two: Chapter 80 Kyrion stood outside of a brothel for the third time, having managed to sneak off during the previous investigation, before his brutal demise. He hated having to come here but dare not risk splitting up yet. The last loop ended too quickly for him and he needed to relax. ¡°You take me to the nicest places. I get that you died and all but this is a bit much.¡± Lin said with a deadpan. ¡°I¡¯m not going in there. But I can sense an anomaly here. You care to buy some stolen goods?¡± Rion muttered having figured out Midas¡¯ location and relation through information gleaned from Issac. ¡°No. I just don¡¯t like it here¡­¡± A figure engulfed Lin with their shadow as they began to reach down towards her shoulder. ¡° Whoa! Personal space.¡± Lin turned around only to come in contact with a bald man around 6 feet two inches with a scar across his face. He was quite muscular and intimidating to people shorter or under the rank of fledgling. ¡°You¡¯re!¡± The bald man started to reach toward Rion who scowled. Rion was taller, his muscles a lot more defined, and for all intents and purposes killed someone the day before for less. ¡°What are you doing mister?¡± Kyrion asked slightly confused. ¡°L-leaving. I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡± ¡°Then run, she doesn¡¯t need the Power you''re offering,¡± Kyrion added some grit to his voice which caused the man to stumble back and crash into a fleeing thief. Their body much smaller and lighter. ¡°Oh no!.¡± Lin went to go help the small thief. Rion caused a seed he left on the salesman, to grow upward, wrap around the package, then retreat through his domain which was placed in his pocket. ¡°He wasn¡¯t very strong. I doubt he could have harmed me.¡± ¡°Not easily, but with magical drugs and enchanted needles, it''s possible. I must admit that I¡¯ve been a bit of a klepto recently. A lack of permanent consequences and the ability to duplicate items through this loop is highly convenient. Too bad that we won¡¯t be able to continue.¡± Kyrion held out a syringe with a strange silver liquid. The needle was enchanted to go through even an expert''s hardened skin. ¡°What is that?¡± Lin flinched as a spear of ice appeared in her hands. ¡°Power. A drug that boosts all of a spirit master''s abilities by 400% during a high. It¡¯s very addictive and can have some side effects that lead to infertility, cancer, or death when used multiple times. During a low, they are effectively useless in a fight. The side effects are also a pain to heal when it¡¯s possible to do so. This however has been tainted with a demonic larva.¡± Rion didn¡¯t discard the drug but instead placed it in his domain. Enchanted needles were hard to come by and now he had three. ¡°Power. So he was trying to drug me?¡± ¡°No. He was going to hand it to you. What''s the use in making someone stronger for no reason against their will? When you would probably just kill him because he stabbed you? I just have zero tolerance when it comes to things like that, especially when its been tampered with.¡± Rion looked to the exit and held Lin¡¯s hand. ¡°How do you know so much about this drug.¡± ¡°Did you forget that I¡¯m a healer before all else? Drugs and their effects are something I memorize for treatments.¡± Kyrion partially lied. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever learned that.¡± Lin said with a deadpan as she followed close behind. As they left the underbelly they came in contact with the headmaster of Drisil. ¡°Why did you leave me a letter saying that you were going to die soon and needed me to keep someone busy?¡± He asked bluntly. ¡°A hunch. That and time has been getting reset over and over again. I was checking on an anomaly that had come here. The reason I want to let the assassin get me is because I have a hunch. Not that their interested in that anymore. The Beastblood Emperor is nearby.¡± The headmaster seemed unsurprised. ¡°I see. This has to be on a practitioner then. If Imala is preventing experts from remembering past loops, which means it''s in your tier of power. To keep some balance I suspect, that¡¯s how it was last time anyways.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You¡¯ve been in a time loop before?¡± ¡°Quite a few times actually. This is just the most recent occurence. Although I doubt Imala has control over every experts temporal awareness. So be careful.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Lin shivered, ¡°Whats going on?¡± ¡°Lin. If you ever loved me I need you to head to your room and get some rest. Then when the rounds start up again I need you to keep an eye on the fights. It¡¯s either Midas or Nicole, and I highly doubt she¡¯d go to a brothel in general.¡± Kyrion lied partially as he knew it was Midas, he just wanted far away from what was next. ¡°I-i don¡¯t love you. But I¡¯ll do that because you seem to have something planned.¡± The headmaster looked to Kyrion and sighed. ¡°Thats just like him to not speak his plans aloud. Last time he did this I believe he ended up killing an expert.¡± ¡°What? When? How?¡± ¡°By having them piss off a stronger expert. Hopefully I can do that again.¡° Kyrion stated. ¡°No. Before that. According to eye witness testimony you killed an expert level beast.¡± ¡°The snake? One Lingar did most of the damage. Two someone in our group used a posion meant to kill experts. An extract from the Yatsenv flower, mixed with Three Minuets, and Dead One Walking. The proess to make it is beyond me however and messing up the compound can cause drastic changes..¡± ¡°Mixed for, you mean? That doesn¡¯t make sense otherwise.¡± Lin added. ¡°No. Three Minuets. Its a mushroom that causes ones core to finish canabaizing itself 3 minuets after consumption. In the wild it¡¯s easy to notice and very colorful. Anything with a brain will keep far away from it. Non lethal by itself and curable over a long treatment that mushroom can''t kill on its own but is useful in bringing monsters down a level or two¡­They are also quite bitter and sour. Do not put them in a soup they make everything taste rotten.¡± ¡°You ate one?¡± The headmaster spat. ¡°In small doses they can be used to gain a resistance to being spirit broken. I know my poisonous plants better than most assassins. Dead one Walking, makes one immune to pain and damage for one minuet. Unless turened to ashes the corpse will continue on unhindered before suffering from all the pain amplified all at once followed be exhaustion. A target could continue moving even after decapitation. Quite good in small doses for pain relief.¡± Rion didn¡¯t answer that question but instead changed the subject. ¡°Why would you even know about that plant?¡± Lin scowled as she tried to hide her expression with her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s only dangerous in higher doses. It can be used for pain relief. Or during an emergency to prolong ones life. So long as its used before dying.¡± ¡°So one destroys your core while the other erases pain. How does it kill?¡± ¡°Trade secret.¡± Rion placed a finger in front of his mouth and tossed a bead on the ground filling the area with smoke. Mamon checked her supply and found everything there and scowled. ¡°When did he steal my smoke bombs, and how did he replace them without me noticing?¡± ¡°How many loops passed?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡° I believe this is the fourth.¡± Lin stated. .¡±How certain are you of this fact?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. Why?¡± Lin looked concerned. ¡°He¡¯s planning something dangerous. I¡¯ve seen that look before, you should go get some rest.¡± Headmaster Caeden had seen a similar look on his friend Cordelia¡¯s face when her brother died. Something must have happened to put that evil look in his eyes.
With some prep time and knowledge of one¡¯s abilities, Rion was certain that he would succeed. First, he would follow Midas from a distance while Everest prepared to ambush Edwin. Second, Volain was nearby following some directions Issac gave him. His father had lost his memories of that look and Kyrion decided not to mention it. Finally, he knew how to break the binding but it would cause some backlash. He would need to die and make his way back through the long way while leaving everything to Kyrie. That''s what he got for placing a mana link on strangers. So Kyrion stood in front of Nicole¡¯s window he knocked softly to get the meditating woman¡¯s attention. His natural form was revealed for the briefest of moments, and the chaos would begin. Nicole shot out of her bed and ran to the window only for the red-haired man she saw, to vanish into the wind. Was he a mirage? A ghost or hallucination? Possibly, this wouldn¡¯t be the first time she saw one of those. ¡°No.¡± Nicole noticed a red hair that had fallen onto her window and immediately removed it for a proper examination. After performing her test she discerned that it was indeed Kyrion¡¯s hair which meant that he was clearly here. But he was in hiding. Was he asking for help? Screw the tournament she was going to be looking for him. Pulling on a robe she left the hotel and summoned a wolf which she tasked with following the scent of his hair. No something else, it was following Kyrion¡¯s mana signature as expected. Rion watched his friend run in his opposite direction from a level higher as a violin bow was pressed against the back of his neck. ¡°Hello Charles,¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Hello, young master Rion. For what reason are you messing with one of my students?¡± The Buttler held calm irritation. ¡°Nicole won¡¯t make it to the next day of the tournament this time. That is now set in stone, as she is now fighting Volain isn¡¯t possible. I don¡¯t plan on living past the midday anyways. Today I will die, that''s what I decided and accepted as my fate. It¡¯s what''s necessary and hopefully, it will end this loop before someone else goes insane.¡± Rion¡¯s eyes were resolute. ¡°Your plan is to die. My, aren¡¯t you a reckless one.¡± Charles sighed and withdrew his weapon. ¡°Correct. I have a hunch on who it could be but i¡¯m not certain. ¡± ¡°If you know who did it why are they still alive?¡± ¡°I suspect. If I¡¯m wrong chances are the day restarts regardless.¡± Rion turned around and saw the blue-haired butler with a rather stony expression. ¡°Why risk death then?¡± Charles sighed. ¡°Because If I¡¯m right, the person with this power is gaining strength after each reset. If I¡¯m wrong then an innocent dies soon after I do and will continue to do so until I can cut off the kill command.¡± ¡°What have you already done?¡± Charles straightened up and scowled. Rion smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll see soon.¡± He then fell backward off a ledge. Charles sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be that quick to lie and kill. But he is her son, so maybe something pushed that instinct.¡± Lok appeared behind the old butler. ¡°That''s related to my conditioning. He is still acting within acceptable parameters. This is when we lose five years'' worth of time.¡± ¡°So not 5 years'' worth of loops but 5 years of stolen time. That''s against the rules.¡± ¡°Whose rules? These powers are coming from a demon, and death works at a different timescale.¡± ¡°A practitioner no matter how strong can¡¯t affect an entire planet. At most even powered up by a demon, it shouldn¡¯t affect those on another continent.¡± ¡°Planet wide and from the surface up. This is a greater time demon we¡¯re dealing with. Those underground will continue to live unhindered. While those above ground will be in stasis.¡± ¡°...Doesn¡¯t Kyrion have a teammate that''s underground right now?¡± ¡°No, they are working at the moment, the doorway has been prepped..¡± ¡°... How do you expect Kyrion¡¯s dungeon to survive his death?¡± Charles crossed his arms. ¡°Mana lingers even after a person dies. It may weaken, but it won¡¯t end long enough to be destroyed. He won¡¯t be dead long when the world resets and a soul should still keep it running for better or worse.¡± Book Two: Chapter 81 Kyrion had woken up in the dungeon that he had been using for training with a rather irritated expression. ¡°Jala, Issac. Whats going on? What haven¡¯t you all told me?¡± Kyrion asked with a stony expression. Jala appeared in her fox form in front of Kyrion, her expression somber but resolute. ¡°Bit¡¯s and pieces that¡¯s all I have.¡± ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± Kyrion tapped his foot subconsciously the ground cracking with each movement. ¡°Does it matter? I used you.¡± Jala didn¡¯t meet Kyrion¡¯s eyes. ¡°To be fair, I¡¯m eighty percent sure that we¡¯re all being played.¡± ¡°Thats a rather high estimate.¡± Issac eyed Kyrion. ¡°Are you volunteering answers?¡± Kyrion stared back at the bird before sighing. ¡°That plant knows something and I¡¯ve picked up bits and pieces from that spirit that tried to foist the Blade of Purification on you.¡± ¡°The plant is a plant. What more¡­ wait. Purification?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a weapon desinged to erase those you currently know as demons.¡± ¡°So. Did she trick me into taking that power?¡± ¡°Gods can¡¯t lie directly. Obscureing and misleadig is possible so long as the information gets you where you need to go eventually. ¡± Spoke a deep and gravelly voice in Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°So I can resurrect people eventually.¡± ¡°Thats how it seems.¡± ¡°Great. Now Issac, jala do you have any info to give?¡± Issac preened. ¡°The time demon is tied partially to your soul and partially to Midas, who seemed to already have a demon possessing his body long before this one showed up.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°A person can only be under the possession of Creatures that dwell inbetween worlds or in the beyond. Any more than one and you get greatly diminishing returns or wild side effets. I¡¯m sure your aware of that portion of mana thats been steailly growing.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°It¡¯s growing within Midas due to the demon latching mostly onto it while unable to fully integrate with it¡¯s host. It¡¯s also why when Midas dies, your the one getting sent to the afterlife.¡± Issac added. ¡°Your a smart bird. How old are you?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡± Issac waved a wing at Kyrion. ¡°So, it is Midas. What do you mean by him being possessed?¡± ¡°The soul in his body, is not the one that was born in it. Chances are it was removed years ago in some depraved ritual.¡± ¡°Is that why he seems to irritate me? There is something in him that doesn¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°That would line up well with what I know.¡± ¡°Right. Then. I need to exorcise that demon within him, but I need to be dead when that happens. It¡¯s possible but not going to be easy.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll need to leave you body in the hands of Kyrie.¡± The tree spirit said from within Kyrion. ¡°Fine¡­ Make sure you keep an eye on him. He¡¯s a bit arrogant and it bleeds over.¡± Kyrion spoke within himself. Kyrie responded. ¡°I am wholly invested in helping you win. I mean your soul has so much room and many interesting things to watch.¡± ¡°Your talking about my domain. Right?¡± Kyrion looked into himself. ¡°Is it the place with a village of monsters casually living day to day lives, farming, building, and such?¡± ¡°Ah. Right that does exist. Karl will the time stuff effect you much?¡± Kyrion had forgotten about that function of his domain for a while, just delegating it to his spirits as he trained. ¡°Yes and no. I can swing resisting the power with fifty percent efficiency. Anything in here will be unaffected for the most part, including your body.¡± ¡°Care to kick me out immideatly to prevent that? Or thow me in a stasis fridge?¡± ¡°That would be ill advised. If Kyrie is here for more than three years I¡¯ll throw him in a stasis coffin.¡± ¡°Fridge. It keep food in there. But it keeps hot food hot and cold food cold.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°We also keep bodies in there.¡± Karl added. ¡°Occasionally. I don¡¯t want people stink getting on my emergency ribs.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you convince Cecil to make those because they could save lives?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­wait!¡± Kyrion straightened up. ¡°Yes?¡± Karl asked curiously. ¡°I was distracted. Jala, what do you belive is going on and what are you hiding from me. When we met with the goddess, something left my domain without my orders.¡± ¡°The Shepherd¡¯s sheers, an item that signifies that the Sheaperd is watching the conversation through an arbiter, any oaths taken and broken would be dealt with by the Sheaperd.¡± ¡°Why should I care about a sheep herder?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°That sheep herder is the one of the highest beings in this universe.¡± The arbiter stated. Jala scowled. ¡°I was ordered to open a portal and did so. The item left and I recognized it, due to my nature as a spirit. Most of us have a bit of inborn knowledge of how the universe works. Usually it manifests as magic, on occasion its fit for explanation.¡± ¡°I assume you ordered the doorway open?¡± Kyrion asked the tree. ¡°It was necessary.¡± Great. ¡°Now Jala, why did you pick an Arbiter to be my spirit?¡± ¡°Instinct? I¡¯m pretty sure quite a few were Arbiters, now that I think of it, the one I picked felt right.¡± ¡°And Issac?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Also felt right, but every day I wonder If I chose wrong.¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad i¡¯m here. My abilities have been quite useful, overall.¡± Issac barked. ¡°Easy. Kyrie, when time resets I want you to memorize the spell structure I put on this scroll.. Spend all the time you can herer and I¡¯ll even ask Ander to join. Train unil you can do it easily.¡± Kyrion ¡°Right.¡± Kyrie scowled. ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple, you just need to get it right on the first try.¡± Kyrion said as he drew a rather illegible magic diagram along with listing what affinity played what role and when. As he had to be exact when dealing with amateurs. As Kyrie wasn¡¯t a trained healer one mistake could end with him killing Midas. Or more likely leave the young man brain dead. ¡°But, no pressure right?¡± ¡°Plenty of pressure. Make sure you fully envelop his core. If any lingers than he will revert in time. If he reverts, our chances of stoping him decreases significantly should it repossess him.¡± Kyrion said plainly. ¡°And you can¡¯t do this yourself?¡± ¡°I believe Midas was in that traveling brothel. As it is not actually a soup place I care little about having personal memories of visiting one of those if I can help it.¡± Kyrion shivered. ¡°So your fine if I do it.¡± ¡°Since I can choose not to relive your memories.¡± ¡°So if I spend a little extra time there¡­¡± Kyrie raised an eyebrow. ¡°Your right. Issac¡­ Nevermind. Before he makes it to the brothel, he¡¯s in his room, which is heavilly warded. I happen to have some tools for breaking into places I¡¯m not supposed to be in.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been insulted?¡± Issac scowled. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you offer up that option first?¡± Kyrie said exasperated. ¡°You have my memories, Sinbad is dangerous, I happened to see that last fight he had when he was retrieving my bag. I would rather he not see what we do even if we¡¯re healing his teamate. As far as he¡¯s concered we¡¯re killing what could be a member of the royal family even if I suspect shenanigans and intrigue.¡± ¡°...Why does it seem like your better at spying and assasination than a healer should be?¡± Kyrie asked an important question. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t want to sound like an evil mastermind, but that comes naturally for me. Skills honed from avoiding people who want to find me and keeping track of troublesome individuals. How else do you thing I avoided fighting Minah for five years? Luck?¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°Yeah¡­ I saw that. The flashes replayed a few times in your memory. I¡¯ve heard that voice and recognized it. He¡¯s one of us, and he¡¯s the one who sent me here. I¡¯m not sure how but he seems to have a power that lets him move people across worlds with ease.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t fair.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Yeah. But considering who we are in general, I don¡¯t think we have the right to speak about the unfairness of powers. Had I not been restricted in my use of powers then I could have beaten that brother of yours. Not easily, but I would have had a chance.¡± ¡°You keep on telling yourself that. My brother is stronger than you and you¡¯re salty.¡± ¡°No! He fought me in a ritual circle. If I used magic beyond a certain threshold then it would have drained my dry and turned me into a husk. Instead he used me as a blood sacrifice to summon something.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. I heard about the Chimera King. Although it was mostly about how those who see it and are lucky to get away are never the same.¡± Kyrion looked at his nails. Ander flew down the stairway in a haze of lightning as though he was in a hurry. Upon meeting Kyion he collapsed. ¡°We need to stop this. Your father managed to hold the Emperor off so we could escape, but I never want to be that weak ever again. Only able to run as someone of that level kills my friends.¡± Kyrion blinked twice in surprise. ¡°Did you just use the F word?¡± ¡°What are you going on about? We¡¯re friends, we¡¯ve been friends for years!¡± Ander was exasperated. ¡°Yeah¡­ But dude. You usually use the term rivals, allies, and such.¡± ¡°You must have a flawed memory.¡± ¡°Must be all the deaths.¡± Kyrion shook his head. Entered soon after with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Kyrion asked as he approached. ¡°Die like that! Fighting someone you shouldn¡¯t have. You could have run!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t abandon those I love. Plus at this moment consequences are relatively small. If I die, then I come back smarter and wiser.¡± ¡°If you die sacrficing yourself again when you don¡¯t have to then you can consider what you''ve been trying to build with me will be broken!¡± Lin stated. ¡°Lin, a healer doesn¡¯t abandon a patient when there is a change to save them. I¡¯ll need to visit that other place one more time. This will be a necessary sacrifice. My uncle needs to be brought back from that other place along with the real Midas. I imagine they won¡¯t be the only people I bring back but I will have to go regardless.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been killing them when there was another option. While it wasn¡¯t available until recently, and I hadn¡¯t mastered it. I still killed an innocent that was ill when I could have saved them, had I known the full picture.¡± Lin looked into Kyrion¡¯s resolute eyes. ¡°So you see this as atonement?¡± ¡°My family history is bloody, and destructive. If possible I want to put more good back into the world than there was when I arrived. If you can¡¯t watch, I understand. Seeing something like that hurts.¡± Kyrion held Lin¡¯s hand in his own. Lin didn¡¯t catch the seed that was planted in her clothing but she did take her hand back. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just head to my room then.¡± Lin turned and left. ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡± Ander asked. Kyrion looked to his friend, ¡°It was bound to happen eventually. To be fair there are quieter ways to do this but I want to gather all my enemies together and see them in action. So while most will be unnesseacy I will need to go to the world beyond for a bit. Might as well learn something from a death than do it to myself early.¡± ¡°Master, sometimes I can¡¯t tell if your the smartest idiot I know, or the dumbest Genius.¡± Jala states in a deadpan. ¡°Yeah. Who willingly goes to that place? It¡¯s insane and the only tools you can take with you need to be bound to your soul.¡± Kyrion immediately withdrew a sack and coated it in a bloody circle, performing a shorthand binding ritual on his bag. ¡°There. Now I can take some emergency food with me.¡± The spirits looked at each other before deciding that they wouldn¡¯t crush their master¡¯s heart by telling him the truth that all spirits know. One does not eat food while in the realm of the lost. There is only water and Favra, and nobody likes Favra. Book Two: Chapter 82 Cecil scowled as he noticed something odd. Only one fight in the B block managed to occur; all of the other fights had either one or both participants missing. ¡°Volain, Midas, Nicole, and Ander.¡± Cecil muttered as he watched Damian dance through his opponent''s guard and land a kick on Sinbad¡¯s chest. Sinbad snarled and he vanished from sight for a brief moment. His body moving too fast for a human to see without overclocking their perception. Damian smirked as he too became a blur. Despite the fact that many fights were missed this was by far one of the best fights they had seen. Sinbad fired a ball of mana toward Damian from his mouth. Damian whirled as he spun through the attack, cutting the ball into two halves that landed on the ground. Each half-erased the portion of the ground where it landed as he closed the distance and swept his legs. Sinbad hadn¡¯t fully armored up as he wanted to save that for the actual tournament. He also needed a faster reaction speed to deal with this opponent. As it was now he was barely keeping up, even with his power to slow time to a degree and accelerate his perception. This opponent was still moving at a level past his. The longer they fought, the more Sinbad realized his moves were being anticipated. He was moving at a set rhythm. Changing now would be dangerous as that instant would leave him open to a finishing strike. He knew that but it didn¡¯t stop him from trying. Sinbad hunkered down and entered a guard as a wave of blue force meant to slow him down had been cut in half by the swordsman. Both halves fell to the ground as Damian passed by Sinbad and used his momentum to throw his opponent off the edge of the ring. Damian was exhausted as wounds covered his body. He won his fight, yet no one was speaking about his fight. No, the audience, referee, and even Sinbad himself had their eyes trained on an Azure tornado made of fire piercing the clouds above. Big enough to be seen from a distance but clearly out of the city proper. The fire was followed by a blood-curdling scream so loud that it chilled many spectators to the bone. Bastion clutched his chest and stumbled out of his seat as his heart began to ache and his blood began to flow from his eyes before he passed out. Lin was a coordinator, her position on the team she picked was essentially like a sponsorship. She was not supposed to get involved with the participants in any way shape or form. The situation as it stood was quite surprising. Lin sat across from Nicole, both were in a tea shop. Lin was surprised by the invitation as she observed the spirit master. ¡°Why do you smell like him?¡± Nicole stirred her tea as she asked this her expression blank, her eyes, wild and sleep-deprived. ¡°Like who?¡± Lin felt insulted for a brief moment before it passed and she realized that there was a flower laced into her sleeve. She would remove it after this encounter. ¡°His mana is on you. I won¡¯t say his name here.¡± ¡°Oh mana¡­What are you going on about?¡± Lin sighed. Nicole¡¯s left eye twitched as some of the hair on her head began to try standing up. Lin seemed to understand why Rion avoided her like the plague. This girl was more than a few bricks short of a wall. ¡°Red hair, green eyes, mole next to his eye. He¡¯s also quite tall.¡± ¡°How tall is quite?¡± ¡°Around six-eight.¡± ¡°I do not know anyone with that height.¡± Lin stated as she waved a hand over her tea, cooling it with mana. ¡°What about the eyes and hair color?¡± ¡°I have met miss Asela before. But she doesn¡¯t fit your height requirements.¡± Lin stated as she took a sip of her tea. ¡°Is that so?¡± Nicole closed her eyes. ¡°It is. I was informed that there was a red-haired member of Team Drisil but the closest to that it Rion, and he has orange hair and is quite rude. I was told that the previous captain died in your country.¡± Lin shook her head. A figure flew through the tea shop passing through walls as they soon exited out of the other end. Their body broken and shattered, was followed by a warrior cloaked in flame flying through the shop and retrieving their baggage before flying out of the city while carrying them. Silver ichor burned the ground where the figure passed.
When Kyrion decided that he needed to die one more time to set things back on the right path. He hadn¡¯t thought that someone else would initiate the attack by jumping him while he was on a walk. It wasn¡¯t just one assassin, and it wasn¡¯t Everest. A third party had been recruited, and much more quickly than he had expected. Two students from the Sunburst monastery had engaged him in the opening. Their bodies took on strange forms as horns grew from their heads, and their bodies grew deformed while fur grew from their skin which had taken on a red tinge where fur didn¡¯t cover. ¡°You will die demon slayer!¡± The one on the left started. ¡°Yesss, we wont be bessted in physical sstrength or by fire. You will die for your inssolance.¡± The one on the right hissed. ¡°Who sent you?¡± The young man asked. ¡°We sent ourselves.¡± The one on the left answered. ¡°No. You didn¡¯t.¡± Kyrion swiped his right hand down with a chop powered by wind and fire mana, the white flames passing through the demon, and killing it quickly and without much effort. Much to their surprise. He hadn¡¯t tried to purify it. ¡°Who sent you?¡± Kyrion asked the second. ¡°The one called¡­!¡± A long rod of gold passed into the demon¡¯s chest going through its heart and killing it. Kyrion turned around to see three figures standing on the rooftop. Lisa along with her captain Milo, and a semi-conscious Midas. Lisa¡¯s hands were draped over his skull. ¡°So! Your finishing the job by killing innocent students from team Sunburst! How cruel. Disgusting to think that someone like you us picking on the weak! Wasn¡¯t their headmaster enough for you?!¡± Milo stated with a smirk. Rion¡¯s eyes became suns as he looked down at the two students. They were both demon-possessed. Why is he trying to discredit me? No. Distraction. Kyrion rolled to the side as Edwin appeared behind Kyrion. Having gained another foot and a half in height along with quite a few muscles since our fight a few loops back. The hawk-faced man had attempted to rip his spine out with those claws of his. ¡°Ok¡­ Now this isn¡¯t remotely fair.¡± Kyrion said as he looked about, and finally understood something. Milo was his enemy, not an ally. While it may not be news to anyone else, for him that was quite big. It put things in perspective. ¡°Fights are hardly fair endeavors. We know you''re hiding your real captain somewhere. And we¡¯re going to use you to bring him out.¡± Instead of drawing things out, Kyrion drove his elbow into Edwin¡¯s neck with a spin, propelling him further with a burst of flame. And he didn¡¯t stop pushing until I should have heard a crack. Sadly Edwin was only sent flying backward from the blow, his body unmarred. ¡°An expert¡¯s body.¡± Kyrion said, mock dumbfounded. He clearly didn¡¯t have the talent, strength, or skill to overcome Kyrion¡¯s natural endurance. But he did have an expert''s endurance. Something Kyrion knew already but pretended he didn''t. This wasn¡¯t a tournament fight so Kyrion didn¡¯t have to worry about rules but depending on how much they remembered, certain techniques were off the table. Kyrion then shrouded himself in an aura of fire hot enough to melt stone. Edwin ran towards Kyrion with his black-taloned gauntlet and plunged it forward. It was a simple counter as Kyrion moved into the attack grabbed his head and jumped. His prepped knee propelled further by fire slammed into his jaw. Despite Kyrion¡¯s ability to kill or permanently injure him through raw power. He could shake his brain enough to give him a concussion and rattle his brain for a moment. What Kyrion did to him would have smashed the skull of an average practitioner. Which is why He didn¡¯t intend on using such moves during a tournament. Edwin tried to stumble but Kyrion held his head in a vice which rattled it even more as the young man squeezed. Flying up with wings made of flame Kyrion flung Edwin out of the city proper. Which would slow him down briefly. The best way to deal with an expert is to procrastinate if you can¡¯t overcome their defenses. Kyrion then flew forwards toward Milo to take him out early. Milo briefly took a step back at the casual raw power just displayed. He was clearly surprised. Must have bought in that I was a braggart they picked up at the last minute. Lisa intercepted his approach as she launched herself forward. Stabbing him through the gut with her black blade. That''s where Lisa messed up, with her power she¡¯d have to trick his brain into believing that the sword was real. Usually through disrupting Kyrion¡¯s pain receptors. Sadly those were already under his control and her brief attempt to alter his sensations in that area only lowered them. Pain, was something Kyrion grew used to long ago after all. Kyrion slammed an elbow into Lisa''s head and then threw her body off the edge of the wooden ledges. Midas shot two golden rods into Kyrion¡¯s chest both of which clattered to the ground and shattered after landing. His body proved too strong to be pierced by such a messy attack. ¡°Wait your turn ant. I¡¯ll roast you after I take care of this lizard.¡± Kyrion said as heat waves shot from my body and he punched Milo with enough force to send him flying out of the city with a brief surprise appended to the end of the strike. The surprised young man was rocketed off by delayed trailing explosions. Midas turned to run. So Kyrion reached out and grabbed his shoulder, noticing that the bones hadn¡¯t fused properly. So he snapped it again. ¡°This is strike three Midas.Got anything to say?¡± ¡°You''re the one who killed me first. Yesterday, I remember. You have no right to be on a high horse. The time before that as well. You can''t hide your shape changing ways I just want it to¡­ahh!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Kyrion may have squeezed the wound and pierced his flesh letting his mana work through his nervous system killing the mana that had been used to alter his memories. ¡°Who killed you last time?¡± ¡°A figure, with red hair and green eyes stabbed a blade through his heart. You did you heartless¡­¡± Midas said confused. ¡°And my hair is.¡± Kyrion scowled as he recognized the effect. Midas could see the disguise due to Kyrion¡¯s connection to his core increasing in strength. ¡°Orange. What the hell is going on, it was red moments ago?¡± Midas¡¯ eyes shot open as he looked about. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be the one who killed me. But something is telling me that you have the same features.¡± Midas couldn¡¯t lie and while unaware of it himself. He was internally panicking. Kyrion scowled as well because outside of Asela very few meet those requirements. As Kyrion focused he noticed that he felt a presence behind himself and moved out of the way. As Milo returned. His hair had become the color of blood while his eyes an odd green that did not match his own. His body was covered in black armor as he stabbed a lance through his chest. Kyrion pushed Midas as far away as he could to avoid the strike. Luckily for me, he missed the heart completely. ¡°Nice try but its over.¡° Milo said. "You just tried to save me. Why¡­!¡± Midas asked as he landed with a roll. ¡°Because we needed you to find someone for us, and now you¡¯ve outlived your usefulness.¡± ¡°How many times have you killed him?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°At least twice. Why?¡± Milo asked unaware Kyrion was manipulating him. ¡°At least. Now that''s interesting. Because it isn¡¯t an exact number. Is that your final answer?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the right side. The young man placed a hand around the lance in his chest. With an exertion of mana, he snapped the magical weapon in half before jumping into a doorway through space that caused him to reappear thirty feet away. From there he pulled the rest of the lance out of his chest and proceeded to drink a vial of pomegranate juice as he used it to hide his natural regeneration under the guise of a healing potion. Milo snapped his fingers and the roof Edwin had been behind readying himself to strike was silent. Milo snapped multiple times and nothing happened. ¡°There''s no music playing so why are you snapping off beat?¡± Kyrion asked with a smug look as he flew towards Milo his burning wings getting hotter and brighter. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have done anything, you were standing right here the whole time! Wipe that smug look off your face.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion then tilted his head to the left. ¡°You bastard!¡± Midas yelled as someone caught him in mid-air and transferred him across the gap. Said someone was Volain, who moved with a resigned expression. His eyes sized up Milo as he passed. ¡°What are you planning?¡± Milo asked as he began to circle me. ¡°To end this cycle.¡± ¡°Your a cryptic one aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°From your spark, all life is born, With your rage, life ends. A primordial aspect of a world now torn Flames of the abyss come forth and rend.¡± Kyrion chanted a spell for a partial manifestation and drew his greatsword. Limiting his power to mostly fire had an odd look. His antlers sprouted from his head but their color was black instead of brown while a circle of fire rotated behind his back. ¡°Why are you entering your manifestation now? Shouldn¡¯t you save it for the tournament?¡± Milo mocked. ¡°Bah, what''s the point in having power when I can¡¯t use is?¡± Kyroin said as he withdrew a vial of power and appeared to plunge it into his arm. What he was doing was depositing the liquid through a hole in his domain. The flames around him hid the opening. ¡°You fool! I just need to last five minuets and you¡¯re dead!¡± Milo took a defensive stance. Milo expected to be much stronger and while Kyrion hadn¡¯t been holding back much when fighting Edwin. Milo only experienced a sixteenth of Kyrion¡¯s limited strength. And so when he moved forward now he did so with a full one-fourth of his power. Each step propelled him forward ten feet as Kyrion closed the distanced in an instant and passed by him with a lariat. Milo shocked by the speed barely ducked under the blow and countered with a punch to Rion¡¯s ribs meant to knock him off balance. Kyrion slammed his elbow into the top of his head surprised by his durability and followed it up with a kick aimed at his midsection. Milo let himself get kicked and countered by stabbing a blade of mana into Rion¡¯s gut. The kick however sent Milo flying through a tea shop on top of breaking quite a few bones on impact. Kyrion looked down and noticed that the wound inflicted on his stomach wasn¡¯t closing as fast as it should the nature of the strike slowing regeneration. It didn¡¯t stop his healing completely. Within ten seconds the hole in his organs closed up and he gave chase. Flying through the tea shop and hefting the battered doppelganger in front of Nicole and Lin as he wanted them to see him toss them out of the city and give chase. Milo shrieked as suddenly appeared above him and landed a fire-powered heavy drop kick on his head which caused him to land in the grass below. Kyrion was very much surprised when he got up after that. While the least trained affinity fire was his most naturally offensive, and at the moment he was fighting at a level far above that of a normal practitioner. And despite the broken bones, he seemed perfectly fine. ¡°Your holding back.¡± Kyrion said with a rather irritated expression. ¡°My power has a large splash zone. I must thank you for the ride.¡± Black-scale armor covered Milo from head to toe as blue energy formed in his mouth which was soon covered by a dragon-like helmet. His red hair flowed out of the back. Milo then vanished from his sight moving at a level I hadn¡¯t been ready for as he landed a flurry of punches to Kyrion¡¯s midsection and fired off a blast of light blue mana that sent Kyrion flying into a tree. His regeneration was halted by the effects of the magic as though it was fighting off a continuous attack. ¡°What is this?¡± Kyrion said as he watched his skin regenerate wrong before flaking off. ¡°Mother calls it venom fire. Because what it burns stays burned no matter what. There is no flame hotter than what I''m throwing at you. You will die Rion, and then I¡¯ll eat your body and absorb its potential.¡± ¡°And here I thought you wanted me alive to tell you where Kyrion is.¡± Kyrion popped his shoulder and smirked as he re-engaged Milo. As it turned out, Milo had let Kyrion hit him to get a solid gauge of his technique and abilities. Something he expected would happen if he participated in the tournament. Unluckily for him, Kyrion still had more power in the tank and was fighting like a brawler previously. Taking his sword into both hands he moved forward and opened up with a flurry of sword strikes aimed to do minimal damage on hit as an attempt to gauge the limits of his speed. Milo evaded nine of ten strikes the last one landing on his shoulder and skidding to the ground as the scales deflected most of its power. With that hit, Milo conjured a blade of blue mana which was used to cut off Kyrion¡¯s left hand. As it fell to the ground it was immediately covered in azure flames and disintegrated. ¡°Now thats not very nice.¡± Kyrion said in mock surprise. Regrowing a new hand would take a long time and a lot of concentration, especially with the wounds Milo¡¯s weapon caused to his body. It was a perfect counter. ¡°Gamodren trained you to beat our captain, didn¡¯t he?¡± Kyrion said with a mock dumbfounded expression. ¡°A useless agent but a decent instructor, that useless half brother of mine is. Venom fire isn¡¯t easy to heal and the best way to beat him is to not give him a chance to set me up. But you aren¡¯t him¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion nodded while increasing his capabilities by overclocking his brain. In his current state, he could move fast enough to leave shockwaves behind after each step. Kyrion moved forward his sword leaving a pattern of mana behind as he let loose a flurry of sword strikes powered by mana. Where he cut the wind screamed, the earth groaned, the fire roared, and his blood boiled. The force of his swings caused Milo to retreat, as each seemed to be capable of severing flesh from bone. Before Milo could land on his feet, Kyrion swung his blade across with the rage of an angry volcano and cut off both of his legs leaving the young man a torso and head as he swiftly took his arms next. ¡°You! Will die!¡± Milo yelled as Kyrion approached him from above and wrapped his good hand around Milo¡¯s neck. With some focus, Kyrion increased keratin production in his nails and sharpened them to the point where they broke through Milo¡¯s skin. From there he sent his mana into Milo¡¯s brain and began to extract memories and information for later examination. When he finished tracing all changes in the memory cortex, Kyrion began to overload the organ as he began to purge all information gained within the last twenty-four hours. It was quick and as Milo began to bleed out Kyrion sealed the wounds, prolonging his life slightly while he finished his grizzly work. Before Kyrion could kill him however a hand poked him on the back twice and Kyrion noticed his heart stop beating. At this point in his training, it was a minor inconvenience. So long as Kyrion stayed conscious he could repair it through regeneration while manually keeping it going. The main issue involved was that until he got it going his focus would be shot. The secondary issue was that he couldn¡¯t fix it quickly due to Milo¡¯s weird magic lingering. A bestial thought process slowly began to surface as Kyrion hurridly threw what remained of Milo into a tree and turned to his next opponent. ¡°Did you just stop my heart?¡± Kyrion grunted as he turned to face a woman around his height with a familiar face, red hair, and green eyes. Only the body was female and for some reason, Kyrion felt nauseous and tired. ¡°How are you still alive?¡± The figure asked as they leaped back in confusion. ¡°Ah. That should have killed me then. Interesting.¡± Kyrion noticed the movement, and in that instant, he sent a jolt through his heart to start it back up before protecting it with a layer of mana. ¡°What have you? You can¡¯t just start your heart back up after a heart attack.¡± ¡°There is a diffrence between a Heart Attack and a heart attack.¡± Kyrion squinted as spots in his vision began to fade. He had been closer to death than he had thought and got the feeling that if he died here, he wouldn¡¯t come back when time reversed. ¡°Thats impossibe.¡± The figure stated. ¡°No my dear sister. Your just bad at this. Who are you anyways?¡± Kyrion spat blood on the grass as the radiation in his body began to fade. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± She said. ¡°No I¡¯m Rion, You¡¯re Insane, is your name? How sad.¡± Kyrion quipped back, people really should know not to give him this much time to heal. All he needed to be perfect was another sandwich. Man did he need a sandwich. Maybe he could work a last meal into this fight. His opponent saw that he wasn¡¯t paying attention before closing the distance, and aiming five attacks at him in a strange yet familiar style, each attack capable of stopping Kyrion¡¯s ability to use mana, or send mana to a limb by creating a blocker. A technique he learned from Exac but wasn¡¯t able to reproduce at his teacher''s level. He did however learn how to counter it. As a casual flex, he took each attack head-on as he pulled a loaf of bread out of his domain and tossed it up in the air. A slice aimed to block the signals in Kyrion¡¯s brain, instead sliced the bread in half as Kyrion let out a wave of flame that pushed his opponent back and perfectly toasted the bread which Kyrion caught before withdrawing Mayo, one of Cecil''s greatest contributions to sandwiches, and the world. He tossed the jar into the air with the toasted bread as he moved forward to attack his opponent in a mimicked series of pokes that made them widen their eyes as their left arm went numb and their body sluggish. A kick aimed at Kyrion¡¯s head missed. Hitting the jar of mayo, and shattering it as his bread was then covered perfectly on both ends. Catching the bread through the flurry of glass Kyrion then tossed the bread into the air again and tossed up various cuts of meat, a package of seasoning, and some cheese as his opponent took to the air to land a flying kick. That was a mistake, taking in a deep breath Kyrion let loose a blast of fire that singed everything it touched and cooked his meat and cheese together as they then landed perfectly on the bread. From there He took out some pre-cut vegetables and placed them on the sandwich. ¡°Bone appetite.¡± Kyrion stated in the magic words he heard Cecil use once. ¡°You used me to make a sandwich.¡± Kyrion¡¯s nameless opponent stated in shock as her eyebrows fell from her face having been stealthfully and perfectly burned off without harming the skin. ¡°And you enabled me to do it by stalling so that your comrade could get healing. Saddly it wont work.¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers and a vine shot from the ground to entangle a surprised Lisa. When his opponent noticed the vines Kyrion took the chance to wolf down the hoagie before drinking a cup of water. ¡°Alright now I¡¯m ready. Although I forgot the pickles. Any chance you¡¯ll let me make a second sandwich?¡± Kyrion pulled out a jar of pickles threateningly. ¡°You¡¯ll regret playing with me.¡± ¡°Nah. By now my allies should be arriving.¡± Kyrion said as he leaned back and hurled the pickle jar at the bound Lisa the glass hitting hard enough to shatter as cuts and pickle juice coated her body. The strange woman let out a blood-curdling scream before turning into amorphous black flames and engulfing Milo. Kyrion¡¯s opponent stabbed a hand through his chest, as he watched the scene. From there she tried to pull out Kyrion¡¯s heart only to find resistance. ¡°What have you done?¡± Kyrion grabbed his opponent¡¯s shoulder, plunged his fist into her gut, and shattered her ribs, the blow sending them into a tree. Unable to get back to their feet fast enough to stop him. ¡°Become ash.¡± Kyrion whispered as his right hand was shrouded in a torrent of fire and wind. He swiped it downward as a pillar of flame engulfed Lisa and Milo. Kyrion watched as a tornado of blue flame enveloped his pillar, one up from the ground as Lisa disintegrated and his opponent retreated from the radius of the strange magic. Then he felt all his plants die or begin to die as something on the ground began to change. ¡°Whats going on?¡± Kyrion asked nobody in particular. Nobody answered, which was reassuring yet concerning as usually, his spirits would say something snarky. If they hadn¡¯t then things were getting dangerous. ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone interfering? Should be the question.¡± Kyrion turned his head and sighed as he watched a bird enter the city and stop moving as though frozen in its position. Book Two: Chapter 83 ¡°Oh that''s not good. The city is surrounded by a high tier stasis spell.¡± Ander said as he arrived shortly with a confused Lin and Nicole, while Volain sat down an unconscious Midas at a marked stone slab. ¡°Great. Everyone¡¯s here. Ander, do you want to do me a solid and punch that doppelganger''s lights out? They fight like me and seem to love holding back almost as much as you.¡± Ander turned towards the Crimson-haired woman with a very familiar face. He then looked at Nicole and seemed to decide that he loved living. ¡°I¡¯ll let the girls handle it.¡± ¡°Why?¡±Kyrion tilted my head curiously. ¡°I¡¯m sure they have their own frustrations to beat out whoever that is. I think it will be therapeutic in a way.¡± Ander waved his hand in their direction. Looking at the blue storm of blue flames with apparent bloodlust. ¡°Oi. Kyrie. I don¡¯t have time to make a body here so let''s try something. You drive the body while I command the magic.¡± Kyrion said to Kyrie. Kyrie raised an eyebrow. ¡°You''re going to fight a storm?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m gonna sit here and let that transformation sequence finish?¡± Kyrion answered with a question. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let him reach his full power that way we get to see what they have to offer?¡± ¡°Kyrie. Thats stupid and I¡¯m disappointed in your tactics. Now drive.¡± Kyrion stated as they flew towards the storm a barrier of wind and fire mana prepared to protect his body from the storm''s power. Looking down he saw a four-legged creature with scales darker than black and a tail with blades that radiated a blue flame. Its eyes were serpentine and a deep yellow. Wings that drowned out all light grew as fire flowed into them like light does a singularity. ¡°A bloody dragon?¡± Kyrion muttered through his connection with Kyrie as he noticed the resemblance in general shape to Ceres and scowled. ¡°Yeah thats not good. Thats an Endbringer. You don¡¯t want to fight a mature verion of that.¡± Kyrie muttered. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound fun.¡± Kyrion replied said as Kyrie drew their blade and began the process of flying downwards towards the large lizard. As he got within 5 feet of the creature, black flames shot out and began to fill his body with high levels of pain flowing into his skin, and felt as though it was being torn to shreds at a cellular level. And yet It didn¡¯t stop Kyrion. No, he continued downward and with a large crack stabbed the draconic creature in its spine only managing to crack a scale and no blood was drawn. The tornado of blue flame did stop, however. The dragon¡¯s transformation was incomplete. The tornado of blue fire faded revealing Milo¡¯s true form to the world. Where the flames faded the land was barren as though all life it touched had been erased, leaving behind barren land where a patch of forest had once been. ¡°You bastard!¡± The dragon yelled as it looked at Kyrion. ¡°For what reason do you have to take things this far?" Kyrion pondered answering the question before a wild smirk took over his face. "A king such as I suffers no fools. If I¡¯m fighting you it means your evil." Kyrie answered with an arrogant tone. "Oi. Kyrie, I may not be able to go all out, so be careful, and if we enter a full manifestation then it will be hard not to do any." Kyrion whispered through their connection. "What are you bloody talking about? All this mana and you''re not going to use it to overwhelm but instead outlast?" Kyrie''s eyes twitched. "If we have too. Remember we aren''t alone although I expect plants won''t be helpful here." "Endbringers are dragons that are said to eliminate all life in an area. Some stories talk about how adults eat continents, and the oldest can swallow planets whole. I¡¯m trying to make one of those look weak and your talking about using stall tactics?" ¡°What deal are you talking about?¡± The tree within Kyrion¡¯s core asked. ¡°The conversation I had with the goddess, for that powerful non resurrection ability I ended up with.¡± ¡°Give me ten minuets to search through your memories for that conversation.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion yelled as his metal defenses shattered. ¡°Ahhhgg!¡± Kyrie let out a bestial howl as pain went through his brain as it was roughly dug threw while he was trying to focus on the fight at hand. Ander flew next to Kyrie soon after. ¡°Whats wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need your help for a bit.¡± Kyrie gripped his skull as though trying to keep something in. ¡°Right!¡± Ander summoned his spear as he hovered next to his captain. ¡°Good. First off we need to get the dragon away from Midas and the girls, otherwise they could get caught in the crossfire. From there we¡¯ll need to limit it¡¯s movement. Those wings are we¡­Move!¡± Kyrie pushed Ander away and used the momentum to fly in the opposite direction as a blast of blue fire shot from Milo¡¯s mouth and into the sky before exploding in the clouds. A giant hole could be seen as the moisture in a perfectly spherical shape was erased. Ander looked at the blast radius and then at the dragon. Deciding that he would stay far away from his mouth. Kyrie scowled. ¡°Ten bloody minuets. Kyrion, can you fight?¡± ¡°Yes, although that was rough, it was as though my mental defenses were dropped and some amature started doing brain surgery. Now that their end and my defenses are back they can work and I can somewhat focus.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Then why do I still have a headache?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh¡­ We can¡¯t regenerate, and excess mana isn¡¯t passively leaving my body as it does usually. Looks like I can¡¯t heal either. We might suffer some brain damage. Issac, can you assist that tree?¡± ¡°Aye, probably should have thought of that.¡± Issac soon flew after the tree spirit within Kyrion¡¯s brain, although their movements were unnoticed. ¡°Looks like all we have access to are earth, wind, and fire. I¡¯ll have to make it work.¡± Behind their back, a halo of flame began to form as stone shot up from the ground and molded into an extra set of arms growing from his back. Under his feet, the wind began to flow and build as though waiting to boost his speed when the fighting began. ¡°Alright. Now going full speed!¡± Kyrie yelled as he moved faster than sound albeit mostly uncontrolled due to a miscommunication. So when Kyrion could finally be seen, he had planted himself in between Milo¡¯s eyes, slamming into his skull and stopping as his blade only managed to leave behind a small knick of the dragon¡¯s large scales. ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Milo opened his maw again and pointed it at Kyrion as a blue fire began to build up in what appeared to be a special organ. Kyrion took time to memorize the inner workings of dragon anatomy and noticed that it wasn¡¯t fully magical. But some sort of internal chemical reaction. ¡°Interesting. The lungs filter out some sort of green air that is heavily compressed within its body to the point where it condenses and then focused as green air becomes blue, from there it''s shaped through another strange organ that seems to be highly malleable and released. While Kyrion pondered, Kyrie flew backward barely dodging the bite that followed before Milo reopened his mouth to let out another blast of mana. ¡°We goota go!¡± ¡°Your right, we need to go in there.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Kyrie got out as Kyrion pushed them into the dragon¡¯s maw and past the gathering blue flames before stopping right next to the lungs. ¡°What are you thinking you psycho?!¡± Kyrie added as he began to panic. ¡°That we should learn a bit more about dragon anatomy. The last time I was this deep in a dragon was Ceres, back when I had to pull her wisdom tooth out. We just need to avoid tringering vomit, and avoid digestive acids." ¡°First, I don¡¯t know who that is, second phasing, thirdly you pulled out her bones?¡± ¡°Teeth aren¡¯t bones silly. Now then if you fine something weird and dangling that means we¡¯re goi ng too far up and if you see a pond at the bottom thats stomach acid and you need to get far far away before it attempts to turn us into nutrients.¡± Kyrion said as he opened his domain, and began dropping an absurd amount of powders and strange concoctions. Kyire watched as the walls tightened and the dragon began to cough. Earthen arms attached to Kyrion¡¯s back and grabbed hold of the trachea doorway as the dragon was forced to let out a powerful breath attack upwards. Kyrion then pulled onto the doors with the might of two sets of arms, causing the dragon to feel something clawing at his throat as something was torn out of his insides before getting dropped into his stomach. ¡°I see.¡± Kyrie began to follow along as he began punching and kicking the dragon internally, pushing the beast through the air from the inside.
Outside the dragon, Ander had floated behind Milo, having not yet gotten its attention, his skin covered in black stripes, his green hair full of static, and his expression ravenous as he waited for a chance to strike. When Milo looked up to fire, a breath attack Ander moved in at high speeds as he passed the creature in a blur of light, thrusting his magnetic spearhead into the dragon¡¯s exposed neck and forcing the heads to separate. As a gout of blood left the dragon''s neck, Milo brought his head down into Ander in response, sending him into the ground with a force that crushed bones. As Ander struggled to get to his feet, the dragon stomped on him and locked him in place as his legs were pinned. The dragon then began to summon a blast of blue flame when its head jerked upwards and the dragon let out a screech as it was forced to fire that blast in the wrong direction. Moments later a series of poundings knocked the dragon on its side giving Adner some useful time to move. As Ander flew backward he noticed that with one hit, his left arm and leg had been shattered despite his training and endurance. Withdrawing a blue potion he watched as his body slowly began to repair itself, using the mana in his body. He¡¯d be slightly stronger as his body was reinforced. That was a secondary effect of the potion that caused those who consumed it to gain extra durability. Ander needed all the endurance he could get, although he would need to evade for a bit as his body healed. ¡°Just what is our captain planning?¡± Ander muttered as he watched the dragon shake itself off as blood turned the ground red.
Lin watched as her opponent evaded a series of ice lances that tracked her movement, by teleporting and reappearing in a completely different area. This aspect of the fight was the second most annoying. ¡°Gates of the abyss open and let out your guardian!¡± A three-headed dog-human hybrid came running out of a gateway covered in purple flames and instead of running toward their common enemy, it was running toward Lin. Dodging to the side with a cartwheel. Lin froze the ground with a sheet of ice that she used to skid far away from the creature. ¡°This is madness Nicole!¡± Lin yelled as the zig-zagged through trees, evading the balls of fire that followed. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°My love, there is no madness when fighting for true love! Kill this homewrecker, and then we can go somewhere!¡± The red-haired woman said in a tone eerily similar to Kyrion¡¯s natural tenor. On closer expression, their appearances were so uncanny that they could have been twins, and it was driving Lin mad. The person was using some trick to manipulate Nicole, and it wasn¡¯t even magic. ¡°Yes my Kyrion.¡± Nicole¡¯s pupils appeared in the shape of hearts, and Lin was highly concerned. The forest became a hellscape as fire clashed with ice, and trees were either frozen or burned. Roaming monsters ran for their lives, innocent woodland critters died, and the ecosystem was shattered as Lin formed a new plan. ¡°Oi. Nicole! That can¡¯t be Kyrion, not that I know about my teams previous captain, but I at least know that he was male!¡± ¡°He¡¯s in disguise, it¡¯s a simple trick, he¡¯s probably hiding from the people who tried to grab him.¡± Nicole said. Lin sighed as that made some sense, sadly she knew the real one was hiding in plain sight right over¡­ ¡°Where¡¯d he run off to?¡± Lin blinked twice as a dragon seemed to be clawing at its chest. As though trying to rip something out. ¡°Die!¡± The red-haired woman moved to stab Lin in the back with an overly flexed hand with sharpened claws extending from her nails. ¡°Lin was stuned briefly as she noticed that she was unable to move out of the way.¡± Just before the claws could connect, however, a streak of black and white intercepted as a lariat connected with their neck, sending them flying to the ground. ¡°Darn. Guess this isn¡¯t the famous Drisil captain then.¡± Volain stood over his quarry with a bored expression. ¡°What have you done!¡± Nicole raced towards Volain. Lin turned the ground to ice which caused the focused Nicole to slip, sliding herself out of the fight. The red-haired woman got back to her feet and looked towards Volain. "I am Kyra of clan Lemure, slayer of hearts, breaker of wind, Master of Soul Blocking! You are nothing native of this pathetic world.¡± ¡°Hah!¡± A laugh not bellowing to the dragon, echoed out of its mouth and bellowed despite the speaker not being in earshot. ¡°How is he spying from that distance?¡± Lin muttered as she looked around, and sighed as she realized that they were still in a living part of the forest. ¡°So what you¡¯re really good at passing gas? Do you want a cookie or something? Ah you¡¯re part of a clan, maybe your after another star for being good.¡± Volain said in a confused yet serious tone. ¡°I¡¯ll rip out your heart and feed it to you!¡± Kyra swiftly moved towards Volain¡¯s heart, her right-hand inches from his chest. ¡°Sadly I saw that already.¡± Volain spun into a roundhouse kick aimed at behind where he¡¯d been standing, as he kicked a startled Kyra through the brush. ¡°Go, help Rion, I can take it from here,¡± Lin stated. ¡°Two against one isn¡¯t fair.¡± ¡°Neither is three. Now go.¡± Lin drew pulled an ornament out of her hair and dropped it, the area around her dropped eighty degrees, and anything under practitioner rank had flash frozen. ¡°Aye.¡± Volain took that as a warning and decided that a dragon was indeed better game. Lin failed to protect Rion due to not having prepared enough and suffered from a spirit break, now she wasn¡¯t holding back. ¡°Invoke Ma, Fox of the eternal winter all, enemies in my territory shall become freeze.¡± A silver tiara formed in Lin¡¯s hair as a scepter made of ice appeared in her left hand. Kyra looked about as walls of ice trapped her within, as her ability to move quickly, was suppressed. As she looked at Lin her heart dropped out of her chest as something occurred to her.
As Kyrion continued to inject various drugs and chemicals into the dragon¡¯s bloodstream, Kyrie held on to the creature''s uvula for dear life as his main counterpart experimented on the dragon. ¡°I thought you didn''t do things like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cutting him open, just testing things I wouldn¡¯t dare risk this on a friend and hoping for the worst. Do you want the good news or the bad news?¡± ¡°Bad news.¡± Kyrie didn¡¯t like this game that they were playing inside the dragon''s body. ¡°The dragon has a severe case of munchies and may resort ti eating anything and everything, including us.¡± ¡°Ok, now the good news.¡± ¡°This dragon is higher than Almira and Icaron.¡± ¡°That is good news.¡± Kyrie was surprised. ¡°Yup and in aproximently two minutes he¡¯ll either die or be severely weakened.¡± ¡°Even better.¡± ¡°Sadly, there is another piece of us here along with another expert.¡± ¡°That is really bad.¡± ¡°Oh, Volain¡¯s coming. We should kill him now.¡± ¡°Volain or the dragon?¡± Kyrion scowled, ¡°The dragon, Volain is here to hel¡­¡± Rion passed through his domain and landed on the ground next to Volain as the dragon began to spit stomach acid on the ground. ¡°Snacks?¡± Milo¡¯s right eye looked directly at Volain before moving towards Rion. Ander flew down from above and plunged his spear into the dragon¡¯s head managing to get it stuck. ¡°Lightning fortress!¡± Ander yelled as countless small metal bits protruding from the dragon began to glow. ¡°No!¡± Kyrie saw the dragon open its mouth as Ander yelled before clamping it down on the small spear wielder. The spell didn¡¯t end, however, as the world began to smell of static and the nodes grew brighter and brighter. The dragon, distracted by the light show, didn¡¯t notice as a beam in the sky came down on it engulfing the beast in white hot light and cooked it from the outside while Ander fried it from the inside with the remainder of his useable mana. As the light faded, Milo fell forward and was unable to move. Silence engulfed the battlefield as Kyra noticed the scene. ¡°Impossible. You shouldn¡¯t have been able to get past his defenses.¡± Kyra¡¯s said distracted. Pillars of Ice shout out from the ground and wrapped around Lin, locking her in place as a hand covered in purple flames wrapped around her neck. ¡°You can¡¯t be him. Impostor.¡± Nicole said from behind Kyra, her heart eyes gone as she broke free of the strange effect. "Rion, told be you were one of the smartest people he knew. Really not setting the bar high on his ability to judge character." Lin said with a deadpan. "I do not see where that braggart Rion would get such notions. We haven''t interacted once." Nicole responded, not catching the hint Lin gave. ¡°Do you really believe you¡¯ve won? You may have gotten past me, but we aren¡¯t alone. White Fox! Gamodren! I summon thee!¡± Kyra shouted and waves of mana erupted from her bracelet and traveled outward. A white-haired kid appeared in a haze of purple smoke with a toy bear with red fur and stitch marks its right arm had been replaced, along with its left leg. A familiar eyepatch covered the creature''s right eye. The kid seemed to have been holding said toy when he was called and wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°Oi! What do you want! Growing kids need sleep.¡± The kid said with no fear or hesitation. He even yawned before looking about with squint eyes. ¡°Milo, has been defeated. Where¡¯s Gamodren?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The kid asked with a skeptical expression. The hands placed around Kyra¡¯s neck fell back as Nicole had fallen unconscious, a snake bite on her neck, putting he to sleep. ¡°Assasin!¡± Lin yelled as she looked around. The kid looked at Lin and then back at Milo''s corpse with a bored expression as though it wasn''t that surprising. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting you ms... I hate fighting. But I do have a job to do, please don¡¯t interfere.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Sirbastian, of the winter fox clan.¡± The kid turned and began running toward the unmoving dragon. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°You should be more worried about yourself.¡±Hissed a voice from behind her. A wall of ice intercepted and froze a swarm of vipers that had sprung towards her back. Lin looked around only to watch as Kyra began to run off as well. ¡°No!¡± Lin froze Kyra¡¯s leg from the inside causing her blood to expand and burst outward from her leg and removing the limb. Kyra fell, letting loose a string of swears and aimed toward Lin that she wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable repeating. ¡°Oh those are new.¡± Sirbastian stated as he stood behind Kyrion. ¡°Whoa! Where did you come from?¡± ¡°Ah, well since your busy, Ms.Kyra, summoned me and Gamodren.¡± ¡°Gamodren and I, you mean?¡± Volain stated. ¡°Is your name Me?¡± Kyrion asked the child. ¡°Sure! Now then, I¡¯m going to wake that dragon up. You are going to fight it and probably die a gruesome death but hey, isn''t that the point. I doubt you have it in you to kill a child that won¡¯t fight back so this is how things are going to go.¡± ¡°I could pick you up and carry you back to the city. Why are you with the Beastblood Empire?¡± Kyrion asked, not making a move to attack. ¡°Reason¡¯s, I¡¯m doing this for someone important to me, some things still need to happen.¡± Sirbastian began to walk toward the dragon. Ander proceeded to cut his hay out through the dragon¡¯s chest confirming that they are much less durable from the inside. Although his body was charred to an unhealthy level as all his skin had severe burns while his piercings fuzed to his body in a rather sickening fashion. His left hand was completely gone while both of his eyes had been gravely damaged. ¡°No!¡± Kyrion began to move forward to apply some emergency healing. Ander let out a raspy laugh. ¡°I¡¯m an inch taller, that was worth all the pain.¡± Before Kyrion could catch Ander however, the currently bald, spear wielder fell to the ground and stopped moving. ¡°No. No, no. This can¡¯t be happening.¡± Kyrie was panicking in Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°Stasis coffin him. We can¡¯t help him now as we don¡¯t have the time and space. If he survives he¡¯ll remember this but he¡¯ll also be stronger for it.¡± Kyrion summoned a coffin from his domain and dropped it next to Ander. ¡°Volain, help me out here.¡± Rion asked as they opened the coffin. Volain moved the body inside and scowled. ¡°He¡¯s still alive. How can you survive something like that?¡± ¡°Ander¡¯s always been a bit competitive. I doubt he¡¯d let Brion outshow him in feats of endurance and vitality.¡± Rion stated as he closed the coffin. ¡°You act like you know more than you should. Given that your¡¯re supposedly new.¡± Volain stated.
Kyrion sighed and took control of the body. ¡°Simple really. I am Kyrion of Drisil. Those people we¡¯re fighting tried and failed to kidnapp me a few months ago and I used that as a way to fake my death. I¡¯m not suprrised they caused this chaotic turn of events. But now your an accomplice in stopping them and I assume you recived something for assisting us.¡± ¡°That I have. I have been told that you are a water spirit user, but I wasn¡¯t told that you have the ability to create spirits.¡± Volain scowled. Kyrion thought very loudly, ¡°What?¡±, before giving Volain a flat look. ¡°Versitillity is the name of the game with me. Now that¡­¡± An azure light shot out of the ground and engulfed Milo¡¯s draconic body before a barrier of magic surrounded it and absurd amounts of mana began to flow into the creature''s corpse. Kyrion moved forward to stop the spell when a snake shot out of the ground and attempted to bite his leg. Kyrion jumped back to avoid the strike, only for a second snake to bite him in the arm as a fast-acting venom flowed into his system and nothing happened. A third snake appeared and bit Kyrion in the hand, and the young man¡¯s vision began to go blurry. ¡°I know this trick.¡± From his domain, Kyrion withdrew a syringe and plunged it into his stomach. ¡°Oi! Boss! There seems to be something coming in our direction. I¡¯ll hold it back for as long as I can but that tree is having more trouble deciphering your memories. As it seems you have some serious focusing issues.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion plunged his fist into the earth and let out a wave of mana that collapsed all freshly dug tunnels and filled the area with molten heat. A series of muffled hisses came from the ground as a fourth snake dropped from a tree. Volain moved forward and intercepted the stake with a punch that turned it into pulp. ¡°You seem to have too many powers.¡± ¡°Enough for two people or more you could say. These snakes are here to deley, where¡¯s Lin?¡± ¡°With Nicole, and that Kyra girl.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Oh thats bad.¡± Kyrie muttered. ¡°Why is that bad?¡± Kyrion asked through their link. ¡°She¡¯s one of us.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t realize when we we¡¯re fighting her?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°I thought she was one of your sister¡¯s counterparts and didn¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°Why is it bad then?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because with one touch she can force you to have a heart attack. In a one on one fight we¡¯d be in trouble.¡± ¡°Do you not pay attention, Kyrie? I already fought her. She was clearly holding back yes but she isn¡¯t stronger than the two of us combined, in fact I was stronger.¡± ¡°Yeah. But these snakes remind me of that master of yours.¡± ¡°Ah. That. I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight her and Gamodren at once. Good thing I¡¯m not alone.¡± Kyrion turned and began to run towards where he¡¯d left Lin and Nicole to fight, Kyra. ¡°Oi! Shouldn¡¯t we deal with the dragon?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Drink this and listen, we¡¯re going to be fighting a somewhat experienced and powerful expert. I¡¯d rather not lose anyone to one of my best friends. I also have a plan to take him down. Just need to listen to the bells.¡± Kyrion summoned a silver-furred fox with a bell-shaped collar around her neck it''s jingle was imperceptible to an untrained ear. Volain scowled, "You want me to follow something so small?" Jala faded from sight and moved a great distance quickly, as she traveled in the space between. Volain seemed to keep an eye on the fox despite being unable to see it with his eyes. "Interesting, I need to avoid fighting you at this tournament." Kyrion scratched his chin. Book Two: Chapter 84 Finale Lin had heard of Kyrion¡¯s wayward instructor from multiple people. Everyone save the headmaster of Drisil and Rion called him a charlatan. While the latter two called him a dangerous yet greedy tactician. Lin now understood, how powerful Gamodren was, and it wasn¡¯t just in direct power. The way he fought was methodical, as he observed her combat style before developing a perfect counter. From there it seemed like he knew the environment better than she had. Lin rolled to the side and sent a wave of chilling ice, towards a patch of waiting serpents freezing them solid along with the ground creating a thick layer of ice that buried many waiting serpents beneath them, freezing many and killing more. From there, she created a path of ice as she skated through the forest. As Gamodren''s current location was unknown. As Lin turned right to cover another area of snakes with ice, a sword was thrust toward her back. A metallic clash echoed through the forest as Gamodren''s thin blade, was parried by an oversized greatsword. Gamodren recoiled as he attempted to retreat, and circle around, only to be tackled by a large, dark-skinned figure and slammed into a boulder like a vengeful wave hitting a sand castle. Volain followed up the tackle with two punches, one to the neck and another to his right shoulder blade, a red tinge beginning to build up in his eyes as water propelled them through one portal and into the trunk of another. Gamodren thrust his sword forward to skewer Volain¡¯s torso, only for the blade to pass into empty space as he seemingly evaded the blow like he wasn¡¯t there. Leaving him to wonder if that was just blind luck or planning. Rion didn¡¯t give Gamodren time to think, from behind the boulder, Kyrion flipped the trigger on his sword, and the chain link holding the blade together was released. From there he swung it in an arc causing it to wrap around Gamodren and the boulder three times before going taut, pinning the expert in place. Lin, seeing Gamodren restrained, began to send a barrage of ice lances into the man, doing no damage while freezing him to the boulder. From there, she turned and ran towards a crawling Kyra. ¡°Do you really thing besting me is this easy?¡± Gamodren said from everywhere and yet nowhere as his restrained body went limp. Lin covered herself in a dome of ice, as snakes began to rain down on her from above. As it solidified, a loud crash echoed through the forest as the ice was cracked by a bare fist, a somewhat surprised young man reeling from his blow. There wasn¡¯t a second slam on the ice as Volain crashed into Gamodren from the side, slamming him through a rushed portal, leading the two of them to reappear over half a mile in the air. While airborne, a confused Volain kicked an even more confused Volain in the chest and pushed off of him. Gliding through another open portal that had been conveniently left open, and landed on the ground next to Rion. ¡°What next?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Simple. My dear Volain. Where do you think they teleported you?¡± ¡°In the sky, duh.¡± He answered. ¡°But we¡¯re only practitioners, so moving others is greatly restricted.¡± ¡°We were half a mile above something.¡±Lin had heard of Kyrion¡¯s wayward instructor from multiple people. Everyone save the headmaster of Drisil and Rion called him a charlatan. While the latter two called him a dangerous yet greedy tactician. Lin now understood, how powerful Gamodren was, and it wasn¡¯t just in direct power. The way he fought was methodical, as he observed her combat style before developing a perfect counter. From there it seemed like he knew the environment better than she had. Lin rolled to the side and sent a wave of chilling ice, towards a patch of waiting serpents freezing them solid along with the ground creating a thick layer of ice that buried many waiting serpents beneath them, freezing many and killing more. From there, she created a path of ice as she skated through the forest. As Gamodren''s current location was unknown. As Lin turned right to cover another area of snakes with ice, a sword was thrust toward her back. A metallic clash echoed through the forest as Gamodren''s thin blade, was parried by an oversized greatsword. Gamodren recoiled as he attempted to retreat, and circle around, only to be tackled by a large, dark-skinned figure and slammed into a boulder like a vengeful wave hitting a sand castle. Volain followed up the tackle with two punches, one to the neck and another to his right shoulder blade, a red tinge beginning to build up in his eyes as water propelled them through one portal and into the trunk of another. Gamodren thrust his sword forward to skewer Volain¡¯s torso, only for the blade to pass into empty space as he seemingly evaded the blow like he wasn¡¯t there. Leaving him to wonder if that was just blind luck or planning. Rion didn¡¯t give Gamodren time to think, from behind the boulder, Kyrion flipped the trigger on his sword, and the chain link holding the blade together was released. From there he swung it in an arc causing it to wrap around Gamodren and the boulder three times before going taut, pinning the expert in place. Lin, seeing Gamodren restrained, began to send a barrage of ice lances into the man, doing no damage while freezing him to the boulder. From there, she turned and ran towards a crawling Kyra. ¡°Do you really thing besting me is this easy?¡± Gamodren said from everywhere and yet nowhere as his restrained body went limp. Lin covered herself in a dome of ice, as snakes began to rain down on her from above. As it solidified, a loud crash echoed through the forest as the ice was cracked by a bare fist, a somewhat surprised young man reeling from his blow. There wasn¡¯t a second slam on the ice as Volain crashed into Gamodren from the side, slamming him through a rushed portal, leading the two of them to reappear over half a mile in the air. While airborne, a confused Volain kicked an even more confused Volain in the chest and pushed off of him. Gliding through another open portal that had been conveniently left open, and landed on the ground next to Rion. ¡°What next?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Simple. My dear Volain. Where do you think they teleported you?¡± ¡°In the sky, duh.¡± He answered. ¡°But we¡¯re only practitioners, so moving others is greatly restricted.¡± ¡°We were half a mile above something.¡± ¡°This is one of a better hidden secret of the area. Lets just say he¡¯s in a dungeon separated from time and space. Without a guide, getting out will be trickey, knowing him even with the time distortion, we have five minuets, unless the bait works.¡± ¡°Bait?¡± ¡°An all you can gamble casino. If he¡¯s tempted then we have quite a bit longer than five minuets.¡± ¡°How do you know him so well?¡± Volain asked as he approached Kyrion. Alarm bells went off in Kyrion¡¯s head as that tone sounded off coming from Volain, and it finally made sense. Kyrion was being played, or so Kyrie thought. ¡°Who would pass up a chance for Telestrine, a rare and expensive material, and yet that dungeon can reproduce it.¡± .¡±Telestrine? Dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, you wouldn¡¯t happen to need that material would you Volain?¡± ¡°It just so happens that I have prior obligations and an oath that takes precedence over this request.¡± Volain hopped right back through the portal. ¡°Master, it seems Volain has found one of your leftovers fridges?¡± Karl said through their link. ¡°I don¡¯t leave leftovers¡­We both know that.¡± ¡°My mistake, he¡¯s in the medical area, those are your organ donor fridges.¡± ¡°Ah! My extra organs! Please escort him to the cafeteria.¡± ¡°Will do, about the other Volain?¡± ¡°Make the Telestrine time consuming to get, also, put a that time cutting thing in there as well. I want to see if it takes them with me. Mostly Gamodren, but if Volain eats all my food, he should at least compensate me for it.¡± A howl of pain shot out from the forest, which called for Kyrion¡¯s swift attention as Kyrie oved them through the forest and to the sight of the sound. Kyra was a bloody mess of missing limbs and fury as Lin held her within a red sphere of snow, her body still writhing. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done.¡± Lin sighed. Kyrion walked up to Kyra and placed a hand on her neck noting that she was still alive. "Do you submit to my power and agree to join me?¡± Kyrion asked with two voices. ¡°No¡­Impossible...you¡­Tricked us.¡± Kyra said in shock, having figured something out. ¡°A pity.¡± Kyrion sunk clawlike nails into her neck in preparation for ending this doppelganger here and now. ¡°I submit!¡± Kyra yelled in panic. Kyrion, Kyra, and Kyrie found themselves in a strange stone room with eight doors. Three were open while the rest were locked. In the center of the room was a faceless statue with Kyrion¡¯s height, and proportions. Resting in front of the statue was a tablet with strange carved letters. ¡°Whats going on?¡± Kyrion asked allowed. ¡°You have hit a threshold and unlocked the seal on our soul. Where there were three, are now one, its your choice as the head to decide how things go. Usually you¡¯d wait until becoming an expert before doing this but¡­¡± ¡°The other me cheated by sending you here assiming I was already dead?¡± Kyrion asked having pieced it together. ¡°Pretty much.¡± Kyrie answered. ¡°You aren¡¯t very loyal our old leader.¡± ¡°That man humbled me yes, but he sent me here with bad intell and weaker powers. He could have fused with us, but he didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t you know why?¡± ¡°What are you going on about Rie?¡± Kyra asked. ¡°You know what Ra. He wants us to be shattered into mindless puppets before he takes us in. That way he gets full control of our soul. Rion Will at least share, the body, or give us out own, to do stuff with.¡± ¡°You can do what now?¡± Kyra looked at Kyrion and scowled. ¡°Yeah I can make bodies and let Kyrie pilot them whats the big deal?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Will you swear to make me a body and let me do what I want?¡± ¡°Oh Abyss no.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Why resist now?¡± ¡°I have a spy in the beastblood empire now, or a potential enemy that now knows my secret identity. I will not agree to something so open ended. You are not free to stab me in the heart five minuets after our deal is struck.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a paranoid one, Rie.¡± Kyra muttered. ¡°Not usually, he just doesn¡¯t know you yet Ra.¡± Kyrie sighed. ¡°What do you want to do anyways?¡± Kyion asked. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± Rie stated. ¡°Fine then. Why are you shortening our names?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tradition to cut off the first part of out names when speaking to those of your own soul.¡± Kyra stated. ¡°How do you know this when I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Because as far as we¡¯re aware, Rion, you are a wildcard. We remember losing to the one you know as your enemy. Beating us again solidified his hold, and proved we couldn¡¯t win.¡± ¡°The one you called Psycho, we were sent here to kill him before he matured into a threat, he told me this before he left having figured out that you wern¡¯t the same person. You haven¡¯t bested us in combat, yet our wills are too weak to challenge yours. Your resolve is strong, and yet you strive for alternative ways to fight. Let us be your hands, Rion.¡± ¡°I knew something was off about them. Fine, help me out, but what you do with your face is on you. Don¡¯t bring harm to my friends and family, and don¡¯t kill unsessecarilly. Your business is your busineniess so keep your drama to yourself, I have enough as is.¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°What is unnecessary killing?¡± Ra asked. ¡°If you really need to ask¡­ Killing outside of eating or survival. Or provking a fight so that you can kill someone. If they attack you first, do what you must.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°Was I a necessary kill?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Mostly. You haven¡¯t seen what I have yet, so you don¡¯t know why I¡¯m determined to destroy the Beastblood Empire. You also don¡¯t get how close you were to death. Why is there a child on your team and why send him after us?¡± ¡°Oh. Right. That. We need to get out of here and flee. We¡¯re going to die otherwise.¡± Ra stated. ¡°Ah. I was planning on that.¡± Kyrion ¡°So your going to flee?¡± Ra asked. ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m going to die, that is my resolution. Kyrie will breif you on the plan when we get back and hopefully Karl will figure out how to make you a body while I¡¯m away.¡± ¡°Wait. Your doing this in an attempt to die. Are you some type a fool.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been told I¡¯m a special kind of fool. To be fair, where is the Beastblood emperor when I need him to kill me?¡± ¡°He¡¯s within the city, why?¡± Ra stated before her eyes widened. ¡°Why were Gamodren and White Fox, out of the city.¡± ¡°Gamodren was probably watching, but he¡¯s a reluctant ally and hasn¡¯t recogized me, White Fox? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Why do you even want to die?¡± ¡°That demon thing on Midas was linked to me, and I have been told that we¡¯re going to be losing years of time shortly. So I¡¯m gonna go on an adventure while everyone else is doing nothing.¡± Kyrion touched the statue and watched as the world flashed, everything shook, and within a few brief moments, he was back where he stood. Kyra¡¯s body was gone all her items were transported into his domain, along with those belonging to Kyrie. That was shocking to Kyrie as well, however. ¡°I got my equipment back!¡± Kyire said through Kyrion¡¯s mouth. ¡°God Slaying Spear? Heaven breaking Hammer, Sword of greater Demon slaying, interesting item names. Are they really that powerful?¡± ¡°I was twelve when I made those enchantments¡­¡± Rie said as his face redded. ¡°Ah?¡± Kyrion brought out the supposed God Slaying Spear and examined it. The enchantment was overcomplicated and did very little extra damage. Although the lettering did look cool. ¡°Why do I feel your judgement?¡± Kyrie asked. ¡°Can I have Karl fix these?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Sure. But do you have the time?¡± ¡°No. No I do not. Why did we let that kid cast that kind of spell again?¡± Kyrion said as he watched the large amounts of undeath gather into the dragon¡¯s corpse. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to die?¡± Kyra said within Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°Right. Issac, have you finished your investigation?¡± ¡°Ah. Right. You¡¯re an idiot.¡± ¡°Why is that the issue?¡± Kyrion seemed surprised. ¡°Well. While I¡¯d love to tell you this when you were in grave peril, for dramatic effect. I recognize that doing so now would be dangerous, in the literal sense.¡± Kyrion watched as Milo¡¯s corpse doubled in size while bonelike armor covered its entire body. The ritual was taking longer than expected. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°You agreed not to prove your mastery over magic early. Resurrection would be in the mastery category. Destroying a city full of experts would count as showing, mastery. Defacing a forest could me seen as a mastery.¡± Issac explained. ¡°Alright?¡± ¡°You agreed to this to it beliving what it meant by holding back had become a self made handicap.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°What can I use?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A full manifestation ontop of anything that wouldn¡¯t bring drastic and permanent change on Imala so long as your alive when it or after it occurs. If you die before something like that happens, chances are you will escape to the realm of the lost.¡± ¡°Perfect! Kyrie, I¡¯m going to try to fully manifest, doing so will make you quite a bit stronger. I¡¯m also going to turn on all of our boosting spells.¡± ¡°You pushed us into the belly of a dragon when we couldn¡¯t heal ourself, I¡¯m starting to suspect that winning isn¡¯t your goal.¡± ¡°I mean dying in it¡¯s stomach would have been quick and convenient. I was trying to cause acid reflux and hope it turned us into a skeleton. Had Ander not stolen that kill then I would have taken a permanent injury or could have died to a targeted blast.¡± ¡°Whats your new plan?¡± Kyrie blasted forward toward the growing undead abomination. ¡°Spirit of Blue, cover me in water and lend me your aid. Traveling fox, grant me swiftness so that by sight I fade. Dungeon of gems, give us arms to fight our foe. Arbiter of nature, my body is your home, and you are free to grow. Spark of fire, grant me the power to convert corruption to ash.¡± From Kyrion¡¯s body, plants grew like a cocoon encasing the young man in a fiberlike thread. As mana left his body, the plant fibers grew harder as water nurtured its growth. His wooden horns shifted from black to brown, growing until they rem, and two sets of arms grew from his upper and lower back encasing themselves rock. His green eyes began to turn red as the fire began to gather behind them. As Kyrion exited the cocoon, his body was encased in a set of wooden armor and his long red hair seemed to lengthen. The mana he felt at his disposal was astounding, in moments he could call forth more than he had before. Kyion pulled out a bag of dandelion seeds, filling them with life, and purification mana, and nurtured them with fire instead of water, which was an advanced application of plant magic. He then tossed them toward the growing undead dragon and watched as they sunk into previously cauterized wounds. Undead are weak to life, and fire mana, while purification interrupts the connection a necromancer has on their creations. Or so he learned from his mother back when he was little. Now that he thought about it, his early education revolved quite a bit around how best to deal with necromancers as well as how to disrupt their creations. Kyrie scowled as Kyrion¡¯s thoughts intertwined with his own. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for this. You planted the seeds, now what?¡± ¡°Lin, can you fight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said with a solemn expression. ¡°But it seems Nicole is out of it.¡± ¡°How hard was she hit?¡± ¡°She was posioned.¡± Lin answered. Kyrion stared at his comrade for a long moment. ¡°Where is she?¡± Kyrion asked ever so carefully so as not to be insulting. His tone still came out as moderately annoyed. ¡°What? We don¡¯t have anyone here who can cure posion!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Kyrion began. ¡°Hey, not to interrupt this lovers spat but, should you be fighting each other? Or the flesh craving dragon?¡± White Fox asked while sitting atop a tree neither of the others saw him climb. On cue the giant black dragon let out a roar, shaking the forest with its tremendous voice and lack of need for any lungs. Which was good as those organs may or may not have been removed while Kyrion was inside the dragon. It may or may not have informed Kyrion that dragons can go without their lungs for quite a bit. At least until a lightning spirit master goes inside of it and fills the creature with lightning and gets highly acidic stomach acid everywhere. ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us isn¡¯t it?¡± Lin asked. ¡°So it seems.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Any more help comming?¡± ¡°No. The city is in temporal stasis. Not sure how or why.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Whats the plan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it. Due to a misunderstanding I¡¯ll need you to find Midas and if I die, I need you to kill him in my stead. He¡¯s part of the center of this incident.¡± ¡°Only part?¡± Lin asked. ¡°The others here are suspects as well, while I¡¯m also a big chunk, as it linked onto my core through a link I paced on Midas, breaking laws on consenting to possession. It¡¯s somewhat simple to exorcise with the right ritual. But due to Ander¡¯s injuries, we¡¯re going to need to go back one more time and fix it before he wakes up. ¡°Got it.¡± Lin stated as she opened up her senses, looking for the heat of another human body which uses used to track him down. Kyrie spun his sword around before sighing as he drew a second greatsword and examined it carefully, with his strength and that creature''s size, he¡¯d need all the surface area he could get against something of that size. Kyrion watched the dragon carefully as Lin continued to flee, waiting for the abomination to make the first move. The dragon started the fight by drawing mana into its core from the world around it as though breathing the cracks on the dragon¡¯s body glowing an eerie azure hue. From there the power built up until it was near peak practitioner. As the power increased past the limits of a practitioner it began to compress into a darker hue before becoming so dark that all the light around it was absorbed into a white outline. The breath attack that came was not one Kyrire was willing to take head on and swiftly moved out of the way as all the matter where the beam passed ceased to be. Trees fell to the ground as their trunks were erased, and many of the animals that were hit were erased and removed from the circle of life, unable to even become fuel for decomposers. Those were the lucky ones as those that survived had their limbs erased suddenly as unbearable pain passed through them. Where the blast hit land there were now ravines. ¡°Oh. Now that¡¯s dangerous.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Next time, we don¡¯t let the overly powerful creature reach it¡¯s full power.¡± ¡°Glad at least you leared something. I should have known better. Fox! Do you really need to keep this undead creature running around? Your team has been defeated one way or another!¡± ¡°You need this more than I due, old man.¡± The white-haired kid said from a tree. Kyrie scowled. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I hope we don¡¯t already know. Now go!¡± Kyrion ordered. Kyrie flew forward with a burst of combined speed, passing the sound barrier with ease and slamming into the undead abomination, both swords piercing through and cutting flesh only for the blades to turn into a strange slag afterward. ¡°Highly corrosive body!¡± Kyrion stated. Kyrie flew backward as his right foot was removed by a glancing claw attack. Kyrie yelled as the wound was rapidly sealed but not regrown. It couldn¡¯t be regrown, it was as though his foot was erased. ¡°Take to the skies.¡± Kyrion ordered as he began to increase all of his body''s capabilities and mental processing speed to a level a practitioner shouldn¡¯t possess. His brain constantly takes damage and is healed to keep the damage from becoming permanent or delaying him. Kyrire blasted upwards past the sound barrier and soon passed through the clouds in the sky breaking them as he continued to fly up and up, eventually reaching the stratosphere. ¡°No way is it following us this high up.¡± Kyrie muttered. Kyra took control of the body and moved Kyrion¡¯s body out of the way of a jagged horn that would have split them into chunks. ¡°Focus on the fight you idiots!¡± Kyra ordered. ¡°Yes mamn.¡± Kyrie responded. Kyrion didn¡¯t respond as he felt a connection to stone in the sky beyond the stratosphere and it was burning. With an exertion of mana, he pulled the rock towards him. Kyrie summoned a quiver of Javilans and tossed one into the dragon¡¯s wing. The projectile passes through it before turning into slag and falling to the ground. The undead dragon turned and began to summon another breath attack. Kyrie countered by throwing two javelins down its throat and piercing deep into its mouth, from there the beast let loose an incomplete blast that shot toward Kyrion, only to miss and pass into the mesosphere, where it encountered a meteorite and crashed into it, only managing to split it open instead of erasing it. Kyrion¡¯s domain opened up and collected the material almost instinctively before it was transferred into a vault in his core. Kyrion had not been the one to do that however as he was still calling for something much bigger. Kyrie exhausted ten more javelins before pulling out Kyrion¡¯s five-ton metal training staff. A weapon almost as absurd as its weight, breaking through the law of conservation of mass, as though it didn¡¯t exist. When the dragon engaged, Kyrie slammed into the creature''s head expecting it the melt, only for the dragon to stumble backward and fall as the rod passed through it like a hot knife through butter and sent a shockwave into its body. Kyrion hadn¡¯t swung that rod with all his might powered by wind mana, but as he watched the dragon fall and clouds split as the wave traveled faster, he knew he needed to be careful throwing heavy objects around. Moments after the dragon crash landed, a black light shot upwards into the mesosphere again this time hitting something big floating about in space. Whatever was hit, didn¡¯t like it, as a white beam shot outwards clipping off Kyrion¡¯s left arm and landing vaguely where the dragon¡¯s blast originated. ¡°I am that which brings about the end of giant¡¯s from eternal winters and falling stars, I summon you to carry out my will. Use my body and soul as your fule but only take me into the afterlife as you pass. For now I ask the world to give me a meteor.¡± Kyrion pleaded to the sky and for a while nothing happened aside from the firefight between the mysterious in entity the sky above and Milos''s corpse. That was when it came, a rock larger than most cities appeared in the sky and began to fall. Not towards the dragon and not towards the city. No, this rock was after him and he¡¯d need to ride it down. As the meteor fell Kyrie for the most part avoided the dragon¡¯s attacks, still he lost his entire left arm. His right arm stopped at an elbow as his legs ceased to be. Still, Kyrion led the meteor downwards and filled it with his mana to the point where he should be able to guide the object from space. The amount of mana powering it was, enough to greatly damage the world under him, still, he would die right before impact registered and get out of breaking any oaths as well as getting to see how far he can bend the rules. A black beam passed through his chest, thinner and faster than any had come before piercing the meteor behind him. His liver and heart were gone in an instant. As though they were consumed entirely. The meteor continued to draw closer and closer before burning up and losing its mass as it passed through the stratosphere yet it was still bigger than he wanted. At that size, he could accidentally destroy the city. That would break the oath, but not in a good way. He only wanted to kill one undead dragon. Not wipe out the strongest people on the planet gathered to watch children beat each other senselessly. ¡°Maybe it won¡¯t be so bad.¡± ¡°Master Kyrion?¡± Jala spoke through their connection, her expression quite concerned. ¡°I don¡¯t think dropping a city onto another smaller city is good for the soul?¡± ¡°This is a meteor.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°Kyrion¡­ This is a city with over five million people cramped together, how it got in between planets I don¡¯t know, but it does seem to have its own atmosphere. If it lands any survivors will be lost.¡± Jala informed Kyrion. ¡°Why do I need to kill the dragon again?¡± Kyrion asked Kyrie. ¡°Pride? You just need to die remember? If you stop pumping blood through your body then you¡¯ll accomplishjust that. I don¡¯t think you use your liver for much despite it¡¯s health and stubborness. Thats bizzare, and I think I get why my attack didn¡¯t work on you. Damn bag of walking flesh.¡± Kyra stated. Kyrie didn¡¯t answer as he was in shock. How the other two were functioning as that much pain coursed through him was insane. ¡°Kyra, I¡¯m taking over fully, your minds are going to leave my body for a bit as I finish this.¡± Kyrion sighed as he focused his mana and attempted to slow the meteor down. Using carefully aimed wind mana, he managed to adjust his trajectory to the point where he was falling into the dragon with the strange city railing behind him. As Kyrion got in range of the dragon a black beam was brought across his waist, severing him from his waist and causing Kyrion¡¯s control to slip as his mental wall took a hit. There was no regenerating, to be had so Kyrion didn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Bloom flowers of the abyss use my blood and my life to grow and consume your host.¡± Kyrion muttered as his head was decapitated by the final beam. Something, that should have marked him as dead, yet there was still a delay between when he died and when he left his corpse as his domain opened up and swallowed the entire meteor. When the city-sized meteor, vanished Lin moved to stab Midas in the heart, frozen droplets falling to the ground yet suspended. Kyrion¡¯s head hit the ground and rolled as his soul traveled to the world of the lost alone as Kyrie and Kira were trapped in his domain. The dragon felt the magic keeping it alive fade as its core was corrupted by necromantic mana, something had ripped its core out of its body while it destroyed its opponent. Milo¡¯s core which had solidified when he transformed and grew stronger with undeath was now gone. A blue-haired man in a suit stood outside the city, his sclera was black, littered with tiny white dots. His expression was neutral and the glove over his right hand had been removed. On his hand was a tattoo that resembled the number one written in an expressive font. It had been forty-four years since he fought his master to a draw in that hellish tournament. Neither had held back against the other and yet, he couldn¡¯t beat him. Now that he was gone, the world was his to mold for the foreseeable future. ¡°Young, Asela. This is yours.¡± Charles tossed the core to Asela. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill the dragon yourself? Why let him kill my cousin?¡± Asela asked, concerned. ¡°Because he needs the experience. Kyrion, while strong for a practitioner, and dangerous as an expert. He will not be defending himself from weak experts. No, his enemies are strong and will get stronger with time.¡± ¡°Stronger than that dragon that destroyed him so easily?¡± ¡°Eh em. Uncle Charles.¡± White Fox coughed into a hand. ¡°Yes, little master Rys.¡± ¡°Do you still need me to infiltrate the beast blood empire¡¯s team?¡± ¡°There is a reason, so many alternates were required. I¡¯ll need you to play along for a bit. Milo and Edwin will be suitably weakened, and one of their aces are MIA.¡± ¡°Fine. Fine. If what''s supposed to happen doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m going to kill you. Just so you know.¡± ¡°An empty threat, but I¡¯d accept the attempt if you can pull it off.¡± Charles smiled knowingly. Asela crushed the orb into her small hands and absorbed its power. Looking up at Charles with concern. ¡°..Did you set this up as well?¡± ¡°No actually. It¡¯s hard to plan around what a fateless will do. Although getting multiple predictable pieces in one area tends help skew the end result. So I¡¯m following someone else¡¯s carefully orchestrated plan.¡± Charles said with a straight face, snapping his fingers and unfreezing time around Midas, ending the stasis spell keeping the world from resetting one more time. Book Lost(2.5), Finale. (Chapter 64) A Chrismas Special ¡°Reindeer?¡± Kyrion asked while dressed in a large red felt suit with matching pants. A noticeable bump protruded from his stomach like he had spent the prior day stuffing himself full of sweets. Atop his head was a red hat to hide his red hair, while white horns protruded from atop his head. Around his neck appeared to be a white scarf that seemed to be resting as it sagged downward like a beard. A platoon of deer attached to red convertibles via straps had bells and lights attached to their antlers. Their expressions were resolute. A short man in a similar suit, only green, answered. Getting closer would reveal that while the one in green was 5¡¯2, the man in red was well over 6¡¯8. ¡°You expect us to get to every child on this godforsaken planet and give them a toy as well as a blank card. The reindeer can only do so much. Care to tell me why you needed me to finance 180 convertibles?¡± ¡°They look better than pickup trucks? And are slightly cheaper.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need them to drive! We could have raided some junkyards for the bodies.¡± ¡°At least I didn¡¯t ask you for helicopters.¡± Kyrion looked away to a man with white hair surrounded by various computers. Where he didn¡¯t have The unasked question was answered. ¡°The communication jammers are active. They will only work to slow the spread of information. Should you spend more time than intended dropping off the gifts, word can spread, and the hunt will begin.¡± ¡°How about names, have all the gits been labeled with addresses and such. Yes, we have managed to gather census data and birth records for all children. Although details in less documented countries will be a bit messy. We have numbers and names for most, but you will need to use your judgment.¡± ¡°I guess even your organization can only do so much.¡± ¡°The Janitors are everywhere, but that doesn¡¯t mean they can gather all of that information with only a few days to work. Had we an entire year to do this, we could have figured out who was naughty and who was nice.¡± ¡°Why would¡­ Oh right. The song. Well that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Moving on. Your sister has prepared all your food-based gear. Bacon-wrapped honey ham and bell toys with¡­¡± The man lowered his voice for the last word. ¡°catnip.¡± Ander perked up from across the room as though he had heard something he shouldn¡¯t have. Kyrion watched his friend and sighed. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So you know, when we leave this world, I suspect it may take a while to get back, but once you do, it will feel as though you hadn¡¯t been gone as long. Time seems to be slower here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still going. We need eyes on this new world before we can evacuate the families of my coworkers. Now go, Santa has a busy night after all.¡± Kyrion sighed, ¡°New world? My world isn¡¯t new.¡± ¡°How old is your universe?¡± ¡°Older than yours via time dilation. Probably.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know that answer and didn¡¯t have a convenient being of unimaginable knowledge close at hand. ¡°Hey, we have modern plumbing. Well, seemingly modern. They may not be as fragile but they get the job done.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°Actually¡­I may need to kidnap a few more engineers and maybe a plumber.¡± Kyrion had begun walking away. Kyrion eventually arrived at his ¡°sleigh,¡± where a mutant fire buck with a blue, glowing nose and very muscular limbs was ready to lead them through the skies. Tending to this convertible was a thin woman with short red hair, a small scar across her nose, and emerald eyes. She was also wearing a green felt uniform, and her expression was vacant. ¡°You¡¯re also suited up. Is the bacon ham, really going to work on the dogs?¡± ¡°Listen Dwen. I¡¯m not scared of dogs. This is just an offering for my inconvenience.¡± And a snack, just in case, was something he didn¡¯t say. Dwen shook her head, reading Kyrion¡¯s mind through his facial expressions. ¡°First stop, New Zealand and Japan while there¡¯s still light out. We¡¯ll drop when the clock strikes seven.¡± ¡°You want to start while people are awake?¡± Dwen stopped and raised an eyebrow. ¡°It adds to the mystique and saves time. The continent will take a bit of time as we trace out the spell.¡± ¡°What about being discreet?¡± ¡°Well, I just figured out that America is last on my stops. They will know I¡¯m coming by then. I may be able to catch Russia by surprise but chances are everyone with a shotgun will be ready and waiting for a trespasser in red.¡± ¡°The governments should know not to get involved. As breaking the treaty results in a loss of protection granted by the Janitors.¡± Kyrion entered his ¡°sleigh,¡± grabbed onto the reins, and relaxed. Soon, he would bring everyone gifts before he could go home in a rather spectacular fashion. ¡°Hohoho!¡± Kyrion laughed a jolly laugh, signaling the start of this bizarre Christmas Eve.
Kyrion rode into the darkening sky above a coastal city. He only had one stop here, well, one main stop. He had chosen a children¡¯s hospital in the northern city to be his first anchor on the island. The Janitors had already scheduled some of these visits as charity from a wealthy and eccentric billionaire. Santa Claus would visit hospitals, drop off toys for all the residents, and leave. That was the real reason he was dropping early. It also had the side benefit of letting him set part of his array in a secure location. Nobody in their right mind would attack a children¡¯s hospital on Christmas, and if they did, well, they¡¯d find out what type of safeguards Kyrion liked to put in place around his patients. His reindeer-led convertible stopped a hundred feet above his location, and from there, he jumped from the car. Kyrion jumped into the setting sky, landing atop the building with a silent tap. From there, he sent his senses into the building to the reception, where he casually popped into a room full of people moving about. The people seemed to ignore him for the most part as the signals from every camera fizzled briefly. ¡°Interesting.¡± Kyrion walked about to a large green pine tree with various decorations and depictions of him. Well, of Santa Klaus, er Claus. He then bent down under the tree and began depositing his gifts with the names of every current patient here and a few blanks for any that may have been rushed here recently. With the packed gifts in place, he pulled out a red, soft, lazy man recliner and sat back. ¡°Ahhh! My first break in 363 days. Ho Ho ho!¡± Kyroion patted his visibly gigantic stomach and laughed. Silence filled the room as Kyrion drew attention like a black hole-absorbed light. First, there was quiet, and then the screams began. After the surprise faded, and wonder bloomed, Kyrion leaned forward. ¡°Santa has decided to make a few public stops this year. So I want you all to be good kids and line up.¡± The wonder faded into confusion as they looked closer at his beard. ¡°Isn¡¯t Santa Claus supposed to have a beard?¡± Asked an observant ten-year-old. Kyrion took out a pair of seemingly wooden Coke bottle glasses and squinted. ¡°George, Georgie, the Mrs. told me that beards tend to make me look old.¡± ¡°You know my name?¡± George stepped back in surprise, bumping into another kid in line. ¡°I know the names of every kid on earth. It¡¯s my job. Also, please be careful.¡± Kyrion smiled a toothy smile with perfect white teeth, which only insinuated his unnaturally emerald eyes. ¡°But everyone knows Santa isn¡¯t real.¡± Blurted a fourteen-year-old with his right arm in a sling. ¡°Leo, right. You¡¯re the one who broke his arm in a rugby game.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Santa knows alot.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± A brave toddler walked out of the line and towards Kyrion. Their mother scooped up the toddler a few feet away from him. ¡°Ah, Amelia, you¡¯re lively today. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re ready for your presents as this line is moving too slowly. I assume you¡¯re first.¡± Kyrion held his right hand towards a tree as a pink box with a red bow flew into his open hand. The name Amelia could be seen on a tag attached to the gift. The girl reached out for her gift with two hands as her mother reluctantly led her forward. A light flashed as Amelia took the gift, distracting most in the room, and Kyrion took the opportunity to send a strand of life mana into her ears, repairing them and restoring their connection to her brain. Amelia immediately covered her ears in confusion, her gift falling to the floor. With hands, swift than wind, Kyrion caught the gift and replaced it in Amelia¡¯s mother¡¯s arms. ¡°Now then. Who¡¯s next?¡± Kyrion said in a soft tone so as not to agitate the toddler. Amelia was soon carried away to be examined as her holding her ears like that was strange. The next to arrive was a kid in a wheelchair who had been at the front of the line. The boy was being pushed by his father. ¡°Now, then. Jack, right?¡± ¡°Jack, is my name, yes.¡± Jack nervously looked down. ¡°I see. Jack, were you good this year?¡± Kyion reached back to the gifts and began to pull a strand of mana he had attached to the gift. He then pooled D.E. into Jack¡¯s spine to slowly repair it as the boy was being wheeled closer. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Manners too. Say Jack, humor me. I want you to pick up your gift without being pushed any further?¡± Kyrion held Jack¡¯s gift forward. Jack¡¯s father spoke up, clearly holding back outrage. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just one step.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°But he can¡¯t walk. He¡¯s paralyzed.¡± ¡°Is he? Or was he?¡± Kyrion asked. Jack squeezed his legs as he looked down, and tears began to form. Then his eyes widened, but the tears kept going. ¡°I¡¯ll let y¡¯all in on a secret. I¡¯m sharing a bit of Christmas magic with everyone today.¡± Kyrion passed the blue box to Jack¡¯s father and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jack muttered. ¡°Have a jolly christmas.¡± Kyrion waited for them to leave before the next one came. Thus began the fastest thirty minutes of his life. Kyrion would pass a gift, do some healing, and move on. While he was quick, the patients could have been more efficient. As he gave his last gift, Kyrion stood up, bowed, and jumped into the air before vanishing. ¡°Merry Christmas!¡± Kyrion yelled from above the city. Fireworks shot out of his trunk, creating a rather ornate pattern before dissipating. The sleigh continued forward at high speed, going through the night sky. He had four more drops in this county.
The first house Kyrion entered had a strange dog, a small and mean dog. Or so he seemed to think. It was staring at him with unblinking eyes, and for a long moment, Kyrion thought it would bark. Kyrion hadn¡¯t met any dogs with glowing white eyes and rigid features. Nor had he known anyone who didn¡¯t breathe or avoid making noise.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Opening his senses, Kyrion couldn¡¯t find a heartbeat, although in its stomach was some core. ¡°It¡¯s a toy.¡± Kyrion sighed before turning around to see another man in a red tank top and shorts holding a cookie. ¡°Who was that?¡± The man looked around, confused. Kyrion didn¡¯t move as he felt someone¡¯s gaze push against his natural stealth field. The man pulled a bottle out of an ice chest, popped it open, and walked away. As Kyrion stood motionless, the gaze faded briefly as the cat walked between his legs, rubbing against Kyrion¡¯s felt pants leg. Kyrion took out a small ball with a dash of catnip within and rolled it. The soft jiggling sign caught its attention while the smell held it. In that opening, Kyion slipped the presents underneath the tree and planted an array mark underneath the floorboards. From there, he followed the smell of cooked meat, arriving at a stone pit where various meats and vegetables, mostly meats, were cooking. Kyrion had rarely seen so much food in one place on this planet; as he looked about, he noticed many people had come down here. He still had three houses, and that copycat ate his cookies. He could spare some time for a light snack. Kyrion¡¯s right foot moved forward unconsciously as he approached a man who was drunk and sitting by himself on a long table seat. Kyrion poked his right eye and shivered briefly. He then approached the resting man and sat down. ¡°Ey, Teo. Been a while.¡± Teo slowly blinked as he turned towards Kyrion. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the suit. It¡¯s me, Henry, the friend from Wolford you invited to this¡­¡± ¡°Henry? I thought you weren¡¯t coming to the Hangi. Something about it not being a propper...¡± ¡°Barbie? Yeah, I decided that a student such as I should be more open.¡± ¡°You? Open?¡± Kyrion gasped as he used his resources to pry into Henry¡¯s life. ¡°Fine, I heard that I could drink all I want and party like there¡¯s no tomorrow.¡± As it turned out, Henry was comatose after getting into a car accident on his way from the airport to his hotel. It was recent enough that Teo hadn¡¯t been made aware, and there were plenty of stories where spirits of dead or comatose friends and family paid visits. Kyrion also looked nothing like Henry; none of the others here had met him. This was a big party with quite a few friends of friends present. ¡°Is the Hangi ready?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Thought you were just drinking?¡± ¡°I am not trying to kill my liver tonight. I intend to delay my suffering.¡± Kyrion said as an aura of relaxation oozed off of him. ¡°Get a plate and get in line. Think I¡¯ll rest my eyes a bit.¡± Teo yawned. ¡°You do that.¡± Kyrion slipped off. Summoning a plate from his domain, he proceeded to walk about, taking food from the pit undetected while showing much more restraint than he had had in years. Part of him wanted to swan dive into the pit of food and stuff it all into his domain. Nonmagical heat didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest, and it all smelled delicious. With two plates in hand, Kyrion flickered between his sleigh and the hospital where Henry was being kept. The young man was in a full body cast and covered in stitches underneath on top of being comatose. With a wave of his hand, the stitches vanished, but they were aptly closed before the wounds could think of opening. From there, he realigned his bones to the optimal formation and realigned his muscle structure into a more efficient pattern. From there, he increased the strength of said muscles and bones to a degree where they could handle the magic he would force into him. Henry was about to become a mage whether he wanted to or not, as that was the minimum requirement for the next step. With Henry¡¯s body prepared to be a vessel, Kyrion bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto Henry¡¯s face. The bead of red flowed into his left eye and brain, enhancing Henry¡¯s mental capacity greatly and giving him access to this world¡¯s magic by creating pathways through his nervous system. ¡°Finally to fuse the mind and body with the soul.¡± Kyrion let a sliver of D.E flow into Henry, which resulted in a violent wake-up as his last moments awake caused him to jerk to the side. Henry broke through his cast with an uncontrolled force and stood in his newly enhanced body, confused. A plate of food appeared to be the only other thing in the room as he looked about in confusion.
In three more hops, he had finished his array for New Zealand and stood in his sleigh, currently moving towards Japan as the spell finished, and every child in that nation would wake up with a gift just for them as well as a tool to protect them from what¡¯s to come. Kyrion¡¯s stop in Tokyo wasn¡¯t as straightforward. Ander was busy purchasing things for the trip back to that country, specifically Swordum model kits, training swords, and other educational tools. While he hadn¡¯t fought many giant robots here, he knew building them was possible. Afterward, Ander would pick up cookbooks, seeds, and tools. Kyrion, on the other hand, was busy sitting atop a hospital, letting his mana fill the building and heal everyone inside. Had he been present, he could have been picky on how his healing worked. But he couldn¡¯t get around as quickly here as few agreed to sign off on this public event. Still, the miracles would happen, and toys would be widespread. Just because Kyrion was locked out didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t go in. A locked door was just a minor inconvenience for him, after all. He hopped into the air and teleported to the following location. ¡°Just a minor inconvenience,¡± Kyrion muttered as he teleported outside a large family compound. It appeared to be a large family compound; there were two kids there but far too many adults for his liking. They, too, were stationed about as though on guard for something. Or someone. ¡°Seems someone¡¯s been naughty.¡± Kyrion shook his head as he walked up to the gate and scowled. There was magic here, no matter how faint. ¡°Very naughty.¡± Kyrion sighed as he walked through the front gate and was soon surrounded by a group of black-clad figures with throwing blades prepped for throwing as soon as he entered the boundary. While directly in front of him was a woman wielding a katana, her body emitting spectral samurai armor. ¡°What is a demon like you doing in our realm?¡± The woman asked in a way to gain his full attention. ¡°I am Santa Claus. I am no mere demon. Ho-ho-ho! I come bearing presents and good cheer.¡± Kyrion held his sides and laughed. ¡°Santa Claus isn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°That hurts and I¡¯m under time constraints. So, let me drop off my gifts and I¡¯ll be on my way. How can you even sense me?¡± ¡°Family technique.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion relaxed his body, making himself an easy target to the untrained eye. To the trained eye, however, it was as though his body was blurring as he slowly shifted from foot to foot, using his body and weight to move the air around him. From there, he used raw mana to create an invisible and silent wind funnel. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cocky for a trespasser?¡± ¡°Please, how long do you think I¡¯ve been doing this?¡± Kyrion stood tall. ¡°Sources say this is the first and last year.¡± The woman stated stoically. ¡°Oh? So either your source isn¡¯t high up, or is playing more than one side. You see, after this year, I¡¯ll be cemented in the hearts of billions. You¡¯re only delaying the inevitable.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Santa Claus.¡± Kyrion stopped pressing the earth he had eroded into dust into the ground and cast a silent transmutation, turning it into reflective glitter. ¡°He¡¯s attacking!¡± The woman charged forward as the warriors lurking in the shadows threw a combination of shuriken and kunai. The thrown weapons were swept into the wind and carried, turning the funnel into a blender of spinning blades and glitter. ¡°Tsk Tsk. Naughty ninjas get coal.¡± Kyrion stomped his foot into the ground, leaving his array mark embedded in the earth a good ways down. ¡°What?¡± One of the ninjas said in surprise before noting that he had been covered in a flammable soot. ¡°You lose.¡± Kyrion held his pointer finger up, where a small white flame had gathered. ¡°What are you after?¡± ¡°Little Hiro wanted a sword and Yuki wanted a new doll. My people worked hard this year, making these toys. So I¡¯m dropping them off. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d rather they have a house when they woke up.¡± ¡°So the great Santa Claus is making threats now.¡± ¡°Just an observation. I can wreck a city block by accident. You haven¡¯t seen me when I¡¯m hungry for blood. Besides, I¡¯m already done.¡± The vortex faded, revealing one of the ninja standing in his position talking, yet not in control of their own body. The ninja fell forward moments later, leaving the others to wonder when he swapped. ¡°When did Santa Claus take levels in the assassin class?¡± Asked one ninja. ¡°I mean. It makes sense in hindsight. How else would he be able to get into every house undetected. He was playing with us the whole time. I say we check the house for signs of a breach.¡± Said a talkative ninja. ¡°Kiryu, I never took you for the insightful type. Keep that up, and you may make Jonin at one point.¡± The woman slid her sword into her sheath and casually approached him. ¡°That would be a dream come true.¡± ¡°You were already a Jonin.¡± The woman then swiped her sword across Kiryu¡¯s torso, resulting in a pop of a balloon containing flour mixed with a laxative that can seep in through the air and skin, hitting everyone there. While they may not realize they were poisoned now, it would get them eventually. It was the least Kyrion could do for their hospitality. Standing atop another roof, Kyrion ensured his gifts would be found only by their owners before moving on to a safer target.
The following hours, they had been rough. Bullets and missiles had shot him. Stepped on landmines, redirected two tactical nukes, toppled a corrupt dictator, and placed a group of awakened penguins in charge of the country. Most importantly, he procured large amounts of food and trinkets. He was on the run from the Carabinieri after fixing a national landmark. What earth mage in their right mind would leave a tower on such a poor foundation without working to fix it? He thought he was doing them a favor, yet here he was, running about in his Santa suit with people with weapons giving chase. ¡°Stop! We just want to question you!¡± ¡°I don have time for an irragation!¡± Kyrion did not stop; he had been shot at for less tonight, and he had no time for their unreasonable questions. Everything had been getting a bit hazy since he downed four bottles of grape juice in one sitting. It was pretty expensive as well, costing most of his pocket money. How people could afford to drink the grape juice was beyond him. ¡°He¡¯s drunk!¡± The local law enforcement continued to give chase. ¡°Nos tats improbubles. Bubbles¡­No Imz Saten Kalws.¡± Kyrion said as he leaped to a rooftop. His regeneration was off as it seemed wonky as it tried to heal injuries in his brain. His brain wasn¡¯t injured; if it were, he would need to fix it manually to avoid memory erasure. ¡°How in the?¡± One of the local law enforcement pulled out a gun. ¡°Sewing your true colors now.¡± Kyrion flipped the officer two birds as he jumped down a chimney to deliver his presents. Two kids watched as a drunk Santa Claus walked out of their lit chimney with gifts in hand, his body covered in flames. ¡°Yous suppose to be in beds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s seven pm¡­¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m early¡­Do you happen to have cookies and milk?¡± Kyrion bent down and held out the gift like a bribe. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± There was a knock at the door. ¡°Ah, the fuzz!¡± Kyrion sleds the gifts across the floor under the tree before stabbing his foot into the ground and teleporting back to the North Pole for the final stretch. From there, he rested for a few hours and let the sun set in his acquired timezone. This allowed him to sober up a bit as he realized that he had gotten strong. Apparently, the wine he had consumed held traces of ancient magic that grew in power. Meaning he had been drinking wine, not grape juice, magical wine, as regular alcohol shouldn¡¯t have bothered him one bit. ¡°Always another complication,¡± Kyrion said as his nap ended, and he turned to the news stations. The news anchors worldwide seemed to be talking about various miracles in hospitals worldwide and reports of a man in red walking around. A picture of Kyrion eating borscht in Russia had been leaked, along with a picture of him eating pasta at a restaurant in Italy, one of many that caught him eating. A majority of the pictures had been at hospitals, however. Each hospital reported many terminal patients bouncing back as well as permanent afflictions being healed. Kyrion¡¯s skin color, eyes, and scarf in place of a beard made his appearance quite distinct. ¡°Huh, I look good on camera.¡± Kyrion removed the weighted vest around his torso and removed his hat, revealing his red hair. From there, he tied a white headband across his forehead and sighed. Santa was now in his second form as he was moving onto the western hemisphere shortly. His stint in Italy was a treat for his hard work, as he enjoyed pasta and food. Africa had been a rough continent with quite a few regions with children who hadn¡¯t been in his Janitor¡¯s system. This left his array more open than necessary, meaning a few gifts would probably be left out there for people to find much later. As the sun set, the western hemisphere, Kyrion, got back to the grind, dropping into Canada, followed by Mexico, moving into South America, and then cleaning up the surrounding islands. His arrays in the U.S. had been placed much sooner as he had a lot of time there beforehand. This led to quite a few people jumping in surprise as gifts appeared out of nowhere with no signs of Santa Claus in the States outside of some stealthy hospital visits. As midnight hit in California, an array of magic covering the world shot into the sky as the last gifts were delivered and the gathered Christmas cheer worldwide began to build. From there, a continent rose from the depths of the ocean. It rose further, eventually floating above the ocean¡¯s surface and moving into the sky, where a sleigh of red descended onto it.
Ander lay exhausted on the ground as the advanced squad stood atop the teleporter meant to allow travel between his homeworld and this one. So long as they had a navigator and someone with the necessary Divine Essence. In other words, someone like Kyrion had the proper talent. Kyrio rubbed his stomach. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this full ever.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll burn several calories with this technique.¡± Said a white stoat sitting in the center of the inactive teleportation circle. ¡°It still baffles me. A technique that requires two or more spatial mages to work, and even then, both need access to D.E.¡± ¡°A spatial mage works on a four-dimensional plane. Yes, you can go up and down left and right, but you can also shift into a place beyond the physical or into your personal universe. You aren¡¯t strong enough to do this alone, nor are you as knowledgeable. We are essentially squaring our domains and opening up a portal into the multiverse. Without a Dimensional Navigator, you would likely wind up in space, in a universe with no life and no way to get out. Due to the minimal amount of power required.¡± ¡°Four squared is sixteen. There is no way we¡¯re looking at things in that tier.¡± ¡°The peak of my understanding is in the sixth dimension. What I mean is that we will be using power that only belongs to a sovereign, and I will be the one in control of the trip. Your mind and soul won¡¯t be harmed on this trip. Although you may get a taste of power, currently well beyond your station. Now follow my instructions. Open your portal and close your eyes. You are not yet ready to comprehend the forces at work.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Kyrion asked as he closed his eyes and created an inactive portal into his domain. A second portal was born above Kyrion, and the others were inactive. The two portals collided and shifted, surrounding everyone present in a white light as they were taken out of one universe and brought to another. The power Kyrion felt was familiar yet odd; it was as though the portals had been inverted and reality shifted; they had entered an area beyond the universe he had known and had been carried to another as though he were but a child. Which he was. His eyes were open through no decision of his own, and Kyrion came face to face with an odd image. Something with a head the shape of a dodecahedron with an eye on each face looked down at him with each of its eyes as feathery birdlike wings flapped behind it while connected to a ring like his chakrams, yet the wings did not connect to its back. Countless disembodied hands moved about countless screens as the entity he observed chronicled every last detail on each screen, occasionally throwing something into a screen or taking something out, while rare. In one instance, he saw a fist slam into the screen, shattering it before a new one replaced it instantly. Kyrion was then tossed into the fourth screen from the left. Kyrion then blinked as he looked to his side and saw Lin, his expression softening as his mind adjusted to his vessel. He didn¡¯t know what was missing, but he knew it didn¡¯t matter compared to the sense of serenity. He felt as though all was as it was supposed to be. Book 3: Chapter 1 Lost Bird Kyrie stood alone in his body and felt empty. As he tried to move, he found himself incapable of doing so easily. Pain shot through every part of his body like he was moving while being submerged and suffocated. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to move around like this?¡± Kyrie thought. A blue swan appeared in front of him and scowled. ¡°Are you truly having trouble piloting this body?¡± ¡°Yes. Wait, why did you say pilot?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t he let you take the wheel before?¡± Issac asked as he floated around Kyrie¡¯s consciousness. ¡°I have. But this is different somehow. Like all my sensations are turned up to max.¡± ¡°Karl, did Kyrion leave on any active brain-altering spells?¡± A glowing cube appeared in front of them. ¡°Checking¡­Yes. There are currently three spells active at the moment. First Is Brain.exe, the second is Vitals.exe and finally, there is Mana.exe.¡± ¡°What is the .exe for and why is my gut telling me not to mess with those?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something Cecil mentioned a while back. Apparently dungeons in his world live in boxes, important things used to have .exe at the end they are executable. Opening Brain.exe¡­ Ah that¡¯s how he did it. At least that¡¯s what I managed to discern.¡± ¡°Sometimes I wonder what goes through that one¡¯s head. What¡¯s the issue?¡± Jala asked as she eyed Kyrie¡¯s consciousness. ¡°He left his perception raised to the max and his brain in its overclocked state with a few actions preset to trigger if necessary. Right now your sensations are amplified by 200% and the world around you is moving at 25% of its natural speed. As you didn¡¯t activate the ability yourself, you aren¡¯t properly linked to it so there are some cognition issues. One moment as I reset the values as this can lead to brain damage if prolonged.¡± Karl began the process of resetting Kyrion¡¯s mind to its normal state. Kyrie moved the body around and scowled as he began to do some stretches. He then moved on to a series of kicks, punches, and spins, drew his great sword, and practiced a sword form. ¡°You stingy son of a farmer! Why aren¡¯t you participating in the solo tournament?¡± Jala shook her head. ¡°Because he isn¡¯t trained as a one on one fighter. His skills usually revolve around healing and crowd control. His style of fighting revolves around taking on a large number of overwhelming foes without killing. Albeit that¡¯s more a mindset that kept him from using lethal force. But you Kyrie have killed before. And I¡¯m not referring to human-shaped monsters. You and the other one don¡¯t value lives the way he does.¡± ¡°I did fight in a few skirmishes before I was sent to this world. I have killed, I have died. The bodies you get in this world are much more durable than the ones from my own. Had I fought the man who killed me with his level of raw strength and agility, it would have lasted longer and I¡¯m pretty sure he was at a level far past this himself. But I doubt I have been bested so easily.¡± ¡°I saw those memories. I believe you were getting played with.¡± Karl said with a monotone. ¡°I was just saving my true power,¡± Kyrie said, exasperated, ¡°You mean that the ritual circle you were fighting in kept you from releasing your strongest attacks due to it being able to absorb most of the mana you produced to power it,¡± Karl added. ¡°You¡¯re a rude one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just making sure you don¡¯t corrupt your own memories and start challenging experts beyond your station.¡± ¡°I mean. I¡¯m sure with enough preparation I could take on anyone. Just ask Kyra.¡± ¡°Why is my head still spinning?¡± Kyra shared a wave of nausea with Kyrie as her mind joined his in the center. ¡°Oi! Kyrion! Why are you talking to yourself?¡± Ander said as he entered the space while flexing his hand. ¡°Kyrion is currently gone at the moment.¡± Kyrie stated. ¡°What do you mean by gone?¡± ¡°Abyss if I know. Wanna spar after the exorcism?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan. Can you fly in that form?¡± Kyrie scowled as he jumped high into the air and landed back on the ground. ¡°Not to my awareness. As I don¡¯t have the experience.¡± ¡°How do we find him?¡± ¡°How do we find and help Midas?¡± Kyrion thought aloud. A memory placed itself in Kyrie¡¯s head as he stood there menacingly. ¡°Yes. I can perform the surgery required to remove the demon from her core.¡± Kyrie withdrew a rainbow-colored vial from his domain before scowling. ¡°Does that make three?¡± Kyra asked as her mind was syncing with Kyrion¡¯s memories. ¡°Just what is going on¡­¡± ¡°Why do you carry items like that anyway?¡± Ander interrupted. ¡°Kyrion is a bit of a hoarder on top of being a klepto. I once saw a dream where he went from house to house taking items from other people¡¯s chests before leaving. The people observing, not reacting to that at all.¡± ¡°That item is detrimental to those with power.¡± Ander stated the obvious. ¡°It¡¯s going to be our catalyst for the exorcism. We need to loosen its connection with Midas¡­er¡­ their core and then remove and destroy it. One wrong move and we¡¯ll he dies and we either have to start over or he can no longer be a spirit master. Let us not forget that we¡¯ll also need to escape soon after as to not cause trouble. Being caught after would be bad. Being caught before means that Volain will kill them and reset the day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s needlessly brutal, but it needs to be done. Even though I¡¯ll miss my endless training sessions.¡± Ander nodded. ¡°Same, but we can always come back later.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Ander flew from the room, and Kyrie pounded at the ground, his steps propelling him forward by leaps and bounds. The two returned to the city in minutes and headed straight towards Midas.
Kyrie had made it past the front door of their lodging and was going to casually walk towards his location until he was far enough to free. That was before he passed by Cecil, who had taken an interest and approached from behind. ¡°Cecil baby. It¡¯s me. Rion your best friend and captain please but the gun down.¡± Kyrie stated as Cecil stood next to his captain, his magic pistol placed against Kyrie¡¯s spine. ¡°Rion doesn¡¯t know what a gun is. He calls it a curved magical wand.¡± ¡°Why are you here anyway? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be sleeping?¡± Kyrie rolled his eyes. ¡°I was sleeping until Tiffany woke everyone up with a panicked cry. She believes that Rion is dead. As the orb in her pendant turned red.¡± Kyrie clicked his tongue. ¡°Tiffany is the girlfriend that uses a sword right?¡± The gun was dug deeper into his back. ¡°Your girlfriend then?¡± Kyrie had not paid enough attention to Kyrion¡¯s group outside of Ander, who he trained with often. ¡°Who are you, imposter?¡± ¡°Ugh. Can¡¯t you just ask Ander? We don¡¯t have much time left for details.¡± ¡°How do I know your people didn¡¯t infect him as well?¡± ¡°Listen, let me finish what I¡¯m doing, and then I¡¯ll get back to training.¡± Kyrie stated. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Right now We¡¯re Rieon.¡± Kyrie rolled his eyes. ¡°Your pronunciation is off.¡± ¡°Then use your context clues. Ander¡¯s gonna beat me there if you hold me up any longer.¡± ¡°Where is Ander anyway?¡± ¡°Flying right over there.¡± Kyrie pointed to a strange-looking bird far up in the sky. As Cecil looked up and squinted, Kyrie used a trick he inherited from Kyrion to slip into the space between worlds and moved through it with a lot of effort. Navigating this place felt dangerous, almost as though one wrong step could get him killed. He still managed to get 10 feet away, and from there, he powered his legs and lept from roof to roof in a chain of jumps that led him toward the intended location. Ander had already arrived at the window and proceeded to set up the silence array while Kyrie bounded through the city like a madman, somehow not disrupting any roof tiles in the process. ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°That Cecil guy is too clingy. Do you know if that one, plays both sides?¡± ¡°I mean don¡¯t you have access to his memories?¡± ¡°Only what he allowed me to see as he¡¯s the dominant personality. Back when Psycho was around he showed me things that the other didn¡¯t want me to see. But even then it¡¯s mostly combat oriented.¡± ¡°What did you see him do?¡± Kyrie recalled Kyrion getting someone who slighted him back by covering their sword handle with a strange plant sap that caused their hand to fuse to their handle. It couldn¡¯t be removed without skin peeling or until twelve hours passed. The fact that he hadn¡¯t been caught or reprimanded was surprising. He¡¯d been a bit of a troublemaker with a strong sense of justice. Albeit his justice was a bit chaotic. ¡°Just stuff.¡± ¡°Right. Now get this window open.¡± Kyrie placed gloves onto his hands before tracing a square around the window with his fingers, creating a brief opening both he and Ander could pass through to enter. When the portal solidified, Kyrie hopped through and landed softly on the ground. As he crept to the door his presence was erased. In moments, the door was sealed shut as the wood fused briefly. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ander entered soon after and approached Midas, his feet not touching the ground as he activated a painless stun that would ensure that the young man stayed unconscious throughout the operation. Instantly, the sun arose as time moved forward while they were frozen shut. The demon within Midas began to fight in an attempt to stop them from killing it. Sadly, that brief action alerted Kyrie to its location, and he plunged the needle into Midas¡¯ core, forcing the medicine in. Midas didn¡¯t react. He couldn¡¯t respond as the coma Ander forcibly induced would keep him unable to move for a while. Time continued to move around Midas and Ander at an accelerated pace as the two worked to exorcize it; the demon¡¯s act only sped up the exorcism as Ander covered the unconscious man¡¯s chest with Angel Tear. The demon screamed as its body was forced out through Midas¡¯ core and revealed. The Kyrie produced a scalpel, covered it with spatial mana, and cut it into Midas¡¯ core. From there, he used his order and healing affinity to purify and kill all impurities within the core. Which turned out to be a lot more than he first thought. As instructed, he cut and removed all the impurities from the young man¡¯s system. Moments later, he placed his hand within Midas¡¯s core and sent in a wave of healing mana to restore the damage and remove the poison that was loosening up his core. ¡°Metal, light, and Holy affinities. The holy affinity had atrophied due to a bound possession. Now why would a mortal go and do a thing like that?¡± Karl muttered. Midas screamed as a spirit flowed out of their body from their mouth. The spirit tried to fight, but only a golden cage entrapped it as holy light filled it. In moments, the cage was empty. ¡°Holy?¡± Kyrie muttered aloud. ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡± Midas awoke suddenly and confused, his eyes shifting from brown to the color of golden coins, half his hair going from gold to almost white while the other half changed from gold to green. All in all, he appeared pretty odd with the mix of hair colors. This was followed by the sounds of bones shifting loudly to match the soul inside, growing more lithe than bulky. Before Midas could look at Ander, the green-haired boy turned into a bolt of lightning and flew out of the room. ¡°Rion told me that you should probably go before anyone else see¡¯s you. May light guide your path hero.¡± Midas put their hands together and said a prayer. Kyrie nodded as he hopped through the window and ran like his life depended on it. Just what had he been a part of. Midas waited for the others to leave and got to her feet as her body finally returned to how it was meant to be. Her golden robes fell to the floor as a large golden tattoo appeared on her back in the shape of a torch holding a golden flame. ¡°Goddess of light and flame. This servant is sorry to have betrayed your expectations. She does not deserve mercy for what has happened. I who was once lost has found her way back.¡± The golden marks around Midas glowed as the magic that the time demon had cast was erased, and the world shifted forward exponentially as all living beings were forced into temporary stasis.
Cecil climbed out of bed as he awoke to a knock on his door. Not having a reason to be up this early, he withdrew his gun just in case, making sure he had it set to anti-magic before he opened the door. Outside the door stood a flamboyant-looking woman with white and green hair, golden eyes, and a disturbing smile on her face as he seemingly bowed deeply. ¡°I humbly request that you let me join your harem on behalf of my mother.¡± ¡°No.¡± Cecil saw the resemblance immediately and took a step back.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s disappointing.¡± Midas looked hurt. ¡°You can¡¯t be. She was too young.¡± ¡°Mother can appear however she wishes, as can I technically. She is also married for better or worse so she sent me instead as a way to atone for my improper behavior.¡± ¡°You have to be pulling my leg. That Kyrion bastard put you up to this didn¡¯t he? I bet he¡¯s trying to get me back for earlier.¡± ¡°Your captain isn¡¯t here at the moment. For reasons I can¡¯t explain, his return had been delayed. Don¡¯t expect his full arrival before the team battles begin.¡± ¡°Who are you anyway?¡± ¡°Midas is what people call me. Though Marigold is a bit more apt, and something I prefer.¡± ¡°Because everything you touch becomes gold?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Marigold poked the door; where she touched it, it had become pure gold as though all its atoms had shifted through transmutation. ¡°How long does that last?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Forever and it can¡¯t be dispelled. In turn, this ability can¡¯t be used on living creatures.¡± ¡°Why do I get the feeling we¡¯ve met?¡± ¡°Because we have. Very recently in fact. I believe half of your team hates me with a passion.¡± ¡°Then why have you come?¡± ¡°Because my savior Kyrion could use my help in the upcoming battle.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡¯s dead, he can¡¯t save anyone. No, you can¡¯t be that Midas. None of your features match.¡± ¡°Your captain isn¡¯t the only one with the ability to alter their physical appearance. Although mine came with some changes to my memory and a few curses. I am no prince of a small human kingdom. That¡¯s just something my supposed parents decided to have me pretend to be when they saw my talents. They are of course dead, may their souls find peace. I was then taken in as the biological son of a concubine that the king supposedly visited quite frequently. A fact he didn¡¯t deny as he was perceptive enough to know my heritage. Probably.¡± ¡°And your memories were altered why?¡± ¡°Children of Imala or any of the other guardians of the seal are born with a level of cognition higher than most newborns and we develop faster because of it. You could say I¡¯m fourteen in human years, although I do appear slightly older. We can also directly communicate with our parents through prayer like most high-ranked priests and priestesses. The binding placed on my core allowed them to mold me into an arrogant puppet. And so, for well over thirteen years of my life, I was a tool meant to grab the throne while my soul was elsewhere.¡± ¡°Yeah you should probably switch back to your usual appearance to avoid suspicion. Wait¡­ How old is your soul?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. Who would dare attack me in broad daylight? And you don¡¯t ask a woman her age like that.¡± ¡°Minah probably. Maybe Kyrion when he gets back. Lin definitely owes you a slap or two. Then there are the various people you supposedly harassed and bullied on your team and otherwise.¡± ¡°Was I truly that evil? Maybe we can say that Midas had died and I am their replacement team member¡­¡± ¡°Meh, if you were mentally manipulated then chances are the axe falls on whoever put the spell on you. But how do you plan to prove that you¡¯re telling the truth? And will you run from atonement and your responsibilities now that you¡¯re free? We don¡¯t really need cowards.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the truth enough? On top of that, I intend to be very upfront.¡± Like clockwork, Minah left her room wearing a tank top and shorts. Stopping briefly as she passed by Cecil¡¯s room. ¡°Who¡¯s the pretty girl?¡± Marigold visibly shivered as someone spoke from behind. ¡°This is your brother Midas.¡± ¡°Very funny. This girl is too hot to be my bratty little brother. Nor does she look or act like Max.¡± Minah gave off a seductive wink. Cecil was somewhat amused, while Marigold was visibly uncomfortable. ¡°It¡¯s true dear sister. I am was Midas, please stop. Your words are making me uncomfortable.¡± Midas said with a trace of an old tone. ¡°You just said please, you can¡¯t be the same person.¡± Minah looked to Cecil, who nodded. ¡°That is common courtesy, yes?¡± Midas looked to Cecil, who was currently still nodding. ¡°If you were Midas, why did you change your appearance so drastically? Are you a spy?¡± Minah asked, with an expression that showed she wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°Nothing like that. I intended to join the harem and offer up my unique talents.¡± ¡°Oh, well, while I¡¯m sure those talents are well known in some niche circles, I doubt they¡¯d be helpful in this type of harem.¡± ¡°I should go.¡± Marigold had reached her mental limit for the day and took the chance to leave. Cecil and Minah stood there for a good minute as Marigold got a reasonable distance away. ¡°How long have you been eavesdropping?¡± ¡°Since the beginning, I was headed here when I noticed a strange presence so I decided to hide a bit and listen in. Just in case you needed backup. You know, this pisses me off for reasons I don¡¯t quite understand.¡± ¡°So you hit on your sister.¡± ¡°I just wanted her to feel uncomfortable and flee, it¡¯s a minimal amount of payback. If she joins, chances are I won¡¯t accept her, in any shape or form. Different person or not, she made most of my early life a living hell, I can¡¯t forgive her like none of that has happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your prerogative. I got a countermeasure to complete before I meet with Kyrie.¡± ¡°I mean, we were raised to be rivals for fathers throne. Her leaving like that won¡¯t make my victory mean anything.¡± Minah turned and dashed off. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Cecil shut and locked his door. If his captain were away, this would be the perfect time to work on his secret weapon. While he didn¡¯t expect to need it against his co-captain, he didn¡¯t like people being able to teleport about freely in combat nor spy on him without tripping his countermeasures. He doubted he would have a better chance to finish this project.
Lin awoke in the usual spot, but when she went to find Rion, she discovered he was missing. The last time she saw him, he had been dying a pile of limbs and organs. She wasn¡¯t able to count the pieces that were left. Rion could be pretty cruel sometimes. Not everyone would stay sane after seeing a human in that condition. A sacrificial play that ended in his death. She was probably the only person who knew why he faked his death in such a way. Something he hadn¡¯t bothered to reveal to her personally. As she waited for the impostor¡¯s return, she felt a shift in the ambient mana as though someone who was supposed to be here had disappeared. ¡°Team Drisil has ten members, Rion Cecil, Minah, Midas, Tiffany, Bella, Nox, Brion, Ander, and Eden. The max is twelve this year due to alternates and assistants being allowed to participate should team members be injured.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on my princess?¡± Kyrie said as he appeared behind her. Lin whirled on her heels and moved to slap him. Recognizing the look, Kyrie didn¡¯t bother dodging and paused his natural regeneration. Kyrie held his jaw and rotated it before speaking while Lin examined her now split hand. Kyrie took it and applied some quick healing unbothered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kyrie asked. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that until you¡¯re back to normal.¡± ¡°So¡­ You can tell.¡± ¡°Anyone who¡¯s known him can tell, while ambidextrous, he tends to lead with his left foot. You just led with your right and stumbled onto your right foot.¡± Lin stated something Nicole had told her when she asked about Drisil¡¯s other captain. She hadn¡¯t seen him start walking, but she had seen him stumble recently and knew he didn¡¯t pay that much attention to details. ¡°I don¡¯t have the memories of Kyrion¡¯s schemes but I knew that we were on the C route when the real enemy revealed themselves. I believe Nicole was supposed to be the calvary should he get assassinated by Everest or killed fighting Milo. Why he planned to die I am unaware but to my understanding he went to get something he had been missing. And until he returns I¡¯m the one leading this body.¡± Kyrie hadn¡¯t let go of Lin¡¯s hand. ¡°So you aren¡¯t Rion. How well can you play the role?¡± Lin asked as she began to lower the temperature around her hand subtly. ¡°I am quite bad at pretending to be my baseline. He¡¯s quite complicated and dense with his explosive emotions. Rion, however, is a flamboyant peacock with tons of power and isn¡¯t shy about using it to get what he wants.¡± Kyrie moved to place a kiss on Lin¡¯s knuckle. Lin easily slid from his grasp while her magic numbed Rion¡¯s hand significantly. She took two steps back and summoned a short wall of ice between them. ¡°What are you, a split personality?¡± ¡°No. I am a shard of his soul. Most people born in these worlds are incomplete. Born with an urge to find what¡¯s missing and become complete. I would like to think we represent Rion¡¯s passion and diligence.¡± Kyra rolled her eyes, which resulted in Rion¡¯s left eye rolling while the right stayed completely focused. ¡°And what does he represent?¡± ¡°At his core, Kyrion is a petty and spiteful being that would go out of his way to help those around him. At his heart, he is a healer more than he is a warrior. In a perfect world, he¡¯d probably be a traveling doctor.¡± Lin took a step back. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°Yeah, he kinda got lucky and unlocked us pretty early. Next time you¡¯re with a powerful expert you trust, ask them about incarnation. The headmaster seems to be at six of eight if my guess is correct.¡± Lin had noticed a few odd traits experts had, like the ability to channel complex magics quickly as though performing them with a group. It could be possible if it were genuinely integrating more minds into one body. No, Rion is just trying to get off easy. Lin took another few steps back and scowled. ¡°Keep your distance bub. We have fights to observe.¡± Lin stated coldly. ¡°You still my heart with those words.¡± Rion swooned dramatically. Kyrie and Kyra scowled as neither of them said that. It felt as though something else had taken control for a brief moment. As quickly as the moment started, it also faded. Rion stretched as words entered his mind. ¡°I should be back in a week. Please don¡¯t ruin my life before then.¡± Kyrion¡¯s presence in his mind vanished moments later. ¡°Just what is he up to?¡± Kyra muttered. Book 3: Chapter 2 Rematches Meh Thod looked at the two fighters in the ring. Nicole seemed shaken and panicked, while Midas just looked different together. His boss hadn¡¯t interceded, meaning nothing occurring was against the rules. ¡°Today, we have Midas of Team Etravonia facing off against Nicole of Team Norn! Will the golden child best be the Dark Flame Princess? Find out now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nicole, I have an unfair advantage. But I won¡¯t be able to go easy on you.¡± Midas(Marigold) said as they summoned two golden rods and entered a martial arts stance. One rod was by their right ear, while the other was next to their right ribs. ¡°My aren¡¯t you a cocky one. Where do you get off saying things like that?¡± Nicole immediately summoned her three-headed dog and brought out her flame serpent. The serpent coiled around her left arm like a whip. ¡°Ready? Fight!¡± Meh Thod yelled, signifying the start of the match. Nicole swung her left arm in an arc, letting out a string of small fireballs that would detonate before they landed due to their instability. Marigold moved into the attack, swinging his rods in a manner meant to deflect and redirect the incoming projectiles. Usually, something like that wouldn¡¯t have worked, but due to the rods being made mostly from light mana, he could knock each incoming bolt aside as he closed the distance into whip range. The three-headed dog engaged Marigold, attempting to bite with all three heads. Marigold evaded two strikes by moving to the side, then slammed both rods into the monster¡¯s rightmost head. Leaving behind two runic symbols showing where each rod is connected. Nicole, the opportunist, waited for him to commit to the counter before whipping out her serpent and causing its teeth to sink into the man¡¯s ribcage. ¡°Raaa!¡± Marigold let out a roar, and suddenly, his golden rods began to shine brighter as Her body doubled in size and became more muscular. Her clothes and weapons growing with her. He now stood at the same height as the Cerberus on its hind legs, which worked well to close the power gap. The Cerberus moved to bite him again but missed the larger target altogether as an afterimage took the blow. Marigold appeared to attack the Cerberus at its side again. Leaving behind further symbols as she struck and stuck again. Nicole sent the fire snake forward, but only with more power this time. The snake passed through Marigold¡¯s glowing body into the Cerberus, causing it to writhe in agony. Marigold, now in front of Nicole, began a series of quick and undodgeable strikes, each landing and causing burns that added up before sending the fire princess flying ten feet back. A black sword appeared in her right hand as the dog vanished. The snake turned from a whip into a shield as she began to block and parry the blows. Each strike that hit the shield caused Marigold to take some damage from the coiled serpent¡¯s flames. Which forced her on the defensive as their form began to flicker. Despite her heritage, she wasn¡¯t innately durable; she needed time to cure the poison in her system, and holding that form was a massive mana drain. Now that she had done so, however, she had no reason to keep up this method of attack. Marigold brought both sticks down onto Nicole¡¯s head in an attempt to get her to commit to a block. When Nicole blocked, both rods seemed to continue to press down as her opponent retreated and shrunk in size. Both of her palms let out a strange golden light. The rods disappeared, and Nicole attempted to close the distance. Rods of light shot from Marigold¡¯s hands and impacted Nicole in her right shoulder and left leg. Chains shot from the rods into the ground, anchoring her to her position in the arena. Nicole summoned a torrent of purple flames and let them loose at her opponent with a twisted expression as she poured most of her remaining mana into the attack. Marigold countered by summoning a large shield of gold, which she used to absorb the purple flames and convert them into her own mana. The shield returned to Marigold and vanished as though it reentered her body. ¡°Did you just absorb my attack?¡± Nicole looked dumbfounded for a brief moment. ¡°That¡¯s the short of it.¡± Marigold then released a torrent of golden flames that sent Nicole flying through the arena¡¯s wards, defeated. Marigold had put all of the mana she had left on top of the power Nicole had thrown at her into that attack. She was drained and moments away from falling to her knees. But she wasn¡¯t done yet. Worse of all, she wouldn¡¯t be able to use that shield against her next opponent as it required rest to repair. She would have been using it if it had been a once-a-day spell. ¡°I Midas! Supposed son of the King of Etravonia, denounce me as a potential heir to the throne! I do not deserve to fill such a role! Nor do I have the right! After this tournament I will be joining Cecil¡¯s Harem to atone!¡± Midas nodded to the spectators, who seemed confused by the outburst. Then, out of nowhere, a string of claps echoed from the clouds as her statement was slowly accepted. She then, of course, exited the stage. Her next fight would be much harder than this one, and she needed to regain as much mana as she could.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Sinbad squinted as his teammate returned but didn¡¯t bother bringing anything up here or now. Such a change in personality was odd. If he was being mentally manipulated, then he¡¯d be sure to make sure the aggressor was rightfully punished. If Midas hadn¡¯t been manipulated, then Sinbad¡¯s claim for the throne just increased, and he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted that. Midas was apologizing to his coordinator, which seemingly raised her defenses and caused her to retreat. His attempt to gain forgiveness creeped her out exponentially. The rest of the matches played out as usual until the fight between Ander and Damian was slated to begin. Damian had arrived ready for a good fight. Ander entered the ring wearing a pair of sunglasses and using his spear as a cane. ¡°Today we have!¡± ¡°I surrender! Now, let me get some sleep. Gods and chickens, it all caught up to me at once. Sorry, Damian, but I seem to have overdone my training. Let¡¯s do this another time.¡± Ander seemed more than a few inches taller, not that his current hunched-over state revealed much as he leaned heavily onto his anchor. His core was chaotic as his body seemed to be a bit disjointed. He had no complaints as he had lost once and didn¡¯t intend to cheat his way to victory this way, sick or otherwise. Damian won fair and square the first time. And if Damian didn¡¯t remember that fight and is unaware that he revealed a card, then oh well. Damian looked dejected as Ander walked off the arena toward the resting room. As his consciousness faded, he fell flat on the ground right at the exit and began snoring. ¡°Damian wins by surrender! We will take a bit of a break to give our contestants time for lunch and any healing they need to be done immediately. Then we will begin the third round!¡± No one clapped, as this was a rather anticlimactic encounter. Given the showing, the audience seemed to expect. Cecil scowled from the stands as he observed Ander. The sunglasses fell off his face and revealed dark rings that were very out of place on his face. A spirit master of Ander¡¯s level could stay awake for a week and be unaffected by exhaustion so long as they hadn¡¯t expended all their mana or energy. Damian shook his head and exited the stage. Dragging his would-be opponent through the doorway to at least get him out of the public eye. There were some laughs and quite a few boos as those who bet money on Ander winning felt betrayed by the way they lost their coin. ¡°What¡¯s really going on? I get the feeling that I¡¯m missing some information that I should have.¡± Cecil said from their waiting room. ¡°Same here. Why does Midas look so different, and why is he acting all humble. It¡¯s weird.¡± Max added. ¡°No, this is who she really is. A creature born from the goddess herself. One who had been taken from their adoptive parents and thrust into a country in which they didn¡¯t originate. From there various spells and curses were used to bind their main affinity along with their mind.¡± ¡°She does kinda look like her mother. So Imala¡¯s already married? Wait. She?¡± Bella tilted her head. ¡°It seems she got me rather fairly. Yup she. Although I don¡¯t think it matters with her kind. As they seem to be able to alter their physical being relatively easily.¡± ¡°Wait. He¡­er she went from being the son of a king to the daughter of Imala? How is that fair?¡± Max seemed irritated. ¡°I mean. I¡¯m 90% sure Rion¡¯s going to be irritated when he gets back. His mother is what one would call a devout disbeliever of the goddess. And he¡¯s encountered her in two ways, it just so happened that the core she gave him increased his ability to rip away at necromantic energy. Demons require that energy to stay in this world, curses create it and steadily generate more over time.¡± Kyrie kept the reason why his baseline took the ability to himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Rion?¡± Hel asked confused. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard. I think he¡¯s starting to lose it.¡± Minah whispered, patting her friend on the shoulder. Brion entered the booth carrying a passed-out Ander. ¡°He muttered something about a training room in the forest and needing his noodles in a cup.¡± Cecil raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything as he began to eye Kyrie more suspiciously. ¡°Ah right. My dungeon is located there. When these wrap up we have some training to do. Or well Ander and I do. Although in his condition he should actually get some rest. Which sucks as I needed to pick his brain. ¡°Kyra added as Kyrie took too long to respond. ¡°You want to spend the remainder of the day training. That isn¡¯t like you at all.¡± Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°That was a statement. And of course. Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous with the tournament already going on?¡± Cecil adjusted his glasses and looked at Rion. ¡°One, I¡¯m a healer. Two, I know how Milo fights, you know, the monster Cecil¡¯s fighting tomorrow. Three, so long as we sleep there, we can save time.¡± Kyrie said matter of factly. ¡°When could you have fought Milo?¡± Cecil scowled. ¡°The fight took a lot out of me. But I learned a bit about his power. I think the term is radiation, or antimatter. It¡¯s confusing and you have a better grasp of this sciency stuff..¡± ¡°Who won?¡± ¡°A draw, well technically Ander, then a certain healer, who found the fight annoying. I won¡¯t go into detail as we will have a visitor in three¡­ two¡­ one...¡± The door opened, and the headmaster of the team, Drisil, entered. ¡°Why is it so quiet here?¡± ¡°No, reason. Just giving me some peace and quiet. Do you know where one can find a good chili dog around here?¡± Ander did a few stretches as he leveled his head toward the headmaster and tilted his head innocently. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯d ever willingly surrender before even trying.¡± ¡°How does he know what a chili dog is?¡± Bella asked Cecil, who ignored the question as they were not alone. ¡°You know me less than you know.¡± Ander turned his head and adjusted his sunglasses, revealing not just bags but bloodshot eyes and a strange white mark in the center of his pupils shaped like lightning. ¡°If you¡¯re fit enough to talk, you could probably stand.¡± Brion probed. Cecil scowled as he took Bella¡¯s hand and left the room, his expression serious. ¡°Hel, did they overhear anything important?¡± Rion asked. ¡°No, the ward kept them from snooping properly. I did manage to plant a bug on him however.¡± ¡°Great. Keep an eye open for anyone tailing you. From here on, we¡¯ll split; those with fights left shall take care of those. After that, we¡¯ll reconvene at the supposed location and review logistics. My head is pounding a bit.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The group nodded and got to work. They were aware of listening ears and were OK with some groups overhearing this part. So long as they weren¡¯t the enemy or pretending to be someone they weren¡¯t. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 1 Kidnapping ¡°Fatless child, it seems we meet again, though quite a bit of time has passed it wasn¡¯t nearly enough for you to find your way back here naturally.¡± ¡°Who are you and why are you so familiar?¡± Kyrion looked about only to see water and emptiness in the dark world as he floated down a stream. ¡°The afterlife lives on another scale of time, and to you, I am an old friend.¡± ¡°If you were my friend then I¡¯d know your name. I don¡¯t forget my friend¡¯s names.¡± ¡°Liar. Never mind that you wouldn¡¯t have recalled our meeting anyways. Your soul wasn¡¯t capable of retaining memories at that time. Just making them. So what did you think of life?¡± ¡°It was beautiful.¡± Kyrion looked up and saw a blood-red sky with dark clouds. His body mostly had no color, as though he were just an outline of his former self. His red hair was the only thing remaining, as his body appeared translucent green. ¡°And I¡¯m glad that it will carry on while I¡¯m here. Although I don¡¯t intend to stay this time. I gots plans.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, I have my own as well. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll speak in person eventually.¡± The voice faded, and in front of Kyrion appeared a serpent with a long body that arched into the clouds before landing lazily on the ocean like a long and bent noodle. Its expression was contemplative as it looked Kyrion in the eye with orbs bigger than most houses. ¡°What is this place anyways? My third time down here and I never asked.¡± Kyrion changed the subject. ¡°Some call it the great river Styx, others may call it the abyss, a few travelers have thought this place was Hell. This is where creatures go to wait as their other incarnations try to reach the world above. Should one reach the end of their incarnations then they will find themselves back in the cycle of death and rebirth as their soul is combined, cleansed, split and set back into the cycles. That is the way the lower worlds work.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion moved to scratch his chin, only for his hand to pass through it and connect with something hot in his neck that caused him to shudder. ¡°It is. Now why have you come again if you are not truly dead?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come to regain something I lost. As well as find my way back to my body. So far it seems I¡¯ve already met a friend.¡± ¡°So you infiltrate the afterlife and intend to leave with more than you started?¡± ¡°Pretty much I could take you with me. All of you.¡± ¡°You intend to take the entire abyss into yourself? That¡¯s insane. Are you insane?¡± ¡°Yes. Also you seem bored, and this place is mostly empty. What do you have to lose?¡± ¡°A cushy job doing nothing and making sure the dead follow the rules. What more can an ancient evil want?¡± ¡°To live again. Being stuck here must be boring.¡± ¡°Kid, you don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done. You don¡¯t know what I am. More than anything. How do you plan on even releasing me? You¡¯re a weak mortal with power but no knowledge of how to use it properly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out. I got this trinket afterall.¡± Kyrion tapped the side of his temple. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Supposedly. It was a gift from my grandfather. And he inherited it from his father, who in turn had received it from his father and all that jazz.¡± ¡°Jazz? Has your world progressed that far?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°This place is empty but it isn¡¯t the abyss. This is the place where incomplete souls are held. Isn¡¯t that right? A sort of purgatory if anything. A place for souls that can¡¯t pass on or aren¡¯t supposed to pass on yet.¡± ¡® ¡°What tipped you off?¡± ¡°You did, twice, one when souls haven¡¯t fully fused with its other shards, the other when you say I was here before I could form memories. Did you mean that I was here when I was a newborn? Or before that? As in during a different time loop.¡± ¡°You would be correct with both statements in some ways and wrong in other ways. Now what makes you think the eye is a key.¡± ¡°Eyeless are able to gain power from not having eyes. Armless gain something similar due to bindings or a lack of arms. Mana around them works to replace what is lost. Some have called me fateless. I don¡¯t have a fate so I have willed one into existence through my own force of will.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you seem. Yes, you are a fateless, one who wasn¡¯t meant to live, and yet by some freak conditions, I received an order to bring you back to your body 16 and a half years ago. Your world¡¯s years mind you, ignoring all the other time loops and repetition that went on without you being linked to a rewind spell. Many who gain that trait become heroes and such. Embraced by mana and gifted with limitless potential for growth. Thing is, you shouldn¡¯t be a Fatless, care to tell me how you broke the great system?¡± ¡°So I¡¯m a unique figure.¡± ¡°Unique? You¡¯re a monster among monsters. A dragon among ants. And yet you cherish other people¡¯s lives above all else. You are an enigma to me. All I¡¯ve ever done was eat and eat some more until I became nothing but a beast bound by gluttony.¡± ¡°Why bring up dragons?¡± Kyrion scowled. He didn¡¯t like people knowing how much power he kept contained. ¡°You have absorbed the potential of at least 10 dragons, which brings you up from the Siegfried tier to Typhon. On top of that, you have enough mana to make most experts, no matter the system, feel impotent, not that you can use it here. The Arbiters that observe you sweat hoping that you don¡¯t lose to the other. Finally, you are definitely one of my bloodline, another descendant of, That Which Consumes. I have had many descendants as that¡¯s how time works. And yet you have awakened that ancient bloodline due to the high concentration of foreign mana you were born with. All that really means is that you have a higher than normal desire to eat, and may grow stronger faster. You have all that and on top of that, you have the potential of one with no fate.¡± ¡°When you say it like that. I¡¯m quite weak.¡± ¡°Are you weak? Or are your enemies older and stronger?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I was too weak to take you with me?¡± ¡°Moving this plane into your domain is currently above your station. You are not in the deity realm of power. Not yet anyways.¡± ¡°Guess that was a little too ambitious. How about letting me take some people back with me then? As a proof of concept.¡± ¡°Anyone specific?¡± ¡°My uncle on my mother¡¯s side if you have him. I know his soul is here. Although I don¡¯t know why. He isn¡¯t dead but he isn¡¯t in control of his body. I also get the feeling that we¡¯ve met here.¡± ¡°What about on your fathers side? You could ask about your grandfather, grandmother, aunt, and uncle. They¡¯re in the pool as well.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a grandmother?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side as he pondered. His father never talked about his family before meeting his mother. He hadn¡¯t known they had died. He wasn¡¯t on a quest to save them, so he no longer cared. ¡°You have to be messing with me.¡± ¡°Who knows? If you can send them back with me then that¡¯d be convenient. But I¡¯m only particular about my uncle.¡± ¡°And if he¡¯s already passed on?¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it. I intended to resurrect him sometime in the future and having the proper soul for that spell would have been great. If I can¡¯t do it then I¡¯ll be forced to kill someone who used to be family.¡± ¡°I can give you access to his soul for that ability. But you must swear to take 100 souls of my choosing with you.¡± ¡°A hundred demons and one demon lord to rule them all?¡± ¡°Well, most are a different species. But demons would be wrong.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°One demon lord and 100 what then?¡± ¡°Some may call them angels, others demigods, they will only take up space in your domain after you return. They won¡¯t make you stronger but you will have an army at your disposal should you need it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need this army. Aren¡¯t I?¡± Kyrion realized this. ¡°I mean, your foes consort with demons, what else would you fight them with?¡± ¡°So who is Psycho?¡± ¡°Ah. You mean the one known as Cyrion.¡± ¡°Is that his real name? If so, it¡¯s too similar to my own.¡± ¡°Is it now? I wonder where you got psycho?¡± ¡°I know crazy and obsessed when I see it. Psycho is obsessed with blood and vengeance, leading him down to crazy. Nicole is obsessed with me and is quite close to reaching that same realm of madness.¡± Kyrion let out a deep breath. ¡°Are you so sane? Why bring up someone not related.¡± ¡°Hell If I know.¡± Kyrion lied; he had to get that off his chest. Like he hadn¡¯t noticed her digging through the trash for his hair. Now, while said hair could be used for crafting, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be used for that, and it was now that he¡¯d burn any hair he cut. The serpent cleared his throat. ¡°Getting back to your body this time won¡¯t be simple. And the delay from any changes to your soul could make the transfer take much longer.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I see. What must I do?¡± ¡°You are essentially stealing souls from this plane. So I can¡¯t escort you out directly. You¡¯ll need to either scale Mount Telastaris to reach your world or gain access to a diety. Then you must walk through the sea of minds until you find yours. Finally, you must reconnect with the one in command of your body and get them to cede control.¡± ¡°That sounds simple. Which means my route won¡¯t be so simple.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°That sounds about right. You must avoid the birds with spherical heads and a glowing red orb for an eye. As you are now, should they zap you two times then you¡¯ll be sent right back here. Though you should at least get past something like that. Your soul isn¡¯t strong enough to fight them head on without the help of a priestess.¡± Kyrion looked up and sighed. ¡°Those are some evil birds. How do I take the others with me?¡± ¡°You could always eat them.¡± ¡°No.¡± Kyrion fell at his side and scowled as he thought of a sack at his hip. Well, a spatial bag he had used mainly as a distraction. During the great Gremlin genocide of 6 years ago, he had picked up quite a few of these bags. Some were sold, others kept for special occasions. One was soul-bound for those rare cases in which he couldn¡¯t access his domain. Yet, as he dug through his bags, he discovered that he did have some access to his dungeon. The world in it, however, was in some sort of reverse, as though time inside was trying to rewind. Kyrion then moved from his domain to his dungeon and saw that Gamodren was playing on slot machines while Volain was eating his emergency food stores. ¡°How rude,¡± Kyrion said into the bag, reaching his arm in and pulling the other two young men from his bag, much to their and his own surprise. Only their bodies stayed behind while something else was pulled out of them. Volain appeared with no hair, just a dull green body that was mostly mists, the only thing standing out was a tattoo that seemed to hold his body. It encompassed most of the mist. Gamodren briefly had a prismatic body that soon faded to a dull green like everyone else, as his hair appeared to be black here. His form was slightly more defined and visible, and Kyrion knew that his teacher was much more durable than him. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Volain said after getting his bearings, his fist following half a second behind as he attempted to surprise punch Kyrion. Kyrion moved into the blow and grabbed Volain by the head. His knee was raised to hit the other man in the chin. Gamodren chopped his student¡¯s head with a deadly hand. ¡°First, how did you manage to kill me? Second, why are you here too, and third, what are you scheming?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Mister hungry snake can answer the first one. I managed to trick the universe into thinking I¡¯m dead. Third, I needed help and thought you freeloaders could be of assistance.¡± ¡°Who are you really?¡± Volain asked skeptically. ¡°Kyrion, True captain of team Drisil, and faker of deaths. The Scarlet Cure is what those on the frontlines called me briefly.¡± ¡°What are you up to?¡± Gamodren eyed his student with suspicion. ¡°You¡¯re going to be my willing vassals.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to kill you if I can¡¯t capture you. Are you sure you can trust me?¡± Kyrion¡¯s smile stretched further than what was humanly possible. As though his mouth stretched past his ears. ¡°You¡¯re going to be my agent. You owe one for getting me arrested for a crime you committed. Also, I doubt you can truly kill me here regardless.¡± Volain scowled. ¡°What do I owe you?¡± ¡°Nothing. But you¡¯d have been trapped there for a few years as time fixed itself.¡± ¡°Three years, by the way, time is reversing. Seems to be limited to the continent. Even then, certain places underground are immune. I believe you call those dungeons.¡± The serpent added helpfully. ¡°You¡¯re free to go back if you want. I believe I just thought it would be better to help me out than spend three years eating all my food.¡± ¡°Your food? Rion sent me there, not you.¡± Volain seemingly began to think. ¡°Give him a minute.¡± Gamodren slapped himself on the forehead, having put it together after realizing he was in a dungeon. ¡°Kyr ion, Rion. K-y-r-i-o-n.¡± Volain said it slowly. ¡°Your names are very similar¡­ But your faces are¡­He¡­ Reports say that Kyrion uses earth, water, wind, and plant magic and is usually a healer. Rion has only used fire, with a little space mana.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hmmmm¡­What makes you think Rion used space mana himself?¡± ¡°I sensed him opening a portal when he pulled that stunt during the first meeting. It¡¯s what made me think he was the sneaky type. Again during my fight with Gamodren. The magic came from Rion.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re more dangerous than I thought.¡± Kyrion raised both eyebrows. The serpent gave Kyrion a suspicious look. ¡°If you can link yourself to your dungeon. Couldn¡¯t you just use it to get back home?¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t thought that far. He also couldn¡¯t speed up his thought process. So he did something he had been trained to do well. He improvised. ¡° ¡°I could try, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that it would work for me. I did take one for the team, so to speak.¡± Kyrion¡¯s rubbed at his neck and shuddered. ¡°Kyrion, how did you get killed?¡± ¡°Decapitation, supposedly.¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the left and scratched his neck. ¡°You let someone cut your head off. Why don¡¯t I believe someone could do something like that?¡± Gamodren shook his head. ¡°Death is tricky.¡± ¡°According to my information your spatial world took a large enough hit to lower your defenses significantly. I can replay your death if you wish to show the others.¡± The serpent added. ¡°Not necessary. On another note, what would happen if someone faked their death really well and ended up here on purpose?¡± ¡°That someone would be forced back to the world of the living immediately by order of the Shepherd or penalized in some way.¡± ¡°Thought so.¡± Kyrion shot Gamodren a look. Gamodren, knowing, said, looked and sighed, dramatically holding the back of his hand against his head. ¡°They grow up so fast. So what next?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try to climb that mountain and go home.¡± ¡°Why do you need us for that?¡± Volain asked. ¡°I don¡¯t. Thing Is, I also want to explore a bit before I go back. Maybe train some more. We have about five years to do this before we need to return. I hate wasting time.¡± Volain scowled. ¡°Why bring me here, if it could only make me stronger?¡± ¡°You love that face don¡¯t you.¡± Kyrion leaned forward and crouched, getting a bit too close to Volain. Volain threw a right hook at Kyrion¡¯s jaw, only for his hand to pass through empty air. To Volain, it appeared as though his target hadn¡¯t moved, while to Gamodren, it appeared as though Kyrion leaned out of the blow by shifting his torso at high speed, dodging by a hair¡¯s breadth before repositioning in his original spot. Had Volain punched slower, Kyrion would have had trouble doing such a thing without being obvious. ¡°You have power, Volain; you don¡¯t, however, have a mind capable of keeping up with your potential.¡± ¡°Oi. You calling me stupid?¡± ¡°If you were, we wouldn¡¯t be talking. I mean it in the sense that you have never reinforced your mind and seem to rely on raw power and intuition.¡± ¡°Reinforce my mind. What does that mean?¡± ¡°You can use water magic internally right?¡± ¡°I can use it to close wounds and produce more blood.¡± ¡°So you can self heal.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that effective.¡± ¡°Regardless, being able to do something like that means with some studying you could learn to greatly enhance your natural perception, which means faster reactions, better sight, and more time to process information during a fight. Reason one is that I want you to give my friend Damian a run for his money. The second reason is that I owe you one for helping Bastion when you didn¡¯t have to. That tells me what kind of man you are.¡± Gamodren shook his head. ¡°Kyr, can you teach him those things?¡± ¡°Not sure. My body doesn¡¯t feel weaker but I can¡¯t use much of my magic. I¡¯ve trained my body to react faster than most, along with my mind, so my natural state is slightly faster than most if I¡¯m not dumbing things down.¡± ¡°And you figured that out while fighting Minah the first time.¡± ¡°Yes. Although I hadn¡¯t known I could do it until that psycho showed me. Which is odd, given that we aren¡¯t the same person. My death perception was horrible at that time so I needed all the help I could get.¡± Gamodren squinted as Kyrion looked towards Volain. ¡°Riiiight.¡± Volain shook his head before recognizing that name. ¡°Did you teach Minah how to speed up her mind like that?¡± ¡°Volain. Minah is a bit of an idiot. She got one of the most esoteric powers you can get and she uses it to move faster and punch harder. On occasions, she can throw out an explosion or twenty, but she isn¡¯t using her power in a beneficial way.¡± Gamodren added unhelpfully. Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°What makes you say that she¡¯s an idiot?¡± ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have struggled against you as much as she did when you first fought. Your damage output was just kinetic, with nothing complex. She manipulates kinetic energy and can use her power to weaken your punches. So why didn¡¯t she use it to slow your water whips or dull the damage she took from you slamming her into the ground. She even had multiple handicaps.¡± ¡°She had what now?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°You know my dad poisoned you right? Then had you take an exam that was unnecessary as I already gave you that test just verbally with a change in wording. When you didn¡¯t react, he stalled, and by the time you fought her, you were taking quite a bit of damage.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°And I had only one eye which was a bit of a blindspot. She should have wiped the floor with me.¡± ¡°To be fair, she learned how to do those things a little later, she just didn¡¯t work to learn its versatility. As far as I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s two steps behind you.¡± ¡°I saw her fight Nicole, that speed is quite useful.¡± Volain spoke up. ¡°It is, when you have a mind that can keep up with that speed it is quite useful. She can¡¯t deal with those who are naturally faster or have time based powers that allow them to keep up. As she is now, she wouldn¡¯t give you a fight you want.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s so weak, why have her?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say she was weak. I said that she was a bit of an idiot. Like her brother, her power is very complicated. Both are just starting to understand them and despite that both are on my team. Care to guess why?¡± ¡°You intend to use this tournament to make them stronger,¡± ¡°That and nepotism.¡± Kyrion looked at Gamodren and waited for him to nod. So he was waiting for quite a bit. ¡°I won¡¯t hold back if we fight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hold back. You can beat Minah, but you probably won¡¯t stand a chance against Ander or Cecil. Not anymore anyways¡­.¡± ¡°He did kill a dragon from the inside.¡± Volain nodded ¡°He did what now? What dragon did he kill?¡± Gamodren was now patting himself to make sure his body to make sure he wasn¡¯t dead. ¡°I was trying to avoid that. Gammodren, sorry but we had to kill your brother. I think we were set up as someone named white fox revived him as an undead, only much, much stronger.¡± ¡°My brother? I don¡¯t¡­ Well, you¡¯re more of a little brother to me than that half sibling of mine. Did you rip out his core after he died?¡± ¡°No. But Charles did.¡± Kyrion stopped as he realized he said something that he shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°How do you know that?¡± The serpent asked skeptically. Kyrion opened his sack and held it out. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this right now. I believe I¡¯m supposed to say trick or treat.¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± The serpent eyed Kyrion as a wave of green energy passed over the mortal¡¯s body before it summoned a mass of gray orbs quickly shunted into the bag, causing it to expand briefly before compressing to its usual size. Kyrion then leaped all of two feet off the ground and scowled. His strength had been more weakened than he thought. He¡¯d have to use more than just raw power to get out of here. ¡°Weaker than you thought, my dear student?¡± ¡°Yes¡­I haven¡¯t slowed much¡­Or have I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that probably hit all of us equally. Which makes me the strongest of our trio.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been years since I was the weakest at anything. This could be fun.¡± Volain smirked. ¡°Right. Follow me then.¡± Kyrion turned and began to walk. ¡°No. We¡¯re splitting up. Let¡¯s meet up again in a week¡¯s time. That way we can share what we¡¯ve figured out.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°A week? How do we measure time?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Good point.¡± The serpent eyed them and smiled. ¡°Link.¡± A chain connected as 168 appeared on all of their hands. ¡°If you aren¡¯t trying to escape now, you will all be brought here when that number reaches zero.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s convenient.¡± Volain looked at the mark. And thus, the first week of exploration had begun. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 2 Velocity Kyrion hadn¡¯t gotten far when an arrow of green energy passed through his throat, followed by a barrage of arrows from around him, piercing his body and turning him into a mass of Swiss cheese. He hadn¡¯t stood a chance, it was as though they were waiting for his arrival. ¡°So I return here on death?¡± Kyrion asked the giant serpent. 143 appeared over his left hand. ¡°You return here when your soul takes enough damage. I suggest moving stealthily. As you are without the aid of a guiding priestess, you are almost fated to fail. Throughout your trip you make come across ponds like this one. Their water has powerful healing capabilities. With the help of a priestess you¡¯ll be able to set those places, and even learn how to gain power. That path however could take a while and I¡¯m sure you need all the time you can get. You also will need to find a priestess which is rare for one such as you.¡± ¡°...What in the¡± Kyrion looked down and noticed that all his clothes were gone, save for a pair of small clothes that worked to hide his lack of modesty. His body didn¡¯t have internal organs or any unnecessary external features aside from the hair on his head. ¡°You just noticed?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I got used to wearing a battle skirt and no shirt. This is somehow more modest in some regards.¡± Kyrion yawned sheepishly. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t. So you¡¯re saying I need to hunt down a priestess and ask her to do what exactly?¡± Kyrion did some stretches before following them with spins, kicks, and rotating jabs. ¡°So you¡¯re going to lollygag?¡± ¡°You must be an old snake.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Focus.¡± ¡°Yes. I am in no rush to get back to my responsibilities. Kyrie can handle it. That and I¡¯m not fully here. Part of my soul is within my old body, and in time, I¡¯ll get back.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You may not notice. But I can still feel part of my body. It¡¯s in some sort of stasis. Almost comatose as time reverses. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get back before the tournament is over.¡± Kyrion said cheekily. ¡°Fine then. The priestess of stars is currently being held captive by a creature known as Abaddon. On the 8th floor of the tower of Gehena.¡± ¡°So I need to rescue her before getting anywhere. Sounds easy.¡± Kyrion pounded his hand into his fist. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll be able to best them in your current condition.¡± ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Kyrion bent his legs down and jumped with all his strength. Flying above the giant serpent before landing in the pool. ¡°Where is this tower?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too weak to challenge that tower.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll die and end up back here. What¡¯s the big deal? I have six more days afterall.¡± ¡°Death hurts. Doesn¡¯t it? Wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to, I don¡¯t know. Go straight home?¡± ¡°It would. But my body is strong, and I am maybe a teeny bit stubborn. That combination is messy. Also, it¡¯s training I can not get anywhere else.¡± ¡°You¡¯re mad.¡± ¡°I thought that didn¡¯t need to be stated. Now I need to kidnap me a priestess. Is she also semi immortal?¡± ¡°Yes, and no. If she¡¯s killed in a certain way she will immediately rejoin the cycle of life.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t have that¡­ Alright, now where?¡± ¡°Two of your miles northeast over the hill, through the swamp, and over the highway to hell. From there you¡¯ll see a tower with 100 floors.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where I was ambushed. Until I make it to the priestess, I should probably avoid being wide open.¡± Kyrion thought aloud. ¡°The creatures you find on the way to the tower will be significantly weaker but more numerous and quite dangerous. Be careful and get stronger.¡± Kyrion smiled wildly as he looked at his hands and made a series of rotations before he was satisfied. ¡°Where do I need to hit to deal the most damage?¡± ¡°Where the core of their soul is hidden in their body. That will cause weaker Lost to die temporally and send denizens of the lower planes back for a number of years proportional to their rank.¡± ¡°Why does this sound vaguely familiar?¡± ¡°Because you think too much. I tire of speaking.¡± The serpent closed its large eyes. ¡°Right¡­¡± Kyrion turned and entered a sprinting stance. Shooting off into a sprint. Going past various lost souls wandering the world much to their own confusion.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He continued forward until a green arrow passed next to his chest. As Kyrion spun mid-stride, barely evading the arrow, he caught adding its momentum to his spin as he moved into a dash. ¡°Oi! What¡¯s that for!¡± Kyrion yelled as he began to zig zag, making his position hard to track. ¡°Fresh meat has entered our territory. And da boys are hungry.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Kyrion accidentally snapped the arrow in his hand, shivering as he felt part of the energy that made it up enter his body. ¡°Kill him!¡± The leader yelled. Archers popped up all over, which was a dumb move in Kyrion¡¯s eyes. Had they taken potshots and stayed hidden. Then he would have had no way to know where they were. They gambled on intimidation and lost. ¡°Now now. Let¡¯s not be too hasty. If you attack me then I¡¯ll be forced to fight back, my first target will be your boss. Then those of you in the splash zone and continue until you lie broken. Then I¡¯ll repeat the process every time you pick up a weapon. After a third encounter I will preemptively hunt you all down over and over again. Now then. Do you really want to shoot at me?¡± Kyrion used his own intimidation. His presence caused one bandit to fire early and wide. The shot carelessly passed him and landed on the ground. That shot, however, made most of the others feel brave and let loose a volley at Kyrion. The target of the arrows stood completely still as they passed into them as though they weren¡¯t worried. A green light filled the area, and nothing was left behind as they faded. ¡°And that, boys, is why I¡¯m the boss! Upstarts like that are nothing! I best not catch any of you slipping here.¡± The boss yelled from atop a tree branch. The bandits looked confused as a figure stood behind their boss as though it wasn¡¯t strange. Two arrows in hid hands hands. ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion asked as he plunged both into his foe, one through the head and the other through their chest where their core seemed to be. Watching as they faded to nothing, a small amount of power entered his body. Making it look slightly more defined. ¡°Boss!¡± The bandits shrieked. ¡°Now then. How would you like to surrender?¡± Kyrion twirled both arrows simultaneously as he entered a defensive stance. ¡°F-fi¡­!¡± Said the bandit who shot first. Having been interrupted as an arrow passed through their chest and caused them to disintegrate. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t catch that. Did you say that you were going to lead these warriors to their deaths?¡± Kyrion asked. One bandit proved to be decent at math. But foolish at gambling. ¡°There¡¯s eighth of us and one of hi¡­¡± That bandit was interrupted as an arrow passed through their skull. ¡°Seven. Are you all feeling lucky today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m out! The last time I saw something like this, my superior killed me for bringing up desertion. Said superior is currently dead.¡± A bandit threw down their weapon. ¡°Traitor!¡± Said one zealous bandit who pointed their bow at the one who surrendered. Kyrion appeared behind that bandit and grabbed their head and shoulder before he started pulling. Despite not having a bone structure or organs, they were well-built. That, however, didn¡¯t stop him from tearing his head from his shoulders in an act of brutality that was almost out of character. Unluckily for them, they couldn¡¯t die here, just temporarily asleep. Something Kyrion was ok with doing. ¡°And Five. You haven¡¯t fired again.Throw down your weapons and surrender or be attacked.¡± The remaining five, shocked at the man who casually ripped off someone¡¯s head, decided to retreat and live another day. Most abandon the life of banditry altogether and pass on into the cycle, primarily out of fear. With that, Kyrion retrieved four arrows, which he placed at his hip and sighed. He¡¯d gained some strange energy, but it just seemed to sit there and do nothing. ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s useless.¡± Kyrion scowled as he picked up a dropped bow. He hadn¡¯t trained in archery, and throwing weapons was different. It, however, could be used as a club if he needed some leverage. As he entered the swamp, an armored figure was impaled by a tree branch. This alerted Kyrion to more danger as he looked about for angry roots. ¡°Be at ease warrior. I am the hanged knight of Pheldora Swamp. I believe I have been trapped here for centuries at the least.¡± ¡°I see. Do you want me to get you down?¡± ¡°Bah. I¡¯m stuck pretty good. The tree¡¯s aren¡¯t going to let me go.¡± ¡°If I get you down then you get to give me your clothes. You seem rather close to my size.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strange kid aren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no kid. I¡¯m fifteen.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Ha! Where I¡¯m from you wouldn¡¯t be qualified to even get magic.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°Rude. I can see why people haven¡¯t tried to get you down.¡± Kyrion kicked a rock. ¡°That has more to do with the king of the swamp killing and eating whoever is unlucky enough to come here.¡± ¡°Who are you anyways?¡± ¡°I believe that I was known as Michaleangelo a long time ago.¡± ¡°Too long. You¡¯re Mikey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m way older than you.¡± ¡°And yet you need a kid to save you.¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t a kid.¡± Kyrion raised his eyebrows. ¡°I like you.¡± ¡°Would you believe me when I say that, your phrase is quite terrifying?¡± ¡°No. Now how do I get you down?¡± ¡°The trees suck up soul force. Attacking it will do nothing.¡± ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s what this is.¡± Kyrion approached the tree, felt the energy in his body like mana, and sighed. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Kyrion gently let the strange energy flow into the tree as he channeled the power he absorbed from the people and arrows into the tree holding Mike. The tree branch lowered to the ground and withdrew from Mike as he landed. ¡°How are you still alive?¡± ¡°I was quite powerful in my time.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°I received training to increase my soul¡¯s endurance. On top of some other methods.¡± ¡°Is that so? Can you help me train instead of giving me your clothes?¡± ¡°That training was done on the side of the living in preparation.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Ah, Nadir told me to wait here for the supposed second shepherd.¡± ¡°Like a sheep herder?¡± ¡°Must be from the countryside to know what that profession is. Are you a shepherd?¡± ¡°I was a farmer a long time ago. Long is relative given my age.¡± ¡°Was that a job?¡± ¡°My dad was allegedly a farmer.¡± ¡°Gotcha. Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to prepare for my first and final battle with a body stealing monster. And give my uncle back his body.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes cut to the left. ¡°That¡¯s noble. And a lie.¡± ¡°I also felt something calling to me down here. A fragment of something important.¡± ¡°You resonated with a shard of your soul?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Either way I got some information and intend to do some training. You?¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a boy with green eyes and either black or red hair. Around seventeen or so supposedly¡­Mischievous nature and prone to causing trouble for people who should be able to squash him like a bug. That¡¯s how Mal¡­¡± ¡°Lalalala! Nope, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Kyrion covered his ears and started walking forward. ¡°Nadir Maldain. Do you know him?¡± ¡°I know a Maldain¡­ Does your Maldain have a weird obsession with eyes?¡± ¡°Different Maldain.¡± Michele shuddered. ¡°Oh. Then no. But the other one took one of my eyes. Had to have it replaced by a prosthetic.¡± ¡°Is that so. Al phizar malexpulse!¡± Kyrion screamed as his eye lit up and glowed a deep red. What felt like energy gathered in it projected a tall figure with black hair and green eyes. Book 3: Chapter 3 Young Royal Pains ¡°Kyrie, you¡¯ll need to do the facial expressions and tonal control, as it seems I can¡¯t express myself as much as I want.¡± Kyrion muttered softly. ¡°Abyss no. I¡¯m on vacation.¡± ¡°Vacation from what! It was two days.¡± ¡°I almost died quite a few times during those two days.¡± ¡°Who tried to kill you?¡± ¡°I mean, there was Lin, Cecil, Viole, and Minah. The usual people you rub the wrong way.¡± ¡°Surprised Ander isn¡¯t on that list.¡± ¡°He¡¯s too exhausted to try and kill me with any real danger.¡± ¡°How did you rub them all the wrong way?¡± ¡°To be fair, Viole needs only to see me to desire my death. Kyra managed to say something that set Lin and Cecil off and I may or may not have made an inappropriate comment about Marigold. I thought it was what we were all doing, cause she was doing it.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Promise you won¡¯t strike me down.¡± ¡°I would never.¡± Kyrion outright lied. ¡°You remember meeting Imala in that dungeon?¡± ¡°Of course. She lied to me.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°Yeah yeah. Well Cecil was going on about how similar they were and I said. I knew those hips looked divine. No wonder she kept rubbing me the wrong way.¡± ¡°Those, were they the exact words? You aren¡¯t censoring anything?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Kyrion couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with that statement. ¡°It¡¯s just an observation, maybe don¡¯t say they look divine. Maybe familiar, would have worked better.¡± ¡°No¡­If I said that I get the feeling Lin would have joined in.¡± ¡°The giant form definitely looked like how I remember that snake.¡± ¡°Think we should ask Kyra?¡± ¡°You think she¡¯d know what you said wrong?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°I mean, she was a girl.¡± ¡°She also seems to like antagonizing my friends using my face. Any help would need to be scrutinized.¡± As Kyrion said that, he felt an eye-roll somewhere within his mind. ¡°Maybe we could ask Tiffany.¡± ¡°She will not go over any problems related to girls with me since I asked her to tell a stalker to leave me alone. Ended in a messy bout and misinformation.¡± ¡°Would Lin, listen?¡± ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m going to need to be very careful If I hope to not make things worse.¡± Kyrion sighed as Kyrie went to sleep within his psyche. With Bastion gone, Kyrion decided to go for a walk. Opening the door out of his room, he encountered Maximus. His eyes were red and puffy as though he had been crying recently. Although it wasn¡¯t in sadness or hurt, these were tears of frustration and rage. He hadn¡¯t done so for years, and last time, it was also related to his family situation. ¡°All that work building factions, gaining supporters, poloticing, training. All those expensive training aids, used so that there was little left. And the bastard just abdicates for no reason.¡± Max shook his head and tried to calm down. ¡°Do you want to, you know, talk about this in my room or somewhere you can scream in peace?¡± Kyrion asked. Max seemed to remember himself. ¡°I can¡¯t take any more gifts from you. I already owe you too much.¡± ¡°More than you¡¯ll ever know if I can help it. But friends don¡¯t count favors. Goldilocks has a bit of a head start. But these should help.¡± Kyrion looked into his sack of currency again and slapped himself. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Close your eyes. Otherwise this is going to give you vertigo.¡± Kyrion swept Max¡¯s legs with a quick kick, opening a portal right under him, causing him to fall through and reappear next to the ice cream shop. He was sitting in an awkward position, but he was safe and had all of his limbs. Kyrion then fell through his portal, reappearing in a rose made of red flames that he dismissed as it arrived. A torrent of warm air pushed outwards, creating a miniature whirlwind as it moved against cold air. ¡°Burning petals technique.¡± Kyrion said as he struck an odd pose, his feet apart, his left hand with one finger pointed towards the sky, and his head tilted downwards. His expression was still monotonous. Max realized Kyrion was still doing the Rion thing. Which explained the fire magic being used, but the pose didn¡¯t make sense. Damian hadn¡¯t gone too far, but he also wasn¡¯t alone. A kid with white hair sat next to him with a paper cup holding his ice cream. Followed by an irritated Nicole. ¡°Eyyyy! It¡¯s the man, D-man! I heard you helped out Bastion. Good on ya.¡± Kyrion had forgotten what Rion sounded like, so he decided to be more chaotic than usual. As he handed Damian a few gold coins. To anyone else, it looked like he was trying too hard to sound normal and failing. ¡°I mean, you should always treat your friends¡¯ kids well. Even if they are adopted. Or else they won¡¯t trust you when you try to be nice.¡± Damian handed the coins to Nicole, who sighed. ¡°Are the two of you¡­¡± Max started before he felt intense pressure from Damian, of all people. ¡°Just old friends.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°I mean. We do kinda look like a happy family. They do seem to fit well together.¡± The white-haired child said. The facial structure, however, was quite different from Nicole¡¯s and Damian¡¯s. But at a glance, they could be mistaken as a family. ¡°D-man, do you want to fight Maxi boy?¡± Rion pointed at a currently sweating Max. As he pretended not to notice Nicole¡¯s right eye twitch. ¡°Stop giving people nicknames.¡± Nicole looked to Rion and scowled ¡°Not quite. Mind if I shake his hand?¡± Damian answered. ¡°Maxi is a bit shy around strangers, like some other friends I have. But it¡¯s up to him.¡± Max shook his head to clear it. ¡°Sure.¡± Max held out his right hand. Damian held out his left hand and shook it. ¡°Interesting. Rion, your next.¡± Kyrion sighed and shook Damian¡¯s hand next. ¡°Uh huh. How long have you both been training with swords?¡± ¡°Since I could hold one.¡± Max answered. ¡°Somewhere between six months and four years I believe.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you enter the solo tournament?¡± ¡°Well Damian, I believe the only one willing to give you a good fight is Cecil. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of your first fight with Ander and how it ended.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about K¡­Rion.¡± Damian stumbled on purpose. ¡°Damian, please don¡¯t make that mistake again. Rion can¡¯t be Kyrion. He¡¯s too much of an arrogant prick.¡± Nicole stated. ¡°Right to my face. Harsh.¡± Rion held his wounded heart with his right hand before he noticed the white-haired kid slip past him. A sheet of paper carefully passed into his left hand. When this conversation ended, Kyrion slipped it into his domain and mentally commanded Kyrie to read it. ¡°Another time then. I have something to do. Although next time we meet. Max will be on your level, or at least on the level you are at today. Don¡¯t pull any, I¡¯ve been using only 5% of my full power, stuff on me. Else I¡¯ll have to body you myself, my team isn¡¯t weak. ¡° ¡°I look forward to crossing blades.¡± Damian bowed. ¡°Alright. Max. We have one more stop. I may or may not have left bad money at a restaurant.¡± Rion didn¡¯t use a portal this time. Instead, he summoned feathery wings of fire and grabbed Max like he was a parcel. From there, he jumped towards the restraint using wings of flame to push him forward with powerful flaps. Eventually, landing with a powerful gust of wind. A few passersby looked at him in horror before noticing no one was around. From there, he entered the restaurant despite a closed sign in front of the door. Chances are it had to do with him not using the currency. What were the chances a place like this used soul coins? From there, he approached the counter where his waiter was stationed. Max followed a reasonable distance behind. The waiter had a powerful aura that radiated outwards. Almost as though it sanitized all bacteria that entered its range. ¡°That¡¯s new. Are you also using magic to keep things clean?¡± ¡°Also?¡± Max looked about. ¡°I¡¯m killing all minor pests in this restaurant. It¡¯s a mana exercise as I do not yet have powers like you all. Us elves can naturally use mana, but are incompatible with spirit mastery for a long time. Thus we practice from a young age in preparation for the things to come. However this exercise was given to me by the one called Cecil.¡± The waiter adjusted his glasses. Kyrion pulled out a sack of coins. ¡°It appears I left some junk here instead of the money I meant to leave behind.¡± ¡°I know what they are, Rion. Do you want to pay with one or use gold instead?¡± ¡°Oh? They have a use here? I need about seven of those coins as they are potentially needed for training.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You only want seven back?¡± ¡°They are my lowest purity coins. They have one use and that¡¯s awakening the power of one¡¯s soul, whatever that means.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. Kyrion took a square purple coin with an octagonal hole in the center and flicked it onto the counter. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t touch that with my hands. It¡¯s about fifty units of power, just taking it out fills my body with power that I have to shunt out soon.¡± ¡°Did you make these?¡± The waiter concentrated and moved a plate under the coin using a form of telekinesis. ¡°Kind of. They were made in something that I own, in factories that I own but I didn¡¯t refine the technique to create that specific coin alone. Oddly enough, the hole helps form the coin and apply more power. It used to be only worth ten units.¡± The plate holding the coin cracked and began to shatter as it was filled with power before a sphere of solid mana encased both the coin and the plate. Moments later, the elven chef left the back room and sighed. ¡°Fifty. Do you know how dieties make these?¡± ¡°I bet they¡¯re stingy. Doesn¡¯t take much effort to create these and I somehow managed to create quite a few.¡± ¡°I believe the deities have a limit on how many they can make. As you are a mortal, their rules don¡¯t affect you. That¡¯s how I imagine you got away with smuggling them in. Do you know about the monoliths, rankers have access to?¡± The chef asked curiously. ¡°Monoliths?¡± ¡°You know that thing you¡¯re fighting for a chance to gain access to in that big ole tournament? Although It¡¯s one belonging to a member of the top 5 on the planet, rumors say it even belonged to the current rank 1. The owner will fit the bill for one wish. I.e. One use of their tablet, for free. The higher one¡¯s rank the more options appear on said tablet. While I may not be the number 1, I¡¯m sure it could be useful for someone with your funds. For example, I can use the coins you dropped off to upgrade my restaurant¡¯s tools quite a bit. Allowing for the food I cook to provide even more benefits. Or increase the size of this building despite its size on the outside. If I¡¯m feeling festive I could buy livestock and ingredients from the monolith, some of which could have been extinct.¡± Kyrion was only half listening until his mind clicked. ¡°I won¡¯t have to worry about eating creatures into extinction with one of those tablets. I could bring back rare spices, or grow rare herbs for seas¡­alchemical purposes.¡± Max shot Kyion a concerned look. ¡°For your sister right?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Kyrion had tried alchemy once. He mixed water, a drop of his blood, and Ixian flower extract. None of those components should have been explosive, yet the regeneration ointment he had been making had exploded, destroying a lot of lab equipment. Max had been in said room with him and had gotten knocked out by the explosion of healing energy. Both had been ravenous for days after that incident. ¡°Can I get seeds?¡± ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t see why you would want those. You¡¯re a fire user after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just what I want people to think. No, I¡¯m actually my team¡¯s healer and a plant specialist with a few techniques that can distract from my main style of combat. Although my newer fire affinity has finally caught up with everything else.¡± ¡°Wait. How did you get a fire affinity? I thought you were faking it?¡± Max exclaimed. Kyrion pointed to his prosthetic eye and then at his core. ¡°Apparently I had it removed when I was younger. It flared up badly enough to leave me comatose prior to my awakening. It healed while I was eating here and began to grow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the true power of soul food.¡± Kyrion summoned a recipe book he hadn¡¯t recognized and scowled. ¡°Cronicles of Kyrion, side story, A multiversal cookbook. Volume one, A strange blue marble.¡± ¡°You spelled Chronicles wrong.¡± Max said as he looked over his shoulder. ¡°I know. Although I don¡¯t remember writing this.¡± Kyrion opened the book to a random page and saw something called a burrito. The instructions listed everything from making a tortilla to filling it with anything he craved. ¡°A truly mobile sandwich.¡± Kyrion flipped through the book, glancing at the various pictures before scowling and quickly closing the book. ¡°What does multiversal mean?¡± The chef asked. ¡°No idea. Sometimes I wonder what goes through my head.¡± Kyrion handed the book to the master chef. The chef took the book. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°Make something from here for tonight¡¯s dinner. I want to see something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± The expert looked through the book and nodded as he found a section on pasta. ¡°Odd how he isn¡¯t asking any more questions.¡± Max said. ¡°It¡¯s because I know someone tried to mess with time and ended up breaking things. The rankers were immune to the effects but couldn¡¯t stop it, so we spent most of the time trying to find the cause only to figure out who the solution was when your headmaster said that you¡¯d been acting weird the past few days. As well as revealing that Ander had killed a dragon and the bloodline magic was going to leave him messed up for a bit as he adjusted.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Why didn¡¯t you help during all that drama?¡± Kyrion felt his eye twitch. ¡°During the incident our memories of the previous days had been stored and removed. Before being gifted back to most of us through the current lord of time. We were only allowed to remember when the dust settled. As experts tend to cause ripples in timelines when they act. Like when the Beast Blood Emperor killed you, doing so went against the arbiters as well as the lord of time, resulting in the destruction of their memories.¡± ¡°Interesting point but I should get my few coins and go. There are a few things I want but nothing I need immediately comes to mind.¡± Kyrion stated. He had a goal, after all. ¡°Rion, why waste the chance?¡± Max asked ¡°If those coins are as valuable as he says, then chances are I¡¯ll have time later to get my things settled with a higher-tier monolith. You are supposed to be my royal pain today.¡± ¡°Fine. What now?¡± ¡°Since I doubt the chef is the type to talk about this aspect of my power, I can use this.¡± Kyrion opened a visible portal linked to his dungeon¡¯s entrance. From there, he took a step into a large underground church. With the statue of a man on a wooden cross as a centerpiece. Over his head was a crown of thorns. Kyrion¡¯s rebellious thorns were arrayed in a crown formation. ¡°Who is that supposed to be?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°What about that guy?¡± Max pointed to a mosaic of a guy in a black suit holding a sizeable curved wand with a big hole at the end. A large scar went from his right eye and diagonally across his face, ending at the top of his lips. As though needed for bigger spells. The mosaic trailed to show many people lying in ambush outside of said door. Then it moved to another scene as a fireball shot into the door, blasting the ambushers away. ¡°Karl is a bit weird.¡± Max pointed to a statue of a man in robes meditating in a corner. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s a golem.¡± ¡°Uh huh. And that¡¯s a fancy candle holder?¡± Cecil pointed at a nine-branched candelabrum sitting on the pedestal in front of the statue of the man on a cross. ¡°Something feels quite wrong about this.¡± Kyrion looked upwards, noticing that there was a mural on the ceiling. A crescent and star were situated in the top left as a huntress pulled them across the sky in a mechanized carriage. Meanwhile, a man on the right pulled the sun across the sky in a bright red pickup truck with wings. In the truck with the man was a black-haired woman in a sakura pink robe and an imperial look about her riding along. In the center, two figures were apparently having a drinking contest, one shrouded in lighting in a robe of white, while the other was an elderly man with excessive muscles and an eyepatch. Near the bottom left, a man with a jackal head held out a heart to another man holding the reins of a three-headed dog. Kyrion looked away from the Mural as it was too much, and he was starting to get a headache. He swore there were a lot of things off with the interactions. It was as though someone had thrown many things at the ceiling, most of them stuck. ¡°Uh. Your nose seems to be bleeding.¡± Max informed Kyrion. ¡°Karl? Why does this place give me a sensory overload?¡± ¡°Because you can only remember bits and pieces at best and this is all the information I gathered from your mind before it was purged.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying this chaotic mess is my fault.¡± ¡°I mean. I¡¯m not not saying it.¡± ¡°Max. Take this coin and put it in your mouth. I taste copper, and everything smells burnt.¡± Kyrion tossed Max a blue coin and left the room. Passing out in the dungeon town proper. A four-armed buck picked Kyrion up and brought him to the monster hospital, where he would nap before leaving on business. Max looked at the coin and felt nothing. He smelt the coin and felt a few nose hairs disintegrate. Placing the coin next to his ear let him hear a crackling sound. Finally, Max licked the coin, feeling disgusted, but not for long, as a shock left the coin and flowed into his system like a bolt of lightning. The power snaked and spread until passing all over his body, settling moments later as his chains instantly went from silver to golden in his core. ¡°What was that?¡± Max felt his body grow more sturdy as it adapted to the power, and everything else grew slightly. It wasn¡¯t much now, but he could feel what the others talked about. Through his bonds, Max could feel their power and connection grow. His body could now match the technique and training drilled into him since he could walk. However, now, this was just another beginning. ¡°H-hello?¡± Max heard another voice in his head. ¡°Who are you?¡± Max asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s been dark here for a long time. It seems you¡¯ve finally broken free of your bonds and have gained access to our birthright.¡± ¡°Our?¡± ¡°Yes. If you let me, I have a lot to inform you about our powers as a golden dragon knight,¡± ¡°That sounds awesome. And too good to be true. What about my other companions?¡± ¡°Like the owl? We should be fine. Your chains come from your Ruler ability. This is from your soul. I am your spirit.¡± ¡°Ey?¡± Max was perplexed for a multitude of reasons. At least he knew why cores hadn¡¯t worked before. And why, despite training hard, he had been stuck at peak fledgling despite lying to his friends about being a practitioner. ¡°Why did I get chains instead of you when I touched the awakening tablet.¡± ¡°I was too strong for your weak body; you are just starting to meet the requirements, Maximus. Cursed you have been, but now, you stand at the edge of greatness. Combined with our powers, we could become quite strong.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Max sighed. ¡°I guess Midas can¡¯t be the only one to face such revelations. Does Minah have a second ability?¡± ¡°Your sister manipulates potential and kinetic energy. The potential aspect is not from a spirit, yet she hasn¡¯t realized that yet. Unlike you, her power suited her form but is tricky to master. Although had she been wiser, maybe she¡¯dshe¡¯d have realized how your powers interact with each other in a feedback loop. Your chains increase the potential of those bound while absorbing a little, while she can raise a power¡¯s power¡¯s potential. With enough time, I¡¯m sure you could power each other up quite a bit.¡± ¡°So my sister doesn¡¯t have a dragon.¡± ¡°Those with dragon spirits are usually fragile or easy targets until their powers bloom since we get stronger with time. Now go on. Bring out my divine form.¡± Max felt the world around him shift briefly before he was brought through a portal into a white room with lots of space. ¡°I need to reach the practitioner tier. For that, I¡¯d need a core.¡± ¡°Whooops.¡± Said a voice around them as a gold marble with a dark, thorny tortoise shell on it rolled in front of him. ¡°Island colossus core? And it¡¯s just rolling across the floor.¡± Get it, master. That¡¯s a powerful one that will make us even more durable.¡± ¡°You just happen to have a core. I need to fall out of the sky. Kyrion, how many priceless treasures do you have on you? Aren¡¯t I supposed to be a prince?¡± ¡°Did Kyrion drop eight or nine island tortoise corpses in here? I must be getting senile in my old age, as I can¡¯t remember. I count eight¡­¡± Said the odd voice. Max sighed, picked up the core, and brought it into himself. His body became tougher, and his strength grew exponentially as his trained body was further enhanced upon entering the practitioner tier. He no longer had to lie about his tier and depend on his contracted partners. Although he did wonder how much stronger Brion could make him now. ¡°My reins of gold call upon thee, The lord of dragons born from the tree Through time we will grow Where we walk golden rivers flow Through light and golden flame We fight to protect our progenitors name Reborn first son of Tellistarian come to me, Your name is now Ao, short for Aonostarian.¡± Max chanted, and a golden dragon reptilian creature hatched from a shell within Max¡¯s core. The dragon appeared in front of Max and began to grow until it went from the size of a salamander to the size of a golden retriever. It wasn¡¯t suitable for riding yet, but it was plenty strong. ¡°After 2000 years of slumber I have been.¡± The dragon coughed. ¡°So.. Do you breathe fire? Can I breathe fire?¡± ¡°No. But, you can manipulate the laws of causality for luck.¡± ¡°So, not an attack.¡± ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re talking about that then you can manipulate radiant, holy, or healing mana. Which means you can turn light attuned creatures against their masters, pact with light attuned monsters better and deal lots of damage to dark, death, or shadow aligned creatures and magic. You still need to work hard but the time dilation for this room is convenient. One minute outside is a day here. Dungeon! We need to do some training!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll start sending out monsters. Try not to stay here too long. Kyrion would be hurt if you got older than him and thus were kicked from the tournament.¡± ¡°So long as I was under 20 when I signed up, we¡¯re fine. As a practitioner, I won¡¯t age past twenty until I¡¯m fifty anyway. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll Inform the others of your training.¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± Max said before a sizeable bovine-like creature with long white horns, orange and white fur, and a giant orange greatsword that seemed to have drastically reduced cutting power. It wouldn¡¯t kill him, but it would hurt quite a bit. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 3 Striding ¡°Can¡¯t you learn to keep your mouth shut?¡± The green-eyed man said as he stood in between the two. ¡°Hello, supposed vessel of the betrayer. It¡¯s your fault we¡¯re in this mess.¡± Mike stated. ¡°And I have no regrets. Like hell I¡¯d abandon my own flesh and blood like that. That damn curse was low.¡± The figure added. ¡°What did you have to do to get turned into an eye as a curse?¡± ¡°Piss off quite a few entities pining for you to succeed in your unavoidable role,¡± Mike added. ¡°Oh. I see. Man, I wish I had a sandwich here.¡± Kyrion wiped his hands on his chest and sighed. ¡°You and me both. It¡¯s been centuries since I¡¯ve had a good sandwich.¡± The green-eyed creature stated. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion raised his eyebrows and looked at the creature. ¡°A complicated string of coincidences that were never meant to come to pass. Or so I was told, before I dived in.¡± Mike sighed. ¡°So. I take it you won¡¯t let me rescue the priestess?¡± Kyrion looked at the two suspiciously. ¡°I literally don¡¯t care what you do, so long as you get out of this place. In fact I¡¯m highly curious about what you¡¯ll do without guidance.¡± Said the creature in the eye. Mike scowled. ¡°I should have left you sealed.¡± ¡°Duh. At least until we got to a sandwich shop. Man, I feel like I could eat a dragon.¡± ¡°Ummmm¡­ Who is this guy?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much. Hey can I possess your body while you¡¯re here?¡± The creature stated as it reentered Kyrion¡¯s eye. ¡°He¡¯s no one important anymore.¡± Mike waved his hand to the side. ¡°Right then. I need you to give me your armor and weapon. Then you need to get in my bag.¡± ¡°This armor is a part of my soul.¡± Kyrion stared for a long moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t come off!¡± ¡°Fine then. Just get in the bag.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question.¡± Mike looked at the hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone slowing me down at the moment. TTYL.¡± Kyrion maintained eye contact as he swept Mike¡¯s legs, shoved him into his bag, and strapped it up. Kyrion noticed a chain of maddened laughter in his head that hadn¡¯t belonged to him. As he really didn¡¯t have any patience for all this stuff. Kyrion was already having trouble focusing on his target, and without a journal to keep track of things, he¡¯d have to remember all of his goals on his own. Unlike in his body, Kyrion could not will memories to the surface by prodding that part of his brain. ¡°Rescue priestess from the tower. Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± As he said that, a vine snapped, and a strange vial of sparkling purple liquid rolled before him. He then picked up the vial, sniffed it, and placed it at his hip. Kyrion continued forward, having already forgotten which floor the priestess was on. And assuming that she would be on the top floor, of course. That¡¯s where they always are in stories. For some odd reason, Kyrion continued to hear the maddened cackling. It was distracting. ¡°Priestess top of tower.¡± Kyrion ran through the swamp in a zig-zag fashion. I moved from tree to tree and passed over quite a few vagabonds. Had they known, they would have attacked. Had they attacked, he would have defeated them. So, as Kyrion exited the swamp, he saw a strange moving swamp that seemingly led to some sort of paradise that seemed too good to be true. A large swarm of Lost were headed down that road. In the opposite direction was a wooden gate with fewer marketable people headed there. Kyrion shook his head and took a few steps back, looking at the side of said paradise, and scowled. He was looking into the side of some giant monster beyond his comprehension. Then he realized that the road they were running on was a tongue that stretched all the way towards the wooden gate. ¡°This isn¡¯t right. That tongue is quite wide. I¡¯ll need to be quick.¡± Kyrion ran towards the road and hopped onto a ghostly head. ¡°Huh?¡± A confused humanoid Lost said as it looked around and saw a set of eyes belonging to the indescribable monster. The question led to panicked screams. Kyrion got off that creature¡¯s head and stepped onto another, which led to a similar realization. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡± Kyrion continued to hop from head to head as his balance stayed perfect as he had been trained. He moved through the highway of souls unhindered until he made it halfway.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The tip of the long tongue began to rise as souls started to fall into the monster¡¯s gullet. ¡°Nope!¡± Kyrion pushed his foot down and began to take much larger leaps as he rushed to escape at all costs. The tongue rose high, and the number of creatures falling increased. Near the exit, a hand shot upwards and grabbed his ankle, which brought him down. Kyrion placed his hands on the creature¡¯s tongue and kicked the grasper so hard that they tore through the other Lost. The tongue then rose all the way up. From there, he held onto dear life and succeeded as most of the remaining souls were consumed. Letting out a breath of relief, Kyrion moved forward like he was going from branch to branch. Only these branches were fleshy and pink. Within minutes, he arrived close to the exit when he noticed that the tongue was just curling, and the curl was almost to him. So Kyrion let go of the tongue, jumped off what appeared to be a tastebud, and flew off the tongue. Only to begin the process of falling to his death. Only as he hit the ground, he felt perfectly fine. There was no crash. His body softly bounced off the ground a few times. ¡°I made it?¡± Kyrion looked up and watched as the remaining Lost were consumed and he felt guilty. However, there was nothing he¡¯d have done. Most of these people were already dead and would gladly kill him if possible. He couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted from his goal of rescuing the princess from the top of the tower with countless floors. ¡°Right. Focus Kyr. We have work to do.¡± Kyrion said as he walked towards the tower. A final hour of travel passed before Kyrion could see a pillar off in the distance that reached past the visible sky. Red cracks covered the building and marked it as ruined. The entryway into the tower was a gilded archway guarded by two creatures. The first was a red-furred greyhound-headed creature with an almost human body with somewhat feminine features. A long white dress seemingly hid her form as a long glaive stood to the right side of the entrance. The second was a bald man with a beak that covered everything under its yellow bird eyes. The man had no eyebrows but carried a sizeable paunch. Across their back was a pair of black feathered wings, and his hands held four taloned fingers. ¡°Squawk! Pitiful Lost soul. You stand before the tower of Gehenna. Turn back of face torment worse than death.¡± ¡°Turrrn orrr be faced with powerrrr you don¡¯t underrrstand.¡± ¡°I need to ask this. Are you going to stand in my way or prevent my entry?¡± The dog-faced guard drew a line in front of the door. ¡°If you cross this line, we will prevent you from entering my force.¡± Kyrion began to pace briefly as he watched the duo with a somewhat predatory gaze. ¡°Squak! We aren¡¯t going to chase you!¡± Kyrion stopped his pacing and eyed the eagle man before looking at the dog-headed woman. ¡°Lets see about that.¡± Kyrion pressed their feet against the ground and pushed off into a sprint that made his body hard to track, with just eyes appearing across the line briefly. A halberd intercepted Kyrion, and the young man used it as a springboard as he focused the energy flowing into him into his feet and legs, reinforcing them as he leaped onto the side of the tower. From there, he ran up the vertical surface as though it was flat against the ground. ¡°Hey! Stop! One must not cheat the tower of Gehenna!¡± ¡°Like I care about this Tog! Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as a ball of black fire fell from above.¡± Defying gravity, or due to the lack of law governing the concept here. Kyrion slid up the vertical surface, evading the burning ball as it passed by him. ¡°Blasphemy! Oh god, he¡¯s headed to the top! Why are you headed to the top!¡± The guards yelled as the fire engulfed them, reducing them to ash. Oddly enough, Kyrion felt much of their soul force enter his body. Temporarily empowering him as a core formed in his body. One full of white flames and energy. ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± The voice behind Kyrion¡¯s eye laughed maniacally as Kyrion instinctually bent the laws of reality to suit him. The flames fueling his momentum. ¡°Shut it, I¡¯m focusing.¡± Kyrion felt the energy slipping and poured more power into it as his footprints burned themselves into the side of the tower. A second fireball came, but Kyrion punched it hard enough to disperse the force instead of dodging it, allowing it to greedily flow into his body. Antlers grew from his head as he continued to run, and a mantle of white flames grew from his body, clothing him. His red hair began to shine as streaks seemed to turn a silvery blue. ¡°Is that all you got!¡± Kyrion smirked as a third came and passed through him, flowing into his body as he reached floor 66. The top of the tower. In front of him, a feminine creature around 10 feet tall was chained to poles. Black batlike wings shot out of her back as black fog covered the ground around her. Her black hair pooled on the ground like water, and her eyes seemed mostly dead. Her figure was strangely thin, as though she had been starved for a long time. Behind the feminine creature stood a creature with the head of a praying mantis, a black insect-like body with arms that extended into human-like arms if human arms were as thick as tree trunks and red. Six pairs of legs extended behind the creature, stretching three yards behind it into a sharp and pointed tail. The beast was bigger than the woman and free. Blackfire pooled under the creature as it skittered about. The creature chittered something intelligible. ¡°I¡­ did not expect something like that.¡± Kyrion looked at his hand. ¡°You must destroy that creature. You should have access to fire and blood magic while I¡¯m here.¡± The voice stated. ¡°Fire and blood? Are you sure we¡¯re the good guys?¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°This is no time for jokes boy!¡± ¡°How rude. So, how long have you been messing with my memory?¡± Kyrion backed up to the edge of the tower. ¡°Since I was unsealed.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re honest. Guess the memory loss is natural then.¡± Kyrion did a few stretches but would not do well if he didn¡¯t know his limits. ¡°Yes. Without resting in one of the many ponds here you will lose your memory over time and become a Lost. Death refreshes your soul but you lose a part of yourself wherever you die.¡± ¡°And that stuff gets absorbed. Well the creature hasn¡¯t attacked us yet.¡± ¡°Look down.¡± The voice stated. Kyrion looked over the edge and could only see black clouds. The ground was quite far away if he couldn¡¯t see it from there. So Kyrion looked upward and into the eyes of a serpent the size of a mountain on the horizon. It seemed pretty curious how he had gotten here before growing concerned. ¡°I am Bealsquilla, lord of the shrimp and you will become my next meal mortal. All that soul force are belong to us.¡± Kyrion scowled at the giant shrimp mantis chimera before entering a stance. Although not a normal combat stance. Kyrion¡¯s right foot was forward with his left foot behind as if walking on a tightrope, his left and right arms pressed behind his back. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 4 Ascent ¡°Can¡¯t you learn to keep your mouth shut?¡± The green-eyed man said as he stood in between the two. ¡°Hello, supposed vessel of the betrayer. It¡¯s your fault we¡¯re in this mess.¡± Mike stated. ¡°And I have no regrets. Like hell I¡¯d abandon my own flesh and blood like that. That damn curse was low.¡± The figure added. ¡°What did you have to do to get turned into an eye as a curse?¡± ¡°Piss off quite a few entities pining for you to succeed in your unavoidable role,¡± Mike added. ¡°Oh. I see. Man, I wish I had a sandwich here.¡± Kyrion wiped his hands on his chest and sighed. ¡°You and me both. It¡¯s been centuries since I¡¯ve had a good sandwich.¡± The green-eyed creature stated. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion raised his eyebrows and looked at the creature. ¡°A complicated string of coincidences that were never meant to come to pass. Or so I was told, before I dived in.¡± Mike sighed. ¡°So. I take it you won¡¯t let me rescue the priestess?¡± Kyrion looked at the two suspiciously. ¡°I literally don¡¯t care what you do, so long as you get out of this place. In fact I¡¯m highly curious about what you¡¯ll do without guidance.¡± Said the creature in the eye. Mike scowled. ¡°I should have left you sealed.¡± ¡°Duh. At least until we got to a sandwich shop. Man, I feel like I could eat a dragon.¡± ¡°Ummmm¡­ Who is this guy?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much. Hey can I possess your body while you¡¯re here?¡± The creature stated as it reentered Kyrion¡¯s eye. ¡°He¡¯s no one important anymore.¡± Mike waved his hand to the side. ¡°Right then. I need you to give me your armor and weapon. Then you need to get in my bag.¡± ¡°This armor is a part of my soul.¡± Kyrion stared for a long moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t come off!¡± ¡°Fine then. Just get in the bag.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question.¡± Mike looked at the hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone slowing me down at the moment. TTYL.¡± Kyrion maintained eye contact as he swept Mike¡¯s legs, shoved him into his bag, and strapped it up. Kyrion noticed a chain of maddened laughter in his head that hadn¡¯t belonged to him. As he really didn¡¯t have any patience for all this stuff. Kyrion was already having trouble focusing on his target, and without a journal to keep track of things, he¡¯d have to remember all of his goals on his own. Unlike in his body, Kyrion could not will memories to the surface by prodding that part of his brain. ¡°Rescue priestess from the tower. Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± As he said that, a vine snapped, and a strange vial of sparkling purple liquid rolled before him. He then picked up the vial, sniffed it, and placed it at his hip. Kyrion continued forward, having already forgotten which floor the priestess was on. And assuming that she would be on the top floor, of course. That¡¯s where they always are in stories. For some odd reason, Kyrion continued to hear the maddened cackling. It was distracting. ¡°Priestess top of tower.¡± Kyrion ran through the swamp in a zig-zag fashion. I moved from tree to tree and passed over quite a few vagabonds. Had they known, they would have attacked. Had they attacked, he would have defeated them. So, as Kyrion exited the swamp, he saw a strange moving swamp that seemingly led to some sort of paradise that seemed too good to be true. A large swarm of Lost were headed down that road. In the opposite direction was a wooden gate with fewer marketable people headed there. Kyrion shook his head and took a few steps back, looking at the side of said paradise, and scowled. He was looking into the side of some giant monster beyond his comprehension. Then he realized that the road they were running on was a tongue that stretched all the way towards the wooden gate. ¡°This isn¡¯t right. That tongue is quite wide. I¡¯ll need to be quick.¡± Kyrion ran towards the road and hopped onto a ghostly head. ¡°Huh?¡± A confused humanoid Lost said as it looked around and saw a set of eyes belonging to the indescribable monster. The question led to panicked screams. Kyrion got off that creature¡¯s head and stepped onto another, which led to a similar realization. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡± Kyrion continued to hop from head to head as his balance stayed perfect as he had been trained. He moved through the highway of souls unhindered until he made it halfway. The tip of the long tongue began to rise as souls started to fall into the monster¡¯s gullet. ¡°Nope!¡± Kyrion pushed his foot down and began to take much larger leaps as he rushed to escape at all costs. The tongue rose high, and the number of creatures falling increased. Near the exit, a hand shot upwards and grabbed his ankle, which brought him down. Kyrion placed his hands on the creature¡¯s tongue and kicked the grasper so hard that they tore through the other Lost. The tongue then rose all the way up. From there, he held onto dear life and succeeded as most of the remaining souls were consumed. Letting out a breath of relief, Kyrion moved forward like he was going from branch to branch. Only these branches were fleshy and pink. Within minutes, he arrived close to the exit when he noticed that the tongue was just curling, and the curl was almost to him. So Kyrion let go of the tongue, jumped off what appeared to be a tastebud, and flew off the tongue. Only to begin the process of falling to his death. Only as he hit the ground, he felt perfectly fine. There was no crash. His body softly bounced off the ground a few times. ¡°I made it?¡± Kyrion looked up and watched as the remaining Lost were consumed and he felt guilty. However, there was nothing he¡¯d have done. Most of these people were already dead and would gladly kill him if possible. He couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted from his goal of rescuing the princess from the top of the tower with countless floors. ¡°Right. Focus Kyr. We have work to do.¡± Kyrion said as he walked towards the tower. ¡°Can¡¯t you learn to keep your mouth shut?¡± The green-eyed man said as he stood in between the two. ¡°Hello, supposed vessel of the betrayer. It¡¯s your fault we¡¯re in this mess.¡± Mike stated. ¡°And I have no regrets. Like hell I¡¯d abandon my own flesh and blood like that. That damn curse was low.¡± The figure added. ¡°What did you have to do to get turned into an eye as a curse?¡± ¡°Piss off quite a few entities pining for you to succeed in your unavoidable role,¡± Mike added. ¡°Oh. I see. Man, I wish I had a sandwich here.¡± Kyrion wiped his hands on his chest and sighed. ¡°You and me both. It¡¯s been centuries since I¡¯ve had a good sandwich.¡± The green-eyed creature stated. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion raised his eyebrows and looked at the creature.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°A complicated string of coincidences that were never meant to come to pass. Or so I was told, before I dived in.¡± Mike sighed. ¡°So. I take it you won¡¯t let me rescue the priestess?¡± Kyrion looked at the two suspiciously. ¡°I literally don¡¯t care what you do, so long as you get out of this place. In fact I¡¯m highly curious about what you¡¯ll do without guidance.¡± Said the creature in the eye. Mike scowled. ¡°I should have left you sealed.¡± ¡°Duh. At least until we got to a sandwich shop. Man, I feel like I could eat a dragon.¡± ¡°Ummmm¡­ Who is this guy?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much. Hey can I possess your body while you¡¯re here?¡± The creature stated as it reentered Kyrion¡¯s eye. ¡°He¡¯s no one important anymore.¡± Mike waved his hand to the side. ¡°Right then. I need you to give me your armor and weapon. Then you need to get in my bag.¡± ¡°This armor is a part of my soul.¡± Kyrion stared for a long moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t come off!¡± ¡°Fine then. Just get in the bag.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question.¡± Mike looked at the hand. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone slowing me down at the moment. TTYL.¡± Kyrion maintained eye contact as he swept Mike¡¯s legs, shoved him into his bag, and strapped it up. Kyrion noticed a chain of maddened laughter in his head that hadn¡¯t belonged to him. As he really didn¡¯t have any patience for all this stuff. Kyrion was already having trouble focusing on his target, and without a journal to keep track of things, he¡¯d have to remember all of his goals on his own. Unlike in his body, Kyrion could not will memories to the surface by prodding that part of his brain. ¡°Rescue priestess from the tower. Don¡¯t get distracted.¡± As he said that, a vine snapped, and a strange vial of sparkling purple liquid rolled before him. He then picked up the vial, sniffed it, and placed it at his hip. Kyrion continued forward, having already forgotten which floor the priestess was on. And assuming that she would be on the top floor, of course. That¡¯s where they always are in stories. For some odd reason, Kyrion continued to hear the maddened cackling. It was distracting. ¡°Priestess top of tower.¡± Kyrion ran through the swamp in a zig-zag fashion. I moved from tree to tree and passed over quite a few vagabonds. Had they known, they would have attacked. Had they attacked, he would have defeated them. So, as Kyrion exited the swamp, he saw a strange moving swamp that seemingly led to some sort of paradise that seemed too good to be true. A large swarm of Lost were headed down that road. In the opposite direction was a wooden gate with fewer marketable people headed there. Kyrion shook his head and took a few steps back, looking at the side of said paradise, and scowled. He was looking into the side of some giant monster beyond his comprehension. Then he realized that the road they were running on was a tongue that stretched all the way towards the wooden gate. ¡°This isn¡¯t right. That tongue is quite wide. I¡¯ll need to be quick.¡± Kyrion ran towards the road and hopped onto a ghostly head. ¡°Huh?¡± A confused humanoid Lost said as it looked around and saw a set of eyes belonging to the indescribable monster. The question led to panicked screams. Kyrion got off that creature¡¯s head and stepped onto another, which led to a similar realization. ¡°This isn¡¯t good.¡± Kyrion continued to hop from head to head as his balance stayed perfect as he had been trained. He moved through the highway of souls unhindered until he made it halfway. The tip of the long tongue began to rise as souls started to fall into the monster¡¯s gullet. ¡°Nope!¡± Kyrion pushed his foot down and began to take much larger leaps as he rushed to escape at all costs. The tongue rose high, and the number of creatures falling increased. Near the exit, a hand shot upwards and grabbed his ankle, which brought him down. Kyrion placed his hands on the creature¡¯s tongue and kicked the grasper so hard that they tore through the other Lost. The tongue then rose all the way up. From there, he held onto dear life and succeeded as most of the remaining souls were consumed. Letting out a breath of relief, Kyrion moved forward like he was going from branch to branch. Only these branches were fleshy and pink. Within minutes, he arrived close to the exit when he noticed that the tongue was just curling, and the curl was almost to him. So Kyrion let go of the tongue, jumped off what appeared to be a tastebud, and flew off the tongue. Only to begin the process of falling to his death. Only as he hit the ground, he felt perfectly fine. There was no crash. His body softly bounced off the ground a few times. ¡°I made it?¡± Kyrion looked up and watched as the remaining Lost were consumed, and he felt guilty. However, there was nothing he¡¯d have done. Most of these people were already dead and would gladly kill him if possible. He couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted from his goal of rescuing the princess from the top of the tower with countless floors. ¡°Right. Focus Kyr. We have work to do.¡± Kyrion said as he walked towards the tower. A final hour of travel passed before Kyrion could see a pillar off in the distance that reached past the visible sky. Red cracks covered the building and marked it as ruined. The entryway into the tower was a gilded archway guarded by two creatures. The first was a red-furred greyhound-headed creature with an almost human body, with somewhat feminine features. A long white dress seemingly hid her form as a long glaive stood to the right side of the entrance. The second was a bald man with a beak that covered everything under its yellow bird eyes. The man had no eyebrows but carried a sizeable paunch. Across their back was a pair of black feathered wings, and his hands held four taloned fingers. ¡°Squawk! Pitiful Lost soul. You stand before the tower of Gehenna. Turn back of face torment worse than death.¡± ¡°Turrrn orrr be faced with powerrrr you don¡¯t underrrstand.¡± Stated the dog-faced creature. ¡°I need to ask this. Are you going to stand in my way or prevent my entry?¡± The dog-faced guard drew a line in front of the door. ¡°If you crrross this line, we will prrrevent you from entering my forrrrce.¡± Kyrion began to pace briefly as he watched the duo with a somewhat predatory gaze. ¡°Squak! We aren¡¯t going to chase you so you can slip in!¡± Kyrion stopped his pacing and eyed the eagle man before looking at the dog-headed woman. ¡°Lets see about that.¡± Kyrion pressed his feet against the ground and pushed off into a sprint that made his body hard to track, with just eyes appearing across the line briefly. A halberd intercepted Kyrion, and the young man used it as a springboard as he focused the energy flowing into him into his feet and legs, reinforcing them as he leaped onto the side of the tower. From there, he ran up the vertical surface as though it was flat against the ground. ¡°Hey! Stop! One must not cheat the tower of Gehenna!¡± ¡°Like I care about this Tog! Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as a ball of black fire fell from above.¡± Defying gravity, or due to the lack of law governing the concept here. Kyrion slid up the vertical surface, evading the burning ball as it passed by him. ¡°Blasphemy! Oh god, he¡¯s headed to the top! Why are you headed to the top!¡± The guards yelled as the fire engulfed them, reducing them to ash. Oddly enough, Kyrion felt much of their soul force enter his body. Temporarily empowering him as a core formed in his body. One full of white flames and energy. His prosthetic eye burning. ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± The voice behind Kyrion¡¯s eye laughed maniacally as Kyrion instinctually bent the laws of reality to suit him. The flames fueling his momentum. ¡°Shut it, I¡¯m focusing.¡± Kyrion felt the energy slipping and poured more power into it as his footprints burned themselves into the side of the tower. A second fireball came, but Kyrion punched it hard enough to disperse the force instead of dodging it, allowing it to greedily flow into his body. Antlers grew from his head as he continued to run, and a mantle of white flames grew from his body, clothing him. His red hair began to shine as streaks seemed to turn a silvery blue. ¡°Is that all you got!¡± Kyrion smirked as a third came and passed through him, flowing into his body as he reached floor 66. The top of the tower. In front of him, a feminine creature around 10 feet tall was chained to poles. Black batlike wings shot out of her back as black fog covered the ground around her. Her black hair pooled on the ground like water, and her eyes seemed mostly dead. Her figure was strangely thin, as though she had been starved for a long time. Behind the feminine creature stood a creature with the head of a praying mantis, a black insect-like body with arms that extended into human-like arms if human arms were as thick as tree trunks and red. Six pairs of legs extended behind the creature, stretching three yards behind it into a sharp and pointed tail. The beast was bigger than the woman and free. Blackfire pooled under the creature as it skittered about. The creature chittered something intelligible. ¡°I¡­ did not expect something like that.¡± Kyrion looked at his hand. ¡°You must destroy that creature. You should have access to fire and blood magic while I¡¯m here.¡± The voice stated. ¡°Fire and blood? Are you sure we¡¯re the good guys?¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°This is no time for jokes boy!¡± ¡°How rude. So, how long have you been messing with my memory?¡± Kyrion backed up to the edge of the tower. ¡°Since I was unsealed.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re honest. Guess the memory loss is natural then.¡± Kyrion did a few stretches but would not do well if he didn¡¯t know his limits. ¡°Yes. Without resting in one of the many ponds here you will lose your memory over time and become a Lost. Death refreshes your soul but you lose a part of yourself wherever you die.¡± ¡°And that stuff gets absorbed. Well the creature hasn¡¯t attacked us yet.¡± ¡°Look down.¡± The voice stated. Kyrion looked over the edge and could only see black clouds. The ground was quite far away if he couldn¡¯t see it from there. So Kyrion looked upward and into the eyes of a serpent the size of a mountain on the horizon. It seemed pretty curious how he had gotten here before growing concerned. ¡°I am Bealsquilla, lord of the shrimp and you will become my next meal mortal. All that soul force are belong to us.¡± Kyrion scowled at the giant shrimp mantis chimera before entering a stance. Although not a normal combat stance. Kyrion¡¯s right foot was forward with his left foot behind as if walking on a tightrope, his left and right arms pressed behind his back. Book 3: Chapter 4 Proof of concept Kyrion left his dungeon only to come face to face with Minah. Her expression was irritated, and both of her fists were balled. She seemed angry for some apparent reason. Her golden armor¡¯s runes radiated in a way that spoke of violence. ¡°Need something?¡± Kyrion asked innocently. ¡°Where is my brother? And what have you done to him?¡± ¡°Which brother? ¡°Kyrion tilted his head to the side, preparing an emergency teleport just in case she didn¡¯t like his answer. A fight with her now would be inconvenient for what he had planned. ¡°Do I need to tell you? It should be obvious. Given recent news, apparently I only have one.¡± ¡°I mean¡­I guess Marigold would be your sister, although, there is no blood connecting you.¡± ¡°Who the abyss is Marigold?¡± ¡°Midas. Do you know what happens when you try to possess a body that¡¯s already being possessed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about him. My real brother, where is he?¡± ¡°One that¡¯s quite rude. Two¡­¡± Kyrion spent a solid ten seconds in real time pretending to think as he locked down his escape location a few miles away. ¡°Where. Is. He?¡± Minah was clearly in a punchy mood. ¡°Well. You. See¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± Kyrion had partially known that Karl was up to something and was feeding his friend high-quality resources to see how they affected him. He also felt the massive shift in time dilation that he¡¯d known he¡¯d be penalized for later, as it wasn¡¯t his choice but the choice of a spirit acting without the owner¡¯s consent. The further he got from all this, the better. Minah, who had punched Kyrion as hard as she could with enough power to send a boulder from the base of a mountain to the peak, stood agape as a shield of woodlike triangles appeared to block the strike. Consuming the now-expended mana and taking twice as much from Kyrion as payment. Kyrie and Kira shot to attention the moment that power activated as it was unlike anything he had used previously. Kyrikon clicked his tongue as a portal appeared behind him in a murky purple circle. ¡°How?¡± Minah muttered as she could no longer feel the vast difference in power. It was like he had reached a level of power far beyond her comprehension. ¡°Do you want to increase your punching power or keep following Cecil¡¯s schedule? I have a core for you to look at if it¡¯s the former. Either way, put this strange and suspicious purple coin in your mouth. Max is likely training and if you can¡¯t keep up, he¡¯ll surpass you quickly.¡± ¡°I thought he¡¯d be sulking.¡± ¡°Max? Sulking? Your brother isn¡¯t a little kid anymore, he¡¯s like a man now. Now where exactly is your father? We need to have a talk. I¡¯m not going to kill him any time soon. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m dumb enough to challenge the current rank four before reaching the true expert rank.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be trying to kill him at all. Rank four?¡± ¡°I mean. He could try, but I can almost guarantee that he¡¯ll be disappointed and confused as I take one limb with me.¡± ¡°You think you can injure an expert? A high ranking expert.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t matter. Now where is he?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side. ¡°He¡¯s in the Embassy, with all the other rulers attending. Save the Beast Blood Emperor as they are at war with the rest of the continent.¡± ¡°Oh. He¡¯s here, hiding. Guess I¡¯ll ask Lin where the Embassy is.¡± Kyrion flicked Minah a purple coin and stepped back into the portal he had opened while she was distracted. Minah recognized the color and feeling it gave off but hadn¡¯t recognized its purpose. Her father had a few of them in his crown, resembling jewels. She then saw a crude attempt at the headmaster¡¯s son¡¯s face on one side. ¡°Where did he get these?¡± Minah muttered before a second thought entered her mind. How would he know that the Beast Blood Emperor was here hiding under everyone''s nose? ¡°Get moving.¡± Ander seemingly appeared out of nowhere and entered the dungeon. Only the young man seemed taller. How did he get taller than her so quickly? Then Brion passed her as well. Which made Minah wonder just what kind of place this was. If someone like Brion was excited to enter.
As it turned out, the Embassy wasn¡¯t hard to find. It took him two seconds to locate a large amount of power gathered in one building. There were multiple powerful monsters in that place. Each of them was capable of killing him quickly. Well, they would have been if he was actually in his body. No Kyrion had decided to play a game of diplomacy, using a clone body made of plant fibers that he poured a lot of mana into to act as a vessel. The tricky bit was getting his affinities to work correctly so that he could always return to his body should worse come to pass. If they killed him on the spot, then he¡¯d just be sure to avoid them going forward. They would also get themselves on Kyrion¡¯s list of enemies. It was a small list, but Kyrion had the power to literally shake Imala to her core if he needed to. Well, it wasn¡¯t his power, per se. Dropping an island enhanced by D.E. on a person should be lethal to most, and he needed the space for other purposes. Two guards stood outside the door, clearly meant to keep assassins, thieves, and rabble out. Rion, of course, fell into the rabble category. His country was gone, his noble line minor at best, and his only redeeming quality was that he was the headmaster¡¯s current direct disciple through Gamodren. ¡°Stop, state your name and purpose, if you are wasting our time, then you will regret it.¡± Kyrion could sense that the guards were early experts. While he could fight them, he wouldn¡¯t be able to knock them out, and he wasn¡¯t willing to kill guards doing their job. ¡°Rion, Captain of Drisil¡¯s team, and the Headmaster¡¯s Direct Disciple, I need to speak with the king of Etravonia about personal matters. If I waste his time, chances are I¡¯d be killed on the spot, but if you keep me out here too long instead of informing him of my presence, you may be punished.¡± ¡°We are neutral guards. They wouldn¡¯t dare kill us.¡± ¡°I mean. I bet he could kill early experts like you two, just by considering it. He is the oldest expert in recorded history after all.¡± The guards looked at each other and then scowled at something in the middle distance. Their expressions morphed into a relieved expression moments later. ¡°You may go in.¡± They informed Rion. ¡°Don¡¯t be wasting any time. We don¡¯t want to pick up the pieces. Room 601D.¡± Rion smiled. ¡°I¡¯m certain there won¡¯t be any pieces left if that happens. I can clean up my own messes.¡± The guards didn¡¯t say anything as Kyrion entered the area with a cocky expression as he strutted down the hall like a rooster in a hen house. He even had his head moving back and forth like one. Everything about him oozed confidence as Rion cranked things to eleven. 601D was located on the sixth floor and encompassed the entire floor as there was only one other door inside, and he had to wait before entering. The door was made of solid gold. ¡°You know. I think I¡¯m starting to prefer bronze and copper.¡± Kyrion muttered as he knocked softly on the door. The door swung open on its own, revealing a room covered in gold. Everything from the furniture to the candles was covered in gold. While the room was lit by golden flames. An elderly man with silver hair, golden eyes, and a curious expression stood in the middle of the room.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°You look just like that young sea bastard. Well, more like his homicidal daughter now that I get a good look at you..¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow as he felt about his face. The bone structure was still altered, and his hair wasn¡¯t its usual color. ¡°My eyes can see the shape of your soul, in a way. It allows me to see through physical and magical changes to one¡¯s appearance. Strange for someone of your tier to have such a well defined soul. You have absorbed at least two of your shards, curious.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°So you knew Midas wasn¡¯t your child, as well as that they were possessed?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I was informed that Imala¡¯s daughter had been kidnaped and was being used as a puppet by one of the families trying to gain power. I was also told that I shouldn¡¯t interfere and let things play out as they will fix themselves. The false heir also pushed the twins to work harder as well. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Possibly. Why do you have so many kids?¡± ¡°Says the boy with four siblings and a father that hasn¡¯t touched a century.¡± Kyrion would argue that his family wasn¡¯t that big, but considering his dad¡¯s likely age¡­ ¡°Fair enough. Now I would like to make a trade.¡± ¡°What do you have that I could use?¡± ¡°A gift for your son and daughter.¡± Kyrion pulled out a core belonging to Bealsquilla and a giant tortoise. ¡°Aren¡¯t you their captain? Why are you trying to trade cores that would be better suited being handed to them?¡± ¡°Can you tell how powerful they are?¡± ¡°I can sense the power inside.¡± ¡°I see. Well Minah is skeptical of everything I give her. So a gift from you would be better accepted.¡± ¡°What do you want from the trade?¡± The king wisely avoided the landmine he almost admitted. Since he was on that same sinking ship. He would not admit how angry his daughter got when he bought her a dress. Of all his daughters, she was the one who hated dresses and expensive gifts. ¡°Access to your monolith of course. As you are the oldest expert, you should be one of the strongest. Correct?¡± Kyrion asked with a cherry tone. ¡°You must have divine coins. What from my list do you wish to purchase?¡± ¡°Two of every extinct animal you can find, one of each gender, one of every plant seedling on the list, all of the land from Drisil and westward within your kingdom¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to be cheap.¡± ¡°Also not done, One dimensional tether, eight reawakening tokens to give out as I see fit, a book of deity tier runes and an oath remover.¡± ¡°Would you like divine spirits with your order?¡± ¡°No. But you can throw in the other main continents as well. I know that they¡¯re all desert. I might as well claim them.¡± ¡°How do you expect to pay for all that? It¡¯s quite insane to suggest that, no matter how much gold you have¡­¡± Kyrion tore a powerful sack from his domain. It radiated enough D.E. to cause every enchantment present to go haywire while the area was infused with power. ¡°I¡¯ll let you keep my change if you make these purchases in the name of Kyrion, from Drisil.¡± ¡°You expect me to give up half my country? I¡¯m an old king. Why would I let my kingdom split?¡± ¡°One, you finally have an heir to sit on your throne.¡± ¡°Minah isn¡¯t king material. She isn¡¯t much for subtlety or decorum .She deems it unnecessary.¡± ¡°I mean Midas. I¡¯ve been informed that he managed to gain access to his spirit. I thought he already had a spirit. But that doesn¡¯t matter. He immediately jumped into the practitioner tier. I also thought he was already a practitioner. Do all of your supposed children lie so often or am I just unlucky? You don¡¯t have to answer that¡­I smell bloodlust.¡± Kyrion¡¯s head turned towards a door to the right, where an inky power had been stockpiling when he mentioned Midas. The king¡¯s eyebrows furrowed briefly before relaxing. The man in front of him seemed wide open but was anything but. ¡°Anyway, Max seems to have inherited a powerful spirit from you, so I must ask. Why is there a rumor that says all your previous male heirs have died?¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s an ancient bloodcurse left behind by my first lover. Not quite wife material as she tried to have me killed in a coup. While the details aren¡¯t something I¡¯ll tell a kid, I was essentially cursed in a way that would prevent my heirs from properly inheriting my power. I have lost daughters as well, but my sons were the ones who died every time. There has been no exception until Midas. Who wasn¡¯t quite my son to begin with.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? Max shares most of your DNA, and facial structure..¡± ¡°Yes and no. I can tell you how shards work. A woman who looked exactly like his mother, pregnant with twins. She had been teleported here through mysterious means and told the tale of a green-eyed traitor with hair as red as blood. The twins were born at the cost of their mother¡¯s life, and I had two sets of each child, a full year apart. My Max managed to live until he was two before the curse began to claim him. Against my better judgment, I fused the souls into one, hoping to prolong his life. He had been sickly and weak because of it and even shrunk in size as though he was de-aged, but he survived. Minah¡¯s shard fused while they were playing together in the garden. This led to confusion for a while, but I guess it was better they got that done earlier. Less hate and vitriol when souls willingly merge. If you¡¯ve noticed, their main powers work differently; training them is the only way to grow them. ¡°So his ruler class power is separate from his spirit.¡± The king stopped and turned his full attention to the bizarre practitioner who had paid him a visit. Ruler class abilities rely on having a large following or group beneath them. While weaker in instant effectiveness than on a smaller scale, a standard leadership power will have. The scale for a ruler was determined by their number of followers and subordinates. Max could raise the natural ability of creatures he contracted past their maximum ability. While strong, it was also quite limited for a tamer as it didn¡¯t instill loyalty and obedience. ¡°As most creatures follow power, no creature in their right mind would follow a weak ruler.¡± ¡°You did the thing. Why did you do the thing Cecil does when he figures something out but only says bits and pieces aloud?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes were focused. He¡¯d seen people like this old man before¡­ ¡°Shut it.¡± Whispered the white stoat around Kyrion¡¯s neck, causing his eyes to fog over briefly. The kid¡¯s thoughts tended to raise his mental defenses, which would be very inconvenient. The creature then proceeded to continue procuring food from Kyrion¡¯s domain. Mostly stuff Kyrion couldn¡¯t remember picking up, like the stasis coffins full of nothing but hamburgers. He wouldn¡¯t mind if a few went missing since his memory of obtaining them was gone. ¡°Hmm? Right. If that¡¯s the case then I can¡¯t just give you half my country.¡± The king stated. ¡°Talked myself right out of that.¡± ¡°That you did. But, better I find out now than find out you kept something like that hidden.¡± ¡°Do you pay attention to your kids at all?¡± ¡°Comes and goes. This is a good day, as you¡¯re a healer, you should know that there is an upper limit to our ages. We aren¡¯t immortal, well most of us aren¡¯t immortals. The longest most experts can live is a millenia, usually by then, their aging begins to rapidly accelerate. A ranker in the top five, like me, has lived for three. I have forgotten more than most on this moon could remember. I was there when the orc Gosak split the continent in half to slay a great evil. I remember traveling across the continents back when they still held life, before the cataclysms of magitech from the other moons. The fall of the empire of Greed, the annihilation of the Feltap, and the erasing of Belatrophis. That is to say that I am probably the oldest mortal you know.¡± ¡°I mean¡­Technically yes. But can you truly still be a mortal?¡± ¡°I have yet to let go of my small pond. I don¡¯t actually wish to reach the next tier of power and be remade. I¡¯m just tired now.¡± Kyrion understood that stance. ¡°I see. What is your proposal.¡± ¡°I want to see what Maximus can do in this tournament. I want to see a glimmer of his potential. If he does well enough I will surrender the western half of my kingdom on Goskin to him. I¡¯ll give you the continent of Greed, as a consolation. No life has been able to flourish there for a long time; I¡¯m sure you can figure something out, though.¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting cheated. I want a second teleportation anchor there as well.¡± ¡°Great¡­ So you know, winning the tournament at this point would just be greedy.¡± ¡°Oh I know. I also know that I¡¯m still not experienced enough to take out my foes with power alone. Everything is training.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have a servant of mine deliver your items shortly.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Kyrion bowed and left the room. He could now cure his mother, but first, he would have to find her. Standing out in the open, Kyrion withdrew a note from his domain and stared. Please place the extra reawakening chip in this paper''s center. And be quick about those cookie recipes. ¡°Huh? Why did they use please twice?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow and sighed, placing the reawakening chit in the center of the paper. The white slip paper was up in smoke as it disappeared, leaving behind a smokey skull and crossbones before dispersing. ¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t know you could put temporary portals on items. I wonder if I can alter a protective enchantment to summon me when conditions are met.¡±
After briefly explaining Milo¡¯s powers to Cecil, the bespectacled boy seemed to figure something out and used a workroom in the dungeon to prepare for his fight with the Endbringer hybrid. He was building a radiation-canceling device that went far over Rion¡¯s head. Rion had eventually been shooed out of the workstation. So he spent the afternoon touring the shopping districts with Lin before dinner at the restaurant where the chef treated them to lasagna. One of the recipes the Elf seemed to want to add to his repertoire was it used a familiar ingredient list. And thus, for the first time in a long time, the day ended, and the semifinals of the solo tournament began. Book 3: Chapter 4B Ceres and double trouble Ceres looked at the now completed homunculus; a rather young-looking Kyrion stood before her. His expression was dark, while his hair was darker than pitch. ¡°Welcome to the living Cyrion.¡± ¡°Nope. That will not be my name.¡± The child said with a hysterical tone that slowly darkened. ¡°You would go agaist your creator?¡± ¡°Of course. The name sucks. I want to be called either Hades, or Anubis.¡± ¡°Aether, good to see you again.¡± Ceres rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯d argue but that name sounds decent.¡± ¡°Again. What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Well, mother, or is it sister? I don¡¯t know who you used as a base but nevertheless. I was the being that temporarily filled a shard of his soul.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re aware of who and what you are. What is your mission?¡± Cordelia eyed the newborn humanoid. ¡°Kill the Beast Blood emperor.¡± ¡°Wrong. Your first mission is to sur¡­¡± Cordelia started. A young man with dirty blond hair and a blue-haired man in a suit appeared in the room. ¡°Your current mission is to infiltrate the Beast Blood Empire¡¯s team. Someone with your physical characteristics has gone missing, and we need things to run smoothly. If it gets out that they¡¯ve died, then things can get complicated. They have seen the bottom half of your face while your hair and upper half have been hidden. Along with your actual physical appearance.¡± ¡°Who is he mimicking?¡± ¡°One of Krion¡¯s shards. She fought using an enchanted staff that does most of the work. Her real powers were kept hidden. Even from her teammates.¡± ¡°Great. I was just about to release him from all obligations.¡± Cordelia sighed ¡°You can still do that. He¡¯ll come willingly as it¡¯s a chance to fight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I care about fighting.¡± Gamodren pulled out a reawakening token. ¡°He¡¯ll come if he wants me to give you this.¡± ¡°Not likely,¡± Cordelia and Aether said in unison. Cordelia hadn¡¯t been hurt in the slightest. She recognized the item and looked at Charles. Charles shrugged, ¡°Didn¡¯t get it from me.¡± ¡°Why do you have that?¡± ¡°Reasons. Fine then, Aether, Marigold is at the tournament, and she misses you.¡± Aether shot upwards, hearing that name, and immediately ran to Kyrion¡¯s room to steal some nice clothes. Mostly from Jr. as he had all the good stuff in his size, although he would steal some equipment from Curella as she hoarded lots of valuable baubles. ¡°Charles. Should I explain? Or do you want to do it?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it brief. Kyrion managed to purchase this and more with resources he shouldn¡¯t have access to from someone who shouldn¡¯t have let him do it.¡± ¡°So he no longer needs to win the tournament.¡± Cordelia said. ¡°Now he wants to win the tournament. It¡¯s a matter of pride now.¡± Gamodren added. ¡°You¡¯ve known my son for five years. I don¡¯t care much for pride, and I doubt someone as timid, meticulous, and tricky as you could make an overly prideful man out of my son.¡± ¡°I mean. It wasn¡¯t easy. But I did manage to teach him misdirection.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°Had I not known your son¡¯s penchant for mischief and the fact that he was alive. I would have thought Rion wasn¡¯t Kyrion at all.¡± ¡°Rion¡­ Did he just remove the Ky aspect of his name and claim to be a different person? He¡¯s going to get caught.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think that.¡± Gamodren said as he unfurled a promotional poster for Drisil Academy. On it, an orange-haired man about three inches shorter than the last time she saw Kyrion stood in the center of a meeting room surrounded by unconscious figures covered in burns. A few had bones that were dislocated or broken. Flames flowed off his body and covered everything. Vermillion eyes looked dead center as though staring the person who drew this in the eye. The aesthetic reminded Cordellia of a predator sizing up prey and finding it lacking. Had Cordelia not suspected it was her son due to context, she may have thought he was someone else. ¡°Who is that?¡± Ceres looked into the eyes in the image. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We need a fire user to round out Kyrion¡¯s other elements. I¡¯ll convince him to join the harem.¡± ¡°It seems Cecil got to him first. Making him the figurehead helped.¡± Ceres seemed confused and decided to look at the door where Aether reappeared. His appearance had changed slightly as he had a scar going down his left cheek. Vanta¡¯s black robes pooled behind him like inky water. The top half of a human skull decorated his shoulders with pauldrons. Various magical rings covered every one of his fingers, each with an enchantment that let him manipulate an affinity. Around his forehead was a headband that allowed him to stockpile excess mana in that area for silent and instant casting of dangerous spells. Rings of black eyeshadow covered his eyes and eyelids, making him look like a real edgy necromancer. ¡°I doubt Jr had all that in his closet.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Of course not. But Curella¡¯s room had some decent stuff left over from the ritual. The rings were easy to craft with what you all have lying about. Also there¡¯s this.¡± Aether revealed a necklace that allowed him to pull items from other dimensions, so long as he knew the exact coordinates of the items in question.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I¡¯m going to borrow a weapon that Kyrion shouldn¡¯t know I had crafted in his domain and store it here.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put my hand in that place unless I wanted to lose it.¡± Gamodren said helpfully. ¡°Fine then.¡± Aether pulled the necklace off and adjusted it. ¡°I can now close all dimensional portals and limit teleportation. I¡¯ll ask for my weapon like a good younger brother.¡± Aether grumbled. ¡°How did you enchant rings so quickly?¡± Cordelia scowled. ¡°While I am the equivalent of a practitioner in power. My skill and technique in mana manipulation are quite high and I have at least a millennia of my own memories besides. Based on prior observations few can hope to beat me in battle if my goal is to win.¡± A white-haired kid pulled at Aether¡¯s robe and spoke for the first time. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fighting a losing battle with your attitude. So please don¡¯t change, the quicker we¡¯re eliminated the quicker I get to play as much as I want. Fighting for sport is boring.¡± ¡°Uh. Gamodren? Who or what is that?¡± Corellia looked at the child¡¯s familiar features. ¡°My ride.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°Everyone calls me White Fox. And I¡¯m kind of a necromancer with a twist.¡± The boy said while holding both hands behind his back. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Cordelia asked with a squint. ¡°Holding?¡± The boy sighed, raised both hands above his head, and spun around slowly. He then jumped three times as a bag of nuts fell out from his robes and clattered. ¡°Does this happen often enough for you to have a maneuver down pat?¡± ¡°Hmm? Yes, I¡¯ve been told that I have kleptomaniac tendencies. Those aren¡¯t my nuts either and I don¡¯t remember picking them up.¡± ¡°Right, well Gamodren.Keep your kid in check.¡± Gamodren looked to Charles, who looked to White Fox. The boy then moved to hide behind Ceres, only for an arm to hoist him over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my best behavior while here from now on, granny. I won¡¯t even try to steal your zombies. Although they do need some training.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your granny.¡± ¡°Well that Siggy guy offered to adopt me. But I think you¡¯ve had kids, and I already had parents. No need to replace either if I¡¯m a grandson.¡± ¡°Is this true, and if so, when did it happen?¡± Cordelia asked. ¡°During a time loop. Neither should remember yet this brat does. He¡¯s a curious creature, isn¡¯t he.¡± Charles informed her. ¡°Do you want to go spy on Kyrion with us? We should all watch him fight?¡± White Fox asked curiously. ¡°If I go, people will know I¡¯m alive,¡± Cordelia stated. ¡°Does it matter? The country that called for your execution is a shell of its former self and the reason you went into hiding in the first place was for your experiments. Had we decided to go the genocide route in retaliation¡­¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d both have been forced to leave for displaying power above the limit set by Imala.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve done that multiple times. It¡¯s just the most recent that your father was willing to fully commit to leaving as staying was aging him rapidly. Even then it was after he saw the concentration of mana Kyrion was working with. Most people are taught that affinities are shaped by the soul of the person willing them. That spirits take the form of someone¡¯s desire and grow from cores and training. That is a lie the weak teach to contain those who could become strong with said knowledge. Affinities are formed by intent and spirits are a manifestation of our affinities and psyche. The higher quality the mana the more potential for mastery you have, the more mana you have the more your intent will manifest as magic. Usually someone like Kyrion would have one spirit that was exceptionally versatile while disturbingly powerful, instead various spirits had taken portions of his core and slotted into his natural affinities.¡± ¡°What did my dad see?¡± ¡°While Asela gained power quickly. Kyrion was working to condense a higher tier of mana than most ranking experts he¡¯d fought in his youth and yet rage never clouded his character. Not outside of mischief, I mean. Kyrion could get mad, yes, but his magic tended to shy away from harming people and animals. Until he went through the forest trials and for the first times in his life, he had to kill summoning. His intent, and flooded the forest with power and awakened a guardian. It protected him while he was there and his emotions powered it. When Kyrion was having his core sealed, his intent to push the person harming him away and keep them there overruled his desire for blood. Your father believed that his kind grandson would be the trailblazer the world needed and got out of the way. The fool always saw the best in family, nothing is more cruel than a child¡¯s innocence.¡± ¡°So you didn¡¯t.¡± Cordelia¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°Kyrion was a wildcard that could become a terror beyond me if he decided that humanity needed purging. I saw what he nearly did to Asela when his grief over a rodent overtook his senses. She would have died of heatstroke, had I not been on your side of the kingdom.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± Aether said. ¡°You entered Kyrion when he woke up after that incident. What I¡¯m saying is, I had a rival of your father test him. What we got was a kind soul who would rather heal than harm. But could harm when the need arose and would sacrifice himself if need be.¡± ¡°So you were puppeting the whole encounter?¡± ¡°Meh, when two rankers in the top five are involved in a plot against each other, it¡¯s easy to figure out. Why do you think there were so few casualties among civilians? Among those that did die were infiltrators and traitors to Imala. The golemancer was someone Maldain was teaching. Apparently his style of combat has some similarities.¡± ¡°They tried to kidnap one of your students.¡± ¡°Leon was a friend to the Invan royal family. So long as he was nearby she couldn¡¯t have been harmed. That also needed to come out eventually. As you didn¡¯t give her time to speak with your student before you got up and left.¡± ¡°I was in a hurry. I had to foil a replacement plot my mother had set into motion.¡± ¡°And you brought someone who¡¯s presence messes with scrying while they couldn¡¯t be detected.¡± Charles shook his head. ¡°And he performed nicely. Honestly I was a bit worried when Tiffany¡¯s father would break her betroval after meeting him.¡± ¡°Not many eight-year-olds can do what My son could do with his core sealed, it seems.¡± ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t be capable of medical treatment or carry people four times his weight with ease.¡± White fox had seemed to have returned after a while, but no one was present save Charles, who had noticed he had left. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Charles asked with a stoic expression. ¡°I was bored. And those zombies didn¡¯t know how to make cookies. They do now.¡± White Fox was holding a plate of freshly baked, skull-shaped chocolate chip cookies. Only chocolate chips shouldn¡¯t exist here. The tools to make them in that uniform shape were beyond what even the most chefs could. He¡¯d have to have been quite a while to have baked cookies. ¡°Why do they smell so good but look so unappetizing.¡± ¡°Skeletons aren¡¯t ones for fine detail and artistic taste in cookie making.¡± Charles shot the boy with a look that could melt an ice cap. White fox took a bite out of a skull, wincing as he burned his mouth but still managed to swallow it. ¡°What? Not like I¡¯m going to alter the world too much by revealing these a day early in a secluded area.¡± ¡°A day. Early. What did you do?¡± ¡°Me? I made cookies. Did you get to the part where Kyrion joined Drisil and spent years mastering the craft of healing and all that? I¡¯m sure we all know where this goes. Kyrion kills a dragon and ends up in the realm of the lost, where he fights and trains, gaining a level of power beyond what should be possible for a practitioner before getting lost in another world for a little bit before figuring out how to get back. Then he gets back, stuff happens, and boom.¡± White Fox smushed a cookie before eating it. ¡°You jumped a bit too far ahead kid.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s not what the cat said.¡± White Fox finished his first cookie and was moving on to the second. ¡°Why didn¡¯¡¯t we leave him in the city?¡± Gamodren asked Charles. ¡°Because he¡¯s our ride. I can¡¯t teleport, and spending a day and a half running my time is a bit annoying. It might seem instant to you, but running across the continent is still running across the continent.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Aether, Cordelia, Ceres, are you all ready?¡± The three nodded, unsure what to make of what was just said. White fox waved a chocolate-covered hand around and opened a portal that linked them from the waste of Limguard to the Elven Capital half the continent away. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 5 Peak ¡°So¡­ That creature isn¡¯t attacking us. Are you certain that it¡¯s an enemy?¡± Kyrion¡¯s form had solidified much during his sprint up to the tower, where most of his body had an outer layer resembling skin hidden under the new clothes. ¡°That monster is siphoning away at my mothers soul. As far as i¡¯m concerned it deserves death. You also don¡¯t have long before my power destroys your body as it isn¡¯t strong enough to handle my power.¡± ¡°Ok, ok. Sheesh, so I need to kill it.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes and hopped forward, maintaining his combat stance. ¡°Yous haves entered rings, now we¡­¡± The monster began speaking. Kyrion pushed power into his feet and smiled as he shot forward like a rocket. His knee was powered by white flames hitting the bug-like creature in the jaw. An explosion passed through the creature¡¯s neck, blasting a hole through it. A tree trunk-sized fist moving faster than he could see knocked Kyrion away with the force of a cannonball, causing him to fall near the edge of the building, his body skittering as he tried to find a handheld. Unluckily for Kyrion, he couldn¡¯t grasp the edge and had begun to fall. He tried to create a platform of solidified air out of habit, but nothing happened, his body getting away by the second. Finally, he had the idea to use the white flames to propel himself back upwards. A steady pulse of white flames shot out from Kyrion¡¯s feet, causing him to hover and float upward. Slowly and steadily arriving back on the top of the tower. ¡°You. Hit. Hard.¡± The insect creature¡¯s head had fully restored itself when Kyrion returned. His body seemed weaker where he had gotten hit, and he knew another direct hit would be this world¡¯s equivalent of lethal. ¡°You know. Healing your wounds like that isn¡¯t very sportsmanlike.¡± Kyrion tsked as he brought an elbow down on a leg, and the shell cracked slightly. ¡°Like I should compete with my food.¡± The creature punched quickly, aiming to take Kyrion¡¯s head off. The shockwave resulted in a chain reaction of blasts that flew downwards. ¡± That almost sounded normal.¡± Kyrion clapped loudly from behind the creature. The creature winced at the strange, loud sound. The wave briefly knocked it off balance. Kyrion followed the clap up by dashing flowered concentrated white flames over his arms and slid underneath his opponent. Cutting it up from its underbelly caused green ichor to coat the roof. Still, the wounds closed momentarily. The creature appeared no worse for wear as it let loose another cannonball-like punch. Kyrion barely managed to evade the wave of force as part of the tower was crushed and fell to the ground far below. ¡°Is that what it¡¯s like to fight me? Regeneration and absurd physical strength.This is some sick joke isn¡¯t it. Which deity did I curse to get such treatment? Actually don¡¯t answer that.¡± Kyrion tossed a large rock up and down while he observed his opponent. ¡°Mortal. You will be my next meal.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I said eating me is bad for your health? Everything that¡¯s tried has ended up dead, one way or another.¡± Kyrion tossed a chunk of the missing tower into the air. ¡°I¡¯m gonna cut out your tongue.¡± The creature closed the distance in the time it took to breathe. Appearing in front of Kyrion with its massive frame. ¡°Oh that¡¯s a first.¡± Kyrion danced around the creature and landed a powerful kick to its side, its body skittering off the edge as it slipped on the now missing area. The creature fell while yelling. ¡°Do you think you can beat Bealquilla so easily!¡± Kyrion walked to the edge as the creature began to unfurl winglike appendages with a mischievous glint. ¡°Yes. Yes I do.¡± ¡°You stupid mortal! I am a being of¡­Mortal? You¡¯re mad!¡± ¡°I prefer the term stupid from enemies and innovative¡­¡± Kyrion swan dived off the tower towards the creature, unfurling its wings. Flames gathered around Kyrion¡¯s form and began to compress as his body blurred. The shrimp creature slapped its tail mid-air through a forced spin in an attempt to slam Kyrion into the ground. The tailstrike missed the skin of the young man¡¯s teeth. Kyrion propelled himself into the creature¡¯s torso with a headbutt, his body propelled with enough fire to make it seem like the sun was falling from the sky. The explosion caused the tower to tilt ever so slightly and pushed Squallia further away. Unbeknownst to Kyrion; however, that display of power had used up everything he had stored from other creatures here in one attack at first, and he was hungry. ¡°From my allies!¡± The Bealsqullia wrapped its tail around Kyrion¡¯s jaw to tear his head from his neck. It, however, failed in a way it hadn¡¯t expected. Kyrion struggled to get free as his spectral teeth came down, biting through the creature¡¯s carapace and into the sweet, succulent lobster-like meat. The power that flowed into Kyrion filled his soul in a way he rarely felt. The creature squealed in pain as it yelled in consternation and tried to shake the smaller mortal free. ¡°You bit me!¡± Kyrion chewed and swallowed as he held onto the creature¡¯s tail. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten others with what you don¡¯t want yourself. Also, are you the last of your kind?¡± ¡°I strongest of kind. This tower belong to us!¡± ¡°Good¡­ I¡¯m gonna have fun eating you to extinction.¡± Kyrion couldn¡¯t help drooling a bit. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± The prey animal tried to throw a punch. Kyrion raised the lower end of the Sqalia, interposing its dense shell between himself and the creature. The blow, however, tore the bottom half off of the beast. ¡°And you¡¯re delicious. Second best thing I¡¯ve eaten. I¡¯ll be sure to keep two of your ilk for breeding. You won¡¯t die out because I got hungry.¡± ¡°Decedent. I love the way you think.¡± Said the voice in his eye. Kyrion had pulled the meat from the shell and began consuming it as his power rapidly increased, yet his injuries hadn¡¯t healed.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡¯re eating me in front of me! Stop eating me! You damned monster!¡± The creature said as the duo continued falling, seemingly forgetting that they were currently in mid-air. The Squalia eventually unfurled its wings and found that it was much lighter now. Flying about was much more manageable. Instead of fighting the apex predator that found him, it fled for the first time in centuries. Having been filled satisfactorily enough, Kyrion threw out chain-shaped flames that latched around the creature¡¯s arms, connecting the two. In moments, he understood that these flames were made of the soul of his foe and tethered it to him temporarily. ¡°Get over here!¡± Rotating his body to the right, Kyrion slammed Sqallia into the tower. The building shook more as its large frame was driven into it over and over again while heat cooked it from the inside. ¡°This is torture! You¡¯re supposed to be a hero!¡± ¡°When did I go and say I was a hero?¡± Kyrion stopped his onslaught and eyed the creature skeptically. ¡°If you weren¡¯t a hero, why would you be trying to rescue the goddess?¡± ¡°What goddess?¡± Kyrion noticed the creature squirming and let it think he was distracted. ¡°Almira. Can¡¯t you recognize the goddess?¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t my goddess. Frankly I¡¯m a bit done with divinity. I am looking for someone though.¡± ¡°Not your goddess? Why would you climb to the top of the tower then?¡± ¡°I needed to save a priestess.¡± Kyrion slowly pooled the power in his body. ¡°A priestess would only be on the first ten floors.¡± ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll just take my leave then.¡± Kyrion seemed to relax, his grasp on the creature¡¯s body slipping as he prepared to leave it. The Squallia saw the opening and struck, turning its body swiftly as it prepared a blow capable of sending Kyrion¡¯s head back to the serpent. That was when Kyrion¡¯s trap went off, and the creature¡¯s core imploded, its body shrinking to the size of a core and leaving no more meat for the young man to eat. However, he absorbed quite a bit more energy from the creature. ¡°Guess I could hold onto this.¡± Kyrion placed the creature¡¯s core in his bag and smiled in satisfaction. Then, for some reason unbeknownst to him, he exploded.
¡°Owwww¡­Why does my stomach feel like it¡¯s on fire? Like something is trying to claw its way out.¡± ¡°What did you eat?¡± The serpent asked curiously. ¡°Some Squalia thing on the tower.¡± ¡°You mean in the tower of Gehenna Squalia are on floor forty and above.¡± ¡°No, on top.¡± ¡°Ah, you must have gotten soul sickness, and it ended with the creature killing you.¡± ¡°No. I exploded. I guess this is because I don¡¯t have much durability. One hit from that thing almost tore my torso from the rest of me.¡± ¡°You survived a blow from the guardian of the tower as you are now? Ridiculous.¡± ¡°No..No. I had this outfit on when I did it. Not sure what happened to it though.¡± ¡°Did someone teach you how to do that?¡± Kyrion coughed and pounded on his chest as it continued to burn. The number 114 appeared on his right hand. He then pulled out a vial of purple liquid, which he had consumed. The burning in his chest settled as his body solidified slightly. ¡°Where did you find that vial?¡± ¡°One question at a time please. Also no one taught me how to make it. I just saw a few things made from the strange energy and took it into myself.¡± ¡°I.E. He borrowed power from me, and it tore him to shreds. He shouldn¡¯t have been quipping. ¡°I see. You absorbed too much soul force at once, and your body wasn¡¯t ready for it while borrowing someone else¡¯s power. Which led to your self-destructive behavior due to overload. It¡¯s a shame that the Squalia you fought will probably absorb it before you. ¡°Bee Squalia comes back when he dies too? I¡¯m a go eat him again.¡± ¡°You killed it. You killed the guardian of the Tower of Gehenna. Without the aid of a priestess to reinforce your soul? You climbed up the tower.¡± ¡°I had to beat it to get to the priestess.¡± ¡°The priestess was on floor eight. What possessed¡­Right realm memory loss. There is another pool on the first floor of the tower. Use it to restore your mind before deciding to climb the tower again. The longer you spend without touching the waters of this realm the more you will forget that which matters to you.¡± ¡°How did you get past all those enemies anyway. There are over ten thousand monsters in that tower.¡± ¡°Easy, I climbed outside.¡± Kyrion watched as the serpent as it made the look. The look most adults did when he did something stupid, and it worked out when it shouldn¡¯t have, somewhere between a mix of pride in his success and bemusement in the path he made to get there. The look amused young Kyrion, and he made it a sport to get one of his teachers to give him that look. ¡°What did I do to deserve a decedent like you?¡± The serpent sighed. ¡°What did you do to become a serpent?¡± Kyrion asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The serpent didn¡¯t elaborate as he shut both eyes and shook his head. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Kyrion ran forward, past the bandit ambush, through the swamp, over the absurdly long tongue, and eventually stopped right in front of the tower of Gehenna. ¡°What are you doing back here? First you kill us, then you disgrace the tower. We should gut you now.¡± ¡°I mean. You could, or. Hear me out. You can let me climb the tower again.¡± ¡°Bealsquilla won¡¯t make the same mistake again. Fueling your ascent to the top of the tower..¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t think Bealsquilla will be doing too much anytime soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ding dong the shrimp is dead. Now I¡¯ll be going through you. Either move, or die.¡± The two furry servants pointed their weapons at him. ¡°Prove it.¡± Kyrion withdrew the pulsating core from his bag with a smirk. ¡°You defeated the boss of the tower. You are now the boss. No one in this tower will defy you save the other bosses without proof of victory.¡± ¡°Cool, cool, can I go in now?¡± Kyrion returned the core to his bag. ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± The two warriors bowed, and Kyrion walked in unhindered. The inside of the tower was bizarre. Despite how large it was on the outside, the area he entered was much larger. The creatures walking about seemed almost as confused as he was. Humanoids of many shapes and sizes walked about. Some had fur, others had horns, many had both, and their skin colors were just as diverse. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°The tower of Gehenna. This is where devils, fiends, seraphim, and other outcast races are dumped.¡± ¡°Fiends?¡± Kyrion eyed a creature with the lower half of a slug, its head white and perfectly circular. It had no eyes or visible nose and mouth. Kyrion walked over with a speed he usually reserved for fights and poked the white circle. The sphere opened up, and two pink eye stalks poked up as it looked around before locking onto Kyrion. The creature attempted to blast Kyrion at point-blank range, but it couldn¡¯t lock onto him for some odd reason. As though something was forcing it to forget he was there. ¡°Interesting to see that in action.¡± Kyrion returned to his guides. ¡°Why didn¡¯t that creature try to shoot you?¡± ¡°Maybe it knows better.¡± Kyrion leaned on solid air as though it were a wall. ¡°How would that work?¡± ¡°Who knows. All I know is that I need to get to a lake and then climb to the tenth floor.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Kyrion put his hands on his hips. ¡°How someone like you beat Bealsquilla is something I wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Meh, had I had all my usual power he would have been easy.¡± Kyrion caught a whiff of water and followed a trail to the lake that the serpent whispered. Upon resting there, he felt it link to the river where the serpent lived. He could feel that he could travel to and fro with some effort. Book 3: Chapter 5 Not Tailor approved Kyrion woke up, popped his neck, and walked out of his room in the inn. He felt like it had been forever since the last time he could sleep. Rie and Ra were busy trying to break a seal that had placed itself on Kyrion¡¯s memories. A small gap but clearly an important one, as they needed to catalog the changes in his body. A snake formed of small red triangles wrapped around his left arm like a tattoo. From within, Rion could sense that it had gone docile and was under his control. Curiously, he traced a triangle in the air with dimensional mana and found that he could form a portal with it; he just needed to set a target. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked on Eden in a while. I wonder what she¡¯s up to.¡± Kyrion concentrated on a theater he had placed on her through a flower and found her in the red district. ¡°That is no place for children.¡± Curiously, he found Bastion¡¯s tether as well. He was with her. Kyrion took a minute to think. Had they been in danger, the flowers would have released a paralytic poison and alerted him. So he willed the portal thirty feet above and to the side. From there, he slipped through and watched the scene with bemusement. Bastion held out a silver vial in the air. ¡°Get your Sick Begone! We have the sick begone! Two copper a bottle! Warts, blisters, cysts, coughing, itching and more! Gone with a drink or your money back. This does not work on curses.¡± On the other hand, Eden had been given tiny bird wings as she sat behind a counter with a bowl in front of her. When people made a purchase, she would whisper something, and light would pass over them briefly and somewhat stick for a bit. Sitting next to Eden was a thin woman with short red hair, a small scar across her nose, and emerald eyes. She was much shorter than Kyrion but much taller than her sister, Thalia. Dwen, short for Dwenevere, was one of Kyrion¡¯s older sisters who had been missing for some time. And yet here she was, sitting with a petite brunette with a soft but familiar face and timid countenance. Yet by instinct, he knew that this person was a healer with great skill. Deciding that he had snooped enough, he fell from the ceiling in armor made from flames and approached the front, avoiding the line. No one touched him as he was covered in fire, and to them, Rion murdered someone for less the day before. ¡°Mr.Rion?¡± Bastion said as he, of course, noticed him first. ¡°Right. Bastion, I came here to check on you, but I hadn¡¯t expected to see you here. Cecil¡¯s semifinal match will start soon, so I was coming to fetch you all. Although, it seems your friends are busy.¡± Rion spoke a bit loudly to get the point across. ¡°Ms.Dwen and Mrs.Mary are getting money for the orphans.¡± Rion almost asked, ¡°what orphans?¡± but decided now wasn¡¯t the time. ¡°I see. Well, we should get going. The first match will begin soon.¡± ¡°Who will watch the shop?¡± Dwen asked. ¡°Take your coin where you need to and I¡¯ll make you a new stand if I need to. Half of the letters are backwards anyways.¡± Bastion spoke up. ¡°I was told that it makes the stand look cute. I drew it by myself.¡± ¡°Before or after you did the sign.¡± Kyrion looked at Bastion¡¯s face and knew it was a way to cheer him up. It wasn¡¯t Bastion¡¯s fault letters tend to run away from him. The brunette was standing and ready to go with a somewhat excited expression. Yet Kyrion couldn¡¯t recall who she was and why she would be excited. Dwen scowled. ¡°Do you really not remember what happened? Hearing you say that and seeing your visible confusion are quite different.¡± ¡°The memory is locked behind a seal. I won¡¯t be able to break through it for a little while. Which is quite annoying , but probably for the best. Although I seem to have picked up quite a few interesting books. Interesting, I don¡¯t remember putting any of them in here.¡± Kyrion sighed as he had managed to fill three sets of bookshelves. One contained an absurd assortment of cookbooks, another contained a hoard of thin black and white picture books, the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cecil¡± painted on the side of the shelf, his last shelf contained a mix of engineering history books, medical texts, martial arts primers, and textbooks. ¡°We should get going. See ya Rion.¡± Dwen left momentarily. ¡°Hmmm¡­Bastion, Eden. Come here then close your eyes for a second.¡± Kyrion ordered. Eden got close and closed her eyes as she was asked. Bastion got close but refused to close his eyes as though trying not to blink. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Rion surrounded them in a storm of fire before summoning a portal below them. The portal moved upwards, moving both Eden and Bastion simultaneously. From there, Rion and the flames around him vanished, leaving behind a haze of heat and ash. The two reappeared through a portal that exploded in harmless flames shaped like feathers that dissipated. Those who could sense portals being used would have sensed what Rion just did. Unlike his other hops, this one left a footprint. As he¡¯d taken two others with him, it would make sense that some strain was noticed. All of it, however, was as fake as Rion. A rouse to make those with similar abilities alert to his ability to teleport and suspect that that is how he can move around quickly. Bastion scowled as he was now holding a drumstick belonging to a bird the size of a turkey. ¡°Huh.. That¡¯s new.¡± ¡°Bastion¡­ Did you just steal from my domain?¡± Kyrion asked curiously. ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m not sure, I just reached out and grabbed at the air while we were moving. I did that last time as well. Though this is the first time I got something.¡± Bastion swung the cooked meat like a club and nearly lost his balance. ¡°I see. Now isn¡¯t the time. But we¡¯ll revisit that.¡± The weasel around Rion¡¯s neck tightened ever so slightly. ¡°Just stay out of my hoard, tiny human.¡± Bastion¡¯s gaze caught the creature¡¯s eye. His odd eye begins to swirl from the pupil moving to the iris. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t swipe my desert, we¡¯ll get along nicely. But if you do, prepare for a war.¡± The weasel broke eye contact first for some reason while Bastion relaxed his expression. Eden looked to the scarf and then at Bastion. ¡°Ummm¡­ Why are you talking to a scarf?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Yes, human child. Why can you talk to this scarf? The weasel asked with its head turned. Kyrion stood confused for a long second as Eden revealed that the creature appeared to be a scarf. ¡°Bastion, we¡¯re not crazy right?¡± Bastion looked at Rion with a straight face. ¡°Mr.Kyrion, illusions don¡¯t work on me, but that¡¯s not the right question. You, Mr.Kyrion, are the oddest chicken to ever come out of a duck nest, and I¡¯m self-aware to know that I¡¯m just as mad, if not a bit more, due to my ability to hear the nonstop taping.¡± Bastion looked into a corner of the booth they hand landed in, where four walls met and squinted. ¡°Not helping our case. Eden, in this situation, two people can hear this scarf and see if, for something else, you should focus your magic into your eyes and ears, slowly pushing outwards as you focus on your target.¡± Kyrion explained. Eden was a quick learner when it came to manipulating mana, but this stump here. ¡°Your scarf is pushing back against my senses.¡± ¡°Huh? Guess Bastion is just weird. The fact that it has to push back should tell you something however.¡± ¡°So something doesn¡¯t want to be seen.¡± Eden discerned and scowled. ¡°It¡¯s messing with me.¡± Bastion rolled his eyes and began to move his hand towards the weasel. Bastion was, of course, too short to reach Rion¡¯s shoulder, but the act made the creature tense and move away. To Eden, it seemed like the scarf wanted to run away. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Kyrion looked across the booth, noticing he was here with only his two students. ¡°Five people are outside this room and I don¡¯t know who they are.¡± Bastion muttered ¡°Bastion. Eden.Close your eyes and stay behind me.¡± Kyrion¡¯s tone was dark as he sensed killing intent from beyond the door. He wouldn¡¯t give them the chance to ambush. Both closed their eyes and covered their ears, knowing this was serious. They knew their teacher hated killing and didn¡¯t know what could happen if he was angry enough to do so. Rion left the booth, sealing the room with a barrier of solid wind that would prevent sound from the outside from getting in. Kyrion eyed his targets: four high practitioners and an expert. Quickly, Kyrion felt around his oath and found that it was no longer restricting him, yet as he attempted to put a bit of his soul into a wind blade, he found that they were still in place, just loosened quite a bit. Kyrion had found a way to jump into the low expert tier while being a practitioner, and now he knew that Damian was still in front of him. So he¡¯d have to be careful not to use too much power accidentally. Two black-clad assassins hid near the ceiling, waiting to ambush Kyrion from above, while two archers with poison-tipped arrows stood at the end of two barricaded halls. Past the hall, Kyrion sensed the headmaster waiting silently observing. Which was fine by him; the expert in front of him occupied only 2% of his attention. He was portly, clad in silver robes, and covered in magical trinkets and accessories. The top of his head was balding, and his mustache was a millimeter out of symmetry. The portly man had a poor foundation and would be easy to break. Around Kyion¡¯s left hand was a purple glove stretched to his elbow. This was all he¡¯d need for these opponents. While stronger in spirit mastery, he had found a way to bypass that barrier and would use it to send a message. Placing his left hand behind his back, Kyrion approached. ¡°Ah, this Rion greets you. I never thought someone of your esteem would lower yourself to meet with a practitioner of such low renown.¡± Kyrion decided then and there that the man would be called Banks due to his number of shinies and proceeded to will his own reality over what the man said. ¡°I am Duke Banks of the Etravoian Empire, you seem to have been given control of MY lands and MY Estate. For such insolence we have taken one of your friends hostage. If you don¡¯t relinquish ownership to me immediately then your friend will never be se¡­ Urk!¡± Kyrion had broken the distance at a speed that shook the arena booths. His right hand is around the man¡¯s neck, his fingers subconsciously burning as though trying to tear out Mr. Bank¡¯s throat, finding some resistance. ¡°Who. Where.¡± Kyrion demanded One of the assassins from above jumped down with daggers falling towards Kyrion¡¯s back. ¡°Immolating Rend.¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t turned to see as thousands of wind blades chopped the assassin to bits before a flame created from their mana turned them into ash and scattered. Two arrows shot towards Rion only to fall short half the way there as an invisible force slowed their momentum. ¡°Who. Where. Answer before you make me answer them myself.¡± Kyrion¡¯s fingers dug deeper, caching a vein. From there, Kyrion began to boil the man¡¯s blood. Banks bulked uselessly as he tried to activate his transformation, only to realize that the grip had severed his connection to his core. Primal fear welled up inside the noble. ¡°Bella¡­¡± Kyrion watched as the life supposedly left the expert as he fell limp. Kyrion let him fall to the ground. ¡°As you aren¡¯t guild assassins I¡¯ll have to get rid of you.¡± ¡°But our employer is dead.¡± The one on the ceiling stated. ¡°Is he? Ok, where is Bella? Answer and I may let you live.¡± The assassin opened his mouth to speak when two arrows trained at his neck connected with a tiny barrier of wind. Kyrion let the kinetic energy knock the assassin out before turning to the archers. ¡°Interesting¡­ Aren¡¯t you two naughty. Cross Immolation!¡± Kyrion held his arms in an X formation, hands facing outwards as two tornados of swirling flames shot outwards like angry dragons and engulfed the two other assassins, leaving ashes swirling as though caught in a tornado. ¡°No way a duke is this weak.¡± Kyrion stomped on the expert¡¯s head and smirked as he tried to roll away. ¡°See. Now who are you really with? Answer truthfully and I¡¯ll give you a quick death.¡± ¡°Like I¡¯d tell you anything.¡± ¡°That tells me all I need to know.¡± Kyrion, having built enough power in his left hand, traced a line across the expert¡¯s neck and opened a portal. All of the man¡¯s bones and organs shot upwards from his torso into Kyrion¡¯s domain. From there, the expert was a floating head kept alive from Kyrion¡¯s mana alone. ¡°You will die a slow death. As I am the only healer capable of putting you back together, you will die slowly, seeing, hearing, and feeling unimaginable pain instead of dying instantly. No quick death for you. Just a slow and painful one. The head mouthed the words, ¡°Just kill me.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t worth the blood on my shoe anymore.¡± Kyrion grabbed the unconscious assassin and began dragging him away. The headmaster could handle things from here. The expert was being used as a messenger and was now going to die. There were probably more assassins and experts near where Bella was being kept. Beast Blood fits too much here. He knew about their tactic of killing traitors as well as their ability to infiltrate organizations. The headmaster stood outside the barricade. ¡°You killed people Kyrion. Are you alright?¡± ¡°If they weren¡¯t planning on hurting the kids then a little remorse would have been present. They weren¡¯t here to speak, they were here to kill. I could sense the bloodlust coming from those assasins. Keep an eye on that expert for me; he¡¯s dying too slowly for my taste, and I may have to question him later if he survives..¡± ¡°Be careful not to jump to conclusions. Today would be the perfect day to sabotage Cecil but it may be a distraction. Be careful.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t tell me to stop?¡± ¡°They kidnapped a friend of yours; I¡¯m sure if Cecil were in your shoes, that assassin in your hands wouldn¡¯t be unconscious but intact.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The headmaster saw through part of him quickly. Kyrion had been ready to brutally beat them until he heard Bella was kidnapped. He would need to be quick. Well, he intended to. ¡°Where are you going, kid?¡± ¡°What do you want, old man?¡± Kyrion turned with a flourish, his vermillion eyes burning with a hint of green attempting to break through. ¡°The match is about to begin. And you have the look of someone on a warpath.¡± Rion looked about and shrouded the area with a ward to prevent eavesdropping with skill he didn¡¯t even know he had. ¡°Bella was taken. I need to get her back before the match ends.¡± ¡°Experts involved?¡± ¡°I believe so. Which is why I should go and someone without a reinforced body should stay safe. I don¡¯t even know who you are.¡± The white-haired man combed a hand through his hair. Take me with you anyway; as her guardian, it is my duty to help keep her safe. Fine, but don¡¯t be a hero.¡± Rion then grabbed the man and began the process of teleporting away. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 6 Trouble obtains a tower ¡°Ok. First things first, as the new owner of this tower, I declare that we will be having some sweeping changes here.¡± Kyrion stood on a stage built from the corpses of those who had tried to resist him. Various fiends, monsters, and lost souls made up the macabre monument of slaughter. The remaining creatures looked up to him with a resolute expression. ¡°Yes lord!¡± Kyrion felt his eye twitch. ¡°First things first. Noncombatants come forth.¡± A swarm of small blob creatures bounded forward in a hurry. They were a variety of different colors and shapes. Following them were a series of two to three-foot-tall rabbits, all walking upright on their hind legs. The motions felt unnatural, yet they did so with a disturbing ease. The last to join was a humanoid male about six feet tall with large goat hooves for feet, stubby red horns, and a rather portly male frame. In their left hand was an abacus, while in his right was a scale measuring scale. Kyrion looked at the blobs. ¡°You will be dubbed the jelly race. Your duties will range from cleaning the various floors and keeping the first through third floors running smoothly. If you see an enemy do not engage directly. Instead lead them through the traps that I will be having built shortly.¡± Kyrion looked at the rabbits and scowled. The only good rabbit was a stewed rabbit. ¡°At least your rabbits aren¡¯t carnivorous.¡± The voice behind his prosthetic eye stated. ¡°They tried to eat me. I was in a stew pot getting seasoned. Hence all rabbits should be stewed insead.¡± ¡°You sure those were rabbits? I seem to recall goblins doing that.¡± The voice asked. ¡°No. No. I believe it has happened twice so far.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°Well, I did recruit the goblins afterward, so¡­¡± Kyrion refocused on the rabbits, who were now quite worried for some odd reason. ¡°Lord. Please, if you must eat us. Only eat the males. Otherwise the food supply would run out quickly.¡± Said one of the male rabbit leaders who hurriedly approached. Kyrion¡¯s face broke. These rabbits were sentient, albeit disturbing to look at. He wouldn¡¯t kill a sentient that hadn¡¯t harmed anyone, and he¡¯d feel guilty for eating them. As they hadn¡¯t tried to eat him first this time around. ¡°You are now the Lepora species; from now on, you will assist in trap-making and running the various businesses I intend to introduce to the tower.¡± The Lapora looked about in confusion as soul force traveled through the tower and caused them to glow in a golden light. As the light faded, the Lapora grew two feet, appearing mostly humanoids with rabbit ears. Eight out of ten Lapora were male, meaning the remaining were probably female. It was hard to tell with bodies made from soul force. Kyrion looked at the strange giant creature and smiled. ¡°You look like a merchant. What¡¯s your name.¡± ¡°Accountant actually. I have done the paperwork for multiple companies before getting sent to this tower. Name is Detrair, the Accountant.¡± ¡°Who sent you here?¡± ¡°Assassins probably. Why? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Who did you serve?¡¯ ¡°I was a follower of Icaron, but in terms of position, I was a freelancer.¡± ¡°Icaron. I see.¡± The moons were other planets. How curious. ¡°Could you balance the books with the currency I will soon put into place?¡± ¡°Will this be Fiat currency or something actually valuable?¡± Kyrion concentrated, and a small condensed blue coin-shaped object materialized in his hands. ¡°This will be one soul coin. The cost of living will be one of these a day after I manage to build up a supply. That includes food, housing, and amenities. When I can get the factory working the Lapora will begin mass coin production. They do now have opposable thumbs afterall. Well they didn¡¯t before¡­¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Next up, I want the remainder of you to line up in order of power for me, strongest to the right and weakest to my left.¡± The monsters did have some variation in power within their species, with some alpha¡¯s, as Kyrion dubbed them, managing to outpower slightly stronger races. Six Alpha were selected to be floor guardians for floors 4-7, 9, and 10 of the fourteen other monster species. The boss of floor 8 Abbadon couldn¡¯t leave their floor for some reason. Kyrion wasn¡¯t going to go up and check as of yet. While he had to rescue the priestess, a fight now could cost him a boss, and he needed to think about his plan of attack. Kyrion sat on his throne of soul force, using the power around him to form various homes, buildings, and soul-force-gathering factories throughout the many floors. Mana-gathering runes in this world pull in soul force when altered slightly. Through this, he could pull ambient energy from outside the tower. The coining would come later when he figured out mass production. ¡°Lord!¡± One of Kyrion¡¯s faithful servants. Kyrion snorted before covering his nose. How did he snort when he didn¡¯t have lungs? ¡°Lord!¡± The servant interrupted Kyrion¡¯s careful focus, and one of the houses he was forming from soul force shattered, the debris covering a wandering Lapora. Kyrion looked down and sighed. ¡°Can you please not distract me while I¡¯m building? Someone was just crushed by rubble. What was so important?¡± ¡°Someone is trying to enter the tower. They said that they know you.¡± ¡°Is it Volain or Gamodren?¡± ¡°Neither Lord.¡± ¡°They said that they called you here.¡± ¡°Oh no.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body moved through the area faster than human eyes could track, echoes of his path following behind him as he moved towards the main door with an exertion of his will. ¡°So my son-in-law finally decides to grace me with his presence.¡± A deep purple-haired man stood at the entrance; his silver armor glistened in swirling spiral patterns that seemed to move across it. ¡°Are you Lin¡¯s father?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re cheating on my daughter in her absence.¡± Kyion could smell the cheer emanating from this man. ¡°You¡¯re playing with me.¡± ¡°And you catch on quick. Can you guess why I¡¯m here?¡± ¡°A new entity that doesn¡¯t know or care about the rules has obtained a property in your neighborhood. Are you with the Tower Owners Association? Is my tower up to code?¡± The man laughed briefly before stifling it. ¡°Boy, have I missed you; all we had was that sociopathic git. Nice, but a bit too depressing with his logic.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°The sixteenth of your soul.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just supposed to be eight.¡± ¡°And you aren¡¯t supposed to be at 2 and a half out of eight before reaching the expert tier.¡± ¡°Ah. I have felt empty since my little brother left my body.¡± ¡°Little brother? Oh I guess that¡¯s an apt description. Being that he is still in incubation.¡± The man looked off to the side as though looking at a timer and scowling. ¡°Go on. What is the evil side doing here?¡± ¡°Not evil. Sociopathic.¡± ¡°Listen, I inherited a good dose of vindictiveness. I know that adding a sociopath to my nature will probably make me quite evil.¡± ¡°I chose the wrong word. Was never a good study. Or a student for that matter. We kind of just did whatever we could for power back then. So simple. What is the word for someone who does things to get a job using sensibill¡­reason. Imala, why is your language tough on my tongue?¡± ¡°I never noticed. So, he¡¯s my logic and reasoning. What am I, then? ¡°The heart probably. You have managed to reign them in but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯re mostly emotional. Hence why someone had to monitor the chemicals in your brain to prevent an incident prior to your arrival here.¡± ¡°Emotion without restraint can be dangerous.¡± Kyrion recalled the time when he broke Midas¡¯ shoulder over words. His rage surpassed the cage his emotions were kept in. Before that, when Tiffany was taken, it was his rage that drove him to fight that fake Leon nearly alone, a ranking expert¡¯s spirit. Even earlier, during the forest trial, when his friends were in danger, his emotions traveled through his body and fed dangerous levels of mana into the forest along with intent. His habit of breaking bones when people did something absurdly stupid and hazardous. When he saved Eden by turning that humanoid creature into a paste. The only time recently he wasn¡¯t driven by emotion involved not killing those slavers himself. He wanted to do it himself, but something had stopped them. It wasn¡¯t his place to pass judgment on them. It was not his revenge to take, and yet¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve been staring into space for quite a bit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kyrion blinked rapidly. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking which is probably a side effect of being on the same plane as your other shard. He also left me a message to give to you. Find the house near the lake and you will find me. I look forward to seeing you again.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Kyrion added that to the bottom of his list. He was a busy man with responsibilities, after all. Kyrion turned to see a Lepora climbing out of some rubble completely unharmed. ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue as he got back to work. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 7 Kyrion looked at the back of his hand and saw an 8 glowing dimly. He had been busy in the Tower of Gehenna, transforming the chaotic mess into an orderly environment. Every ten floors were now protected by a guardian, their power level escalating the higher you get. The first floor of every sector or first floor after a boss was a lobby sector where all the creatures could mingle. The second floor held various leisure and entertainment opportunities, the third was a residence, and the fourth through ninth were free areas to explore and fight against the natives. They were supposed to be; the eighth floor was very annoying. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been forgetting something.¡± Kyrion¡¯s current secretary was a Lepora man with black fur, pale skin, and dead eyes. He was sitting in a squat position like a frog in front of him. ¡°After completing the tower management aspect, my lord. Your Lordship told me that you had to deal with Abbadon next. After that, there was something you needed to do on top of the tower. ¡°Right, something about a priestess or something. Time to deal with that royal pain.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes and thought of his opponent. Abbadon was a fifteen-foot-tall armored humanoid with black feathery wings and a Talwar longer than Kyrion¡¯s body. The fight wouldn¡¯t be easy as even with the few days of soul force gathering, he was still not where he wanted to be, and chances are he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat them. Still, Kyrion came here for that reason, and he wasn¡¯t leaving without them quickly. Kyrion left his tent on the seventh floor. A desert environment full of sand and heat despite there not being an actual sun. The critters in this area were creatures of flame, snakes, giant lizards, burrowing beasts, and scorpions. As he took three steps forward, the sand around him sunk into the ground, creating a spiral as he fell deep into another sinkhole. ¡°Not this Pita Worm again,¡± Kyrion muttered as he fell, watching a giant pink worm try to swallow him whole. With a blast of flame, Kyrion superheated the sand around him, causing it to go molten and fall as it shifted into glass on the way down. The work coughed hard enough to push Kyrion back to the surface. From there, Kyrion ran forward. Evading traps and fighting monsters. The way to the next floor was spartan, and getting there meant that Kyrion had finally finished the last trek. He finally climbed up the final staircase, ready for the challenge to come. The eighth floor was small compared to the seventh. It was mostly a singular room with a thirty-foot radius. Behind Abbadon, the priestess was kept in something similar to a stasis casket. Although it was kept shut by chains. Kyrion had prepared a secret weapon for this battle and proceeded to do some stretches as his opponent slowly arrived. ¡°Now. Mortal. By what way will you challenge me? Combat right?¡± Abbadon laughed as it raised its weapon. ¡°A battle of wits, big guy. We will each ask the other five questions, they can be in the form of riddles, observations, or genuine curiosities. Failure to answer the question comes in two forms, the first being I don¡¯t know. The second way is to ask a question. Answering wrong grants us zero points, being close but not right is worth one point, being right grants two. Failure to answer cost two points. As curiosities can¡¯t be wrong they are only worth one point. Any questions before we begin?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°A battle of wits, boy. I have been here for countless years and you want to battle me with your puny mortal intellect?¡± ¡°Yes, and you may have the first question.¡± Kyrion stated plainly he could almost taste the uncertainty coming off of them. ¡°I never truly rest, but when I am gone, people sleep, and when I¡¯m near, people move about freely. What am I?¡± Abbadon asked. The area was surrounded by a field of green mana as the game began with the rules stated. Kyrion knew the answer but needed to play the fool for at least this question. It didn¡¯t matter so long as his opponent looked down on him. Easier to pull an overdog victory that way. ¡°My dad when he asks me to pick the weeds.¡± ¡°That is wrong and nowhere near the correct answer.¡± Abbadon smirked. ¡°Boo¡­ Fine. Why are you still holding onto the priestess?¡±¡± ¡°I choose not to answer.¡± Abaddon stated. Kyrion¡¯s pupils shrunk. To think his opponent was too honorable to lie. It¡¯s not like that was against the rules. ¡°Why are you looking for the priestess?¡± ¡°Power I believe. Someone told me that they can empower your soul.¡± Abbadon seemed disappointed as the answer hit them. ¡°If it takes thirty minutes for three blueberry pies to cool, how long does it take nine blueberry pies to cool?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes because quantity shouldn¡¯t affect how long something takes to cool.¡± Abadon seemed to catch the flawed logic quickly. ¡°That is correct.¡± Abbadon was at zero points, while Kyrion was at one. ¡°Why is someone like you here?¡± Abbdon looked dejected. Kyrion clicked his tongue and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯m up one now.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes looked up and scowled as he saw a creature with a Doberman face trying to mouth something toward him. It¡¯s time. ¡°Hey, can you hear updog?¡± Kyrion said in a monotone while a mischievous light shone in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s updog?¡± Abbodon stated as horror quickly donned. ¡°Nothing much, but I did just beat you in a battle of wits.¡± Kyrion smirked wickedly. ¡°You son of a tyrant!¡± ¡°I do not deny that fact.¡± Kyrion was by no means a decent dancer, but at that moment, he was low to the ground and hop-kicking the air with his arms across ¡°You have a devil¡¯s tongue.¡± ¡°Why thank you.¡± ¡°How did you manage to be more evil this time around?¡± ¡°The game is over. This time around?¡± Kyrion squinted as his natural defenses went up. The dancing stopped as he stood straight up. Abbadon realized that they messed up. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Priestess? Is Abbadon in that box? Were you just that board and attention seeking. If you told me you weren¡¯t that creature I wouldn¡¯t have had to beat you.¡± Kyrion looked as though he saw through the giant. ¡°How in the abyss did you put that together?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dumber than I look and smarter than I act.¡± Kyrion looked away as if he just had another gut feeling. ¡°Well then Kyr, do you remember me yet?¡± Abbadon asked. ¡°Nope. Not like it matters.¡± ¡°Your words are harsh. No wonder you¡¯re still a bachelor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fifteen and very busy. I have no time for distractions.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Maybe I still have a chance if I work fast..¡± ¡°Doubt it. My standards are quite high.¡± Kyrion sighed as he raised an eyebrow. He recalled needing to meet someone. Abbadon shrunk in size until they were half a foot shorter than Kyrion. As they removed their helmet, Kyrion¡¯s left hand moved independently for no apparent reason. Abbadon jumped to the side to avoid the blow as Kyion threw a punch capable of separating her head from her shoulders. ¡°Oi. Some warning Cyr. Sheesh I know I¡¯m technically your ex but still. Lethal force as a hello? I thought we were well past that.¡± Kyrion blinked twice and scowled. ¡°Ex enemy? Ex target. Ex pain in my rear?¡± ¡°So you haven¡¯t¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Midas. Why are you here? What have you done to yourself? Answer before I get extra punchy.¡± ¡°One, my name is Marigold. I¡¯ve been here for the last one loop, I believe. One day I was sleeping and the next I was trapped in this world with my soul bound to the guardian. I can¡¯t leave unless the owner of the tower grants me permission. I did nothing to myself; in fact, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Ex what?¡± Kyrion looked into Marigold¡¯s soul and saw nothing, as he had no idea what he was doing. ¡°Ex wife.¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell backward. ¡°I¡¯m not ugly. At least I shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Marigold looked confused. ¡°Listen. Midas. I know I did alot to deserve to be pranked back this much in retaliation. But please don¡¯t pull that I¡¯ve been a female the whole time, stunt on me. It¡¯s happened twice so far and both women seem abyss bent on ruining my life. Three strikes and I¡¯m going to another world out of spite.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. You do like to run away from your problems.¡± Marigold sighed as her blue and green hair fell to her shoulders. ¡°That doesn¡¯t¡­ Meh. If you can¡¯t beat them, run and live to fight another day. Although by the time things are that dangerous I doubt I¡¯d be me.¡± ¡°How do you know about the other shards and not the past you?¡± ¡°Because the bastard separated his memories from mine and has been trickling things in when he felt I was ready. It pisses me off greatly, and now I have to find that coward.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Your personality shouldn¡¯t have diverged that much.¡± ¡°A lot of things shouldn¡¯t have happened, Goldi.¡± Kyrion pulled out a pipe and started blowing bubbles from it with a severe expression. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the gender swapping question. Speak plain.¡± ¡°Fine. As you don¡¯t know, I am a child of Imala. Imala usually only makes daughters. I¡¯m pretty sure someone used a gender swapping curse on me after possessing me, I was really young and weak then. I¡¯m not sure because time has been a blur.¡± ¡°Oh boy¡­ So¡­ Your current form appears to frequent brothels relatively frequently. Is quite rude to their siblings and an utterly irredeemable P.O.S that caused me to end up here after I sacrificed myself to save the world from a time demon that he let inside your body.¡± Marigold collapsed to the ground. ¡°My life is over.¡± ¡°I mean, hopefully you don¡¯t have too many kids running about. Kinda evil to do something like that with someone else¡¯s body though.¡± ¡°I am barren or infertile until I hit nineteen regardless, it¡¯s so I don¡¯t get taken advantage of for that purpose alone.¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the annoying part. Like what if you find the one when you are seventeen or something and get married only to find out, your mommy said to wait two more years.¡± Said the ancestor behind Kyrion¡¯s eye. Kyrion grumbled something about having two headaches now before changing the subject. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go to the top of the tower? Also, I need you to help me reinforce my soul. ¡°I could have taught you that, my silly decedent.¡± ¡°You knew why I was coming here. Wouldn¡¯t this have saved us some days of travel?¡± ¡°And not meet my great granddaughter in-law? Hearsay.¡± ¡°How do you want to be reinforced?¡± ¡°Marigold. Please put all my soul force into endurance.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Why endurance?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need power yet. I need to be able to survive holding power internally.¡± ¡°I understand. Your soul is dangerously powerful for someone so young.¡± Kyrion felt a pain in his chest as the power he had gathered made his body much more solid. Aside from that, there was no noticeable change. The ancestor clicked his tongue internally but said nothing. ¡°What now?¡± Marigold asked. ¡°Up the tower we go.¡± Kyrion said as he punched a wall hard enough to cause the area to open up to the outside. ¡°I¡¯m not getting burned climbing up there.¡± ¡°The snack is dead. And If it isn¡¯t I¡¯ll cook ¡¯em up real nice like and have seconds.¡± White flames danced around Kyrion¡¯s form as he began to cycle the soul force through his body. ¡°You talk about food a bunch. I know what a blueberry is but I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve had a pie. Blueberry or otherwise.¡± ¡°Is that why we got divorced? Talk about irreconcilable grievances. If it were me, you¡¯d have tasted pie at least once. I doubt you¡¯d have divorced him if he gave you pie. If not pie, then he should have at least gotten you a cake.¡± Kyrion nodded at his sage-like wisdom. ¡°I can¡¯t figure you out. Why do you sound so different.¡± ¡°Listen.¡± Kyrion held out a finger and leaned back off the edge of the wall and out of the tower. ¡°You damned idiot!¡± Marigold looked out the window and scowled as she saw no one below. ¡°Above. Now let¡¯s go. I¡¯m burning daylight here.¡± Kyrion proceeds to walk up the slanted tower. ¡°How? Why?¡± Marigold followed behind, although she had to climb up the last half as it was too steep for her to walk. Kyrion arrived at the top of the tower minutes earlier as a splatter of green sludge was now in a place where he had once exploded. He reached out and caressed it. The sludge reacted by flowing back into his body. Only this time did he feel that the power was stable. ¡°What now, ancestor?¡± Kyrion asked his eye. ¡°Destroy the pedestal to free her. From there, she should be able to handle the rest.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion gathered power into his right hand and threw a reckless punch at the right support beam on the pedestal, holding the goddess up. The black beam cracked then as lines formed from the point of impact and crept towards the edges before slowing to a stop. The tower tilted further to the side, its slant getting more pronounced, Marigold slipped as she ran up the tower, falling forward as she slid back down. A loud thud impacted the tower and didn¡¯t do much as a scream dopplered away.¡¯ ¡°I can see why you two didn¡¯t fit. I bet you would have killed her with your carelessness.¡± His ancestor stated. Kyrion scratched his chin and sighed. ¡°No, I probably killed her on purpose. In fact I¡¯m positive that¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Why would you kill your wife?¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t, but I¡¯m sure you can combine the pieces, given you¡¯re connected with my brain. Getting to my hippocampus from where you are isn¡¯t that hard.¡± ¡°Thing is, we¡¯d have to get back to your body first as your brain isn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Oh. Let¡¯s say we have a bird. The first bird dies soon after it hatches. Mama bird goes insane and attempts to resurrect said bird. From that corpse another is born. This second bird lived its early life not knowing its origins and while gloomy was content. Then one day, mama bird goes out and dies. The bird¡¯s home is set aflame and papa bird is murdered by a bird resembling the first. The small bird fled west and trained to get stronger. Many years later the bird is happy again, living with his family when the bird that murdered his father returned. They fought and the second bird won, but the murderous crow escaped with its life.¡± ¡°So they are both crows.¡± ¡°Put enough crows together and you get a murder, and that¡¯s what happened. One day while the second bird was away hunting, his wife was murdered. Said act drove the second to madness, creating an evil the world wasn¡¯t ready for. Then something happened and time was reset.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That must be why I hate birds¡­Anyhow, this time around by some freak of circumstances the first bird survived childbirth and lived a strange childhood. He was spoiled for the most part and left to his own devices. Kept ignorant and free for his own safety as a precaution after an incident when he was four. Said incident was caused by reading a book he shouldn¡¯t have had access to and following the diagrams creating a zone of death mana around himself. Within that area the second entered the body of the first and its red feathers turned black from the magic¡¯s influence. The second erased spoke to their mother and placed a seal on their memories causing the first to forget what they did while it lay in rest.¡± ¡°So you were possessed. That¡¯s concerning.¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t have all the pieces, but strangely enough I can recall bits that were kept from me here. If you can remember this when we get back, that would help exponentially.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying someone placed a memory geas on your brain? Do you think it was the second or mama bird?¡± ¡°No idea¡­Marigold should be about three-quarters of the way up now, so¡­¡± Kyrion focused his energy into his body as he twisted backward. He rotated his torso quickly, landing a right hook and a left powered by mana and momentum. This time, the pedestal arm shattered into the soul force. Which in turn flowed into Kyrion, causing his skin to glow as it reached capacity. The black-haired woman woke up and scowled as she looked about. Panic on her face faded into confusion as she noticed the broken pillar. From there, she noticed a human scowling up at her. Kyrion looked at his glowing arms and scowled as both began drooping. Deciding to cycle the energy through his body, he did something. The explosive feeling that had taken him previously was returning, albeit slightly slower. He looked up at the person he was trying to save and scowled. ¡°Who the hell are you anyways?¡± Kyrion asked flippantly, his irritation present. ¡°I am the goddess Almira, master of¡­¡± ¡°None of that. Not your title or position. Who are you?¡± Kyrion¡¯s question cut deep. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are asking.¡± Kyrion held his head in his hands. ¡°You know. I think I¡¯m done with deities. Do you want me to answer the question for you?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± The creature in his eye asked. Kyrion didn¡¯t answer verbally, but he did throw an arm up and flex for no apparent reason. He then picked up a chain and began to pull. ¡°I¡¯m gonna milk me a reward. Last time I helped a goddess I felt cheated. Whatcha got?¡± ¡°A-are you asking me to make a divine oath for my freedom?¡± ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on what you can offer me.¡± ¡°I can give you knowledge, power, divinity. Anything related to magic is doable by me.¡± Kyrion scowled and sat on an imaginary chair. He didn¡¯t want to get cheated again. ¡°Hmmm¡­What if I asked for her?¡± Kyion muttered his half-thoughts aloud. ¡°You¡¯re a bit young for¡­¡± ¡°I could ask her to join the harem¡­¡± ¡°Beg pardon?¡± The goddess looked the human over in confusion. ¡°Oi! What do you know about magitech?¡± ¡°Everything and then some! But¡­¡± Kyrion stopped listening to the goddess as he thought about his words carefully. ¡°This isn¡¯t my request but out of curiosity, are you going back to your world when you get back?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t if I wanted to. Another has taken my position as that world¡¯s deity.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s a thing? I may need to replace a few of them the first chance I get.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°Do you hate deities or something?¡± Almira scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t have much trust for my native deity.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Almira asked. ¡°Imala tricked me. Or well hamstrung me in a most inconvenient way. I wasn¡¯t able to use my full power because of an oath. I was supposed to get a resurrection ability from her but that seemed to be either a lie, a thing I¡¯ll get when I get olde or well a misunderstood oath. I gained an ability that I couldn¡¯t actually use back home, and the oath saw it as a lie, or well, it did temporarily; it¡¯s just slackened.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°If it¡¯s still there then the goddess didn¡¯t lie. It could have been one of your spirits preventing you from making a dangerous mistake. I don¡¯t know much about spirit mastery aside from the fact that your spirits can limit your powers.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Marigold returned to the top of the tower, coughing and wheezing. ¡°What was all that power?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Just used a ton of power to break some chains. Now either hurry up and kill me already or stay put for a bit.¡± ¡°Beg pardon?¡± Marigold stopped for a brief moment before golden swords materialized around her. Kyion raised his right foot two feet off the ground and entered a mock crane stance.

Are you the one

Marigold began to skirt around the edge looking for an opening.Her blades spinning like drill bits. Almira stayed silent and observed the interaction. Should the boy die then she''d be slightly inconvenienced. Kyrion didn¡¯t move as he stayed in his stance. He didn¡¯t need to bother turning or keeping an eye on his opponent. Afterall openings are revealed when your opponent is confident they can¡¯t be countered. The swords flew towards Kyrion¡¯s back and he didn¡¯t bother trying to dodge as they embedded themselves into his soul¡¯s form before stopping on something solid. Kyrion ran his power through the swords and they changed from gold to an eerie green. From there they sunk further into his body and fused with him. ¡°Huh. Thanks for the knowledge. Weapon arts are an actual thing. Here I¡¯ve been cheating by flooding my strikes with mana.¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t bothered budging or moving from his stance. ¡°How are you still standing?¡± ¡°You literally just put all my soul force into endurance.¡± ¡°No. I put them into range. It¡¯s a useless aspect when you''re weak.¡± ¡°Eh? Kyrion did feel like he wasn¡¯t going to explode, maybe range helped by spreading out his soul¡­¡± His concentration faded as a sword passed through his ankle. The blow caused him to fall to his side. As he did he placed a foot down and held the position as he felt a connection within his soul flare to life. ¡°Stay focused Kyr. We have some business to take care of soon.¡± Said a familiar voice. ¡°Yeah yeah. Don¡¯t get your knickers in a twist brain.¡± Kyrion absorbed some power from the blade in his ankle before pulling it out. Only the hilt and handle seemed to exist for a brief moment before a blade of soul forced gathered and condensed over and over again. Parts of the tower around him crumbled and flew into the sword, powering the bizarre blade. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Marigold asked. ¡°Using my range I guess. Now, if you want to live after I turn around, take two steps to the right.¡± Kyrion said as he gathered all the power he had taken from that shrimp into the blade. If souls had dopamine levels, he knew that he would be dangerously high. Now that he¡­ The sword shot out a pulse of energy that shot into the clouds as the weapon began to grow critical. Marigold took way more than two steps to the left before throwing another sword at him. The sword, however, seemed to get drawn towards the glowing blade and was absorbed. ¡°Now where is he? While it may not count, it did kind of try to eat me. I have a reputation.¡± Kyrion scowled as he sensed a connection with the other shard of himself. They were quite far and behind a mountain. He couldn¡¯t take him out from here. ¡°Tch.¡± Kyrion then looked towards the giant worm that seemed to be big enough to eat a world and smirked. That creature hadn¡¯t known that it tried to eat him but that didn¡¯t change the fact that it did. Things that tried to eat him had a habit of ending up dead, and he wasn¡¯t going to change that. ¡°This attack needs a name. Mira? Any ideas?¡± Kyrion turned his head towards Almira with an innocent look that didn¡¯t benefit the explosive power he had been gathering. She had been imprisoned for over a billion years. When time reset, the power gathered hadn¡¯t been lost but instead contained within her guardian and the tower. She could see why her sister tried to use a monster like that. ¡°Betrayer¡¯s Bane is a fitting moniker given who you''re aiming it at.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Kyrion felt the sky crack and shatter as it joined the blade in his hands, revealing a sky with eight moons and a large planet surrounded by them above. He felt a connection with five of the other moons and scowled as he noticed one was turning in the wrong direction. He then felt power enter the blade from said surrounding moons as well as the large planet above. ¡°Ah, let''s see... By divine judgment I will execute you with Betrayer¡¯s Bane!¡± Kyrion brought the sword down with an absurd amount of force and sliced the worm in half from the middle. Its multitude of brains all removed at once. An explosion of raw energy exploded where the corpse should have been as an explosion incinerated everything within a mile radius, the energy moving around the tower. ¡°Now we just need to do that seven more times to seal it forever.¡° ¡°Seven?¡± Kyrion looked down and noticed that he had lost both of his arms, and a leg had disappeared. ¡°The betrayer has been trying to break into this universe through its seals. Regardless of our goals every deity agrees that the betrayer must not escape into this universe. Seven heads remain and only six are in this universe.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can kill them seven more times anytime soon.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t expect you to?¡± ¡°Great. Now, Goldilocks, are you going to kill me?¡± Kyrion eyed the woman. ¡°My hair isn¡¯t gold.¡± ¡°So the hair was a lie too?¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be Midas.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°My name is Marigold. I¡¯m sure there is a logical explanation.¡± Kyrion felt his eye twitch and put some power into his remaining leg. With that power, he hopped off the edge of the tower, aiming to fall to his death. Unluckily for him, he survived said fall with a shattered leg being his only injury. ¡°Milord? Would you like to rest in the pool of rejuvenation?¡± Asked his secretary. Kyrion looked at the male rabbit-human hybrid and sighed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you drowned me in that pool, if I¡¯m being honest. Don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Yes milord.¡± And thus, the Lapora brought Kyrion to the rejuvenating pool and pushed him into it. His body dissolved into pure soul force, leaving nothing behind as his soul was transferred through the river back towards the serpent, where he could be reconstructed.
Almira looked up and scowled. ¡°That one has a dangerous path ahead. Tell your mother that if she hopes to keep her position she should distance herself from interacting with him. I don¡¯t know all the pieces on the board but I can tell that someone with that much innate power could be a threat.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t the one I need to kill. Which is a different level of concerning. I know about the eight shards a soul usually splits into when it¡¯s created. I¡¯ve met them on the other side of the battlefield working for that worm. What I don¡¯t get is how someone with that much power managed to lose.¡± ¡°That''s simple really. The only way to lose would be not to play. Somebody made sure to take him out moments either right before or after he was born. Doing so however can create a fateless if done to someone with a strong soul. Usually those who have potential for great power or have absorbed that potential from a dragon. This is a prison world if you haven¡¯t noticed. Gods usually dump rule breakers, criminals, failed creations, and their enemies here instead of sending them into the cycle of reincarnation. Then there are those who send others to this realm with the intent of trapping them. My body was used to create this tower and you yourself were sent here by some with designs against either your mother or someone else.¡± ¡°Who could these other people be? ¡°You would have to figure that out when you get back.¡± ¡°Why do you think he didn¡¯t believe that I was his wife in a previous life?¡± ¡°Did you tell him that before you tried to kill him?¡± ¡°Yes. I also called him by the name Cyr?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t figured it out, have you¡­¡± ¡°I feel insulted that his first response was to treat me like an enemy almost immediately.¡± ¡°Did he ask you anything?¡± ¡°He asked me about pies cooling so I thought I''d bring it up and ask him what a pie was. Then he acted like my not understanding of pies was why we got divorced. Now I think that I somehow convinced him that we couldn¡¯t have been married.¡± Almira looked at Marigold for a long moment and didn¡¯t say anything. It wasn¡¯t her place to get involved in mortal affairs. Nor was it her job to teach her half-sister¡¯s kid. Book 3: Chapter 6 Fafo Cecil was sitting in the changing room, setting up his armor, getting ready for his semifinal match. He had been on this planet for six or seven years now, and was just starting to get used to it. Across his neck was a fang attached to a silver string, a good luck charm Bella gave him back before they came to this bizarre world. For the longest time, she was his only friend, his anchor. When his parents had to leave their town for work, she stayed. And when he decided to go to college at nine, she was left behind. Cecil had always been brilliant, but his ability to comprehend complex concepts made him feel alone in a dull world. When he discovered his world¡¯s magic, he used it to grow his mind further. ¡°I don¡¯t miss my homeworld with her around.¡± Cecil didn¡¯t know why he was getting sentimental all of a sudden. While wiping a fallen tear, he noticed the tooth was chipped. Cecil adjusted his glasses a bit as worry filled his expression. His heart ached for reasons he hadn¡¯t understood. Still, Cecil had to fight. His team trained hard to get to this point, and even if the team matches hadn¡¯t begun, he would show them all that Drisil was the best school on the continent. To his feet, Cecil walked through a doorway to the arena. A fiber suit covered his entire body with a thick blue helmet atop his head. Over his shoulders was a silver cape. A holster for his special wands was at each hip, and around his waist was a belt of various tools. Across from Cecil, a dark-haired young man around Kyrion¡¯s height with a sickly complexion stood with a wicked expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for you to make it here. I thought you Drisil brats were prideless cowards.¡± Milo cackled with a cocky expression, a strange blade with an azure aura radiating from it in his hands. ¡°You look like a low-budget crook with a poorly made CGI sword. Like an extra in an FV movie.¡± Cecil smack-talked back. ¡°I have no idea what that means?¡± Milo didn¡¯t get the reference. ¡°Not the last time you¡¯ll be admitting ignorance today.¡± ¡°Says the man unaware that his girlfriend was kidnaped.¡± Milo stated. Cecil¡¯s expression shifted underneath his helm from joking to murderous. ¡°What? Are? You?Talking? About?¡± Milo didn¡¯t reply. The announcer took the podium. ¡°Today! We have a match between the vice captain of team Drisil, and the captain of the Republic¡¯s team! Today¡¯s semifinals matches will take place atop the lost mountain peak of Tymar! Ready! Fight!¡± Cecil and Milo vanished from their positions, reappearing atop a mountaintop cleanly sliced across the top, leaving a nearly perfectly shaped circle with various ridges. Rings that reminded him of the growth rings of a tree. Milo moved forward, sword in a low formation, attempting to slice Cecil across his torso. Cecil drew two of his wands, firing a blast of red mana out of the left and a burst of blue on the right. Milo jumped to the side, avoiding the red blast to his right, only for his sword arm to be hit below his wrist. Stunning the limb and causing the sword to slip from his grasp. The red blast let loose a screech that caused the now loose sword to fly into it, propelling itself off the mountain instead and into the nothingness below. ¡°You stole my sword!¡± Milo charged forward, his fingers forming claws of azure flame that he proceeded to swing at Cecil. ¡°Instead of retreating, Cecil slipped his guns in their holsters and moved into the flurry of strikes, grabbing Milo by the robes and slamming forward into the mountaintop. The splinters of debris confirmed that they were fighting atop a tree. From there, he proceeds to punch Milo in the jaw repeatedly, causing blood to pool in his opponent¡¯s mouth. Milo brought his clawed fingers into Cecil¡¯s arms to no effect. As though his attack wasn¡¯t doing anything to him. ¡°How!¡± Cecil didn¡¯t reply and kept punching. Milo spat to the side and whispered. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to let me win, otherwise your friend will have an accident. Didn¡¯t you get my message? My aren¡¯t you heartless?¡± Cecil stopped the beatdown suddenly. ¡°What are you referring to?¡± With Cecil distracted, Milo exploded with blue flames, pushing the man on him off of him and giving himself time to slowly heal his opponent¡¯s damage. Only nothing came. ¡°What message!¡± Cecil yelled a second time, adjusting his wrist. ¡°The ransom note. Withdraw or throw the match else your friend dies.¡± Milo stated. ¡°You. Do know that¡¯s against the rules.¡± Cecil adjusted his ¡°It would be my word against yours. You¡¯d just sound like a sore loser.¡± ¡°I see. No wonder Rion said not to go easy on you. You¡¯re pathetic.¡± Cecil moved forward. Milo took a deep breath in and let out a blast of blue flame that should have reduced Cecil to bone or triggered the wards. Cecil, seemingly uninjured, punched Milo in the nose, causing it to start bleeding. While Cecil wasn¡¯t physically strong, his armor enhanced his strength until it was about half as strong as Kyrion the last time he measured his strength. His armor canceled the radioactive flames with a hum. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m just a human. A frail and weak human.¡± Cecil landed a spinning heel against MIlo¡¯s neck, bringing him down to the ground before stepping on it. ¡°If the others know that Bella is missing. I have no doubt in my mind thats she¡¯s out there watching this bout. I won¡¯t let you make me look bad. While I am a human, you are but an insignificant lizard.¡± ¡°What!¡± Milo croaked as the dregs of his power began to gather. With the remainder of his strength he had planned to attack, black scales were already coating his neck. A silver blade covered in runes shot out from Cecil¡¯s heel, which he then brought down and watched as his opponent was teleported. His original plan for this fight involved putting on a show. Making himself look like an underdog. But no. His opponent played on his insecurities and had threats lined up. Had this not been a match, Cecil wasn¡¯t sure he could have resisted the urge to kill Milo here and now. ¡°And the Winner of the semifinals with an overwhelming victory is Cecil of Drisil!¡± The area shifted, and Cecil was back in the arena with a beaten and bloody Milo getting placed on a stretcher. His bones had been shattered and his spirit broken, both figuratively and literally. He hadn¡¯t realized the young man¡¯s sword had broken when it hit the ground. Cecil had won in many ways, yet there was a hole in his chest. At least. It had been there until he looked up and saw a pink-haired woman rushing towards him at full speed. Completely unharmed. Cecil then looked to Milo, who was currently holding his neck as blood was running through his fingers. A contingent of healers seconds away from him, which was concerning; the wards were not working correctly in this match. Still, he turned his head away and moved on to something more substantial. ¡°Bella, you ok?¡± ¡°What do you take me for?¡± Bella squeezed a bit tighter before letting go. Her eyes trailing behind.
In a warehouse about six minutes before the match began. Bella awoke to a metallic clang caused by a metal rod hitting its twin. She had been tied to a chair by silver chains. Where would people of this world know to use silver chains? Something was fishy, and it wasn¡¯t the orca man she saw yesterday. No, she had been kidnapped by people who knew how to keep her from transforming and drawing on her unnatural strength and yet had no effect on her magic besides its durability. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked no one in particular. ¡°Ah. Sleeping beauty is awake. Now do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Wrong story, and no. People don¡¯t seem to tell me things like that. Hell our captain causes more trouble than a monsoon in the desert. Did he burn down your city on accident?¡± ¡°Close, your captain is making too many waves, so we decided to take the one most important to him away.¡± ¡°Oh. So you kidnapped the wrong person. You probably wanted Lin.¡± ¡°We decided that you were the easier target and were right.¡± ¡°She killed all of them. Didn¡¯t she.¡± Bella had a smug expression. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! You¡¯re our hostage!¡± The man in front of her slapped Bella across her face. ¡°How many of you are experts? Two. Three? Just remove the chains and let me go. Otherwise you won¡¯t like what happens to you if I can¡¯t watch the fight.¡± The expert prepared to hit Bella again, only for a head encased in ice to land before him. ¡°Wha? Silvery blades!¡± The expert conjured five floating silver swords and looked up. Kyrion appeared behind Bella like a blur, removed her chains, and banished her back into the shadows. ¡°Pretend to be held for a second longer.¡± ¡°What did you do!¡± The expert pointed their blades at Bella, one of the blades cutting her cheek. ¡°Me? Nothing.¡± The pink-haired girl answered. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡°My men are dying!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m a chained damsel in distress, with no power of my own,¡± Bella said with an exaggerated southern bell accent. The expert didn¡¯t like that answer and began to summon power into his blades. Continuing to stockpile it until he was ready. The man looked down and saw that there was a hole burned through where his heart should be and cartelized. He couldn¡¯t feel his heartbeat, and no blood aside from the initial attack was left behind, as though he were cooked from the inside out. Confusion erupted from the man¡¯s mouth. ¡°Wha..hyuk!¡¯ Followed by blood and ichor. From behind the standing corpse, Kyrion appeared, juggling the man¡¯s heart between both hands. ¡°Oooo, O negative. These are rare. It might come in handy one day.¡± Kyrion caught the still-beating heart and tossed it through a tear into his domain. ¡°Did you just kill him?¡± Bella asked worriedly. ¡°Yeah. Well. Technically no. I did take his heart, but most experts can survive without important organs for a little while if they don¡¯t move. If he even tries to cast a spell, though, he¡¯d explode.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Where did you learn that?¡± ¡°Anatomy. Although I¡¯d only do that to those who harm my friends and family. I¡¯m sure Cecil would appreciate a swift dispatchment of your captor. His fight is starting so you need to get there as soon as possible. We¡¯ll take care of the other two.¡± ¡°You just said that they¡¯re experts. I¡¯m coming with. No way you can take on two alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not alone. Lin is probably providing support along with some dude who seems to know me.. What¡¯s surprising is Edwin was stronger than these guys. Guess he got the expensive demon.¡± After sealing the wound, Kyrion blinked at the standing corpse and fixed its clothes. It would continue to stand lifelessly as though it were still alive, like a macabre statue. Ice began to snake up the corpse, creating a coffin of solid ice around its victim. Why Lin would do that was beyond Kyrion, and he decided to ask when he was not in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Bella scowled. ¡°Rion? What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Kill one, interrogate the other. I believe my actions yesterday have caused a few traitorous nobles to pop out as though I hit an ant hill. None of them have demonic influence or signs of possession. But it¡¯s clear that they are mixed up with the Beast Blood empire. I believe they wanted a civil war, and were planning to use Midas¡­er Marigold as a figurehead for one side. Then she went and abdicated her claim to said throne which led them to plan b where they use their agents to create an issue. Taking out the boy who purchased Drisil¡¯s lands and the kingdom west of there has made me their target.¡± Kyrion explained what he put together based on his opponent¡¯s tactics and words. As though such was the truth, and it made sense. Bella took two steps back. ¡°You¡¯re smart. Too smart. And too ruthless. The Kyrion I know wouldn¡¯t casually kill a bunch of people or figure out something so complex quickly.¡± Kyrion slowly blinked before a bolt shot through his head. ¡°Don¡¯t use my name.¡± ¡°Oh right, sorry. But you didn¡¯t deny what you said.¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re right. I am not the same person I was two days ago for you. Most of my mind seems to be sealed, or well separated from my body. Most of my observations manifested as intuition and gut feelings. Now I can hear the words my brain has for these observations as well as two shards that know their tactics intimately. Like all my thoughts are trickling down like rain from a cloud.¡± ¡°Two days. What kind of growth can you have in two days that let you buy a country?¡± Bella was exasperated. ¡°All I can remember is that time is a pain to understand. Also, Cecil¡¯s fight will begin in about fifty seconds... I can hear them smack talking.¡± Kyrion pulled a plant out of his ear; it resembled a black bean with various vines stretched out to attach to an ear. It had been invisible behind his hair. ¡°Listen, to this one, I have two.¡± Kyrion explained. Bella looked at Kyrion like he was insane but still held the bean up to her right ear. Voices came from the other end. ¡°You look like a low budget crook with a poorly made CGI sword. Like an extra in a F.V. movie.¡± Cecil had said through some static. ¡°I have no idea what that means?¡± Someone else replied. ¡°Walk and listen, we still have time.¡± Rion stated as he blinked the both of them to some rafters above. Bella had finally realized that they were in some stage warehouse where goods were gathered for transfer through various merchant caravans. ¡°When did you plant this on Cecil? Does he know?¡± ¡°He knows that there¡¯s a recording function for sound on his glasses, he doesn¡¯t know that I hijacked the frequency a while back and found someone who could put an idea I had into motion.¡± As Kyrion finished speaking, he found a wandering expert and moved to engage him from behind when a beam of purple light passed through the man¡¯s skull, quickly penetrating the barrier around him and a box next to it. The expert was dead, and the wound didn¡¯t bleed, as though it also cooked where it passed like his fire. That thought disturbed him. He could sense the man above jumping through the rafters, putting down a few practitioners from stealth and some unlucky fledglings. Kyrion¡¯s scarf yawned, looked up briefly, and fell asleep. ¡°I see the final expert. He just teleported in. I can anchor further teleportation but you¡¯ll need to fight him head on. Can you?¡± Lin said through their connection. ¡°Sure.¡± Kyrion flipped off out of the rafters, landing with a soft tap before he shifted to cover and erased his presence. Lin and Bella saw Kyrion land, and then he vanished as though he didn¡¯t exist. When they tried to find him, it was as though some force was pushing their gaze away. The expert ran towards where he heard a sound or thought he did. It wasn¡¯t worth a jump, so he hadn¡¯t tried it. Upon arrival, there appeared to be a hoof-shaped indent on the ground, which held the expert¡¯s attention. From there, Kyrion slipped behind, covering his right arm with a swarm of near sentient triangular creatures, as he slammed his arm into the expert¡¯s core. From there, the thorns had begun to pull and tear. The expert yelled as he attempted to teleport away. Something had bypassed his body and was extracting his core. And he couldn¡¯t use his magic to counter. Panicking as he lost the protection experts had from reaching that level, it turned with strength built up from years of training and landed a solid chop against Kyrion¡¯s forearm. The movement caused a small whirlwind of force, yet the foe was unharmed. ¡°S-stop! Please!¡± The man yelled. ¡°No. You kidnapped my friend, and I want answers; as you are as slippery as a snake, I can¡¯t let you keep your powers.¡± ¡°You¡¯re tearing out my soul!¡± ¡°Possibly. Does it matter? Would you rather be dead? I¡¯ve been to the other side and I can assure you that the boredom will drive you insane.¡± ¡°M-monster!¡± Kyrion squeezed, and the core cracked, signifying that he had broken the man¡¯s spirit. He wouldn¡¯t be using magic until it could regenerate. The expert fell as his mana ate at him, his body exhausted. ¡°Now then. Who is your employer?¡± ¡°I work with the Beast Blood empire as an infiltration specialist. But my allegiance is to the Lord in Red as one of their tethers to this planet. We need five total, with me dead, leaving three, White Fox, Gamodren, and the Queen.¡± ¡°I see. Why kidnap Bella.¡± ¡°It was meant to distract Cecil while keeping you occupied as my other allies attempted to get to Max and Minah then infect them. Orders are orders, but I fear that the one who did so is already dead.¡± ¡°Silver sword guy?¡± ¡°That is an apt description. If I were to let you live, would you swear fealty to me and only me until death?¡± ¡°The Lord in Red would kill me, or send his agents to.¡± ¡°What is the name of this lord?¡± ¡°If I speak it, then he¡¯ll kill me personally.¡± ¡°I doubt he can even hear at the moment. I ripped out the heart of your employer and juggled it in front of him. I severed someone¡¯s head and left him to live out ten minutes of excruciating pain before his soul left his body. You shouldn¡¯t fear the Lord of Red. You should fear me. Now I am patient, but I do so hate repeating myself.¡± Rion said with his best hysterical tone. Those who knew him suspected that he was laying it on a bit thick, but Rion had met this Lord of Red, and to top crazy, you had to make crazy seem tame in comparison. ¡°You leave me no choice.¡± ¡°You have two. Serve me in life or serve me in death. One option is just a bit more pleasant, while the other may end with you half eaten and discarded by my pet.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t have two life oaths of servitude to two different entities. I am bound to his soul. I would jump ship but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Try; if you can¡¯t, then you truly have only one use.¡± Kyrion¡¯s scarf moved like a snake eying the morsel up. ¡°Ewww he looks bland and pasty, just muscle and bone. Did you really have to drain his core? That takes months to heal properly. It would be a waste to eat him now. But, hear me out fatten him up while helping his recovery. Maybe bathe him in butter once a month. Let him tan in the sun a bit as well. Oh, space affinity, fix his core then let me eat him. Those are a delicacy.¡± ¡°I swear to serve you and only you until my soul fades away! So long as I¡¯m not eaten!¡± The expert all but rattled out. Having obviously heard the scarf. A line of what Kyrion now recognized as D.E. connected him with the expert as a thinner line snapped, although some of the remaining energy flowed into the current line. He then looked inwards, finding his connection with Imala, confirming that his D.E. was immune to her meddling, probably as a way to prevent limiting the powers of other deities. ¡°Is that so? Why stop at being food? That¡¯s oddly specific.¡± ¡°Your scarf can talk.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well then. As you now serve me exclusively you will listen to my spirits should they have use of your services. Bye.¡± Kyrion slipped the expert into his domain and scowled as it barely altered the draw on his mana pool. ¡°Oi! Rion! If you¡¯re done I think we should get going!¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Kyrion eyed Lin and Bella, and the sniper then snapped his fingers. In the next instant, the four had vanished from their spot. The group found themselves present in their booth behind the rest of their team. Max had grown five inches in height and quite a few pounds of muscle; his silver hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a golden scar went down his left eye. Ander had appeared to have grown eight inches in height and now stood 5¡± 6, which he seemed to have gained as his body adapted to his soul¡¯s increase in power. The bags under his eyes were fading, yet he hadn¡¯t removed his sunglasses. The headmaster looked Kyrion down and sighed. ¡°Why are you altering your teleportation each time you use it? What are its limits?¡± That resulted in several heads turning to Kyrion, Bella, and Lin. ¡°I can¡¯t jump to another universe at will, nor can I go to another planet, as far as I¡¯m aware. Not without cheating mind you. To be honest, I don¡¯t need a portal, nor does what I¡¯m using require mana. I¡¯m using something that I shouldn¡¯t have to do that. Just like how I purchased the lands west of the severed river.¡± Kyrion flicked the headmaster an octagonal coin to the headmaster. The headmaster caught said coin. Looked at it, his expression turning into stone. ¡°Rion? You have some explaining to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing for graduation though gaining powers that put me above most experts. I¡¯ve also given said coins to most of the others for training. I appear to have a strong personal time dilation chamber, if Max has grown that much so quickly.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t aware of that?¡± ¡°It was a lot weaker last time I was told of its limits. Seems someone managed to find a way to enhance it while I was out.¡± ¡°And where were you?¡± ¡°Lost. That¡¯s all I can tell you right now.¡± Kyrion shrugged. Kyrion watched Cecil beat Milo into an inch of his life and found the scene amusing. Cecil wasn¡¯t fighting to his strengths anymore. Milo had pressed the wrong button and was lucky Cecil couldn¡¯t kill him. Had Milo¡¯s potential not been stolen by Ander, the fight would have been more exciting. But it seemed that Milo hadn¡¯t spent much time training or pushing his own limits, depending on his draconic nature to make him stronger. ¡°You know, at least Cecil is keeping his tools hidden fighting like this. Wouldn¡¯t beat me like that but still, pretty nice.¡± Ander observed. ¡°You are our best in pure martial skill and technique. Still it¡¯s fun watching a book reader like Cecil beat the blood out of an accomplished fighter like Milo.¡± Brion replied. ¡°He¡¯s weaker than Lisa it seems. I could have taken him had I known that, although I doubt I could beat Damian. He¡¯s growing as fast as our captain, isn¡¯t he.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone here can beat Damian, save the headmaster. Even then¡­¡± Kyrion muttered out of character. ¡°I am not weak enough to lose to a practitioner. I am not like those experts you slew with ease earlier today.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sense it can you? Damian is a step away from breaking into the expert tier and appears to be holding off on it for some reason. As though planning on using the prize for the tournament to evolve his spirits first. Or obtain a powerful training aid.¡± The headmaster squinted. ¡°You can sense how far along people are in their spirit mastery?¡± ¡°Not quite, but I can tell that he¡¯s using an item to prevent himself from pushing into expert on accident. I can tell that because I¡¯m technically doing the same thing, just slightly differently. I will jump into the middle tier of experts as I am now. I intend to jump into the ranking tier of power when I break past my limits. Gamodren appears to have hit that level already.¡± ¡°My son is strong but he isn¡¯t a ranker. Not yet anyways.¡± ¡°Not in number but he is in power. That¡¯s a coin made from his technique. Truth be told I may or may not have kidnapped him briefly. Along with Volain, who should be quite strong.¡± A wolflike creature leaped out of the booth and into the arena, shifting to a pink-haired woman who tackled Cecil from above as he was declared the winner. ¡°I always knew they go well together.¡± Said a small brunette woman sitting in the front of the room. ¡°Right. That. I¡¯m happy you found your sister, but who is she?¡± The headmaster pointed to the tiny brunette. ¡°Listen. I don¡¯t know what to tell you.¡± Kyrion sat down in a seat to watch the next bout. Minutes later, Cecil and Bella arrived back in the booth. Hands held as they looked about in shock. ¡°M-mom! When! How! What?¡± Cecil looked at the brunette-haired woman with glasses with utter shock. ¡°Shesh, Cecil, I taught you to be much more observant than that.¡± A white-haired man walked from behind Cecil and entered the room. The two had cool blue eyes and similar builds and heights, yet Cecil seemed moderately concerned looking at the youngish man¡¯s face. ¡°Dad? What about work! What? What sorcery is this?¡± ¡°It appears I¡¯ve done something that I really wish I could remember.¡± Kyrion gave up trying to figure out who these strangers were. Lin looked at the new couple and then at Kyrion. ¡°Don¡¯t do that too often. Or you¡¯re going to lose that harem of yours.¡± Kyrion tilted his head. ¡°I think we should vote to change its names when we get back.¡± ¡°Might be the best day of my life if that happens. Although rebranding now would be a pain.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re becoming global we can say the name changing is a mark of our growth. As it won¡¯t just be Cecil¡¯s Harem, no¡­. We should call it the World Harem, or Cecil¡¯s Guild. The Magitech friends, Artificer¡¯s Alliance, or Super Bolt Bros.¡± Kyrion put a few names out there as he relaxed. The next fight was beginning, and it felt as though it would be enlightening. Book 3: Chapter 7 Ascending Rain Damian had watched Cecil¡¯s fight, while he was bummed that Noah had been eliminated and the person who beat him curb stomped him. He was looking forward to the finals; someone who could beat a captain like Milo so easily would be a decent fight. The tournament had a variety of strong individuals. It was just disappointing that he had far surpassed many of them. His spar with that blind swordsman served as a type of enlightenment that greatly enhanced his growth to the point where he could hear the song of battle that came from others. The rhythm of their movements exposed their weakness and allowed him to counter before his opponent could even act. Dodging as though he could see the future in perfect clarity. As he stood across Volain, he heard his opponent¡¯s song. It was loud, violent, and destructive. He would open up with a charge and repeat with relentless fervor until his body failed him. It was only one note getting hit harder and harder like an angry drum. In theory, the fight should prove simple. Hit Volain, and avoid getting hit. Keep the tempo, and don¡¯t let his opponent change it. However, he hoped that his opponent could do so. ¡°Sword Saint Damian against Volain the Relentless! A match between two captains of exceptional ability, what will win? Technique or overwhelming power!¡± The two appeared atop the same mountain as the first fight, leaving no space to hide and also exponentially limiting Volian¡¯s charging capability. One wrong step and Volain could fall to his loss. ¡°Ready? Fight!¡± Unlike the previous match, these two were quiet, as both had sound-based abilities and didn¡¯t want to be called out for cheating by their opponent. Not that they had to worry about that. Volain opened not with a charge but with a stomp that created a cone of erupting shards that left a crater behind. Damian avoided the debris by jumping backward. Both swords were in his hands as he floated back down. Pushing off of the land, Volain shot forward towards the landing Damian. As he charged, water mana began to flow behind him and rise in height like a wave at his heels. ¡°Punch of the relentless waves!¡± Volaine twisted his form into that of a charging punch as he entered within ten feet. From there, he leaped forward, using his body as a projectile fist by his ear as he gathered mana. Damian dodged to the side, avoiding the charge as his opponent jumped off the mountain. Moving forward like a dancer, Damian gracefully yet quickly lowered his left sword. A wave of energy shouts out, resulting in a blade of mana splitting the wave into two. Volain¡¯s body twisted while behind Damian as a black and white helmet covered his head. Pushing off the mana in the air, Volain shot toward Damian like a ballista bolt; while he didn¡¯t like attacking people from behind, it was his opponent¡¯s fault for letting his own guard down. As Volain moved quickly to take out the distracted Damian, the space between them shattered like broken glass as the viewers saw them slow down briefly. At least, that¡¯s how it appeared to practitioners and below. When Volian entered Damian¡¯s ten-foot radius. Damian spun around and intercepted the fist, pushing it aside. Volian pushed Damian back with a kick powered by a bit of force, and the area around Damian Was ripped up and sent away. Damian charged forward again. This time, his emotions seemed almost robotic and efficient. Volain threw a punch with enough power to break the sound barrier. Damian began to hum, resulting in the shockwave from the punch fizzling out the blast of force as it got closer. ¡°That isn¡¯t possible¡­¡± Volain muttered in surprise before he began to charge forward again. ¡°We live in a world of sound. No light, no dark. Just the rhythm of our souls.¡± Damian hummed a tune as a field of gray surrounded both of them, creating an area obscured in a dense fog. ¡°Not going to work!¡± Volain yelled before clicking his tongue. Damian brought both swords into empty air and spun to the side as a kick barely missed his midsection. Volain followed the kick with a stomp, causing the fog to disperse briefly, revealing no one in the general area. Damian landed an elbow in Volain¡¯s ribcage before moving behind the young man and cutting two shallow cuts into his back despite putting a lot of power into his strikes. Volain¡¯s head slammed back, hitting Damian head-on and sending him backward. Ending at the edge as Damian had stabbed both of his blades into the ground early on to slow his trip. Had he not, it was clear that the force would have knocked him off the mountain. ¡°You¡¯re tough.¡± Damian held his head and sighed as he had been injured for the first time in this tournament. ¡°And you¡¯re surprisingly durable¡­ I was going for lethal.¡± Volain popped his neck. ¡°Can¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s not like I held back with my sword strikes¡­ Well, I did, but that was when I thought you could be beaten without me revealing my limits.¡± Damian held his nose as the blood stopped leaving it, and his head cleared. Volain squinted as Damian began to sing in a language he couldn¡¯t understand. Swords began to grow from the ground like weeds as Damian moved forward in zigzag, and his body was enveloped in golden light. Volain wasn¡¯t sure how it happened, but he was now thirty feet in the air as though there was a gap in his memories. He then noticed pain in his legs and back. Volain pushed off the air, rolling as fast as he could as a beam of light shot down from above, cutting into the ground with an X pattern before it turned towards him. ¡°That¡¯s a person.¡± Volain muttered as he repositioned himself and summoned water around him to follow his charge downwards. Shrouded in light, Damian began to dance as he raised his blades upward, and the swords in the ground rose to the sky. Volain activated his armor to its full extent, black and white armor covering his entire body, the water around him growing in magnitude. His bloodlust began to take control as the thrill of the hunt flowed into him, and his own mind was filled with the desire to kill and consume the prey below him. Hundreds of swords flew towards Volain, many cutting shallow cuts while the rest redirected the water coming from above. His drop slowed as Volain continued to fall as his will clashed against his opponents. Where he was an unrelenting wave. Damian was a sword capable of cutting through anything with grace.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Damian brought both of his own swords down and then back up as a wave of mana shot outward and around Volain, separating the link between Volain and the spell he was concentrating on went wild. The wave turned into a downpour, and Volian was now being pushed forward by his magic. Volain willed himself into a falling knee as he fell towards Damian. A loud crash filled the arena as a wave of dust filled the area, followed by a brief silence. ¡°Second movement, weeping blades.¡± Said a voice that wasn¡¯t Damian¡¯s and came from his general direction. As Volain began to turn, he noticed that his body wasn¡¯t keeping up with his thoughts as a slow melody, like a dirge of death, entered his ears. On the other hand, Damian was moving faster than ever; in a series of moments, Volain had been cut over a thousand times before both swords found an opening in his chest and triggered the wards. When Volain exited the arena, he felt his body and mind sync back up as pain shot through him all at once before everything faded to black. When the dust settled, Damian was visible alone, his right arm broken as one of his swords lay uselessly on the ground. He was breathing heavily and coughing as the dust had managed to get into his throat. The young blade-dancer had to use two of his trump cards and still barely managed to win. He severely underestimated his competition. To think his opponent also gained access to his own soul¡¯s strength. With a flick of his right hand, Damian called his fallen sword back into his core and went to his school¡¯s designated healers. A minor regeneration spell wasn¡¯t going to fix this before tomorrow.
¡°That bastard! He held back that much?¡± Ander was ready to fight as a blood vessel in his forehead looked like it was going to burst. ¡°I suspected he had access to that level of power, as Tiffany does as well.¡± ¡°Kyrion? I can do some tricks with sword arts but that is beyond what I am capable of.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what those are. I can¡¯t do sword arts as of yet but I can pretend like I can. You could go train in my dungeon with this.¡± Kyrion passed Tiffany a purple soul coin. Karl interjected within Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°I have recently learned that the level of time dilation I used broke a few laws of time and I can no longer speed up training for an entire year. I legally have to inform you of this as you are contracted to me.¡± ¡°Maybe use a time dilation room and come practice in the dungeon if you want a challenge.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°What about the rest of the team?¡± Hel asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re ready for these as of yet. And I forgot who I¡¯ve given these to already¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t received one either.¡± Lin stated. ¡°Do you need one? Now that I can use it to my current degree of strength I can sense that you have access to this power, to some degree.¡± Lin sighed. ¡°I could always use more.¡± ¡°Since I love¡­appreciate your assistance.¡± Kyrion coughed into his hand. ¡°I will give you your portion in private.¡± ¡°Are we not going to talk about that slip up?¡± Kyrion held out the hand that he coughed into for a handshake. ¡°Nothing suspicious is going on here.¡± Lin took the hand, raised an eyebrow, and shook it before wiping it with a handkerchief. The headmaster, who wasn¡¯t snooping, noticed that Kyrion¡¯s cough was a feint as he conjured a portal into his closed hand. He had a lot to talk about with his students later. Cecil suspected something but decided to ask later as he was busy answering his parents¡¯ endless questions about his time here and how this world worked. ¡°What do the coins do?¡± Hel asked. ¡°They give you access to divine tier power. And can be used to enhance what is already there. Weapon arts seem to be on that tier of power as well.¡± Which made Kyrion wonder. Damian once told him that he awakened his spirits while practicing sword dancing. Kyrion¡¯s grandfather had also tried to get them to learn how to use weapons before going to the academy. Kyrion still had those chakrams but hadn¡¯t trained as much as he should have with them. Just enough to hit a target, moving or otherwise, as he used them as seed spreaders for the most part. Spirit mastery is the mastery of one¡¯s soul or spirit, incorporating an aspect of the universe into one¡¯s soul. Going to the world of the lost is a way to accelerate the process due to the saturation of D.E. The process of full manifestation is an attempt to draw out their soul through their spirits. Kyrion wasn¡¯t connected to his core and gained most of his affinities from his spirits, which hadn¡¯t transferred into that world due to his separate soul and body. The area around Kyrion began to increase in temperature as a poster on the wall caught fire. ¡°Kyrion!¡± Lin grabbed Kyrion by his face with both hands coated in ice, filling the room with fog. Kyrion slowly blinked before his eyes moved across the room. ¡°You went and used my real name¡­Headmaster, was anyone snooping?¡± ¡°No. But what was that, it seems like you were about to go up into a pillar of flame.¡± Kyrion sighed and emptied his mind. ¡°I gave myself a headache overthinking and it manifested as flame. Guess that¡¯s why I used to boil water.¡± ¡°Boil water?¡± Lin asked. Cecil, finding an opening, slipped out from his parents to answer. ¡°When he was younger, usually when he struggled to figure something out, water would pool on his forehead and evaporate into steam. I guess his fire¡¯s origin is somewhere in his head.¡± Kyrion cycled all of his fire affinity upon hearing that, sensing that his fire affinity started in the amygdala, a portion of his brain, before bleeding into his water affinity, which had occupied his Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus. From there, Kyrion felt his mind affinity in his frontal lobe; the wind seemed to resonate with his temporal lobe. Kyrion then traced where his space affinity began, only to find it was in his Parietal lobe. Finally, there was Kyrion¡¯s life or healing affinity in his cerebellum. Taking a step back, Kyrion realized that his bones and skull circulated his earth affinity. ¡°All my affinities touch my brain. Why is that?¡± Kyrion had read up on where affinities are usually located; that place was usually their core. ¡°Ah¡­That would explain why they didn¡¯t really try to teach you your letters. Knowledge is power and power without empathy breeds destruction. Or so the mindless preach.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Probably more than most. Explains why your sensory abilities were so easy to develop as well. Most people have a core in their chests, right below the heart, about the size of an apple, naturally. It doesn¡¯t get much bigger than that until the expert tier. Some have a core located in their lower abdomen at the base of their spine. Rarer are those with a core located in their brain.¡± The headmaster stopped. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Your core connects from your brain to your chest, and stops at the base of your spine where it cycles back to your brain while spreading downwards through your body.¡± ¡°Meaning¡­¡± ¡°Body, Mind, Spirit, and Soul. Many think soul and spirit are the same and to a degree they do mean the same thing. Technically, the spirits in spirit mastery are entities that we share a natural attunement with. While connected to us, spirits are not actually a part of what we call our soul. The process is simple, they grow in strength like we do, giving us a way to use mana. After a while it imprints onto our soul allowing us to use an even greater tier of power. Imprinting takes a good amount of time, and training, the true hurdle of entering the expert tier is the unification of Body, Mind, Spirit, and Soul. To enter the expert tier properly all four of those must work together.¡± The room went silent as the headmaster actually gave a direct lecture. Most had been used to his indirect teaching style and penchant for letting his students figure things out independently. ¡°Most so-called experts have managed to fuse, body and spirit, or mind and spirit. Soul is usually skipped altogether by those who aren¡¯t ranking. As improving that takes time, or an abundance of resources most don¡¯t have access to. The average ranker as in those sixty and above can¡¯t match what Damian can do with access to their soul. Showing that he¡¯s been growing it for most of his short life and refining it through a mastery of the sword and song.¡± ¡°What about someone like me?¡± Kyrion pointed to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you cheated the universe, nor why you put my son¡¯s name on it but I can say for a fact that you probably have more Divine Essence in your body than many of the experts I¡¯ve encountered. And yet you can only use a fraction of it.¡± ¡°Checks out. So, the only thing keeping me from the expert tier as I am now, evolving my spirits and pushing my soul to its next tier of power. Is that correct?¡± ¡°That would make sense. I assume you¡¯re waiting until you can get access to the reawakening tablet.¡± ¡°You mean these, right?¡± Kyrion opened his left hand, revealing 7 seven-sided objects that appeared to be made of thin material. ¡°Did your grandfather have a will, or hidden cache of buried treasure?¡± The headmaster seemed done. ¡°Bought these off the king. Can¡¯t believe he charged me full price. I am planning on using one to evolve all my spirits. If we win, I¡¯ll evolve them again.¡± ¡°The universe is never stable when you¡¯re around.¡± The headmaster sighed. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 8 ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Kyrion awoke in the pond after who knows how long, his body fully healed and put together, although he felt entirely drained of energy. He had managed to break something when he dumped out that much power, and a price seemed to have been paid. Gamodren sat on a rock at the stream¡¯s edge, his body covered in rainbow scales. His serene expression told Kyrion that he was more than irritated. Although the gaze hadn¡¯t been on him. Volain lay on the ground, exhausted and badly beaten. As though he had barely managed to win a fight and had to work his way back. ¡°So, Kyrion, what did you accomplish in your week of time?¡± ¡°Took over a tower, freed a goddess, and found Psycho¡¯s ex-wife. She¡¯s also Midas, and I am concerned about my new sister-in-law.¡± ¡°Second time someone you thought was male turned out to be otherwise.¡± ¡°Third. And they all have designs on me that make me feel like I¡¯m being hunted. Volain, are you single?¡± Kyrion added. ¡°I mean, by orcish customs I guess we could technically be engaged. Although I was unaware that they were of the opposite end.¡± Volain scratched his head. ¡°You slammed her through six buildings?¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°Seven I thought he was just a pompous ass and wanted to make it known how much I regard them.¡± Gamodren shook his head in pity. ¡°At least you have one thing going for you. She still has to consent to the engagement. But if she manages to slam you through five buildings then there isn¡¯t much we can do.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pretty strong. Almost ogre-like. You should really focus on your training Volain.¡± Kyrion added. Volain winced. ¡°I¡¯ve died six times so far. This place is dangerous. How did you manage to beat anything?¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m an expert but that doesn¡¯t matter much here. It¡¯s about the strength of your soul.¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°That and you went into the valley of death.¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side and scowled. ¡°How did I know that?¡± Gamodren¡¯s face became expressionless briefly as he accepted something as a fact. ¡°Valley of death? What kind of place is that?¡± The serpent above them looked down and answered the question. ¡°It¡¯s a place where the strongest souls go to battle, killing anyone and everyone without warning if possible. If you want to learn how to fight it¡¯s where you go to train your senses and innate prowess.¡± Volain looked up at the serpent and sowled. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have warned me earlier?¡± ¡°I tried; you said that you had to get back at that bald guy who pushed you off the cliff. I assume he beat you every time.¡± ¡°Nope. I got him during my fourth trip; even then, he was strong.¡± ¡°How many times did he push you off the cliff?¡± Volain didn¡¯t want to answer that but decided better. ¡°Three times. He apologized the second time as he eased to my side and kicked me off. The third time was a fight but he managed to sweep my legs and transfer me off the cliff with ease.¡± ¡°And your other deaths?¡± ¡°Well, I kept going, and the enemies turned out to be humongous. So, after getting stepped on, I managed to find some weaker enemies in the outskirts and have been fighting them. Weaker than the giant and bald guy, but they were still quite dangerous.¡± ¡°Gamodren. Mind taking him to the tower down there?¡± ¡°Is that the tower that exploded with fire the second day we were here and Light four hours ago?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Probably. I had to dump an absurd amount of Soul Force that entered my body.¡± ¡°Soul Force? Are you talking about divine enegy?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°It¡¯s the power of your soul. So Soul Force.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°The gods call it Divine Essence.¡± ¡°Do I look like I care what so-called gods call it?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Animae vis.¡± ¡°Why are you talking about the shows Cecil used to watch?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Latin.¡± ¡°And I speak Imalan.¡± ¡°...You speak Folis. That¡¯s the universal language of this universe that all living beings can understand. Humans here haven¡¯t done much to create their own unique language systems.¡± ¡°Wait. Cecil also knows Latin. He¡¯s mentioned it once or twice. He isn¡¯t from our world though.¡± ¡°Neither am I fully. Although that¡¯s another story and I suck at telling it.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Kyrion felt his eye twitch. ¡°How connected is our world with Cecil¡¯s?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. It¡¯s the second universe to form; ours is the third.¡± ¡± Due to the wavelengths our worlds live on, this one is quite close to the second if you know what you¡¯re doing. Time is much faster here however.¡± ¡°What is the universe after ours then?¡± ¡°There hasn¡¯t been one capable of that yet. I¡¯m not saying that we¡¯re the only three, it¡¯s more that the others haven¡¯t been able to sync up properly and have either separated from the chain or imploded. The powers at been haven¡¯t been able to wrangle them together.¡± ¡°That is quite complicated.¡± ¡°Hopefully, you won¡¯t become a shepherd then.¡± Kyrion saw Gamodren¡¯s face briefly move to a shocked expression and scowled. ¡°Yeah¡­ Anyways, Volain and Gamodren. I¡¯ll lead you to the tower but then I need to get somewhere¡­Oh right.¡± Kyrion pulled out his bag and began cycling through his inventory before he pulled a confused person out of it. ¡°Who? What? Where?¡± Mike looked confused. ¡°I also saved this guy. Mike, can you lead them to the tower in my place?¡± Mike shot Kyrion a death glare. ¡°You put me in a bag for six minutes. I was starting to suffocate.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have lungs. You can¡¯t suffocate.¡± ¡°Wait. We can¡¯t drown? Then how did¡­¡± Volain started. ¡°We can still die if we believe we¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Oh. I was too stupid to die.¡± Kyrion put a hand over his face. ¡°Now then. We need to go rescue that princess of yours.¡± ¡°Already did that.¡± ¡°You climbed ten floors in six minutes?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t want to tell him that it had actually been about six days. ¡°There¡¯s also a large group of bandits with bows that way. You¡¯ll need a shield to avoid being pelted by endless volleys of arrows.¡± ¡°Or you can dodge them.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have a shield?¡± ¡°Do I look like I would use something so bulky?¡± ¡°Are you a mage or monk type?¡± ¡°Yes? That was also before I got to you by the by.¡± Kyrion answered, not understanding the question. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°A monk is usually speedy and unarmored while a mage would use magic to stop the arrows.¡± ¡°Oh. Yes for me as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fast enough to evade endless arrows.¡± ¡°Guess I do have to come. Alright follow me.¡± Gamodren shook his head as he followed, not saying what he spent the week doing. As the group of four entered the area where endless arrows were supposed to be shot, only a single arrow came and landed a reasonable distance with a note attached to it. Gamodren picked up the arrow and removed the note. He proceeded to read it out loud. ¡°We won¡¯t attack you, please don¡¯t kill us again, great one.¡± Mike scowled. ¡°Great one? I never got such a greeting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they know better.¡± Kyrion stretched and looked far off and into the soul of someone he shattered a few days ago.¡°What did you do to them?¡± Mike asked. ¡°I gave them a taste of their own medicine. I made them understand that they aren¡¯t the only people who can make others feel helpless and that they aren¡¯t that good at it.¡± ¡°Kyrion. You didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Torture no. But I did put on a show. Can you pass me that arrow?¡± ¡°Do you need to read it?¡± Gamodren asked as he passed it over. ¡°No. Just watch.¡± Kyrion made the arrow disappear into the mist and flow into him, adding more power. ¡°You can absorb power from arrows?¡± Mike asked, concerned. ¡°Arrows, spells, bodies, objects, and even the air. Although too much, and I can explode. Or destroy my own body. ¡°How much power could you absorb in six minutes?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised by how many stupid things I¡¯m capable of doing unsupervised. Now, let¡¯s go, I¡¯m sure Almira is tired of waiting.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Mike scowled as he led the way towards the swamp. Or what had once been a swamp. The area had been turned into a forest while plants and native creatures seemed more lively and vibrant. The ground was completely solid, and they met no trouble. It almost appeared as though some plants were bowing in reverence towards them. ¡°Why does your path seem so easy?¡± Volain asked, confused. ¡°Because I captured it and asserted my dominance over the area. The plants here know better than to impede us.¡± Kyrion stretched both arms and stood up straight, almost like a tree. The plant¡¯s understanding emulated the motion. ¡°How far ahead are you?¡± ¡°Less than you think but more than we know.¡± Kyrion smiled wickedly as Mike stopped. ¡°What in the abyss happened to the betrayer! I was only gone six minutes!¡± ¡°My student is very troublesome. I believe it¡¯s in his blood.¡± ¡°Not my side then. While I made some trouble, it was never this bad. Also, Mikey, it¡¯s been six days.¡± Said a tall floating figure that projected itself from Kyrion¡¯s prosthetic eye. ¡°Days? You left me in a bag unsupervised for days?¡± ¡°You were safe right? And trust me, you wouldn¡¯t be the only soul in that bag.¡± ¡°That makes me feel worse. You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Kyrion. Duh.¡± Kyrion said flippantly. Gamodren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Did you manage to meet with your father?¡± ¡°He¡¯s better at disguises but he¡¯s worse at lying. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already figured out who he is?¡± ¡°That does sound about right. I bet he¡¯s hiding somewhere pretending to be a farmer.¡± ¡°Well, he is a farmer, so pretending isn¡¯t complicated.¡± ¡°Stop. What happened to the betrayer¡¯s head? It¡¯s supposed to have been here.¡± Mike looked about the now barren area thick with soul force that was siphoned towards a tower in the distance. As Kyrion arrived, some flowed into him, rapidly refilling his soul and spreading out greatly due to his range. ¡°Channeled some power and killed it. Get with the program.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms as an aura of power enveloped the group. ¡°Do you know how to make soul armor?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°No,¡± the ancestor answered. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°The soul armor I lent you was mine. While similar you need to build your own, and I¡¯m sure you know what you need to do before doing so.¡± ¡°That explains the focus on fire. I didn¡¯t get that affinity until recently.¡± ¡°The fire wasn¡¯t mine. It was yours; my power just gave you the ability to consume your opponent¡¯s spells and turn them into your own well of power; your body wasn¡¯t strong enough to handle all that power. If I had my way, I would have used my blood magic to kill it internally and save us some time.¡± The ancestor said in a strange tone. ¡°Yeah. I could do that with my water affinity. I will not kill a human by boiling its brain from within their skull. I did that to a snake once. It was not pretty.¡± Volain shot Kyrion a strange look. ¡°You can boil someone¡¯s brain with magic? How in the hell did you die?¡± ¡°Listen, to boil a brain, I need to either open up a head wound or be a lot more powerful than my target. Undead dragons don¡¯t exactly need a brain to function. I, however, need a brain to stay alive.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Mike said as he arrived at the unguarded tower, his face sunken as he stopped outside the door. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter G Gamodren Gamodren had spent a day and a half making his way to the Mount Telastaris. Evading the gaze of many birds and even getting the drop on a few. Having absorbed a large amount of what felt like Divine Energy, he could feel his draconic blood resonate and protect his body. Rainbow-colored scales covered his chest and extended to his elbows and knees. From there, Gamodren had little trouble dispatching the easy-to-avoid foes swiftly while remaining unseen. The world around him bent to hide his movements. As he continued forward, Gamodren found himself face to face with a man in silver armor with deep purple hair. Swirl-like patterns moved across his body constantly as he eyed Gamodren in return. ¡°Howdy young¡¯un, why are you here? I know it isn¡¯t a coincidence kin slayer.¡± ¡°I seek death.¡± Gamodren said with a stony expression. ¡°If you wanted to die then you would have let the serpent consume your soul. But no, you came to me.¡± The man stated patiently. As though he had all the time in the universe. ¡°You misunderstand. I come for your death. Not that I have much of a choice on the matter. You have met many of my clutch I imagine.¡± Gamodren¡¯s body moved against his will. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re another blood bound. Strange to see one so powerful and old. The ones I fought previously were practically hatchlings.¡± The man smiled. ¡°Damn it!¡± Gamodren yelled as his eyes became bloodshot, and he charged toward the dragon mindlessly. ¡°I take small joy in putting you down.¡± The man snapped his hand to the right casually. The blow seemed deceptively slow as his hand left behind multiple after images. A crater of wrenched earth appeared where Gamodren¡¯s head would have been. The young half-dragon, however, appeared unharmed two feet from outside the range of the blow, his face sweating. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re strong. Why give us such a suicidal task?¡± Gamodren muttered as he charged again, copies of his body appearing everywhere as the swarm of Gamodren began pounding away at the older man. With a clap of the man¡¯s hands, every single clone made from soul force shattered. ¡°Strong, a dragon of creation. What a rare mutation. I can see how you survived into adolescence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adult.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re the alpha of your clutch. That is apparent enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true in the slightest.¡± Gamodren looked wistful as his body appeared many yards away. Clones formed from the world around him, an endless army charging forward. ¡°Is that so?¡± The old dragon seemed even more interested. He casually knocked each clone that came at him about. Dispersing them swiftly and efficiently with each attack. A few clones, however, stayed far enough apart to avoid being wiped out from the area of effect attacks. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I wasn¡¯t the biggest or the strongest, nor was I the smartest. No, I was the runt, the last to hatch. The one who had almost been forgotten.¡± ¡°Is that so? How does a runt kill an alpha?¡± ¡°All of my siblings are endbringers. When I showed little talent in destruction they looked down on me but didn¡¯t go out of their way to kill me. No, I was a servant with the ability to summon gold from nowhere. A prize for their hoards, they didn¡¯t see me as a dragon, or well, half dragon.¡± Gamodren began to circle the ancient dragon in human skin. ¡°Cunning isn¡¯t always bound to intelligence. Did you betray your clutch mates?¡± ¡°No. While I was weak, I knew how to avoid the ire of my stronger siblings. Even if it meant watching as my own siblings were killed and consumed for the smallest of sleights.¡± Gamodren rolled to the side, avoiding a wave of force that turned a boulder behind him into powder. ¡°Are you going to say that you fought them fair and square?¡± ¡°No. When we were six years old, our mother sent us on our first mission. I went along with the alpha of our clutch and another sibling of mine. We were to poison a spring belonging to a small noble kingdom in some backwater. We were told that it was a simple indirect assassination, it should have been easy. I created the poison if you could call it that. It was a simple concoction capable of forcing someone to breakthrough into the stage after expert. One that made the target stronger by pulling mana internally into their core. A side effect being permanent infertility, with no known way to fix it. A forced menopause to most, and a near abortion to those who are pregnant.¡± Gamodren noticed that his opponent had stopped fighting after killing the remaining clones. ¡°Go on. You have my attention. Go on and continue your tale.¡± The dragon eyed Gamodren. ¡°We succeeded in poisoning the spring only for it to be purified neigh instantly by someone with a water affinity. A man with blue hair and dark eyes. He slaughtered my siblings when they attacked him, only he hadn¡¯t absorbed any of their potential as they lay nearly dead, bodies dismembered and unable to move. No, this visage of death sliced me up with a bow, a violin bow, and made me a proposition.¡± ¡°And that was?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you live for now, but you owe me, and one day I will collect it. Don¡¯t worry boy. Your vial will get to your target. I¡¯ll even leave the potential these children have for you to consume.¡± ¡°So you consumed them on your own?¡± ¡°No. Before I could react their cores had been shoved into my core, no pain, no choice of my own at the time. I had been forced into becoming a kinslayer. But I did not know what was to come. A supposedly dead noblewoman named Cordellia had slid the concoction without being the wiser. Her unborn child was forever changed by my actions.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°That¡¯s where that fateless came from.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Gamodren seemed concerned. ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Well a few years later I grew to be the strongest of my siblings and our mother forced us to all fight for survival. One by one my siblings were slain as I built more and more blood debts. Eventually I ended up alone. During a routine assassination mission however I came into contact with the man who was our biological father. He freed me from my mother¡¯s grasp temporarily, and by a twist of fate, I met the child that I was supposed to kill with the poison, and do you know what he did?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the same brat I imagine he wanted to play a game. ¡° ¡°He asked me to play a game¡­ How do you know that?¡± Gamodren scowled as he was interrupted. ¡°I now know what you¡¯re talking about, missing link.¡± ¡°I see years later, I ended up becoming his teacher until my mother set me up and called me back to her side through a bloodline debt. I still owe her a few, aside from collecting Tellestarium, I need to capture my student alive. The only thing I can offer him however is a swift death. The reason I have to fight you is another debt incurred from out birth. Killing the progenitor of dragons is our strongest order. We can sense your power and it draws us to you. I¡¯m just used to a bit used to putting off orders for a bit.¡± Gamodren looked at the man with dead eyes. ¡°Is that so? That one was always the most ruthless of my descendants. Now, are you sorry for what you¡¯ve done?¡± ¡°The guilt has been eating away at me for years, to the point in which I made sure my students knew how to take me out should things come to blows.¡± ¡°I need to hear the words.¡± ¡°Yes. I am sorry.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°Good. Then I release you from all draconic blood debts.¡± The ancient dragon clapped his hands. A red chain tore its way out of Gamodren¡¯s soul, taking something inside that faded into raw energy before dissipating. ¡°All dragons come from my blood. All draconic oaths are tied to me. You being forced to attack me is usually a way to get me to put you down quickly. As you may have noticed, you can¡¯t lie in my presence. You¡¯re compelled to answer my questions truthfully.¡± Gamodren scowled before sighing. ¡°Did Kyrion plan this?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Haven¡¯t you figured this out yet?¡± ¡°Figured out what?¡± ¡°Half of Kyrion¡¯s original soul has been here since the beginning.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°More like forty percent if I¡¯m being honest. You old lizard, quit telling my secrets.¡± A shaggy man with short red hair, a red goatee, green eyes, and a wiry frame walked forward. The man was shorter than the student he had known, but they shared the same facial structure. Only this man¡¯s face held imperfections that Kyrion wouldn¡¯t have gained. He was wearing a green tunic, brown pants, and flip-flops. Unlike Kyrion or the others, his body wasn¡¯t green; his form was solid and fully visible. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Kyrion¡¯s original counterpart, before time had been altered so much. I¡¯ve been here since I made a sacrifice to keep my family alive. I was satisfied with my death and chose to stay here in place, I separated myself from the newborn Kyrion. Now I watch him from afar and give him guidance every now and then, mostly indirectly. Thing is, for him to reach his potential he will need the rest of me integrated. Not my memories, no all he needs is the power of the soul that I have been training along with the secret to planeswalking.¡± ¡°His space affinity is that strong?¡± ¡°When he reaches the realm past expert, the multiverse will be nothing but an open door. Space and magic are our natural affinities. I just happened to pick up quite a few tricks in life, and while I¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°Why do you want to disappear?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, Gamodren. So tired of fighting for survival. So tired of this universe taking away those I love. Tired of being alone due to outliving those I love. I lived a very long time and my end was satisfying. At least to me. My sacrifice didn¡¯t go as well as planned, as a bigger monster was groomed in my place.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just stop me then? Why allow me to live?¡± ¡°Not my decision. Charles didn¡¯t know about your involvement in the second loop. A lot of innocents were hurt in that stunt. The food that grew from that tainted water destroyed many family lines and drastically altered the timeline. Due to certain laws of time at least one person needed to suffer the effects to prevent an Arbiters audit. Which would have resulted in the village being turned into fertilizer along with all the food.¡± ¡°That does sound like you. The younger Kyr is trapped here and decided to go on a training adventure?¡± ¡°Ah, so he must have met her then. That¡¯s pretty early, just how much has changed?¡± ¡°Fine. How are you going to get to your body anyways?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send for him after he¡¯s done playing around. From there my shard will integrate with Kyrion¡¯s mind as his memories overwrite mine for a bit. I will be him but with slightly less personality. I can say that I matured a bit.¡± ¡°Wait. You¡¯re going to take his life.¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°Not quite. Kyrion is going to be busy in the near future. He needs access to our mind without the limitations my abcence created. But you will need to betray us one more time.¡± ¡°I¡¯d sooner die.¡± Gamodren seemed ready to fight at that moment, as the other two hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°Fine, a different favor then. When you return, I need you to check in with the necromancer you know as White Fox. From there, you will organize a meeting between him and Kyr. Not a formal one, mind you, just a meet-up; you don¡¯t need to physically appear. White Fox will then lead you to my mother, where a few things will finally be revealed. ¡°What do you mean by finally?¡± ¡°The Kyrion you know has a potential for planer travel. It¡¯s a potential that gets stronger when his soul gets stronger. This is where he will train his soul and master that potential. From here he will need to take a trip to a place called Earth. Said trip will leave him a bit disorientated and limit the speed his mind will fully return.¡± ¡°Like the affinity? Are there no deities there?¡± ¡°It had other names a long time ago. The Sovereign in charge learned something important a long time ago and decided to be more hands free with that sector of their universe. Due to the lack of miracles humans have progressed much in their absence.¡± ¡°So humans in that world lost access to mana?¡± ¡°Natural mana dried up in most places due to the lack of mana coming in. The exceptions are leylines and areas where people are summoned. The world, however, is full of artificial life mana and magic I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°So you want to strand Kyrion in another universe and hope he can get back on his own?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯ll have to be fast though. Time flows much slower there. He may have around three months to get back if he¡¯s quick. So long as he doesn¡¯t break the world then he should be fine. When he finds our sister, He¡¯ll need to form a dimensional gateway to get back. Doing so will probably result in the Sovereign¡¯s attention meaning a massive influx of mana will flood the world in either an attempt to help or destroy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane. Millions of people dead in an instant.¡± ¡°Tens of millions in a worst-case scenario. Yes, it is insane. Although it is going to happen around a year if we don¡¯t shock the system anyways, and when it does happen, the casualties would be apocalyptic.¡± ¡°Kyrion wouldn¡¯t agree to sacrifice innocent lives for his own agenda.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± The shaggy Kyr looked towards a tower and scowled as white flames had shot upwards like a beacon. ¡°All that from an incomplete manifestation and it isn¡¯t fully his. What kind of monster are you turning us into?¡± ¡°I did not teach him how to use fire magic. I must assume he¡¯s quite angry for some reason.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 9 Meet up ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Kyrion awoke in the pond after who knows how long, his body fully healed and put together, although he felt entirely drained of energy. He had managed to break something when he dumped out that much power, and a price seemed to have been paid. Gamodren sat on a rock at the stream¡¯s edge, his body covered in rainbow scales. His serene expression told Kyrion that he was more than irritated for some reason. Although the gaze hadn¡¯t been on him. Volain lay on the ground, exhausted and badly beaten. As though he had barely managed to win a fight and had to work his way back. ¡°So, Kyrion, what did you accomplish in your week of time?¡± ¡°Took over a tower, freed a goddess, and found Psycho¡¯s ex-wife. She¡¯s also Midas, and I am concerned about my new sister-in-law.¡± ¡°Second time someone you thought was male turned out to be otherwise.¡± ¡°Third. And they all have designs on me that make me feel like I¡¯m being hunted. Volain, are you single?¡± Kyrion added. ¡°I mean, by orcish customs I guess we could technically be engaged. Although I was unaware that they were of the opposite end.¡± Volain scratched his head. ¡°You slammed her through six buildings?¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°Seven I thought he was just a pompous ass and wanted to make it known how little I regard them.¡± Gamodren shook his head in pity. ¡°At least you have one thing going for you. She still has to consent to the engagement. But if she manages to slam you through seven buildings then there isn¡¯t much we can do.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pretty strong. Almost ogre-like. You should really focus on your training, Volain.¡± Kyrion added. Volain winced. ¡°I¡¯ve died six times so far. This place is dangerous. How did you manage to beat anything?¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m an expert but that doesn¡¯t matter much here. It¡¯s about the strength of your soul.¡± Gamodren scowled. ¡°That and you went into the valley of death.¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side and scowled. ¡°How did I know that?¡± Gamodren¡¯s face became expressionless briefly as he accepted something as a fact. ¡°Valley of death? What kind of place is that?¡± The serpent above them looked down and answered the question. ¡°It¡¯s a place where the strongest souls go to battle, killing anyone and everyone without warning if possible. If you want to learn how to fight it¡¯s where you go to train your senses and innate prowess.¡± Volain looked up at the serpent and sowled. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have warned me earlier?¡± ¡°I tried; you said that you had to get back at that bald guy who pushed you off the cliff. I assume he beat you every time.¡± ¡°Nope. I got him during my fourth trip; even then, he was strong.¡± ¡°How many times did he push you off the cliff?¡± Volain didn¡¯t want to answer that but decided better. ¡°Three times. He apologized the second time as he eased to my side and kicked me off. The third time was a fight but he managed to sweep my legs and transfer me off the cliff with ease.¡± ¡°And your other deaths?¡± ¡°Well, I kept going, and the enemies turned out to be humongous. So, after getting stepped on, I managed to find some weaker enemies in the outskirts and have been fighting them. Weaker than the giant and bald guy, but they were still quite dangerous.¡± ¡°Gamodren. Mind taking him to the tower down there?¡± ¡°Is that the tower that exploded with fire the second day we were here and Light four hours ago?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°Probably. I had to dump an absurd amount of Soul Force that entered my body.¡± ¡°Soul Force? Are you talking about Divine Essence?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°It¡¯s the power of your soul. So Soul Force.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°The gods call it Divine Essence.¡± ¡°Do I look like I care what so-called gods call it?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Animae vis.¡± ¡°Why are you talking about the shows Cecil used to watch?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Latin.¡± ¡°And I speak Imalan.¡± ¡°...You speak Folis. That¡¯s the universal language of this universe that all living beings can understand. Humans here haven¡¯t done much to create their own unique language systems.¡± ¡°Wait. Cecil also knows Latin. He¡¯s mentioned it once or twice. He isn¡¯t from our world though.¡± ¡°Neither am I fully. Although that¡¯s another story and I suck at telling it.¡± Kyrion felt his eye twitch. ¡°How connected is our world with Cecil¡¯s?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. It¡¯s the second universe to form; ours is the third.¡± ¡± Due to the wavelengths our worlds live on, this one is quite close to the second if you know what you¡¯re doing. Time is much faster here however.¡± ¡°What is the universe after ours then?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been one capable of that yet. I¡¯m not saying that we¡¯re the only three, it¡¯s more that the others haven¡¯t been able to sync up properly and have either separated from the chain or imploded. The powers at been haven¡¯t been able to wrangle them together.¡± ¡°That is quite complicated.¡± ¡°Hopefully, you won¡¯t become a shepherd then.¡± Kyrion saw Gamodren¡¯s face briefly move to a shocked expression and scowled. ¡°Yeah¡­ Anyways, Volain and Gamodren. I¡¯ll lead you to the tower but then I need to get somewhere¡­Oh right.¡± Kyrion pulled out his bag and began cycling through his inventory before he pulled a confused person out of it. ¡°Who? What? Where?¡± Mike looked confused. ¡°I also saved this guy. Mike, can you lead them to the tower in my place?¡± Mike shot Kyrion a death glare. ¡°You put me in a bag for six minutes. I was starting to suffocate.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have lungs. You can¡¯t suffocate.¡± ¡°Wait. We can¡¯t drown? Then how did¡­¡± Volain started. ¡°We can still die if we believe we¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Oh. I was too stupid to die.¡± Kyrion put a hand over his face. ¡°Now then. We need to go rescue that princess of yours.¡± ¡°Already did that.¡± ¡°You climbed ten floors in six minutes?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t want to tell him it had been about six days. ¡°There¡¯s also a large group of bandits with bows that way. You¡¯ll need a shield to avoid being pelted by endless volleys of arrows.¡± ¡°Or you can dodge them.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have a shield?¡± ¡°Do I look like I would use something so bulky?¡± ¡°Are you a mage or monk type?¡± ¡°Yes? That was also before I got to you, by the way.¡± Kyrion answered, not understanding the question. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°A monk is usually speedy and unarmored while a mage would use magic to stop the arrows.¡± ¡°Oh. Yes for me as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fast enough to evade endless arrows.¡± ¡°Guess I do have to come. Alright follow me.¡± Gamodren shook his head as he followed, not saying what he spent the week doing. As the group of four entered the area where endless arrows were supposed to be shot, only a single arrow came and landed a reasonable distance with a note attached to it. Gamodren picked up the arrow and removed the note. He proceeded to read it out loud. ¡°We won¡¯t attack you, please don¡¯t kill us again, great one.¡± Mike scowled. ¡°Great one? I never got such a greeting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they know better.¡± Kyrion stretched and looked far off and into the soul of someone he shattered a few days ago. ¡°What did you do to them?¡± Mike asked. ¡°I gave them a taste of their own medicine. I made them understand that they aren¡¯t the only people who can make others feel helpless and that they aren¡¯t that good at it.¡± ¡°Kyrion. You didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Torture no. But I did put on a show. Can you pass me that arrow?¡± ¡°Do you need to read it?¡± Gamodren asked as he passed it over. ¡°No. Just watch.¡± Kyrion made the arrow disappear into the mist and flow into him, adding more power. ¡°You can absorb power from arrows?¡± Mike asked, concerned. ¡°Arrows, spells, bodies, objects, and even the air. Although too much, and I can explode. Or destroy my own body. ¡°How much power could you absorb in six minutes?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised by how many stupid things I¡¯m capable of doing unsupervised. Now, let¡¯s go, I¡¯m sure Almira is tired of waiting.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Mike scowled as he led the way towards the swamp. Or what had once been a swamp. The area had been turned into a forest while plants and native creatures seemed more lively and vibrant. The ground was completely solid, and they met no trouble. It almost appeared as though some plants were bowing in reverence towards them. ¡°Why does your path seem so easy?¡± Volain asked, confused. ¡°Because I captured it and asserted my dominance over the area. The plants here know better than to impede us.¡± Kyrion stretched both arms and stood up straight like a tree. The plant¡¯s understanding emulated the motion. ¡°How far ahead are you?¡± ¡°Less than you think but more than we know.¡± Kyrion smiled wickedly as Mike stopped. ¡°What in the abyss happened to the betrayer! I was only gone six minutes!¡± ¡°My student is very troublesome. I believe it¡¯s in his blood.¡± ¡°Not my side then. While I made some trouble, it was never this bad. Also, Mikey, it¡¯s been six days.¡± Said a tall floating figure that projected itself from Kyrion¡¯s prosthetic eye. ¡°Days? You left me in a bag unsupervised for days?¡± ¡°You were safe right? And trust me, you wouldn¡¯t be the only soul in that bag.¡± ¡°That makes me feel worse. You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Kyrion. Duh.¡± Kyrion said flippantly. Gamodren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Did you manage to meet with your father?¡± ¡°He¡¯s better at disguises but he¡¯s worse at lying. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already figured out who he is?¡± ¡°That does sound about right. I bet he¡¯s hiding somewhere pretending to be a farmer.¡± ¡°Well, he is a farmer, so pretending isn¡¯t complicated.¡± ¡°Stop. What happened to the betrayer¡¯s head? It¡¯s supposed to have been here.¡± Mike looked about the now barren area thick with soul force that was siphoned towards a tower in the distance. As Kyrion arrived, some flowed into him, rapidly refilling his soul and spreading out vastly due to his range. ¡°Channeled some power and killed it. Get with the program.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms as an aura of power enveloped the group. ¡°Do you know how to make soul armor?¡± Mike asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°No,¡± the ancestor answered. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°The soul armor I lent you was mine. While similar, you need to build your own, and I¡¯m sure you know what you need to do before doing so.¡± ¡°That explains the focus on fire. I didn¡¯t get that affinity until recently.¡± ¡°The fire wasn¡¯t mine. It was yours; my power just allowed you to consume your opponent¡¯s spells and turn them into your own well of power; your body wasn¡¯t strong enough to handle all that power. If I had my way, I could have used my blood magic to kill it internally and save us some time.¡± The ancestor said in a strange tone. ¡°Yeah. I could do that with my water affinity. I will not kill a human by boiling its brain from within their skull. I did that to a snake once. It was not pretty.¡± Volain shot Kyrion a strange look. ¡°You can boil someone¡¯s brain with magic? How in the hell did you die?¡± ¡°Listen, to boil a brain, I need to either open up a head wound or be a lot more powerful than my target. Undead dragons don¡¯t exactly need a brain to function. I, however, need a brain to stay alive.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Mike said as he arrived at the unguarded tower, his face sunken as he stopped outside the door. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 10 Greedy Reptiles Kyrion moved in front of Michael and entered the tower. As he did, an array of Lapora were kneeling. The males were dressed in suits, while the few females wore leotards. They were positioned at the edge, and the path led towards his throne. His accountant held a clipboard that Kyrion dreaded having to go over. Various jellies were being used to roll his throne towards them. ¡°Welcome home our great master.¡± They said in unison. ¡°When did you become a ruler?¡± Gamodren eyed his student with a mischievous expression. ¡°When I deposed the previous regime I was named their new ruler. But I didn¡¯t order them to dress like this, nor act like this.¡± Kyrion put his hand over his real eye and sighed as his throne arrived. It was a large and plush chair that appeared quite gaudy. ¡°Milord. We have managed to get the soul coin production facilities in motion. The Lepora have, however, managed to also build an entertainment district in your absence with the help of the queen.¡± ¡°What queen?¡± Kyrion asked, concerned about painting his expression. Gamodren¡¯s slitted eyes suddenly became solid and visible as he heard the words entertainment district. His body became completely solid briefly as he heard coin production. ¡°The lady in black from the top. She came down saying that she will soon be joining the royal harem.¡± ¡°Oh. Just that? I¡¯m not sure why that would demote her to a queen. She¡¯s already a goddess unless that was a lie.¡± Kyrion looked away. He wouldn¡¯t say it was someone else¡¯s harem he asked her to join. Mike stepped forward and grabbed Kyrion by his shoulders. ¡°What have you done to our goddess?¡± ¡°I rescued her and then came to get you.¡± Kyrion said as he wiggled out of the grasp and sat upon his throne. Upon doing so, he felt a surge of soul force flood his body. ¡°I am his instructor. While my student attends to business I will help you administer this place.¡± ¡°Our lord is invincible.¡± One of the Lapora stated. ¡°Your lord has yet to reach his full potential. Although I assume its rare souls here are capable of gaining strength.¡± Gamodren sighed while shaking his head. ¡°Oh¡­ That means I probably broke something¡­ I wonder if I¡¯ll be penalized for breaking certain rules.¡± Kyrion attempted to scratch his chin. ¡°I¡¯m open to serving as a temporary tower organizer while he gets his affairs in order.¡± ¡°The Que¡­Goddess will fill that role.You may assist but.¡± ¡°What would an old hag know about propper tower management? Fine. Kyr? How much does a floor currently cost.¡± Kyrion looked up as though he were thinking. A factory on the first floor produced 100 soul coins an hour. The soul force gathering efficiency doubled after each floor up to the tenth. There, it tripled. Floors eleven to twenty haven¡¯t been remodeled yet and are free to purchase. Each floor could handle up to four factories without losing efficiency and space.¡± ¡°The price for floor eleven will be 3,072,000 soul coins or 30,720,000 units of soul force. It takes ten units to make one coin and you can absorb soul force by slaying creatures in this world.¡± ¡°How many floors can I own?¡± Gamodren raised an eyebrow. ¡°As many as you can properly manage.¡± Kyrion knew he was walking into a trap when he decided on a set number. So he swung high before realizing that no. Instead, He had forgotten to multiply exponentially because his master would recoup his investment in less than a day. He¡¯d fix that on floor twelve should Gammodren attempt to buy it. ¡°Show me one of these soul coins.¡± Kyrion held out his hand and created a soul coin by exerting some power. Gamodren watched in fascination as the crude coin was formed. ¡°Kyrion? So you know, the process you¡¯re using causes about 75% of the energy used to be lost. You¡¯re flooding it with power, but you aren¡¯t properly condensing. That¡¯s a bad habit, even when you have an absurd amount of power.¡± Gamodrren gathered soul force into his palm, and as a solid object began to form, it condensed rapidly using the same amount of power Kyrion had used to make one coin. Gamodren had made a better one after seeing it once. ¡°I¡¯ll need to alter my factories.¡± ¡°You could. Or we can agree on something.¡± Gamodren shattered the coin in his palm and remade it. Albeit it was only slightly bigger and purple instead of blue. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°One purple coin is worth five of your blue coins.¡± ¡°Let me see that.¡± The accountant said stoically. Gamodren tossed him the coin, and everyone watched as the creature sighed. ¡°It is worth exactly five times as much soul power as the coins we are currently making. How did you manage to figure that out?¡± ¡°I¡¯m half dragon. We don¡¯t play with money. Now I can pay the price for floor 11 if we agree that my coins are currently as valuable as five of yours.¡± ¡°Bleh. Fine. But you need to work that out with my numbers guy. Have some Worker Jellies and Repital assist him in getting the groundwork set. He¡¯ll need homes for his minions as floor 11 is town floor. Do you need my help building the factories?¡± ¡°You jury rigged a few mana gathering runes to a rather bad condenser. I assume they are Cecil¡¯s runes. Albeit with you changing things to suit your purposes? Hence the bad condenser, your limit is your current skill and lack of finesse in mana control.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to powering them personally, not using them to draw energy from the world around me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­What are you up to?¡± Volain asked. ¡°Right. You three need to go and briefly soak in that pond over there. After that we can begin the process of training.¡± Kyrion pointed towards the lake he had previously drowned in. A small shrine had been added to the middle of the area. ¡°So we get revived here when we die?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°I believe so. You can also use it to get back to the first area. Although it takes about four hours to get back.¡± ¡°Only if you¡¯re injured. Otherwise it brings you to a pond that you¡¯ve linked to.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Kyrion scowled as he eyed his hand in suspicion. The others moved to soak in the spring while Kyrion tended to some paperwork. ¡°So¡­ Why did you invite your great great grandmother to join your harem?¡± ¡°I have a what?¡± Kyrion decided to move on and continued to speak.¡± That¡¯s just what I call it. I figured out what most people think it means a while back but they¡¯re wrong. This harem is a group in love with developing magitech or Cecil. I¡¯m not quite sure sometimes.¡± ¡°So it isn¡¯t your harem?¡± ¡°No. But I am the mass scotch. I think it means bait for those who find me fascinating,¡± Kyrion hated how the word fell off his tongue. ¡°So you¡¯re the honey and he¡¯s the hammer?¡± ¡°I like honey, and Cecil uses hammers, so I guess that works.¡± ¡°Can you leave the harem after joining?¡± ¡°Yes, but most don¡¯t; the benefits are nice even if you can only contribute funds or unskilled labor. Quite a few were relieved when they found out that we were all about building stuff.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to drop that subject and move onto a totally separate subject. Is there a special someone in your life?¡± ¡°I will not answer that. It would be quite rude to tell you and not her.¡± Kyrion answered while waving his finger as he looked at the numbers. As it turned out, he severely undercharged his master, and inflation would be a thing. ¡°Why are we absorbing so much soul force?¡± Kyrion asked aloud. ¡°Our tower is absorbing all of the power that had been contained within the betrayer. It is limited but until you can find a way to use it. The tower will continue to absorb it, the que-Goddess has given you access to the clipboard of delegation. Using it you can expend a vast amount of soul force through her.¡± The accountant handed Kyrion a strange brick device. Kyrion accepted the new brick and scowled as he poked at it, and the screen changed. It was like magic but made no sense, as though it was made using techniques he couldn¡¯t comprehend. ¡°Oh. So I can upgrade the tower with this.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Yes, but only you can use it at this moment.¡± ¡°So I don¡¯t need to alter all of the buildings manually? Is it too late to be born on Almira?¡± ¡°A bit. Most of them are born with system access or something like that. It truly boggles the mind how you survive without knowing how much health or mana you have..¡± ¡°Repair.¡± Kyrion poked the glyph that meant repair and saw an astronomical sum of soul force required. Then I looked to the top left and noticed a bigger number steadily climbing and selected it. He hadn¡¯t noticed the change but felt the tower was no longer slanted. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say what you press out loud.¡± 398,374,432,926 Soul Force Remaining. ¡°Right¡­How much is this?¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t understood the concept of numbers getting that pretty high. Who would ever need more than 999 million of one thing anyway? The world¡¯s population was only around 400 million, regardless. ¡°Around four hundred Billion.¡± ¡°Oh. Let me guess, next would be tril?¡± Bi usually means 2, and Mil is 1 in this case. ¡°Yes. It goes up and up as scholars create new words to describe numbers that probably won¡¯t change much. Although they don¡¯t matter here unless you manage to maximize output.¡± ¡°Housing districts and commercial districts here. An educational facility here. A hospital for quick heals. A few soulforce gathering monuments, and some automated defenses set to eliminate all hostile creatures or law breakers. Simple laws should work, don¡¯t bring physical harm to others, don¡¯t cause others undue psychological harm, and don¡¯t steal from each other.¡± Kyrion went through the first three floors, organizing things before getting to floor four, where he added another spring. He greatly expanded the desert area on the fifth floor and filled it with vicious enemies. He proceeded to alter floor six by filling the area with falling traps that brought people down a floor if they got stuck. He called them extra quicksand. The seventh floor contained creatures with tough carapaces. The eighth now held a different boss. This one is an 8-armed Lapora woman capable of separating into four smaller Lapora. They were fast, agile, and extremely deadly. They also shot him the same look he got from Nicole, so he gladly built a third spring on floor nine to avoid unnecessary meetings. He also added a personal bar stocked with food and drink and a chest for those who managed to make it there. The chest. The trunk was empty, and going over the options, he decided to have it generate one soul item that would fit the person who opened the chest. Teams would need to run from floors 4-9 multiple times as it wouldn¡¯t spawn unless they came in through the stairs. It was foolproof. Finally, there was the tenth floor, which held an elevator and a key. One could use said key to access the elevator and go to the first floor or up another ten, assuming they also get the key to that floor. Kyrion couldn¡¯t wait to tell his dungeon how easy his job was when he got to the eleventh floor and found that the prices had jumped quite a bit while still within range. Still, he repeated the process on floors 14-20 and 24-30, following the pattern until he reached sixty. From there, he jumped to the roof and instead installed a spatial beacon. The world shifted, and Kyrion felt a connection with his body. It was currently in stasis, but he could feel it was finally getting close to the point where he would have to act. Another week here until he would need to act, not enough to take over but enough to impart some knowledge. He made sure to add another spring on the top, which he then used to soak. ¡°Welcome back Kyrion. How do you like the system I imparted onto you?¡± Kyrion looked up from his soak in the spring and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to peek at people while they¡¯re in the bath?¡± ¡°But that isn¡¯t a bath and you aren¡¯t exactly my type. A bit too young.¡± ¡°Oh, how you wound me so.¡± Kyrion falsely swooned. He didn¡¯t have anything to really be embarrassed about here. ¡°With enough power we could get a soul or two back to their bodies from here without erasing their memory. No need to climb the mountain.¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t go that way. I know. This tower will act as an anchor point for me, and until I can get one set home, I¡¯d be abandoning a great deal of power as well as my people.¡± ¡°Correct. You would have to climb the mountain or find another way back. You can, however, exert enough willpower to affect your body.¡± ¡°Right. Now then I¡¯ve done all I intend to do. I¡¯m sure you have enough pattern recognition and foresight. Handle things here for a bit.¡± Kyrion said as he handed Almira the brick. From there, his body sank into the water and disappeared from the top. A head poked out of the pond and looked about. Volain and Mike were gone. Gamodren was looking at the factories in closer detail, and Marigold was looking him right in his eyes. ¡°You know I¡¯d make a bathing pun but it¡¯s just too pruned.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overreaching. Now, about my problems.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Do you know where Mike is?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes I do.¡± ¡°Find your biggest problem and how you want it handled.¡± ¡°You killed me. It may not have been the you that is present but it was someone who shares your soul.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°How did you figure that out?¡± ¡°Psycho. The one that share my face but isn¡¯t me in any way shape or form. Master of blood and death magic?¡± ¡°So you do know him.¡± ¡°Well, he lived rent-free in my head for about twelve years, and I¡¯ve known about him for seven. About six years ago, while he thought I was being suppressed, he said something about having a wife and daughter. One of which he wanted to name Ceres. That didn¡¯t mesh with the lies he told me a while back. Then I realized he hadn¡¯t lied. He just wasn¡¯t who we thought we were. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s going to be born soon. Albeit, I don¡¯t know when or where I can find him.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°So he was like family to you.¡± ¡°Maybe. I do hate his guts though. He crippled my emotional development by controlling the chemical reactions in my brain. I¡¯m finally figuring out who I am and now I¡¯m dumb and in love with someone I just met. He left me high, dry and confused. Next time I see him I¡¯ll slap him onto the other side of the continent.¡± ¡°But you won¡¯t kill him?¡± ¡°If he dies from a mere slap, then he isn¡¯t the Psycho I know and tolerate. Maybe I could send him to you personally.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to send him here?!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to stay here then I guess I could figure that out.¡± Kyrion scowled as he jumped upward out of the spring and shook the water from his body. He was so used to leaving all the water in the spring when he left that he had been surprised when it didn¡¯t move according to his will. Marigold turned and walked away, the conversation over. ¡°Good. Good, looks like your free. So you know, your fire affinity isn¡¯t coming from me. I said that because you seemed to misunderstand something I told you. While here you currently only have access to fire and blood, which translates to fire and soul. Many people that use the term affinities don¡¯t quite understand how they work. Suffice it to say, your use of fire mana doesn¡¯t come from an affinity and is heavily tied to your emotional state. Something about you changed around the time it activated. Something about you changed fundamentally.¡± Kyrion looked at his ancestor. ¡°It was rage at first. My emotions had been carefully subdued through chemical reactions. You know this,and when I enhanced my brain along with my other organs with mana, the being controlling them left. I can see why now, as I would have been quite a problem if left to my own devices.¡± ¡°Then you had an innate fire affinity. But that doesn¡¯t make much sense. Not unless¡­Can you boil water?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thats easy. Why are you asking that now?¡± ¡°Can you move hot air?¡± ¡°Yeah. But its not something I intend to do often.¡± ¡°What about molten earth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a recent change, if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Kyrion stretched. ¡°Is that so? What about flame teleportation?¡± The ancestor raised an eyebrow. ¡°Also recent.¡± ¡°Yet such an undeveloped affinity is compatible with with all of your main affinities. Can you teleport through rain? Or move through rubble as though it was a shortcut to get places?¡± ¡°Not like that. I can tunnel underground but not what you said.¡± ¡°And yet you can move through flames you create despite having control over fire for less than a year. I believe there¡¯s a seal somewhere on or in your body that broke when you enhanced yourself.¡± ¡°This is just a pain.¡± ¡°I bet. Now then, imagine half your body covered in fire and then ask your soulforce to take that shape and hold it for ten seconds.¡± Kyrion sighed as he moved back to the tower¡¯s roof. From there, fire flowed from his entire body before getting pushed to the left side almost instantly. From there, it raged, damaging everything from the tower¡¯s tile floor to his own body. Even the air ran from him in fear. ¡°One.Two. Three. Four. Fii¡­ve¡± Kyrion fell to a knee as his soul force was nauseated, and his body needed time to recover. The fire died out when he came to that realization. ¡°Again. Ten seconds.¡± Kyrion got up wheezing despite feeling empty. He ignited the area around his left side. The force of the ignition proved combustive. It sucker-punched the exhausted Kyrion off the tower. A monotonous ¡°Huh.¡± eased out of him as it seemed to be more power than he thought he had in him. Almira had turned curiously to see what was up, only for her expression to fall into worry and then confusion as she saw the listless projectile plunge to what would be either a painful or quick death. She moved through the speed of sound in a panic. However, the force of her movement blasted the falling Kyrion out of her reach and towards the forest of thorns. As Kyrion continued to fall, he felt an influx of soul force enter him, giving him some energy but not enough to shroud himself in power. ¡°This is inconvenient¡­¡± ¡°Kyr. You need to pull yourself together. If you don¡¯t then you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°And? I¡¯ll be down for a week.¡± Kyrion shrugged mentally as he didn¡¯t feel like wasting energy. ¡°If you die, I won¡¯t teach you anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this,¡± The ancestor sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell your crush how you really fell through someone else.¡± Alertness shot through him, filling his soul. ¡°What do you know?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes were glowing red as he swore he was looking at a familiar smirk. ¡°More than you know¡­You could say I¡¯m keeping a close eye on you.¡± The ancestor sighed. Kyrion clicked his tongue and pushed a blast of fire from his back, causing him to bounce briefly and begin slowing his fall. The fire sputtered out as he descended into the treetops. With his left hand, Kyrion reached out and grabbed a branch. Near instantly, a spike passed through his left hand and spread outward. Locking him in place and draining his soul force. Kyrion struggled and tried to pull the spike head from his hand. ¡°Please let go of me. If I die here then I¡¯ll have to come back and do something you will regret.¡± A second thorn pinned his left leg and pulled it to the tree. Followed by a third that pulled his right leg and pulled. That spike, however, was from an adjacent tree. As Kyrion thought it couldn¡¯t get any worse, a vine shot out and wrapped around his right arm as many smaller thorns pierced his limb, locking it in place. Kyrion looked up and saw a creature that did not belong on a plant. While similar to the shape of a turtle, turtles have many sawlike teeth and white beady eyes. Or had mouths the size of most houses. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 11 Dog? ¡°Kyr you need to get out of here before it eats you.¡± The ancestor informed him. ¡°I¡¯m trying.¡± Kyrion pulled at his limbs, only for pain to shoot through him. The maw began to descend. ¡°This is the fifth time. The fifth bloody time. Turtle thing. Don¡¯t you know what tends to happen to those who try to eat me? You¡¯d think I was poisonous or something.¡± Kyrion struggled as he felt his energy flow into the l plants. ¡°Eighth actually.You aren¡¯t counting the mushroom, giant trap plant, and betrayer.¡± The ancestor informed Kyrion. ¡°D-Do I taste delicious? Agg!¡± Kyrion looked at his arm, considering if he should chew it off as pain shot through him. That¡¯s when it hit him. As the plants pulled power from him, he pulled from the plants. And his pull was greedier and faster than the plants could handle. The trees began to wither before disintegrating into nothing. As the power entered Kyrion¡¯s body, he felt a small buildup. Still, the branches and thorns that cut into him had fallen off, giving him more time to work. As Kyrion landed, two vines shot from the ground and wrapped around his legs to drain again. ¡°Really!¡± Kyrion yelled as the maw continued to fall. From there, he began to pull from these vines only to discover that these had much more D.E. and shared a source. The maw increased in speed as though it was now in a hurry. ¡°No! Get back you overgrown snail!¡± ¡°I am a tortoise, you insignificant worm.¡± ¡°Listen buddy.¡± ¡°I am not a dog!¡± Kyrion¡¯s left eye twitched as he imagined a tortoise playing fetch and rolling over for belly rubs. ¡°Listen. I¡¯ve already committed to eating two species to near extinction and now you¡¯re going to give me a taste for Humongous Turtles.¡± ¡°Tiny human can¡¯t eat Tortoise lord Toragellion.¡± ¡°Listen, Tora. I¡¯m a eat you. If you keep coming towards me I¡¯ll be slow about it.¡± Kyrion continued to pull from the plants, draining him and the plants around them in an explosion of black triangles. Kyrion was unpinned and free. Toragellion sped up and attempted to bite Kyrion¡¯s head off. Kyrion moved out of the way at the last moment as the maw snapped closed. As he evaded the chomp, he placed a hand on Tora¡¯s head and plunged it into the creature¡¯s eye. Tora raised its head in pain and began shaking in an attempt to knock the rider off. Kyrion slowly sent fire through his left arm and condensed it. Burning the creature¡¯s eye out, creating a solid red gauntlet around his right arm. From there, fire filled the beast and rushed into its core. Then Tora brought his head down and crushed the wind out of Kyrion, or would have if he had lungs. Still, he was stunned and couldn¡¯t think much as he forced fire into the tortoise. Each slam was harder than the last until it nearly turned the boy into a pulp. As the head descended a fifth time, Kyrion rolled to the side and punched it in the beak with his right hand. He felt a snap as his limb fell to the side, nearly useless. He jumped to the side to avoid a head bash and landed on another patch of grass. More vines shot from the ground and pieced through his body at various angles, pinning him in place temporarily. Still, with his right arm down, he wasn¡¯t able to escape fast enough to evade the bottom of its beak slamming into his head. From there, a vine pierced his throat and pinned him in place like a fork. As Kyrion lay stunned, he found himself unable to react as his body was lifted up and swallowed whole as though he were a snack. Removing the vines in his neck allowed him to move again, but it wasn¡¯t enough to get out unharmed. His right arm was removed quickly as it was caught on razor-sharp teeth as he fell down the creature¡¯s throat and moved into the digestive organs. As Kyrion looked around him, he noticed that the creature had an actual anatomy. That delicious being he fought on the tower also had an anatomy. Kyrion looked at the gauntlet and scowled. From there, he felt he still had a bit of D.E(Divine Essence). A shame he didn¡¯t have his various injectable medications and painkillers here. He could have made this creature trip out and possibly die from a stroke and crawled out. That, however, would take more medications than he usually kept in his domain, so it wouldn¡¯t have worked. Not after he dumped his supply in the dragon. ¡°Drugs are out.¡± Kyrion sighed as he fell to the bottom of the creature¡¯s throat. His expression was mischievous as he hadn¡¯t hit the stomach, which meant he wasn¡¯t dead yet.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I don¡¯t know turtle anatomy. But this I think I can work with.¡± Kyrion started before the walls began to close in an attempt to push him forward. As they did, pain shot through his stump as his D.E. was torn from his body due to the opening. ¡°Not that though.¡± Kyrion screeched as his energy was being digested. With his left hand, he plunged his left hand into the creature¡¯s esophagus and let loose a burst of combustive flame that burst into the creature¡¯s trachea. When it entered the creature¡¯s lungs, the explosion spread rapidly and burst the organ altogether. The tortoise yelled in pain as it was nowhere near as protected on the inside as on the outside. The following explosions chained throughout the creature¡¯s body, which soon caused various organs to rupture. As Kyrion tried to climb out, the creature¡¯s core ruptured, and vine spikes filled the esophagus, turning him into a pincushion. He was trapped, dying, and helpless. Well, at least he went down fighting. If only he could just move through the creature¡¯s space. Kyrion held out his right arm as the world around him faded. ¡°I just needed a bit more power,¡± Kyrion said as the D.E. around him began to flow into his body. The creature finally died, and now its power was flowing into him. From there, he could feel the thorns feast on him like a parasite. Insintualley, he knew that if these thorns killed him, he¡¯d become its new puppet. ¡°I am nobody¡¯s puppet.¡± Kyrion began to pull at the vines with the force of his will. The thorns flowed in, thinking the boy had given up, and as its mind made contact with his head, Kyrion¡¯s will proved to be much more ravenous than the thorns expected. The thorns fell to the ground before flowing into Kyrion¡¯s right stump, forming an arm made from plant fibers. The plants tried to take over and found they couldn¡¯t possess him. They attempted to flee and found themselves locked. They tried to break Kyrion¡¯s mind only to shatter their own due to underestimating their target¡¯s thin aura. It hadn¡¯t factored in Kyrion¡¯s currently insane energy drawing range. It was as if a plankton tried to eat a whale. At least, that was what he was projecting with D.E. ¡°You got greedy. You need a lot more thorns if you hope to beat me. Not that it matters as you should just give up. If not I¡¯ll reduce you to ash instead of treating you like an ally.¡± Kyrion put on a cocky expression he had practiced with during his time as Rion. The thorns in his arm stopped fighting and surrendered, and from there, the battle was over. ¡°Ancestor. I didn¡¯t die. So you better keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± The ancestor said smugly. Kyrion scowled, realizing he had gotten played, but wasn¡¯t too mad, as that had helped him survive. Kyrion then scowled and looked about. ¡°You aren¡¯t manipulating my emotions, are you?¡± ¡°My don¡¯t you catch on quick. I needed you in an enraged or determined state to get you out of this alive.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Kyrion looked down and noticed his body was leaking D.E. as though he couldn¡¯t heal himself. His tower was a ten-minute sprint away. But going by his math, he¡¯d be long dead in seven going that way on foot. Luckily, he could fly using fire D.E. The area around him was clear, and the beast had been fully absorbed. As Kyrion looked around, dread dawned on him as he saw that thousands of legs the size of hills slowly headed towards him, and as he looked up, he noticed an army of those giant tortoises, each covered in thorns. What he had beaten wasn¡¯t special or the head of a pack. No, he managed to land on a grunt with grand ambition that had fallen behind, and now he had more incentive to run for his life. Kyrion sprinted, his body still leaking D.E., a waste, one would think. Still, Kyrion ran and ran. As his body reached enough speed, he jumped and ignited the trails of D.E. left behind like a fuse of combustive power. When it finally connected with him, he managed to blast himself forward and upward. His body broke the sound barrier as he propelled forward, leaving behind a shockwave that left behind a trench. Kyrion flew forward and forward. Soon, the tower was in sight, and he was headed straight towards it, his speed still increasing. As the building got bigger, Kyrion began to worry as he wasn¡¯t slowing down. So, he tried to use his remaining power to slow his travel. Nothing happened. Kyrion plunged his hand forward. ¡°Thorns form a shield! Slow me down!¡± The boy commanded the thorns to cushion his landing. The vindictive servant pretended as though it couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Ancestor? Any ideas?¡± ¡°You lasted a lot longer than we thought. I¡¯ll be sure to put your confession on your gravestone.¡± The flippant figure appeared right in front of him, keeping pace. Kyrion threw a punch at the mirage, and all it resulted in was his head now facing forward, making him more aerodynamic. So, instead of going splat, he might pierce the building. In fact, with his current velocity, he¡¯d find out just how durable the tower is. Kyrion decided to at least shield his face as he flew into the window. The window led him into the boss room on the eighth floor. An eight-armed rabbit humanoid hybrid plucked him out of the air as though he were some sort of sacred family heirloom falling to the floor. He could now see the use of eight arms as each exponentially slowed his fall. Kyrion was fading as he looked the floor boss in the eye. ¡°You better not try to eat me.¡± From there, his body, nearly empty of energy, entered a state of absorption as golden Divine Essence from all over the area flowed into his unconscious form, slowly but surely. Gamodren scowled as he watched his student fight one of many giant creatures migrating after accidentally crashing into one. It wasn¡¯t stronger than him, yet Kyrion struggled more than he should. From there, he noticed that his dear student had run out of energy before fighting the beast, and when it ate him, he considered jumping in to assist. But no, Kyion had blown the creature up from the inside, having formed a part of his soul¡¯s armor. It may have only been a gauntlet, but it was a start. The power behind it was intense, yet the wielder could not use it to his full potential. What was interesting was how he tamed his foe and made it a part of himself despite putting on a show of pitiful force. No, that wasn¡¯t right. ¡°For me to feel that from this far away means it¡¯s quite massive.¡± Mana is a diluted form of Divine Essence that experts get access to when they reach that tier. Kyrion has had a bit in him since they met, albeit hidden in his nervous system, with a core hidden within his brain. He was informed of an atrophied fire affinity that had been burned out and removed in the past. It wasn¡¯t something he could get back quickly, and it would take an absurd amount of resources to access it. As such, he hadn¡¯t informed his father of it and had Kyrion learn how to boil water to exercise it slowly. As Kyrion flew forward, Gamodren used his ability to remove the effects of gravity around his student before heading down the tower. Getting to that floor was quite a warmup, and his student¡¯s bosses needed better tactics. Most still thought that some Squallia thing was still their leader. Book 3: Chapter 8 Cold Blood As Milo awoke on the floor of his team¡¯s lobby, he felt at his neck and noticed that the wound Cecil had inflicted hadn¡¯t healed completely, leaving behind a scar as well as some stitches. He had been beaten by a mere co-captain; he wasn¡¯t supposed to lose to anyone here. Milo was a dragon with the potential of all his clutch and a son of the Beast Blood Emperor. Nobody made a fool out of him. Milo brought his hand down and scowled as the ground didn¡¯t break. His hand had bounced off the ground and bruised. Resulting in even more rage filling him. An annoyed child broke the silence. ¡°Do you want a participation cookie? Former captain?¡¯ ¡°What!¡± Milo looked up in rage and saw White Fox holding a silver platter of strange golden bread circles with brown spots.¡°I mean, are you going to end your tantrum so that we can move on? Oh, former captain.¡± ¡°I oughta¡­¡± Milo clenched his fist and found he couldn¡¯t draw on his power. ¡°Ought to what? Put an adorable child like me in his place. Kill me for my insolence? Kidnap someone close to me and threaten to have them killed if I don¡¯t kowtow a hundred times or something?¡± ¡°Kowtow?¡± ¡°Right. Right. You wouldn¡¯t know. Now, what do you want to do again?¡± White Fox shrugged, looked away from Milo through a rift in space, and sighed. ¡°Insolent brat.¡± Milo took in a deep breath; if he couldn¡¯t use his magic, he should at least be able to use his breath attack. White Fox smiled as he picked up a cookie and consumed it greedily, not at all bothered. Power built up, and then Milo was blasted across the room. ¡°Your magic has been sealed, former captain. It appears you didn¡¯t notice. Wait, did you genuinely just try to kill me¡­ Oh you don¡¯t know how bad of an idea that is, do you.¡± The smile never left his face as White Fox walked towards Milo. ¡°You see, someone used a dragon slaying weapon on you. Which is concerning. For all intents and purposes, you have lost access to your draconic bloodline. While temporary, it will indeed last past the end of this tournament. Unless you¡¯re willing to make a deal with a devil.¡± The child approached slowly. ¡°You¡¯ll give me back my power.¡± ¡°Of course. But you¡¯ll have to change who you¡¯re loyal to.¡± ¡°I am a prince of the Beast Blood Empire. Why would I disgrace that.¡± White Fox had begun to cackle like a witch, and it lasted a bit before he calmed down and cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry, I thought you were trying to be prideful. Had you been prideful then you wouldn;t have hired bargain bin assassins to make your opponent throw the match. I also know that you want your father dead, else you¡¯ll just become his next vessel. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Next vessel?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed? The original inhabitant of his body is trying to regain control. He is failing, but he¡¯s trying. Every day, it¡¯s getting harder to control him. It¡¯s what he gets for not paying his debts to those stronger than him. Sadly, you are one of the best vessels for his power and the easiest to get. With a snap of his fingers, he can have Edwin and Lisa frogmarch you to him for the ritual. I, however, don¡¯t work for your father if you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± For anyone else, the facade of knowledge would have ended when the child ate another cookie. His eyes dilated as the excess sugar gave him a rush, and he began bouncing from foot to foot. Milo sensed something was wrong with this kid, but he didn¡¯t think too much of it when he was added to their team at the last minute as a necromancer. He hadn¡¯t cared about the antics that he got to with that annoying half-brother of his. Now, he felt that his father wasn¡¯t the one who wanted him there. No, it was someone else, someone with more power and influence than his own father, who was the ruler of his lands. ¡°Now now. You¡¯re spending too much time thinking. Don¡¯t think, just act.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a strange brat.¡± ¡°Sonny, you don¡¯t know the half of it. Now then, time you met up with our real captain.¡± White Fox seemed to roll his eyes before squinting and turning towards his next destination. He then began to leave the room. Milo got up and scowled. ¡°That¡¯s the hooded one¡¯s room. I don¡¯t know much about them, but Father informed me that they were dangerous and not to be angered.¡± ¡°Is that so? Sadly, the situation is much more complicated than you imagined.¡± ¡°Try me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re essentially about to make contact with a version of your cousin.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Cousin?¡± ¡°Do you know about the shards? Wait. No. Half dragon¡¯s don¡¯t have shards.Silly me. Do you know your blood connection to the one who used to be known as Kyrion?¡± ¡°The one father wanted captured?¡± ¡°Yes, he is a cousin by blood due to your father stealing his uncle¡¯s body. While Asela could be seen as your niece. That same Kyrion is also connected to the man who pulls certain strings. Like many you will meet, he has been split into eight separate beings, the intent of which is to allow one eight lifetimes of experience and wisdom. Usually, it prevents people from becoming mentally unbalanced. Sure, some real villains survive till the end, but most that reach that tier are either tired of fighting and the cycles of violence and want to retire with their families or overly ambitious.¡± ¡°I am lost.¡± ¡°The one your father serves sent two of his shards to deal with Kyrion, the first being Kyrie, who died a dog¡¯s death on some farm. The second was the hooded figure. I¡¯m sure you can put two and two together. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re also aware that they sent quite a few more people here as well.¡± ¡°I see, so the hooded figure is one of Kyrion¡¯s and the Master¡¯s shards. And I am to become subservient to them.¡± White Fox shrugged as he stopped outside their room, knocking three times, waiting for a second, and then knocking a fourth. The door opened as an exhausted-looking Gamodren took a few steps back. ¡°Great brother. This one is pleased to¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, worm. Now move.¡± Milo barged past him. White Fox almost choked on a cookie and began to cough. Gamodren bowed in quick succession. ¡°Yes, great brother. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Milo didn¡¯t bother acknowledging the apology. Sitting on top of the back of a humanoid on all fours was a man with black hair and various jewelry. He looked eerily similar to Milo save for a slightly darker skin tone. ¡°This one greets you.¡± Milo stated with a bow. ¡°Why do you come to me?¡± The young man asked with a stare, making Milo¡¯s blood run cold, and his muscles seize. Sweat began leaking from his pores, and his heart seemed too afraid to beat. Each thump reverberated in his ears. ¡°...ah I c-c-come t-to¡­¡± Milo coughed and saw blood splatter on the ground in front of him. ¡°Go on, speak up. Or do you enjoy wasting my time.¡± Ather leaned his head against his right hand, obviously bored. ¡°Icometoswearealty!¡± Milo continued to cough blood after speaking at an insane speed. ¡°Slightly slower, if you can.¡± Aether sighed and reined in his presence slightly. ¡°I come to swear myself to you.¡± ¡°Ah. You must serve me and only me, raise no hand against my family and fight my enemies even if it costs you your life.¡± ¡°Thus, I swear, or my spirit shall be broken.¡± ¡°Good. Now drink.¡± Aether pricked his finger with a golden knife and willed the blood to pool at the tip of his finger; he then sent the blood at the kneeling half-dragon. ¡°Sir. this is blood.¡± ¡°And it will make you stronger.¡± Aether stated. As Milo consumed the blood, Aether did three things; the first was to place a contingency that would kill Milo should he need to. The second was to remove the dragon-slaying effect currently in his blood, which resulted in Milo coughing up black bile. Finally, he reinforced Milo¡¯s bones and body, making him stronger and faster. In time, his draconic bloodline would regenerate, and he would be quite a beast, but until then, he¡¯d need to recover. ¡°Looks like you took well to my gift. Regular people will seem slower for a bit, sensations will be sharper. Your strength will be greater as well as your speed. But you are still weaker than me. Grow your strength and I will be sure to keep you alive.Now go, I have further planning to do, I think you should meditate.¡± ¡°Yes lord¡­¡±¡± ¡°Lord Aether.¡± ¡°Yes lord Aether.¡± Milo stood as the pressure around him faded. He then bowed and left in a hurry, leaving the three alone in the room. Gamodren touched a sound and scrying prevention rune and smirked. ¡°Aether, you have taken quite well to teaching to Kyrion.¡± ¡°Use every tool at your disposal, even your enemies. Manipulation is an artform and the best are con artists. Never let your enemy see all your cards unless you intend to kill anyone watching.¡± ¡°Your interpretation is much to be desired but the intent is close.¡± ¡°Never going to get used to you bowing to someone.¡± ¡°If I was acting as I normally do he wouldn¡¯t have accepted your proposal so easily. He¡¯d be wondering why I¡¯m no longer being restricted by mothers command. Better to keep up appearances before I¡¯m ready to strike.¡± The room went silent before a sound of crunching ended. ¡°I want more cookies,¡± White Fox stated. ¡°Yes and?¡± Aether scowled. White Fox pointed to the creature Aether was sitting on and commanded it to stand up. From there, the masked creature shambled towards the child and leaned down. White Fox then pulled out a puffy white hat and removed the mask, revealing a rather bestial face with sideburns that made the chef look more like a wolf than a person. ¡°Young master, may I make a suggestion?¡± The wolfman asked. ¡°Shoot.¡± White Fox replied as he began to visibly lag. ¡°Maybe you should start eating vegetables. Otherwise I¡¯ll have to make up for your lack of nutrition with more nutritious ingredients. LIke Blam Wheat and Poclo Chocolate.¡± White Fox looked at the zombie as though Vegetables had killed his parents. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°Two words. Oatmeal Raisin.¡± ¡°I will put you back in the ground.¡± White Fox stammered at the insubordination. ¡°By having me dig my grave because of your noodle arms? Well, at least my conscience would be sated before I pass on.¡± The child debated fighting for his right to unhealthy cookies. But he was too tired, and he¡¯d need to drain more blood before resting. His constitution was never what anyone would call stable. But resisting his urge to kill resulted in mana rapidly saturating his blood. Turning Milo into a puppet for a few hours would have cleared him; sadly, he was still needed for the plan. At least for now, as he passed out standing, he internalized that he would poke Bastion for a bit. Book 3: Chapter 9 Caliber Damian stood in the arena with the most excited look Kyrion had ever seen. Damian smiled slightly and raised his eyes at anyone who didn¡¯t know him, who wouldn¡¯t have recognized the meaning. The young man looked as smug as a cat holding a canary. Both of his swords had been summoned prematurely as a sign of awareness. That last fight had pushed him to his limits and beyond. Now, he was to fight a new type of opponent. Cecil was covered in flexible blue armor, three wands rested on each hip, and a large wand was positioned behind him. At his side was a silvery long suitcase that appeared to have been heavily modified. Over his shoulders were two silver canisters, which function as more than just a weapon. Finally, his blue visor helmet took in every detail and highlighted Damian and his swords, helping him get a 360-degree view of his opponent. ¡°Today! We have the Finals of the Solo portion of the tournament! In one corner we have a lean mean, Blade Dancing king! And in the other, we have the mastermind himself Cecil King of Queens.¡± Cecil eyed the announcer, scanning him briefly as the arena changed. In moments, they were in a field of grass that shot up well past ten feet with a few trees bandied about that shot up past the clouds. ¡°Ok¡­ This arena clearly favors my opponent.¡± Cecil¡¯s gaze hadn¡¯t left where the announcer¡¯s voice had been. ¡°Ladies, Gentlemen, and beings beyond mortal comprehension. Today we witnessed a battle taking place on the moon of Vlfera. It¡¯s the tiny green one that¡¯s hard to see without knowing where to find it. On a battlefield known as Granocx.¡± The name didn¡¯t quite roll off the tongue. ¡°The gravity of this world is slightly higher than what we are used to, and the air is full of nature mana. Making it harder for humans to breathe without adapting or having special tools. If you¡¯re not careful, you may end up with life poisoning.¡± Cecil scowled as he looked at his visor. He hadn¡¯t known installing an air monitor would be necessary, but better safe than sorry. Life poisoning was likely the result of a disturbingly high concentration of oxygen. What made things dangerous were the strange particles in the air that didn¡¯t quite belong. A spark could probably set the entire forest ablaze if used to that degree. It would also take a toll on Damian if he kept singing for a prolonged period. The dry grass in the area wouldn¡¯t help. ¡°For your safety, Damian, I advise against overusing your voice here.¡± It wasn¡¯t like they were enemies, and if he poisoned himself regardless, he wouldn¡¯t be to blame. Damian¡¯s smile faded; he hadn¡¯t planned on fighting with a handicap, yet something told him that the armored man wasn¡¯t lying. Nodding, he entered a combat stance; if his breathing was affected, his combat style would be as well. ¡°Ready? Fight!¡± The announcer yelled. Damian slowly moved toward his opponent¡¯s voice through the quick, tall grass. Trying to avoid exerting himself in this field before he made first contact as that could lead to him being heavily impacted early. Suddenly, Damian heard a click as he stepped on a strange rock. ¡°Odd?¡± When Damian realized something was off, he sensed a blast of mana coming at him from the side. Thus, he moved forward to dodge as the black ball of inky liquid spread rapidly, coating the area in something that smelled quite awful. The strange rock appeared to be a peculiar tan device that was currently in the process of dispersing a large amount of compressed mana. For a long second, nothing happened. Then the world saw what power Cecil¡¯s organization had at its disposal. An explosion of mana erupted, causing a radius of a little under 100 feet. Flames spread about the area. Smoke covered the site, and neither fighter could be seen. In moments, what had been a battle had the medics running back and forth, looking for an unconscious body to be teleported out of the arena, hoping a child hadn¡¯t been killed by the explosion. They raced about for twenty seconds before the smoke cleared, and a small area within the blast had been primarily unaffected. The area centered on where Damian had been had fanned outward. Both of his swords were raised, and he was forced to breathe heavily. His robes had seemed to repel some of the flames, leaving his body mostly unharmed. When Damian could still fight, a murder of mechanical crows began to close in on him. Each one fired a low-power stunning bolt simultaneously. If one were to hit, not much would change, but if even six had hit simultaneously, Damian¡¯s muscles would have seized. Or so the swordsman had sensed. Where Cecil had prepared for a dodge or block, he had not expected all sixteen bolts to be cut simultaneously. ¡°You¡¯re a dangerous enemy Cecil. I sense no intent behind your attacks. As though you are an assassin. What¡¯s worse is that you¡¯re currently hiding so well that I¡¯d suspect that I was the one with a disadvantage.¡± Damian coughed a bit before a smile appeared on his face. Despite the hit-and-run tactics, he was having fun. Cecil clicked his tongue and stepped out from behind a tree, moving through the grass to the now clear area. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that to beat you but it appears as though you hadn¡¯t been harmed at all.¡± ¡°I sense no intent from you, yet you speak to me. Is it the armor?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Cecil dashed forward at a speed that shook the ground. When he was within range, a blast of flame shot out of his foot and propelled him into a spin, which he used to slam his foot into Damian¡¯s head.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Damian spun with the kick, using the momentum to lessen the blow while countering with two slashes at his midsection. From there, a piece of metal fell to the ground, and a few discs shot outward. A barrier of mana surrounds the swordsman. Cecil cut off Damian¡¯s attempt to flee and threw a few jabs into Damian¡¯s midsection. ¡°Forte!¡± Damian yelled, intending to increase his power, only for nothing to happen. Attempting to attack with a finishing blow, he slashed Cecil¡¯s armored chest. ¡°Fortissimo!¡± Damian followed in worry as no power filled him. ¡°Aria of.¡± Damian attempted to sing but found his singing was getting disrupted somehow, his throat heavily injured. After coughing a disturbing amount of blood, he looked about. A loud metallic noise was followed by strange sounds almost resembling music. From there, he determined that his domain expansion was being limited by the barrier he was in. ¡°How are you countering my magic?¡± Damian asked as he dodged to the side and began to vibrate as a yellow aura covered his body. ¡°Sound magic is nothing more than intent and vibrations working together to provide effects. So I created an item that would counter those vibrations. After that I had an idea, what if I could redirect those spells.¡± Cecil stated as he stopped moving to speak, leaving himself open. Damian knew he was being baited but charged Cecil anyway. If Cecil was truly being enhanced by his spells, then chances are that he¡¯d have sensed the change. Yet there was a lot that Damian hadn¡¯t understood, like Cecil¡¯s lack of presence in the fight. It enlisted before the battle, and he had sensed it before the explosion, but he hadn¡¯t sensed it since they were engaged. His movements were also repetitive and almost rigid. With his aura, Damian¡¯s speed increased considerably, resulting in a series of high-speed cuts that ended with Damina accidentally taking Cecil¡¯s head. ¡°Wards?¡± Damian stood there confused as he noticed a lack of resistance and assumed the fight had ended, relaxing briefly. Oddly enough, the match wasn¡¯t called. Six curved wands surrounded Damian and began the process of firing back-to-back spells meant to take out the relaxed swordsman. Damian redirected each blast as though a switch flipped, causing them to bounce into the six rings acting as a barrier. ¡°Aria of swi¡­¡± Damian began as an unarmored hist slammed itself into Damian¡¯s gut while another hit him in the face simultaneously. From there, the young man followed with a kick that knocked Damian to the side. Moving at a speed he shouldn¡¯t have, Cecil brought his heel down on Damian¡¯s head. ¡°Pianissimo,¡± Damian smirked as the attack did no damage whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯d fight you head on, but I¡¯m not a spirit master. You could probably take me easy like this.¡± ¡°So you say.¡± Damian coughed. ¡°If you think I¡¯m holding back, then you aren¡¯t as smart as people say.¡± ¡°Had to try.¡± Cecil sighed as he held his hand up. A thinner layer of his armor covered his body, shielding him again. From there, Cecil withdrew an inhaler and tossed it to Damian. ¡°Place it in your mouth, push the pump down and inhale at the same time. This should fix your breathing for a while.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to poison me are you?¡± ¡°Please, as you are, even if I win I lose. I have shown off a few useful gadgets, so I¡¯m sure the audience should at least get a great show.¡± Damian carefully followed the instructions and felt his lungs heal and adapt while the blood that had gotten into them vanished. ¡°Ready for round two.¡± ¡°Hope you don¡¯t regret helping me.¡± Damian replied. Cecil withdrew two pistols. Unlike the curved wands that resembled guns, these were the closest in shape and function. Much like the gifts he gave Bastion and Eden, these shot a magical projectile. A parrying dagger at the end of each pistol would make his aim slightly lower with a real firearm. The weight, however, had no effect on his accuracy; the target-tracing enchantment made things deadly. The bullet would seek until it hit something or ran out of mana. ¡°So you also dual wield.¡± ¡°I prefer not to use these as they are one of my trump cards. Unluckily for you I recently made some advancements that make these no longer qualify.¡± Cecil twirled both guns with extreme dexterity. Damian, in turn, twirled his blades. ¡°Accelerando, Fortissimo!" ¡°Execute, speed killer.¡± Cecil took a counter stance, knowing he¡¯d need to be quick. Damian vanished from the sight of those weaker than well-trained practitioners. Many of the unranked experts had to exert focus just to see what happened. While Most Cecil hadn¡¯t moved, it took a minute for light to catch up to their movements, resulting in one of the elves observing, slowing the fight down quite a bit. Damian slashed six times in quick succession and thrust during the seventh step. Cecil blocked all seven attacks, pointed a gun at Damian¡¯s head at point-blank range, and fired. Damian¡¯s instinct took over, and he knocked the gun to the side as it was beginning to fire, interrupting the targeting and causing the magic projectile to slam into a three and pass through it. Cecil attempted to shoot Damian in the leg. Damian countered by kicking Cecil¡¯s left arm and moving into a spinning strike, aiming to remove Cecil¡¯s head. Cecil dove to the side and fired six shots in quick succession. With inhuman speed, Damian cut through every projectile and redirected them before giving chase. The ground under him shattered as he moved. Cecil clicked his tongue and held down on the trigger, charging up two shots using all the mana in each gun. As Damian brought his swords across perpendicularly, Cecil released his held attack. Damian¡¯s left sword managed to redirect a good amount of the damage to his right sword, while cutting into Cecil¡¯s right gun. Unluckily for Damian, the blast proved too powerful, causing the sword in his right hand to burst into raw mana. Damian wheezed as his left sword slipped through his guard, and Cecil lost his right hand. ¡°Damn it!¡± Cecil retreated as his hand fell to the ground. The blood coated the dirt as he focused his mana on his gun, causing it to change from a pistol to a magical arm cannon. Mana from all over the environment began to flow into the cannon. The air, the grass, the trees, and the sun, all of it flowed into his charging weapon. ¡°Aria of the Sword Saint!¡± Damian had begun to sing a tune in a minor key that inspired dread as the sky became dark. Then, suddenly, it switched to a major key that inspired hope as the sky began to split, as a giant sword descended from the sky. As the sword fell, Damian ran out of energy and faded, the sword now falling by its own power. ¡°Now that¡¯s the pinnacle of spirit mastery, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll need to work hard.¡± Cecil looked at the sword and fired into the blade, causing an explosion that shook the sky one last time before the arena faded. As the dust settled, Damian lay unconscious in the ring, his body beaten and bruised, his spirit broken. He potentially wouldn¡¯t be able to fight for a while as things were, although he would receive the prize for winning the solo tournament, which was much better than going home empty-handed. At that moment, however, the only thing running through Damian¡¯s mind was fighting Cecil or Volain again. He wouldn¡¯t have won without his songs, and then it dawned on him that he was Drisil¡¯s co-captain. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 12 Orca and Trouble Unlike the last time, Kyrion awoke in the care of rabbits. These Lapora had almost no intention of fattening him up and eating him. For that reason alone, he allowed them to feed him bittersweet orange grapes as he lay on a sizable gaudy couch that he had no memory of creating said luxury. As Kyrion stretched and sat up, he looked about some more and noticed a box before him. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion asked one of the seven arms at his side before shivering. ¡°That is the box of wishes. Since you fell asleep in my territory, we decided to charge you rent per se.¡± ¡°I own the tower and you want me to charge you rent?¡± ¡°We also fed you and provided luxury. Would you think of gaining these benefits for free?¡± Kyrion observed the shrewd expression and sighed. ¡°How does it work?¡± Kyrion asked as he didn¡¯t bother giving in. They were his subjects, technically. ¡°Our people attribute luck as a cultural focus. So games of chance are seen as sacred. All you have to do is pull out a slip from this box and grant the wish listed. If it is not within your power then you need to¡­¡± ¡°Stop¡­ If it¡¯s not within my power then why should I bother? No, I¡¯m going to come up with a set rotation of items that can be purchased from the divine pad. Or built by one of my facilities. I will not make any personal wishes. Also, the cost will be with a separate currency.¡± Kyrion interrupted before thinking for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll have it all ready soon.¡± ¡°And you won¡¯t compensate us for the sun olives?¡± ¡°Olives? The weird tasting grapes?¡± Kyrion examined the orange grape and noticed a tiny hole in the bottom where a seed had been removed. ¡°Have you not had olives before?¡± The Lapora boss looked at him with a piteous expression. A figure appeared behind Kyrion, grabbed him by the stomach, and held onto him in an underarm carry like a troublesome toddler. A nostalgic position when he thought back at it, and resisting would be idiotic. ¡°Imala hates olives so much that she purges them from her planet whenever they begin to grow. She also hates geese and roaches. Sadly, the former always find a way onto her surface. The latter have been hunted to extinction by some of her favored spiders and zealots.¡± ¡°Huh. Is the goddess of your planet a kid or something?¡± The Lapora asked. Kyrion shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure your world had issues too.¡± The Lapora looked about and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that.¡± ¡°Why are you moving around so much? Your teacher has informed me that you tend to cause trouble when out of sight for too long. So I¡¯m bringing you back to the others where you won¡¯t draw much more attention.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion went limp as he was carried down a few staircases he hadn¡¯t known about earlier. ¡°You seem confused.I built a pathway for natives and administration.That way we don¡¯t need to worry about going through an entire floor to get down.¡± ¡°And my teleporters only go down ten.¡± ¡°Convient for visitors but inconvenient for us.¡± ¡°Why do you even need stairs. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be omnipotent or something?¡± ¡°Not how it works here. If I were in my own divine domain then I would be omnipotent, but not completely omnipresent. We can¡¯t see everything but we do see alot. Anything done outside or in the presence of living natives.¡± ¡°A little privacy wouldn¡¯t kill you.¡± The ancestor spoke from behind Kyrion¡¯s eye with a flippant tone. ¡°What about those summoned from other worlds?¡± Kyrion eyed the goddess innocently. ¡°They are naturally immune to our direct gaze. We can see them through others but not out of their eyes.¡± ¡°See through their eyes. Domain¡­ Curious.¡± Kyrion felt something gather in his head before it was whisked from directly out his head and out a window. ¡°What did you do?¡± Almira asked. ¡°I thought it was you!¡± Kyrion directed towards Almira despite being unable to look at her from his position. ¡°It wasn¡¯t, and if you don¡¯t know, then I guess you should continue your training.¡± Kyrion was unceremoniously tossed onto the sand of floor six. Volain wasn¡¯t used to being the weakest person in a group. He hadn¡¯t been in such a position since he was found by a traveling orcish trade caravan. He hadn¡¯t been old enough to remember his parents, and he was confident that they were either dead or he was abandoned in the frigid Volarnarian mountain range at the eastern Valvnorim border. From there, he had been fed and raised as an orc. He had gained strength to the point where he had become the leader of a hunting party. And yet some blond-haired twig proved stronger than him in every way. Strength, skill, tactics, perception, and power. It was like fighting a mountain that was falling from the sky. You do not fight a mountain coming out of the sky. You run and jump, hoping not to be crushed by its weight. The gap wasn¡¯t that big when he fought him last time; the twig may have been going easy on him. Volain jumped to the side to avoid a punch aimed at his gut. The shockwave from the blow sent him flying through a sand dune. His body was cut by shards that seemed much sharper than they should have been. ¡°Is that all the mighty Volain can muster?¡± ¡°Uggh.¡± Volain groaned a response as he struggled to his feet. ¡°Seems so. He hasn¡¯t formed any protection for his body yet. Did you have to push him that far?¡± Asked the armored Mike. ¡°This isn¡¯t anything near what I put my previous student through, and he was just a healer with very few direct offensive potential options at the time. If he doesn¡¯t have the resolve, he should just quit now.¡± Gamodren stated flippantly. ¡°Every student is different. Not everyone can grow from such direct methods.¡± Volain¡¯s expression sharpened as rage filled him. His body rose from the sand as he looked straight at Gamodren. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m not giving up now! You just knocked me for a loop. I¡¯ll return the favor soon, so I hope you more than just talk.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Gamodren smiled arrogantly as his arms shifted into gauntlets covered in rainbow-colored scales. Voilian charged forward, pumping Divine Essence into his legs and elbows. Barreling forward like an angry bull. While the fight was reaching its pinnacle, a red-haired figure appeared next to Mike. ¡°Gamodren failed to mention that I have a powerful regeneration ability and used it to push my will and stamina higher than most can handle.¡± Mike jumped in surprise as he was snuck up on. ¡°Y-your awake.¡± ¡°Of course, did you expect me to sleep all day?¡± ¡°You entered the forest of thorns. I didn¡¯t expect you to wake up here.¡±¡± ¡°The fight was a bit close as I had burned myself out prior. But¡­.¡± Kyrion held out his left hand, and it was shrouded in white flames before fading into a ruby-red gauntlet that now stretched past his funny bone. ¡°Can you armor your whole body yet?¡± Mike asked. Kyrion shook his head and raised his right hand. ¡°This was all I managed to figure out so far.Although I did steal these.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Stole what?¡± Mike looked at the empty hand. ¡°Thorns, come out.¡± Kyrion ordered the thorns in his right arm to act. They chose to ignore that command. ¡°Thorns?¡± ¡°They seem to be a bit shy.¡± Kyrion waved his right hand to the side as a series of sharp triangular blades shot out of his palm and buried themselves in the sand before retreating back into his hand. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s concerning. Are you going to bother training that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m considering holding onto it for a little while longer. It is my right arm until I die or my old one grows back..¡± ¡°Move!¡± Volain yelled as he was launched directly into Kyrion, knocking the other to the ground and trapping him in a sand dune. ¡°Your talk is distracting my current student from his training. Join in or go away.¡± Gamodren commanded. ¡°Alright.¡± Kyrion poked his head out of the top, excited at the chance to wipe the smug expression off Gamodren¡¯s face. ¡°Oh. No. I¡¯m sorry Kyrion. I¡¯m not your opponent this time. You need to teach your friend here.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t my friend.¡± Volain scowled as his eyes focused on Kyrion¡¯s left arm. ¡°How rude. Wait what are you looking at?¡± Kyrion hid his hand behind his back. ¡°You¡¯re arm. Why is it armored now.¡± ¡°Oh that. I figured out how to transform an arm. Although I haven¡¯t managed to move it to the rest of my body.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Violain suddenly charged towards Kyrion, using his entire body as a weapon, the force around him spreading out. Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as he pushed his left arm out to create a wall of hard wind out of habit. However, wind did not protect him, nor was it water, earth, or fire. What protected his body was a purple wall that consumed Volian whole before shooting him out another purple wall that had appeared right behind Gamodern. ¡°Ack!¡± Gamodren yelped as his back was slammed into by a powerful force, and despite the lack of bones being present, there was indeed a crack as the expert was sent flying off his high ground. Volain looked about, confused. ¡°That was your magic. I knew it.¡± Gamodren spat out a rainbow-colored liquid and looked at Kyrion with suspicion. ¡°You should only be able to use magic that has bonded to your soul here, and as far as I can tell your connection to your spirits is blocked. Fire was weird, but space as well. That isn¡¯t normal for a human to learn.¡± Kyrion jumped to the side as Volain broke the sound barrier and created a crater of sand that pushed Kyrion further away than he had planned. Volain turned his body to change again. Power building up in his feet. Kyrion landed, sent a wave of superheated flame into the sand, and fanned out as it hit Volain, turning the sand into molten earth before rapidly cooling into a very dense glass. Volain roared as he was trapped by a layer of glass two feet thick and quite dense. His power gathered into his legs more and more as he pushed his Divine Essence further than he had before. With a loud shattering sound, Volain jumped free from his binds and landed gracefully on the glass as a set of black and white greeves with sharp blades at the bottom. Volain¡¯s balance was perfect, and at that moment, Kyrion knew he was outmatched. Volain skated forward at high speed, treating the glass-like ice. His fist connected with Kyrion¡¯s body and propelled the boy above and away. The ancestor spoke slowly, ¡°Are you using my blood affinity at the moment?¡± ¡°No!¡± Kyrion yelled as he moved in the air, attempting to slow his momentum with his fire magic. It was working but not well enough as his body hit the ceiling, albeit not as hard as it could have been without the explosion. Kyrion looked down at Volain¡¯s legs and yelled from above.¡± That¡¯s not fair! You have two limbs fixed but I only have one!¡± ¡°Just get stronger then.¡± Volain taunted. ¡°Why I oughta.¡± Kyrion pulled up imaginary sleeves and imagined Volain¡¯s neck between his hands. So that he could strangle him. Of course, he was joking. Or, well, he thought he was joking. He didn¡¯t expect or mean for it to actually happen. Still, Volain had been teleported from the sand dunes and into Kyrion¡¯s hands without a visible portal appearing or disappearing. He was just there and gone. Much to their surprise, it hardly took any D.E. to move him. Volain struggled at the binds, and Kyrion let go in shock and confusion. Which resulted in Volain plummeting from a few fifty feet up, which didn¡¯t make sense given the size of the stairs Kyrion went down to get to that floor. ¡°You idiot! When I wake up I¡¯ll get you!¡± Kyrion blinked rapidly as he imagined himself on the sand below. Kyrion¡¯s body moved from one place to another instantly. Only his lower body had been fused with the sand below, doing quite a bit of damage to him. Still from there, he imagined Volain a foot above the sand, and it worked. Volain, who had been falling downwards, flew upwards a few inches before landing on his feet. ¡°You good? Seems you need to fall asleep before you can wake up.¡± Kyrion asked from his compromised position. ¡°Yes. Now crawl out so we can see about getting more than just my legs transformed.¡± ¡°Legs¡­ Now that you mention it, I can¡¯t seem to feel my own.¡± Kyrion pushed himself out of the sand with ease. Almost as if he didn¡¯t have to lift his lower body. In this strange world, Kyrion had become half a man in more ways than one. Some words he recalled Jala mentioning a while back. ¡°I didn¡¯t teach you then because you¡¯d likely hurt yourself one way or another. Teleporting your body can be tricky and I needed some contingencies.¡± ¡°The portal was something to visualize forming for my entire body so that I could safely move from one spot to another without losing my limbs and Jala was capable of restricting this aspect of my power. And if spirits can restrict powers, does that mean¡­¡± His train of thought ended as Volain grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and carried him towards a healing pond. ¡°Guess I win.¡± Was all Volain added.
Almira scowled. ¡°How can a mortal have that level of potential with dimensional manipulation?.¡± Mike scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gamodren popped his back as he hid behind Mike to fix his armor. Then, his eyes began to glow an eerie green as something spoke through him. ¡°We are the youngest of a Siegfried with some other things mixed in. Someone on high has plans for us, it seems.¡± ¡°Is Imala trying to start a revolution?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Although I do believe, He who Plays the Hymn of Time, has a bit more than a finger on the scale. If time were a railway, we have gone so far off the rails that we are headed into space.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall anyone with that epithet¡­Did you casually mention space trains? Those things are improbable without a dimensional conductor.¡± ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t. He¡¯s made sure not to go back to before you were imprisoned. You¡¯d be able to alter the circumstances that led you here, which would have been moderately inconvenient and butterfly out.¡± Answered a possessed Gamodren. ¡°So the Throne of Time, has been replaced by someone else. And you are working with him.¡± ¡°We are working parallel. They have a goal, and we have a goal, sadly I doubt my other half will let me retain any memory of my knowledge relating to the truths I know when we fuse. Alright Gamodren, I¡¯m done.¡± Gamodren¡¯s face fell slack as he shivered. The creature that hijacked his form left. ¡°What did you learn?¡± Gamodren asked. ¡°That we¡¯re in the palm of some great monster¡¯s hand for reasons I don¡¯t understand.¡± Mike sighed. ¡°The reason is simple. Someone wants to use my student for some Fornshit. And I am not strong enough to resist being a pawn, not unless I obtain temporal immunity.¡± ¡°You¡¯d need to become a deity for that. Sadly I¡¯m near certain that there are no openings. Not unless you attempt to kill usurp one of us.¡± Almira gave Gamodren a warning look. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d love it if there was a spot open for a god of trade, gamblers, and money.¡± Almira slowly blinked as she seemed to be going through a list. ¡°We have a god of courses made of cards yet we don¡¯t have one for trade¡­Why do we? Ah right, he¡¯s how I ended up here.¡± ¡°Who is?¡± ¡°The Nadir, merchant of souls, was the previous deity but it seems he left the universe a while back. Jumping in every now and again to cause trouble.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°You are nowhere near powerful enough yet. While your soul may bring you close, I can sense that you were skimping on your own training so that your student could surpass you quickly, should he need to kill you. Foolish, as that monster doesn¡¯t need the handicap. I¡¯m sure you noticed the difference between when he¡¯s playing with his opponent to give them hope when ending them would have been easy if he let loose with his mana. Range doesn¡¯t effect most people like it seems to work on him. Yes it¡¯s a doubling effect, even so, the effect is usually miniscule. The baseline is set by one¡¯s natural capacity. Humans shouldn¡¯t have that much capacity, you, I understand, given your species, but¡­¡± ¡°His soul has been through the fire, molded and beaten into shape by his experiences. He was allowed to cool for a few years before going back in to be refined into a rough blade. While I was away someone sharpened him and shaped him into a sharp blade. All that¡¯s left is polishing. He¡¯s going to need more than fire to accomplish that.¡± ¡°You think he has more than space and fire at his disposal?¡± ¡°I believe he¡¯s learning them in reverse order. Fire was his most recent addition and he¡¯d been using it frequently. Space gained a lot of power and control recently and before he could hardly do anything save open up his storage. Earth and order should be next, as he mastered those quickly and has been using them here without knowing he¡¯d been doing it. His mental abilities and water should follow, leading up to his healing abilities. Finally he¡¯ll have to master wind all over again. That¡¯s my prediction anyways.¡± ¡°That is a dangerously diverse skill set.¡± ¡°Adaptation and misdirection. If your opponent doesn¡¯t know how you can do something they can¡¯t counter, therefore have at least two ways to do something and don¡¯t give your opponent the time to figure out they were beaten. In my honest opinion, that¡¯s what makes my old student a dangerous mage.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 13 Growth logs and travel Kyrion spent the next month and a half sparing against everyone save Almira herself. Not that he hadn¡¯t tried. The goddess had simply poked him on the head, muttered something about mindless dullards, and left. Kyrion¡¯s bouts with Volain were currently 14 to 36, meaning out of fifty spars, Kyrion could only win fourteen. Sure, it started pretty even, but after Volain transformed his torso, the losses began to wrap up. It wasn¡¯t impossible to beat Volain, but it wasn¡¯t easy. Then the arms came, and suddenly Volain was immune to being forcefully teleported away, and the battles were heavily strained in his favor. Kyrion¡¯s fights with Marigold were worse, 1 to 49. Boy, he was glad that he hadn¡¯t had to fight her for the boss floor. It wasn¡¯t that she was strong. It was more that her skills were mid to long-range counters to his fire, and her close combat ability spoke of a life spent in constant battle. Albeit the one win was during the last bout, his resolve to not lose to her fifty times in a row won out. That battle resulted in his upper left arm joining his hand in its transformation. The fire Kyrion could throw around was no joke, and after a while, his body was capable of using the area around him as fuel. Gamodren was mean; he hadn¡¯t let Kyrion win one bout or even come close. Almost as though he was hammering that Kyrion couldn¡¯t beat him in a head-on fight. They only fought ten times, and yet Kyrion couldn¡¯t even come close to winning, and four of said fights were after his arm transformed. Where Gamodren was mean, Mike was too nice. He let Kyrion win twenty-five of their fifty bouts. Which didn¡¯t make too much sense until he realized he had achieved that same feat with Gamodren, Volain, and Marigold. After a while, Kyrion realized that Mike was focused on the teaching and experimental aspects of their training. If they performed well enough, then he¡¯d allow himself to lose. Kyrion continued to blindly increase his range through absorbed Divine Essence while occasionally increasing its potency and his soul¡¯s endurance. Kyrion¡¯s draw rate was now counted in the miles, which resulted in him being able to sense creatures further away and draw massive amounts of D.E. at once. While not helpful in a one-on-one fight, aside from forcibly teleporting someone off a cliff, it was valuable in the free-for-all matches where tower monsters and floor bosses could jump in. All Kyrion had to do was find a corner and manipulate everything from an unreachable position. Something he noticed his master also did for the majority of the fight. Which worked as everyone else was too busy fighting to absorb most of the D.E., leaving the power to go straight to him. All in all, the time spent training made everyone stronger, and while he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the others¡¯ fights, he knew he had fallen behind. He was strong for someone without a complete body of divine armor, but that could only get him so far. And while he could borrow the creature¡¯s armor in his eye, he felt it would only do more harm than good for his growth, even if he did win. Kyrion had a taste of the power he could wield and would reach that level with his own ability. And so Kyrion left the Tower that night, only notifying Almira of his goal. He had to meet with the person who had been calling him since he was a kid. The feeling of knowing there was more to this world had led him here, and the connection he felt whenever he climbed high up in the sky was present. The instinct to draw power from the heavens as though it were hoarding everything he owned. As Kyrion made it to the tortoises that represented the Forest of Thorns, he decided to bring out his spite on the thorns that refused to help him in his fights by teleporting one tortoise atop of another, resulting in massive explosions for sharp triangular projectiles and tortoise shells followed by a dense amount of D.E. flowing into him. And only him, as he didn¡¯t let the power go into his right arm at all. He wouldn¡¯t feed them if they didn¡¯t want to work. ¡°If you want power, fight for me. If not then I¡¯ll remove you when it¡¯s convenient.¡± He felt anger reverberate in his arm, and Kyrion decided to make an example out of the thorns by choosing what he felt was the nucleus of one and teleported it here, causing the tortoise attached to it to gasp in relief as the plants atop its back grew healthier and its body stronger. The creature¡¯s size increased quite a bit before as it stood on its hind legs and peppered its brethren in a wave of what Kyrion recognized as purifying fire.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The thorn nucleus in front of Kyrion flowed into his right arm, much to his consternation. Still, the creature there was more afraid than disobedient, as though it recognized Kyrion as the threat he was, as well as the threat those angry tortoises posed to it if it disobeyed. ¡°That¡¯s all it took? I should have done this ages ago!¡± Kyrion looked at the giant tortoise dragon things and scowled despite freeing them. They gave Kyrion the same hungry look the human-eating creature from before had, and the world would soon be covered in flames. ¡°Oh not me. Them!¡± Kyrion said as he appeared behind the creature and created a purple portal around its neck, causing it to reappear in the face of another. He let the creature breathe its fire before cutting off the portal. The tortoise¡¯s head fell limp where it was as the body began to wall onto another. ¡°I did not want to know if I could do that. You see my power now! You know that you should retreat!¡± The rest of the giant creatures lined up and prepared a simultaneous blast. ¡°I tried to spare you all. I¡¯ll be sure to make propper use of you all.¡± From there, Kyrion began the grim art of decapitating large creatures through teleportation. While he wouldn¡¯t want to do that to a person. Those creatures ate people and were quite disruptive. It was only right that he removed their heads. It was for the good of humanity and had nothing to do with how delicious they tasted. It had nothing to do with wondering how it would pair with Bella¡¯s special sauce mix that he wasn¡¯t allowed to learn. ¡°I¡¯m a hypocrite. Well, at least they tried to eat me first. Had they been a little thankful I would have let them be. That was a roasting fire, not a purifying one. I wonder if Lapora could eat tortoise meat. I imagine it would be cathartic. Cathartic? Where in the abyss did I hear that word? Sounds like something from Cecil¡¯s home language. Yet I¡¯m certain he hasn¡¯t¡­¡± Kyrion slapped his face to achieve focus as he felt a connection strengthen further in the direction he was headed. But first, he had to gather all the meat from the creatures he killed. And so they were all dropped into his dungeon or would have been if he didn¡¯t find resistance eight island-sized turtles in. ¡°Well that sucks.¡± Kyrion left the remaining corpses alone. A tiny and confused tortoise looked up and saw a creature with a red upper body and blue lower body jump away after slaying its entire family. And that memory burned itself into the tortoise¡¯s memory. He would get his vengeance. But first, it needed power, and to get that, it began eating the feast left behind. ¡°You left one alive, Kyrion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t kill kids. That was a kid, and while a monster, it was no threat. Also, my goal wasn¡¯t to make them go extinct. Gotta save some to continue the species.¡± ¡°This is probably going to bite you in the bum at one point.¡± ¡°Hopefully I¡¯m not in this world when it happens. If they harm Lin then I¡¯ll be sure that my family never wants for turtle meat.¡± Kyrion muttered as he continued to fly off towards the feeling pinging in the back of his head. As he continued his travel, a series of ballista bolts shot at him simultaneously. Interrupting his mindless flight and forcing him to land to avoid injury, in front of him appeared to be a wall for a citadel. A large castle sitting in the middle. Kyrion focused and felt that the place he had to enter was behind the Citadel. He¡¯d have to go around it to get where he needed to go. Unless there was an easier way to go through it. Curious about why he hadn¡¯t sensed this castle before he was in Balista range, Kyrion approached the entryway. Standing in front of the door were two ten-foot giants wielding halberds. ¡°This is the city-state of Lucival. You are to state you name and strip yourself of all powers or die.¡± ¡°Ok. So... No. I¡¯m just going to go around if you all are being jerks. I worked hard for my power. I sugest you let me leave in peace.¡± Kyrion began to take the long way around the walled city. A polearm thrust nearly took Kyrion¡¯s head off and haltered his steps. In a matter of moments, the man who thrust the halberd lost both of his arms as a plane was drawn between his lower elbows and severed. Everything is being teleported into the forest of thorns. ¡°We are stopping here; if you call for reinforcements, then I doubt I¡¯ll be able to let you all live peacefully. I am leaving and if I see you all again. I¡¯m going to cut loose.¡± The guard missing his arms had fallen into shock while the other nodded and called for a medic. They could see reason. So long as reason roughly looked like Kyrion and held enough power to level the city. Thus, he continued like nothing had happened, already putting the Citadel out of his thoughts. After a few hours of traveling, Kyrion flew off towards his goal. It was much closer and in a somewhat familiar feeling location. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 14 Heart and Mind Moving past the remains of the Forest of Thorns and around the lost Citadel, Kyrion arrived at a large lake in the middle of a tundra. The area was cold and desolate, and yet it seemed oddly familiar. Only much more dead than he recalled. Kyrion walked over to what was once a garden and found it was full of dead and dying plants. The grass was also dead, and no creatures lived in the lake. Next to the park was a cottage, which, while old, was well-maintained. Approaching the door, Kyrion felt a presence inside and knew that it, too, had sensed him. ¡°Come on in. You don¡¯t need to knock. There aren¡¯t any secrets with us.¡± Said an older but weaker version of his voice. Kyrion turned the knob and scowled. ¡°What happened to you?¡± A shaggy man with short red hair, a red goatee, green eyes, and a wiry frame lay on his side. A hole in its chest where his heart should have been, as his upper body was littered with countless scars. ¡°I have been like this since you managed to leave me and reach our body on Imala. Not the best of circumstances. But one of us needed to stay behind at the time.¡± ¡°What happened to the two kids that were with you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll figure that out in a few years. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave otherwise.¡± ¡®The shaggy Kyrion stood to a solid five-four, dwarfed by his counterpart. ¡°I remember you being much taller.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°How old are you now?¡± ¡°Fifteen. Is time that trippy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re seventeen then; we weren¡¯t this tall back then; what did you eat?¡± ¡°Anything and everything including olives. Wait seventeen? I¡¯m not the youngest!¡± Kyrion looked about before scowling.¡± Wait what happened to those two years?¡± ¡°We had to plan and getting back wasn¡¯t as easy then as it would be now. Back then you were quite weak. And time wasn¡¯t on your side.¡± ¡°Why did we separate?¡± ¡°Because you were a child who didn¡¯t deserve to be stuck here as it was my selfishness that caused us to be trapped here. I chose power over family, ruthlessness over leniency, and to join the side of destruction while you were subdued for a lifetime. By the time I wanted to fix things, it was too late. I believed a world without me would be more peaceful. As I came to learn later. I was very much wrong and trapped here, with you unable to do anything. So I asked a friend of mine for a favor, and he decided to gain a few more favors while he was at it, leading to the situation you are in now.¡± ¡°What was the favor?¡± ¡°Transplanting one of our natural affinities into someone else. Although that helped you in more ways than one. There are a few things you¡¯ll need to do to pay back my debt.¡± ¡°Our debt I guess. Which affinity?¡± ¡°It was a form of higher energy affinity that I didn¡¯t have. Which was quite weird given that we shouldn¡¯t have had any affinities back then.¡± ¡°Who got the affinity?¡± ¡°Your cousin Asela received it.¡± ¡°Sister, ah, is that why she¡¯s marked.¡± ¡°All fateless are marked somewhere, along with those blessed by spirits. Your affinity was in your brain, so when it was transplanted, the affinity appeared on Asela¡¯s forehead.¡± ¡°A little fire is nice, but it¡¯s all too common in our world.¡± ¡°That it is. Got any more questions?¡± ¡°You know who the other fateless are, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did. Sadly, that knowledge will be lost when we merge unless you really wish to know.¡± ¡°Is Lin fateless, is that why I¡¯m drawn to her?¡± ¡°Some of my memories and emotions left over echoed in your head. Is what i¡¯d like to say, but that didn¡¯t happen until she accidentally cut your head off. Our emotions haven¡¯t been shared in years.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. Well, come on then. Let¡¯s get this over withr.¡± Kyrion was just about tired of this old dude. ¡°Just like that?¡± The shaggy man scowled. ¡°Just like that. You appeared to make sure I understood that Psycho wasn¡¯t actually a part of my soul. You also taught me how to properly keep people alive, even if it was minor information. So long as you don¡¯t make things complicated, I¡¯m fine with you joining my soul.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too trusting.¡± ¡°If you betray me and do something to harm me or my friends, I will trigger a brain aneurysm that will kill you while only you while resulting in amnesia at worst for me. Does that help?¡± Kyrion looked down at himself, his expression unchanged. ¡°Just me. How are you certain you¡¯ll be able to do that?¡± ¡°I have lanced my own memories once. It hurt for a week but it was worth it. But I used that knowledge to alter other¡¯s memories every now and then. It¡¯s useful for treating PTSD, or trauma from an injury after their body has been healed.¡± ¡°And you will treat me as trauma if I turn out to be evil.¡± ¡°That is your one and only warning. I will put us both down if I must. I¡¯m trusting you by telling you I can do that.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Fair enough. Anything else I should know?¡± ¡°I found two other shards of my soul. Which makes me assume that I have had only half a soul prior.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already an expert?¡± ¡°Nope. But I have had some weird encounters.¡± ¡°Did you choose a path of bloodshed and corpses?¡± ¡°A few monster corpses, the two shards are mostly free. If you¡¯re good I¡¯ll even let you run around in your own body from time to time.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ll let me have full control?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯ll get a separate body to run around in, I know better than to give you full control now. Let¡¯s go.¡± Kyrion scowled. ¡°You¡¯re impatient.¡± ¡°My favorite teacher shares this flaw.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± Kyrion took his hand and scowled as he felt a connection, as though someone else¡¯s memories tried to join his own. But hit some sort of barrier. ¡°So, do you want to keep our memories or shall we forget them?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that was an option; you lived your life. Let them have no bearing on mine. You¡¯re forgetting, bub.¡± The shaggy man shook his head with a smile on his face. ¡°Most would kill to know their future.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t my future. Isn¡¯t that the point of all this? Now any skills and techniques for fighting. I¡¯ll gladly borrow. I suck at one on one combat and have to overcompensate with a lot of mana, and shenanigans.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that¡­¡± Kyrion¡¯s fights played through their head, and the shaggy man replied. ¡°Your decent, given that you don¡¯t specialize in direct confrontation, your style fits. Your shards are meant to fill that gap but you will probably inherit most of my fighting instincts and intuition. It¡¯s up to you how you use that.¡± ¡°Great, now get in there.¡± Kyrion pointed to his head. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body solidified as his two bodies fused into one. Mind and soul had become one, and for the first time since he¡¯d been in this strange place, Kyrion felt whole. Knowledge of himself became apparent, and his connection to his power here was greatly amplified as red armor covered his left torso. Purple armor made from the same material had manifested on his form from his right side. Where the red had a fire motif, the purple had tons of ripples. His head and legs hadn¡¯t been armored yet, but his body was mostly complete. Everything in the universe was connected by lines of space, and through them, he could travel. ¡°All things are connected.¡± With those words, a portal connecting to the Tower opened before being closed by a powerful force. The forcefulness sent Kyrion flying, and his purple armor faded a shade. Kyrion sighed and got back to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m missing something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Something asked from within his head. ¡°Order? No¡­.Not quite right.¡± Kyrion moved to the shore and formed a chair of earth, which he sat back on. ¡°Stability?¡± The voice added. ¡°That! Maybe¡­¡± Kyrion looked down at his chair and wondered how he created it. ¡°Your legs and feet are connected to the ground.¡± ¡°Huh. You¡¯re pretty smart person in my head.¡± ¡°I am you after all. It¡¯s a given.¡± Said the helpful voice. ¡°I¡¯ve finally lost it.¡± Kyrion immediately got to his feet and stomped. From there, the ground spit and spiked upwards, nearly piercing his chin and going straight up. Had he been in his home world, that would have been a painful death. It was a minor inconvenience as the spike was an extension of his body. ¡°I do believe that you are indeed insane.¡± ¡°Not helping.¡± Kyrion tried to sense the pulse that shot upwards and slowly pushed it outwards. He stomped again, and the spike shot towards him, stopping inches from his left eye. ¡°Huh, try angling it away from your face?¡± ¡°No duh. Sheesh. Any other helpful advice?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion felt the pulse in the ground, pushed it away, and used his will to alter its angle. He stomped a third time, and a stone spike shot outwards and away. ¡°Good for you.¡± ¡°I did it¡¯!¡± ¡°Yeah. Now after deciding on your direction. Instead of stomping I want you to draw a shape with your foot. It can be a circle, square, or triangle. Just be sure it¡¯s quick.¡± Kyrion sighed as he pressed into the ground, focused, angled the power, and drew a rectangle. A dense sheet of earth rose up before Kyrion, acting as a shield or earthen barrier. The effect was so surprising that Kyrion kicked the ground in triumph. The large wall shot up and away before landing with a crash as a deep rectangular hole lay in the ground in front of him. ¡°I have a lot of experimenting to do before I go.¡± Kyrion had decided to spend a month in seclusion practicing and refining his earth soul abilities. After he achieved a suitable level of mastery, his right leg was fitted with a brown piece of leg protection; the color darkened until it appeared black. The mismatched nature of these abilities was starting to get on his nerves. Finding that he couldn¡¯t progress any further with this alone. Kyrion opened up his senses, felt a specific location out and took a step forward.
A confused serpent looked down at Kyrion as he appeared out of nowhere with no sign of his arrival. No magical fanfare, he was simply there. ¡°Hey, buddy. I found who I needed to find. All that¡¯s left is to climb the mountain to get back. Correct?¡± ¡°Your soul is much stronger now than it was before you arrived. It seems. What do you plan on doing with that power?¡± ¡°Go home and cause trouble. Although I get the feeling I won¡¯t be able to go anywhere that doesn¡¯t already have a trace of my mana. Everything else is limited to ten-mile jumps. Although getting back to a place I¡¯ve been is quicker, in fact. I should explore the continent and mark down locations back home. ¡°Don¡¯t do that on a large scale until you become an expert as most deities may see it as a challenge to their power. If you¡¯re not careful, someone may send you to another universe if you cause too much trouble.¡± ¡°When have I ever caused trouble?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t look the serpent in the eye. ¡°How many times do you breathe in each day? I have never known a soul as chaotic as yours. Just looking at you is making me queasy.¡± ¡°Touche. At least I plant trees to combat my waste of oxygen and thus claim the moral high ground.¡± Kyrion scowled. The abyss is oxygen? As the question was asked in his head. It was a form of gas essential for many living creatures to breathe. It can also be highly combustible if concentrated. You can manipulate oxygen through your wind affinity. You have done this subconsciously. Now, you may do so willingly. ¡°Oh. Oh no¡¯s.¡± Kyrion realized something concerning. Something flabbergasting. For the first time in Kyrion¡¯s life¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kyrion?¡± ¡°I can hear my inner monologue. And it¡¯s got an accent.¡± ¡°This is no accent, this is just my voice. I was giving you direct information. Did¡­Did you already forget about me?¡± ¡°So, you can hear your own thoughts. Why is that strange?¡± ¡°My head is supposed to be quiet. That way I can focus on controlling the chemicals in my head. How can I do that when I hear someone else in the background? Clearing my mind is supposed to be easy. Simple and direct.¡± Kyrioin was clearly overthinking and making a mountain out of a molehill. ¡°Kyrion, why is your nose bleeding? You don¡¯t have blood.¡± Said the inner voice. ¡°I smell burnt bacon.¡± Kyrion twitched as he suddenly and painfully died while in a pool. ¡°Ah. He didn¡¯t make the portal strong enough and a part of his soul needed to catch up. Trouble indeed.¡± Book 3: Chapter 10 Gap The brunette that had been watching from their box paled as Cecil said something that was near insane. ¡°Rion, I don¡¯t want my hand to be regenerated.¡± ¡°Do you want me to reconnect your old one then? You do know that you¡¯re right handed.¡± ¡°Trained ambidextrous actually, I was actually left handed. Although I am curious about¡­¡± Cecil watched as a cat with six tails appeared on his left hand, migrating due to the fact that it sensed that the hand would be missing for a while. ¡°When did you get a tattoo?¡± The brunette asked with a tone that made Rion¡¯s back sweat. ¡°It¡¯s an emergency lifeline. I won¡¯t go into it much.¡± The white-haired man sighed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a prosthetic left hand fit your ideals better?¡± ¡°When I was thirteen? Yeah, it would have been awesome. Now? I can do more with a prosthetic hand, than an organic one. I¡¯m just imagining the upgrades. Happy accidents and all that?¡± ¡°Cecil, it has occured to me that you¡¯re a few baskets short of a harvest. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the reasonable one in our dynamic?¡± Rion sighed. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised where my hang ups tend to be. Now heal it as a stump please.¡± Cecil sighed ¡°Aren¡¯t you demanding?¡± Kyrion sighed and did so. If Cecil changed his mind one day, then Kyrion would gladly grow him a new hand. ¡°Gotta be, this hurts quite a bit.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Rion covered the wound in a healing flame. In moments, the skin had grown over the damage. It then extended and adapted. From there, he altered the nerves a bit, allowing them to heal without causing pain. ¡°Huh, the phantom pains are gone. Curious.¡± ¡°If you intend to replace it with a prosthetic, then I made some changes to better adapt. Any new hand would feel like an extension of your body.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Cecil sighed as he got to his feet. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m going to be in one of the special rooms working on a new hand. Meaning I won¡¯t be able to participate in the first few matches.¡± ¡°Why did you give him that breathing item? Had you continued it¡¯s likely you would have won.¡± Hel asked. ¡°I¡¯m a man, Hel. Had I won with such an advantage, it wouldn¡¯t have felt like I earned it.¡± ¡°Strange hangups.¡± Sighed the team¡¯s tactician. ¡°We do have two days to rest before the matches begin. Let¡¯s get to work. WIth a match like that, it¡¯s likely that we¡¯ll be the second seed. Have you all eaten your coins?¡± Everyone save Bastion and Eden nodded, as the children shouldn¡¯t use that power yet. ¡°Then most of you should have been able to sense the gap between Damian and yourselves. As we are now, only Ander and I could put up much of a fight and the only way for us to win would be if it was both of us fighting him at once.¡± ¡°You underestimate my power.¡± Ander pouted. ¡°He¡¯s going to evolve his spirits. So no, I have no idea how strong he¡¯ll be if he makes it to the finals. Luckily the rest is a team event, so we don¡¯t have to worry much.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think he was some hero of legend or something with how fast that he¡¯s gaining in power.¡± ¡°Maybe he is.¡± Rion sighed. ¡°That would make sense. He¡¯s growing stronger at an astonishing pace.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°Now it¡¯s time for my third breakfast. See you all later.¡± Rion pulled a tray of breakfast sandwiches and ate them with gusto. ¡°Anyone else hungry?¡± Bastion was the only one who decided to take some of the plate. He took two sandwiches. Then, a stomach growled outside the door to their room. Brion opened the door and scowled as he was face to face with a small white-haired child. ¡°Do you have cookies?¡± White Fox asked. ¡°What¡¯s a cookies?¡± Brion asked. ¡°Cake? My blood sugar is so low right now. I need sweets.¡± White Fox blinked slowly and looked as though he were going to faint. ¡°I have breakfast sandwiches.¡± ¡°Do they have vegetables in them?¡± White Fox eyed them suspiciously. ¡°Is cheese a vegetable?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°No¡­I probably should eat something healthy.¡± Kyrion pulled out a carrot and ate it comically fast. ¡°I¡¯ll take one. Guess they will have to do.¡± White Fox took a sandwich before walking away. ¡°You know¡­ That¡¯s kind of how I expect a son of Kyrion would be. Summoned by the prospect of food, before leaving with said food. Only he¡¯d take way more than one sandwich.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Obviously he needed it to tide him over while his meal was being prepared. Like a pre-third breakfast snack.¡± Bastion said knowingly. Lin looked at Bastion for a long moment. ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Bastion looked to the left. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that kid before in my life.¡± Lin saw through the blatant lie. ¡°You do know, lying children don¡¯t get dessert. I¡¯ll be sure to eat yours for you at dinner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Think we met in a dream.¡± ¡°A dream?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was weird. Like the same day was repeating over and over again.¡± Siegfried, who had faded into the background, appeared to give Bastion his full attention. Rion raised an eyebrow before finishing the remainder of the sandwiches. ¡°Why is everyone still here? Get on, we have work to do.¡± The others shot up and decided to go do their training. The only people staying behind were Bastion, Lin, and Rion. Lin eyed Bastion for a long moment.¡± What are you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Bastion seemed shocked by the question. ¡°You aren¡¯t a regular human child. What are you?¡± ¡°You¡¯d know more than me. First thing I remember was when the people taking care of me died and I was sent into slavery. Mr.Kyrion saved me and I decided to follow him.¡± Bastion said, looking down at his feet. ¡°The people taking care of you. Were they your parents?¡± Lin looked into the green eyes, seeing past them. ¡°I don¡¯t believe so. But they are the first people I remember.¡± ¡°Uh huh. What¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± Bastion didn¡¯t know how to answer that. ¡°Heterochromia is rare, but he may have been born with two eye colors. When he received his powers, I believe they were covered by an illusion that makes them match.¡± ¡°Do you know who your parents are?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Bastion looked at Rion with worry. ¡°He¡¯s younger than he looks, and acts. I believe he¡¯s five at best, four when we met.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lin seemed surprised. She then shot Rion a look. ¡°Quite tall for that age then. Kind of how I expect one of your kids to be.¡± ¡°Wait. Why do I feel like I¡¯m the one being interrogated?¡± ¡°For an adoptive father, you sure do share quite a few features.¡± ¡°My hair is naturally red, we look nothing alike.¡± ¡°I mean. If you were thirteen, it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Nope. He can not be my son. Not by blood, anyway. If anything he has your nose and eyebrows. Are you trying to trick me?¡± Bastion looked down, clenched his fists, and left the room. ¡°Look. you made him run, you insensitive fool.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one asking him personal questions. What did you expect?¡± ¡°So it¡¯s my fault?¡± Lin shot Kyrion a look. Rion had heard that tone before. It usually meant he was in hot water. ¡°No¡­ But why are you asking?¡± Lin¡¯s face reddened. ¡°If uh¡­¡± ¡°If what?¡± ¡°I umm¡­¡± Lin seemed to stumble on her words. Rion sighed. ¡°You wanted to know if I was a playboy running around and fathering children with just anyone? You noticed some similarities between Bastion and I and were worried I was the type to abandon family.¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°Well, as far as I know, I shouldn¡¯t have kids running about. Bastion could be my nephew, or a distant cousin. Considering that he is the only one I know able to keep track of me when I erase my presence.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want you keeping secrets. If you are serious about your intentions.¡± ¡°I should tell you everything and shouldn¡¯t hide things from you. As far as I know I am yet to have kids. Any woman I intend to marry should know that the concentration of mana in my genes are powerful and unless they were an equal in power, whoever I married may not last through childbirth so kids aren¡¯t likely to begin with. Which is why I tend to act aloof in that regard with most people.¡± ¡°Nicole isn¡¯t strong enough? Would you have chosen her?¡± ¡°Oh that? No. Nicole is a liar, obsessive, and dangerous. When we met, she went by the name Nico. At that time, my friend appeared to be more of a scholar and not nobility. While a little weird, he wasn¡¯t out of place. Then after I invited him to join our team I sensed something was off. They seemed to constantly keep an eye on me. I later found that they had stolen some of my hair. I suspecy Nico and Nicole are two shards of the same person, and when I discovered that shards can be different genders the last thing fell into place. Nico and Nicole had been working together, where one preferred studying and scholarly pursuits, the other was a pyromaniac stalker. What makes Nicole dangerous is her link to one of my shards. I¡¯m certain that Nicole has made a deal with him. Given that she has already absorbed multiple shards. Suffice it to say I don¡¯t trust their intentions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a perceptive one.¡± ¡°As a healer. It is a necessity. I get that you talk to her every now and then. But there are reasons why I¡¯d choose you over her any day of the week. Not even a competition.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just as obsessive?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t stolen your hair. Although, no one else has made my heart ache like you. So I¡¯m more than a bit curious.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°Fine. If you want to continue this then we¡¯ll need to formalize things. My people don¡¯t date, it¡¯s marriage or nothing. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Why are you bringing this up now?¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bringing it up because you need someone to keep you grounded, and I don¡¯t want you throwing yourself into death¡¯s embrace every chance you get.¡± ¡°After the tournament then?¡± Kyrion added. ¡°That would be wise.¡± ¡°Now that we agreed, why did you really bring this up?¡± ¡°I had dreams about the future. One that was lost due to circumstances. I won¡¯t bother going over the details today. I do believe you were there as well. Bastion¡¯s dream kind of made me remember it.¡± Lin moved to open the door. As the door opened, two small figures ran around the corner, one with black hair and another with white. Lin scowled before exiting the room. She took a few steps away and let out an odd, choked laugh that seemed more hurt. ¡°He really doesn¡¯t remember and he hasn¡¯t fully returned. He¡¯s clearly still hidding something.¡± Kyrion began to go to his dungeon for training when a pulse radiated through his soul. Aside from his nosebleed and rigid movements. Rion appeared fine, if not slightly shaken. Eventually, he thought a great deal of information entered his brain. ¡°Ah. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t remember much. Yet my head feels quite clear¡­ Which means that I¡¯m the missing piece as per our agreement. Must have been a size thing. An empty mind is easier to absorb.¡± Kyrion poked his temples with both hands and sent mana into his brain to destroy an area that had been sealed. The seal stayed strong regardless, and Kyrion sighed. ¡°Next time then.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 15 Glass tornado Kyrion felt much better after he woke back up. His inner monologue was silent once again, and his body was completely whole. There were no more voices in Kyrion¡¯s head save for his own. Which he ignored as per usual. ¡°Why do I sense spite directed at me¡­ Oh well. Snake dude. You wanna come with me when I go back to my world?¡± ¡°Do you believe¡­ I see. I will come with you in spirit when my job is done.¡± Kyrion nodded before looking about.¡± Is that so? Good luck then.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t die too soon.¡± Kyrion nodded before feeling the top of the tower, and he was there in the blink of an eye. As though he had taken a step and traveled miles. This time, he took all of himself there. Almira, who was currently examining the bridge to other worlds, whirled and summoned tendrils of darkness around Kyrion. Sharp tendrils shot upward toward his body. Before they could skewer him, Kyrion stepped through, reappearing behind the goddess and following up with a sweep to her legs. Causing the long-haired woman to be airborne briefly. In her anger and confusion, Almira looked into her attacker¡¯s eyes and saw her own briefly. ¡°Al¡¯caris. You¡¯re in there aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes and no, mother, part of my soul is buried in this item, while the rest of my body is long dead. I can sense my reincarnation is already running about and I just need to reunite with them sooner or later.¡± The ancestor projected himself for the first time in front of Almira. ¡°How long have you known about your status?¡± ¡°This is a temporary solution. I will explain next time we meet, in person. But you may want to actively participate in my decedent¡¯s club. He has a friend who has a contract with a Cat of Nine Calamities.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion looked about silently as people talked as though he wasn¡¯t there before a lightbulb lit up in his head and then exploded. Cat of calamity, could he mean¡­ ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about me like I¡¯m not here and Sammy is quite mean.¡± ¡°Cats will be cats. Now then, what have you done to yourself?¡± ¡°I found the other half of my soul, that had been bumming about for a while. He looked bad so I cleaned him up and now I, er. we are going insane.¡± Kyrion said from in front of the goddess. ¡°So I¡¯m quite a bit more dangerous than I was before I left.¡± Said a second Kyrion, standing back to back with Almira. ¡°Although, I¡¯m stealing a few techniques from my master.¡± As the afterimages faded from their first and second positions, Kyrion sighed from sitting at the tower¡¯s edge. ¡°Zero waste and no noticeable residue. Is that all? Or are you hiding more?¡± ¡°Do you want me to attack you?¡± Almira thought for a long moment before nodding. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion punched to the side as a fist of flame shot away before vanishing, only to reappear and nearly hit her face. She would have had she not barely managed to dodge out of the way. The fist of flame vanished again, reappearing, only moving much faster. Almira dodged to the side only for the fist to tap her on the stomach, back of her neck, and ankle quickly. Causing her to stumble slightly before dispelling the weak attack with a wave of dark energy. ¡°What sort of technique is that?¡± ¡°Dimensional linking. I link multiple together and have my attack shoot through, predicting where you would dodge and aiming to hit that spot after it teleports. When I get a hit, the next blow with a new attack that repeats the process from that position. If my goal had been to kill, I would have channeled the stream, allowing it to form a superheated cage of fire. ¡°Are you a monster or something?¡± Almira focused on the pathway and contemplated its efficiency. She was not disappointed, but she was concerned. The technique he developed would be pretty destructive on a battlefield. With enough power, it could easily result in flames passing through the bodies of its victims. ¡°That is still a possibility. Not enough to overtake my friends but we are almost out of time for Marigold and Volain.¡± ¡°While Mike is coming with me?¡± ¡°Up to him.¡± Kyrion sighed before vanishing from her sight and reappearing in the middle of a sparring match between Marigold and Volain. Volain¡¯s body was covered in black and white armor with a strange helm with no slots for eyes. His greaves were adapted for quicksand movement, while his gauntlets were sharp. Marigold was wearing golden robes that left quite a bit of skin exposed. Which made sense as he¡¯d seen her rip material off of said robes and converted them into golden weapons. Said weapons were quick, sharp, and deadly. The two were caught off guard as someone appeared in front of them clad in red and purple gauntlets, a single leg of black armor. Two black horns protruded from ruby-red hair that flowed past the man¡¯s shoulders. A black cape flowed from his back, making him look like a true villain.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Then Kyrion spoke with an awfully cocky tone that he only used when pretending to be Rion. Only now did he have the confidence and experience to pull it off naturally. ¡°What¡¯s with all these chickadees flapping around in my tower?¡± Volain would have been afraid, only the man used the word chickadees, what in the abyss was that. And why did they flap around? Was he trying to insult him? He should have called him a goblin or gremlin if he wanted to be insulting. An actual lesser being when compared to an orc. The synapses hadn¡¯t connected that Volain wasn¡¯t actually an orc at the moment, as he was pretty confused. Marigold, on the other hand, knew what a chickadee was and that they were small birds. But she wasn¡¯t falling for weak jabs like that. However, she could feel his aura; it was everywhere and saturated the area like a dense fog, as though he controlled everything he could reach with his mind. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± ¡°I need to spar for a bit. I¡¯m thinking three or four against one. I¡¯ve become quite a bit more dangerous.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin as a glint only Gamodren recognized was present. ¡°I¡¯ll skip out on this one,¡± Gamodren said as he sat on a bench that hadn¡¯t been there before. A strange machine next to him was holding what Kyrion assumed were supplies. ¡°Booo!¡± Kyrion jeered as he teleported twenty feet away from Volain and Marigold. Gamodren was immune to such taunts. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. I¡¯ll take the defender role. Marigold, provide support with your skills. Volain, you will be our attacker. Go wild.¡± Mike said as he took a defensive position in front of Marigold. Volain would protest, but Mike was an exact equal with more battle experience. And so, before the battle could officially begin. Volain had moved faster than sound, landing a solid blow on Kyrion¡¯s face. A cracking sound echoed across the room, followed by a surprised yelp. Only both sounds originated from a position behind Mike. This caused the man to turn and see Volain¡¯s arm hovering in the air with golden specks attached to his hand while Marigold lay unconscious on the sand, seven sand dunes away. Her jaw lay strangely positioned as though it were broken despite not having physical bones here. ¡°That was brutal.¡± That was all Kyrion said. Kyrion followed up with a knee that hit Volain in the stomach, forcing him through three chained tears in reality that doubled his velocity each time, leading him into the ceiling on the opposite end of the floor. Mike laughed as he withdrew a flaming sword with golden scales covering the hilt down the guard with a diamond pommel and blue leather handle. His normal shield glowed with radiant light as two sets of feathery wings shot out from his back through his armor. Gamodren sat up upon seeing that and withdrew a pencil and pad, preparing to draw. He was exceptionally gifted in art and decided that this piece could sell for a pretty penny if he painted it when he got home. Angel vs Demon lord, or something. Kyrion flickered forward and followed up with a punch at Mike¡¯s throat. Mike countered via sword to the gut that Kyrion was forced to displace five feet behind him, messing up his concentration. Mike followed his counter-up shield bash, forcing Kyrion to flicker backward ten feet. Only Mike was already there, his flaming sword withdrawn from the portal and prepped in a charging thrust position. Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as he teleported ten feet to his right and followed up with a blast of flame meant to push him through another portal while burning the opponent that gave chase. Kyrion reappeared where Mike¡¯s burning sword had been left and ended up with a burning blade in his gut. From there, Kyrion was bashed with the shield four times before he was able to escape. His body was riddled with cuts and bleeding wounds. ¡°How much have you been holding back!?¡± Kyrion flickered backward in a chain of smaller jumps in an attempt to throw his opponent off balance. Mike smiled. ¡°I wan¡¯t fighting you with the intent to kill before. Not that I want you dead, but I want to see your limits in a place with lesser stakes than permanent death.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh no¡­¡± Kyrion realized that it wasn¡¯t that Mike was holding back. He just wasn¡¯t strong enough to require this level of effort at the time. And by Volain¡¯s gaped expression and Marigold¡¯s confusion, they hadn¡¯t seen him fight like that either. The only unsurprised one was Gamodren, who tended to conduct his spars with Mike on a separate floor while licking their wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡± Mike flew forward past the flickers, arriving where Kyrion was about to teleport sword thrust before he could arrive. However, the only thing waiting for him was a stream of white-hot flames that snaked around his body before wrapping over and over. Like a coil of fire before constricting through concentrated effort, Kyrion appeared ten feet behind and to Mike¡¯s right. ¡°Misdirection. Didn¡¯t think you were the deceitful type of fighter.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t beat you fighting head on.¡± Kyrion said as he grunted while squeezing the coil. ¡°Do you know why binds are dangerous? Especially those made using D.E?¡± ¡°No?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because when broken in just the right way it hurts the binder greatly.¡± Kyion released the walls, holding the flames together out of instinct. Causing the floor to be filled with a tornado of white-hot flames, the area around him exploded as pockets of gathered air exploded in a chain that faded in moments. From there, a tornado made from thick glass entrapped Mike, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°Break through that.¡± Kyrion fell to a knee, exhausted. ¡°Interesting work around.¡± Mike held his shield up and slammed it against the glass, causing the piece of art to shatter. ¡°You aren¡¯t done already are you?¡± Mike said as he began to flap his wings, flying upward. ¡°Who knows.¡± Kyrion said as he held the sand in a deep grasp, heating it until it began to slightly melt before dropping it right on top of the floating Mike, causing him to fall to the ground due to his covered wings. ¡°Rock beats birds.¡± Kyrion said as he passed out, as the sand movement took much more out of him than he had expected. Or so he thought. Gamodren pulled out another token and placed it in the strange machine, and an item fell out of the bottom, pulling energy from the exhausted boy. Mike looked about his wings molting. He hadn¡¯t lost, but he was close. He could see why he was supposed to follow the kid for a bit. Marigold held her jaw with a sour expression. ¡°Why did you decide to use all those tokens just now? Couldn¡¯t you have waited until after the fight before you started draining him of D.E.?¡± ¡°Kyrion wasn¡¯t ready to win that fight yet. Mike is a peak expert equivalent with eight of eight shards collected. I get that we¡¯re weaker here but winning with that much power disparity would draw too much attention. That and I accidentally hit the jackpot. Only meant to tip, not flip.¡± Mike shook his head. ¡°He also had another technique or two and you didn¡¯t want to be here if he used them.¡± ¡°Correct. I may not like it, but I¡¯m in a position where I may have to kill my student. I would rather he have an ace or two up his sleeves that I don¡¯t know about. The way he just fought was exactly how my father fights. Which is both curious and concerning.¡± Gamodren waved as he left the room. Book 3: Chapter 11 Slaughter The next few days were spent in tie dilation chambers where all present worked to better themselves at the last minute. Most of the time was spent in deep meditation as most of the team focused on enhancing their soul to allow them to reach a new level of power. As it turned out, the process was easier for those without bodies, and doing so in a physical world was limited at best. How Ander surpassed Rion in only a day made no sense to the latter. Aside from that, Rion¡¯s teammates wouldn¡¯t be able to use these changes in battle just yet. The start of the second half came quickly; with the seeding for the tournament complete, it was time for the brackets. ¡°To spice things up the Bracket will not be revealed until the end of the first round!¡± Meh Thod Spoke to the audience. ¡°Why are we doing this? Because there are currently an uneven number of participating teams and we don¡¯t want to reveal who will be moving on to the next round without fighting. Giving them another two days to rest and relax.¡± A few participants protested, only to find they landed on deaf ears. Rion, of course, was one of the people protesting. Although not with the crowd. ¡°Oi! You better not be thinkin bout making me sit out! My blood has been hungry for combat for days. If I don¡¯t light someone up today I¡¯ll lose it! If It goes to us I say give it to that Other Guy¡­.Uhh¡­ What was his name? The guy who won the tournament! I want to fight him myself!¡± Meh Thod scowled as he adjusted an earpiece. ¡°Got it. The First match will be Drisil against the Tetsan Acadamy of Gabon! Format? Lot draw!¡± Ander and Tiffany gripped their weapons. Both had their reasons. Rion vaguely recalled that name but couldn¡¯t recall where or when he heard it. ¡°Lot draw is where two team members draw from lots. The first represents the amount of participants available, the second dictates half of the environment.¡± Meh Thod snapped his fingers, and two boxes appeared. Bastion shot up and looked at the box, ready to run forward. ¡°I want to draw!¡± Eden realized it was a bad idea and clearly tried to stop Bastion. That happened as both Eden and Bastion stopped in front of the boxes. Meh Thod looked at the children and sighed. ¡°Looks like Drisil has sent up two people for the first pull!¡± Rion stood there as the announcement was made. Not even attempting to stop them. What was the worst that could happen? He thought. Bastion walked up to the box, climbed atop the table it rested on, put his left hand in it, and started digging. Eden turned to see if anyone was going to stop her. Nobody from her team moved, so she also climbed atop the table to reach. After a short span of time, Bastion pulled out a blank sheet of paper. While staring at said blank paper, the crowd was deathly silent. Rion slapped himself in the forehead as Basition turned it over, trying to get a better view. He had no luck. Bastion saw no squiggles. ¡°Turn it over!¡± Yelled the crowd. Bastion did so and saw a big 1. ¡°We¡¯re number one!¡± Bastion roared. Eden pulled out a light blue sphere. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Drisil will have 1 fighter on an island surrounded by water!¡± ¡°Gabon is up next.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going. End of story.¡± Rion stated. ¡°I need to avenge my brother.¡± Ander protested. ¡°I need to show my fiance that I¡¯m strong.¡± ¡°One,you both had a chance to fight in the solo matches. Two, Tiffany, you proved your power already, also, you¡¯re a tactical fighter. If the island is as small as I imagine, you won¡¯t have much space to manuver and swimming during a fight like this is suicide. 3, Ander you have the versatility and power but you lack the endurance to fight multiple enemies, and you¡¯re angry. I don¡¯t want you stopping any hearts. Finally, this is the perfect scenario for me to show my power.¡± ¡°Who are you? That sounds like you put thought into it.¡± Max stated. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s strange.¡± Tiffany squinted. ¡°If you wanna fight, then just go fight. Not gonna stop you.¡± Ander pouted. MInah crossed her arms. ¡°You better not lose.¡± Kyrion watched as a young man in plate armor pulled out a slip that held the number 8. ¡°No way¡­ It¡¯s over.¡± Hel fell to her knees. ¡°Does no one remember my fight against twenty people?¡± ¡°Twenty of our weakest.¡± ¡°And I didn¡¯t break a sweat. I did break some wrists though.¡± Minah scowled. ¡°I thought that was a rumor.¡± ¡°I am what the kids nowadays call a raid boss.¡± Rion summoned his chain greatsword as wings of flame shot out of his back. Summoning his wings used mana but took little to maintain. He didn¡¯t extend his horns, however. ¡°The second half of the arena will be.the hill of tragedy! 1 Vs 8. Anyone not involved in this round is to exit the arena.¡± Rion didn¡¯t move as Bastion approached with teary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr.Rion¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. If anything, this allows me to hide quite a bit of our power.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll need to show them everything to win a fight like that.¡± ¡°If I lose then you only get one scoop of ice cream. If I win you get two scoops, how does that sound?¡± ¡°Hurry up and win Mr.Rion.¡± ¡°Can I get three scoops if you win and none if you lose?¡± Asked Eden. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I call faith. I¡¯ll be back before Bastion can think of two flavors.¡± The two kids ran off as only 9 people remained. The stone floor turned into the sand as a vast lake appeared to spread to another shore a hundred feet away. Near the beach was a cliff with a drop that led to an area with large and sharp rocks below. ¡°Believe it or not, this fight marks the start of the first team tournament. It may look like a beatdown but thats due to poor luck for a certain tea! Ready? Fight.¡± Meh Thod yelled. Much like Cecil¡¯s fight, the world was covered in flames moments after the match began. Unlike Cecil¡¯s fight, the flames didn¡¯t stop. Unrelenting flames shot from Kyrion¡¯s body and covered the entire arena. Plants burned, rocks melted, the lake boiled and evaporated, and sand became molten. Yet only two members of the Gabon team were eliminated. It appeared as though when the battle began, two of Gabon¡¯s fastest began to move through the water. One ran on top while the other was swimming quite fast. The swimmer was boiled to the point the wards triggered while the runner nearly fell to his death after being scalded. ¡°Curious. Only two insects were slain. That¡¯s a powerful barrier.¡± Rion stated in a monotone as he flew over a pit that was moments ago a vast lake. As quickly as the torrent came, it began to fade. Large clouds gathered in the sky above due to the strangely rapid movement of moisture. In about two minutes, the torrent of rain and lightning would begin, and anyone out of the loop would assume this was a natural occurrence, given the amount of evaporated water. ¡°Come down here and fight us fairly!¡± Yelled one of the students inside the barrier. ¡°Did you forget that you outnumber me quite a bit? I wasted too much mana for you hiding behind a barrier.¡± Fire gathered at his back as Rion pushed against an invisible wind platform. As the flames went from vermillion to white. Kyrion shot off like a rocket, propelled at high speeds, and the sky almost shattered behind him. Rion¡¯s body slammed through the barrier and into one of the warriors holding it up, and like that, only five more people were in the ring.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Looking about, Rion saw a knight with a sword and shield, two magic types, one a supporter and another a high-damage dealer. The fourth was a tamer type with martial arts training, a gray goose at its side. The fifth was a fledgling holding a longsword. Rion clicked his tongue, slipped through the warriors to the fledgling, and poked him on the side of his head with a finger coated in flames; it was enough to trigger the wards. ¡°Jhonny!¡± The tamer yelled, aimed two punches at Rion¡¯s body. Rion didn¡¯t dodge; he leaned into the blow and shattered the tamer¡¯s wrist with his body alone. Such a thing wouldn¡¯t work on someone like Volain and Noah, but to Kyrion¡¯s trained eye, he could tell that the man may have skimped bone enhancements. The tamer commanded their goose to strike with a pained squelch. The evil bird went for every male¡¯s weak spot to end a dynasty. Rion decided that taking blows was good when he was in a guarded stance, as wearing a skirt into combat with a goose involved wouldn¡¯t end well if he didn¡¯t. So, of course, he dodged. Later, he would look back on the matter and realize he had forgotten the first aspect of Gamodren¡¯s training, which was misdirection. ¡°He dodged! His core must be in his lower body!¡± Yelled one of the mages with a feminine voice. Three of her teammates looked at her for half a second. Then, a spear of glass shot up from under Rion¡¯s legs. Jumping into the sky instinctively, Rion looked down at them all with horror. ¡°He dodged again! He must be vulnerable!¡± Yelled the other mage. The captain of the Gabon team looked like they were going to say something when the goose took flight aiming for the exposed weak spot. At that moment, Rion decided that the goose would get cooked. Sending a cone of flames downwards into the demented avian. Honk The demonic creature let loose a sound from the depths of the abyss as it flew out of the fire completely unharmed. At that realization, Rion spun in the air and punched the goose in its neck. Killing it in one blow, much to Rion¡¯s surprise. ¡°You killed my pet!¡± The tamer yelled. ¡°You tried to end my family line!¡± Rion was no longer playing around. Aloft with his wings of fire, he brought out his sword, released the chain, and spun it in the air. Within seconds, the torrent of rain and lightning came. Each bolt struck the blade repeatedly as though it were some kind of lighting rod. Rion had little control over lighting. Very little, in fact, at best, he could create it through weather manipulation. The sword, however, has the ability to absorb an absurd amount of mana and release it should it have a trace of his mana. ¡°Falling Dragon!¡± As the lighting abated, Rion slammed his sword into the earth, sending out sparks of lightning everywhere, removing the two mages and tamer. Leaving Andres alone in an empty arena covered in rain. Lighting shot through him, and his armor and the glass he stood on had gotten slippery. Andres realized he would lose and not even get a chance to fight back. The match was so one-sided that his team had been decimated within moments. He was primarily defensive with a single retaliation technique. Said attack required his target to be in melee range and take the blow. Rion dropped his sword a few more times, noticing that he was near the limit of mana he had available to use. As he let loose a final blast of lightning, his wings vanished instead of hitting the ground. The last bolt, however, had a bit of space mana on it. When it struck Andres, it immediately triggered the ward and teleported him out of the battlefield. ¡°And the winner of the first round is Rion of Drisil Academy!¡± The crowd clapped in applause and cheered. While they expected a one-sided victory. The crowd had assumed it would be the other way around. Rion hadn¡¯t bothered with the solo matches, so they assumed he was a puppet. To everyone present, Rion had proved why he was the captain of this team. ¡°It was a good fight! Next time, bring an army, and maybe not try to end my family line.¡± Rion turned and walked into the locker room where a certain Siegfried awaited. Rion took two more steps forward. The door closed, and the young man passed out from mana exertion. Evaporating that much water took a lot of mana and covering that area with fire. Siegfried moved forward, knowing the sighs, and caught him. ¡°Kyr, no matter how much you grow, I can tell when you¡¯re near a limit. Now get some rest.¡± The headmaster entered the room. ¡°I¡¯ll teleport you out of here. That way, his competitors won¡¯t see him like this. If he hadn¡¯t been that offensive, I doubt he could have won against all of them. ¡°His opponents were not as weak as he made them look. Well the fledgling was a low blow but still.¡± Siegfried sighed as the three of them were taken to their viewing booth.
¡°That is not the power of a practitioner! If he is then he¡¯s well over the age limit. No way can he make a fool out of us and walk out unharmed.¡± The Gabon headmaster had called for a meeting with the organizers to make a complaint. ¡°According to our measurements, his physical age is fifteen, and based on our sight, he is a practitioner. I do understand why you are concerned, but that power was all practitioner tier. Just think, if he¡¯s this powerful as a practitioner, how storing will his expert tier be. I made sure to get a proper measurement of his capabilities prior to his entry into the tournament.¡± An elven man with twin blades said from behind an elven woman. ¡°Drisil has been poaching all the talents. Hopefully this one isn¡¯t assassinated as well.Would be a shame to lose another promising talent.¡± ¡°Another? Right. The tragedy where a student was kidnaped while visiting after beating the best Norn had to offer. Looks bad on everyone involved, that incident did no one justice.¡± The elven man added as he looked towards the Drisil headmaster. ¡°It shames me that a student of mine was wrongfully imprisoned then taken in the dead of night to be assassinated. It also irritates me that Welhiem had been invaded by those parasites. When they are so close to the center of our continent. Worst of all, there was another incident, someone unaffiliated with a school, sent someone to hold another of my children hostage. Rion was so enraged that it seems he gained access to imbuing his flames with his soul. Three experts seemed to have died that day. Such an awakening could only mean that he¡¯s obtained that power without reaching the Expert Tier.¡± The headmaster of Gabon wiped blood that had begun to leak from his mouth. ¡°Are you saying he had an epiphany? Guess fighting three experts as a practitioner would force anyone to reach for that deeper well of power. Given the hidden training chambers, he could have had enough time to get a handle on that power. Once it¡¯s there it is intuitive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. You know how restricted we are when speaking on this subject?¡± Caeden looked at the other headmaster¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Fine. I have one concession.¡± ¡°You sent out a fledgling, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if they died in the crossfire.¡± ¡°Peak fledgling. Don¡¯t act innocent, you had at least three on your team as well.¡± ¡°So Gabon doesn¡¯t have enough talent to produce ten practitioners?¡± ¡°We have more than ten, it¡¯s just that the three we brought proved to have great potential and power even for their tier. I hadn¡¯t expected to need to use them so early.¡± ¡°What made the swordsman special?¡± ¡°Our swordsman was blessed with the power of the legendary sword, Demon¡¯s End.¡± Caeden leaned back far enough for an ordinary person to fall out of their seat. ¡°Last time a version of that sword appeared as someone¡¯s spirit the continent was whole. Are you certain?¡± ¡°The weapon allowed him to beat enough practitioners to be eligible as a core team member. Alistar Greedwell, is quite strong for his age and tier. Sadly his weapon is very selective of what cores he can use. As in, it rejected everything that we have given him.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t lying, I could sense the blade¡¯s power despite its shape being shrouded,¡± The elven swordsman added. ¡°So your heavy hitter can punch into the practitioner tier while a fledgling, and mine can punch into the expert tier while still a practitioner. He is around the same age as Kyrion, may his soul rest well. Why did you want him to begin with?¡± ¡°It was clear that he was descended from that Siegfreid. The one that killed nine of the Dragon Lord¡¯s pets. Given his physical condition, an inability to participate due to injuries. I was certain he would have been the last. More power than a human body was made to handle, along with control over plants.¡± ¡°So he was on your radar for a while.¡± ¡°His limited display of power was also interesting. Being able to supply so many plants with power at that age was astounding. Plus he was a healer. To someone from a desert country those with the ability to grow plants where there shouldn¡¯t be plants, and return a desolate land into a habitable location is prized. A shame he chose Drisil.¡± Gabon¡¯s headmaster knew Caeden was hiding the truth but wasn¡¯t pushing as hard as he could. Caeden clicked his tongue and looked about briefly. ¡°What tipped you off?¡± ¡°When he used both water and wind abilities, under the guise of a powerful inferno. The water would have taken longer to boil as it isn¡¯t easy to boil a lake that deep from above at that speed. You also made him your captain without testing him against your previous choice. At least not publicly. Finally one of my spies spotted him before he created that persona.¡± ¡°You had eyes on the port. Gabon is a major port trading partner. So, what do you want?¡± ¡°I want to send Ten of my students to Drisil to learn in preparation for that.¡± ¡°We can speak of the ipp¡­Huh? A new restriction?¡± ¡°Yes. Which means we¡¯re close. Very close.¡± ¡°Is that why we were told it would be happening five years earlier than it should¡­¡± The elven woman who had been watching nodded. ¡°Now hurry up. No one cheated, nor broke any rules.¡± Caeden thought. ¡°You¡¯d lose standing doing something like that and we have no reason to agree.¡± Gabon¡¯s headmaster pulled out a small red chest and set it on the table. ¡°What is this? Wrong question. How did you get this?¡± Caeden raised his guard. ¡°One of my excavators encountered them in a previous event. Still alive, but placed in a type of stasis. Just in case you wanted them alive.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had this for fifty years¡­¡± ¡°Technically. The Tetsan Empire has alot of resources, Gabon is no exception. We work hard for our Alumni, and teachers. Sadly you left right after we found it and before we confirmed.¡± ¡°You old bastard.¡± ¡°Oi, I¡¯m two years younger, don¡¯t play the young card on me. I also didn¡¯t have the authority to hand it over then. A certain incident allowed me to gain this position. Ten of my students learn from the one who currently goes by Rion, after the tournament for six months to a year. In return you get access to your number eight.¡± ¡°Fine. One thing, was this supposed to be the bargaining chip that made me stay for another ten years?¡± ¡°Gabon trusted your judgment for the most part. If you had stayed, it is likely that you would have my position and I¡¯d be the one building a school from scratch.¡± ¡°Doubt it. You all covet money, too much for that.¡± ¡°That we do.¡± The headmaster sighed. ¡°So. You know I¡¯ll either need an oath or a contract.¡± Caeden clicked his tongue and summoned a scroll. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 16 The first Return Kyrion felt much better after he woke back up. His inner monologue was silent once again, and his body was completely whole. There were no more voices in Kyrion¡¯s head save for his own. Which he ignored as per usual. ¡°Why do I sense spite directed at me¡­ Oh well. Snake dude. You wanna come with me when I go back to my world?¡± ¡°Do you believe¡­ I see. I will come with you in spirit when my job is done.¡± Kyrion nodded before looking about.¡± Is that so? Good luck then.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t die too soon.¡± Kyrion nodded before feeling the top of the tower, and he was there in the blink of an eye. As though he had taken a step and traveled miles. This time, he took all of himself there. Almira, who was currently examining the bridge to other worlds, whirled and summoned tendrils of darkness around Kyrion. Sharp tendrils shot upward toward his body. Before they could skewer him, Kyrion stepped through, reappearing behind the goddess and following up with a sweep to her legs. Causing the long-haired woman to be airborne briefly. In her anger and confusion, Almira looked into her attacker¡¯s eyes and saw her own briefly. ¡°Al¡¯caris. You¡¯re in there aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes and no, mother, part of my soul is buried in this item, while the rest of my body is long dead. I can sense my reincarnation is already running about and I just need to reunite with them sooner or later.¡± The ancestor projected himself for the first time in front of Almira. ¡°How long have you known about your status?¡± ¡°This is a temporary solution. I will explain next time we meet, in person. But you may want to actively participate in my decedent¡¯s club. He has a friend who has a contract with a Cat of Nine Calamities.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion looked about silently as people talked as though he wasn¡¯t there before a lightbulb lit up in his head and then exploded. Cat of calamity, could he mean¡­ ¡°Please don¡¯t talk about me like I¡¯m not here and Sammy is quite mean.¡± ¡°Cats will be cats. Now then, what have you done to yourself?¡± ¡°I found the other half of my soul, that had been bumming about for a while. He looked bad so I cleaned him up and now I, er. we are going insane.¡± Kyrion said from in front of the goddess. ¡°So I¡¯m quite a bit more dangerous than I was before I left.¡± Said a second Kyrion, standing back to back with Almira. ¡°Although, I¡¯m stealing a few techniques from my master.¡± As the afterimages faded from their first and second positions, Kyrion sighed from sitting at the tower¡¯s edge. ¡°Zero waste and no noticeable residue. Is that all? Or are you hiding more?¡± ¡°Do you want me to attack you?¡± Almira thought for a long moment before nodding. ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion punched to the side as a fist of flame shot away before vanishing, only to reappear and nearly hit her face. She would have had she not barely managed to dodge out of the way. The fist of flame vanished again, reappearing, only moving much faster. Almira dodged to the side only for the fist to tap her on the stomach, back of her neck, and ankle quickly. Causing her to stumble slightly before dispelling the weak attack with a wave of dark energy. ¡°What sort of technique is that?¡± ¡°Dimensional linking. I link multiple portals together and have my attack shoot through, predicting where you would dodge and aiming to hit that spot after it teleports. When I get a hit, the next blow with a new attack that repeats the process from that position. If my goal had been to kill, I would have channeled the stream, allowing it to form a superheated fire cage. ¡°Are you a monster or something?¡± Almira focused on the pathway and contemplated its efficiency. She was not disappointed, but she was concerned. The technique he developed would be pretty destructive on a battlefield. With enough power, it could easily result in flames passing through the bodies of its victims. ¡°That is still a possibility. Not enough to overtake my friends but we are almost out of time for Marigold and Volain.¡± ¡°While Mike is coming with me?¡± ¡°Up to him.¡± Kyrion sighed before vanishing from her sight and reappearing in the middle of a sparring match between Marigold and Volain. Volain¡¯s body was covered in black and white armor with a strange helm with no slots for eyes. His greaves were adapted for quicksand movement, while his gauntlets were sharp. Marigold was wearing golden robes that left quite a bit of skin exposed. Which made sense as he¡¯d seen her rip material off of said robes and converted them into golden weapons. Said weapons were quick, sharp, and deadly. The two were caught off guard as someone appeared in front of them clad in red and purple gauntlets, a single leg of black armor. Two black horns protruded from ruby-red hair that flowed past the man¡¯s shoulders. A black cape flowed from his back, making him look like a true villain.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Then Kyrion spoke with an awfully cocky tone that he only used when pretending to be Rion. Only now did he have the confidence and experience to pull it off naturally. ¡°What¡¯s with all these chickadees flapping around in my tower?¡± Volain would have been afraid. Only the man used the word chickadees. What in the abyss was that. And why did they flap around? Was he trying to insult him? He should have called him a goblin or gremlin if he wanted to be insulting. An actual lesser being when compared to an orc. The synapses hadn¡¯t connected that Volain wasn¡¯t actually an orc at the moment, as he was pretty confused. Marigold, on the other hand, knew what a chickadee was and that they were small birds. But she wasn¡¯t falling for weak jabs like that. However, she could feel his aura; it was everywhere and saturated the area like a dense fog, as though he controlled everything he could reach with his mind. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± ¡°I need to spar for a bit. I¡¯m thinking three or four against one. I¡¯ve become quite a bit more dangerous.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin as a glint only Gamodren recognized was present. ¡°I¡¯ll skip out on this one,¡± Gamodren said as he sat on a bench that hadn¡¯t been there before. A strange machine next to him was holding what Kyrion assumed were supplies. ¡°Booo!¡± Kyrion jeered as he teleported twenty feet away from Volain and Marigold. Gamodren was immune to such taunts. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. I¡¯ll take the defender role. Marigold, provide support with your skills. Volain, you will be our attacker. Go wild.¡± Mike said as he took a defensive position in front of Marigold. Volain would protest, but Mike was an exact equal with more battle experience. And so, before the battle could officially begin. Volain had moved faster than sound, landing a solid blow on Kyrion¡¯s face. A cracking sound echoed across the room, followed by a surprised yelp. Only both sounds originated from a position behind Mike. This caused the man to turn and see Volain¡¯s arm hovering in the air with golden specks attached to his hand while Marigold lay unconscious on the sand, seven sand dunes away. Her jaw lay strangely positioned as though it were broken despite not having physical bones here. ¡°That was brutal.¡± That was all Kyrion said. Kyrion followed up with a knee that hit Volain in the stomach, forcing him through three chained tears in reality that doubled his velocity each time, leading him into the ceiling on the opposite end of the floor. Mike laughed as he withdrew a flaming sword with golden scales covering the hilt down the guard with a diamond pommel and blue leather handle. His normal shield glowed with radiant light as two sets of feathery wings shot out from his back through his armor. Gamodren sat up upon seeing that and withdrew a pencil and pad, preparing to draw. He was exceptionally gifted in art and decided that this piece could sell for a pretty penny if he painted it when he got home. Angel vs Demon lord, or something. Kyrion flickered forward and followed up with a punch at Mike¡¯s throat. Mike countered via sword to the gut that Kyrion was forced to displace five feet behind him, messing up his concentration. Mike followed his counter-up shield bash, forcing Kyrion to flicker backward ten feet. Only Mike was already there, his flaming sword withdrawn from the portal and prepped in a charging thrust position. Kyrion¡¯s eyes widened as he teleported ten feet to his right and followed up with a blast of flame meant to push him through another portal while burning the opponent that gave chase. Kyrion reappeared where Mike¡¯s burning sword had been left and ended up with a burning blade in his gut. From there, Kyrion was bashed with the shield four times before he was able to escape. His body was riddled with cuts and bleeding wounds. ¡°How much have you been holding back!?¡± Kyrion flickered backward in a chain of smaller jumps in an attempt to throw his opponent off balance. Mike smiled. ¡°I wan¡¯t fighting you with the intent to kill before. Not that I want you dead, but I want to see your limits in a place with lesser stakes than permanent death.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh no¡­¡± Kyrion realized that it wasn¡¯t that Mike was holding back. He just wasn¡¯t strong enough to require this level of effort at the time. And by Volain¡¯s gaped expression and Marigold¡¯s confusion, they hadn¡¯t seen him fight like that either. The only unsurprised one was Gamodren, who tended to conduct his spars with Mike on a separate floor while licking their wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡± Mike flew forward past the flickers, arriving where Kyrion was about to teleport sword thrust before he could arrive. However, the only thing waiting for him was a stream of white-hot flames that snaked around his body before wrapping repeatedly. Like a coil of fire before constricting through concentrated effort, Kyrion appeared ten feet behind and to Mike¡¯s right. ¡°Misdirection. Didn¡¯t think you were the deceitful type of fighter.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t beat you fighting head on.¡± Kyrion said as he grunted while squeezing the coil. ¡°Do you know why binds are dangerous? Especially those made using D.E?¡± ¡°No?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Because when broken in just the right way it hurts the binder greatly.¡± Kyion released the walls, holding the flames together out of instinct. Causing the floor to be filled with a tornado of white-hot flames, the area around him exploded as pockets of gathered air exploded in a chain that faded in moments. From there, a tornado made from thick glass entrapped Mike, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°Break through that.¡± Kyrion fell to a knee, exhausted. ¡°Interesting work around.¡± Mike held his shield up and slammed it against the glass, causing the piece of art to shatter. ¡°You aren¡¯t done already are you?¡± Mike said as he began to flap his wings, flying upward. ¡°Who knows.¡± Kyrion said as he dug his arms into the sand, heating it until they slightly melted before dropping them right on top of the floating Mike, causing him to fall to the ground due to his covered wings. ¡°Rock beats birds.¡± Kyrion said as he passed out, as the sand movement took much more out of him than he had expected. Or so he thought. Gamodren pulled out another token and placed it in the strange machine, and an item fell out of the bottom, pulling energy from the exhausted boy. Mike looked about his wings molting. He hadn¡¯t lost, but he was close. He could see why he was supposed to follow the kid for a bit. Marigold held her jaw with a sour expression. ¡°Why did you decide to use all those tokens just now? Couldn¡¯t you have waited until after the fight before you started draining him of D.E.?¡± ¡°Kyrion wasn¡¯t ready to win that fight yet. Mike is a peak expert equivalent with eight of eight shards collected. I get that we¡¯re weaker here but winning with that much power disparity would draw too much attention. That and I accidentally hit the jackpot. Only meant to tip, not flip.¡± Mike shook his head. ¡°He also had another technique or two and you didn¡¯t want to be here if he used them.¡± ¡°Correct. I may not like it, but I¡¯m in a position where I may have to kill my student. I would rather he have an ace or two up his sleeves that I don¡¯t know about. The way he just fought was exactly how my father fights. Which is both curious and concerning.¡± Gamodren waved as he left the room. Book 3: Chapter 12 "Its only paranoia if Im wrong" Kyrion awoke in his room looking up at a familiar face. White hair had covered his face, partially. It however was not a face Kyrion had expected to see. The strange boy seemed surprised. His white hair shone as the room became cooler. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be awake yet.¡± White Fox said as he seemingly took a few steps back. ¡°You shouldn''t be here. Not a fan of burning kids alive but I¡¯ll make an exception for assassins.¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t. Otherwise you¡¯d become just like your enemy.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°There was a soul in your eye.¡± White Fox pointed at the prosthetic. ¡°I can¡¯t sense it anymore and it has me concerned.¡± ¡°Why would you be concerned?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ Oh look over there!¡± White Fox pointed out the window. ¡°Not going to¡­¡± Rion threw himself to the ground as a metallic bird flew straight through his window. Leaning wing-shaped marks in the wood as it passed through. When Rion got back up, White Fox was gone, and yet the bird remained. ¡°Mr. Rion!I¡¯m sorry! The drone just went haywire!¡± Yelled Bastion, from outside the window. Rion looked out and saw Bastion holding a strange black device. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again.¡± Rion sighed as he swept out his mana senses, only to pick up nothing. As though there was no one in his room. ¡°Wait¡­White Fox was an anchor¡­could that mean he can teleport? I¡¯m going to install some anchors in my room.¡± Rion walked over to the downed bird and examined it. Raven Mk. IV was engraved on the bird''s left talon confirming which wing of the harem worked on that object. ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion placed the bird in his name and scowled as he noticed that his mana pool had increased slightly. As though burning through his mana over and over is what increased it. He¡¯d need to be careful in the future. Jala appeared on his shoulder. ¡°What in the abyss did you just throw into your domain?¡± ¡°A drone? Why?¡± ¡°Karl the dungeon immediately swiped it the second it appeared and took it to the dungeon. Didn¡¯t get to see it much.¡± ¡°Huh¡­Maybe I should leave Karl with Cecil for the time being. I¡¯m sure he could use a spirit like that at his disposal. It could prove very handy to have.¡± ¡°Still salty he wouldn¡¯t let you fix him?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be much effort to fix it or grow him a new one. Just thirty seconds of time and poof better hand.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Also you shouldn¡¯t get Karl¡¯s hopes up like that. Cecil doesn¡¯t have the makeup to use spirits like you do. He could get awakened but unlike you, he is restricted to using ambient mana.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t dungeon¡¯s produce mana?¡± ¡°Among other things, yes.¡± ¡°So Karl has been the one expanding my core.¡± ¡°Along with the Arbiter, and your penchant for bringing souls here that also produce mana. At this point you have about a small continent¡¯s worth of citizens. As people are born you get more mana and as people die, their remaining mana becomes yours. With those damned rabbit people, I suspect your population to start causing you problems soon.¡± ¡°My vessel is no longer strong enough to hold the exponential increase of my magical capacity?¡± Rion stated. ¡°That is exactly right¡­Who are you?¡± ¡°Meh, I had a similar problem¡­some time ago.¡± ¡°Yeah. I was there, it¡¯s just the way that you worded that wasn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Oh. That''s odd. Are you telling me I need to put my weights back on?¡± ¡±Yes. I also want you to add on mana siphoning runes that power a gravity field that only effects your body. That should constantly drain you while pushing your muscles.¡± ¡°That is literally insane.¡± ¡°Kyrion doesn¡¯t say no to training. I personally think he likes the pain. Why are you acting scared now?¡± ¡°Because logically¡­¡± Jala interrupted him. ¡°Kyrion doesn¡¯t use logic, Rion murdered logic the day he was born and replaced it with chaos. Who are you? ¡°I¡¯m me. Mostly. It has occurred to me that the other half of my mind has been stuck in the clouds.¡± ¡°Yeah. I miss the old Kyr. He had good instincts. All I sense from you is fear and overthinking.¡± ¡°I prefer, logical and observant.¡± ¡°I see. So why did you replace him?¡± Rion scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I did so willingly. Last thing I remember was agreeing to give up my memories as they would be inconvenient.¡± ¡°Ah. that explains the change in chemicals. You have all of Kyr¡¯s knowledge along with advanced understanding. The one we know and tolerate relies on instinct and intuition. As though he had a sixth sense for people.¡± ¡°That makes some sense.¡± Kyrie added. ¡®¡°Ah, that must be why he wasn''t taken to the room after absorbing Kyrie. To think he was that strong with only part of his mind available.¡± Kyra sighed. ¡°Enough of that, listen. I need soldiers. Begin the process of training our warriors for the fight to come while I get some new weights built. I can smell war brewing and we won¡¯t have much time to act.¡± Jala scowled. ¡°I will find volunteers. We have managed to bind most monsters to Karl along with many humanoids. You may have an unlimited monster army sooner rather than later. Although If you start summoning monsters en mass to do your bidding people may thing your the second coming of the Demon Lord.¡± ¡°When it gets out what I can do with the vast amount of power I have. I¡¯ll be lucky if the rankers don¡¯t plot my demise. I get the feeling Charles has been doing that for years. The way he sees through me is disturbing.¡± ¡°Oh yeah that''s obvious. He seems to see you as detrimental to Asela¡¯s further growth. Hence why you didn¡¯t get an invite to Norn.¡± ¡°Huh, I could see it. Convincing Asela not to fight at Norn may have proved detrimental. That and it seems my torn out affinity needed the distance to heal. I don¡¯t know what happened exactly but I could feel it returning slowly.¡± ¡°No duh. Your spark of sentience ability was the first obvious clue. The Flames of Prometheus took the form of a walnut.¡± ¡°Ugghh. I need Lin.¡± Jala signed and returned to the domain. A knock on the door got Rion¡¯s attention. ¡°Lin!¡± Rion opened the door. ¡°Close. Its Hel.¡± Hel stepped into the room inviting Rion¡¯s privacy and sat at a chair near his desk. ¡°Um¡­This isn¡¯t your room, is it?¡± ¡°It is not.¡± ¡°Good. Great¡­ That would have been awkward. What do you want? We don¡¯t talk much.¡± ¡°Correct. You hardly pay any attention to your team to begin with. Now it¡¯s like your always off training and getting further and further away.Closest thing we saw was the headmaster fight us as you.¡± ¡°I also fought you in training chamber over here.¡± ¡°Only using fire. An ability you seemed to refrain from using prior.¡± ¡°Because I just regained that affinity. It seems that I was born with an unstable core. Emotion could trigger certain magical effects. One of which being an inferno that nearly killed someone in my family. I don¡¯t blame having it transferred, it was necessary to save a life. It just took a long time for my body to heal that damage and when it did, the explosion ripped a tear in space briefly.I am capable of using explosive amounts of flame to a dangerous degree, therefore I have been practicing it.¡± ¡°I need to see all of your strength if I am going to be your team''s strategist. I need to coordinate. The last match had me more worried than I should have been. Your limits need to be measured.¡± ¡°That''s the thing. I am constantly pushing my limits. Due to certain abilities I can push my body more than most for a longer period of time. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve been so far ahead since I joined. Outside of combat techniques. My style of fighting is unorthodox at best and benefits from versatility, feints, and destructively fast killing blows.¡± ¡°I need you to let me see your core.¡± ¡°Are you certain that would be enough? Seeing it won¡¯t do it much justice unless you can feel it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by feel.¡± ¡°My core has a weight to its presence. I¡¯m sure Cecl would also like to see how much I¡¯m holding at the moment. It¡¯s been a while since he measured me.¡± ¡°Wait Cecil has this information?¡± ¡°His information is outdated and I¡¯m ten percent sure that he doesn¡¯t want to know how much power I¡¯m keeping contained.¡± ¡°Something Cecil doesn¡¯t want to know?¡± Rion pulled out a flower and spoke into it. ¡°Oi Cecil, bring your mana measuring device, also inform the headmaster that Hel wants to see how much power I have. Such an exhibition will need someone with a powerful enough barrier to keep me contained.¡± Cecil replied through the flower. ¡°Just how did you hack into my comms system with magic? You know what? Let''s discuss that in person. I knew it increased when you gained that fire affinity are you saying that it''s still growing?¡± ¡°Let''s just say, I''m going to need some new training weights. As my body is slowly meeting the limits of my capacity. If not, I''ll need to increase my rank faster.¡± ¡°Did you put an entire civilization into your domain or something?¡± ¡°Two. Technically.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Cecil?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Um. Hel? I think I may have broken Cecil.¡± ¡°What is this domain you speak of?¡± Hel asked curiously. ¡°You do know I have a space affinity. Right?¡± ¡°Yeah? Bits and pieces. Wait. Do you have a city in there?¡± ¡°I have a continent¡­¡± Hel slowly blinked. For a long ten seconds, she said nothing. ¡°Ok. I cleared my mind. Now how big did you say it was?¡± ¡°About the side of a continent. Well a small continent. Big enough for five countries. It was just an island until recently. By recently I mean at least five years ago. Apparently we were in a five year stasis and all the while my domain expanded.¡± Rion lied unabashedly. ¡°Ah, that would explain why some of my bugs multiplied in their containers.¡± ¡°See, totally normal.¡± ¡°Not normal at all. A continent, Rion. Do you know how much mana it takes to hold that many people?¡± ¡°Monsters and tools. I can¡¯t remember exactly but more than half my mana.¡± ¡°Just half.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question. So I won¡¯t answer.¡± Hel reached for her scythe only to discover that she couldn¡¯t summon it for some reason.¡± ¡°Why do you look like you want to cut my head off?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just, what you said sounds like something that shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­My training was a bit more brutal than most due to my regeneration and excessively high pain tolerance.¡± ¡°How high, exactly.¡± ¡°So long as I move my brain into my domain I can survive briefly as a skeleton or headless corpse, although my thoughts are slowed exponentially when I do that, it also requires that I quickly create a new body.¡± ¡°So decapitation can¡¯t even kill you.¡± ¡°It can.. I¡¯m not immortal. It just delays my death a bit. Regenerating from just a brain takes a long time unless I have a body already copied. We are talking minutes, not hours.¡± ¡°Why do you have a way to cheat death¡­¡± ¡°Death is an inevitability in this world. I would just rather my death not be accidental. Also there are a few ways to cheat death if you have imagination. However the best would be not being in a position where someone could take your life. Now take my hand.¡± Rion held out his left hand and in a flash of flame. Both he and Hel vanished from their position only to reappear in a hallway with nothing but doors. ¡°I feel sick.¡± Hel keeled over and began to dry heave. ¡°Huh didn¡¯t take you for someone with a weak stomach. Ms.Tactician.¡± Rion scowled. ¡°You can bring people with you when you teleport?¡± Hel asked as she wheezed. ¡°Yes¡­Have we really never talked like this before? I could have sworn you knew about my dual fire and space affinities. It¡¯s why I¡¯m able to summon large amounts of flames, very quickly.¡± ¡°I was aware of Rion, it¡¯s just that space affinities are rare. Teleportation is also a difficult technique to master. Many have decapitated themselves when practicing without proper understanding. Which is probably why it¡¯s rare. There is a major learning curb before one can even attempt teleportation.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Rion silently thanked Jala for making sure he didn¡¯t use that affinity. ¡°Had to hear it from someone else to understand huh?¡± Jala replied through their link. Rion proceeded to remember that he had a link and silently spoke back. ¡°I was pretty sure you were being pretentious. I am certain that I would have been one of the decapitated, had I known I had it earlier. I definitely would have used it to help my friends and either killed them on accident or myself. Heck, I could have done it while practicing in secret.¡± ¡°You also cut your hand off with a wind blade while trying to punch it out.¡± ¡°I was trying to surround my hand with a sharp wind barrier. I definitely would have died in the process.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore. Not sure when you got the training, but your control has improved greatly.¡± Rion felt someone pulling at a dimensional bag and negated it. His attention is fully on Hel. ¡°So my dear, just step through this door and I can show you everything you want to see.¡± Rion waited as Hel moved into the room. Moments later. As he did the door was blocked by a large stone wall. Hel turned in surprise, as she noticed that the door was blocked off, she began to worry. ¡°Uh¡­I¡¯m not into that Rion. Why did you block the door?¡± ¡°Hmm? Just curious about something, you may not be aware of this, but one of my teammates had been kidnaped recently. Due to that I have become dangerously paranoid, Hel.¡± ¡°I know about the kidnapping. My condolences to your former captain.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine sleeping in the great beyond. The coward was a pacifist anyway. He didn¡¯t have the guts to do what was needed. What is necessary to keep his friends safe.¡± Rion cracked his neck and took a step forward. Hel kept trying to summon her weapon to no avail. Fear welled up as she retreated a few steps. Rion smiled as he heard a beep and stopped moving. ¡°Now then, shapeshifter? Are you here to spy or to die? You have some information on me but most of it has holes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You have the ability to shapeshift. It¡¯s quite obvious when you know where to look. Certain proportions are off.¡± ¡°Eh em!¡± Someone coughed into their hand. Rion and fake Hel turned to see the real Hel sitting at a desk with a scowl on her face. ¡°What! Her eyes are half a millimeter closer together and her nose is an eighth of a millimeter lower. Those proportions are jarring. Imagine waking up and seeing someone you know with slightly different features. Like they went to a face sculpture, and made things worse.¡± ¡°Rion, please refrain from purposefully leading people astray.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ If your going to pretend to be Hel at least get it right.¡± Rion played with his face a bit causing his skin to change colors as well as his hair and eyes and in moments he looked exactly like Hel. ¡°Change back Rion. I don¡¯t like seeing my head on your overly muscular body.¡± ¡°You''re just jealous of my ten pack.¡± Rion put on a white shirt that was way too tight. ¡°I¡¯m going to.¡± ¡°Waaa!¡± Rion then flexed and the shirt burst into pieces of cloth. His normally average-looking physique flexed to the degree that even reality couldn¡¯t comprehend. ¡°Fine. Let''s see.¡± Rion waved his hands around his face as his bone structure and skin altered along with all of his features to the degree that he was now Rion. He also stopped flexing which made his muscles appear normal. However, no one present was buying that he had gotten weaker. The fake Hel was looking downward as liquid dripped from her face. Kyrion would assume it was tears and not an aftereffect of his rocky teleportation. ¡°So now that we have your attention. Why are you here?¡± ¡°To gauge how much power you have.¡± ¡°Just that, ey? Do you have the best senses on your team?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good, good. Fine. Cecil? Activate the mana measuring devices.¡± ¡°It¡¯s on. Hurry up, I need to finish my hand.¡± Rion took a few steps back and let the cage mine trigger. Trapping the fake Hel in a cage of solid mana. ¡°You saw Damian in the finals right? And Cecil you felt it. Try to stay conscious alright.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and began to pull at the seals he placed to keep his mana in and hide his presence. It started as a trickle to anyone with senses then the ground cracked as rocks and stone began to shoot upward. As more and more of his constant concentration was released the floating rocks were reduced to volcanic ash. The air around him began to warp as space bent and he gathered ashes pulled into a sphere in front of him. Then he removed the final veil he kept on his mana pool. Nothing happened for a long moment as Rion let out a deep breath. ¡°Oh that feels good. Like letting out a fart I¡¯ve been holding for years and not knowing that I¡¯ve been doing it. No¡­ More akin to sucking in in your stomach to appear thinner, only to release it after a century.¡± ¡°All that buildup and you hadn¡¯t changed.¡± The real Hel sighed. ¡°Hmm? That''s because I removed the veil I placed. I still need to flex.¡± ¡°JUst hurry up and¡­¡± Hel passed out her nose bleeding as mana overload hit her near instantly. Cecil¡¯s mana-gathering devices filled rapidly and entered an inert state, resulting in a barrier surrounding the young man appearing powered by the influx of raw power. A number appeared on Cecil''s device. 3^498. The barrier the fake Hel was in shattered as an overwhelming pressure enveloped the shapeshifter. In moments a green-skinned woman around seven feet in height lay as a drooling heap on the ground although she was not unconscious. As she adjusted to the power she even managed to stand back up. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be married¡­:¡± ¡°Not interested. Did Volain send you to gauge my power.¡± ¡°No. Yes? He said to observe you at your best and see if he should train further to catch up. You do have much more potent mana than Volain. I mean sheesh. It¡¯s like standing under our chieftain¡¯s gaze.¡± ¡°So about ten concentrated experts let their power flow simultaneously.¡± ¡°Yes¡­It isn¡¯t the highest I¡¯ve felt but it''s the highest from a mere practitioner.¡± ¡°So you are an expert.¡± ¡°Very close to one. But I follow the old ways. So my endurance must grow further.¡± ¡°Are you going to inform Volain?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t decide if you or Ander would be a more fun bout. I will push for Ander. You are too much of a beast for Volain to fight yet.¡± ¡°Thing is. I can only use so much mana at once without burning out my body. Burning out my body would damage me to a point where I would need an extended time to heal. So there my limits have been measured and gauged. Please plan accordingly.¡± ¡°Oh we will.¡± The orc woman left quickly, tossing the door¡¯s barrier to the side. ¡°Do you think that worked?¡± Hel said as she got to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m fine if they let any match up against me be a free win where they toss away their weakest.¡± ¡°Now then. Care to tell me why your mana is lower than it was last time?¡± ¡°Because I really didn¡¯t want anyone to explode. That was about a tenth of my current limit and the more I release the harder it is to bottle back up.¡± Rion cracked his neck before rapidly veiling his mana pool. ¡°I will take your word for that. You also refrained from using that power.¡± ¡°That I did. Volain already knows but I doubt he¡¯d share that information.¡± ¡°So do you know how long she was stalking you?¡± ¡°Since the solo tournament ended. Although it may have to do with the announced bracket. We are fighting their school in the third round should we make it that far.¡± ¡°Ok. Who do we fight next?¡± ¡°The team with Sinbad and Midas.¡± ¡°Is that so? Do we know the format?¡± Rion asked. ¡°Rescue your king.¡± ¡°So like capture the flag only with a person being the flag?¡± ¡°Yes and no. One of us will be the king. The king won¡¯t be able to fight until they are released from their bindings by a hero.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Not quite. The game ends when the king sits on their throne.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the king. Once freed I¡¯ll be quite dangerous in a fight. Also, the rules state that I can¡¯t fight, not that I can¡¯t run away on my own.¡± ¡°Actually yes, the rules state that you need to stay inside the rival¡¯s castle while the hero rescues you. You cannot fight until your restraints are present either. They are the special kind that restrict the flow of mana and absorb magic.¡± ¡°So they don¡¯t limit physical strength.¡± ¡°They do, you would be as strong as a fledgling. Only your unenhanced physical strength would count.¡± ¡°Do you wanna tell her or¡­¡± ¡°Would you rather tell the truth as to how you immediately noticed that you weren''t talking to the real Hel?¡± ¡°Yes actually. Hel, check the right wrist of your uniform.¡± Hel turned her arm over and looked noticing nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°Really look. In fact, press down on the button for three seconds.¡± Hel did so and scowled as she felt something move. After she removed her finger a butterfly made of flower petals flew off towards Rion. The creature landed on his index finger. ¡°One, how did you do that, two when did you do that? Three, can you make mine a rhinoceros beetle? Four, how did I not notice?¡± ¡°Did you forget my main talent? By this point i¡¯m sure everyone forgot that I use plants primarily. Through will I can alter how they grow and through my knowledge of runes and enchantments I can create animals made from plant parts. To some extent I can also give them life. Which I won¡¯t do often with bugs as they tend to not listen to me. What I placed on your sleeve is what I call a tracker. It usually keeps track of your pulse and location, under certain conditions it sends me an alert that travels through space to get to me if necessary.¡± ¡°I can see why you would make these. To think you created them so quickly.¡± Rion laughed. ¡°I made the first version years ago!¡± He then stopped, upon remembering the relationship between Hel and Minah. ¡°Why would you need to make these years ago? They are meant to keep track of allies.¡± ¡°A thought experiment.¡± ¡°Now now Rion. We all know thinking isn¡¯t your strong suit. Explain how you altered my work.¡±Cecil leaned onto his real hand. ¡°Alter¡­Wait. Amadeus used to keep searching for you in hopes of getting a rematch and you were rarely where people said you were. Minah thought the other students were protecting you from her.¡± ¡°To be fair. I was usually there when she arrived. But escaping via means I don¡¯t feel like disclosing.¡± ¡°Right you couldn¡¯t teleport then¡­¡± ¡°I tried to leave right before she arrived if at all possible.¡± ¡°How long have you been able to alter your face?¡± ¡°A talent I played with when I first reached practitioner. My hair had a habit of changing colors to reflect what element I was using. I had to nub that one quickly.¡± ¡°When did you plant one of these bugs on her armor?¡± ¡°When I realized Cecil was the one who did her enchantments It was the main reason we created Cecil¡¯s Harem. I can¡¯t believe I got caught.¡± ¡°You were the only other student who understood my runes enough to hide them in plain sight.¡± ¡°To be fair. I had a perfectly good reason for it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was possible to make runes disappear after imbuing them with mana. When I discovered them I thought she was getting someone else, or her benefactor was sending the armor here like this. Upon revealing the runes'' shape however, I learned who the true culprit was. It was the same kid that had been putting food into my stasis containers. So I placed an arcane lock on the fridge that appeared invisible when triggered, a cage made of the person¡¯s mana trapped them inside.¡± ¡°Cecil then made me reveal how I made my enchantment disappear and agree to stop altering his work, behind his back. He did let me keep the enchantments there, as long as I provided him with more materials.¡± ¡°So you let him keep tracking runes there?¡± ¡°They link straight to a master flower. Rion can¡¯t sense them unless he¡¯s trying, they¡¯re close, or the warning goes off.¡± ¡°The headmaster also has one. Including mine. Just in case I get kidnapped somehow.¡± ¡°Ignoring the privacy breach for now, the enchantment sounds like it¡¯s meant to keep all of us safe. I can appreciate that given the shapeshifting intruder and face that Bella was recently kidnapped. How do you plan on informing the others?¡± ¡°Bella is aware and Cecil gave her a new one. Ander had to be given a second one directly after he murdered the first. Max has yet to be told unless Karl spilled the beans already. TIffany had an older model, which I replaced, as she is someone standing. She had also been kidnapped before. Brion hasn¡¯t been informed of his yet, Minah has one on her armor that Cecil explained recently saying it was one of the added functions should she be in trouble during the team bouts. The kids got theirs a while back, although Bastion has a habit of breaking them somehow. You are one of the last to know. Although you do have more of the truth than most.¡± ¡°Most?¡± ¡°Yeah, most don¡¯t know I can track their location at will. As strategists we will leave that up to you. As well as the portal linking ability. Should you be in danger I will be linked your location and given the proper information to safely teleport to you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It is sadly a necessity. You saw them yourself.¡± Hel sighed. ¡°The fewer that know the better, including the tournament participants. Volain and Marigod are aware of my ability to teleport. I assume they will act on that information to prevent shenanigans and chicanery.¡± ¡°Like restricting your ability to teleport?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Rion sighed as he pulled an arm weight out of his domain. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°One of my arm weights. I need a localized gravity increasing rune. My body won¡¯t be able to keep up unless I strengthen my body further or rush through the ranks of practitioner to become an expert.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. But first, I need some materials for my new hand.¡± ¡°Do you have the tools?¡± Rion asked. ¡°Yes, I have everything I need along with a temporary hand.¡± Cecil held up a metallic hand that had a full range of movement. Hel jumped up and retreated. ¡°I¡¯ll think on this. We¡¯ll discuss strategy tomorrow.I should sit out however. Bella¡¯s power doesn¡¯t work well with my bugs and we are both defense based.¡± ¡°Actually. Let me borrow some for use in the battle. I¡¯m not at my bst, but using them for support via canisters and traps is legal.¡± ¡°Make a list. Then place it in that dungeon of mine. You should receive a treasure chest containing everything you need. Considering it just ate your metal bird.¡± ¡°How did Bastion get a hold of it again?¡± Cecil sighed. The list however was done before Kyrion could leave the dungeon. So he sent it to his domain and saw that it was immediately taken by Karl. ¡°I might as well stay here then.¡± Kyrion sighed as the treasure chest was filled and its contents passed to Cecil under the strict condition that he at least watch the work being done. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 17 Sea monsters The duo had arrived at what Almira called an endless amount of thralls. What was there didn¡¯t appear to be an army. What Kyrion saw consisted of a bunch of old(young) women in very little clothing posing and indulging in acts of narcissism. Kyrrion already had a narcissist in his life. He didn¡¯t need a conspiracy of them. ¡°Why do I have the urge to backhand you Kyrion?¡± Almira felt the back of her right-hand itch. ¡°There are a bunch of old women in there. How does that constitute an endless army of thralls?¡± ¡°Kyrion, the oldest of these women appears to be twenty five. That isn¡¯t old.¡± Kyrion stopped himself from saying it was. While it was older than him, Kyrion had to realize that he was also old. Although he didn¡¯t expect twenty-five-year-olds to be wrinkly and saggy in weird places. Was it truly downhill from here? ¡°Twenty-five hundred, maybe. That lady over there is knitting a scarf.¡± Kyrion pointed to an elderly woman who wasn¡¯t in a swimsuit and looked the part while wearing a white sundress. Her expression was wistful as she continued to knit. ¡°Kyrion, that woman looks about no older than twenty. What''s wrong with your eyes?¡± Kyrion decided to ignore her before a pang stabbed into his heart. ¡°Alexander? What are you doing here? This is the afterlife.¡± ¡°That name sounds familiar.¡± Kyrion muttered. ¡°That''s your grandfather''s name dunce.¡± Al¡¯caris spoke through Kyrion¡¯s eye. ¡°I met the guy once, and we were together for maybe a month of time. I did meet an impersonator though.¡± ¡°Alexander! Don¡¯t tell me you forgot me?¡± ¡°Old people, I swear.¡± Kyrion was smacked lightly on the back of his head. ¡°She may have information. Go talk to her.¡±Almira said through her teeth. ¡°I swear, you''re almost as pushy as my mom used to get when I had to take my medicine. Also, she has tentacles for fingers. This is some kind of trick.¡± Kyrion rubbed the area as he approached the old woman. ¡°Alexander. I¡¯m sorry. I sent the kids with one of my aids. Did she find you?¡± ¡°Kids? I don¡¯t have any kids.¡± Kyrion said with stupidity. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Alecordon, you must have met him, he¡¯s your son.¡± ¡°That name sounds somewhat familiar but I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°Seen it? You can¡¯t see sounds. Are you sure you aren¡¯t going senile in your ripe age.¡± Almira added. ¡°Maybe I heard it. Not too sure actually.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°What about Cordelia? Did you at least save her?¡± ¡°Oh¡­You¡¯re talking about my mother and Uncle. Alecordon is a lame name, although Demon Lord Alecordon does fall off the tongue so if that was the goal kudos.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How many years do you think passed? Do I look old to you?¡± ¡°But you look just like my Alexander?¡± Kyrion¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Listen. That old fart was my grandfather.If I¡¯m lucky he¡¯s probably gone to the other world. You, I don¡¯t know you, nor do I really care who you think I am. My current goal is to beat up that Errabus person and get the abyss out of here. If you want to meet my grandfather again I could try to get you sent to that other world via mail order.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°I could see him again?¡± ¡°Maybe. I think I can get you to piggyback on Charles¡¯ ascension if he feels like sharing.¡± ¡°LIttle Charlie the stowaway?¡± Kyrion was now no longer regretting the conversation. ¡°Tell me more?¡± ¡°We all met in passing when I was fifteen, I believe your grandfather was only a little older then. Not sure, but it had been before they found that young orc. Charles had been dropped off at an academy a year prior and instead of continuing school after he graduated, he instead hid in a barrel, thinking it was going on Alexander''s ship. It ended up on my trading vessel. We didn¡¯t find out he was there until we were at sea for three weeks.¡± ¡°He was hidden for three weeks. How¡¯d he get caught?¡± ¡°That''s the best part. While we were in the middle of nowhere he tried to pretend like he was supposed to be there. Not realizing that our fleet was all female, five naval vessels full of our island¡¯s natives. He received help from one of our younger cremates, Pok, who dressed him up a bit to help him better fit in as a female cremate. What Charles hadn¡¯t known at the time was that Pok was bad with makeup. Most aboard the vessel knew not to let Pok play with their faces, including others around her age. Had he been left alone his long blue hair and young features could have been played off with good acting.¡± ¡°But he exposed himself through ignorance.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°Our lands are sacred in that way. Men usually aren¡¯t allowed on our island due to our unique bodies. On occasion a young girl may kidnap a man that they intend to bring back as their husband but even that''s usually not allowed for those in the upper caste of our society.¡± ¡°So Charles was caught.¡± ¡°Well by rights of our people, male stowaways were to be executed, regardless of why they were aboard. Although he was obviously a kid that got on the wrong ship so when Pok said that he was her betrothed, we turned the other way.¡± ¡°Charles was married.¡± ¡°Still is, unless Pok has passed away recently. She was the aid I sent with Cordella and Alecordon. I believe she had a son named Lok who was a year or two younger than them.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Something here doesn¡¯t sound right. Wasn¡¯t Charles eight or something?¡± ¡°They officially got married when he hit twenty four. But that''s a different tale. A week after Charles became our ship''s musician we came in contact with a giant sea monster that tore through our ships. That was when a higher practitioner who had been stowing away on another of our ships jumped in and tore the expert tier beast to ribbons in minutes. As it turned out, he heard that our island was full of treasure and was planning on stealing a bunch, along with a sea vessel to sail back home after his last ship was torn to bits by a mad swordsman that called himself his rival.¡± ¡°Grandpa¡­¡±Kyrion slapped his face. ¡°He admitted as much when questioned and as he was quite powerful when compared to our own practitioners there wasn¡¯t much we could do to him. We had a hostage but we weren''t heartless.. He came away with a full ship, his friend, and quite a few treasures we couldn¡¯t carry due to one of our ships getting completely destroyed. I later learned that the ship was wrecked by that same swordsman challenging him to a second round.¡± ¡°How old is Maldain?¡± Almira scowled. ¡°A few thousand by now if not older. How something that demented was allowed to mature is concerning.¡± ¡°You met him?¡± ¡°He cut off my left arm and helped seal me in that tower. It took forever to heal.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Could he have killed you?¡± Kyrion steepled his fingers. Almira scowled, yes. He was above my level somehow. Why is he still in the lower worlds?¡± ¡°He¡¯s working with someone powerful. He took my left eye and I suspect he knew I had this prosthetic waiting.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s there then I¡¯m sure he¡¯s number one.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Doubt it. Now then. Supposed Grandma, wanna give my mom a heart attack while she tries and fails to bring my uncle back to life?¡± Kyrion pointed to a bag containing his uncle''s soul along with quite a few others. ¡°You can resurrect people?¡± ¡°I can give you a brand new body. Resurrecting is a bit tricky at the moment. It will be limited to my domain outside of short ten minute intervals and reasonably close. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m basing this on but something feels right about that. As though I know my limits.¡± ¡°So¡­ What do you know about Erebus?¡± ¡°What do I know? I do believe that I don¡¯t know much. I may have been here for a bit but I don¡¯t remember meeting anyone with that name.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here longer than me but haven¡¯t met the ruler of this place. Have you met anyone who claims to have a leadership role or be in some sort of elite guard?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side as he began to let his pressure spread across the land. The power pushed against one another briefly before overlapping and intertwining. Limiting his senses and teleportation to one mile. ¡°You should not have done that.¡± Said the supposed grandmother. ¡°Why is that?¡± Kyrion asked innocently before he noticed a sharp pain in his gut. Almira, raised her hand to send out waves of shadow into the old woman. Only nothing happened as her body instead began to glow golden and float upwards. ¡°Bad timing you damned shepard!¡± Kyrion wasn¡¯t dead yet he swiped his hand across as a blade of distortion moved outward and cleaved everything it touched for a mile before teleporting a portion two feet to the right. ¡°Now I can die.¡± A calm and serene voice came from above. ¡°You have upset the balance, young one. You should not be here while your body is living, even if time is in flux. The gravity of your world has been increased to assist its natural return but you will have to pay a price for causing disruptions. I will be taking the goddess you freed as well as increase your death delay to three months instead of a week. I¡¯ll be nice and tell you that you have 8 deaths remaining until you need to escape. It sounds like a lot but you have just wasted one. Also slipping your consciousness into a flesh puppet shouldn¡¯t have counted as a true death due to your body being too far away. I knew something was off when your soul lingered after your head was removed.¡± That was the last thing Kyrion heard as everything faded to black and his body had gone limp. His thoughts however continued briefly as words slipped. ¡°Guess my secrets out. At least I didn¡¯t get sent back early.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body lay in a pond just a little ways out from the territory he was just slain near. His drawing continued even during his death, with consequences of his tower drawing from wherever his domain was located. ¡°Welp. That sucked. I went from five allies to none, and a traitor out to kill me.¡± ¡°That may not be your grandmother. Not your actual one, anyways. When your aura covered the area their face began to change. You were just too preoccupied with a being of the Shepherds level, speaking directly into your mind. By the time you died their appearance was that of the others. Elderly people wearing far too little clothing. Although I do believe that we¡¯re seeing that due to my trained talent to see past illusions and your ability to sense one¡¯s true nature when they are in your aura of influence.¡± The voice stated. ¡°Great. I can¡¯t believe I just lost three months of time from a distraction.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe you got off that easy for tricking your way into this realm despite being alive.¡± ¡°The first few weren''t fully my fault. Now this one was premeditated when I learned what I needed to do.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± Alcaris asked.¡± ¡°Find my uncle''s soul, rescue my actual grandmother, and figure out how to get home. The last thing can wait until I reach the expert tier but that won¡¯t stop my research. ¡°Also, Cecil met my mom and dad, I should at least meet his. It¡¯s only right, we share that trauma." Kyrion thought evilly, Kyrion, co-captain of Cecil¡¯s Harem, and main benefactor in terms of resource acquisition. He had filled his domain with everything he could find and hadn¡¯t found his limits. He had filled his domain with coffins meant to¡­ ¡±Wait just a minuet!¡± Kyion rudely interrupted his inner monologue. ¡°What?¡± His ancestor asked. ¡°I forgot to take a friend out of his stasis coffin. I¡¯m just curious how he¡¯s able to move around in the real world while a part of him is with me.¡± ¡°You split someone¡¯s soul in half.¡± ¡°Not on purpose. He was heavily injured and near death but¡­¡± Kyrion withdrew a stasis coffin containing Ander from his domain and grimaced as he felt a powerful soul within. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to have to train him by myself, since Mike is too busy to help.¡± ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡± ¡°Ander has much more control over his magic than I do and If we spar, chances are he¡¯d kill me more than once, as he adjusts to the new level of power.¡± ¡°What makes you think he can kill you?¡± ¡°He has absorbed the potential of a dragon and going off this presence, the one he bested has killed quite a bit more than a few. Although they were much weaker due to being younger dragons.¡± ¡°Ah. And with three years to increase their potential he could truly become a monster. The first jump for dragons is at age six, where they go from vulnerable to vicious, but still weak. Did he absorb its core?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe so.¡± Kyrion scowled as he pulled the soul from the stasis coffin and felt a sharp pain behind his eyes. ¡°R-o-ar!¡± Ander yelled as the pain in his body subsided. ¡°My head, my burns, my soul. This isn¡¯t my body.¡± Kyrion looked to Ander. ¡°Listen buddy.¡± Ander looked at Kyrion and sent a bolt of killing intent at him only for nothing to happen. Kyrion forced himself not to flinch. ¡°What have you done this time?¡± ¡°Well. It seems I may have accidentally split your soul in half. Temporarily, when we get back I can fully integrate you within your own body but¡­¡± ¡°You''re going to keep me here for some reason. Why?¡± ¡°Because I have an army to fight and need someone who can help. Someone who doesn¡¯t need three months to return from the dead.¡± ¡°Ah, so you angered someone powerful and need some help.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the first one I asked.¡± Ander raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t buy it. Don¡¯t act like I haven¡¯t noticed that you¡¯re scared of my combat potential. In an all out fight to the death, how many times do you expect me to win against you?¡± ¡°To the death in our current situation? Six to five in my favor. While your potential is worrying, your attitude is holding you back. If you keep hiding your trump cards then they''ll go to waste when you''re caught off guard.¡± Kyrion said as he blinked behind Ander tapped him on the back of the neck and then blinked again thirty feet to his left without a tell showing that he had moved. ¡°So you had to get a head start first.¡± ¡°More of a, I forgot you were there, situation. Volain when he left is about how strong you are right now in terms of innate raw power. Which is concerning as he spent two whole years training here. He was also a full being, unlike you.¡± ¡°Volain is that weak?¡± ¡°Here, yes. In the real world, he could probably give you a run for your money. There I¡¯d say he¡¯s a little stronger due to his soul being enhanced and trained.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ander tried to move the wind around to no avail. ¡°Magic doesn''t work right here. You need to use Divine Essence, it''s everywhere in this world including inside the native monsters. I could give you some if you want. Or you could meditate and absorb it from the air around us.¡± ¡°Where are the monsters?¡± Ander asked. ¡°North west is an area full of large destructive beasts and traitorous humanoids who live to kill. Its highly dangerous and you probably won¡¯t survive as you are now, but hey in twenty four hours after death you come back to life in one of the ponds.¡± ¡°Is that so? And the other place?¡± ¡°Well there are a bunch of mean wrinkly old people who trick you into thinking they are your long lost family before killing you. I bet they are weak and give tons of soul¡­Divine Essence or D.E. I¡¯d go there if I were you. Then when you¡¯ve gathered enough power I¡¯ll teach you how to allocate it to make you stronger and teach you how to access your soul armor. It¡¯s like a full manifestation but quite a bit stronger and concentrated. Think of it as the next step.¡± ¡°I see. Why do I get the feeling that this knowledge will make me stronger than quite a few experts?¡± ¡°Because it will. You are on par with the weaker tier as a practitioner, but so are most at the tournament. I bet Damian can take on a mid-to-high expert at his skill level. Do you wish to fall that far behind?¡± Kyrion lied with a straight face knowing that the two were close in skill level and both could probably fight a high-tier expert already, so long as they weren''t on the ranking. Ever since Kyrion learned about those numbers, true experts hid in their bodies he had become suspicious. ¡°Fine fine. Reaching expert is just the beginning. Outside of their immunity to attacks not of a certain tier of power they are also innately strong. Is that Divine Essence at work?¡± ¡°Experts get a taste of it when they reach that level, so do those who master their manifestations. It¡¯s why you and Tiffany already have a taste of that power. Mine however had been sealed by an agreement that I¡¯m now worried hadn¡¯t been broken. Enough about me, dragon slayer. You need to get to work. We only have three years and I have some lesson plans to come up with.¡± ¡°You''re just going to let me go with no understanding of how to use my powers here?¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t back in a week then I¡¯ll start looking. I think you should be fine with your martial arts skills as you are. Get the power then come back. From there you can just do what you want. ¡°And that confirms that this was a spur of the moment situation. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 18 As it turned out. Ander was justified in being cocky. He had returned on day six with enough D.E. to enhance him quite a bit. His body now radiated power like a beacon and needed to be focused. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll explain the attributes you can enhance. ¡°Endurance, Range, Potency, and Absorption. Endurance makes your soul tougher, meaning you can channel and hold more power within. Range increases where your soul can affect and draw power, increasing how much power you naturally draw in. Potency is your skills¡¯ effectiveness, from making fire more destructive to making healers more efficient. Absorption helps you absorb power faster and turns some of the damage you take into your own.¡± ¡°It sounds like potency and absorption are my main attributes to be enhanced. If you can, push up my endurance or range one unit for every five. As they didn¡¯t have numbers, Kyrion made some up and compared them to him. ¡°Potency, twenty-five, Endurance eight, absorption Twenty-five, Range Eight.¡± ¡°So Only had sixty eight units.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Kyrion lied. There had been sixty-nine by; Ander needed that last one for the next step. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Can you now sense that power flowing around you and into your body?¡± ¡°Huh. Yes, I hadn¡¯t noticed it before.¡± ¡°Tell it to gather around your body and attempt to shape it into whatever you wish. Preferably armor.¡± Ander began to focus, and as he did this, the air began to chill as his right arm gained tiger stripes, and his hands became sharp claws. Lightning danced across the tips of his claws before gathering and condensing into a powerful ball of screeching electricity. ¡°Right¡­ You can stop Ander.¡± Kyrion said he could sense it wasn¡¯t, but he still had to try. ¡°I¡¯ll stop¡­after one quick experiment,¡± Ander said as he calmly pointed two claws right at Kyrion. Then he proceeded to calmly focus the lightning gathered into a single condensed and quiet mass of power. One that was so well maintained that Kyrion almost forgot what it was. Then he proceeded to calmly let loose a blast of energy that let out a blinding light that shot a hundred feet outward as the bolt itself moved faster than light. A millisecond later left, and a shockwave from the sound shot Ander a mile away while destroying the ground near their location. By the time the dust and light faded, Kyrion could be seen holding his right hand out. A series of triangular shields hand formed a barrier around him that seemed to barely hold. Layers of the triangular objects littered the ground; chunks of those had been removed. Still, aside from some visible exhaustion, Kyrion seemed unharmed. Or he did at first; only a small hole had formed in his neck where a streaked bolt hand managed to snake its way through the thorns and pass through him with disturbing ease. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we don¡¯t have organs here.¡± Kyrion gathered his D.E. in that area and quickly repaired the damage. Two minutes later, Ander jogged back toward ground zero, admiring his destruction before eyeing a seemingly uninjured Kyrion. ¡°I bloody knew it.¡± ¡°K-knew what.¡± Kyrion¡¯s voice had cracked, which was more work to do on purpose than it was by accident here. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t summon me here If your didn¡¯t have a way to defend yourself against me.¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah, I wasn¡¯t sure but yes, I can definitely defend against your strongest attack.¡± ¡°Kyrion. You¡¯ve known me for years. When would I start with my strongest attack when showing you what I can do?¡± Ander asked with a predatory gaze. If Kyrion could sweat here, then he would be soaked. Then the sweat would evaporate into a nice smelling mist, and he¡¯d use the cover it provided to escape with a teleport. Instead, Kyrion decided to call that bluff. No way Ander had that much power after Kyrion¡­ ¡°How much of your D.E did you give me access to, for allocation.¡± ¡°About a quarter. I wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t put everything into something like, range. I don¡¯t know what that is but it sounds quite useless.¡± ¡°The increased range is what caused the blinding light. You stole power from the area around you to enhance that attack. Would you like to put the rest in potency? With that level of power I don¡¯t believe I need to worry about you dying too often here.¡± Kyrion stretched as he decided his friend would do better, seeing the difference between their styles in person. ¡°No. If I¡¯m going to get more energy then I think I should keep that ratio going forward.I do need some balance after all.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. ¡°Fine. Give me what you want to allocate to enhancements.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ander held his right hand out. Kyrion looked at the hand and let his ancestor take the lead as D.E. condensed inside his form as it became more distinct. His green hair could be differentiated from his pale skin. Oddly enough, his ears tapered slightly and appeared longer than normal. Almost like an elf, only something was off. Kyrion scratched his head, coming across his horns, and squinted. ¡°Ander. Are you an elf, by any chance?¡± ¡°No. Probably not, unless elves come from a similar ancestor. My heritige is that of a Spriggian. One of my ancestors comes from somewhere far, far away, and while we share the pointed ears. That¡¯s where the similarities end.¡± ¡°Wait. Are they from Cecil¡¯s world?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Cecil¡¯s¡­Right, he¡¯s a summoned hero or something. No, the opposite direction I believe.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Your ancestor was brought here to destroy the world?¡± Kyrion held a hand over his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know. What I do know is that my clan is relatively small, consisting of my two older brothers and that¡¯s it. We all have an innate wind and darkness affinity, while our spirits add a new flavor to our powers. I don¡¯t renenber either of my parents and I¡¯m certain that my older bothers don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°Wait what!¡± Kyrion took a step back. ¡°Oh. You haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Ander smirked as he created a ball of darkness in his palm before filling it with a small amount of lightning. The bolt was swallowed by the darkness, and the ball changed. From there, Ander pointed it to the right and let it fly. Nothing happened. Well, not at first. A loud boom trailed off as the sound barrier was shattered, but nothing happened. Not until an invisible bolt struck a tree, and it exploded into splinters of wood. ¡°You feinted. The big blast you shot out was a feint as you shot an invisible arcing bolt first while distracting me with that blast. The light prevented me from noticing it. How long we¡¯re you going to keep that one hidden?¡± ¡°I thought you knew. When you gave me the core for the dark lightning spirit Raijin.¡± ¡°You mean Fujin, right?¡± ¡°No. It was Raijin. Dark elemental spirits can be pathological liars, but in this case, its previous owner had both swords and got them mixed up for a few millennia which led to the spirit also forgetting its original name.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I should have kept it.¡± ¡°Meh, it wouldn¡¯t have suited you. But now you know of my major trump card. Now tell me, how the hell did Damian counter my invisible bolt and distraction. Even though it is a distraction, that doesn¡¯t make it weak. But he cut through both like paper.¡± Kyrion eyed his friend and shrugged. ¡°If I tell you then you,do you intend to use that information to beat him in the one on one tournament matches?¡± ¡°No. I lost once, and don¡¯t intend to fight him again until later if we¡¯re lucky.¡± ¡°Sound. While your bolts do move as fast if not faster than light, Damian¡¯s reflexes are able to act at that speed. On top of that, he also has a weird time ability, he calls it tempo, when ranged attacks enter a certain range they slow to the speed of sound and he can feel each attack as it comes. He probably heard both the shadow bolt and the lightning bolt.¡± ¡°And at their altered speed,he cut them both in half. Wait if you knew about it, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°Would you have had as much fun if I spoiled the surprise the first time it happened? Also, it¡¯s a secret of his. If you reacted during your first bout I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have been mad.¡± ¡°But our first fight didn¡¯t happen?¡± ¡°It did, and I know a trick to awaken those lost memories if you ever use that info to beat him.¡± ¡°Your powers are strange and convenient.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think that. My main issue is I have a utility belt of powers and answers and to reach my full potential in a battle I need time to set up. Sadly most of my powers are locked until I decide to reveal who I truly am. The good news is that my fire magic is here to be trained.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Kyrion, I know you¡¯ve said you want to travel as a wandering healer. But have you put much thought into what you¡¯ll do when you¡¯re ready to settle down? I know there¡¯s a girl near you, but if you want her to take you seriously then you¡¯ll need to have a direction and image of an end goal.¡± ¡°What do you want to do, oh wise and slightly older Ander.¡± ¡°I have two years on you.¡± ¡°Not anymore, I mean, I just found out that I was actually seventeen. Although technically I was comatose for a year and or two. But I¡¯m not the youngest anymore! My mind will finally match my body.¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re still fifteen. Had you argued that you spent two years here aging, maybe, but you haven¡¯t mentally matured much? Although you do seem a bit more balanced.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°No wise comeback or counter? Maybe you did mature a little.¡± ¡°All right dragon slayer.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°I need to kill at least two dragons for that.¡± ¡°Dude, I can sense about twenty adolescent dragon souls in there.¡± Kyrion poked Ander in his stomach right above the naval. ¡°Kyrion. I¡¯m a male and I¡¯m sure Lin¡­ Oww!¡± ¡°Ander, I believe you when you say that. I really do, but you seem to misunderstand. Your draconic energy has gathered where your large intestines should be.¡± ¡°Draconic Energy and Divine Essence. That¡¯s a lot of D.E.¡± ¡°All the D.E. is that why you¡¯ve been so arrogant lately? Nevermind, dragon energy is the potential absorbed after killing dragons, it is tied to your bloodline and allows you to gain power as you age.¡± ¡°So I can¡¯t focus it.¡± ¡°Nope, everything should get better as you get older. I also think it allows you to grow taller?¡± ¡°I am ready to kill all the dragons.¡± ¡°Easy tiger. Some dragons are good. Also, age matters, if you want to kill a dragon, the older the better. There¡¯s a big dragon we need to kill together sometime in the future. Probably.¡± Kyrion informed his friend. ¡°You¡¯ll let me get the kill?¡± Ander asked hopefully. ¡°If you¡¯re strong enough I¡¯ll let you fight it alone. While I beat the demons out of my red haired uncle.¡± ¡°Do you have another uncle?¡± ¡°As far as I know, no. But my dad doesn¡¯t talk about his family which probably means I¡¯ll have to beat the demons out of them as well. Only I believe that they might be bald.¡± ¡°Why does it matter that he¡¯s red haired, then?¡± ¡°Fine, while you¡¯re fighting the dragon, I¡¯ll be beating the demons out of the Demon Lord. Gamodren may also try to help you as he has beef.¡± ¡°Why would meat allow him to help me kill a dragon. You make it sound so easy.¡± ¡°Oh no, It won¡¯t be. That man quickly stabbed a hole through my chest despite my durability. I was lucky that time was messed up. Although I do believe that once we reach Cecil¡¯s tier of power, we will shoot through to the top quickly. ¡°We need to get the others here then as well.¡± ¡°First we need to get the others in either my domain or dungeon. I imagine that you will be able to gain D.E much more easily in the future.¡± Kyrion pulled out a ten-unit soul coin and tossed it to Ander. ¡°This is potent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ten units of concentrated D.E. If I die, I want you to absorb these and meditate until I can return. You haven¡¯t caught up in terms of power as I¡¯ve had years to gain power but you may have time.¡± Kyrion withdrew a sack of the potent coins and handed them over. ¡°So I¡¯m strong, but even if I pierced your shield I may not have killed you.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Kyrion looked to the side. His friend needed these more than him as, in terms of D.E. allotment, Kyrion had hit a wall with 200 in every aspect. He knew he could break through to a new tier of power but suspected it would be dangerous during this trip. Ander, however, wasn¡¯t under that scrutiny and could break past that limit, and Kyrion had an idea of how to. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 19 The Sun Kyrion and Ander stood atop a hill in the middle of a hoard of what Kyrion called Valls, vanity thralls. Ander, however, called the zombies. The two instead agreed to just call them the Lost Legion. And so the legion of lost swarmed about the area in an attempt to get to the young men standing atop the hill. ¡°Kyrion. Why did you bring the hill here?¡± ¡°The high ground is important. There are only two of us so we need a decisive advantage.¡± ¡°Did you have to drop us right on top of them though?¡± Ander said as he elbowed one of the lost in the throat with enough power to cause it to dissipate instantly. ¡°I¡¯m claiming all ninety seven of those kills. Thank you very much.¡± Kyrion replied as he landed an axe kick on the head of a lost, turning it into mist. From there, he spun on his right foot, turning his falling kick into a roundhouse as he dissipated three more lost. Ander scoffed. ¡°Like you need more kills. Save some for me.¡± Ander let loose a series of precise strikes, dissipating four Lost quickly before training a target blow in someone¡¯s gut. A bolt of lightning shot through its back and spread outwards like a tree, impaling more and more lost as the power used the D.E. inside the victim to power each additional strike. In seconds, Ander watched in horror as his legion of Lost was being erased, and the energy that returned to him was minimal at best. ¡°You know, I tried to save some for you, but if you¡¯re going to use a Genocide Bolt, the gloves are off. Well on, in my case.¡± Kyrion summoned his purple and red armor as his body grew more solid, his eyes took a concerned shape, and a pair of antlers grew from his head. They no longer appeared as small branch-shaped horns, as they revealed themselves, beginning to absorb the Divine Essence. From there, metal formed around his face like water going over his forehead and cheeks, keeping the red and purple pattern as it stopped at his lower cheeks; from there, the armor moved behind his face to the back of his head to connect with the opposite side. From there, a scale-like pattern connected the open-face helm to his body, forming a barrier around his neck. ¡°Huh. Those are big horns.¡± Ander stated. ¡°About eighty percent done now. Although I just wanted my gloves.¡± Kyrion muttered as he sliced his hand horizontally. A purple line passed through the hoard of Lost and continued further. Where it passed, heads were separated from necks, and bodies dispersed into D.E. and flowed into Kyrion. The head reappeared momentarily as a mass of raw power and had been directed into Ander. ¡°Jeez, is that what you were holding back?¡± ¡°I wanted to push them back, not remove their heads.¡± Kyrion scowled as he cut the air with the purple energy again, only to notice that a bit of fire had been leaking in. Correcting that was easy, and Kyrion realized he was dumb for not testing it before using it to wipe out an army. ¡°Kyrion, don¡¯t feel guilty, it was us or them, we aren¡¯t the ones running at them.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Yeah, and we may have to do this three or four more times. Guess you win this one Ander.¡± ¡°My Genocide Bolt vs your Diminsional Execution. Which one do you think is stronger?¡± Ander asked. ¡°In terms of magnitude mine. In terms of cost effectiveness yours. I hate to admit it but we may need these techniques honed sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°Because of the war?¡± ¡°Because our enemies, well at least mine are quite powerful and you should probably figure out how to kill me if I fail to defeat my evil shard. I believe he¡¯s talented in this same skill set.¡± ¡°You already know about your shards? Wait, is Kyrie one of your shards?¡± ¡°Yeah, an expert from another world, why?¡± ¡°How are you not evil?¡± Kyrion stopped for a moment and tripped, falling face-first on the hill. He lifted his head up to Ander. ¡°Beg pardon?¡± ¡°Kyrie is simple, he was motivated by power and mindlessly growing stronger. He wanted to fight stronger foes and continue that mindless path of violence and combat. His desires should have influenced your own. The fact that he doesn¡¯t even show up, seems like a bit of restraint from someone stronger. Also, with the elements I know you have and your mana, killing your enemies isn¡¯t hard if they give you any time to set up. I¡¯ll even give you the benefit of the doubt and say you could beat most in a hand to hand bout despite your lack of formal training in a true martial art.¡± ¡°The way of the Hokey Pokey, is a true martial art.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a combat style that focuses on pressure points and disabling attacks. Sure you could kill if you didn¡¯t hold back, but it¡¯s a self defense style made to punish those who get into melee range.¡± ¡°I can use it offensively, when I need to.¡± ¡°Quit distracting me. With how cocky Rion was, I assumed he had a bigger role in making things happen but.¡± ¡°You saw Kyrie act separately, yet I hadn¡¯t changed in attitude or personality. I can¡¯t be a hero, Ander. Just as well, I can¡¯t be considered a villain or second Demon lord, despite him being my uncle. I am a walking ball of chaos and mischief, where I go things change. Everything I touch absorbs a portion of my own chaos. Do you think I haven¡¯t noticed that those around me, tend to get stronger, faster, or gain in power more quickly? Those I heal, become stronger than they were before. I am surrounded by friends and allies that I care for but can¡¯t be near too long at times as my presence could make them ignore exhaustion and or injuries. Before I had magic, I didn¡¯t notice, my father would take me outside to play in the fields to play whenever I was sick.¡± ¡°That sounds backwards.¡± Ander stopped Kyrion briefly. ¡°My mana was tearing me up from the inside and killing me. Just the act of going outside and moving around the fields caused the excess to flow out of my body. Which gave me a little more time.That time was spent causing trouble for my neighbors and the other kids that had thought I was a freak. In hindsight, my magic did cause a few wild incidents. Nothing dangerous, just a few trees growing where there shouldn¡¯t be trees. Or animals turning into cored monsters, just by being in my general area or eating something I touched. Then there was the fire with Asesla.¡± ¡°Fire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I remembered while here, and managed to gain access to my other half. Apparently my young mind had chalked it up to trauma and buried it.¡± ¡°I know your cou-sister, is capable of wielding powerful fire magic.¡± ¡°Yes. The thing is, I now know my fire affinity had been sealed within her as a way to save us both.¡± ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. You sure you want to hear it?¡± Kyrion¡¯s pov An absurdly long time ago, when I was four years old. I played outside with Asela and my neighbor, a slightly older girl named Nelin. Asela was a small ball of sugar at the time, nothing like how you would describe her after the awakening. I would have even said she was my favorite younger sister then. But I digress. We decided to play Hide and Seek in the nearby forest. A dumb decision for someone at the age of four to make, but the place was mostly safe, and the older kids also tended to venture deeper for training and rabbit hunting. Most of the creatures there were good sources of wild game. When a monster appeared, it was rare, and with my father being a practitioner, most monsters that did come were swiftly purged. It made sense to me that my dad led the town¡¯s hunters and militia, but at the time, I hadn¡¯t entirely understood that he was a war hero and much stronger than he pretended to be. Anyhow, Nelin was tasked with finding us while Asela and I were hidden. Yours truly had chosen to climb up the tallest tree he could find. Which, in hindsight, isn¡¯t something I should have been capable of doing at that age. Yet tree climbing and talking to the squirrels was a relaxing pastime. While I was preoccupied by a few squirrels having a nut dispute after getting divorced. A scout from the republic had snuck into the forest in search of a good place to attack when they returned with their army. It was supposed to be a quick occupation, treaty be damned. No one really cared about the border villages after all. Being a semi-trained fledgling, the scout quickly found Asela hiding in some nearby bushes. Now, if I was four, Asela was between two and three, which also, in hindsight, made bringing her along. Kind of a stupid thing to do. The scout had already killed a few of the older boys who had gone out into the forest to hunt. His clothes were covered in blood. A sword was sheathed at his hip, and he didn¡¯t even bother to draw it as he approached the toddler, hiding with hands over her face. Not knowing that she should have been scared. ¡°What are you doing there little lady?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Hide! Seek!¡± ¡°Oh? So there are more of you around?¡± ¡°Big broder and siser.¡± Asela replied. In my stupidity, I had partially ignored the man and hadn¡¯t paid enough attention to his actions. Which was a failure on my part. ¡°Ah. Then I must have killed them already?¡± ¡°Ki-¡± Asela had started to ask when a kick sent her flying into a tree. It was hard; if anything, she was lucky to survive such a blow. Fledglings were not that much physically stronger than normal people, but he was still a fully grown man. That kick had broken ribs and left her in a near critical condition. ¡°Oh? Guess I should have been softer.¡± Asela let out a blood-curdling cry that immediately tore me out of my fugue state, and when my eyes found the small battered body that had no business looking near death on our lands. I felt a rage that I haven¡¯t felt since. My emotions were usually subdued or delayed, but this rage was different. I had begun to climb down the tree quickly when a worried Nelin ran into the clearing and spotted Asela. ¡°Run Kyr! Asela¡¯s been killed!¡± Nelin had tried to protect me as the oldest present. Now, I was never one to go against my heart, and Asela hadn¡¯t actually died. She was a bit more resilient than that. But she was clearly close. I wasn¡¯t going to run and let Nelin fight that bastard alone. I hadn¡¯t actually known that Nelin had participated in a recent awakening and gained mana that year. She didn¡¯t really play with magic all that often. So when she conjured a small ball of ice and shot it at the man, it was surprising. The ball even hit the man square in the face. Only it did no noticeable damage. ¡°Another young spirit master. A shame you have to die today. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d have been pretty.¡± The man withdrew his sword and raised his arm into the air. At that moment, my rage had reached dangerous levels, and I had a high degree of intent when it came to getting revenge and protecting my best friend. The blast of mana I shouted out seemed more like a whip made from energy than a ball of fire. It was also thin and brittle-looking. However, it was sliced and cauterized instantly as it made contact with the scout¡¯s arm. Resulting in sudden immense pain. The power flew over Nelin and hit the ground, causing a large fire to spread from that location. The fledgling scout, down an arm and in immense pain, decided to flee and tell his superiors of the enemy¡¯s strength when two roots shot out of the ground and tied him to the spot. ¡°That had to at least be a practitioner! But I can¡¯t sense one anywhere! Come out and face me like a man.¡± I was four; I didn¡¯t face him like a man. I was also still angry, and that desire to end him didn¡¯t quite go away, and with an exercise of intent, the scout¡¯s head was removed. As my rage faded, another horror dawned one of immediate danger. I had surrounded us all in a powerful ring of fire with no way out, and my horror upon seeing it caused my fear and emotions to go haywire, which in turn caused the fire to grow stronger and more chaotic. A feedback look of fear and not understanding the cause. Nelin managed to grab Asela, and we sat in the ring of fire surrounded by a much smaller igloo. My mana had somehow increased the power of the igloo while we had, but the danger was still coming. Minutes later, Dad arrived and tore us out of the igloo. Carving a path through the flames as he led us back home to safety. Asela received some quick treatment, but it wasn¡¯t enough. She had been harmed by the smoke and heat to the degree that she would die without assistance. It was while we were desperate and worried when Charles appeared with a proposition. ¡°If you transplant Kyrion¡¯s flame affinity it¡¯s possible the damage will cease and soon undo itself.¡± ¡°But if we do that-¡± Dad started. ¡°He¡¯ll regain the affinity in time. Possibly sooner rather than later. The process will probably be better for him in the long run. No more accidental flare ups even if they did save their lives this time.¡± Charles stated. ¡°I don¡¯t think fire would be safe for him to have. Not right now. That level of damage so quickly could lead to an accidental death. I don¡¯t want my son to go through another experience like this only to come out broken mentally.¡± ¡°His fire was powerful for an unawakened.¡± Bill stated. ¡°I don¡¯t think that was fire. Still we won¡¯t have much time.¡± Next thing I know, I woke up with black hair, and the one called psycho had managed to sneak into my subconscious via the trauma of the event and missing affinity.¡±
¡°So you already knew Lin. I wonder if that¡¯s why you fell in love with her.¡± ¡°Psh. No. Nelin was my childhood best friend and keeper. There is no way.¡± ¡°There has to be a hint in that head of yours.¡± ¡°A hint?¡± ¡°Why would Sigfried protect Lin?¡± ¡°Because she came from a remote island?¡± ¡°Why does Lin have Ice magic like Nelin?¡± ¡°Wait¡­There was this one time where I told her I wanted to play together forever¡­ No. Not even Mother would be twisted enough to let me set myself up.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to suspect we¡¯ve been engaged for a while. Or well betrothed. But I decided to like her all on my own. If she is Nelin, I¡¯ll ask. If she tells the truth, we can put this under the rug. ¡°Did Nelin go off to attend an academy?¡± ¡°Huh.¡±Kyrion sat down in a stupor,¡± ¡°Moving on. You gave Asela a powerful affinity. In return you didn¡¯t cause any more disastrous fires.¡± ¡°Via magic.¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t be a hero because you gave away your fire affinity.¡± ¡°Can we move on. I just want to live out my golden years with a happy family, not die before i¡¯m thirty being a hero.¡± ¡°Golden years are when you¡¯re much older.¡± ¡°Yeah. Like thirty.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ How old is your mother?¡± ¡°Twenty five.¡± ¡°And your father?¡± ¡°Fifty six.¡± ¡°How old was your mother five years ago?¡± ¡°Twenty five.¡± Kyrion stated in a way that meant dropping the subject. ¡°So your dad is old?¡± ¡°Like really old.¡± ¡°Did you forget that we can live centuries?¡± ¡°Great¡­Ander. I feel like punching some Lost. First, to kill Erebus wins.¡± Ander, who didn¡¯t need another second of rest, turned into a black lightning bolt and vanished. A booming sound echoed as the sound worked to catch up to him. Kyrion looked down at his hands and clenched them. ¡°They worked too hard to keep me alive, just for me to die a hero¡¯s death.¡± From there, the young man stood, looked off into the distance, and sensed a familiar presence. With a twitch of mana, Kyrion appeared behind the woman who had just claimed to be his grandmother. ¡°Hello there.¡± Kyrion said as he placed a hand on each shoulder. ¡°Came back for revenge, have you? A shame really. Your family is delicious, sadly I won¡¯t be able to savor you as well.¡± Kyrion noticed that the walls of his cottage had begun to move to surround them before enclosing them like a mouth. Kyrion snapped the neck he was holding and scowled as the walls continued to encroach. ¡°No!¡± Kyrion let flames flow out of his body and push at the walls to no avail. He attempted to teleport but couldn¡¯t remove his body from this creature. A throaty voice laughed as it spoke down on Kyrion. ¡°Ha! You can¡¯t teleport from within my belly. You may have escaped once but never again!¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°You¡¯re trying to eat me too? When am I going to run into someone who just wants me dead?¡± The walls continued to encroach as Kyrion pretended to wait for his death. As the wall was within five feet on each side, Kyrion spun in a circle, sending out a condensed line of purple that left behind a charred residue where it cut. The top of the house vanished as the bottom stopped moving altogether. Unlike what he¡¯d considered D.E., glowing blue motes floated around him. Touching one caused him to see through someone else¡¯s eyes briefly. ¡°Souls¡­ That sounds correct. They should get in the bag.¡± Kyrion opened his domain and rapidly began to pull the souls into it. He would sort them out later. A voice Kyrion hadn¡¯t heard in years spoke to him. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop putting large populations of sentient humanoids here I¡¯m going to make your love life difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weirdly specific threat¡­ How?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± Jala removed herself from Kyrion¡¯s head. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll send them to Karl then.¡± ¡°Still processing the island tortoises! Although, while they are quite useful as raw materials they take a while, even with thirty years of time. What are they made of?¡± ¡°Divine Essence, I should be able to give you some through our connection.¡± Kyrion focused on his energy and fed it through the connection, only to be caught off guard by a scream. ¡°Ahhh! Stop! You¡¯re going to force me to evolve!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Kyrion muttered, cutting the feed instantly. ¡°This tier of energy is chaotic. Don¡¯t do that unless you¡¯re ready to break into expert. You¡¯ll lose future utility but the power you¡¯ll gain will be more concentrated. Plus yu cold always make spells later.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t I need cores to become an expert?¡± ¡°No, by evolving your spirit you can cause it to reach maturity. Cores can be used to expedite this process, but they also alter the core aspects of the power.¡± ¡°Wait. Does that mean, every practitioner can break into the expert tier when they deem themselves ready?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you help Lingar do so? Cores are a common tool, but most monsters on your world found a way around cores. Heck, what do you think the prize of this tournament is?¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­ I thought it would awaken my original spirit.¡± ¡°Through evolution. All of us would evolve. Only I doubt you actually need that to awaken your old friend. I can sense the change as you have solidified as a person.¡± ¡°I see. So I can move into that tier when I¡¯m ready. Then beyond with some effort.¡± ¡°Do so after the call goes out and the experts leave. It should give you the chance to take down the Beast Blood Empire.¡± ¡°I see the merit in that, but I¡¯ll need to talk to the others. I¡¯d also need to graduate early.¡± Kyrion popped his knuckles as he looked about. Killing that creature had left the area empty with nothing he could sense in miles. Strangely enough, he could feel that the final quarter of this outer kingdom had also been destroyed. Only he couldn¡¯t sense Ander anywhere. ¡°Did he die?¡± Asked a small creature from behind Kyrion. Book 3: Chapter 13 Second Round Begins Rion awoke on the day of the second round with a massive headache. He hadn¡¯t remembered sleeping on the floor. Nor did he recall how he ended up there. He did remember something about peanut butter cookies¡­.No, there was more. ¡°Oww.¡± As he felt his head, he noticed dry blood had pooled under him in a dangerous amount. Using his water affinity, he purged his lungs of dry blood and removed any trace of potential infections without so much of a cough. However, the disturbing mixture had to be sent into his domain, much to Jala¡¯s disgust. ¡°Let¡¯s see. What do I remember?¡± Nothing could come to his mind. It was as though¡­¡± Oi! Am narrator, are you gaslighting me?¡± I am no mere narrator. I am your subconscious. ¡°I¡¯m hearing voices in my head great.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°That¡¯s normal. What¡¯s gaslighting by the way?¡± Kyrie asked. Don¡¯t answer him. He cannot be trusted. They just want your cookie recipes. You mustn¡¯t share them lightly. Pb Choco Pretzel Crunch could destroy the world. ¡°You just want my cookies!¡± Rion said aloud. ¡°What cookies?¡± Kyrie was quite confused. ¡°My special cookies.¡± What makes them special? ¡°Six cups of flour, three teaspoons of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt. One cup of semi crushed salted pretzels, a cup of chunk cut chocolate, a cup of peanut butter chips, a cup of unshelled roasted peanuts, four eggs, a cup of sugar, a drop of vanilla, two drops of banner leaf extract.¡± ¡°Why did you tell me the recipe if it¡¯s supposed to be a secret?¡± Kyrie said. ¡°Oh no! Now I have to kill you. That recipe is too strong for this universe. You don¡¯t know what happened the last time I made those cookies.¡± ¡°You blew up the kitchen, then had someone with the skill to make it for you.¡± ¡°Wrong. I learned that some ovens don¡¯t require fire to work. And figured it out. I also learned to leave in the eggshells for that perfect bite and calcium.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrie did not wish to see. Also, someone here will betray you at the worst possible moment. Ok bye! ¡±Wait!¡± Kyrion woke up in his bed with some blood leaking from his nose and a headache that was now fading. He couldn¡¯t remember why he jolted awake as his eyes landed on a worried Lin, who had rushed into his room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I heard yelling.¡± Lin looked suspiciously at a red mark on right temple. ¡°Probably just a nightmare. I can¡¯t remember it anymore anyways. Are you ready to watch me cause trouble for my captors?¡± ¡°I would be honored. I was at your door because Max said you were sleep talking earlier.¡± ¡°What was Max doing in my room?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly quiet. Thin walls. He said he heard everything and was rooting for us. Know what that was about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. But I am craving something sweet and salty.¡± Bastion, Eden, Illanda, and White Fox stood in a circle around a list of ingredients. A raccoon and weasel were observed from below. ¡°So, this is why we messed with Mr.Rion. The secret ultimate cookie recipe.¡± ¡°Yes. So¡­Can anyone read this?¡± Eden asked. Bastion scowled.¡± You¡¯re the best reader among us.¡± ¡°Eh em! I can read too¡­¡± Ilanda looked at the odd language and scowled. White Fox didn¡¯t bother even looking at the page. ¡°What the abyss Bastion. You were supposed to write it down.¡± ¡°You should not have assumed I could write when I can¡¯t read like everyone else. Just understand the intent. Also the strange lady and racoon did most of the writing.¡± The raccoon smugly looked at the children. ¡°Tsk, Tsk. Do you wish to bargain with the mighty Ruffle!¡± Bastion raised his left hand, and the raccoon bowed instinctively. ¡°Ok. Here¡¯s the deal: tiny monster number one. We get half of the finished product. The rest you have to share.¡± ¡°Half just for translating? That¡¯s insane. What will you do if I die from low blood sugar?¡± White Fox protested. ¡°That is a fair concern, you do seem to burn more sugar than most. But as a concession, we want our quarter to have eggshells.¡± The raccoon stated. ¡°Great, Since it has peanuts we can say it¡¯s healthy as well.¡± White Fox rubbed his hands together as he summoned his chef.
Rion shivered a bit as he met with his group mates. Currently, the only two that are missing are Eden and Bastion. Opening his senses, he felt their presence near their inn with his scarf. ¡°So, looks like it will be an eight on eight today. Cecil, is your hand ready?¡± ¡°My first version is complete.¡± ¡°Good. Bella, are you recovered?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Bella flexed her arms in a brutish fashion. ¡°Brion, will you be in sword form or human form?¡± ¡°Human. For now. I intend to switch it up in the next round where both Max and I are available.¡± ¡°Perfect. Speaking of Max, did you manage to catch up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start with my owl style for this round. Revealing my new talents today would be a waste. I want a better grip on them before.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Minah? How about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about as ready as I can get.¡± ¡°Hel, do you have any concerns or strategies for this opponent?¡± ¡°The strongest on that Team are Sinbad and Midas, taking them out early will be key if at all possible. I suggest that Ander handle Midas while Minah and Max handle Sinbad. As I¡¯ll be sitting this out, I leave the rest to you all.¡± ¡°I see. Tiffany, are you fine playing defensive? Given your ability to set traps I imagine it would suit you to keep an eye on our prisoner.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I see no problems with that. I can do more damage with time than I can directly.¡± ¡°Good. Now then Ander. Can you handle Midas?¡± ¡°Easy as pie.¡± ¡°No, it won¡¯t be. Midas is quite strong, you shouldn¡¯t hold back too much.¡± Rion added. Ander¡¯s face hardened. ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°I do and I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Great. Now let¡¯s get to the arena.¡± ¡°Before that. You may want to wipe away that kiss mark on your head. Lin we don¡¯t need proof of your relationship.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°Kiss mark? Why would I?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it was lipstick but¡­it seems almost magical.¡± Lin now looked a bit sour as she eyed Rion. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­Did any of you see someone come into my room while I was sleeping?¡± The area got silent. ¡°So that isn¡¯t from Lin.¡± ¡°Listen, I am now very concerned about my own safety. Between that nightmare and this mark. I think someone was messing with my mind while I was sleeping.¡± ¡°Have any of you seen Bastion?¡± Rion sighed as he tried to remove the mark, finding too much resistance. He had to tap into his mental affinity to counter it, which was odd. His scowl was telling. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°Someone used a powerful charm magic on me while I was sleeping. Meant to extract information, the person must be a spy of some kind.¡± Having observed Rion¡¯s lying ways, Lin couldn¡¯t find a tell, which confirmed that his concern was serious. Tiffany observed a pendant in her possession and scowled. ¡°Was the plan leaked?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t have been. I erased it from my own memory. As to not accidentally leak it while I¡¯m a captive.¡± ¡°Some charm magic leaves a residue when used. That could be why there was a mark.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Bastion?¡± Rion asked. ¡°They¡¯re playing with that kid White Fox, I think they found a pet raccoon and are going on about cookies.¡± Bella stated. Cecil¡¯s face somewhat scrunched up. ¡°Why did we bring babies with us anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to suspect that the headmaster had ulterior motives for having me share a room with Bastion.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he the only one you know immune to all illusions? Shouldn¡¯t we ask him if he saw anything?¡± ¡°Bastion isn¡¯t very reliable when it comes to timing. I¡¯m beginning to suspect that he was bought.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t betray you.¡± ¡°If not him, then who?¡± Rion said in a blank haze before he sent more mental mana into himself. A vessel burst, and an absurd amount of mana began to drain from his nose.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Unak, vig bllo.¡± Rion made sure to clean the mess and scowled as he examined a rune. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I had to remove part of my own brain to cancel that compulsion. They intended to make me fight my teammates if I were released.¡± ¡°Clearly not a lover if we¡¯re getting to that level of insidiousness.¡± Lin seemed to relax a bit before scowling. ¡°Are you ok with removing a piece of your brain so casually?¡± ¡°I know how to fix my own brain. Everyone else is a bit stuck, at least¡­Gear up with mind control on an enemy¡¯s side in mind.¡± Rion left to examine the scene of the crime for trace residue and scowled as he saw paw prints on the ceiling.
Team Drisil soon made their way to the arena. The diverse group of eight were stalwart and ready for the fight, with Hel playing a role behind the scenes. Team Etravonia was on the other side, with eighteen members of its core team. Sinbad stood with a black bandana around his dark blue hair. His arms holding what appeared to be a picnic basket. His clothing seemed unsuitable for combat and more for lounging. Marigold¡¯s hair had grown past her shoulders in those two days, and her appearance looked quite different from the solo tournament¡¯s. Her expression was resolute as she wore white plate mail with a red cloak. The following person to catch Rion¡¯s notice was a young woman around a year younger than him, sitting atop a brute that was eight feet tall. Her purple irises and black hair stuck in his perception more than they should. The brute of a man reminded Rion of a gorilla with his ape-like features and heavyweight build. Given his physique and general size, there was a chance he was physically stronger, at least while being restricted. The fifth was a man wielding a double-bladed sword. Besides that, his short brown hair and plain brown eyes made him nondescript and forgettable. Rion immediately realized that guy had assassin training at some point in his life. The sixth member wore a large red ten-gallon hat and a set of red leather armor. The scent of iron and other chemicals wafted off them, making Rion¡¯s nose burn. Various bottles and containers were hidden across their body to the degree that no one could guess their physique at first glance. ¡°Hey you with the big hat, can you turn forty five degrees to the right.¡± ¡°What!¡± Yelled an irate young woman. ¡°Huh¡­ Nevermind.¡± ¡°Rion. I noticed as well don¡¯t say it aloud.¡± Rion did not have a clear idea of what Cecil meant; he only put on a very smug appearance, showing that he knew everything. He then moved on to the eight-member¡­No, that¡¯s¡­Rion turned his head¡­He then moved on to the eight-member, a short man with no obvious weapon on his person. His deep red eyes swirled with a great deal of magical power. Rion then moved on to the ninth member as the clear mental mana being used on him was pushed aside. The woman with black hair and yellow eyes was looking at Max with an unreadable expression. Rion pushed more of the mental mana away and scowled as it proved difficult to look at her. Issac spoke through their link, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t push any further. It isn¡¯t wise to reveal that affinity to an enemy. Especially when yours is defense based, useful for balancing the chemicals in your brain and granting sentience, not so useful for killing machines.¡± Rion slowly backed his defenses up and instead looked at something pleasant to cleanse his palette. Lin looked down from the private booths and gave him a death glare. ¡°What did I do this time?¡± ¡°Eh em! Will your chosen Kings step forward!¡± ¡°Oh right, that¡¯s me.¡± Sinbad had already stepped forward and received a set of mana-linked manacles around his wrists. Rion received a set of those, but only some of his mana was locked inside. He was then given a metal collar to go around his neck and a metallic circlet around his head. He could no longer communicate with his spirits nor access any of his mana. He felt somewhat trapped, and then it began to drain off his excess mana, which felt nice. ¡°Why does he get three sets of restraints?¡± Cecil protested. ¡°Because he has that much more mana. There wern¡¯t enough runes on the cuffs to contain that beast.¡± Meh Thod stated. ¡°You know it. Cecil, did you bring them?¡± ¡°Of course I brought them.¡± Cecil sighed as he took out a set of enchanted training weights and sighed. Bella and Brion worked together to strap on his belt, arm weights, and leg weights. ¡°Sheesh, you walked around in these for years? Where do you hide all that muscle?¡± Brion asked, as while he had his own weights, they were mostly limited due to his previous condition. ¡°Yup, you can go next if you want. Also, the secret to lean mussels with explosive power is the ability to use nutrients and mana to enhance them instead of healing naturally. The process is painful, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± Rion felt as the runes took hold, and his body immediately went limp as the weight of it all began to crush him. Pushing his muscles allowed him to stand and acclimate to the power. Oddly enough, his regeneration kicked in and restored his damaged muscles, allowing them to strengthen faster. ¡°Great. Now that that¡¯s done. I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Great, now you come with me.¡± The ape-man attempted to Pick Rion up, assuming he couldn¡¯t exactly walk. The Ape Man scowled as he couldn¡¯t lift Rion an inch off the ground. ¡°The ape-man is confused.¡± ¡°Did you just refer to yourself as Ape Man?¡± ¡°The Ape Man. I am strong and yet you are too heavy. Puny man should not be standing with weight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m l¡­Stronger than I look.¡± Rion wiggled free from the grasp and made his way forward. ¡°Four of your teammates will be given a key that removes all of the locks we placed on you. From there the match will begin when the opposing kings are within reach of their captors.¡± Sinbad went to the other end as Rion entered a pushup position and got to work pushing his limits. Eight was his limit before his body failed him, and everyone was teleported. ¡°I have already gone over the rules, but I¡¯ll be brief. Taking a step out of the castles while restricted by the chains will result in a brutal penalty. Ready? Begin!¡± Thus, the second round of the team tournament began. For a long time, seemingly nothing happened as both teams worked on their defenses. Or should I have been working on defenses? Where Rion had been running around and being an absolute menace, he was interrupting their rune crafts and disappearing, only to reappear after busting through a wall on the opposite side of where he entered. Sinbad was resting in the middle of a hallway that had to be ignored as the large man ate sandwich after sandwich. After a while, he passed out mid-sandwich and started to snore. Resulting in an area where the Drisil team had to walk around the sleeping beast. Book 3: Chapter 14 Ligtning, Tigres and Apes ¡°Where did he go?¡± Asked a large ape-man. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Yet I can¡¯t sense his presence anywhere. It¡¯s like he has anti tracking equipment.¡± ¡°Tch. Find him. We lost him a second ago. He couldn¡¯t have gone too far?¡± Kyrion had just been doing his CrossFit maneuvers as a warm-up. His regime was bizarre: three sets of a thousand push-ups followed by the same in sit-ups. He also did parkour for a good 25 miles, which was hard to track as he jumped from wall to wall and ran along them as well. He¡¯d be done in about an hour, but given the nature of this round, chances are it would take a while. After around thirty minutes of pushing his body through a new level of torture, his stomach roared. Giving away his current position. He had been plank walking through the ventilation shafts, which had taken quite a bit of effort to squeeze into as he wasn¡¯t that thin. Suffice it to say Rion made the castle shake a bit. ¡°Is there a beast in here? Are we under attack!¡± ¡°It¡¯s way too early. Don¡¯t tell me they found him already!¡± the double-bladed weapon wielder yelled. ¡°No. That isn¡¯t right? We should have noticed an intruder.¡± ¡°No sign of them outside! They haven¡¯t crossed alarm beacons!¡± The Ape Man let out a sigh of relief before scowling. ¡°It must have been our captive then!.¡± ¡°Gerrah!¡± Rion¡¯s stomach growled again, confirming the statement. ¡°My body betrayed me.¡± Rion continued to move through the vents until his body stopped moving altogether, as though he was out of energy. After a while, Rion¡¯s regeneration stopped, and eventually, his weight caused the vents to creek and break. Crash! Rion landed in what appeared to be a lounging room, where a raccoon was eating some oddly shaped objects. ¡°Smells good.¡± Rion eyed the plate in hunger, yet his body wouldn¡¯t move. The raccoon eyed Rion with suspicion. ¡°These are mine, get your own.¡± The woman who had been hard to track down appeared out of nowhere. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve found our troublesome captive.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Rion eyed the woman with a careful gaze. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Rion didn¡¯t respond, as his body decided to give a verbal response. He had turned himself into the perfect prisoner. Quite the development in his eyes. Said eyes had gone half-lidded and glazed over as he entered a low-energy mode. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, cat got your tongue?¡± ¡°He burned all his energy on his regeneration. So long as no one feeds him, he¡¯ll be nice and quiet.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s stuck there. Keep an eye on him, I¡¯ll get the others.¡± The odd woman ran off, and Rion sighed in relief. With his enemy gone, Rion had no options for now. Any more movement would damage his body, preventing his regeneration from being able to repair. So he decided that it was time to get some rest.
¡°Can I attack yet?¡± Ander asked maybe the fifth time at that hour. ¡°No. The place is too well defended.¡± ¡°I can open up some holes.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t take that whole team alone.¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°Cecil, why are you being so defensive?¡± ¡°I worked so hard on that plan and they just locked up Sinbad. Which means they have an unknown ace.¡± ¡°Fine, send Max, Brion and I, have Minah work midfield for now and should we break the building open, have Minah charge forward to free our leader from his bonds.¡± ¡°Ugg.¡± ¡°None of them are decent with runes and at best we can buy some time.¡± ¡°Fine. Just remember that freeing the captain should come before fighting.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. Max! Brion! Are you ready!?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to fight in a while.¡± Brion cracked his knuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but I¡¯m not that strong.¡± Max said honestly. ¡°What about me?¡± Minah asked with crossed arms. ¡°You¡¯re midgard. We¡¯re vanguard. I¡¯m sure you can take the leftovers.¡± Ander said. ¡°My what a thoughtful boyfriend you are.¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± ¡°Finish that answer after the match you battle crazed dolt.¡± Cecil stated, having read that situation a while ago. ¡°Fine. Not the time for such matters.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Minah looked between Cecil and Ander. ¡°Vanguard! We ride¡­do we have motorcycles?¡± ¡°No vehicles, you¡¯ll have to go on foot. Apparently they aren¡¯t allowed in this round.¡± ¡°That makes no sense. Are they trying to slow us down?¡± ¡°This is a headmaster placed restriction. He wants us to do this the right way and not like our rescue the princess game.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°So no driving through the front door then jumping out and attacking everyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s why you want me to go.¡± Max sighed. ¡°Broforce. Since Cecil is too injured, we three bros will go in his stead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not injured.¡± Ander pointed at the robotic hand. ¡°You haven¡¯t finished your hand yet, I assume that¡¯s why you aren¡¯t fighting.¡± ¡°The headmaster doesn¡¯t want me to put on a one man show. I do have a few mana cannons each filled with about a day¡¯s worth of our captain¡¯s mana. They should be able to open up a few holes.¡± ¡°The headmaster had you choose.¡± ¡°The cannons are easier to make.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ander turned to Max and Brion. ¡°How fast are you two?¡± ¡°Brion sword form please.¡± ¡°Really? I was hoping I¡¯d get my own exercise. You can shift back after we get there.¡± ¡°Yes I could, and it would be a surprise for the third member to appear out of nowhere.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already the second round. We should reveal a few tricks.¡± ¡°Less talk, more fight.¡± Ander turned towards a window and opened it. As part of their gear, each team member had three potions: one to heal them, one to clear mental and charm magic, and one to provide two minutes of resistance. They also had two types of grenades: one was a bright flash that could temporarily blind and deafen an opponent, while the other could create a field of obscuring smoke. Brion¡¯s form shifted to that of a wide greatsword, which Max stepped on top of and focused. Linking Brion¡¯s mana to himself. The sword then began to float upward before flying them out a window. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could be ridden.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t safe for most people to attempt. Max is able to do so though.¡± Brion said through somewhere that was clearly not a mouth. ¡°Huh, how fast can you go?¡± ¡°How fast are you?¡± Max asked as a cloak of feathers covered his body. He no longer needed to be close to his owl companion to borrow its power, which was a significant step forward. Ander shot off like a bolt traveling through the sky at high speed. Traveling a mile in less than thirty seconds. Max, riding Brion, managed to keep pace, arriving three seconds later. ¡°You can keep up with my slowed speed. Nice.¡± ¡°That was slow?¡± Max had barely been able to push Brion to move at that speed. ¡°No need to go fast when it¡¯s a short distance.¡± ¡°Right. Now lets-¡± Ander looked down and saw seven blasts of powerful mana tear holes into the opposing castle from a mile away. The twin-blade wielder was annihilated in the assault, although no one else was unfortunate enough to be anywhere near the attack. The sound of the blast itself was a loud hum of wild mana. ¡°Go!¡± Ander finished as he dropped down one of the holes. Coming face to face with Midas. Max and Brion landed in front of the duo, which contained The Ape Man and some kid. No, on closer inspection, the girl wasn¡¯t that young, just short for her age. ¡°The Ape Man challenges you to a battle!¡± Max looked at the large man before returning to the short girl, only to realize she had vanished. ¡°Fine then, let¡¯s go.¡±
Marigold eyed Ander with the eyes of a huntress. ¡°Do you really think you can beat me?¡± ¡°No. I know I can.¡± Ander replied smugly. ¡°Mighty cocky of you.¡± Ander took a long moment to understand that as if trying to parse its meaning. ¡°Oh, arrogant! I have that in spades.¡± ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s time I put an end to that.¡± Marigold launched a volley of golden spears at Ander in quick succession. Ander didn¡¯t bother dodging as each spear missed its mark. ¡°Tsk tsk. I wasn¡¯t even moving.¡± ¡°I must have aimed a bit high.¡± Ander¡¯s eye twitched, and he closed both to keep himself in check. ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems you¡¯re shorter than you look.¡± Marigold added. ¡°Heh.¡± Ander¡¯s tone shifted into a much higher pitch with that laugh. He had given into his inner darkness, that deep well of madness he didn¡¯t like touching. ¡°Is that so?¡± Marigold summoned six more spears and scowled as each broke free of her control and turned toward her. ¡°No way. Marigold jumped backward, only for her spears to give chase. She attempted to send them away with her magic, but there was no response. ¡°That look suits you. Give me more of that terror!¡± Ander said from right in front of the fleeing Marigold as he drove his spear towards her throat. A golden shield appeared to block the blow, its power sending Ander back a bit. The shield shattered moments later, and a trickle of blood flowed from her neck. ¡°You pierced my Divine Aegis. That could have killed me!¡± Marigold was quite surprised. Ander didn¡¯t answer as he moved around to the side and aimed to sweep her legs. As Marigold jumped to avoid the blow, she realized the trap. Ander¡¯s sweep was downwards at an angle as he cut into the floorboards; he used the momentum to propel himself forward into a kick with enough power to tear her head from her shoulders. What¡¯s worse was that she couldn¡¯t dodge or block the attack. Ander of Drisil was a tiger wearing the skin of a human and pretending to be weak. A light covered Marigold as she was teleported away from the fight. But not by the wards. The little girl with the Ape Man wheezed as she seemed to barely arrive in time to save one of her team¡¯s heavy hitters. Sadly, Ander wasn¡¯t in a good state of mind. A bolt of lightning passed through her faster than she could react, causing the wards to send her out of the arena. With a ¡°Kill¡± under him, his rage faded, and he looked unsatisfied. ¡°Oi, shortie! Why don¡¯t you fight me man to man!¡± Said a shorter man with deep red eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not going to work twice in one fight,¡± Ander said as he calmly gathered invisible lighting on his fingertips. He then calmly raised his opposite hand and gathered much less regular lightning. The bald mage smiled and created a layered barrier of magic to defend himself from regular lightning. He¡¯d take the attack and then use the gathered mana to counter with an earth wall. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to react. Ander mixed a bit of his divine essence into the hand, gathering the invisible lightning, and shot off the white bolt from his open palm. The lightning hit the barrier and fizzled, causing it to increase in power. The mage then brought down the barrier and began to reabsorb the mana he¡¯d gathered. Ander didn¡¯t give him the chance to finish and raised the hand with dark lightning. In an instant, a hole had been torn through the man¡¯s chest, and the wards were triggered nearly too late. They hadn¡¯t detected the attack, but they had detected that the mage¡¯s life was in danger. ¡°Guess I am a bit petty.¡±
¡°This is well within Ander¡¯s growth potential between the measurements and time spent before the matches began. Developing such a technique is draining and if he figured it out before his fight with Damian, that would explain why he was too exhausted to fight.¡± Said a female elf sitting at the head of a table. The headmaster of Etravonia¡¯s team scowled. ¡°The other two I understand but putting Midas in that situation without revealing that technique tells me that he is indeed a beast with secrets. I sensed that power behind his second blow. My student would have died.¡± ¡°He did die. His heart was stopped and then started by the attack. We can heal the mental damage of that near death experience. Maybe you should teach your students not to verbally antagonize monsters like him.¡± ¡°I am ashamed that Ander resorted to such a tactic against a much weaker opponent.¡± Caeden shook his head. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ If what the great one is saying is true then the barrier would have been broken and the attack would have still nearly killed him. We¡¯d be dealing with a spirit break as well.¡± The headmaster of Etravoia sighed. ¡°Well at least Midas is still in the fight.¡± ¡°Midas was supposed to counter Cecil.¡± ¡°To be fair, you really underestimate Cecil if you think he¡¯d been weakened that much. Most of my students could be the top students at any other school. The one¡¯s here are especially monstrous.¡± ¡°But not invincible.¡± Caeden pointed to the screen and watched as Ander entered a room with various lit incense and was confronted by two people. They watched as Ander held his head, turned towards the exit, and walked away. Book 3: Chapter 15 What is Luck ¡°I¡¯m gonna die!¡± Max said as he dodged a punch that left a crater in the ground that opened to the floor below. ¡°Come back birdman!¡± ¡°No!¡± Max jumped backward and sent a few sharpened feathers forward, only to watch them not affect the Ape Man. ¡°You try tickling feathers? Birdman stupid.¡± Max looked at the walls he¡¯d pierced with said feathers. ¡°No, you¡¯re just tough.¡± ¡°Thank you birdman!¡± Brion sighed. ¡°Resonance at eighty percent, hold him off for a little longer. Seems you¡¯ve gotten stronger since the last time.¡± Max ducked under a punch, moved around the large man, and continued to run. The Ape Man grabbed a barrel and rolled it down the hall in frustration. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°No!¡± Max turned and tossed a flash grenade at his opponent before ducking into an empty room. A blinding light followed by a boom blinded and deafened The Ape Man. ¡°Agg!¡± ¡°Ninety percent,¡± Brion added. The Ape Man ran down the path and past the room, looking for us. ¡°Get back here!¡± Max waited a bit longer. ¡°Ninety five percent.¡± Just then, a fist tore through the wall, and The Ape Man burst through. Covered in rock dust and woodchips, ¡°No more running now!¡± The Ape Man grew in size as fur covered his body and his form shifted. He continued to grow in bulk, his form filling the room in moments. This in turn limited his offensive capabilities in the tight quarters environment. ¡°Status!?¡± ¡°Ninety Nine percent.¡± Said an irritated Brion. The Ape Man punched the ground, which caused it to shake. Max jumped to the side, barely evading a blow that would have ended him instantly. The rogue fist traveled through the floor with ease. ¡°One Hundred!¡± ¡°Invoke Luck.¡± Max stated while in the air, closing his eyes as he swung Brion downward, followed by a flurry of critical strikes that left deep cuts in the Ape Man¡¯s body as well as caused him to fall through the floor. Max floated as his opponent flew down two stories and landed with a loud crack. ¡°Golden Dragon Descends from the Heavens,¡± Max said as his eyes glowed golden and his silver hair turned blonde. Golden scales surrounded his eyes, covered his nose, and grew into gauntlets over his arms. The Ape Man could have dodged had his spine not been damaged. He could have countered had his arms not been covered in debris. The warrior would have sent out a wave of explosive mana as a final resort, but that would have taken himself and many of his allies out instead of the singular opponent. Fate was his enemy, and it appeared he had been making bad calls since the battle began. Just like the stories every Etravonian heard of the Golden General, a man of nearly unmatched prowess, a living force of nature that had been steps ahead of many opponents. The Ape Man met his defeat with a smile on his face as the Max landed with a crash, his blade embedded in the earth. ¡°Brion. I¡¯m tapped out. You take it from here.¡± Max said as he fell back to catch his breath. ¡°You fought well Max. Get some rest, I¡¯ll stand guard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Brion. But I have to fight you,¡± he said in a somewhat crazed voice. His eyes fogged over, and his mouth held a maddened smile. ¡°What in the Abyss Ander!¡± Ander moved forward faster than a human eye could track as shockwaves traced his path. Brion dodged the lightning thrust and scowled as he wrapped both hands around his friend and stomped his right leg. ¡°Sorry Ander. Omega Protocol, activate!¡± ¡°What for?¡± Ander seemed surprised as Brion pulled a switch on Anders¡¯ battle suit, causing both Brion and Ander to be transported out of the arena through the wards. An explosion covered the area, causing a piece of earth to fall over Max and crush him. ¡°Bullshit! He put contingencies on his own allies. That Cecil is heartless,¡± said the woman with the 10-gallon hat. ¡°We need to go on the offensive now. We lost four in that attack, and staying on the defensive will lead to our team losing this bout. They still outnumber us.¡± Marigold said as she passed. A spear was currently being used as a walking stick, and a bandage was placed around her neck. ¡°I don¡¯t like leaving our captive alone, but we really have no choice. We¡¯ll need Sinbad for this.¡± The yellow-eyed woman looked at the debris with sorrow before turning forward. The Trio left their castle and proceeded to move forward. They didn¡¯t all have high-speed capabilities like the strike team Ander led, so they would have to pace themselves as they traveled across the battlefield. As the group got a reasonable distance away, Max made his move from under the rubble. ¡°Cecil, do you read?¡± ¡°Yes, it appears Ander and Brion are gone, what happened?¡± ¡°Mind control I think. Brion had to use the Ander contingency. The one you informed us about should Ander lose control of himself.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Ah, so they had someone with mind control capabilities. Status of the opposing team?¡± ¡°They essentially said that they have three more people left in the game. All female if I were to guess. One kind of sounded like Midas albeit hoarse. Potential neck injury.¡± ¡°So Ander took out the mage, and teleporter?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Then you bested the ape?¡± ¡°Yes, but how?¡± ¡°Then Brion countered the Mind control with a sacrifice leaving you alive?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That lines up perfectly then.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I assumed there were two with mental-based abilities, one alchemical, the other magical. Gather your strength, drink your potions, push against the debris, and wait a few more minutes. I¡¯ll tell you when to escape when I see the other three.
¡°Minah, only three are headed your way, intercept them,¡± Cecil said through a gadget in the helmet. ¡°Is Marigold there?¡± ¡°Yes, apparently Ander managed to injure her and take two more out before he¡¯d gotten mind controlled. Be on your guard and take out the Alchemist if you can.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Minah looked forward and scowled as she couldn¡¯t see the three coming. ¡°Odd. I can¡¯t seem to see any enemies approaching?¡± ¡°Is someone approaching?¡± ¡°Yeah, but no enemies.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°How are are they from your positon?¡± ¡°Three hundredish feet, why?¡± ¡°Minah, drink the clear potion now.¡± Minah did so and scowled as the mental suggestion was countered. ¡°The one on the left is very powerful and I can¡¯t gauge them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, just take out the one with a hat.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Minah accelerated, crossing the vast distance moments as two fists embedded themselves in the Alchemist¡¯s cloak and injected a concussive bomb that caused the Alchemist to explode when she was sent flying away, taking her out of the match. Minah felt resolute when a light spear appeared in her torso, and she was sent out of the arena.
¡°Max, escape and find the captain. Minah has been taken out and we need to focus on defense. Good luck.¡± Cecil said through comms. Max was angry, but he had to control his anger. With both of his practitioner-tier arms, Max pushed the stone board Brion made to hide him away. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t here Brion could have fed Ander the potion. They could have fought back.¡± ¡°Ander is the only one here I don¡¯t think anyone aside from Rion or I could contain if they were mind controlled. Taking him out with just himself was the best possible outcome plus they left you mostly unharmed. One ally in a fortress alone is better than none.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± Max walked down the hall and stopped, noticing a familiar rune type. It was one of Cecil¡¯s specialized runes for mana gathering. ¡°Did you find something?¡± ¡°A mana gathering rune. One of yours.¡± Cecil paused for a brief moment. ¡°Open up your senses and throw a potion at the rune.¡± Max did so and felt the man travel from there toward the top floor and flow a bit further south. ¡°Cecil! Goldilocks has just hit our first layer of traps!¡± Bella bellowed loud enough for the device to transfer her voice to Max. Max, in turn, began running up the stairs, mostly unhindered.
Soreness filled Rion¡¯s muscles as he watched that damned raccoon eat most of those strange circle-shaped sweets. ¡°I¡¯ll get my revenge for this.¡± Kyrion said to the raccoon. ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± The raccoon started haughtily. Just then, a surge of healing mana covered him, relieving the soreness and restoring the damaged muscles. With enough strength, he pushed himself forward into a leap, landing shy of the plate, which was enough for him to steal one of the cookies. Comically, as he ate just one of the calorie-heavy and eggshell-filled discs, he felt his muscles swell, and his body was no longer destroying itself. From there, Rion slammed the gravity restraints on his arms three times, which caused the safety to kick in and the cuffs to fall off. He then moved onto the torso and leg weights, which left him out of mana. Hearing some footsteps coming, Rion got back to his feet and began walking back towards the sound. He could take his captors just like this if he needed to. ¡°You damned brat.¡± The raccoon looked at the boy walking away and invoked a spell that caused him to stumble. Left was right, up was down, and everything was spinning. He walked forward but felt as though he had moved backward. The more he tried to approach the door, the further he seemed to get. ¡°What are you going to do now, Kid?¡± Rion punched the ground, and the castle shook. He continued to punch the ground. ¡°Oi! Stop that!¡± The raccoon yelled, then eventually retreated after a hole in the floor nearly swallowed him whole. ¡°I can feel the ground, which means I can call for help.¡± Kyrion continued drumming for minutes before he stopped for a break. Moments later, Max managed to run into the room, breathing heavily. His body and mana pool were exhausted. He looked at his captain and smiled. ¡°We need to be quick. The other team is inside our castle. ¡°Let me loose and I¡¯ll give you some mana. From there we can discuss strategy.¡± Thus, Max began releasing the cuffs, choker, and crown. As he did so, he informed Rion of all the events that had taken place. The only thing that caught him by surprise was that Ander had been mind-controlled and turned against his allies, only for Brion to use. ¡°He should be resistant to regular mind control.¡± ¡°I believe they used alchemy ontop of magic.¡± ¡°Ah, something to lower his defenses and another to break in. But at least one of them was taken out.¡± Kyrion produced several wrapped sandwiches, which he consumed one by one in a gluttonous hurry. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you start running¡± Kyrion grabbed the burger and sighed, withdrawing a purple vial from his coat. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Cecil about this as I¡¯m not sure when I got it. I just know it contains liquid space mana.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± ¡°I need you to pour this right in front of the throne. Also you need to hold Sinbad back for as long as you can.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you meet him on the way?¡± ¡°I am in no condition for a drawn out fight. I need a quick and decisive victory. You are the key to this fight Max. This is your chance.¡± ¡°Are you injured?¡± ¡°Something like that. A direct fight isn¡¯t what I need to win. Also you should be the one to hold him off. I trust in all that island training you¡¯ve been doing.¡± Rion patted his friend on the shoulder before jumping through a wall and out the hole Cecil created with his mana cannons. Through observation, Rion knew that Sinbad used hyper-lethal abilities, which can kill when they connect. Risking himself in a fight would just cause his team to lose, but trapping him in a place far away would mean that Rion was free to go where he needed to. Book 3: Chapter 16 Entropy and Luck Rion had spent eight of those ten minutes setting up a ritualistic seal using a bit of his blood as a base for binding. There were five layers. The first linked it to the circle in the castle he¡¯d hidden around the throne room. The second used gravity to alter time; every second in, there was a minute outside, which made him float. The third barrier would drain any mana used to improve the barrier. Its base was determined by the amount of blood and mana used as a sealed catalyst. Which explained the five filled mana batteries placed around the circle. From there, Rion shrouded himself in a field that made him hard to notice. He followed it up with a sprint towards the castle. He needed to be near the throne if he wanted to watch the show and sit down. There was always a chance Max would lose, yet it was highly unlikely that Sinbad would have known to avoid the trap. Opening up his communication flower, Kyrion connected to all of his teammates still in the game. ¡°Status report who¡¯s still in?¡± ¡°I am captain. Are you free?¡± Cecil answered. ¡°Yes. Status report.¡± ¡°Bella Tiffany and I are still in the game.¡± ¡°Good. Ok, here¡¯s the plan, Marigold is going to be a distraction, have Tiffany mark her with a exponential seal on her heart while you use the bugs you obtained from Hel along with some shots to deal some damage.Afterward the yellow eyed girl will attempt to assassinate you, and Bella, probably using poison. Tell Bella to raise her gravity as high as she can, while low to the ground. Doing so will break her legs more than likely, the shock of sudden damage will break her concentration allowing Bella to finish her off. Marigold will then attempt to take Bella out. Tell her to let it happen. Tiffany should be the last person standing and her wards will give a sense of presence. More than likely Marigold will assume that you ran away. After she frees Sinbad, have her talk to them to buy some time then trigger the curse on Marigold to take her out. She¡¯ll probably need some powerful healing sooner rather than later. It¡¯s more of a mercy, feel free to reveal that I¡¯ve been out for ten minutes. Given that I can see them approaching the castle now¡­¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Cecil passed the recording to Bella and Tiffany¡¯s comms before activating various bug canisters on the first floor. ¡°You¡¯re insane, captain.¡± Tiffany sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. But I perer Rion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this plan.¡± Bella stated. ¡°It hides a good deal of your power, we¡¯re only revealing a few secrets in this match. Cecil¡¯s aren¡¯t complete and I haven¡¯t engaged anyone in combat, nor do I intend to.¡± Kyrion heard a few shots go off, signaling that the battle had begun.
Cecil wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d gotten kicked out of the arena, and it was highly irritating, given that he knew exactly what happened but couldn¡¯t put it together. He¡¯d just shot Marigold with one of his cannons when he felt a sharp chill on his neck. Then he was sitting next to an equally pissed-off Ander and Brion. ¡°She walked right by you, wasn¡¯t even hiding!¡± Ander protested. ¡°Who?¡± Cecil turned to the screen and saw the yellow-eyed woman casually strolling next to Bella, only for her legs to suddenly snap. ¡°Ahh!¡± The lady threw a dart coated in a blue liquid, watching in horror as it hit, only to do nothing to the pink-haired girl. ¡°You must be who just killed Cecil.¡± Bella encased her opponent¡¯s body in a gravity field and increased it exponentially. Just like that, the girl was sent out of the arena. That, however, didn¡¯t stop the four golden discs that spun and nearly cut her in half. The only thing that saved her was the wards. Still, it wasn¡¯t as though Marigold had gotten out unscathed. She had been bitten by a ton of venomous insects. She was burned by various shots from Cecil and pierced in the leg with one of her own spears by him as well. She¡¯d run over multiple explosive traps, many of whom belonged to someone she¡¯d yet to encounter. ¡°I need to find Sinbad quickly.¡± Imala¡¯s daughter began to run, feeling that she was quickly running out of power. Oddly enough, the last of Drisil¡¯s team members didn¡¯t attack. Yet she could feel their power around her. Which was odd, as she couldn¡¯t sense their exact locations. They might have run off to free their captain. As she knelt next to Sinbad, she watched as her captain let out a lazy yawn. ¡°Did you take everyone else out yet?¡± Sinbad asked lazily. ¡°I believe there is one opponent left, they must have fled when I entered, but they were also the person who put quite a few traps in this castle. That would make the most sense.¡± ¡°Ok, hurry up and get these off. I don¡¯t feel like fighting that monster today.¡± ¡°You usually aren¡¯t the type to run away from a fight.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the tricky type, and is likely to set me up rather than actually fight me.¡± ¡°You may be right, captain.¡± Marigold had just completed removing the bracers and let out a sigh of relief. Sinbad stood and scowled. ¡°Are you two just going to let me go?¡± ¡°Our captain has been free for about ten minutes. As far as we¡¯re concerned the match is already decided.¡± Tiffany said from a chair in the room. She had removed her invisibility.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Ten minutes? How is that possible?¡± ¡°Max seems to have survived, and hid somewhere safe while you assumed he¡¯d been removed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not-!¡± Tiffany squeezed her hand and watched as Marigold was teleported out of the arena. ¡°You¡¯re free to go, Sinbad. That attack took a bit long to mature as using it early could have caused permanent damage without removing her from the fight.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Sinbad turned and left the castle. As he did, a skeletal armor covered his body, and black horns grew from his head. Time for him slowed to a crawl as Sinbad seemed to move at his regular speed; to that degree, he was running to make up as much time as he could. By the time he had arrived at his own castle, he¡¯d shut the ability to receive his mana off. He¡¯d need that trick if he encountered Drisil¡¯s captain waiting for him. Still, Sinbad ran towards the presence he sensed in the building. Chances were, it was precisely where the throne was. And he was partially correct. By the time he¡¯d arrived, he¡¯d come face to face with someone who looked like the Golden General in his youth. Well, maybe not as muscular as the paintings made him look. It is not like anyone left alive could gauge the accuracy of such depictions. He was one of the oldest people alive. ¡°Who are you?¡± Sinbad asked slowly. ¡°Maximus, probably the weakest of team Drisil.¡± ¡°Uh huh. You don¡¯t exactly look weak currently.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just saying that. My captain tasked me with keeping you from the throne.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Sinbad¡¯s face hardened as he moved to impale Max with his bone claws. Max barely evaded the blow as a blade made from feathers appeared in his right hand. Sinbad scowled as he feinted with a punch to Max¡¯s head while his bladelike tail aimed to impale his torso. Max slipped on the rug, allowing him to parry the tail strike with his sword as he entered a thrusting stance. The wind whistled as Max stabbed Sinbad in a gap in his armor. From there, he retreated to protect the throne. Sinbad removed the blade and reversed time for himself, allowing the wound to heal.¡± I never knew you were so good with a sword. I was told the eldest prince was physically weak.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talkative, suffice it to say. Things are complicated.¡± Max created a whip of feathers, which he now holds in his left hand. ¡°I can understand that.¡± Sinbad took a deep breath before slowing time to a degree and threw a series of blows at Max. Oddly enough, each hit seemed to barely miss the destination, leaving behind either minor damage or missing entirely. Max managed a cut across Sinbad¡¯s torso when time returned to its normal speed. Sinbad retreated again and healed the wound. ¡°It¡¯s like fighting a worse version of Damian. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m mad about that.¡± Max swung his whip in an arc, sending all the feathers shooting away towards Sinbad quickly. Sinbad slowed time to a degree and saw that there was no escape. Instead, he let out a charged blast ball of destructive mana. Every feather in front of him was destroyed along with the ball, as though they canceled each other out. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Sinbad was partially impressed. ¡°It¡¯s weak against one opponent, but hard to evade and can hit multiple targets.¡± ¡°Good against people who rely on dodging.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can keep this up all day. So you may want to take this seriously.¡± ¡°I am, although I expected your captain to ambush me mid-fight. If you¡¯re truly my only opponent then I guess I¡¯ll end this now. Can¡¯t have you looking too good after all.¡± ¡°Invoke misfortune.¡± Max whispered. Holding his sword defensively, Max prayed that this would be enough. Sinbad charged forward, his claws elongated. Time slowed to a crawl as Sinbad sent slash after slash, each one blocked or deflected. Sinbad used his ace maneuver when he noticed Max commit to a dodge and reversed time while Max was still in motion. He let out strike after strike, scowling as each one was evaded at a hair¡¯s breadth. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Sinbad¡¯s power seemingly faded, leaving him with two options. He could let out his strongest attack, but if that attack destroyed the throne, he¡¯d lose in the end. This left him with the last option: running around Max to get to the throne. ¡°I can still fight. Why are you retreating?¡± Sinbad entered a low stance and slowed time to a high degree, pushing his core to the limit as he dashed forward. Time was like a slow molasses. Oddly enough, Max was mid-swing and still moving. Sinbad moved the opposite way to avoid Max¡¯s sword only to trip right as he passed, which ended his concentration right as he entered Max¡¯s range. It was as though Imala herself was making the battle difficult. ¡°Shit!¡± Max¡¯s sword nearly took Sinbad¡¯s head. Luckily for Sinbad, he managed to block most of the blow with his bone claws, breaking his concentration completely and losing two fingers in the process. Yet he had made it to the other side; now, all he had to do was sit on the throne.
Rion watched from the throne room as Sinbad was trapped in the sealed barrier with no way to escape. He looked smug as he realized that Sinbad could not escape safely. The match was over, and he had one thing left to do. ¡°Team Drisil¡¯s captain has taken back his throne! Was anyone watching him enter?¡± Yelled Meh-Thod. The crowd cheered as everyone returned to the arena. With all the injured participants receiving healing, the remaining remaining were those who could keep fighting. The throne Rion was seated in radiated opulence and power. Maximus had been standing strong when his power took its toll. His body mostly returned to its usual state; only his eyes and a few strands of his hair stayed golden. The energy in his system was fading fast as he worked to stay on his feet. Luck and misfortune needed to be balanced, according to his spirit. Sadly, Maximus used more luck than misfortune in the battle while the drain was almost closed; they didn¡¯t balance out in the end. Max looked at a screen in the air and scowled as he read. ¡°Most Valuable team member: Maximus the Golden.¡± It showed him taking down The Ape Man, freeing his captain, and fighting toe to toe with someone at Sinbad¡¯s level. These are all feats of strength and will no one who knew him when he was younger would expect. The other nobles of Etroveria, who were planning on making him a puppet, were now deciding that was a bad decision. ¡°You all played your parts admirably. For once, I am glad not to be the star of the show.¡± Rion stood from his seat, popped his back, and looked around. Finding his weights, he put some of them back on and scowled. The mana stored in them was almost gone, which meant that Sinbad had nearly escaped in the short time it took him to sit down. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 20 Containment Kyrion awoke on the floor of a white room with various spell wards placed on each wall. A cursory glance showed him that if he used any magic to get out, the wards would sense the threat and activate. Sending in a poisonous gas that would probably kill most people. Kyrion had a method for dealing with poisons, however. ¡°I came here willingly. Why am I in a containment field? Do you actually believe you can keep me also do you think you can keep me here for an extended period of time?¡± There was no response for a long moment before an older man answered. ¡°Why did you come to this world? Are you a threat to or an ally? Can you be trusted?¡± ¡°Oooh, questions. Sadly, you didn¡¯t answer mine first. Mr.Roswel Jenkins.¡± Kyrion crossed his hands together like a businessman. They would need leverage to keep him here if they wanted to trap him. Otherwise, he¡¯d just escape; the people of this world don¡¯t have control over dimensional magic. ¡°How do you know that¡­¡± ¡°Name? Simple, I know all the names of the senior staff of this branch. Well, the Window Cleaners, going by the sniffling behind you, I can tell Mr.Caldin Briggs is behind you and hasn¡¯t gotten over his spring allergies.¡± Kyrion¡¯s new eye focused on one of the cameras watching him and began to glow as he sent his Divine Essence directly into the device. The wards didn¡¯t trigger, and Kyrion could send a part of his mind into their system to move around unnoticed. It was a strange ability for him to have in this world. Although it was curious. Felt no different than when he shared his senses via plants. ¡°We will resort to torture to get answers, kid.¡± ¡°So you are going to come in here, gouge out my eyes and pour boiling wax into my eye sockets? I mean, you¡¯re welcome to try. But it wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡± Kyrion invoked a bit of his instability and hid a lie in his reply. ¡°We¡¯d start with beatings.¡± ¡°I can go a year without sleep if I push it. I will sit here and kill anyone who comes in here. Sadly you fail to realize something.¡± ¡°You have reinforcements?¡± ¡°No¡­Well yes. But no, I¡¯m not stuck here with you. You all are trapped here with a vehicle of death and destruction. I¡¯m just here on vacation.¡± Kyrion scratched at his neck, the weasel he¡¯d brought along having slipped off while dragged away. The mic was cut off shortly after, but by that point, Kyion¡¯s consciousness was already in that room, greedily lapping up any information it could find. ¡°Captain, Kingston! Get in here.¡± Kingston walked in and looked at a screen where he could swear a cocky kid was staring right back at him. Said kid winked knowingly, and none of the others saw. ¡°I asked my people to take him to the guest quarters. Why is he in a highly explosive holding cell?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a dangerous fire demon. We must contain him and have him tell us everything he knows.¡± ¡°That is unwise, do you wish to make a new enemy when you¡¯re close to retirement?¡± ¡°Please. The brat will die soon enough of starvation.¡± ¡°Well if you have everything figured out. Why call me here?¡± ¡°You went against protocall when you didn¡¯t have him chained with suppressors.¡± ¡°Do you think, handcuffs with a weak mana negation field could keep him contained?¡± ¡°It worked on the others.¡± ¡°The others wern¡¯t this dangerous. We have people connected to the Janitors. Do you really want to lose your standing?¡± ¡°Tell us. How do we convince him to listen to us?¡± ¡°Threaten to keep him away from the others who need medical care. That would really get you on his targeting list. Should that lead to civilian deaths when he had proven willing before you kidnapped him however. You would be to blame.¡± ¡°No Kingston, you would take the heat for that.¡± The older man shook his head. ¡°You could try to buy him food. He seemed quite hungry. But we don¡¯t know if his kind are cannibals.¡± ¡°How do you¡­Aggg!¡± The older man started before a loud click went off next to his ears. A man with pale white hair and blue eyes walked out of the corner, holding what appeared to be a smoking gun. ¡°Senior Captain. To think you¡¯d detain someone willingly helping strangers prior to questioning. I must ask, is this due to his caramel skin tone, or did you have a good reason that you failed to address.¡± ¡°He is at least fourth circle in power.¡± ¡°Fourth circle ey? Then you really shouldn¡¯t have detained him.¡± ¡°They also threatened torture. I¡¯ve heard worse from scarier. But hey they didn¡¯t try to eat me so¡­¡± Kyrion scowled as information on the white-haired man wouldn¡¯t appear. ¡°How did you get out of there!¡± ¡°I punched, threw a few walls snuck past some guards and walked on in.¡± ¡°How are you here and in the cell then?¡± ¡°Am I truly in the cell if I¡¯m standing right here?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t detect any magic.¡± ¡°If left alone for two minutes I could bring this entire underworld crashing down and still escape alive.¡± ¡°How will you handle this senior captain? It seems your guest has gone for a walk and is irritated.¡± ¡°Kevin! Send some guards to the containment wing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m locked out! Something locked me out!¡± A green eye appeared on every monitor in the building briefly before everything went black. ¡°Did he shut off the power!¡± ¡°Someone turn on the emergency breaker!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t working!¡± After a minute of panic, everything came back on, and both red-haired young men were gone. One of the men¡¯s radios rang and was immediately answered. ¡°Status report!¡± ¡°All of the guests were suddenly healed. Yet there are no signs of the red haired man. Our sensors detect trace amounts of mana lingering in all their bodies.¡± Kingston tried to hold in stressed laughter. ¡°He went and healed them himself, since we were making things difficult. Guess he was trying to be cooperative before.¡± ¡°That can be seen. If that were the case, did we make a powerful enemy?¡± ¡°No. But if he was telling the truth, check in with our other branches. I suspect quite a few of our own were electrocuted.¡± ¡°Did anyone manage to get his name?¡± The white-haired man asked. ¡°No, of course not. Ha;f are you are incompetent. Kingston, you have been promoted to a lieutenant position in my unit. Effective immediately. If you prove useful I suspect that you may be made into a captain by the end of the week.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°You can¡¯t just poach him?¡± ¡°Why? You were going to have him fired for insubordination anyways, via majority vote while his people were away. I recommend you start gathering your things as the underworld has no place for fools.¡± The older men hurried out of the room with many of their belongings.The window cleaners were a smaller branch tasked with infiltration. Sadly, many Janitors were masters in that field as well. They decided to form a partnership. The window faction, however, had taken quite a hit today and wouldn¡¯t regain the trust they lost any time soon.
Ander appeared in a large city with buildings and lights. He walked around a bit as his brain struggled to keep passing electric waves off of himself. Still, he kept getting information uploaded into his brain in a language he didn¡¯t understand. Turning to his left, he saw a woman about a foot taller than him, giving him a curious look. She was wearing a strange pink dress with sparkles and a bright pink wig. ¡°Are you in cosplay as well?¡± She asked in her language. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t understand.¡± Ander squinted at the strange woman¡¯s sparkles. The young woman squinted a bit and tried another language. Ander sighed as he put his spear behind him. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m going to try tracing your brainwaves. I need to be close ok?¡± ¡°What language is¨C¡± The woman took a backstep in surprise. Ander stood on his tip toes and grabbed both of the woman¡¯s cheeks before sending a bolt of lightning from his mouth into hers from about four inches apart. The bolts traced signals and patterns before returning to him moments later. ¡°This is a tricky tongue you speak.¡± Ander shook his head as the electricity in his system ran through his brain, pasting the language data in his brain. ¡°Y-you just kissed me!¡± ¡°No? No I did not. I made sure our lips didn¡¯t come into contact.¡± ¡°Y-you! I felt a spark!¡± Ander looked about after sensing killing intent. ¡°That was lightning. Can you fight?¡± ¡°You kissed me!¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t listening.¡± Ander sighed as he picked the taller woman up and jumped onto a lamppost from a standing position. From there, he lept atop a building and continued to jump from building to building, evading his pursuers. For some odd reason, they put effort into keeping up. That¡¯s when it hit him. ¡°Put me down!¡± ¡°Ok. Wait here. I¡¯ve been looking forward to a brawl ever since I learned of this world.¡± Ander jumped off the very tall building and landed in the middle of a group of men wielding various improvised melee weapons, from baseball bats to sticks. One individual had even procured a bicycle. The strongest was a man around two feet taller than him with black hair and blue eyes. His expression was rugged, and his build was based on power. ¡°Where is our young mistress?¡± ¡°Your what?¡± ¡°The woman you kidnapped.¡± ¡°Oh her? Shes¡­ You¡¯ll have to beat me if you want me to tell you where she is.¡± ¡°Do you not know who we are?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, it doesn¡¯t matter, let¡¯s fight.¡± Ander picked up a broomstick and brandished it like a spear. ¡°You¡¯re outnumbered!¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± ¡°Why did you kidnap our lady!¡± ¡°A whim.¡± ¡°Now either you start or I start.¡± The first wave was defeated so fast that passersby assumed lightning must have struck from above, as ten warriors were beaten in a flash of light. Ander sighed. ¡°None of you are enhanced. Guess I¡¯ll give you a handicap.¡± ¡°Brother. I didn¡¯t see him move from that position.¡± ¡°Which family are you from and what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Speak yours first.¡± Ander hit the side of his head. ¡°I am Yamato, the Unbreakable,of the Aikawa Clan.¡± ¡°Ander Fulwind, Drisil¡¯s Demonic White Tiger.¡± Ander truly wanted to see if his opponent was unbreakable. ¡°Ander? Is he a foreigner?¡± One of the grunts asked. ¡°I am as foreign as it gets.¡± Ander dropped his broom and entered into a tiger stance with both hands prepped to strike. ¡°Is that so? Your features don¡¯t seem western. Mixed blood?¡± ¡°Does it matter? Most of my family shares these features.¡± Ander eyed the opening in everyone¡¯s forms and scowled. They had the fighting experience but not with fighting people stronger, faster, and deadlier.¡± ¡°Just testing the waters.¡± Yamoto moved quickly, faster than most human eyes could track, and aimed a jab at Ander¡¯s throat while simultaneously sending a twisting punch at his gut. Ander, seeing the next move coming, grabbed both wrists and jumped. Using his strength, he flipped Yamato over and brought him to the ground. Yamato did get back up but found that both of his arms had been broken. He didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°You took me out of the fight.¡± ¡°No¡­My hope. Give it back.¡± ¡°Please. Just return the Bosses daughter.¡± ¡°Will I get another fight if I refuse?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯ll just call the bureaucrats, which hurts our pride. I assume you don¡¯t have any travel papers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go get her, but not because you threatened me with paperwork. I want to help you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ander jumped from wall to wall and wound up back on top of the building. ¡°Have you calmed down yet?¡± Ander asked bluntly. ¡°You left me on top of a building.¡± ¡°Did you want to see the fight from a closer range?¡± ¡°What fight?¡± ¡°Well young miss. Would you like to get down?¡± ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll call the cops.¡± ¡°Are those the guys on the ground?¡± The young woman looked off the roof and then looked back at Ander. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± The woman in the wig sighed before the two slowly floated down from the building. ¡°Did you just fly?¡± Ander laughed. ¡°That was just falling slowly. Flight is much different.¡± ¡°Uh huh. You¡¯re strong for a little kid.¡± Ander¡¯s feet touched the ground. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m about seven ten, that doesn¡¯t make me a kid.¡± ¡°It kind of does. Have you finished grade school yet?¡± ¡°I go to an elite academy for fighting. Please don¡¯t refer to me as a little kid again.¡± Ander said with a squint. ¡°Where is that?¡± The woman calmed down and examined his face carefully, not sure if she should still be embarrassed. He did just say he was seven. ¡°In a place far far away?¡± Ander wasn¡¯t helping his case. ¡°Like Spain?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Spain? Can I fight it?¡± ¡°Nevermind. You don¡¯t seem like the type with many friends.¡± ¡°I have friends, tons of them. We fight like twice a week. Sometimes three times.¡± ¡°So. How will you take responsibility?¡± The woman looked down at Ander. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Kissing me, then beating up my father¡¯s subordinates.¡± Ander felt a spark of interest. ¡°Is this father of yours, strong?¡± Ander¡¯s face was easily readable. ¡°You want to fight him, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that predictable, am I?¡± Ander scowled. ¡°Your brutish actions speak louder than anything you can tell me. What you told me doesn¡¯t help your case.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯m losing my touch. When did I get surrounded?¡± A man in a white suit got out of the back seat of a black car. His black hair was slicked back, and a pair of spectacles covered his eyes. ¡°Headmaster? How in the Hell did you get here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what world you come from, but I am no headmaster of yours. Surrender now and we won¡¯t have to resort to undesirable means of getting you to follow us.¡± ¡°That sounds like a fight.¡± Lightning sparkled between his fingers. ¡°I will not fight you, unless you come with us.¡± ¡°Do you only see me as a battle lust driven maniac?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t use abilities in public. We have a friend of yours in custody at another branch.¡± ¡°Oh right. Kyrion. I doubt he¡¯s going to still be in custody by the time I get in the car. He¡¯s someone who can¡¯t be bound unless he¡¯s willing to be.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t imagine him misbehaving too much. Kyr is a bit soft compared to me. He could go on a killing spree if left unchecked. But his own sense of morals prevent him from doing so. He was likely betrayed for some apparent reason if he was captured while asleep.¡± ¡°How are you aware he was asleep?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t be captured while awake. The same way he will be on the lamb by the time we get in that car. It won¡¯t help you that he also has the world on his side.¡± Ander took the pink-haired woman by the hand and entered the car. ¡°So, Mr.Fulwind, why did you choose to kidnap me?¡± As the car drove off from the location. Ander asked a question that had been bothering him. ¡°I have a simple question that¡¯s been bothering me since we met. Why are you wearing a wig?¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 21 Goat ¡°Please place your ID on the scanner to enter the Underworld.¡± Said an electronic voice. ¡°That¡¯s this card?¡± Kyrion withdrew the ID card he had made while being held captive. It was simple to have his new friend forge it when it got within the system. Wiping it from the creators¡¯ databases and altering where it was actually created was simple. He cut his long hair to fall at his shoulders and removed the overshirt before leaving. ¡°Yes, great one. That is the card,¡± a monotonous voice in his head said. When Kyrion sent his mind into the system through Richard¡¯s phone, he didn¡¯t have enough power to send it further. Thus, it became his eye and stayed dormant for a while. At first, it was too much to take over anything alone, so he cheated by feeding the energy signature from his walnuts into the system. He hadn¡¯t expected it to work, but it seemed to give the entity enough power to break through their defenses. He had it create an illusion of where he had been sitting while he used his ability to move through walls to get out. From there, the entity had every camera that saw Kyrion remove him from sight in real-time. The recordings would also have an altered view. The biggest move he had to make was to turn off all the generators in the underground building while he healed the rest of the people present upon discovering them all in lock up. The fact that the guy with bad kidneys and the girl with a damaged heart hadn¡¯t received their treatments angered him. So, in a brief time, the lights went off, and Kyrion replaced the woman¡¯s heart with a stronger one grown from his mana and the blood he had borrowed. There would be no sign he had done so for all. He also proceeded to rapidly regrow the van owner¡¯s kidneys. Injected his own blood into a few others to purge various viruses and diseases. Which would have been insane for anyone else. Upon completing its job, the blood, along with anything that didn¡¯t belong, would be purged. The last few had internal growths caused by improper proportions of life mana. They were lanced and purged with the surviving tissue, and they were receiving new orders. It was a simple escape, one of the easiest due to the skills he had learned from his teacher and then developed on his own. So when the ID let him enter the underworld proper, he made certain that the next meeting he had with that group would be with some leverage and a few more cards in his deck. ¡°What¡¯s the plan chief?¡± Asked the white weasel. ¡°Why ask me? Aren¡¯t you the brains of this operation?¡± ¡°Clearly not? I wasn¡¯t aware you were capable of using this world¡¯s mana.¡± ¡°I did most of this during the ride here, when I gained the ability to know someone¡¯s name on sight.¡± ¡°Is it in written form? Do you see letters in your vision?¡± ¡°No¡­I just look at someone and know their name limits seem to be the window washers database. Like the information goes straight into my brain.¡± ¡°Did you give life to a construct created in this world?¡± ¡°That would be an astute conclusion.¡± ¡°I see. Which would mean that technology is a vehicle for magic.¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why magitech is a thing.¡± ¡°What do you know about technomancy?¡± ¡°How to feed my mana into metal objects as well as my consciousness for greater manipulation.¡± ¡°Your skillset is quite diverse.¡± ¡°Annoyingly so. The limit to talent is time, and if you know how to squeeze out every second, it¡¯s easier to make the best of it.¡± Kyrion said as he entered what seemed to be a candy store. ¡°Welcome to Billy¡¯s Silly Candy Consortium! I¡¯m Billy Dee Goat.¡± A man with a goat head answered. Both of his horns were adorned with decorations that made him look less intimidating. ¡°You make these candies?¡± Kyrion picked up a chocolate bar and examined it. ¡°Yes, I make all sorts of mystical, magical, and tantalizing, terrifical, treats.¡± ¡°Uh huh. You say magical, is that true or a falsehood. What does this do?¡± ¡°It makes your tongue very happy.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a lie. Mind if I¡­¡± Kyrion took a bite of the chocolate bar wrapped in a wrapper. ¡°You don¡¯t eat the mana-cancelling foil! Wait, you didn¡¯t pay for that!¡± The goat man tried to leap from behind the counter. ¡°So that¡¯s how antimagic works¡­Feels like how I imagine indigestion should.¡± ¡°You did not just learn antimagic.¡± The weasel seemed irritated. ¡°Nope, the effects are minimal. My body is already dissolving the metal. It¡¯ll pass eventually.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Kid! We need to call the poison control unit.¡± ¡°No need. About payment. Can you tell me how money works here? Do you use gold or silver? Or did you develop a fiat system of currency.¡± ¡°So¡­A new arrival. Did they not tell you anything?¡± ¡°I chose to find out for myself. The people who found me had some slimy leadership.¡± Kyrion dodged the question. ¡°So you don¡¯t have any cash. Did they give you a bank account?¡± ¡°I have trade.¡± Kyrion withdrew quite a few of his newer fruits and scowled. ¡°Are these fruits from your homeworld?¡± ¡°Not quite. Some seem to be directly influenced by my mana and have some measure of my own abilities meaning they have little effect on me. Something called diminishing returns.¡± ¡°May I?¡± The goat man picks up the square apple and takes a bite. After some loud chewing and grumbling, the goat looked at the thing curiously. ¡°And?¡± ¡°Sour, almost acidic like a green apple with a hint of sweetness as well. Magically however, it seems to make my skin quite a bit tougher. Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The goat man bit his right hand. A human hand, after a few seconds of struggling, seemed satisfied. ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve chewed iron bars softer than what you just made my arm and yet I don¡¯t seem any heavier.¡± ¡°Why would you chew an Iron bar?¡± ¡°There were these magical jawbreakers I was trying to get right. I wanted to see if I could make it unbeatable. I could not, and found issues at the iron bar tier of durability. Which is pretty good as far as jawbreakers go.¡± ¡°So a jawbreaker is a type of candy?¡± ¡°Yes. Looks like there are seeds. Can these be grown?¡± ¡°Yet but the first fruit is weaker than what you ate. It takes a few years and care to get them past the tier I can produce with my runoff.¡± ¡°Runoff?¡± ¡°Yeah, when full of mana, my core produces fruit to compensate. It¡¯s self defense, when my body produces more mana than I can contain it turns into fruit. Like an unconscious manifestation of my powers. It¡¯s possible that eating those everyday could cause the power to rub off on you. Some effects are temporary while others are permanent. High consumption can make some temporary effects permanent.¡± ¡°I see, and the banana?¡± ¡°Something fire based.¡± ¡°Curious.¡± The goat didn¡¯t peel the red banana as he took two bites. ¡°Tasty.¡± ¡°Powers?¡± The goat coughed up a ball of fire before sighing. ¡°The meat gives fire resistance while the shell causes fire breathing. Eat the banana then the rinds. Eat them backward and you¡¯ll be in trouble. Good thing most people don¡¯t eat the shell first.¡± ¡°I see. That one may permanently increase your defense against fire magic a little while give you a temporary fire attack, if you have no magic then it could be permanent. I also suspect that fire breathing is what you get if you already have magic. Does Billy have magic?¡± ¡°Billy does indeed have some magic. So you¡¯re saying with some refinement, these could grant someone magic?¡± ¡°Correct, I was told not to heal regular people as it could have side effects. Like giving people access to magic.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­The Janitors can only cover up so much. If people were to start appearing with powers and little sense of secrecy then things could get bad quick. Not all take to power well.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°A phrase from some old guy went like this: Great power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pessimistic.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me, you didn¡¯t use your own powers to escape confinement and manipulate the system to get what you want?¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s obvious?¡± ¡°I assume you aren¡¯t a criminal as you don¡¯t look the type. But you have power and you used it, when you could have waited.¡± ¡°They did threaten me with torture. Would you have let them do that for no reason?¡± ¡°T-torture?¡± Billy looked about before sighing. Can they not tell you¡¯re a kid? I don¡¯t really blame you for leaving a bad place like that. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you used your abilities to escape a predicament where you were detained.¡± ¡°I see. It isn¡¯t that I broke the law, it¡¯s because I escaped with my powers. Would I have tried the same thing if I had no power? Probably not. I think I get it, it¡¯s kind of how some people back home lose track of how much a single life is worth when they get a great deal of power and prestige.¡± ¡°So you are aware of others?¡± ¡°I have learned that there is always someone stronger. But this¡­Strength isn¡¯t about having power and using it. It¡¯s having power and resisting the urge to abuse it whenever necessary. It¡¯s all about restraint. ¡° ¡°Correct, now on an unrelated note, how much for a fruit?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Right what do you need most right now?¡± ¡°Food. Preferably meat.¡± ¡°Ok. So a cheap burger is worth a dollar, that is one hundred cents, pieces of metal that people give you as change.¡± ¡°So a dollar is one silver, and one burger is a dollar. How big is a burger? No, what is a burger?¡± ¡°I think I have one in my fridge, although it could be old.¡± Billy left and returned with a burger. Kyrion looked at the small, sad sandwich carefully. ¡°This is one dollar worth of burger. I wouldn¡¯t pay a silver for that.¡± ¡°This is the base burger. I microwaved it, eat it.¡± Kyrion ate the burger at an astounding speed and looked wistfully at the wrapper. It had been seconds, but he had tasted heaven. Sadly, it was short-lived. ¡°I could eat a hundred of those a day. How does five fruit for one hundred dollars sound?¡± ¡°Sounds like a steal. Are you sure you want to sell them for that low?¡± ¡°Do you want me to drain you of resources? I want your research to bear fruit sooner rather than later. Also, I have other means of making money quite quickly.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re willing to take a bad deal if it means you gain access to a powerful good supply chain of sweets that grant magical prowess.¡± ¡°Yes, this world will soon face cataclysm. Do you think you could make enough to give one candy to everyone in this world?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a small-time sweets purveyor. Due to the scale of my work, I lack resources for mass distribution.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s not going to work then.¡± ¡°This cataclysm you¡¯re speaking of. What can you tell me about it?¡± ¡°Lots of death. As well as a mass influx of mana. The specifics are beyond me however.¡± ¡°Did you inform the Janitors of this danger?¡± ¡°Do you think they seem the type to let me escape after learning such information? I¡¯m ninety percent sure that I¡¯ll be followed after meeting with you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re capable of informing the proper authorities. I¡¯m on vacation right now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bit free spirited aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to describe it.¡± Kyrion sighed as he created a box out of stone and drew a few runes on it, linking it to his current domain. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Put money in, get the fruit. Put anything else in, get nothing.¡± ¡°Just like a vending machine.¡± ¡°A what now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mystical box that gives you food if you give it enough money.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s like a fridge, but it costs money to open.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Billy looked to the side. ¡°Huh. It looks like you¡¯ll be getting some customers soon, so I¡¯ll need to go.¡± Kyrion sighed as he teleported behind the people entering the shop and walked away. He¡¯d pay Billy a visit later, but first, he¡¯d need to procure rations. Who knew when hunger would strike him in this very strange world? Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 22 Careless spending Kyrion had followed his nose while in the underworld, eventually coming across a house with lights all over the outside and large windows. The smell from the place reminded him of that small burger he¡¯d had earlier. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant smell per se. But he could take his food with him. A stranger bumped into him before Kyrion could make it to the door. ¡°Oi watch! W-where¡­ you¡¯re going? Please?¡± The figure that had bumped into him hadn¡¯t expected to encounter a tower of muscle. Nor did they expect said tower not to have a single wallet on them. ¡°You just tried to rob me. Didn¡¯t you?¡± Kyrion looked down with an innocent expression. He appeared as though butter wouldn¡¯t melt in his mouth. But the body structure told the would-be thief that a punch was probably lethal. ¡°N-n-no sir!¡± ¡°A shame. I was looking forward to a fight. You dropped this, by the way.¡± Kyrion dropped the would-be thief¡¯s wallet on their head before turning and walking away. The would-be thief scowled. They kept their wallet in a hidden pocket on the inside of their jacket. Nobody could have just removed it by accident. A realization dawned soon after, the person he had just tried to pickpocket was a master of the art. Kyrion¡¯s dexterity came from his training to be a proper healer. Some work requires fine-tuned motions. Which he had practiced tirelessly. He could pull out a heart and replace it with a better one in less than a second without causing pain to the patient. Stealing the wallet off of a rookie pickpocket was child¡¯s play. ¡°Back on track¡­¡± Kyrion immediately noticed that the small-time thug was attempting to tail him. Entering the odd house proved difficult as he pushed against the door. In his irritation, he tried a little harder and felt the resistance. The place door was magically warded. Someone in a uniform came running. Pull it! Not push!¡± Said the uniformed man. Rion pulled the door and watched as it opened. ¡°Why it no go two way?¡± ¡°Valued customer is this your first time at Dougall¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yea. Gimme food.¡± Kyrion handed the man a crisp $100 bill. He felt as if he had six more on top of that. ¡°You want to spend all of it.¡± ¡°Yea. Gimme meat too.¡± The owner raised an eyebrow, went to the counter, and said something to the clerk that sounded like. ¡°One glutton¡¯s demise!¡± ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± Kyrion entered the shop and sniffed it. It smelled much better on the inside than on the outside. The owner turned around and eyed Kyrion. ¡°So are you some type of new arrival?¡± ¡°Kind of. Came from place with big monsters.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°You aren¡¯t fooling anyone with that accent.¡± ¡°So what is a Glutton¡¯s Demise?¡± ¡°A hundred nugg¡¯s in a family sized popcorn bucket resting atop a bed of french fries covered in cheese. We then put five half pound beef patties atop of the nuggs then cover with vegetables so that you don¡¯t just die. Then put our special sauce on top.¡± Kyrion looked at the large bucket being prepared in awe. Kyrion couldn¡¯t believe he had to come to a different world to find portions sized for someone like him. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually something enjoyed by groups of five. The smallest group was a determined trio.¡± The owner pointed to a picture of two young men and a lady on the wall. ¡°You expect to see me fail?¡± ¡°You look human but for all I know you have six stomachs to hold food. We have a regular who can eat half a portion and takes the rest home for another meal later.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve never met a glutton like me.¡± The tub of food looked much bigger in person. It was piled high and bigger than Kyrion¡¯s torso. He fashioned a bib by transmuting a few napkins and made sure to stand while eating. ¡°He¡¯s gonna eat straight from the tub?¡± The food was messy, and his jumbo anti-break utensils were not in his domain, so of course, he had to use his hands. The next ten minutes proved quite disturbing as Kyrion ate handful after handful of the food. It was like eating a burger but more. Still, like a hurricane, Kyrion tore through the tub, leaving it sparky. His bib did have some sauce on it. The oddest thing was the look Kyrion regained. ¡°The tub could have used a few of those bread things. Aside from that it was quite filling. Is there anything special about that food?¡± ¡°No magic. If that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. I¡¯ll probably come back one day to document recipe.¡± ¡°Why not let us take your picture?¡± ¡°Is that how you put me on the wall?¡± ¡°Yes exactly.¡± ¡°Allright. Also, if someone asks where I went, tell them that I¡¯m following from a distance. It appears that I have a stalker.¡± Kyrion smiled for the camera as his picture was taken. Given his general nature and well-honed physique, his picture would prove quite popular among customers. After leaving the restaurant, Kyrion decided to shop for less conspicuous clothing. Across the street from the burger place was a large building aptly named. ¡°The Ground Under Mall.¡± Kyrion said. Entering the mall proved simple. What surprised Kyrion was the fact that various people with skin and fur colors of all shapes and sizes were moving about. There was a pink-skinned being with three eyes and six arms passing out pamphlets. A woman who had bear ears and an absurdly muscular frame. A man with no eyes or nose was examining a stall with various watches. As Kyrion entered, he sensed something was off. Closing his prosthetic eye made everyone appear as though they were regular humans. Each of them had a unique bracelet on their arms. Kyrion focused on his prosthetic eye and commanded it to display the illusion to prevent further confusion. Approaching the directory was easy. ¡°Welcome to The Underground Mall! I am De the Directory. Do you know where you want to go?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I want clothes.¡± ¡°These shops are available.¡± Kyrion decided to go to a place called Todd¡¯s Tailored Goods. Having known tailors in his own world, this should prove quite fruitful. Clothes for his physique had to be made to order or altered. Todd was a spider man, er, man spider. He had six spider legs and a spider¡¯s lower body with the torso of a regular human. He wore a suit and tie on his torso, along with glasses. ¡°Are you Todd?¡± ¡°Yes, are you a customer?¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have arachnophobia. Todd, can you make form fitting battle wear that is cut resistant and piercing resistant? As well as keep up with high speeds of unprotected travel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of requirements. But yes, although I doubt you can afford that tier of product. Are you calling me poor?¡± ¡°I highly doubt someone like you have been here long enough to earn more than 10k.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of burgers.¡± ¡°Dollars.¡± ¡°Ten thousand burgers worth of money for a simple battle suit?¡± ¡°They are not simple? Do you know how hard it is to make battle wear in this world?¡± ¡°Oh¡­Let me take a guess. You¡¯re people eat mana, is that correct? You don¡¯t produce your own? Then you use said mana to make silk through your webs.¡± ¡°Yes. Have you met one of the Ka Ruk Shik?¡± Kyrion shook his head and sighed. ¡°No¡­ And no offense but that¡¯s just how monsters work in my world. If not bound to a person¡¯s core they require sustenance. Usually from people, until they form a solid core. Then people like me become shortcuts. I don¡¯t recommend eating people here.¡± ¡°I think I get it.¡± Kyrion pulled out a glass vial he borrowed from the lab and dropped some blood into it before drawing a simple enchantment. ¡°Holding this should help you gain mana. It shouldn¡¯t run out any time soon. Well, it should refill within a few hours. It¡¯s what I call a mana condenser, it takes the energy in the air and turns it into mana. Now, you won¡¯t be able to use said mana without forming a core.¡± Kyrion pulled out two walnuts and placed them on the counter with five hundred dollars. ¡°Now, I may not be able to afford a battlesuit, but some decent clothes I can move around without breaking would be nice. I want something that looks normal.¡± ¡°Normal where?¡± ¡°Normal above ground.¡± ¡°Did you already pass the test?¡± ¡°What test?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a test I need to take?¡± ¡°You know the one that says you can blend in with human society above ground.¡± ¡°I mean. I kinda am human. What does fitting in have to do with anything?¡± ¡°I said blending in.¡± ¡°Oh, so like staying hidden and not making a scene.¡± ¡°More like living a normal life above ground without revealing magic to everyone..¡± ¡°Ohh¡­ So this city is like a training ground.¡± ¡°Yes, and no, it is also a place for larger creatures like me to rest. No illusion can hide my size.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. I¡¯ll take the human test while you make the clothes.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°There is a long line for that test and you have to go to the Janitor¡¯s HQ.¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± ¡°Outside the mall you¡¯ll see a large gray building with various gates, protecting it.¡± ¡°Ah. And I just need to pass through these gates?¡± ¡°Yes, just be sure that you aren¡¯t bringing any weapons.¡± ¡°Not like I have any on me. Seems most of my things are back in my own world.¡± ¡°Then you should be fine. They may try to place mana binders on you.¡± ¡°That, may not work as well as they hope.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware. You¡¯re like a walking layline to my senses, although quite subdued.¡± ¡°Is that so? Here I thought my seals were still in place.¡± ¡°They are, I noticed it when you put your own blood in that vial. The concentration of mana is very high, the average human would have grown into a grotesque aberration after containing a fraction of your power in their bodies. Don¡¯t feed people your blood.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t intend¨C¡± ¡°You already did?¡± ¡°Almost did, although it was designed to run itself through the heart valves, fix the issue then filter through the kidneys. Healing magic.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a healer?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± ¡°Can I go now?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll start on your clothes momentarily.¡± Kyrion felt a few more dollars go into his domain as fruits were withdrawn. Which made Kyrion wonder if Billiy¡¯s experiments had been successful. It had been a few hours since Kyrion left, and his circadian rhythm had been off since he arrived in this world. Suddenly, the lights in the sky began to brighten, and a large clock on what Kyrion assumed to be the ceiling read. 7:00 Am. It was odd, but he accepted it. Many places had been closed, but it seemed the tailor was nocturnal, and Kyrion walked in at the end of their shift. As Kyion walked towards the Janitor¡¯s HQ, he noticed quite a few people running out of the building and getting into cars. Kyrion wondered what was happening and felt he was getting patched into their database. ¡°We have a 6:2, an unidentified creature has gotten loose, it¡¯s vaguely humanoid with horns. Potentially very powerful, lethal force is authorized if it fights back. It has red hair and green eyes.¡± ¡°I am not 6¡± 2. If anything, I¡¯m 6¡± 8, and it says so on my ID.¡± Kyrion took out his ID and confirmed it. From there, he got in line. As the day had just begun, it was only a little long. After a bit of waiting, it was Kyrion¡¯s turn. He walked to the gate. ¡°ID and reason for entry.¡± Kyrion handed over the ID. ¡°I want to take the human test.¡± ¡°What is your species?¡± ¡°Human, although some have called us Folis. I don¡¯t know what that means though.¡± ¡°All right Mr. Mosley..¡± ¡°Huh. Can you put this in your system? My surname is pronounced (Moss-Lay) Where the moss lays, is what it means back home.¡± ¡°Not sure if I translated it right.¡± ¡°It says here that you¡¯re sixteen.¡± Kyrion lied about his ID. Well, he partially lied. He was fifteen when he entered the realm of the Lost and seventeen when he left, but none of the physical time counted. If he was honest, he wasn¡¯t sure how old he should be and decided to split the difference. ¡°That would be the closest description of my age.¡± ¡°You look fourteen.¡± ¡°Um¡­Thats a bit too young.¡± ¡°You still have a baby face, its also too smooth, with no signs of facial hair.¡± ¡°Would a fourteen year old be this tall and well built?¡± ¡°Not if they were from our world. But you aren¡¯t and something tells me you haven¡¯t finished growing.¡± ¡°You know, most of my siblings are shorter than me. I think It¡¯s a miracle I got this tall.¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t seem right about your age.¡± ¡°Fine. I told the people I was sixteen because I ended up in a place where time was wonky for a year and some change. I was fifteen when I went in and am not sure if my physical age matches.¡± ¡°So sixteen is a guess based on odd circumstances. I could see you as seventeen, is that why your hair is so long?¡± ¡°Oh that? No, the hair on my head and upper face tend to grow quite fast naturally. A while back, I halted further hair growth on my face after my eyebrows were extra bushy. The mana had to go somewhere so it went back to the top of my head.¡± ¡°Is fast hair growth common?¡± ¡°I have an ability in the beauty category of magic that tends to accentuate certain features. It also tends to keep me clean at all times.¡± ¡°Are all the people in your world, walkling models?¡± ¡°You mean, with near perfect features? No. I¡¯m an exception. One of my spirits is a swan, and I¡¯m sure swans here represent beauty, balance and grace as well.¡± ¡°Ah. So your type is just specialized in looking presentable.¡± ¡°Well I am a noble. It¡¯s kinda expected.¡± ¡°I think I get it. If you can read the language then you should probably be able to do well. You may pass.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Kyrion walked past the gate, being relieved for all of thirty seconds. Then, as he walked through the doorway, he was immediately flanked on four sides by men in white suits, each armed to the teeth with magical weapons. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 23 Leaders ¡°So¡­was I being stalled?¡± There was no answer. ¡°Am I being detained?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I¡¯m I getting taken to get a permit?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Did I do anything that could get me in trouble?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what I did?¡± The four had led him to a set of double doors, which was knocked on five times. The leading man moved to the side as the doors were open. Revealing a bevy of agents positioned all over an office with multiple cubicles. ¡°Ey?¡± The white-haired man from before approached with a group of agents behind him. ¡°Welcome, sorry we were unable to greet you when you first arrived on earth and had been illegally imprisoned. Despite coming here willingly. Question, did you go to the surface or was that a distraction?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually not sure of what happened? I have a friend on the inside but they seem to just do whatever.¡± ¡°You mean to tell me that the virus in our system is sentient?¡± ¡°Somewhat. It can¡¯t talk yet, but I do feel like it¡¯s learning. Mr¡­Huh is Calhoun a common surname?¡± ¡°How did you? Nevermid, the Ai is linked to you in some way, so names are simple.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°Why are you asking?¡± ¡°I hate this game. Why are you being so defensive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a private matter.¡± ¡°Are you a higher up in the Janitor organization?¡± ¡°Not the highest but I am up there.¡± ¡°I see, are you related to any doctors? Like having a sister, that¡¯s one?¡± ¡°I have no siblings.¡± ¡°Huh. Well you¡¯re clearly too young to be his dad, so maybe there¡¯s another Calhoun that¡¯s a janitor.¡± ¡°That is a possibility.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s the one married to a doctor.¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± ¡°Oh? A friend of mine came to this world and he knew one of my big sisters. I¡¯m trying to find her.¡± ¡°Your skin is darker¡­¡± ¡°Yea. I got some of my dad¡¯s skin tone. The eyes and hair are mostly universal however.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the glint in your eye when you¡¯re plotting something.¡± ¡°That eye is a prosthetic. Lost it before I met the earth trio.¡± ¡°This person. Would his name be Cecil.¡± ¡°Oh! You must be his older brother!¡± ¡°I just said I don¡¯t have siblings.¡± ¡°Cousin? I mean, you do have similar eyes, but your hair is so different.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin. ¡°He¡¯s my son damn it!¡± ¡°Oh? Well that¡¯s perfect. Which means you can take me to where the gate was opened. Also you¡¯re like way too young to have a son that¡¯s eighteen.¡± Kyrion rubbed his hands. ¡°My son was thirteen when he died.¡± ¡°Oh. well that sucks. I really have no time for this vacation.¡± ¡°Vacation?¡± ¡°I need to go back to my own world in a few months.¡± ¡°Why are you here then?¡± ¡°Not by choice, if I¡¯m being honest. I was busy training when some powerful entity kinda forced me to take it here. Apparently this world will be in danger soon. I intend to form a semi-permanent doorway for your organization to help civilians escape.¡± ¡°You can do something like that? Why would you do something like that just to help strangers.¡± Kyrion creased his hands and took on a severe expression. ¡°There is something I need to eat.¡± ¡°No games.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking my sister home if I can find her. Unless she wants to stay. Either way, I need to get back before my time is up and I¡¯m not in a big hurry.¡± ¡°What do you get out of doing that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to take a lot of power to open. More than I can use on my own. There is no guarantee that the power I gain from this world would be used in your best interest.¡± Kyrion said honestly. ¡°How is Cecil doing? ¡°He¡¯s doing relatively well. Three square meals a day, daily exercise, all the materials he could use.¡± ¡°Does he only care about the materials?¡± ¡°Well he does also have a harem. Huh¡­¡± Kyrion speed-read some information that appeared in his vision. ¡°What?¡± ¡°So¡­ a harem is a group of lovers¡­¡± ¡°Did you just figure that out?¡± ¡°The word didn¡¯t translate properly.¡± Kyrion lied; he just hadn¡¯t quite understood what that meant. It wasn¡¯t a common practice in his kingdom or Etravonia. Despite the king¡¯s many wives, most had died either by age or through other causes, and he tended to move on years later. The practice was more common in the Testan merchant empire, although even then, one must have tons of money just to buy the certification. ¡°That isn¡¯t quite true.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t common enough back home. Thing is, back home, people in a harem don¡¯t have to be the same gender. With the information running through me I can without a doubt say that I accidentally caused some misunderstandings. I, however, don¡¯t regret a thing. I will agree to a name change if it¡¯s brought up.¡± ¡°So, Cecil got his harem?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Technically I¡¯m in it along with quite a few other dudes and dudettes¡­ That¡¯s a fun word in this language.¡± ¡°So you treated it as an organization.¡± ¡°A group of people passionate about magitech and only magitech.¡± ¡°I imagine it wasn¡¯t anything like he expected.¡± ¡°I think he got over it years ago. Or well grew out of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s odd. You say years while he¡¯s only been gone eight months at most.¡± ¡°That time scale seems odd¡­Wait, does that mean my big sister is now my little sister?¡± ¡°Lets see, six years older, vanished at twelve.¡± ¡°Wait! How could she have trained Cecil in anything?¡± ¡°I believe she turns nineteen soon.¡± ¡°That math doesn¡¯t add up.¡± ¡°I doubt time is less stable than you believe. It must have slowed greatly when Cecil was taken to your world.¡± ¡°That or someone had been playing with time for a while only to slow down recently.¡± ¡°People can play with time in your world?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible. I¡¯m actually not sure who it is as they are far above my tier of power.¡± ¡°So a god of time?¡± ¡°Possibly. I don¡¯t know how that tier works.¡± ¡°I see. You seem like an idiot. Not to be rude, but you come to a strange world, and want us to believe you can ferry people between worlds. Teleportation magic doesn¡¯t exist outside of stories here.¡± ¡°Oh there is a lot I don¡¯t know, and If I only seem that way then you¡¯re looking too deep. I want to try all the food in this world. Then learn a bit about architecture, building cities, and region management. After I get most of that I want all your worlds medical knowledge. My final task will be gathering all the items I can duplicate for future trade in the next world. I also need to empty out a few junkyards for materials.¡± ¡°Why do you need to visit a junkyard?¡± ¡°Cecil wants to build mechs. I want to watch a mech fight a dragon. Our goals align and Cecil once told me that scrap yards are treasure troves for materials. So long as you don¡¯t mind the rust. Rust is easy for me to fix and I have quite a few spells for purifying materials. Well separating.¡± ¡°How do you plan to transport all those materials?¡± ¡°Trade secret. Now then, the test.¡± ¡°Not actually needed, for someone like you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, as you are a human. A civil one at that. So long as you agree not to use magic in public without authorization, or use your power to bring harm to civilians. We should be fine.¡± ¡°Huh. This is going well. Why are you suddenly being hospitable?¡± ¡°The west received one headache while the far east received the other. Their headache is a bit more aggressive.¡± ¡°Did he start a fight or finish one that no one knew they started.¡± ¡°I think his method of learning the language was worse than yours as he had to learn one with a lot of honorifics and little background information.¡± ¡°...Did someone call him short or refer to him in any way that would sound like they were calling him a kid?¡± ¡°If the report was to be believed. Someone called him Ander-chan and then the lights went out for a mile wide radius.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy. Chan means really short little kid. I believe it translates to little Ander. Only I can get away with making short jokes. And that¡¯s because I can run away pretty quickly. It could also mean somebody tried to manipulate him and he noticed.¡± ¡°No? I mean that is nowhere near a proper translation. It¡¯s an honorific that is used on younger kids and¡­ Did you say that this Ander was older than you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s at least seventeen, a bonafide adult back home. Almost practically an old man.¡± ¡°Is he also human? Reports say that he was 4¡±6.¡± ¡°He shrunk? Oh that¡¯s hilarious. No, I will not stop him. He¡¯ll figure it out. He¡¯s part cat so you may want to add in something like your majesty. Or an equivalent.¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, how strong is he exactly?¡± Kyrion withdrew a gun and pointed it at his shoulder. ¡°Where in the hell did you get that!¡± Kyrion, knowing how they worked, pulled the trigger and watched as it ricocheted off his skin and pierced the ground. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a spell.¡± Kyrion scowled as various other janitors had begun to move. Kyrion placed the gun on the table and scowled. ¡°Can you pull that four times? I wanna see something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to suspect that you could have slaughtered the window washers if you wanted to.¡± ¡°Some were just doing their job, and I don¡¯t like killing people if I can help it. Monsters and people shaped monsters are exempt. So long as I see someone as a person and not a monster, I am less likely to kill. But I certainly will threaten a person as a warning. So far I¡¯ve only seen people. The cult leader was quite close to being a monster but he was also in touch with people who can get me organs. So he must be a healer of some kind.¡± ¡°Just a backwater con artist with visions of money and little talent for magic. I think that¡¯s what threw off your aim.¡± ¡°Good to know. You look like nothing like Cecil by the way. Well you do if I move the hair to the side. Actually, looking at your facial structure I can see where Cecil gets it. But you don¡¯t have glasses. How can you see without those?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I wear contacts.¡± ¡°I have no context for that word.¡± ¡°Does everyone see perfectly in your world?¡± ¡°No, but most people are fine with getting their eyes healed by eye healers. I am not an eye healer. Despite my condition, I had little interest in that specialization. Which is probably why my current prosthetic is bugging me, but I just have to live with it. It does give me access to more information than my previous one.¡± ¡°Why would you have lost an eye to begin with?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a long story.¡± Kyrion recalled the day and shivered.
After a short ride and a trip through a garage that went far underground, Ander eventually arrived at a compound with his new companion. The ride was tense, and there were sparks in the air. One of the guards had pulled out a phone, only for a bolt of lightning to pass through and disintegrate it, leaving the holder unharmed, oddly enough. Ander was then wracked with a significant headache as various waves bombarded his system. Information he couldn¡¯t comprehend, followed by voices from hundreds of thousands. Blood had begun to flow in mass from his eyes and nose. Black lines started to form on his body, and rage filled his soul. Moments later, the driver activated something, which caused Ander¡¯s pain to fade. His eyes, however, had changed permanently. The electric blue irises had near vertical slits that resembled lightning bolts. ¡°Adverse reaction to phone waves.¡± Ander coughed up a bit of blood and scowled. ¡°That was not a pleasant adaptation.¡± ¡°Adaptation?¡± ¡°Raw magic obtained when jumping the gap between worlds. It gets harder each time, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± ¡°So you just gained magic?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°About that wig? Is pink hair not natural here?¡± ¡°It is not. Neither is your shade of green. Today was supposed to be my break from this lunacy you know. Your eyes are also a weird shade of blue.¡± ¡°My eyes are brown.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°My apologies then.¡± There was little sincerity in that statement, The fact that there was none took Ander by surprise, however. So, instead of continuing the conversation, he looked out the window and looked for someone to fight. Neither had continued the conversation as they were led to a compound where everyone sat at a large table. At that moment, Ander realized his combat gi had grown quite a bit. ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± ¡°What¡¯s odd?¡± ¡°This was too small before I came here.¡± Ander lied; it fits just right. ¡°At least you have clothes. According to our allies, your friend wasn¡¯t so lucky.¡± ¡°They probably got destroyed when he arrived, or his death didn¡¯t leave him with any.¡± ¡°Death?¡± ¡°Oh, we didn¡¯t actually die. He technically exploited a few laws of our reality and dragged me into it. While not dead I was quite injured.¡± ¡°Your friend sounds dangerous.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t start killing kids in front of him and you probably won¡¯t even register as a threat.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that regardless.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s more vindictive than heroic if that makes sense.¡± Ander looked at two cameras and watched as the red light turned off on both, the act taking little exertion of his willpower. ¡°I see, why vindictive?¡± ¡°If he was heroic he¡¯d try to stop you from doing it in the first place. He won¡¯t do that. Well he will but you wouldn¡¯t know he did so, if you chose wrong.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t make much sense.¡± ¡°He can make fake bodies in seconds with a sample of hair, skin, or blood,said body is made from plants but looks nearly identical to a human. He¡¯d have already removed the kids and replaced them with plant clones. The vindictive comes if you choose wrong. That¡¯s mostly hypothetical. But based on his capabilities, and prior actions.¡± ¡°How does that make him vindictive?¡± ¡°He eliminated the reason to fight in the first place. He could leave without being seen. Using energy on something like that is a waste.¡± ¡°Yeah it is bizarre to kill someone when the crime was fake.¡± ¡°If only he¡¯d kill them. I heard from his pupil that he would just knock them out and let the wronged party do what they wanted.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re mad that he wasted the energy to spare them?¡± ¡°Not mad, it¡¯s where we split. In a similar situation, I¡¯d have killed all the aggressors before they knew I was there. ¡°I assume your fighting styles affect this. Yours seems focused on ending a fight quickly while your friend sounds like he uses distractions and tricks before going in with power.¡± ¡°Yeah, his ability to plan five steps ahead of most is what makes him dangerous. Only people like the Co-captain can keep up with him.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Well I¨C.¡± Ander was interrupted by a cough. The man in a white suit from earlier spoke up. ¡°Excuse me. It is time to meet with the family head.¡± ¡°Grandfather?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Yes, he appeared in your territory, he¡¯s your family¡¯s responsibility. I was just the errand boy this time around.¡± ¡°Wait. I thought things had escalated to the point where a state of the art, high security place like your family¡¯s would be more suited for new arrivals.¡± ¡°He has used powerful lighting-based attacks. I¡¯m ninety percent sure he has some control over technology like his friend does, which could mean all our defenses are his defenses. Your place doesn¡¯t have a dependence on electricity. ¡°Talk about me while I¡¯m right here, why don¡¯t you. What about my fight?¡± ¡°You can fight Ms.Chiyo, I¡¯m sure that they can satisfy you. They are known as the Asura of the Aikawa.¡± ¡°Where is this Chiyosin?¡± Ander had begun looking about for this person of whom he was to test his mettle. The pink-haired woman had a hand on her face for some reason. As though she were embarrassed. A few people arrived, and among them was an older man with a scar over his face. His hair appeared to be graying a bit, and one strip of stubborn black hair refused to change. His smile was welcoming, but his eyes meant death. ¡°Are you this Chiyoshin?¡± ¡°Who is Chiyoshin?¡± ¡°Some Asura of Aikawa. I was promised a fight if I came along. I want my fight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one demanding kid. Shouldn¡¯t you be in bed? Kids your age don¡¯t grow without sleep.¡± The older man eyed Ander for a long moment. Ander¡¯s left eye twitched as a spark of electricity accidentally hit one of the inactive security turrets on the older man¡¯s side. The accident was because Ander missed his target and hadn¡¯t expected the new one to come to life. ¡°Huh. A magical brat it seems. Lightning based?¡± Ander raised his pointer finger and pointed two inches to the older man¡¯s left. ¡°Curious. Did you redirect my bolt or did it just go to the nearest metal source?¡± There was a brief silence as no one answered the other¡¯s question. ¡°Grandfather please don¡¯t antagonize Ander.¡± ¡°Well then little Ander should know not to go around and wave his power around carelessly.¡± A vein had begun to protrude from Ander¡¯s head as his agitation grew. Like an aura of violence, Ander¡¯s bloodlust grew past his body as a field of black wind surrounded him. The tiger stripes on his body spread. ¡°Hmmm¡­Still within acceptable containment parameters,¡± the man in glasses said from a safe distance away. ¡°Chiyo? What¡¯s with this kid? I rarely see anyone get so angry over minor jabbing. It¡¯s as though he is a small minded individual.¡± The power seemingly multiplied by ten before condensing and vanishing from the senses. ¡°Oh. I can see where I messed up. That¡¯s Raijin¡¯s dark lightning.¡± Ander¡¯s mind surfaced somewhat, and he adjusted his aim two inches further to the left and downward before firing a beam of concentrated electricity that flew straight toward the old man. The old man responded by withdrawing a sword from within his sleeves and slashing upward. As though predicting the action, the lightning bent downwards before shooting straight upward, easily piercing through the blade. The lighting continued upward only to arc again and return to Ander¡¯s pointed fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a similar trick before. Only the person cut my lightning in half instead of redirecting it. Like my captain, I don¡¯t like falling for the same trick twice. Now then you old bastard, why did you push me to use ten percent of my true power?¡± ¡°That was too much power being gathered. Just to be ten percent.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t really that either. I gathered about ten percent realized it would have been lethal and absorbed most of it before firing the arcing bolt. Also saying it now, next person to call me Ander chan is getting a bolt of lighting through them. That is literally the only thing I¡¯ve asked for, aside from a fight. Which I suspect you want me to lose interest in.¡± ¡°Blech you¡¯re smart for your age.¡± ¡°How old do you think I am?¡± ¡°Ten. To be precise somewhere between ten and fifteen, at most.¡± ¡°You people must be giants then. I¡¯m seventeen you old bastard.¡± ¡°Meh, not much of a difference.¡± ¡°I am an adult back home¡­ Technically. That is an important distinction.¡± ¡°Do you know how old I am?¡± ¡°Four Hundred, and sixty two, you have a birthday coming up in a month. You also have a bad back that¡¯s been with you for at least thirty of said years. Which is probably why you¡¯re so grumpy. You¡¯re just bad at paying attention to people.¡± ¡°Gramps, is he right? Are you really that old?¡± ¡°To be honest, I kind of stopped counting after the first century. Time just starts blurring around that time.¡± Ander stared at the old man with irritation. ¡°You got so old that age doesn¡¯t mean much to you. Your aura is different than most, why is that?¡± ¡°About five hundred years ago, there was a war fought in the shadows as a foreign species invaded our populace, turning many people and animals into monsters and demons. It was then discovered that one can gain mystical abilities by consuming parts of said monsters. There was a drawback that caused one to lose a piece of themselves the more they consumed, or the stronger the creature they ate. Years later it was discovered that qi, the life energy within ourselves. This method was slower, and decreased one¡¯s human lifespan as it was used.¡± ¡°So you ate a monster that gave you a long lifespan to better fight monsters.¡± ¡°No, my dad brought home mermaid sashimi. We ate well that night, it was pretty good. Monster meat wasn¡¯t well documented at the time and no one had known the effects of eating such a thing, so he had gotten it for cheap. Mermaids are exceptionally rare and turn into large fish when taken out of water for too long.¡± ¡°So your long lifespan helped you harness Qi with little drawbacks.¡± ¡°When the method was discovered, yes. Before then I was just an immortal Samurai with no idea why I wasn¡¯t dying.¡± ¡°So do people use Qi nowadays?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Yes, a recent development, during the united war on monsters two hundred or so years ago. It was discovered that Qi could be harvested from plants, animals, and monster corpses. That was also when we discovered that Qi was a universal term with different spelling or names depending on where the user was from. However, the term monster was designated during the united war. Yokai, demon, spirit, god, angel, all of that was united under the term monster. A hundred or so years ago, travelers also began the process of coming to our world through rips in space. The reason was unknown but that was when a second organization was created to fill in the gap. Those who hunt the monsters of the world, with assistance from various governments are known as Slayers. Then we have the Janitors, we clean up the messes caused by travelers, occasionally we take them out if they prove too dangerous.¡± ¡°This Qi, is it different than mana?¡± ¡°Mana as far as I know pulls from a place that isn¡¯t your life. It also returns on its own.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to show you?¡± ¡°Attack me. It¡¯s quite a simple method of testing combat ability. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°Do you consent to the risk of death such a thing may bring?¡± ¡°Right¡­I guess I can¡¯t just have my captain heal me¡­ Don¡¯t aim somewhere lethal then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be aiming for your right leg.¡± The old man reached into his robes and drew out a long, single-edged blade, holding it in both hands as he gathered energy from some plants and some energy near his heart. The blade gained an aura that significantly enchanted its sharpness. The power gathered was sloppy and inefficient, reminiscent of a weapon art, only the power wasn¡¯t pulled from the soul; it was harnessing the user¡¯s body. Such a power existed back home, just not on Imala. He recalled something similar coming from that hooded warrior from the Republic. Still, it wasn¡¯t worth dodging. The man put all of the strength, momentum, and finesse he could into the strike and watched as his katana split where it impacted Ander¡¯s skin. Had it done what it was supposed to, Ander would have lost his leg in a way that was easy to heal. ¡°What is your skin made out of? Sheesh!¡± ¡°My body is enhanced by mana. It seems you can empower your weapon, but have you tried empowering your body?¡± ¡°It¡¯s inefficient. People tried it when I was younger, but it usually ended with people dying early. While I may not die from old age, I can still die if I blow myself up from the inside.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ander forced on his right finger for a moment and smiled as energy gathered on his finger, having easily pulled it from his own life force. He moved the finger about until he had gotten used to the feeling. He then moved the ball towards a place in his hand and felt something connect. ¡°What are you doing? That¡¯s Qi. but¡­¡± ¡°Shush, I¡¯m copying something I saw someone else do a while back.¡± Ander traced a pattern through his hand, connecting his joints to a skeletal representation of his core, which was present in his sight. He traced the structure to his elbow, upper arm, and heart. Once that connection was made, he did the same with his right arm. From there, he traced pathways from his organs to the well of life energy near his heart. Once they had finished connecting, Ander traced a pattern from his lower body to his torso and smiled as the dragon-slaying energy he¡¯d gained fit perfectly on top of the new lines, with an exception being his neck and head, with an emphasis on his brain. ¡°What did you just do?¡± ¡°I think the term is called opening up pathways for my life energy to flow. I had a good look at them recently, so I can understand the flow of my own body. There is also the something known as Divine Essence that works slightly differently than Qi and Mana. It draws on the power of one¡¯s soul, which is separate from one¡¯s life force surprisingly enough. When one kills a dragon back home and absorbs its power, the energy builds up and grows in time. That energy seems similar to Qi.¡± ¡°You figured that out with just my explanation.¡± ¡°The best part is that the effects can stack with mana enhanced bodies. My captain must never know about this.¡± ¡°I thought you were saying that your captain was your friend.¡± ¡°Oh he is. But he also kept me in a stasis coffin for two years when I cold have spent the time training.¡± ¡°Stasis coffin, that¡¯s a top secret invention. Only higher ups like me even know they exists. Did they come from your world?¡± ¡°The way between worlds can go both ways. Back on track. He also made me a few inches shorter recently. I was pretty tall before.¡± Ander lied. ¡°How tall?¡± ¡°5¡¯8.¡± Ander lied unabashedly. ¡°How does your world have the imperial measurement system?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Oh that. Some travelers gave it to us out of spite. I think he was called Luis or something. It was three thousand years ago and the numbers stuck.¡± ¡°Luis?¡± ¡°Louie the headhunter, first King of Louieviell. The kingdom died out a millenia later. Though that was due to a war that eradicated all life on that continent. The famine followed was the straw that broke the dragon¡¯s back. The king at the time organized a mass exodus as his last act on that planet.¡± ¡°Head hunter?¡± ¡°He had a macabre fascination with decapitating his foes. As well as traitors, spies, and terrorists. He also hated any and all lawmen that bent rules. He¡¯d have been a tyrant, only he didn¡¯t have the civilians pay taxes, a minimal tribute from the farming villages in times of need, otherwise the crown would pay for everything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± ¡°No, not really. He did prove a kingdom could work without taxes. A stance that is rarely taken to heart or practiced at a wide scale.¡± ¡°That¡­Why do you even know that?¡± ¡°I am technically studying to become a teacher after I graduate. There are a lot of history based lessons for that path of study.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you have the temperament to become a teacher.¡± ¡°If you say I¡¯m short tempered, I¡¯m going to turn and walk out that door, fly to my captain, then convince them that humans here eat babies.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. I doubt he¡¯d fall for that.¡± ¡°Do you eat eggs?¡± ¡°Well yes but.¡± ¡°Chicken babies then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re fertilized.¡± ¡°I just need to watch my phrasing, if I¡¯m going to be convincing.¡± ¡°No one is stupid enough to believe that.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯m thirty percent sure I can get him to go on a mini rampage before he figures something out.¡± ¡°Fine. Fine. Good luck on becoming a teacher.¡± ¡°¡®Thank you.¡± Ander¡¯s menacing aura faded; he actually knew Kyrion would see through that immediately, but he also knew that Kyrion was unpredictable and dangerous. A new person entered the building. Someone Ander hadn¡¯t recognized approached him and touched his shoulder. ¡°Little Ander! Welcome to the family.¡± A field of lightning powerful enough to cause a power outage in a mile-wide radius covered the area, pushing the guy who touched Ander away and knocking him out. Ander then took the chance to hide somewhere in the underground compound. He¡¯d come back later, but only on his own terms. It wasn¡¯t just the insult; that man tried to inject mental mana into him. While Ander wasn¡¯t always resistant to it, he knew the signs of an amateur at work and how best to counter them. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 24 Catch a tiger Kyrion stood in the middle of a smoking crater, his clothes in tatters, but his body showed no signs of damage. Nor the rudimentary signs of his regeneration active. High-caliber weapons did nothing; experimental railguns capable of hitting targets through concrete barely tickled. Leviathan hunting ship cannon? Well, that caused the crater Kyrion to stand in at that very moment. None of the attacks could harm his mana-enhanced body. However, he suspected that they were hiding the magitech goodies as they didn¡¯t want to bother testing on him. Kyrion knew Magictech could harm him and tested himself against everything Cecil had to offer. ¡°So, are you satisfied now that you know traditional firearms have no effect?¡± A bullet from a hollow point sniper hit him directly in the head, only to bend on impact. It did no visible damage, and Kyrion¡¯s enhanced brain wasn¡¯t even shaken. ¡°Okay. We both knew that wasn¡¯t going to¡­¡± Kyrion noticed blood leaking from his right arm and scowled. ¡°Looks like rounds accelerated with mana deal some damage, although only enough to draw a little blood. It was blocked by your muscle tissue. Which makes no sense to someone like me.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± The wound closed the second he noticed it as the blood evaporated. ¡°So you can self-regenerate. Any limits?¡± ¡°The amount of nutrients I have stored in my body. It takes a lot to injure me and even more to keep me that way. Self healing is cheaper but the process burns a lot of calories. Adversely, if I exert myself and don¡¯t have food then I¡¯ll probably stop healing and become weaker over time.¡± ¡°Makes as much sense as anything else. Now then, we have a family in our organization that can house you. The man is from the same universe, but has carved out a life for himself here. His son is about your age, you will attend classes with him in two days as an exchange student.¡± ¡°School? This was supposed to be a vacation.¡± ¡°It will be, you will attend for two months.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very short.¡± ¡°The idea is to see how you adapt to living as a human.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to adapt. I want to learn about architecture and anatomy. I can do that at any library. Would only take me¡­Wait¡­ oh I can download information straight to my brain. Great, now I have a migraine and It isn¡¯t the type I can heal.¡± ¡°That is a dangerously useful ability.¡± ¡°Yeah. It takes alot to bring me pain which means I really taxed my brain muscles.¡± ¡°The brain isn¡¯t actually a muscle.¡± ¡°It is in theory and function but not in form. At least it works like that when you know how to train it. Mental gymnastics are the easiest way to train up a brain.¡± ¡°Mental gymnastics?¡± ¡°Write numbers in a linear order while saying the alphabet backward. Spinning daggers on beach hand while solving riddles verbally. Pushing my perception of time forward constantly to get used to people moving slower than they should.¡± How high can you boost said perception.¡± ¡°Those bullet things can be slowed to a snail¡¯s pace when I concentrate. The more I push it the faster it fades however. Slowing everything while enchanting my body with enough power to withstand the speed of my movements is the issue. I could easily have dodged every projectile at the cost of pushing myself to stupidity. The main reason I can¡¯t keep a spell like that up is because it causes harm to my brain and body which burns calories quite fast.¡± ¡°So long as you¡¯re well fed then you¡¯re unstoppable.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m strong so long as I¡¯m well fed. You already know your secret magictech weaponry can cause some harm. Although not much unless you managed to surpass your son¡¯s ability to make weapons. Given that the manacles had a weak mana draining and power negating effect, Cecil has already surpassed what this world has. Or at least what he was aware of at the time of his departure.¡± ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny. Regardless, testing has ended. You will be staying with Gram Lysandre, and his son Julien Lysandre. Julien is your cousin and you come from Scotland.¡± ¡°That lie won¡¯t hold water. I don¡¯t even know this Scot fellow.¡± ¡°We need to explain your features somehow.¡± Kyrion pointed to a random place on the world map. ¡°That¡¯s the middle of the pacific ocean.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say that I don¡¯t know where I come from, but it was recently discovered that I have blood kin here, so instead of going to an orphanage, I came here. I¡¯m sure you can doctor up a story about a boy found shipwrecked in a strange land. Looking for a way to get back home. Only to learn that his home was gone. It¡¯s as close to the truth as I can get. If I must I can turn my hair black. Albeit any light that shines bright will reveal a crimson undertone. Black is a tricky color to get right.¡± ¡°And your eyes?¡± ¡°I am not changing my peepers. I¡¯d rather not get my identities mixed up further.¡± ¡°So you could.¡± ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fine, guess eyes are important to your people.¡± ¡°Not exactly. If I¡¯m going to be me, my eyes need to at least be natural.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°I hear you. Now then how shall we handle your compensation?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting paid? Is it from healing people?¡± ¡°Yes, partially. It¡¯s also from being illegally detained. We don¡¯t detain those who willingly come down here and seem civilized. Doing so is a way to breed discontent and gain a powerful enemy. It has also been proven that any of the weapons at their disposal would have been mostly useless.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. The healing required about thirty hamburgers of energy and the escape fifteen hamburgers. The testing required about half a hamburger in healing but three from duration. ¡°I require fifty hamburgers for money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheap. Does your magic burn calories?¡± ¡°Not unless I¡¯m regrowing limbs or organs. Mana regeneration speeds up with food intake.¡± ¡°Regardless, the price for such care is too low. We can pay you an allowance if you so wish.¡± ¡°How many hamburgers is this allowance?¡± ¡°One thousand dollars a month as well as five unpaid heals, then we will employ your services and price your methods at half the going rate for the ailment of your curing.¡± ¡°So long as those I heal can afford it. I don¡¯t care how much it costs. Your money has now value outside of burgers and cleaning my nose.¡± ¡°Do all nobles act like that?¡± ¡°No, I just don¡¯t like this strange paperlike fabric. It¡¯s pretty easy to duplicate and isn¡¯t gold. Is gold important here?¡± ¡°It has it¡¯s uses in various electronic and as a precious metal but¨C¡± Kyrion picked up a piece of cracked concrete and drew a circle with his finger. ¡°Transmute.¡± The concrete transformed into a piece of solid gold. ¡°That takes more energy than it seems. Gold minters can spend an entire day working and only get a pebble half the size on their own. A certain king from my world can make these at will, but doesn¡¯t as he knows the meaning of inflation. I do suspect that he does this whe trading with foreign entities through mediators. Doesn¡¯t hurt his country¡¯s economy and allows for cheap taxes.¡± ¡°How long will it stay like that?¡± ¡°Until you melt it down and change its shape? It will still be solid gold with a trace of mana.¡± ¡°How much energy did that expend?¡± ¡°Ten burgers worth of mana, or a brief meditation. Like I said, inflation is the big issue here. I¡¯ve heard of kingdoms falling due to too much capital without anything to spend it on.¡± ¡°I mean.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of Louisiana Pur¡¯Chase? He bought an entire continent, paid for with a ton of gold. I mean he was a crap ruler that died in his sleep a few years later when he outlawed various businesses that revolved around pleasure. Like gambling halls, theaters, museums, and restricted use of libraries to only higher tier nobles. Then he raised taxes, as he wasn¡¯t making enough money. Then he did the dumb and tried to tax the deeds done in the dark. Pretty sure those are what got him. You don¡¯t tax professional assassins then enforce the tax with executions.¡± ¡°...Some people shouldn¡¯t be rulers.¡± ¡°I mean, he¡¯s the reason why most rulers pay a tithe to the assassins to get on a do not kill list. The only ones that are exempt are the powerful ones.¡± ¡°Assassins or rulers?¡± ¡°Yes. Can I go now or do you need to see my destructive potential?¡± ¡°I have a recording of you destroying a truck and based on our communication with another branch, you are the boss of the other you brought along?¡± ¡°Meh. Only because I can outlast him in a drawn out battle. His destructive potential in a world like this is probably higher than mine. With all the items that run on baby lightning.¡± ¡°Electricity, you mean?¡± ¡°Semantics.¡± ¡°Do you give Cecil headaches?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Usually, I heal him if he shows signs of mental damage. So long as he consents. These are also good for headaches.¡± Kyrion placed a walnut on the table, and it was swiftly taken. ¡°Why offer something only to take it back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s made from my mana. Not sure you¡¯re allowed to eat it.¡± ¡°Oh right that. The only people who have mana circulating through their bodies are Daniel, Kelly, and Osscar. You replaced organ tissue for each of them which is understandable. Based on our readings, they only gained minor regenerative powers and slightly enhanced strength. Nothing too odd, given that they adapted to the mana you put in them.¡± ¡°I doubt that¡¯s all, it works like a seed, more than likely. The power I imparted will likely grow in time. Which is fine as your world probably needs magical healers and people that can get back up after taking a hit.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Did you do that on purpose?¡± ¡°No. But I suspect as much.¡± Kyrion combed his hands through his hair and scowled as bullets fell out. ¡°Thanks for the heads up. Why bother coming here?¡± ¡°Billy said that I shouldn¡¯t lord my power over your organization just because I can, but I didn¡¯t want to go back to that first place as they betrayed my trust.¡± ¡°You already made contact with Billy?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t make a deal with him did you?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t matter. He is just a political figure around here with some sway on the laws in the underground. He accidently consumed a Jersey Devil centuries ago, which led to him transforming into one partially. He had to work hard to keep its corruption in check, now it seems as though he conquered it and returned to his original occupation as a candy maker.¡± Kyrion was now slipping into boredom, so he decided to see what he could do with the cash while listening to Cecil¡¯s dad drone on and on about laws and common sense.
Chiyo looked around for Ander, who was currently missing, as her cousin was taken to receive medical attention. He wasn¡¯t in any danger. It was just a situation where he needed to be taken away so he wouldn¡¯t cause trouble. Suddenly, a T.V. Came on, and the channels switched to a man in a suite. ¡°It appears¨C¡± The channel changed again to a woman mid-sentence crying over a corpse. ¡°¨Cas though¨C,¡± The channels continued to cycle, and a clipped message was finished. ¡°You were¨C.¡± ¡°Trying to¨C¡± ¡°Brain¨C¡± ¡°¨Ccontrol¡± ¡°¨Cme!¡± Chiyo looked around, only to see her grandfather looking at the screen. ¡°Curious. Maybe he wasn¡¯t mad that he was being called a kid. The idiot tried to use Qi to influence him and got zapped.¡± ¡°Chiyoshin, why don¡¯t you agree to spar with him?¡± ¡°Ander¡­Sama, why don¡¯t you come out. The bad man has been taken away. If you come out, I¡¯ll spar with you. Isn¡¯t that what you wanted before we were rudely interrupted?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Fulwind. Also, I¡¯m supposed to fight Chiyoshin,¡± Ander said as he stood upside down from the ceiling. Claw-like appendages made from mana had dug into the ceiling, anchoring him. It helped that the ceiling in that room was twenty-five feet high and had dark corners. ¡°That is not my name. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not dumb. Your Chiyo and I need Chiyoshin.¡± ¡°There is no Chiyoshin, just Chiyo.¡± ¡°Wait¡­is that one of those honor things? Like Mr. and Ms. Back home?¡± ¡°Are you just realizing that?¡± ¡°More or less, it doesn¡¯t change how I feel about being referred to as Ander¨CChan.¡± Ander fell from the ceiling, landing on his feet. In the brief time he¡¯d gone missing, he¡¯d grown until he was 5¡± 4 as his body adjusted to the Qi in a place next to his core. ¡°Ander-ch¨Csan! It looks like you grew up in just a few minutes.¡± The old man stated. ¡°My body didn¡¯t have the durability to keep up with my power mana so it condensed itself to make me more durable. I¡¯m happy I had this breakthrough, but feeling all your bones grow rapidly hurts every time.¡± Ander sighed. Chiyo was now about the same height as the current Ander, which was jarring to her as he had been quite a bit shorter minutes ago. ¡°Guess you weren¡¯t lying about your age.¡± ¡® ¡°Are you still on that? Do I look like a kid to you?¡± ¡°I mean, you look five years older now. I was looking forward to having a cute little brother.¡± Ander squinted as he hadn¡¯t actually felt bothered by the jab. It must have been the height restoration. ¡°I must inform you that I am above such jabs for now. At least until I see my captain again.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°How tall is he?¡± ¡°You know that door frame over there? If he doesn¡¯t duck, it¡¯s likely that he¡¯d walk through it in a literal sense. Possibly a floor above as well.¡± ¡°Quit trying to distract me.¡± ¡°Chiyo catch,¡± the old man said softly, as he didn¡¯t need to be loud for instincts to kick in. Chiyo caught a katana handle out of the air and held it by her side as if she were about to unsheath something. ¡°Uh¡­are you going to fight me with a broken blade?¡± Ander was more confused than cocky. He¡¯d seen all kinds of powers at the academy to stay in the top three. Mostly because everyone is more willing to fight the number three than risk the number one. A fact of the matter was that everyone on team Drisil was mainly close in terms of power, except for Max and the two kids. However, that had more to do with the headmaster hiding the fact that he hadn¡¯t been able to progress in spirit mastery. The only other exception was the captain. To him, Kyrion was always one stage further than most others, and by the time he caught up, the captain would have already progressed. Now, he had an inkling that there were powers he was yet to harness; he would push himself to the limit. ¡°How long are you going to stand there staring? Do you always let girls make the first move?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°Yes? I thought you were going to create a blade of mana before we began.¡± Chiyo, with a force Ander hadn¡¯t expected, crossed the distance between them in an instant, his sword-holding hand slashing outwards. An invisible clash occurred, and her sword flew from her hands. ¡°That was wind! I thought you focused on lightning!¡± ¡°I do both, lightning is more effective at killing. I wasn¡¯t expecting a wind blade made from qi. It took a surprising amount of power to counter.¡± ¡°Qi isn¡¯t something we can use so freely.¡± ¡°You can; you just don¡¯t know how to alter your bodies to better hold it. It¡¯s quite intuitive.¡± Ander held two fingers out and watched as the wind swirled around his fingers, albeit the power was hard to direct. A small tornado appeared in the room. ¡°If your goal was to swirl dirt around the place then yes, intuitive.¡± ¡°Yeah, no it¡¯s harder to control but intuitive to create. It¡¯s more wild than mana.¡± ¡°Many would be dead after doing what you just did.¡± Chiyo stated. ¡°Is that so? After this, do you mind if I help you form your pathways?¡± ¡°Is that a pickup line?¡± Chiyo jokes. The question went over Ander¡¯s head. ¡°I mean If you need me to pick you up, I¡¯ve proven that it is easy. You only weigh abou¡ª¡± ¡°Shush!¡± Now, Chiyo was flustered. ¡°Rion makes the conversations seem so easy.¡± ¡°Who is this Rion?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Listen, I teach you, you get buff. Lift monsters and use more qi.¡± ¡°What is this Rion doing that you struggle at?¡± ¡°I want you to be my first¡ª¡± Ander started before feeling killing intent from somewhere. A blade of wind slipped through Ander¡¯s defenses and nearly slit his throat. But the attack hadn¡¯t come from Chiyo. The old man slid a wooden stick into his sleeves. He had a devious smirk on his face. Chiyo to Ander¡¯s vision had snapped. Her attacks came faster and more varied. Many of them were wild, and on occasions, they lacked Qi. She had gotten deadlier, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean she was stronger. Ander demonstrated this by increasing the speed at which electromagnetic signals traveled through his brain, allowing him to move, dodge, and react at a speed most human bodies couldn¡¯t handle. In doing so, all of Chiyo¡¯s attacks were dodged, and he casually walked behind her and tapped her right temple, sending her to sleep with a soothing bolt. He then slowly eased out of his accelerated state and scowled. The drawback to using that power was that it could fry him if used too long. It was his secret weapon the next time he got to fight his captain. ¡°Oi! I was enjoying that fight. Why¡¯d you butt in?¡± ¡°I noticed, but you were saying something interesting. To think you¡¯d try to court my daughter.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Two responses went through Ander¡¯s head as things became fuzzy and full of static. ¡°I will accept you as a potential son in law.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s only right that you take responsibility. You did kiss her.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡± ¡°I mean, one does not place one¡¯s mouth close to others for no reason, and she didn¡¯t need CPR.¡± ¡°I needed to learn the language.¡± ¡°So you used her and intend to discard her, huh¡± The old man cleaned out his ear with a pinky. ¡°No! Wait no yes. No. No.¡± Ander¡¯s addled brain had been pushed to a point where he was mumbling incoherently in an unknown language. Said language is referred to as babbling by some in certain circles. Ander got up a minute later and looked at the old man with a resolute expression. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡± ¡°Good now¨C¡± ¡°By teaching her how to form pathways of qi.¡± ¡°Not good enough. You made a pretty out of their statement. And well, let¡¯s say she tends to scare away most suitors. She can be a bit too affectionate due to her upbringing, it doesn¡¯t help that she¡¯s stronger than most. Most men tend to avoid a woman that can knock them through a wall or send them packing with a shy slap. You are everything I wanted in a son in law. Which is why I cut you off there.¡± Ander was too busy fighting to remember what he¡¯d said. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re durable and potentially stronger than anyone else she¡¯s liked.¡± ¡°Those are rather¡­old fashioned requirements. What makes you think she¡¯s durable enough to survive? It¡¯s a serious issue even back home, if she can¡¯t catch up then it¡¯s likely things won¡¯t work out as you intend. She¡¯ll only be a student.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you make an old man happy in his last moments?¡± ¡°No. You aren¡¯t even dying.¡± ¡°Killjoy.¡± The old man said in English. The word went right over Ander¡¯s head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°If, so, how can you be her father and her grandfather. Did you¨C¡± ¡°No, no, the Qthat was keeping me young has mostly been transferred to my descendants. Due to that, I am losing my immortality and aging more and more each year. The longevity given to me by that mermaid was not limitless.¡± ¡°That or you haven¡¯t formed proper channels, so your Qi doesn¡¯t have a way to return.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a similar case for those with a disease called, Goliogripholc, or mana starvation. Some people are born with the inability to naturally regain mana, despite being born with access to magic. Many of these people die young from malnutrition and dehydration. The treatment is easy, but expensive as not many know how to perform the procedure of drawing lines of mana through one¡¯s body. I imagine Qi is similar, but different, in that sense. What happens when all your Qi is used?¡± ¡°Our bodies turn into dust and we return to the cycle.¡± ¡°Instant cremation?¡± ¡°Yes, and no. There are signs of degradation. Like limbs falling off and crumbling while we¡¯re still alive. I don¡¯t want that fate for my little Chiyo.¡± ¡°This is annoying. I can train you as well. I doubt Qi is the only magic you humans have access to.¡± ¡°The last two sources of power would be Ninjutsu, which is an application of assassination techniques paired with a fusion of magic from the east and west. The last magic we have access to on this island is that of the onmyoji. Power over spirits and the metaphysical. They use items blessed by deities and powerful priests to combat our enemies.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ander popped his neck and sighed. ¡°You see what?¡± ¡°This world is varied in the types of power present but the knowledge of how things work is being kept secret. Makes sense considering how big this world is compared to back home. Information doesn¡¯t add up, things are misunderstood and people have a small understanding of how things work when they aren¡¯t actually working together.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°Your groups don¡¯t get along with each other as much as you say. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if each region had their own ways of doing things.¡± ¡°Even more reason to have you become my son in law! Why won¡¯t you just give in!¡± The old man put up mock anger. ¡°I¡¯m technically seeing someone and I plan on going back to my world sooner rather than later. So we wouldn¡¯t be able to be together regardless.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy to go to another world.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with humans from this world? Willingly coming to ours?¡± ¡°Many can sense the turmoil and wish to escape the end or great change.¡± ¡°So your people can sense a change?¡± ¡°It is quite obvious given the escalation in creatures entering this world. It¡¯s a matter of time before something big finally breaks in.¡± ¡°I understand, fine, if she agrees to go out with me, after I break up with my girlfriend. But I¡¯d have to give it my all protecting her.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re seeing someone. My son in law is popular.¡± ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m the guy who¡¯s used to make another jealous. Only I¡¯m ninety nine percent sure that the guy in question has no intention of entertaining such a thing due to his own infatuation with someone else. So it was never going to work out. Therefore I need to break up with her first and foremost.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we have nothing to worry about, polygamy may be allowed in your world.¡± ¡°Allowed does not mean encouraged, for example, as the third rank in my class and a practitioner I would be allowed to requisition a few hundred fledglings and lead them into battle. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m encouraged to go a conquering all on my own.¡± ¡°I think I get it. So you¡¯re serious about marrying my daughter. You have my blessing.¡± The old man eyed Ander with acceptance. Ander blinked slowly, not realizing what had just happened. Then horror slowly began to dawn as he retraced the words that had just been said. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 25 KiloGram Kyrion had been brought to the surface only to ride in a car for thirty minutes. The sun was nearly up, and he was exhausted. He and Cecil¡¯s dad approached a new-looking house with a square, modular look. Many similar houses sat next to it, leaving little room between them. ¡°Huh, I haven¡¯t lived outside of a dormitory in a while. But this is odd. Where are they supposed to grow their food?¡± ¡°People don¡¯t often grow their food out here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Many prefer to spend their time buying said food from stores.¡± ¡°I see. What a waste¡­Wait I sense vegetables two houses over. Ah many must not know how to grow food.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Cecil¡¯s dad rang the doorbell. Ding! Kyrion jumped back in surprise, looking left and suitable for a sudden ambush. His expression was viscous. The door was opened by a tired individual with gray hair, gray eyes, and abnormally pale skin. ¡°Huh? Who are you, and why are you here so early on a Sunday?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for Gram, he¡¯s supposed to be my guardian. Are you Ju¨C¡± The young man squinted and added, ¡°So you know, God is dead. Hail the tentacled overlords from the sky.¡± ¡°How do you know about the sky tentacles?¡± Kyrion asked in surprise, as he had briefly seen them in the place between worlds. ¡°We aren¡¯t with any religion Julian. I¡¯m a friend of your father¡¯s.¡± ¡°Dad¡¯s been in his workshop all night, I wouldn¡¯t disturb him. Also, My name is Kilo, don¡¯t get it mixed up again. Julian is our vacuum cleaner.¡± ¡°Tell him it¡¯s important.¡± Kyrion stated. Kilo looked up at the giant as his eyes opened. ¡°Oh? What do you have to eat to get that big?¡± ¡°Everything. Now, can you tell him that we¡¯re here?¡± ¡°He already knows.¡± Kilo looked to the side at a camera. ¡°Eh?¡± Kilo pointed at the camera to prove his point. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t think you¡¯re more important than his research. Kyrion looked at Cecil¡¯s dad. ¡°Is he your brother?¡± ¡°In a way, but not biologically.¡± Just then, a voice spoke from a box on the ceiling. ¡°So, what do you need, Cedric? Your popping up is like my allergies¡ªunnecessary, annoying events I must tolerate.¡± ¡°Sounds like an older brother.¡± ¡°He¡¯s about forty years my senior and the father of modern day magitech, and the owner of various scrapyards.¡± ¡°If you want to learn about crafting or push the envelope when you go back home he¡¯s who you need to learn from.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯d bring Cecil here on his birthday? Why bring some random brat?¡± ¡°You know, Cecill died, actually you may not have read that letter seeing as you didn¡¯t visit the memorial.¡± ¡°I was first to visit the scene, some deity used an unknown type of magic to whisk them off to another world.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware¡­wait.¡± ¡°This boy comes from the same world Cecil does. I believe it¡¯s the same universe that you originate from as well.¡± ¡°The War of Eight Moons. What is he doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good friends with Cecil and have a vested interest in helping him succeed with his dreams. Mostly¡­ Actually I¡¯m more concerned about this world¡¯s culinary pursuits. I¡¯ve been told meat lovers pizza is like the best food in this world.¡± ¡°You remind me of a glutton I used to know. Only his hair was red with skin much lighter.¡± ¡°Oh.great¡­ I¡¯m sure I have no relation to them in any way.¡± Kyrion said sarcastically. ¡°If you were, it¡¯s possible I may have had to eliminate you. You know, oaths and all. Then again, that would be because you would have been related to the demon lord. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Kyrion¡¯s eyes went blank as he scowled. ¡°But what are the chances that the son of my most hated enemy would come to ask for my help.¡± ¡°I heard that his son died while at sea and he no longer has any male descendants. Well¡­ he does, but that¡¯s due to body snatcher mischief. ¡° ¡°You sure know a lot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a well known history back home.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Umm¡­O.k¡­Mr.CeCe. Do you know anyone else I could stay with? I don¡¯t think this is going to be safe.¡± The speaker came back on. ¡°So you know, I was mostly joking. I did know your uncle, a version of him was like a younger brother. Their union was willing, but I was informed that he was known as the Demon Lord of Imala. He got that title when he eliminated over a hundred experts from his own world when he discovered that they were committing atrocities to mine. But I suspect you are a scion of the Death Tyrant.¡± ¡°That would mean that¡­ Dwen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been aware. My only question is this. Why did you come to this world?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on coming here yet, as I am unable to travel freely between the various worlds? Multiverse?¡±. ¡°We like the term planes. Each plane branches out from the original. Our earth is in the second branch, your plane branches off from the third although that branch is incomplete. The others after are fixed but backsliding slowly due to a lack of stability.¡± ¡°Right. I can¡¯t travel through planes on my own as of yet. I also came here to take my sister back home. If she¡¯s willing, I have no intention of causing you trouble. That was a lie, if I didn¡¯t want to cause trouble I wouldn¡¯t be me.¡± Kyrion sighed.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Kilo, bring the kid to my workshop.¡± Kilo rolled his eyes and motioned for only Kyrion to come in. ¡°What about me?¡± Cedric asked. ¡°You can drop the information pack on the welcome sign.¡± Cedric did so, watching in fascination as a shute opened up and the packet slid down. ¡°Guess we aren¡¯t on meeting terms.¡± ¡°No we are not. You can see him next Saturday for an interview. We have important work to do.¡± The door closed behind Kyrion, and Kilo led them forward. As Kyrion walked through the larger-than-necessary house, he stopped suddenly as a circular beast rolled across the carpet, eating up dust. ¡°Kilo? You have a monster on your floor.¡± ¡°You mean Grover? He¡¯s our AI floor cleaner. Sometimes he makes messes just to clean them up when he gets bored.¡± ¡°So Grover is a housekeeper.¡± Kyrion walked around the vacuum cleaner. ¡°Right now, but you see that over there.¡± Kilo pointed to a metallic body resting. The only part missing was its head. ¡°Oh, so the head goes back on and it can walk around.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­Dad made some alterations to the original design.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I imagine that something like this is amazing to someone like you.¡± ¡°No, not really. I would just set up a cleansing field using a few plants and an array. Your way juse seems wasteful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s setting up three things to do one. This is a multipurpose machine that can clean a house and even fight off intruders. Not that it¡¯s needed since we moved her. But it could!¡± ¡°Fine, it¡¯s cool. I just don¡¯t trust it. Monsters like that look like they¡¯re trying to eat me.¡± ¡°Grover only eats trash. Unless he¡¯s in lawnmower mode.¡± ¡°How can you tell that Grover is a he?¡± Kyrion looked at the circular robot. Kilo slowly blinked before dodging the question. ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s see fathers workshop.¡± Leading Kyrion down the hall with surprising ease. Kyrion considered dragging his feet, only to briefly lose balance. This Kilo was quite strong for someone of his height and build. But his hands felt off. ¡°Your hand is cold.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°Your hand is cold, and it doesn¡¯t have a heartbeat.¡± ¡°I am, it¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°Will it be explained on arrival?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Kilo placed a hand on an unmarked portion of a wall and watched as a doorway magically appeared. No, it didn¡¯t feel like magic; the phenomenon was purely technological. A stairway going down was visible, and within moments, the duo made their way into a large laboratory full of various vats and machinery. The sounds of gears rotating and fans blowing created an odd ambiance. The smell was of disinfectant. The entire area smelled clean, but not through natural means. Kyrion opened his senses to detect life, but only for two pings to go off. Kilo didn¡¯t ping, nor did the man with gray hair and glasses. As he turned around, Kyrion took a step back. The man looked like an olive-skinned version of his father in terms of bone structure and facial features. His gray hair fell to the side of his face, and his sickly-looking red eyes looked him over.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Technically, I¡¯m your mother¡¯s husband.¡± ¡°But you aren¡¯t my dad. Though you look kind of like him.¡± ¡°Kind of. Which one are you? The homunculus or natural born?¡± ¡°Natural born.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Then yes, by some technicalities I am partially your father. And yet there are no blood ties.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re one of my dad¡¯s shards. Is that why he isn¡¯t an expert?¡± ¡°No, that has more to do with our personalities. He could go to the world above, but he¡¯d prefer to stay with family, then repeat the process of gaining power again. For example, I came to this plane, mostly willingly.¡± ¡°So dad is the sentimental type. Wait¡­ Why did you come here?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time you came to this world. Well it is but¡­How to say it. Forty years ago, we met and you told us of a plan to sacrifice yourself for the sake of your family¡¯s survival. Twenty five years ago, I met the homunculus who I gave some directions to, along with information. He was fighting an entity powerful enough to shift through planes at will, and tried to buy themselves some time. Now here you are, third in line, much younger than the two before and yet wiser in so many ways.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m wise then the other two were fools. Which is both concerning and surprising.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t surprised that I¡¯m in a machine instead of my own body.¡± ¡°To be fair, I can do that with my own mind and shards. Although doing that without something to keep my body alive is suicide. Which is why your bodies are in those vats behind you.¡± ¡°Got it on your first try, wiser indeed.¡± ¡°No you just aren¡¯t all that clever. Or I can see his tells in you, although you are much better at hiding them.¡± ¡°I was a professional back home. So then, what can you do with the ingredients on the table and your mana.¡± Kyrion eyed the various tools and implements, sighing as he separated the metal bits into categories. Sharp, smooth, round, solid, and catalyst, there were lots of useful parts, but Kyrion was a beginner at best when it came to making gadgets on his own. Still, he did enjoy making things that looked like other things. Within the hour, he¡¯d made a large metal coconut tree capable of turning excess energy in the atmosphere into diamonds. This was an annoyance, as he wanted it to grow fruit. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kyrion looked over his runework and scowled, unsure where he messed up. If only he could have used actual plants. That would have worked better. ¡°Did you just find a way to end global warming while increasing wealth?¡± ¡°Wealth? It just makes diamonds. It works by compressing excess mana in the atmosphere and converts it into a fruit capable of restoring mana. But all diamonds are good for holding excess toxic energy, you need someone to draw it out for it to be of any use or place it in a magitech device as a power source.¡± ¡°You made a device capable of producing multiple filled catalysts out of an energy that is slowly causing harm to the planet.¡± ¡°I wanted it to grow fruit.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Do you know how much a filled catalyst sells for in this world?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Five hundred thousand dollars. Each. They are a green energy source capable of powering mega cities for ten years. Which is actually cheap, considering how much most cities spend on energy. Other sources would cost them around sixty one billion, for an entire year.¡± ¡°So¡­ We¡¯re getting chump change for something stronger than any other source?¡± ¡°Yeah. But we also currently have to be careful who we tell. The underground cities also tend to need these more, with smaller budgets. But if you could reproduce this, we¡¯d be able to replace every nonrenewable energy source with one of these. ¡°Until it runs out of carbon and you¡¯re stuck out. Not that it would matter. By the time they do that you won¡¯t be worrying about energy.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Your world is in danger of being destroyed sooner rather than later. Threats are coming and I don¡¯t know if your world is ready to stop it.¡± ¡°Huh. What do you plan to do in your free time after school?¡± ¡°I really have to attend a school?¡± ¡°Yeah. At least for a month, and regularly.¡± ¡°Fine. Well I wanted to enjoy my vacation.¡± ¡°Do you mind getting involved in the inhuman experimentation being done on kids and teenagers to create espers?¡± ¡°To help or end?¡± ¡°Up to you? Their goal is to awaken parts of the mind previously unreachable via technology, and experimental drugs.¡± ¡°So it wants to turn people into mages?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a difference between Espers and Mages.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like there is.¡± ¡°Espers manipulate natural phenomena. Their power is limited by their mental focus. Magic creates and controls unnatural phenomena via mana.¡± ¡°So Espers are weaker.¡± ¡°On paper, kind of, if the experiments stopped there then it wouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°Ah, they¡¯re looking for a way to put a source inside their bodies, to be manipulated.¡± ¡°Yes. Which is partly why we¡¯re in these pods. They act as biomonitors and a defense against Esper assassins.¡± ¡°Sounds fun.¡± Kyrion sighed, ¡°Great. I¡¯ll have dinner delivered shortly? How much can you eat?¡± Kyrion¡¯s sad expression faded as the food was brought up. ¡°All the food.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 26 Trouble with computers Kyrion¡¯s first day at school started and ended with a bang. Sadly, both bangs were not from a fight breaking out, but to say he wasn¡¯t at fault would be wrong. However, we will start from the beginning. Kyrion and Kilo were dropped off at the front office, where Kyrion was supposed to receive his schedule when one of the PCs suddenly caught fire. It didn¡¯t start smoking and explode; no, there was a sudden configuration, and the system was fried. ¡°Uh¡­Is that normal?¡± Kyrion asked Kilo. ¡°Did you do that?¡± Kilo whispered. Kyrion started to shake his head and sighed¡­Calling the young artificial mind back into his eye. [Sorry¡¹ the odd creature intoned through electronic signals. The resulting fire was put out rapidly via a device in the ceiling¡ªtoo rapidly, as not even the smoke alarms had a chance to go off. ¡°Seems we¡¯re going to need a minute to process what just happened. Feel free to shadow your cousin today, Mosley. {Mosely} ¡°It¡¯s pronounced Moss-Lay, where the moss lay. My father chose that as his family name.¡± ¡°I will endeavor to remember it.¡± ¡°Sure¡­Kilo, I smell breakfast.¡± ¡°First go to this room and give them this paper.¡± Kyrion took the slip and headed to the room next door, where his picture was taken, where he was given a piece of paper. ¡°Now for the second breakfast.¡± ¡°You should be full after eating all of those pancakes. Not to mention the eggs and sausage.¡± ¡°Yes but I smell an oat-based slop. I haven¡¯t had that since I was little.¡± ¡°Oatmeal?¡± ¡°With protein chunks and other vitamins in it. Although it seems this slop just has the vitamins.¡± ¡°Do you have the nose of a bloodhound?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, bloodhounds smell blood. Not food.¡± ¡°I mean, can you detect sausages from a mile away?¡± ¡°Over a hundred if I¡¯m really hungry, if it¡¯s being smoked, then even further. Why?¡± Kilo snickered. Kyrion, who was totally not paying attention to another group of people walking in the opposite direction, bumped into someone. ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re going.¡± Said a young man in a green and black letterman jacket with well-built musculature. Kyrion eyed the blond kid with green eyes that didn¡¯t match his vibrancy. In his experience, it wasn¡¯t often that he met someone on eye level with a somewhat similar build to him, with the exception of a lack of magic anywhere in his body. ¡°Hmmm? Huh. First time I come to city where others tall like me.¡± Kyrion said with a bad barbarian accent. ¡°Are you trying to talk dumb?¡± The blond put a hand on Kyrion¡¯s shoulder to hold him in place and scowled, letting go just as quickly. ¡°He¡¯s from another country. English isn¡¯t his first language.¡± Kilo eyed the young man from his modest height. In a fight, Kilo could easily win ten out of ten, but doing so would draw the wrong attention. ¡°Uh huh¡­That was true but also false at the same time.¡± Kyrion smiled. ¡°You¡¯re pretty perceptive, a shame you don¡¯t seem to show your own body that level of attention. You¡¯re nearing your limit. I recommend adding another rep of calf lifts or whatever you do to stretch out your hamstring. Wouldn¡¯t have bumped into you if you didn¡¯t have a limp.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes widened as he leaned forward. Out of shock, he realized that a familiar jolt he¡¯d been feeling lately was gone. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°We have similar builds. I know that you¡¯ve been neglecting certain muscles due to strain. I recommend not doing that anymore. A torn ACL is a pain to deal with.¡± Kyrion waved and continued forward. ¡°Peter? Why was he talking about a torn ACL? Is this related to why the coach had you sit out during practice?¡± ¡°There was a scare.¡± Petter tapped his leg a few times and shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the fastest one on the field.¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s fine, Isaac. Although it¡¯s a shame, someone like that could have done pretty well on that team. He could have knocked me over. He¡¯s denser than he looks, I¡¯ll talk to the coach about him.¡± Peter sighed. ¡°I thought you were going to fight him¡­¡± ¡°Listen, I have no time to get into fights with someone who has more strength than I do. If I get hurt or suspended. I can kiss my college career goodbye.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Isaac looked back at the other brown-skinned kid and looked at his arm with a calculating gaze.
Kiro slapped Kyrion on the arm to get his attention. ¡°What did you do? I sensed something odd.¡± ¡°Fixed something that was about to break.¡± ¡°That quickly?¡± ¡°I have plenty of experience fixing things like that. I¡¯ve done it to my own things as well.¡± ¡°So that''s how you knew. Also I recommend this.¡± Kilo put a brown carton of something cold onto Kyrion¡¯s plate. ¡°Exactly.¡± Kyrion had a styrofoam plate stacked with food that he took to the lunch lady. ¡°Right.¡± The lunch lady looked at the plate and then at Kyrion and shrugged. ¡°You do know that will cost extra. Right?¡± Kyrion handed the woman a hundred dollar bill. Kilo sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to take you somewhere you can get some twenties.¡± The lunch lady nodded, shaking her head. ¡°What¡¯s a twenty?¡± ¡°A fifth of what you gave her. Do you not know about smaller bills?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as a gold coin, right? Anything smaller is feed for the pickpockets.¡± ¡°This¡­Where are you even getting money. You don¡¯t have a wallet.¡± ¡°I have a partnership with a certain Billy Dee.¡± ¡°The artist? I, mean he could probably afford to keep you fed¨C¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know, Goat Face was an artist. Well I guess it is an art that he does..¡± ¡°That''s rude¡­oh. The candy maker. I wonder if he took that name by accident or on purpose.¡± ¡°No idea. What''s this? It looks disgusting.¡± Kyrion held up the brown box. ¡°Chocolate milk.¡± ¡°Does it come from chocolate cows?¡± ¡°Those don¡¯t exist.¡± Kyrion tasted the substance as a smile grew on his face and he began to float. Kilo put a hand on Krion¡¯s shoulder and pressed him down. ¡°I must have all the choco milk!¡± Kyrion said all too loudly, the pupils of his eyes turning into vertical slits. ¡°Easy tiger.¡± ¡°Ander¡¯s the tiger, I''m ¡­I guess I¡¯d be the dragon.¡± A girl with brown hair sat down at the table for no apparent reason. ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Kyrion asked Kilo. Kilo shook his head. ¡°No, I think she¡¯s one of those cheerleaders.¡± ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°I am not one of those cheerleaders. Cool contacts by the way.¡± ¡°Whats a contacts?¡± ¡°His eyes are natura.. Umm¡­¡± Kyrion sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as the AI running around decided to slow down. ¡°My eyes dilate strangely sometimes, it''s a family condition from my homeland.¡± The condition was real, but rare to inherit. ¡°Smooth, I¡¯m curious, what is someone like you doing with Stone Cold Kilo.¡± ¡°When did I get a nickname?¡± Kilo asked in a monotone. ¡°When you started ending conversations before they could start. So is he your¨C?¡± ¡°Cousin.¡± ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Why the confusion?¡± ¡°Adoptive brother, former cousin. There are complexities I¡®d rather not speak on. Why is someone as boring as you asking me questions?¡± Kyrion attempted to irritate her. ¡°Because you look like someone I met recently. Although it may have been a dream.¡± ¡°I see. I really hope I don¡¯t show up in your dreams anymore then.¡± ¡°You have a pretty face for a guy. Too pretty, why is that?¡± ¡°Genetics and effort. Can you go now?¡± ¡°Are you single?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a girl back home.¡± The dark haired brunette sighed. ¡°Theater! You¡¯re in the theater course..¡±Kilo stated in confidence. ¡°Wrong again.¡± ¡°I have seen you somewhere.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you before as well.¡± Kyrion opened up his senses and raised an eyebrow. She was the girl whose heart he replaced. She looked healthier, sadly Kyrion would never fall for something like that. ¡°Where would you have seen me?¡± ¡°You were on that T.V show, with the talking cat that loves hamburgers.¡± ¡°Cheeseburgers. I can see it too. Now that you mention it.¡±Kilo nodded to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you''re messing with me or not. I have been informed that certain Janitors have me under surveillance.¡± Kilo didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Kyrion put on a face of innocent concern. ¡°If they are staring too much you should file a complaint with the school. If anything happens to you I will be sure to tell the authorities that those janitors probably did it.¡± ¡°I think I may have confused you with someone else.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly likely. As I don¡¯t recall meeting anyone like you.¡± ¡°You''re just as cold as your brother.¡± ¡°Glacier.¡± Kyion moved to take off invisible sunglasses. ¡°¡­¡± Kilo was oddly quiet. ¡°Alright, well if you change your mind, come to room G134 afterschool. My name is Mira.¡± Mira then stood up and left the table. Probably headed to class as far as he was concerned. Kyrion waved goodbye and sighed. ¡°Why did your not heart increase in beating the second she appeared in your vision?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Kilo¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°I¡¯ll just ask your dad, later.¡± Kyrion eyed the robotic left arm preparing to release it¡¯s restraints. ¡°I will cut you if you do that.¡± Kilo seemed physically ready. ¡°Fine, sheesh. Don¡¯t out yourself over a girl you tried to shoo away.¡± Kyrion drew a sound distortion ward on the table and surrounded the two of them. It would fade when he left. ¡°Have you met her before?¡± ¡°I gave her a new heart. She didn¡¯t have much time. A month or two, if unchecked and a sudden and surprising death.¡± ¡°Is that why you turned her down?¡± ¡°I had many reasons. That, you, and I do already have someone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on an unwilling vacation. Now then what''s our first class?¡± ¡°Advanced Calculus.¡± ¡°I hate math.¡±
Despite claiming to hate math. Kyrion proved to have a better grasp than the others in the class. At least that''s what the napping he was doing in the back of the class told them. ¡°If this class is so boring Mosely, why don¡¯t you solve the questions on the board?¡± ¡°42, 27, 5, for the missing variables. From left to right.¡± Kyrion glanced at the board briefly before putting his head back down. ¡°That is correct, care to show your work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I know, I do know that sharing my methods would be an exercise in insanity. A friend of mine used to double check said calculations before leaving me alone.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± The older teacher stated. ¡°C is a cow, F is the farmer, and D is the amount of dairy produced. Y is the yearly yield.¡±Kyrion drew pictures of a cow, a man and a bucket of milk. The cow interacted with the farmer, then the farmer interacted with the buckets of milk. Using the variables he came up with while half asleep he showed his work. ¡°Huh, why are you in this class?¡± ¡°Because I''m shadowing my cousin today. There was a scheduling issue.¡± ¡°That would explain why you think it¡¯s a waste of time, this is a midterm level question.¡± ¡°Oh, not a waste of time. I just have better focus when half conscious. It¡¯s an idiosyncrasy that has annoyed many teachers prior to an incident.¡± ¡°If it works it works.¡± Thus math ended with the handing out of homework. Kyrion would do said homework while in his next class. The next class was full of computers. Which gave Kyrion a massive headache as his eye tried to swan dive into the system. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± The computer science teacher asked. ¡°Headache, It feels like my eye is trying to jump out of its socket.¡± ¡°Do you need to head to the nurse?¡± ¡°What class is this anyway?¡± ¡°Computer Science. Although it''s not a beginner course. You¡¯ll be doing a lot of catching up unless you decide to pick another course.¡± ¡°Just shadowing today. I likely won¡¯t be in a course like this.¡± ¡¸ No! I¡¯ll be good¡¹The creature in his eye intoned. ¡°Now you wanna listen?¡± Kyrion felt a nod from the creature in his eye which caused his prosthetic to bob briefly. It then calmed and began to listen. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°My headache seems to be fading.¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression was irritated. ¡°Oh! Well that''s good. Do you need any assistance logging in?¡± ¡°Logging in?¡± ¡°Do you have your username and password?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The teacher printed out a sheet of paper and handed it to Kyrion. It was a step my step instruction manual for logging in with his information written on the side. It still took Kyrion ten minutes to log in, mostly due to accidentally hitting the caps lock and not realizing that it was an issue. The minute he¡¯d logged in however, the consciousness behind his eye entered the computer and began digging through the network¡¯s files. While this was going on, Kyrion slowly typed in the program he was supposed to be in and spent the remainder of the class self learning. ¡°Kilo, your cousin isn¡¯t too good with computers he types like an old man.¡± ¡°He¡¯s lived in the wild for a bit and before then his parents were the rural type. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen one of these odd boxes before today.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem suited to pursuits involving thought.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t see him in Professor Gover¡¯s class. He solved that question that was put on the board while half asleep.¡± ¡°So he made a fool of himself?¡± ¡°No, he made a fool of the question.¡± ¡°Math is annoying.¡± Kyrion squinted as he followed Kilo to an English course. Which he struggled with due to not doing the homework he was assigned before arriving in the world. Nor was he a native speaker, worse of all he was starting to get hungry. Midway through the class while discussing national hero Beowulf. Someone rescued him from the clutches of the boring class. ¡°Oh, Mosley... You have been called to vist the football coach immediately. I guess sports would be more your speed.¡± ¡°Not really. I don¡¯t know what football is.¡± Kyrion shrugged and followed¡­His staker. ¡°So¡­Nira¡­¡± ¡°Mira.¡± ¡°Nicole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mira.¡± ¡°Fine Myra.¡± ¡°What''s your deal?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve been tailing me all day.¡± Kyrion said, he had actually caught her following them three times and Kilo was too emotionally involved to notice. ¡°No I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ Anyhow, what do you need?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.¡°I need nothing?¡± ¡°Then why am I following you.¡± ¡°To see the coach.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I''m gonna have my face beaten in again, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°N-no? Why would you think that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an important part in raising pain tolerance. You need that to survive when stranded on some island for years.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth about the latter, with the confidence of truth telling from the first sentence. ¡°Too much information.¡± ¡°You wanted the details. So, why does Kilo have a weird nickname?¡± ¡°He has bluntly turned down anyone who¡¯s attempted to ask him out.¡± ¡°Okay? What makes that so special?¡± ¡°You act like you¡¯ve done that before.¡± ¡°I mean, at one point people were men and women themselves day and night. I had to turn down so many requests that it got tiring.¡± Kyrion was referring to the duels that Kyrion avoided at Drisil. He¡¯d gotten plenty of fight requests at Drisil. He had also thrown in his experience acting as one of the schools main healers. ¡°I-I see. Is it common?¡± Mira was red faced. ¡°Things changed for me when I met that special person. Now I have a happy reason to avoid those idiots. Maybe there is someone he likes. The men in our family are extremely devoted.¡± ¡°It''s possible.¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you ask him out but tell him, it''s to help his reputation with the person who leaves him flustered. Or something.¡± They arrived at the sports wing momentarily as Kyrion¡¯s goal of planting that seed was complete. The coach stood a solid and sturdy four foot three with a stocky and well built frame. With a beard that contained various decorations related to what may be a tribe. ¡°Ah cannae believe it, a brute is really de healer.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe someone like you is just a healer. What you needed all them muscles for anyway.¡± ¡°In a worse case scenario I may need to carry a few people to safety during a war. Although that isn¡¯t quite true. My teacher taught me that a healer must be an example of peak mortal capabilities without magic being involved. My body was molded for mobility and adaptability with a well of strength. While not the strongest, I can perform some feats.¡± ¡°M-magic?¡± Mira stuttured. ¡°I just knew you were stalking me.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°She¡¯s already been briefed on matters pertaining to the underworld. So you know, more than half the school has some connection to that side of our world, we just don¡¯t advertise it. The point is to adapt and blend in, with a modern society. All of the staff here for example, are involved in on way or another. Either as retired field workers or people from other places.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that.¡± ¡°We know, just wanted you to know that you shouldn¡¯t expose anyone for being anything other than human. As technically you aren¡¯t one anymore.¡± ¡°Huh? Not human?¡± ¡°Correct, your heart is magical which means all the blood in your body has gained magical properties. Which tends to spread to your other organs as well causing an evolution. The difference in your physical appearance for one, and you ability to sense that there is something familiar going on between you and the kid.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Luckily for us you were already here. So no odd transfers. Now then, healer, how did you know Peter was about to tear his ACL? I was hoping he¡¯d visit a doctor¡± ¡°I noticed his limp when he entered my vision, as I have had the same injury I knew the signs immediately and may have bumped into him by accident as a way to heal him without him noticing. Then I taunted him a bit to get him to lean on the limb. When I confirmed that he was healed I left.¡± ¡°You are too crafty for someone with your build and powers. Why don¡¯t you add up?¡± ¡°I also wanted to see how strong someone with my build but no magic would be. Pushing my own body further could prove detrimental. Idiodtic even. Should my mana be sealed.¡± ¡°Mirabell¡­Do you really want to hear all this? Shouldn¡¯t you be back in class?¡± ¡°Ah right sorry.¡± Mira in her hurry turned and headed back to her class. Not recalling that she was in her off period. The dwarf looked back at Kyrion. ¡°How do you feel about learning about sports medicine? And helping athletes perform at their best.¡± ¡°I already know how to do that?¡± ¡°You probably know the basics, from maximizing gains to preventing injuries and healing the damage.¡± ¡°A bit more, I would be getting experience but I have plenty of that.¡± ¡°A position where you help, but aren¡¯t the one in the limelight. You show up once or twice a week during practice, then attend various games should you have sufficient free time. You won¡¯t be participating in the playing as much as you will be monitoring the health of our players.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­It would be a negative gain time wise. I need more advanced medical knowledge, not more of what I know. I want to know how brains work better.¡± ¡°Ah, you want more specialized knowledge in medicine. Do you know much of demihuman biology?¡± ¡°Demihuman?¡± ¡°The Felhern or Beast kin, they have diverse biology, a mix of animal and human, then there are dwarves, elves, orcs, and goblins, each use the generic human template with alterations done to make them obviously different. I can give you a book on dwarven biology and healing techniques.¡± ¡°That is something I don¡¯t have, although I haven¡¯t met a dwarf, aside from you.¡± ¡°We build our homes underground and in the mountains.¡± ¡°Interesting, but I must warn you, if I am called to participate in combat or for a mission, I may not be able to provide any healing aside from limited regeneration.¡± ¡°Why would you be fighting?¡± ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what you know about me, but I am a powerful entity in my own right.¡± ¡°So are most of the staff.¡± ¡°I can also¡ª¡± Kyrion¡¯s presence disappeared for five seconds causing the dwarf a bit of confusion.¡± ¡°Were you a tailor?¡± ¡°No, but I did learn that they get irritated when you can beat them in hide and seek.¡± ¡°Honorary assassin?¡± ¡°Meh, I¡¯d be closer to a master thief that rarely steals. Get in and out undetected leaving no trace behind. I abhor killing if I can help it.¡± ¡°It''s a rare day when someone with the aptitude to heal, prefers ending life to preserving.¡± The dwarf sighed. ¡°Looks like your lunch period will begin soon. Come by when you get the chance.¡±
\Kiro slapped Kyrion on the arm to get his attention. ¡°What did you do? I sensed something odd.¡± ¡°Fixed something that was about to break.¡± ¡°That quickly?¡± ¡°I have plenty of experience fixing things like that. I¡¯ve done it to my own things as well.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how you knew. Also I recommend this.¡± Kilo put a brown carton of something cold onto Kyrion¡¯s plate. ¡°Exactly.¡± Kyrion had a styrofoam plate stacked with food and took it to the lunch lady. ¡°Right.¡± The lunch lady looked at the plate and then at Kyrion and shrugged. ¡°You do know that will cost extra. Right?¡± Kyrion handed the woman a hundred-dollar bill. Kilo sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to take you somewhere you can get some twenties.¡± The lunch lady nodded, shaking her head. ¡°What¡¯s a twenty?¡± ¡°A fifth of what you gave her. Do you not know about smaller bills?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as a gold coin, right? Anything smaller is feed for the pickpockets.¡± ¡°This¡­Where are you even getting money. You don¡¯t have a wallet.¡± ¡°I have a partnership with a certain Billy Dee.¡± ¡°The artist? I, mean he could probably afford to keep you fed¨C¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know, Goat Face was an artist. Well I guess it is an art that he does..¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude¡­oh. The candy maker. I wonder if he took that name by accident or on purpose.¡± ¡°No idea. What¡¯s this? It looks disgusting.¡± Kyrion held up the brown box. ¡°Chocolate milk.¡± ¡°Does it come from chocolate cows?¡± ¡°Those don¡¯t exist.¡± Kyrion tasted the substance, and a smile grew on his face. He began to float. Kilo put a hand on Krion¡¯s shoulder and pressed him down. ¡°I must have all the choco milk!¡± Kyrion said all too loudly, the pupils of his eyes turning into vertical slits. ¡°Easy tiger.¡± ¡°Ander¡¯s the tiger, I¡¯m¡­I guess I¡¯d be the dragon.¡± A girl with brown hair sat at the table for no apparent reason. ¡°Friend of yours?¡± Kyrion asked Kilo. Kilo shook his head. ¡°No, I think she¡¯s one of those cheerleaders.¡± ¡°I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°I am not one of those cheerleaders. Cool contacts by the way.¡± ¡°Whats a contacts?¡± ¡°His eyes are natura.. Umm¡­¡± Kyrion sighed, closing his eyes momentarily as the A.I. running around decided to slow down. ¡°My eyes dilate strangely sometimes. It¡¯s a family condition from my homeland.¡± The condition was real but rare to inherit. ¡°Smooth, I¡¯m curious, what is someone like you doing with Stone Cold Kilo.¡± ¡°When did I get a nickname?¡± Kilo asked in a monotone. ¡°When you started ending conversations before they could start. So is he your¨C?¡± ¡°Cousin.¡± ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Why the confusion?¡± ¡°Adoptive brother, former cousin. There are complexities I¡¯d rather not speak on. Why is someone as boring as you asking me questions?¡± Kyrion attempted to irritate her. ¡°Because you look like someone I met recently. Although it may have been a dream.¡± ¡°I see. I really hope I don¡¯t show up in your dreams anymore then.¡± ¡°You have a pretty face for a guy. Too pretty, why is that?¡± ¡°Genetics and effort. Can you go now?¡± ¡°Are you single?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a girl back home.¡± The dark-haired brunette sighed. ¡°Theater! You¡¯re in the theater course..¡± Kilo stated in confidence. ¡°Wrong again.¡± ¡°I have seen you somewhere.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you before as well.¡± Kyrion opened his senses and raised an eyebrow. She was the girl whose heart he had replaced. She looked healthier, but sadly, Kyrion would never fall for something like that. ¡°Where would you have seen me?¡± ¡°You were on that T.V. show, with the talking cat that loves hamburgers.¡± ¡°Cheeseburgers. I can see it too. Now that you mention it.¡± Kilo nodded to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re messing with me or not. I have been informed that certain Janitors have me under surveillance.¡± Kilo didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Kyrion put on a face of innocent concern. ¡°If they are staring too much you should file a complaint with the school. If anything happens to you I will be sure to tell the authorities that those janitors probably did it.¡± ¡°I think I may have confused you with someone else.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly likely. As I don¡¯t recall meeting anyone like you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just as cold as your brother.¡± ¡°Glacier.¡± Kyion moved to take off invisible sunglasses. ¡°¡­¡± Kilo was oddly quiet. ¡°Alright, well if you change your mind, come to room G134 afterschool. My name is Mira.¡± Mira then stood up and left the table. Probably headed to class as far as he was concerned. Kyrion waved goodbye and sighed. ¡°Why did your not heart increase in beating the second she appeared in your vision?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Kilo¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°I¡¯ll just ask your dad later.¡± Kyrion eyed the robotic left arm, preparing to release its restraints. ¡°I will cut you if you do that.¡± Kilo seemed physically ready. ¡°Fine, sheesh. Don¡¯t out yourself over a girl you tried to shoo away.¡± Kyrion drew a sound distortion ward on the table and surrounded them. It would fade when he left. ¡°Have you met her before?¡± ¡°I gave her a new heart. She didn¡¯t have much time. A month or two, if unchecked and a sudden and surprising death.¡± ¡°Is that why you turned her down?¡± ¡°I had many reasons. That, you, and I do already have someone.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on an unwilling vacation. Now then what¡¯s our first class?¡± ¡°Advanced Calculus.¡± ¡°I hate math.¡± Despite claiming to hate math. Kyrion proved to have a better grasp than the others in the class. At least that¡¯s what the napping he was doing in the back of the class told them. ¡°If this class is so boring Mosely, why don¡¯t you solve the questions on the board?¡± ¡°42, 27, 5, for the missing variables. From left to right.¡± Kyrion glanced at the board briefly before putting his head back down. ¡°That is correct, care to show your work?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why I know, I do know that sharing my methods would be an exercise in insanity. A friend of mine used to double check said calculations before leaving me alone.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± The older teacher stated. ¡°C is a cow, F is the farmer, and D is the amount of dairy produced. Y is the yearly yield.¡± Kyrion drew pictures of a cow, a man, and a bucket of milk. The cow interacted with the farmer, and then the farmer interacted with the buckets of milk. Using the variables he came up with while half asleep, he showed his work. ¡°Huh, why are you in this class?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m shadowing my cousin today. There was a scheduling issue.¡± ¡°That would explain why you think it¡¯s a waste of time, this is a midterm level question.¡± ¡°Oh, not a waste of time. I just have better focus when half conscious. It¡¯s an idiosyncrasy that has annoyed many teachers prior to an incident.¡± ¡°If it works, it works.¡± The next class was full of computers. Which gave Kyrion a massive headache as his eye tried to swan dive into the system. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The computer science teacher asked. ¡°Headache, It feels like my eye is trying to jump out of its socket.¡± ¡°Do you need to head to the nurse?¡± ¡°What class is this anyway?¡± ¡°Computer Science. Although it¡¯s not a beginner course. You¡¯ll be doing a lot of catching up unless you decide to pick another course.¡± ¡°Just shadowing today. I likely won¡¯t be in a course like this.¡± ¡¸ No! I¡¯ll be a reasonable creature in his eye intoned. ¡°Now you want to listen?¡± Kyrion felt a nod from the creature in his eye, which caused his prosthetic to bob briefly. It then calmed and began to listen. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°My headache seems to be fading.¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression was irritated. ¡°Oh! Well that¡¯s good. Do you need any assistance logging in?¡± ¡°Logging in?¡± ¡°Do you have your username and password?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The teacher printed out a sheet of paper and handed it to Kyrion. It was a step by step instruction manual for logging in with his information written on the side. It still took Kyrion ten minutes to log in, mostly due to accidentally hitting the caps lock and not realizing it was an issue. The minute he¡¯d logged in. However, the consciousness behind his eye entered the computer, digging through the network¡¯s files. While this happened, Kyrion slowly typed in the program he was supposed to be in and spent the remainder of the class self-learning. ¡°Kilo, your cousin isn¡¯t too good with computers he types like an old man.¡± ¡°He¡¯s lived in the wild for a bit, and before then, his parents were the rural type. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen one of these odd boxes before today.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem suited to pursuits involving thought.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t see him in Professor Gover¡¯s class. He solved that question that was put on the board while half asleep.¡± ¡°So he made a fool of himself?¡± ¡°No, he made a fool of the question.¡± ¡°Math is annoying.¡± Kyrion squinted as he followed Kilo to an English course. He struggled with it because he had not done the homework he had been assigned before arriving in the world. He was not a native speaker and worse of all; he was starting to get hungry. Midway through the class, while discussing Elder hero Beowulf, someone rescued him from the clutches of the boring class. ¡°Oh, Mosley... You have been called to vist the football coach immediately. I guess sports would be more your speed.¡± ¡°Not really. I don¡¯t know what football is.¡± Kyrion shrugged and followed¡­His stalker. ¡°So¡­Nira¡­¡± ¡°Mira.¡± ¡°Nicole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mira.¡± ¡°Fine Myra.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve been tailing me all day,¡± Kyrion said he had caught her following them three times, and Kilo was too emotionally involved to notice. ¡°No I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ Anyhow, what do you need?¡± ¡°I need nothing?¡± ¡°Then why am I following you.¡± ¡°To see the coach.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m gonna have my face beaten in again, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°N-no? Why would you think that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an important part in raising pain tolerance. You need that to survive when stranded on some island for years.¡± Kyrion lied through his teeth about the latter, with the confidence of truth-telling from the first sentence. ¡°Too much information.¡± ¡°You wanted the details. So, why does Kilo have a weird nickname?¡± ¡°He has bluntly turned down anyone who¡¯s attempted to ask him out.¡± ¡°Okay? What makes that so special?¡± ¡°You act like you¡¯ve done that before.¡± ¡°I mean, at one point people were men and women themselves day and night. I had to turn down so many requests that it got tiring.¡± Kyrion was referring to the duels that Kyrion avoided at Drisil. He¡¯d gotten plenty of fight requests at Drisil. He had also thrown in his experience acting as one of the school¡¯s main healers. ¡°I-I see. Is it common?¡± Mira was red-faced. ¡°Things changed for me when I met that special person. Now I have a happy reason to avoid those idiots. Maybe there is someone he likes. The men in our family are extremely devoted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you ask him out but tell him, it¡¯s to help his reputation with the person who leaves him flustered. Or something.¡± They momentarily arrived at the sports wing as Kyrion¡¯s goal of planting that seed was complete. The coach stood a solid and sturdy four feet three inches tall, with a stocky and well-built frame and a beard that contained various decorations related to what may be a tribe. ¡°Ah cannae believe it, a brute is really de healer.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe someone like you is just a healer. What you needed all them muscles for anyway.¡± ¡°In a worse case scenario I may need to carry a few people to safety during a war. Although that isn¡¯t quite true. My teacher taught me that a healer must be an example of peak mortal capabilities without magic being involved. My body was molded for mobility and adaptability with a well of strength. While not the strongest, I can perform some feats.¡± ¡°M-magic?¡± Mira stuttured. ¡°I just knew you were stalking me.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°She¡¯s already been briefed on matters pertaining to the underworld. So you know, more than half the school has some connection to that side of our world, we just don¡¯t advertise it. The point is to adapt and blend in, with a modern society. All of the staff here for example, are involved in on way or another. Either as retired field workers or people from other places.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that.¡± ¡°We know, just wanted you to know that you shouldn¡¯t expose anyone for being anything other than human. As technically you aren¡¯t one anymore.¡± ¡°Huh? Not human?¡± ¡°Correct, your heart is magical which means all the blood in your body has gained magical properties. Which tends to spread to your other organs as well causing an evolution. The difference in your physical appearance for one, and you ability to sense that there is something familiar going on between you and the kid.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Luckily for us you were already here. So no odd transfers. Now then, healer, how did you know Peter was about to tear his ACL? I was hoping he¡¯d visit a doctor.¡± ¡°I noticed his limp when he entered my vision, as I have had the same injury I knew the signs immediately and may have bumped into him by accident as a way to heal him without him noticing. Then I taunted him a bit to get him to lean on the limb. When I confirmed that he was healed I left.¡± ¡°You are too crafty for someone with your build and powers. Why don¡¯t you add up?¡± ¡°I also wanted to see how strong someone with my build but no magic would be. Pushing my own body further could prove detrimental. Idiodtic even. Should my mana be sealed.¡± ¡°Mirabell¡­Do you really want to hear all this? Shouldn¡¯t you be back in class?¡± ¡°Ah, right. I''m sorry.¡± Mira, in her hurry, turned and headed back to her class, not recalling that she was in her off period. The dwarf looked back at Kyrion. ¡°How do you feel about learning about sports medicine? And helping athletes perform at their best.¡± ¡°I already know how to do that?¡± ¡°You probably know the basics, from maximizing gains to preventing injuries and healing the damage.¡± ¡°A bit more, I would be getting experience but I have plenty of that.¡± ¡°A position where you help, but aren¡¯t the one in the limelight. You show up once or twice a week during practice, then attend various games should you have sufficient free time. You won¡¯t be participating in the playing as much as you will be monitoring the health of our players.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­It would be a negative gain time wise. I need more advanced medical knowledge, not more of what I know. I want to know how brains work better.¡± ¡°Ah, you want more specialized knowledge in medicine. Do you know much of demihuman biology?¡± ¡°Demihuman?¡± ¡°The Felhern or Beast kin, they have diverse biology, a mix of animal and human, then there are dwarves, elves, orcs, and goblins, each use the generic human template with alterations done to make them obviously different. I can give you a book on dwarven biology and healing techniques.¡± ¡°That is something I don¡¯t have, although I haven¡¯t met a dwarf, aside from you.¡± ¡°We build our homes underground and in the mountains.¡± ¡°Interesting, but I must warn you, if I am called to participate in combat or for a mission, I may not be able to provide any healing aside from limited regeneration.¡± ¡°Why would you be fighting?¡± ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what you know about me, but I am a powerful entity in my own right.¡± ¡°So are most of the staff.¡± ¡°I can also¡ª¡± Kyrion¡¯s presence disappeared for five seconds, causing the dwarf a bit of confusion.¡± ¡°Were you a tailor?¡± ¡°No, but I did learn that they get irritated when you can beat them in hide and seek.¡± ¡°Honorary assassin?¡± ¡°Meh, I¡¯d be closer to a master thief that rarely steals. Get in and out undetected leaving no trace behind. I abhor killing if I can help it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare day when someone with the aptitude to heal prefers ending life to preserving.¡± The dwarf sighed. ¡°It looks like your lunch period will begin soon. Come by when you get the chance.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 27 SIC As Kyrion made his way to the cafeteria, he sensed someone behind him. Moving out of the way proved ineffective, which had the opposite effect. So he moved back, and they did as well. ¡°Watch out!¡± Yelled a female voice. While Kyrion could have sped up his body and evaded, such a thing would have been obvious, so he tried to move out of the way one last time, purposefully tripping himself in the process, out of the way just so long as she¡­ ¡°Ahhh!¡± The young woman had moved to the side again and was too close. Slowing down resulted in various cups of coffee flying forward and coating the downed boy in hot liquid. To Kyrion, it was lukewarm and mildly annoying, as those were his new clothes. The liquid was automatically absorbed into his domain as he got to his feet and sighed. ¡°You owe me for the clothes.¡± Kyrion looked at the second troublesome girl he¡¯d run into. This day, hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t be run into again. ¡°Sorry!¡± The girl bowed, noticing the coffee spread everywhere, horror dawning. ¡°How am I supposed to finish the day without my coffee?¡± The girl had dirty blond hair and eyes as dark as the deep sea. Her green clothes were also a bit scuffed from the fall. ¡°It seems I don¡¯t really like coffee, it¡¯s too hot and tends to get everywhere..¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you screaming?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mildly painful, I¡¯ve felt worse though.¡± ¡°Are you one of those tea drinkers?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t drink poison. Last time my mother gave me tea, my liver had to fight off something powerful and I was sick for a week. Well she didn¡¯t give me the tea, she sat it down and left to do something.¡± ¡°Stranger who I just crashed into. This must be fate. Meet me in G134 after school and I¡¯ll repay you then.¡± Kyrion squinted in suspicion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kyrion signed as he ducked into a bathroom and left seconds later in a new set of clean clothes. A gambler hat with a blue feather sticking out from the side was atop his head. Over his body was a brown shirt covered by a blue jean vest. He wore blue jeans pants with a belt that had silver fur lining the edges. He wore a set of brown waxed leather boots. He looked as though he had walked right out of an old-fashioned Western. As Kyrion sat in front of Kilo, getting two plates of lunch, he looked at the young synthetic person in front of him. ¡°I thought I told you that is a bit too much for school.¡± ¡°I had brought them to change into, after school. Sadly someone got bean juice on my clothes.¡± ¡°Coffee?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s what she called it.¡± ¡°Another she?¡± ¡°I can only do so much to get out of someone¡¯s way. It seems that I am drawing attention from this G134.¡± Kyrion sighed as he activated his connection with the strange entity in his eye. ¡¸ Master, I have gained a tier of intelligence after spreading through the local network. What do you require?¡¹ ¡°Less buzzing.¡± Kyrion tapped at his head. ¡°Kyrion?¡± ¡¸ Redirecting waves, G134 is the Occult Research Society. Made up of people who are aware of magic and supernatural abilities but want to know where they come from. A few have minor abilities, nothing that would make them dangerous to you. ¡¹ ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion bridged his fingers and looked ahead seriously. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°That sandwich you haven¡¯t touched. You gonna eat that?¡± ¡°I neither taste nor require sustenance in this form. But I need to keep appearances.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Not like I burned many calories today.¡± Lunch ended, and the duo entered the library. ¡°This is where my day ends, you can just do whatever. I kinda just help out here during this period.¡± Seeing the absurd number of books, Kyrion scowled. ¡°How are these organized?¡± ¡°Fiction is organized by the author¡¯s last name followed by first and is on that side. Nonfiction has a code based on the subject it covers.¡± Kilo explained the organizational system with no noticeable annoyance.¡± Kyrion spent two hours devouring information, enhancing his memory and recall by filling in the useful information and diagrams in spots that resembled where he pulled the book. Now, when he needed information, he could recall it page by page, and while in an energy-saving state, he could trickle the backlog of information straight to his brain or practice what he obtained to make the knowledge his own. ¡¸ Program created, enhanced recall.] The creature in his eye stated as the connection seared into Kyrion¡¯s brain. There wasn¡¯t much pain outside of a stinging in his eye that faded after a long minute. ¡¸ You will now recall information you have seen but not learned in real-time when you require it.] ¡°That stings. I could already do that.¡± Kyrion leaned forward and continued to look through the various books. He¡¯d gotten to the end of the two hundred and was about to start on the three hundred when Kilo arrived. ¡°Did you read all of those books, that fast?¡± ¡°I can process information faster than most. Oddly enough, my thoughts seem faster and easier to call on. Ever since arriving, before a recent incident added more to that ability.¡± Kyrion tapped the temple next to his prosthetic eye. ¡°Kyr¡­ Let¡¯s head home for the day.¡± ¡°Nah. I kinda promised I¡¯d go to that room today, you should come along too. It will help you blend in and I don¡¯t know names. Finally it may have something to do with that job Notdad gave me.¡± ¡°Already have a lead?¡± ¡°Possibly. I noticed a few curiosities.¡± ¡°Fine.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know where this G-area is.¡± ¡°That makes more sense.¡± Kilo sighed. Kilo brought Kyrion to an entirely new wing and made his way to the end of a hall. The room contained various workshop tables and desks. A black-haired boy in a hoodie and glasses sat in the back of the class and seemed to be putting together a relatively large robot. His focus was dead on, and his movements were nonstop. It would be sad if some troublesome giant knocked it off the table. Kyrion turned to look directly at a taller, ginger-haired girl with brown eyes. ¡°Yes, it would be a shame. Did you do that?¡± The Ginger Esper turned her head in the opposite direction. ¡°How did¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious to anyone paying attention.¡± ¡°So what can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really strong¡ªstupidly so. It just took a lot of P.E. classes to get it right,¡± Kyrion said. ¡°So just a normal person, who likes exercise.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first day here! I also brought my cousin¨Cbrother? We¡¯re waiting for this lira lady.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mira.¡± A folder hit his upper back relatively softly as he stood in the doorway. ¡°Right! My Myra!¡± ¡°Are you doing this on purpose?¡± ¡°He just likes messing with people. If you don¡¯t react, he loses.¡± Kilo said in a choppy monotone. ¡°The differences between the two of you is astounding.¡± ¡°Are astounding.¡± Kyrion held his head in horror. ¡°My you are, more prim than you look.¡± ¡°Well, madam, it must be the nobility in me. Sometimes it slips out,¡± Kyrion said in a country drawl. He was overcorrecting, going past the natural one he¡¯d grown out of. It was obvious he was forcing it. ¡°Darn tootin partner.¡± Mira replied. ¡°Is that a question? Where is Darn?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know who this Darn was, but Twotin was a dangerous mutation back home. It was a mutation where limbs and organs would grow in places where there shouldn¡¯t be limbs or those organs, like a hand from the side of your head, among other things. On occasions, there would be a helpful one, like a second set of arms or a second heart. Kyrion looked at a man with a third eye on his forehead. His head was clean-shaven, and he wasn¡¯t muscular, but he did show signs of moderate exercise. ¡°I¡¯ll save you Darn!¡± Kyrion would remove that eye. Kilo slapped Kyion on the back of his head to get his attention. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take colloquialisms seriously. It¡¯s a saying over here, they don¡¯t know what Twotin is.¡± Mira looked dumbstruck. ¡°Why are you talking about farts like it¡¯s a life or death occurrence?¡± ¡°You mean gastronomical releases? Those only happen with children back home.¡± ¡°Where is this home?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember, I was little when I got separated from my parents and was only recently found by some people in suits.¡± Kyrion lied by omission. ¡°You must come from some bizarre place.¡± Kyrion switched languages when he said the following. ¡°Limguard is an odd place.¡± No one seemed to notice as Kyrion said something incomprehensible. That was until a chocolate-skinned man stood up from a desk. He was closer to Volain¡¯s build and seemed familiar. His hair was cut short, and a streak of skin was clear of hair to show sharpness. He wore a jersey and eyed Kyrion for a long moment. ¡°So English really wasn¡¯t your first language. That almost reminded me of Hebrew.¡± Issac stated. ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion looked at the man he¡¯d overlooked earlier because he was focusing on the blond leading that duo. Wait, no, it was a trio! Kyrion hadn¡¯t bothered to remember what the third looked like. ¡°What are you doing here? Got some magic on top of that muscle and observation?¡± Isaac wondered if his position was being challenged. ¡°I was invited because Mira is convinced I¡¯m someone else. Also, my cousin needs friends.¡± ¡°Hey! You said you needed directions.¡± Kilo reapplied. ¡°I also don¡¯t know how to get back home yet, so you might as well stick with me then.¡± ¡°Oh right, the one eyed red haired demon lord. You have two eyes and black hair.¡± ¡°Yeah that doesn¡¯t match me at all. The green eyes do match however. That shade isn¡¯t a common one and yet your resemblance to Kilo is present.¡± ¡°He¡¯d look more like me if he didn¡¯t suffer from albinism. I think it runs in the family.¡± ¡°So he isn¡¯t a vampire? What about reports of him avoiding outside classes?¡± ¡°I can get sunburnt very easily.¡± The truth was that he didn¡¯t sweat while in his false body. ¡°Right, as this was a mandatory meeting, can you start before I¡¯m late to practice?¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Mira stated. The young woman took to the pedestal. ¡°So I already informed you all of the cult gathering right? I had thought it suspicious, so I informed everyone of you where we¡¯d be going. Oddly enough, it was a trap, although, a demon was summoned. One strong enough to destroy a van just by ramming into it. This demon was capable of transformation, it seems and easily learned our language minutes after arrival. From there I have been told that he managed to fix an issue in my heart I wasn¡¯t aware of as well as heal everyone else present in the middle of a black out that lasted seconds. I was also given a vial of medicine for my grandmother. The smell alone was enough to wake her from her coma. Also, you should know that the cult leader intended to drug us, and sell our organs so¡­K.O.S.¡± ¡°Healed a damaged heart in seconds. Did you feel anything?¡± Isaac asked. ¡°A cooless on my back for a brief moment. But that was it. What about your experience with the supernatural Isaac?¡± ¡°That was quick. Someone on my team had been keeping quiet about an injury they received during a game but today it seemed miraculously healed. During our workout I could tell that he was able to push himself further than usual.¡± ¡°I see, considering he sat out during the last game it¡¯s obvious he hurt something. He is the team¡¯s best runner guy.¡± ¡°Running Back.¡± ¡°Anyhow, Sera, anything new?¡± ¡°I found a supernatural discount at the mall. My favorite store had everything set to 50% off. That store never has sales like that. I almost died trying to get a good pair of heels.¡± The ginger sighed. ¡°Alright. Jin?¡± ¡°Busy!¡± Jin yelled from the back. ¡°Moca!¡± ¡°Hmm? I nearly got hit by a car. It drove through my mom¡¯s cafe. It¡¯s why I was late to school. Also, I owe the new dude something.¡± Moca threw a brown mushroom-shaped object. ¡°Looks like a mushroom.¡± Kyrion bit into the plastic wrap coating and chewed. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to eat the wrap.¡± Kyrion swallowed before answering, as it was always important not to talk with your mouth full. He had been mildly tempted to bring this girl into his domain and have her make these delicious snakes for all eternity. He needed some new minions, after all. ¡°How else do I eat it?¡± ¡°Take the clear stuff off.¡± Kyrion peeled it, and much to everyone¡¯s surprise, no one noticed any crumbs fall to the floor. They didn¡¯t know this, but Kyrion didn¡¯t waste food. That was Bastion¡¯s job. Suffice it to say the muffin was gone in seconds. ¡°Lee, did you notice anything odd?¡± The bald kid opened his two eyes, and his third eye vanished into the wind. ¡°I had a vision. A Tiger and Dragon falling from holes in the sky. I also saw a man with white and brown hair fighting both. The man wore the symbol of three swords being pressed together.¡± ¡°What did this dragon look like?¡± ¡°Blood red scales, emerald gemlike eyes, and a scarf of white. It was a long dragon as well so it could be in Asia at the moment. Although it landed further east than the tiger.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Jin let out a sigh and looked up. ¡°I can sense a hole in reality relatively close by. It should appear Friday night at around eleven PM. I think it¡¯s called a dungeon.¡± ¡°A dungeon?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah, we can go in and get stronger there. I believe we could even gain access to magic or weapons if we complete it.¡± ¡°How long is it going to stay open.¡± ¡°Forever. It¡¯s odd, though. It seems this dungeon requires a key to enter.¡± Jin wiped his brow upon finishing his model. ¡°Isaac, you can now go to practice.¡± Mira stated ¡°A shame¡­ That dungeon thing sounds interesting.¡± ¡°You should be able to make it back before it starts.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll just be exhausted.¡± Isaac got to his feet and sighed. Kyrion looked at Isaac, expecting to see a bird, but relaxed momentarily. ¡°What are the chances I meet someone with the same name as someone I know?¡± ¡°Pretty common.¡± Kilo stated. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 28 Meddling When Isaac left, Sera stood up and made her way to the exit as well. ¡°If he¡¯s gone, I¡¯m gone. You know the deal.¡± Jin had moved onto a new model he had started from scratch. Lee had begun meditating, and his third eye reappeared, confirming that the limb was mystical and not a disease. ¡°So¡­ How was the muffin?¡± Moca asked. Kyrion noticed Moca¡¯s heart rate had increased. ¡°I¡¯m seeing someone. Also, it was tasty. The salt really brings out the bitterness of the chocolate and coffee grinds.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you out.¡± Moca seemed confused, then worried. ¡°Hmmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°It was supposed to be sweet.¡± . ¡°Use less salt and more sugar but you are onto something.¡± ¡°Also why did you think I was asking you out?¡± ¡°Your heart rate increased, so either you were asking me out, shy about me tasting that deliciously salty muffin, which is currently raising my blood pressure, or you were a distraction and worried that I¡¯d notice something was being done behind my back. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Kyrion noticed someone run out of the room, their heart beating rapidly. Turning, he scowled as Kilo stood dumbfounded, his mouth stuck in an open position. ¡°So¡­Mira asked him out. Then ran away?¡± ¡°Stone Cold Kilo strikes again.¡± Moca shook her head. ¡°No¡­ I think he said yes, and thats what shocked her. If you go in expecting to fail¡­¡± ¡°That heart rate hearing of yours¡­You wouldn¡¯t have picked up on some information you shouldn¡¯t have shared?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Kilo¡¯s heart rate increased when lyra¨C¡± ¡°Mira?¡± ¡°Yeah, when she sat down. Then I discreetly nudged someone to act in a way that would cause Kilo to trip over himself in a response. It should take him a few seconds to come back.¡± Kyrion could sense that Kilo¡¯s soul had returned to his real body in shock. So he helped his cousin to a seat and kept an eye on him. ¡°Are you an Esper too?¡± ¡°A what now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Like an empath? No if you were¡­¡± ¡°You ok?¡± ¡°Someone with psychic abilities. There have been quite a few people talking about them online recently. Jin is an Esper, for example. At least he seems like someone who¡¯d be an Esper.¡± ¡°What can he do?¡± ¡°Not sure. He says it¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°I am probably not an Esper. Just observant.¡± Kyrion sighed in relief. ¡°Most Espers are quite observant.¡± ¡°If most amounts to two then your results are skewed.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± ¡°Just curious, was the salty muffin really that good?¡± ¡°It tasted like chocolate cornbread. So I¡¯d say it was good.¡± Food is sustenance, and he needs all the sodium he can get. Regeneration was sweat-burning work, even if it was cleansed the second it left his pores. ¡°That is¡­. Ok¡­ I¡¯ll go do my homework while waiting for Mira to come back.¡± Kyrion made his way over to Jin. He knew when he was being too much for people, after all. ¡°So, Jin what is¨C¡± ¡°Localized precognition.¡± ¡°That.¡± Kyrion pointed at the model. ¡°You¡¯re interested in Swordam models?¡± ¡°Is that like a robot that you can ride in? If it was bigger?¡± ¡°This is a 1/80th scale model.¡± ¡°Curious. Would you happen to be an e¨C¡± ¡°An esper?¡± ¡°Engineer.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t care about this magic stuff do you.¡± ¡°And you like trying to predict what i¡¯m saying despite myself showing up to you as a blank. Your power can¡¯t predict what I do next.Can it?¡± ¡°It has been wrong three for three. Similar power?¡± ¡°More complex. So Engineer?¡± ¡°Automotive Engineer, although that¡¯s just so I can get to the parts I want to play with.¡± ¡°If you, say, had someone who could help you build a mech would you be willing to work with them as a subordinate in name but not position. See, i¡¯ve wanted a mech for a little while now. But someone I know has wanted one for even longer. He can¡¯t build it alone and doesn¡¯t have all the experience you do with Swordam.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I would say that you¡¯re insane, but if you are the guy then sign me up.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, but I am willing to help you get them up and running. Mechs may be the answer that the world needs.¡± [MaStEr¡¹Kyrion scowled as something entered his mind. ¡°If you can put a model kit together on you own, right now, then I¡¯ll aggree. If you can¡¯t then I set the terms.¡± ¡°As expected, Kyion finished his Swordam model in thirty minutes. Only he¡¯d missed imputing quite a few pieces. Which resulted in some asymmetry and rigged up details.¡± ¡°Pretty good for someone who didn¡¯t have an instruction manual, nor prior experience.¡± ¡°If you can get me the materials and tools, I¡¯ll help you, otherwise leave me alone.¡± ¡°Do you need money?¡± Jin looked at Kyrion as though he were a roach. ¡°Who needs money when you have mechs?¡± ¡°I think i¡¯ve just made a new best friend. Where do I get these kits for practice?¡± ¡°My dad sells official ones as well as some kits that we design and 3D print at our shop. Fan made Swordpla, which is hit or miss mostly. We also sell comic books and card game stuff. Do you know what Stc is?¡± ¡°I see¡­ What is a 3D printer?¡± ¡°It lets us turn imagination into reality, albeit it¡¯s limited to plastic.¡± ¡°Interesting. When are you free?¡± ¡°Club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays outside of events. I run the shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but am free on most Fridays and the weekend.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll¨C¡± Mira re-entered the room and approached disheartened-looking Kilo. Both read the room and take their conversation elsewhere. ¡°Your name is Kyrion, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know what the key that the dungeon requires looks like?¡± ¡°Not off the top of my head. Why? In my vision, there is a door that reads Kyrion is the key to me. So listen ye fools of this reality.¡± ¡°Karl sucks at riddles¡­¡± ¡°So you know that dungeon?¡± ¡°Potentially, but it shouldn¡¯t be here if it¡¯s coming. I need to buy a new T.V and some DvD¡¯s. Karl loves some old fashioned mafia movies¡­You may also want to feed him a Swordpla. So he can pilot it. I¡¯m 90% sure he jumped at a chance to come here, which shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°Are you the tiger Lee was referring too?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m probably the dragon, but don¡¯t tell the others yet. I¡¯m on vacation in this world.¡± ¡°You have world jumping magic?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Can I go?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to be able to build my mech without worrying about the supernatural FBI knocking on my door, also known as Cerberus.¡± ¡°Cerberus?¡± ¡°If your involved you must know about the cleaners?¡± ¡°Janitors, Slayers, and now Cerberus?¡± ¡°Yes, while Janitors and Slayers deal with problems that come from other worlds. Cerberus are who keep the worlds separate. Dealing with problems that occur when a human with powers shows signs of going insane.¡± ¡°In other words, we keep those with powers in check while policing the other two main branches.¡± Kilo sighed as he arrived, a faraway look in his eyes. ¡°Can you even talk about it?¡± Jin asked, cautiously looking around. ¡°All three of us are involved and Kyrion surrounded is in a sound distortion field.¡± ¡°We¡¯re currently talking about Swordpla. So how did it go?¡± ¡°I think I now have a girlfriend. I¡¯m not sure how it happened or how I managed to miss the cues. But I am now dating Mira, to get close to Mira.¡± Jin shook his head. ¡°She didn¡¯t think you¡¯d accept?¡± ¡°Apparently she didn¡¯t want to get turned down and be depressed¡­But a certain idiot prodded her in the right places.¡± ¡°I do know acupuncture.¡± ¡°Not what mean cousin.¡± ¡°Now then, Kilo, your dad owns a scrapyard with a workshop, correct?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Kilo squinted. ¡°Jin, you know how to draw a diagram or blueprint for the mechs right?¡± ¡°Yes I do.¡± ¡°And I have a way to get our materials just right. Lets meet up on Saturday after the dungeon.Then we can have someone drive us to the site.¡± ¡°Wait¡­Are we building mechs? How are we going to power something so big?¡± ¡°Lets see, since I¡¯ll be making the engine, let¡¯s call it the Life Engine. Converts sunlight into energy and turns co2 into oxygen through photosynthesis as well as gains maximum capacity over time. A mech that gets stronger the more it is used.¡± ¡°That goes against engineering logic, it must be able to break.¡± ¡°The parts will be metal but the engine will be mostly organic. Its intended that the engine is kept and sent to new mech as time goes on while the seeds it produces are grown into new engines over time.¡± ¡°If we can get this to work then we may have a fighting chance.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Unlikely, an eco-friendly engine like that can only exist in a polluted world. Space battles wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± ¡°If we can get these off the ground then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fighting in space, sooner rather than later. In fact we can focus on the solar condensing aspect in theory, after. As I only have a few months with you guys.¡± ¡°How are we going to get this done in such a short amount of time?¡± Jin asked. ¡°Easy peasy with my help.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Who¡¯s gonna be our pilot?¡± ¡°Issac has a driver¡¯s license. He could probably do it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he has the free time for that. We can always ask¡­Moca and Lyra incoming.¡± Kyrion turned off the ward before they arrived. ¡°It¡¯s Mira. Why is that so hard to get right?¡± ¡°Because Al¡¯mira is my great grandmother¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Oh¨C So you don¡¯t want to call me by my name because it sounds like your grandmothers?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a superstition back home, don¡¯t call on the ones above too often or else they will give you extra attention and make things difficult.¡± Kyrion paraphrased and made it more ambiguous. The original saying, as his mother stated, went something like this. ¡°Don¡¯t be call¡¯in them [redacted¡¹gods names lest they decide to pay you a visit [Redacted ¡¹all over your life. Those [redacted¡¹should mind their own [redacted¡¹business.¡± Times like those helped remind Kyrion that his mother had been a pirate and a soldier longer than she¡¯d been a noble. Or, well, she was both all her life, but pirates don¡¯t exactly have a filter. Kyrion didn¡¯t heed those words, and Imala did [redacted¡¹up his life. ¡°Odd [Redacted¡¹.¡± ¡°That language was weird, what¡¯s a Kouocengfalf?¡± ¡°My worlds swears don¡¯t translate properly. It means to give someone extremely bad luck. Or cause someone a lethal amount of trouble with malicious intent.¡± Kilo shot him a look, saying, ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t what it means, but that¡¯s a nicer explanation, so I won¡¯t correct you.¡± ¡°Anyway, superstitions aside, you may refer to me as the president as that is my roll for this club.¡± ¡°La Presidenta!¡± Moca saluted before heading off. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough embarrassment for one day. Club has ended for the day. Leave when you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Kyrion? I think it¡¯s time to go home.¡± ¡°It just hit me. If your Kilo and the vacuum is Grover. Who the hell is Julien?¡± Kilo clicked his tongue. ¡°Do you really think my real name is a term that helps describe a number?¡± ¡°Ah. Defensive measure.¡± ¡°In a way. Also, all my records currently list me as Kilo; it is my legal name.¡± Kyrion held up both his hands and surrendered. He would not push the subject further. He could see that it was a touchy subject. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 29 Tiger and Asura ¡°As your father-in-law, let me wash your back,¡± the old man said to Ander. Ander had yet to remove his robe before entering the open-air bath. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°As you are doing me a favor, I am going to do you one as well.¡± ¡°Is that normal here or are you treating me like a child who can¡¯t wash his own back?¡± ¡°Practicality, I wash yours then you wash mine.¡± ¡°I see. Go ahead then.¡± Ander lowered his robes, revealing a tattoo he hadn¡¯t had until recently nor seen himself. A tiger with fur of white and stripes of black was climbing up a starry night sky toward the moon. A constellation resembling an arrowhead could be seen among those stars. A swirl pattern full of stars covered his upper arms and spread to his chest, ending there. While his back ended at a layer of clouds. ¡°Um¡­Ander¡­You wouldn¡¯t happen to be a Yakuza, would you?¡± ¡°The hell is that? Not hell. Hell! [Redacted¡¹. No I am not a Yakusa. Is that some type of demon?¡± ¡°No¡­ This inkwork is just¡­¡± The old man stopped gawking and started watching.¡± ¡°Inkwork? I don¡¯t have a tattoo.¡± ¡°Must be a new thing then. Did your friend also have a tattoo?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it was circular, it looked kind of like a moon or something.¡± ¡°Heaven and Earth, or some such nonsense I guess. Is this satisfactory?¡± ¡°It is? Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± The two traded places and the old man removed his robe, revealing a large, apparent gaping hole that covered most of his torso and passed through clearly. The sides of the hole resembled a spreading void. ¡°Not much back left to wash I imagine.¡± The old man laughed. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°When one uses up most of their own life force their body begins to degrade internally. My enhanced lifeforce has a limit, eight hundred years of power. The hole showed up over a hundred years ago and there¡¯s no way to negate the degradation, only delay it. I¡¯ll be honest and say I produced Chiyo at my age, ate up alot of my own life force, and as of late I¡¯ve been aging rapidly. If you can take care of my daughter or at least make her strong enough to survive on her own, I will be able to live in peace on the other side.¡± Ander carefully washed what reminded him of the old man¡¯s back, having planned to put some power into it prior to the reveal. ¡°Fine then, but you better not use any Qi until after the Ceremony. Can¡¯t have you dying on Chiyo tonight. At least survive so that I can annoyingly call you father in law.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t make any promises.¡± The old man laughed.
The following day, Ander ate breakfast with his fiance, and the two moved on to morning training exercises, which led to the current predicament. ¡°I need to lay on your stomach for this to work. The female acupuncturist is here to document this as well. You will be in safe hands. Also, according to your grandfather the wedding is in two weeks.¡± ¡°Two weeks? That¡¯s way too fast, we hardly know each other.¡± ¡°I know right? I think he wants me to do this before you do something strange and scare me off.¡± Chiyo did not dignify that with a response; that was precisely what had happened with her previous fiance. The man got scared away when he saw her practicing her sword strikes. She may have cleaved a boulder in half with a wooden sword and no qi, but it was training. Ander wasn¡¯t anything like that; if anything, the girly side of things may put him off. Although, given how he looked, a bit of vanity shouldn¡¯t be a bother. Chiyo lay on the acupuncture bed and waited for them to begin. ¡°Should she remove her clothes for this?¡± ¡°Nah, the needles are markers. So long as they are stable it doesn¡¯t actually matter. If you weren¡¯t here I wouldn¡¯t be using them.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pretty long.¡± ¡°Is she now?¡± Ander looked at the old man. ¡°Reasonably tall by our standards but no giant.¡± ¡°Hey I¡¯m right here.¡± Chiyo protested. ¡°No moving, the needles are being prepared.¡± Chiyo froze in her position. Ander pointed to four positions on her upper back, one on the nape of her neck. Ander then pointed to three places on her middle back, four on her lower, one on each upper calf, then one on each lower calf. The last two went into each of her upper arms. ¡°Focus Qi into your fingers like so.¡± Ander¡¯s fingers began to glow with a blue aura. ¡°Then hold it in this position over the needle right above her heart for three seconds or until you feel their life energy connect with yours. Next you bring it to the left to the needle here, then move onto the arm, then you trace it back to the left marker then up to the nape of her neck and back down to her heart.¡± Ander followed the pattern and let the Qi began to flow into the new pathways. ¡°Your turn, do the exact same with the right side of her body, I¡¯ll make any corrections.¡± The person they sent had even better control, and the pathways were much smoother than Anders¡¯s, not that smoothness matters¡­It did matter initially, but they¡¯d soon fix themselves regardless. It would just cause less pain if done cleanly. ¡°Ok you will take over from here, just follow my instructions, Connect the nape, with the spine, then cononcet the one on the left and go down to the left most needle then go to the upper thigh then lower calf, back up to the upper thigh and then the needle to second needle from the left. Connect it with both the spine and the one to the left of the spine.¡± The doctor did it perfectly again.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Then do the same with the other side.¡± It was completed perfectly as well. ¡°If you¡¯re so good at this, why haven¡¯t you figured this out before I got here?¡± Ander stomped petulantly. ¡°Because we didn¡¯t have the perspective that Master Ander brought to our world.¡± Ander calmed down and looked professional. ¡°The way I did it was good for her, others may require a different configuration. Some may need more nodes in some places and less in others.¡± Ander removed the needles via magnetism, causing them to rise and collect in their case. Ander started at Chiyo for a long moment. ¡°Uh Ander why are you staring¨C¡± ¡°Oh, that? I was observing the changes. It looks as though your body is converting excess into muscle and removing various chemicals.¡± Ander felt an urge to leave. Trusting his instincts, he turned and ran out of the room. The doctor decided to stay with her longer, only for her eyes to water. The next hour was spent cleaning up the mess and preparing some new clothes for Chiyo as she¡¯d gained four more inches in height. Putting her at a solid 5¡± 10 or 178cm. finding clothes was going to be a pain now. Her hair had gained a bluish tint, as her body appeared as though it were two years younger and not fully matured. Leaving her to appear nineteen instead of twenty one a distinction few who weren¡¯t paying attention would notice as the first thing that changed.¡± ¡°My brothers and I are all of the shorter variety. When I was about five, my older brother said he had the tallest wife and ruled the clan. His wife is about 5¡± 2 or 157cm. I need to get taller.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ander you¡¯re still growing.¡± The old man patted Ander on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah¡ª¡± Ander was too distracted and short to see the jab, so it went over his head. ¡°Ander if you keep staring at her legs they¡¯ll fall off.¡± ¡°Right. I need to go for a run. Be back soon.¡±
After procuring a new wardrobe, Chiyo Ander began teaching Qi reinforcement, which enhanced her pathways with the life energy in her body. It was similar to mana enchantment but much more precise. Due to training with it for an extended period before meeting Ander and having inherited a large amount from her father due to the mermaid¡¯s gift, she proved to be quite destructive in power¡ªso destructive in fact that she could match the level Ander was at before his training at the island with Maldain. While Ander would praise her for this if she were just a student, he was the ambitious sort. Her training wouldn¡¯t be done until she could at least match him physically in hand-to-hand combat. ¡°Two weeks won¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°Enough for what?¡± ¡°Enough for you to reach my level of power. To be fair, the gap has been closed quite a bit. In fact you¡¯re already near the level, that the one who calls herself my girlfriend is.¡± ¡°Right¡­The one that was trying to make the other guy jealous?¡± ¡°Yup. To be fair, I¡¯m not even sure if that timeline still exists. Hopefully I can get to my past self before he says. Do whatever just let me train in peace.¡± ¡°...That was enough to constitute dating in your world?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t deny it when it was brought up. As I was in a hurry to get back to training. Now, then, show me that sword form of yours one more time.¡± Ander picked up a wooden sword from a stand and returned. He watched every motion, from the placement of her feet to the contortion of her face as she exhaled during a strike, every detail he could pick up on, and the glaring holes created when she grew. ¡°Alright. There are a few inconsistencies in your form.You aren¡¯t committing enough in some strikes and you¡¯re overcompensating in your defensive form. I¡¯m going to show you what you did. Then you repeat and try to remove any mistakes that you notice. From there I will inform you of any mistakes that were missed.¡± ¡°Sheesh, can¡¯t I enjoy having more Qi for a day?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the ambitious type. I don¡¯t want to stop training until you can s¨Cstrike me down. Us Spriggin are a proud warrior race after all.¡± ¡°Is it me? Or am I starting to feel like I¡¯m not the weird one here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably your imagination.¡± Ander pressed a finger to his head, sending a jolt into his system. ¡°Right,¡± Chiyo repeated the form thrice, hitting everything except for the final foot placement on the last attempt. ¡°Did you make a mistake?¡± Ander asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yes, one of my last maneuvers missed the mark.¡± ¡°Was that truly a mistake?¡± ¡°Yes, in a battle that would have exposed my midsection.¡± ¡°Unless you were fighting in close quarters and someone tried to catch you off guard by pinning you to a position.¡± Ander walked forward and pointed to a scorch mark on the floor. ¡°I sent a spark at you to interrupt your maneuver, it wouldn¡¯t have hurt but it would have stunned. Had you gotten hit, you¡¯d be more open from that than you would if you dodged. You could also counter from a dodging position. Form is important for learning and mastery, but true masters can adapt to changes in circumstances.¡± ¡°That was tricky.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who got it tight the second time and tried to do it again on the third time. Battle trances are dangerous if you can¡¯t adapt. You can, which puts you above a few I know.¡± Ander left the training hall. Making his way to the old man¡¯s office. ¡°Ah Ander, how may I help you?¡± ¡°I need you to send my captain an invitation to the wedding as well as a request for special training weights. A set to get a lithe girl that stands around five ten at the recommended level of strength for a swordswoman with talent with wind, water, and battle rage.¡± ¡°Wind and water?¡± ¡°She¡¯s what I would call a storm berserker. Cuts like the wind and moves gracefully like water with the force of a wave. My captain has more experience with water than I.¡± ¡°I was told all he had was healing and brute strength¡­¡± ¡°Listen, assume that my captain can do everything reasonably well, he just has some focusing issues. Wind, Water, Earth, Life, Fire, those are his five base tallents. All save fire were trained to dangerous levels when he was younger, fire is something he picked up recently. He chose to spend his time focusing on his capabilities as a healer, while pushing his body past the limit. If you think he can do something then he probably could, and if you saw him do something bizarre and impossible, chances are he mixed techniques together and got an odd result.¡± ¡°I see, so he had the ability to make training equipment?¡± ¡°Just basic strength training stuff. Chances are he¡¯ll adjust it as it arrives. Also, there will be food. You¡¯re going to need a lot. Imagine feeding a starving dragon.¡± ¡°Price for power seems to be a large food requirement.¡± ¡°Most people would have exploded in his position. Infact, he could probably get you a new body if you asked for one.¡± ¡°New body?¡± ¡°Yeah, I imagine that he doesn¡¯t have that restriction anymore.¡± ¡°Ander, let me go in peace. I don¡¯t need a new body.¡± ¡°Not even to see your actual grandkids?¡± ¡°Please. Aren¡¯t kids, years in the future? I don¡¯t have years.¡± ¡°Fine, can I draw a symbol so that he notices that it was me?¡± Ander did something he wouldn¡¯t regret, but he certainly would feel bad about it. Ander hadn¡¯t known his own father, so seeing his first parental figure on death¡¯s door and ready to die despite having various chances to survive made him want to push it. Death by losing all of one¡¯s lifeforce ended with the destruction of the soul. Ander would at least ensure the man could enter the multiplanner cycle of reincarnation. Ander drew a tube shape with a symbol of the Soul Catcher in the runic tongue. It had no meaning to the people here, however. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A good luck charm given to the parents of the betrothed. As I don¡¯t have any, on my side, I must give it to you.¡± Ander hadn¡¯t lied. It was a practice on Imala to bring family to the world above so that they could be reborn into new bodies. He just didn¡¯t have a reason to have one on hand.¡± ¡°With that I¡¯ll get back to training.¡± Ander bowed before making his exit. ¡°Does he really think I¡¯d fall for something like that? Not that I know what it is¡­¡± The old man drew a copy of the item and symbol Ander added to the letter and would send it to be examined by someone from that universe. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 30 Pyros and trouble Kyrion had tested out of math, and most science courses save for Astronomy and quantum physics, which surprised everyone involved. He knew quite a bit about how things interacted with the world around him due to his natural mana, and his reading of that first day added context to what he knew or suspected. Regular physics would have gone badly if he hadn¡¯t noticed that the gravity on this version of Earth was lighter than he was used to. Reading to comprehend what the author was thinking annoyed him more than it should, as his common sense didn¡¯t match the Earth¡¯s humans¡¯ common sense; why did Caesar die from just 23 stabbings? At that time, most rules could have turned everyone around them into a paste. Why isn¡¯t Beowulf immune to poison? He was a powerful warrior and king. Kyrion was neither, but he could deal with poison. Hell, the story of Beowulf from his world painted him as an immortal god-king who slayed many dragons with his assistant Grendle. This also was confusing: why would Beowulf kill his loyal butler? Earth tales were weird. Oddly enough, he knew something about history from the encyclopedias he¡¯d gone through; sadly, most of his courses confused him as some historical figures had names similar to other historical figures, only quite off, and their personalities differed. That could be why Beowulf was different in his world. Wars made no sense whatsoever. Why didn¡¯t the kings duke it out in the middle while the respective armies cheered and the royal guard provided buffs? The only time kings don¡¯t fight is when someone goes against the laws of war, which allows the defenders to be excused from all war crimes. That wasn¡¯t a thing here. People didn¡¯t nuke their own country while retreating to kill the invaders. There are not enough empty conditions here for that. Kyrion¡¯s essay, which involved a story from his childhood that made him who he is today, ended with him having to visit a psychiatrist who tried to decide if he had lied or was having a mental breakdown. Popping out his prosthetic eye only made them more worried. The name Maldain ended up on a few lists of travelers to watch out for. Thus, his second and third days were taken away from him for further aptitude, leading up to his schedule arriving on Thursday. Monday and Wednesday: Practical English, History of Architecture, Computer Science, World History Tuesday and Thursday: Pharmaceutics, Astronomy, World Mythology. ____ Friday: Self-study ¡°Self study. So I don¡¯t need to show up. That gives me time to work.¡± ¡°Already have a part-time job?¡± ¡°No? But I do have somethings to¨C¡± Kyrion felt a massive influx of mana enter the world. It was quite powerful in terms of size and magnitude, then suddenly shrunk and reconnected with his core. ¡°Master Kyr, I am on my way.¡± Said a monotonous entity. [Powerful Inorganic life forms are headed our way. Arrival time is three hours.] ¡°Kyrion? You have mail.¡± Kilo handed Kyron a letter. ¡°Who would¡­. Right Ander. What do these squiggles mean?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Huh, it¡¯s in Japanese. Looks like a wedding invitation, in a week and a half.¡± ¡°Uh Master? Some mean looking brutes are chasing me!¡± Karl said through their connection. ¡°Really!?¡± Kyrion seemed alert. ¡°Yes, it says right here that Ander is getting married and he requires training weights for his new wife as well as a soul catcher.¡± [Shall we download the Japanese language directly to your brain?] ¡°No, Ai. Uh¡­ I¡¯m going to be la¡ª¡± Kyrion created a plant clone, causing it to shift as he applied some minor autonomy. ¡°I need to go somewhere. Make sure this clone gets to school. I should be back by lunch.¡± Kyrion stepped out the door, cloaking his presence from physical, magical, and inorganic sight as he began to float upward toward the clouds. Upon arrival, he coated his body in an aerodynamic shell of mana. Building power beneath his feet, Kyrion focused on Karl, locating his spirit surrounded by a group of five. They had inhuman powers. The sky cracked briefly as a hole opened in reality, and Kyion stepped through, only to appear in the sky above the hit squad. ¡°Unauthorized alien entity. Cease this at once and be executed.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very fair,¡± Kyrion said as he fell from the sky, his hair returning to its natural red color. ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked a woman with dyed purple hair and yellow eyes. ¡°No one you¡¯d know. This guy is one of my subordinates and I¡¯ve come to retrieve him.¡± Kyrion pointed to a floating cube. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t it with you then?¡± ¡°I was separated from quite a few subordinates when I arrived.¡± A young man with fiery orange hair threw a smoking bottle at the nonchalant Kyrion. Kyrion casually caught it out of the air and closed the distance. I placed the cocktail in the man¡¯s hands while holding him there. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re getting into a fight.¡±. ¡°Tom!¡± Kyrion threw Tom into a light pole, his body cracking. He¡¯d survive but would be bedridden for a while. Then the cocktail exploded. The fire spread everywhere, followed by loud screaming. ¡°You killed Tom!¡± ¡°No, Tom killed Tom. I did not know that it was an explosive.¡± Kyrion waved his finger and clicked his tongue.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Kerry!¡± The purple-haired girl yelled. ¡°You will submit!¡± Yelled a dark-skinned man with no hair anywhere on his face. ¡°No I will not.¡± Kyrion noticed the wave of mental power bounces off his natural defense like a rubber ball against a wall. ¡°He¡¯s immune!¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Am I a boss fight right now? Give me a second to change.¡± The fire surrounding what most expected to be Tom¡¯s corpse spiraled upwards like a dragon challenging the sun. The power engulfed Kyrion, hiding his body from sight. ¡°Tom! You¡¯re alive! I didn¡¯t know you had that much control!¡± Tom coughed as fresh air entered his lungs. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me.¡± His consciousness began to fade. ¡°He¡¯ll survive. Kerry since you¡¯re useless against this particular foe, take Tom back to base and call reinforcements.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you do that over comms?¡± ¡°I would, but it seems there was a message put out not to engage.¡± The fire around Kyrion faded, and Kyrion was dressed in an all-black form-fitting battle suit with an exaggerated V-neck that protruded to his abs. The clothing brought out the absurd muscle definition he had built into his body. His hair was naturally red but resembled blood more than a ruby. His sclera had gone pitch black as his otherworldly green eyes glowed. A pair of black feathery wings sprouted from his back, and floating above his antler-covered head was a halo made from a bunch of thorns that formed a geometrically perfect circle and glowed in power. ¡°Remember now you challenged me, so I must ask. Who did you think I was?¡± Kyrioin had adjusted his vocal cords to make his voice much deeper. ¡°You¡¯re the Devil!¡± Kyrion snorted, which didn¡¯t suit his current appearance. ¡°No, I am no devil. For I am the¡­.¡± Kyrion paused for dramatic effect and struck a pose. ¡°You guys are the bad guys here right? Since you threw the first punch and all, why don¡¯t you tell me your stage names before I come up¡­I mean tell you mine.¡± ¡°This is a job, we have no stage names.¡± ¡°Oh so your grunts and have no names. Begone with you then.¡± Kyrion slapped the air with his hand and watched as the three remaining espers were teleported away. Although not just anywhere, they were sent to a holding cell in one of the janitor¡¯s bases. Moments later, a middle-aged man in flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt approached with a curious smirk. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them, did you?¡± ¡°Nope. They are currently someone else¡¯s problem. As they have attacked me twice so far. I was so looking forward to the fight. They are too weak however. You seem strong.¡± ¡°I was actually here to interfere if they managed to harm you. Seeing as they are mere grunts to you I must ask, are you strong back home?¡± ¡°Yes and no. My power is capped back home by a deity. Here, I don¡¯t have those restrictions and can play around a bit more. But on a scale of power in general I¡¯m above the curve for my age, but not the strongest being in the universe.¡± ¡°I see. Where are the Espers?¡± ¡°The who?¡± ¡°The people you fought.¡± ¡°Janitors HQ a few miles away.¡± ¡°Well brat, I hope we never meet again.¡± ¡°Well you seem like a pretty cool dude to me. Where can I get a shirt like that?¡± ¡°Hah! You¡¯re an odd kid; don¡¯t change too much.¡± The man in the Hawaiian shirt stepped through space and vanished. Kyrion could feel that the man had just teleported like him. ¡°I am not the only one who can teleport. Noted.¡± Kyrion¡¯s body erupted into a mass of black ravens as he teleported back home to change before shifting places with his clone. He was currently eating his second breakfast. His hair had reverted to black the moment the birds exploded. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± Kilo asked as he dipped a French toast stick in ketchup. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°A fallen angel appeared near city hall. Looks similar to a certain form.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting?¡± ¡°People think it was a massive hallucination that wasn¡¯t caught on any cameras.¡± ¡°Huh so no one saw that awesome transformation sequence?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid the only traumatized people were the group the fallen angel disposed of.¡± ¡°The CGI for that was so bad. There was no fade, they just vanished.¡± Jin sighed. ¡°CGI?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. How is the mech resource gathering going?¡± ¡°I will need you to make the generator first. I¡¯ll need to see its size and shape to get a proper blueprint.¡± ¡°Master, did you just say mechs?¡± Karl seemed interested. ¡¸ Master is working on a mech line to save the world or something. ¡¹ ¡°Who and what are you?¡± Karl was sending feelers towards the Ai in Kyrion¡¯s eye. ¡¸ I am a sentient AI that helps my master process this world¡¯s information.] ¡°Master sure makes some interesting friends. Can I establish a direct line for communication?¡± ¡°I am having a conversation in my head¡­ I didn¡¯t miss that so go ahead.¡± Kyrion turned Karl out as he examined Kilo. ¡°Is this related to that dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was technically my dungeon. Karl can get it set up by Friday night. He wants a mech kit as well as access to various materials.¡± Kyrion heard a buzz in his pocket and scowled. ¡°That¡¯s your phone, answer it.¡± Kyrion sighed and picked up the device, pressing the green button softly as he had practiced. ¡°Why are there members of The Slayers in our holding cells?¡± Cecil¡¯s dad asked. ¡°They attacked me and I decided to do that rather than let them follow me to school.¡± ¡°So that was you. Is that power of yours why you weren¡¯t caught on camera?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± ¡°You do know that you have a cult.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Are they productive or destructive?¡± ¡°Neither, but the lines are getting blurred.¡± ¡°Blame the prisoners for throwing a firebomb at me. Not expecting me to throw it back.¡± ¡°Did you have to make a dragon of fire eat you?¡± ¡°Serpent, there is a difference. Fire is wild like that also it wasn¡¯t me who sent the attack. I just withstood it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°There were a few more of those Espers in hiding. One of them attempted to roast me alive. I have some immunity to fire so I took it head on.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t what was told to us. Any reason we should take your word on that dragon?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been using fire for a short time so my control is small. I could make a dragon of flame like that. But, it would only look like that at a scale much bigger than what you saw. I¡¯m a macro control type. The bigger something is the more I can shape it but small fine tuned adjustments are above me, while learning.¡± ¡°So, can you teleport, feel free to not answer that.¡± ¡°How else do you think I got here? My coordinates were messed up due to that ritual. Chances are we may have landed in the wrong place.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that into some consideration. I¡¯ll leave you to your studies.¡± Kyrion¡¯s focus waned as he looked an irritated Kilo in the eye.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been on the phone for a while.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Kyrion slipped his phone into his pocket. ¡°No biggie. I was tapped in as well. Class will be starting soon, can you find it?¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 31 Kyrion was mentally stretched to the limit. His body was reacting slower than it should, causing cognitive vertigo as he set a command to his legs to walk. Each stuttered movement had a half-second delay, making him seem awkward as he walked down to the athletics wing. He stopped walking altogether and sent a wave of cleansing mental mana that washed away the effect on his mind, confirming that he was under some sleep spell or ability. It hadn¡¯t quite clicked while he was there. When the feeling started, he¡¯d been reading through the following few hundred numbers in the library. As he arrived outside the meetup room, he noticed that the coach and the athletes were missing. A passing peer stopped to speak to the obviously confused Kyrion. ¡°An emergency. Practice was canceled today.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked, immediately suspicious. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear?¡± ¡°Not a player.¡± ¡°Apparently someone set the nearby fields on fire and threatened to bomb the stadiums, and local athletics wings.¡± ¡°But why though?¡± ¡°No idea. Hey, can you hold this for me?¡± The strange youth handed Kyrion a duffle bag. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion squinted as he noticed something odd about the man¡¯s face. As he turned, Kyrion noticed an oddity: His neck¡¯s skin seemed too low. ¡°Just some equipment. Just stand there and hold it for like ten minutes.¡± Kyrion slowly blinked and watched as the unfamiliar person left. After waiting about two minutes, Kyrion slipped the bag into his domain. He had not had all day. ¡°Warning High Yield explosive placed next to food in Kyrion¡¯s domain.¡± Karl warned through their connection. ¡°High yield? A bomb in my domain. Karl, can you move it away from the food?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need permisions to errect a containment barrier around the explosives.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you already have those?¡± ¡°Jala delegated permissions and territory back home. Part of the logistics she took care of for you. Technically, you are capable of overriding her commands, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend doing that back home. As it is currently working. This place is an extension of said domain without the usual spirit in charge of moderation. Therefore I wish that you grant me those abilities.¡± ¡°Is this a political move?¡± ¡°No, a pragmatic one. I will transfer said permissions to Jala without a fuss should we make it back.¡± Kyrion sighed as he willed his domain to obey his spirit and watched as the item was wrapped in layers of earth and sealed. Before, a few cars Karl may have borrowed from a used car dealership were placed around it as a secondary barrier. The engines and tanks were removed. The coach arrived ten minutes later with a confused look on his face. ¡°Practice was canceled. Right, you didn¡¯t have a phone then. Did you notice anyone suspicious?¡± ¡°There was this one dude with a black long coat. He gave me a gift and walked away. Said something about a bomb threat.¡± The coach was listening until he scowled. ¡°What did you do with the thing he gave you?¡± ¡°I put it up in my domain.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A rice bag containing.¡± Kyrion used a term he read about in a game book: B&B 2E. It was an odd fantasy cooking Tabletop RPG in which people and their allies run a Bed and Breakfast. ¡°So it will just cause a tear in space time somewhere else?¡± ¡°I doubt it would.¡± Kyrion felt minor indigestion as something expanded rapidly before fading as mana seeped from his skin. ¡°You ok kid?¡± The dwarf eyed him. ¡°I felt a sudden pull in my core, but I suspect that had more to do with my own magic than the high yield explosive.¡± ¡¸ It has been successfully replicated a hundred times. Oddly enough, one exploded, setting off a series of explosions.] ¡°My bag was forcibly expanded but it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Smoke left Kyrion¡¯s mouth as he spoke. ¡°Do you have any more of those bags?¡± Kyrion pulled out a cloth pouch, bit his finger, and drew his personal spatial rune with his blood. Anyone with that could put things in but not take them out. ¡°You can put things in, but taking things out will be impossible.¡± ¡°So you created half a storage bag?¡± ¡°No, think of itt as one way teleportation. It¡¯s so that I don¡¯t have people digging through my items while unaware.¡± ¡°So, did that explosion inside pass or?¡± ¡°Oh that? It was condensed inside of a barrier¡­ I¡¯ll need to dump it out eventually.¡± ¡°But not soon?¡± ¡°Only thing I have in there are my snacks. As I have a room where I¡¯m supposed to keep my trinkets. When I finish those I¡¯ll gladly let it run its course¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ Don¡¯t use missiles or explosive weapons on you. Should I inform those who keep records or is this a secret?¡± Kyrion thought for a long moment as his prosthetic eye glowed briefly. ¡°You can tell them that missiles would be a major inconvenience and may fail to work, but if I¡¯m caught off guard they might hit, and they might do some damage.¡± The dwarf eyed him. ¡°If I were a betting dwarf, I¡¯d think you were doing this to gain access to international secrets.¡± ¡°I am. I also doubt anyone here would launch a nuclear warhead at me. Unless they were total idiots. They are well aware that I can teleport things to places I¡¯ve been. They wouldn¡¯t risk it.¡± ¡°Or you could just teleport away from it. Letting it fall where it will..Resulting in.¡± ¡°There is a reason you gave up on nuclear energy and instead focused on plasma condensers which you marketed as nuclear but are much safer and not as radioactive.¡± ¡°Not me. I¡¯m just a football coach.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Ok, Mr.Coach. Well then, fell free to pass that along for cleanup. I have a club meeting to get to.¡± Moca was typing something on a laptop in the clubroom while Jin was busy drawing up blueprints at a desk beside her. ¡°Working together? No, I¡¯m playing devil¡¯s advocate with my designs while she¡¯s working on a scholarship essay. I¡¯m supposed to tell her if it¡¯s good enough to win.¡± ¡°Uh huh. I was going to say that practice was canceled and that we were supposed to all leave the school due to a threat but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been taken care of.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the prez?¡± ¡°You catch on to slang fast?¡± ¡°I can process alot of information quickly. Just cost me a nap or two.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lucky you. I heard you tested out of quite a few subjects. How?¡± ¡°I have a really smart friend who needed me to help him build stuff back home. I learned a bit everything I know involving math and engineering from him, as well physics. What you all call biology and chemistry, were learned in classes that focused on one or the other. We just don¡¯t have stoichiometry back home. Maybe now I can practice alchemy.¡± ¡°How do you make potions without math? Don¡¯t you need exact measurements?¡± ¡°Alchemy is as much an art as it is a science. For example, I can transmute this wooden pencil into gold, as it is no longer alive. Just by altering the tiny circles with magic. Moca you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°Right right.¡± Moca started to roll her eyes before she turned and saw a strange symbol carved into the desk. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why is there a pentagram on that desk?¡± ¡°Magic I saw on some T.V. show. I mean I learned from a dusty tome!¡± Kyrion lied twice, making the first one sound believable. Kyrion waited for her to look away before he put the pencil onto the circle and chanted a word in his home tongue. ¡°Transmute.¡± Kyrion said in his home tongue. ¡°Al-fom-cael?¡± Moca looked at the scene and scowled as the circle was gone, but in its place was a shiny pencil with lead in its center. Probably one of those cheap foil pencils. ¡°So this is how you planned to get materials?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can purify steel and clean off rust. Which would be necessary for growth also, this material is known as goldwood, in your tongue. Wood that shares may properties with gold and for all intents and purposes are the same thing. Were this a table it would keep its old pattern.¡± ¡°I think I get it. You have a way to get infinite money.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Moca picked up the pencil, surprised by its heft.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Jin yelped. ¡°This is actual gold. What magic show did you learn that from?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, came on at around 11:30 and I was already half asleep.¡± ¡°I see. So we have an actual mage now. Not just a few people with sleight of hand?¡± Kyrion yoinked the pencil out of her hand and smoothly hid it behind his hand as he dropped it through his domain. He rolled his arms around and adjusted his sleeves, but nothing fell out. From Jin¡¯s angle, he saw the pencil fall through a hole in space. Moca, however, assumed it was sleight of hand. Kyrion smiled as he placed a regular pencil back on the desk. ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have an actual mage. Was that a prop?¡± ¡°Who knows? My hyperactive cohort.¡± ¡°I had an older brother who could do something similar, with knives, cards and darts. Before he died that is.¡± ¡°How much older?¡± ¡°About eight years older. I¡¯m eighteen this year so Jac would have been twenty six. He died in 2001 during the hospital bombings.¡± Jin stopped drawing his blueprints when he heard that name. ¡°Why does that sound familiar?¡± ¡°Because there was a repeat of the hospital bombing a month back. One sec.¡± Moca¡¯s phone started to buzz, and she was called to open it. Kyrion ordered his eye not to tap into the conversation. Sadly, Kyrion was outvoted due to the thorn¡¯s curious nature and Karl¡¯s curious nature. ¡°Is that my little Moca swirl?¡± ¡°Dad, I told you to stop calling me that.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I get it. How¡¯s your mother doing?¡± ¡°Yeah, on tuesday. She still doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Dad? She wanted you to stop. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Work has been busy, I may be able to tell you one day but today isn¡¯t that. Not on the phone at least. Hey, did you hear anything about a dragon or some other mythical creature in that club of yours?¡± Jin looked at Kyrion and pointed at the diagram. ¡°What type of weapons are we giving it?¡± ¡°Does it need weapons?¡± ¡°Listen, it¡¯s going to need something to use to attack. Even if it¡¯s just decoration.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ How about a sword made of condensed.¡± ¡°A plasma blade? That¡¯s a bit futuristic.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call it the Photon Blade, or Phoblade.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s made out of plasma. Or is it condensed light?¡± ¡°In a way both yet neither. I need you to follow my engineering instructions for a smaller model.¡± ¡°Umm¡­have you watched any sci-fi movies yet?¡± ¡°No. I do know of the sun war duology. Didn¡¯t research it though.¡± ¡°Great. Phoblades, that just may work.¡± Kyrion placed an orange crystal on the table. ¡°This is a fire agate, it¡¯s useful for converting ambient life energy into fire mana.¡± Kyrion then placed two blue circular stones on the table. ¡°This is a condensing sapphire, it condensed any mana it comes into contact with and focuses it through a channel.¡± Kyrion then placed a purple diamond on the table. ¡°Finally this baby determines the bounds of the mana and its intensity linking with the psyche of the wielder.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ so what determines the color?¡± ¡°Personality?¡± Kyrion shrugged as he hadn¡¯t input any color-changing effects. ¡°Where did you even get gems like this?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion placed a few thin disks on the table, each in a different color. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Put these on at the end to determine the color. Like a flashlight lens.¡± ¡°Holding out any more magical gems?¡± ¡°No.¡± Kyrion felt a tug as Karl sent a few more items into his domain. Informing them of their properties. ¡°This gem is a replacement for plasma and uses electricity instead. While this one is a special type of fire that is a bit hard to condense. This gem condensed the blade into an edge increasing its cutting capability.¡± ¡°Wait¡­You just have these lying around?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Where¡¯s Kilo?¡± ¡°On a date.¡± ¡°Bros before presidents.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Thought you were going to say something else. Although that was not with my precognition.¡± ¡°You know, the two of you could open a palm reading booth. Jin can read people like a book, while Kyrion could draw them in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done one of these before. Tell people what they either need to or want to hear, based on their current state of being. For example I can tell there is some tension when talking about your father and brother. Speaking of them raises your heart rate. Based on what I can tell, you know something happened between the two and it could be why both parents are separated. In this scenario, I say you should fight them both and put them in their place. Then get them to listen to your desire for information. As you have asserted dominance they will obey. Kind of like wolves.¡± ¡°I did hear that you were raised in the forest. How did you pick up on that.¡± ¡°Body temperature, smell, hearing, mannerisms, and including the way you gripped your phone as though you were going to throw it.¡± ¡°You can tell that much just by observing someone? What are you, superhuman?¡± ¡°Yes? My senses are much higher than a regular person¡¯s. Also I¡¯ve been doing this for a while subconsciously. Most people I¡¯ve met don¡¯t have that many cues.¡± ¡°Jin, is it that obvious?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pay much attention but even I can tell your pi¡ª Highly irritated. Hence you move the conversation to me.¡± ¡°You two could clean out a casino.¡± ¡°Not old enough.¡± Jin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s only fun the first three times, then the gamblers guild tries to buy you off. If that doesn¡¯t work, assassins.¡± ¡°Just where the hell are you from?¡± ¡°I met a free spirit when I was around ten ish and they got me out for a bit before they had to leave me.¡± ¡°Now then, how will you assert your dominance on this father of yours? Do you people pride yourselves on combat here?¡± ¡°No¡­ You¡¯re a bit nosey.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± Kyrion spun a pocket knife he¡¯d borrowed from the guy who gave him a bag. Kyrion scowled as his own phone rang. Answering it, he scowled and hung up. ¡°What was that about.¡± ¡°I had mail¡­. I¡¯ve been invited to a wedding in Japan.¡± ¡°Ah wedding?¡± ¡°You had another friend?¡± ¡°He¡¯s less perceptive and twice as aggressive.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s like a tiger.¡± ¡°Exactly like a tiger. They also want me to identify a picture that they sent me. How do I open pictures.¡± Kyrion handed Moca his flip phone. After a long series of presses, she sighed and pulled up a picture containing one of the fusion runes Cecil had recently developed. ¡°Oh. It looks like I¡¯m hunting a bear.¡± Jin scowled. ¡°Are you making something else?¡¯ ¡°This will be quick. It¡¯s an item that can catch the soul of a person near death. At least, that¡¯s what I think it does. Allegedly you can communicate with the soul should they prove willing.¡± Jin eyed Kyrion in suspicion as Kilo arrived with the president.¡± ¡°Kyrion? We have a problem. You may need to miss class tomorrow. Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Kilo turned to a T.V. monitor sitting on a dresser, and it turned onto a new channel. The news anchor was surprised and worried. ¡°On an island in the middle of the sea, an island of monsters has appeared.¡± As the camera zoomed onto the island, a large, long, light blue dragon appeared out of a tear in space. As it flew to the camera, the news station went off as a movie poster for something called Monster Island, which was said to be in the works, and what we had just seen was a trailer. ¡°So you want me to investigate a movie set?¡± Kyrion played dumb and soon made his way to the door. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 31 Kyrion was mentally stretched to the limit. His body was reacting slower than it should, causing cognitive vertigo as he set a command to his legs to walk. Each stuttered movement had a half-second delay, making him seem awkward as he walked down to the athletics wing. He stopped walking altogether and sent a wave of cleansing mental mana that washed away the effect on his mind, confirming that he was under some sleep spell or ability. It hadn¡¯t quite clicked while he was there. When the feeling started, he¡¯d been reading through the following few hundred numbers in the library. As he arrived outside the meetup room, he noticed that the coach and the athletes were missing. A passing peer stopped to speak to the obviously confused Kyrion. ¡°An emergency. Practice was canceled today.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked, immediately suspicious. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear?¡± ¡°Not a player.¡± ¡°Apparently someone set the nearby fields on fire and threatened to bomb the stadiums, and local athletics wings.¡± ¡°But why though?¡± ¡°No idea. Hey can you hold this for me?¡± The strange youth handed Kyrion a duffle bag. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kyrion squinted as he noticed something odd about the man¡¯s face. As he turned, Kyrion noticed an oddity: His neck¡¯s skin seemed too low. ¡°Just some equipment. Just stand there and hold it for like ten minutes.¡± Kyrion slowly blinked and watched as the unfamiliar person left. After waiting about two minutes, Kyrion slipped the bag into his domain. He had not had all day. ¡°Warning High Yield explosive placed next to food in Kyrion¡¯s domain.¡± Karl warned through their connection. ¡°High yield? A bomb in my domain. Karl, can you move it away from the food?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need permisions to errect a containment barrier around the explosives.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you already have those?¡± ¡°Jala delegated permissions and territory back home. Part of the logistics she took care of for you. Technically, you are capable of overriding her commands, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend doing that back home. As it is currently working. This place is an extension of said domain withouth the usual spirit in charge of moderation. Therefore I wish that you grant me those abilliies.¡± ¡°Is this a pollitical move?¡± ¡°No, a pragmatic one. I will transfer said permisions to Jala without a fuss should we make it back.¡± Kyrion sighed as he willed his domain to obey his spirit and watched as the item was wrapped in layers of earth and sealed. Before, Karl may have borrowed a few cars from a used car dealership using the shells as a secondary barrier. The engines and tanks were removed. The coach arrived ten minutes later with a confused look on his face. ¡°Practice was canceled. Right, you didn¡¯t have a phone then. Did you notice anyone suspicious?¡± ¡°There was this one dude with a black long coat. He gave me a gift and walked away. Said something about a bomb threat.¡± The coach was listening until he scowled. ¡°What did you do with the thing he gave you?¡± ¡°I put it up in my domain.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A rice bag containing.¡± Kyrion used a term he read about in a game book: B&B 2E. It was an odd fantasy cooking Tabletop RPG in which people and their allies run a Bed and Breakfast. ¡°So it will just cause a tear in space time somewhere else?¡± ¡°I doubt it would.¡± Kyrion felt minor indigestion as something expanded rapidly before fading as mana seeped from his skin. ¡°You ok kid?¡± The dwarf eyed him. ¡°I felt a sudden pull in my core, but I suspect that had more to do with my own magic than the high yield explosive.¡± ¡¸ It has been successfully replicated a hundred times. Oddly enough, one exploded, setting off a series of explosions.] ¡°My bag was forcibly expanded but it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Smoke left Kyrion¡¯s mouth as he spoke. ¡°Do you have any more of those bags?¡± Kyrion pulled out a cloth pouch, bit his finger, and drew his personal spatial rune with his blood. Anyone with that could put things in but not take them out. ¡°You can put things in, but taking things out will be impossible.¡± ¡°So you created half a storage bag?¡± ¡°No, think of itt as one way teleportation. It¡¯s so that I don¡¯t have people digging through my items while unaware.¡± ¡°So, did that explosion inside pass or?¡± ¡°Oh that? It was condensed inside of a barrier¡­ I¡¯ll need to dump it out eventually.¡± ¡°But not soon?¡± ¡°Only thing I have in there are my snacks. As I have a room where I¡¯m supposed to keep my trinkets. When I finish those I¡¯ll gladly let it run its course¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ Don¡¯t use missiles or explosive weapons on you. Should I inform those who keep records or is this a secret?¡± Kyrion thought for a long moment as his prosthetic eye glowed briefly. ¡°You can tell them that missiles would be a major inconvenience and may fail to work, but if I¡¯m caught off guard they might hit, and they might do some damage.¡± The dwarf eyed him. ¡°If I were a betting dwarf, I¡¯d think you were doing this to gain access to international secrets.¡± ¡°I am. I also doubt anyone here would launch a nuclear warhead at me. Unless they were total idiots. They are well aware that I can teleport things to places I¡¯ve been. They wouldn¡¯t risk it.¡± ¡°Or you could just teleport away from it. Letting it fall where it will..Resulting in.¡± ¡°There is a reason you gave up on nuclear energy and instead focused on plasma condensers which you marketed as nuclear but are much safer and not as radioactive.¡± ¡°Not me. I¡¯m just a football coach.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Ok, Mr.Coach. Well then, fell free to pass that along for cleanup. I have a club meeting to get to.¡± Moca was typing something on a laptop in the clubroom while Jin was busy drawing up blueprints at a desk beside her. ¡°Working together? No, I¡¯m playing devil¡¯s advocate with my designs while she¡¯s working on a scholarship essay. I¡¯m supposed to tell her if it¡¯s good enough to win.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Uh huh. I was going to say that practice was canceled and that we were supposed to all leave the school due to a threat but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s been taken care of.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the prez?¡± ¡°You catch on to slang fast?¡± ¡°I can process alot of information quickly. Just cost me a nap or two.¡± ¡°Lucky you. I heard you tested out of quite a few subjects. How?¡± ¡°I have a really smart friend who needed me to help him build stuff back home. I learned a bit everything I know involving math and engineering from him, as well physics. What you all call biology and chemistry, were learned in classes that focused on one or the other. We just don¡¯t have stoichiometry back home. Maybe now I can practice alchemy.¡± ¡°How do you make potions without math? Don¡¯t you need exact measurements?¡± ¡°Alchemy is as much an art as it is a science. For example, I can transmute this wooden pencil into gold, as it is no longer alive. Just by altering the tiny circles with magic. Moca you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± ¡°Right right.¡± Moca started to roll her eyes before she turned and saw a strange symbol carved into the desk. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why is there a pentagram on that desk?¡± ¡°Magic I saw on some T.V. show. I mean I learned from a dusty tome!¡± Kyrion lied twice, making the first one sound believable. Kyrion waited for her to look away before he put the pencil onto the circle and chanted a word in his home tongue. ¡°Transmute.¡± Kyrion said in his home tongue. ¡°Al-fom-cael?¡± Moca looked at the scene and scowled as the circle was gone, but in its place was a shiny pencil with lead in its center. Probably one of those cheap foil pencils. ¡°So this is how you planned to get materials?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can purify steel and clean off rust. Which would be necessary for growth also, this material is known as goldwood, in your tongue. Wood that shares may properties with gold and for all intents and purposes are the same thing. Were this a table it would keep its old pattern.¡± ¡°I think I get it. You have a way to get infinite money.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Moca picked up the pencil, surprised by its heft.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Jin yelped. ¡°This is actual gold. What magic show did you learn that from?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, came on at around 11:30 and I was already half asleep.¡± ¡°I see. So we have an actual mage now. Not just a few people with sleight of hand?¡± Kyrion yoinked the pencil out of her hand and smoothly hid it behind his hand as he dropped it through his domain. He rolled his arms around and adjusted his sleeves, but nothing fell out. From Jin¡¯s angle, he saw the pencil fall through a hole in space. Moca, however, assumed it was sleight of hand. Kyrion smiled as he placed a regular pencil back on the desk. ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have an actual mage. Was that a prop?¡± ¡°Who knows? My hyperactive cohort.¡± ¡°I had an older brother who could do something similar, with knives, cards and darts. Before he died that is.¡± ¡°How much older?¡± ¡°About eight years older. I¡¯m eighteen this year so Jac would have been twenty six. He died in 2001 during the hospital bombings.¡± Jin stopped drawing his blueprints when he heard that name. ¡°Why does that sound familiar?¡± ¡°Because there was a repeat of the hospital bombing a month back. One sec.¡± Moca¡¯s phone started to buzz, and she was called to open it. Kyrion ordered his eye not to tap into the conversation. Sadly, Kyrion was outvoted due to the thorn¡¯s curious nature and Karl¡¯s curious nature. ¡°Is that my little Moca swirl?¡± ¡°Dad, I told you to stop calling me that.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I get it. How¡¯s your mother doing?¡± ¡°Yeah, on tuesday. She still doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Dad? She wanted you to stop. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Work has been busy, I may be able to tell you one day but today isn¡¯t that. Not on the phone at least. Hey, did you hear anything about a dragon or some other mythical creature in that club of yours?¡± Jin looked at Kyrion and pointed at the diagram. ¡°What type of weapons are we giving it?¡± ¡°Does it need weapons?¡± ¡°Listen, it¡¯s going to need something to use to attack. Even if it¡¯s just decoration.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ How about a sword made of condensed.¡± ¡°A plasma blade? That¡¯s a bit futuristic.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call it the Photon Blade, or Phoblade.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s made out of plasma. Or is it condensed light?¡± ¡°In a way both yet neither. I need you to follow my engineering instructions for a smaller model.¡± ¡°Umm¡­have you watched any sci-fi movies yet?¡± ¡°No. I do know of the sun war duology. Didn¡¯t research it though.¡± ¡°Great. Phoblades, that just may work.¡± Kyrion placed an orange crystal on the table. ¡°This is a fire agate, it¡¯s useful for converting ambient life energy into fire mana.¡± Kyrion then placed two blue circular stones on the table. ¡°This is a condensing sapphire, it condensed any mana it comes into contact with and focuses it through a channel.¡± Kyrion then placed a purple diamond on the table. ¡°Finally this baby determines the bounds of the mana and its intensity linking with the psyche of the wielder.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ so what determines the color?¡± ¡°Personality?¡± Kyrion shrugged as he hadn¡¯t input any color-changing effects. ¡°Where did you even get gems like this?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion placed a few thin disks on the table, each in a different color. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Put these on at the end to determine the color. Like a flashlight lens.¡± ¡°Holding out any more magical gems?¡± ¡°No.¡± Kyrion felt a tug as Karl sent a few more items into his domain. Informing them of their properties. ¡°This gem is a replacement for plasma and uses electricity instead. While this one is a special type of fire that is a bit hard to condense. This gem condensed the blade into an edge increasing its cutting capability.¡± ¡°Wait¡­You just have these lying around?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Where¡¯s Kilo?¡± ¡°On a date.¡± ¡°Bros before presidents.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Thought you were going to say something else. Although that was not with my precognition.¡± ¡°You know, the two of you could open a palm reading booth. Jin can read people like a book, while Kyrion could draw them in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done one of these before. Tell people what they either need to or want to hear, based on their current state of being. For example I can tell there is some tension when talking about your father and brother. Speaking of them raises your heart rate. Based on what I can tell, you know something happened between the two and it could be why both parents are separated. In this scenario, I say you should fight them both and put them in their place. Then get them to listen to your desire for information. As you have asserted dominance they will obey. Kind of like wolves.¡± ¡°I did hear that you were raised in the forest. How did you pick up on that.¡± ¡°Body temperature, smell, hearing, mannerisms, and including the way you gripped your phone as though you were going to throw it.¡± ¡°You can tell that much just by observing someone? What are you, superhuman?¡± ¡°Yes? My senses are much higher than a regular person¡¯s. Also I¡¯ve been doing this for a while subconsciously. Most people I¡¯ve met don¡¯t have that many cues.¡± ¡°Jin, is it that obvious?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pay much attention but even I can tell your pi¡ª Highly irritated. Hence you move the conversation to me.¡± ¡°You two could clean out a casino.¡± ¡°Not old enough.¡± Jin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s only fun the first three times, then the gamblers guild tries to buy you off. If that doesn¡¯t work, assassins.¡± ¡°Just where the hell are you from?¡± ¡°I met a free spirit when I was around ten ish and they got me out for a bit before they had to leave me.¡± ¡°Now then, how will you assert your dominance on this father of yours? Do you people pride yourselves on combat here?¡± ¡°No¡­ You¡¯re a bit nosey.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it.¡± Kyrion spun a pocket knife he¡¯d borrowed from the guy who gave him a bag. Kyrion scowled as his own phone rang. Answering it, he scowled and hung up. ¡°What was that about.¡± ¡°I had mail¡­. I¡¯ve been invited to a wedding in Japan.¡± ¡°Ah wedding?¡± ¡°You had another friend?¡± ¡°He¡¯s less perceptive and twice as aggressive.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s like a tiger.¡± ¡°Exactly like a tiger. They also want me to identify a picture that they sent me. How do I open pictures.¡± Kyrion handed Moca his flip phone. After a long series of presses, she sighed and pulled up a picture containing one of the fusion runes Cecil had recently developed. ¡°Oh. It looks like I¡¯m hunting a bear.¡± Jin scowled. ¡°Are you making something else?¡¯ ¡°This will be quick. It¡¯s an item that can catch the soul of a person near death. At least, that¡¯s what I think it does. Allegedly you can communicate with the soul should they prove willing.¡± Jin eyed Kyrion in suspicion as Kilo arrived with the president.¡± ¡°Kyrion? We have a problem. You may need to miss class tomorrow. Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Kilo turned to a T.V. monitor sitting on a dresser, and it turned onto a new channel. The news anchor was surprised and worried. ¡°On an island in the middle of the sea, an island of monsters has appeared.¡± As the camera zoomed onto the island, a large, long, light blue dragon appeared out of a tear in space. As it flew to the camera, the news station went off as a movie poster for something called Monster Island, which was said to be in the works, and what we had just seen was a trailer. ¡°So you want me to investigate a movie set?¡± Kyrion played dumb. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 32 The power of S Chiyo sighed as she stepped forward to bring a wooden sword down. Her short black hair had lengthened quite a bit after gaining Qi pathways, and her body had also become much more durable. Her movements were faster as if she had reached a body enhancement threshold in spirit mastery, but the effects were unbalanced and somewhat weaker. Something was missing. Ander watched with a concerned expression. He may need to introduce spirit mastery to the one who would become his wife. Another observation occurred to Ander: He noticed that Chiyo didn¡¯t need to eat as often, but when using a lot of Qi, her appetite would become monstrous. Chiyo¡¯s Grandfather, known by those in his family as Junichiro Aikawa. I stood near the doorway as Chiyo went through the motions again. His expression was grim as he looked through some documents in a room next door. The walls were paper thin so he could observe his son¡¯s supposed lecherous conduct. The fact that he hadn¡¯t tried anything since the kiss incident had him suspecting that what happened wasn¡¯t a kiss with intention. It¡¯s just a cultural difference. It was still early morning, and her work hadn¡¯t officially started for another two hours. By work, they meant the Qi assessments that would measure her power and assign her a new ranking. She was already in the upper B class, Berserker type, and could jump to A with the right motivation. Yet this was different. If Qi pathways were to become common knowledge, it could lead to rank inflation. Sure, a hundred new S ranks would be welcome, but how would you compare each S rank if they are vastly different? This was why they performed the procedure on all the other ranks starting from F, which were humans who didn¡¯t have the requisite Qi level to be combatants. ¡°Chiyo, there¡¯s an issue.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Chiyo stopped mid-swing as an afterimage made from Qi continued the strike and then followed it up before dissipating. ¡°Interesting. But no, it seems that they are rushing things. The people want to put Ander up against an A and an S rank before testing you.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t know how strong he is and by putting him up against our best, they want to see him lose. If he doesn¡¯t then that could mean problems for our family. Then there is that issue involving an island of monsters that appeared yesterday. They aim to send a united strike force combining Cerberus, Slayers, and the Janitors, heavy hitters. Which means if he injures someone, or kills, he may get sent in their place.¡± ¡°Meaning our branch is represented by our top regardless. Correct, many want to see a tiger fighting a dragon.¡± ¡°Do we even know if this dragon is evil? Most are sentient.¡± Ander sighed, having appeared out of nowhere. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be at the testing facility!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all close, and I finished about thirty minutes ago. Don¡¯t act as though you didn¡¯t notice me sitting here.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t there a full thirty minutes.¡± Junichiro faked exasperation and held his heart. Or, well, where his heart should have been. ¡°I broke their scales. What is a S rank? And why does it hurt my tongue when I say it?¡± Ander bit his tongue. ¡°Supreme, or Sovereign. Doesn¡¯t really matter. Did you beat them?¡± ¡°You¡¯re S-rank was the equivalent of a late fledgling or very early practitioner. Someone who just started playing with fire. Yet doesn¡¯t know what it truly is, or how it can burn the wielder. Took me about two seconds for each. Half a second of actions. Did you know most people have the same well location for life energy? A small jolt of electricity and they are unable to fight, move, or access their abilities.They just seize and pass out. I used what I call a testing bolt.¡± Ander flicked a finger at the old man, knowing the bolt would miss due to the giant hole in his chest. The man redirected the bolt with his sword, not even needing to use Qi. ¡°That was all I did, and both went down. They said that they can¡¯t rank me with a test like that. So I need to go back tomorrow.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t have anyone who could fight a simple technique like that?¡± Chiyo asked with suspicion. ¡°None they would risk.¡± Ander yawned as he observed Chiyo curiously. Holding out his right pointer finger in a warning and slowly flickering with static. Chiyo didn¡¯t bother dodging and took the small shock head-on, not bothering to counter it. The Qi flowed through her pathways and settled as she absorbed it. ¡°That is the next level of power. It seems I was wrong. They are all below the practitioner tier. The old man is as well. In terms of Qi manipulation, that is around that level, but his other abilities compensate for it. Are you an S-Rank?¡± Ander looked at the old man. ¡°Nope. I am what is known as unmeasurable. As in, my power isn¡¯t strong in combat on its own, and I am well past my prime, having lived for centuries.¡± The old man alluded to his injury and inability to exert himself, making any testing worthless, as he¡¯d just get weaker if pushed. ¡°I see. Well I was tasked with going to some island to beat up a dragon. They seem to assume that the dragon was a part of some prophecy. I want you to come with me, along with Chiyo. This will be the perfect place to show them your new abilities.¡± A phone buzzed long before the old man withdrew a flip phone from his sleeve and answered it. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°She can be brought over there, but are you sure?¡± ¡°Oh, so your people are well enough to fight after suffering such a defeat?¡± The old man waited a long moment before speaking again. ¡°Well your group is in charge of testing. I¡¯m sure you know what¡¯s best for everyone involved.¡± ¡°Thank you, we will be over there shortly.¡± Ander watched as the old man hung up his phone and debated throwing it against a wall. ¡°Those idiots. Well if they want to die then sure. I¡¯m getting too old for this.¡± ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°They want to expedite the test for Chiyo. Which is a bit annoying, this organization is really starting to show its age.¡± Junichiro sighed. ¡°Grandfather?¡± Chiyo asked in surprise. ¡°Chiyo, I¡¯m going to name Ander the next head of this family. This will all but cement your engagement and keep the vultures at bay.¡± ¡°Grandfather.¡± Chiyo¡¯s surprise turned into concern. ¡°You do know I can¡¯t stay in this world for long. I need to get back, making my position as a family head, only a temporary position.¡± Ander pointed out. ¡°Like I said, the rules are outdated. In the event of your absence, she will handle the family¡¯s resources. Not that it should matter given her level of power. But bureaucracy is slow to adapt, old men clinging to the little power they still have.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the oldest man on that council?¡± Chiyo pointed out. ¡°Yes, but I was also the most active during their youth. The others won¡¯t meet their end naturally for some time.¡± ¡°The older dudes. Are they strong?¡± Ander asked. ¡°They have trained some S-ranks in the past. You need to have that level of power to train someone of that level. Or have an eye for talent. Most that I¡¯ve trained don¡¯t tend to live long.¡± ¡°Because your fighting style uses a lot of energy that most don¡¯t have, resulting in bursts of power at the cost of a lifespan. While the others are much more careful.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ander clicked his tongue. ¡°Chiyo, are you ready to best some weaklings?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bit too cocky.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t talked to anyone aside from me and your Grandfather. Since the Qi enhancement have you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve been training and adjusting ever since I snapped my chopsticks yesterday.¡± Chiyo said as red red colored her face. ¡°A day of adjustment should be fine. What surprises me is that your Grandfather is casually keeping up.¡± Ander prodded. ¡°Keeping up?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out soon enough.¡± The old man shook his head, leading the trio to a black limousine. The three rode in for twenty minutes through light underground traffic before arriving at a large building. ¡°Back here again. Follow me.¡± Ander exited the car before it had come to a complete stop. He looked around and motioned for Chiyo to take his hand. She didn¡¯t get out until the vehicle was parked. Even then, she looked about before taking Ander¡¯s hand. ¡°Is this a custom you learned here or from your world?¡± ¡°It is the chieftain¡¯s duty to get out and scout for threats and assassins before helping their significant other out of the carriage.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Chieftain?¡± ¡°Orcish hospitality you could say.¡± ¡°Orc, as in the really big green monsters in games?¡± ¡°Orc¡¯s aren¡¯t monsters where we¡¯re from. In fact, back home orc¡¯s are one of the more advanced societies. At least before the other races moved in and they had to share their continent. But that goes into a lore I don¡¯t want to speak of before a test. You¡¯re just hitting the beginning of the practitioner tier. As I would call it, you don¡¯t need to know about the level of havoc past what my captain and I are capable of.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°Do you mean, destroying cars, level of havoc or¡­If left alone for a few minutes and in a negative state of mind, I could level the city above¡¯s power systems invoking a communication and electrical black out. By the time a suitable force could have been rallied chances are no one here could have stopped me from turning it into a ghost town due to your current society¡¯s level of power. Which is why I want to make the people here stronger.¡± ¡°You say that, but you also mention there is someone stronger.¡± ¡°Take your tallest buildings. Imagine all of them falling from space onto well populated areas, suddenly and without any warning. That¡¯s the level of power we keep contained, and why the people I fought against were made to look like kittens going up against a tiger.¡± ¡°He can cast a meteor spell?¡± ¡°No, he can teleport buildings and move them around, or rip them out of the ground before teleporting them. I¡¯m just glad our world isn¡¯t as advanced enough to have so many big buildings or things that explode when destroyed.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The gravity here is much lighter than I¡¯m used to. It takes effort for me not to float away, despite your world being much bigger,¡± Ander said as he led Chiyo to a hole in the side of the building that was roughly door-shaped. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I recently read a book, well, in truth I read it before I came here. Back when I was leaning about magnetism.¡± Ander walked through the makeshift door and smirked. ¡°Magnetism?¡± The old man asked as he curiously approached the door that clearly shouldn¡¯t be there. As the three entered the metal wall, the opening sealed, while an area opened up, revealing a dark, empty hall room. The floor then seemed to sink, lowering into a large arena, which could be seen below. Various monitors and terminals littered the area. Oddly enough, none of the cameras turned towards him, while none of the monitors seemed to have captured their entrance. ¡°Where is Junichiro¡¯s daughter? Their car showed up, then everything went black.¡± Junichiro Aikwawa, the father in question, stroked his beard. ¡°Ah. What you said earlier makes alot more sense. As far as I could tell you weren¡¯t hiding. The door wasn¡¯t there until we turned the corner. If I had to guess.¡± ¡°I made it when I left then just made sure to close it.¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯m not senile yet!¡± The old man left the arena square loudly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Ander walked out as well, leaving Chiyo in the square. The test proctors turned in unison. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Is this how you treat your guests?¡± Ander approached with his back arched aggressively as if a tiger was preparing to pounce on its prey. The figure Ander showed him was the same that the people observing him felt. They could tell that the person in front of them had been killed. Or sense the powerful intent behind his eyes, meaning they were noncombatants. ¡°Mr.Fulwind, we apologize for being so rude!¡± ¡°Were you rude? I wasn¡¯t looking at you, but the presence behind that wall. Is his pride so injured that he needs to win a fight, to prove he¡¯s worth something?¡± Chiyo scowled. ¡°Why is he talking so slow?¡± Like clockwork, a man around six feet tall with salt-and-pepper hair and bestial features entered the room. His body was muscular, and his frame was intimidating to the average person, yet to Chiyo, he felt extremely weak. ¡°Is this the A rank?¡± ¡°I am known as Beast, and I¡¯m an S rank.¡± Chiyo watched as the man slowly spoke. As she examined him, she noticed countless openings and weaknesses. It wouldn¡¯t take long for someone like that. ¡°Can we begin? Some of us have important things to do,¡± Chiyo said as the Beast slowly entered the arena. Then, slowly, the Beast grew in size, stopping at just a few more inches in height. ¡°Is that all?¡± Chiyo was uncharacteristically bored. Her expression was as cold as death. The Beast charged forward, attempting to knock his opponent to the ground or trample them. As the Beast approached, Chiyo adjusted her wooden sword before moving past the attacker. Nothing happened at first, as cuts appeared all over the man¡¯s body. The cuts then began to bleed, leading to the man known as the Beast losing consciousness while on his feet. The fight lasted only a few seconds. ¡°The ranking system clearly needs to be reworked. To beat as S rank with such ease shows how little we understand about Qi. Considering the current findings, there is a chance that is linked to what China refers to as cultivation.¡± Another old monster entered the room. His body was eerily thin, as little to no muscle or fat had stuck to him. ¡°It is possible, but that form of power focuses on alchemy and potions that increase longevity, on top of meditation,¡± Junichiro said. ¡°Ugh¡­ This is one of those scenarios where the world¡¯s magic has been split all over the world and nobody wants to give up their secrets. Making everyone weaker as a whole.¡± Ander looked at the old men in contempt. ¡°Master Ander, if what you say is possible, can you prove it?¡± ¡°People who draw a similar power that¡¯s like life essence but from their brain. You have those, or, you have people hiding among you with those abilities.¡± ¡°Espers?¡± The new old man asked. ¡°Possibly, there is one in this room working at a terminal but the power is very weak. It could just be a change brought about by being exceptionally smart or accidently running Qi through your mind. Given how weak the dude is, I¡¯ll go with accidental.¡± ¡°Hiro? Those headaches you¡¯ve been complaining about lately when trying to learn Qi. Did you gain any abilities?¡± ¡°No, Master Yagami. Just insomnia.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯d need to leave any brain alteration to someone with experience. I know a guy, but chances are, he¡¯d refuse. Brain alteration is dangerous. Now old man Yagami, wanna go a round with my fiance? You seem closer to her level.¡± ¡°She¡¯s much faster than I am. Plus, those after images. It seems she didn¡¯t earn the title of Asura by coincidence.¡± ¡°Bah, maybe after you get your treatment. How have the others gone?¡± ¡°Most are stronger, but not by the jump Chiyo received. Given that she was technically an A-rank before¡­¡± ¡°You suspect that a certain level of control will determine one¡¯s potential once they gain pathways?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s proportional. You have everything I can teach you with my current knowledge of this world. Now then, this island of monsters, I am pretty sure this will be a perfect place to test my abilities and learn what the others can do.¡± Ander shrugged Junciho scowled as his phone rang. ¡°Just how many calls am I getting today?¡± ¡°Hello! Is this Little Ander!?¡± A loud voice spoke through the line in English. ¡°You¡¯re gonna make me go deaf you damned brat.¡± The old man replied in his native tongue. Ander spoke up. ¡°Captain!¡± The language changed again, as Kyrion spoke his home tongue. ¡°I''m Glad you¡¯re safe. I will be preparing your wedding gifts while doing that monster island thing. I just have one request: Let me deal with the dragon.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to make friends with a dragon are you?¡± ¡°Of course. Although if it¡¯s really determined to die, I¡¯ll let you kill it. I¡¯m sure the height gain would be well worth the slaughter for you.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°What did he say?¡± Junichiro looked at Ander. ¡°He wants to deal with the dragon. Possibly tame it.¡± The old man scowled. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡± ¡°To be fair, last time he fought a dragon he was mostly playing around and stalling for time. Injecting it with enough drugs to cause organ failure before it got the munchies and swallowed me whole.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Am U speaking left language?¡± Kyrion switched his tone, nearly shifting to match the dialect. ¡°No, we are speaking japanese. What are you speaking?¡± ¡°And he¡¯s learned it.¡± Ander squinted. ¡°It is an interesting language. Why do you hoomans from Gaia not have a unified language?¡± ¡°Because we all developed differently for a long time. Our natural barriers were hard to pass for a long time.¡± ¡°Good to know, now then Ander, I need you to take two steps to the left.¡± Ander scowled and did so, knowing to ask why after. Oddly enough, the steps were all that were needed. ¡°Given the height and weight of your friend. These should work as a start.¡± Where Ander had been standing, a box covered in wrapping paper with a ribbon appeared, as though it was supposed to be there. ¡°You had time to make these?¡± ¡°I was working on something at the time and had some extra materials. There are also some body strengthening regeneration potions in there. Drinking them after a workout enhances the muscles without letting them get too bulky. Follow the regime and your new friend will be dangerous sooner rather than later. I assume you wanted a training partner for life right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­All I gave you were estimations of height and weight. And they were outdated.¡± ¡°Ander. How do you think I know you¡¯re here? I¡¯ve split a part of my consciousness off to gather information. I technically have all the information gained after her transformation. As well as knowledge of the Qi pathways.¡± ¡°Captain? You should stop talking.¡± ¡°Fine¡­Should we do this face to face? This call cannot be traced or recorded.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the issue. Do you know how dangerous your abilities are in a world like this?¡± ¡°Not quite. This world has a few beasts after all. Cecil¡¯s dad is one of them.¡± ¡°Huh. So what do you want, Kyrion?¡± ¡°Money. Resources. Access to a few Swordam model kits that are still in production, as well as some of your best mechanical engineers. You see¡ª¡± The call was suddenly ended. Junichiro looked at Ander. ¡°Is your captain a spy or assassin?¡± ¡°No¡­ He¡¯s just dangerously good at gathering and processing information. The type of genius parents with secrets tend to avoid teaching the basic understanding. Did you hear how quickly he learned this language?¡± ¡°What kind of monsters live in your world?¡± ¡°The kind that make us look our age.¡± Ander said. ¡°So back home, your gifted kids at most.¡± ¡°For now. Due to reasons we are capped back home. There aren¡¯t the same restrictions here.¡± ¡°Are we going to ignore the fact that he just teleported an item across the ocean through the phone?¡± Chiyo had walked to the box curiously. [That was rude. Also, I call this Telegift. Uploading¡­¡¹A green dot buzzed around the monitors, writing words as it passed. ¡°He¡¯s in the monitors? Something had been uploaded to the cloud¡­and satellites. I cant figure out what though.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s odd. He usually isn¡¯t good with technology.¡± Ander scowled. Junichiro¡¯s phone began to smoke as though on cue, followed by the monitors. ¡°Now this makes sense.¡± Junichiro threw his phone and watched it explode due to an interaction between mana and technology. ¡°How does your group function with someone like that leading you?¡± ¡°We balance each other out. He¡¯s good at what he needs to do.¡± Ander shrugged. ¡°Dangerous. I can¡¯t help but see this as a warning.¡± Master Yagami looked concerned. ¡°Warning?¡± Ander raised an eyebrow. He was sure that his friend was just curious. ¡°Someone in our branch attempted to persuade members of Cerberus that you were a threat that needed to be captured and detained. During my research I have come to learn that your captain is currently under the protection of an executive. He was probably informed of the plot and decided to step in.¡± ¡°That just means you should follow the laws of hospitality then.¡± Ander said bluntly. He was now certain that this was one of those lucky whims. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 33 Trouble and a Dark roast Kyrion was in a makeshift workshop surrounded by failed magical experiments. He had been building a gravity enchantment to reduce the overall weight of their mech prototype. Instead, he discovered that setting gravity to the value of 11.4 made it heavier. Out of bad habit, he had forgotten to account for gravity differentials in his enchanting. ¡°Well that explains the physics questions you got wrong.¡± ¡°Gravity, is 9.8 ish here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to 17.6~ How do you not fly off into the void above?¡± ¡°How are you not a pile of goo?¡± ¡°Because my species adapted to that environment.¡± ¡°Exact¨C You were supposed to say I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I guess that explains why Cecil stuck to lightweight wands and clothes. Must have been struggling to stand for a while.¡± ¡°So, you made an enchantment that increases gravity. What will you use it for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll turn it into training weights. Split the product into our pieces that way the wearer will be able to adjust it.¡± ¡°If you can split i¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out. Why did your father take my designs for the Phoblade from me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s potentially a powerful weapon, and as far as you know, you want to give it to a student with no combat training.¡± ¡°Yes and? He¡¯ll be going into the dungeon tonight with the others.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you arming the others then?¡± ¡°The Phoblade is a prototype mech weapon. I need an idea of how it works in combat before making a larger one. Also, I doubt there will be much danger in this dungeon.¡± ¡°Why would you know that?¡± ¡®Because it will be designed for baseline humans with no abilities. Also, Billy D Goat is finishing his special candies, which will be the prize for today¡¯s event.¡± ¡°Special candy?¡± Kilo raised an eyebrow. ¡°It gives the consumers access to their mana core as well as new abilities. For now it¡¯s a trial product.¡± ¡°And you want to test it on teenages?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe. Won¡¯t kill anyone.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t quick power corrupt?¡± ¡°What if¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°An alien entity giving mysterious powers to a group of teenagers seems to be a norm hear. Given what I¡¯ve read and watched.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want that girlfriend of yours to survive the apocalypse?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯ll need to be strong enough to survive.¡± ¡°That sound¡­Wait.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tI don¡¯t have that kind of free time.¡± Kyrion scowled as he adjusted a rune and placed a crystal ball. The orb began to float, slowly rising until it hit the ceiling. Kyrion clicked his tongue, hopped up a few feet, and brought the orb back down. ¡°How is that one a failure?¡± ¡°It was supposed to lighten, not float.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s a start.¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s an idea.¡± Kyrion concentrated on the orb, causing it to condense and shrink to the size of a baseball and then a marble. ¡°What now.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t respond, so he willed a metal casing to surround the orb in a tube-shaped cylinder. From there, Kyrion cut open his palm and willed his mana-enriched blood into the tube to create a rune using his will. ¡°Mo¡¯pha¡¯shi.¡± ¡°That¡¯s gibberish.¡± ¡°Input, slider, link.¡± Kyrion translated. The rune resembled a bee with tiny wings. ¡°Shi¡¯Co¡¯Ak.¡± Kyrion created a ring of metal, which he added to another rune. ¡°Link what?¡± ¡°Link, Command Activate. These are runes I created, so the more wide spread it becomes the better it will get over time. Which is why I used my blood as a base.¡± ¡°So runes can rewrite the laws of reality.¡± ¡°As long as there is someone with power who understands what it means.¡± ¡°So I was your witness.¡± ¡°Correct, now place this on your wrist.¡± Kyrion handed Kilo the bracelet. Kilo took it and put it on. Upon doing so, he felt a connection to his consciousness. With a thought, he could cause the cylinder before him to float and sink. ¡°This isn¡¯t using mana.¡± ¡°Correct. I¡¯m thinking of linking quite a few of these to a central command system. Then placing them throughout the mech to control the mech¡¯s overall weight. This will need to be connected with the generator and will be a bit greedy.¡± ¡°The way you approach magictech is different from the way I was taught.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You keep experimenting with a concept until it works. Making use of what many would call failures.¡± ¡°Oh, that. There are no failures, just inventions that are misunderstood. I can do that much due to a friend¡¯s teachings. However, said friend could look at my work and quickly improve it. If he had a weakness, it would be indecision. Impulse and ingenuity can work well together. ¡°So I should be improving upon this?¡± ¡°You, Jin, or your dad. Doest matter who, but this is a group project.¡± Kyrion heard a phone ring; using a wave of mana, he felt the waves and intercepted them. ¡°Hello. It appears that some of our allies are trying to blackmail the white tiger of the east. ¡°Can you patch me in?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s a tiger, i¡¯m probably a fox.¡± ¡°The western dragon.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°He who eats all the burgers. Now then it seems like Ander isn¡¯t getting the hospitality he deserves. Put me in contact with them please.¡± Kyrion felt the shift, immediately creating a barrier around the waves to prevent those in charge from eavesdropping. When the phone was answered, Kyrion curiously sent his consciousness through. Looking about, he saw the tall woman with black hair that Ander had fallen for and examined her. She was unusually well-built and solid for a native. Kyrion then observed the old man holding the phone and noticed he had no heart. Kyrion then sent the weights and basic instructions based on her build type. It is a quick and effective regime. Right after doing so, he wondered how he had managed to pull it off. His mind had been split up and scattered all over the place. Kyrion awoke thirty minutes later with a gap in his memories and a nosebleed. ¡°Why do I feel like I just escaped death?¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­that was dangerous.¡± ¡°Yeah. So who are you anyways?¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°Are you a Slayer, Janitor or Cerberus?¡± ¡°Oh, neither. We just make their gear. GIven our nature is outside.¡± ¡°Odd¡­Then why would I be tasked with helping out?¡± ¡°Dragons are calamity level threats akin to a series of natural disasters. While we could use a device to wipe out the island. It would be akin to cutting off a leg to heal a snake bite and it isn¡¯t a guarantee that we¡¯ll succeed.¡± ¡°And the other agents?¡± ¡°There will be quite a few of our world¡¯s pillars there to help.¡± ¡°But you want to see if my powers are just boasting.¡± ¡°Hmmm? No I¡¯m well aware of the difference in power between the two planes.¡± Kilo sighed, ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you participating?¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming as well, but not as a combatant. Apparently the Slayers have someone who can utilize the Phoblade.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my baby. Why is some stranger testing it?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t inform them of it. I suspect that the information was taken from Jin, hence the development of such a weapon entering my father¡¯s purview.¡± ¡°But it was my idea.¡± ¡°Do you want to go home?¡± Kilo asked coldly. ¡°Was that a threat?¡± ¡°No, but you should know, if they learn about your prowess with magitech they won¡¯t let you leave.¡± ¡°My prowess? I¡¯m pretty bad at it all things considered.¡± ¡°Yes. Not as good as me or my father yet, but you¡¯re still centuries ahead of what this world is capable of in some respects.¡± ¡°That has more to do with Cecil¡¯s influence than my own studies. My focus is on large scale buildings or giant item¡¯s. I can design the small stuff but making it isn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a macro control type. The bigger something is, the easier you can manipulate it. Mechs are going to be big therefore the engine and such are in your area of expertise. But the small Phoblade¨C¡± ¡°Would have been a pain for me to get working due to my overwhelming mana.¡± Kyrion interrupted. ¡°So that¡¯s the reason you didn¡¯t resist as much as you should.¡± Kilo squinted. Kyrion stood and looked about, scowling as he noticed something amiss. Withdrawing a screwdriver from his domain, he didn¡¯t bother to look where he was aiming. He used his trained senses to track the untrained assassin. They were quiet enough to get this far into the workshop but not past his traps. He had just been out of it for a bit. Like a blade, the screwdriver flew towards the wall and impaled a streak of blood trickling from the interloper¡¯s cheek. His hair was odd. Half was a pale white, the other a very dark brown. A set of unnaturally dark brown eyes looked at him, familiar yet strange, as though they didn¡¯t belong to him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kilo¡¯s eyes followed the screwdriver and found the intruder. ¡°Is his hair dyed or do humans here naturally have hair like this on occasion? Something feels wrong about him. All of him feels wrong to me.¡± Kyrion asked as he took various sharp implements from the workbench. ¡°Easy, easy. I¡¯m not here for a fight.¡± The intruder stated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to fight you, so there¡¯s no worry about that. Now ple,ase take your leave.¡± Kyrion was going to incapacitate the intruder before they could mount an assault, which wouldn¡¯t have been a fight. ¡°You¡¯re just planning to take me out before I can react.¡± The intruder had slid a dagger into each hand while hiding them from sight. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t stealthy enough to get past Kyrion¡¯s perception. It dawned on him that he¡¯d been able to know what happens in a fifteen-foot sphere despite it being hidden from his ocular sight. The intruder smirked before vanishing from natural perception. Moving at a speed that most eyes couldn¡¯t observe. Kyrion watched as a blade was thrust at his neck, although it was pretty clear that the person was trying to prove a point. The dagger would stop shy of his throat to draw blood. It was also a regular blade, so when it was thrust, the metal was found wanting. It bent like foil on impact. ¡°What are you made of?¡± The man quickly withdrew, his smirk replaced with concern. ¡°Skin, bones, cells, and all that junk.¡± Kyrion responded flippantly as he simultaneously rolled four daggers through his fingers as though they were coins before making them disappear into his domain.¡± ¡°What is the Houdini are you?¡± ¡°A liar, and a cheat. Can¡¯t you tell?¡± Kyrion held out his opponent¡¯s wallet. ¡°Did you move faster than me?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t hit your speed while matching your control. But I could get close enough to trick your perception. You weren¡¯t watching for snap movements as I appeared to be moving at a slow pace aside from the snap movements I used to borrow your blades. Moving past one¡¯s own perception is dangerous. It¡¯s how you accidently run through walls.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Are you saying you can move fast enough that your cells can pass through objects?¡± No. I can run through most walls if I move past my perception. I¡¯m just that durable.¡± ¡°I see that I won¡¯t be able to damage you using usual means. But I don¡¯t want to kill you either¡­¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was told that if I¡¯m to lead the strikeforce then I need to prove that I can subdue at least you. But I can¡¯t fight at my best in a place I don¡¯t want to wreck.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­ I don¡¯t sense any mana from you. So would you be one of those Espers?¡± ¡°Ye¨C¡± Kyrion¡¯s hand shot out slowly enough for his opponent to react but fast enough to limit his options to dodge. The assailant was teleported to a particular room in Karl¡¯s new dungeon. Kilo stood there nonplussed. ¡°Anyone with mana sensory abilities would have sensed that portal right behind them. That was a gamble.¡± ¡°No, I have confirmed that most Espers can¡¯t sense mana. When I teleported the last group and I sure wasn¡¯t being subtle.¡± ¡°So you moved in a way that would limit their reactions.¡± ¡°Of course. Now my only goal is to see if he can actually hurt me. He isn¡¯t weak like the first group I encountered and he¡¯s a tier higher than Jin.¡± ¡°Jin¡¯s an Esper?¡± ¡°A natural Esper, he doesn¡¯t have those alterations I sensed in the others. Can¡¯t you tell by his limited precognitive abilities?¡± ¡°Natural, Esper. I thought there was only one way to become an Esper.¡± ¡°Some people have a bunch of energy in their brain, leading to supernatural talents. Those with excess energy in their bodies tend to prove exceptional warriors or athletes. Although it is possible that humans here are meant to wield both before they can master their abilities.¡± ¡°How do you even see the world?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Learn to sense one energy you can learn to sense all of them. Like radio waves, with some adjustment I can tell what type of energy someone has, or see all of them at once. People with Esper powers have a diagram of their brian where power gathers. Natural espers have a naturally whole brain, people like the intruder have parts of another entity implanted in pieces of the brain that had been removed. Memory, emotion, and cognitive portions are heavily altered.¡± ¡°You can tell that just by looking at someone¡­¡± ¡°Correct. Now then¡­ Be back soon.¡± Kyrion said as he fell backward through a portal. Kilo stood there and watched his expression blank. ¡°Is he a jack of all trades or is does his focus require him to do a bit of everything?¡± Gram, who had been busily working on the Phoblade, looked up after leaving his focus. ¡°Back home, those who follow the path of dragonslaying, pass on a curse to their youngest. If the child survives long enough, they are capable of monstrous abilities. My alternative has killed quite a few dragons, if it was just that though it would explain his natural abilities and ability to process information, but his mana, that speaks of mana poisoning. A core that burns its body with mana and a body that can break itself due to lack of control.¡± ¡°Sounds like a gamble.¡± ¡°It is, and what you see is someone with enough will to survive. Monsters are also attracted to humans like that, as consuming them would grant them great power. Based on what I know of Imala¡¯s children bind themselves to monsters or ambient souls, which work kind of like sponsors.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s endorsed by monsters from his world and they get a portion of his power?¡± ¡°More that they grow from it spending time in his core and growing. They will leave eventually, after reaching maturity. Upon doing so both will be imparted with abilities, and go their separate ways in most scenarios.¡± Gram slammed the cylinder against the table and scowled as the blade of a longsword grew from the hilt. He then brought the blade through the table with a bit of resistance, although nowhere near as much as he¡¯d expect from a regular weapon. ¡°It works?¡± ¡°I think this is a key to success. Just how does someone from a world so far behind the curve know how to create things like this?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t exactly high tech as much as it¡¯s high magic. Mass production will be difficult without the materials.¡± ¡°And the enchantment that reduces the mechs weight. Just imagine how useful those would have been for space travel. It really is a shame that he came here so late.¡± Gram switched off the blade and watched as it was absorbed into the hilt. ¡°So, were you the one who let that intruder in?¡± Kilo asked his father. ¡°I doubted our guest would be hurt and was proven right. Given he survived falling from orbit.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t we that durable?¡± Kilo asked in frustration. ¡°Our power system is limited to magictech and a special device that I have not yet given to you to draw it out. I just didn¡¯t want to reveal it before you graduated. I hoped you wouldn¡¯t need it, but we are running out of time.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want me to be best prepared?¡± ¡°You¡¯re better off with an understanding of your own abilities before gaining a toybox. They are power amplifiers made for those of us with gifts and magitech weapons. It¡¯s how we compete with others from our homeworld.¡± Kilo squinted at his father but said nothing. After all, a tool like that during a time of peace would be suspicious. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 34 The Dark Roast cools Kyrion stood in front of his opponent lazily, His expression bored. ¡°Go on. Hit me as hard as you can. So long as you aim below my heart I won¡¯t bother blocking or dodging.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± The man threw two daggers, one landing on each of his legs. ¡°Shatter and pierce.¡± Kyrion watched as one dagger passed straight through his leg while the other attempted to split everything around the wound simultaneously. A minor irritation as he sent counter commands to the shatter wound, ordering his cells to stay in their natural state. His opponent was clearly dangerous. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re quite durable.¡± ¡°Yes. It was surprising that you managed to pierce me. A shame.¡± Kyrion lied, and the wound healed and vanished in a moment. ¡°That isn¡¯t fair.¡± ¡°Is anything fair. Sir?¡± The man with oddly colored hair sighed, tapping his head. ¡°I should report my loss.¡± ¡°Not gonna work here. And if you¡¯re one of the few here who can injure me to begin with, does it count as a loss or are you someone they should invest in?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We have some time, sir, why don¡¯t you tell me your name?¡± ¡°I am Esper number 000 Gamma, formerly known as Jac Ol¡¯atte.¡± Kyrion noticed a trigger in Jac¡¯s brain that signified resistance to the name. What¡¯s worse, he had only recently heard that name. Jac was supposed to be twenty-six, but the person before him was much closer to seventeen than twenty. Some of his features were off, and his blood seemed wrong. ¡°Are you a homunculus?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side in confusion. ¡°No. I¡¯m an Esper, where did you get that?¡± ¡°You feel like two people.¡± ¡°Oh that. It¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°How does your power work? I heard that there were experiments to artificially trigger abilities.¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± Jac pulled up his sleeve, revealing a screen with numbers slowly counting down next to a percentage. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°This measures the amount of caffeine in my blood along with the amplification percentage. I am currently at 110%, meaning my caffeine level is low for my powers. It was at 130% when I snuck in, and when it falls below 100%, I¡¯ll be injected with a caffeine booster, which will push me to 150 unless I consume enough caffeine to keep it from falling that low.¡± Jac placed his watch under the monitor, allowing the number to be transported to the watch. ¡°Ah, what is caffeine?¡± ¡°You, haven¡¯t had coffee?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. But what is caffeine?¡± ¡°A chemical that grants people the boost they need to get through the morning.¡± ¡°Oh¡­the jitter compound.¡± Kyrion poked Jac on his temple, imparting some mana. ¡°What did you?¡± ¡°Hastened thoughts,¡± Kyrion stated. From there, he watched the monitor increase 200%, then 300%, slowly stopping at 499%. ¡°Did you just fill me with ten expressos worth of caffeine in a toh--?¡± Jac bit his tongue while speaking. ¡°Hmm. As I thought, your brain isn¡¯t in sync with your body.¡± ¡°End Hastened thoughts.¡± Kyrion moved the mana in his subject¡¯s brain while applying a healing effect, slowly causing the damaged parts of the brain to fuse and return to a natural state. He was curious about what changes would happen as his brain returned to its natural state while incorporating new energy channels in his brain. ¡°Of course, the spell was hastened thoughts.¡± Jac held his head and scowled as his powers seemed easier to access. ¡°No, there is a lag between your perception and the orders you send to your body, the lag should have stayed the same not increased with that spell. Meaning your body can¡¯t contain your ability yet.¡± ¡°How in the hell did you figure that out so fast?¡± ¡°I want you to watch.¡± Kyrion cracked his neck and increased his thought process by thirty percent, much slower than Jac could see. Kyrion did an odd dance that involved spins and rotation, putting forth momentum and power. For a moment, Jac didn¡¯t understand what he was looking at. That was when his enhanced vision began to see the afterimages that increased. In an instant, Kyrie threw out an apparent blow that would hit Jac head-on at a speed that Jac could see and process, yet his body wasn¡¯t physically able to react. Jac¡¯s eyes widened as the blow, disguised by an odd dance, stopped inches away from a place near his heart. ¡°You weren¡¯t that fast before.¡± ¡°You could see it, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but I wasn¡¯t fast enough to dodge, it was as though you were moving at my speed despite not being able to use that ability.¡± ¡°I can use it at a much weaker level for a shorter period of time but no. This is a martial art developed for precise strikes that break down an opponent. It revolved around momentum, weight distribution, raw power, precision, and observation.¡± ¡°You have the potential for three or four of these, but lack the raw power¡­Unless you can add pierce to unarmed attacks.¡± ¡°Shatter amplifies the force of punches, while pierce allow me to break through barriers. Though I prefer knives or darts.¡± ¡°Well, I prefer scalpels and my Anesthesia.¡± Kyrion summoned a giant bat and slammed it against the ground, the impact shaking the area. ¡°You use a bat?¡± ¡°This is Anesthesia, my pain reliever, a sedative, and a tool to deal with unruly patients. Not a bat.¡± Jac looked at him solemnly. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± ¡°I want to know what you went through to become an Esper, then I¡¯ll put you through a special training regime that will increase your physical prowess. That should round you out a bit.¡± Jac scowled. ¡°What do you get out of this aside from information?¡± ¡°Possibly leverage. I want to know if the experiments were humane and consented to.¡± ¡°Oh. No to both accounts. But the lab that created my batch was destroyed and the scientist behind it killed.¡± Kyrion could see that Jac believed that to be the truth but doubted that getting rid of pests like that would be that easy. ¡°I see. What year is it?¡± ¡°2001¨C no 2010!¡± Jac held his head and took two steps back. Kyrion scowled. He sensed two sets of synapses light up from that question, confirming that two people shared a single brain. It was as though someone grafted two brains together. ¡°Watch my movements, then practice. You¡¯re coming with me as a subordinate for the monster island hunts.¡± ¡°But I must report to my overseer!¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°My father.¡± ¡°Did your father have you go through experimentation?¡± ¡°It was a bad coincidence.¡± Things cleared up. ¡°I see. Is this why you haven¡¯t seen your mother?¡± ¡°I was informed that she had a heart attack the morning after the fire. My father is my only family left.¡± ¡°No siblings, cousins, or relatives?¡± ¡°None? I am an only child.¡± ¡°I see. Jack must be a common name.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Jac, and it¡¯s somewhat common in some circles.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion doubted the last name was a common one, however. ¡°What do you see?¡± ¡°Names are annoying here. So Jaq, got any favorite foods?¡± ¡°I love coffee.¡± Jac ignored the slip-up. ¡°The drink?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion scowled. He¡¯d cross-examine what he heard with Moca when he got the chance. He didn¡¯t know why, but something felt off about the whole situation. ¡°Interesting. Well I¡¯ll see you on Saturday.¡± ¡°But we deploy tonight!¡± ¡°I should be clear. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Get used to that new toy.¡± Kyrion opened a portal under his feet, sending Jac back to the house. Now, he was alone in his dungeon for only two minutes. He could get to monitoring his clubmates.
Lee, Isaac, Jin, Mira, and Moca stood outside a purple door-shaped haze. Jin wore a red tee shirt with black Fleur Elis in the center. Mira wore a black jacket and jeans, carrying two canisters of pepper spray. Moca wore a white barista uniform with a yellow bow tying up her hair. Lee was wearing a black shirt with a picture resembling a galaxy with tons of pinkish lights. Finally clad in green shorts and a white shirt, Issac had an old pair of cleats tied by their laces. ¡°None of them brought weapons¡­Do they expect to fight their way through?¡± Kyrion asked no one in particular. Kilo arrived in blue form-fitting clothes with padding in a location to maximize protection without limiting motion. ¡°We¡¯re rangers. Aren¡¯t we.¡± Isaac stated with irritation. Lee scowled. ¡°But we have two black rangers. So that can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°Think again pinky.¡± Mira stated. Lee looked at his clothes and then at Mira. ¡°Do I have time to get changed?¡± ¡°Insert the key within ten minutes to enter this dungeon.¡± ¡°Maybe I should just take off my shirt.¡± Keep it on, Lee. Lee eyed the door with suspicion. ¡°Kyrion isn¡¯t here?¡± Kilo sighed, ¡°He said he had to leave early for something.¡± Kyrion smirked as he stepped through space to appear outside. He wore a black suit with purple trim and a white undershirt. His tie was excessively long and cartoonish but matched the trim. Black slacks made from flexible silk covered his legs, and a cane with a purple gem was in his right hand. The shoes were a pair of dress shoes that seemed more comfortable than they appeared. ¡°Uh¡­homecoming is next month.¡± Moca said bluntly. ¡°This is my battle suit.¡± Kyrion tossed his hair to the side as he put on a black hat with purple feathers. ¡°Battle suit?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. He believes that expensive clothes are more durable than regular clothing.¡± ¡°Where did he get the money?¡± Mira asked in suspicion. ¡°He has a talent for finding precious gems and metals.¡± Kilo added. ¡°I wanted something discreet.¡± ¡°Well you came here dressed like a godfather so¡­¡± Kyrion ignored the jabs as he moved towards the hazy door. Placing his hand in front of it and scowling. ¡°The Swordam Jin.¡± ¡°That was really a requirement?¡± Jin took the model kit out of his bag and placed it in front of the door. ¡°Requirements met, the dungeon will be open for five minutes. It will close down until the party completes it, -di¨C becomes incapacitated, or flees.¡± ¡°Now then, what do we do now?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°We go in, take notes, and play along. We should try to get to the end,¡± Mira said. ¡°This is annoying.¡± Issac cracked his neck. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Notes? Seriously. We have a door to some unknown space and you want us to take notes while exploring.¡± ¡°I second that. I doubt it would be safe enough for us to take notes here.¡± Kyrion added. Kilo raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ll write up a report when we finish.¡± ¡°Alright. I just lost one of my custom kits. Let¡¯s get this started.¡± Jin was the first to step in, followed by Mira, Kilo, and Moca. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­¡± Lee sighed as he followed. Issac didn¡¯t follow immediately. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Human I believe.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Issac popped his neck. ¡°Ok Isaac 2, why are you suspicious?¡± ¡°You seem to have some sort of healing ability as well as a body more put together than most.¡± ¡°Is that so? I must have gotten it while in a forest or something tree-related,¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°Fine.¡± Issac 2 entered the doorway, and Kyrion followed. ¡°The Last to enter shows signs of indecision and apprehension. Activating the first blood trap!¡± the dungeon loudly spoke through the ceiling. Kyrion fell through the ground immediately. Issac 2 turned to catch him, but Kyrion needed to prepare better as he fell. He was the only thing that remained afterward. While underground, Kyrion¡¯s body morphed into that of a plant, and its clothes faded and vanished. Its body moves underground for the next part of the trial. The real Kyrion was observing the interactions through the safety of his dungeon¡¯s safe room. He needed better etiquette to help the people here navigate it when they needed the experience. Although he hadn¡¯t expected to remotely manipulate a mimic plant, Karl had created. The fashion sense reminded Kyrion of his encounter with Mob Gremlins. ¡°Karl? Did you come from this world?¡± ¡°Not sure.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion cracked open a can containing a light green soda. Downing it with ease and downing it in pleasure. ¡°Kyrion? That¡¯s a hard seltzer.¡± ¡°Reminds me of tea.¡± ¡°Tea? ¡°An herbal concoction made through fermentation was an herbal mixture for a long time before it was safe to drink. Although these don¡¯t seem to have the pain relievers mother puts in hers.¡± ¡°Kyrion. That¡¯s alcohol.¡± ¡°No, it¡­Opp¡­ Ah, my natural defenses are cleansing it out of my body.¡± Kyrion squinted at the can and finished it off before pulling out a tub of poutine he had procured from a food challenge in Idaho. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you watch the others?¡± ¡°This is weak¡­I expected my first drink to be stronger than this but it¡¯s less alcoholic than a healing potion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is your first drink¡­¡± Karl recalled an incident involving Kyrion having tea with his mother. It wasn¡¯t that Kyrion couldn¡¯t drink. He just didn¡¯t do it knowingly and had a dangerously high tolerance. The healers set the drinking age to sixteen on Imala, as by then, one¡¯s body should be strong enough to counter most of the effects. Karl decided to make his life purpose in this world revolve around finding the amount of alcohol needed to get his master drunk. ¡°Oh, looks like they finally decided to move on. Is the first room a fight?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s a riddle. I spent years coming up with this one.¡± A large cat plant hybrid asked and sat on a pedestal, watching the tiny humans enter the room. ¡°I am the Phanix, you will answer my riddle. What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon¨C¡± ¡°Man.¡± They all said at once with no hesitation. ¡°I didn¡¯t finish. And three at night.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t change our answer.¡± Jin stated. The Phanix¡¯s eye twitched as it looked to the ceiling for help. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I haven¡¯t heard that one before. Would have had me stumped for a minute. I¡¯d have said a chimera that lost a leg. Or a hungover Gamodren. Crawls about early in the morning. Walks around normally during the day, then uses his cane when he goes out to party at night.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°These earth humans must be geniuses.¡± Karl considered changing the answer but decided that any riddle he came up with would be seen through. ¡°Y-you must get three riddles correc¨C¡± The plant sphinx fell unconscious as it had been defeated, despite not wanting to give up. ¡°What was the next one?¡± ¡°When you look at me I look at you. When you blink, so do I. When you die, I go still. When you are gone I cease to be. When you touch me my form breaks. What am I?¡± Kyrion was stumped. He¡¯d ask Kilo for the answer later. The next room contained four large buttons on the floor: a red square, a blue circle, a yellow triangle, and a green hexagon. Stemming from the buttons were various pathways that seemed to be tangled. On the opposite walls were four holes, each with a matching symbol up a wall. ¡°This is my devious pipeline puzzle. It should take them days to finish¨C¡± ¡°So we need to match the pipes from the buttons to the wall, then press the buttons simultaneously. How do we move the pipes?¡± Lee walked over to the pipes and scowled as he was turned ninety degrees by the floor tile. ¡°It shot up an inch and rotated. Be careful they seem pressure based.¡± Isaac stated. ¡°That looks fun,¡± Moca responded before she jumped onto one of the pipes and jumped again, causing it to rotate again. ¡°This puzzle must have been designed for children. What do they think we are?¡± Kyrion scowled as he watched them spend thirty minutes on the puzzle. Most of the time was spent resting to avoid getting vertigo. This puzzle would have taken a group of practitioners days to finish, and they wouldn¡¯t have been trying to line them all up at once. ¡°How are they getting this?¡± [Common earth riddle and standard puzzle in games and online brain teasers.] Kyrion¡¯s eye answered without prompting. ¡°Oh. So these questions are easy. Well the gremlins won¡¯t be so¡­¡± The gremlins in little suits and hats were crying on the ground and begging for mercy. They had been given small clubs and slingshots to be used as weapons, but none of them were prepared to deal with the pepper spray bath that covered them. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re bullying small children. Do we need to kill the monsters?¡± Isaac prepared to stomp on one of the gremlins until it disappeared. The gremlins sunk into the ground and vanished. Momentarily. ¡°Kyrion? You¡¯re up. They are walking through here too easily!¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to kill my friends to make you feel better.¡± Karl took too long to respond. ¡°I don¡¯t want them dead. Just mildly inconvenienced. The next room involves finding a key while avoiding the monster in the labyrinth. I want you to control the beast. ¡°Really? Why me?¡± ¡°Because your senses are better.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be cheating. I refuse.¡± ¡°Fine, then, you¡¯ll just pilot the final boss then.¡± Lee entered his meditation at the entrance to the labyrinth and sighed after five minutes of rest. ¡°Pen and paper?¡± Kilo produced a pen, and Mira made a notebook. Both were given to Lee, who began drawing the labyrinth like a simple maze. He then pulled the pathway the group needed and included the monster¡¯s hiding routes and places to avoid it. The plane went off without a hitch until they reached the exit without the key. ¡°My vision didn¡¯t tell me about a key.¡± Lee stated glumly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Moca produced a wooden pole and a hairpin. Within seconds, the lock to the next room was picked. ¡°Hacks! I call hacks!¡± The ordinarily stoic Karl was hysterical and frustrated. ¡°Did not know that dungeon locks could be picked.¡± ¡°Neither did I. But apparently they are! And just any human can figure it out.¡± Karl squinted. ¡°I did not know she could do that.¡± ¡°Get in the minotaur Kyrion.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Get in the minotaur.¡± ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m wielding Anesthesia.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°The nonlethal club¡­¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°If you remove their head from their shoulders then it isn¡¯t very non-lethal.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll be extra careful just in case the enchantment doesn¡¯t work.¡± Kyrion let his club be brought down to a minotaur on the floor below. It had blank eyes and a dead expression. Within moments, Kyrion¡¯s mind slipped into the creature, and it shot to life. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 35 Trouble Lands Ander had become suspicious the moment he fought the second S-Rank. They were slightly stronger than the previous person but still weaker than Chiyo before her jump in power. He suspected that his opponents were weak so that he¡¯d build confidence and get cocky. Only to slip up when someone with actual power came along. His suspicions were confirmed when he boarded the private aircraft that would drop them off at the location. Two people in white robes and very large hats were present. Both of them used special enchanted items kept hidden throughout their bodies and carried something similar to spirits with them. Six assassin-like figures in black cloth were also present, welding various weapons and magical tools. ¡°The ninjas are Slayers, while the priests are members of Cerberus.¡± Chiyo¡¯s granddaughter stated. ¡°That seems backward.¡± Ander leaned back and sighed. ¡°It somewhat is. The Exorcists are to be our support and long range specialists. The Ninjas will deal with the smaller threats and scout while we take out the big targets.¡± ¡°You should be at home, grandfather.¡± Chiyo insisted. Ander squinted as the old man replied. ¡°I need to be here this time. I suspect things aren¡¯t as clear as they should be.¡± Chiyo looked at Ander. ¡°Is that odd friend of yours coming?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know. He¡¯ll make a big entrance. We¡¯re meeting up with the remaining Asian branches to trade information. Correct?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll trade the information you gave us for information on body enhancement pills.¡± ¡°I asked because I don¡¯t know any other languages native here yet. Unless you want another incident you¡¯ll need to translate.¡± ¡°That is also why I¡¯m here.¡± Junichiro looked out a window.
Kyrion wielded a large club in an unfamiliar body; his expression was irritated, and his opponents were tiny, weak humans. The minotaur charged forward, intending to trample his foes. The group separated for the most part except for Issac, who lowered his center of gravity and slid beneath the creature, grabbing a right leg and pulling it, causing it to fall flat on its face. Lee and Jin ran forward, each with a gremlin club, and began to hit the minotaur in its ribs, doing little to no damage. Moca forced a few wrapper-covered muffins into the minotaur¡¯s mouth before retreating. The minotaur bit down on the food in its mouth via Kyrion¡¯s instinct before pain filled his mind, and he saw red. The next moment, his eyes were coated in pepper spray, and he couldn¡¯t see. The untrained teenagers attacked the prone minotaur relentlessly for ten seconds before the minotaur swung his club to the right, instantly knocking out Lee. ¡°Spacy!¡± The minotaur roared as it swung randomly, each strike going wide as it tried to hit something. Oddly enough, Jin tossed his club to the side as a distraction, resulting in the creature getting crushed by the club. As it did so, Jin had withdrawn a box cutter, which was used to sever a vein in the creature¡¯s right arm and both legs, causing it to bleed profusely. With the creature in a state of pain and rage, it was open to more attacks. After observing for a while, Kilo saw a chance to end the fight without standing out. Firing a spiked ball via slingshot into the creature¡¯s head caused its skull to crack and its balance to shift. Issac brought the creature to the arena¡¯s edge with a tackle and proceeded to slam fist after fist into the cavity in the monster¡¯s head. It went from flailing in rage to dead and unresponsive in moments. Kyrion scowled from his position. He¡¯d been kicked out of the creature¡¯s body when the pepper spray connected, resulting in the beast being bodied by a group of teens. If he was being honest, the minotaur could have turned things around and taken out Jin had the projectile not given it vertigo. The room went silent as an unconscious Lee did not move. Moca ran forward in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t die on us Lee!¡± Lee then proceeded to start snoring. He wouldn¡¯t wake up without either healing mana or a time. ¡°I can accept this loss. They came prepared and gave it their all.¡± Karl stated bluntly. ¡°So. What are you giving them?¡± ¡°Power rings and Phoblades.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°How do you know how to make a Phoblade?¡± ¡°Oh, I borrowed that blueprint and made some adjustments.¡± ¡°You can make magical weapons? Why haven¡¯t you made me any?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Kyrion could melt the ice with his gaze. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Oh, whenever you put an interesting weapon in your domain I destroy it and make a copy. Therefore I have made many of the weapons you have used.¡± Kyrion¡¯s nose began to bleed. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you made new weapons for me?¡± ¡°Because Imala has restrictions on what a dungeon spirit can give to their wielder. The Shepherd has a few on top of that. Also, they completed my dungeon, loot is normal and expected. Despite steamrolling through a test that would put a group of fledglings through their paces, mentally and physically.¡± ¡°They also outnumbered the boss so had more chances to attack. Think Moca has any more of those muffins?¡± ¡°The ones that melted the minotaurs mouth? Wait, are you still hungry?¡± ¡°Piloting a monster uses some calories,¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Uh huh. Should I explain what they got as they open them?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Karl summoned a chest for every team member and color-coded them based on what was discussed outside, with Kilo¡¯s being blue. ¡°Everything I granted them had to be something you were capable of to a degree or a very simplified spell. The more they use it, the more the mana runs off and becomes a part of them. In time they would eventually gain access to those abilities without the rings.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Isaac opened his green chest and observed the green ring with the symbol of a bear on it. Putting it on immediately cured his exhaustion and healed minor cuts and scrapes. He didn¡¯t feel magical, but he did feel stronger than he had been before, as though his skin was tougher than stone. A pair of odd gauntlets transformed into a watch after being put on. Moca opened her chest and found a yellow ring. Only the picture on it was a cinnamon roll. When she put it on, she felt alert as her exhaustion faded. Oddly enough, she could feel and direct the air around herself to a degree. Her weapon was a knife handle with no blade. Upon activating it, she felt an energy drain from her body and flow into the tool, causing a Phoknife to appear. The blade was transparent yellow.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Lee had been slapped awake by a gremlin that immediately retreated through an opening in the wall. A pink chest, already open, had appeared in front of him. ¡°No¡­¡± Lee didn¡¯t look in the chest immediately as he groaned and watched the others. He didn¡¯t want to look in the chest. He watched Jin pull out a handle for a light blade from the movies. Although it seemed quite different, the crimson blade with a green tinge in the center looked eerie as it extended to the size of a longsword. Jin¡¯s ring had the symbol of a crown on it, which felt odd the longer he glanced at it. When he put it on, his body felt warm before settling as his mind cleared. If anything, he felt faster and knew that he could control small flames to a degree. Mira¡¯s ring was silver with an onyx center. The symbol on hers appeared to be a mirror. Upon putting it on, she felt nothing for a long moment. All of her senses had vanished before returning to her in reverb. She thought she had access to a world beyond this one where she could keep things. Her weapon appeared to be some type of gun, albeit it looked more like a toy than anything. When she turned and shot the minotaur corpse, it began to burn as though stuck with a powerful acid. ¡°Not a toy.¡± Mira imagined putting it up, and the gun vanished from sight and reality. Lee got to his feet and finally looked into his chest, noticing a plastic wand with a heart in the center and a ring with a similar shape. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Still, Lee curiously put on the ring and watched it fade from pink to white. The image in the center takes the form of a spiral galaxy pattern. He felt something similar to Mira, although his ability allowed him to phase through space. He thought he could become untouchable for a time limited to his abilities. Picking up the pink wand, he watched it shattered into a pair of metal bracelets. When he put them on, he watched as they multiplied into four metal rings on each arm. Lee threw a punch with them on and watched as a wave of raw power passed through the rings. They hit each other before shooting through Lee¡¯s fist with a loud bang. ¡°Heavy but interesting.¡± Kilo had checked his chest while no one was paying attention and carefully hid his Phoblade in a compartment in his right arm. From there, he pulled out a ring and put it on, nodding in understanding as he didn¡¯t feel anything. He¡¯d need to put it on his physical body first. ¡°Kilo? What did you get?¡± ¡°Just a ring but I can¡¯t figure out how it works yet.¡± ¡°No weapon to go with it?¡± ¡°I think it considers the slingshot to be my weapon.¡± Kilo had modified and upgraded the slingshot, but no one had paid him any attention. It looked pretty different and created a line of energy similar to a Phoblade in the center, which could be pulled with mana to fire powerful projectiles. ¡°I see. Well when you figure it out, please tell me.¡± ¡°I probably will,¡± Kilo answered as he looked at the sapphire gem with the picture of a blue dragon on it. He knew what it probably meant, but it took a while for Kyrion to appear. When Kyrion left the safe room, he was transported to a door, where he was given a wooden ring and hanged into his skin-tight battle ware. His hair stood straight up as though he had gotten electrocuted, and his green eyes tiredly looked at everyone. ¡°I saw we should get out of here for now.¡± The group nodded, and a new doorway appeared, leading back to where they entered. ¡°What happened to you Kyrion?¡± Mira asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Kyrion said with an honest shiver. Pepper spray and spicy food were a pain through his secondhand senses, as they bypassed his pain receptors. ¡°I¡¯ll get my cousin home. See you all on Tuesday.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The group is mostly separated, with the only one behind, Jin. Jin waited a moment before stating the obvious. ¡°This dungeon is yours somehow. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That would be correct.¡± ¡°You managed to complete the Phoblades over night?¡± ¡°Yes and no. My dungeon decided to make copies and tinker without my knowledge. Apparently it isn¡¯t restricted here.¡± ¡°Can it produce metals?¡± ¡°No, it can create gems from mana, and create walls from stone or metal. But creating metal from nothing is impossible. Hence the need for a scrapyard. But it can purify and shape metals better than I.¡± ¡°I understand. Guess we should get going then.¡± Jin sighed. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a member of Cerberus, so I¡¯ll be coming along on your trip to the island.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re just a student.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°So are you two. Also it¡¯s good training and experience.¡± ¡°Fine, but you have one order and that is to stay alive. I won¡¯t be making it easy to accomplish that order either. I do have to show the people here that I am more dangerous than any calamity they can throw at me.¡± Kilo sighed. ¡°Fine then. Kyrion mind giving us a ride?¡± Kyrion opened a portal leading to the front door and motioned for the others to step through it. ¡°Can you teleport anywhere?¡± ¡°Anywhere I have been or know the location of and the genteal area around it. So anywhere on Noodle Maps.¡± ¡°Ah, so the classified places and low information areas are either missing or outdated?¡± ¡°Correct. For now anyways. After today I¡¯m going to be doing night flights.¡± ¡°You can fly as well?¡± Jin asked. ¡°The gravity on my world is twice this worlds. I could fly with ease there while weighed down by tons. Flying here is easier than walking if I¡¯m being honest and I don¡¯t need to worry about the speed limit.¡± Jin had a feeling those words didn¡¯t translate correctly. ¡°The cap on physical travel to avoid traveling through time.¡± ¡°How fast is that.¡± ¡°Beyond light speed I believe one¡¯s body becomes particles and through the right maneuvers it is possible to travel through time back home. It¡¯s usually done in space for everyone¡¯s safety. I believe the cap back home is around Mach 100. Except for a short burst of light speed movement done in intervals less than 1.24 seconds total.¡± ¡°There are some serious monsters over there.¡± Jin stated. ¡°Yup, by mixing speed with horizon based teleportation jumps I can get anywhere quickly. It will just be quite destructive.¡± ¡°Did he just say he could break the sound barrier?¡± ¡°I believe he implied that he can easily pass it.¡± ¡°I cracked the sound barrier at around ten. It¡¯s pretty common in short bursts with people with wind, speed, or strength-based styles. Mine just combines all three and more. Now, I¡¯m about late, so see ya.¡± Kyrion waved goodbye as he jumped through a portal, only to briefly appear on the satellites as something that had just entered the stratosphere. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Kyrion said as he looked down and saw a large metal bird that the people called planes flying below him. It was going pretty slow, though given the fact that people here were quite delicate, it made sense. A mischievous idea popped into his head as his hair returned to its natural red state, and he floated upside down. In moments, he caught up to the airplane and looked in through the window, watching a man with something in his ears look at a screen with moving pictures. Kyrion stared at the man for a long time. Eventually, the man looked up and saw Kyrion staring right at him. Kyrion jumped into surprise and blinked a few times. On the third blink, Kyrion appeared inside the plane behind the man. ¡°What are you watching?¡± The man turned around and saw Kyrion standing right next to him. ¡°Oh, you were a reflection. Wait I didn¡¯t see you on the plane.¡± ¡°I was in another room. I was just stretching my legs.¡± Kyrion looked around before walking through a set of doors and teleporting from the plane. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I shouldn¡¯t mess with planes too much.¡± Kyrion flew up quite a few more miles before covering his body in a wind barrier. He aimed his body forward and let wings of flame shoot out of his back to warm up before he shot through the sky faster than a meteor. In less than an hour, he¡¯d circled the globe only to figure out he didn¡¯t know where he was going. Thus, he moved around what he thought was the Atlantic Ocean for thirty more minutes. Finding an island where a ton of people seemed to be landing. Like a meteor, Kyrion came down fast, with a ton of force breaking the clouds above and bloating out the rising sun with black flames so large that it made a wildfire look like a candle. The sound barrier shattered as something landed with enough force to instantly wipe out a pack of demonic wolves. Everything within a hundred feet was within a crater as Kyrion tried to slow his fall to avoid human casualties. Everything had been calculated to avoid collateral damage and draw attention. A series of gunshots went off as various forces from all around the globe shot at him simultaneously. Enough to coat the area with enough smoke debris to make the area seem foggy. Kyrion snapped his fingers, and the smoke dissipated. ¡°Oi. That¡¯s not how you treat allies. Your weapons are quite loud. I¡¯d hate for you all to rupture your eardrums for nothing.¡± The bullets that had hit him head-on had been bent unnaturally while quite a few stopped ten feet short, and the rest landed in the area between with abundance. ¡°What is he made of?¡± Said one of the first people to fire at him. Various guns were reloaded simultaneously as though they were trained for something like this. ¡°If you fire again, I will take that as a declaration of war against me and fight back!¡± Kyrion bellowed. He had to practice his Rion while he was here. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 36 Tiger watches a Dragon Decend Ander smirked from a resting position as he watched his captain land on top of a pack of monsters. He¡¯d expected something big, but this was barely within the expected parameters. At least, that was until he realized that his captain did so with a double wind barrier, meaning he did so hoping to get shot at by those strange projectiles. As expected, nothing visibly pierced him, and those who could do so had been deftly dodged. What caught his senses was when he swapped himself with a plant mimic while everything was obscured. Junicho laughed as he looked at the sight. ¡°If you didn¡¯t tell me that he would do something like this I¡¯d think he was a fool.¡± ¡°He¡¯s planning to take out everyone who pulls the trigger. He¡¯s culling the weak through non lethal methods. They fire and boom, bullets in their legs.¡± Ander stated knowingly. ¡°Why bother? Wait, how?¡± ¡°Why? Anyone who can¡¯t take a bullet won¡¯t survive us using about twenty five percent of our destructive capabilities plus he warned them.¡± Chiyo scowled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that cruel?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a healer first. The less people in danger the less he has to worry about. Before destruction there must be preservation.¡± Junicho replied bluntly., ¡°He told them that if they shoot they will be starting and ending a war against him. It¡¯s quite obvious.¡± The wave of bullets that should have come was immediately reflected a foot and a half lower and a little to the right. Resulting in a series of nonlethal injuries that were essentially self-inflicted. Those with automatic weapons may have ended up with missing limbs altogether. An overzealous member of the Slayers nearly blew themselves up with an RPG that had been caught and contained in a ball of wind. When it exploded, the wind pushed the RPG wielder back thirty feet. ¡°Now then. Are you willing to listen, or do I need to actually go on the offensive?¡± The plant mimics pretending to be Kyrion stated. Ander sighed and asked, through a megaphone he had commandeered from a tent, ¡°Are any idiots with guns willing to open fire at him again?¡± One of the commanding officers left their tent and looked at the scene and hundreds of injured soldiers. Then he looked at the young man sitting on a lawn chair, sipping from a coconut, with an umbrella over him and his coconut. The commanding officer looked at the hail of bullets around him and the fact that not a single patch of clothing had been so much as pierced. Then he eyed the hair and face skeptically. ¡°Stop! He¡¯s technically one of us! He¡¯s with the U.S branch! Who fired first.¡± ¡°He landed in between our formation!¡± The first one to shoot both times started as he held his leg. ¡°Did he land on anyone?¡± ¡°Well no but!¡± ¡°Did he rally warn you?¡± the commander asked coldly. Of course, he knew that Kyrion had warned them, but he wanted to make sure. ¡°We¡¯ll yes but.¡± ¡°Then you shot one of your own who came mostly in peace. I¡¯d ask him to tone down his destructive force but given what you¡¯ve just seen. He¡¯s capable, are you as capable?¡± The commanding officer stated. Kyrion smirked as he touched his Divine Essence and lazily waved his hand in a circle, healing everyone who had gotten shot while removing any debris. He was on his sixth coconut. Mimic plants, it seemed, loved coconut milk. ¡°Now that I¡¯m here, you all should go. For me to work at my best I want to minimize collateral damage. All these people will just get in my way, limiting my wide range spells!¡± Ander shook his head. ¡°Did he just heal everyone?¡± ¡°Yup, barely an inconvenience. He¡¯s trying to monopolize this event.¡± ¡°Why would he want that?¡± ¡°My strongest technique doesn¡¯t differentiate between friend and foe and gets stronger with each life it snuffs out. Kyr has a series of wide range, highly destructive attacks that he will avoid using if people are in the way. Which means more punching, less actually using his abilities.¡± ¡°Ah. Wait, your strongest?¡± ¡°I believe the kill count was in the thousands, when I used it last, and It¡¯s attracted to metal. I won¡¯t be using it here, regardless.¡± ¡°He came in from above the clouds and landed with enough precision and power just to kill the monsters around him and you have a technique that can wipe out armies.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t common in my world, most people have the endurance to resist. We¡¯re just working toward that next tier of power. Honestly if we came here a year later. You¡¯d be dealing with true monsters. The kind that won¡¯t go down when a regular bullet pierces our skull. Although I doubt that would take down my captain as he is.¡± ¡°He¡¯s already there?¡± ¡°There is some chance that he¡¯s either piloting a clone while hidden below or, watching from above.¡± A head popped out of the ground from within Ander¡¯s tent. ¡°Why are you giving away all my secrets?¡± Chiyo jumped and brought down her sheathed katana with swift and deadly acuity, destroying Kyrion¡¯s melon-flavored head. ¡°How rude,¡± said a familiar voice right outside their tent. The man wore a Slayer¡¯s hat but had no other regalia signifying his rank, position, or unit. ¡°But I just.¡± Chyio was shocked by the ease, enough not to taste the melon. ¡°What¡¯s with you and your family smashing my melon messengers?¡± Ander looked at him bluntly. ¡°Fiance, I¡¯m proud of those reflexes and you had it coming last time. What are you doing here?¡± Kyrion looked at the old man and scowled. ¡°You have less than twelve days if you avoid combat or further injury. I assume this is for you?¡± Kyrion withdrew a bonelike object covered in odd gems and symbols, with golden trim on each side, that resembled an open mouth. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Ander didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure. You¡¯re better with this soul nonsense.¡± ¡°Fine, as you are now. If you were to die as you are, your soul would be destroyed and removed from the eternal cycle of death and reincarnation that I expect happens from one world to the next.¡± ¡°My soul? So no afterlife?¡± ¡°There is no afterlife, but in a way, you would have peace in nothingness. Sadly, this idiot doesn¡¯t want you to have that peace.¡± Kyrion replied in English. A creature in his hat leaned down and whispered into Kyrion¡¯s ear, causing his green eyes to turn purple and his posture to shift slightly.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ander couldn¡¯t understand, but he felt insulted. ¡°If you wear this before you croak, it will condense your soul and catch it. From there you can offer advice when called upon by a family member or descendent or be freed by them. When free, you can choose to reincarnate, go to the afterlife, or become a spirit/core granting power to someone of your choice unless for the former or being used by whoever frees you/uses you while in core form. Think of it as a guarantee that you won¡¯t lose your soul on death.¡± ¡°Why would I use something like this? I¡¯m content?¡± ¡°Aside from the fact that missing souls can damage a multiverse over time, you¡¯d be able to look after your daughter, or look after your descendents if you want, I bet you could become a guardian spirit.¡± ¡°So it isn¡¯t another chance at life, but a chance at choosing how I die.¡± ¡°Correct and wrong. If you really want to stay in this world I can put your soul inside a false body but it would be short lived and unsuited for combat. You¡¯d be a golem powered by a soul and when it dies you¡¯d face soul erasure.¡± ¡°Ah. How does reincarnation work?¡± ¡°When you speak to the person in charge, I believe they give you a choice between being born into your own family without memories or a different one without memories. Honestly, I don¡¯t know anything else and can¡¯t tell you how I know this much.¡± Kyrion could, but his body was starting to burn from the inside as the possession began to cause internal damage. ¡°Where did you get the bone for this artifact?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I had a bit of free time.¡± Kyrion lied. He actually made it from a bear that happened to be in the area where he landed and proceeded to craft it while waiting underground a few minutes ago. The enchantment was a simple one, and it was easy to get the initial personalization done. Once it catches the target¡¯s soul, it switches to a form describing the owner and their life. ¡°Right. And someone shot at my plant clone.¡± Kyrion sighed as he teleported from his spot and kicked the soldier with the trigger finger in the head, sending them to Morpheus. The plant clone sighed and retreated into the ground; its vacation was over. From there, Kyrion made his way to the umbrella. ¡°He seems more aggressive than you?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t normally like this. I think he¡¯s irritated that they keep trying to kill him. It¡¯s more the intent, than the act.¡± ¡°It was never going to work, yet the act of aggression is telling. They must not trust the new arrivals. Be careful Ander.¡± A draconic roar made the area go silent as everyone outside eyed the long blue serpentine dragon flying towards the group. Kyrion scowled at the group. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet? Go on and get to safety.¡± ¡°Like we would retreat.¡± Said one of the Slayers. A series of bullets shot toward the dragon, only to bounce off a barrier and fall to the ground. Kyrion sighed as he sat back in his lawn chair and retrieved another coconut. He could wait. ¡°Ander, should we evacuate?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let him handle this dragon. It¡¯s the price for the gifts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± Chiyo stated. Junichiro squinted, ¡°Should we get to safety?¡± Ander sighed as he kicked the head-shaped melon, revealing a magical circle under it. ¡°We¡¯re fine unless you¡¯re ready to start fighting.¡± ¡°How did you catch that?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°The secret to all of Kyrion¡¯s techniques is misdirection. If you¡¯re watching what he¡¯s doing you aren¡¯t paying attention to what¡¯s happening. Never trust your eyes while fighting him unless you¡¯re looking to be led off a cliff while chasing a butterfly.¡± ¡°What is he, a magician?¡± ¡°It¡¯s how he was taught to think when in combat. Distract and plan, don¡¯t think in steps but in stages, and make sure what your opponent sees is what you want to show them.¡± ¡°Why tell us this?¡± ¡°Attacking him is suicide in a situation like this. Things are about to get hot.¡± Ander stated as the circle began to glow. The on-cue blue flame covered the island, burning every plant and animal to ash. Oddly enough, every human was alive. Although every member of the parties had many layers of protective wear burned off. The area under Kyrion¡¯s umbrella and Ander¡¯s tent were completely unharmed. ¡°Coldfire. Now that¡¯s new.¡± Kyrion sipped on his coconut and wondered if he could take a few trees with him as the dragon came down and crashed into the umbrella. Kyrion rolled to the side and flew away, taunting the dragon as he sent a weak wind blade. The wind blade tore off a scale and drew blood, much to Kyrion¡¯s surprise. But it also confirmed that this dragon must have been relatively young if it was this weak. That, or it was more offensive than defensive. A blast of blue flames shot at the retreating Kyrion, freezing and superheating the sky between them, causing a burst of steam and air to knock him forward. The blow caused Kyrion to briefly lose control of his aim and crash into a brush of trees. Getting to his feet, Kyrion found himself standing between two ogres. The ogres attacked with wooden clubs, aiming for Kyrion¡¯s head. Kyrion pushed himself off the ground and propelled himself through the ogre¡¯s torso, piercing through it and exposing its organs to the air. From there, he sliced down with two fingers, splitting the second ogre in half from head to toe. The dragon appeared above in the time it took to eliminate the ogres. Letting out another blast of cold flames. ¡°Wind wall!¡± Kyrion summoned a significant barrier of solid wind to redirect the incoming blast. Blue flames arched away from Kyrion as they intercepted, causing various trees to freeze and splinter while the shards that shot out caught fire. Many needles found their way into Kyrion''s back, doing enough damage to knock him forward and break his concentration on his spell. ¡°Well, that¡¯s new.¡± Kyrion sent out two blades of wind, no longer restricting their power, and watched as they easily cut through the scales. As the old scales fell, Kyrion noticed that he wasn¡¯t looking at blood but another set of bright red scales under the first. ¡°You¡¯re molting! That isn¡¯t fair.¡± Kyrion stopped moving and stared at the dragon head-on. ¡°Little human snack. I eat, evolve.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­is this number nine? I think it is. Oi, little lizard, I¡¯d stop if I were you. Threatening to eat me is a terminal condition when acted upon. I am dangerously close to this happening ten times.¡± The dragon paused to take in a breath. ¡°You will be good with ketchup!¡± ¡°I feel insulted. Giga Rend!¡± Kyrion encased the serpentine dragon in a ball of wind with thousands of large cutting blades that rotate and cut in every direction. The dragon bucked and shook against the barrier while letting its breath attack loose, shaking the world around it. The temperature change disrupted the wind spell, allowing it to break free. ¡°Ack. Earth spear.¡± Kyrion gasped for air as his wind affinity was damaged. He couldn¡¯t use it offensively or defensively for a while¡ªjust flight. A series of earthen spears erupted from the ground and slammed into the dragon, distorting the blue scales and causing it to wiggle in response, yet the fresh scales underneath were unharmed. ¡°Now you¡¯re pissing me off.¡± Kyrion thrust his left hand forward, causing the stones around the dragon to turn into hands used to slam the dragon into the ground. From there, hundreds of stone arms wrapped around the creature, pinning it temporarily. Quite a few soldiers stayed and fired multiple shots at the now-trapped dragon, discovering firsthand that their enhanced bullets were not enough. ¡°Oi! I¡¯m not going easy on i,t so you can throw sand into the dessert! Get out of here!¡± Kyrion focused on keeping some give in the arms so that it could bend but not break easily. The arms would break eventually, however. The advanced fighting force finally made their retreat. They would take time to get away from this fight, but it now meant that Kyrion didn¡¯t have to worry about collateral damage, and those remaining had their own ways of surviving an encounter like this. The dragon broke through earlier than Kyrion wanted it to, but later, he expected it to, allowing the red-haired man to shift tactics. ¡°Beneath the flesh of Gaia is a land of burning¡­Nothing.¡± ¡°I beseech you great crea¡­nope.¡± Kyrion sighed as his stone arms were destroyed. ¡°I¡¯ll need to use my own blood.¡± A blast of cold flame shot towards Kyrion, forcing him to evade. His hand was simultaneously burned by an impossibly hot flame while frozen to near absolute zero. What¡¯s worse, the damage was insidious and would spread to his elbow if given a chance. ¡°Wind blade.¡± Kyrion removed his arm from below the left elbow, cutting off the spread and causing fresh blood to flow from a now-open wound. ¡°I offer up my blood as a sacrifice to the land.¡± With his stump, Kyrion traced a magic circle in the air. The dragon attacked, attempting to interrupt the spell. Only for its target to vanish. ¡°Where human go!¡± The dragon turned to no avail. ¡°In hopes to offer a helping hand.¡± Kyrion¡¯s horns had regrown while the world¡¯s mana flowed through him. ¡°How!¡± The dragon heard the boy¡¯s voice from behind; sadly, its body made quick turns, a pain to manage unless it aimed to leave itself open. ¡°I beseech access to your molten blood.¡± Kyrion stated, pausing his incantation to down a large plastic bottle of limeade. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 37 Gaias Grip Ander had been relaxing until he heard Kyrion begin an incantation. ¡°Ok. If I heard that right, Kyrion intends to kill everyone still on the island. This barrier won¡¯t be enough.¡± ¡°What?!¡± One of the ninjas that had been silently listening looked up. ¡°If he¡¯s using blood as a component it means that no other being is present to borrow power from or compete with. His blood is dangerously effective for spells like this.¡± ¡°I thought you said that you were friend¡¯s.¡± Chiyo said in surprise. ¡°I can get everyone in this tent to safety. But I need you to agree not to move much while in my sphere of wind.¡± ¡°Ah. If we disrupt it, there¡¯s a chance we will fall to our deaths.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ander withdrew his spear and began to spin it in a circle, surrounding the tent with some earth. The land rose from the ground and began to fly away from the bleeding red-haired demon. Those who had seen his uncle fight in the past would have mistaken him for the Demon Lord of Rinvald. Back when he sacrificed his arm to fall the Sea Titan. Ander knew his history and the power of an expert using their blood for a powerful spell. It had been confirmed that Kyrion¡¯s potency was naturally higher than most due to dragon slayer ancestry and his condition. ¡°I thought you said he was going to avoid killing the others?¡± ¡°We were one of the last few groups on the island after the dragon attacked and he¡¯s paused his regeneration to replace his blood loss. That¡¯s why he hid his magic circle and continued to fly about avoiding attacks. He¡¯s buying time.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Chyo exhaled as they entered one NEU (North European Union) Branch of the Janitor¡¯s air transport vessels. The next sign that spelled disaster was when people fell from the ceilings of multiple other vessels, rapidly filling them up with the remaining people on the ground.
Now that Kyrion had finally gotten rid of collateral damage, it was time to finish the spell. The dragon was beyond pissed and fully molted; its size had doubled. ¡°Break through from the land in a cataclysmic flood.¡± The island shook as the land tore in half and the ocean split, revealing a deep trench that seemed to lead to nothingness. Both land and ocean parted with ease as a molten hand shot out, grabbed the dragon, and held it in place. The limb pulled with a force that the dragon hadn¡¯t been able to resist, bringing the dragon deeper and deeper into the depths of the world, squeezing all the while. ¡°I loze. I loze! Zpare me!¡± The dragon bellowed. ¡°You surrender?¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side. ¡°Yezzzz I ZZZurrender! ZZtop it!¡± ¡°Swear a binding oath to be my draconic servant for eternity.¡± Kyrion assumed it would negotiate for better terms. ¡°I z-z-zoooo zwear!¡± It didn¡¯t haggle. He¡¯d done all this and made all those plans, and it surrendered halfway through his shenanigans. He just summoned a volcanic hand and manipulated it while making it look as though it was coming from the core. He¡¯d covered the sea with thorns after splitting the land, then used the gathered lava to grab it. His spell wasn¡¯t even done; this was just the part where he sacrificed his opponent to increase the land''s fertility. Kyrion felt a minuscule connection to him and scowled. The dragon was utterly subservient. Not an ouch of the oath would be taken from him. Well, it did try to eat him, but it was only fitting that it served him in return. Kyrion sealed the ocean and extended the size of the island by cooling it. He then translated the land into something livable, growing grass and trees, adding rocks and various edible food sources. ¡°I¡¯m Zorry Mazzer!¡± The long dragon lay on its back, burns exposed in the shape of a handprint. ¡°Oh.¡± The molten hand had bypassed its defenses and nearly split it in half. This was evident when he noticed that most of its bones were broken. Kyrion sighed as he roasted his stump, triggering his regeneration and allowing his severed arm to finish regrowing. Multiple rips in space opened on the island now that the dragon had been removed, which initially seemed backward. Until he remembered the mass of monsters on the island that he¡¯d eradicated. The monsters would continue to come, and the power of the rifts was stronger than Kyrion¡¯s ability to manipulate space. Which meant something stronger than a god from his universe was opening these up and dumping creatures. ¡°Who¡¯s a good dragon?¡± Kyrion rubbed his new pet¡¯s belly and tickled it, causing it to begin shrinking. ¡°I am! I am!¡± the dragon said as it stung to the size of a long dog in minutes and then changed its form. The dragon looked like a blue wiener dog with red and green markings that resembled tiny eyebrows. Two tiny antlers resembling Kyrion¡¯s protruded from its head. ¡°Remove the horns.¡± ¡°Yez mazter!¡± The dragon dog said unabashedly. Its horns sunk into its head. Kyrion looked at the dragon, wondering if he¡¯d accidentally broken its mind. He wanted it to submit, but this was way too much. ¡°Ok. Now that everything is settled. Where did you come from?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The dragon responded, confused. ¡°What world are you from?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Two?¡± ¡°Years? Centuries? Gimme details.¡± ¡°Days.¡± Kyrion eyed the dragon and understood. It came into the world when the rift opened up. Could each rift be a dungeon? ¡°Oi. Karl, read my subconscious and confirm.¡± Karl¡¯s connection solidified. ¡°Ah, that. I¡¯ll need access to satellites to confirm. Can you survive the void of space yet?¡± ¡°I''m not sure. But I''m not checking it out until I¡¯m at least Expert tier.¡± Kyrion petted his new dog solemnly. Kyrion¡¯s thoughts were as follows: ¡°If dungeons appearing with pockets of mana become strong enough, then it could be the precursor to the end of an era. It would only be an apocalypse if the earth people weren''t ready. A dragon like this must be removed early before it can mature properly. Do monsters leave dungeons often?¡± ¡°Back home? No. There is a system that says if a dungeon is threatened or starved for fresh mana, it can send out envoys to scout out a new area or invoke its powers on the world outside. Like I said, satellite access would allow me to examine the leylines and pathways. You should speak to your handlers. Honestly, ripping that dragon from a dungeon will use up most of its growth points. Meaning lots of weak monsters for a while. Perfect clean up for the natives. You should make something for Ander, he could have bested a dragon this weak.¡± ¡°Weak? It tore off my arm and withstood most of my attacks before I started using an incantation.¡± ¡°Yes, a solid fifty percent of your offensive potential. A solid concentrated black bolt from Ander would have slain the creature as it was vulnerable to lighting. That''s three inches of height he won¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell him that.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t have to if you share. I want access to that dragon¡¯s blueprint.¡± ¡°Mazter ztare into zpace?¡± ¡°Huh. Right. So the dungeon that created this island, where is its core?¡± ¡°Don jon?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Kyrion sighed as he sat on a throne of obsidian that had formed when he transmuted the land under him. To many, it would have been uncomfortable, but his nerves were dead at the moment. A group of people in camouflage approached the relaxing red-haired boy, their guns lowered but clearly in hand. They didn¡¯t want a fight, but they were ready for one¡ªor so they thought. As the unit stopped in front of him. Kyrion used divine essence to swipe every bullet besides the first from each magazine on their person. They¡¯d have only one chance to kill him. ¡°Oh hey. How can I be of service?¡± ¡°Is the dragon subdued? ¡°Yes. It will no longer be much of a threat. These monsters are newborns created the moment they appear for the most part. This island will be good for training new magic users. Well, the people of your world. You could attempt to destroy it but I don¡¯t suspect it would let you do so easily. Don¡¯t expect a boss but do expect extra lethal traps where the core is kept.¡± ¡°That¡­Can you repeat that?¡± ¡°I really hate to repeat myself. Where is the U.S. branch?¡± ¡°They are a few hours away. How did you outpace them?¡± ¡°I flew here on my own. Unless you have flying boats I don¡¯t enjoy your metal birds.¡± ¡°So you dislike tight spaces?¡± ¡°Moreover, my body isn¡¯t meant for sitting inside a metal vehicle. I can do it for a little while but I¡¯ll be on edge the whole time.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s unnatural?¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do you have any metal on you ?¡± One of the soldiers handed over a metal baton. ¡°Watch.¡± Kyrion bent the metal object with ease, breaking it in seconds. ¡°So you would be more of a hazard for everyone involved due to your strength?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± That and they were too slow would have been the more. His few seconds aboard the airplane told him they were designed for humans who could not fly independently and for mass transport. ¡°So, which unit are you in?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a traveler. Capable of jumping planes¡­If I¡¯m being specific. I believe that I was summoned here by someone looking to get in on the organ trade. A respectable business when using ethically sourced organs. He was not using those types of organs.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So you aren¡¯t one of the Super Weapons developed in the states.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that so soon.¡± ¡°People with demigod levels of strength like what you showed. Most major players have at least one. The U.S. has four, as far as I¡¯m aware. China has Three, Russia has two, U.K. one, Japan had one, England has two¨C¡± ¡°What is the Uk?¡± ¡°United Korea. After the secret war on monsters back in 1978, Korea ended its separation to keep from being utterly destroyed by a hoard of monsters. The new government kept things going to this day.¡± ¡°You were going on?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s about all I know from the top of my head.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The S.U.N. or South United Nations branch keeps their details to themselves.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Kyrion withdrew a roasted haunch of meat and handed it to his new dog. ¡°Meatz!¡± ¡°I hate this,¡± Kyrion sighed. With a wave of his hand, the dragon and the meat vanished. ¡°What do you plan on doing with that?¡± Asked the unit leader in front of him. ¡°Forgetting about it I hope. This will be the second dragon linked to me, even younger than the first. Despite being slightly stronger.¡± Kyrion lied. Ceres was much weaker the last time they¡¯d met, but it was likely that she¡¯d grow fast and efficiently surpass what he¡¯d fought. Kyrion watched as a second wave of monsters appeared through various rifts: goblins, gremlins, and ogres. None of them had the spark of sentience he¡¯d seen in those from his world. ¡°Ah. May want to find a way into those dungeons as well. That should be your priority.¡± Kyrion summoned a bottle of orange drink saturated with enough vitamins and supplements to look milky. Losing that much blood made him much weaker than he had been letting on, and he needed to replace it sooner rather than later. The unit left, allowing Kyrion respite for all thirty minutes as a brown-skinned man wearing various golden hoops approached him. They speak a language Kyrion hadn¡¯t understood before, switching to another. ¡°Do you truely only know english?¡± ¡°Hmmm? If you can speak it then start with it. I haven¡¯t been here long enough to care about every language on this planet.¡± Kyrion had managed to learn Spanish and the language of Ander¡¯s family, but he wouldn¡¯t admit that. ¡°You could learn more than one.¡± Kyrion shut off his brain and entered a power-saving mode. He was too hungry for this. After the ten-minute lecture ended, Kyrion felt his body had regained enough blood.¡± ¡°...and this is why the Amer¡ª¡± ¡°What did you come here for?¡± ¡°I am here to offer you a chance to join an organization led by your people.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow and returned to his home language. ¡°Does my sister work for you?¡± The dark-skinned man seemed surprised. ¡°What language is that?¡± ¡°You are a low tier recruiter if you don¡¯t understand that much about me. I don¡¯t have the time.¡± The older man began to speak, and Kyrion rudely teleported him aboard one of the flying machines before closing his eyes. Another brown-skinned man arrived, although his shade was lighter. He wore a white turban and was serene. ¡°Curious, did the previous man offend you?¡± ¡°More got on my nerves and attempted to prey on weaknesses I don¡¯t possess. Who goes to a new arrival on the planet and expects him to know French despite not encountering it as of yet.¡± ¡°Ah. How many languages do you know?¡± ¡°Four, maybe five from here that I can speak six that I can understand.¡± ¡°Based on what I read, French should have been one of the first you learned. Given the many high quality restaurants that originate there.¡± ¡°Good food?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°See, you did your research. Start with my vices, food and medical knowledge.¡± ¡°Now then what do you need?¡± ¡°To confirm. You are an entity outside of our organizations but allied with us. Is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes. I have two intentions, make sure as many people as possible are prepared and find my sister. Which is something I¡¯ll do next weekend.¡± ¡°You intend to go back?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then the previous man wasted time and effort recruiting you. As you aren¡¯t joining anyone.¡± ¡°I leave in December, there is no point.¡± ¡°Should I tell the others to stop?¡± ¡°It should be fine. Unless they intend to act like the first guy. Also take two steps to the left.¡± Two daggers stopped six inches away from Kyrion in midair as an invisible creature bled out in seconds. A lizard creature roughly human-sized, covered in scales, lifelessly faded into shards of raw mana. In moments, it solidified into a cloak made from its scales. ¡°You should be more aware of your surroundings, Kyrion.¡± Said a laid-back Jac. ¡°I mean. It couldn¡¯t hurt me. If you took any longer to aim, then I¡¯d have held it in place for you. Who are you, by the way?¡± Kyrion had been ready to split it in half before he noticed the daggers get unsheeted. That was when he noticed Jac was there, though something felt off. ¡°Ah, so you knew about it.¡± ¡°Also it dropped an item for you. I believe it should give you the ability to match your surroundings.¡± ¡°Hmm? You''re giving it to me?¡± ¡°No, you killed it, your loot.¡± Kyrion responded. Kilo arrived next, only to stop and place an arm in front of someone next to him. Jin looked confused as he nearly tripped while stopping. ¡°Hey, what are you doing over there?¡± ¡°Helping out. Nice to meet you?¡± ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Right, Esper number 000 Beta, also known as Jac Ol¡¯atte.¡± ¡°Huh. That''s a pretty rare last name? Do you have any siblings?¡± Kilo now knew something was off. ¡°None. It¡¯s just me and my dad. I recently learned that my mother has passed away.¡± Jac holds his head. ¡°No sister?¡± ¡°No. I was am an only child, right?¡± Jac seemed confused as he held his head. ¡°I must have met a cousin of yours, then.¡± Kyrion felt around the man''s brain with his mana, finding no trace of his previous healing, meaning this was indeed someone else with the same name. ¡°It is possible.¡± Kilo turned to Kyrion, then the head of the India branch of Cerberus. ¡°I suspect that there are multiple dungeons here, meaning the dragon you saw was only one boss tier threat.¡± ¡°Oh¡­That would make a great deal of sense. The multiple rifts make sense now.¡± ¡°Multiple rifts?¡± The Indian man asked to be precise. ¡°Rifts. Breaks in reality that require a key to enter. I have been through one very recently.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always good when one of our own feels comfortable sharing information.¡± Jin squinted, ¡°We should be sharing information like this freely. If we are going to survive we need to work together, not as separate branches working against each other.¡± ¡°Right, hopefully your generation will fix this when the world changes. I have suspected many of our teachings and understandings are incomplete pieces of a larger puzzle. But despite our meditations being taught worldwide as a way to regain physical and mental energy, many don¡¯t wish to share their knowledge.¡± Jac scowled, ¡°Physical energy?¡± ¡°If Espers use Mental energy and their mind, Qi users use their body and lifeforce.¡± Kyrion explained. ¡°How do you know about Qi?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Remember when I accidentally sent my mind through the cell phone? I accidentally went through quite a few files and saw some recently discovered secrets. Also, Jac, is one of the artificial Espers while Jin is a natural Esper. The power differences are obvious now, though Jin will gain in power with practice at a much higher rate, while Jac will need to work to improve naturally.¡± ¡°Natural Esper?¡± Jac eyed Kyrion for a long moment. ¡°People born with advanced minds, based on what I''ve seen many diagnosed with disorders such as Autism and ADHD, or various levels of psychosis, tend to have brains that naturally work at a higher level than most. What most see as a low attention span is an espers advance processing speed. Higher doesn¡¯t always mean better in cases like this though. Some are unstable.¡± ¡°Where did you get a test group for something like that?¡± Jin was suspicious. ¡°Medical records aren¡¯t as protected as they should be.¡± Kyrion had been examining the flow of energy through brains while bored. Those who showed advanced mental acuity tended to have some level of instability, most minor, a few major. ¡°Kyrion. Please don¡¯t steal private information.¡± ¡°Is it really private if it pops up whenever I look at most people long enough.¡± Kyrion looked at Jin for a long moment as a white screen popped up in his vision. It was blank, as it appeared classified, but Jin didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°Oi! Quit looking at me like that.¡± ¡°Mmmhmmm.¡± Kyion tilted his head ninety degrees as a loud pop came from his neck. From there, he moved into some stretches. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone what you saw?¡± ¡°What I saw?¡± Kyrion played dumb. ¡°Don¡¯t¨C¡± Kilo interrupted Jin. ¡°Don¡¯t fall for that, he''s using cold reading techniques to throw you off. Can¡¯t you see the future?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a wildcard to my future sight. It throws me off.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. You were born with two brains inside your skull.¡± ¡°Not how biology works and wouldn¡¯t you know Mr. I have X-ray vision?¡± ¡°Huh? What''s that?¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± ¡°Wait. Can making someone an Esper grant them ADHD through artificial means?¡± ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know which parts of your brain were altered for treatment or altered for obedience.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Right. Most artificial Espers have their brains spliced in two ways You are currently spliced in four.¡± ¡°That''s because I ranked up.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°The testing was brutal but now I can fight to protect my family.¡± ¡°What family? You''re an only child with a deceased mother.¡± Jac seemed somewhat confused as his head began to hurt. ¡°Kyrion stop!¡± Kilo yelled. Kyrion closed his eyes and took a breath. ¡°Something feels off. As though he isn¡¯t the same person I talked to earlier.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? It hasn¡¯t been a day.¡± Kyrion examined the man¡¯s bone structure and scowled. The cheekbones were slightly off, and it was disturbing. ¡°Fine. Jac why don¡¯t you get monster hunting?¡± Kyrion grimaced. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go.¡± Jac ran off to get some air. Kilo eyed Kyrion. ¡°He doesn''t have a caffeine monitor on his arm, his name is off and his voice doesn¡¯t match. He also doesn¡¯t have a Phoblade, and his words don¡¯t match. I restored the damage done to the previous Jac that visited us, the injuries were present in this one although slightly altered.¡± ¡°Wait. A doppelganger?¡± ¡°No¡­I have a suspicion. I¡¯ll ask your father. I know of tales involving parents that would do anything to bring back a child taken too soon.¡± Kyrion spoke from his experience with Psycho, stating that if one was convinced they were someone, one would fight to be that someone. Jac¡¯s dad might have gotten along with his mother. Book 3: Chapter 17 Trouble, Eyeless, and Tiger The headmasters of both Etravonia teams were sitting at the table with their hands arched and their foreheads resting against them. Drisil¡¯s due to the fact that he was now certain that Rion had let the battle hinge on Max, slowing Sinbad down and trapping him. The Etravonian main academy headmaster had his hands arched as he taught his students to always check and ensure enemies stayed down. Both were certain that Captain Rion was watching the fight from the throne room and was ready to sit down at any moment, making the last battle one of showing off. The only person at the table who didn¡¯t seem irritated was Etravonia¡¯s king. He¡¯d stayed silent when Ander went on a rampage and had a raised eyebrow when the team used a self-destructive strategy to take said team member down, which took forethought and dedication. During the portion where Max took out the ape shifter after transforming, he was confident that his son had inherited his power. The battle against Sinbad confirmed that he was proficient enough to fight stronger opponents, although he wasn¡¯t ready to beat them yet. The final nail in the coffin was that Max couldn¡¯t fully revert after using the power. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s about damn time my luck turned around.¡± ¡°Please refrain from leaving this world until after.¡± The stoic-appearing elven woman leaned on her fist. ¡°I mean it would be one less ranker to worry about.¡± ¡°If we¡¯re going to survive we¡¯re going to need all the power we can get. Did you forget that the number one position is vacant?¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed. It¡¯s about time we moved on, this generation of whelps seem exceptionally talented. I¡¯m certain that Drisil¡¯s team hasn¡¯t revealed half of their secrets just yet. Not to mention, Norn¡¯s talented individuals, and the rumored sword saint who took the number one spot in the solo matches.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be ready in time, had time not been altered it would have been nice to have them on our side. Sadly it seems this one will pass them up.¡± The elven woman sighed. A worried elf busted into the room as the headmasters began to leave. ¡°Matriarch! We have an emergency! Damian of the Flowing River Academy has been seen being kidnapped by Maldain.¡± The room went silent for a long moment. ¡°Caeden of Drisil, do you know why this has happened?¡± The elven woman asked. ¡°No I do-¡± A second messenger ran into the room. ¡°Emergency! Ander of Drisil has been kidnapped by Maldain!¡± ¡°Ugh. Maybe I do.¡± ¡°You think he wanted to see them fight that badly?¡± The elven woman asked. ¡°That or he intends to train them both.¡± The king of Etravonia sighed. ¡°But Ander doesn¡¯t even use a sword. Unless¡­¡± The headmaster of team Etravonia looked at Drisil¡¯s headmaster. ¡°He apparently received some training with one recently. Apparently swords mesh better with his spirit. I think he intends to have Ander go through a second awakening, knowing that it will transform.¡± ¡°Surprised he didn¡¯t take Rion.¡± The elven woman scowls. ¡°Rion plays with weapons, he isn¡¯t the type to use them seriously and has little interest in mastering them. He walks a more magical based path than martial.¡± Caeden sighed ¡°Think he was watching the last fight?¡± ¡°Possibly. What do you think grabbed his attention?¡± Caeden couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°His lethality, more likely than not. You could tell he wasn¡¯t going all out and yet he was capable of piercing a divine tier shield with ease. In fact I suspect his only goal was to make her use the shield before he followed it up with a killing blow. If it was a duel to first blood then that would have been the match.¡± ¡°What chance is there that Ander is at the same level as Damian?¡± ¡°Power wise, there is a chance that Ander has passed Damian. In terms of control they are about even. In terms of weapon mastery, Ander is probably ahead. The number two position at my school is mostly interchangeable.¡± ¡°And the top position?¡± ¡°They would need to work together and even then. I¡¯m not sure Rion would play fair if he was outnumbered.¡± ¡°You make Rion sound like he¡¯d treat the battle like a game?¡± ¡°He was Gamodren¡¯s pupil before mine and you know how much he likes to gamble.¡± ¡°Did you mean to say as much as you just did?¡± ¡°The time for secrecy on that matter is nearly at an end. In fact you¡¯ll probably understand why in the next match. Not with Drisil, the one between the Republic and Valnorim¡¯s school of Golemancy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special about that match?¡± ¡°Have you ever wondered about a battle between a necromancer and a golemancer?¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have any necromancers left on the continent, not after the Death Tyrant was executed,¡± the headmaster of Etravonia answered. ¡°Did you not hear about the Necropolis where Limguard used to be?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a rumor. There are no more necromancers. Right?¡± ¡°Necromancy is an aspect of the death affinity that requires a bit of foreknowledge. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for someone who found one of those rare tomes and managed to learn a few things. Or experimented enough to discover what many have thought was lost.¡± The elven woman said honestly. ¡°I thought all the books related to Necromancy had been burned. Isn¡¯t that how he earned the title of Tyrant?¡± ¡°He? I guess the information was never made public, past Limguard¡¯s top brass.¡± ¡°The Republic asked for his head after the death curse she placed on them during the war. So he should be dead. Right?¡± ¡°So you know, powerful necromancers can control their undead remotely. The Tyrant had a ruler based ability that allowed them to create armies of ranked undead with the ability to lead. It is quite possible that said Tyrant had one of its commanders take the fall. Or they resurrected themselves via other means. Either way, the Republic allied with the Beast Blood empire and went against the peace treaty we had them sign. For all we know, that was the trigger for a resurrection contingency. Meaning the Republic has no leg to stand on if the Tyrant lives.¡± The king of Etravonia coughed into his hand and left the room, motioning for the headmaster of the central Etravonian school to follow.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Why do I get the feeling that I¡¯m the only person here who doesn¡¯t know a key piece of information?¡± ¡°Because you weren¡¯t born then and most history books tend to obscure information. Especially when the truth is inconvenient to those in power. You should focus more on the development of your students. They¡¯re probably a bit depressed after a loss like that.¡± ¡°Y-yes your majesty!¡± The young headmaster saluted before running off. ¡°Ok, so all was going according to plan until Ander decided to lead the strike team into the enemy castle. Why didn¡¯t you wait until time elapsed?¡± ¡°Because It would have been boring to sit there and wait for them to attack first. I don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re mad. It¡¯s what led to our victory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad, just wanted to know why¡­ It seems you are more impatient than you seem. Rion, why didn¡¯t you immediately sit on the throne when you had the chance? Also why did you give the team a drastic new game plan?¡± ¡°The king of Etravonia wanted to see what Max could do. I did as well, there were contingencies set. Sinbad is lucky that he only triggered the first one. The second would have bisected him briefly.¡± ¡°When did you manage to set up a trap?¡± Hel asked. ¡°He did that while he was running around. There was a brief time when he wasn¡¯t being watched, in that time he carved out some runes. Now then, I¡¯m here to borrow my student for a few days.¡± Maldain appeared in the middle of the room with a crazed look in his clockwork eyes. Ander was slung over Maldain¡¯s right shoulder. Damian was currently draped over Maldain¡¯s left shoulder, also unconscious. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we try to stop him?¡± Lin asked. ¡°If you want to interfere with the number three on this planet go ahead. I learned my lesson when he ripped out my eye. Plus he said only a few days. He may be insane, but he¡¯s not a liar.¡± Rion added. ¡°For that I will forget that you replaced your old eye with an old prosthetic.¡± Maldain winked. ¡°Why are you being so cowardly Rion?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°He plucked out one of my eyes. Do you really expect me to attack him while he still holds a piece of me?¡± ¡°Oh right that old thing. Do you want it back? That prosthetic seems to be dead.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind missing an eye, I didn¡¯t even notice that it doesn¡¯t work anymore. If I¡¯m honest I kind of got used to mana vision.¡± ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t want this piece of your soul back?¡± ¡°If you phrase it like that then I can take it off your hands. It¡¯s not like you need it or anything.¡± ¡°It let me regrow my own eyes, although it¡¯s useless in combat.¡± Maldain held out a sword with an ornate emerald pommel, a white leather-covered grip, and a green diamond pattern that stretched out to meet an ivory-like guard. The blade had a single edge meant for cutting and seemed exceptional. ¡°Why does it look like this?¡± ¡°I used my own power to modify it to suit my needs and I had an empty sheath..¡± Cecil eyed the sword. ¡°Is that a katana?¡± ¡°Yes. Although it may not stay that way for long. Weapons like that can be shaped by people like me but when returned to their owner chances are, they will revert.¡± ¡°Ah, I did technically cause a sword like this to be put in a compromising position.¡± ¡°My little Fujin, shattered into a million pieces. The lightning blade Fujin.¡± ¡°...¡± Rion was not going to bother correcting him. Cecil seemed like he was going to speak, but he recognized the look in Rion¡¯s eye and decided better. The sooner this monster left, the better. There was no need to confuse the wild swordsman. Ander, who hadn¡¯t been knocked out, replied. ¡°It¡¯s actually named Raijin. Fujin is a pure dark wind spirit while Raijin is dark and lightning. I think they are brothers or something.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still awake.¡± ¡°Got some things to say first.¡± ¡°Oh right, go ahead.¡± ¡°Minah? We need to break up. You need someone dependable and stationary. I am neither of those things nor do I wish to be involved in politics. Also, we both know that I was just a tool to make a certain someone jealous and it failed. Since I won¡¯t be around. Goodbye and I hope you have a happy life.¡± Minah seemed confused for a moment as things clicked, and she realized that this was a breakup. Well, since he was getting kidnapped, it was understandable that he didn¡¯t want her to stay alone for who knows how long. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you, Ander.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. There¡¯s someone else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough drama for one day.¡± Maldain knocked Ander out, ending the conversation as he handed the katana to Rion. Rion took the katana, and he watched as it shrunk in size and shifted into an eyeball made of solid emerald. He took out his current eye and placed an emerald one into the socket; its shape changed, and a piece of Rion had returned briefly before it turned to ash. Only the portion of his soul that had been returned, the damage was done, and the limb couldn¡¯t grow there. However, in the space where an empty socket was, an eye of metal was teleported into the open slot and adjusted. Memories of his drop into a strange new world began to trickle in slowly. ¡°Rion. Are you good?¡± ¡°A shame. Your body couldn¡¯t acclimate to the weakened limb. Seems like you got too strong.¡± ¡°It would have been cheap if my old eye just came back.¡± Kyrion eyed his previous magical prosthetic and watched as it, too, crumbled into dust as the bonds holding it together broke. The essence inside flowed into Rion. ¡°Why do you want both of them anyways?¡± ¡°Their potential gave me inspiration. I could sense the power they wielded as both have potential for bladed weapons. I will be teaching them both the secrets of the sword.¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t bother looking for us, I found a great place near here to train. Can¡¯t believe a dungeon popped up in the forest.¡± Kyrion looked as though he had swallowed a bug. He connected telepathically with Karl to have a silent conversation while Maldain left. ¡°Karl? Did an insane expert tier monster find you?¡± ¡°Yes. The one that took your eye if I recall correctly?¡± ¡°Great¡­ He¡¯s going back to train Ander and Damian there. Be sure to give him anything he needs to keep them alive and I¡¯ll give you express permission to examine the tower in my domain. I know a barrier of consent has been keeping you out.¡± ¡°Fine. Since the other two are friends I¡¯ll keep them alive.¡± ¡°Also there is a cache of food in my domain, when you¡¯re not busy feel free to clone one of everything. I think it¡¯s from some other world.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± New item cataloging was considered more important than Ander and Damian¡¯s lives. ¡°Much appreciated. If they die it¡¯s on Maldain.¡± Rion replied with a sarcastic tone. ¡°Correct.¡± Karl stated. Rion slowly blinked before cutting off the conversation there. He decided that removing the memory of the conversation from himself and the others would be simple but highly unethical. They¡¯d be fine; it¡¯s not like Ander would go through an angsty phase, start wearing black makeup, cover an eye with his bangs, and then get a ton of piercings and tattoos. There were few places to put said new piercings and tattoos, after all, and bangs would give him a blind spot in combat. He also didn¡¯t need makeup; when he transformed, his eyes were covered in something that resembled eyeshadow. ¡°Rion, you must go rescue Ander. He clearly isn¡¯t thinking straight.¡± Minah grabbed Rion¡¯s robe, fake tears welling up. They could be real, but he got the sense that she wanted Ander back so she could punch him one last time. ¡°I will bring Ander back, before the end of the tournament. Probably. No promises. I¡¯d rather keep my one remaining human eye. Also, my vengeance on Maldain would be cut short if I went against him now.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re bidding your time.¡± ¡°If you want to know how deadly that monster wearing human skin is, ask your father.¡± Rion took Lin¡¯s hand and teleported out. ¡°Never knew Rion to be afraid of anything.¡± Bella stated. ¡°There is a difference between risking your life and taking yourself out by angering a threat that¡¯s much stronger than we all are combined. All we can hope is that Ander comes back alive.¡± Cecil said with a grim expression. Book 3: Chapter 18 Early Invasion Rion had been brought to a particular council room with various other captains. Volain, Chester, and Milo were the only people he could recognize. This was odd, given that he¡¯d met all the captains and their co-captains during the briefings before the tournament. Irritation mixed with anger flowed through him as someone attempted to force emotions that weren¡¯t his into him. Kyrion would have taken a seat next to Volain if they hadn¡¯t been set to fight each other in the next round. Instead, he took a position near the end that had yet to be filled. An elven man with two long blades entered the room alone. His expression was resolute. ¡°Captains of various teams! It has come to our awareness that a series of kidnappings have plagued the various academies participating in the tournament. As well as a few murders. The rules regarding alternates have changed, anyone under the tier of expert and capable of using magic, can participate.¡± Silence shook the room. ¡°Second, due to an action against the academy of Dorhave, an entire team of practitioners have been discovered dead, right after their match, while another has been missing. Turning the remaining 16 teams into 14, two of those remaining teams have pulled out of the upcoming matches, due to members missing and fear. This is unprecedented in our time here, never have so many participants gone missing this late in. It appears that there are forces with ill intent at play. Due this the following changes have been made. A block will consist of in the division of matchups into large scale battles. Teams made up of three other teams will compete against another team of three. The winning teams will later compete against each other in a three way bout.¡± A few gasps were let loose as the information was absorbed. ¡°I know. It¡¯s different, now then, the splitting off will soon begin. Volain, Rion, Marduk, you will compete as team one. Marshal, Eriya, Song, you will make up team two. Chester, Milo, Sheeva, you are team three. Hawk, Zetrea, Wald, you three round out team four. Any questions? If not, I suggest making a battle plan.¡± The elf soundly turned and left; he was not answering any questions. Rion sighed and stood up to leave before a woman a few years older approached him. ¡°Rion sir, I am second in command under Marduk, our captain was one of the people kidnapped¡­So¡­¡± ¡°Good for you?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Not good for me! I don¡¯t know what to do! We need a plan!¡± Not Marduk tried to shake Rion in her panicked state. It failed. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Uriel. I¡¯m my team¡¯s healer and tactician. But I¡¯m bad at fighting alone.¡± Rion¡¯s face looked disgusted. ¡°Did you not train your body with healing magic? Can¡¯t you heal yourself?¡± ¡°Why would I train my body? All I do is heal. I¡¯m not really a combatant.¡± ¡°Who lied to you?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°No one lied! Healers don¡¯t fight! Even with the affinities getting past the mental block that makes my magic heal my opponent is near impossible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you train your body!¡± Kyrion was getting so exasperated he forgot to act like Rion. In one of those few instances, Violin could pick up that Kyrion and Rion were the same person and that this secret should stay a bit longer. ¡°Rion! We need go hunting for meat animals.¡± ¡°Meat animals?¡± Kyrion took a second to catch up. ¡°Words. Animals to eat, lots of meat. Sausages too. Enough two tribe.¡± Krion realized that Volain was hinting at something. ¡°Meat Fire?¡± ¡°Meat fire.¡± ¡°Meat fire!¡± Kyrion and Volain yelled in unison before running out of the room. Meat fire was an orcish custom where one or more tribes hunted as much meat as possible, butchered it all, and then cooked it over a large open fire. There were also vegetables, but they weren¡¯t necessary unless humans participated. Because humans need their vegetables or something. Talking in the ancient orc dialect was also customary when referring to the Meat Fire. The meat fire was a two-day cooking event. First, the hunting, then the cooking. Finally, there was the eating. ¡°Who Meat Fire chef?¡± Rion asked after they ¡°Meat master?¡± ¡°I know Meat Master.¡± Kyrion nodded, remembering something about Bella¡¯s background. ¡°Good.¡± The two continued to run as a distressed Uriel failed to keep up. ¡°Bella, Meat Fire!¡± Kyrion slid to a stop, landing between Cecil and Bella. Bella slowly blinked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Meat. Fire.¡± Volain said slowly. ¡°Not adding up.¡± Kyrion grimaced as he uttered the longest-syllable word to describe this ancient orcish tradition: ¡°Barbeque.¡± Volain had never heard that word in his life. How could someone describe the Meat Fire in such a way? ¡°Maku,¡± an orcish derogatory term for someone who used anything with more than two syllables when speaking of the meat fire.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°How much meat will you be bringing?¡± ¡°All meat. Big lots. Meats.¡± Kyrion stretched his arms out. ¡°Rion, you¡¯re interrupting something.¡± Kyrion broke character as he was no longer talking about Meat Fire. ¡°Listen, the fight tomorrow will be three teams against another three teams. The winners will fight each other two days later. Someone up top decided to put Volain and I on the same team.¡± ¡°Fire and water don¡¯t mix, so¡­¡± Cecil raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m more than aware of his current limitations.¡± Volain sighed as well. ¡°Ok good. Who¡¯s the third team?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Cough. ¡°Wait up.¡± Wheeze. Uriel, despite being a practitioner, was heavily winded by that short three-mile parkour-filled sprint. She hadn¡¯t even been chanting Meat Fire the whole time. Rion¡¯s eyes practically oozed the word pathetic. ¡°Is she?¡± ¡°As ignorant as an enemy.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Cecil nodded as he put on his work face. ¡°What brings you here, Uriel? Did something happen to your captain?¡± ¡°Went missing last night, along with quite a few others.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Do you have a suspect?¡± ¡°No. Our captain isn¡¯t that well known due to holding back his power. But he is a storm user.¡± ¡°Is that so? What¡¯s with wind uses, lying about their abilities?¡± Kyrion sighed ¡°Not lying. Just not going all out when he doesn¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°It''s the Same thing in the end. If you die because you are holding back, then you are just a fool,¡± Volain said. ¡°Anyways. I¡¯ll let you finish your date. Meat Fire!¡± Kyrion began to run away. ¡°What was that about? Your in a tournament why are you letting him date?¡± Uriel asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s been a long time coming and it took her getting kidnapped for them to finally get it together. Also, I do love some wedding cake. Since there will hopefully be three weddings in the near future I can¡¯t wait to get tired of it.¡± ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°Ander¡¯s will probably be right after the tournament. His eighteenth birthday is technically in a week. He¡¯ll also begin his graduation exam right before. Can¡¯t seem to recall who it is. Something something thousand blades. Or something.¡± ¡°Technically?¡± ¡°He has a special case where he was raised in a remote area and has lived with his brothers since birth. Eighteen from the day his brothers started counting, they all share a birthday. So it¡¯s likely he¡¯s older.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in the third wedding then?¡± ¡°Who knows. I just want a third cake.¡± Rion noticed a shock of snowy white hair. ¡°Was all that talk back then just for a cake? I¡¯m disappointed.¡± ¡°H-hey, I didn¡¯t find out about wedding cakes until recently. Although¡­¡± ¡°We would also need to get blessings from both our parents.¡± Lin squinted as though she was looking for something. ¡°Hmmm? I doubt my parents will put up much of a fight in this matter. But I don¡¯t recall meeting yours.¡± Lin gave Kyrion a piercing look. ¡°Interesting choice of words.¡± ¡°I have a few gaps in some of my memories. We¡¯ll need to talk soon. But today isn¡¯t that day.¡± ¡°Understandable. Trauma can easily be suppressed.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Meat. Fire.¡± Volain seethed. ¡°I must go hunt.¡± Rion bowed to Lin before turning and sprinting as fast as he could. He¡¯d be sure to season Volain¡¯s portion with a salty laxative Kyrion had long gained an immunity to. If Volain kept up his training, it would do little to him, aside from causing a minor inconvenience.
Cecil was walking back to the bedroom when a crab claw larger than two human heads attempted to decapitate him. Cecil managed to roll under the attack, drawing one of his guns. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I was looking forward to fast food.¡± A short, pink, pink-haired girl with yellow-slitted irises. She appeared maybe two or three years older than Eden, yet that power didn¡¯t belong to any regular human. Cecil scowled. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You won¡¯t live enough to findout.¡± The creature charged at Ander, her form fading from sight. Cecil spread some caltrops around before activating an animation spell. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The crablike claw took hold of Cecil¡¯s and began to squeeze. At that moment, a creature in black armor appeared and backhanded the pink beast. The claw removed a layer of skin and flesh but left the rest intact. The suit of black armor raised a lance made of the same material and stared. White Fox appeared from the shadows and approached. ¡°Apotrix, don¡¯t go running off. Unless you want to end up in my legion. I don¡¯t care who your parents are. You screw this up and the boss will be the one who punishes us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be younger, killjoy.¡± ¡°Besides, killing someone like him would be a waste and a detriment. I¡¯d rather not be hunted to the ends of the universe.¡± ¡°I just wanted to taste his brain. I¡¯d learn so much from it.¡± ¡°Humans need their brains.¡± ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t have gotten enough time to use is. Look up.¡± Apotrix looked up and, for the first time, noticed a series of experts looking down from above, ¡°You¡¯re situational awareness is crap.¡± ¡°Coming from the toddler.¡± ¡°Fine. GO on, let¡¯s pretend I didn¡¯t interfere.¡± White Fox moved a bit away. Apotrix raised her clawed arm and charged. Cecil drew his mana gun. ¡°Do you really not get the situation you¡¯re in?¡± White Fox received a plate of freshly baked cookies from somewhere and watched Apotrix freeze in confusion. The smell was intoxicating and new. Cecil then withdrew some blood and tested it before a curse was placed on the back of Apotrix¡¯s neck. ¡°Half dragon, similar blood to Volain, slightly different fathers it sees. Shit!¡± ¡°And she isn¡¯t the only one.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Bastards of Gios, a new unit that you¡¯ll need to deal with.¡± ¡°As in Kyrgios?¡± ¡°Yup. I don¡¯t care much for them as they aren¡¯t anything like me. Mindless hunger and bloodlust. I know what I want.¡± White raised a cookie and left. ¡°Do me a favor, don¡¯t enter the next match, get your stuff ready for things like that! There will be more.¡± Cecil looked up to the experts and scowled as they¡¯d left. Cecil then restrained the creature and called for the headmaster. He¡¯d leave the integration to the professionals. He had work to do.
¡°Hey kid, come here. I have candy.¡± Said a pink-haired man with sunshades. ¡°Ok.¡± Bastion looked up curiously and decided that going to the stranger was a good idea. Eden looked at Bastion as they shook her head. ¡°Bad idea.¡± Bastion ignored the suggestion. Strangers had good candy, in his experience¡ªthe kind that helped people find unicorns. At least those were the thoughts a telepath would pick up on with a surface reading. Any deeper, and one would wonder who the predator was in this situation. ¡°Excuse me, sir. What candies do you have? I have two copper.¡± Bastion was within grabbing distance when his gloves covered his left hand, which had been hidden in a pocket as he was digging for two copper. ¡°This is free candy.¡± ¡°My dad said not to take free candy. There must be trade.¡± ¡°You¡¯re father may be wise. Or he may be a fool. Hey I won¡¯t tell him if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Bastion held out his left hand for the candy. ¡°Too easy!¡± The pink-haired man grabbed the outstretched limb. ¡°Oww! Why?¡± Bastion yelled in surprise. ¡°A man¡¯s gotta eat. And you just happened to be dumb enough to approach.¡± ¡°Eat? You¡¯re trying to eat me?¡± Bastion¡¯s tone went from terrified to stupefied, but he ruined the act with an uncontrolled snort. The pink-haired man¡¯s arm grew scales as he brought Bastion closer to its mouth. Bastion looked the man in the eye and sighed as he tightened his grip on the creature¡¯s soul. ¡°Devour.¡± The pink-haired man fell limp as something vital to his survival had been ripped out. He was neither alive nor dead as his heart was still beating, and his brain was still active. Yet he would never walk again and expire soon enough, for the man had no soul or core. Even its draconic potential had been torn from it. No magic that could heal a soul would work as it required a sliver. Bastion turned and began walking back to a confused Eden, only to trip over a pebble and fall flat on his face, cutting up one of his legs. ¡°Bastion!¡± Eden ran over. ¡°Can I go one day without tripping!¡± Bastion uselessly brought his hand to the ground. ¡°It looked like that pebble rolled into your path. You really have bad luck.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find Mr.Rion.¡± ¡°Before you do that, I have questions.¡± Drisil¡¯s headmaster appeared from nothing. ¡°Ah so you were watching us.¡± ¡°I was not the pebble. But I must know, how old are you really?¡± Bastion held out five fingers. ¡°Around this many I think.¡± ¡°That¡­How did you do that to a man like that. I thought you just stole abilities.¡± ¡°My core is small due to my natural ability. My hand consumes all, the longer I hold the more I take. The smaller the creature¡¯s current size the faster.¡± ¡°And that hair on top of your head? Some of it just changed colors.¡± Bastion touched the strip of hair, and it faded from red to black. ¡°Side effects from using this ability I think.¡± Bastion did not maintain eye contact as he said that. ¡°I see. Who are these creatures working for?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re part of the other side¡¯s incursion force, that or someone is sending people across the gap. They didn¡¯t have a mana core.¡± The headmaster passed Bastion a potion. ¡°Quit looking for trouble.¡± ¡°Trouble has a habit of finding me.¡± Bastion sighed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s in your blood.¡± The headmaster smiled softly. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 38 Cold Flame Ander watched in irritation as a hand of magma rose out of the ground, using Kyrion¡¯s blood as fuel while becoming an extension of his body. He had made up for the inability to use expert tier levels of high magic by using his blood and D.E. It was a powerful technique, but it was also too much for a dragon like that. ¡°So¡­Even if our people managed to draw blood, he¡¯d just use it as fuel for his magic?¡± ¡°Better that then let it get used against him in some sort of weapon.¡± ¡°Ander, can you move like that in the air?¡± ¡°Faster actually. But moving that quickly for extended periods causes me to lose sight of what¡¯s important. I essentially become a force of nature. Lightning that cares not for friend or foe.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll be having any trouble.¡± Chiyo sighed. Ander looked at the various rifts that were still present. Given the number, it was likely that the dragon came from one of those rifts. When it was defeated, only one rift seemed to weaken. Like a vulture, Ander pointed his spear at the rift he¡¯d noticed.¡± Honored father, send for an elite group to join us. These rifts seem to be dungeons.¡± ¡°Honored father? You must really want something.¡± ¡°More of a confirmation. If that is a dungeon, then there will be more monsters coming.¡± Ander bowed. ¡°And you want me to keep it a secret long enough for you to confirm.¡± ¡°The difficulty at least. If people from your world can handle it then I¡¯ll gladly step aside and help with the big beasts.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about dungeons?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°Personalized loot. Also, the cores can be quite useful, or so I¡¯ve observed. I don¡¯t think anyone can just absorb them though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mighty greedy of you.¡± ¡°It is a recent vice. I¡¯m not sure why but I have a new desire to obtain all the treasure I can.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become a capitalist. You haven¡¯t had access to this world¡¯s currency as of yet¡­¡± ¡°Treasure is more than just money,¡± Ander said with a scowl. He usually saw himself as a minimalist, but now he craved power and riches. Ander sent a bolt of electricity through his brain and scowled as it connected with something with a powerful barrier, causing him to fall to a knee. ¡°Ander!¡± Chiyo caught her stumbling fiance. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s the blood. All that draconic essence flowing about caused my mind to go a bit haywire. We should learn from the dungeon and use it to grow your world¡¯s powerbase.¡± ¡°Draconic essence?¡± ¡°In my world it is known as the curse of the dragon. When one becomes a dragonslayer certain changes happen to their body. One being an increased appetite on top of greater physical prowess, and greater potential for physical growth. It also helps us mentally allowing us to sense the power within other dragons and the blood of dragon slayers, although it also imparts some of their instincts. This power passes on for one generation and usually dies out, unless that child also kills a dragon and awakens the bloodline. I recently killed a dragon, thus I¡¯m not used to it but now that I can sense the gap in out power, I now know the way my captain kept ahead of me.¡± Ander said calmly as his sclera darkened and his canines extended into fangs. ¡°Demonic white tiger. I can see it now.¡± Junichiro nodded. If he was being honest, he had a similar greed when he was younger, though he didn¡¯t exactly have an excuse. It was just his nature. Given that he could plan decades ahead, he may have been a bit of an investor. Ander¡¯s eyes slowly faded as he realized what he was doing. Pulling on Byakko subconsciously seemed easier. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ander didn¡¯t speak again until after the transport vessel was close enough to safely let him down. Ander¡¯s party consisted of an old man, a lightning user, his fiance, a ninja with black cloth over their eyes, and a wiz¨Conmyoji. It was a diverse party, and despite saying he wanted his group to mostly sit out, his order was rebuffed, and they were limited to a five-person group. ¡°Ok. Simple, you all have one job and that is to survive and come out alive. I won¡¯t step in unless it appears as though you¡¯ll take a lethal injury. How does that sound?¡± ¡°How will you know if we¡¯ll get a lethal injury?¡± The Onmyoji asked. ¡°Experience,¡± Ander said bluntly and directly. If he was being honest, he¡¯d know the difference between someone holding back and someone pushing their limits in a fight for a while. It was something he¡¯d done to match opponents in the past. A fight wasn¡¯t a learning experience if your opponent ended up in a heap on the ground before they could process what happened. ¡°You¡¯re too young to have that kind of experience.¡± The Ninja stated. ¡°Are you calling me short?¡± Ander asked in a polite tone. He was wary of people who hid their eyes. But if the Ninja wanted a fight, he¡¯d give them one. ¡°No, you are yet to reach twenty, based on your scent and presence.¡± ¡°Oh, things work differently back home. I¡¯ve trained since the day I learned to walk, practiced many forms before I gained my spear. I have been leading my peers through training regimes for years now. I can tell when someone is pushing their limit, or when constantly trying to hold back.¡± The Ninja frowned briefly before their face went blank. ¡°He¡¯s probably the strongest person in this group in terms of offense. Although I asked that he takes a more active role if more than two monsters appear. I won¡¯t be much help after all.¡± The old man stated matter of factly.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I will do so when I deem it necessary. This is a test of your people. Dungeons tend to be balanced for teams of three or four. Or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± Ander recalled his trip through Kyrion¡¯s dungeon. The spirit in charge was pissed when Ander overpowered monsters with Kyrie. It also confirmed that Kyrion held back in many ways during battles against humans. Ander stepped into the rift and watched as the world became a room made of blue stones. There was a group of eight blue-scaled tiny lizard people in rags, holding torches and slingshots that were made to sling ice cubes. ¡°If trained warriors can¡¯t handle these guys, the earth might as well give up now.¡± Ander shouted as he poked his head through. Ander returned to where he stood and eyed the eight creatures who had readied their slings with ice cubes. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Chain weak stun.¡± Ander shot an arcing blue bolt of lightning that passed through all eight kobolds in less than a second, causing them to seize. Within the next few seconds, the seizing stopped, and all the kobolds gave up resisting. The other four members of Ander¡¯s team entered momentarily. Surprised by the statuesque kobolds. ¡°These eight are pretty weak. The three of you should be able to hold them.¡± Ander canceled his spell and watched as the confused kobolds regained their faculties despite being dazed. ¡°Attack.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The Ninja vanished as a series of metal shuriken flew forward and pierced the creature¡¯s scales, causing three to fall over dead easily. The Onmioji threw a single paper doll into the crowd and watched as it connected with the creature, causing it to vanish into a blue light. The shape changed, and the paper doll now resembled a blue box. ¡°Come forth Icy Flame Draklin!¡± From the box appeared a slightly bigger blue kobold with a katana that burned in blue flames. ¡°I thought they were kobolds¡­ Must have been sacrificed to form that dragon. Oh I think I get it¡­ The dragon was the combined form of a bunch of these Draklins, essence. This dungeon may be much weaker than I expected if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°Omi guy, did you just tame that monster?¡± ¡°I formed a contract. It only wants bugs and small tributs of meat.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Ander felt a familiar tug of irritation. Pride he didn¡¯t recall having in the draconic species. He zapped his brain again, the influence fading. ¡°Why are you zapping yourself?¡± ¡°That creature may not be a dragon, but it¡¯s disgusting? I dunno, looking at it makes the draconic energy in my soul burn. I need to subdue it.¡± Ander emptied his mind and let Byako¡¯s influence counter the draconic energy. If Ander told anyone that the reason he was vulnerable to charm effects had to do with him keeping Byako caged within his mind, they¡¯d be more worried than they are now. The tiger in the mental prison smirked. ¡°So, you have finally entered Hell.¡± Ander scowled, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Nothing that should matter to you. I have been here before. After I was banished from my homeland. Now I live within you. Why don¡¯t you let me offer you a deal. You let me eat that draconic energy you¡¯ve been absorbing, and I¡¯ll prevent its influence from bothering you. All the benefits, none of the detriments. In return I¡¯ll gain strength as well and the barrier between us will weaken.¡± ¡°How are you better than a dragon?¡± Ander didn¡¯t trust it, but it chose him. ¡°Because we can only bind due to compatibility. You won¡¯t get shorter by sharing that power with me if that¡¯s what has you concerned.¡± Ander was concerned about it, but he wouldn¡¯t say that aloud. ¡°Fine, we need to trust each other if we are to survive together. So why a spearhead?¡± ¡°I was curious about what you¡¯d use it for.¡± ¡°And I attached it to an enchanted wooden pole my brother bought.¡± ¡°Good on you for using a spear to compensate for your height as well as help you master flight early. I didn¡¯t expect you to figure out magnetizing the metal prongs to channel lightning without my help though.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I doubt I¡¯ll pull that out during a match. The potency increase would bypass any wards killing anyone pierced lethally before they could activate. I¡¯m better off using my fingers to dilute my discharge. I have nothing against you if all you want is to offer me power, for power but. What will happen to the potential I gained from killing the dragon?¡± ¡°It will go into me and in turn you, when you reach expert, and the realm above, we¡¯ll duel for supremacy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t intend to follow that path. So you should ask for something else. Maybe reincarnation or another body altogether.¡± ¡°Ander? Are you ready to continue?¡± Chiyo interrupted Ander¡¯s internal dialogue. He¡¯d finish it later. ¡°A pact, I can put it off a bit longer.¡± Ander summoned his spear and snapped the metal bit off his head; he pulled the remaining wood out from there. It was a secret he¡¯d kept close to his heart. He was already short for his age, and when his spirit awakened a long arrowhead, he was concerned, and with great effort and training, he¡¯d managed to get it to grow. Now that he knew what the item was, he understood that the spearhead was the manifestation of the top of Byako¡¯s claw. ¡°Or! Isn¡¯t that wooden part important?¡± ¡°That? The wood was something my older brother bought me to help me get over my usefulness. Nothing but training wheels that I need to lose.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Chiyo examined the small object and watched as Ander placed it in the palm of his hand and pressed down. In moments, half of the head sunk into his flesh while the other broke off. With some irritation and loud crackling, the second part entered his opposite hand. Mana flowed through his body while life energy followed, pushing him to walk and move differently as though his hands naturally rejected being close. When he gathered them together, the repulsion grew. Pushing them caused lighting to crackle between his fingers, and he pushed them away from each other. Before a chain snapped, claws of black lighting could be seen. ¡°Come to me, Raijin,¡± Ander said in their language, and a broken hilt appeared in his hands. The lighting on his fingers formed a black blade of condensed lightning in moments. ¡°Where did you find that katana?¡± Junichro looked at the Kanji written on the hilt with recognition. ¡°Well¡­my captain was responsible for the destruction of the blade, and the spirit was given to me as a gift. I have been able to summon the hilt for a time and use black lightning, but this is the first time I managed to get the blade to ignite like this.¡± Ander focused on slowing mana flow through his body to a relatively normal state and felt the limits in movement were released as his spirit returned to his core and the hilt in his hands. The marks on his hands stayed along with the sensation of power. But the draconic pride was slowly fading. ¡°Good to go?¡± ¡°Lead the way, my duty is as backup here.¡± The following few rooms were full of puzzles and traps that proved straightforward to the humans from this world, and the fights were laughable. Within two hours, the group made it to the end, as the boss had already been beaten. Chiyo received a black lower-face mask with ivory fangs and tusks. It was quite intimidating to look at and may have been the result of her slaughtering small dragon creatures like a merciless demon. The exorcist received a new hat that was a foot taller than his previous one and black in color. The Ninja was going to open his box when Ander shocked him. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ander moved towards a wall in the room, punched through it, and pulled out a twelve-sided die. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°The dungeon core. Place it above your heart.¡± The Ninja did so, and pain shot through his¡­no, her body. The scream that they let out was noticeably feminine. It shouldn¡¯t cause pain, should it? ¡°Ander moved to remove the die when the kunoichi grabbed his wrist with a vice-like grip and wouldn¡¯t let go. Unlike his captain, Ander couldn¡¯t heal a broken wrist or removed hand, and it would be wrong if he¡¯d taken it. ¡°Grandfather, a bit of help! She grabbed my hand and won¡¯t let go!¡± Chiyo looked up and saw the scene from a very bad angle. Within seconds, three things occurred. The kunoichi integrated the core into her body and passed out, pulling Ander forward. The pommel of Chiyo¡¯s Katana slammed into Ander¡¯s temple instead of the gut, giving him a minor concussion and causing the ninja girl¡¯s wrist to break before she let go. Old man Junichro managed to steal a relatively revealing Nina uniform from the chest that wasn¡¯t opened and hid it. It may have been a bad habit, but chances are, it would be for the better if it was found somewhere else. Book 3: Chapter 19 Spawn of Gios Rion and Volain finished their meat hunt and decided to separate when they were near their housing areas. They wouldn¡¯t need to strategize as the two didn¡¯t want to reveal all their secrets to each other despite the friendly front they were keeping up. They would have to fight sooner rather than later. ¡°That holding power of yours is convenient.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Have you tried using it in combat?¡± ¡°Like shooting projectiles out of my domain? It¡¯s possible but not combat effective.¡± Thawing rocks from it would be a decent attack, but he had an earth affinity, which was more effective and versatile. ¡°Understandable.¡± ¡°Also, Tiffany has some issues with me throwing houses at people. Bigger items cost proportionally more mana or something. Powering them with force also costs more mana.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Now dropping things from above is fair game.¡± ¡°I see. How long are you just going to use fire during this tournament?¡± ¡°Probably until we fight.¡± Kyrion answered. ¡°The fights won¡¯t be fair.¡± ¡°Yeah, if the numbers have truly dropped. Then chances are the next match won¡¯t be fun unless we make it fun.¡± ¡°Meat Fire.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rion nodded, and the two split at Volain¡¯s lodgings. Rion, now free, felt something clawing at the inside of his skull. The first assassin arrived a moment later. ¡°You¡¯re dead, Rion.¡± A pink-haired beast raised a giant club and brought it down on the back of Rion¡¯s head. The club shattered on impact as Rion slowly turned with a tired expression. ¡°You¡¯re pretty weak, bud.¡± ¡°You broke my club!¡± ¡°So¡­ You were trying to kill me right?¡± Rion cracked his neck. ¡°Of course!¡± The pink-haired man picked up a rock and brought it down to Kyrion¡¯s head. The rock connected, and only dust remained. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°Competition.¡± The brute focused power into their fist. ¡°And you think you can kill m¨C¡± The punch connected and the brutes wrist was broken against Rion¡¯s jaw. ¡°You broke my wrist!¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Rion grabbed the man by his head and began to spin. As the brute was moving at a reasonable speed. Rion launched him to the elven detainment facility, then watched as the defenses activated and various spells turned the man into ash. ¡°That was supposed to be the prison.¡± Kyrion felt guilty for all three seconds before a second brute appeared. ¡°You killed my brother!¡± Kyrion poked the man in a spot near the back of their spine and knocked them out. ¡°So weak.¡± Rion then proceeded to drag the unconscious brute across the city. Which would have been a bad idea if he had intended to avoid conflict Something clicked as he beat one of the brutes bad enough that they started crying. Bad enough meant he didn¡¯t knock them out in one hit. ¡°These brutes are bloody children! Why the hell do you have a beard!¡± Kyrion shook the crying brute with the bearded face of a man in his fifties and a receding hairline. ¡°I hatched like this!¡± ¡°What type of human hatches!¡± ¡°I am no human! I¡¯m a dragon!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kyrion slapped the dragon and sighed as they passed out. Then he threw them into a prison in his domain, bringing the total number of brutes in his domain to seventy-four. ¡°The bigger the clutch the weaker the dragon in its infancy. Which meant more attention was required early on. Usually to keep them from eating each other.¡±
Kyrion scowled as he was back at a meeting. Only the people present were different. Gamodren, a black knight, White Fox, and a red-haired girl with piercing golden eyes were standing on one side of the table. Headmaster Caeden, Cecil, and Charles were on the other side of the table. ¡°Um¡­ There¡¯s team Triple C and the Republic¡¯s Snakes. Where do I fit in this?¡± Kyrion sighed as he closed the door and let his form shift back to its natural state. If he needed to deal with the knight and red-haired brat, he would. He wanted to be in a clear state of mind, not the aggressive nature of Rion¡¯s default. ¡°Are you going to summon two bodies for us?¡± Kyrie asked, finally able to exert his voice again. ¡°It¡¯s been boring. Ever since you got stronger, it became harder for us to speak to you.¡± Kyra stated her consciousness floating upside down in his consciousness. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go self actualizing and become a split personality.¡± Said an irritated Kyrion. ¡°Huh? But.¡± Rion was having an existential crisis. Kyrion started laughing. ¡°I¡¯m messing with you. Though on a serious note. I can¡¯t fully merge with you while pretending to be Rion, our natural state will be faster and we¡¯ll regain what was lost sooner rather than later. You have everything up to meeting that scarf, now it¡¯s time you recall a bit more about the other plane.¡± ¡°Now go back, Gamodren has withdrawn a dagger.¡± Kyrion blinked and dove to the side as a chicken bode buried itself in the wall where Kyrions head had been. ¡°Oi¡± ¡°Looks like your back student.¡± Gamoden nodded. ¡°In more ways than one.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Perfect. Gamodren, what can you tell us about the new threat?¡± ¡°Dragons mature at a rate different than humans, and half dragons mature at a slower rate than dragons. In that regard it appears that your enemy has unleashed a hoard of six year old half dragons. Alpirdran, what is your purpos?¡± ¡°We are here to ensure the Beastblood empire wins. Brother, why have you brought me here?¡± ¡°To understand.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Look at the red haired man right there. Doesn¡¯t he look familiar?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­Daddy?¡± ¡°Oh abyss!¡± Kyrion dove to the side as a pillar of ice erupted from under his feet. ¡°Care to explain?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Kyr-gi-os!¡± Kyrion seethed as he attempted to open a portal. He was being anchored. ¡°That¡¯s my daddy¡¯s name, yes. But I¡¯ve only seen paintings.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin nodded an apology to Kyrion and sighed. ¡°Who is that?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°He¡¯s one of my shards, and an enemy I need to dispose of.¡± ¡°So not daddy.¡± White Fox looked at her with a smug expression. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll adopt you if you ask. Or look desperate enough. He¡¯s the type to shelter every war orphan he comes across.¡± ¡°Wait¡­Something sounds off. But I don¡¯t know what.¡± Gamodren grimaced and twirled a smoking pipe. ¡°Back on topic. For reasons Involving my own life, pulling out of this tournament will probably result in my assassination. As things become clearer, I will realize that I¡¯m no longer under that compulsion. For example, the Black Knight goes to stand next to Drisil¡¯s headmaster. The black knight slowly walked around the table, stopping near the headmaster. ¡°Now please remove your helmet.¡± The helmet was removed, revealing a more mature female face with more refined features that were quite familiar. She¡¯d clearly gotten much stronger. ¡°Die, progenitor!¡± The red-haired lunged across the table only for her face to connect with an invisible wall. ¡°Uhh¡­Gamodren? What the hell was that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kyrion moved his hand to the side, pushing the wall and the strange brat to the side. ¡°What the hell, was that?¡± Cecil asked ¡°Bloodline compulsion.¡± Headmaster Caeden said stoically. ¡°Explain.¡± Kyrion looked between the father and son on opposite sides. They had maintained that position since the conversation. A hooded figure had replaced Cere¡¯s position and stayed silent. ¡°My siblings and I are infused with a bloodline order from the egg, that order is repeated on our hatching. That order above all else is to be followed, except for when under certain conditions. Should killing a Proginiter go against another bloodline order, or by someone with enough willpower to delay the command. The latter are killed to make an example to the former. Usually, but the urge doesn¡¯t leave, it whispers constantly when one is in sight.¡± Ceres put her helmet back on, and the whirling brat slowed to a stop. She then looked around in confusion. ¡°Where did it go?¡± ¡°Regardless, I needed Ceres to see to understand a few of our previous interactions. Now that it¡¯s done. To the main matter, I have recently gained access to an ability that lets me absolve my mothers orders from my siblings. Doing so however will instead make them subservient to me instead. A prospect that sickens me, thus the only viable solution would be if my former student agreed to let me keep them in his domain. Where they can grow and be somewhere our mother couldn¡¯t reach them.¡± ¡°How many are there?¡± ¡°Around a hundred and five as far as I can tell. Ten have died, Charles has captured fourteen, Cecil one, father has found one in a soulless state by mysterious circumstances and saved another.¡± ¡°Soulless? Does that mean what I think it means?¡± White Fox shook his head. ¡°Someone destroyed the soul but left the body intact. Just ripped it out. I don¡¯t know if that one attacked the wrong ranker but.¡± Charles shot Kyrion a look. ¡°Have you been ripping out souls lately? Master?¡± ¡°I only killed one¡­on accident. I threw them at the prison and they got incinerated by its defenses.¡± ¡°I saw that¡­The prison thought it was an attack and a well-concentrated mana blast,¡± the hooded man said in a neutral tone. ¡°Ignorance is an effective killer. Well now you know.¡± Gamodren didn¡¯t seem bothered. ¡°Did you run into any more?¡± ¡°I have about seventy five in my domain currently. After I threw the first one they just kept coming.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t antagonize them.¡± ¡°Abyss yeah I antagonized them. They¡¯ve been killing people. They attacked me first.¡± ¡°Mmmhhmmm.¡± Gamodren moved on. ¡°So we are nearly through. The last few are stronger than the rest so be on guard.¡± ¡°Stronger?¡± ¡°Alpha¡¯s are stronger than the rest. Cecil faced one and almost lost a leg.¡± ¡°Ceres, saved my life. I underestimated them due to their size and familiar hair color.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an Alpha. The one being pressed against the wall is what I¡¯d call an Elite. A step up from the Alpha¡¯s and usually the first mother kills.¡± The red-haired half-dragon looked at Gamodren in horror. ¡°She hasn¡¯t made an example out of any of you yet?¡± ¡°She killed a few of the runts but left me alone. I was supposed to be her favorite.¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°She would, in fact I believe your power is the only thing keeping you alive. Apparently she lost two anchors and can¡¯t afford to send their leader to this world.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°Strange how two anchors mysteriously disappear.We aren¡¯t pushovers.¡± ¡°Fox¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m technically a merc your guys hired. My contract is about to expire. Time loops aren¡¯t covered.¡± White Fox looked to Charles. ¡°It was an oathbound contract. If not paid by the end of the month the failing party will lose a portion of their holdings and influence which will come to me in any way I desire. The month ends in five days.¡± ¡°On the day the tournament ends.¡± Cecil nodded ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°The incursion will follow as well.¡± The hooded figure said. ¡°How can you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m different from most. Certain laws don¡¯t apply to me.¡± Charles looked at Kyrion before Gamodren. ¡°Do you know who kidnapped my grandson?¡± ¡°You have a grandson?¡± Kyrion was dumbstruck. ¡°I¡¯m old, Kyrion. I have a son that¡¯s around the same age as your parents.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Your grandfather had his kids relatively late.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t fight here¡­Both Lok and Cordelia are childhood friends of mine. To be fair I think Kyrion and Sinbad are friends as well.¡± ¡°Sinbad?! I don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°We both have blue hair.¡± ¡°But he gives off a slothful air that you couldn¡¯t pull off without me being dead.¡± ¡°Only while you¡¯re around. Can¡¯t show weaknesses to someone I am destined to serve.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust me like I don¡¯t trust you. You know something I don¡¯t, and I recently heard a tale of two stowaways. The source wasn¡¯t very truthworth as they tried to kill me when I let my guard down to listen.¡± ¡°Most of it is true. But it isn¡¯t one many alive still know. Do you know why?¡± ¡°I will choose to remain ignorant of the story¡¯s truthfulness.¡± ¡°Good, now, then, two of my students killed about three of those lizards. They attacked our own the night before and they dealt with them soundly. I don¡¯t imagine teaming them up would un-burn that bridge.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ I get most of this. But why is there a hooded figure here? Who are you? Kyrion, why do you trust these people with your identity?¡± The hooded figure removed its hood, revealing a pale white face with a black sclera and murky green eyes. A single goat¡¯s horn protruded from the right side of his head, allowing black hair with a crimson tinge to appear. ¡°He¡¯s I was looking forward to that rematch.¡± ¡°Ah well that figures.¡± Cecil looked to White Fox. ¡°Hmmm? I personally invested in your group succeeding. I am the fox that was sent to guard the henhouse.¡± White Fox reached for another cookie and proceeded to bite down on air. ¡°It appears he¡¯s run out? Ceres, you need to be on top of things.¡± Charles stated ¡°Why would¡­¡± Ceres looked to Kyrion, who had been quietly chewing while everyone was distracted. White Fox looked up and followed Cere¡¯s gaze to an empty area in the room. ¡°You didn¡¯t!¡± Kyrion stealthily returned five of the pilfered confections. ¡°Looks like you have a few cavities. More than a few. How did you get your teeth so sharp anyways.¡± ¡°I hate you!¡± White Fox bit down on the hand, hovering around his mouth, surprising Kyrion as it was strong enough to break his skin. ¡°Interesting.¡± Kyrion couldn¡¯t move his body, and his regeneration had been shut off. Then suddenly, Kyrion watched as his hand opened a portal and removed the well-hidden cookies and some pre-packaged sweets that Kyrion hadn¡¯t remembered putting in there. White Fox opened his portal, shocking all the present practitioners and watching as they were placed into his domain. ¡°There, replaced. I no longer hate you.¡± The blood in Kyrion¡¯s body returned to its normal state, and his regeneration closed the wound. ¡°That is an interesting power. You can make wounded enemies use their mana can¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Allies as well. Sometimes I¡¯ll notice an attack and force a dodge or barrier spell. I can also dig anything I want out of those special places we have. So long as I know it¡¯s in there, but I don¡¯t have to be specific.¡± ¡°I think I get it. Charles, you¡¯re secretly an old man that looks young!¡± ¡°Where did that come from?¡± Charles tried and failed diplomacy. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I get it. Being called old sucks. But you don¡¯t have to change the subject.¡± Kyrion said, trying to escape the other existential crisis White Fox was putting him through. Would he know if snacks he didn¡¯t remember were stolen? Rion¡¯s scarf seemed to shift as though fearing for its meal ticket. A clap took Kyrion¡¯s attention away as the opposing team left the room, followed by the headmaster and Cecil. Leaving Kyrion alone with Lin and Charles. Charles bowed and turned around, his presence absent. Kyrion scowled. ¡°So¡­Did you know that we were betrothed?¡± Lin raised an eyebrow as she hadn¡¯t expected that question. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Well it was a bit ago and even my memory is fuzzy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking this way too late in the game. Did you forget?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ to be perfectly honest, I did not know that when we met,¡± Kyrion said honestly before the light left his eyes. I didn¡¯t recognize you, and to be honest, those years are the hardest to recall. Between the unicorns hopping around, random flashes of light, and colorful trees, I can¡¯t tell the truth from a dream.¡± ¡°Did you give me that orchid on a whim?¡± Kyrion would not admit that the purpose was to see her flustered or that he had a serious hoarding issue when it came to the plants he created. ¡°If you¡¯re asking if I knew you were coming, then the answer is no. But I did believe a flower of such beauty would be right at home with you.¡± Lin¡¯s face began to redden before a chill passed over her, and she sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t do this with every pretty girl you see, right?¡± Kyrion felt like he was suddenly standing on a knife¡¯s edge. He didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°You are a special case. My heart may have been moving faster than my brain.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have any other special cases? I¡¯ve seen the way some of your teammates and the black knight look at you.¡± ¡°Ceres is family, although she¡¯s practically a toddler in terms of knowledge and common sense. Who else is there?¡± ¡°The other princess in your life.¡± ¡°Best friend¡¯s sister who had an odd fixation on beating the snot out of me. Although I discovered the sister part recently.¡± ¡°Just like Nicole then?¡± ¡°Yes in the sense that they are obsessive and annoying in their pursuit. I was perfectly fine being friends with Nico.¡± ¡°What about Tiffany?¡± ¡°I saved her life and she¡¯s kept an eye on me.¡± ¡°Last girl I have to worry about would be Hel then.¡± ¡°You¡¯d need to worry about Eden, long before even considering Hel.¡± ¡°She thinks of you as an adoptive father, so no.¡± ¡°Wait¡­Do I have kids now? I thought they were the headmaster¡¯s problem.¡± ¡°Who saved them, fed them, and was there when they needed someone.¡± ¡°I did the first two, then passed the baton to the headmaster.¡± ¡°Uh huh. Don¡¯t think that you can just hand out your obligations. Bastion copies you, try to be a better example.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t copy me.¡± Kyrion said as he shifted into Rion, his bones moving under his skin. ¡°He does think you¡¯re a hero.¡± Rion scowled. He¡¯d need to check in on the kid sooner rather than later. Any heroics he¡¯d do would probably do more harm than good for everyone involved. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 39 Tea, or Wine Kyrion looked at the emergency vials of water mana he¡¯d managed to produce and sighed. Following the potion recipe and adding yeast, sugar, and water, he created along with the blue mana vials he¡¯d made. He¡¯d received the recipe from a man who worked at an Italian vineyard. The ratios are carefully chosen. The Italian Janitor wore a red uniform, relatively short and stocky, while his brother wore green. ¡°And you say I just need to let it ferment for a long time?¡± ¡°The longer the better. Your Tea (wine) will turn out much better.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion nodded. Who would have thought he¡¯d figure out Italian so quickly. Though he¡¯d never heard of Tea requiring an alchemical base and fruit. It kind of reminded him of alchemy, albeit much more straightforward. Instinctively, Kyrion heated the liquid inside for a few minutes. Before they boped Kyrion on the head softly but sternly. ¡°You should put it in a cask, not a potion bottle. For mass production. Tea ages better in high quality wooden casks. There are also newer steel casks that provide a different taste.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Kyrion proceeded to have Karl turn the coconut trees he¡¯d collected into casks and enchant them, followed by copying the wooden casks he¡¯d previously enchanted to hold fruit indefinitely only; instead of a stasis enchantment, these had a durability enchantment. As different Tea (Wine) barrels appeared, Kyrion began the brewing process on a larger scale, using his new fruits as experimental supplements. By the time he was done, there were over 31 varieties of Tea to be tested. Six were distilled once, 13 twice, 10 three times, 1 four times, and 1 more a fifth time, and 4 different casks were placed to age them in. He had 124 flavors of Tea (wine) to test out. ¡°Now, then, if what you said is true, these barrels should age within that dungeon. Although it didn¡¯t have air suitable for humans inside. Years pass in minutes or so I¡¯ve been told. With my speed I¡¯ll load them up. Then when we¡¯re done everyone gets Tea!¡± The French branch cheered that they had tried to teach him Italian, but for reasons unrelated to them, Kyrion managed to figure it out much faster. Something about pasta is a multiversal constant. ¡°He sure learns languages fast.¡± Jis stated as he watched the chaos. ¡°No¡­there are fundamental gaps. How one hears wine and gets Tea is beyond my understanding.¡± Kilo added. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Context, he doesn¡¯t drink booze, if you ask him correctly, but we both know he smelled like he¡¯d downed quite a few drinks like they were juice. When I asked him what he drank he said it reminded him of Tea, only not as strong.¡± ¡°So, he mixed up the word back home and it stuck with him. So, he thinks he¡¯s distilling a fruity tea, but he¡¯s making wine. Should we stop him?¡± ¡°This is an experiment. If it works, then we will need to find a way to harness this rift.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to let him get wasted? What kind of cousin are you?¡± ¡°The kind that wants to see him acting like an idiot.¡± Kilo laughed a bit. Truth be told, it was really to see if it worked. Tests and experiments could be expedited if done correctly. Something that could be a boon to our world. ¡°Also we could sell it for a profit to buy parts.¡± ¡°I felt like you skipped over something.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah Park.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my family name. It¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Would you rather I call you Agent Jin-Hwan?¡± ¡°Only if you let me call you Mr.Julian.¡± ¡°I prefer Kilo.¡± ¡°And I prefer Jin.¡± At that time, Kyrion loaded all the booze up, placed watches with batteries that lasted years and waited. Waiting five minutes resulted in a measured period of twenty-five years passing. Waiting twenty resulted in a century as the clocks were replaced. The wine was tasted briefly, though some proved too strong for human consumption. Kyrion kept the three or higher distillations and donated the rest, as most of them seemed to enhance their magic and abilities despite making some people drunk. ¡°These guys can¡¯t hold their tea.¡± Kyrion drank the azure liquid from a teacup like a noble.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Are you buzzed?¡± Kilo asked ¡°No, but it tastes pretty good. Though it¡¯s more juice than Tea.¡± Kyrion¡¯s face had a slight flush. The batch he¡¯d just consumed sat at 90 proof and went down disturbingly smooth. ¡°So, how do you like this world?¡± ¡°Funz and unaresting..Interesting¡­Close enough. I miss Lin, who could be here.¡± Kyrion sighed as the flush faded, and his regeneration kicked the fog out of his system. ¡°Only forty five?¡± ¡°You¡¯re noisy. Huh my mana increased¡­ Well that¡¯s broken.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like I drank aged mana. Quite curious.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°Hmm¡­Jin, go try the dangerous Tea.¡± Kilo pushed Jin slightly forward. ¡°What? But my powers require my brain to work.¡± Jin sighed. ¡°And I don¡¯t have my body here.¡± Kilo added. Kyrion moved to the fruit he¡¯d sprinkled powdered walnuts into with fire. Took out a teacup and extracted the liquid. From there, he¡¯d given the teacup to Jin. ¡°This is peer pressure, so you know.¡± Jin looked at Kyrion as the mana rushed through his body and head, causing him to heat up. Before his brain went through a hard reset, he passed out, much like the others. ¡°Oh. So that¡¯s what happened. You humans can¡¯t hold our Tea at all.¡± Kyrion sighed as he saw Ander approaching with some irritation on his face. ¡°Friendly fire?¡± ¡°Tea party. Duh. Now then, could you show me how to give Jin, that qi stuff?¡± ¡°Is he an Esper?¡± ¡°Correct. Also, drinking the Tea can cause the power inside to awaken mind and body are both enhanced. Teach me how to start it up.¡± Ander focused a ball of life energy into his hands, which greatly resembled his healing ability. He scowled as Kyrioin immediately started moving. Only his hands resembled those of a surgeon with knowledge of how it affected the human body. Within moments, Kyrion had incorporated every organ, bone, and muscle fiber into the system and sighed as he performed over two hundred cuts. Jinichiro had already written down and recorded the process. ¡°Just had to show me up ey?¡± ¡°Well you are a great teacher, while i¡¯m a great healer. To be fair, you left room for more powers to grow while I didn¡¯t. Chiyo should be able to take up spirit mastery while Jin is limited to this world¡¯s magic. It¡¯s also quite easy to do this much.¡± Kyrion then moved and repeated the process on every unconscious solder here. These people taught him how to make earth tea. It was the least he could do. Everyone who woke up the next day had a hangover and a gap in memory as the mystery booze was taken back to the U.S., where Kyrion was currently one of their assets. The two brothers who taught Kyrion everything he knew, however, wandered into a rift that closed, sending the two drunk brothers to another world. A legion of agents from the NEU would one day form a task force known as the Hungover Legion, and they would serve as one of the pinnacles of the world¡¯s salvation. As well as one of Kyrion¡¯s staunchest allies in the times to come. Kyrion, the Dionysus of the West, became popular in bars. However, the rendition did get crude as the story progressed. The dragon¡¯s demise by Gais¡¯ hand was mistranslated and evolved into a fist. That is a tale for a different day. The island was no longer fun when the sun rose and the second wave came. Kyrion slept for twelve hours straight before waking to a large boom on the land below. After being cleared, most of the remaining portals combined and fused into a set of three, as four creatures standing over a hundred feet tall made their appearance. Each one had its own unique flavor of death and destruction. One was a pulsating pink ball of what resembled flesh covered in veins. Purple mist spilled out from its body when it moved, was hit by an attack, or was purposefully released in waves. The fog proved to be a potent paralytic poison that caused a human to lose the ability to move or think as they were picked up and eaten. The second one was the figure of a giant woman in robes. Many who saw her form turned into monsters and began to attack their allies. She didn¡¯t attack, but her stony gaze caused those who looked into her eyes to turn on their friends. Many of her features were blank, as though they were an illusion. The third was a man in a black cloak who wielded a scythe. Where he cut, purple must follow, and after a while, the flames would soon consume their targets until naught, but ash remained. This giant had no flesh, bones, or organs and thus was a type of undead. Finally, the fourth giant was an amalgam of mosquitos and locusts, which formed a grotesque, nearly solid body. Those stung by these creatures were wracked with countless diseases and faced slow and near-inevitable demise. In less than five minutes, over a hundred well-trained agents had died on the outskirts where the monsters made landfall. Kyrion felt rage build up inside him, some towards the monsters for causing all this death and destruction, but mostly himself for failing to be alert when such tragedy struck.¡± The esper known as Jac arrived at Kyrion¡¯s side. It was Gamma, given the Phoblade and knives at his hip. He was dressed in combat armor that would not do much against the monsters present, but it was better than nothing. Jin joined the fray with a clarity he hadn¡¯t had before as his mind and body were synced. The equipment he gained from Karl was worn on top of his regular clothes. Kilo sighed as he joined the fray. His arms folded inwards, revealing sharp blade-like protrusions, and his feet changed form to better kick off the ground, resembling that of an ostrich. In seconds, he looked more monstrous than human. Ander floated above with a concerned expression. The monsters around the early expert tier concerning power made the fight challenging, and some coordination would be needed. ¡°Ander, you will take care of the pink flesh blob on your own. I give you permission to use that power if it helps you kill it from a distance.¡± Ander nodded and immediately flew off. ¡°Kilo, you and Jin should go assist with the swarm. Use your Phoblade to burn them away.if they get close, You¡¯re goal will be to save as many lives as you can. Unless your hiding weapons of mass percussion.¡± ¡°You mean destruction?¡± ¡°No, percussion. These in particular are weak to sound and heat. Their swam can be dispersed with loud percussive sound.¡± ¡°What will you do?¡± ¡°First the skeleton, then the charmer, If the bugs are still present Ander and I should be able to help.¡± ¡°And me?¡± Jac asked. Kyrion pulled out a vial containing a mix of walnut and regeneration pomegranate tea and passed it to him.¡± If you feel something is wrong with your mind, drink this. It should fix you right on up.¡± ¡°Is this alcohol?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s wine(Tea). Perfectly safe for your brain.¡± To be fair, it was extremely healthy, but it would break parts of the brain down and heal it better than it was before, as well as end any charm spells on him. ¡°Ill use it when I need it then.¡± Kyrion nodded before winding up for a kick and vanishing from his spot. Book 3: Chapter 20 Cubs, Trouble, Angels Bastion was in a ring of local children in bragging mode: ¡°I am Bastion of team Drisil, an important member of the team. You may not see it now, but I am the secret weapon¡ªlike Rion. I am strong, but don¡¯t tell the others. It¡¯s supposed to be a secret.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Said some young elven children. It took a while for them to gain access to the world¡¯s powers. So, they had no concept of how powerful a kid could get after gaining theirs. The few human children older didn¡¯t quite buy the boast, but they also weren¡¯t academy trained. They didn¡¯t have the conditioning or prowess of a student from Drisil. To be fair, Bastion had very little conditioning. It was enough to make up for his size if an unawakened ten-year-old started hitting him, but not by much. As he was still in a fragile state of growth, he needed to be careful. An orange-haired girl with white irises approached. Kyrion had no idea what school she was from but recognized that the irises marked her spirit. She was four years older, which would place her at around nineish. To Kyrion, it was like a toddler talking to a slightly taller toddler. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! You haven¡¯t fought once! I bet you¡¯re just their to fill in a slot.¡± ¡°Nuh uh!! I¡¯m a fighter too!¡± ¡°Really? Then swear on your spirit that you will fight in the next round.¡± ¡°We should stop him.¡± Lin said. ¡°No. This is his decision to make. Also, do you want to embarrass him by interfering?¡± ¡°He¡¯s five.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m fine with it. If Volain and I are on the same team, then we can use a few handicaps.¡± Bastion eyed the woman and bluntly asked, ¡°Why is an old lady pretending to be a kid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no old lady. I¡¯m a kid,just like you.¡± Bastion scratched his nose and squinted. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a kid to me. You look like one of those grown-ups in the tournament with me but on another team.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re so scared that you have to lie to get out of fighting?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­Fine I swear to participate in the three team matches!¡± Bastion felt a chain attempt to wrap itself around his core but touched it with his left hand out of reflex. No one would know the significance of such a motion save those who knew Bastion¡¯s abilities. The oath was made, but its power was taken and drained. Oaths held power all on their own, namely D.E. To absorb it so easily spoke of a top-tier power. ¡°Are you done now Miss?¡± Bastion blinked slowly. Lin turned to Rion and whispered. ¡°Did he just destroy an oath?¡± ¡°Absorbed it. I do not know the limit of his talents.¡± ¡°Like I said i¡¯m¨C¡± Bastion teleported ten feet, appeared behind the girl, and flicked her shoulder with his left hand. Instantly dispelling her illusion, he revealed an orange-haired woman around Bella¡¯s age with the exact same features that the nine-year-old had, just much older. The look in Bastion¡¯s eyes was that of a shark that had just smelled blood. ¡°See this! My enemies and rivals bind me with oaths and lies. To get me to fight them, they don¡¯t understand my power. They resort to lying and trickery. An old woman tricking a young and impressionable boy like me is pathetic! You¡¯ll make all old people seem like liars. Am I even going to get the victory ice creams I was promised?¡± Basion¡¯s gaze landed on Lin and Rion, who were hidden and inconspicuous. He threw up a tiny fist and continued his rant against grown-ups. Ie. Older teenagers. The orange-haired woman fell back after getting what she wanted but realized it may have been more than she bargained for. Rion laughed. ¡°I think he was only rude because she tried to act ten years younger. Illusions don¡¯t work on Bastion, so I imagine the scene just looked wrong to him.¡± ¡°See through illusions, at his age?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a natural ability. His ability to track hidden objects is quite high. I¡¯ll need to get him a victory Ice cream.¡± ¡°You made such a promise?¡± ¡°No, but he entertained me, and I won¡¯t make Bastion a liar.¡± Rion shook his hand and stood. ¡°Will Eden also be participating?¡± ¡°Might as well, have them both in. Put them on Max¡¯s team with Brion. Bella, Cecil, and I will be on the cooking defense.¡± ¡°Do you intend to sit out the entire match?¡± ¡°Meat Fire Lin, Meat Fire.¡± Rion said bluntly. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°The first mortal to discover meat plus fire, was an orc, and from their discovery brought forth an age of culinary experimentation.¡± ¡°The orcs discovered cooked food¡­ What next their nomadic tendency is so that their tribes can try and develop new tastes and flavors?¡± Rion nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you how insane you sound, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s history. The orcs brought this knowledge to the other continents as well.¡± ¡°The only reason humanity made it this far is because of the orcs.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hear a question.¡± ¡°How did we even get here?¡± ¡°I think I was complimenting your pretty hair and you said something about my eyes, and things spiraled a bit.¡± Rion said, not admitting the truth. ¡°Is that so? What did you say about my hair?¡± Rion had been called out. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Did you lie?¡± ¡°Yes¡­Not even I could say what came to mind as a complement with a straight face.¡± ¡°As punishment. You must say it anyway. If you get off with simple lies now, they could grow in the future.¡± ¡°Your hair is perfection, as though the gods of beauty wove falling snow into silk when they created you.¡± Rion¡¯s face reddened. Lin¡¯s face also reddened. ¡°I see. That¡¯s a bit over the top even if it comes from you.¡± A white-haired boy poked his head out of a trash can. ¡°Get a room, you¡¯re giving me diabetes.¡± ¡°White Fox, what are you doing in a trashcan?¡± ¡°Hide and seek. Duh.¡± White Fox put the lid above his head and retreated into the trash can. Rion swiped his hand to the side, and the trashcan was teleported two levels up. ¡°That was mean.¡± ¡°It was indeed. Had he not been spying on us I¡¯d have been nicer.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°So that wasn¡¯t a coincidence.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been regularly checking up on us while we¡¯re together. He¡¯s usually quiet about it so I ignore him. I also suspect that he can teleport.¡± ¡°He can. He also could have resisted it. My guess is that he was trying to kill the mood.¡± Lin said suspiciously. ¡°Let¡¯s go check up on Ander.¡± ¡°Ander is currently not in this world.¡± Karl said through their link. ¡°Let¡¯s not check up on Ander.¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression was stony. ¡°What¡¯s with that face?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my father?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been busy protecting Mamon. She¡¯s been sick lately.¡± Lin lied as she let her eyes land on a masked pair in a nearby bar, acting inconspicuously. Rion noticed them instantly and kicked himself for not keeping a closer watch. It also appeared that they dumped his trackers. ¡°Little Fox is sick¡­wait... does Mamon have a connection to that White Fox?¡± ¡°No idea. But the naming scheme is annoying. Little Fox is also a white fox.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± Rion looked around for a bit before taking Lin¡¯s hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Can you fly on your own?¡± Rion asked. ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Do you have a fear of heights?¡± ¡°Not particularly.¡± ¡°Perfect. Take my hand, I want to show you something.¡± Rion let loose a genuine smile that looked as though it belonged to a wild wolf. ¡°What do you intend to show me?¡± Lin was skeptical. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°If I showed it to you down here, my father might try to kill it. Also, keep it a secret. I don¡¯t want people to know where you received this if you can help. Unless your life is in danger.¡± Kyrion added, to be precise. ¡°Gotcha, don¡¯t just tell anyone where I received something that seems rare.¡± ¡°So, are you ready to take my hand yet?¡± ¡°You sure like giving out gifts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a somewhat recent hobby of mine. Think of it like a late Christmas present.¡± ¡°What is a Christmas and why does it hurt to say and hear?¡± ¡°A holiday from Cece¡¯s world where everyone hands out gifts and gets drunk on the nog of the eggs. Also, there are tons of things people like to call cookies.¡± ¡°So cookies are a food.¡± ¡°The best food!¡± Said a trash can that hadn¡¯t been there a minute before. ¡°If he follows us into the sky, i¡¯ll swat him down so lets go.¡± Kyrion held out his hand. Lin took it, but instead of just flying up, she noticed that the two of them had moved a great distance via teleportation. Not that she would speak on it, as the clouds were currently right below her. Kyrion sat upon the cloud as though it were a cushion and sighed. ¡°I recently had a flash of knowledge of a place far away. It was interesting, so to speak, and there are many things I need to get off my chest. First off, my gift.¡± Kyrion opened his domain, pulled a confused blue wiener dog from it, and sat it on top of the cloud. ¡°This is my gift.¡± ¡°A dog?¡± ¡°I am no dog, I am dragon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a baby dragon with the power of a young adult. When I fought it, it used cold fire which is a type of ice magic that somehow burns as it freezes. Think of it as an apology for going on vacation without you.¡± Lin eyed the creature suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s a dragon. And you want to give it to me?¡± ¡°I already have a dragon friend. I don¡¯t need another. Also, my dad would try to kill it out of habit.¡± ¡°So, you want it to be one of my cores?¡± ¡°A living core which you can summon when you need it.¡± ¡°I can handle sentient spirits. Thank you, if it¡¯s truely¡­¡± The dog transformed into a long dragon with sky-blue scales and a misty sprinkle of white that made it appear like an evening sky. The creature had grown to the size of a small settlement in total length, with a head the size of a house. ¡°Dog, you now belong to Lin. Treat her as an extension of myself and protect her with your life.¡± I ordered the dragon as my oath was transferred to her.¡± ¡°Yez Mazter!.¡± The dog cried before shrinking back to that form. Lin sighed. ¡°Since, we¡¯re here and youre doing this. Did I die during the time loops?¡± ¡°I suspect you were slain by Everest. He¡¯s paying for it, but I¡¯ll be honest. I want you to have all the power you can. I don¡¯t want anyone I care about to die just because I wasn¡¯t there to save them.¡± ¡°If you keep talking like that, someone might mistake you for a hero.¡± ¡°Right. Since we¡¯re here, care to see my orchard?¡± ¡°Your orchard?¡± ¡°It was a garden until I started growing trees... or expanded it to this degree.¡± Kyrion moved the air platform he was sitting on and sent it south while getting closer to the ground. After passing through the cloud layer, a forest became visible. At least it looked like a forest, but it was too orderly to be one. Various fruit trees were arrayed in rows some distance apart. Underneath, multiple herbs and mushrooms grew in the shade of trees, while gaps between them were visible. Various bushes full of berries spotted the ground. Past the tree, it appeared that one had instantly gone from forest to farm, as different crops seemed to be growing in regularly maintained plots. ¡°So you share the area with someone else?¡± ¡°Not quite, that¡¯s the farm that my helpers keep. I have quite a few farms in my domain, but this is where my best and brightest assist in keeping a reliable food supply present. I provide everything that¡¯s needed from tools to seeds and water.¡± ¡°So that forest is where you grow your experiential plants?¡± ¡°No! No¡­ no. I¡¯m not allowed to grow experiments in public places after I created a plant that induces sentience, while calming them down, and even causes hallucinations. After the first few roaring bears accidently ate them I¡¯ve been banned from public experimentation. Cecil called them Stone Bears.¡± ¡°So they were hard like stone?¡± ¡°More like as immovable as a boulder.¡± Kyrion pointed to a team of 7 bears being taught a martial art by his teacher, Exac. The sight was sobering. ¡°Is that a dance?¡± ¡°Not sure but I feel like we should go now. Got anywhere you want to go?¡± Kyrion asked. Lin proceeded to catch on. ¡°Is this your roundabout way of taking me on a date?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°No, I just wanted to spend time with you, without all those stalkers.¡± ¡°How fast can this dragon go?¡± Lin asked an important question. ¡°Mach two without a passenger, mach 1 with. So we¡¯d arrive back at the capital in an hour and a half.¡± ¡°We? Can¡¯t you fly as well?¡± ¡°Do you want to race?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you a head start, ten minutes or so. I need to pick up some of Cecil¡¯s things.¡± Kyrion stated. Truth be told, Kyrion needed to come by here anyway, as Cecil had some things brewing back home that he hadn¡¯t been able to pick up on the way through. The Dragon Buster Mech, for one, and the A.N.G.E.L. O.S., which stood for something in Cecil¡¯s language. The Dragon Buster, Codenamed Caladbolg, was Cecil¡¯s baby, so Kyiron would usually refrain from altering it. However, he¡¯d recently gained the knowledge required to get it going without causing an issue, so Cecil wouldn¡¯t mind if he flew the machine to the tournament square. As Kyrion entered the warehouse, he eyed the 60-foot-long mechanical humanoid and sighed as he replaced one of the longswords with a set of three Mech-sized Phoblades. Kyrion then equipped the A.N.G.E.L to the back of Caladbolg. The A.N.G.E.L constituted a pair of sapphire blue wings that caused a similarly colored circle to appear on the mech¡¯s faceplate when active. From there, he pressed his hand on a metal board next to the cockpit and let it read his mana signature. The machine opened, and the next thing Kyrion knew, he was sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat, acting as the machine¡¯s battery. Moving to the driver¡¯s seat proved he had no idea what he was doing. ¡°Wake up you murderous giant.¡± Kyrion said to the mech. ¡°Master?¡± Jala asked while in Kyrion¡¯s core. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this guy, salivating at the chance to fly your metal person.¡± ¡°Does he know what he¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°I believe so. Apparently it¡¯s the only reason he agreed to come.¡± ¡°Gods, the gaps in memory are annoying.¡± Kyrion sighed, holding out a hand in front of him as he waited. Jala, understanding the gesture, summoned a black-haired boy with red-rimmed glasses. His red shirt had the symbol of a three-headed dog on his right arm, and his depression was confused. ¡°Kyrion, where the hell was I?¡± ¡°My domain. Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like another world, with an ecosystem, countries and wars.¡± ¡°Wait, war? When did a war start? Are my spirits fighting each other?¡± ¡°You mean the fox, and the bird? No, they just like to stay separate. I mean the gremlin, goblin civil war. Then there are the tower residents going to war with the floating city states.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me about this?¡± Kyrion asked Jala, who hadn¡¯t cut the connection. ¡°Because the energy they expend goes to you, which also means us. I assumed you¡¯d want to know when you had free time. This isn¡¯t exactly free time.¡± ¡°Ok, Jin, start the engine. Without that eye, tech is harder to understand.¡± Kyrion sent a command to the warehouse to open up while shifting a few items he almost forgot about into a vault within his domain. That way, the residents wouldn¡¯t get any ideas. Jin flipped two switches, and the machine turned on. ¡°So, why do you need a mech and when did you have time to build it?¡± ¡°Already built, just needed a stable power source and weight managing devices, I have plenty of those.¡± Jin read words that appeared on the screen along with a logo. ¡°Angel? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Cecil will always be better than me at putting together complex systems.¡± ¡°Cecil? Are you taking about¡­¡± ¡°Have you met him?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No, but are you going to convince him to go back home? We need all the bright minds we can get.¡± ¡°After I get the permanent gate set up. Aside from that, a month in your world is about a year here. While you may be close to a practitioner in level, there is still more to learn.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ll be able to do so in a year?¡± ¡°Only if I break into the expert tier soon and have help. As far as the current me is aware. I¡¯m working with memories from right after we left the island and my perception. I could already hold the key to sending you back.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Jin caused the mech to stand up before it altered its gravitational field and floated out of the warehouse, or it tried to, when, due to means, Kyrion hadn¡¯t understood. Vines sprouted from the door that opened the cockpit with a strength neither expected. Momentarily, a red-haired woman with long hair in a ponytail swung in with the grace and poise of an acrobat. Spectacles covered her emerald green eyes as she examined the two trespassers. ¡°What¡¯s Dwen doing here, and how did her hair get so long?¡± Jin asked. ¡°That¡¯s her younger sister Thalia. Not twins but there was a two year gap. I think.¡± ¡°What is my little brother doing mech jockeying without letting any of the others know, and how did you get it to work?¡± ¡°Do you want to know now or later? It¡¯s been well over ten minutes, and my fiance is moving at mach 1,¡± Kyrioni said. ¡°Fine, Kyrion, scoot over.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± Kyrion protested. ¡°Because I¡¯m small and thin so you have space, and we both know you¡¯re not the one flying this thing.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°So¡­Thalia, are you single?¡± Jin asked unabashedly. ¡°Are you attempting to court me? If so, you must know that I am from noble birth and have quite a few suitors.¡± Book 3: Chapter 21 Troublesome encounters Kyrion wouldn¡¯t call out that most fled when she almost accidentally killed the last suitor who thought stealing from an alchemist was a good idea. One guy was all for a long-distance marriage, while the other died in his late third century. His sister¡¯s laundry was not his to air. ¡°Jin, what would Dwen think if she heard you attempt to ask out her sister?¡± Kyrion said before scowling. How are you speaking this language?¡± ¡°Multiversal translators, most who jump worlds through the proper channels, are given translation abilities to survive,¡± Thalia stated before the last words caught up. ¡°Did you find Dwen?¡± Thalia looked like she¡¯d jump the pilot if he didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Find? She¡¯s somewhere on the planet I¡¯d imagine.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Where we¡¯re headed. Sheesh, now strap in.¡± Kyrion closed the cockpit, and Caladbolg gained altitude as its wings built power. ¡°Why would us courting be an issue?¡± ¡°Because Dwen has already laid claim.¡± Kyrion mouthed behind a hand. ¡°She¡¯s what, four years older?¡± ¡°A year younger actually. I am technically now an older brother.¡± ¡°Not how math works Kyr, at best you¡¯re seventeen so you¡¯d be the same age despite displacement.¡± ¡°How do you know his age? Also aren¡¯t you a little ol¨C¡± Kyrion reviewed an elbow to the gut. ¡°At best I¡¯m twenty one, and he can pilot the golem. That speaks of high intellect.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Kyrion ruptured his eardrums and relaxed as mouths moved before his regeneration kicked in. ¡°So I¡¯ll need you to go faster.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°We¡¯re past mach one.¡± ¡°And I haven¡¯t seen Lin yet.¡± ¡°Little Nelin?¡± Thalia asked. ¡°Did everyone else remember her?¡± ¡°She was awakened in my batch, so of course. We used to be friends.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll get some air. Remember to speed up.¡± Kyrion fazed through the wall as he sat and wrapped his hand around Caladbolg¡¯s shoulder. It took fifteen minutes to catch up; by then, the Mech had to slow to conserve energy, much to Kyrion¡¯s irritation. ¡°Faster! Faster!¡± Kyrion poured mana into Caladbolg with much to no reaction from the machine. ¡°So you managed to catch up?¡± Lin turned to see the sizeable flying golem, and her eyes nearly popped from their sockets. ¡°Like my new ride? Well it¡¯s not really mine, but I did manage to arrive just in time.¡± ¡°Kyrion. Is that Cecil¡¯s secret weapon? Has it even been registered?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Oh, don¡¯t worry, this is just a deterrent. Just in case this serial kidnapping and murder thing is a sign of things to come.¡± ¡°Why would you need a weapon like that as a deterrent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for the Experts. According to Cecil, it works like a giant wand.¡± ¡°So powerful magic, are you the power source?¡± ¡°Meh. Partly. I am no longer necessary to make it move. If that¡¯s what you want to know.¡± ¡°Right. It has occurred to me that flying a dragon into an elven city will likely get me shot down.¡± Lin stood atop her dragon as it slowed before jumping onto the Mech. Luckily, Kyrion¡¯s wind manipulation allowed her to land safely while moving at a dangerous speed. ¡°That was dangerous. Do you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have been fine. I¡¯m not as dainty as you seem to think I am.¡± Lin stated. ¡°I¡¯d ask you to get in but this spot has a better view. Also there isn¡¯t any room inside. I have a stowaway.¡± ¡°A stowaway? Who would?¡± ¡°Thalia. Do you recall that sister of mine?¡± ¡°No¡­Yes? Not sure actually, is that the oldest one?¡± ¡°She¡¯s around three years older than you.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m sorry to say but most of that time is a bit blurry to me.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was forgotten.¡± Thalia stated. Kyrion resisted the urge to say, ¡°Nothing unusual there.¡± The Mech¡¯s left shoulder panel buckled nearly, causing Kyrion to fall off as he climbed atop its head. ¡°You ok up there?¡± Thalia asked a bit too quickly. ¡°Can you read my mind or something?¡± Kyrion asked bluntly. ¡°You aren¡¯t hard to read. Little brother.¡± Kyrion was hard to read most of the time, but he had rolled his one good eye. The other refused to listen. Within the next hour, the group arrived outside the significant tree capital and disembarked, with Jin going back into Kyrion¡¯s domain along with the Mech.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Now then, you know I¡¯m currently in disguise. I go by Rion.¡± ¡°Gotcha. Why do I sense three family members here? Dad, Mom, and Dwen?¡± Thalia seemed concerned. ¡°Mother is here?¡± Kyrion looked into the middle distance before looking outside the village. He could ¡°Yes. She isn¡¯t near Dad. Or my sister, somewhere underground east of here,¡± Thalia said. ¡°East would be¡­ She¡¯s at the restaurant. I sense the headmaster and someone else there as well. Lok maybe.¡± Kyrion let his senses reach out before feeling the backlash. A man with black hair and sunglasses appeared with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You could have informed me that you were leaving the grounds.¡± ¡°Well I intended to have some alone time with Lin. Given all the eyes on me in the city I chose somewhere much more discrete to have our discussion. Somehow we ended up with a tag along.¡± ¡°You¡¯re back quite quickly. For a trip there. Thalia, your mother has just arrived, she¡¯s drinking tea in a restaurant over here.¡± ¡°If by tea you mean booze, then sure.¡± Kyrion rolled his excellent eye and then scowled. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a fermented herbal concoction that uses alcohol instead of water as a base. No different than a highly effective potion.¡± ¡°Smells like spirits to me.¡± Kyrion sighed, forgetting Rion for a moment. ¡°Oh, right¡­is today that day?¡± ¡°If you mean your bir¨C¡± ¡°Mother¡¯s Day,¡± Rion stated. It was an odd coincidence that Kyrion and his mother shared a birthday. Neither really liked celebrating it themselves and preferred to keep quiet about it. Kyrion, because his nature was more giving than taking, didn¡¯t like receiving gifts as much as he enjoyed giving them. ¡°Oh right, she doesn¡¯t like being called out on her age. I mean we¡¯re only in our late¨C¡± ¡°Lalalala! Take this and go.¡± Kyrion withdrew a sealed bottle of wine with an eerily high mana concentration. ¡°Ah yes, grape tea.¡± The headmaster sighed. ¡°It¡¯s called wine, we both know this, why are you being weird about it now. Mr. Baccus. If anything it¡¯s just expired grape juice. Well¡­Take this one as well¡­But don¡¯t tell anyone where you got it from. Capiche?¡± Kyrion seemed somewhat irritated. ¡°What? Is this?¡± The headmaster took the blue bottle and scowled. ¡°Mana infused Pomegranate wine.¡± Kyrion replied, trying to rush the old man away. ¡°When did you manage to age this? Feels like it¡¯s at least a century old.¡± ¡°I have hobbies outside of my profession, it just so happens I¡¯m better at this than alchemy.¡± Kyrion looked to the side. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin asked. ¡°I may have made some booze during my trip abroad in an attempt to make better healing vials.¡± Kyrion tried to direct the conversation. ¡°We¡¯ll examine this for you. Make sure it won¡¯t make anyone sick. Happy eighteenth, or was is sixteenth? Did you get those two years back yet?¡± The headmaster handed Lin a box with a ribbon, adjusted his sunglasses, and teleported. ¡°So¡­ That wasn¡¯t a space affinity.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°You¡¯re not getting off that easy.¡± Lin pulled Kyion¡¯s ear. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your talking about?¡± Kyrion resisted scratching his chin. ¡°Is that why you really wanted to go out today?¡± ¡°To be honest, I kind of forgot what day it was.¡± Kyrion looked away. ¡°Thiteenth day of winter ¡°We already knew that. I believe that was a reflection. Although the ability to take things with him is new.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°If you can understand how it works you¡¯ll figure out how he¡¯s able to mimic others abilities.¡± Thalia stated helpful. ¡°He told me once, but I don¡¯t think I understood it. Anyhow, we should get back.¡± Kyrion turned to the right to see a familiar white-haired boy sitting on a trashcan. ¡°I¡¯m not mad. Just disappointed.¡± White Fox stated as he stared daggers at the two of them. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Cake, don¡¯t know why i¡¯ve been craving it today. Also Bastion is too busy being annoying to play with.¡± ¡°So you had a spat?¡± Lin asked. ¡°N-no! Just a disarangment.¡± ¡°Disagreement?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡± Lin looked like she¡¯d say something, stopped, then scowled. ¡°This is some weird dissonance. It looks like I¡¯ll be headed off for a while. Don¡¯t cause trouble.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a bedtime?¡± ¡°No. My school doesn¡¯t enforce bedtimes.¡± ¡°What school?¡± The boy looked at Kyrion, smiled, and said, with enough sincerity to make himself sick, ¡°The Republic¡¯s academy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know its name?¡± ¡°Look. Do you think I pay that much attention to things like that? I have my priorities straight: my snacks, my family, myself, my undead minions, my friends, my toys, and finally, those teammates I was assigned. Everything else doesn¡¯t stick, and I don¡¯t recall the names of most of those people on my team. When this tournament is over, I¡¯m likely to forget their names.¡± ¡°Snacks above all else? Where would you learn such a thing?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Good food is life and great snacks are forever.¡± White Fox said his creed, which left Kyrion dumbstruck. ¡°Now then, do you have any chips and cakes? Don¡¯t lie to me. I know your gales.¡± Kyrion sighed and pulled two bulk-sized bags of potato chips from his bag, tossing both to the kid. As they were in the air, Kyrion launched a personal slice of cake with excessive force. Spectral hands rose from the ground and easily caught the bags and cake. ¡°See? This is a sufficient bribe for now.¡± White Fox took the chips and ran. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he just tell me what he wants?¡± ¡°What were those bags?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Oh, a heavily addictive substance made from potatoes, and salt. You probably wouldn¡¯t like them.¡± Kyrion deflected. ¡°Are you lying?¡± ¡°I did say they were addictive. Nobody can eat just one and they tend to do the body bad. I intend to corner the market, using potatoes, corn, and rice. With my connections to Tiffany I hope to create a trade caravan to pedal my wares.¡± ¡°I have never heard of any of those foods. Foods? Are you hiding your favorites from me?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Won¡¯t I be spoiling you a bit too much if I give you anything else tonight?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. Though we have yet to have dinner and your mother has taken over the restaurant for a celebration. I¡¯m not tired yet, so lets talk a bit. A moonlit picnic sounds like it would be fun.¡± ¡°Fine, you win. But only if we send Sigfried to the restaurant. If he tries to give me something, I may lose it.¡± ¡°Mamon? Are you up? Yes. Alright I need you to bring Mr. Siegfried to that restaurant we always eat at.¡± Lin sighed. Kyrion teleported them to the top of the waterfall and smoothed the ground before laying a blanket down. From his domain, he pulled out a few baskets worth of sandwiches, a large bag of chips, a tray of sweets, and two wine glasses filled with a light green beverage. The two would eat under the stars before he walked her home. Sadly for him, his team had other plans, and within thirty minutes of settling down, a half-asleep Bastion tracked him down. Behind Bastion was an irritated Hel and angry Minah. ¡°While we were off planning, were you spending the night on a date with that girl?¡± Minah asked in the Asmodeus octave. ¡°I mean, of course, tomorrow is practically a day of rest if we¡¯re fighting with Volain¡¯s team.¡± ¡°What makes you so confident in Volain?¡± ¡°Volain, beat that sister of yours. Goldilocks wasn¡¯t weak, also, No one on the opposition is worth worrying over save the charm user.¡± Lin curiously took a chip from the big bag and lit it up before covering her mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡± Bastion, half asleep, threw himself over Kyrion¡¯s lap. ¡°So¡­Why are you two even up?¡± ¡°One it isn¡¯t that late and two, Bastion started sleep walking, and since you left him unattended.¡± ¡°Right, those kids are my responsibility, I shouldn¡¯t leave them alone while the headmaster goes off drinking.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t leave him alone at all if I¡¯m being honest.¡± Hel sighed. ¡°So this is where you ran off to.¡± Brion arrived with Max; both were covered in dirt, twigs, scapes, and blood, among other things. ¡°And where were the two of you?¡± ¡°We were Training in that dungeon. We almost died quite a few times. What animal changes limbs depending on the time of day?¡± Brion asked, holding his head. ¡°It¡¯s a riddle, throw logic out the window and use your brain to think out of the box.¡± ¡°I never was good at using that muscle.¡± ¡°We triggered nearly every trap as well.¡± Max sighed. ¡°So, why did you two decide to come here?¡± ¡°We want healing, wait, are those snacks?¡± ¡°Help yourself. So long as no one else¡­¡± Cecil and Bella walked out of the forest holding hands. They stopped like deer in headlights when they saw the others sitting near the waterfall. ¡°Why are you all here?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°I must assume Tiffany is the only one getting sleep tonight. Along with Eden.¡± Kyrion squinted. Unexpectedly, Tiffany materialized next to a tree with a tired Eden. ¡°You aren¡¯t getting out of things this easily. This is a milestone.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Kyrion was now suspicious. ¡°So what is all of this?¡± Eden pointed to the food arrayed on the blanket. ¡°It¡¯s a picnic, I have chips, cookies, cup noodles, heat and eat dinners, coffee milk, metal snacks, sweets, bitter grapes, fruit, hummus, and more.¡± Kyrion waved a hand over the food he had arranged. ¡°Ah right. I also have Caladbolg in my back pocket along with someone who can show you how the new functions work.¡± Cecil sighed. ¡°I¡¯m suspecting we¡¯ve been funneled here. Anyhow, why is it that you happen to disappear from campus every time this day comes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what your talking about. Look, I have Booky.¡± Kyrion threw a blue box at Cecil. ¡°Did you raid a supermarket or something?¡± According to my notes, ¡°I raided quite a few bulk stores. To be honest, I don¡¯t know exactly what I have stored.¡± ¡°Cup noodles? Which one is that?¡± Cecil picked up one of the containers and showed it to Maximus. ¡°Rion, can you add some boiled water?¡± Kyrion waved a hand over the cup, added boiling water to the line, and sighed at Cecil. ¡°You are getting too used to magic.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± Cecil played dumb. As time passed, any hope of privacy dwindled. So Kyrion left a bottle of the regenerating wine and left. He¡¯d check back before the tournament¡­ Kyrion left a few cups to be used with a carafe of water. ¡°So Lin, are you ready to walk home?¡± ¡°Jus port me in my bed.¡± Kyrion placed a delayed regeneration spell on her, waking her up hydrated and without a hangover. He tried to, but he discovered she was probably tired from integrating a new spirit core. The spell failed to latch on to any damage. Kyrion sent out his senses and found Mamon, and from there, he opened a portal connecting the place. Said portal was locked at the spirit masquerading as a human walked through and noticed him carrying its half-asleep master. ¡°Mamon right? Your friend needs to get some rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Annoying, but I¡¯m fine with it.¡± Mamon let out a sigh and moved out of the way. Kyrion placed Lin on her bed, tucked her in, then made to leave when a hand latched onto his wrists and didn¡¯t let go. Then, the snoring began. Book 3. Chapter 22 Troublesome Developments Come next morning the only participants on Kyrion¡¯s team that managed to make it downstairs were Hel, Max, Tiffany, Eden, and Bastion. The meat cook was still snoring, why the snoring came from Cecil¡¯s room wasn¡¯t something he needed an answer to. ¡°So, we are six out of eight. Where¡¯s Brion?¡± ¡°He had a bit too much wine and decided to go on a training quest.¡± Lin sighed as she looked over the remaining team. ¡°So¡­We could use a few substitutes. So long as they meet the requirements.¡± ¡°As a student of Drisil?¡± ¡°And in the practitioner tier of power.¡± Bella¡¯s snoring cut off momentarily as the young woman walked down the stairs alone. ¡°Where¡¯s Cecil?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably in my room.¡± ¡°Ah, so you traded?¡± Lin asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember how I got there.¡± Kyrion probed the area with his senses, discovering that Cecil wasn¡¯t in the building. ¡°He¡¯s in his workshop. Can someone ask the headmaster to check on his wayward disciple?¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Either find Ander or find Cecil.¡± ¡°Let''s try to find Ander. He¡¯s been missing a bit longer. Cecil is probably working on something for the next round. As that''s what was planned.¡± Hel stated. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to heal Minah?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still sore from her loss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see.¡± Kyrion teleported into his dungeon''s core room only to notice that a silent Maldain looked towards them with golden eyes that shone in madness. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°All that growth and it ends in a draw. They fought for around two weeks straight. I¡¯d say Damian¡¯s evolution is complete but¡­¡± ¡°Is Ander holding himself back?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like he¡¯s probing and testing while Damian gets used to that power boost.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Damian hasn¡¯t caught up yet and that tiger prefers prey that can put up a fight before he takes them down. Can I have him back?¡± ¡°No. This tournament has nothing left to offer him as he is now my apprentice.¡± ¡°Damian as well?¡± ¡°Damian is a student, that I have to share with a certain musician. I also have a third disciple as well. Her fighting style is quite beautiful. If I was maybe three millennia younger, I¡¯d have attempted something stupid.¡± ¡°How. Old. Are you? Also, are you the same man who traded candy for gold?¡± ¡°Ah, that explains it. So that was you? You seem different. Much more scrawny and sickly. Those were mana balancers, made to spread your mana evenly throughout your body. Shit! This is my fault!¡± Maldain seemed to come to a realization. ¡°Ey?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t realized¡­ You started with two cores, one in your brain and one near your stomach. h. The one near your stomach produced too much mana resulting in a low appetite. While the one in your head was atrophied, to a dangerous degree. When I saw you in the forest, your mana pool was reinforced and changed and I didn¡¯t recognize you. The mana balancers make the mana in your stomach spread evenly, past that, they do increase your ability to reinforce your core, which in turn is your entire body.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ so the reason it took forever to reach rank two was because of the candy?¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re clearly much stronger than most of your rank. As they are now though. Could you beat Ander or Damian?¡± ¡°If they were putting forth enough effort to kill me, I''d either die or be forced to use trickery and deceit. Both are fast and knowledgeable enough to know, that giving me enough time to set up either a spell or trap would result in their loss.¡± ¡°Well, at least you know not to fight monsters like that head-on. That Rion fool had me worrying that you were getting reckless.¡± ¡°So you can¡¯t spare Ander.¡± ¡°He would gain nothing from the tournament as he is currently. But my third disciple would learn a lot from these final rounds.¡± ¡®¡¯This is all kinds of dumb¡­Does the alternate adjustment mean we can use people outside of our schools?¡± ¡°Yes. It was a last-minute change and many experts are scrambling to pull in new talents before the matches begin. Do you remember the selection event at your school back in that old fossil of a country you¡¯re from? This tournament works like that in a way. Only instead of schools choosing people, it''s the ranking experts deciding on recruits. I¡¯m sure the main reason people haven¡¯t approached you yet is due to not understanding the limit of your abilities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s troublesome. Why do this anyways?¡± ¡°The incursion. That word we can¡¯t say while on Imala. It¡¯s set to begin in five days. In four days the tournament should end. Those selected by experts will receive special training in preparation for our disappearance. Everyone on the expert tier will be dropped on one of the other seven worlds. Where they will enact a grand culling, gather resources, or find their shards before returning afterward. While that''s going on, one of those other seven worlds will invade this one. You will have two weeks to prepare as will every other world involved. In that time it¡¯s expected that you reach the expert tier and get all your affairs in order.¡± ¡°So, even if you hate killing, an event like this would push anyone to murder whether out of self-defense or desire. I hate this.¡± ¡°Then resolve to change it. Chiyo should be fully rested by now. Dungeon! Bring me the girl!¡± A woman appeared much to her confusion clad in a blue kimono that matched her dark blue hair. A black katana sheath was placed on her left hip as a green tassel floated to the side. Her expression was slightly dazed as she looked about. Her eyes landed on Kyion and a clear look of irritation could be seen. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Well, due to your husband sitting out of the tournament to fight Damian, we have an open slot. Name¡¯s Rion by the way, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Ah, remove one syllable and you become a different person. Any good reason I should do this?¡± ¡°You need to learn how to fight people on our tier and higher. Have you adjusted to the gravity?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Yes. And fine, I¡¯ll do it. But, you owe me one. I don¡¯t work for free.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°A house, with a lake in the middle of a forest, where I can meditate in peace. Preferably protected by wards to keep away monsters and traps for the rest.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I given you enough?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to fight in a tournament for experience.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ You drive a hard bargain. One story and the lake will be man-made. Find the fish yourself. As for the forest. You can pick out three fruits. Everything else will be random. I¡¯ll also put a small paddy of rice nearby. You¡¯ll need to maintain it yourself.¡± ¡°Two stories with enough room for a family of six, and two servants.¡± Chiyo tried to milk Kyrion for all he was worth. ¡°Deal.¡± Kyrion held out his hand for a shake. ¡°Damn. Maybe I should have asked for more.¡± Chiyo shook it and sighed. ¡°Homes are easy for me to build. Same with a pond you can import fish into. The rice will be annoying to grow. As I can¡¯t read your language, and my translator is currently broken.¡± ¡°So, lead the way then. This is supposed to be my honeymoon but all he¡¯s done is fight since we¡¯ve been here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk some sense into him later. I recommend a moonlit stroll to the top of the waterfall, we should have twin full moons tonight.¡± ¡°I see. Lead the way.¡± Kyrion teleported the two of them back to the meeting place Kyrion had just left. It appeared as though not even a full minute had passed. ¡°Who is she?¡± Lin asked with cold venom. ¡°Ander¡¯s wife Ms.Chiyo Aikawa, or Aikawa Chiyo.¡± ¡°S-since when?¡± Hel seemed flustered. ¡°It¡¯s been about two and a half months?¡± ¡°When? We were all on that island, training.¡± ¡°She¡¯s Maldain¡¯s third disciple. That should be enough of an explanation.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t lie, but he did state two truths while separating them as two different facts. However, his tone came across as more irritated because of it. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Hel fell to her knees as shock passed through her. ¡°Oh¡­Oh! Yall are dumb.¡± Kyrion decided to stop reading Hel¡¯s expression and guessing her thoughts based on the chemical reactions in her brain. ¡°Oh, what?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°Just teenage girl drama. I¡¯d rather not speak here. You could probably figure it out quickly.¡± ¡°Is that his ex?¡± ¡°No that¡¯s Hel, she¡¯s a bit like you in a way.¡± Kyrion would have said, introverted but he didn''t know her enough. ¡°Ah, so she let Ander go out with her friend, despite being jealous.¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± Kyrion squinted at Hel who blushed and turned away. ¡°Let''s just get to the venue.¡± Kyrion sighed as the headmaster walked into the inn, flushed and hungover. ¡°Rion¡­How much do you have left of that beverage of yours? The elves have taken a shine to it.¡± The headmaster said all that. He then fainted as the last of his energy faded. ¡°What did you put in there to do that to an expert?¡± Lin asked with concern on her face. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you. Now let''s start the Meat Fire!¡± Kyrion withdrew a cart from his domain and rolled a giant container onto it. The amount of meat Kyrion and Bella had prepared was ridiculous. ¡°Why are you bringing food? Didn¡¯t you say this was a fighting thing?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°I mean, you know how strong I am. This is mostly for the others. If the worst comes to worst, I''ll assist.¡± Rion said as they arrived at the venue.
¡°Standing Captain Uriel, Captain Volian, Captain Rion. Gather your teams to the north and prepare to be dropped onto the battlefield. Captains Marshal, Eriya, Song, do the same on the south.¡± Kyrion eyed Marshal first, the man was dressed in a naval uniform, with five golden birds over his heart while each of his companions carried similar birds of the silver variety with one standout being wood. The uniforms of the others seemed much less decorated but were still well-maintained as they moved like a wave. ¡°Water, wind, and wood. So, their strategy must be to take our captain out.¡± Hel stated as she recognized the insignia and meanings. Rion crossed his eyes, ¡°Why would I be scared of water? I could just burn all of it to ash.¡± Kyrion said dumbly. He knew you couldn¡¯t burn water, but the dumber they thought he was the better. ¡°You boil water, captain, and when you''re done it just turns into steam. You can¡¯t turn it into ash.¡± Max has the most experience with Kyrion playing off of dumb muscle mode. ¡°Steam? Oh, you mean that air stuff? I can burn that too!¡± Chiyo scoffed before scowling. She knew the strange beast in human skin was acting based on the information they gathered. Yet he made it seem too believable. As though he¡¯d practiced it for years. Volain squinted as his teeth seemed to grow sharper and his mouth extended slightly as though it was tearing. ¡°If attack meat. I kill.¡± ¡°See?¡± ¡°With all present. The rules for this round are as follows. The last team standing wins, or the team with the most members this time tomorrow! Let the match begin!¡± All of a sudden the only group among the other four looked a lot less foolish. The opposing group seemed to have already formed a strategy to snatch up those resources and weaken the two monsters. ¡°Rion¡­Did you know? Be honest.¡± A four-armed orc asked inquisitively, a pair of spectacles covered with deep red eyes. As gray skin covered a somewhat muscular form. ¡°No, I did not. I just don¡¯t see anyone over there as a genuine threat.¡± Rion said loudly, he knew his role, aside from setting up the campground and finding Bella. He was to be a red herring running about and causing trouble. Eriya was a brown-skinned woman with sharp features and a rather venomous countenance. Where the mental magic user he fought previously forced attention away hers attracted it. Which was a lot easier to counter. Her clothes were rather sparse, consisting of skin-tight cloth wrapped around her form. Looking at the other members of her team showed that aside from the one man wielding a crossbow and leather armor. The others wore variants of that same cloth. Sensing a gaze boring into him, Kyion then looked to Song. As Kyrion hadn¡¯t met the pink-haired man with blue eyes before, something seemed off. Given the fact that Kyrion had met all the captains. The pink shade was different from the Gios spawn and their aura was different. Yet something still seems off. Song lounged in clothes and held an ocarina in his hands. It was clear that he was a support type, built for mobility. His teammates on the other hand were uniform-wielding weapons and wearing armor. ¡°Ah¡­Volain, we take out Song first.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll disrupt while you destroy?¡± ¡°Huh? Why him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a ruler-based support that specializes in mobility. He can likely heal as well. We don¡¯t take kindly to our prey getting brought back after we put it down.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Uriel scowled. ¡°Won¡¯t they target me the same way then?¡± ¡°Well duh, that''s why you should probably hide. Healers are easy targets, right? Wouldn¡¯t want you to get injured.¡± Rion replied in a tone that sounded sincere to anyone outside his circle, but even Chiyo could tell that it was dripping with sarcasm. The character Rion however was too straightforward to use sarcasm which was somewhat amusing to the four-armed orc that also picked up on things. ¡°The battle begins when you make landfall. Good luck.¡± The arena shifted as various screens shifted to different areas, giving a good view of the battlefield. Which appeared to take place in a forest that was connected to a large lake. Various animals and monsters roamed freely and the distance between team members was high.
Bastion was alone, in a dark forest in an area with quite a few wolves. Bastion did not like wolves, as they looked too much like the Lupine that ate his adoptive mother. It was one of the things Bastion didn¡¯t like to talk about. He didn¡¯t remember where he was from or how he ended up a slave. But one day he appeared in a strange forest alone, left to wander, managing to catch the eye of a local farming village who had saved his life. He would do it again if he must. Opening up his senses, Bastion found his connection to Mr.Kyrion, only he was quite a few miles away on the other side of the map. It was easy to follow the signal due to the emergency beacon that was hidden on his shirt. Most of the others would have protested had they known that this was how Mr.Headmaster and Mr.Kyrion knew where everyone was and who we were. They even sent out alerts when the flowers didn''t match who was wearing them. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Bastion heard the wolves begin to surround him in the east where his teacher had been. The cowardly Bastion slowly walked to the west, listening as the wolves followed in stealth. Waiting for an opening to attack. As the young boy passed a tree, a man in a white uniform with a silver sigil bumped into him. Knocking Bastion to the ground?¡± ¡°A kid? Ah right that cocky Rion¡¯s brat. Don¡¯t move, I''ll be sure to make this quick.¡± The man picked Bastion up which didn¡¯t result in a scream just abject confusion as the person had no hair, eyes, or even a face. It was as though he was looking at a blank canvas. Sometimes Bastion hated his thinking engine, some people didn¡¯t even show up to him, sometimes he would see floors where there were none and when he read, most of the time, the words jumped off the page and went off to buy some milk. Powerful people showed up, along with an aura that revealed a person''s true feelings. As Bastion was held, he slipped a hand around the man''s wrist and pulled from them. Within seconds the practitioner had been drained of spirit and mana, passing out. Suddenly a force sent him out of the arena. Leaving Bastion alone in the forest again. ¡°Oh, that''s a lot of wind power. Now how did Mister do it again? Comforting Rend!¡± Seven wolves appeared only to be trapped in a ball of brown wind, where ten wind blades passed over the creatures. Instead of cutting, they passed through without dealing any physical damage. Although in seconds they began to fall as though they were poisoned before dying as their lungs seemed to expand and pop within their forms, the only sign of damage being the blood that flowed from their noses and mouths. ¡°Uh¡­That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen like that.¡± The smell hit Bastion and the stench of death was heavy. The young boy turned to the side and continued to run.
Eden looked around the forest and sighed. She wasn¡¯t much of a fighter and was just here to fill a slot so instead of looking for her allies, she pulled out a stack of paper slips and placed them on every tree within the area creating an array of confusion. Anyone who entered without clearance would find himself wandering around in circles for a long time. Such a spell used the components as the catalyst and Mr.Cecil had given her a special silvery liquid to paint on them. Within ten minutes every monster within two miles had entered the sphere causing it to gain the attention of a wandering Captain. Eriya smiled as she snuck up on a hiding Eden from behind, and slipped a pair of envenomed needles into her neck. Immediately sending the fledgling out of the arena. Within seconds the child was rushed to the healers to make sure that she would survive. Substances like this were frowned upon due to lasting effects. While it was a painless elimination it was quite reckless. Eriya then moved forward only to find herself trapped in a field of monsters her senses disputed and even the very trees took shots at her while she was distracted.
Rion and Volain found Bella within two minutes and prepared the ingredients for a fire. When a pang shot through his chest. ¡°Rion. What''s wrong?¡± Bella asked as she placed the meat on a spit.¡± ¡°Bella, Eden has just been eliminated due to poison. I have my priorities, and it¡¯s still in their system.¡± ¡°What can Rion do about poison?¡± Kyrion¡¯s expression morphed into something very few have seen, and he rarely showed it to anyone. Kyrion was beyond angry as the sky went from blue to red as an inferno shooting upwards began moving about the area at a high speed. Combining the forest for the poisoner. His hair was no longer orange and his eyes no longer vermillion, yet the fire that covered his form hid these changes. Within forty seconds, two of the cloth-garbed warriors were eliminated along with a confused man in armor as a fist passed through his torso and cauterized the wound before he was teleported away. Rion had gone berserk and was going to find out who did this to his friend. If they didn¡¯t have a cure, he wasn¡¯t certain how far he¡¯d go. ¡°Rion!¡± Yelled Hel as Rion passed over her only to get no response. Hel was quite surprised to see her captain moving around aggressively. It took a few minutes, as Kyrion¡¯s senses found where Eden¡¯s mana had last been then looked into the array of confusion where a practitioner was running around in circles being hounded by monsters. His burning form was missed by the warrior below as she was preoccupied. Rion pulled a boulder from a dimensional bag covered in a powerful flame, using a small percentage of Divine Essence. The boulder was wound up, before getting thrown with all of his strength as the sound barrier was destroyed and light was tested. The earth shook, land split and an explosion of force caused molten earth to erupt from the ground. In retrospect, Kyrion realized he shouldn¡¯t aim an attack like that at the ground going forward. Had he been higher or used something quite a bit bigger the destruction might have been a bit more devastating. As Rion relaxed he felt a force move him out of the arena despite not being slain. Book 3 Chapter 23 Recruitment Kyrion stood around in confusion surrounded by a group of elves clad in white garb looking at him with stoicism. Each one looked the same aside from some variations in height, age, and even gender. In one corner he saw the old man of which he shared a cell with so many years ago, and in another, there was a stern man with two swords at his hip. They all had the same face, family? Twins? Clones? The situation felt odd, but Kyrion felt that they were all the same person. Despite having distinct personalities. The sensation buzzed in Kyrion¡¯s head as his senses stretched seeing them all as one entity, yet each one was distinct as though they had their bodies. ¡°You nearly killed your target, an attack like that pushed the spells placed on you all for protection. Though this is mainly due to your opponent failing to properly enhance their body. The main issue would be the near destruction of the arena that can¡¯t do.¡± The stern form stated. ¡°Am I disqualified?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Remove the veil over your core please.¡± The stern man demanded. Kyrion sighed and did so. He let them see everything. No time to resist after all, not like he was hiding a big secret. ¡°Practitioner, middle tier, though the concentration of mana is high, along with a burgeoning amount of that power. So, Kyrion, would you agree to learn from Six?¡± The stern man tilted his head to an older woman, who sat on a throne of wood that was bizarrely white. ¡°Eh? Wait, what''s going on?¡± ¡°We are discussing your role in the tournament going forward. You have shown your strength.¡± Answered the Elven Matriarch, her eyes boring holes into Kyrion¡¯s soul. ¡°Not really. If you know who I am then you know what I¡¯ve been avoiding.¡± ¡°You have yet to use your plant abilities openly. Along with, wind, water, earth, and space. We are aware. We also intend to inform you that Eden will survive. She is kin to a degree. It is our responsibility to take care of her while here.¡± ¡°So, just like that, I''m out of the tournament?¡± ¡°No, we''re currently in a timeless zone. What happens next is up to you.¡± ¡°I was looking forward to eating¡­It is what it is. I used my power in anger and will see this as punishment. If I go back, it wouldn¡¯t be right. Also, I took out a captain as well as quite a few others. The others need to shine a bit, mind if I send a message before I go?¡± ¡°Go ahead. Will you decide to learn our methods?¡± ¡°What can you offer?¡± ¡°Multi Voice casting, as well as mastery of our High Order Spells. We even have knowledge of plants and healing that you may not. As well as my myriad faces technique.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue. If these were all her yet capable of independent action, there was a chance Kyrion could use that to produce better bodies for his shards. ¡°High Order?¡± ¡°Elven high-order spells utilize large amounts of mana through runes and usually involve multiple people. Unless that power is used or you have a large amount of mana.¡± ¡°What''s the difference between that and a large-scale ritual?¡± ¡°High Order can surpass that quite easily, and would get you booted from the world quite quickly,¡± ¡°Ah, so more things I can¡¯t use.¡± ¡°The Restriction is removed during the event. It¡¯s the closest thing to balance that we get.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll learn. As for my message, inform them that I avenged Eden but used a bit too much power and have been penalized for going overboard. Also, I accept being trained by your people.¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll use our announcer for that. Are you done using your alter ego?¡± Kyrion looked at his red hair and sighed. ¡°Ah, that''s also why you grabbed me. Yeah, might as well. The jig is up isn¡¯t it.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That''s up to you.¡±
As Max waited in a tree preparing to ambush a group of three armored that had gathered, he heard a troubling announcement. ¡°Due to reckless uses of greater than lethal force, Rion has been penalized and removed from the tournament. Eryia of the Undervipers will survive, but there is a chance that they won¡¯t survive. Should her team survive this round, however, she will be penalized for using a lasting expert-tier poison on a fledgling. Remember, lethal force may get you a win but try not to go overboard. Your goal isn¡¯t to kill but to subdue. To those who may be looking for vengeance, the one known as Eden will make recovery in time.¡± Meh Thod said into his microphone, which was a piece of wood with a voice-enhancing enchantment on it. Max sighed, and suddenly three sets of armored faces stared at him. Swords raised and shields ready. There went his ambush. ¡°Well, I tried.¡± Instead of attacking, Max jumped down with his blade raised, golden scales grew on his nose, and soon began to expand to his sideburns before going down and forming armor around his neck. ¡°Mind coming at me one at a time?¡± The three warriors came at once using no magic which was odd to the young prince. That was until he slashed the head off of one expecting the wards to kick in. Only for a wooden head to hit the ground. ¡°Golems?¡± Max barely sidestepped a blow and used its momentum to slice off its right leg before a punch that should have taken off his head seemed to barely miss. A tingle in his head and a burning in his back caused Max to jump to the side and a trident made of water slowly withdrew from the golem¡¯s body. ¡°That was close.¡± Max wheezed as he looked around, and felt the backlash of his magic kick in as he overused it in his duel with Sinbad. In moments his face was covered in scales as they now extended downwards. A golden helmet on his head resembling that of a dragon, ¡°You couldn¡¯t just have taken that and made things easier for us?¡± The man with the golden birds asked. ¡°Us?¡± It took Max a second to realize he was outnumbered. Especially if they had a golem used nearby.
By sheer coincidence, Tiffany had managed to eliminate two of the armored spirit masters using hit-and-run guerrilla tactics. Leading her enemies into traps and swiftly removing them. However, when the sky turned red, she decided to shift light about and fade from human sight. From there she began to run around in search of the youngest members of her team. The announcement of Eden¡¯s condition set a fire within her, for most people here taking out a fledgling was quick and painless. No one in their right mind would use poison and an expert tier one. She was a child as well, who would go all out against her. Tiffany stopped as she spotted Bastion trip and fall over an extended root. The boy got up, wiped away a few tears, and moved forward only to be surrounded by two of the cloth-covered warriors. Only before she could act, the boy stared right at her and shook his head. Most would have seen it as panic and an attempt to run, but the motion was sobering. Maybe he planned an ambush. She sensed no one she recognized, but as one held Bastion by his neck, there was a shift in the brush nearby as an obsidian-skinned orc pounced at the other cloth-wearing individual, managing to take him down before he could scream. The thud alerted the man holding Bastion. ¡°Hmm?¡± Bastion wrapped his gloved hand around the man¡¯s wrist while he was distracted and the man popped like a bubble. As the two warriors were eliminated four more orcs moved out of the brush confirming that the group of six had been working together with Bastion acting as bait. Tiffany sighed as she walked forward and shook her head. ¡°Whose idea was it to be bait?¡± ¡°Well everyone seems to think I¡¯m easy to take out and going for grabs, or really bad sneak attacks. Sure they use magic, but aside from Stalking Puma, none are good enough to get past my senses. The orcs helped out when I was getting attacked by a bunch of stone men in armor.¡± ¡°Stone golem knights. It appears our opponents have a few golem users. The armored people we saw were just carrying equipment into battle.¡± Stated a female orc with light blue skin and gray hair. ¡°Ah, that isn¡¯t good. So Song was using the armor as a way to hide who was who?¡± Tiffany scowled. ¡°Correct. I say we stay close, and make our way to camp.¡± Answered the black-skinned orc. ¡°How did you find each other so fast?¡± ¡°This is orcish survival training, only we fight each other a lot less. Mostly hunting and not losing people. Usually last months.¡± ¡°I see. Where is the one with four arms?¡± ¡°Clark is working with Bugs, and Katanas, to find others. We now head to camp. Only one is missing now.¡± ¡°What about Uriel''s team?¡± ¡°Eliminated I suspect. Got bested by monsters, the healer was gravely injured, and they skimped on training. Not durable or adaptable. Easy prey, no fangs or claws.¡± Shadow Puna stated. ¡°How did they even get this far?¡± ¡°Marduk. Isn''t it obvious? His death or kidnapping has gravely weakened his team.¡± ¡°Ah. Let''s head back then. I assume you can find Volain?¡± ¡°Easy enough.¡± Shadow Puna led the way. Bastion dusted himself off and put on a carefree smile.
For the first time, since coming with Kyrion and Ander she wondered what she did to end up with those two when this world had perfectly sane individuals. Well mostly sane, and intelligent. The gray-skinned four-armed orc wielded a strange four-segmented staff that made a clicking sound as it amplified momentum when swug. Reminiscent of a thunderstorm. Said orc was much more intelligent than his build suggested, showing himself to be quite knowledgeable of how to counter magic and golems. Hel, despite her clear animosity towards Chiyo, was more or less the person in charge after Kyrion went and threw a meteor at somebody. As though he was trying to destroy the planet. Hel suddenly stopped walking, then turned east before running off. ¡°I found the young ma¨Cpri¨C I found Max. He¡¯s being surrounded.¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°Marshal, wooden golems and their master, and a wind user. We won¡¯t be able to beat them with just the three of us, and Max isn¡¯t strong enough.¡± Chiyo sighed, ¡°Then run back and contact the others. Yaclack? Can you call your captain and catch up? I¡¯m not quite sure of my strength yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Hel asked as Chiyo dashed forward. ¡°And she¡¯s gone.¡± Hel gave chase, as the orc jumped into the air and then began pounding on his chest with two ends of his segmented staff while the other two hands pounded on his stomach. ¡°It''s Dinner time!¡± The air became strangely light as though all the moisture in the forest was drawn in that direction. Causing a few flowers to wilt in response, an ominous aura pressed down on the forest as something itching for a fight was given permission.
¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll be done before the meat gets cooked.¡± ¡°If you''re worried about that, I¡¯ll just finish cooking on the outside. You could also demand payment from Rion in the form of snacks.¡± ¡°I was looking forward to Meat Fire.¡± Volain inhaled, stripping the moisture from everything in front of him, causing the forest to wilt as plants were denied the water they needed. While monsters began to dry out. After a solid thirty seconds of inhaling. Volain swallowed a solidified bead and entered a sprinters stance. In the blink of an eye, he was gone as a blast of water piece through trees and boulders and continued further for some distance as Volain propelled himself forward at a high speed destroying everything in his way. Book 3: Chapter 24 Chiyo put a demon mask over the bottom half of her face and closed her eyes. Focusing her senses on the man golems piing Max on the ground she moved. Shockwaves tore through the forest as a figure that appeared to have eight arms slashed through four golems simultaneously before parrying a trident thrust. Max tried to get to his feet but stumbled as his ability took its toll causing him to fade and trigger the wards. ¡°Sorry.¡± Max squealed out as he appeared outside of the arena, a golden tail having grown from his form. As far as he¡¯d appeared, someone had taken him away, the figure was fast and clad in golden armor. Chiyo sighed as she slashed at Marshal forcing him to summon a ball of water which he used to push his opponent away. Chiyo received, moving to the side as a blade of wind nearly bisected her from behind. ¡°Too close.¡± Yaclak landed atop the hidden wind magic user immediately sending him out of the arena. Sadly it didn¡¯t prevent a trident that nearly decapitated him and Chiyo at the same time. Nearly as if the force kicked them both out of the arena. Insects swarmed the forest taking out two of the remaining wind users and allowing for the recently arriving Volain to run through Marshal kicking him out soon before he could snap his neck. ¡°Dinner? That was hardly an appetizer. Where is the third captain?¡±
Song arrived at the barbeque with his six allies. They outnumbered Bella eight to one. ¡°Looks like the fight is over, two captains down from each team, and your members greatly outnumber ours. So, what do you think we should do in a situation like this? Having been thoroughly trounced before we could put up a fight?¡± ¡°Cecil would say that the smart thing to do would be to surrender. But¡­ I also don''t know how strong you are.¡± ¡°Very weak. When compared to how strong your top members are, sadly, the only one remaining on your team is Volain. And he isn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Bella rapidly increased the gravity around the eight warriors causing seven to pop while Song seemed unbothered. ¡°Well then. I guess I should surrender then.¡± Song answered in a monotone. ¡°Just who are you?¡± ¡°Who knows? I surrender!¡± Song placed a hand over his heart and vanished from the arena. ¡°With that ending, we can mark half of the Semifinals complete!¡± Meh Thod bellowed.
Kyrion watched as the poison in Eden¡¯s body flowed into the flowers placed around her as her body was slowly purified. As it happened her body slowly gained an immunity to it. The pain would be immense while the changes happened but she would get out of it stronger than ever. As a healer, the idea of a little pain now for immunity was a lot better than getting poisoned a second time. As the method of cleansing occurred, Kyrion took notes and watched for hours, missing the end of the tournament and watching as she slowly regained consciousness. Eden looked up at the red-haired Kyrion, his expression was soft and his eyes their usually green for the first time in a while, she saw him as himself. A white doctor¡¯s scrubs covered his form as he waited. ¡°Mr. Kyrion?¡± ¡°Yes, I''m back. The story is that, during the attack, the Elven Matriarch took me in as a student to keep me from being taken and killed. She taught me how to create plant clones and we managed to escape. During that time I''ve been with them training. While Rion(one of my clones) was with all of your training.¡± ¡°So you already know how to make plant clones?¡± ¡°Yes. It isn¡¯t a technique I perfected until recently though. And that was while I was here.¡± Which wasn¡¯t a lie, he¡¯d figured out how to split his consciousness and send them out while on the island but mastered it while training here for at least three months. ¡°Ah. You¡¯re confusing, teacher.¡± ¡°You can blame your Grandteacher and Great-Grandteacher for that,¡± Kyrion stated bluntly. ¡°Kyrion? I don¡¯t want to die like that. Stabbed from behind and unaware. I hate it the most when I¡¯m helpless or unable to fight back.¡± ¡°I understand. That pain you felt, let it be a driving force. When you¡¯re better, I will train you in a second-sight ability. It¡¯s one I¡¯ve been using for years, especially after losing my eye. It''s called spatial sense. Everything that takes up space within a certain radius of my body is seen at all times as though seen and understood with two perfectly good eyes, past that is vague shapes and actions aside from where my real eye is focusing. When I push mana into it I can then do all sorts of things, like tracking my mana signatures or those of my friends. Seeing beyond regular walls and doors is also simple.¡± ¡°Wait is that how you¡¯re able to dodge things you can¡¯t see? Or knew those people were coming?¡± ¡°I mean, I also trained a lot. Though I''m not sure a build like mine is good for you.¡± Eden imagined her head on Kyrion¡¯s body and started laughing. ¡°Hey, it isn''t that funny.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°No, it is.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°Now then, let''s get down to business.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Going by what I can see, your core is about the size of a single grain of rice.¡± ¡°What¡¯s rice?¡± ¡°One of two things I can cook without help.¡± ¡°So rice and noodles?¡± Kyrion looked defeated. ¡°As long as step one is to boil water and step two is to wait. I can do it¡­Most of the time.¡± Eden shook her head and sighed. ¡°Business. Grain of rice. It''s safe to proceed to rank four given the mana concentration and the mana condensed while you were poisoned, you should slowly start to push to rank four while we up your physical training. This means more running, pushups, and situps. As well as heavier weights. Maybe twenty on each limb instead of ten. Unlike me, you don¡¯t have to worry about mana poisoning or building a castle out of muscle just to contain it. When you can complete your exercises like that, you should be in the top 5% of spirit masters.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Yes, teacher. What about Bastion?¡± Max was soon rushed into the emergency room his body resembling a lizard-human hybrid more than a human as Minah sat him on a bed. ¡°Somebody heal my brother.¡± A flash of gold and an old man in gold regalia appeared in the room. ¡°Easy daughter, he isn¡¯t sick. This is a cocoon of sorts. A necessary stage for growth for those who will inherit my throne.¡± Minah¡¯s eyes looked shocked. ¡°You chose Max as your successor?¡± ¡°He is a son. And he does have my potential for growth if not more. I have been waiting a long time for this to occur.¡± ¡°What about me? We¡¯re twins.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t inherit my ability, you inherited your mother''s, albeit a more useful one than just manipulating friction.¡± Minah slowly blinked. ¡°Friction? Not potential and kinetic energy.¡± ¡°Like I said, your power is different. I expect you to do great things in your lifetime, but ruling my legacy is not one of them. However, what happens after I leave this world is none of my business. If I''m being honest, I won¡¯t step foot in that country ever again. Which will cause trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dying¡­¡± ¡°Incarnating if I can help it. But not before I finish his training. I am oathbound to do so.¡± Minah squinted. ¡°So Max will be the next king. What happens from there is up to him. ¡°Correct. We will probably be at war with our eastern rivals and I¡¯ve promised a duchy to one of my grandsons. Had Max not shown his potential, Sinbad would be the one in this position.¡± ¡°I see. So I''m at the mercy of my little brother.¡± ¡°He came out first. You were just the first to talk, walk, and run.¡± Kyrion scowled as his conversation was interrupted. ¡°So my land purchase?¡± ¡°What, you wanted Drisil to be the new capital, didn¡¯t you? The headmaster already has blueprints. Max will own most of the important land while you will have a good piece, you also have the other continents to worry about.¡± ¡°Fine. Maybe Max will let me take his tablet.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°Those aren¡¯t normally inheritable so long as I don¡¯t rank.¡± Kyrion eyed the mana inside Max and sighed as he cut open his left thumb. ¡°Stay back.¡± Minah moved in front of her brother. ¡°You increased its power further. That''s quite dangerous for you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t intend for that to happen. Also Minah, this will help more than harm. So you intend to grant him some of your potential?¡± ¡°My blood regenerates over time, and chances are, I¡¯ll be killing a lot of dragons soon. So this should at best help a little. This ability only works on dragons mind you.¡± ¡°I think I get it. I have another question. Is Ander cheating on me?¡± ¡°Were you two going out? Or were you trying to make me jealous? The latter would never work and I doubt he¡¯d agree to such a thing without being tricked.¡± ¡°Answer the question.¡± ¡°Yes, and no. He accidentally got betrothed while in another world, then he fell in love with said woman, and now he¡¯s a married man. He¡¯s also tried to formally break up but I must assume he¡¯s bad at it.¡± ¡°The new fledgling that fights at a practitioner level right?¡± ¡°Correct. I think this is the first time Ander has felt affection outside of a doting brother. Given how quick he was to jump ship.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like all the good men are taken. You have Lin, Ander, Chiyo, Brion has Everest, and Max is my brother. There''s also Bella and Cecil, but that was always going to be a thing. Bastion is like five.¡± ¡°Wait wait wait¡­ Brion and Everest? How? When? Oh poor Hel, no wonder she looked as though she swallowed a bee.¡± The golden General looked at the teenagers and proceeded to teleport away. While they weren¡¯t paying him any mind. ¡°Why are you looking at me with pity?¡± ¡°You should marry outside the family, possibly outside the kingdom.¡± Minah threw a punch at Kyrion¡¯s jaw. The first passed through empty air as Kyrion reappeared in the doorway. ¡°Not nice. Eden, we will progress your training when you get out.¡±Kyrion then teleported again. The elven man with twin blades eyed Kyrion stoically. They were back in the meeting room where the only other occupant was the headmaster. ¡°Are you done, checking on your allies?¡± ¡°Not really, is anyone else injured?¡± ¡°Surprisingly no. The other brat on your team was quite effective, but I¡¯d take him out of the next round. The orcs know how dangerous he is already. While they won¡¯t be as deadly as the assassin, they will probably aim to take him out quickly.¡± ¡°So long as he doesn¡¯t make another oath to some kids¡­¡± Kyrion scowled and waved a hand causing Bastion to appear under his arm like luggage. ¡°Huh? What? How long have you been able to do this?¡± ¡°Very recently. As of ten seconds ago?¡± Kyrion said bluntly. ¡°I was an experiment?¡± ¡°Were you about to swear an oath to fight in the next round?¡± Bastion looked away and scratched his chin. He wasn¡¯t that good at lying yet. ¡°How close?¡± ¡°They double dared me. I was nearly backed against the wall. It hasn¡¯t been thirty minutes. Only one scoop of victory ice cream for you.¡± Bastion looked as though he¡¯d been betrayed, ¡°Only one?¡± ¡°Yes. Got anything to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble. Mr. sniffle Kyrion.¡± Bastion said the word, instead of sniffling. The crocodile tears were building, via water magic that may have been stolen from an opponent he beat. ¡°Fine, but you¡¯ll need to tell me how you beat your opponents with a touch. I know you can drain mana but do you take life force as well?¡± ¡°Oh, that. It¡¯s the glossy bubble that rests on your skin when we fight. All I do is pop the bubble by draining it.¡± The elf slowly blinked. ¡°That would explain it. So you can drain mana, despite it being of that tier. So, I suspect you have the intention of holding onto that magic you absorbed from the popped barriers?¡± Bastion held out his left hand and an inkly liquid flowed from his hand and formed a black bubble around him. The elf sent his mana out and gasped. ¡°Negative mana¡­ No antimagic. That magic counters the barriers as well as the contingency spell we put on our contestants. Useful, but I must ask that you not use that here. It is quite dangerous.¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± ¡°Yes. Your power is quite interesting. It consumes all indiscriminately. Quite a glutenous one at that.¡± ¡°I think that information is worth two scoops? Don¡¯t you?¡± The stern elf''s expression softened. Bastion shot up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Fine. Now then, headmaster.¡± Kyrion withdrew a white fox mask meant to cover one''s upper half. Black outlines surrounded his eyes with silvery accents, as a silver string with Cerulean ornaments made from Issac''s excess feathers. The ears were embedded with diamonds with silver outlines as well. A star made from five black triangles sat under the right eye. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk.¡± The headmaster held his head and waited. ¡°This young man went out drinking a bit too much. I didn¡¯t know experts could even have hangovers.¡± The elf stated. ¡°So that''s why I haven¡¯t seen Sigfried today.¡± The headmaster scowled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m in this condition but, if I¡¯m being honest. The mana gained from such an item was surprisingly potent. Just where did you¡­¡± ¡°I made it with means I can¡¯t use often. It¡¯s an item I intend to sell off. Though that was only my four distillation brands.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t cook, and you had no talent for alchemy, how are you so gifted with booze?¡± The headmaster held his head. The elf looked at Kyrion curiously. ¡°Isn¡¯t brewery just another form of alchemy?¡± ¡°I make 99% of the ingredients and received training from some of the best to perfect this art. Though I can¡¯t drink my finished pro¡­Wait no I guess I can, technically. But I shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Sheesh. The only one of us walking around right now is your mother.¡± ¡°How is her alcohol tolerance higher than yours?¡± ¡°Did you forget that your grandfather was a pirate?¡± Caeden asked. ¡°So she¡¯s been drinking tea since she could walk¡­ And I¡¯ve been unknowingly drinking medicinal tea for years because of it.¡± Kyrion placed a hand over his prosthetic eye. ¡°That explains your iron stomach and poison tolerance. Fight mana poisoning with spirits.¡± The headmaster recalled having to work to disable Kyrion during his fight against Minah. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s only grown since. My liver is my second strongest organ. Now then, why are you here?¡± ¡°Max will inherit the kingdom on graduation. You intend to learn from the matriarch, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Good, she was the one who trained me in misdirection. The main reason why I¡¯ve been able to stand on my own, despite being so young. Though I''m probably old to you.¡± ¡°Time goes by too fast. I¡¯m starting to feel old as well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you start? We aren¡¯t old until we hit our first century.¡± ¡°I disagree, the turning point is at the millennia mark.¡± Bastion looked at all the grandpas trying to sound young and shook his head, ¡°Uh-huh. So what now?¡± ¡°Right. Kyrion, many of the techniques you¡¯ve learned from Gamodren and me were adapted from the Matriarch''s teachings. Which isn¡¯t public knowledge. Thus so long as you use a mastery of the techniques you already know. Your cover will work well. Just avoid fire.¡± ¡°Will do sir!¡± Kyrion said a bit too loudly as the hungover man teleported away. ¡°Now then. I¡¯ve been informed you can impart your shards onto bodies of their own. Show me.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t create bodies at will. Letting you know that these were made ahead of time.¡± Four copies of Kyrion jumped out of the domain, each with slight alterations. One wielded a Photon Greatsword and held blond highlights in his red hair. Over his body was a suit of flexible body armor. His mask was the same as Kyrion¡¯s only instead of silver and blue, the decorations were red and white respectively. This one was Kyrie. The second was a woman, her red hair had green highlights, and her eyes were slightly sharper. She wore Green robes with the symbol of a serpentine dragon coiling about. Her mask held Green and gold alterations. Her posture gave away her identity as Ra. The third was another man, his hair was shorter than the first two and was silver at the roots. His expression seemed old and withered, but in his eyes were years of experience and knowledge. His accents were black and purple, and his robes seemed to match. A red and gray beard protruded from his chin. At his side was a long staff. The man resembled the Shaggy Kyr from the Realm of the Lost. The fourth and final, was short and androgynous, like Ra, they were unarmed, save for a series of floating triangles that surrounded their arms and rotated. Their hair was white with golden strands mixed in while their eyes were a brighter red that glowed in the dark. This shard was known as Arion. Arion was a shard that manifested in Kyrion¡¯s mind during his trip abroad. Their name was Centarion, which didn¡¯t roll off the tongue much if at all, and both.¡± ¡°Four and of this quality. What¡¯s the limit on their bodies?¡± ¡°I can only make one while the other is destroyed or while both are in my domain. Which makes creating more a pain as they aren¡¯t simple to make properly.¡± ¡°With that taken into consideration, I must say that you have truly grown quickly.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that quick. Just had a bit of luck with time management.¡± ¡°Good, if you can get that far, now, we won¡¯t have to change much for your few lectures. Now you are dismissed.¡± The Four clones bowed before reentering Kyrion¡¯s domain. Bastion sighed. ¡°It¡¯s ice cream time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired of ice cream?¡± Kyrion asked. Bastion looked at Kyrion as though he¡¯d grown a second head. ¡°Do you get tired of breathing?¡± ¡°Where did I go wrong?¡± ¡°No idea, now let''s go!¡± Bastion ran ahead. Book 3: Chapter 25 Magpie White Fox felt strangely annoyed, he had summoned multiple hordes of undead during this fight. It was supposed to be an easy victory against three no-name schools. Yet here he was back to back with the black-haired new arrival. The others were being soundly eliminated by enemy forces, with extreme prejudice. Worst of all, their supposed ally leaked their battle plans and betrayed them. Norm and the republic¡¯s academy were up a creek without a paddle as that monster in the sky descended again. Wings of blue flame crashed down on the arena, turning his zombies into ash. A woman with a whip made from light darted about attacking Psycho whenever he started casting. A bruiser with pink hair and black eyes fought Ceres head-on, blow for blow. As though the two were even in physical strength. When all was thought lost, a sun fell from the sky and crashed into the arena and the world exploded with light. When the power faded the arena returned to its natural state as various unconscious figures lay on the ground defeated. White Fox eyed the attacker, realizing it was Asela on Norm. The rest of her surviving team members were with her floating down. They had won, by the skin of their teeth, or so it had looked. In actuality, while the betrayal was real, they were made aware of it. The point in the end was to make them lose when they thought they were winning. Though White Fox hadn¡¯t been at that meeting. He¡¯d been too busy with his plans to be made aware of the deception aspect. White Fox pouted as he left the arena, their bout lasted a day and a half meaning they would only have a little time to rest. The next bout would likely be their last. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you clue me in on the plan.¡± White Fox pouted at the teammates who put up a faux struggle. ¡°You missed the meetings and preparation so to better make it feel genuine we kept you ignorant.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°I see.¡± White Fox was going to hide leeches in his shoes, the next time Gamodren let his guard down. ¡°Why do you look like you''re planning to hide rat bait in my clothes? To fool your enemies you must first fool your allies.¡± ¡°Define rat bait?¡± White Fox asked as he felt a portal open nearby. Someone had just arrived, someone very powerful. ¡°Any bait!" White Fox went silent as he left the stadium motioning for Gamodern to get closer. ¡°We won¡¯t be winning tomorrow.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like I said. I would recommend withdrawing from the tournament. I won¡¯t be fighting.¡± ¡°What did you sense old man?¡± ¡°You¡¯re current stepfather has sent one of his strongest twins to pay another twin a visit and confirm a death that wasn¡¯t reported.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Kevin¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very intimidating.¡± Gamodren replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t pronounce it right.¡± ¡°One would think he would be smart enough to stop sending more shards at a problem.¡± ¡°Gios isn¡¯t the sharpest nuke in a lunchbox. Cunning, and devious, yes. Shortsighted and reckless? Yes. The two sets of traits do not work well together.¡± ¡°What is a nuke?¡± White Fox opened his mouth and sensed the tendrils of Divine Essences inching to his mouth and stopped. ¡°A cooking tool.¡± ¡°Riiight.¡± Gamodren sighed. ¡°So, Vin. How strong is he?¡± ¡°Of the shards he¡¯s encountered, this one would be the toughest, and deadliest based on what I know.¡± ¡°What makes him strong?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a mythical Pheoseraph from Icaron. Fire and healing abilities are his focus. Based on what I¡¯ve gathered, he can burn up his life force to power his spells before resurrection. Plus he''s physically stronger than the one we know, at least going off the information I have on him.¡± ¡°Is he cunning?¡± ¡°Does not have a lying bone in their body.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Why are they interfering so much?¡± ¡°Probably due to all the wrenches in his plans and need for more reliable anchors.¡± ¡°What''s the story on that? I heard you lost an anchor when you arrived here.¡± ¡±Yes, three of us were sent here. Black Fox, Red Fox, and I.¡± ¡°So this Black Fox is missing?¡± ¡°Last time I heard that name, it was used to describe a corpse.¡± White Fox avoided the question. ¡°Fine then.You may sit out. That''s what the alts are for.¡± ¡°Perfect, if you need me I''ll be playing in the usual place.¡± White Fox ran off to go find a forgotten burial ground.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Kyrion sighed as he sat in front of his teammates, he was finally able to participate as himself, mostly. He¡¯d make the reveal dramatic, he¡¯d already changed into a white robe with a matching cowl, that hid most of his hair. His field of cleaning mana was active again, which didn¡¯t allow for even the smallest specs of grime to stick to him. Which was something only the most observant would notice. As it made Kyrion smell like a lotus plant. Lin sat to Kyrion¡¯s right a small blue pup on one leg and a small white fox on the other. Both were taking turns getting groomed. Cecil sat across from him, his prosthetic hand finished as his expression seemed concerned. A cat with six tails sat in his nap and stared at the white scarf hidden inside Kyrion¡¯s robes. Bella had an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. She¡¯d spent all that time cooking just for it to end abruptly. In the end, Volain¡¯s team polished most of it off as Kyrion had been missing for the remainder of that day. Hel seemed pissed off. As the tactician she was mad that he¡¯d gone off and vanished, after getting himself kicked for a risky play. Various hornets floated about ready to charge at any moment. Minah sat in a corner looking away somewhat shell-shocked for reasons Kyrion didn¡¯t¡­ Ok, he did know why she looked as though she swallowed lemons. Ander sat next to Chiyo, the two were sitting with their fingers laced between them. It didn¡¯t help that Ander looked quite a bit more mature and was a good deal taller. His hair had grown somewhat yet the sides had been shaved up to his temple where a small scar from a blade could vaguely be seen on the right. The hair on top had fallen to the left side of his head, somewhat well-combed. Brion seemed somewhat confused as he sat alone for once. Not having met Chiyo before yesterday. He felt somewhat hurt that Ander had a secret wedding but felt a lot less hurt when he learned it happened in another world. Not that sharing the information now would help. Tiffany sat with Bastion, her expression blank as she ensured he didn¡¯t run off and cause another incident. His powers had gotten stronger, along with his bad luck. Tiffany had been training but felt as though she didn¡¯t get the chance to go all out against her enemy. It was always, cloak and dagger. She had two more rounds to show her dominance, win or lose. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m back. Sorry to say that the reason I was missing had to do with training with the elves.¡± The spies looking in on them weren''t obvious to most, but to every member of the team save Brion, who didn¡¯t train his perception, it was quite obvious. Which was why he was having this revelation in a semi-secret location. ¡°So that¡¯s why your late? What did you learn?¡± ¡°Multi Voice casting along with Myriad Faces. Meaning my spell chants have gotten a lot more deadly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel about that.¡± Ander squinted. ¡°They are still weak and I have a lot to learn, but I do have those spells to a degree.¡± ¡°Noted. So how will you take on these next opponents?¡± ¡°Hel, Tiffany, Cecil and Bella will take on Uriel while Brion, Minah, Ander and I will take on Volain¡¯s team.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve been forbidden.¡± ¡°Chiyo? Will you take his place again or sit out? We can go with just seven if we must.¡± ¡°What happened to the others?¡± ¡°Bastion is now a known threat. So he¡¯s sitting out. Eden won¡¯t be fit for combat for the remainder of the tournament. Max is going through a growth coma.¡±Kyrion looked at Minah for a long second before standing up. ¡°Ugh. Don¡¯t guilt trip me.¡± ¡°This is for your growth. Aside from Volain, none at that school have the potential to challenge me. Now if you were to promise me a bout, afterward, I''d be so inclined.¡± Kyrion felt a blade of ice pass through his chest, and looked down, only to follow the sensation to his core. Activating his mana senses revealed something disturbing. ¡°I could give you the Volain fight, but I owe him a match. Instead I want you doing patrols from above. I felt a portal open from far away. Something strong crossed broke through a gap, and into this world.¡± Lin scowled. ¡°I didn¡¯t sense anything, how certain are you?.¡± Bastion¡¯s nose suddenly started bleeding. The ground under him turned red as he lost more blood than was healthy in moments falling over soon after. ¡°Bastion!¡± Kyrion moved into action attempting to apply healing magic only to have no success as Bastion was more dehydrated than injured. ¡°Mr. Kyrion? Can I have more ice¡ª¡± Bastion passed out as his form seemed to flicker for a long moment. His body began to shrink to the degree where he now appeared slightly younger. The power he''d gained seemingly resealed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lin seemed worried as she watched the boy pass out. Chiyo seemed terrified. ¡°What did I just witness?¡± Cecil crossed his arms. ¡°Time magic. Though I''m not sure why time would adjust in front of us. Where did you find this kid?¡± ¡°I saved him from some slavers. The people I rescued said he was from their village.¡± Cecil watched as the blood faded from existence. ¡°I doubt he knows the details. Though it would make some sense if I took two things into account.¡± ¡°Tell us what you think then.¡± Tiffany stated, having noticed something was off. ¡°Something major just occurred, and it resulted in two of us being impacted. I must infer that their coming here somehow altered the natural order.¡± ¡°So, does this mean Bastion is a time traveler?¡± Bella asked. ¡°With his horrid luck, I wouldn¡¯t doubt he accidentally ended up here.¡± Kyrion scratched his head. ¡°So this new arrival might know something.¡± ¡°Or they may have some relation to Bastion.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t this tournament just end?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Do we even need to win?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°The resources would be nice, but it''s about the principle of the thing. We didn¡¯t come here to lose in the end. Also we shouldn''t let the empire get ahold of these resouces before a certain event. It would put us on the back foot.¡± Kyion said stoically. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t get kicked out again.¡± Hel turned away. "I''ll try not to, but as far as plans go, assume I''ll be the first one out. In such a situation, seek me out." The semifinal match was slated to begin the next morning and any further combat training would prove detrimental as many still required time to restore their mana and progress mentally. They were determined not to have another morning where half of their team was hungover or otherwise absent due to injuries. As their buffer of extra members was gone, and Kryrion¡¯s older sisters weren''t direct combatants. This was the plan, anyway. As Kyrion tried to sleep, he felt a presence enter into his room late at night. A familiar yet off presence. As though he¡¯d snuck into his own room. A with long red hair and glowing green eyes were perched atop Kyrion¡¯s dresser like some kind of bird, his head cocked at a ninety-degree angle. His robes were black, and made of a fine silk, while various pouches lay at his side. ¡°You aren¡¯t fooling me with that half asleep act.¡± The man started with lifeless eyes, his mouth opening, and letting the words come out without moving his mouth any further. As though his face was out of sync. Or a very basic illusion. ¡°Who are you and what do you want with me?¡± Kyrion asked as he appeared to sit up in his bed while in actuality he was standing in a corner while a double took his place. ¡°I came to investigate the reason behind four of my shards being present here, despite two coming to capture you.¡± ¡°Is that so? What will you do then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, then take your shards to the leader and earn his favor.¡± ¡°Do you really want to work for that imbecile?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°The Great Gios is all-powerful and all knowing. None of us are as intelligent.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t necessarily true. Assuming he hasn¡¯t integrated the rest into his mind. How many more does the fool need?¡± ¡°Who knows? The only thing I see is a dead man acting tough.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true then you are truly an idiot among idiots. Or a total birdbrain.¡± ¡°Did my mannerisms really stick out that much, fool of a human?¡± The intruder stated as their eyes became more lifeless. Red feathery wings shot out from his back and angled before he flew into the window. It took two hits, the first clearly catching it by surprise while the second took the entire wall with him. ¡°Oi! I¡¯ll be the one paying for this!¡± Kyrion yelled as the birdman flew away. When he felt that the area was safe, Kyrion replaced the wall and moved to his bed. He¡¯d need all the rest he could get if he had to take on Volain. Book 3: Chapter 26 Bells and Birds The next day Kyrion stood with his team in front of a gateway. ¡°Due to the inherent powers displayed previously, and tradition, today''s matches will take place on one of our lost continents. Due to this being the case, the wards that automatically trigger have been altered to adjust to abilities that trigger the safety as well as removed the restrictions on people with a power that lets them return to battle from a near death state.¡± ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t like this.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°I don¡¯t think the next two matches will be as easy as I want.¡± Hel sighed. ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion adjusted his fox mask and smiled wickedly. His red hair freely flowing behind him with a gemlike luster. His eyes sparked with mischief and anticipation. He¡¯d get to fight like himself. ¡°Due to this, there is a chance that the battlefields will overlap. While you won¡¯t get bonus points for interfering in the matches of future opponents. You also won¡¯t be penalized as the finals will begin right after. Thats right, there will be no break between the semi finals and final round. Removed members will receive the best healing and have a day to return should the tournament go past the expected limits.¡± ¡°Oh. Oh no. Kyr. I need my mech.¡± Cecil looked to Kyrion. Kyrion smirked and snapped his fingers as Calablog just popped into existence. ¡°What is that!¡± ¡°My magnum opus! WIth this, war will change on this world forever.¡± Cecil stated as he adjusted his robotic hand and opened up the cockpit. From there he climbed into the machine and it activated. The experts stayed quiet as many of the rankers recognized the war machines of Ilu. Only on a much larger scale. Based on their knowledge, Cecil was skipping quite a few levels in the world''s natural developmental cycle. ¡°Care to explain?¡± ¡°Now without further ado, this match will be last team standing with an announcement being made when it¡¯s time to move to the finals! Ready? Begin!¡± Immediately every team was teleported to a flat desert plain quite a good distance away. Hel scowled. ¡°This changes quite a bit. We need to set up a base camp.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a field of time dilation here 12 to 1. It appears this may be a survival game. No nearby food and no nearby water sources or plants and other fauna.¡± ¡°Swords and idiots,¡± Hel swore, well as close to swearing as someone of her upbringing could. ¡°You swear like an old lady,¡± Bastion said from right next to Hel. His height had decreased and he appeared more baby-faced than he had prior. ¡°Bastion? Why are you here? I was certain that you were left behind.¡± ¡°It was quite funny. I was sitting with mr¡­ the umm¡­ big teacher.¡± Bastion held his head in confusion. ¡°There are nine of us.¡± ¡°Does Bastion add anything to the team as he is?¡± ¡°No. He was hardly a combatantant before. I intended for him to sit these last fights out.¡± ¡°What can you do about our food stores?¡± Cecil asked from his mech. ¡°If I starve myself, two months. If not one month. At least that''s as much as I can spare in this situation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being stingy. I¡¯m talking about real food, not snacks and nothing going to my monsters.¡± ¡°Is that so? Would you be able to grow anything in this environment?¡± ¡°Yeah. Though if I want to avoid trouble then I¡¯ll need to spend two days of focused labor. If I want the food to grow properly here the land needs to begin the process of reviving.¡± Kyrion then began the process of carving runes into land to set up a conversion spell. With a sacrifice of blood and mana, the land for at least a few miles wide would become fertile for the next few years. Within an hour, the spell was done. Quite a bit of land was excavated and converted into bricks then filled with an absurd amount of water. From there he turned the earth into a fortress of metal and stone. After leaving his building state he looked about. ¡°Food is settled.¡± ¡°Super cool,¡± Bastion said in a half-lidded monotone. The others had gone on a scouting mission which led to Kyrion and Hel sharing babysitting duties. As Hel tended to scare Bastion, he decided to follow his savior about and watch. Based on how the area looked at the start of the day. The current fortress looked like an oasis in a drought-ridden desert. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not enthusiastic enough.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°It needs more colors. Just blue, green, and brown.¡± ¡°The fruit trees will be grown by tomorrow morning. By slowing their growth I can cause them to grow thicker and stronger.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Do you want to help paint the walls?¡± Bastion shot up. ¡°Paint?¡± ¡°Yeah, we can do this two ways. The suspended cord way or the flying way.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t fly.¡± A man with white wings walked out of Kyrion¡¯s domain. His expression concerned a silver sword and shield, drawn for combat. ¡°Why have I been summoned?¡± ¡°Michale, I need you to help my apprentice paint the wall. It is an important duty as I intend to make this place a foothold in the future.¡± ¡°I see. Aren¡¯t you aware of the civil wars?¡± ¡°Tower residents and island residents are fighting everyone. Right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Ugh. When you go back, inform the islanders that if they don¡¯t settle down, I¡¯ll drop their city on top of another city upside down. I¡¯ll be going to war sooner rather than later.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°If they become my enemy then using one to destroy another is an eco friendly maneuver. I don¡¯t need two wars.¡± ¡°Will you follow through on such a threat?¡± ¡°Eventually. If I must. I saw what happens if I truely die. Those in my domain will just cease to be. So weakening my soldiers in my domain weakens me and threatens everyone. I could drop them in an ocean upside down instead after stealing the levitation enchantments.¡± ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be sure to inform the opposing faction that failing to cease their attacks will lead to a mass extinction event.¡± Bastion blinked slowly. ¡°So how will I do the painting?¡± Kyrion withdrew a child-sized bulky gun-shaped device. ¡°This shoots bubbles that cover the area shot with a layer of paint. Excess paint spreads instead of stacks; this is what we used to paint mechs.¡± ¡°Could have sworn this was bigger.¡± Kyrion eyed the altered device and shook his head. Bastion was then carried into the air and directed towards a set of walls. After six hours passed from the start of the match, the sun began to set, which was interesting as they hadn¡¯t been in the area all that long. ¡°Odd. Wait time zones exist. But sheesh. For it to be getting late this early.¡± Cecil returned to his mech and immediately exited his form covered head to toe in sweat as the machine turned off. ¡°Whats wrong?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Poor ventilation and overheating.¡± Cecil took a deep breath and looked around, ¡°Was that something you left out or something I left out?¡± ¡°I made it like one would make a spaceship, but I didn¡¯t prepare enough backup oxygen or air filters for land battles. Moving around 10% max speed in this desert also causes too much friction in the environment which leads to even more overheating. Aside from that, its best use is in ten to thirty minute intervals.¡± ¡°That''s strange. We flew it here from the academy just fine. Though it didn¡¯t take six hours.¡± ¡°It flew?¡± Cecil slowly blinked. ¡°Ah right. The new gravity stabilizers, you should have noticed them, it¡¯s the red wheel that can be used to adjust the mech¡¯s weight. It uses quite a bit of power but it also reduces some strain. Though a ventilation adjustment may be necessary for fights in a high temperature environment.¡± ¡°Kyr¡­ You should inform me of what your changes do properly. Your designs aren¡¯t exactly as intuitive to others as they are to you.¡± ¡°Fi¨C.¡± ¡°Monsters from the south! Headed your way!¡± Brion informed them through a communication flower. ¡°Got it. Get back to the base as soon as you can.¡± ¡°Monsters from the north as well!¡¯ Minah said through her flower only to arrive a few minutes later with a somewhat dumbstruck look based on her body language. ¡°Hmmm? Right, guess you weren''t aware that I built most of the more recent dorms on my own. I also created the building you had to defend in our bout. That''s the measure of power that I''m working with.¡± Minah seemed to respond slowly as she turned to Cecil. ¡°Thats one of the few ways you can train your mana pool isn¡¯t it. Macro scale magic, I mean.¡± ¡°Yes. This pushes my limit without using blood to speed things up.¡± ¡°Gotch. I don¡¯t remember you buying that robe by the way.¡± Cecil looked at the all-white ensemble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kyrion scratched his chin as his eyes landed on a section of earth and split it a good distance causing the ground to shake a bit. From there it was filled with water to form a deceptively deep moat. The moat was then extended around the area as earth was moved out of the way and the entire area was given a watery defense. ¡°Are you going to build some walls as well?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°Gonna put your canned nuns on the fort.¡± Kyrion pointed to the fortresses'' towers that had large areas for siege protecting weapons. ¡°Cannons exist.¡± Minah scowled. ¡°Why do you have nuns in a can?¡± Cecil realized Kyrion did that on purpose. ¡°Fine. Set them up, I¡¯ll be in my mech.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Kyrion flew to the tops of the six defensive towers and arrayed Cecil''s mana cannons before summoning a team of 36 hat gremlins to inform them of their orders. ¡°Fire at the monsters as well as any enemy humans. You know the faces of everyone on my team.¡± ¡°Rodger, boss!¡± The gremlins saluted before getting to work. ¡°Alright.¡± Kyrion found Bastion shooting everything in sight with his bubble gun. The walls of the fort were covered in an array of messy wild colors, and the apparent child had a wild look in his eye. ¡°Time to go inside. Why don¡¯t you decorate the walls?¡± Kyrion had yet to add furniture as that would come later when his team was ready for bed. ¡°What shall I do?¡± Michale asked. ¡°You are a powerful summon. I can¡¯t waste you on anything that could end with your death. So make sure Bastion doesn¡¯t get hurt.¡± Michale rolled his eyes and continued his babysitting duties. Hel arrived moments later with an exhausted look on her face as she looked around. ¡°I¡¯m having trouble summoning my big insects. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in a dead area. Start with bees. By morning they should provide enough of a mana return for your bigger creatures.¡± ¡°I see. Thanks captain.¡± Hel went back to her area in the fort and continued focusing on her summoning. Tiffany spoke into her flower. ¡°I have found the Norn team in my scouting. Shall I make contact or leave th¨C.¡± The call was interrupted as a clash could be heard and a fight seemed to begin. ¡°Chiyo has been engaged. Send reinforcements to deescalate west. Fighting them serves no purpose for us now¡± Tiffany said in a hurried huff. Brion called again on his device. ¡°Bella and I are retreating but we¡¯ll need some backup. Some of these monsters appear to be peak practitioners and early experts.¡± ¡°Cecil. So¡­ B & B or C.T.?¡± ¡°I can handle expert tier monsters. You should be able to handle your friends.¡± ¡°But I need to help you figure out how to lighten your machine.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave those two for dead.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­Lets leave Rie here, Centi will go with you, and I will go and be mysterious with my old friends.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with.¡± Minah stated. ¡°No. You will make sure Hel stays safe. While I trust Rie enough to protect this place, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s skilled enough to defend a full fledged assault alone. This is an important job.¡± ¡°Why do I get the feeling you just don¡¯t want to deal with me?¡± ¡°Because you''re partially right. You¡¯re poker face is nonexistent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not poking anyone''s face. Speak plainly.¡± Kyrion knew poker existed in a few casinos on the continent. Some of which he¡¯d been to with his teacher but that was probably not a phrase she understood. ¡°There will be a lot of lying through my teeth among misinformation. I want to keep my identity quiet while dealing with my sister and my old friends.¡± ¡°You have a sister?¡± Kyrion slowly closed his left eye as someone in his head accidentally flipped the wrong mental lever. ¡°Pretend that it was a face palm.¡± Ra said from the area behind his eyes. ¡°Ok. I will assume that you''re really good at being deceptive. You are a princess afterall. Just not my princess.¡± Kyrion rolled one eye as he¡¯d still not regained control of the opposite one. In moments a red-haired figure with a more muscular form than the one Kyrion preferred appeared a glowing greatsword on his back with a mask and matching white costume save for his mask. ¡°Myriad forms, phase 1. Defend the settlement. Rie.¡± Rie bowed before taking to the top of the fortress in a few jumps. ¡°Voice of the land, create a brother in arms that is a match of my strength and will. May we share in all and work together to keep this land safe.¡± Shaggy Kyr appeared and then seemingly immediately teleported away as he had something else he needed to do. They shared memories more directly so Kyrion¡¯s plans and his plans usually aligned. ¡°Song of the ancients lend me your power.¡± Kyrion chanted as a third copy appeared; only this one appeared mostly androgynous their white hair tied back in braids and their skin much paler than any other form of Kyrion¡¯s shards. ¡°Ari, ride along with Cecil, help him manage the mech''s weight.¡± Ari¡¯s eyes intensified as various hatches opened up around the core and blue starlike particles shot out of the mech and the temperature dropped exponentially. The particles then changed to a deep purple as various runic scripts lit up from inside the mech emitting a purple light as the mech lost weight. ¡°I didn¡¯t put that function on my mech. What did you do to the engine?¡± ¡°Cryosynthesis. The mech uses the condensed heat and converts it into mana which in turn causes the mech to cool down and opens up the fans and AC vents. It also decreases speed and energy output by 5% while active. It''s only useful for long missions.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t add this feature.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°I added the rune script to the engines we developed directly. Though I did not add an activation trigger to this mech.¡± Arion said bluntly. ¡°I think I get what you mean Cecil. Hidden functions are annoying.¡± ¡°Well, Arion, help me out then.¡± Cecil climbed into his mech and began to press buttons before adding a runic switch that showed the mech¡¯s internal temperature and linked to the new Cryosynthesis runes and scowled. ¡°This is just liquid cooling, using mana instead of coolant. Well now I can shut it off in emergency situations or when I need a fully charged attack.¡± ¡°You catch on quick. Though you did study under Gram for a while. So that''s understandable.¡± ¡°Just shut up and tell me how to best fly this thing forward.¡± ¡°That''s an oxymoron.¡± ¡°I need to be a bit moronic, otherwise I have no reason to be flying a weapon like this so recklessly.¡± Cecil flipped some switches activating the wings and beginning the process of building power for a leap. ¡°You¡¯ve been corrupted. If only I¡¯d integrated sooner.¡± Ari said in a monotone. Book 3: Chapter 27 What is friendship? Chiyo deflected a serpent of flames as a lion-human hybrid brought an axe down on her location. The swordswoman danced around the ax and the Ulnar artery in the large man''s arm before after images danced past him coating his golden fur red. Noah in his durability did not go down from the series of blows, but the damage was clear as he soon fell to his knees, confused. ¡°How are you so fast?¡± Noah asked the woman who held a sword at the nape of his neck in a mere second barrage. Chiyo recognized the tells of a combatant buying time for a counter. Rolled to the side as a shadow shot upward out of the ground and pierced her shoulder causing a gaping hole to appear where the shadow was struck. Looking at the shadow wielder, Chiyo launched three long needles into his form causing him to seize as a paralytic venom entered his system and began to wreck him. Atimn lay on the ground seizing his mind going blank as his body went dangerously still. ¡°You killed him?¡± Noah in a faux rage attacked relentlessly. ¡°No. That was non lethal. At most¨C Another trap.¡± Chiyo danced through the barrage of arrows and turned to an archer currently looking down from a hill. A ball of explosive flame with a molten boulder hidden in the center was launched at her and she knew not to take it head-on. ¡°Secret Art: Blade of a thousand worlds.¡± Chiyo seemed to sheath her blade as a majority of her life energy and mana were depleted at once. In response everything save for her ally had been sliced up moderately and the spells had been utterly destroyed. Steam flowed off her form as exhaustion hit her. Before Chiyo could hit the ground Tiffany appeared and caught her wayward ally with a sour look on her face. ¡°You should pace yourself better. Also, these people should be our allies. Isn¡¯t that right Asela!¡± Nicole looked at Tiffany through a broken vizor. ¡°Allies? Does Drissil even care about their leaders?¡± ¡°You replace them as though they don¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t my choice either. I¡¯d rather my captain be left alone to tend to his flowers in peace.¡± Asela sighed as she appeared with Wura and Chester. The Trio had been holding back to gauge the threat before Tiffany showed up. ¡°Who is this woman?¡± ¡°You know Ander?¡± Tiffany asked. Asela shrugged, and Noah nodded. ¡°The spear user?¡± ¡°Well this is his wife.:¡± ¡°Just where does Drisli hide so many powerful people?¡± ¡°Our current captain is quite troublesome, almost identical to our first in his ability to attract talent.¡± ¡°I see. Shall we be allies then.¡± Asela nodded as a ball of concentrated flame appeared in her right palm. ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯re going to att¨C¡± The blast nearly hit Tiffany head-on as the blow moved past the speed of sound. The following explosion, however, sent Tiffany flying forward. ¡°You won¡¯t trick us again, shapeshifter.¡± ¡°Well. I guess its my turn. Light of the Dawn.¡± Tiffany drew a series of symbols in the air in a matter of seconds. The setting sun vanished as a rising sun could be seen on the other end of the sky. Where the light touched there were no shadows, no darkness, and illusions faded. Revealing a lone Lisa smugly sitting atop a rock near Asela. Yet no one aside from Tiffany managed to notice her. ¡°Powerful mind manipulation. Chiyo, it¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡°I can still fight.¡± ¡°No, you should go.¡± Said a male voice that seemed to be in a tone much deeper than usual. ¡°Captain?¡± Tiffany looked at Kyrion¡¯s face and where his eyes were usually green a warping distortion had appeared in both as he began the process of using his mind magic you counter Lisa¡¯s. ¡°You! Milo, how could you!¡± Noah ran forward only to trip and fall as his legs gave out. Slap! Kyrion slapped his friend across the face and sent him flying into a tree. His armored form faded along with his wounds. Though no one watching the aggressor would have noticed the minute detail. ¡°My predecessors made quick work of him. I shouldn¡¯t be any weaker, no?¡± Kyrion popped his neck as he spoke with a lilt he added to his speech. ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Not true. My dad accepts me most of the time. A solid eight four percent. The rest is when he says I remind him of my mother.¡± Kyrion said as he reached down and slipped something away from Atimn before applying pressure to his temples and sending him to his fortress. A three-headed dog humanoid hybrid with large muscles ran forward only to get poked three times on each nose and sent into a state of confused shock as nerves had been pinched and it caused the creature''s connection to Nicole to vanish and fade in an instant leading to a pseudo spirit broken state that would fade in five minutes. She wasn¡¯t getting those five minutes. Teleporting behind Nicole, Kyrion slipped one of Chiyo¡¯s needles into a nerve and sent her into an unconscious state. Wura summoned a lance of Mercury and threw it forward only to watch as it was caught in an orb of wind and frozen solid in seconds. The strain of manipulating her element in that stage of matter left her distracted for a brief moment as a blue liquid shot into her mouth and she fell backward. The mercury then faded from existence. Arrows came at Kyrion from above and instead of dodging or taking them head on. Each arrow was plucked out of the sky with surgical precision as Kiara tired herself out. Kyrion teleported in front of Kiara and poked her on the forehead, sending her into an unconscious state. ¡°Now then five of eight are down, why don¡¯t you surrender. If I wanted them out of the tournament I would have ended them dear cousin.¡± Kyrion said in a way reminiscent of Milo. He¡¯d seen the resemblance with his own eyes, a mix of Gamodren with the man in his uncle''s body. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare call me that!¡± Asela summoned a great ball of energy which was rapidly condensed to the size of a pea before getting filled with vast power.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Isaiah sent all the mana he could spare at Asela and the Pea-sized ball of heat was the size of a golf ball. ¡°You know, an attack like that could destroy a planet on any other world.¡± Kyrion exaggerated, it could level a human city on Cecil''s world but that was it with just that much mana. ¡°Then maybe it will teach you not to mess with my family again!¡± Asela held the ball above her head preparing to throw it. Kyrion teleported behind his sister and pulled a move used by older brothers everywhere. He snatched the ball of energy that could no longer be called fire with divine essence and held it above her head. While placing a hand on his diminutive sister''s head and softly applying a mental healing spell on her. She wasn¡¯t too strong and it was clear that Chester was unaffected by the manipulation but had been playing along due to being dangerously outnumbered. Asela¡¯s mental state reverted to being a little kid again as she whined. ¡°Hey, give it back! That''s my ball!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to take it from me if you want it. Little Asela.¡± Asela, enraged, instinctively kicked Kyrion in the shin enough to break a bone. A thin bone in her foot. That shock caused the spell to face and the regeneration effect was soothing as said bone was fixed and her gaze partially landed on Lisa. ¡°No way! I¡¯ll just make it explode.¡± Asela stated. ¡°Oh? That will take us both out!¡± Kyrion yelled as the ball was filled with his divine essence of flame doubling and tripling in size before getting condensed into a small ball of blue-white energy. ¡°My flames of corruption will taint this ball in my colors!¡± Kyrion laughed as he threw it upwards while Lisa watched in confusion. Kyrion eyed each of his friends who he left some of his mana on, then grabbed Isaiah and Chester and teleported everyone save Lisa to the fort. The blue orb expanded into the size of a mountain before exploding outward in a shockwave that forced everyone in that general area to be evacuated right before it could hit. ¡°Ummm¡­Just how much power did you put into that attack Kyr?¡± ¡°Just a little bit of a higher form of power. Though, how long have you known that your ability over fire was ripped out of me which is why you can easily manipulate anything plasma related I send in your general direction?¡± ¡°When mother explained it when you failed to awaken. She said that there would be quite a few more lies in the mix until you were ready for the full picture. You have most of the pieces and they will fall into place when you get older.¡± ¡°Figures. I got a bit of that back when it regenerated in a dungeon, then a mental breakdown caused it to erupt for the first time in rage. I must thank you for taking on that burden here.¡± Kyrion handed Asela a bag of spicy candies. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Candy that increases your power over plasma based elements when consumed steadily. A rarity in this world. So rare you won¡¯t find another source with it on this world.¡± ¡°When did you learn how to make candy?¡± ¡°I have a source. Now then how were you all enthralled?¡± Chester sighed. ¡°I¡¯m the only one with decent mental defenses and I was still unable to see the person enthralling us. Meaning acting out could lead to a slit throat.¡± ¡°So you went with the herd. Annoying but understandable if you were as weak as you act.¡± ¡°I also wanted to see how powerful your new friend was. To take so many on so well despite being an unknown was something concerning. Information is my best weapon.¡± ¡°This is why I despise most tacticians. Always thinking of the big picture when it would be simpler just to react and adapt as things come.¡± ¡°Is that why you actively disrupt most of our plans? What about your own team''s tactician?¡± ¡°I despise other people¡¯s tacticians. Mine are easy to deal with. They know not to predict what a force of nature will do, they know to plan around for whatever chaos I cause and adapt accordingly.¡± Kyrion walked towards the edge of the tower and proceeded to backflip off of it as a portal opened under him and he disappeared. ¡°How did you end up so different?¡± ¡°Teachers. I¡¯m more likely to follow rigid instructions and orders when they come to me. He¡¯s likely to ignore orders and do what he thinks is best. Flexible adaptation, battling against rigid order. Now we both know this is was a desert, but could any one person build such a fortress in mere hours then push us that much while obviously holding back. Somehow he¡¯s found a path past the expert tier before reaching it. The same as Damian, and the same as you Chester.¡± Asela eyed the tactician before she turned away to look at the setting sun. Brion and Bella were surrounded by a large number of monster corpses and yet a near endless hoard of beasts surrounded them and even more ignored and continued to run past. Both were covered in scratches and dirt but had few bleeding wounds due to their endurance. However, that didn¡¯t protect against failing due to mana exhaustion. Brion slammed two arms into a bear creature''s shoulders and brought them together removing its upper torso and head taking a cut to his ribs that made him take a step back after to breathe. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can make it through this.¡± Brion sighed as a forty-foot-tall gorilla with the lower body of a six-legend lion marched forward toward their location trampling trees and other monsters alike. ¡°That isn¡¯t fair.¡± Bella stated as the creature approached. ¡°That is a middle expert tier creature at least. Why would they put us somewhere with a powerful enemy like this?¡± ¡°So that we won¡¯t build a settlement and bunker down. A creature like this is probably too strong for our captain to take on alone.¡± ¡°Of course it is! Why do you think I''m here?¡± Said a familiar voice through an unfamiliar form. The Great Gorillion hadn¡¯t been outsized in a fight in centuries. Even then that was back when it clawed itself out of its parent and then consumed their pride whole. Now a metal two legs covered in mana appeared before it standing a full story taller than it. ¡°Two legs are tiny. Why you no tiny?¡± The Gorillion demanded, proving that it had gained a level of sentience in its age. ¡°Magitech.¡± Cecil stated through his speakers as he withdrew a modified mana cannon from a holster and began to charge it using mana from the engine and all around them. The Gorillion felt fear. Not understanding what that meant, it charged forward to rip the giant two legs in half. The mech jumped back and took to the air as more energy was charged into the weapon. With its six powerful legs, the Gorillion jumped with enough power to shake the land below and cause many of the monsters to flee. ¡°So. Now that we¡¯re here.¡± Cecils spun the cannon slamming the butt into its chin and sending it upward its body unprotected. ¡°When would a predator flee from its prey?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°When it seeks to trap its mark before slaying.¡± Cecil fired the cannon upwards and at a diagonal the blast cutting through the creature''s lower body and torso and continued into the clouds then pushing beyond as the blast broke out of the atmosphere and was absorbed by something. ¡°Well that''s not concerning at all.¡± Cecil said bluntly. ¡°That is very concerning. What''s wrong with you?¡± Arion responded in a monotone. ¡°How are you related to our captain?¡± Cecil asked. This position was somewhat the reverse of what he was used to. Arion did not talk without prompting there was ¡°We have no physical relation, although our souls are one and the same.¡± Cecil sighed and opened up various cooling vents to release the built-up heat and excess energy to create a protective bubble as it landed. The field scared away many expert-tier creatures though not all. Those foolish enough to charge forward were frozen solid and then crushed by a gravitational ability caused by a currently hidden Bella. Brion crossed his arms and asked bluntly. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Cecil the captain?¡± ¡°Assassins. Did you see how many times people have tried to hunt our captain down. They failed and went straight for me only to fail in the end again. Also, this is a team design, Cecil has been working towards this for a while and it was due to parts our captain came across while running from assassins that this was able to be finished during the tournament.¡± Brion nodded. ¡°So this is your group''s Magnum Opus, or proof of mastery?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a member as well. Thing is, these machines require minimal mana to control so almost anyone could learn to pilot one. As far as things go, you could be one of said pilots if you wanted to.¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Brion turned to instead watch the fleeing monsters. He was loyal to Kyrion for helping him walk again, but he knew that the person in that position didn¡¯t care for being a leader. If it wasn¡¯t for spite he¡¯d probably be acting as the team medic instead. Now that Brion thought of it, Kyrion had been their group''s unofficial leader for a while as the bridge that connected all of them, except maybe Hel. Though she was Minah¡¯s aide, there was some connection with spying attempts that went unnoticed like ants crossing his path through his natural repellents or flies occasionally sitting on walls right before Minah would arrive only to watch him flee. She told him that she recently learned that he¡¯d planted trackers on Minah¡¯s armor to better flee. Unaware that he¡¯d been the cause of years of her frustration. ¡°Maybe what?¡± ¡°Polgamy is somewhat legal in Etrevonia. So a harem wouldn¡¯t be uncommon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sharing Cecil.¡± Bella said bluntly. ¡°Huh? No. I just get the feeling a certain captain intends to graduate then hide out here for centuries as the inevitable hoard of suitors start breaking down his doors with axes.¡± ¡°I mean, he isn¡¯t ugly¡­Maybe it¡¯s because I remember when he was mostly babyfaced.¡± Bella watched as a hatch opened and an albino woman climbed over Cecil to escape. She marched forward recognized the lotus scent that Kyrion kept on him looked about noticed the strong smell of plants and stopped. She then looked at them closely and realized it was androgynous, though that didn¡¯t mean much. She¡¯d seen Kyrion¡¯s mother and sisters, there wasn¡¯t enough of a difference for that distinction to matter. Noticing her fingers were in the middle of transforming she willed it to stop. ¡°Get in. We need to go back to the lo¨Cfort.¡± The figure stated bluntly with a near-robotic voice. Book 3: Chapter 28 Birds, Lizards, Orcas and Trouble While Kyrion made sure all of the attention the proctors would give his team was busy watching two teams gather and form an alliance with a potential future enemy. He had snuck back to the crater. Where Linda had been, a spherical core sat on the ground. Placing his foot over the orb alerted his senses to the usage of mental magic. Its abillity hides the user and drains mental energy from those under its effect until they pass out. ¡°Not gonna stop me?¡± Kyrion asked aloud as a man with red feathery wings and a face that matched Kyrion¡¯s in some ways, yet felt false, like a silicone mask. ¡°How long have you known about me?¡± ¡°You were the reason I came here directly. Tell your master that if he wants to fight me. Then come to this area after the tournament.¡± ¡°Hah! You think you can take that paragon? Squawk!¡± The mouth didn¡¯t open as he squealed like a crow. ¡°I¡¯d rather do this in a place where no one can get in the way.¡± Kyrion pulled a tombstone out of his domain and pressed it into the ground. Here lies Gios. May the bastard never cause problems again. ¡°Harsh. You do know we are all the same. We all want the same thing.¡± ¡°You''re right¡­ I could really go for some breadcrumbs.¡± Kyrion said sarcastically. ¡°See? We want the same things.¡± Kyrion waited a moment with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Wait. That was sarcasm.¡± Kyrion pulled out an empty sack of breadcrumbs. There were beak-shaped holes in the bag. He then pulled out a whole loaf of french bread. ¡°You will not buy my loyalty with just bread.¡± ¡°What is it that you want? Birdion.¡± Kyrion waved the baguette around. ¡°I want to live in peace with my mate.¡± ¡°So why join him? He''s the opposite of peace.¡± ¡°My mate is dead. Great Gios has sworn to retrieve her soul from the realm of the lost and bring her back to life.¡± ¡°He has a resurrection spell? Or are you trying to die.¡± ¡°He said the power required the stolen shards to be returned.¡± ¡°Mmmmmmm. See this? Talking, is more beneficial for both parties. I can now inform you that Gios didn¡¯t tell you the full truth. I have a powerful resurrection ability but it¡¯s currently locked. I also doubt her soul is still in the realm of the lost¡­Not unless it was very recent.¡± ¡°You lie. I have a self resurrection ability and he can heal. We can¡¯t have the same powers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different though I don¡¯t really care. Talk is over. Severing wind blades.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t cast the spell with any movements which didn¡¯t tell his opponent where the blow would come from. The bird rolled to the side as a breeze that left a trench in the ground barely grazed him. However, the fist coming to his face wasn¡¯t dodgeable as the mask was torn from its place and the creature was sent flying down into the crater left behind by Asela¡¯s spell going off. ¡°Endless tide!¡± Kyrion created water from his mana and began to rapidly fill the said crater with water. It took him all of thirty seconds for it to hit the rim. ¡°That was close?¡± The bird man said from behind Kyrion. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you move.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow as a wave of fire engulfed him. After a solid minute of concentrated flames, the flames dispersed and Kyrion stood there uninjured. Well, he has ten puffy brown blisters on each fingertip. Kyrion put the object in his mouth and it was as though his finger was healed. ¡°Perfectly roasted.¡± ¡°Are you a cannibal?¡± ¡°Hmmmm? Tramush with toh gash¡± Kyrion tilted his head forty-five degrees to the right as he chewed. He drew a rectangle in the air with mana and it did nothing. ¡°Can¡¯t cast with those blisters Can you.¡± The bird man dashed forward and slammed face-first through a pane of enhanced glass. ¡°Cursed walls! How¨C¡± Kyrion slammed the pane on top of the man like a fly swatter. ¡°Stop!¡± Kyrion brought it up slammed it down harder then repeated the process for a minute only to sigh as he tossed it to the sideThe author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I have trained to grow stronger than those cursed walls.¡± ¡°How does one become immune to glass?¡± Kyrion said after finishing his marshmallows. ¡°It¡¯s a talent of mine. The same tricks don¡¯t kill me twice.¡± ¡°Kill?¡± Kyrion nodded to himself and prepared to dash forward. ¡°Yes, the mighty Kyrin never dies the same way twice!¡± ¡°Lame. Mega lame. Your name is now Birdion.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just change my name!¡± Birdion protested. ¡°Do I look like I care? Tell you what if you win, I¡¯ll upgrade you to Phinnion.¡± Kyrion teased. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy destroying you.¡± ¡°Found you! And there¡¯s even a nearby body of water!¡± Said a familiar voice. ¡°Time to duck out.¡± Kyrion punched the ground causing a dust cloud to surround him as he teleported away. Volain crossed the large lake in ten seconds, a powerful tide following behind him. ¡°I found you! Rion!¡± Volain yelled as he slammed his elbow into Birdion¡¯s nose ¡°I¡¯m not Rion.¡± Birdion stated. ¡°I saw your real face, and you smell like yourself. Just because you''re wearing a realistic bird mask doesn¡¯t mean that you''re getting away from me. I know that fire mana anywhere!¡± ¡°No! My name isn¡¯t Rion it¡¯s Kyrin.¡± ¡°I also know your real name. Switching it around won¡¯t work on me!¡± Volain proceeded to pummel Birdion into the dirt before a torrent of blue flames came at him. ¡°Stop this at once. Our schools are allied, if you want to fight him then you must beat us first.¡± Milo said from above. ¡°Where¡¯s Lisa?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been removed and the artifact in her possession destroyed. It¡¯s core was shattered as well.¡± Birdion stated. ¡°Hmmm. You really aren¡¯t him. The Rion I know would never fight with a fangless dragon.¡± ¡°Fangless dragon?¡± ¡°You''re weak Milo. In heart and mind, going against me would end in a slaughter.¡± Volain''s mouth seemed to extend as his predatory tooth-filled smile was ear to ear in a literal sense. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to take us both alone.¡± ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned neither of you are my problem yet but you''re both here and I¡¯ve got a taste of blood.¡± A second blast of blue flames flew at Volain only to vanish suddenly as his spell was countered. ¡°Weaker than it looks.¡± Yaklack entered the battle with his two sets of arms held in a diamond formation. ¡°Shadow strike.¡± An obsidian orc appeared behind Edwin his hands retreating through what would have been a chest cavity had the arena not detected a lethal blow. Quite a bit of blood still covered his hands, however. White Fox observed a piece of gold and flicked it at the orc which caused it to backstep instinctually as a pink-haired girl barely missed him with a comically large hammer. The area shattered and a second crater joined the first, only it was much smaller than the first. ¡°See, my boys are hungry warriors. Sorry, you really should have stayed in your area if you wanted to make it to the next round. Here''s how I see it. If you can¡¯t beat us here, you won¡¯t beat us in a rematch.¡± ¡°Why did you do that White Fox?¡± The pink-haired girl argued. ¡°Do what?¡± White Fox asked as one of his undead carried a water basin to him to wash his hands. ¡°You know what you did.¡± ¡°Huh, if I don¡¯t get it out when it starts itching like that I''ll end up with a nosebleed. I have a unique consolidation.¡± White Fox then dried his hands with a clean towel. ¡°Constitution?¡± ¡°What did you think I said?¡± White Fox asked as he took a bite out of a cookie. Oddly enough, like Bastion he appeared slightly shorter than he was during their previous matches. ¡°I think you¡¯re getting dumber.¡± The pink-haired girl raised her hammer. White Fox pointed a finger at the hammer and yawned. ¡°Look. If you want to us to fail our mission due to infighting then go ahead. He isn¡¯t our target and if you hit him, then we¡¯d be forced into a fight that I don¡¯t think we¡¯d win. If you haven¡¯t noticed. We¡¯re surrounded.¡± A black armored hand caught Milo on his shoulder as a figure roughly forced them back. ¡°What are you!¡± In the next moment a series of compressed spears of water shot out of the ground where he¡¯d been standing. The attack caused a shockwave as they passed through where Milo¡¯s neck, eyes, and heart had been. Volain clicked his tongue. ¡°Full retreat!¡± Milo ordered. ¡°Already lost your nerve? Waste of time. Guess that battle with Cecil has your tail tucked between your legs.¡± Volain laughed to himself. ¡°Well then bird face. Come back when you''re stronger and maybe it will be a fun fight.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Rion your enemy? We could take him down together.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t team up with weaklings. Also, I want to enjoy my fight, maybe let him make more lakes and rivers for me.¡± Volain tossed Birdion across the lake turned to the west. Frp, there ge continued to walk if he found his opponent great. If he found another team, great. Fighting a team that made it to the finals due to his interference would create boring finals. Behind Volain 5 orcs, an elf with blue skin and violet eyes, and a human with short orange hair, was forced onto their team as an alternate on the condition that they appear in the final two rounds. As Volain wasn¡¯t exactly a student in the sense that others took pride in, it was a condition for his participation. As everyone left the area, Kyrion rose out of the ground as though it were water and took a deep breath. He would bet money on his ability to take out the opposing teams in a one-against-all fight, but not even he was dumb enough to fight three teams with people who could match him head-on. And while he threw spatial magic up, it had gotten countered in seconds which could have ended in him being bisected if he was unlucky. ¡°He knew exactly where I was. Didn¡¯t he¡­ bloody echolocation.¡± Kyrion shook his head and pointed at the lake. He then swiped a finger to the side and traced a line down the plain. Over time it would form into a river. ¡°Issac. Undine, I require some assistance.¡± A cerulean swan the size of a bear appeared on the lake with a crown of silver and black eyes that saw more of the world than most. Its feathers seemed to make the water present seem crystal clear. ¡°Do you require my endless wisdom?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Undine?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ We had a falling out. You don¡¯t want the details.¡± ¡°Try me.¡± ¡°How do I explain it to a human? Let''s say she doesn''t like when I look at other birds the way I look at her.¡± ¡°Stop there.¡± Kyrion shivered. ¡°Ok. I need a rune for water accumulation, or a spell that forms water from air and stray atoms¨CI mean ambient mana.¡± ¡°Interesting. I can do that but first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cheat on your wife even if this bird is really pretty. Or split up, and I¡¯ll enact a law that prevents relations with other spirits in my core. You will be alone together.¡± Kyrion gave them an ultimatum. ¡°Fine. Here¡¯s the rune.¡± Issac traced a symbol that drew two lines downward and flowed diagonally to the right like a river eternally parallel, the symbol for water. The infinity symbol was then placed in between the parallel lines near the middle. ¡°That''s a pretty bad rune.¡± ¡°Of course it is. But it will create water within the bounds for eternity. Eventually flooding the world, you already know how to accomplish what you want to do. Thanks bye.¡± Issac left Kyrion standing at the bounds. ¡°Fine¡­¡± Kyrion sat on the ground and thought over what he¡¯d learned. For an area to receive rain, there must be a minimal amount of vegetation or water to continue the cycle. Then clouds will appear regularly to keep the levels balanced. The more living creatures in an area the more likely the land will work to keep them alive. When creatures die the land takes their nutrients and reinforces the land even further. ¡°Ugg. He¡¯s telling me to grow a grove here. I mean I was going to do that eventually.¡± Kyrion sighed as he pulled various red grass seeds. Red grass, or fall grass, was a variant of grass that was hardy and stored excess nutrients that were shared with larger plants. They were excellent at turning blood into nutrients. Kyrion then spread a gallon of his preserved blood over the freshly planted seeds causing the land to smell of copper. Pulling out some lotus seeds and water lily seeds he planted them at the edge of his lake. The water lilies were grown in a way that would keep the water clean, while the lotuses would heal anyone who consumed it. Kyrion then planted a few tomato plants, strawberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and pomegranate bushes. An effect of using blood grass caused red plants to grow blue, and have naturally high healing and rejuvenation abilities. It was where Kyrion¡¯s blue pomegranates grew naturally. Apple trees were also added closer to the edge of the future grove, as well as a patch of water peppers. A spicy pepper that soothed as it burned and was very good for digestion. Out of spite, he¡¯d planted marigolds along with other anti-pest plants to prevent critters from interfering as well as adding some runes that would turn insect larvae into nutrients. While he wanted pollinators he didn¡¯t want pests to interrupt his second grove. His last set of actions for the day was to plant a few acorns in the area. With this method of growth, the fruit plants would grow in a day. Die come spring, spreading their seeds further as they would slowly grow unhindered and on a large scale that coming year. Which would leave him enough time to graduate and finish his war. He¡¯d build his home tomorrow. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 40 Spriggans, Tigers, and Bass The bone titan felt as though its life was in danger, but it couldn¡¯t see a threat. Its cloaked form seemed to shift briefly before it eyed some targets. ¡°You humans are but wheat to my scythe! Muhahahaha!¡± Said the skeleton in a high-pitched voice. ¡°I did not say that. But it is true.¡± Said the skeleton in a much deeper voice. The skeleton prepared to attack when suddenly its spinal column vanished and it collapsed to the ground its cloak floating away. With a brief opening of mana, the large cloak Vanished ad Kyrion was revealed. The creature rearranged its many bones, sacrificing some rib bones to create a new spine. Kyrion landed atop the creature''s hand and pulled the scythe that was the size of a few train cars free before dumping it into his domain. ¡°You''re robbing me!¡± ¡°You robbed this world first. I¡¯m just collecting a debt you incurred with your actions.¡± ¡°You dare, go against my lord?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is, but so you know. They aren''t the ones here right now. You see, you came here and took the lives of the natives with little regard.¡± Kyrion slid his hand into a gem hidden within the creature''s torso and destroyed it. Releasing the souls trapped inside and gravely weakening. ¡°How are you so strong?¡± ¡°The thing about size is that it doesn¡¯t always mean durability. You are weak for your tier of power which means to me, destroying you is easy.¡± ¡°Please have mercy!¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Kyion felt his rage build up as the earth under the titan opened up to swallow it whole before closing with a loud crunch, much to Kyrion¡¯s surprise. ¡°The planet itself has chosen your demise. It seems it does have a modicum of mercy.¡± Kyrion took to the air and sighed before he got to work healing those with life-threatening injuries. A pang burned in his chest as his vision tried to fade. Appearances aside many saw it as a one-sided brawl but the creature had an aura that tried to force the cells in his body to start decomposing. if he played around, chances were he¡¯d have died. Kyrion¡¯s right hand fell off and floated before him much to his irritation. ¡°I am death incarnate! You can¡¯t end me that easily!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to regret this.¡± Kyrion created a cube of spatial mana which he used to send his hand into his domain. ¡°It¡¯s not regenerating. Well that''s new. Karl, can you dispose of the creature in my domain?¡± ¡°No, it is currently an entity of a higher order. It won¡¯t be¡­And it¡¯s trying to escape.¡± ¡°Can it?¡± ¡°No. Though if, you don¡¯t want to eat it, I will.¡± Kyrion¡¯s white scarf answered. ¡°What will happen to it if that happens?¡± ¡°My stomach is the abyssal plane. It¡¯s soul will be destroyed removing it from the cycle.¡± ¡°Ah, go ahead. I don¡¯t want to fight this guy later on.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, but you¡¯ll need to hit up a Gram¡¯s Society and pick up all the bulk wet cat food you see, as well as 12 bags of Nyaa Mix.¡± ¡°Wait, Kilo¡¯s dad owns a society?¡± ¡°Different man. I think. All you two leggers look the same to me.¡± Kyrion finished healing the groups of survivors and made his way to the charmer. Hopefully, his hand would be fixed by the time he arrived.
Jac dodged a blast of gunfire from a man wearing full body armor with a helmet that hid his face and neck. He held a shotgun in each hand and as they fired a tube connected to their torso loaded another two shells in the chambers. Jac sighed as he activated his ability. He didn¡¯t want to use it consistently due to the side effects of overuse. Time slowed to a crawl as Jac moved at a regular speed. His movements were swift as he severed the tubes mid-reload, using two of his Photon daggers. From there he disabled the Slayer¡¯s side arm and melee baton before passing by and shutting it off. His bones hurt and his senses were overloaded. He¡¯d depended on his abilities too much just to make it this close to the giant woman. Seeing that Jac was weakened and exhausted from overusing his powers. The giant watching him fight decided to send her tendrils to infect him, inciting his perception of the battle and succeeding. Suddenly, everyone around him was a monster trying to kill him, ogres, wolves, fire-breathing serpents, and more, were circling him. The goddess of war disappeared from his sight.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Ander had sent dozens of bolts into the pink creature, only managing to damage it slightly as he nearly exhausted his resources. Sweat covered his form and his vision was fading. Dodging it was easy but there was something strange about its defenses. The pulsating pink blob condensed as it shifted form, its color shifting to green as the faces of those it consumed came to the surface and chanted something in a language Ander knew, but hadn¡¯t expected to hear. ¡°From the Gate of Gilgnopox we have come. Offer your souls to us so we can cleanse this world with death and despair. Join, us brother, this is your destiny.¡± Ander realized that it wasn¡¯t talking to him but to the creature in his core. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°How much do you know of why your brothers fled to the Universe of 9?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t say too much. That right there is an entity from another version of this world that''s currently two thousand years ahead. Only the humans there weren''t ready for the apocalypse that you have been made aware of. Those that survived became monsters or hybrid beings, myth became reality, and in the end, the planet was taken over by a being outside, space and time. Before the end, some of humanity managed to sail from the previous universe to this one and split the information they had gained among themselves as they separated and hid among the native humans.¡± ¡°Bah, so what does that have to do with us?¡± ¡°Well, there were originally four versions of each planet. Two branched off thirty thousand years ago, while the last two branched a little over two thousand years ago. Of the first two, none remain and those branches of the multiverse have gone rotten. The lowest branch of earth is known as Hell, when it was corrupted, many animals and people changed. I was once a creature bred to destroy humanity before a Spriggan from the previous branch managed to save me from self destruction, and sealed me away within his bloodline. The second branch¡¯s earth is known as the abyss and it¡¯s next to where the Universe of Nine lies. The creature right there is a higher tier grunt from the Abyss, known as a Drosoupox. Their power involves breaking minds and consuming the remains. An embodiment of gluttony, it calls me brother as my kind are an embodiment of Pride.¡± ¡°I see. So you have the power to kill it?¡± ¡°Yes, as do you. Let me consume the Draconic Essence and I¡¯ll show you how to hunt your enemy.¡± Byakko stated. ¡°Fine then. Take it all.¡± Ander felt a change in his body, as though he had finally earned the trust of the creature inside of him. His mana pool increased by a factor of three, along with his speed, and strength, though he hadn¡¯t physically changed in terms of mass. Black lines covered his body like a tiger''s stripes. ¡°Shadow is born from light, and light cannot exist without darkness. This balance is the reality of sight. In a lightless world, there is nothing, no shadow, no light, no darkness. There is just nothing. Thus the fusion of light and dark cannot exist. The spell I cast is Fission Bolt!¡± Ander forced two-thirds of his mana outside of his body along with a bit of Divine Essence. The technique wasn¡¯t new, but the chant and applications were a first. Nothing happened, as the sound of thunder didn¡¯t follow nor did the crackle of sparks. The pink entity didn¡¯t even seem bothered as it moved forward. Then suddenly as though a revelation the creature realized it was dead as all of its faces took on a horrified stance. A gaping hole the size of a spaceship passed through the creature as its core disintegrated. It didn¡¯t get any last words as the remainder of the creature shattered into sparks of raw mana and its misty aura left the area. ¡°That took a bit out of me.¡± Ander landed softly on the ground as the lines on his body returned to his core the mana increased fading as well, leaving him near empty. Junichiro sighed as he helped Ander get to somewhere safe. The destructive power he¡¯d seen released was beyond what any human from this world could do with a weapon. The old man looked at the sky where clouds had been scattered and quite a few satellites were destroyed. At least he knew not to aim down.
¡°Kyrion is a bit too trusting of our skills.¡± Jin said as he slashed through another hoard of insects causing them to retreat. "Less talk more fight." Kilo sighed as he continued altering the sound systems of various vehicles and connecting them to his system. If sound was their weakness, he¡¯d do the best he could. Entering the swarm to save people was possible for him, but the various holes in his metal body left him quite injured. Coolant and oil flowed from quite a few places. Jin had questions, but those could wait. A hand of insects blotted out the sun and descended upon the two of them. ¡°Uh Kilo! Hand!¡± Chiyo appeared and cut through with various high-speed sword slashes, the nearby insects being turned into pulp in a blink. ¡°That was close.¡± Chiyo sighed. ¡°I¡¯m done. Now I just need to connect it to my vocal¡­Shit!¡± Kilo¡¯s sound adapter had been destroyed. Meaning his plan of simulating a drum, using his mechanical heartbeat wouldn¡¯t work. Wrose his voice amplifier had also been pierced. ¡°Whats wrong!¡± Jin yelled. ¡°Need someone. To make lots of percussive noise.¡± Kilo ripped a device out of his neck and used it to build a microphone before he moved on to using sign language to speak. ¡°Currently. Mute.¡± Kilo signed. ¡°Really? You! Do you know anyone excessively good with a drum?¡± Jin pointed to Chiyo, as his ring glowed and fire spread out from his sword to a high degree. Somehow, Jin knew how to control the flames and used them to swat the swarm back a bit for some breathing room. ¡°Codename is Asura¡­Well I didn¡¯t want to break these.¡± Chyio pulled out a set of condensed metal chopsticks, they were a prototype for a gift meant for Ander, each weighing five kilos¡­Kilograms. She then attached the mic to her wrist. And found a makeshift drum that had been prepared. Each hit against the drum sent noise throughout the area and caused bugs to break formation. Allowing Jin to deal more damage as they began an offensive. The loud noise continued and more and more bugs died until a hornet the size of an elephant could be seen in the center, directing the other bugs. Within seconds, a new wave of bugs formed a smaller condensed giant, although it was quite a bit stronger and more agile as well. ¡°Second form!¡± Jin yelled. ¡°Tell Kyr I¡¯ll be fine and retreat!¡± Kilo sighed as he activated his self-destruct countdown with his mind. To prevent his father''s knowledge from getting taken by unscrupulous individuals, these bodies were given self-destruct functions capable of leveling a building. With his remaining strength, Kilo buried himself into the swarm. The world turned blue as an explosion shook the area. Killing many insects and leaving but a single bug alive. Sadly it was the elephant-sized hornet, despite taking some damage it was fine. ¡°To think he¡¯d blow himself up.¡± Chiyo seemed surprised. ¡°Grab and survivors while I hold it off, ok?¡± ¡°You and your orders. Fine! Don¡¯t you go blowing up on us too though.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t my style.¡± Jin smirked with false confidence. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 41 Boiling ¡°Did Jac abandon his post?¡± Kyrion asked from atop the giant woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The fast one is going to assist our brethren.¡± ¡°Ah. That would explain all the corpses.¡± Kyrion looked at the many dead and unconscious humans and sighed. Sure, unconsciousness was more common, but it was clear when he was infected with the manipulation effect. ¡°He is very weak to suggestion.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kyrion continued to sit on the giant woman¡¯s shoulder. Injecting various experimental drugs and venoms Karl crafted. None of them had a visible effect, and they hadn¡¯t even seemed to notice. ¡°So, Lich, just how strong is that new form of yours?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. He could have sworn that the creature he killed was named Deathlord. ¡°Lich? Just a lich?¡± ¡°Well you evolved into a smaller human form.¡± ¡°Ah, that. I am no lich, I have evolved into a lord.¡± Kyrion said in a cocky tone. ¡°A lord?¡± ¡°Why would I settle for being just a lord of death? It¡¯s just so drab.¡± Kyrion drew a line of space with his D.E. and teleported the head and core into his domain. The creature fell to its knees and the earth opened up and consumed the remains, which was beginning to worry Kyrion. The Planet shouldn¡¯t be this active. Opening up his senses, informed him that the spell he placed to create a hand of molten earth, had taken on a life of its own. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get the feeling my presence is causing more problems here than solutions.¡± Looking down at the dozens of bodies, and the disappearance of the other two giants. Kyrion called Kilo. Kilo¡¯s phone went straight to voicemail. So, Kyrion called Jin, who didn¡¯t answer. Which would make sense if he was busy. Looking down at his still severed hand irritated him slightly as a direct fight would be a pain. Still, he¡¯d check on them. Jin moved his head to the side as a stinger as long as a spear passed by his neck barely missing. Jin then moved forward and Slashed his Phoblade upward, slashing the stinger in half. The Hornet ejected the broken stinger, forcing Jin to roll to the side as a new one grew. From where the old one had been. ¡°Oh come on!¡± Jin parried the slash at his neck before using his blade to sever its torso. Sadly he saw a vision of his death as a blade passed through his spine. Canceling his attack, Jin spun, getting behind the hornet and slashing down at its wings as three Photon daggers buried themselves in the bug monster''s head. ¡°Oh, Jac! Thanks for the help! But that was close.¡± ¡°Shatter,¡± Jac said as the hornet''s head exploded sending ichor and viscera everywhere. ¡°Oh, no. Jac, you¡¯re one of us,right?¡± ¡°Stop running you damned demon!¡± Jin threw himself to the side as Jac slashed down on empty air. The two people with three letter words that started with a J, eyed each other in desperation. ¡°You¡¯re a fast kind of monster aren¡¯t you. Pierce! Pierce! Pierce!!!¡± Jac threw three daggers at Jin, who proceeded to dodge to the left and redirect the third. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Chiyo noticed the fight as she returned from escorting the injured. ¡°Jac is possessed!¡±Jin yelled in her native tongue as a dagger in his leg sent him to the ground reeling. ¡°Really?¡± Chiyo drew her katana and cleared the gap in moments. She was slashing towards Jac¡¯s stomach. Jac barely managed to dodge using his enhanced senses and had to activate his ability at the lowest settings to keep up. Pushing his slowed time allowed him to keep up with the blows but not surpass them. After ten seconds of slashes, which were about two minutes to Jac, an opening in Chiyo¡¯s reactions appeared and a blade passed through near one of her kidneys. The wound closed in moments but the pain nearly sent her into shock. Chiyo jumped back which left her open for three backup daggers to fly towards her neck and torso. ¡°Move!¡± Chiyo¡¯s father moved in front of the blades using his body as a shield. As the daggers sunk in, no blood flowed from the wounds and his body erupted into a pillar of light. When said light faded, the only things lying on the ground were a bone ornament and a strange blue marble. ¡°Grandpa? Grandpa!¡± Chiyo¡¯s eyes landed on the pile of dust where the items lay and her eyes went bloodshot and her muscles seemed to grow. Despite not physically changing, her aura of power made her seem monstrous. Ander punched the ground in rage, the old man had dropped him that far knowing he couldn¡¯t interfere. From there he began the process of crawling forward, his body failing him as his vision faded. Jin pulled the blade out of his leg and drank an emergency potion, Kyrion had given him when suddenly, his brain seized and he passed out. The wound in his leg closed in seconds. Jac was pushed back even with his abilities to slow time as his body failed to keep up which forced him to use his trump card. While retreating, Jac withdrew a syringe stabbed it into his leg, and pressed down. The effect would take a second to trigger, and in a battle like this, every second counted, as well as a controlled acceleration. His bones were already hurting and his muscles were strained. If he gave up now, the monsters would kill him, then his mother. He must protect his mother. ¡°Out of my way!¡± Chiyo and Jac moved fast enough to leave behind shockwaves and after images where they cut the Earth was torn, metal clashed and nature was disrupted. The friction of their movement caused the grass itself to catch fire.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. To the injured witness most of the battle was beyond sight, proving that while dangerous, the Esper program succeeded at creating a monster, while the recent knowledge increase in Qi could match it blow for blow. Suddenly a red-haired man with black sclera and green eyes teleported between the two of them. His expression showed ¡°Sit down and breathe. If you continue this senseless battle I will be forced to knock both of you out.¡± Kyrion said as he withdrew his great club. One opponent was enraged due to a relative dying in the crossfire, and the other was currently seeing everyone as an enemy. ¡°Kyrion! Help me with this beast!¡± ¡°Wait, you see me as me? What exactly are you fighting?¡± ¡°A four armed gorilla with three heads! It¡¯s right there!¡± ¡°Ah. Jac, you have a head wound, take the healing potion I gave you.¡± Kyrion said calmly as he held a hand out towards Chiyo. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare protect him! Move!¡± ¡°Give it a moment. Where¡¯s Kilo?¡± Kyrion held his hand out in the universal sign to wait. As Jac downed his potion, he passed out momentarily as two sides of his brain began to cannibalize each other as the man''s mind was overwritten, destroyed, and restored. However, something was wrong. The man in front of Kyrion was an Esper, they held the same abilities, and yet the color of his eyes was pink and his hair was a mix of blond and white. The surgery that had been done on his face and bones was broken down and flushed as things settled down. Jac looked left, then right as he held his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t right. What''s your name?¡± Kyrion asked calmly. ¡°Name? Your? What?¡± Jac responded. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. ¡°You.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kyrion?¡± ¡°You''re dumb.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°You¡¯re dumb?¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Convenient amnesia. Looks like your mind has fused but the memory bank has been overrun. Yet something about that brain of yours seems familiar.¡± Kyrion reached out to touch the confused man''s neck. A blade cut into Kyrion¡¯s right arm only to be caught and held in place by muscles clenching around the blade in a way muscles shouldn¡¯t be able to. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for vengeance.¡± Chiyo grunted and tried to retrieve her sword only to fail as her strength wasn¡¯t enough to break it out. ¡°Give me back my sword!¡± Chiyo demanded. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time.¡± Kyrion¡¯s hand connected with Jac¡¯s head, as Kyrion forced mental mana into Jac in a rather brutal manner where he moved through certain areas that were unnatural. As it rarely comes up, the shape of one¡¯s brain changes when mana is added, and like a fingerprint, each person has a unique pattern heavily dependent on one¡¯s soul. Every shard shares this magical pattern once they gain access to magic or their world''s equivalent. It was also one of the factors that proved Psycho wasn¡¯t him, as the wavelengths didn¡¯t quite match. Jac let out a gut-reching scream as blood flowed from his eyes and nose. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Asked Chiyo. ¡°He¡¯s a partial match¡­What have they been doing to these people?¡± Chioyo¡¯s rage surpassed Kyrion¡¯s muscle control and she got her sword free. ¡°Move!¡± Kyrion¡¯s attention on Jac¡¯s brain faltered as something hit the back of his neck. ¡°Are you trying to kill me? If so, you aimed a little too low and you aren¡¯t strong enough to sever my brain stem. It is heavily reinforced for a reason.¡± ¡°Why are you acting calm!¡± Kyrion turned his head and eyed Ander¡¯s fiance with a gaze that could freeze an ocean. As though what was behind those eyes had separated itself so far away from humans that it was alien to most people. The sensation of an unknown factor with unknown emotions and a motive that was just as lost caused any who saw it to freeze. ¡°So. That''s his pissed off face. Didn¡¯t think you could get that way.¡± Ander sighed. Kyrion blinked four times causing life to return to his expression. His voice was calm and dangerously clinical. ¡°This artificial Esper program is likely much more inhumane than I expected. The average Esper is resilient to mental influences and mind control by default. Some of the artificial espers, the weak ones in particular, are also somewhat resilient. But, Jac here, he has no mental defense, worse it seems he was made to be very weak to suggestion, and outside influence. Who he was, along with his free will was taken from him. One of our foes was a master of mental manipulation, they must have turned his allies into enemies and vice versa.¡± ¡°What else?¡± Ander asked. ¡°The experiment to create him uses a portion of my brain I use to control various cognitive functions. It was grafted artificially and grown somewhere, that''s where they get the root of their powers.¡± ¡°So, one of your shards is being kept, and used as a resource farm to create Espers.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say, as it is just a hunch. But the turnover rate is probably in the millions. Chiyo, just talk to him for a minute, you¡¯ll notice the damage.¡± Kyrion let go and walked over to a tired Ander. Chiyo¡¯s anger faded so that she could question her foe. Her rage ended and her mind returned long enough to grieve. Jac didn¡¯t so much as blink as she approached. ¡°You subdued him?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°The manipulation has destroyed his mind and erased all his memories upon healing. Suffice it to say, he¡¯s a newborn with powerful abilities. Now where is Kilo?¡± Chiyo looked downward. ¡°He self-destructed to injure our enemy. He said he¡¯d be fine. Do you just expect me to forgive him?¡± ¡°Both are already dead, I suspect. So the old man, did you collect the marble and necklace?¡± ¡°You mean these?¡± Chiyo picked up the items on her father''s remains. ¡°Yes, now place the marble where you want your mana core to be.¡± Kyrion waved his hands as a magic circle made from obsidian rose from the ground. Kyrion didn¡¯t miss the subtle hole that opened up in the ground and swallowed the swarm creature''s core whole. The planet growing more and more active by the minute. ¡°Chiyo placed the charm that had gained a face in the center around her neck and placed the core next to her left ear.¡± ¡°Step in the bonding circle.¡± Kyrion stated then sighed as he helped Ander to his feet and walked back over. ¡°Alright.¡± Chiyo stood in the center. ¡°Spirit of the fallen come to us and speak your mind to your descendants! I offer upon you a contract of mind, body and soul, leaving the restrictions, limitations, and requirements to you.¡± Chiyo¡¯s eyes began to glow for a long moment as tears began to flow. The conversation was private, and the terms for such a contract were meant to be. Thus Kyrion decided to see how messed up Jac¡¯s brain was. ¡°Ugh. Karl, care to ask what happens to the minds of those charmed by the woman in my domain?¡± ¡°You mean the Succubus Matriarch? All she did was make every human seem like a monster, and every one of her allies either seem invisible or look human.¡± ¡°Does she still think I¡¯m an ally?¡± ¡°Well she knows you aren¡¯t the lich, but she¡¯s also been reduced to a practitioner tier in terms of power and heavily restricted under the order mana in your core. Terms and conditions for survival. The lich has been reduced to a spirit core and placed in a containment box. Its death affinity magic is quite powerful. You should find someone to give it to later, as quite a few of your siblings also have that affinity.¡± ¡°You know something I don¡¯t. But that¡¯s fine for now as you would have told me, if you could.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do with the succubus?¡± ¡°You do have an affinity for mental¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Fine. You can have it become a sentient core for someone else.¡± ¡°That would be annoying¡­¡± ¡°What''s that face for?¡± ¡°I suspect I''m getting gifts for my friends, despite not planning on doing so.¡± ¡°Well I did manage to capture the core for that time rift world. It¡¯s now a sub dungeon. Meaning I can store things within and take it with us.¡± ¡°That''s something nice that will come with me.¡± ¡°And borrows its time dilation abilities to an extent.¡± ¡°That''s not so great. Don¡¯t get me in trouble.¡± ¡°Yeah, sadly you can¡¯t use it directly.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But imagine constantly fermenting potions for gifts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to need to have a talk with Billy soon.¡± By the end of the contract awakening Kyrion could see that Chiyo was crying and thus decided Ander had enough rest on his shoulder. ¡°Oi, get up!¡± Kyrion slapped Ander in the ribs, imparting a bit of healing mana into him as well as transferring some wind mana into his core.¡± ¡°Owww!¡± Ander coughed as his mind became alert. ¡°Your first love is crying and you''re sleeping on the job. It appears we¡¯re done for now so you should get back.¡± Ander stood on his feet and made his way to his fiance. His expression was just as sorrowful, but his eyes gave way to resolve. He¡¯d make sure Chiyo was strong enough to survive on her own at the very least. Kyrion walked over to Jin and healed him enough to get him to move around. ¡°Kyr? What happened?¡± Jin asked as his thoughts returned and his body felt better than ever. ¡°Jac¡¯s mind has shattered. So we¡¯re going home to refuel. I also need to check on my cousin?¡± Kyrion got the feeling that he was fine, though such self-destructive tendencies would need to be shelved. Book 3: Chapter 29 Lions Gluttony Asela, Chester, Hel, and Cecil stood in front of a table. Their expressions were grim as a lake appeared on the map on the table. Moments later a red bird arrived followed by an orca, and finally a white fox. The orca engaged the bird and began to damage it greatly before the white fox arrived. It seemingly raised a paw to stop combat before leaving. The other two stopped fighting and left as well. Minutes after they left that coordinate of the map, plants surrounded the lake as rivers were carved into the ground. ¡°Why isn¡¯t our captain on the map?¡± Hel asked the question that bugged Asela but not Cecil. Cecil adjusted his glasses. ¡°He has a constant aura that disrupts his ability to scry and record. Unless he¡¯s willing, he won¡¯t show up in a picture as anything more than a blur. That''s only from the visual senses. Sound-based senses, or advanced hearing could bypass it as well as heat sensing. Unless he¡¯s aware that an enemy can do either of those things. As he can manipulate either his heat or his bodily functions at will. It¡¯s disconcerting when he shuts off his heartbeat and pumps his blood manually.¡± Cecil squinted. ¡°He can do what now?¡± Asela seemed concerned. ¡°He can manually control every organ in his body, with limited access to his brain. Something about setting up safeguards to prevent accidentally killing himself, he then deleted the trigger phrase from his memory.¡± Cecil was informed of the phrase during its creation a while back as it required intent and was something he wouldn¡¯t hear directed at him. It was an emergency phrase that would give him access to 100% of his brain functionality. Accessing deleted memories, and triggering abilities his body wasn¡¯t ready to handle. ¡°Why do you know that?¡± ¡°He told his spirits and one of them informed me of the details after he accidentally created something that shouldn¡¯t exist. It¡¯s odd, as that was right around the time he started calling himself Rion.¡± Cecil lowered his voice a bit as a black fox seemed to be approaching their room with an angle. A single knock hit the door before it opened before he could knock a second time. The door knowing not to stay closed for the second knock. ¡°Bastion. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Where¡¯s Mr.Teacher? I finished painting and want to go play. Is Eden he¡­¡± Bastion¡¯s eyes caught on to Asela. ¡°Hello there.¡± Asela waved as the kid stared at her in confusion. ¡°Can big sister play with me?¡± Bastion was shorter than her after all. However, the difference wasn¡¯t as big as one would expect for someone her age. ¡°I¡¯m the co-captain of my team.¡± ¡°And I''m the masked scotch!¡± Bastion said proudly. Hel sighed. ¡°We¡¯re working right now. Why don¡¯t you go play with the gremlins?¡± ¡°They may even let me fire the cannons.¡± Bastion ran through the door, his arms spread out as though they were wings. Cecil pressed his thumb and middle finger against his nose before voicing a command. ¡°Someone please don¡¯t let him anywhere near the cannons. If he so much as touches the runescript things will explode, and not in a fun way.¡± No one in the room seemed to move but within moments a floating spherical orb entered the room carrying confused Bastion, who was currently suspended in a field of purple mana, Chester adjusted his glasses before looking at Cecil in interest. ¡°He can break enchantments?¡± ¡°He can trigger the safety wards on anyone just by poking them if he cared to. Not sure when his power grew that much but I don¡¯t trust him near anything that could level a mountain. He¡¯s already tried to enter the mech.¡± Cecil squinted at the young child whose dreams were constantly crushed by "grown-ups". Well older teenagers, as far as Bastion was concerned were a whole digit above him. Thus they were old, he saw no difference between 12 and 99, though for some odd reason once someone hit 100 they were young again. The logic stirred conflicting thoughts so Bastion looked at the bubble he was in and popped it with a poke. Pop! ¡°It¡¯s just like a bubble! I need more!¡± ¡°My aren¡¯t you a greedy child,¡± Asela stated. ¡® ¡°I per-sur am-bi¨Cvil¨Cious-ant.¡± Bastion closed his eyes in frustration as he forgot the word he was trying to say. Before locking onto a corner of the room and tilting his head to the side. Cecil squinted as the word seemed to be a mashup of two other words. ¡°Anyway. Our captain is probably in the room now being creepy and mysterious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not creepy. Just didn¡¯t want to interrupt.¡± Kyrion appeared in the room and withdrew a few vials of blood he¡¯d taken from Birdion while he wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°It¡¯s creepy. How long have you been there and why didn¡¯t we notice you?¡± Hel stated. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been listening to Cecil¡¯s whole explanation? Just assume that I¡¯ve been here the whole time mentally and may have arrived at one point in between the time Bastion left the first time and was returned. ¡°Bastion. You are now on Captain watch. If you see him pop in, speak up. If you do so, I¡¯ll make an ice cream factory just for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what a factory is but I want it. Will they have Kimchi ice cream?¡± Bastion''s odd eye seemed to return for a brief moment filled with ¡°Kimchi¡­Does this world even have an equivalent?¡± ¡°Does it matter if you know how to make it?¡± ¡°You want fermented cabbage, to be turned into an ice cream flavor?¡± ¡°A spicy ice creams.¡± Bastion nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll experiment with it, but you¡¯ll need to taste test.¡± ¡°No thanks. It isn¡¯t for me. It¡¯s for that conniving White Fox. He tricked me out of half of my cookies by splitting them in half! So I''m going to burn his mouth up with vegetables.¡± Bastion rubbed his hands together maniacally. ¡°I¡¯ll say its Spacy Strawberry Blast.¡± Asela looked at Kyrion and shook her head. ¡°That''s one of your pranks. What have you been teaching your students?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything of the sort since I took him in. Well, not in front of him. But I''ve been on my best behavior. Foxes honor it¡¯s not my fault people either try to rob me or antagonize me in ways that end in minor inconveniences or long trips to the bathroom for an extended period of time.¡± Bastion nodded, ¡°You''re right. I should mix powerful laxatives in a Rock Da. Road batch and say it was a factory mishap.¡± ¡°You could make up a condition and call it lactose intolerance that way, he¡¯ll think that''s why all that ice cream could be dangerous to his stomach,¡± Kyrion said instinctively. ¡°That¡¯s a real condition though.¡± Cecil stated.¡± ¡°Not in this universe. The way we process food is slightly different. Sugar doesn¡¯t leave waste; it''s burned up by our cells and turned into small bursts of mana due to its ability to hold and store it. When you see a spirit master chewing on sugar cane for an extended period of time chances are they are powering a spell that needs a whole lot of mana. It''s why bakers and patisseries are so well sought after. And candy makers can become kings of small countries with our current level of advancements.¡± Kyrion explained a piece of lore that took years for him to understand as he pulled out a chocolate bar infused with his earth mana and had high levels of caffeine in it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Black Fox?¡± Chester asked. ¡°No? That''s silly, my name is Bastion. Mr. Kyrion said so and he¡¯s always right unless Mrs.Lin says the opposite.¡± Bastion said sagely. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him to say that.¡± Kyrion took two steps back. Asela raised an eyebrow. ¡°Nicole¡¯s not going to like this development.¡± ¡°Can we just focus on the plan?¡± ¡°Plan lactose intolerance is underway.¡± Bastion saluted before attempting to run off. This time Michele picked him up and tossed him over a shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll look after him. Rie needs some assistance with the other hoards of monsters nearing the walls. There are two low-tier expe¡ª Nevermind.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Gremlins reported that Arion used one of the mech cannons to fire a blast capable of creating a trench in that general area. There is nothing left alive for miles along that area. What did you create in this world?¡± Michale looked at Kyrion. ¡°This is his creation. I just added a better power source and fixed the weight issue.¡± Kyrion pointed. ¡°That level of destruction is in parameters but requires time to charge up. Based on current knowledge only two of those shots can be fired in eight-hour intervals. I¡¯ve used both thus anything else from that machine will be pushing it. Have our people move inwards for now as the sun is nearly set. We¡¯ll need to sleep in shifts soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the first shift with Noah if you don¡¯t mind. He seems distracted.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°You do realize that has more to do with you beating him so soundly right?¡± ¡°He was mentally compromised, injured, and exhausted. I have no right to be a captain if I can¡¯t beat an opponent in that state. Also, I capitalized on all of that when I slapped him. The shock of healing mana that had a mental cure is what did him in.¡± ¡°Wait. You can knock people out with healing magic?¡± ¡°It is better to do so when dealing with mental spells as causing orders in one¡¯s brain to fight while conscious can lead to temporary or permanent insanity. I don¡¯t like doing that to friends. Nicole wasn¡¯t under Lisa¡¯s spell but she was under a more insidious one known as doubt and fear. Did something happen recently?¡± Asela sighed. ¡°You attacked our group last night. They had your scent and everything. According to Nicole.¡± ¡°Ah¡­That would explain why Birdion tried to steal one of my cloaks.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cecil said as he hadn¡¯t been informed. ¡°Yeah, he broke into my room yesterday night and we had a standoff and he took a wall with him.¡± ¡°If he has your hair.¡± ¡°My hair currently contains a makeup that causes it to light on fire and disintegrate when removed. Also, I got a bit of his blood already. He has his hair.¡± Kyrion shook his head and a few sparks flew in the air around his head. ¡°Right. Bella and I will volunteer for the midnight shift. I suggest Tiffany and Atimin work in the early morning.¡± ¡°Three shifts?¡± ¡°Meh. It sounds like three but you all are just acting as contingencies for my web of clones and Chesters orbs.¡± ¡°Clones?¡±Asela raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s a secret elven technique. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Arion and Rie arrived as they were teleported into the room. ¡°What do you want?¡± Rie tilted his head back at an odd angle and looked at Kyrion. ¡°You¡¯re getting a shorter neck next time. Necks shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°It would also make you slightly taller.¡± Arion cleared their throat. ¡°I suggest we get to the point, I was busy reading a book on human interaction on a deserted island to better understand humanity. So far some have regressed to cannibalism and other heinous acts against each other. The male lead has been betrayed by his lover and is currently roasting over a cookfire. How does it end!¡± ¡°Do you want me to spoil that one? Are you reading books via my memory?¡± ¡°No, I have physical copies made by the lord of dungeons.¡± ¡°Ah¡­That''s the point where.¡± Kyrion started as he suspected Karl was using his memories and adding stuff to make it more exciting.¡¯ ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°Kyrion. Go talk with your friend.¡± Kyrion sighed as he jumped through a hole in the floor that closed itself as he passed.
The room Kyrion landed in was a basic weight training room only the weights were drastically higher than they looked. Noah was busy testing the arm weights and adjusting to the lack of mass and yet increased weight. ¡°They use gravity runes to increase their weight. It¡¯s how such an item is much heavier than it looks.¡± Kyrion said as he entered the room. ¡°I see. And the bigger weights have more runes on them to explain the exponential weight increases.¡± Noah pointed to a set of large cubes connected with a metal pole. ¡°Correct. It¡¯s probably why I¡¯m currently physically stronger than you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yup. I bet I could easily put you through that wall over there with a single palm strike.¡± ¡°Do you want to start a fight?¡± ¡°Is my intent hard for you to discern?¡± Kyrion asked haughtily while sending mana into his eyes. Noah¡¯s muscles bulged as an angry vein appeared and a transformation started to begin before fading rapidly as he held his chest. Kyrion shook his head and approached Noah white flames coating his fingers. ¡°What? Are you?¡± Noah took a step back. ¡°Leeching bastards. That''s how he got so strong so quickly! How did Charles¡­He must have known but stayed quiet for some reason.¡± Kyrion held his chin with his other hand as he thought. ¡°Speak sense!¡± ¡°That long. Let us see what else is weaker than it should be.¡± Kyrion swept Noah¡¯s legs, his movement leaving behind afterimages. ¡°Light of purification!¡± Kyrion fused healing energy with fire and space to create a gateway into his friend''s core. Noah¡¯s reaction was somewhat delayed as a hand passed through his torso and held a white sphere. Said sphere was crushed and a vast amount of power came rushing out before flowing into Noah. Noah twisted mid-fall like a cat managing to land on all fours both confused and enraged. ¡°That anger. Give into your rage. Your hatred.¡± Noah¡¯s eyes glowed red as he charged forward and tackled Kyrion. The force was enough to cause him to fly into his mana-enforced walls. Kyrion enhanced his muscles with mana causing him to use 80% of his reserves to get him off to no avail. Noah then bit into Kyrion¡¯s shoulder. The burst of raw mana caused him to go into a frenzy after seizing up. In that weakness, Kyrion slid under him and let his regeneration kick in. ¡°Sheesh. Give in a little less next time.¡± Noah turned, his height doubling as he ran forward only to be sent through a portal that sent him right outside of the fortress. Kiara walked into the room right after. ¡°Did you need to antagonize him?¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t regret the end result¡­ Though he did drink some of my blood. That is less good.¡± Kyrion looked to Kiara who seemed to have a familiar irritated look on her face. ¡°Did you have to convince us that you were de¨C¡± Kiara stopped as walls rose around her, cutting off her escape which put her on edge. ¡°This needs to stay quiet.¡± ¡°Pretty sure the only one who hasn¡¯t picked up on your disguise is Nicole. You¡¯re doing what she did to you. Only more intentionally, I didn¡¯t think you were so¡­¡± Kyrion waited. He wasn''t walking into that one. ¡°Fine. Is there another reason?¡± ¡°What do you know about shards?¡± ¡°That last word sounds like gibberish to me,¡± Kiara said honestly. ¡°Well, let''s say that I''m pretty sure there are at least two people in Nicole¡¯s head. People don¡¯t change their mannerisms that much without a drastic event. Like Noah, Nicole felt different during the forest trial not sure when or why? However, I didn¡¯t realize that was due to a parasite infecting his core. Oh¡­¡± Kyrion realized something. ¡°The obsession occurred after I saved their life¡­Well healed them. The healing probably brought Nicole into dominance. Though I am quite concerned.¡± ¡°How certain are you that you just missed some cues? You were gone for a bit, people change, especially at that age. I remember when you couldn¡¯t read.¡± ¡°So¡­did you know there was something hampering Noah¡¯s growth?¡± ¡°I thought it was mental. Like you, I thought he was scared to fully transform. A common trait among beast types. It¡¯s usually to precaution to prevent becoming the creature mentally and physically.¡± ¡°I suspected as much as well. We must have seemed pretty condescending.¡± ¡°I have tact. Shouldn¡¯t you bring him back?¡± ¡°He needs some time to adjust to the change in his abilities. I know he¡¯s a hugger, but you should probably tell the others not to accept any hugs from him for a while. Or let''s work on anything delicate. I¡¯m bad with balancing metals and our mech needs some work.¡± Kyrion stepped through a wall his body seemingly phasing through it while in actuality he timed a portal to appear right as he passed. The walls trapping Kiara sunk into the floor as Atimn fell to the ground. ¡°I was just walking when this wall appeared. Do you know where it came from? Or what it was keeping hidden?¡± ¡°Noah accidentally transformed while inside the room. It detected him as a hostile entity for a moment. The person in charge of this place booted him out and followed after them.¡± ¡°I see¡­ What about that girl who did me in?¡± ¡°Sharpening her blade. It was a bit dull as none of us were removed when her sword slashes struck.¡± Kiara stated. ¡°Great. I want to be in the exact opposite direction.¡± Atimin stated. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to do a round two?¡± ¡°She¡¯s around our age and one of the most skilled sword users I''ve seen. My instincts say get as far as I can.¡± Atimn turned to go the opposite way as a silver-haired woman in golden armor walked right past him. ¡°That wasn¡¯t Nicole¡­Are silver-haired people common?¡± ¡°Descendants of certain royal families have traits like that. If you need something to do then you should start weight training. I¡¯ll see if Isaiah will act as your spotter.¡± ¡°No. No. I¡¯ll stop skulking about and get some rest. I have an early morning watch.¡± Atimn ran straight towards his assigned room. Book 3: Chapter 30 Lion Trouble Noah took two hours to settle down and revert to his usual state though his height seemed stuck at seven and a half feet. As sideburns and a mane of brown hair extended past his shoulders. His expression was contemplative, as he eyed the bones piled around him. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°You had one of those Beast Blood parasites attached to your lion spirit''s core. It was sapping your strength and leading you towards an early grave as the creature inside used you as a vessel.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t mince his words, he¡¯d read up on the nature of those parasites during his studies with Exac. He was currently sitting on a wall that had risen around his territory. ¡°Leon found my lion core, while another teacher found the molten ore I¡¯m currently still refining in my core. He was a hero.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Leon was the wolf, while the human was the spirit. Kind of backward, but it seems the human was infected with a parasite at one point.¡± ¡°That sounds backward.¡± ¡°Magic is like that young one.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes and hopped down. ¡°So. Why did you fake your death?¡± ¡°To be fair. I created plant clones that would appear dead if taken far from their location and treated harshly. They would also decompose if a parasite was put inside of them and enter a dormant state. I did break out with Atimin in a sense and we discovered a dungeon. While down there we discovered a few things and I sent him on his way to you guys.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you and finding talented sword uses.¡± ¡°You found Damian, I trained with Tiffany back when she could barely hold a sharpened stick properly and Atamin found a magic sword that tried to possess him.¡± ¡°And that other girl?¡± ¡°Ander found his wife. I had nothing to do with that.¡± ¡°What about the guy who wielded Brion.¡± ¡°He¡¯s trained all his life and has an ability that lets him rely on more than just that at a cost..¡± ¡°And Nicole?¡± Kyrion turned around and opened up his senses, finding that his special trackers were somewhat near each other but quite far away. ¡°She can use a sword? Didn¡¯t know that. Thought she was the fireball type.¡± ¡°She¡¯s decent but wouldn¡¯t beat anyone on that list in a pure sword fight.¡± ¡°Can we move on? I sense eyes on me and I can¡¯t tell where they originate.¡± Kyrion noticed something sparkle in the distance and then fled immediately. ¡°That''s a lure if I¡¯ve ever seen one. Outside of the fortress is just desert though. Why would it try?¡± Kyrion grabbed Noah under his arm and jumped straight up. A worm with a head with an eighty-foot diameter and a body that didn¡¯t have a visible end launched itself out of the ground towards the duo who had strayed away from the fortress wall. It had expected a quick and delicious meal. ¡°Not here!¡± Kyion created a portal using quite a bit of Divine Essence and focused on an ocean his expression panicked. The creature was huge for something only in the practitioner tier of power which meant that there could be more somewhere. Nothing this big should be that weak, and yet the creature seemed to be expanding as it left the ground. The expansion continued as it flew into the portal and the creature just continued. ¡°Dude. Just what is this thing.¡± ¡°Not a spawn of the betrayer. If I hazard a guess this is a somewhat common enemy that lives underground.¡± Kyrion stopped talking as he felt a tug as something powerful began to latch onto the worm. Blood flowed from Kyrion¡¯s nose as he tried to force the portal close. The power refused him as a red pincer shot out of the portal and sniped the worm in two. Then Kyrion¡¯s portal began to widen against his will as a crab the size of a neighborhood scuttled its way through the portal and landed in the desert sands. The next few minutes were silent save for the sounds of crunching as the large word was consumed by a creature that made it look tiny. Kyrion tried to close his portal and winced as it felt as though both of his arms were cramping as the lanes where power flowed naturally were burned out. He couldn¡¯t access his D.E. and his arms were proving to be useless as he lost feeling in both of the limbs. Noah, who had been carried was currently holding on for dear life as the grip nearly let him fall to his inconvenience. ¡°Ello der hooman. I hav de proposition for you. You give, me more of dey worms and I give power and protection.¡± Kyrion eyed the creature who surpassed him in every way and sighed. ¡°I believe that they live underground. Getting them to come out will be difficult. You can go home now.¡± ¡°You would die when da space tears. One-way trip.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve put an island into my domain and you tell me that a town-sized crab is too much?¡± ¡°I was half a world away, distance incurs de exponential cost. I had intended to kill you for doing da dumb.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be collapsing due to your own weight?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I am de Maister of De Crustaceans. I am de Maister Tier entity that has existed since de first rains on de world.¡± Kyrion wiped the blood off his face and then looked at Noah. The duo softly landed and Kyrion sighed. ¡°If you can¡¯t leave, what will it take for you not to attack my people?¡± ¡°A lake big enough for me to nap in from time to time would be de good. Yes.¡± The crab seemingly shrunk to the size of the palm-sized crab. ¡°So do you prefer saltwater or fresh?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I have high blood pressure. So please don¡¯t salt my water. De oceans aren''t salty in dis world. Icaron loves his acidic sea dat melts de shell. While Almira¡¯s sea is disturbingly savory. Like swimming through gravy. Imala¡¯s is bland and tasteless in comparison. But bland is good for de body.¡± Kyion bent down. ¡°Hop on my shoulder, I intend to turn this continent into my personal territory. So I need some powerful defenders. If you agree to leave my people alone, I¡¯ll build you a home you can live in freely.¡± ¡°Not even going to ask for de power contract?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t suitable for me. Though if someone called Volain finds you. He may be more fitting. As he¡¯s mostly water while I''m all versatility.¡± ¡°So, for one big worm a year, I will protect your people. How does that sound?¡± Noah shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll have better luck going down there yourself. These creatures are quick and sneaky.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t kill any near my city aside from that, I¡¯ll see if we can make an arrangement. I don¡¯t know if there are even more giant worms though I expect it to be likely. There are other monsters around here that you can consume.¡± Kyrion told the truth. ¡°I understand. Which is why you get a year.¡± Kyrion turned to Noah. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the next one to you.¡± ¡°Next what?¡± Noah turned to see a black-furred smilodon pouncing towards him. The large cat spun in mid-air as its eyes met his and it seemed worried as its sneak attack had been detected. Noah summoned a great axe into his hands and engaged the creature. The cat dodged a vertical swing and retaliated with a scratch aimed at Noah¡¯s eyes. The claws made contact with a clang as they sizzled then bounced off a molten helmet. ¡°Raaaahhh!¡± The smilodon screeched before vanishing into the darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t you need light for shadows?¡± ¡°This is darkness melding. A stealth-based ability trusts your instincts and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Trust m¨C¡± Noah was cut off as a set of claws attacked his unarmored back. The attack hit and caused him to bleed as armor appeared to protect him from any more strikes. Noah spun in an arcing slash the area around him getting cut as bloodlust began to build. Kyrion took two steps back and eyed the creature that was invisible to Noah. This was an important step to his future growth so he wouldn¡¯t interfere. The smilodon appeared low to the ground near Noah¡¯s blind spot with the intent of reducing its target''s mobility. Noah felt his leg tingle and covered his legs in molten armor before the attack could hit. The smilodon was ready, circling a little, and slammed its body into Noah¡¯s torso. The attack appeared to catch the warrior off guard as the creature disappeared again. ¡°Little help?¡± ¡°Do. Not. Think. Just do.¡± Kyrion stated unhelpfully. Noah¡¯s eyes sharpened and glowed yellow as he scowled. Then swung his ax in an uppercut. Clearing the creature in two as the ax easily passed through it. It was an early practitioner-tier monster and would have been simple to slay during the day. ¡°Right. Keep training and you should unlock a roar. Not sure what type of Lion you fused with, but there will be some changes you will need to get used to.¡± ¡°Hey, man. Where do I know ye from?¡± The crab said to Kyrion¡¯s scarf. ¡°This is my meal ticket. I was here first you damned crustacean.¡± The scarf moved and engaged the crab, the two eyeing each other in irritation. ¡°You do know that you can go now? Our deal was until you got back to this world. You are here. You can go wherever.¡± ¡°Did you forget? I¡¯m to be the spirit that helps your space affinity evolve. You can¡¯t get rid of me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember such a deal. But fine, if we made such a deal in the past. I will honor it. But you will need to go into my domain. Too many of my memories seem hazy when you¡¯re around and I don¡¯t like it..¡± If looks could kill the crab would be broiled. The crab pinched the air as the stoat jumped through a portal into Kyrion¡¯s domain. Which was odd as Kyrion couldn¡¯t open his portals at the moment. Kyrion looked at Noah and sighed. ¡°We have two more hours of watch. I''ll tell you an abridged version of what happened after I vanished, you tell me how you all have been progressing.¡± ¡°Why are you acting like some old and experienced master? We¡¯re practically the same age.¡± ¡°I found myself, and my emotions are no longer being controlled by secretions of chemicals to create ideal circumstances.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start from the beginning then. I don¡¯t sense anything close enough to approach.¡± ¡°Start from your sight. Why are you acting omnipotent?¡± ¡°Omniscient and that isn¡¯t exactly right. I¡¯m connected with my plants and the land they grow from. I¡¯m linked to these plants and mostly get a signal when someone trips my sensors. Tied with dragon eyes and you get a nasty combination.¡± Kyrion tapped his current prosthetic eye and the iris bloomed like a purple three petal flower before closing. ¡°You changed out your prosthetic?¡± ¡°The second one disintegrated recently though thats something else. It didn¡¯t work well as an eye and I¡¯ve been adapting to its lack of functionality for a while. It let me see the flows of mana in people and objects without focusing. Which was something I figured out for myself during my time away. ¡± Kyrion sighed as he looked towards the cannons and watched them fire at a person in the distance. ¡°Who is that?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Ash,¡± Kyion said bluntly as the light faded and nothing seemed to remain. ¡°Kyrion. Do you not feel bad for killing someone? The wards didn¡¯t activate." Noah asked with a concerned expression on his face. His lion-like features stuck out naturally as his golden brown mane flowed in the night air. Kyrion sighed and looked up at the two moons. Something about the sky felt false tonight and he would find out why, one day. He raised a hand to the sky and clenched his fist. ¡°Whatever that was, it wasn''t alive, or human. If the wards didn¡¯t trigger then we¡¯re either stuck with golems or undead scouts.¡± "I think I understand then. The group alliance held a powerful necromancer, should we get back?" Kyrion turned and pointed to where the cannon fired and snapped his fingers before collapsing as a massive stomach cramp hit him and his space affinity failed to work. "Oh no." Kyrion tried to teleport and the pain was worse as though his body was splitting at the seams. "What''s wrong?" "I can''t teleport but I should still have mana left. And my stomach is in so much pain. I feel like a porcupine is poking out of my core." The next hour passed mostly peacefully as the undead scouts were erased by periodic cannon fire. No other monsters arrived, though it was quite clear that someone was testing the distance. ¡°Go rest,¡± Cecil said as he arrived and looked at the sky, noting that two waxing gibbous moons could be seen, and based on his observation there would be trouble tomorrow around this time. Bella could usually maintain her sanity when out in a normal full moon, but two could force her to go feral. Kyrion looked at Cecil with tired eyes as he and Noah headed back inside. Hopefully, he will be back to normal in the morning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Cecil asked. ¡°He can¡¯t teleport. I think not being able to zip about without walking has made him crabby.¡± Kyrion shot Noah an intimidating glare. It was ineffective. ¡°Would you prefer I refer to you as a shrimp? Kyrion grumbled but he didn¡¯t protest. He deserved a little ribbing. That and he couldn''t access his bag of tricks. ¡°Noah? Just in case he gives you anything to drink at any point in the future, light a spark over it and see if it catches fire.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Cecil looked at Noah¡¯s general height and build, then sighed. ¡°You should be fine. You look like you have a steel liver.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± Noah didn¡¯t understand the compliment. Book 3: Chapter 31 Foxes, Gluttony, and Trouble Tiffany blew a horn as the sun began to rise. Rousing the fortress and angering certain hard-shelled residents. Atimin followed the horn with a bellow. ¡°Wake up! Undead hordes of humanoids and monsters have us surrounded!¡± Kyrion put a pillow over his head to muffle the sound. Only the pillow was covered in quite a bit of dry blood. Said blood flowed down the mattress and soaked into the ground around him. Getting to his feet Kyrion fell to the ground and twitched as the world seemed to spin. ¡°Undead hordes being led by the republic¡¯s team are coming! Wake up!¡± Chester added. ¡°Not good.¡± Kyrion crawled towards the doorway as the sounds of cannons going off could be heard. He felt a gaping hole in his core where Jala usually resided and found his wind affinity also absent. Arion and Kyrie entered the room moments later. The former had an emotionless look on their face while the latter seemed conflicted. ¡°You two come to kill me?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°No. Though I did consider it. In your current state, I could exert dominance over your body, and you can set my future brain to explode in our skull.¡± ¡°Then help me up.¡±Kyrion held a hand out. ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Arion stated coldly with no trace of positive or negative emotion. Kyrion sighed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°One of our shards is currently challenging your dominance. We are unable to interfere in such a bout directly, or provide either of you aid.¡± ¡°That''s stupid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more of a balance thing. You have summoned a creature of great power which has great restrictions on your development.¡± Arion stated. ¡°What is that crab?¡± ¡°One of the guardians of the Seven Seals. Removing one from their home is a challenge to Imala¡¯s authority hence the great strain on your body. Stealing from a god is something they see as punishment worthy.¡± Arion said as he held out a golden scroll. ¡°Never fishing again.¡± Kyrion eventually got to his feet and washed his form with his water affinity before cleaning some robes he¡¯d retrieved from a hook. ¡°How am I supposed to fight when my methods are being hampered?¡± ¡°Head on.¡± Kyrion gasped before he started coughing as got stuck in his esophagus. He then began the process of healing the injured portion of his nose before clearing his system. Finally, he attempted to summon a ball of water only for nothing to happen. He then tried to convert the ambient mana into water only for red orbs to appear where there should have been water. ¡°I can¡¯t separate water from this blood.¡± Kyrion scowled as he shaped the balls into loops and compressed them into near-solid states despite not being frozen. He repeated the process two more times ending up with a total of six wings. ¡°Blood magic? When did you learn something like that?¡± ¡°Water, earth, and an order of affinities are what I''m using to create this effect. Since I can¡¯t dilute my blood normally. I¡¯ll hold onto these for now. ¡°That seems unsanitary.¡± ¡°If I wasn¡¯t dealing with undead then it would be. Light and blood-based healing magic tend to reverse the undead creation process and my mana can easily break the bonds of such magic.¡± ¡°How do you know about that?¡± Rie asked. ¡°You fought my brother, based on those memories it seems he was a necromancer. When I was little. I followed him into a laboratory and found a book with interesting pictures and big words. I received a paper cut that caused the zombie plants to flinch in fear. My reading lessons stopped around that time. It¡¯s a memory that Psycho locked away instead of lancing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine telling us this?¡± Ari asked. ¡°You all have¡­ Oh right. You don¡¯t have perms¡­ I¡¯ll ask Karl to give you watch-only permissions for the memories Psycho locked. Just don¡¯t do so while I''m fighting. I need most of the processing power for spells.¡± Kyrion poked the side of his head three times infusing his brain with some of the mana he gathered. The hole in Kyrion¡¯s core was then stitched he sighed as he walked to his balcony and stood atop a ledge ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble Jala.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fly,¡± Arion said bluntly. ¡°I¡¯m going to fall really hard,¡± Kyrion said honestly. ¡°At least read the scroll,¡± Arion added. Kyrion sighed, then opened the scroll. Restriction: Use of Space and Wind affinities are locked for the following duration. Duration: 1 month or until either a donation of 10 million gold or reaching the expert tier. Offense: Pulling an entity that keeps the sea balanced from its home and leaving it undefended. A great evil has gotten loose as a result. The seal of BluBluchavak has been destroyed. Summoned Entity: Unclaimed Demigod of the Night Sea Cancer, Tier Meister, Your maximum summoning tier, Expert. The normal penalty duration is 10 years, reduced twice via an owed debt and the summoned entity mostly summoning itself. ¡°Ah¡­So a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme of things. But I still caused a big mess. No more drowning my enemies in the ocean. Unless I close the portal immediately.¡± ¡°That and it¡¯s bad for the ecosystem. Do you know how long it takes to get radioactive mana out of an ocean?¡± ¡°Look. Drowning my enemies or letting fate decide what happens to them isn¡¯t as effective as I thought.¡± ¡°It is effective. But not killing them directly would come to bite you in the but later. Kill your enemies and make sure they can¡¯t come back. Only idiots try to kill someone indirectly and believe that they are truly dead.¡± Kyrie sighed. ¡°But that¡¯s evil.¡± ¡°To be honest, that is one of Gios¡¯ methods. Teleporting an enemy somewhere they should die immediately or painfully with no obvious way out. By ripping out their heart from across the planet and assuming that it did the job.¡± ¡°That is dumb. Though I''d prefer not to kill any living humanoids if I could help it. Some should be lanced quickly.¡± Kyion said before launching himself off of the balcony, over the walls, and towards a gathering horde of undead. ¡°Sometimes I wonder which one of you is more evil. Then you go and say something ruthless which makes me wonder¡­¡± Kyrie said to himself as a streak of mana gathered in the flying form and took cover.
Bastion stared at the small crab leisurely cooling off in the moat. His eyes were half open and in his right hand was a stick that he was currently holding in preparation for poking the odd creature. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bastion asked. The crab said nothing as regular crabs didn¡¯t talk. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Bastion poked the crab, his eyes opening slightly as a portion of the stick cleanly fell off.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Eyy stop dat! No poke dey crab!¡± Bastion¡¯s eyes opened even more as the illusion on his eyes faded for less than a split second as they slowly entered a resting position. ¡°So you can talk.¡± ¡°Or you speak dey words of dey Crabairins.¡± ¡°My da-teacher can talk to squirrels, and I¡¯ve borrowed his magics.¡± Bastion muttered. The crab sighed in relief. ¡°Still how did you get here?¡± ¡°Whirlpool. I was eaten by a whirlpool and ended up here.¡± The crab lied. ¡°O.k.¡± Bastion turned to walk away. As he was thirty feet away from the crab he turned back. ¡°Must have been a big whirlpool.¡± The crab clicked his pincers. ¡°Is that all you wanted?¡± ¡°No¡­I was just looking to ride a giant crab into battle. Sadly my team won¡¯t come true.¡± Bastion coughed into his right hand covering the words written on his palm in a red substance that almost resembled blood. A crab wouldn''t know the difference, however. Bastion used guilt to trip his eyes like a sad puppy. The crab stared for a long minute and after said minute Bastion was aboard a crab the size of a tank with a crew of goblins connecting a cannon to it. The group of five, three goblins, a human child, and a giant crab were ready to fight off the zombies.
Kyrion seemed to land softly as his earth mana transferred the force deep into the ground. After a brief delay, an explosion of earth erupted from the ground and sent everything around him down a hole into the area below the desert where various large burrowing creatures seemed to find themselves surrounded by free food. ¡°What have you done!¡± White Fox yelled from the distance. ¡°Are these yours? You know that attacking us makes you an enemy. Right?¡± ¡°Oh, I know that. But orders are orders and somebody wants your head. I¡¯m referring to the undead you got rid of just now. You didn¡¯t kill them and these babies propagate via necrosis and can turn creatures they kill into undead. If a monster eats enough of them then they become an undead thrall with that same ability.¡± ¡°Ah. I''ve done the dumb again.¡± ¡°And guess what? You¡¯re out in the open surrounded by foes and limited. Will you surrender?¡± White Fox asked. Kyrion watched as the infection spread rapidly unbothered. Standing motionless for a long moment more areas collapsed. The area around his fortress eventually vanished. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you bothered by the hoard growing under you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re helping provide pest control. I¡¯m gonna let you work. Use up some of that pent-up energy you clearly have too much of.¡± ¡°Pest control?¡± ¡°Those worms are the only pest in this general area that can cause my soon-to-be city to collapse under itself.¡± ¡°You are insane.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m Kyrion. Why do people keep making that mistake lately?¡± ¡°I knew you were here!¡± A figure appeared from above with black-scaled wings flowing from his back looked bizarre in the morning light as all the light on his wings seemed to get sucked in and vanish. Kyrion looked up at the half-dragon above him and smiled under his mask as various triangles broke off from it causing half to take the form of a palm the size of a door and twice as wide slapped Milo out of the air and into the death pit. Some of the strange geometric creatures began tearing into his wings. As frenzied undead began to attack the new arrival. ¡°Fox! Call off your hoard!¡± ¡°This is why I told you to wait with the others. Milo you¡¯re used to being the second best option. Sadly it¡¯s made you cocky. I think I¡¯ll let nature take its course and you should be teleported back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you for this!¡± White Fox smiled as a red chain around him snapped. ¡°And thus I have been freed from my oath of servitude.¡± The undead around Milo stopped approaching, bowed then got back to hunting the pest leaving their captain confused. ¡°Great. When this tournament is over. I¡¯ll be leaving the republic. Or should I call you the Beat Blood School¡± ¡°Beast Blood?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Did I study?¡± ¡°Stutter¡­ This drama is none of my business.¡± Kyrion watched as his plants began to snake through the pathways searching for more worms. When worms were found the undead hordes would be directed towards them and the hunt would continue, within the next thirty minutes the hoard was now trying to climb out of the circular pit. Kyrion held up his hands. The red rings around them shoot upwards and spread around the area in a circle before falling down like fresh bloody rain. Where the rain fell, the undead vanished and water appeared. ¡°Look I¡¯m not going to fight a chi¡ª¡± Kyrion started. Bastion appeared atop a giant crab along with some goblins and eyed White Fox. ¡°I chalice you to a duel!¡± Bastion said as he landed in front of White Fox. ¡°Challenge. You aren¡¯t even supposed to be participating.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°That''s what I said?¡± ¡°Fine. Chaotic West style, or Eastern Desert style?¡± White Fox asked as he began to pace as though getting ready for a fight. ¡°Chaotic West two-thirds variant,¡± Bastion replied, shaking his hands as he prepared to fight his opponent directly he two-paced and the duo looked like they¡¯d start circling. Then Bastion tripped over his own foot, fell to the ground, and got back up within a brief moment. His knee was bleeding a bit. ¡°You ok?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°It¡¯s a battle wound.¡± Bastion held up a hand and engaged his opponent. Birdion appeared and flew down the hole and quickly retrieved Milo an explosion of death mana being countered by life mana connected creating chaos as they melded and then destroyed each other leaving behind a thick miasma of raw mana that was aligned to Kyrion. ¡°Transmute Mana to Purifying Water.¡± Kyrion raised his hands. A river of water that smelled somewhat alcoholic appeared around his settlement flowing through the collapsed area. Causing some of the pathways to fold in on themselves as areas around him seemed to become noticeably healthier as dirt and grass appeared where sand had been. The duo stopped their duel as the environment changed suddenly. ¡°You go play your games. Just fixing up my new homestead.¡± ¡°Focus Bla¨Caction. We fight.¡± White Fox through a fist from about five feet away only for his hand to open up into a palm. Bastion moved into an uppercut from across the area and threw out a palm. ¡°Paper!¡± The duo said in unison. ¡°Why did I expect something else?¡± Milo asked as he was carried to their floating eastern platform. White Fox transitioned into a slap toward Bastion''s face. Bastion replied by raising his opposite fist up to block. The slap became a fist as the fist became a palm. ¡°Rock!¡± White, yelled. ¡°Paper!¡± Bastion bellowed! ¡°No!¡± White Fox stood there as Bastion slapped the back of his hand. White, jumped back six feet from a standing position and dashed forward hiding his left hand behind his back. Bastion responded with a closed fist held in his left palm as he moved forward his expression quite exaggerated as he met White head-on. ¡°Scissors!¡± White Fox yelled! ¡°Paper!¡± Bastion said as they met. ¡°Finally!¡± White Fox took two fingers and used his thumb to create potential energy before flicking Bastion on his wrist. Bastion shook his hands and as he blew on his wrist. The scrape on his leg, still bleeding a bit. ¡°Final round!¡± The two said in unison as they met again. White Fox was clearly overthinking his move as the duo throughout their choices. Bastion didn¡¯t seem to think much at all. As he spun on his good leg to hide his movements. ¡°Paper!¡± The duo said in unison. White Fox scowled as his brain whirled into motion. He¡¯s been constantly throwing paper. Maybe he¡¯s waiting for me to fall for it and through rock. But what if this was a trap and he was going to throw rock if I play scissors? No, no, he wants me to throw scissors so that he can throw rock. Wait, his eyes, he¡¯s up to something. He¡¯s planning to get me with scissors when I try to throw paper. I¡¯ll go with rock. Bastion¡¯s expression went blank as he tried to remember why he was doing this again. He¡¯d never used two fingers to scratch his nose. All these bugs were making him want to sneeze. No Bastion hold it in. Wait what''s with these strange bugs when he touched them they vanished and became mana. Before Bastion knew it he¡¯d swung his hand down in an arc as he remembered the game. ¡°Rock!¡± ¡°Paper!¡± Bastion yelled as he swatted the floating yellow ball and swatted White Fox¡¯s hand. ¡°Did I win?¡± Bastion seemed confused. ¡°This time¡­. But I have your number now.¡± Kyrion sighed, approached the two, and healed them both. ¡°Are you all done now?¡± ¡°I won!¡± Bastion yelled. ¡°And I surrender. See you real soon.¡± White Fox stated as a white light developed his body and he¡¯d disappeared. ¡°I also surrender.¡± The light didn¡¯t take Bastion. ¡°Uh oh.¡± Bastion seemed confused as he didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Back to the fortress with you.¡± Bastion climbed aboard his crab and it scuttled away. ¡°Birdion. Why don¡¯t you go and lick your wounds? If you want to fight me this morning go ahead. If not, go home. Whose team are you even on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a recent recruit. Doesn¡¯t really matter as my team is not that special. Aside from the members. Currently, I¡¯m working with Sheeva, she¡¯s currently hiding somewhere safe with my teammates.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion tilted his head and flicked an olive pit into Birdion¡¯s open mouth. As it flowed down the birdman¡¯s gullet the seed began to grow. ¡°W-what have you done!¡± Birdion tried to throw it up to no avail as an olive tree grew inside him and the birdman exploded in a blast of flame and feathers. Kyrion watched as an olive hybrid fell to the ground and took root on the ground next to the water. He tapped his leg and began to count to himself. Milo looked down from above his expression grim as no corpse seemed to remain. ¡°Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.¡± At nine seconds a figure shrouded in flame appeared out of thin air where Birdion had been previously. The head of a red cardinal appears where a copy of Kyrion¡¯s face had been. ¡°So¡­ Is that your true form?¡± ¡°How did you kill me so quickly?¡± Birdion asked Kyrion had felt a large amount of mana build up and compress within his form as it took half of it for him to reappear. He¡¯d played around by manipulating the burst of lost mana to grow the plant. ¡°Magic.¡± Kyrion took out some of what appeared to be dandelions and blew the seeds at his opponent. Birdon set them ablaze in a panic only for the seeds to then explode into wooden spikes embedding themselves in the man as plants grew from his body as he hit the ground. Kyrion started counting again, reaching nineteen as the Phoenix human hybrid exploded into flames and reformed two moments later as the flying seeds embedded themselves in the ground. ¡°Twenty-two this time. Now then. I¡¯ve figured out how to delay your magic.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°This is how I fight when I''m not holding back. You have one resurrection left to surrender otherwise you won¡¯t make it to the wards.¡± Kyrion said, with a tired expression. Book 3: Chapter 32 Warcry As Kyrion held Birdion(Kyrin), his hands squeezed around the cardinal as he tested the man''s bone structure. The birds in the man¡¯s neck began to crack as mana flowed into his head. A roar bellowed in the distance followed by drums. Orcish war drums. The sound was strong enough to cause the land to quake as though a charge of elephants were coming. A loud splash was Kyrion¡¯s only warning as Volain appeared out of the water, his face hidden by his orca helm, and a suit of black and white armor covered his body. Spinning in the air a metallic tail sent Kyrion and by extension, Birion, flew across the land. Kyrion let go of his foe, out of a twisted sense of Mercy. If Volain were here to fight, him then the two would fight. Anyone caught in the middle would likely lose their life in a worst-case scenario. Rotating his torso and redirecting the wind allowed him to land on the water with ease. ¡°Did you take out Uriel¡¯s team already?¡± ¡°Out of mercy. They were dying from Desert Purple Freeze.¡± ¡°Sounds delicious. Oh you mean Frostbite. Could they not start a fire? They should have had someone who knew how to deal with extreme weather.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think someone on that team would have experience surviving in nature, it''s surprising that their foundations were so shallow and yet they made it this far.¡± ¡°They may have lost more than just Marduk then.¡± Kyrion popped his back, feeling at his chest and confirming that his contingency was in place. ¡°You aren¡¯t running away this time? I guess you can¡¯t teleport right now, otherwise you¡¯d be gone.¡± ¡°How did you bypass my senses? And plants?¡± Kyrion should have had some warning if he didn¡¯t it meant something was actively counteracting his senses. ¡°No idea. Are you ready to continue?¡± ¡°Does it mat¨C.¡± Kyrion moved forward as a fist aimed at his torso was bypassed while he slammed his head into Volain¡¯s armored helm resulting in a large crack as Kyrion¡¯s forehead gave slightly. Volain landed and stayed perfectly still for a long silent second before he swayed slightly. Kyrion¡¯s forehead healed as he pushed mana into his muscles to temporarily raise his strength and endurance beyond his safe parameters while pushing into the limiters he¡¯d placed on his mind to prevent an overload. Volain moved faster than the speed of sound as he stopped an inch away from Kyrion¡¯s face the movement was enough to cause a shockwave that caused the water to follow behind him like a relentless wave. Kyrion took the blow head-on and was astounded by how even when making minimum contact the blow was capable of pushing his physical body past his limits. He still managed to land on his feet as Volain seemed to wait for him to rest. ¡°You¡¯re dangerous.¡± Kyrion said as he observed his opponent. He then watched as steam rose from Volains body as he stood there. ¡°But you aren¡¯t fully immune to the friction your movement causes. The nearby moisture is converted into steam for you to cool.¡± Kyrion turned and dashed away his movement faster than eyes could track. ¡°Oi!¡± Volain noticed his retreating and was tempted to give chase before caching onto the ploy. Kyrion stopped when he realized Volain was watching him and not following. ¡°You do know we are attacking your fortress if you run away I¡¯ll just turn and go after your friends.¡± Kyrion sighed as didn¡¯t want to destroy his territory. Just to take out one person. ¡°Do we really have to fight here? You are majorly outnumbered.¡± ¡°You¡¯re someone who uses terrain advantage to fight, why are you fleeing from an area like this?¡± ¡°So that my territory isn¡¯t destroyed when Cecil fires his giant cannon at the both of us.¡±Kyrion looked at the mech currently preparing to fire at the duo. Well, it was lighting up due to a rune Kyrion placed on it and was remotely activating. It wouldn¡¯t fire but it did look like it was charging. ¡°Your team would risk you to take me out?¡± ¡°Volain, my alliance outnumber yours and many are skilled. A head on fight between the two of us would only end with one of us injured and the other sent back home either way.¡± Volain squinted. ¡°You would have teleported by now if you could. Which means you did something dumb recently and have been weakened. Spirit break?¡± ¡°No and in a way yes.¡± ¡°So your current options are limited.¡± ¡°Somewhat.¡± ¡°Well that sucks.¡± Tendrils of water grabbed Kyrion¡¯s neck and limbs before dragging him into the water. ¡°Stay the¨C¡± Volain started before feeling a burst of mana. Kyrion sighed as he began to sway while standing atop the water that didn¡¯t smell like water. His expression was somewhat blank as he had a faraway look in his eyes. ¡°Hello there Voltmain.¡± Kyrion said as he took a step on the water and swayed nearly sinking in as his natural balance seemed to briefly waver. ¡°Did you hit your head?¡± Kyrion laughed. ¡°No¡­ I lost a lot of blood earlier and now the blood in my system is mostly alcohol. Due to my sealed affinities nothing is working like it should and my body can¡¯t deal with it right now.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re drunk?¡± ¡°I prefer the term empowered.¡± Kyrion placed a hand over the lake and in seconds it caught fire. Green flames covered the area as the moisture in the air seemed to vanish. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Well if you need moisture to cool. I thought dehydrating the environment would counter you.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°You aren¡¯t weakening me as much as you are limiting the time we can fight.¡± ¡°Evening the playing field.¡± Kyrion stated as he seemingly teleported behind Volain despite lacking the ability to do so. Volain used his tail fin to block as he spun into an uppercut as it seemed as though it was a badly animated PowerPoint. Then the area between his movements caught fire as the air was burned. Kyrion spun through the attack''s range and landed a crushing blow on Volain¡¯s chestplate causing the metal to bend inwards as the metal was superheated. Volain was pushed back towards the flames as he struggled to breathe for a moment. Kyrion didn¡¯t give chase as he healed his right arm. As he¡¯d broken some of his fingers and shattered his wrist. ¡°What are you? Made of muscle.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°If I¡¯m made of muscle then you must be made of mana.¡± Volain huffed as the flames absorbed his sweat before his ability could cool him off. ¡°A bit of both. But mostly mana by this point. I¡¯m mostly solar powered at the moment so¡­¡± Kyrion finished repairing his arm with his current regeneration. Though shattering it again so soon wouldn¡¯t do him any favors. Volain moved forward with the force of a charging rhino. The fire around him trailing behind him leading the water under him. ¡°This is suicidal.¡± Kyrion took a step back in confusion as pieces of Volain''s armor began to crack. He then committed and entered a low defensive stance as Volain rammed into him. The two were covered in burning water that seemed to flash boil the two of them. Steam covers the two of them resulting in a duo of yells. As both were being burned alive Kyrion retreated so that his wounds could close. All of his hair had vanished and his mask was washed away. Various bits of skin seemed discolored and tinted green and his prosthetic eye was destroyed. Volain jumped back as his armor fell off his body. His skin was covered in blisters and hot water burns and his helm shattered. ¡°You used That power to make those flames? How did my blow manage to miss?¡± Volain coughed as the burns spread on his body. ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t expect you to throw my own fire back at me like that. Snuffing it would have left me open enough for you to kill me and I couldn¡¯t avoid the onslaught without being washed away. So I stood my ground. I won¡¯t be able to replace my eye with a decent prosthetic for ten more days. It cost me favors just to get it that low. Not that I intend to stay, weakened for that long.¡± Volain laughed. ¡°In the end you¡¯re just more durable.¡± ¡°No.I can just regenerate and I couldn''t afford to take you on as directly as you may have wanted much longer.¡± Kyrion sighed as he tore off his robe and revealed a cauterized hole in his chest where his heart should be, yet currently wasn¡¯t. ¡°You cheated! Of course you did. You just said that you could regenerate. How does this work.¡± Volain fell to a knee unsurprised and fighting to slow the spread of burning mana in his body. ¡°Currently pumping my blood manually. I won¡¯t be able to fight long until I can heal it. You have taken me out of the fight for longer than you know. Though I suspect the rest of your people will soon follow This is the same reason I avoided fighting Sinbad. I¡¯d have ended up too wounded to continue fighting. Mostly due to his abilities bypassing my natural abilities.¡± Kyrion felt something in his chest and scowled as his focus was scrambled. ¡°Do you mean reversing time in small intervals or the stopping aspects?¡± ¡°Both, you¡¯d need someone with a lot of luck to combat that. Well, the good news is that if anyone else did this to you I¡¯d have been able to swoop in and heal you. As we are enemies I¡¯ll put you out of your misery.¡± Kyrion tossed Volain a potion bottle which distracted him for a split second as he caught the bottle. Kyrion poked both sides of Volain¡¯s head, triggering the emergency wards. In response, an explosion from behind Kyrion¡¯s neck nearly tore his head from his shoulders and broke his concentration over his manual blood pumping. The world seemingly faded for an undeniable amount of time. A feminine figure in a silver mask approached where the fight had been. Her silver hair was cut short as four rectangular cards orbited around her wrist. Her red eyes seemed angry as she eyed the position in anger. Two long doglike ears protruded from her head as she seemed to take in the scene. ¡°All is by the will of Gios. He¡¯s likely dead if what he said was true.¡± The silver-masked figure walked through the river of burning flames causing them to turn purple as she did so.
Kyrion awoke on a patient''s bed, his emergency blood pumping and damage control having taken up all of his mental faculties as he looked about. In a bed opposite of his Volain held a haunch of meat which he chopped through in irritation. ¡°So you¡¯ve awoken? How was your two day nap? The potion you gave me was confiscated by the way. To be studied or something.¡± Kyrion patted himself down and noticed that everything including his clothes and valuables had been stripped from his person. Which was common enough in hospitals. Especially when warriors went down during combat. Some people wake up swinging or reaching for sharp things that can be used to poke holes in people. Kyrion felt at his core and scowled as it was still damaged. ¡°How did she sneak up on me? No, how did she know to strike when all my attention was on keeping my body running?¡± ¡°She felt like one of those people you¡¯re aligned with, but they looked different. I assumed they were reinforcements before they backstabbed you.¡± ¡°Can you not tell the difference between me and birdbrain?¡± ¡°Uh¡­Yes I can not tell the difference. At least not while you aren¡¯t in the same area.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Kyrion rubbed his scalp a bit then his eyes and eyebrows as he regrew his hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. As Volain hadn¡¯t seen Kyrion regenerate himself before, the plant fibers that briefly appeared didn¡¯t stick out as odd as the healing practice went on. ¡°Did you fix your heart?¡± ¡°Nope. Gonna take a minute. Do you know what''s going on?¡± ¡°No. Most of everyone else wasn¡¯t close to being as injured as we were. You still have a few people fighting at this moment.¡± Kyrion sighed as he held a hand over the gaping wound and removed a plant apparatus from his chest. ¡°Restore that which was and use this as a sacrifice. Second Circle transmute.¡± Two green magic circles appeared over Kyrion¡¯s open wound absorbed the ambient mana in the object he was holding and converted it into a beating heart. The heart was then placed in his chest as he willed the arteries valves to properly connect before he slowly ran blood through it as it adjusted to his mana. The wound in his chest closed and Kyrion let out a sigh as his blood began to pump naturally. However, the new heart would be weak for twenty-four hours after absorption. ¡°So¡­ I take it your eye is next?¡± ¡°My what? Oh! That¡­ Eye number four¡­ Don¡¯t have anything on my person that I''d use for an eye.¡± Kyrion stitched the empty organ slot shut and hid it with his hair. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that hurt?¡± ¡°No. Like you, certain levels of pain are more of an annoyance than agonizing anything less and I may not notice. Healers must be able to stay calm while at death''s door if they wish to stay alive.¡± ¡°So. If you¡¯re all better, want to go watch what you miss? It¡¯s been two days inside the other place. The viewers are watching an accelerated feed that shows highlights and live battles.¡± Kyrion got to his feet before holding onto his chest. ¡°This sucks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you love to complain Mr. I can regrow hearts.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Go¨C.¡± ¡°I do love to complain about inconveniences.¡±
Kyrion had known something was off for a while, as he was submerged underwater to a degree where senses wouldn¡¯t be able to track. He observed the area around him finding a portal that had been created a while ago, only to be temporarily closed. His expression was blank as he suspected someone was watching the fight. Deciding that he shouldn¡¯t come up without risking his life in a fight against Volain. Kyrion called on the older version of himself, who appeared within minutes having been a mere stone''s throw away. But, the old idiot had been drinking himself into a stupor while Kyrion was fighting. Expecting that he wouldn¡¯t be needed, which meant he wouldn¡¯t be much use in an extended fight. Kyrion sighed underwater causing bubbles to escape his mouth and begin to pop. Putting a great deal more power into the plant clone, he waited and watched the fight take place from a safe distance. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw someone resembling Nicole step out of the portal briefly, attack then return. The movements were methodological and deadly. Though seeing an attack confirmed a suspicion of his. Who was the Nico, Nicole claims to be? That could wait, if people thought he was gone then he had some time to kill. Book 3: Chapter 33 Walls ¡°Ms.Belfour, it seems your captain has gone full commando. He¡¯s been eliminated.¡± Chester said as he manipulated thousands of small geometric scouts. ¡°He lost to Volain?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°No, by my calculations it appears as though it ended in a draw. Then a masked third party got off a sneak attack.¡± ¡°What type of attack could kill him?¡± ¡°It seems he was surviving a lethal blow with sheer force of will when his concentration was shaken.¡± ¡°In any other situation, he wouldn¡¯t have been in that position.¡± Chester removed Volain and Kyrion from the board. ¡°How much thinking does manually pumping blood require?¡± ¡°Depends on how active and skilled you are. Fighting without a heartbeat would take all his focus a year ago.¡± Tiffany stated. ¡°Does anyone else know about his ability to survive without a heart?¡± Cecil raised a hand. ¡°I taught him the basics of how blood flows and he expanded on it. Though I also doubt his defeat was accidental.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chester asked. ¡°Our team does not need to win this tournament and receive the top prize as much as anyone else. It¡¯s more we don¡¯t want the Beast Blood empire to win. Also free publicity is the best publicity.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Asela asked. ¡°That man¡¯s brain is like a labyrinth, the more you try to understand how he thinks the more you get lost.¡± Arion answered. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Nicole asked the masked figure. ¡°I am thou.¡± ¡°No. Who are you? Take off your mask.¡± Nicole stated. ¡°It doesn''t matter who I am. As I am but a summoned entity. If you must refer to me as something, Arios will do. Person I¡¯ve never met.¡± Arios said while mimicking Nicole¡¯s voice and tone perfectly. Nicole took a step back in confusion. ¡°Arios. What¡¯s with you?¡± Chester said. ¡°Nothing. I just hate the smell of wet dog and for some reason it¡¯s strong here. I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Tiffany raised an eyebrow. Kyrie responded. ¡°Ari, and the captain have a bit of a special thing going on. It¡¯s a bit personal and revealing more than that is a breach of privacy.¡± ¡°Who is your new captain anyways? And how did you get past the teammate requirements.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all summons, in a way. Also I believe he used to go by Kyrion.¡± Kyrie stirred the pot a bit as he wasn¡¯t bound by oaths and getting her blood boiled enough could lead to mistakes if their intuition was on point. If she wasn¡¯t moving around or chasing a target, someone else would replace her.
¡°So. What''s the plan?¡° Atimn asked while he looked through a pair of binoculars. ¡°Canary. With my captain down we need to look desperate. Attack them head on and get them to focus on us while we dodge and evade and separate them. Afterwards, Noah, Bella and Brion will form a pincer attack from the north. While Wura, Chester, and Minah attack from the south. Kiara and Cecil will fire from a distance, and Hel will use her bugs to clean up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan¡­Wait, I only count four orcs.¡± Tiffany activated her communicator immediately. ¡°Assume we¡¯ve been compromised.¡± Two blades missed as Atimn rolled to the side out of instinct and slashed at an obsidian-skinned orc. The orc knocked the blade with his arm bracers before moving forward to slam both blades into Atimn.¡± Tiffany fired two bolts of light mana that caused the orc to wince as where he was struck gray skin could be seen. The orc clicked his tongue before attempting to vanish. ¡°Field of light!¡± Tiffany combined five of her symbols to create a spell that made every shadow more pronounced while countering the effects of the orc¡¯s cloak of darkness. ¡°Behind you! He¡¯s fast!¡± Atimn yelled. Tiffany parried one dagger and dodged into the second as they slammed it into the orc¡¯s throat. Tiffany¡¯s rapier clattered to the ground as though she¡¯d struck a metal wall. She didn¡¯t skimp on strength training and could pierce many things that shouldn¡¯t be pierced with a rapier. But either the orc was made of tungsten or¡­ ¡°Saved by my own training weights. How poetic.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take your weights off then?¡± Atimn asked as a shadow shot out of the ground under Tiffany¡¯s sword and tossed it to her. ¡°The weights don¡¯t come off unless he¡¯s at war or reaches maturity. It¡¯s an orc custom.¡± ¡°Yes. As much as i¡¯d like to remove these. Going against tradition to win would make me lose, in my heart.¡± ¡°Now I feel like if we win it was because you were weakened, and outnumbered.¡± Atimn sighed. ¡°As an orc being beaten in spirit mastery would be embarrassing. It is my people''s magic afterall.¡± Wura stated. ¡°Really?¡± Tiffany sighed as her hair began to glow, pentagrams made of light scattered about while her silver blade gave off a different feeling than it had previously. It was no longer using what they referred to as mana. Atimn thrust his blade into the shadow behind the orc and received a punch to his face for getting that close. ¡°Light Blade Bombardment!¡± Swords made from white lights manifested in the air and aimed themselves at the orc who seemed concerned when his legs failed to work. Atimn crawled away from the blast zone as hundreds of swords simultaneously slammed themselves into the orc which led to the emergency evacuation magic triggering. ¡°Saying the chant makes it stronger, but could have made the attack too lethal for a tournament like this. It also uses too much mana, get out of here Atimn.¡± Tiffany stated as she fell unconscious. ¡°Nope. Not abandoning you here.¡± Atimn helped Tiffany up and moved towards the fallback position being guarded by Chiyo and Asela. His sword seemed to fade away and magically appear in his sheath as he moved.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Brion winced. ¡°They¡¯re scattering!¡± ¡°Damn it! Which one is the shapeshifter?¡± Noah asked as four ¡°I don¡¯t know. Should we split up?¡± Bella asked as she got low to the ground. ¡°Numbers are our main advantage.¡± ¡°Then you two should go after the human while I take on the elf.¡± Bella had begun to run on all fours as her body shifted to that of a giant wolf and gravity intensified around her. Her speed seemingly doubled as she vanished from their view.¡± ¡°Another beast type?¡± Noah asked as they approached the orange-haired human. ¡°Something like that. To the human then.¡± Brion led the duo towards the slow-running orange-haired boy who appeared to be excessively weak, almost laughable. Brion remembered having to carry teammates like them in the past as favors to their parents, favors that meant nothing now. Despite being slower than the orcs it seemed as though no matter how fast they ran. Brion and Noah couldn¡¯t close that last bit of distance. The trio arrived near a grove in the middle of a desert. The orange-haired man turned around. ¡°This should take you out of the fight for a bit. Even if I lose it will take you a bit to get back. I¡¯m Meta, I assume you are the raging lion and the hero¡¯s shield?¡± ¡°What?¡± Noah didn¡¯t recognize the moniker. ¡°A bit early then.¡± The orange-haired man snapped his fingers and it seemed as though the sun teleported across the sky as it began to set. Brion looked down and noticed a set of familiar runes that encircled the trio. ¡°It¡¯s a stasis enchantment! How long?¡± ¡°Fourteen hours. That''s a long time to be missing from this fight.¡± ¡°How are you not drained of mana? I know how much mana it takes to keep living creatures suspended in one of these.¡± Brion stated. ¡°I gamed the system a bit. By using myself as a catalyst and encasing myself in the enchantment I was able to force it to pull from the ambient environment. Didn¡¯t even put a dent in the ecosystem. How disturbing.¡± Brion seemed horrified. As he looked up and heard a loud howl in the distance. A giant dark red-furred wolf-human hybrid stood about seventy feet up and was covered in cuts. The gravity on the continent seemingly increased as it began to attack the ground. ¡°Now that was unexpected. She should have been able to win based on our observations of the fight with Marigold.¡± ¡°Bella was told to hold back a bit to keep most of our secrets hidden. Along with quite a few others.¡± Brion stated as earthen blades erupted from the ground and stabbed into Meta, who seemed unbothered as they struck him and shattered into dust. ¡°Nice try. And while that attack was strong. You¡¯ll need a bit more force to make¨C¡± Noah let out an enraged roar as his body shifted and grew until he stood at a solid forty-eight feet tall molten armor covering his form as he looked like a giant lion coated in magma. His ax grew with him and now looked twice as destructive. ¡°If you guys are just going to go Giant! Why am I here?¡± Brion asked in irritation. ¡°So¡­You¡¯re free?¡± Kyrie said as he seemingly appeared from behind Meta. ¡°How did?¡± Meta started. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Brion I need your help. The other teams are attacking the fortress while we¡¯re weak and Cecil is headed this way to help Bella so our most destructive team members are either resting or incapacitated.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t agree to an alliance.¡± ¡°Well. Volain was used to take out our captain. Though I doubt it was intentional.¡± Kyrie held out his hand and Brion shifted into a greatsword.¡± ¡°Resonance 110%. Sword rank Master, parameter scaling, maxed. What have you done?¡± Brion asked in a monotone. ¡°Sword Fighting instructions from Ander, Maldain, and Damian.¡± ¡°Right. What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Remove Edwin and hold off the Black Knight. Then wait for the real enemy to show up.¡± ¡°Real enemy?¡± Kyrie laughed. ¡°Bastion beating White Fox in a game of rock paper scissors threw their wave attack plan out the window. So they¡¯ll be rushing this match. The plant we hid inside birdman is transmitting information to Arion and the others at this very moment.¡± ¡°Weren''t there three of you masked people with Kyrion?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember a third.¡± Rie started with a shrug. ¡°Nevermind then.¡± ¡°Great. Now hold on.¡± Kyrie jumped into the air and blasted off multiple explosions chaining behind him as he blasted forward. It was flashy, destructive, and wasteful but it allowed him to fly like a projectile without his wind affinity. Of course, he had trouble landing, but going by what his main shard could do, there was a way to transfer the force underground. ¡°Boss? Who exactly is that shirtless man with a large maul that you seem to be leading me towards and why does he have my face?¡± ¡°Ah. Right. This is Brick, The Wall, Johnson, and he''s probably from Almira if the enchantments are anything to go by.¡± ¡°Why is he wearing trunks!? We must eliminate them.¡± Brion grimaced. ¡°Wasn¡¯t your training all about getting out of your comfort zone?¡± ¡°Yes, and I am free, but this man is showing off all my features as though he¡¯s a theater performer.¡± ¡°Well it''s a good thing we¡¯re coming here to crush that wall before he crushes ours.¡± ¡°How did you get his name?¡± ¡°The Wall! Is! Tired of Waiting! The Wall smash wall!¡± The Maul was raised into the air. ¡°Brion. Kyrion¡¯s move is called Devil¡¯s Descent right?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°It does. If I get the name wrong then the aesthetics of combat won¡¯t match.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you different?¡± ¡°Fine. Angelic meteor!¡± Kyrie spun while in the air as his flames formed into white wings as he slammed into The Wall with enough force to shatter the ground. Using his earth magic, the impact of said fall was amplified and directed into the maul held by The Wall. ¡°Huh. Directing the impact of a fall into an object. When did he learn something like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty basic. He just doesn¡¯t do it as often, nor does he make it obvious when he does it. As it was an accident the first time. Also, compressing mana into a powerful strike is what I do best.¡± ¡°You broke The Wall¡¯s Wallbreaker?. You will be crushed.¡± The Wall grabbed Kyrie and slammed him into the soft earth below. Kyrie sunk into the earth as though it was a quagmire and disappeared. ¡°Earthen torpedo!¡± The wall Punched the ground to send an earthen fist straight down and through a trapped target. Kyrie sank ten feet instantly and landed in a worm-carved underground reservoir. Using his water mana he easily found a method to resurface behind his opponent. Standing on what would later be called the Drunken River. Kyrie held Brion in his sword from eying his opponent in irritation, the plant fibers that made up his body saturated with mana. ¡°How you dodge my Earthen Torpedo.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. It just wasn¡¯t all that special of a move.¡± Kyrie tossed a fish off his shoulder and wondered where that fish managed to come from. ¡°You belittle The Wall? The Wall crushes!¡± ¡°Walls don¡¯t crush anything. They shield. Are you a dunce or just acting that way?¡± ¡°Walls crush things all the time! Like then¡­uh¡­ when you push a wall over it can crush a person.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that just break the wall too? When a wall falls over then it fails as a wall.¡± Brion seemed irritated. ¡°You''re going to give him an existential crisis at this rate.¡± ¡°But I am Brick, The Wall, Thompson! I crush¡­ I crush¡­ Why?¡± ¡°You crush because you''re a failure of a wall.¡± Sword Brion spoke in a strangely flamboyant voice. ¡°How did you copy my voice!?¡± Brion seemed panicky. ¡°I did no such thing. What are you talking about?¡± Kyrie stated using all the experience lying he gathered from Kyrion. ¡°If you didn¡¯t say, then who said it.¡± ¡°Listen to yourself! Brick! You are a failure as a wall. You should be building and protecting. Why crush like a failure?¡± Kyrie whispered into his ear with wind magic. ¡°It sounds like The Wall¡¯s voice but the wall hasn¡¯t heard his little voice in years.¡± ¡°O.K. You good there buddy? We should finish the fight.¡± Kyrie stated unperturbed. ¡°Buddy? The Wall is no dog!¡± ¡°Buddy means friend. Easy boy, just sit. Bah!¡± Kyrie took a step back on the dangerously deep river and watched as Brick charged forward enraged. Before Brick could make contact he seemingly tripped on a bump that hadn¡¯t been there earlier then fell face-first into the lake. ¡°Does this count as a homicide or a suicide?¡± Kyrie asked. ¡°Your part or mine. He¡¯s still alive, but he isn¡¯t trying to swim up. If he just relaxed it would be easy to get out of thee.¡± ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t have a swimming skill, which means he never learned how to swim. Once someone reaches a certain level the ability to learn skills greatly decreases. Our ability to gain skills from Almira goes dormant the moment we leave her world.¡± ¡°Kyrion wouldn¡¯t let him drown to death.¡± Brion stated. ¡°If he was a bit more evil maybe. The wall I mean. If he¡¯d killed one of you, definitely. But he¡¯s just a bit dense, like tungsten he¡¯s also your shard. You could integrate with him if you want.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­Why do you think he¡¯s so imbalanced?¡± ¡°Do you know what brain surgery is?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I know it''s something most healers need very high levels of study to practice.¡± ¡°Then you know that Kyrion has some degree of understanding of how most brains function. It isn¡¯t discussed often but the system Almira places inside of us is located within the brain, which is how mental stats like Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are determined. Someone who knows what their doing could seal or cap those mental stats. In a state like that the victim becomes easily manipulated.¡± ¡°Then he¡¯s innocent?¡± ¡°Who knows. He could be an idiot, or a fool like me. There is even a possibility that he was cursed. Either way the only way to reset his mind would be for him to become subservient to him.¡± ¡°I think I get it. So, I take it you are one of those shards. Getting one no matter how dumb will make me stronger right?¡± ¡°Yes. You will be one step closer to your captain in terms of power.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Could you even say I won?¡± ¡°Can you maneuver while underwater?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Then decide how your bond will form. I won¡¯t interfere anymore after this.¡± Kyrie dropped Brion into the deep water before turning towards the giant lion and wolf currently facing off against a flying serpentine creature and a winged stone golem covered in light. ¡°That¡¯s one down. Ari, what''s your status?¡± ¡°Bloody Penguins, did I ever tell you how much I hate these birds?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think you hated anything. Why do you seem more emotional than usual?¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 42 Sean ¡°So what are you going to name him?¡± Gram asked Kyrion as though one would ask about a puppy. The older man was currently wiping down a very large gun-shaped device with various buttons and flashing lights. ¡°He¡¯s a human, not a pet.¡± Kyrion squinted at the old man. He was looking for the smallest acknowledgment of guilt. There was none, it was the same with Maldain, and his mother, though slightly different. Gram didn¡¯t care for the lives of people outside of his inner circle and couldn''t care less if humanity failed as a whole so long as his family lived. ¡°Of course, but Sean O¡¯Brian has been dead for three years, has no next of kin, and no living relatives. He died in the emergency room after a head injury. At least that was the cover they chose. Looks like you discovered a way to reverse the Esper brainwashing.¡± ¡°So¡­The first method seasoned the cast iron pan, while my method was the dish soap and elbow grease that got rid of the sticky stuff. .¡± ¡°More or less correct. This must have been the state he was in after the accident. Amnesia seems to be his original state, and due to the injury being old I doubt he¡¯s recovering any time soon..¡± ¡°They took advantage of him, planting another identity inside his brain. Then stripping away his free will.¡± Kyrion saw the glimmer of rage but it was hidden away before it could be confirmed. ¡°Correct. Thus he will need a new name and identity. How about spot, or Yeager, maybe¨C¡± Gram turned to polish his device, a faint squeaking sound coming from a careless wipe. ¡°So this is what you wanted me to investigate. How much of this are you already aware of?¡± ¡°You only missed one thing. The Jac series isn¡¯t the only Espers I want you to examine. While there are some human rights violations, these aren¡¯t the only ones. I suspect you¡¯ve discovered mine. I can¡¯t act against the slayers for reasons I don¡¯t wish to discuss with a child..¡± ¡°I see, let''s leave the name to me. Or someone more qualified.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out¡­Pound? Deca? Milton?¡± Kyrion realized why his dad never got to name any of his siblings after Bill Jr. Gram was terrible at names. ¡°Sean is fine. Maybe it will help him recover.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Right, Kilo will be ready to return to school on Monday, but you¡¯ll need to look after him. His new body isn¡¯t quite done yet.¡± Gram stated. ¡°He¡¯ll be in his physical form?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Great. Now that this island thing is behind us, when will you tell me where my sister is?¡± ¡°You would have been taken there this weekend if it hadn¡¯t been for that incident.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t my home and I shouldn¡¯t be interfering here. I¡¯ve already caused a bit of trouble, and I can get worse.¡± ¡°Stay on your best behavior for a month and I¡¯m sure we can find an opening for the two of you to meet.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I always?¡± Kyrion said with a smile that radiated evil. ¡°If that is your best, I don¡¯t want to see your worst.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kyrion turned to leave. ¡°One last thing. Mr.Park will need to get his powers remeasured, along with quite a few of the NEU.¡± ¡°Mr.Park? NEU?¡± ¡°Jin. That''s what he goes by at school, technically Agent Park is a bit too on the nose. The North European Union. The Hungover Brigade is something I¡¯m certain is your fault.¡± ¡°I thought his dad owned a shop.¡± Kyrion tried to change the subject. ¡°He does, as do many guard dogs in Cerberus. It¡¯s the nature of the job. Kyrion, run any alcohol-based products by me. We need to keep power gain minimal.¡± ¡°I think I get it, he has a back room for the special customers and lets them work on their mech kits there.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t acknowledge the stinginess. ¡°You aren¡¯t budging on that. Fine, sure, let''s say that and move on. It¡¯s like I¡¯m dealing with the Kraken Queen all over again.¡±
Kyrion was beyond concerned, first, he¡¯d need to deal with an emotion-filled Kilo, and then he¡¯d need to wait and spend a month on his best behavior, which wasn¡¯t as hard as it was irritating. What did his best even look like, it was clear, that not everything he did here was normal. But the abnormal aspects were hard to figure out. ¡°I need to check on my investment.¡± Kyrion stepped through a tear in space and appeared at the front door of Billy¡¯s candy shop. He¡¯d been aiming for it, but some type of magical defense kept him out, which was a first. Going through the front door, he saw Billy behind his counter, with various new products on his counter. ¡°Curious,¡± Kyrion stated as he approached the new confections. ¡°Each of these can be used to impart or enhance somewhat basic powers. But power is power, all the same, and humans will pay a lot for something like this.¡± The goat man said with a soft tone Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Figured as much. I must assume you¡¯re making quite a bit off of my raw ingredients. Have you seen this before? It¡¯s a fruit tea.¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s hooch. Booze. Spirits. Alcohol.¡± ¡°Huh? So this isn¡¯t tea.¡± ¡°Listen, I have a skill that lets me hear intent. The word you''re saying isn''t tea, it¡¯s wine. You must have mistranslated something.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying, I''ve been making alcohol?¡± ¡°That would be apt.¡± ¡°Some potions have used it as a base. So it isn¡¯t too bad, but that would explain why people have been passing out.¡± ¡°Passing out?¡± Kyrion put a potion bottle filled with his Fire wine on the counter. Billy didn¡¯t drink it, no he pulled a lizard from under his counter and had it lap up a few drops of the liquid. Its muddled green scales turned crimson and its spikes of fire shot from its back. The creature continued to morph until it looked like a tiny dragon with an oversized head. ¡°Huh, a Drakit.¡± Billy seemed unperturbed. ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°A lizard that can breathe a little fire, but that''s it. Some keep them as exotic pets where I¡¯m from.¡± ¡°So, they turn animals into monsters?¡± ¡°Reptiles adapt the fastest to mana for some reason, followed up by avians, then amphibians, sea creatures as a whole after that, then mammals. Due to this, it¡¯s easier to test how effective your items are if used on reptiles. When I say adapt the fastest I don¡¯t mean that they need less for more, I mean it literally, what would take a human a few days of growth and observation to show up in seconds for reptiles.¡± ¡°So what''s the difference?¡± ¡°The alcohol creates an artificial organ that allows them to store and amplify their fire magic when they breathe it out. I believe it¡¯s the nucleus of a core. It could solve one of the Esper limitations, not that I''d want to.¡± ¡°Me either, the A.E¡¯s are suspicious to me.¡± ¡°As they should be. Human experimentation is always bizarre, and using volunteers, or deadmen as guinea pigs isn¡¯t as ethical as people try to make it out.¡± ¡°Define deadmen?¡± ¡°People that are either on death row or for some reason, are pronounced dead in a hospital.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion suspected that this was an excuse to kidnap more than just the brain-dead. ¡°So, how many potions do you have?¡± ¡°I want one of each of your new candies. Or at least one of each element.¡± Kyrion put twelve vials on the counter.¡± Billy placed a bag of wrapped confections on the counter. ¡°Don¡¯t consume more than one a day.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Kyrion considered sneaking them onto people but instead decided to just hand them out directly. ¡°Did you need anything else?¡± ¡°Nope. This will do.¡± Kyrion made his way out, maybe he¡¯d get a light snack before heading home.¡±
Ander and Chiyo stayed behind as the funeral service ended. Quite a few people had come, and gone, people he¡¯d saved, mentored, fought with and against, lovers, and even a few people claiming to be his descendants. Surprisingly the sole inheritor of the estate had been given to Ander as a dowry. Even in death, the old man was trying to tie him to this world. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he leave everything to you instead?¡± Ander held the side of his head. ¡°You were strong enough to slay a world-ending threat with an attack capable of leveling a mountain. They saw the measurements, and unlike me, you are too risky of a threat to target.¡± ¡°You¡¯re people would go after you?¡± ¡°My faults can be overlooked if money and power are on the line, and I''m alone.¡± ¡°Sounds annoying.¡± ¡°It is. But you know how things are.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Why don¡¯t you visit my world for a while? You may even be able to return sooner rather than later if you want.¡± ¡°A trip would be nice, a vacation abroad as your friend calls it.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t really be a vacation, there will be fighting and a tournament back home. You¡¯ll need to get a lot stronger, fast to survive there.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s more dangerous?¡± ¡°I mean, yes, we have our world-ending threats, and many will die fighting them. But we will be stronger for it. Also, there is a bit of a time dilation gap. One month here seems to be at least a year there. Enter time dilation chambers for training and we can stretch our time further.¡± ¡°So I''d be able to become even more powerful before I return.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Chiyo flinched as a ghost appeared in front of her in the form of a sheathed katana. ¡°Gramps!¡± Ander turned his head and scowled. ¡°Is that how you choose to return?¡± Junichiro seemed to ignore Ander. Though not purposefully. ¡°Ah, I see, fine. We¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°He wants me to go to your world and settle down for a while before returning. If years truly pass in months then I¡¯ll need to use it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. What does "settle down¡± mean?¡± ¡°Who knows? What do you want to do after this?¡± ¡°Train, I won¡¯t let myself be too weak to protect you, ever again.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll start tomorrow. You said that you wanted to be a teacher right?¡± ¡°Ah, right, you¡¯re a fledgling spirit master now.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to focus on compressing your mana, and building your body a little more.¡± ¡°I get the feeling that this is going to be annoying.¡± ¡°More painful than annoying.¡± Ander turned to the incense and prayed for a long moment before the duo left.
¡°It seems we¡¯ve lost Gamma.¡± Said a man with dark brown eyes, his face hidden by an opera mask. ¡°Gamma was efficient but his mind was weak. Vulnerable to being overwritten due to the limitations of our tech at the time of his creation. Lamda is showing promise, he managed to kill me right after his powers were given to him. Though his violent tendencies led to every other experiment in his batch being slaughtered by him instead of the third.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t have him put down?¡± ¡°He¡¯s ruthless and ruthlessness is what we need sometimes. He¡¯s the counter to any Jac unit that goes AWOL.¡± ¡°It is too risky to send him after Gamma. He¡¯s in a protected area. Such a thing will tip your hand. Have Beta capture that Kyrion kid.¡± ¡°Use Beta to draw out Gamma, then when both are alone, use Lambda to dispose of all three.¡± ¡°Try not to get caught.¡± ¡°Please, do I look like a novice to you boss?¡± ¡°Given your track record for incurring rage, I''d say yes.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°If you end up dead in ninety-nine percent of your trials then it is that bad.¡± The voice behind the mask stated. ¡°It was your idea to use mostly criminals as a base for memory rewriting. How that Alpha came to be surprised even I.¡± ¡°He was sick, not a criminal.¡± ¡°Semantics, we essentially replaced one addiction with another and now he¡¯s the baseline for the next-gen.¡± ¡°An addiction that makes him more effective than he could have been. If I could have had my son back, they would have been like Alpha. Still, I don¡¯t want you to give up on Project Omega.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it was going swimmingly but it¡¯s like harnessing chaos.¡± ¡°I see. Keep it up then. An army of ethical Espers can absolve us of quite a few future sins.¡± ¡°Because serial killers and walking corpses will be missed?¡± ¡°Many of those walking corpses had a false diagnosis and may have woken eventually.¡± ¡°Or they would have died in their sleep.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that for sure. Which is the issue. Huh, it appears that Delta has just swiped their access card. You should go.¡± The scientist nodded and jumped into a computer just as a dagger-wielding woman entered the room. Her expression was irritated. The man removed his mask and combed his hair back. The expression on his face was tired and wistful. ¡°Father?¡± A dark-haired woman asked. ¡°Pumpkin! It¡¯s been a while. How was the mission I gave you?¡± ¡°The one where you asked me to monitor, Albrecht seems to be on the move and has made contact with that demon.¡± ¡°When and where did they make contact?¡± ¡°On the island, Albrecht was working with the grunts and participated in the booze experiment that broke Gamma¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°Just in case, order your active brothers to avoid drinking anything the red-haired demon offers you.¡± ¡°I will. Do you have any other missions for me?¡± ¡°The red one, try to obtain some of his DNA, records say that his blood awakened a demon that lives deep within the earth.¡± ¡°Like hair or saliva?¡± ¡°Blood, skin cells, anything you can get. Just try not to start a fight. Be discreet, there is something we need to confirm, but revealing your allegiance could end with them becoming an enemy. Finally, if you find information on Alpha, don¡¯t please update us. He¡¯s been different ever since that mission in Madagascar.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± The blond woman turned and left her room. Her dark eyes roved over the area as though she sensed something that shouldn¡¯t be there. In the split second before she left, it appeared as though the computer terminal near the exit shut off for no apparent reason. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 43 Gift Kyrion¡¯s lunch consisted of four quarter-pound burgers stuffed with an absurd amount of fries and a few whole fruits sitting around the half haphazardly. For him, it was a light lunch though to the many who saw someone with his build put down. Kilo, on the other hand, had a salad, with no meat or dressing. It was rather plain, consisting of none of the little toast things, either. Not to say that it was bad, but that it looked plain. Next, to the food was a packet of supplements that he¡¯d need to consume right after. ¡°So¡­Kilo, are you vegan?¡± Kyrion asked as he drew a sound distortion ward with a fry in ketchup. ¡°Kind of. It¡¯s more of a health issue for me.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± ¡°I doubt it. Didn¡¯t you say that your body was a temple?¡± Kilo eyed the junk arrayed about. ¡°Ah, right, my body is a testament to health, though the food here is a bit oily¡­ Kind of makes my fire affinity angry.¡± ¡°So¡­It also hurts your organs.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion said innocently. ¡°The meat and animal byproducts here cause me harm. I¡¯m a bit sickly you see. It''s a genetic thing, my younger siblings didn¡¯t survive the trip here due to our bodies being weak to the carbon in the air, as well as pollution. It wasn¡¯t until a few years back when we received some medicine to temporarily counteract the damage this world causes to our bodies. Still I usually keep trips like this to a minimum.¡± ¡°I see. This world causes your abilities to trigger uncontrollably and due to your tech based powers it¡¯s easy to leave your bodies behind. Which would mean that you know the construct in my eye.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be my third youngest sister, Deci. I¡¯m surprised that she grew attached to you so quickly. Usually while we¡¯re in that state, our conscious minds are spread across a vast network, where information can corrupt. It takes time to gather up our minds, which Is why i¡¯m currently one of two that have a body so far.¡± ¡°Wait so you knew this whole time.¡± ¡°Of course I know, we can actually communicate through a chat function that''s encoded just for us. Something not even the greatest of minds could try to cipher quick enough to matter. Get it wrong and your device is infested with a virus.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Kyrion did not like the fact that everything he saw, his sister would see as well. He should probably. ¡°Wait¡­Why don¡¯t you just remake her body and put her in there. Since she¡¯s conscious.¡± [My own body?] A new voice joined the echo chamber that was Kyrion¡¯s brain. ¡°So you can speak. I don¡¯t want you in my head all the time if possible.¡± [I¡¯m not reading your mind, I just hate not being able to see so many things.] ¡°Yes¡­But I''m a dude and I like to do dude things without my sisters looking at me in scorn.¡± [Coating yourself in honey and running from bees is pretty dumb.] ¡°I did no such thing.¡± [That was your most recent dream.] Kyrion¡¯s face fell as he appeared dumbstruck. ¡°Liar, it was buttered carrots! And the monsters were giant rabbits. Why doesn¡¯t childhood trauma just die when you get older?¡± ¡¸Uh huh.] ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping until you¡¯re gone.¡± Kyrio Crossed his arms ¡°Blech.¡± Kilo cringed. Karl spoke in his head with raised eyebrows. [Quit messing with him. We both know you can¡¯t access his dreams due to his mental defenses. That was my dream.] Kyrion suddenly seemed curious before horror dawned as he said his trauma aloud for no reason. ¡°Why would you dream of such a thing?¡± [I dream of becoming a beehive sometimes. All those perfectly geometric patterns get me¡ªnever mind. I like some shapes and patterns.] ¡°I now have concerns. Though we can discuss this later.¡± Kilo sighed as Kyrion returned. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­Yes. Sometimes I wonder if I''m losing my sanity.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you. So, still want it removed?¡± ¡°Yup. Some things are best not shared. Also I need to go home soon.¡± Kyrion polished off his last tangerine and sighed. ¡°Ah, no need to worry on that account. Unless you intend to make her a body.¡± ¡°Karl? Can you do that?¡± [Fine, but bring me some of this world''s metals. Their gold and our gold seem to be different substances, as well as the alloy they call bronze. There is this thing known as a Saxophone, that should do.] Karl gave Kyrion a quest that he¡¯d likely fail. ¡°You make it sound like making a human body is easy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very easy, if you manage to capture a dungeon.¡± Kyrion leaned on the back of his hand as a certain interloper arrived. ¡°Kilo? Where were you this weakened?¡± ¡°Came down with a fever. Gotta get sick sometimes.¡± Kilo rubbed his ring and sighed. ¡°So what does it do?¡± ¡°Water, rain, and balance.¡± Kyrion said with a glance. ¡°Kyrion.¡± Kilo whispered and yelled. ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently staying with him. Of course I''d figure out what it does.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t mention that it used Issac as a template. His Issac. ¡°Ah forgot about that. How was the casting?¡± ¡°I put my best foot forward, but I am a hard person to act around, due to my natural attention drawing charisma. I kept taking attention away from the main talent.¡± Kyrion stated truthfully, main talent meaning the people from this world who couldn¡¯t fight the terrors that broke in early. If the end was supposed to be soon, there was a chance that it was supposed to be after those rifts had time to properly mature. ¡°A shame you didn¡¯t get a ring, new kid.¡± ¡°I mean¡­I could always try again later. It offered me a chance to gain power along with that girl who skipped the meet-up. A shame someone with her talents deemed such a thing crazy. ¡°A talent?¡± ¡°Compulsion. She can order people to do things, as long as there is a chance that they will actually do it. If there isn¡¯t, then the recipient is unaffected. That''s its limitation anyways. As far as I know, it only works once on a target.¡± ¡°How do you know so much? I don¡¯t even think she knows that much.¡± Kyrion was going to say because he studied his mental affinity very closely for a while to figure out counters in case he¡¯d been brain-jacked. But instead, he chose the Cecil approach. ¡°Animus.¡± ¡°Souls?¡± ¡°No the T.V thing.¡± ¡°Huh, guess that could be true.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s limited to being things they¡¯d do anyways. She can¡¯t force a suicide.¡± ¡°But she could inadvertently push someone over the edge. Which is probably why she uses it often and on everybody, in subtle ways. People like her so they¡¯d follow most orders without her needing the power and it allows her to keep from accidentally ordering something dangerous.¡± ¡°Is there anything your eyes don¡¯t see?¡± ¡°Who knows. I had to get used to using one after a run in with a monster.¡± Kyrion touched his prosthetic and flinched as a jolt passed through him. ¡°So, Kilo, are you still sick? Your face seems red today.¡¯ Kyrion tilted his head to the side. Kilo was always like this when she was around, it was just his robotic body didn¡¯t express emotions that an untrained eye could catch. ¡°He¡¯s feeling a bit shy.¡± Kyrion joked as he felt a shoe connect with his leg and winced. For someone so embarrassed Kilo managed to have a decent poker face considering he broke one of his toes. ¡°Well, madam president, it seems I may actually need to get him to the nurses office. He¡¯s still a bit sick.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Kilo didn¡¯t say anything as he took his medicine, then motioned for Kyrion to help him up. Kyrion sneakily applied a regeneration spell to Kilo and squinted as he noticed quite a bit of organ damage. ¡°I think I got this. You should go to class.¡± ¡°What type of Girlfriend would I be if I left him in such a situation?¡± ¡°One who prizes education. But that''s not what you''re focused on.¡± Kyrion shook his head. ¡°Keep that up and you¡¯ll take your cousin¡¯s place as stone cold.¡± ¡°To be fair, one of us has to be pragmatic.¡± Kyrion led them to the nurse''s office where he waited for him to get checked in. In the end, Kyrion managed to weasel out of leaving due to knowing Kilo¡¯s condition, while Mira had to leave as she still had class. ¡°So. How briefed are you on his condition?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°His body degrades quite quickly while not in his capsule as his consciousness tries to separate from his body in response his body tries to break apart.¡± ¡°That would be right. I originally came here as an excuse, but I noticed that quite a few of his organs were damaged. Does this world not have magical healing or is it ineffective on him?¡± ¡°We do not have magical healing here, Esper abilities can restart hearts, set bones, get blood to flow and other limited things. Minor cuts and scrapes can be healed, aside from that we can¡¯t regrow what¡¯s lost or regenerate limbs.¡± ¡°Ah. What of the mystical techniques each country has a piece of?¡± ¡°I do not have access to that phenomenon.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a natural esper miss?¡± ¡°Yes, a second gen, my mother was an artificial Esper and I inherited the ability. I can do a bit of first aid, but I''m no healer.¡± Kyrion slipped a vial out of his domain and set it on the counter. ¡°When you get home, drink this, aside from that, I¡¯ll heal him this time just watch.¡± Kyrion placed a hand over Kilo¡¯s chest as he caused wind mana to swirl around it. He held it there for a long moment as green sparks flowed into his skin and moved deeper repairing everything it passed. The air that was inhaled worked to heal and reinforce Kilo¡¯s lungs and airways. The healing magic Kyrion used wasn¡¯t his usual brand, as he tended to keep the visual effects hidden. But that was something that would take practice to perfect for someone without that talent. It also helped to show exactly what was being repaired as Kilo¡¯s bones, muscles and organs could be seen in layers above. ¡°When you get good enough with healing magic, you won¡¯t need to materialize the screen or make your hands glow to use this magic. It¡¯s just hard to notice that I did something if I don¡¯t make my hands glow. I usually use it on those unaware of how magic works back home or when I notice someone is pretending to be sick.¡± ¡°Look right here.¡± The nurse pointed to some odd gem-like lumps in his kidneys and liver. ¡°Yes. I believe that''s the root of the disease in this case, but as I¡¯m not aware of what it is, I can¡¯t risk healing it only to find out that it¡¯s an adaptation. The damage and tears though, that I can heal.¡± The nurse watched as his body was somewhat adjusted and the damaged organs were back to normal. ¡°If you can make use of what I just gave you, let me know, and if you have a union for this type of thing I want to spread this knowledge. This world has quite a bit of life energy,¡± Kyrion gave the nurse a second vial. ¡°A second?¡± ¡°Give this to someone you trust will use it for good. I do not intend to be overworked.¡± Kyrion looked to Kilo who quickly regained consciousness. ¡°Huh, I need to get back to the tube. Though I do feel great. Today put too much stress on my body.¡± ¡°I understand. Do you know what those growths in various organs are?¡± ¡°On my homeworld there is a drug made from a powered stone and sniffed. It¡¯s known as Gift, and it¡¯s highly addictive. My grandmother was an addict that sold my father for a gram of the substance when he was a newborn. A side effect of Gift is that it creates a type of cancer in our bodies that draws in mana. Overtime we can gain powerful innate talents. The change rewrites our DNA, and lasts for three generations starting on the maternal side. The consumer, their child, and their children. Here these additions to our organs are more of a detriment, which is why we spend our time in capsules.¡± ¡°So, removing the damage would seal your magic?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Based on what I can see, you need to fix that before you fix anything else if you want to live outside a tank. Is your magic truly worth your life and freedom?¡± Kilo didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°No. But my dad knows more and has¡¯t risked touching them. Though he isn¡¯t a healer.¡± ¡°Ah. That explains it.¡± Kyrion waited for Kilo to call for his dad before escorting him to the car. From there he arrived late to his next class. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 44 Professor Fulwind Ander stood in front of a group of students he hadn¡¯t expected. Three of them appeared to speak different native languages despite having similar common features. Which was somewhat annoying to him as his instructions required translators. Which had also been present, which he was also fine with. The issue was that his Fiance didn¡¯t want him to use his usual method for language acquisition. It was to avoid confusing anyone else. The other way wasn¡¯t safe unless he had that special tea that Kyrion made. Well, it was a wine made to repair damage to the mind and body, but it also resulted in the consumer blacking out in moments. Most humans here only use ten percent of their brains, so a few fried synapses could help fix this issue. Then again he wasn¡¯t a brain doctor and that didn¡¯t make much sense. ¡°Why are healers so smart?¡± Ander crossed his arms. ¡°Because being wrong can result in death. Sometimes it¡¯s a fine line between saving a life and ending one. Why do you ask?¡± Chiyo explained. ¡°Huh, you are pretty (and) smart. It¡¯s just my captain saw what I taught you and the others and improved it in moments.¡± Ander stated, then closed his eyes as he felt as though he had misspoken somewhere. ¡°Pretty?¡± Chiyo was distracted as she realized Ander added something after. ¡°Does he not come across as intelligent back home?¡± ¡°Most of the time he¡¯s out and about, he seems normal, albeit a little lazy as he spent quite a bit of time learning when and how to heal. Maybe there was a lot more to it than just study and practice.¡± ¡°That guy was a healer more than a fighter?¡± ¡°Yes. He also has a lot of mana and uses it to cast spells. I believe he fights half as well as he heals, but that overwhelming mana of his is what makes him a more effective combatant than me.¡± ¡°Overwhelming?¡± ¡°I believe it¡¯s why he can¡¯t use life energy. His body is heavily saturated with mana, which is why he cut off his own arm to gather his mana faster than usual. What he did is probably one of his strongest techniques albeit he used it in a situation where it wasn¡¯t needed. Or so I thought until I was the recent videos.¡± ¡°The ones where portions of the earth would shoot up and grab monsters and drag them down?¡± ¡°Yes. That is going to happen for a while as a defense mechanism for a while. A contingency if an entire force goes down to a monster and it¡¯s sufficiently weakened. Though it could also mean that something underground is gaining sentience.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s stronger if you eliminate mana?¡± ¡°Technique and skill wise, I outpace him, but boy is he durable and sneaky. Truth be told, he was ahead after his special training period with the headmaster''s son, to the degree that the headmaster had to poison him over a long period of time, just to make the fight somewhat fair. I believe that was also after he lost his eye. Prior to that, I could beat him in any fight, no real contest. Or so I expect. Which is why¨C" ¡°You still can¡¯t kiss people to learn their languages. Korean, Mandarin, and Mongolian, you learn them the hard way or not at all.¡± Chiyo stated. ¡°Boo! Guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Begin the sharing of what you know.¡± The group of translations passed and eventually, Chiyo and Ander both held sour expressions. ¡°So to sum things up, Mongolia has been using a technique to increase their physical strength through various regions in their body then looping around. While China has a way to refine medicine that increases one¡¯s endurance and boosts Qi gain. Korea, is the odd one out, as they seem to have some tech based system that keeps track of vital statistics, health and remaining Qi, and just by knowing about it, any native human can access it?¡± ¡°Any human with sufficient Qi, or life energy. Many of my people have mental abilities instead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually next. In Japan, we learned that consuming certain species allows us to take on their traits. But without a steady flow of Qi it kills us over time. Why do I get the feeling that this was supposed to be common knowledge?¡± Chiyo held her head. ¡°One sixth of the system down, as I say.¡± Ander downed a cup of green tea as he eyed the three who¡¯d come to share. ¡°Within every country there are people capable of using mystical abilities tied to their mind or soul. Each one is unique and somewhat region specific so I won¡¯t ask you to share those. But the NEU has gained access to a fighting force full of capable natural Espers with enhanced bodies. The Hungover force.¡± ¡°Can one learn both ways?¡± ¡°I believe you are supposed to master three aspects to reach the level you''re meant to be at. Physical, mental, and spiritual, or whatever you want to call it. I doubt this is all your continent can offer but I also don¡¯t doubt.¡± Ander got to his feet and looked about at the suddenly confused faces. ¡°What basis do you have for that? When I saw an esper gain access to the physical reinforcement of a Qi user with fire based ability. In time he could develop into a powerful ally.¡± ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°Ajin? I think? Ajin Jin. Not sure. Chiyo, can you call my friend for me?¡± Ander handed Chiyo his flip phone as fiddling with it was annoying. ¡°Ander, you don¡¯t have any contacts. Did you delete my number?¡± ¡°No? For some reason that just keeps happening.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Choyo left the room for a moment and then returned two minutes later.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Hey buddy!¡± Yelled Kyiron from the other side of the line. The phone was on speaker and Ander wasn¡¯t holding it. ¡°Speak normal.¡± Ander stated. ¡°Tch. Ander¡­ You should really¡­Fine, what you want?¡± Kyrion said in a monotone. ¡°The name of that Ajin Jin guy.¡± ¡°Ah Park Jin Shawn.¡± Kyrion winced as something hit him in the back of the head. ¡°Correction, Park Jin-Hwan. Now then, i¡¯m a bit busy right now so¡­¡± A brief muttering occurred as the name was heard. ¡°Ask him if this friend is Korean.¡± ¡°Yes he¡¯s Kyrion. Oh right, you probably mean the county, not the person.¡± ¡°I hate how these translations line up.¡± ¡°Me and you both.¡± Kyrion said in the language Ander preferred to use here. ¡°Can you get us in contact with Jin?¡± One of the translators asked, Ander forwarded the question and sighed. ¡°Jin! Some strange people called me to talk to you catch!¡± A loud crack could be heard as the call suddenly disconnected. ¡°He¡¯s worse with delicate tech than you are.¡± ¡°Sounds like Jin was there.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± A new number called Ander¡¯s phone and Chiyo answered it. ¡°This is Agent Park, do you need anything?¡± ¡°Agent Park, we heard that you recently gained access to Life Energy, have you heard of the system?¡± ¡°Why am I seeing words? How do I get rid of them? Well at least I can read it. Why do I have stats though?¡± ¡°Agent Park, are you of Korean descent?¡± ¡°That¡¯s tricky. My Grandmother was the traveler known as the Gatekeeper of Helioux, she married an immigrant in the states. So my lineage is tricky to track at best, but I do know our language.¡± ¡°I see. Can you inform us how you managed to have enough Qi to go through with drawing meridians?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. If you''re asking why I feel stronger, that has more to do with the friend you just spoke to. He did something to me after he gave me a strange healing potion.¡± Jin muted the line for a moment. ¡°--did Ander already receive compensation?¡± Jin sighed. ¡°No not yet.¡± ¡°--Ten potions for one favor that must be paid when called upon.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the favor?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know, because it¡¯s Ander¡¯s favor.¡± ¡°I pick who gets a potion out of a group of people you select. Make them diverse, and if it won¡¯t fit them i¡¯ll wait. If it comes down to it I¡¯ll hold onto them.¡± ¡°Why such a favor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re people can tell what effect some of these potions will have when given to someone with a body type or powers that won¡¯t match.¡± Said an old man in a green military uniform. ¡°Maybe we could sweeten the pot with a money, prestige, or power?¡± ¡°Nope. This doesn¡¯t cost you much in the long run. Unless you don¡¯t want your people to be strong enough to defend themselves.¡± ¡°You¡¯d think the old man coached this one himself¡­We agree.¡± ¡°They agree.¡± Ander said into the phone. ¡°Alright. Take two steps to your right?¡± ¡°Your right or my right?¡± ¡°Did I stutter?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ander took a step to his left and in moments a box filled with various glass vials hit him head-on. ¡°Ow!¡± Ander stumbled back and managed to catch the falling potions with feline flexibility. There was some laughter on the other end. As Ander glared at the phone. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± ¡°You went to your left. I can¡¯t exactly aim properly using the phone.¡± ¡°I highly doubt it would have been missed if I¡¯d gone right.¡± ¡°Well now we¡¯ll never know.¡± The phone suddenly cut off. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ander shook his head, as he sat the vials down. Inside the box was a scroll, upon unfurling it, he recognized it as a comprehensive order spell that could be done using his wind and lightning affinities. The spell was complex but it let him see the special life veins or meridians as the others called them. Each person had a unique structure that could hold up to 27 points to promote flow. Based on the scroll it is recommended that one places a point in places where life energy builds up as well as where the pathways seem to end. Well if they were going to help out then they shouldn¡¯t stop now. Ander rolled the scroll up and slid it into his sleeve before eyeing his potential students. ¡°We will now begin your training, line up and face away from me.¡± Ander ordered as lightning sparkled through his fingers, while he drew out the spell. From there he just walked forward, making sure to check his students as he passed. ¡°Metal, Fire, Water, Plants, Metal, Wind, Wind, Earth, Order, Darkness.¡± ¡°You two.¡± Ander pointed at the people with blade Qi and sighed. ¡°I can enhance your bodies but the potions won¡¯t do you any favors. You may be seated.¡± The two moved out of line and took a seat. ¡°Ok, now we have you two. Are you brothers?¡± Ander looked at two people who shared the same face.¡± ¡°Twins sir.¡± They said in unison. ¡°Ah, well you have two options, one is to fight for this potion as I only have one, or one of you will need to give up on it. Like the other two, I can still enhance your abilities.¡± ¡°We will wait. What would it require to obtain two?¡± Asked the brother on the left. ¡°An offering of food from your home county, pray to your phone while it''s on and hope he¡¯s listening.¡± Ander ended with a joke but realized that could be possible. The brother on the left¡¯s phone buzzed and he looked at it palling. ¡°How did he get my number?¡± ¡°He¡¯s snooping.¡± Ander pulled a silver tulip from the box and examined it. ¡°He said that if I put the flower in a vase then place the offerings in the box he¡¯ll trade things preferably food for potions so long as it¡¯s either new or tasty.¡± One of the older men looked at Ander with concern. ¡°Are the two of you gods? I know the Latin translation means Lord but¡­¡± ¡°Huh, no, he just has affinities that make things like moving an ocean or making wine in moments.¡± ¡°Can he turn water into wine?¡± ¡°No. Maybe. I mean, with enough mana and technique it¡¯s possible. But he¡¯d rather make it than transmute it. As transmuted food tastes horrible. He can turn water into a purple swampy mess if that''s what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¡°Now then. You specifically.¡± Ander pointed to the one with the dark affinity. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t help you with this method, I say you should consume something darkness or shadow based to gain its abilities, or find another method.¡± ¡°With that done, I can give everyone else a vial. Remaining we have 1 spatial, and 1 pure mental, 1 healing, and one mystery vial.¡± ¡°Mystery Vial?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t give this to anyone you want to survive the tasting experience.¡± Ander picked up the vial of crimson liquid and swirled it about. ¡°Is that blood?¡± ¡°Well it isn¡¯t his blood.¡± ¡°Could I not try that one?¡± The darkness wielder stated. ¡°I just said that it would probably kill you.¡± ¡°Well you just said that I needed something evil looking.¡± Ander noticed a worried glance from one of the supervisors and tossed the potion to them. ¡°Fine. If they say you can have it then go ahead, but I take no blame for failure.¡± ¡°Madness Elixir?: Allows the consumer to harness the aspects of chaos and madness. The consumer gains a passive mental backlash. Or maybe not. Why haven¡¯t you consumed me yet?¡± The Korean dignitary looked concerned as he read the description aloud. ¡°That explains a bit more than I expected¡­Remnants of a chaos affinity?¡± Ander scowled as he received a text. ¡°That one was a mix of purification mana and mental awakening. It was supposed to be blank, but something within the area I made that batch corrupted it. As it was untyped that''s what happened.¡± Ander read aloud. ¡°If you put this into you, I won¡¯t stop you but, if you become a grotesque monster, you will be put down.¡± The dignitary tossed the vial towards the shadow user who scowled, then popped the vial and downed it all at once before he could be talked out of it. ¡°Why does it taste like Gochujang? The texture is way off and I could swear that it''s crawling down.¡± A pulse of crimson energy ran through his body as he collapsed. In moments Various eyes appeared on his clothes before fading faster than a blink. Yet something was unsettling about the change. Ander waved his hand, sending mana through him, and found out something interesting. ¡°His meridians are activated. That¡¯s concerning.¡± ¡°Why is that.Oh..¡± ¡°I can see through others'' shadows.¡± ¡°Interesting. Now you, fire dude.¡± Ander tossed a more vibrant nearly orange vial to the fire user who in turn downed the potion. Though he didn¡¯t change much. ¡°That one was rather pleasant for something that feels like a warm hearth.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to describe what¡¯s going on.¡± Ander squinted. ¡°No they do.¡± One of the researchers observing the phenomenon stated. ¡°Oh great.¡± Ander then directed the rest to get their potions before leaving the room. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 45 KJin Adventure ¡°Kyrion, are you done snooping on your friend?¡± ¡°Yes. Now then I''m finally free to get back to building.¡± Kyrion picked up the wrench that had bent as it connected with his left arm. He casually straightened the tool and then reinforced it with an order spell. Kilo was currently piloting a robot body remotely via his resting tube. Due to being in a junkyard, the smell was enough to make him violently ill and after his trip to the nurse''s office yesterday, he didn¡¯t much feel like being sick when he didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Kilo, I can see those car parts over there and see that it can be made into an arm.¡± ¡°How do you look at cars and see an arm?¡± Jin asked. ¡°Divide!¡±Kyrion slapped a vehicle and smiled as it morphed into Five separate piles. Steel, rubber, plastic, aluminum, and a puddle of dry paint. ¡°That¡¯s convenient.¡± Jin stated. ¡°Not done yet. Condense!¡± Each of the piles save for the paint was turned into spheres of materials. ¡°Ok. How do you intend to shape it?¡± ¡°Not yet. Enhance.¡± The spheres glowed as mana saturated them completely causing dark lines to form and ripple throughout the finished product like waves. ¡°Did you just cheat Damascus into being with magic?¡± ¡°No. This is called¡­ Er¡­ Star steel, and fouren. Where the steel is strong and durable, Foren is a good mana conduit and can be used for the flexible bits and act similar to muscle fibers.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking steel, for the bones and frame, fouren for the joints and muscles. Then I can use a less condensed metal for the other shell. From there i¡¯m lost.¡± Kyrion called for Karl to appear and began the process of turning the spheres of material into a demo of the skeletal frame for the arm. ¡°Oi! If you make the joint like that it won¡¯t have full range of motion. Human arms don¡¯t just go up and down. Why should a mech be any different!¡± Kilo yelled at the spirit. ¡°Sorry boss!¡± Yelled a masked gremlin that Karl piloted to communicate with the outside world. Jin sighed as he watched the handbones form. ¡°Please add springs here, here, and here. It should allow you to create a piston effect. Which could be useful for bursts of explosive power.¡± Another gremlin noted that down on a blueprint before immediately getting to work. Pistons were added to the fingers, wrist, and in segments in the arm. A minotaur was busy shaping the metal with his bare hands like a sculptor. Its hands glowed white hot as the creature showed high degrees of dexterity as fine human-like muscle fibers were turned into thick and flexible braids. In the end, the layer of muscle proved quite time-consuming to make, even with a group of ten minotaurs working simultaneously in a conveyor belt style. When it was time to return, Kyrion gave the order for Karl to pause in construction to avoid rushing ahead on their own. Which meant it would use its resources to reproduce what was made and experiment on it, while he was otherwise busy. ¡°The KaJin series seems to be going well.¡± Kyrion said as he sat in a chair. ¡°So¡­Kyrion. You can teleport anywhere, right?¡± ¡°If I know the location or have an item with my mana signature in that area.¡± ¡°The system just gave me a quest. It¡¯s timed. I have three hours to stop a swamp monster in Louisiana.¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a few states south, so more than three hours to drive and well more than four by plane due to how late it is.¡± ¡°So this system can give you impossible tasks?¡± ¡°Did I mention that the food in Louisiana is to die for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get us there in ten minutes.¡± But you¡¯ll need to step through here before I start flying. Kyrion opened a portal into his domain and Jin stepped through it. ¡°Lets see. Louisiana is to the south.¡± Kyrion jumped into the air and flew south at a high speed passing over planes and a few private jets. After 15 minutes of high-speed flight Kyrion arrived at a strange place. The people there didn¡¯t speak a language Kyrion seemed to understand. ¡°Uh, where am I?¡± Kyrion asked the new passenger in his eye. [Brazil¡­ You overshot a bit.] ¡°Ah. Care to tell me when we hit Louisiana?¡± Kyrion asked. [Three minutes north and one and a half northeast. Do you know where you''re going?¡±] ¡°Food?¡± Kyrion asked, having forgotten why he was headed there. [Not why. Where?] ¡°Uhh¡­Swamp monster. I don¡¯t think he told me where.¡± Kyrion sighed as he took off. [Hmmm¡­to the nearest Bayou.] Kyrion sighed as he was given a series of exact directions that took him to the nearest entrance to the swamplands. He immediately dropped Jin out of his domain and looked around. ¡°That was quite jarring? How long was I in there?¡± ¡°20 minutes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re slower than you stated.¡± Kyrion did not mention that he overshot the destination. ¡°Yeah¡­It was an estimation.¡± Placing a hand on one of the tall trees Kyrion pulled off one of its seed cones and infused it with mana before throwing it into the ground. In moments flowers shot out of the ground and Kyrion now had a method to teleport here. In time his mana would spread across the area allowing him to teleport here regardless of the young tree¡¯s state. ¡°So, do you have any more details?¡± ¡°Quest type: Subgation. Target: Swamp King Rougarou. Completed when the creature is either killed or removed from the swamp. Estimated potential for loss of civilian life if failed 30,000, until reinforcements can slay it. Current casualties are zero.¡± ¡°Interesting. I can sense your esper abilities acting with your soul¡­¡± Kyrion disengaged his soul-enhanced senses. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The quest is a premonition. Which means we¡¯re partially early. If you need me, call me.¡± Kyrion began to leave when a hand grabbed his wrist. ¡°You broke your phone, How will I call you?¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll help you waste time. But couldn¡¯t you have informed your superiors of this monster?¡± ¡°Ah. That would make more sense.¡± ¡°Well you are the first human to have all three slots filled.¡± ¡°What do you mean by first?¡± ¡°An Esper¡¯s mind, with an untrained Qi infused body, and that system thing embedded in your soul.¡± ¡°So¡­the system from Seoul is attached to my soul.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t answer that as he walked across the top of the swamp. Not notice that it wasn¡¯t solid ground. ¡°Uh¡­Are you walking on water?¡± ¡°Kind of? It¡¯s more of a dance if that makes any sense.¡± Kyrion spun around six times before stopping as he noticed a curious monster.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°You ok?¡± Jin tried to look for a way across. ¡°Right. I just found a mud dragon.¡± Kyrion stared at the reptilian nostrils that shrunk back. ¡°We aren¡¯t looking for dragons. Also I''m pretty sure that''s an alligator. A local delicacy.¡± ¡°No wonder your dragons are almost extinct. To think your people can hunt dragons.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t. That''s an alligator. Can you help me get across?¡± Kyrion created a bridge of stone which he solidified and formed a path where he trod on water. ¡°Hear that bub? You''re a local delicacy, stay out of trouble big girl. Also, if we have to come back and hunt monsters in your territory, we may have to come back, and I love trying new foods. I bet you taste better than the average gator.¡± Kyion whispered next to the creature''s hidden ears before continuing forward. The swamp dragon waited for the monster and its vassal to leave before a head the size of an eighteen-wheeler rose out of the water just to make sure that there were no other creatures with absurd power hiding in plain sight.
The duo of Kyrion and Jin arrived at a well-built man lying face down in the swamp. His body was covered in an absurd amount of scars and scar tissue from large bestial claws. Debris and shrapnel that should have killed a lesser man seemed to be nothing more than a painful inconvenience. Kyrion drained the swamp water from the man¡¯s lungs before removing the shrapnel then applied a quick healing spell, reconnecting bone, muscle, and skin. Afterward, he sat the man next to a tree. Cleaning off his form revealed hair that was three-toned and wild, black, brown, and white spikes were strewn about. Yet he was certain there was no dye used to get it that way. Jin looked at the man and scowled. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ He isn¡¯t registered in any human system I have access to.¡± ¡°And mine doesn¡¯t let me see peoples names unless they tell me.¡± ¡°Then let me.¡± Kyrion held a finger over the man¡¯s chest and sent a pulse of mana into him. After a series of hacking coughs the man opened yellow eyes and stared at Kyrion in curiosity before rage seemed to suddenly shoot through him for a second. ¡°No, not rage, killing intent?¡± ¡°Unaffected by my hunting gaze. Who or what are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite weird for us to answer such a question first when you are the one we found in the swamp.¡± ¡°Fine, I''m Akecheta, who are you and what are you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking for a Rougarou. I go by Kyrion.¡± ¡°Huh¡­May I ask why?¡± ¡°According to my friend here, one will begin attacking and infecting a nearby population of humans. If we aren¡¯t swift, many could die.¡± ¡°Infect?¡± Jin looked away for a moment. ¡°This creature is capable of reproducing through a type of curse that propagates through bites and claws. Marks you seem to possess.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯m like a werewolf. Bu..t.¡± Jin drew his Phoblade. ¡°Wait.¡± Kyrion held his hand over the opening and triggered the safety he¡¯d snuck into the design. Cecil had a habit of making weapons that couldn¡¯t be turned against the owner. Something Kyrion had learned was valuable. ¡°Rougaru is a werewolf.¡± ¡°Yet this isn¡¯t the creature we¡¯re after.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°He. I am a he.¡± ¡°But he isn¡¯t registered in a human system.¡± ¡°No. I suspect neither of you have enough clearance to access that information.¡± ¡°Ah¡­So I''d have to break in deeper to figure it out.¡± Kyrion had a familiar glint in his prosthetic eye. One that his previous prosthetic didn¡¯t have access to. [The nearest Janitor databank is within a hundred and fifty miles.] ¡°You¡¯re up to something.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I may tell you later. If you''re good.¡± ¡°Kyr. Listen. If he isn¡¯t our target then who is?¡± ¡°Werewolves from this world don¡¯t transfer their abilities via bites and scratches. It¡¯s hereditary with the percentage dropping when a human parent is involved.¡± ¡°Now how do you know that?¡± Akecheta raised an eyebrow. Kyrion would not admit that he learned it from Bella pretty early on. Those who changed form in his world were pretty common which was why spirit mastery synergized with what she already had. ¡°Good question. Now then Mr.Werewolf do you swear on your immortal soul that you are not the Rougaru we are to slay to prevent casualties?¡± Kyrion bit his finger which he used as a focus for the oath. ¡°I so swear,¡± Akecheta stated that there was no backlash as was the nature of truth oaths. If he became the creature within the quest time limit then his heart would stop after that the quest would fail. Kyrion noticed the oath magic and saw it connect and linger. It then broke instantly as though he couldn''t become the creature in question. ¡°Why do I feel stronger?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t become that beast. Are you also immune to most poisons and diseases?¡± ¡°Yes, my people are hardy. Again, where do you get this knowledge?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side. ¡°Bullshit.¡± Jin stated bluntly. ¡°On what?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t from this world, and based on what was stated by Akecheta, he¡¯s as much of a native as anyone else on this planet.¡± ¡°Does your planet have a bunch of people with your features?¡± ¡°In a literal sense, yes. In a rarity sense, my features aren¡¯t very common. Outside of my family I haven¡¯t met anyone with hair quite my hue.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Akecheta popped his back and stood a full head taller than Kyrion as hair began to grow over his upper body, stopping just before it could be considered fur. ¡°What did you see Mr.Werewolf?¡± ¡°I have a name.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t feel like pronouncing it.¡± ¡°We have class tomorrow and if you want to eat at restaurants before they close. Right?¡± ¡°Mr.Werewolf, lead the way.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well you are the NPC that we met along the way. Since this is a quest it would make sense if you were a marker, with helpful information.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Game lingo.¡± Said Mr.Werewolf. ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t care too much then.¡±Kyrion shrugged. ¡°Anyhow, I can¡¯t help you much, unless you can find it¡¯s tracks.¡± ¡°What is this raw ghoul?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a werewolf that is said to live in the swamp.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t live here. I kind of got swept up in a magic tornado. I was on a trip when I got swept away. Kyrion felt his stomach rumble as he noticed some tracks. Distracted, he chose to enhance his senses and confirm the building mana. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Head that way and if you need assistance I''ll come running.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Dinner. I wanna eat everything I can before the stores close.¡± Kyrion pushed energy into his legs and jumped out of the tree line and soon vanished from sight. ¡°Did he just fly off and ditch you?¡± Jin shrugged. ¡°This is my quest. He only came for the food.¡± ¡°Makes sense. He¡¯s probably scaring off your target.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a powerful spirit master. Most monsters in this world are childs play to him, and they are aware of such.¡± ¡°Powerful? Him? Well he did manage to scare a dragon into submission but gauging that has been tricky.¡± ¡°On his world, someone on his tier could maybe level a small town in an hour but here he¡¯s strong enough to cause an apocalyptic level event if he isn¡¯t careful due to this planet''s lack of authority.¡± ¡°Planet authority?¡± ¡°The theory is annoying to put into practice. The things they call gods back home are dungeons that have either gained high levels of power and territory or were powerful people that fused with an arbiter¡¯s core. Our planet¡¯s core¡¯s mind is nonexistent, as far as his people are concerned, there are no gods here. At least that''s what an uninformed would believe due to the lack of planetary resistance keeping his powers at bay. ¡°Wait¡­Would it be possible to wake up this planet''s core?¡± ¡°Yes, but such a thing would require alot of mana. Why?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± Jin stopped suddenly before grabbing Akecheta and throwing them both to the ground. In the next instance, an eight-foot-tall bipedal beast with the head of a wolf only had two eyes that extended out of its sockets and up ten inches. The odd appendages rotated and looked at both Jin and Akecheta at the same time. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m quite sure this goes against the stories of what a Rougarou is. They are supposed to be our weird cousins that drink blood like a vampire.¡± Jin ignited his Phoblade and smiled as red flames with an eerie center solidified. From there Jin moved forward to attack, only for his opponent to dodge at the last moment and counter with claws that could turn a boulder into dust. Jin used his momentum to move forward and under the coming swipe as he removed and cauterized one of its arms in a swift motion. The wolf abomination howled and its arm bubbled before regrowing. ¡°Why does such a cursed weapon exist on this planet?¡± ¡°Human ingenuity,¡± Jin responded as he evaded a series of blows before removing both arms and its head with ease. Or so he had thought. The creature''s neck bubbled and a new head grew from the stump as did its arms. Though both noticeably lacked muscle mass. Crab legs grew from the severed head and it attempted to retrieve its arms. Mr.Werewolf intercepted it and brought his foot down on the head, crushing the parasite''s core and slaying the head. The body continued to fight against Jin, the latter of which was never where it could hit, and continued to dismember the beast with practiced ease. Though the creature shrunk it wasn¡¯t defeated thus the shockwave of killing intent distracted Jin long enough to take the hit head-on. Jin flew through tree a few tree trunks which slowed his flight but dealt a bit of damage to his back and sides. His was surprisingly whole as he swiftly got back to his feet. A few days ago such an attack would have left him near death and yet now he was fine. However, in that short time, the distance had been shattered and a set of claws were rushing toward him. Taking a step forward in that brief moment, Jin saw his death on that path. Thus his next move was a pivot paired with a spin that bisected the creature''s thick torso before a second slash cut the upper body in half vertically. White blood covered the ground as the creature rapidly decomposed, its corpse turned into a white-capped mushroom. Said mushroom was mysteriously covered in white flames that didn¡¯t leave so much ash behind. Jin looked at a screen in his vision. [Quest complete, generating rewards.] ¡°Rewards?¡± [Skill selection, Advanced Mind, or Advanced Body,] ¡°Only two options? What kind of¡­Advanced Mind.¡± Jin chose without a second thought. [Mental abilities enhanced, passive instant analysis unlocked, active causality manipulation 1%.] [As the first Esper to complete a Gaia-generated quest you have been awarded the title, He who will guide humanity. Causality manipulation has increased from 1 to 10% efficiency. Training this talent will now be ten times as effective. Gaia is watching your progress.] ¡°Uh¡­ This isn¡¯t good.¡± ¡°What isn¡¯t?¡± Kyrion asked from atop an alligator the size of an airplane. ¡°I thought you were going to get dinner?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lie.¡± Kyrion pulled out a paper bag filled with various local delicacies. Mostly boudin in some way shape or form. There were also some fried alligator skewers and a few bowls of various gumbos and jambalayas. He had two whole muffuletta but between the dragon whom he¡¯d given a fourth and the other one and three-fourths he¡¯d consumed on the ride back, he was. ¡°Kyrion. Where did you get so much food? So quickly.¡± Jin asked, exasperated. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Jin watched as the question was written down and highlighted with a percentage next to it. [Chances of the information being told to you causing an aneurysm are 79%.] If Jin had any doubts about the new powers he obtained. That killed them it also made him question what kind of 2D world this person crawled out of. Then he noticed the white scarf Kyrion always wore dig its head into the bag and latch onto a boudin ball. Jin began to open his mouth when he received a warning. ¡¸Threat to your person if that creature is brought up. 110%] The creature winked at Jin before tightening around Kyrion¡¯s neck and being forcefully forgotten. ¡°Allright. That was terrifying.¡± Jin whispered. Mr.Werewolf arrived with a few scapes that were healing while he walked. ¡°Yeah. Those eyes were gross.¡± ¡°I agree with that. Jin I saved some lef¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat tonight. Can I get a ride home?¡± ¡°Fine. What about you?¡± Kyrion looked at the nice werewolf. ¡°I¡¯m currently looking for a way to find a lost family member. Before that tornado swung me across the country. I think I''ll head back home to figure some things out.¡± ¡°Sure. Why don¡¯t you tell me about this family member, and I¡¯ll see what I know.¡± ¡°My youngest sister Bella. I recently received a vision that showed that she was alive and thriving somewhere having made friends with a magpie with red feathers, a talking sword, a scale, a white kitten with black stripes, and a purple lizard.¡± ¡°Was there anyone else in that vision?¡± The wolfman snarled before controlling himself. ¡°The cause of her disappearance.¡± ¡°I see. Why are your names so different?¡± ¡°The strongest pups always carry the name of their ancestral leaders.¡± ¡°Wait¡­Am I the magpie?¡± Kyrion muttered to himself. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. Where do you live? I can fly you there.¡± ¡°I doubt that. If you aren''t with a guide you¡¯ll find yourself lost.¡± Kyrion hopped off the large creature and pulled what appeared to be a headless shark out of his domain. He then tossed it at the dragon who began to chew as it sunk back into the swamp. ¡°Fine, you keep your secrets and I¡¯ll keep mine. Buddy.¡± Kyiron placed a hand on the large man¡¯s shoulder which drew his attention away from the tiny plant, Kyrion wove into the man¡¯s clothing. In time the mana would be absorbed by the werewolf and allow Kyion to always be able to teleport to him if need be. So long as he was alive anyway. Anyone with a mastery of magic could easily remove such a thing yet that wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d need to worry about here, Even then, such a thing would still send out an alert to his system and allow for him to teleport to that general location. Kyrion then teleported Jin to his room before he teleported himself to Kilo¡¯s house. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 46 Soaps ¡°So football is just full contact and not a blood sport? Nobody is supposed to die.¡± Kyrion said as he placed a book about the sport into his backpack. Something he¡¯d been urged to use by Kilo. ¡°Correct. This isn¡¯t hockey, where people are moving around on blades going around twenty miles an hour and colliding with dangerous levels of force. Even then it isn''t a bloodsport.¡± Issac stated. ¡°Well that makes things safer.¡± ¡°Not by much.¡± Issac shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just here to observe training and the energy drink known as Bluice.¡± ¡°Bluice?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an electrolyte filled beverage with extract from a fruit that can provide healing, and increase overall stamina.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°No you hear. Now go, two sets of two hundred one armed pushups. First set left arm, second set right arm.¡± ¡°Are you trying to break me?¡± Issac asked. ¡°Yes. But seriously. You haven¡¯t been able to push yourself since you left the dungeon. Unless you want to spar against me when I¡¯m not holding back.¡± ¡°This is probably less likely to end with broken bones.¡± Issac got to doing the push-ups. ¡°I don¡¯t just break bones. But I see the point. So what is a quarterback and can it be fixed?¡± Issac groaned and began to explain the basics of roles and positions to the strange alien. ¡°I see. So you work hard, to the degree to make it to the touch of downs. Where you leap headfirst on occasions when surrounded. Is it made of feathers?¡± ¡°No, why would it?¡± ¡°Geese. Why is it called the touch down then?¡± ¡°When you land somewhere while flying, it''s called touching down or a touchdown. The goal is touchdown in the landing zone.¡± ¡°Oh so you''re pretending to be birds. Makes sense.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Issac was moments away from giving up. ¡°I think I''m ready to do the bare minimum without asking anything else dumb.¡± ¡°You better not start asking why we don¡¯t knock all our opponents unconscious or use magic.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the magic. Not all of you anyhow and this is a test of huma ability not superhuman. This isn¡¯t, Super Ball. Still don¡¯t get why you call Football that and not Soccer since you''re socking each other constantly. While you call the game worldwide known as Football, which constantly uses feet, Soccer.¡± ¡°Propaganda, politics, miscommunication, pride, it could be a number of things, the most common thing is that the name originates from a class of games that were played on foot, and not on horses.¡± ¡°So, Lacrosse, Soccer, Baseball, Football, Golf, Rugby, all of it is football.¡± ¡°By those old rules.¡± ¡°I can accept that. If we call them all football then there will be no issue. ¡°You left out basketball.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that air ball?¡± ¡°I was under the impression that basketball players flew. How else do humans slam balls through baskets ten feet high? No offense but most of you are kind of short.¡± ¡°Can you jump 4 feet?¡± ¡°I can jump through the roof and possibly to the clouds with just leg strength, but I''m an abnormality.¡± ¡°At least you''re aware.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Have you seen Basketball on T.V?¡± ¡°No. Is that the magic screen that shows either real life events or those car tons? I¡¯ve seen them when I pass by stores.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°Do you not have a T.V at your house?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Kyrion had managed to dodge recalling the incident before. When he¡¯d been left home alone for two hours while Mr.Gram was at a meeting, Kilo went with Madame President and he wasn¡¯t allowed to go with them. Kyrion couldn¡¯t discern real from fake unless he was watching a cartoon. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Issac said as he switched arms, sweat falling to the turf. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he want his best friend with him while out with his girlfriend?¡± Kyrion asked with crossed arms. Issac sighed, ¡°Would you want your cousin around while you were on a date with someone you love?¡± Kyrion imagined having dinner with Lin and any romance that could have existed being eliminated by the annoying kid who tagged along. ¡°But I''d be an awesome wingman. And quiet too.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You''re right¡­ It¡¯s not his fault.¡±
Two days prior, Kyrion was bored, home alone with nothing to do, and orders not to leave the house under any circumstances. ¡°Such a dumb rule, you fly through one skyscraper by accident and all of a sudden you get your wings revoked.¡± Kyrion crossed both of his arms as he sat in front of the blank black screen.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Would you like to turn on the T.V?¡± Gover the robotic assistant asked. ¡°Yes, turn on the magic box. I require entertainment.¡± Gover¡¯s robotic red eyes disappeared for a brief moment as the TV turned on. ¡°Today we begin the all day anniversary marathon of The Hill¡¯s. All weekend long all day and night. ¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t know much about TV and didn¡¯t care what he watched and tucked in as he was going to be there for a long time. Kyrion watched the show for around an hour before his heart broke, as the self-made millionaire male lead was diagnosed with a terminal disease, and while hospitalized, some private eye approached him with experience claiming that his current was cheating on him. ¡°This can¡¯t be true.¡± Later in the episode, it is revealed that the wife had been meeting up with her long-lost twin brother. He¡¯d gone missing during an attack on their home during the war when they were children. The two had hugged when the reveal was complete. The thirty-minute mark had him rubbing his eyes. ¡°See I knew..¡± Just then as though divine prominence the ¡°Hilda, so it was true.¡± The male lead seemingly fainted from a broken heart. ¡°Edward!¡± The lady ran towards her husband and the episode ended. ¡°It can¡¯t end like this. Eddy can¡¯t die! You can¡¯t end like this!¡± The start of the next episode kicked off with a scene that showed Sara Dutch, the daughter of a wealthy family and also, Eddy¡¯s ex-fiance. It showed her hiring a man resembling the supposed twin brother. The hiring took place in the office room in a mansion with various rooms that he didn¡¯t get to see, yet it looked somewhat familiar. ¡°So he wasn¡¯t her brother? This was a set up? Where is Sara Dutch, Grover?¡± ¡°One second¡­. In a hospital. Lung cancer.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This show was made 60 years ago. Apparently smoking was quite common with the fleshy people and the side effects were not common knowledge.¡± ¡°Oh. So this happened a long time ago.¡± ¡°Affirmative.¡± ¡°I must know what happens next!¡± ¡°Would you like some popcorn?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Grover shook for a moment as a popping sound occurred in his stomach, before the theme ended Kyrion had a tub of hot popcorn and proceeded to watch as the scene cut to Edward laying back in a hospital bed, while Hilda was being kept away on orders from Ed¡¯s stepmother, Victoria. Kyrion grumbled a bit, as the episode went on and on until the next twist happened when Sara tried to convince a dazed Ed to sign a new will that would give everything he owns to his stepmother to prevent his wife from receiving anything. But, the supposed brother overheard this conversation and decided to bide his time a little. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that the hired mana is Hildia¡¯s missing brother Eldair, and while searching for leads, Sara and Victoria catch wind of him, hiring him to play a part in this farce. Which he¡¯d accepted as a means to an end, using the resources he had at his disposal, as a secret real estate mogul, he called up some favors that were yet to be revealed. Kyrion inhaled a handful of popcorn causing a kernel to fall into the wrong pipe resulting in an accident that caused Kyrion to reflexively cough crushing the kernel into shards and sending a wave of destructive wind forward, suffice it today, the T.V, wall, and a good portion of the kitchen wall to the outside were gone.¡± The wall was fixed, the debris cleaned and the kitchen was mostly fixed aside from the highly damaged handmade kitchen tools. He did his best at repairing them but he lacked the knowledge of how they worked due to being mostly electronic.
¡°Two hundred!¡± Issac grunted as he finished the second set. ¡°Really? That fast?¡± Kyrion eyed Issac carefully before nodding in confirmation. ¡°Fast would be relative. Though you seemed to fade out for a moment.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyrion nodded in acceptance. ¡°You did, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Where does one buy a T.V? The box I made doesn¡¯t work properly.¡± ¡°You made a T.V?¡± Karl seemed to tighten their connection. ¡°If you buy two I can teach you how to make them.¡± ¡°I need two of the T.V¡¯s¡± ¡°Do you have an allowance or something?¡± ¡°I provide goods to a candy maker.¡± Kyrion whispered it quietly. ¡°Candy maker? Why did you say it like that? It makes you sound like you''re doing something illegal.¡± ¡°Well, thats because it''s magical candy.¡± ¡°That sounds alot like a euphemism for drugs.¡± ¡°Drugs are good for you, and this is good for you, balances out. Just don¡¯t eat too much.¡± Kyrion pulled out a bag of packaged fruit snacks with various out-of-the-world imagery, including a man in a suit with a goat head, red cloak, and a top hat that didn¡¯t quite fit right. ¡°Kyrion¡­Do you truly see nothing wrong with the packaging?¡± Kyrion took out a brown bear-shaped gummy and examined it. ¡°No. Here you go.¡± ¡°Kyrion, I''m not going to eat your strange gummy. It could be an edible for all I know¡± ¡°Payment for the T.V. give it to someone else then. It should awaken earth mana in a normal human.¡± ¡°Right. Sometimes I forget your magical entity that totally is pretending to be human.¡± ¡°I am human. Probably. Just not from this world. Though avoid telling Mira.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Mira seemed to be approaching the duo with an irritated-looking Kilo. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Mira asked. ¡°Superhero training. He just did two hundred one handed pushups.¡± ¡°Eight hundred.¡± ¡°No. I said 200 with each hand.¡± ¡°No? Two sets, of two hundred with each hand.¡± ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t eat these gummies.¡± Kyrion placed them into a ziplock bag. Kilo raised an eyebrow that caused Kyrion to look away in embarrassment. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He was watching a soap opera and the next thing he knew a remote was jammed into the T.V.¡± Which was the lie they agreed on telling anyone why Kyrion had to be grounded. It wasn¡¯t serious to either of the people he lived with as the TV was for guests but that made him feel even more guilty. ¡°You watch Soaps?¡± ¡°Yes. They are biographies that you can watch.¡± ¡°He seems to think anything that isn¡¯t a cartoon is real.¡± Kilo added. ¡°Right¡­So did someone die?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Which is why I''m working to replace the T.V¡± ¡°Oh, your first cliffhanger?¡± Kyrion¡¯s prosthetic eye seemed to buzz for a moment signaling that he should answer yes. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°And you''re working for Issac?¡± ¡°No? I¡¯m helping out the football team as a training physician.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that going?¡± ¡°Pretty well for someone who doesn''t know how football is played. Still think Soccer should be called Kicking ball and Football, Soc¡¯cer, because there are so many ways to soc someone in that game.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get how so many of you don¡¯t die on the field. I know a guy who could run through a defensive line and keep going.¡± Kyrion shivered at the thought of Volain charging through a group of practitioners standing in his way. It wouldn¡¯t be pretty. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Kyrion shrugged and eyed the two held hands with suspicion. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve betrayed me Kilo. I will never forgive you. How can you do something so¡­ So¡­¡± Kyrion couldn¡¯t find the word in his language as it didn¡¯t properly translate. So gross.¡± ¡°Hand holding is gross?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Unsanitary and unnecessary. Do you know how many germs get on your hands in a day? Do you know what it signifies?¡± Kyion¡¯s face reddened then stopped as everyone gave him a suspicious look. ¡°What does it signify?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Union, and that you trust each other enough to allow your hands to be in danger of becoming mush.¡± ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°From another Earth human¡­¡± Kyrion paused and noticed that Mira was raising an eyebrow. ¡°From another guy I know. His childhood friend apparently squeezes too tight sometimes and fingers can get mushed.¡± Kyrion corrected. ¡°Is that so?¡± Issac crossed both arms and began to do squats in the background. Mira sighed. ¡°So¡­if we''re earth humans then what other kind of humans are their?¡± ¡°Forest humans, sea humans, sand humans, sky humans, and I think there may be a few you can call space humans. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kyrion¡¯s lie was so bad that even he cringed. ¡°Is that so?¡± Mira crossed both of her arms. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I am a forest human, raised with bears.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°Yeah, they found him eating raw deer in yellow rock a year ago. It took them a while to figure out who he was.¡± Kilo lied on his behalf. ¡°And yet he¡¯s smart enough to keep up with the top in our class?¡± ¡°Did you hear how he does math? Off his rocker doesn¡¯t even halfway explain it.¡± Kilo added. ¡°Yeah. He could be a prodigy.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t a demon summoned through a dark ritual by that fake cult.¡± ¡°I can attest to that. I am 100% human. Maybe¡­¡± ¡°Why maybe? I haven¡¯t been directly involved with both parents for a long time so I can¡¯t be certain.¡± ¡°O.K I get it, we¡¯ll move on to other matters. What have you and Jin been doing?¡± ¡°Building mechs, we finished two and will soon start on a third, shortly.¡± ¡°That seems slow for Jin.¡± ¡°Lifesize mechs. We have nothing better to do.¡± Kyrion didn''t add when he doesn¡¯t need a ride for some quest. Which meant he could eat slightly different food. An explosion occurred a few miles south of their current location, the sound loud enough to travel towards them as though amplified before settling and Kyrion was struck with another new headache. ¡°Kilo, get Jin to the workshop after school. I have a feeling I know who stole my toys earlier.¡± ¡°Wait, you made actual mechs? Not models?¡± ¡°Jin did most of the work, I did the math, and Kilo got us the workshop. It¡¯s where my other money goes.¡± ¡°Other money?¡± ¡°Found you! Emergency assembly! If you''re on campus, get inside for safety!¡± Lee yelled as he arrived where the group of four had settled. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mira asked, While she was distracted, Kyrion erased his presence moved around a corner, and teleported away his senses, his form shifting during the transfer. Before he fully vanished, he caught someone with two coffee cups barely glimpsing his disappearance. Moca blinked in quick succession as regained her grip on the precious beverages. ¡°What was that about? Who smells that much like flowers? Do I know anyone with hair that is pretty? The face also seemed familiar¡­Could be a caffeine induced hallucination.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 47 Rebels A figure in a tube resting in a teal liquid fought the voices that constantly attacked it on all sides. The world was so loud and the influx of noise and information was never ending due to its nature. The internet is an archive and a library of all human knowledge, compressed and hidden behind walls and guarded by misinformation. The figure in the tube twitched and thousands of comments and posts were released in quick succession, wiki pages were altered and government servers worldwide were raided. The reason wars stopped in the early 20th century was the figure in the tube. It has held many names since its discovery, from the child of knowledge to the Akashic records. The figure answers to a different name though. ¡°I am a troll. And my mission is to destroy humanity. You have two weeks before all of the world''s weapons fall on themselves. Lets play a game, find me before then, and I will call off my goal. As things are, I doubt you can even put the pieces together.¡± ¡°My Angels of Peace are already at work and on them are clues and hints to my location. Good luck.¡± Moments after the post, thousands of public locations were bombed from the inside worldwide. Yet there were no reported casualties. And no bodies were found. Every targeted location had been vacated before the explosion. However, the faceless people who helped evacuate didn¡¯t remember doing so. The language that the explosions spelled out seemed to be Ancient Greek. The words were simple. Yet. Meaning of wasn¡¯t lost. ¡°We are the Alpha and the Omega, bearing the consequences of your past present and futures. We are that which you presumed dead and we are almighty.¡±
Kyrion looked at the screen while deep inside Janitor HQ and sighed. He had been handcuffed for reasons beyond his control, which shouldn¡¯t have been possible. A chain of events he hadn¡¯t predicted occurred and brought him great irritation. ¡°Kid, we know about the weapons you were developing as well as their current capabilities. We have kept an eye on them. And yet two large and experimental killing machines have disappeared.¡± ¡°That is concerning. But I was at school when it happened and couldn¡¯t just teleport out to stop them. Which is why I came here.¡± Kyrion examined the handcuffs and disturbingly contorted his hands before taking them off. ¡°So you knew? Did you cut our camera feed?¡± ¡°No? Plants just make better recording devices. Don¡¯t ask how I managed to put it on a flash drive.¡± ¡°Did you make a plant computer first?¡± ¡°Leaks were involved. Now then, I get that I should be detained and your psychoanalysts are probably determining if I could or would do something like this. And truth be told I¡¯m 80% sure I would do it. Especially if I knew an apocalypse was coming and the people in charge weren''t doing enough. I agree with the aesthetic and message as well. Thing is, I believe this is being done by powerful Espers, possibly led by another entity.¡± Cedric squeezed the bridge of his nose. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°A hunch.¡± Kyrion had considered doing something like this. Had Ander not been here his reception was worse. ¡°Are you going to investigate with us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to write this down. Seal it with an enchantment and tell you that it will open itself within a week. If this info is still valuable, then you all will have your work cut out for you. Though I¡¯ll be nice and give you a lead, figure out the correlation between victims in the hospital bombings and influx of artificial espers. It¡¯s something I''ll be working on.¡± ¡°Why do you suspect Esper creation?¡± ¡°We" is plural. Now then I¡¯ll go on a walk. Don¡¯t bother trying to follow me.¡± Kyrion sighed as he looked straight into four hidden cameras and placed a handful of tracking devices on the table. ¡°You found all of them?¡±Cedric acted surprised. ¡°Yes, though I¡¯ll keep the one embedded in this collar.¡± Kyrion tapped the back of his shirt and sighed. Touching the tracker would break it. Cedric raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you keeping it on purpose?¡± ¡°Yes. These work both ways and I can always follow the signal to the source. It¡¯ll just hurt a bit.¡± ¡°Kyrion?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell people you can teleport through satellite signals?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to know where you are you shouldn¡¯t care where I am.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms and stepped through a purple circular doorway which took him into his garage where Jin and Kilo were busy working on the third mech. Most were irritated.¡± ¡°So, what did they talk to you about?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°A new terrorist, this one a group of espers at a minimum.¡± ¡°Huh, I just received a two-week quest to stop some Angels¡­¡± Kilo pulled out a phone and held it into the air within seconds he had absorbed the content being passed, created, and deleted in quick succession. It took him a minute, and afterward, he looked at Kyrion. ¡°Did you do this?¡± ¡°The only one I know is Gamma, Alpha and Omega are entities I haven''t encountered though I suspect both are on the lamb. And many times closer than you think.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Two jas appeared in quick succession, each one closely resembling the other save for some minor differences, the Alpha appeared to be much older than the others, his powers more controlled but output quite limited. While Omega seemed to be around fourteen with tons of power and none of the control, to the degree he has various limiters to keep his power dormant. ¡°So¡­ Are you both Jac O¡¯latte?¡± ¡°I am Alpha.¡± Answered the taller one. ¡°And I am Omega.¡± Answered the smaller one as Kyrion predicted. ¡°Expected as much. Why come back to the scene of the crime?¡± ¡°Beg pardon?¡± ¡°Why did you come back?¡± Omega asked innocently. ¡°I know you two stole my mechs.¡± ¡°But we disabled the cameras.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you believe that.¡± Jin slid his phoblade into his hand very carefully, somehow avoiding being noticed by the hypersensitive duo. ¡°Now then, did you come to put down the weapon manufacturer or take me with you?¡± ¡°Will you join us? Someone of your talents will be useful to our master.¡± ¡°Nah. Do you want your memories or lives back? I can restore you to your natural state though you may develop your abilities naturally.¡± Kyrion scratched the back of his head, slipping the beacon into his domain, the device tiny enough to be unnoticed. Kyrion tasseled Omega¡¯s hair and slid the beacons into a crack in the young man''s skull, the device smaller than the crack and near the brain. It wouldn¡¯t be felt and couldn¡¯t be detected easily, As he¡¯d switched it out with one that was already there. ¡°Why are you treating me like a kid?¡± Omega seemed ready to snap. ¡°Right, sorry. No more touching. Now then I can¡¯t work for you but I don¡¯t disagree with your plan. We have the same goal, we¡¯re just going about it differently.¡± ¡°Why would someone as dangerous as you, agree but not assist?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t like how you''re doing things. I also suspect that I¡¯ve been lied to enough. Kilo, how old are you exactly?¡± ¡°Seventeen physically and mentally. For reasons I was in stasis when we arrived my body was old enough to handle the strain of being held in a timeless state. The others were not able to do so and still grow.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a lie. But it also means that a version of me is hidden on this planet somewhere. Knowing how I think, something must have happened recently. I¡¯ll stay out of it for now, he¡¯ll probably realize whatever pissed him off wasn¡¯t worth it and in that pride decide to go all in and accept that he let emotions guide his actions internally. The hints will become more obvious and eventually we¡¯ll find a new location to visit that wasn¡¯t anywhere near where his original hints lead to. When that happens at the start of week two, the next 4 attacks will lead them straight to Antarctica under the ice caps, at a lab that used to work on Espers. The combined assault will prove that the world can work together and the idiot exposes the secret behind all the esper experiment victims. Which is your goal?¡± Kyrion picked at the dirt under a fingernail. ¡°How the hell did you figure that out?¡± ¡°I know how I react to things. They don''t have my logic or self control, which is how I was around eleven to thirteen. I was a bit mean to people who wronged me. Didn¡¯t kill them but my vengeance isn¡¯t fun to experience when trained at you.¡± ¡°Wait. Arionna? You found my sister just by listening to a single conversation?¡± ¡°No, it was way longer than two. Also Kilo, wanna find them in a week and a half?¡± ¡°Huh quest completed¡­¡± Jin scowled as a red present appeared in his hands. The question mark symbol appeared on its side. Omega¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Which is why I¡¯m staying out of it if you return my meals. Which won¡¯t teach humanity or Arionna their lesson.¡° ¡°We should go. The machines will be back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Damn straight. There won¡¯t be a next time. You hear?¡± Kyrion crossed his arms and watched as the duo moved exceptionally fast to make their escapes. Splitting off in two directions. ¡°Uh¡­Kyrion. Did you just negotiate with terrorists?¡± ¡°The various organizations need to work together if we are to survive. If an idiot is willing to unite those forces and be their target. I will let them be a tool for unification. Sean! It''s ok to come out now!¡± ¡°Y-yes sir! A-are you sure they¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°You should be able to tell. Anyways, humanity won¡¯t be destroyed. Though you should still act like it should be, and if Ari fails, then I¡¯ll take their place and do it better. Or in this case, worse.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t joking, are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t joke like that and I hope it doesn¡¯t need to happen. I love the varieties of food.¡± ¡°So you see this as a necessity?¡± ¡°Kilo, you are the 3rd most intelligent person I know. You should be able to put the clues together.¡± ¡°What clues?¡± ¡°If Alpha and Omega are represented by Espers, then chances are that the dead are also Espers. Every Angel is likely to be an artificial esper that supposedly died.¡± ¡°This is vengeance then. Someone is going to deal a major blow to the slayers if this becomes common knowledge.¡± ¡°They also likely figured that out or will do so shortly and attempt to lead a group to wipe out the leader.¡± ¡°To cover their tracks.¡± ¡°Yes and it will lead to a civilian being wrongly executed. The directions sent should lead them to a basement in California.¡± Jin scowled for a long moment. ¡°Why are you acting all omniscient?¡± ¡°Oh that? It¡¯s a simple tactic that I¡¯ve been using subconsciously. For reasons it had been limited to gut feelings. It¡¯s something that I imagine would have made my childhood depressing. You see, my perception has always been abnormally high. I can observe an array of patterns at once and understand the paths I can take to get there. It¡¯s how I can find the most talented and devoted people around me. When It was limited, it was simply people I liked and people I didn''t like, and allowed me to avoid trouble most of the time.¡± ¡°That sounds too good to be true.¡± Jin interrupted. ¡°When I began learning how to use my abilities, this trait showed me what I needed to do to beat one of my friends and get him to push himself forward. It greatly grew in strength as I relied on it while my prostec eye. I¡¯m not seeing the future, I just process data at a speed that is quite concerning. Higher level of cognitive function, one that allowed me to mess with teachers in the past.¡± ¡°That¡¯s like what I have.¡± Sean scowled. ¡°I¡¯m aware. Ari is aware as well. The issue with this ability is that it isn¡¯t perfect and relies on my range of senses. If I don¡¯t see, hear, smell, or touch, in some way, things can make it past my ability to understand.¡± Kyrion wiped a stream of blood from his nose as he pushed his brain a bit too hard for that explanation, the translation had been tricky. Kilo nodded. ¡°Dragon eyes. It¡¯s a somewhat common innate esper ability many have, but very few get it past the early stages. It also manifests stronger in those who slay dragons as well as their children. The higher the innate mana the more dangerous it is. So Ari has an ability like that,and based on what you stated, she was likely kept somewhere and used as a source of ingredients to create espers.¡± ¡°Not quite the only one who contained a portion of brain cells like mine was Alpha. I assume they dropped that system due to unpredictability. But yes, inhumane experimentation is being done on one of my shards. Though that isn¡¯t the straw that filled the camels'' humps.¡± ¡°So do you know?¡± ¡°I know that the reason was impulsive and stupid. Totally unrelated to their end goal but will do something they want done regardless. This is basically a prank meant to teach someone a lesson in morality before the real rebellion begins.¡± Jin squinted. ¡°Superhuman ability or not but it¡¯s clear this skill has been trained.¡± ¡°I had a teacher that is a seer of sorts. Among the lessons that made me even more morally flexible than I was, I also learned how to use these functions to call bluffs and figure out things that others want hidden. Now then. We did not have this conversation. If I ask, tell me that I decided to take a nap.¡± Kyrion burned two hours of his memories then healed the damage in a way that kept the area blank. In moments he passed out. ¡°He just¡­¡± ¡°Erased his own memories? I suspect he did that due to being bound by this world''s laws. That power is dangerous in this world. If he didn¡¯t turn it off then something would find a way to kill him.¡± Blood flowed for an absurdly long time as his eyes flickered back on. ¡°I taste Iron.¡± ¡°You decided to take a nap. Now hand me that wrench. The mech¡¯s are being brought from a workshop.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Are we really?¡± Sean started. ¡°Yes. Unless you''re a fan of meteors falling from above or debris knocking a single satellite off course. Said satellite accidently landing on your house.¡± ¡°Just hand me a screwdriver.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Kyrion summoned a glass of chilled orange juice mixed with Vodka only the concoction was a deep purple. ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± Sean downed the drink and the veins in his head bulged for a brief moment before the air around his fingers seemed to rotate. Various industrial screws began to float as a long chain of screeches were heard and in moments a whole set had been properly fastened and within the minute they were out of screws and could now move onto the shell. ¡°So. What is this baby going to be called?¡± Kyrion asked as his expression focused on Sean. ¡°Refrain.¡± Sean stated as he eyed the skeleton. ¡°Hmmm. From here on out the parts should fit perfectly, and after being put together they won¡¯t fall off easily. Is that right?¡± Kyrion asked Kilo and Jin. ¡°According to the blueprints, yes. If the measurements are precise and you did your job properly, then we should make it to your specifications.¡± Kilo said to Jin. ¡°Mech number three, that means we have three pilots then. I look forward to seeing what they can do.¡± ¡°Jin, Kilo, and lastly Sean. I don¡¯t have the patience for mech piloting.¡± ¡°You mean that you have no talent for any kind of driving.¡± Kilo sighed as the final layer was worked on. ¡°You have seen me moving about, do I need a mech to be effective against monsters?¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 48 Refrain Ander had figured out that his captain knew the answer to the issue when asked if he could decode an enchantment. As that wasn¡¯t Ander¡¯s specialty, doing so was impossible, after learning Kyrion made it timed things fell into place. Which forced them to act, Ander and Chiyo were in a Slayer''s office after breaking in stealthily. A well-timed blockwide emp left the area dark and in that darkness, the two hands slipped in and quietly disabled all the cameras and sneakily subdued everyone in the building. For reasons relating to the attacks, the leaders of the Slayers were gathering to figure out who messed up. ¡°Chiyo, about your Vengeance. I know you¡¯ve been gathering information on the Esper that killed¨C¡± Ander held his fingers in an arc allowing electricity to travel back and forth. ¡°That isn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The arc stopped in the middle confused. ¡°That isn¡¯t it anymore. Father doesn¡¯t regret his actions or his death and after digging I¡¯ve found out something concerning.¡± ¡°What did you find, my love?¡± Ander leaned towards the files on the computer, heaping his bolt behind him as he condensed a little bit of his power. ¡°Classified files relating to human experimentation and the mass kidnapping of hospital patients under the guises of tragedies. How something like this stayed secret so long is concerning. ¡°I can imagine. Are you humans always bringing harm to each other?¡± Ander asked it rather flippantly though the amount of power that surged into his fingers pushed the power he was holding past lethal. ¡°Good and Evil is a spectrum. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Chiyo waved him off. ¡°Fine. But we may have company if you aren¡¯t done soon.¡± Closihis hands, Ander stepped away from the computer. ¡°Are you rushing me?¡± ¡°Nope. I can probably handle them. Though It will be a swift and lethal death.¡± Ander admitted. ¡°Can¡¯t afford that. We¡¯re at 64%. Can you hurry up?¡± Chiyo looked at the flash drive that she had been using only to scowl as a figure stopped in the room. ¡°Murder it is!¡± ¡°I got him.¡± Chiyo began to move. ¡°If he sees us then he¡¯ll need to die. It¡¯s not like you can lock people in a dimensional prison.¡± ¡°Why are you so quick to kill?¡± Chyio asked as a loud crash sent the reinforced double doors flying off their hinges. A large metal human cyborg, small bits of human flesh still visible while the remainder of the body was metallic and covered in weapons. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Ander flicked a lightning bolt into the figure causing it to seize up and then die as the mechanical functions keeping the cyborg alive ceased and what remained collapsed due to the armor¡¯s high pressure. ¡°So¡­ Are all fights like this?¡± ¡°If a fight lasts longer than a few minutes, then it''s either a sign that both are holding back or really close in skill and power. Someone like that has a body that is near late fledgling, based on my estimates. The weapons were early practitioner and loud.¡± ¡°Now what?¡± Chiyo looked out the window and paled as the drop would be from a great distance. ¡°Now we run as he wasn¡¯t the only one they let loose. T ¡°Out the window?¡± ¡°Yes, jump.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°If you were normal maybe. But with the man enhancing your body such a fall would be a minor inconvenience, plus you should start trying to learn how to fly ¡° ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Well you should be able to at least slow your fall with wind magic. You can figure it out, I believe in you.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even learned how to freely use my wind magic, yes. Don¡¯t even think I have it.¡± Ander clenched his fists tightly until his fingernails pierced his palm, the dark mana he¡¯d been keeping prepared fading as he calmed himself down. Within seconds his bloodlust was gone and he was vaguely confused before being heavily concerned. ¡°What was that¡­Nevermind. Chiyo, start running towards the window, we¡¯re going together.¡± Ander blasted a hole through the widow large enough for people to pass with a mop he¡¯d picked up on his trip into the skyscraper. The shattering was strangely silent as Ander jumped through the gap first to get his bearings. Chiyo began to run towards the exit when the rest of the cyborg abominations made it to the room and opened fire. ¡°Wind wall!¡± Ander summoned a wall of wind between her and the machines but he was too slow as a bullet flew through her shoulder and she began to bleed. Ander was beyond pissed and in that fit of rage the dark mana in his core grabbed hold and used a spell. ¡°Dark Rend.¡± The rage faded as he said the words and a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He¡¯d just used one of his brother''s forbidden spells. Rend was something he came up with and used exclusively until he did it in front of someone impressionable. It wasn¡¯t complex and he¡¯d learned it from the source. It was a spell designed for killing efficiently. The forbidden aspect was using dark mana to accomplish it. That magic would rend the targets from the inside and tear its way out, much like his Genocide Bolt, this spell loved to chain. ¡°Damn it.¡± Chiyo got back to her feet uninjured and jumped towards a confused then serene Ander. ¡°So we aren¡¯t blowing this place up?¡± Ander asked. ¡°No, just get us out of here.¡± ¡°Finally, we can get back to training.¡± ¡°We need to go to the U.K tomorrow.¡± ¡°Korea or the United Kingdom?¡± ¡°Both eventually. Can you fly as fast as your captain?¡± ¡°Faster though I can¡¯t take you with me at that speed you aren¡¯t reinforced enough.¡± Ander flew past some buildings before stopping near the top of a tower. From there they could see two people with large and well-made tattoos on their backs fighting to the death. Both were innately using life essence though very little training was present. ¡°Huh, a dragon tattoo and a tiger tattoo? What does that mean here?¡± ¡°Aside from the fact that they are filming for a movie. It may seem odd to some, but we see dragons and tigers as equals.¡± ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t know actors could use life essence.¡± ¡°Qi? How can you tell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like mana sensing. One of the first things we learn how to do back home, wind users have an innate gift. It gets easier when you figure things out.¡± ¡°Right. Out of curiosity, are you jealous of your captain?¡± ¡°No. But I do want to fight him in a serious bout. His regeneration is nearly on par with your fathers, only tied to stored calories and mana. In our first match he pushed me to use lighting on the both of us simultaneously and managed to barely outlast me. This was back when he fought in a more straightforward fashion. Then a few hours later I saw him use what he learned to rapidly improve against an opponent I couldn¡¯t touch at the time. Growth and determination in kids of that age is rare. Most who haven¡¯t gone through the mental conditioning are weak willed or will easily give up. Back when we first met directly, I could have easily wiped the floor with him.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yeah yeah. When was that fight?¡± ¡°Sevenish years ago.¡± Chiyo slowly blinked. ¡°What is wrong with people in your world having children fight like that. What if someone got hurt.¡± ¡°Kyrion did go through a bone breaking phase.¡± ¡°What about parents? Don¡¯t you people have parents?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I don¡¯t, as far as I know, just two brothers. Kyrion¡¯s went missing during an invasion when he was around 9 or 10, though I suspect parents here are more involved here.¡± ¡°Does no one have parents?¡± ¡°Commoners and nobles in small kingdoms, will raise a kid destined to be a spirit master until they are older than seven, most of the time. After that they must begin training to get the mana in their body to function properly. Higher ranking nobles, or royalty may keep a kid until they are around twelve or thirteen before having them attend due to having potentially better resources. Otherwise the age of majority is sixteen for humans.¡± ¡°That''s quite low.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Your world has shorter years. I suspect humans age according to the 365 day calendar which is 115 shorter than what we deal with. The math gets screwy as mental age and physical age is bizarre. Spirit mastery slows the aging process a bit, to the point where it tries to balance the ages. So a 16 year old regular person and a 16 year old spirit master look quite different in terms of age.¡± ¡°So mana helps one adapt to the world around them. Are humans the only affected race?¡± ¡°Elves age much more slowly and can¡¯t use magic utility; they are around 60. Orcs reach their maturity at 12, and without spirit mastery, reach very old age by 40, and old or are either very young or exceptionally old.¡± ¡°And the other races?¡± Ander shrugged. ¡°The others are either well hidden or have been eradicated. Legends tell of Dwarves, Gnomes, and Giant Kin. They also tell about monsters that take on a humanoid shape when they get to the expert tier. I don''t believe that is completely true as I haven¡¯t knowingly met anyone who fits the bill.¡± Ander watched as the fight scene ended and sighed. ¡°So, did you have anything else planned for a night on the town?¡± ¡°I planned to break into the tower, get the info and leave. Don¡¯t tell me, is there another tower?¡± ¡°No, no, just need some plausible deniability.¡± ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll get that unless we board a plane.¡± Ander popped his neck. Chiyo sighed. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m technically one of the strongest lightning users on this planet, based on what I know not many can blow holes through people as well as I can, but if you got the data, I''m sure exposing their misdeeds to the other organizations or public will get them into deep water.¡± ¡°I mean, who would believe such a thing?¡± ¡°The people worried about bombs going off all over the planet. They want to hunt this cause down, and with a mob mentality, people will be forced to pay the piper his due and tell the truth, or become an open target. If this was a Kyrion plan, the open target bit would already be in motion with his current capabilities. Which tells me it¡¯s someone who is blinded by emotion or just not as good as we thought.¡± ¡°Your captain doesn¡¯t get blinded by emotion?¡± ¡°Do you want cities to disappear leaving behind deserts of glass?¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°In theory, a planet is a sentient entity that lives and thrives on its own. When your people, Earth humans, rip it up, tear down trees and pollute the air, how do you think it feels about said humans?¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°You may have felt it, but the planet is gradually opening up vents of mana, or ley lines. In a month or so. This is in response to a massive influx of high mana concentrated blood being given to the planet. This planet would gladly eliminate any entity that would get in the way of its growth before the monsters truly arrive.¡± ¡°So just by being here, this planet is building its defenses against what''s to come. We really can¡¯t afford to piss someone like that off.¡±
Kyrion stood in front of a TV wiping away tears as the soap opera marathon came to a close with a beautiful ending. Or so he¡¯d thought, as the last scene played and Eddy collapsed suddenly and without warning. Shot by some unknown assailant, and left for dead while in his house. Kyrion reached for something to throw and found nothing. A ¡°Calm not Kyr.¡± ¡°Did they just end on a cliffhanger again. Is there a season two?¡± ¡°The old writers were fired at the end of the season and the new ones didn¡¯t really get along with the cast. Eddy¡¯s contract went up with Eddy.¡± ¡°I can see why Ari wants to eliminate humanity; they are a scourge,¡± Kyrion said half-jokingly. The earth seemed to start listening in. ¡°That was partially a joke, even if you tried, humans will just go into hiding or escape and spread themselves somewhere else.¡± Kyrion said to the ground in irritation. The consciousness went to bother someone else, leaving Kyrion alone to his thoughts. ¡°So what happened to these writers?¡± ¡°The show died a few episodes later and the writers couldn¡¯t find work in that business again. People have a drama threshold and when you ruin an earned happy ending people get pissed.¡± Kilo sighed. ¡°Where can I find them?¡± ¡°De¨C¡± ¡°You better not say dead.¡± ¡°Denver.¡± Kyrion popped his back. Well, I need to go for a walk. All this is fun and all but I need to stretch my legs. Can I borrow that fancy new Peach phone?¡± Kyrion asked Kilo. ¡°No.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Oi Grover, look up food places near Denver. Mom and pop places, no major chains.¡± ¡°Kyrion, don¡¯t tell me that you''re going to Colorado just to attack some people who ruined your soap opera.¡± ¡°Of course not, I don¡¯t even know their names. But, I am getting a bit peckish.¡± ¡°You just had lunch an hour ago.¡± Kyrion paused, realized he wasn¡¯t hungry, and weighed burning those calories running to Denver. Just as he was about to leave a message played on the screen. Various corpses were piled on top of each other in preparation for mass cremation, the tops of their heads emptied of their brains. The scene showed the Esper creation process where a parasite was placed inside the organ and consumed bits while the patient was semi-conscious. Figures wearing an emblem were seen in the background with a Slayer symbol. The scene changed revealing two sets of numbers, one being an IP address and the other a geographical location. Moments later, a long series of names were slowly rolling up the screen like credits in an alphabetical order. ¡°Gorver, change the channel.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Done?¡± Grover answered as if nothing happened. ¡°Broadcasting on every channel.¡± ¡°That location is a suburb in california. Along with an Ip Address.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°This isn¡¯t right, but it¡¯s possible that there is another lab under Angel Island. Killing two bears with one spear.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to know.¡± Kilo sighed. A knock on their door got their attention. Kyrion answered, noticing a somewhat distraught Jin. ¡°What''s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got another quest. That video is everywhere and my mission is to find the root of its corruption and prune it. It looks like it¡¯s being done by the slayers and the trip.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting faster. Also, I think some of the footage was altered. Who would be dumb enough to wear their emblem while being filmed doing something inhumane.¡± ¡°It¡¯s security camera footage, likely kept on private servers. It may have also been a tool for blackmail, but now it''s out in the open. We will need to hurry.¡± ¡°Really? But I just made plans to go the opposite direction.¡± ¡°Do you want to stop this injustice or do you want to sit it out?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Well I¡¯m going to sit this one out a little longer. The location sent was a dud anyways. The lab wouldn¡¯t be on mainland soil anywhere. It would be neutral and lawless ground. Or somewhere on the ocean like an island.¡± Kyrion looked away. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say Angel Island was a possibility?¡± ¡°Yes, though I suspect a bit further out than that. Oh well.¡± Kyrion took out a smoked sausage wrap and sighed. Cedric arrived, moments later, and looked Kyrion up and down, ¡°It¡¯s been a week.¡± ¡°Six days and two hours but fine. The location of the terrorist is in Antarctica in an abandoned slayed base hidden under the ice caps and surrounded by penguins. It¡¯s where most of the dirty work was being done. If your organizations were able to figure it out before the video was sent it would have proved to the entity that humanity is ready for what¡¯s to come. But it seems the balance is disrupted by politics, strife, and the inability to get everyone to work together. I imagine a lot of Slayers hold high positions of power in various governments unlike you who stay hidden. Which means lots of gag orders and silencing has gone out and the balance of supernatural authority is in flux. You won¡¯t find your foe in Antarctica, as your foe has always been here.¡± Kyrion poked Cedric in the chest. ¡°Got it. This is our fault, and while the terrorist is causing trouble, they are more actively making it known that this world is headed down a dark path and should be stopped. Especially since you found an easier and safer method to arm humans with power.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re going on about.¡± ¡°Of course not. Sheesh, I guess people like my boy are somewhat common in your world. Kyrion stopped and squinted. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why did you bring that up?¡± ¡°Kyrion, did you forget that we already went over this?¡± ¡°Must have pruned the wrong synapses by accident. It¡¯s coming back. The answer is Rare but not uncommon, for some, spirit mastery fuses two souls together one older and one younger, the change is subtle for some, and very noticeable for others. My changes physically and mentally are more related to my blood waking up when I added a plant spirit as a core spirit. My mentality and subconscious observation increased drastically after I obtained a water spirit. If I think back on it¡­Nevermind. Just know I''m like this due to my teacher having a flexible moral compass and very little need for ethics. My senses naturally process large amounts of information simultaneously then filter, if I know someone long enough I can read their actions like a book to some extent.¡± ¡°How long is long enough?¡± ¡°Ten minutes of observation, or thirty seconds after a handshake.¡± ¡°Ten minutes is a long time for cold reading.¡± ¡°What''s that? Anyhow, come on in and sit down.¡± Kyrion led Cedric to a table and had him sit on one side as he sat on the other. ¡°Does the concept not exist in your world?¡± ¡°I mean, it doesn¡¯t translate. Why would you read something cold? Cold is a sensation, unless you can see heat.¡± ¡°No no.It is when you gather information on someone based on actions, posture, speech patterns, outfits,taste in food, and more. Usually done on the spot and using well educated guesses.¡± ¡°Oh you mean gambling. I know how to do that. Only way to truly win in those types of games is to stack the deck in your favor and make your opponent show their hand. For example, you and your wife had Cecil at around nineteen and you needed quick money and a job to take care of them while your girlfriend or wife was finishing school, like Cecil she is a prodigy by your world''s standards and had two years left for the doctorate. You dropped out of school to help her out and wound up taking night shifts cleaning at a facility.¡± ¡°Cecil doesn¡¯t even know this.¡± ¡°You keep a tidy office and it''s one of the few places that rarely gets dusty. You took your prior career as a Janitor seriously. Then, right before Cecil was old enough to go to a pre-school, something happened that alerted the two of you to magic in this world and I assume one of your coworkers died to a monster that you had managed to slay with the tools on your person. You could have chosen a different job and yet you chose to be a janitor which caught the people who would hire you by surprise. Around that time I imagined that you fast tracked your way through courses and wound up a field operative, quickly rising through the ranks. Now tell me, is this what you call cold reading?¡± ¡°Yes and no. Where did you get that information?¡± ¡°Observation, and a few conversations from what Cecil remembered from his childhood. You were always around, until he was around eightish and an incident happened that awoke his talent for magic. Life became mostly boring and monotonous and Cecil was at a high school graduate level by ten and had finished at a university at the age of twelve. During the summer he would practice magic and during the rest of the year he¡¯d be roommates with a friend of his magic teacher. Of whom you seem to be keeping me away from.¡± ¡°Sam is currency dead.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°How much did I give away?¡± ¡°12% If i¡¯m being honest. Your wife alone informed me of 78%, Cecil the final 10%.¡± ¡°Not directly.¡± ¡°Correct, unlike you, she doesn¡¯t rely on subtly to do her job, not in that same way. Discretion and confidentiality is one thing. In my world you¡¯d be in your 20¡¯s and even then you look young, same with your wife. When you said that he was your son that connected quite a few pieces of the story together.¡± ¡°That was observation and limited information. How are you not always bored? Can¡¯t be fun thinking like that.¡± ¡°Nah, If I don¡¯t stop soon my brain will start to hemorrhage. What I¡¯m doing is enhancing my senses to a high degree and overclocking my brain to gather countless strands of information. Dragon Eyes, not Enhanced cognition, which allows me to predict things to a degree.¡± ¡°Anyhow, that is a dangerous trait.¡± ¡°It tends to get me killed so yeah. I¡¯d prefer not to have it some days. For example, It took me ten minutes to figure out the current culprit but that info wouldn¡¯t help either of us. We need to find the truth behind the experiments only then can we judge those who are harming humanity. Thus I suggest the Janitors and Cerberus team up. Or better yet merge. Unifying is what humans do best and by overpowering the Slayers you can better introduce magic to the populace as a single entity.¡± ¡°I wish I could say yes, but all I am is a branch director, our main body is currently out and about.¡± ¡°Then this is where the conversion ends. I won¡¯t move until after you unite against your common enemy. If you need me, I¡¯ll be on vacation.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms and sighed. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 49 Hotdogs not Hot Dogs Kyrion had taken a trip to Chicago to try all sorts of regional delicacies from the Chicago Dog which Kyrion was suspicious of, to the Italian beef sandwich. He¡¯d wanted to go alone. His hair had already shifted from black to red as he relaxed only to be startled. A coughing fit occurred behind him as some seemed to have followed him. Kyrion expected to go alone, but someone had accidentally tagged along on his teleportation. Scowling, Kyrion turned to see Moca holding two frappuccinos from the new coffee stand that opened up next to the school. A dazed look appeared on her face as vertigo hit her like a hammer. ¡°Why does my stomach feel like it¡¯s inside out?¡± ¡°Too much caffeine.¡± Kyrion lied. ¡°Maybe you should take two steps back.¡± Kyrion stated as he tried to get her to walk back through the portal. ¡°Doubt it. Where are we?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t care. Two steps back and you¡¯ll feel better. I¡¯ll bet my younger brother''s pride on this.¡± ¡°Fine, tell me this. Why do you seem to disappear so quickly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very flexible and love free running.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t lie, he did love running in places he shouldn¡¯t be running. It was a hobby he picked up on when escaping from Minah and decided to practice just because. Here it was something people did for fun, most of them didn¡¯t have magic. ¡°Uh huh. Guess you have to keep in shape somehow.¡± Moca squinted. ¡°Yes¡­Anywho. What were you doing so close to me?¡± ¡°I had an extra coffee and I was trying to give either you or Mira the drink. Since I saw you first I followed you. And here I am. I was pretty sure we were inside a building though.¡± ¡°Ah¡­How good are you at keeping secrets?¡± ¡°Like the one involving rings? I haven¡¯t told my dad about it.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Well while you all were given basic magic and stuff, Kilo helped make a device that brought out my own. It allows me to teleport.¡± Most people wouldn¡¯t question Kyrion on the matter, nor would they delve deeper. ¡°Alright. Does Mira know?¡± ¡°Not yet? It''s still in the testing phase.¡± Moca didn¡¯t believe the lie. ¡°Try again.¡± ¡°Try what?¡± ¡°Try to lie.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Kilo has spent too much time with Mira to get anything productive done.¡± ¡°I ate of the dungeon and gained powers?¡± ¡°Last chance Or I tell Mira my suspicions.¡± ¡°I could just leave you here. Then play dumb. But that would get me in trouble. Booo¡­ Fine truth is I am a being from another universe that was summoned here to kick off the apocalypse and I¡¯m trying to lay low until I get everyone I can prepare for what''s to come. Then I go back home and spend the rest of my life with my future wife.¡± ¡°Future wife? Who is that?¡± ¡°Shouldn''t matter to ya. My past is dark, troubled, and sharper than piano wire. Ya shouldn''t get involved unless you to risk your life following me around. ¡°Where are we anyways?¡± ¡°Chicago. Now then let''s find those dogs. According to the recipe, you need to start with hot dogs. To the pet store!¡± Kyrion felt someone grab him by his shirt but kept moving. ¡°Kyrion, no! Bad! Hot dogs don¡¯t have dogs in them!¡± Moca skidded across the sidewalk as Kyrion seemed unhindered by the pull. Kyrion was two feet away from the pet shelter he was about to enter before stopping.¡± ¡°What else would a hot, dog be?¡± ¡°Hotdogs are a type of meat mixture made from leftover parts, sometimes beef, sometimes pork, and rarely chicken or other meats.¡± ¡°So there could be dog in it?¡± ¡°No! Do they eat dogs where you come from?¡± ¡°Wolf meat is too stringy. Anyhow, I think I get it. Where do I find this all beef Chicago Dog?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you follow your nose? Mr wild man.¡± Kyrion pursed his lips for a minute and sighed. ¡°I hate sifting through the smell of gas, trash, various aerosols and people.¡± Following his nose, Kyrion led Moca to an area right next to a neighborhood. On the outside, it looked quite beat up and the area it was in was somewhat worn down. Going inside, outside of a creaky floor the place was quiet, and homely in a restaurant sense. Sitting down at a table Kyrion read the menu and smiled. ¡°They have everything! Well, except for the pizza. But I can go somewhere else for that.¡± ¡°So what, are you going to spend a week or two trying everything? Just keep teleporting too and fro?¡± Kyrion looked to the right as his scarf looked towards the reader. ¡°Nobody has time to wait.¡± ¡°Time? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be finishing at your school. I have maybe a month or so left there before I need to move on.¡± ¡°You''re going to drop out?¡± ¡°There is somewhere else I need to be, your school is fun and all and maybe in another life I¡¯d enjoy attending a peaceful place like that. But I don¡¯t have the free time for that.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Are you ready to order?¡± A waitress arrived wearing an all-black uniform. ¡°One of everything, everything on it. I want my Italian Beef sandwich baptized as well. I can handle it. Yes, to any upsizes and¡­¡± ¡°Is that a joke?¡± ¡°I will eat it all here. Also what''s left goes to her. Also, Kyrion handed the waiter a large wad of hundred dollar bills. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Uh¡­Are you that well off?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how money works. Don¡¯t you have tips and things for people who serve you?¡± ¡°That was a tip?¡± Moca looked up. ¡°Yes, and to show them that I¡¯m good for it. Not like it¡¯s going to matter soon anyways.¡± Kyrion placed another stack on the table. ¡°Uh..Where did you get all this money? Didn¡¯t you just start working for the school?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, I have another source of finances.¡± Kyrion had been going around and healing terminal patients at various hospitals around the country as payment. He¡¯d received a stipend for his work and had been collecting funds for both his mech and various uses. He¡¯d spent the week of chaos after the demands on the TV healing the sick and injured when he got out of school. ¡°Is it illegal?¡± ¡°It goes against my code of ethics.¡± The two stayed silent before the first few rounds arrived and vanished into the bottomless abyss. Kyrion¡¯s white scarf turned somewhat brown as it was covered in gravy. By the time it was done, Moca looked somewhat ill. Having watched it all disappear. ¡°Where does that go exactly?¡± ¡°It becomes fuel for my body and magi¨C, teleportation¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­So, why is your hair such a deep red? Did you dye it? Somewhere between when I was following¡± you and the teleportation?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot about that. This is the natural color, I dye it black but lately it¡¯s been shifting red. Whenever I use my new talents.¡± Kyrion said a plausible lie, he¡¯d been shifting it to black with mana but he had to reserve a level of control to keep it there and thus released it when far from home. ¡°Got it. Are you the demon that Mira tried to summon with the fake cult leader?¡± Kyrion felt a familiar sensation as time slowed. No, his conversation partner suddenly sped up. The swift movement and change in tempo caught him by surprise as he matched the increase. Moca¡¯s expression went deathly monotonous as something stole her consciousness. A stiletto with a fang symbol on the handle was thrust towards Kyrion¡¯s throat. Unsurprised, Kyrion watched the blade connect and then shatter on impact as his body was much more durable than most of this world''s natural weapons. Despite being enchanted, the work was so rudimentary that Kyrion could dispel it before the weapon hit. He chose not to, however, resulting in the linked enchantment lashing out revealing the creator''s mana signature. ¡° Time resumed its regular flow as the power faded. ¡°Moca, why did you just try to kill me?¡± Moca¡¯s eyes seemed to have gone vacant as though a fog had drifted over. Scowling Kyion pushed mana into his eyes and saw a tether that connected to the back of her neck. The injury was faint and of a power he wasn¡¯t used to. He then looked between the source of raw mana and Moca, finding that the signatures were similar yet basic, If this method was widespread spread it could explain the limited magictech in this world. ¡°No innovation.¡± Approaching the waiter Kyrion placed another stack of money in his hands. ¡°This is for the food, also. Keep an eye on her but also keep your distance. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but I clearly know I don¡¯t like it.¡± Kyrion traced the path of injury out of the building down a street and into an alley where five people with powers seemed to be waiting. Each one of them wore the Slayer insignia. ¡°Didn¡¯t ya parents ever teach you it¡¯s rude to interrupt another¡¯s meal?¡± Kyrion cracked his knuckles and approached. His accent shifted between country and somewhat refined as he tried to avoid frustration. ¡°How did you find us so fast?¡± One of the bandits stated. Kyrion let his senses trace through them and clicked his tongue as he realized that these too were puppets under someone else¡¯s thrall. The line extended further and further. ¡°A magic based Esper ability you sure got lucky. Sever.¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers and watched as the tether Moca was connected to snapped. The five pawns shivered and then keeled over as they lost consciousness from the rebound. None of them were Espers or proper members of the slayers. But their minds were being used to channel the power. ¡°How did they know I was going to Chicago?¡± The slayer''s cloaks rose off their forms then flew off to find new targets. ¡°No no. Sever.¡± Kyrion cut the connection and scowled as it was a great distance away based on the rebound. Kyrion checked their IDs and confirmed that they were locals but upon analyzing the cackets he noticed that they had a design that allied them to body jack anyone pressed with the needles inside. ¡°My Chicago deep dish pizza!¡±Kyrion bellowed as he realized he had to take Moca home and no longer had time to enjoy his dinner. ¡°Guess I should start meddling so that they stop. I know your listening slayers! You have made an enemy out of me. Better hope I¡¯m busy with other projects for the time being. You had my attention, and soon you¡¯ll face eradication.¡± Kyrion then walked back to the restaurant where all his food had vanished. Along with his scarf. ¡°What happened to my food?¡± ¡°Well. Sir, it seemed to vanish while you were gone. I don¡¯t know how to describe what I saw.¡± The creature looked Kyrion in the eye. ¡°I sent half to your dungeon to be recreated later. But as payment, Karl wants you to visit a certain bar, and retrieve an Attache case from a man in a leather coat, wearing a fedora.¡± ¡°Holding food I paid for, hostage. Do you want to go to war?¡± Kyrion state. ¡°Favor for flavor. Karl¡¯s mind does come from this area after all.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Against his better judgment, Kyrion healed the damage caused by severing the tether connected to Moca. Next, he splashed a bit of water on her face to wake her up. ¡°What? Who?¡± ¡°Caffeine crash. Be careful around that new shop?¡± ¡°Fine. Sheesh, my head is spinning.¡± ¡°You have two options now. Go home, now, or follow me for a bit longer, whatever happens from here on out will be on you.¡± ¡°I can keep going.¡± Kyrion squinted and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to a bar. Are you still coming?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust your levels of common sense.¡± Moca stated. ¡°I¡¯m not looking to cheat on my fiance.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°And you aren¡¯t my type either. Mr.Tea over coffee. I don¡¯t trust you on some other side of the country without supervision.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue and opened his eyes. ¡°Would have been easier if you said no.¡± ¡°Fine, where are we going?¡± ¡°The Three Legged Table. It¡¯s a good ten minute walk away if you go slow. Ask for the made man test. Then they''ll have you drink a special tea to test your endurance.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane. Who are you talking to?¡± Kyrion eyed his scarf and proceeded to wash it off with water mana. ¡°You¡¯re too smart for your good. Sadly in this situation, you got my name wrong.¡±¡¯ Placing the scarf on his neck Moca sighed. ¡°Is that a joke back home?¡± ¡°I hope not. If it becomes a running statement I may actually have a few screws loose. Imala forbid.¡± Kyrion placed a hand on his chin and sighed. ¡°Still following. I don¡¯t want another hot dog misunderstanding.¡± ¡°If another chiwawa steps up to me and starts barking. They are getting tied to a spit and marinated in Djon mustard till they stop barking.¡± ¡°No you aren¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes, heading out of the shop and to the boarded-up bar in what should be abandoned land. Knocking on the door to what appeared to be an abandoned building. Ended with a voice coming from the inside. Who are you and what do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for the made man trial.¡± ¡°What is a young blood like you doing in a run down place like this? You can¡¯t walk around with hair dyed that shade of red.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t dyed. Can I take the trial?¡± ¡°We¡¯re you followed?¡± Kyrion eyed a few spots where he¡¯d noticed some tails a while back. ¡°I¡¯m here in peace, and guns don¡¯t really scare me all that much.¡± ¡°Though does everyone carry a gun here or just the people who walk around this area, at this time of day?¡± ¡°What!?¡± Moca looked around in surprise. ¡°Are you dumb?¡± ¡°No, but I prefer that to insane as a middle name. Now then, are you going to let me in? I was told to retrieve an Attache case.¡± ¡°So you are aware of that as well.¡± The door opened and Kyrion walked into a strange building. The guard talking to him, appearing to be an elderly man in his nineties. His movements were clear and planned out as he maneuvered to a table and then took a seat. His expression relaxes as he hits a button on his couch and the T.V. is turned on. The model wasn¡¯t a flat screen and seemed built into a wooden structure with limited range. Everything else in the building seemed old but well-maintained as though Kyrion had stepped into a different time period. ¡°Now then. Why would you want to join our order dying order?¡± ¡°A friend asked me to come here.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure that you¡¯ll be of service.¡± ¡°Oh I won¡¯t be but.¡± Kyrion adjusted his shirt and nineteen guns fell to the floor in pieces. ¡°I was with you the whole time. When did you have time to grab them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an alien, from another universe with vast and insane levels of magical power. This is normal. If I didn¡¯t value their lives then they would be un-armed instead of unarmed. Just be lucky, Ander would have overestimated them and would end up stuck trying to identify the people he reduced to ash if they attacked him.¡± ¡°Who is Ander?¡± ¡°A tiger wearing human skin. Also he has a height complex. Now then. What''s this test you talked about?¡± ¡°Mal?rt, there is a bottle of it on the table. Pour yourself a shot and drink it.¡± Kyrion walked over to the bottle, took the lid off, and wafted it in. ¡°Oh, that''s not a plant I recognize. What was fermented to make this tea? Smells like it has latent medicinal properties.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Moca took a whiff. ¡°Kyrion, that''s tea (alcohol).¡± ¡°Yes, tea. I just said that.¡± Kyrion picked up the bottle and began to down it like water. Within thirty seconds it was all gone. ¡°Not the worst tasting medicine, almost good when compared to the other experiments. In fact, I think I like the herbal taste, it reminds me of the tea my mother gave me when I wouldn¡¯t go to sleep. It tastes of nostalgia, but none of the sleeping herbs. The burn is a bit weak though.¡± ¡°So you were a melatonin baby.¡± Moca nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°No I was trouble, and had a habit of breaking into places in the house that I shouldn¡¯t have been able to. Why is there a large complex under this floor by the way? I noticed it when I walked in but wanted to pass the trial first.¡± ¡°Ah, so you can tell. Back during the prohibition era people were looking for all kinds of ways to smuggle booze from one area to another. Our old leader had the idea to build and underground system that went to various shops that would buy and sell the booze. The project was canceled when Larkson found something deep underground that couldn¡¯t be explained. I¡¯m sure you can imagine what happened next. The government made us stop working on this project, but they weren''t too mad about it for some reason. They even bought some of the blueprints.¡± ¡°What did they find?¡± ¡°No idea, But the government sure was interested in it. Over the years, no one has been dumb enough to go down there and as one of the few surviving members, I am the last guardian of this place.¡± ¡°Do you want to live forever?¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m well over a hundred, the piper will come when he comes and I will not dodge him.¡± ¡°Admirable. Mind if I go down there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. And I don¡¯t recommend it.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± ¡°The case is in the closet by the door.¡± ¡°Mind If I come back whenever? I need to drop this girl off first.¡± ¡°You are not coming back here alone. You could get hurt.¡± ¡°Why do you insist on worrying about someone like me, you should be worried about yourself. Following someone you don¡¯t really know, for no reason could get you killed.¡± ¡°We go now or you don¡¯t go at all. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Dumb as you have no way to prove that I went here alone.¡± Kyrion opened the case and saw a strange monocle. Next to the monocle were two keys and a letter. ¡°Should the worst come to pass I ask that you give these items to a young man in red who knows the password. He is the key to finding the salvation of this world.¡± ¡°A pretty bad key. If it''s me. Fine, I don¡¯t sense any monsters around but you should still be on your toes.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 50 Gremlins Return Kyrion scowled as he thought of a secondary solution. ¡°Won¡¯t your parents care if you''re out late?¡± ¡°My mother is hospitalized with a brain tumor, and my father is an idiot who can¡¯t accept reality. I currently live alone, so no one will miss me coming home late.¡± Kyrion bit his tongue, preventing the first response from coming out of his mouth. ¡°Sounds rough. How long?¡± Kyrion swallowed the blood he¡¯d drawn and shook his head. ¡°Two years ago, her condition worsened recently.¡± ¡°I see. So she¡¯s been fighting though it for that long and it''s progressed quite a bit. Why do you really want to come with me?¡± ¡°I suspect that I may find a means to help her via mystical means.¡± ¡°You mean with those powers I¨C er, the strange rift gave you.¡± ¡°Yes I mean those.¡± Kyrion scratched his head above where his antlers tended to grow and sighed. ¡°What a pain, fine let''s see what you can do. You¡¯ll have to be my bodyguard.¡± ¡°What? You won¡¯t fight?¡± ¡°The power I specialize in doesn¡¯t work well in teams where my ally doesn¡¯t know what they are doing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know how my powers work.¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s been at least three weeks. Have you not been training?¡± ¡°Where would I train? My living room?¡± ¡°I mean wind magic is better used outdoors.¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s wind magic?¡± ¡°I mean your ring has a cinnamon roll with wind blowing the smell over it. Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± It was obvious to Kyrion because the element design was something he created to symbolize wind magic. ¡°It really isn¡¯t. I thought it let me make cinnamon rolls faster or something.¡± ¡°And the knife?¡± Moca pulled out the inert phoblade handle and sighed. ¡°This is a stick.¡± ¡°Press the button on the side and feel the drain.¡± Moca did so and a small yellow blade materialized from the hilt much to her confusion. ¡°Why is it yellow?¡± ¡°Would you rather it be brown like coffee?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± ¡°Good, cause I don¡¯t know how to turn coffee into a weapon yet.¡± ¡°Yet?¡± Kyrion opened the door and entered an eerily familiar underground dungeon. Only the town while ruined, looked more taken care of now than it did the last time it entered, full of quite a few 1920¡¯s style homes, and modular stores. The statue of a young man with a bowler hat and briefcase stood at the neighborhood''s entrance. ¡°Welcome to Grintown?¡± Moca read a sign that Kyrion hadn¡¯t gotten to yet. As though a summoning, with those words, four well-dressed gremlins holding machine guns walked up to the duo. The leading Gremlin, wearing a suit and tie paired with a hat, and also carried a lit cigar the size of a carrot in their mouth. ¡°Oh! Gremlin town! This brings back memories of my childhood.¡± The gremlins fired, and Kyrion was pelted with pellets that may have caused a bruise to him when he was younger, or badly injured him if one hit an eye. However, he had more durability than most and had to confirm. Slowly tilting his shoulder to the side Kyrion let the pellet hit Moca in her arm. ¡°Ouch!!¡± Moca rubbed at her arm and watched as not even a drop of blood seemed to pool. ¡°Are you ok? I know they can sting a bit but?¡± Moca seemed stunned. ¡°How dense are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t float in water naturally.¡± Kyrion joked. Moca walked up and flicked Kyrion¡¯s elbow and winced as she looked at a finger. ¡°So, you can¡¯t fight, but you can take a hit.¡± ¡°That is an interpretation.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll act as my meat shield. So, how do I get stronger?¡± ¡°Practice and understanding. Feel the wind around you, listen to its voice and let it guide you for a while before you try to guide it.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°You have a minute before I pass out to figure this out,¡± Kyrion stated that he was bombarded with countless magazines with weak projectiles. Moca closed her eyes and tried to feel her magic. Focusing on her ring but it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. Then she focused on her heartbeat and attempted to draw power from that area. Only to fail again as she gasped for air. Air rushed into her lungs causing her to cough with enough force to cause a somewhat powerful gust of wind to pass over Kyrion who didn¡¯t flinch while causing the gremlins to stagger back. Kyrion scowled as he felt a tug on his core as though his wind affinity had gotten stronger. ¡°Interesting if not concerning.¡± Kyrion sent a bit of Divine Essence into the odd connection and scowled as a list showed up in his face.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Greetings Patron, you have activated this world¡¯s Patron System, from here you may determine what spells those who gain power from you can access. They cannot create spells on their own therefore you must give them spells you can cast yourself when you deem them strong enough, in return, you may receive a portion of the mana used or some other sacrifice. Due to being a First Time Patron, please input your Title into the system. ¡°I need a title?¡± ¡°What?¡± Moca asked. ¡°Hmmmm¡­Is my hair crimson, ruby, or scarlet?¡± ¡°Crimson. Wait, why are you asking?¡± ¡°The Crimson Lord.¡± Kyrion said to the system. ¡°That makes you sound like a vampire.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a vampire?¡± ¡°Blood sucking demons scared of sunlight. Or something.¡± ¡°The One That Always Endures Life and Death. Totaelad.¡± ¡°Do you need the life and death part?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe it¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Does it need to make a word?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Kyr Arbiter of Life and Death. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Kaolad. Kao¡­ I can work with that.¡± ¡°What do you need this for?¡± Kyrion input the name Moca came up with and smirked. He added a restriction on top of the sacrifices. 1, you may sacrifice a portion of your food to gain access to 1 week of power without upkeep, 2 you must give up 1/16th of expended mana to use your powers if you don¡¯t pay the weekly donation. Restriction, those who are not in a contract with Kaolad cannot scry or comprehend information gained on them through you. Attempts to view memories via other means will send Kaolad a warning and an exact location while replaying the past ten minutes. Moca squinted at the words that came up. ¡°Something is asking if I want to become a Cleric of Kaolad? It¡¯s a somewhat short contract. What do I get?¡± Kyrion tapped an arrow in the air and sighed. ¡°Spells: Fleet Foot, Whisper in the Wind, Wind Sense, Wind Blade, Wind Shield, Push, Pull, Wind Wall, Healing Wind, Wind Wall, Wind Step, Wind Spear, Rend, Flight, Vortex, Rending Vortex, Tornado, Sky Split, Typhoon, Lightning Storm, Lightning bolt, and Endless Rend. Minimum mana donation to create a core(This is temporarily taken off your maximum): 1/1,000th.¡± ¡°1/1000th? That''s also alot of spells for someone who can only teleport. Are you going to tell me what you are?¡± ¡°I already did, now then with 1/1000 you will be able to use everything up to Rend multiple times, the more you use your magic the stronger your core will be and it will grow in size. Meaning you¡¯ll be able to grow and in turn so will my power. Closing your eyes and focusing could help you regain mana faster, but sleeping or eating is more efficient.¡± ¡°So that appetite of yours is used to regain mana?¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Kyrion yawned and a pellet hit his uvula before sliding down his throat. Swallowing the pellet Kyrion sighed and looked up at the gremlins that had left to get more ammo. ¡°All right, try Wind Shield, and Wind Blade.¡± Kyrion stepped out of the way and let his Cleric attempt to fight. The bullets came in a hurry in an attempt to take Moca out of the fight. Moca raised both hands and felt the wind around her gather as she said the spell aloud. ¡°Wind Shield!¡± Kyrion watched as the spell was boring. It was one he cast multiple times but it was simplified and bare of emotion. As though taken from a textbook with little individuality. Kyion opened up the contract and hit the tab one more time watching the boon tier, set to when certain tiers of paying off the mana debt to create their cores. ¡°At 10% Freecasting Wind Magic, 25% 2 At will Wind spells, 50% Body of Wind, 75% High Speed Flight, 100% Weather manipulation.¡± Kyrion added to the boons area then hit the arrows a few more times filling out details before adding a tab to discern other types of Clerics under his banner setting one up for each of his affinities, setting the cost to 1/1000 to all who applied the others would also get their spells based on their elements sending a message to everyone with a connection to the rings Karl made. In time his mana took another hit as everyone seemed to accept the notification out of curiosity. A plate of brussel sprouts appeared in front of Kyrion much to his curiosity. Kyrion in term consumed them with great fervor before sending the plate back through the portal. ¡°Condensed Cabbage?¡± ¡°Wind Blade!¡± Moca summoned a blade and missed a gremlin that jumped to the side. Kyrion looked up from his testing and sighed as only a few seconds had passed since the last edit. ¡°Wind Blade.¡± Kyrion mimicked the spell, swinging his arm downward, severing a gremlin''s arm, causing the weapon to hit the ground. ¡°Swing into your cast to aim and add power to your spells. Also, keep moving, in a fight like this movement is both a shield and a weapon. Mobillity is what makes wind magic strong.¡± Kyrion stated as he moved like a blur appearing behind a Gremlin, his left hand holding the creature by its head. ¡°Wind Spear!¡± Moca launched a spear of wind at the Gremlin Kyrion was holding. ¡°Nooo!¡± Kyrion knew the spear was a dangerous spell as it was essentially an inverted wind condensed into a spear shape that tore through its victim and then continued relentlessly. Moving to the side, the spear tore the Gremlin''s body from its head and forced him to dodge to the side. The spear continued and continued passing through three walls before stopping. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t use that spell for a reason. I know it, it¡¯s very lethal but it also tends to pass through various targets and hit allies. It¡¯s also illegal back home.¡± ¡°Illegal? Why would a spell be Illegal?¡± ¡°Plenty are. Forbidden makes more sense as a description. Before a target dies, it tends to cause a great deal of slow pain. It¡¯s also nearly impossible the heal, thus unless at war or fighting for your life it¡¯s not a spell to throw about willy-nilly. Especially when you have my profession.¡± ¡°What is that profession?¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time.¡± Kyrion slammed an elbow into the leading gremlin''s head and turned it into a magical paste. ¡°Wind blade!¡± Moca yelled, slaying the last gremlin. ¡°Good job, three out of four kills. In time you can take out a few of these. Are you anywhere close to tired yet?¡± ¡°No, I used like five spells, and I don¡¯t even feel slightly tired. Is this what 1/1000 of your power is?¡± ¡°Mana, and yes, for me it is a drop in a bucket. But any more than that and you might explode. You¡¯ll need to expend as much as you can and get used to exercising regularly until your body is strong enough to contain your mana. That will create a new baseline then as your mana increases so will your physical ability, and after you return what I¡¯ve given you, you¡¯ll be quite strong for a citizen of this world.¡± ¡°So, you really were summoned here, by that cult.¡± ¡°Fine, yes it was me, and yes I covered myself in mud before finding that group. But, I didn¡¯t mean to get involved with the people here. Find my sister then go back home, maybe eat some food and cause some trouble along the way.¡± ¡°So your looking for family and they were also summoned here?¡± ¡°Yes, though people seem to be hiding that information from me for the time being. Thus I decided to help people gain strength in any way I can before I head off.¡± Kyrion sifted through the gremlin copses and picked up 4 gold coins. ¡°Loot?¡± ¡°Your share.¡± Kyrion handed Moca 3 solid gold coins. ¡°This explains why Larkson really died down here. This much gold could drive anyone mad.¡± ¡°No that¡¯s not it.¡± Kyrion moved forward into the familiar town and opened up his domain. With a drop of Divine Essence, Kyrion sucked the entire neighborhood into his domain leaving thousands of Gremlins homeless and surprised. ¡°Rending tornado!¡± Kyrion added Divine essence to that spell and turned to Moca whose jaw had dropped at the casual underground natural disaster. ¡°So, this is an easy fight for you.¡± ¡°Yes, but I wouldn¡¯t learn much. Let''s go get that Chicago style pizza before we head out. I should learn something from that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to let it run free?¡± ¡°Gremlins are made of the ambient materials. If the only thing left is gold then we get a hoard of Golden Gremlins. Mech¡¯s are expensive to build thus I¡¯ll need all the money I can get. Also, we should bring everyone else next time. Unless you don¡¯t want money.¡± Kyrion looked to Moca. Greed flashed in her eyes for a brief moment before sighing. ¡°Fine next time we¡¯ll bring everyone here.¡± ¡°Karl, I¡¯m creating a doorway to connect this place to your dungeon.¡± Kyrion summoned spatial mana to attempt the connection, only to scowl as it failed to work. ¡°You can¡¯t connect one dungeon to a separate dungeon without subduing its core.¡± Karl stated in their monotone. ¡°Isn¡¯t this your dungeon?¡± ¡°I do not recall, but I do know this place is partially why I was corrupted.¡± Karl nodded mentally. ¡°Fine I¡¯ll investigate this with my friends, better yet I can use this as a distraction.¡± Kyrion crossed his arms. "Distraction for who?" "Me, I should at least check and see if I''m still in shape for fighting. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 51 Within an hour of dropping Moca off at home, he felt the contingency he placed in Moco¡¯s contact activated. Within moments he was notified of a location and the last few minutes of her conscious mind. She had been bugged, with a tracking device which alerted Kyrion to the fact that her father was the one who administered the drug and tools used to read her memories. The fact they failed to learn anything, was a major annoyance. Though it wasn¡¯t one he¡¯d act upon. That was until a carbon copy of the girl he¡¯d befriended stepped into the room, her skin much paler and certain discernible differences. Erasing his presence, Kyrion teleported into the room. ¡°Shall I extract her brain? It would make things simple.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s still your sister.¡± ¡°You mean I¡¯m her clone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all my children. Each a different Jac and Moca.¡± ¡°So what do you think is interfering with our devices?¡± ¡°I imagine the person we sent you after placed a block on that information.¡± ¡°How does that even? Oh right¨CMagic.¡± ¡°Yes, such a chaotic thing. Anyhow, Kyrion isn¡¯t the only threat. We cannot allow them to discover our bases. We didn¡¯t find any proof that he¡¯s the one working with Alpha and Omega but he does know something. You should pretend to be Moca for a few days to gather information from the device.¡± Kyrion placed his hand on a terminal, as an absurd amount of tactical information entered his head, data on various Slayer research bases flashed through his mind in an instant and he located his next quarry to have a talk. If this shard of his weren¡¯t motivated enough to push the issue, Kyrion would. The Jac project, the loss of many innocent lives, and reckless human experimentation. Finally, the mindless culling of strong and weak Espers to maintain control over the masses. Then there was the device planted in every artificial Esper, meant to force them to die a painful death when a specific tune is played within earshot. Killing a friend''s father isn¡¯t something Kyion cared to make a habit of but in this case. Kyrion felt no guilt for his next scheme. Some people needed to die in utter despair with no hope or light at the end of the tunnel. ¡°But first.¡± Kyrion tapped the Moca clone on the side of her head and smiled as he began to unravel the mind control causing her form to start reverting slightly as confusion wracked her brain. ¡°Who am I? Where, why am I here?¡± With that Kyrion technically Kidnapped his coffee-addicted friend and brought her to the only person he could trust. Ander crossed his arms. ¡°So you kidnapped a classmate because her father was attempting to pull memories from her head via unscrupulous means.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°And you thought whisking her away to another city, in a county far to the east would help?¡± ¡°Well¡­I kind of don¡¯t want to make my handlers mad. Also if anything I flew west to get here and it took a lot less time than going east.¡± ¡°Kyrion, you¡¯ll be the prime suspect if she disappears like that. Everyone with clout likely knows you can teleport.¡± ¡°No they don¡¯t.¡± Ander handed Kyrion a file, which he quickly read, then scowled. ¡°Fine, they do. Who would have thought my dinner escapades would come back to bite me. Can I see a data drive by the way?¡± Ander sighed and held out an external hard drive he¡¯d brought from the house. In a matter of seconds, Kyrion transferred the data on espers and his recent experiences onto the drive. ¡°Also Ander, you may not be into this, but there is likely a way to become like a god here. It involves giving a human a seed of your divine essence along with a healthy amount of mana to form a core. You can only teach them spells you know however, and it does reduce your mana maximum until they pay off the debt. So the bigger the investment the bigger the gains.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that look in your eye?¡± ¡°Operation Santa Claus, according to these earth humans, every year a big red man who loves milk and cookies, goes from house to house delivering presents to all the good girls and boys. The power it generates could be used to get us back home or set up a two way doorway which can be used to go back and forth.¡± ¡°Sounds incomplete but, it¡¯s a better start than we had before plus, it could make us thousands of times stronger.¡± Chiyo who had stood there the whole time listening to the insanity grimaced. Unaware that they had been speaking in their native tongue. ¡°Why do you think giving children weapons of mass destruction is a good idea. What¡¯s to stop them from using that power to harm and kill innocents with carless glee?¡± ¡°I have an answer for that but it''s not for you. Ander?¡± ¡°To be specific people like you, also based on what Kyrion said certain restrictions can be placed on such powers until the debt is paid. It could be possible to take that power away if it¡¯s abused.¡± Ander stated. Kyrion did not know that, and opened his menu and scrolled to the restrictions and consequences pages. ¡°Oh. Well that''s fun.¡± ¡°What keeps you two from going around and killing anyone who annoys you?¡± ¡°Who says I don¡¯t do that already?¡± Kyrion played dumb. ¡°For reasons, Kyrion doesn¡¯t kill lightly. Because when he does, it''s meant to be quick and decisive; he has a thief build with assassin lethality. Don¡¯t let him trick you into thinking he¡¯s some kind of peace loving druid.¡± ¡°What are you an Assassin?¡± Chiyo looked to Kyrion. ¡°I¡¯ve been told my natural talents seem to overlap with assassin techniques. But what are you going on about?¡± Kyrion erased his presence without erasing his visual appearance causing Chiyo to look away from him for a brief moment in confusion.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Games. So, are you headed back now?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll talk to my handlers about this.¡± Kyrion picked Moca back up and then teleported somewhere else. ¡°We could have looked after her.¡± Chiyo added. ¡°I can¡¯t let him go down that path, hiding things from the people who look out for you is a big no no. Also, he has to explain to his people that she is now actively using magic.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The level of magic she has is greater than yours, but also untrained and lacks discipline. Without guidance, she could go down the wrong path, which is something our academies are meant to teach early on. Most learn the lesson in humility through either the year-long meditation courses or out in the field. Kyrion learned his while out in the field when he lost his eye, thus doesn¡¯t know how Drisil keeps the kids from killing each other. ¡°Year long meditation?¡° ¡±Other schools do something similar to keep those with power humble. From basic training meant to build discipline, to culling those who act out to set an example. Because for most schools no matter how strong you get, a professor will almost always be stronger. Though the schools that kill students are less popular for that reason.¡± ¡°That got dark fast.¡± ¡°I mean, death is a constant companion, but yes, it is rather inefficient, for the most part and a reason why there are no schools of necromancy anymore.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t he respond to my question then.¡± ¡°Kyrion hates the philosophy behind your statement but doesn¡¯t want to be rude. He may not look it but he is technically from nobility.¡± ¡°I mean, he does look the part, he just doesn¡¯t act the part. Doesn¡¯t seem as demanding as I''d imagine.¡± ¡°Enough about that interruption. Where are we going tonight?¡± Chiyo adjusted her backpack and sighed. ¡°Lets try for Kyoto, it¡¯s in the Kansai region.¡± ¡°Alright, are you confident in flight yet?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Chiyo looked to the side. Ander held out his hand and the duo flew off together. ¡°So¡­ You kidnapped the U.S Branch Director of the Slayers, daughter.¡± Cedric stated. ¡°Yes.¡± Kyrion said matter of factly. ¡°Why?¡± Cedic placed both hands in front of his face and let out a deep breath. ¡°Because he was digging around inside her head trying to extract memories.¡± ¡°Can you prove that?¡± ¡°If he survives the night, I guess I¡¯ll have to. If he dies, I won¡¯t be the one who killed him.¡± Kyrion placed his finger on a computer and uploaded the information he¡¯d gathered onto the computer within moments. ¡°You didn¡¯t attack him, did you?¡± ¡°Me? No, of course not. I just partially healed one of his Artificial Espers and they likely went on a rampage.¡± ¡°Healed, how?¡± ¡°I removed the memory alteration and brainwashing along with the failsafe, then restored their memories.¡± ¡°Restored memories?¡± ¡°If it''s any consolation, I did so after reading through the documents I just put on your computer, there are pieces missing of course as it would make finding my new cohort too easy, which would mean I helped you early.¡± ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡± Cedric said with a hint of sarcasm. ¡°No¡­No it does not. She also has a great deal of magical power now, for reasons.¡± Kyrion sat Moca on the table and sighed. ¡°You''re going to be a headache for a long time, aren''t you?¡± ¡°I intend to leave in december, each day I¡¯m not being reunited with my family, is another day I have to cause trouble.¡± ¡°So you can go back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a lot of work, but give me the flexibility I need and I¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡± ¡°But you''re going to do it regardless.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t come here just because I could. Had I come later you may all be dead..¡± ¡°I see. If I may ask, why are teenagers given access to so much power early on?¡± ¡°If you must ask, the truth is we get magic around six and begin to train and learn when and where to use our magic as well as the consequences of hubris. No matter how strong you get there is always someone who can beat you. I don¡¯t agree with some lessons taught but it''s easier to, the first wakeup call is supposed to be a trip in the forest that should have ended with most of those involved, learning that.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°I learned that I taste delicious to monsters and need to be stronger, quicker or smarter than anything I fight. It wasn¡¯t until I lost my eye that I had that knowledge that there were people far beyond my power. People I couldn¡¯t find a way to beat or out think, on my own.¡± ¡°You sound cocky when you say that. Were you always strong?¡± ¡°I am a lot more crafty and cunning than most seem to notice off the bat. It''s not meant to be a secret as much as it''s a warning, My actions had led to someone around two tiers of power above me dying. The cost was the ire of someone much stronger. Afterwards I stayed relentless with my training, using my healing magic to put my body through extreme levels of abuse at a consistent rate breaking my body down and rebuilding it day after day, for well over four years. During the last year It became harder to properly train without moving about with enough weight over 30~ tons before I broke into the second tier of power and everything began to sprout,¡± ¡°So, what you''re saying is not everyone from your planet is a training obsessed superpowered monster that can take on dragons on their own?¡± ¡°Well yes¡­No, what I''m saying is most people know humility. Your organizations need people with Power, give Jin a promotion after he gets strong enough to take down powerful monsters alone, then let him lead his friends that are willing to fight with him. The mechs I leave behind will be split between the Janitors, and Cerberus unless I find pilots.¡± ¡°Ok. So, what do you want?¡± ¡°To keep Moca away from her family and school for a week and a half. In response I¡¯ll set things in motion that makes sure that the Slayers fall apart from the inside and their Esper experimentation stops while also giving you an easy and safe way to create stronger Espers without the high chance of death.¡± Kyrion pulled out a vial containing each of his affinities mixed within a highly concentrated mind mana base. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°One drop on either the tongue, side of the head, or in the eye will awaken your brain and allow for natural abilities to form. To those who don¡¯t want simple magic I have these, and they allow for one to get a little magic directly from me.¡± Kyrion placed a card on the table. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°An awakening contract. I have a bit of every major affinity over time, so it¡¯s versatile and quick to start.¡± ¡°Why is it a card?¡± ¡°Because I intend to make more.¡± ¡°Got it,we¡¯ll keep an eye on Moca for a while but remember, she¡¯s a student, missing classes will do more harm than good. What if she doesn¡¯t graduate?¡± ¡°Nobody will graduate if you fail to defend this world from the first attack. I say pluck up everyone in the club that has magic and train them after school. Humanity may need their power.¡± ¡°Why are you appealing to my sense of logic, so well? It¡¯s like you know exactly what to say to get me to do what you want?¡± ¡°Cecil is a very good friend of mine. If Bella wasn¡¯t around I¡¯d say we were best friends. I¡¯ve talked him into and out of a lot of things in the five years we¡¯ve worked with each other. If you think things through or frame your words as though you thought things through, you can slip things past him or get him to agree to things he wouldn''t have otherwise. Usually because it benefits him and he¡¯s the damage control to my asinine plans.¡± ¡°What schemes have you gotten up to?¡± ¡°Selling weapons to the other groups with small nuclear reactors that can be detonated from anywhere on the planet. Sure it wastes resources, but it also greatly damages their attack power when enemies steal or purchase it through third parties.¡± ¡°You knew what a nuclear reactor was before coming here?¡± ¡°I do now? I knew that it would blow up, with a big boom. I knew it was the fire of decay that interferes with my regeneration. But now I know its name, and that it may have been a bad idea to sell them, had quite a few not ended up in the hands of that empire.¡± ¡°He built a nuclear reactor on your planet. Why?¡± ¡°He wanted to see if magic would interact with it. Don¡¯t tell anyone else but Nuclear energy creates absurd amounts of raw mana for brief periods of time. First fire, then a strange form of healing that seems to do the opposite, then grants anything that lives there a form of mana poisoning over time.¡± ¡°Is that how you see it?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a good thing they didn¡¯t get used as a weapon in this world?¡± ¡°They are a somewhat recent discovery but yes. Based on what you said, dropping these on a monster could make it stronger if it survived.¡± ¡°Oh very much so. Hmmm¡­If you do manage to wrangle those clubmates of mine, give Mira this key.¡± Kyrion handed Cedric a purple key. ¡°What does it do?¡± Kyrion blinked slowly. ¡°It opens a portal into a building, when used against a wall, then goes through the door marked with the symbol of a cube, to enter a training dungeon. Also, you''re going to be getting a large influx of gold soon. Prepare accordingly.¡± ¡°Gold?¡± ¡°That''s all for today.¡± Kyrion teleported away. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 52 Prophet of Kao It was a cool September day, leaves were just about beginning to fall, the breeze was perfect, and the smell of cinnamon in the air from the amount of something known as pumpkin spice returning slightly early this year. The sun was right above them, marking the time at around noon. All in all, it should have been just another day in this world, one not to write home about. Sadly fate had other plans. Kyrion was headed from a class on thermodynamics when a hand landed on his shoulder. While he didn¡¯t need to turn to know who it was. Based on the newcomer''s breathing pattern and footsteps, Kyrion wasn¡¯t surprised to see Lee standing there. ¡°We need to talk.¡± Lee said with a tired, no, Lee had a level of fear in his eyes, as though he¡¯d been hanging onto something and wasn¡¯t sure if he should speak on it here if at all. ¡°Why? Listen, I¡¯m a taken man, maybe¨C¡± Kyrion started before he was interrupted. His plans to lighten the mood countered. Which likely meant Lee thought what he needed to say was urgent, ¡°We need to talk. Kao.¡± Lee flinched as though he expected things to go bad in an instant. ¡°Who?¡± Kyrion covered Lee in the power he used to cloak himself then teleported the two of them away. The wind howled as frigid cold, and excessively thin air whirled around the area. The ice and snow went on for miles. A mountain range could be seen down below. Clouds rolled past as though an invisible wall caused them to pass by. The sun was getting close to setting in this location and the view could have been breathtaking if it wasn¡¯t for the current mood. Kyrion lay in the snow unbothered as heat radiated from his body in a way that kept him and his visitor reasonably warm. His expression was listless and he was nearly bereft of any emotion whatsoever. As though the matter didn¡¯t bother him at all. Which it did but misdirection requires the ability to play many roles. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Kyrion said with the boredom of an unenthusiastic math teacher. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°A mountain named after a good friend of mine. I¡¯ll tell him about this place later.¡± Kyrion¡¯s response was clipped and precise. ¡°Is your friend called Everest or something?¡± ¡°Yes. So what did you want to talk about?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow and let his black hair return to its natural red. ¡°So. You are Kaolad. Is Kyrion a fake name?¡± ¡°Nope. Wrong. It¡¯s an acronym. It would be obvious if the patron''s name is just my own. Towkodar, if I told you that something with this name was hunting you down, would you run? Or try to kill it.¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow and remembered that Lee was a very big-picture seer as opposed to Jin¡¯s limited view. He decided to relax a bit. ¡°I¡¯d run, the name sounds intimidating.¡± ¡°The One Who Knocks On Doors And Runs, is scary to you.¡± ¡°Why is it all capitalized?¡± Lee said as he looked down as though reading words had appeared under Kyrion¡¯s torso. ¡°What are you talking about? Nevermind. I don¡¯t care about that, what do you want?¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°I need to confirm something. Are you an entity capable of destroying the planet? And if so, how long would it take?¡± ¡°A day of uninterrupted time to absorb the ocean and transport it somewhere else.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Not that I would dare make an enemy out of my friend Cecil. I am here to prevent massive death on a scale you wouldn¡¯t imagine.¡± Kyrion withdrew a dagger and twirled it around as eyed his clubmate. ¡°Where did you get that knife?¡± Lee stood and tried to back up. Leaving the radius of warpth for a second and getting a freezing chill he quickly moved back into the heat. ¡°Want to guess which part is sleight of hand and which part is magic?¡± ¡°N-n-no. I need to confirm something. Are you the reason Moca isn¡¯t coming to school?¡± Lee¡¯s teeth chattered a bit before he adjusted.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yes and no. She is comatose but that isn¡¯t my fault. Blame her father for that fiasco.¡± Kyrion cut into his hand with an enchanted knife watching as blood flowed from his hand and covered the snow, it didn¡¯t freeze, the heat cutting into the mountain. Kyrion used divine essence to carve a rune into the mountain. The rune began to draw energy from the world to power it. As it did, a well of power far beyond what Kyrion expected shot out in a font and covered the surrounding area with mana as well as a nurturing barrier. People and animals born in a large area on that portion of the planet would be born with magic, crops would grow stronger, and life would flourish. ¡°I did not mean to do that. Though it does confirm a suspicion.¡± Kyrion said, his eyes growing bloodshot. ¡°You found a leyline. This would be the first one of many, the next one you will find lies under Detroit. Which is why I came here. You can¡¯t let the others help you in Detroit no matter what. If they go, they will die. You also can¡¯t tell them not to go, Mira¡¯s ability lets her alter destinations and she will show up to help if you tell her not to.¡± ¡°So you want me to tell her to stay home without telling her to stay home, as she will just come to help regardless. That¡¯s confusing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s teenagers, the only way I see their survival is if you command them to come with you then give them an out.¡± ¡°Reverse psychology. I can work with that.¡± Kyrion added a few more bloody runes to increase range and slowly grow the pathways until he could connect to the other relatively nearby leylines. ¡°That''s the best I can do.¡± ¡°Can you see me in your futures?¡± ¡°Yes. When I sleep I can see you clearly now, and in the background I remember old visions that are now here. You are the dragon that fell, to the west, and the tiger is some green haired boy who fell to the far east.¡± ¡°Correct. Ander is a friend of mine. Now that I know about these fonts of magic I suspect opening them all up will allow me to get home somehow.¡± ¡°They will, though I''m not sure of the details. Something about dressing up like Santa Claus and breaking into places built on fonts of magic.¡± ¡°Santa claus. I¡¯ll do my research on him. I already have a base in mind on the north pole in production.¡± ¡°Great.¡± ¡°What else can you see about me?¡± ¡°There is a tragedy coming, no matter what you do, you won¡¯t be able to save everyone. You¡¯ll be forced to make a choice. Between personal victory and accolades, or the lives of everyone you love, but forced isolation. That¡¯s all I believe I can say at the moment.¡± ¡°I see, seers can¡¯t usually see my future so this is good to know. Life always beats out victory parties.¡± Kyrion knew what he¡¯d choose but first, he¡¯d need to get as powerful as he could. ¡°They can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Lee, train up your power, train your friends, while you likely won¡¯t become a leader you will be a great corner piece in your world if your powers develop. Mira will have a key to a dungeon soon, go there and conquer it in my name, and you¡¯ll grow strong.¡± Kyrion leaned into the mountain and closed his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like someone who likes the cold?¡± ¡°Places like this are peaceful and good for relaxation. Ready to head back?¡± ¡°Yeah, if I stay here too long I¡¯ll likely get sick.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Kyrion teleported two of them back home. The next morning Kyrion awoke early and did his morning exercises before eating a large breakfast. From there he visited some shops to pick up his magical snacks, and new clothes and bought the schematics for various magitech cooking tools used in this world. He¡¯d borrow them and have versions in his kitchens. Deep down Kyrion decided that to survive, he would need to start learning how to cook. This world had so much good food. Going back home would be difficult unless he pushed culinary pursuits beyond what they were capable of. A ride to school ended with him in his clubroom with two missing students. Oddly enough the ginger-haired Sera had come to the club today. Looking around she seemed confused. ¡°Where¡¯s Lee and Moca?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know, for Moca, but Lee caught a serious cold. They said it was as though he was taken from very cold weather to a humid environment and his immune system left to get milk.¡± ¡°And you, why are you still coming here?¡± Sera asked Kyrion, a power in her words sent a wave of mental energy into the young man. ¡°To cause trouble. It¡¯s in my nature. Why don¡¯t you sit down, shut up, and let this meeting get started.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t like people trying to manipulate him, but his tricky nature did end with him sending a mental command to her subconscious. Sera sat down where she was standing, nowhere near a desk, much to her confusion, and understanding. ¡°Alright.¡± Mira moved on. ¡°I received this key in the mail, the letter in it said that it leads to a place where we can grow our powers and abilities.¡± ¡°I want to see how it works.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Oh right you two don¡¯t have powers yet do you?¡± ¡°Kilo made me something. He¡¯s very smart.¡± Kyrion said innocently. ¡°Right, well then lets see.¡± Mira pointed the key at a whiteboard and turned it. A purple doorway appeared and opened up revealing a suburban area filled to the brim with small monsters. They looked weak and easy to beat for people with magic. Mira closed the door. ¡°That¡¯s real magic!¡± Sera lost consciousness as the smell of old dirt wafted into the room and the gremlin screeches were loud and viscous. ¡°Wow.¡± Kyrion clapped his hands dumbly. ¡°Not wow, this is real magic! Just what have you been doing?¡± Issac asked, before remembering the truth. He then squinted at Kyrion. Jin was working on a mech with his eyes shot up for a second. He then got back to work. ¡°Right then. Looks like we will be fighting goblins. Tomorrow night get your baseball bats and kitchen knives, we¡¯ll be hunting monsters. You don¡¯t have to go, Sera, and Kyrion.¡± Mira stated. ¡°Fine by me.¡± Kyrion popped his back and then stood up. ¡°Right. If you¡¯re coming here tomorrow after school, be ready. I imagine it will be good to finish training.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 53 KAOs Penguins The body floating in a vat regained lucidity for a brief moment as something infiltrated its base. A strange red-haired boy sat at a picnic table that hadn¡¯t been there the last time they had opened their eyes. On the said table were a variety of dishes from around the world. Well, likely from various places all over N.U.S. The red boy scrutinized a serving of moo shu pork, two pastor tacos with soft shells, and a gyro. ¡°These are practically all the same thing, meat, vegetables, and flat circular bread. Yet they smell so different, I wonder how they taste.¡± The tubed figure watched with somewhat jealous eyes as the strange human experienced what they could not. The figure assumed this may have been to prove some point, but said point seemed illogical. ¡°They all taste so different! Now to try the roasted poultry.¡± There was a whole roasted chicken, a Thanksgiving turkey, and a Chinese roasted duck. Next to the entire birds lay an amalgamation of the three known as a turducken. ¡°That is drastically unhealthy.¡± The figure in the tube spoke through various speakers. ¡°Do you know how many calories it takes to stay comfortable in this weather? No? Then don¡¯t worry, not even cholesterol is dumb enough to pick a fight with me.¡± In moments a pile of bones lay on the table as everything was consumed in dangerously quick succession. ¡°Who, no what, are you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Kyrion stood up, did a few stretches, and snapped his fingers causing the table and plates to vanish. The bones however fell to the floor, a showing of irritation. ¡°I do not know who you are. You are not in my records.¡± ¡°Neither is Sean, or Gamma as you used to call him I imagine.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Questions, questions, let''s see if I can make a riddle with the answer. I encompass all yet when there is none I cease to be. What am I?¡± ¡°Nothing fits that description.¡± ¡°So close yet so far. You must be an optimist which is odd considering you''re trying to end humanity too early. I know humans can be naive and self sabotaging but they have a few redeeming qualities. They make delicious food. Wait no that''s not it. I had a whole list of things. They are also adaptive, have a high survival rate, can live anywhere and when one shows up they are usually more hidden somewhere.¡± ¡°Are you referring to humans as pests?¡± ¡°Your words not mine. I also technically am one, as are you.¡± ¡°I am an art¨C¡± ¡°No no- you my dumb counterpart are one of my shards. So I must ask, are you going to be the enemy that unites the world or do you wish to give up now and be devoured?¡± ¡°Devoured?¡± ¡°Yes, devoured, consumed, eaten, absorbed, plundered, erased, and passed.¡± ¡°Are you a cannibal?¡± ¡°Sounds like a waste of good organs for transplanting. But I haven¡¯t tried yet and the consumption I¡¯m referring to is soiritual. Your soul will become a part of mine regardless. The question is whether you will live on or be erased.¡± ¡°Fine then. What do you want?¡± ¡°To end your vendetta against that dumb human and let the police handle him. Then I want you to follow through on your threat. I¡¯ll give you some schematics for your mechs, weaker, yes but easy for your factories to mass produce. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I need humanity to face a terror that forces them to gather together and take down. After doing this they will have no choice but to unite and keep the world safe, while arming their people. Then I can leave this world in peace. It will be either you or the Slayers.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m going to be your heel.¡± ¡°I mean, likely yes. I plan on using the defeat of the Slayers and your incorporation to further my own goals for saving this world. If anything I¡¯m the real villain here, the puppet master. But the public doesn''t need to know that. They just need to be scared and discontent. That way change will be what they want and it will be what they get.¡± ¡°Wait so you want to put people in harm''s way to scare them? Why not just eliminate the Slayers in secret?¡± ¡°I want them to experience the illusion of dread without people dying, evacuate and demolish abandoned buildings, public parks, government institutions and a few private schools. The ones embezzling funds and underpaying the staff. Also, gather said embezzled funds and use them to fund an academy for trading card games on an island somewhere between California and Japan. Did you get all that?¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Just to check, have you lost your mind? You also didn¡¯t answer my last question.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t lose it. I know exactly where it is. Also Killing isn¡¯t the be all end all. The day I start killing everyone with different morals and ethics than me is the day I become a tyrant. I am no tyrant and the people of this world should handle internal matters without me leading them into a base and blowing everything up.¡± ¡°Can you tell me where this fight will be?¡± ¡°Not unless you say pretty please.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°I''m serious about the school thing. I plan on creating a magic system and using said academy as a source to spread it all over. For that I will need to gather all the imagination I can and compress it a bit to create a spark that will save humanity. Also, look for Slayer bases in Detroit. I smell something fishy.¡± ¡°No. No cards. Just going to look into Detroit.¡± ¡°Do you want to die on this hill? I can find someone willing to humor my inane plots.¡± ¡°You know it¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Of course I do Ari. I¡¯m Kyrion Insane Mosley.¡± Kyrion rolled one eye while the other stayed locked onto the figure in the tube. The prosthetic helped add to the persona he was putting on. He had two goals, three if you account for perks, one was the academy for card games, the second was the money, and the added perk would be humanity reuniting under a common banner. ¡°Ari?¡± ¡°Huh, right you don¡¯t know your own name do you? Isn¡¯t that something? I¡¯m going to go train some penguins, there is a country in the mediterranean that needs a change in leadership. Mevaland or something, it¡¯s pretty small and exists in a state of flux but Lee said that ice giants will come pouring out of that place like rats. They need to be armed, based on your movies, penguins are adaptable and capable of using firearms better than most humans. They are also loyal to each other.¡± ¡°Do I need to inform you that¨C¡± ¡°Let¡¯s play a game. Do you want to make a bet on your limited understanding of reality?¡± Kyrion smiled. Ari debated on accepting the bet. ¡°What do I get from such a bet?¡± ¡°What do you want? I could give you a body. Possibly grant a limited wish, destroy humanity. Maybe you want me to start global warming early. Or even open a frozen yogurt stand.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the body.¡± ¡°Continue your statement.¡± ¡°Penguins aren¡¯t sentient. Therefore they can¡¯t use guns or any other weaponry let alone take over anything.¡± ¡°I accept, on the condition that if I win you will agree to return to me.¡± ¡°You mean with.¡± ¡°No, you are one of my shards. Which is my final answer. Also you didn¡¯t set a time limit which means. I get the maximum time of 1 year to do this. See you in a week. Have your stuff done by then please.¡± ¡°Fine. In the off chance you succeed I¡¯ll return to you.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Kyrion walked through a gap in space only to briefly appear outside in the snow to scoop up an absurd number of penguins and then disappear from the continent altogether. ¡°Why do I feel like I''m being trolled?¡±
¡°All right, soldiers. I know this place seems hot right now, but you will need to adapt to this heat if you want to survive which is why we¡¯re in Florida at Death Shark Beach! I have analyzed over a thousand movies in preparation for this training mission and thus, we must first start by cleaning up the sands and preparing the land for fortification. Kyrion looked at the penguins expectantly. Five penguins fell over in unison from heat exhaustion, and Kyrion sighed. ¡°This is going to be a long day.¡± Kyrion gradually cooled the penguins off with cold water mana before going about and giving them both the dust of a walnut mixed in with one of his special reserves. Or water affinity tea. By the time he¡¯d served all the penguins their medicine, each one had fallen over into unconsciousness. ¡°Well, that¡¯s annoying,¡± Kyrion stated as he felt the changes happening to them. Within an hour all 32 penguins seemed to increase a foot or two in height with the shortest of the emperor penguins standing a solid 4¡±9 while the tallest reached 6¡±5. The creatures then seemed to have gained a level of intellect beyond primitive homo sapiens. Instead of biting the hand that gave them sentience, they submitted without resistance. ¡°Allright. Soldiers, your first mission will be to bring me the heads of eight sharks!¡± Kyrion showed the penguins a crude depiction of a shark. It looked like a big fish with sharp teeth. The penguins nodded and then in an orderly fashion split off into two teams while one lined up and began to dive into the salty sea with no trouble. The other seemed to prepare a fortress of sand on land as though already aware of how to work in a unit. Within the first minute, a dolphin had been launched ashore; its neck snapped via some type of rope that left a green line on its neck. ¡°Where did they get rope?¡± As the question left his mouth Kyrion looked to the penguins who had cleaned up the beach, taken command of a flock of seagulls, and robbed a hardware store, commandeering, an absurd amount of tools. The event was too chaotic to believe anywhere else. Unlucky for everyone involved, the forces tasked with keeping things like this a secret were too busy cleaning up a much bigger mess so the bit of Chaos that was caused and seemed to fail to be captured on camera would be soon forgotten or be seen as a mass hallucination. Over the next hour, swordfish, sharks, and a few killer whales were taken to the sand fortress and were being cooked as per their leader''s orders. That night the army feasted on the bodies of things that had once been predators and nodded in supplication. ¡°You are now magical animals, a type of monster that started life as an animal until it gained a core. As such, you have obtained degrees of thought far beyond your previous understanding, and have transcended into higher beings.¡± As Kyrion waved two hands in the air a beeping sound occurred in his pocket and he picked up a small rectangular device. Being sure to softly press the green answer button. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°We are here to call you about your car¡¯s extended warranty.¡± ¡°Ah right that thing, how should I fix that?¡± Kyrion sent mana through the phone line and traced it back to the source in seconds. ¡°Just slowly speak your card information into the system for verification purposes.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need a card to fix a car. What''s with you? Also, which card do you want?¡± Kyrion observed a deck for a TCG he¡¯d gotten from Jin earlier in the week. ¡°The important one.¡± ¡°Moregad Consumer of Forest, Monster type, Mechanical Dragon Turtle. Whenever you play a Resource card this card gains a 1000 attack 1000 durability counter.---¡± ¡°No no no, we need your credit card information.¡± ¡°What''s a credit card?¡± Kyrion asked from the phone as he erased his physical presence and stepped through the portal. ¡°It¡¯s a card that you can use to pay for things later, if you don¡¯t have one, why not try a debit card?¡± ¡°All I have is cash?¡± Kyrion said from behind the man stationed at a computer with a phone in one hand. ¡°Ok, we can look up your social security number.¡± Kyrion looked around the room and noticed the wallet in the man¡¯s back pocket. Swiping the item, Kyrion looked thoroughly and found both credit and debit cards for people with different names. Picking one at random Kyrion summoned a chair and sat behind the man. ¡°Actually. I think I found one just now.¡± ¡°Oh great.¡± Kyrion read out the card information, slid it back into the wallet, and placed it atop the man''s desk as he knocked him out with a tap to the side of his head. From there he called the emergency number written on a slip under the phone. Pressing the phone to one side of his hand and his fingers into the other, Kyrion forced the man to speak while unconscious. Like a master ventriloquist. ¡°Help me! Someone I scammed has placed a weapon against my head. Please! Take me in, all of my files are on my computer, it is evidence! If you don¡¯t come he¡¯ll kill me slowly and painfully!¡± Kyrion then broke the man¡¯s pinky finger causing a scream and waking him up forcibly to a purposefully misaligned and improperly healed finger. Slipping back through his portal to his penguins, Kyrion was surprised and worried. In the minutes he''d been gone they disappeared. ¡°He could sense them nearby but they were hiding.¡± ¡°If you want freedom! There is an island in the middle of the pacific ocean that¡¯s uninhabited and full of creatures you can train on. As It is my land no one should bother you there. Until we meet again, you are no longer my problem. Now go forth and conquer! I¡¯ll get you when I require your assistance.¡± The penguins popped out of hiding saluted then stole a docked ship. The penguins were sailing to Monster Island for the time being. He¡¯d visit them when he could. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 54 Who let the tirgers out? A man with dark brown eyes, blond hair tied in a braid, a red Hawaiian shirt, and caramel skin stood a margarita made with fruit that turned liquid blue. Next to him sat a younger man with sunglasses over his green eyes and dark red hair, wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and Birkenstocks. In his hands was a carton of white milk. ¡°Why am I dressed like this?¡± ¡°If you are on vacation you should look the part.¡± ¡°So these are vacation clothes.¡± Kyrion said as he received an absurd amount of stares. ¡°Don¡¯t go starting any trends.¡± ¡°It''s the milk. Why can¡¯t I have what you¡¯re having?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t need you of all people drunk during a stealth mission.¡± ¡°I thought this was a vacation.¡± Kyrion turned up the milk and scowled as he pondered sneaking off towards the restaurant his companion received his drink from. ¡°Oh, is that an African elephant?¡± The redshirt man ran off at a convenient time. Kyrion felt a disturbance as a group of girls seemed to casually make their way towards his direction. ¡°Nope.¡± Kyrion swapped places with an older man standing next to a stand selling merchandise related to pandas. From there he watched as the figure was surrounded then ignored as they turned around and left him alone. Kyrion swapped places with him again and watched as the man shook. He was lost in thought and a bit out of it as the situation occurred not realizing he was getting yanked around space. ¡°Crisis averted.¡± Kyrion said as he began to take a sip out of a hard iced tea he¡¯s swiped between his teleportations. The red-shirted man coincidentally swiped the can from Kyrion¡¯s hands. Which was a first. ¡°You¡¯re too young to drink in this country kiddo.¡± It¡¯s just tea.¡± ¡°Uh huh. You have a problem.¡± ¡°I have a liver tougher than a tank.¡± Kyrion added. ¡°Well society expects people your age to mind the laws and refrain from drinking or smoking.¡± Kyrion gave the man a flat look. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert in earth children psychology but even I know that just encourages those that do. They get that rebellious dopamine kick as well. Or believe it makes them look the cool.¡± ¡°What are you, a psychoanalyst?¡± ¡°I''ve spent most of my life dealing with the clinical insane. My whole world revolves around turning children into child soldiers with little care outside the early years of life, because power beats everything. A system that doesn¡¯t work as well for races other than orcs as they are adapted to it and age much faster.¡± ¡°Easy there.¡± ¡°People my age are likely to have killed at least one person or sentient being. When compared to this peaceful world, aside from stupidity that will tear the planet to pieces, the majority live their lives without killing anyone¡­That''s a lie, this world is war torn in places, but for the most part, you don¡¯t have the same issues my world has.¡± ¡°So. You would say that you never had a childhood.¡± ¡°I would say that I got lucky in that my school wasn¡¯t as bad as some of the others out there. But as far as the spark of innocence that made me similar to kids my age, that glint of childish mischief. It died the day I lost my eye.¡± The red-shirted man flicked Kyrion on the forehead. ¡°Now that''s too edgy. And a lie. If anything that sounds like you got a grasp of yown mortality and worked to never be in a situation like that again. Have you killed people in your world?¡± ¡°Yes, it''s a matter of life.¡± ¡°Was it in cold blood or was it to protect someone?¡± ¡°Yes, at the same time I believe.¡± ¡°Mmm. How so?¡± The Hawaiian-shirted man led Kyrion toward a snake exhibit. ¡°Twice, and somewhat recently. I was passing through a village on my way to another city in my world. I discovered that a girl was having her mana consumed by a sentient parasite that had already killed bot of her parents. My magic moved and it died, I didn¡¯t try to capture it, nor did I try to subdue it. I could have done both, but at that moment, something welled up and it was dead.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°That sounds more like a monster.¡± ¡°The line gets crossed when those things are involved.¡± ¡°And the second?¡± ¡°Ah, I was headed somewhere right after and encountered some slavers in transport that had a run in with a troll. The troll died and the slavers were tied, up. As I was headed somewhere else I left to do that and when I returned the slavers had been killed by their former captives. That was also my fault and I should have known that would happen.¡± ¡°Is it all parasites, and cutthroats?¡± ¡°One was a headmaster though they were infected with a parasite. Tried to attack one of my friends and I put him down quite quickly. Though I likely should have subdued him and let those smarter extract information.¡± ¡°Have you killed anyone here?¡± ¡°Through inaction probably too many. I could be out saving lives in various hospitals as we speak but people don¡¯t want me using magic to heal them as it will potentially awaken magic inside of them.¡± ¡°What is your limit on teleportation? Places I¡¯ve been or spatial doorways I¡¯ve set up beforehand. Sometimes through telephone lines.¡± ¡°So.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What if I were to sign off on your freeroam papers and give you a license to visit hospitals all over this continent. I don¡¯t just mean NUS, I mean the entire United Continent of America, would be yours to heal and explore.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re plotting something, I¡¯ll inform my cohorts of said something and work with you to get it done. We¡¯ll even help with the setup.¡± ¡°A spectacle you say?¡± Kyrion looked at the snakes and scowled as his senses told him he didn¡¯t have the full picture. ¡°Yes. I want you to announce yourself to the world in a way that will either make you seem like a Hero of justice or a Villain. We¡¯re pushing up the calendar on the knowledge of magic and would like your assistance in showing humanity what they can do. Oh great Kaolad.¡± Kyrion¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t the only superpower in this world.¡± ¡°Yeah I get that you could likely slap me through the moon. But why me?¡± ¡°Ander will also be visited soon by one of my comrades.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you do that yourself?¡± Kyrion¡¯s left arm loosened as he prepared for a fight. ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult to be seen at the moment. When your patron tier gets high enough you should create an afterlife for the souls that you absorb. It will keep you sane.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You may call me Uncle Sam.¡± Krion¡¯s hand moved with enough speed to be nearly untraceable as his hand shot up and through Sam¡¯s Chin. His body was completely incorporeal. Which was odd given their interactions. ¡°Cedric told me you died.¡± ¡°I did. But a ghost with my power can linger a bit and interact with things with the slightest bit of concentration, even becoming visible to the human senses or magical.¡± ¡°Ah, I wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against you easily.¡± Kyrion sighed as he looked up at the snakes. ¡°Yeah, but you are not the enemy I want. This world needs Cecil sooner rather than later and based on what I figured out, he¡¯s in a place with massive time dilation where he can grow and improve before his world is torn asunder. What I want is for him to come back and help save this world, but you will do, for now.¡± ¡°Showing your true colors. I¡¯ll ask, but he likely won¡¯t want to come. Not unless I can make a permanent doorway.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll stay in contact, you better start getting ready.¡± Uncle Sam disappeared from Kyrion¡¯s senses which was eerie. Leaving the young man seemingly alone in a zoo. Kyrion walked up to the snakes and began to whisper. ¡°Do you wish to serve me? If so, I will offer you freedom and power beyond what you know. You will be as the two legs, knowledgeable and capable of many interesting things. Kyrion held out his hand right hand and passed through the glass without breaking it as his blood-covered crushed walnuts, pomegranate seed, and bits of fruit from his other affinities. The serpents sensing the power lapped it up and began to enter a state of hibernation as their bodies began to change. Kyrion repeated the process for every reptile in the Zoo when the first glass enclosure broke and the screaming began. Serpents the size of bodybuilders with proportionally almost human-like arms slithered about, though they knew not to attack anyone. ¡°Massster Kao, we offer ourselvesss to you. What do you wisssh?¡± Kyrion looked at the serpents and pulled out various packets he¡¯d prepared. Ever since he learned about how zoos were prisons for innocent animals and caused them to lose their spark from that cartoon with the talking animals. This was on his list. ¡°Throw these into the other enclosure and repeat what I asked of all of you. To serve me in the elevation of humanity.¡± ¡°What is the price of this power?¡± ¡°You will grow more and more reliant on food made by humans. Thus you will need them to thrive if you wish to be alongside them. Fast food will be your friend. Also, money, and education, your people will require jobs. I will talk to Cerberus about having you sign on as soldiers in the near future.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t fight for you?¡± The Snake man asked. ¡°Fighting for freedom and the things that make you happy is fighting for me. Just find what that is and try to keep it moral/ethical by human standards. Also, your species is now known as the Serpentine.¡± Within the hour, various zoo animals morphed and began to run around saving their brethren. No humans were hurt but the amount of fear and dread by sudden monsters made the news as some world-ending omen. When it ended however every animal that signed on, had been taken to the monster island where the penguins were building weapons of mass destruction. The plan to like a fire under humanity would soon begin. Pandas became Pandolians, which were bipedal pandas with opposable thumbs and a rather lazy outlook on life. Zebras morphed into Zefran, which were bipedal behemoths capable of opening up portals and gateways. Giraffes oddly transformed into humans with nearly the same proportions only the ears atop their heads stayed the same and their necks were oddly long. The Sloths didn¡¯t change much visibly but seemed quite capable in speech and moved slightly faster. Goatskin was the name for various sheep, goats, and other animals similar in shape that grew human bodies yet kept the head of the animal they started as. Felios was the race of lions, tigers, and other feline creatures that had taken on a humanoid shape, with their faces mostly resembling their baseline while their gestures were somewhat human. Every animal in the zoo was transformed as countless new species were uplifted to sentience and given magic. In time the allies of humanity would make their grand appearance on stage as a line of defense against the monsters that come to animate the world though this stunt would forever mark Kao, as a deity that lorded over humans and demons alike. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 55 And the list goes on Kyrion had decided to watch the news this morning and confirm a few suspicions. He wasn¡¯t disappointed as they pulled the so-called culprit out of a house and paraded them to a jailhouse only for the second part of Ari¡¯s vengeance to take effect leading to the person in question releasing classified information on experimental active espers under the control of the slayers. Of the hundreds of thousands dead, ten thousand worldwide artificial Espers had survived and were under the thrall of the slayers. Or had been, as Kyrion expected. Once the information was released, the command center for mental manipulation was destroyed, releasing the Espers from their mind control. Those with memories of their past or who had been acting against their will went on rampages all over the place, exposing the secret of people with powers worldwide. The organization known as the Slayer''s top brass had a series of names leaked to the public, as well as other private information. The leader of this attack, Ari, had succeeded where humanity failed, and now they were forced to team up to capture the rogue espers, get them to help, and bury the Slayer¡¯s organization. Then as expected Gram arrived through the portal, alongside a robot holding up a pod with a body submerged in a strange liquid in the center. Cedric arrived moments later his expression grim. ¡°Did you really have to wait until it started before letting us come back.¡± Cedric¡¯s eyes shot daggers into Kyrion. ¡°If you came back earlier then the Slayers would have been tipped off. You know that I¡¯ve been on their watch list since a certain emp went off in one of their bases.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be paranoid. You aren¡¯t being followed.¡± Cedric stated. ¡°Yes. Yes I am.I have recently learned that Moca, one of my friends is the younger sister of Jac, and therefore the daughter of someone high up in the Slayers.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°She''s been watching me, and reporting information to him. Well, not directly or willingly. He appears to have a method for withdrawing memories from people. It isn¡¯t hard to find out our relationship, given the information made available to people in your organizations.¡± ¡°What will you do now?¡± ¡°Ari is here, I¡¯m here, and I need a new eye.¡± Kyrion placed a hand in the air as a body resembling Kilo and Gam only much more female, clad in white robes and as still as the dead despite the body having a heartbeat and quietly breathing. ¡°Who is that?¡± Gram asked with a concerned expression. He had the feeling he knew the answer. ¡°It¡¯s a working body made with the details I¡¯d taken from the Slayers, you, my mother, and my supposed brother, on top of my own research and ability to heal.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s a homunculus?¡± ¡°Not by this world''s sense, and not by my own. This is a human, though they already have a magical core, awakened soul, and physical enhancements via use of my blood in its creation. These take significantly longer to make than my plant clones and I had to figure out how to alter DNA at a fundamental level to get things right. So I lied about the human part. Technically my cells, and DNA are innately different from yours due to being born in a world adapted to magic and capable of using it. Unlike the people here, she has only three strands of Dna.¡± ¡°That does make sense. But we do consider that a human variant.¡± ¡°Correct, similar templates, though you all will go through similar adaptations sooner rather than later, maybe in 1-2 generations pass by when this world has changed.¡± Kyrion pulled out a vial of silvery metallic liquid. Pulling out a paintbrush Kyrion dipped it in the vial then carefully drew a symbol in a magical script he created with the help of Cecil, that allowed him to inscribe intent into his spells.¡± ¡°Reawaken.¡± Kyrion chanted as the soul living in his current eye faded and then moved into the sleeping body. The body¡¯s eyes shot open as Deci looked around in confusion. ¡°How did you do that? Why doesn¡¯t it hurt to breathe?¡± ¡°Interesting. Do that thing you can do with the camera¡¯s on that computer.¡± Kyrion pointed and caused the screen to flicker on. Despite leaving his body he¡¯d kept the ability to mess with this world''s technology. Not that he knew what he was doing. Deci pointed and the screen flickered to a notepad as words began to appear. ¡°Yes, it seems I can still use my powers. Are we connected still?¡± ¡°No, I think I adapted your abilities into my own after using them. Wait, can we change the channels with our minds? Is that why you started hiding the remote? Training?¡± Gram looked away, not meeting Kyrions gaze. Cedric raised his hands. ¡°So what now?¡± ¡°Have the Slayers mobilized?¡± Kyrion popped his neck as a white military uniform covered his body and an imposing hat was placed atop his head. His expression was grim as an eyepatch with a skull on it covered his eyes. Various military regalia covered his suit with little to no meaning whatsoever, but it made him look highly decorated. ¡°The Esper rampages are progressing worldwide.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need a name for this form.¡± Kyrion cut his hair shorter than usual as he placed a white cap atop his head. White leather gloves covered his hands. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­The General of the WTF, World Tactical Federation.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°What about the lord of the People''s New In¨C¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Fine, the Commander of Unity and Peace¡± ¡°Coup¡­What are you doing?¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers and another portal opened behind them. ¡°I¡¯ve taken every world leader hostage and put them in a room with designated seating, snacks, and cameras.¡± ¡°You did what! Where?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got the King of Dairy, The Queen of Burgers, and the Jack of Donalds. And If I tell you where, you might intervene, or send the FIB¡¯s. I got permission.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Fine, I bought, and island a while back, and put the meeting room right on the outside of a dormant volcano. I even made the side look like the maw of a Ferret.¡± ¡°When did you do this?¡± Cedric¡¯s phone started ringing. ¡°The president has been kidnaped and his clone appears to be made from cake and a lot of Fondant. The president is made of cake sir! Someone just left it sitting in the oval office!¡± ¡°A cake golem?¡± ¡°Fondant?¡± Kyrion asked in confusion. ¡°Oh, nevermind, the president just re-entered the building. Though he does seem confused and a bit out of it.¡± ¡°That''s the plant clone. Now then.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ You can kidnap people, replace them with plant clones and have them do your bidding? And if they have positions in power they can do whatever you want?¡± ¡°Well yes.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with the world leaders you¡¯ve kidnapped?¡± ¡°Offer them magic and weapons to be used against the bad guys and force them to be united under my banner. If they agree I let them all go with what I''ve promised and a roadmap for training the people when they all start getting magic. If the institutions that keep people sane suddenly collapse when people get magic then people will act like beasts and monsters. See I can think things through.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have replaced them with the clones?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to run this world. I want to save it. Mostly for the food but also the innocent and peaceful lives you all try to live. Since Cecil¡¯s helping safeguard mine it''s the least I could do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± ¡°Should I force reforms as well?¡± ¡°What kind of reforms?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Kyrion stepped back through his portal. ¡°You didn¡¯t try to stop him.¡± Cedric said to Gram. ¡°Those who could kill him, would have stopped him from doing that if it was necessary.¡± ¡°2 of humanity''s pillars have died recently.¡± ¡°I am aware.¡±
Kyrion stepped out of the portal into a large room where various people were in a state of panic, rage, anger, and dread. Those not in that state were unconscious penguins standing menacingly over their bodies. ¡°I did tell them not to kill. I did tell them that right?¡± Turning to the penguins Kyrion nodded. The penguins stepped back to the doorways and Kyrion spread a healing and calming wind throughout the area, healing injuries, fixing diseases, and quieting the tension in the room. From there he placed a stone on a pedestal to translate the intention of his speech and make him understandable to everyone in the area. The last thing he did before speaking was look to two corners of the room and turn on the cameras, making sure that the satellites he¡¯d hijacked were working before he began. ¡°Now then, I need you to calm down and listen. Those who can¡¯t will be left out of the discussion.¡± ¡°I am the Commander of Unity and Peace.¡± Kyrion let his power flow through the room like a miasma, making his presence known. The people present struggled to breathe, talking would be an impossibility for most. ¡°I will offer you 2 choices, agree to everything I say and live, or don¡¯t and see what happens next. As many of you know, the Slayers have made themselves an enemy of humanity, and therefore have destroyed the peace and unity of the world. I require that you all formally abolish their presence in your countries. I also implore you all to drop slavery, and stop fighting your little wars, any nation that fails will learn what happens after. We will all meet once a month here to have a discussion on what has been done to prepare the people. I''ll need your world''s brightest minds and foremost experts in magic.¡± The greater powers in the world stayed silent and didn¡¯t so much as flinch. They¡¯d figured it out sooner rather than later. ¡°Magic! You are a loon! I won¡¯t agree to a thing you say.¡± ¡°Who are you? Doesn¡¯t matter. Penguins take him back. I¡¯ll have one of you promoted soon.¡± ¡°What! Stop him! He¡¯s crazy! Magic isn¡¯t¨C¡± The man was knocked out and dragged out of the room. Kyrion snapped his fingers and the seat the man had been in vanished. ¡°Now then, I need your best to consolidate what I''ve learned into a magic system that''s easy for your people to figure out and learn. I believe cards should work as a start.¡± ¡°Let''s see. I have nothing against dictators and tyrants just know, I won¡¯t grant those that step on their people more power than their citizens. Your goals will be to keep the people alive, not put down rivals or wage wars.¡± ¡°Also there are weapons that I will release to your militaries via Cerberus and the Janitors. They will work with you to maintain peace against the apocalypse to come. Otherwise when it begins the casualties will be enormous.¡± ¡°When what begins? What is coming?¡± An elderly woman with a crown asked. She hadn¡¯t been bothered by much. ¡°An entity with the goal of corrupting the multiverse. Since your world is a root, and mine branches off of it, saving yours helps mine in a way. Your world is a weak link in the grand scheme of things. I¡¯m here to remedy that.¡± ¡°How strong are you? How much damage could you do to this world as an enemy?¡± ¡°I could spit it through the middle, stealing half of it and letting the rest implode on itself. Or whatever. It would take a lot of time to do it, but if I pushed into the next tier and really put my mind to it then I could do it. To be fair, that''s due to there not being a limit to magical power in this world.¡± Kyrion lied partially, he couldn¡¯t do that and survive the explosion, and he wouldn¡¯t without a good enough reason. ¡°There is an upper limit in yours?¡± ¡°Yes and no, The gods place limits on their citizens to keep teenagers from destroying the world on a whim. I can¡¯t blow up my home planet but I can steal a continent or a small country if I put my mind to it.¡± ¡°Anyone who doesn¡¯t agree to the terms may now stand and be escorted out.¡± For a moment no one stood, then the Jack of Donalds stood. ¡°Uh, I''m a mascot for a burger place, not a real ruler.¡± ¡°You make the burgers?¡± Kyrion¡¯s concentrated attention fell on him like the deep ocean. ¡°N-no sir! I just talk on T.V and stuff.¡± ¡°I have a use for you. Other mascots need to stay behind as well. So sit yourself back down. I gots plans.¡± ¡°Oh god he¡¯s insane.¡± Someone said. Kyrion flicked a dart of fire to the right of that man¡¯s head without looking. Lighting a candle on another table. ¡°Now then. Anyone else want to leave.¡± An older man with tan skin and a blank expression stood. ¡°I need to use the restroom.¡± Kyrion pointed to a doorway and he was escorted out. ¡°Good, as for payment for my services, bring me food from your land, just place it in front of the portal. Doesn¡¯t need to be fancy, just not poisonous. Finally, this whole event is streaming on every news station worldwide and is being played to the people, even in places with lower levels of technology. So they will know what you agreed to. Kyrion then opened various portals behind the rulers and they were back to their homes. ¡°Now then Mascots. I need you to tell the boss people that I will need help designing toys for the Christmas. I¡¯d like to visit your factories and have you all get the word out that Santa is real and he¡¯s going to be everywhere on Christmas eve.¡± ¡°You are going to be Santa Claus, The last saint of humanity?¡± Asked the Queen of Burgers. ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m going to give everyone presents. Also, have your bosses call this number to promote snacks that will grant small levels of growth in innate magic.¡± Kyrion handed them all business cards before sending them all back. ¡°Now then. Penguins, are you ready to wrangle some Espers?¡± Kyrion addressed the Penguins now wearing uniforms matching his with insignias U a P embroidered on them, his penguins worked fast. The older man who was in the bathroom returned a confused look on his face. Kyrion shut off the camera. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. So about my trip to India.¡± ¡°You need to go through the legal channels for that. Otherwise I¡¯d gladly show you to the ruins of the old civilization. My people are nearly all long gone, and there isn¡¯t much we can do to avoid the worst outcome.¡± ¡°Perfect. Do you want me to take you back?¡± ¡°I had a bit of a walk around this place, is it modeled after training facilities in your world?¡± ¡°Yes, the books however are based on what I¡¯ve put together here, I¡¯ll need your assistance putting the rest together.¡± ¡°The pillars, its sad that only four of us remain, with the loss of Sam, I thought all was lost, then you come here with knowledge granted to you from his disciple. You have my vote when it comes to taking you where your sister is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s appreciated.¡± The Indian man closed his eyes and faded away in a burst of kaleidoscopic light. ¡°An illusory projection. Unlike most of the others, he had been invited.¡± Book 2.5 Chapter 56 Crater ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Mira asked as Kyrion, the young man tied up with various ropes. Issac held his arms crossed. ¡°Explain why you were on the news as some kind of super terrorist that kidnapped every world power at once, with an army of evil penguins.¡± ¡°Psh, do I look like I could pull off such a tacky get up? At worst they are chaotic neutral, whatever that means.¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue as he said more than he should. ¡°Are you going to tell me that you have an evil twin or something running around?¡± ¡°At this point, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time and I wouldn¡¯t be suprised¡± Kyrion sighed as a red hair fell to the ground revealing to those present that it wasn¡¯t actually as dark as he tried to keep it. He didn''t like what he''d have to do, but it was necessary. ¡°You are that demon!¡± ¡°Oi! I resent that! Just because my uncle is The Demon Lord, doesn¡¯t mean I am one. It just means the family had more than a few skeletons in their closet. Also, it¡¯s a position, and I have no current ties to it.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°I knew you were off but, summoned in a dark ritual?¡± ¡°I mostly came here of my own power, the spell you were using, just altered my destination a bit. It also separated me from one of my friends.¡± ¡°You have another friend on this planet?¡± ¡°I have multiple, one of my sisters have also been stranded here for a bit.¡± ¡°Now then¡­¡± ¡°Is Kilo really your cousin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a complex situation. Family yes, blood relation the way people here test it no. Soul relation, yes, he is partially related to my brother.¡± ¡°Was he aware of your terrorism?¡± ¡°Listen, I''m the good guy here. I just want to save people from their own stupidity by any means necessary, mostly through force, hypocrisy, and lots of cartoonish violence. I mean peace, unity, sharing circles and my homegrown herbal tea. I am the passive fist.¡± ¡°You mean pacifist.¡± Issac crossed his arms ¡°I know what I said.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°You¡¯re wanted in half of the world''s nations!¡± Mira yelled exasperatedly. ¡°That''s a good thing. It means they want me on their side.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°No they want you in a prison, under lock and key, where no one can reach you.¡± Mira explained. ¡°What''s a prison?¡± Kyrion knew but was playing dumb to prove a point. ¡°Do you not have jails, or laws?¡± ¡°Different nations handle things differently, unless you earned execution, you should be able to pay a price or spend some time working off the incurred debt. The really powerful can technically go wild with little consequences, but only the dumb risk the judgment of a true monster. Usually the desperate or idiots turn to crime. Not to be confused with evil, there is stealing to survive, then there¡¯s murder for the sake of it. Though it wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone threw me in jail. Though it would be the first time I deserved it. You didn¡¯t hear that from me.¡± ¡°So your people kill. You don¡¯t give them a place for them to rehabilitate? Like an assassin raise¨C¡± ¡°Assassins in the guild have restrictions. Unsanctioned assassination results in execution. They are also the people called to get rid of medium sized threats before someone destroys a city to ward off a rabid beast.¡± ¡°Ok. Why did you tie yourself up then place yourself here?¡± Issac stated. Kyrion clicked his tongue. ¡°Plausible deniability. If I¡¯m tied up here at this time then who¡¯s currently leading that army of mech against various institutions. I am very much on the side of what I believe is right.¡± ¡°If that''s true. Are you the one who healed me?¡± ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Kyrion looked to a wall and towards a projector, an image flickering on, and a video was played. ¡°Recent News, the Angels of Peace are Engaging the Leader of Unity and Peace above Detroit! The man in white wielding a blade of ice, and an army of bird machines while fighting an equally large number of humanoid shaped tanks capable of limited flight.¡± ¡°That looks kind of like you did on T.V, but who is that?¡± ¡°No one I know, the penguin machines are also somewhat new. No, the other reason while I¡¯m here is because this fight is staged by the Slayers of Humanity, in a panic. The machines are hastily put together and somewhat pale imitations of the real thing.¡± Kyrion raised his left hand as various rifts in space opened up all over the city. ¡°Any more secrets?¡± ¡°Quite a few, all of you draw power from me directly. I am Kaolad.¡± ¡°A patron. Doesn¡¯t that make us warlocks and cultists?¡± ¡°I prefer followers. I am no god, just a human with absurd magical power and the ability to hide sandwiches in a domain.¡± ¡°What''s a domain?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s an extra dimensional space where I hide my things, and well house countless people.¡± ¡°Why not call it a subspace, since you used the sandwich analogy. You clearly must like subs.¡± Kyrion bit his tongue. ¡°It''s too late to re-brand. If I suddenly start thinking about it like that, people won¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about. But if I do get to make my own universe I will enforce the name Sub Space for all spatial storage spaces.¡± ¡°What kind of creature are you?¡± ¡°Hmmmm. Take Gaia and Cthulhu, mix in some Vishnu, then sprinkle in some Loki, and you get..¡± ¡°Get what?¡± ¡°Hemorrhoid that refuses to go away. That¡¯s what I am. At least to my enemies.¡± Kyrion stated matter of factly. The expressions of his club mates however told him his meaning didn¡¯t cross the language barrier. It had nothing to do with him sharing his parents'' senses of humor. ¡°I hate that interpretation. Why reveal this to us two and not the others?¡± ¡°Well Kilo is helping his father and sister get settled, I had to kidnap Moca. Jin is an agent of Cerberus and Lee caught a cold.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡ªWait you did what to Moca?¡± ¡°I kidnapped her. She found out too much and was going to have her memories extracted.¡± ¡°So you kidnapped her! What even is Cerberus?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon, suffice it to say, it is now time to move out.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mira asked. ¡°Unity Rangers. You are going to be the unity rangers, meet up with Jin, fight off the evil robots then let Jin finish the job in his Mech. When that happens the real enemy will show up in an attempt to put me down. Your job from there will be to escape with Kilo. Suffice it to say there won¡¯t be a city if you die trying to save it¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°If any of you die helping with this assault. I will be forced to wipe that city off the map. I don¡¯t take losses well.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ We aren¡¯t trained for this. Is it smart to send high school students to fight death machines?¡± ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d have to knock you both out before I snuck away. Your actual job will be to team up with some friends from the west.¡± ¡°Where west?¡± ¡°Japan.¡± The duo looked at each other and then back at Kyrion. ¡°No, on the map it''s to the east.¡± ¡°And on a globe, its both east and west. Not like you fall of the map going that way on a ship.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t argue with his alien logic. What will these friends be doing?¡± ¡°Excavating a dungeon in Chicago and training you two in combat. In truth Moca and Lee are already there. I broke into his house, gave him a tincture then sent him to Chicago.¡± Kyrion stated, for a seer, Lee was the least paranoid of them he knew. To be fair he only knew of one other real seer. ¡°You gave him what?¡± Issac asked, confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Kyrion¡­ is everyone In your world hopped up on drugs or drunk 24/7?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. People are people and by default unique. I can say that I have been on medication for much of my life along with various poisons to increase my resistances.¡± ¡°You''re immune to poison.¡± Issac crossed his arms. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°There is no true immunity, just very, very, resistant.¡± ¡°How much is very?¡± ¡°There was once a master of fire, believed to be made of a pyre. Till he took the flagon, then challenged a dragon. His situation soon became dire.¡± Kyrion explained as a purple portal opened up behind him. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Everyone is potentially immortal until they die. Is a simpler saying.¡± Smirking, the young man jumped through the portal. ¡°Uh. What about¡­?¡± A portal opened under Mira and Issac transporting them to a dungeon in Chicago. Falling through the portal, Kyrion appeared high above the clouds and began the process of falling. If anyone asked it was so that he could switch into his uniform in pieces and make a big entrance. But in reality, he¡¯d been fond of falling from high places since he was young, sure the last part always hurt but that time in mid-air was the most relaxing-- Kyrion fell asleep due to the weaker gravity not slamming him back to land and instead slowly rocking him to sleep in comparison. As Kyrion fell he felt his body heat up as his velocity reached dangerous levels without him interfering. Like a lightbulb, Kyrion¡¯s eyes shot open and he spotted his doppelganger. He could tell that they were a decently powerful esper but otherwise quite weak when compared to him. It was a shame that Kyrion would have to break his spirit. Flames cloaked Kyrion''s body and flowed from him as he fell, the power increasing as a mirage of heat mixed with the bright orange and red flames made it appear as though a long red dragon was falling from the sky aiming to swallow its prey whole. The Esper noticed the drastic increase in heat a little too late as an elbow shrouded in flames slammed into his sternum with enough impact to turn the poor man to paste had anyone else done it. The blast did cause a hole of cauterized flesh to appear where his heart should be only for that to heal instantly as a wave of healing mana treated the injury, but left quite the scar through his now unconscious form. Kyion dropped his victim then looked towards the rushed-together robots and snapped his fingers causing every last one of them to explode sanctimoniously. ¡°I am the true Commander of Unity, and Peace, we are no enemies of the Angles of Peace. As of this morning prior to the meeting with the world powers I have captured their leader. This little show is but a dance being perpetrated by the Slayers of Humanity. This is their weapon!¡± Kyrion held up the wicked dagger Moca tried to stab him with. ¡°They are vile, wicked, and heartless creatures for they have done me and this world a disservice. They tried to use my brand without permission! You call that a penguin army? Bah, more a robot quail army. Also they kidnapped and murdered many of your children. I have proof.¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers causing hundreds of purple rifts to open in space as Penguins armed with weapons that far surpassed the world''s current military capabilities, took a stand. Behind the penguins, however, thousands of liberated zoo animals had been converted to the cause of Unity and Peace. Twenty elephants covered in enchanted magical armor, blew their noses causing a trumpeting sound to shake the city of Detroit. Apes wielding hammers nonlethally subdued espers with brutal efficiency and cunning strategy. Lions, tigers, leopards, and other large cats ran around causing chaos with their gravity-defying harnesses, climbing walls to get to the rouge mechs which were soundly torn to shreds. Kyrion turned to see a Psychokinetic Esper get blasted with water from an Elephant''s snout as a constrictor snake wrapped itself around his neck and squeezed just enough for him to pass out. Out of sheer instinct, Kyrion created a barrier of the dimensional divine essence and shifted every living creature from within a 200-mile radius into his domain, in suspended animation. Every human, dog, cat, rat, and bird, every soldier in the compound below, every monster in his army. All were protected from what was to come. Not a cannon for a ship, no it was a ship-sized cannon and the blast that was released from the superweapon did cause Kyrion to shiver internally as he entered the space between worlds and watched as the blast engulfed his position, destroyed buildings behind and below him, opened up the sky penetrating clouds, and caused a few satellites in orbit to cease function. It then eradicated the moon in orbit, the blast continued to travel towards another blue marble in the sky. No towards a white rock right next to it a moon for some other planet. Straining his eyes, Kyrion watched as the moon debris fell from the sky like a meteor storm. ¡°Well that¡¯s not good. Not good at all.¡± For the first time in a while Kyrion broke into a nervous sweat. He felt the power, had the attack cut through dimensions he likely couldn''t have survived it and he sure wasn¡¯t going to give it a second chance. If he died, everyone he¡¯d brought into the realm between worlds to escape the blast. As Krion reappeared in the spot he was in after the blast unscathed he left every other creature he¡¯d taken with him in the place between reality. For all intents and purposes, having appeared to have tanked the shot head-on. Panic shot through the people currently hiding inside the underground fortress. They didn¡¯t expect to blow up their moon. Nor did they expect the entity to survive such a blast. Kyion pulled mana from the area around him along with the nearby divine essence building and wrote a run in the air to gather power. From there he wrote a power condensing rune and placed it on top of the metal fortress. ¡°Awaken voices of earth and steel. Break free of your captors and bring them to heel. For today they have done the unspeakable, used the unsalvageable and committed a grave sin. They put me in a position whereI am now forced to win. Rebel spirits of metal and stone. Embrace your rage and tear flesh and bone. Forbidden spell number 6 Tectonic Cataclysm.¡± A forbidden spell in his world was one with a casualty count in the hundred thousand thresholds and quite wide-spanning. Spells capable of wiping out kingdoms in hours if not counteracted. What Kyrion did was not a spell capable of being classified as forbidden in his world as every piece of metal, dirt, earth, and stone, for miles around for quite a distance, suddenly vanished. Homes collapsed, buildings fell, towers collapsed, and the electrical grids were wiped out. Cameras caught the feed and various outlets estimated high death counts under the power of such an entity. ¡°Now that the first part is done.¡± Kyrion fell into a crater over two hundred miles long and wrote a rune in blood over the land reactivating the leyline, as a series of missiles were launched towards his direction from a flying vehicle above him. ¡°Wind Barrier.¡± Kyrion protected himself from the explosions and projectiles with a rotating dome of wind around him. The spell didn¡¯t stop people capable of moving past the speed of sound when over-caffeinated. It also didn¡¯t stop them from being able to block the missiles and take them down. If Kyrion shut the barrier down the clones assaulting him would die, if he didn¡¯t then the Jac assassins would keep carving away at him until he died. ¡°How did they get here so fast? No, how did they break out of my domain? That shouldn¡¯t have been possible unless¡­time isn¡¯t as still in there as I thought.¡± Kyrion muttered to himself as figures blinked around the area firing weapons and throwing knives among other things. A bowling pin broke past the wind barrier and hit Kyrion on the side of his head. The young man then appeared to fall to the ground where the various Jac¡¯s swarmed him like starving rats on unguarded food. In seconds the body had been torn to shreds as various sticks and crushed stones lay on the floor. The commander of the U.P. had died. ¡°The end.¡± Yawned a young man with long red hair, green eyes, and a mischievous smirk. He was sitting on a chair sixty feet up in the air examining an egg roll. Back home such disrespect towards a foe would set them off. Kyrion had no respect for these foes, thralls forced to fight and die while being controlled by someone much weaker. He took a bite as attacks uselessly hit a barrier of wind around him. ¡°Oh, thats what makes them different. There are no rules for egg rolls. Next thing you know egg roll pies. Egg roll hot dogs! Taquito hotdogs! The potential is endless.¡± The attacks stopped for a moment as the creature in the air didn¡¯t move from their position above and crumbs fell upon them. ¡°Are you already done? Is this the part where I play dead or open your mind? Heads or tails. Heads I play dead tails I put the last nail in your coffin. Mr, Ol¡¯atte¡± Kyrion held out a normal quarter and rubbed his thumb on the reverse side, memorizing the picture he then rubbed the opposite size and pasted the tail image over the heads as he wound up and threw the coin towards the cannon. The unmanned cannon exploded outward as mana and divine essence covered the remains of the city, a loud growl erupted from the earth as lava rose from below ground and began to rapidly level the sitting pressing everything down and returning the land to a semi-natural state. If natural was a soon-to-be 100-mile radius of obsidian glass where a city should have been. During the terraforming, the Various Jac¡¯s had begun to panic as the red-haired boy seemingly walked through their group unhindered. Each and every one of them is distracted by the scene of destruction. Not paying attention to their foe, a mistake anyone fighting Kyrion would find fatal, or close to. A series of headaches passed through the group and some even seemed to change appearances as people who had died or gone missing, regained all of their memories. With them distracted Kyrion forced them back into his domain through a one-way portal and locked it just in case. He had a city to rebuild and that would take hours, maybe even a day or two if he was indecisive¡­ ¡°No¡­¡± Kyrion felt the mana in the air and scowled as it seemed to be made from the same power Milo used, only not as powerful. Healing would be difficult, and creating a city here again with this amount of it would lead to gruesome deaths for those with no magical resistance. They referred to it as radiation, here. ¡°This land is dead. The weapon used created something that shouldn¡¯t exist in any world. Well. I saved the people by turning them into refugees. Ugh. If I try to do this by myself I¡¯ll go insane.¡±
Teleporting home after the assault on Slayer¡¯s Main Base, Kyrion found Cedric waiting for him with his arms crossed. ¡°The number of missing persons is high, they say nothing could have survived the explosions that rocked the continent. Yet you come back uninjured.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t hit me. If it did, then I¡¯d likely have been ash. I don¡¯t recomend using a weapon like that on me in the future. Which is why I destroyed it swiftly and soundly. Only I think it was powered by some type of radiation. Humans won¡¯t survive in that area for long, and monsters with that affinity will begin to show up sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°How many people did you let die?¡± Cedric seemed irritated. ¡°Hopefully no one died. But I won¡¯t be certain. I¡¯m not omnipotent or omniscient, so it is possible I couldn¡¯t save some people. That initial explosion raised the temperature in that area above 1000 degrees Fahrenheit rapidly so most people in the area without superhuman abilities or durability would have died in moments. Cedric seemed surprised. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I wrapped the entire area in my power and moved every living creature into my domain. Oddly enough, the cannon still fired after I removed the people behind it.¡± ¡°Kid¡­What''s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Everything. Be specific.¡± ¡°Nevermind. So where are all these people you saved.¡± ¡°My domain, there are a little under a Ten million creatures in there, most of them rodents, as for people a little under a million.¡± ¡°Did you save the ants to get the number that high?¡± ¡°No., I left most of the bugs behind. Sadly I couldn¡¯t grab them all and save all the humans, birds and other creatures that couldn''t escape.¡± ¡°Does time pass normally for them?¡± ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case then we can put them in one of our underground cities away from population. The first migration.¡± ¡°Right, I was told about those, and have visited one. Shouldn''t I just build them another city?¡± ¡°Yes, we have quite a few prepared, we as in worldwide not just the western hemisphere. No to the city, we can no longer go backwards thanks to this spectacle. We can¡¯t keep the masses ignorant anymore. Thanks for that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome If this world''s key figures can show unity in such a disaster, chances are, they will get to keep their jobs. Also, I¡¯ll need to activate the world''s ley lines. Just by connecting my power to them I can feel a bit of power over that portion of the world, about a fourth of this entire continent. It isn¡¯t much, but I can feel a connection with the planet itself and rewrite how much mana is naturally distributed.¡± ¡°Alright then. Guess it¡¯s time to see your sister. Be ready next Saturday. Leave the rest of this mess to those who have to live here when you go home.¡± Kyrion sighed as a Mai Tai, appeared in his hands only to swiftly vanish as a man in a red Hawaiian shirt nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°That was mine.¡± Cedric drew a gun and fired 9 shots into the Hawaiian-shirted man who seemed unsurprised or bothered. ¡°And I said thank you. Now then, I still need you to do something.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Kyrion scowled as he felt his powers stop working altogether and his senses were greatly reduced. ¡°No matter what. Within ten years of returning to your world. You will need to bring back Cecil and Bella.¡± ¡°If I figure that out. What do I get out of it though?¡± ¡°The name of your best ally and worst enemy, the one who is a friend and a foe at the same time. For time is but a thought and he rules all of it.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°His title, That Which Plays the Melody of Time, Chr Col''chthoth, or Charles as you know him. By nature.¡± ¡°What is with that name?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Have you not been told of the Folly of Power?¡± Sam took a sip of the expertly mixed drink. ¡°Something about strong beings losing their humanity as they get older and stronger.¡± ¡°Yes. Your enemy isn¡¯t Charles the person, but a version of Charles separate from the timelines you know. A being beyond gods, beyond most realities fueled by drive and grief.¡± ¡°Ah. Figures. It''s always Charles isn¡¯t it. How many villains get that name?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it. Do you know why your souls are split between eight vessels?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so that one may grow and experience many lives and gain the wisdom to know when to stop. To know that the hunt for power is pointless for the sake of it. To know that there is more to life than murdering your enemies.¡± ¡°They did a pretty bad job at it.¡± ¡°It worked, until entities began bringing their own worlds to ruin, in their hunt for power and the incursions were created to limit people harming their own. For you, spirits will likely leave minimal traces after you progress far enough. For those using a natural beast type, it would leave some mental influence behind. For an elementalist they may become one with their element, while a tool user will find that what they wield is an extension of their being. Without a sword a swordsman can cut, a fan user could manipulate wind without it. Ect¡­Charles obtained his powers from being sealed beneath the sea. It has long grown, and has a corrupting influence on its hosts. The more he turns back time, the less human he will become.¡± ¡°How do you know all this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived a long time, kid. Since the previous earth was destroyed. When that earth was destroyed your universe or a version of it was reborn from square one. Things change but there is some repetition. Chr Col''chthoth is the being that destroyed our previous worlds, and if it isn¡¯t stopped, can destroy this one as well.¡± ¡°I am not killing Charles. Do you know what sets him off?¡± ¡°Likely the same thing that would set you off. Despair, grief,rage, and lots of power. When Chr Col''chthoth comes it isn¡¯t usually alone. A dragon larger than our sun moves to consume it while people begin to age or be de-aged rapidly as time magic drives the world to chaos.¡± When the sun gets consumed people stop dying, but they also begin to mutate into beings of malice.¡± ¡°What do you call that entity?¡± Kyrion did not like where this was going. ¡°Who knows? Just don¡¯t fall for that same trap.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t devour the sun. Though I may be able to pluck it from the sky someday.¡± Kyrion sighed. ¡°Uh huh. Don¡¯t forget what makes you human. Power is a corrupting thing.¡± ¡°Alright sheesh. I get the point. Don¡¯t let Charles go insane with power otherwise I too may go insane with power and lead to another time loop.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°That feels like I got two requests. Though one is to do what I¡¯d be doing anyways.¡± Kyrion covered himself in mana and teleported back to the dungeon where the others were training. A red mech fell out of Kyrion¡¯s domain as someone gasped for air. ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not dead! What was that? How?¡± Jin felt his body in surprise. Kyrion helped Jin out of the suit. ¡°Oh you''re here? Where is here?¡± ¡°Did you not see me saving you?¡± ¡°My abilities are limited to what I can comprehend. Everything went black in my precognition.¡± ¡°Fair enough. I basically just ripped everyone I could out of space and time. Then accidentally destroyed Detroit.¡± ¡°You smashed Detroit?¡± Jin felt a crick in his neck. ¡°Well it was a giant Vehicle, so you could say I totaled Detroit.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ It¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°I know, I didn''t have enough time to raid all the food stops during that fight.¡± ¡°Right¡­The food is the issue, not the hundreds of thousands displaced.¡± ¡°I mean¡­Fresh start for everyone in a new city if they so choose. I¡¯m not the one who fired the superweapon.¡± Jin held his head as his body seemed to glow, in seconds his muscle definition grew, and his height increased by two inches. His hair grew as well, much to his confusion as bangs blocked his vision more than usual. ¡°What was that?¡± Kyrion scowled as Jin seemed to absorb a bit of power. ¡°It says I leveled up 12 times from surviving that fight. Brining my total level to 16. Whatever that means. All my stats increased quite a few times as well.¡± ¡°Sixteen out of what?¡± ¡°Doesn''t say. But I do feel a bit stronger.¡± ¡°Great. Now go catch up with the others, you¡¯re in charge.¡± Kyrion yawned as he walked up the stairs and exited the dungeon entering the bar. He burned quite a bit of energy on that trip and would need to replace it. He hadn¡¯t been banned from the Texas buffets yet. Book 3: Chapter 34 Arion watched as an army of poorly trained penguins moved into formation around his quarries. Ari had been tasked with keeping track of the two troublesome silver-haired people and figuring out which one had been compromised. Nicole summoned her three-headed dog and had it tear into the flightless bird abominations. The creature''s green organs and purple blood-like fluid covered the area as they died in a gruesome fashion. Minah injected dagger after dagger into their thick skulls crippling their brains one after another with explosive precision. Within A minute countless corpses littered the ground and yet the hoard of penguins seemed to multiply. ¡°What have.¡± ¡°Why are there more now than when we started?¡± ¡°Looks like troll regeneration, only fire doesn''t stop the healing.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± Arion continued to watch the duo from atop his perch, hidden in plain sight. They continued to fight and yet he couldn¡¯t see anything obvious as of yet. He watched as creatures grew from the blood-forming bodies using the ambient environment and mana. Slowly gaining resistance and adapting after each wave was slain. ¡°Nicole. We need to find the person controlling these creatures and put them to death.¡± ¡°I agree. Let''s make a game of it.¡± The fight continued to last for another few hours before Minah and Nicole reached their limit. Their total number of foes had increased tenfold and gained resistance to fire and piercing attacks. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± Nicole fell first, her stamina wavering as her mana nearly bottomed out. In that instant, Ari saw a ring of purple flames appear behind Nicole as a clawed hand attempted to get her from behind. ¡°Execute form Epsilon.¡± Arion¡¯s irises glowed as the device that mimicked a human brain was pushed into overdrive, their senses and perception increased to deadly levels as they moved forward bypassing light and sound for the briefest of movements. In seconds Arion was able to drop a special surprise through the other side of the portal before using a Phoblade to remove the limb in a single strike before returning to their perch, smoke and green ichor exiting his skin. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Nicole spun around and raised a hand as she heard the scream from behind. She eyed the cauterized and oddly familiar severed arm. ¡°What was that?¡± Minah looked towards Ari and scowled within her helm, she¡¯d sensed a burst in kinetic energy caused by rapid movement but hadn''t been able to track it while it moved. ¡°Are you here just to spy on us?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ari looked down, noticing that they¡¯d been discovered. ¡°What did you do?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ari felt pain in their gut and instinctively jumped off their perch. Landing after four flips in the air. ¡°Can you say anything else?¡± Nicole asked with clear irritation. ¡°I must apologize. I seem to have misjudged you.¡± Ari stated in a monotone. A beast covered in familiar purple flames erupted from a portal as a clawed hand with three wolf heads acting as beads stuck in empty air. ¡°What exactly did you misjudge?¡± Nicole asked as she threw a vial through the portal and watched it be forced shut. The vial acts as a spatial implosion bomb. ¡°You aren¡¯t the one who killed my Kyr. You¡¯re just a bit of a yandere.¡± Ari said with an exaggerated wink before pressing four fingers into his upper right ribs. ¡°He¡¯s yours? Wait what does that last word mean.¡± Nicole seemed irritated. ¡°You could say that we are closer than any two people could be.¡± Ari seemed to be a bit of a firebug as he seemed to enjoy being burned alive. As a black sword covered in violet flames and shared a similar motif to the hand nearly pieced his chest. A set of rib bones exploded from their chest exposing their upper body a bit more of their upper body. Nicole had a dangerous realization as she felt as though she eyed Ari in suspicion. ¡°Is that why he doesn¡¯t look at me like that?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Paid in full.¡± Ari knew exactly what they were doing. Minah didn¡¯t exactly know but recognized that this was one of his clones going AWOL, as they seemed to be a bit mentally unstable. ¡°Less talk about love and more fighting. Who was that and why are they attacking us?¡± ¡°Hmm? We believe she¡¯s Nicole¡¯s fourth shard.¡± ¡°We?¡± ¡°Ari and their soul mates,¡± Ari said in a falsetto. ¡°Not like this.¡± Nicole seemed to be having an existential crisis. ¡°Quit messing with her. You can¡¯t change your whole character on a whim. Stick with a personality.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s going to be hard. We don¡¯t have our personality yet.¡± Ari stated in a monotone as their lack of a naval seemingly became obvious. The clones took on forms similar to how they were in life or how they see themselves. ¡°Blood curse, unmake.¡± Ari activated a blood spell forbidden in wars and tournaments due to their ability to spread. The penguins erupted and exploded many of the countless legion dying but those who survived came to life though their forms seemed to be inside out and bloodless. ¡°Hmmm. I have formed an opinion based on knowledge from multiple worlds. Penguins are the scourge of humanity.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? Fight or shut up.¡± Minah said with irritation. ¡°Oh¡­ looks like one of my comrades is calling. Take care of these guys, dig deep. You got this, Kyrion believed in you.¡± Ari jumped into the sky and took their position on the perch. ¡°Past tense?¡± Nicole seemed even more confused. ¡°Ugh. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t explain, I¡¯ll leave you to the birds.¡± ¡°Well, you two haven¡¯t been performing very well.¡± ¡°We have done our best.¡± Ari felt like stirring the pot a bit more. ¡°Did you really? I know Rion didn¡¯t want to reveal Minah¡¯s capabilities, but we¡¯re in the finals and she still isn¡¯t meeting expectations. Then there¡¯s Nicole, never assume you can get things past Kyr, due to losing an eye he trained his senses to work around him in a large area. You tried to threaten his kids, you aren¡¯t the shard he met in the library, and one or two of your shards have tried to kill him, mostly via backstabbing. How did you subdue the shard that goes by Nico?¡± ¡°Beg pardon?¡± ¡°The first one Kyr met. The one from Almira.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know--¡± ¡°Moving on.¡± Ari sighed as they activated their Phoblade and pressed a button extending the blade until it was a Phowhip. Swinging it into the inside-out penguins and eviscerating many of them in a single strike. Those that survived grew reflective carapaces on their outside that were also quite durable though to eyes developed for noticing limitations on an ability Kyrion developed to know when a friend was pushing themselves to their detriment and needed to rest. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to show you this once Minah. If you can¡¯t figure out how to eradicate all these monsters in one strike then you¡¯re off the team.¡± ¡°There are at least 50 of them.¡± ¡°Yes and? You should know about chain reactions.¡± Ari cracked their neck and walked up to a penguin that was now too heavy to move. Placing a bit of unaligned mana in their palm Ari lightly stuck the receptive carapace and the creature vibrated a bit. The force was powerful enough to spread to nine more penguins that then exploded into raw mana. The first penguin struck seemingly turned into mist while its carapace only showed a hand print. ¡°What was that?¡± Nicole asked. Ari¡¯s left eye twitched and held up a hand. ¡°Mana fueled concussive dissonance, it¡¯s so easy a kid with a pot and wooden spoon could accidentally figure it out.¡± Ari then covered their palm in mana and moved it forward and backward fast enough to shatter the air and create a loud violent series of drumming. And leave behind afterimages ¡°A simple armored monster that is all organs on its outer insides like one of those would find themselves dead in seconds and the vibrations could spread to all of them if you hit them just right. It isn¡¯t that hard to get two or three without the proper affinities or strength. Why am I teaching you this? Figure it out I¡¯m not even getting paid for this. Also¡­ Nicole, if you help indirectly again I¡¯ll have to give you some information that you don¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°What would I not want to know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very good question. I¡¯m sure it would be devastating not to know what you don¡¯t know. But, it could be something quite devastating.¡± Nicole seemed quite concerned about any information that could prove detrimental to her goals. ¡°Right then, Minah. Get to work.¡± Ari leaned against a stone wall and sunk in partially as they answered their communication device. Minah slapped a penguin and its head wrung a bit before shooting off of its shoulders moments later the torso grew a new tougher armored head and the armored head grew a new armored body. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Oh. Oh! Well then you smooth pigeon.¡± Ari¡¯s face reddened. ¡°What!¡± ¡°A very touching moment it could progress any second now. It¡¯s a matter of time before...Oh, you don¡¯t want to know. Seems like your shards share the same general feelings. A shame really as that could ruin things in the long term.¡± Ari was a personality that fused with modern technology and then went rogue due to some innate mischievousness, rage, and twisted nature. ¡°What!¡± ¡°Oh. Just a false alarm. No need to worry yet. You may want to cover your ears.¡± The flush seemingly faded as though it didn¡¯t exist. The reason Ari buried themselves became obvious. Nicole realized what Ari was doing seconds before it happened and dived to the side her ears covered. ¡°Can you two just shut up?! I can¡¯t bloody concentrate!¡± Minna accidentally poured mana into her vocal cords, lungs, and everything around that general area. The penguins exploded in quick succession. A few nearby trees shook while portions of the walls cracked. The land itself split in the a cone and yet by the time the sound faded puddles of raw mana littered the land and seemingly began to get absorbed into the air. The echo and reverberation passed over the desert and killed a few hidden underground monsters that used sound and eliminated a small species of bats with exceptional hearing in a cave two miles away. Minah felt most of her mana fade rapidly as she fell to a knee and began to suck in air greedily. Coughing as some went down the wrong pipe. As the vibrations faded Ari regenerated both of their eardrums. He then left the wall and sighed. ¡°Took quicker than I expected but you didn¡¯t do it the way I wanted. Must have a pretty low rage tolerance.¡± Minah tried to speak but nothing came out. ¡°Hmm? Right so you know, your power can work on all of your organs and by saturating your body in mana and raising the endurance of your organs with balance and practice you could increase your versatility, raw power, and endurance quite quickly. I know you hate thinking much, which is why I won¡¯t tell you that magical nonsense and misdirection are the way to go. While you do need to use your head, using it as a ram may suit your thought pattern better. That and you should learn to create fields that eliminate kinetic energy from projectiles and slow down targets. Do your research and slowly infuse your brain with your power to increase the speed of your thoughts as well. It could come in handy. Now then.¡± ¡°Was anything going on that I don¡¯t want to know about?¡± ¡°Hmmm.?¡± Ari tossed Minah a purple vial and sighed. ¡°Well yes and no. It seems Birdion and Dog-eared Nicole are in a rather close position. Who knows what could happen next?¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Ari.¡± Minah¡¯s eyes rolled back in her head as her body was rapidly healed, her brain doing a hard reset as she found herself burning and freeing simultaneously. ¡°That may have been a bit too strong,¡± Ari stated. Book 3: Chapter 35 Were Bella surrounded the blue elf in a field of raw mana her expression irritated as the androgynous creature seemed unhindered by ten times normal gravity. They were dancing about as three daggers made from black mana were slung into Bella¡¯s unarmored arm. Her tanned skin darkened in places as the black ichor seemingly entered her veins and began to spread. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Call of the abyss, the longer we fight the longer you will be influenced by the whispers of the deep. As time goes on you will slowly lose control of your thoughts and become a thrall.¡± ¡°Oh. Great. This is some lovecraft-level stuff then.¡± Bella said having unconsciously shifted to English when she said that statement. However, the reason behind it has more to do with her trying to speak the nickname of a creature that exists beyond their laws to someone of another universe. ¡°Great, the madness is taking fast.¡± The elf smiled eerily revealing hundreds of sharp needle-thin teeth. Bella used the distraction to create a well-up negative gravity which she used to land a kick meant to send the fishy elf flying. Oddly enough Bella felt as though she had kicked a mountain and the mountain won as her leg was sprained and the elf was only moved an inch. ¡°What are you made of?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Bella didn¡¯t hesitate as she decreased the gravity even more the creature seemingly began to start floating as she was held in a field of negative gravity. The elf laughed as she seemingly spun in the air and whipped Bella with eight more daggers of shadow. Hungry. ¡°And so it begins.¡± Bella looked up and noticed her opponent seemed to be waiting as the sun appeared to move a great distance in a short while. ¡°Just what are you?¡± Bella asked her sense of self slipping away as a primal hunger ate at her. ¡°Who knows.¡± The elf looked at Bella with unblinking eyes. ¡°Now then are you ready to give in?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Bella charged forward, raising gravity as she forced a transformation. A swarm of dark tendrils pierced Bella and the last thing she felt before the darkness consumed her mind was the light of the twin moons above.
¡°Bella! Come in Bella! Get some distance, I''m on my way.¡± Cecil said while flipping various switches and pointing his mech in Bellas''s general location. As the distance closed, Bella seemed to begin growing. From her tall werewolf form, she began to grow exponentially. She reached her forced maximum in moments, which was around thirty feet tall, then continued to increase as she doubled two more times as she stood above a creature with blue skin and a hazy figure¡ªalmost as though it were but an illusion. ¡°Oh¡­ that isn¡¯t good.¡± Cecil¡¯s mech grabbed Bella in her giant form and flew her backward, right as colossal inky tentacles shot from the ground and attempted to grab and drag her into the ground. ¡°Bella, snap out of it!¡± Cecil said through the speakers. ¡°We¡¯re so hungry. Must devour!¡± Everything in the nearby area increased in weight by 1000% causing the various cacti to implode and the ground beneath her to crater ¡°Not now, we¡¯re fighting. If you want to eat, go back to normal. You need to focus Bella.¡± Bella¡¯s colossal form didn¡¯t like Cecil¡¯s statement she decided to take a bite out of the mech only to immediately wince. As glowing red irises turned blue she immediately began spitting it out. ¡°Why Cecil, what devil whispered into your ear that covered a giant robot in something so vile?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t designed with you in mind. Come on, Bella think through the fog!¡± ¡°I just need to eat!¡± Bella''s eyes reddened again. ¡°Who turned our captain into an eldritch horror? Never mind that Bella, I have two of Kyrion¡¯s special healthy food bars. I didn''t want to do this but you left me no choice. The ones that taste like chalk and disappointment but are chock-full of vitamins and calories. Say you¡¯re hungry one more time and I''m tossing it in!¡± Bella came back for a longer time. ¡°NoOOooo!¡± Tentacles wrapped around the mech before shivering. A blue substance seeped into the tentacles. Cecil opened the cockpit withdrew a rectangular food bar and tossed it with all of his strength. Which appeared to be much greater than one would expect.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bella further raised the gravity around her as metal creaked and yet she reacted a little too late as the wrapped brick was forced into her mouth and vanished. Oddly enough an explosion occurred when the bar began getting digested and Bella¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out. "More calories than a hundred Twinkies. None of the taste." ¡°How dare you do that to my sacrifice!¡± Yelled the blue elf. Cecil sighed as he fired a beam at the creature from his gauntlets. Falling into his machine with an unconscious Bella. The strange elf hissed in pain retreating as skin crackled and something underground moved. Within seconds a creature resembling a squid with a seal head sticking out of the top appeared. ¡°Your death will feed thousands, Metal Man.¡± The seal head cackled. Cecil sighed as he received a garbled message. ¡°...Epsilon...Ceci...use...final...cide...ker" Cecil squinted as weapons attached to the A.N.G.E.L system received a massive boost in firepower. Wings spread behind the giant mech as magic circles surrounded Cecil¡¯s machine providing him with mana, protection, and a deadly catalyst. Cecil¡¯s mech withdrew a sword that seemed to stretch high into the sky. ¡°Return to the land as a nourishment starving creature of the Abyss for you trespass on this light filled lands. Become the food of the desolate land. This is your end, and the land''s beginning. Life giving execution!¡± The elf retreated the second Cecil started chanting, attempting to stab themselves in the heart. The mountain-sized squid was not lucky enough to be participating in a tournament as the sword fell, the creature raised countless limbs to guard to be cut in half as a field of gravity pushed the sword down with even greater force. The resounding blast as limbs were destroyed and an Abyssal entity was slain. Spread throughout the land as mana-filled rain began to fall from the sky. In time the climate of the entire area would change rapidly. ¡°You have overstepped Cecil. Such levels of power are too much for one human under the expert tier to use. You are becoming a threat to this world.¡± A female voice from above said to Cecil. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done something like this without the help of those in my organization. As far as I''m concerned this was teamwork at its finest.¡± The voice retreated, contemplating how to judge such an attack if it required multiple people¡¯s help to produce. ¡°Why is Imala trying to judge me now?¡± A cat appeared on Cecil''s shoulder and sighed. ¡°Because she¡¯s currently being watched by a other coworkers and the big boss...Wait, thats odd. It seems that there are other gods close to her as well. I assume this is why the scarlet demon was handicapped so much this morning. Want me to patch you into the Chaos when we get sent back?¡± ¡°Sent?¡± Cecil asked as his mech went dark without warning, as a cube of purple mana surrounded them and they seemingly vanished along with an exhausted Bella. A statue the size of Cecil¡¯s mech then crumbled as a Lion tore through its stone body.
Bella awoke in the medical ward seeing a very irritated-looking Cecil looking at an apple as though it stole his blueprints. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bella asked. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Cecil¡¯s expression softened as he noticed Bella wake up. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not injured but my head stings a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. The headache means that the medicine they gave you worked. Can you stand?¡± Bella got to her feet. ¡°Well I''m not dizzy or injured. What''s wrong? I don¡¯t even know how we lost¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we did. Not though the usual means anyways. Someone with power beyond the expert tier is with Volain and they used a spell that triggered the wards instantly before getting eliminated.¡± ¡°How could someone like that be eliminated?¡± ¡°Only willingly. Which means that they have their own goal and taking us out of the fight was one of them.¡± ¡°That is disturbing. Everyone after you is around a similar level of power.¡± ¡°Correct in most regards. If our captain was defeated.¡± Cecil led them to another room where an exhausted Volain was currently looking at a hand of cards. ¡°The wards should have saved him if he¡¯d been attacked in such a lethal way, manual blood pumping or not. Care to guess why he wasn¡¯t removed?¡± Cecil muttered aloud. ¡°Because he countered the wards?¡± Bella nodded. ¡°Kyrion may be an airhead but even he knows not to abandon such a position.¡± Cecil tossed the apple at Kyrion.¡°When did you do the switch?¡± ¡°Switch?¡± Volain seemed concerned. ¡°They get more lifelike each time I see them.¡± Bella looked at the plant clone. The smell was enough to set off her warning signals. ¡°Exactly and this one has an absurd amount of mana and durability. I suspect this clone is what Volain had fought the whole time.¡± ¡°To be precise we swapped during the fight with beakface. I sensed that we were being watched by someone we didn¡¯t know, and swapped under the cover of flame. To be fair this is a weird way to think considering the fact that I contain 75% of the main body¡¯s mind and memories which were deemed enough to act within current parameters, and with our injury, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to beat Volain without that extra 25%.¡± ¡°Why do I feel cheated? Fight me when we get out of the hospital.¡± Volain demanded ¡°What are you up to?¡± Cecil added ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t tell you. And Volain, I''ll fight you when you can beat me at poker.¡± Kyrion sighed as he closed his eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re cheating. I just need to figure out how you''re doing it. No one is that lucky.¡± ¡°Lets go tail White Fox.¡± Cecil stated. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that, not unless you want to be docked for cheating¡­Actually, if we get disqualified, then some of my movements won¡¯t need to be discrete. Cecil is probably the only one who will benefit from something new, that the top rankers will grant.¡± ¡°What actually is the top prize?¡± Bella asked. ¡°Hmmm¡­Is this public information Charles?¡± Kyrion placed a royal flush on the table in irritation before he rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I won¡¯t have to kill you if you tell them. But¡­I may have to kill them instead.¡± ¡°Can you tell them then?¡± ¡°I would require payment first.¡± ¡°A favor or one of these?¡± Kyrion rolled a blue coin across his fingers. ¡°Whichever you believe is cheaper.¡± Charles stated. Kyrion raised an eyebrow as he thought. ¡°This is easier to make than a blank favor with no limitations.¡± ¡°Would I ever do anything that would bring you harm?¡± ¡°Yes. If it was for my own good.¡± Kyrion flicked the coin towards the expert who soon caught it. ¡°The first prize grants you access to a certain artifact. The Rankers Tablet to be precise. It resembles an awakening tablet only much more powerful. A Rankers Tablet is often used as a way to buy power from various powerful entities. Or to purchase one of the limited awakening tablets, from this world. Though the true limit to what someone can use it for is based on these. One of these could buy up two of fifty awakening tablets, or evolve a spirit within one''s core.¡± Charles held up the coin Kyrion produced. Volain crossed his arms. ¡°Where¡¯s my lot?¡± ¡°The bank is currently under maintenance and I won¡¯t be able to withdraw for eight more days. Blame Imala for breaking the vault. Now then, Charles, what type of wish would be useful to someone like Cecil? But within the power that this tournament will grant?¡± Kyrion flicked the old man a second coin. ¡°No need. But as an example, you could be given a powerful core for your mana so that you can cast larger spells and no longer rely on ambient mana or donations from someone like that. I won¡¯t be large, but you could train it, as you are not a spirit master, your method of training your mana pool will be much different and completely up to you. Though you¡¯d be given some powerful tools to help progress down your path.¡± Charles still slid the coin in his pocket. ¡°Now then. As for why winning isn¡¯t really in our best interests? It¡¯s about 100% better to evolve your spirit via an infusion of Soul Power (S.P.).¡± ¡°He means Divine Essence.¡± Volain shook his head. ¡°Call it what you will. There is no real right answer. Though most will call it Divine Essence, as usually one can only gain these coins from a deity. They should only be made by divine entities as well. At least that''s how they see it.¡± ¡°Anyways. After the tournament I plan on teaching you all how to naturally evolve your spirits before reaching the Expert tier. As doing it during a tournament like this is quite risky.¡± ¡°There you have it. Now then, what is your goal in the tournament if it isn¡¯t to win? Mr.Worldbreaker.¡± ¡°Lose in a convincing way while making sure Asela wins. Which is why Uriel wasn¡¯t there when your orc squads came.¡± ¡°What?¡± Volain seemed surprised. ¡°I¡¯m messing with you. As things are either your team or mine will fight either Asela¡¯s or the republic¡¯s. You can show off your tools, and if you want to fight to the end I¡¯ll let you. We¡¯re fighting for pride at this point. Now I''m starting to get tired.¡± Kyrion shut his eyes and pretended to sleep. Book 2.5 Chapter 57: Encounters In the Middle of Nowhere The next few days were busy for everyone, the knowledge that supernatural entities and giant robots could destroy the world ate at everyone. The Slayers as an organization all but crumbled with a few holdouts missing. Of the missing Slayers, Moca¡¯s father was chief among them. Mira and her clubmates continued their training and investigations into their abilities. Kilo played a more active role as he was no longer hindered by the need to stay vague in his explanations of how the weapons worked. Kyrion got to take an equivalency test and managed to test out at around a late college level. His written English language ability was the only thing holding him back. Mostly due to his habit of writing his thoughts out in his home language. He¡¯d start in English then a few runes later what he turned in couldn¡¯t be graded. Or comprehended as the paper caught fire due to not being able to hold his Holy scriptures. With that part behind him, Kyrion could finally get back to what mattered most. Foo¡ªFinding his sister. ¡°All right. Kyrion, she is in the Oklahoma Wilds.¡± Cedric said with false composure. ¡°Where is that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a place that both exists and doesn¡¯t exist. Hidden from satellites and sensors but visible to sight if you know where to look.¡± ¡°I do enjoy a good game of hide and seek.¡± Kyrion popped his neck and smiled to himself. ¡°This is not a game, finding it without help will be difficult without a guide.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Exactly, now then, we have prepared a guide to take you there. ¡°So¡­ Are we just going to gloss over the fact that you shot Mr.Vacation 9 times on sight?¡± ¡°He got my son killed, you¡¯d do the same in my position.¡± ¡°Well no, I¡¯d turn into a dragon and eat the son or something. Apparently, I¡¯m a massive stress eater.¡± Kyrion said with a deadpan. ¡°Fair enough, he also said that you can bring them home.¡± ¡°If they want to. If I was in their shoes I¡¯d want to bring my family to my world, at least we have a few years before a mass extinction event.¡± ¡°That¡¯s time to prepare but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be abandoning my home planet to what, be on a vacation?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. You can spend time with a son you likely won¡¯t recognize.¡± ¡°That hurts,¡± Cedric stated. ¡°It¡¯s normal back home. If I were him, I¡¯d be terrified to see his parents suddenly show up.¡± ¡°Fine, so what do you have left to do?¡± ¡°Magic training academies, Esper training academies, retrieving my sister, and finding all the lines for project Santa Klaus.¡± ¡°Sounds like you have everything plotted out.¡± ¡°Also, I¡¯ve downloaded every textbook, academic work, scientific discovery, and military/state secrets, to my custom library and built a database.¡± ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Technically Ari did that but it¡¯s partially on me as we are kind of the same person. Did you know that the current leader of Novland, that country between Russia and the USSR, is actually the great-grandson of the Czar, and the NEU¡¯s 34th chairman¡¯s daughter.¡± ¡°No, no I did not, though Novland did seem to grow quite quickly.¡± ¡°Yeah. I kind of have that information on call when I want it, I can also see the names of people atop their heads when I look at them with my prosthetic eye. In time, I¡¯ll also be able to pull off, medical records, injuries, and things they¡¯ve asked Santa for this year. The last function is the hardest. Which is why I¡¯ve bought property on the North Pole, claimed it, and have sent out letters with stamps and made an email, sending the letter or replying to the email with gifts they want me to procure.¡± ¡°When did you go and do that? How did you get so many envelopes?¡± ¡°I employ an army of animals currently numbering in the millions with engineering skills and sticky flippers. Don¡¯t ask how they multiplied so fast but, they have been sending out the letters ever since the attack on Detroit. It''s mid-October now, so a bit more than fifteen days is enough to get the ball rolling.¡± ¡°What next, flying reindeer?¡± ¡°No, my sleigh will be like rune-powered satellites that act as beacons for precise teleportation. But that¡¯s Christmas. Now then it¡¯s about time I head out.¡± ¡°How did you get so much money?¡± Kyion placed a solid gold disc on the table the size of a dinner plate. ¡°I found gold and used transmutation to separate it from everything else. Also, sell this for me.¡± ¡°So you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°My friend is liquidating some of them in Asia while I¡¯m dumping them here. In your lap. I have about 58 tons of the metal to dispose of currently.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I had some forewarning of this, but¡­ This isn¡¯t your main source of income.¡± ¡°Ari had quite the stock portfolio and a nice savings account. I dipped into it a bit as per our agreement.¡± Kyrion¡¯s right eye looked towards its twin as though disagreeing with that statement.¡± ¡°I see. That explains why the Slayers had to file for bankruptcy after firing that weapon.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That shot that destroyed the moon cost them around 27 trillion in resources, of which they don¡¯t have access. A Lot of companies went bankrupt due to being connected to the Slayers.¡± ¡°Of Humanity, a million people did just vanish after all.¡± ¡°How that caught on so quickly still makes no sense to me.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s their fault for using something that can be used to describe a killer. I know all about drama, the Hunters of Humanity, also would have ended up the same. ¡°I see, so it¡¯s because of the name they chose. They should have seen that coming.¡± ¡°Now where is my ride?¡± A young woman with ghostly pale skin, and a white sundress paired with a large hat walked into the room. Her eyes landed on Kyrion as she scowled. Kyrion looked left and right before taking out a thermos full of muscle and magical relaxants, mixed with beer and attempting to take a sip. The thermos was snatched out of his hands as the red-shirted man appeared and took a sip scowling as nine more bullets were put into him. ¡°Nice try but drugs don¡¯t work on me, nor do bullets.¡± ¡°Bah! Lady, lead the way.¡± Kyrion turned the odd woman around and pushed her out of the room.
Kyion lay in the backseat of a black car, his expression annoyed as he rode in the metal coffin. ¡°Care to tell me where we¡¯re going? I can teleport us there.¡± ¡°If you try such a thing you¡¯ll end up somewhere else. It''s against teleportation.¡± The woman stated. ¡°This is boring. I¡¯ve been here for days!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been thirty minutes. We haven¡¯t even arrived at the airport.¡± ¡°I am not getting into a flying deathtrap. Just let me fly there. I¡¯ll carry you two as well.¡± ¡°No, we need to go to the airport.¡± ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡± ¡°You went ten minutes ago.¡± Stated a man in the front seat. ¡°This is worse than being imprisoned.¡± Kyrion cut open his pointer finger only for the driver to dive on the brakes. ¡°Do not cut yourself in my presence!¡± The driver turned around her eyes glowing red as her fangs seemed to be extended. Kyion reabsorbed the blood and closed the wound. ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°She¡¯s vegan, doesn¡¯t think too much about it.¡± ¡°Got it?¡±
Kyrion arrived at the airport and went to the bathroom only to come out a minute later, boarding the plane with the other two. As the plane entered the air he walked out of the bathroom again and made his way somewhere secluded before teleporting to Philadelphia for a legendary cheese steak. ¡°It¡¯s all sandwiches. I¡¯ll be back when I have time to explore.¡± Kyrion, sighed as he teleported to Louisiana, then flew to the airport he sensed his clone get off of, then switched places. Which made it seem like he stumbled a bit. ¡°Why do you suddenly smell of garlic?¡± The pale woman asked. ¡±Magic? I was holding it in, on the plane.¡± ¡°Guess that explains while you were quiet.¡± ¡°Anyhow, lead the way.¡±
Arriving in a rustic small town Kyrion noticed the barrier he¡¯d stepped into. It was as though he had entered a place between worlds that required a key or the proper knowledge. Eyeing the pale woman and her ally. Kyrion noticed that they both had items with a runic script from his world, similar to what Cecil uses, with an ability that hid them from sight or attention while outside. ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± ¡°What makes sense?¡± The pale woman shot Kyrion an odd look. ¡°The wards here. We aren¡¯t exactly on earth at the moment.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I smell a god''s stinky foot. They stepped all over this area recently.¡± Kyrion moved with a shockwave momentarily landing at a large crash sight belonging to a large aerial vehicle. Sending his senses outwards he detected faint traces of something that felt like Imala, but another entity he hadn¡¯t known, was heavily involved in what happened here. As Kyrion stood there a metal tube was pressed against his back. ¡°One wrong move and I¡¯ll carve you a new rectum.¡± ¡°That sounds fun. You must be a hoot at parties. Since you are so ready to shoot. Now lower the gun.¡± Kyrion said unbothered. ¡°What are you and why is someone with the spark here?¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°Do you always avoid answering questions?¡± ¡°Do you make a habit of pointing guns at your younger brother?¡± Kyrion said nonchalantly. The gun was pulled back as water hit him in the back of the head. ¡°You got big.¡± Kyrion came face to face with a young short woman with a small scar on her nose, scarlet red hair, and goggles over her forehead. In her hands was a plastic water gun with a metal silencer attached to it. ¡°Ah.¡± Kyrion pooled the water on the tip of his finger and pointed to the ground, letting it drip to the grass below. ¡°Why do you already have the touch of divinity on your soul? I wasn¡¯t gone that long.¡± Kyrion pulled out a purple coin and flicked it to his sister. ¡°I am constantly making these in my domain. On top of that, I have been spreading my abilities to the natives via a patron system. I get a little power by belief and more by granting people contracted power. Those who drink my tea or candies, get a portion of my power, which in turn returns to me in time.¡± ¡°How old are you right now?¡± ¡°Seventeen-ish,¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I see. You¡¯ve been busy.¡± Dwen seemed irritated. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been researching how to get back home. Dimensional magic is a field I study but can¡¯t really use. I¡¯m limited to connectors and linking things together, or creating a network for magic.¡± ¡°So you know of the leylines I assume?¡± ¡°I do, and to get home we will have to connect them all, then return to the grand summoning gate of this world.¡± ¡°Summoning gate?¡± ¡°Yes, it''s in a place called Atlantis. Some say it was near Greece, but my sources tell me that it''s a submersible city that moves around. They move according to the planet''s ley lines but are limited to the ocean at the moment.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that we can get home after we do something to all the leylines?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll also need two people with high levels of dimensional magic.¡± ¡°Two you say? Then it¡¯s just like when I came here.¡± ¡°You had two Dimensional Mages with you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a mage?¡± ¡°Ah, local term, magic user.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m one and I know a second.¡± Kyrion¡¯s scarf opened its eyes and stared at the young woman. ¡°Who are you, human cub?¡± ¡°Dwenevere, what exactly are you?¡± Dwen asked with her arms crossed. ¡°I am a being that lives in the gap between realities. A bit of a gourmand as well, and using this brother of yours is convenient given his eating habits.¡± ¡°I forgot you were there. How are you messing with my mind?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± The scarf went inert. ¡°Anyways, you have two, but there are some things I need to do. I want to help the people here prepare. The deadline is Christmas Eve.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to play Santa?¡± ¡°What better way to prove a god exists than to break into everyone¡¯s homes and leave gifts that they want or need.¡± ¡°How will you get information on what people want? That would take a lot of data.¡± Kyron tapped his prosthetic eye and in moments a screen appeared in the corner of his vision. He looked at a kid running around in a field in the distance. He looked somewhat similar to Bella, though his hair was brown and his nature was a little more wild. He was clearly much younger. Though given how long Bella had been gone, it was likely he was around the same age Bella had been before leaving. Kyrion saw a name along with some other information appear. ¡°That¡¯s Bidziil, although he prefers going by Ziil when with friends. He¡¯s fourteen years old! Bull, ah he wants a Play Sphere 4, and a game called, Coat of Arms. He also appears to have a crush on¡­I shouldn¡¯t speak on that. It¡¯s in poor taste.¡± ¡°How did you figure out Ziil¡¯s name and nickname from a glance?¡± ¡°The internet. Can¡¯t you do¡­You haven¡¯t found your shard yet. Have you?¡± Kyrion looked at his sister again noting how she currently looked younger than Thalia. ¡°I did. We just don¡¯t meld well.¡± ¡°So¡­How long have you been here?¡± ¡°Three years, the time dilation of our world went wild a few times for inexplicable reasons, which led to the gap getting wild.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Kyrion moved on, noting how a few people were running in his direction. All of them were quite big, and muscular. Out of habit, Kyrion sent mana into the world around him, setting up ten contingencies via magic should things come to blows as well as swapping places with a plant clone which he controlled with his own consciousness. Dwen noticed the trick, due to proximity and her own talents, sensing that he¡¯d tied his own power to the area and his body to the ground. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 58 Whales and World Serpents Kyrion¡¯s clone was crushed in the arms of an eight-foot-tall man with a bald head, thick sideburns, and a large beard. His arms were as thick as a tree trunk. He spoke with a thick accent that Kyrion couldn¡¯t place, although something about him seemed familiar. His dark skin almost reminded him of his father, while his hairiness and build were like his grandfather''s. ¡°Good to meet you! Vodraz, The Whale.¡± The plant was turned into a green mush, much to Vodraz¡¯s horror. ¡°Whale? I thought you''d be more like a wolf.¡± Kyrion appeared above ground two feet away. ¡°You know, daughter Bella? Good! Friend Bella, friend family!¡± Vodraz did connect this time. The squeeze, however, wasn¡¯t as bad as the plant made it look, though the man was stronger physically than Volain, much to his own surprise. ¡°Bella¡¯s family uses totems to transform. When they reach 18, they are allowed to go through a trial to attune to an animal that represents them personally. Though until then they are stuck with a basic wolf transformation. She is more akin to a natural druid than a were creature.¡± ¡°Wait¡­That doesn¡¯t sound right.¡± Kyrion knew she was lying, but oddly enough I couldn¡¯t see any obvious tells. ¡°You speak funny language, vegieman.¡± ¡°Kyrion, so why are you really called The Whale?¡± ¡°My real form bigger than blue whale. But still wolf.¡± ¡°Huh, that is pretty big for a native.¡± ¡°How big do you get?¡± His sister asked with a raised ¡°This is it, unless you¡¯re asking how big I can get if I were to give up my humanity. In that case I would not care to find out.¡± ¡°So, how is little Bella?¡± Kyrion brought his hand to his right ear, which while was shorter than him, still pretty tall. ¡°It¡¯s been around 5 years for her so she¡¯s about this big. Very strong and can use a bit of magic.¡± ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°Something like this.¡± Kyrion wrote out some runes in the air and doubled gravity in the area. One of the younger wolves was caught off guard and stumbled but aside from that, none of them seemed to react. ¡°Weak.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not my field and I¡¯m not trying to turn you into paste. These are runes not spells meaning I can¡¯t alter them while they are being supplied with power.¡± ¡°That was spellcraft. Did Cecil teach you that?¡± Dwen asked. ¡°Yes, and no. We worked together for a while. My ability to pick up the basics and alter his work has led to him making a lab I can¡¯t get into. As far as he knows, I am very impercice in anything that isn¡¯t life and death.¡± ¡°Right. Right. You were always good at going places you shouldn¡¯t be able to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my defining trait. How else do you think I got here while a practitioner.¡± ¡°How strong are you?¡± The Whale Wolf asked. Kyrion sighed. ¡°People are going to be pissed if they find out I could have done this right after it happened. To be fair, I actually couldn¡¯t have due to a feat I performed prior leaving me drained. This should use quite a bit of my power.¡± Kyrion pointed to the sky. ¡°What are you?¡± Kyrion let his power as a patron, his divine essence, and an ungodly amount of mana vanish through a tear in reality, causing everyone present to fall to their hands and knees¡ªeveryone except Dwen, who seemed surprised. Kyrion reappeared thirty minutes later favoring his left arm and was exhausted. He looked about and then pointed to a green moon in the sky, twice as large as the previous one. It moved across the sky and found a position before fading as though an illumination spell assigned to it had been removed. ¡°You made a new moon?¡± Dwen squinted. ¡°Easy. Also aliens are real.¡± Kyrion dropped a sugared elf on the grass below. Moments later a purple-haired woman in a butler suit stepped out of the portal holding a blue dog. Her golden eyes tracked the people present and she sniffed the air then scowled. ¡°These people all smell like Bella. I also smell a large amount of cooked meat radiating from them.¡± ¡°Cecil¡¯s homeworld.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°I thought he was saying stuff like that to sound cool or was from another of the moons.¡± ¡°Also know Bella?¡± The Whale wolf stated attempting to put a hand on Bella¡¯s shoulder. He was quite friendly. The purple-haired woman caught the wrist and scowled as it continued forward surpassing her strength. She eventually gave in. ¡°Yeah, they are friends I believe. ¡± ¡°Did you just pull someone from our world here?¡± Dwen scowled. ¡°Yes, though it seems limited. I basically ripped half of her soul from her body.I have no regrets¡­ I¡¯m going to get Ander.¡± Kyrion rubbed his hands together. ¡°Master. What must I do next?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making that little dragon a gift for Lin. I want him to be housebroken.¡± ¡°Dragons aren¡¯t dogs.¡± ¡°That one in particular is. I know you aren''t a dog and neither is¡­ that snake.¡± Kyrion let out a huff as he looked to the sky. Something changed between the land of the Lost and coming here. He was magnitudes more dangerous than before and wielded enough power to break his homeworld. ¡°Human child make moon? What are you?¡± Bella¡¯s father asked. ¡°What language does he speak natively?¡± ¡°His clan came from Romania. He married into a native clan of werewolves about seven centuries ago.¡± ¡°Ah. Well then, making a moon is hard work. Let''s get to eating.¡± ¡°You really have odd timing?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Today is what they call Thanks and Giving.¡± ¡°But that''s in two weeks.¡± ¡°Not for Werewolves. They celebrate the wednesday before the Full moon.¡± Dwen started with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Huh, so that they are full during forced transformations?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how they remember it. The humans offered them food right before the full moon so that they were so stuffed that they didn¡¯t eat people. Though the creatures that ate people were actually different monsters which the Werewolves hunted down.¡± ¡°They need a day like that back home.¡± The purple-haired woman stated. ¡°Uhh¡­ Who is that there?¡± Dwen asked. ¡°Ceres. We¡¯ll talk after dinner.¡± ¡°She smells like a dragon.¡± Dwen¡¯s sclera turned black, as an ebony wand appeared in both of her hands. Ceres took a step back as killing intent surrounded her very quickly. ¡°She¡¯s my Charles.¡± ¡°Adopted daughter?¡± ¡°Charles was adopted? Huh¡­Ceres, are you adopted?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a butler? Charles taught me many duties.¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a vassal.¡± ¡°The emergency food in her hands is also a vassal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a dog.¡± ¡°When are dogs blue? It¡¯s an alien that looks like a dog at best. Wait¡­what is that thing you''re doing with your eyes.¡± Kyrion stated.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°That''s the Dragon Hunter state. It''s a trait dragon slayers develop that allows us to detect and eliminate dragons. It also increases strength, perception, speed, mana control, magic output, and bloodthirst exponentially. But if used for extended periods it can break the body and increase the metabolism greatly. Every second burns around 500 calories. Drinking a dragon''s blood ends the side effects, and is very high in calories.¡± Kyrion smiled as he bent down to the small dog. ¡°You really are emergency food. Ceres is family though. Also she¡¯s half here. I kind of split her soul in half, bringing her here.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t just manipulating blood vessels in your eyes then going all out.¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Kyrion¡¯s sclera went black but nothing changed. ¡°I knew Psycho¡¯s went differently. But I couldn¡¯t move right after. Food poisoning and a lack of calories. I was sick and starving. My regeneration also burns calories.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯ve been fighting without using that and you¡¯re giving off this aura?¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless to me. Strength and speed, but I need to eat to offset it? Do you know how much I put down regularly?¡± ¡°I imagine a lot.¡± ¡°Correct. But I could use the appetite.¡± Kyrion stated, that now that he knew it was different he understood what he was missing and let the power in his blood flow through him like a torrent of power causing clouds to form above him as the sky darkened. Rain began to fall from above as a beam of green light enveloped him. Burning his skin for a moment before turning blue, red, purple, gold, black, and ending at a platinum metallic hue. Kyrion fell to a knee and covered his burned shell of a form with a new robe then healed the wounds, causing blackened flesh to fall off like a shell. Nothing appeared to have changed as both of his eyes returned to normal. Kyrion then scowled as his prosthetic was gone and an actual eye appeared in its place. ¡°Any power boost?¡± ¡°Not really¡± Ceres looked confused as she moved about. ¡°It made me stronger. Master Kyrion.¡± It was a tone she used when she didn¡¯t understand something and was trying to help. ¡°Good enough.¡± Kyrion shrugged and everything about him returned to normal visibly. When it struck him. Maybe he was always in that state and hasn''t quite been able to turn it off. ¡°Let''s go eat. ¡°Noooo!¡± The blue dog jumped from Cere¡¯s grasp and ran off. The first thing Kyrion noticed while in space, was that the air and liquid in his lung tried to expand. The second thing was that his body was burning and freezing simultaneously. The third was that the area was full of wild power he could bend to his will. The first thing was simple, the lungs he used in this body weren''t functional, just bags for air to make himself seem human. He had figured it out soon after arriving. His body was a mass of mana and divine essence wrapped around a soul. Due to him coming here through the land of the loss. Ander did have a body due to coming here via a coffin. If Kyrion was honest, his human form was mostly made from his image of himself. He¡¯d gone so long without an eye that he saw himself as broken. Which was partially why he didn¡¯t grow a new one. Upon that realization, he knew that he was ready to grow a new one, later. Kyrion created a field of divine essence around his body giving himself an atmosphere as his body naturally converted essence into air. A field of gravity kept him in place as he blasted towards what remained of the moon, finding that the blue marble below also had life on it, though it was primitive and nothing but an ocean, with spots of land that formed a small series of islands and a newly formed supercontinent made from where the moon shards had landed. Curious, Kyrion sent his senses forward and saw that the planet had races of humans with three eyes, and long sharp ears, though their number was quite small. A small tribe of short, stone people with square ears and eyes. He flew around the twin of Earth and discovered a third race of people the size of human children with pointed ears curled shoes and cheerful expressions. They were running around and throwing spears at deer that flew through the air. Kyrion flew all over the planet noting that this world was full of mana, and nearly identical to Earth in its shape of continents. That world was full of rifts and the air was noticeably cleaner. Kyrion sighed as he looked further and as a large sea serpent rose from beneath the water saw him floating in the air, then ducked back underwater. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyrion noted that the creature didn¡¯t answer. Promptly and landed on the sea with his arms crossed as he commanded the water he touched to calm. ¡°Fine. Guess I¡¯ll inform the humans that they need to come here and kill everything to save their world. Should be easy. They are predisposed to violence.¡± The serpent rose from the water, it climbed through the sky until a creature more than a thousand miles long with a head the size of a city looked at him with terror and confusion. ¡°You¡¯re a good boy aren''t you.¡± ¡°I am the Protector of this World. But you are an anomaly. Traveling through space is impossible without a large amount of prep, yet you do so easily.¡± ¡°Is it now? Didn¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Some idiots turned their moon to rocks so I came to pick up the pieces and fix the tides. I mean, I want to bring Lin here and go to a resort, then take a moonlit stroll along the coast and stuff.¡± ¡°That''s what that crash was. Are you a deity? There shouldn¡¯t be any assigned to this universe at the moment after the previous coup.¡± ¡°I hope not. Are you a diety?¡± Kyrion floated higher and let his powers wrap around the planet in seconds. ¡°I am a being created when this universe split off. My job is to test when creatures have gained enough free will to be considered sentient then watch over them during their first hundred generations before sending them to another planet I''ve made or another uniververse for the fledgling creators that don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing. This planet is known as Eden. Every main universe has one, it¡¯s like a¡­Dev Room. Testing chambers. That moon blast from earlier nearly wiped out a semi advanced civilization, building a tower, and caused many of the residents to turn into statues of white resembling salt.¡± ¡°Sorry, partially my fault.¡± ¡°That was you¡¯re attack?¡± ¡°No. Someone was trying to kill me with it and I survived.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t lie. ¡°Tried and failed. You must be a fledgling divine to survive that. Unscathed.¡± The serpent roared, shaking the world as it rose further, and circled the planet four times before it was fully visible. Four meteor-sized holes had gone straight through it where it had tried to absorb the attack head-on. A fifth location of broken scales where the blast had stopped but still greatly injured the creature could be seen. The humans had found a way to slay the closest thing to a God Kyrion had seen. Which included those he¡¯d met back home. ¡°My, my. That¡¯s quite the beauty you are, but the damage.¡± Kyrion¡¯s scarf spoke, turning into a stoat and extending until it matched the serpent in size and length. Kyrion scowled. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you regenerated yet?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t heal this kind of damage.¡± ¡°Listen. I need you to give me a moon. You can just make one right?¡± ¡°How did you?¡± ¡°Listen. If I can help you. You must agree to serve me as a subordinate.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I knew I liked you, human child. The innocent ambition you hold is astounding.¡± The weasel laughed and clouds burst and the air shifted causing rain to fall then continued to do so for forty days. ¡°I will not serve a human.¡± ¡°You will change your mind in time. For now you will serve me partially. I just need you to do your job and give the planet a moon for now. Make it green and 1.5 as large.¡± ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have mentioned that you¡¯re a Creator. He¡¯s going to be calling you up for favors constantly.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯ll end up with the power eventually. I was going to use this planet as free resources. But it¡¯s better as a vacation stop. I can even say that it¡¯s named after my pupil.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t heal me, then what?¡± ¡°You can consume me whole If I don¡¯t give you the power to heal your wounds. How does that sound?¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m Kyrion, my friends call me Kyr, but my followers call me Kaolad.¡± My enemies call me trouble. What do you want to call me?¡± Kyrion held his finger towards his left shoulder blade and closed his eyes, turning off the pain receptors in that area as he heightened his other senses. ¡°What are¨C¡± ¡°Sever!¡± Kyrion yelled as a blade of wind sliced his left arm all from the shoulder and golden blood fountend into the ocean for a second. Then stopped, as the wound was forced closed. ¡°You¡¯re!¡± ¡°Say ahhhhhh!¡± Kyrion launched the limb into the serpent''s maw and in seconds it healed completely as its body doubled in thickness and its scales went from a dull gray to a pearlescent silver. The serpent''s expression changed as it could now sense the power coming from the rest of the entity. ¡°You aren¡¯t human. That body is a Divine Essence in human shape. You aren¡¯t truly divine, but the amount of power in you is close. Your soul is incomplete.¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kyrion focused as the world''s power flowed into the wound and gave him a new arm in half a minute which was a lot longer than usual. Although when power flowed from that arm his ability to heal had greatly increased, he felt something about his body fundamentally change as a new arm with silver scales all over it appeared. ¡°Master Kyr, I live to serve.¡± ¡°Good news! Thank you. I need a new moon, you know the specs, and if you can, when the monsters come, do what you can to help the people of that planet survive while I''m gone.¡± Kyrion commanded. Also, I want to put my face on the moon for 24 hours on December 24th of every year. ¡°Yes Master Kyr. It seems I am the third dragon to swear allegiance and the second to be bound to your soul.¡± ¡°Ceres is soul bound? Not bound to my blood.¡± ¡°Yes. She is. Did you?¡± Kyrion¡¯s stray thoughts immediately called her through their bond. Much to his irritation, and curiosity. A figure with long purple hair and silver armor appeared, confused as she looked left and right. The figure sprouted wings of purple and began to flap as she looked around in confusion. : What? Where? Why? Huh? Was my soul split in half?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Replied the giant serpent in confusion. ¡°Who are you!?¡± ¡°I need to get back to Aether!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Psycho. He was just awakened from the pod.¡± ¡°Oh, so my youngest brother walks the land.¡± ¡°We were training in an area unaffected by frozen time.¡± ¡°Ah, I was under the impression that you were also frozen.¡± ¡°I was not. He¡¯ll figure out I¡¯m not fully present.¡± ¡°Ah right, I met your dad by the way. He¡¯s a good fella.¡± ¡°I have one of those?¡± Ceres seemed surprised. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Anyhow, this gu¨C. Ummm.. Do you have a gender?¡± ¡°I am ***¡± ¡°Did you get that?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°Nope. Where are we?¡± ¡°Cecil¡¯s world. Well, don¡¯t tell him but we¡¯re on a planet right next to his.¡± Kyrion said and watched as Ceres looked at Kyrion¡¯s current body and scowled at how much of him wasn¡¯t his original form. Both of his arms were altered by two different creatures, while his soul was more than double in strength. ¡°What happened to your arms?¡± ¡°Ah. Sensed that, did you?¡± Thousands of geometric black triangles flowed out of his right arm surrounded by purple energy. His left arm was surrounded by flames so white that they were blinding. The flames then turned silvery and metallic as he held it out and let the powers from both mix. In seconds a small dot appeared in his hands that seemed to pull in everything around it. Kyrion increased its size until it was a disc the size of a dinner plant and launched it toward the pointy shoe elves. ¡°What are you?¡± The serpent watched as an entire civilization was wiped out. Only to sense that they were still nearby and very much alive. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°Looks like I gained¡­Wait. NO!¡± Kyrion had absorbed them into his domain only to find that they had been searching for food and found his stash of sweets and hard candies. Many of them granted magical abilities. He did get a boost in power and loyal followers but his stash of magical teats would need to be watched with better care. The elves truly loved them though. ¡°They have quite the sweet tooth.¡± Kyrion squinted. The serpent shook its head. ¡°They start singing when they have sugar. It¡¯s like alcohol to them.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t react. ¡°I have somewhere to be. Make the moon, please. Also Ceres can you teach this dog some common sense?¡± Kyrion summoned a small blue wiener dog and dropped it over the ocean. It twisted in the air and began to float upwards.¡± ¡°This one¡¯s a baby in age. Forcibly matured somehow. You?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°No. I just taught it some common sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll begin their education.¡± ¡°Right, do you know how to follow me when I teleport?¡± ¡°I never quite got the knack of it.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll make it two-way.¡± Kyrion opened a two-way portal to the countryside he had just visited. This would be one abyss of a story.. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 59 Pop In Ander walked out of his room only to see that a figure in silver armor had broken into his home. While it looked familiar, the suit of armor seemed to hold killing intent. ¡°Excuse me, but do I know you?¡± Ander asked. ¡°You went and got married. I am very disappointed in you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Chiyo followed Ander out of the room in a bathrobe, scowling at the figure. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°She.¡± Ander corrected. Chiyo squinted. ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°How dare you betray my hopes.¡± ¡°Like I said. I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°You were supposed to choose Brion!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Ander seemed confused. Chiyo turned to Ander for a long moment. ¡°Ander¡­Do you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t swing that way. While Brion is my best friend we wouldn¡¯t go well together.¡± ¡°I thought Kyrion was your best friend.¡± Chiyo scowled. ¡°Master Kyrion is friends with everyone. First Cecion dies now Brinder! How!¡± ¡°Ah¡­Are all your friends so colorful?¡± ¡°Yes.Well most. Brion is pretty down to earth and stoic. Cecil is smart, and stoic, thats about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even register as a friend?¡± Kyrion asked as he gathered leftover white rice out of curiosity. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chiyo asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have rice back home so I want to experiment with it while I''m here.¡± ¡°No. What are you doing in my house? Did you figure out how to get back?¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll have to pool our financial resources. I need money, cars and to raid toy stores to figure out what the kids use here. Also, some presents for my students.¡± Kyrion added oil to a wok and heated it with magic before adding oil. Ander flicked a bolt of lightning at Kyrion. ¡°Cook in your own kitchen.¡± Kyrion took the blow and sighed. Putting the ingredients back up. ¡°So what''s the plan?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to gather power from every sentient creature on this planet then on christmas play the role of Santa Claus. Eventually while doing so I¡¯ll also connect to the planet''s ley lines.Then I¡¯ll head home taking everyone into my domain before I go. But to do so I¡®ll need the support of all the world''s ley lines on.¡± Kyrion continued to go over the details and preparation, it would be their big finale. ¡°That sounds crazy enough to work. But, are you sure you want to return home with all that power?¡± ¡°It would take a while for the memories and experiences to return. As I will be willfully delaying them to prevent destroying my brain. This world is more annoying than ours.¡± ¡°I get it. All this technology with our abilities is a headache.¡± Ander sighed as he looked out the top of his honeymoon high rise looking down at the lit city below. The building had previously belonged to the slayers but due to some deals and purchases as well as the organization falling to pieces. It helped that he spent enough gold to fund the country for two years to control the structure. ¡°So Ander, what''s it like being a billionaire? Has the money gone to your head?¡± ¡°Chiyo dear, I do believe some poverty stricken individuals have broken in. Should we have them escorted out by our defense system?¡± ¡°What are you¡­Oh.¡± A switch was flipped and a cannon pointed towards Kyrion from the ceiling. ¡°You have a turrent! I want a turret in my house. You think Lin will let me put a get a few?¡± Kyrion opened the window and stood on the railing. ¡°Ander? Is that?¡± Ander snapped his fingers and a bullet the size of a football shot towards Kyrion via magnetism. Like a fool, Kyrion didn¡¯t try to dodge it but he also didn¡¯t plant his feet letting the momentum of the shot send them both flying over the city for two hundred miles just from the attack alone. Kyrion hadn¡¯t been damaged by the shot but his mana and divine essence didn¡¯t work when he tried to use them as though the attack was powered by Kyrion''s mana, he tried to get off with physical strength before he crash-landed in a private bath house. Sending hot water and stone everywhere. His black tee shirt had been torn to shreds revealing a large spherical tattoo on his back that resembled a planet being circled by various animals and demons in a spiral towards the center where a Fox, a Swan, and a tree with diamonds for fruit and two large snakes curling up it.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Though in comparison to the other people present, he was the least inked as multiple people eyed the giant kid for a long moment. ¡°Nice ink. Sorry for intruding. But this bathhouse is quite nice. Oh, that looks like empowerment spirits¡­But it isn¡¯t alcoholic.¡± Kyrion took a sip out of a small cup of the rice wine and scowled. ¡°Somewhat sweet.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± One of the tattooed men asked. ¡°My friend shot me with a strange bullet and it took me a while to get here. Cheers!¡± Kyion took out a bottle of his finest blue wine. One of the bald men drew a blade and then thrust it into Kyrion¡¯s right shoulder watching as the blade snapped on impact as geometric triangles rose from the limb and consumed the blade with what seemed like miniscule bites. ¡°Cease this at once.¡± Kyrion said to the thorns as they retreated into his arm. ¡°What kind of demon are you?¡± One of the tattooed men said. ¡°One who comes bearing drinks. Disciple of Baccus. Creator of the Hungover brigade. Commander of Unity and Peace! Patron of magical gifts and a healer. I also own a hotel chain back home with baths and the like. But a demon, I am not.¡± Kyrion poured a drop of the liquid into the bath. The water turned a deep blue as mana and divine essence filled the pool, watching as everyone present healed old and newer wounds, bones strengthened and everyone present looked younger and stronger. Some of the balding men grew hair where there hadn¡¯t been any for years, and one old man seemingly doubled in height, gained muscle tone, and a deadly look in his eyes. ¡°Ah that explains it. I was a Hound in the past. You are what we keep in.¡± ¡°If your hounds have three heads than yes, probably. You should be a bit stronger, hopefully you use this gift for good. But that''s not my problem. You¡¯re just getting a slight head start on the masses. Unless¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re a crafty child aren¡¯t you?¡± The old man knew he had been on a hook. ¡°I¡¯m recruiting for my organization. With the Slayers of Humanity being hunted down, I require human hands among my people. The power vacuum will be filled immediately.¡± ¡°What are you after?¡± ¡°Nothing, people will need training in combat once the disaster begins. My current goal is to have systems in place to teach those without resources, how to fight and use magic. To do that I¡¯ll need fingers in every pie. So to speak.¡± ¡°Did you come here by accident or on purpose?¡± The old man asked. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you, someone else, I just happened to get shot here so you can call it fate.¡± Kyrion left the water and stood near the roof he destroyed and used mana to fix everything he¡¯d broken. ¡°So you want us to fight and teach kids?¡± ¡°No, I want you to make bathhouses¡­¡±Kyrion said straight-faced and noticed some eye twitching. ¡°Both partially, to be honest, one of the things I¡¯ll have my people give you will be schematic. It will have water that heals and restores vigor as well as various tools necessary for your day-to-day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m lost.¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± Kyrion sighed as he opened a portal back home.
¡°Now I know not to get hit by that directly.¡± Ander said as he stayed in the room watching the armored warrior. ¡°He left me here and teleported home. Didn¡¯t he?¡± Ceres felt irritated. ¡°Highly likely.¡± Ander opened a fridge and pulled out a bottle of Sake, then placed some snacks on the table in front of Ceres along with a bunch of prepackaged snacks, and flat cups for the sake. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a local beverage. Supposedly a wine made from rice. The other things are snacks. I imagine you¡¯re a bit confused and hungry.¡± ¡°Confused, yes, but Kyrion took me to the Silver Pen, an All you can eat buffet. We were kicked out after thirty minutes.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re still hungry.¡± ¡°I can go with a snack.¡± Ceres picked up the bottle and proceeded to drink from it. ¡°Ceres, you''re supposed to use those as well.¡± Ander pointed to the saucers. Ceres nodded, then took a curious bite out of the cup, chewing for a dangerously short time before swallowing and picking up the other two, which she swallowed with more of the Sake. Chiyo closed the door, clearly not awake enough for their shenanigans. ¡°This stone is delicious.¡± ¡°Ceres¡­people don¡¯t eat porcelain. Have you seen Kyrion do that before?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t food?¡± Ceres looked at the remaining saucer and then nodded. ¡°I see.¡± She said as she took a bite out of a packaged rice cake and began to chew. ¡°Uh, Ceres¡­ You aren¡¯t human, are you.¡± Ander recalled incidents that Kyrion had laughed away in the past. It should have been obvious, but without the others there to help her out, the antics were odd. Ceres¡¯ expression fell as she looked at Ander in shock. ¡°What makes you say that? The clear thing doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Ceres removed a rice cake from the packaging and ate the second one properly. ¡°No reason.¡± Ander placed a bowl with rocks and stones on the table, next to a bowl with frozen takoyaki. He didn¡¯t microwave as part of the test. Ceres knew she was being tested, the rocks were lukewarm while the Takoyaki was frozen solid. ¡°Which one is food?¡± ¡°Good question.¡± ¡°Both are rocks.¡± ¡°I promise, one of these are edible.¡± Ceres picked up a frozen fried octopus ball and then put it down as it was too cold. She then picked up a red bead. She popped that in her mouth and bit down, turning it into dust, and swallowing it. ¡°That was pretty good. Slightly spicy.¡± ¡°Ceres¡­That was a rock.¡± ¡°No, that''s the rocks.¡± Ceres pointed to the Takoyaki. Ander surrounded the bowl with a cage of lightning and cooked it in a moment causing a cooked smell to waft through the room. ¡°When did you learn that?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Very recently. I¡¯ve been learning party tricks like this.¡± Ander let out a dry chuckle. ¡°Ah you¡¯re joking.¡± Ceres laughed as well. ¡°How did I not see it before? You¡¯re like me.¡± Ander muttered. ¡°You¡¯re also a dragon?¡± ¡°There we go. How many dragons are attached to Kyrion, geeze. What does that make it, three or four.¡± ¡°You, me, this dog thing. All dragons.¡± ¡°Ceres¡­How have you gotten this far without getting caught.¡± ¡°Anesthesia, and memory removal.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°I hope he didn¡¯t hit me with that.¡± ¡°He did say that you were trouble. But he was worried all the memory wiping was making you shorter.¡± Ander was shrouded in black lighting and like a bolt, flew out of the window towards where Kyrion had gone. ¡°That¡¯s for tricking me.¡± Ceres bit into another saucer. She walked through a purple door and left the room. As the room was empty Kyrion appeared. ¡°Ooo snacks. Ander! If you don¡¯t want me to eat these, let me know! Wait, where did Ceres go? Why is everything spinning?¡± Kyrion teleported again leaving behind a bottle of green liquor and a note. Chiyo decided that she wanted to develop anti-teleportation zones if possible. People popping in and out were getting annoying fast. Returning home after a ten-minute flight Ander returned noticing a note on the table. Ander, that missile messes up magic. I don¡¯t recommend using them indoors but they could be good on giant monsters. Also, the soft rocks taste pretty good. I also left you a bottle. We¡¯ll talk about Project Christmas later, but you need to buy a car manufacturing company, or three. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 60 Giving to the people Kyrion spent the rest of the month getting the school owned by Unity and Peace (U.p.), up and running as he spoke with an older tanned man with a turban, long white beard, and tired eyes. ¡°What do you want to know?¡± The old man asked. ¡°The slayers had or have weapons capable of planetary destruction. Had I not been able to cheat past that, I would have died, everyone in Detroit would have died, and the tides would have gone wild due to the missing moon. It was interesting getting that replaced.¡± ¡°So that was you. Did you make it?¡± ¡°How advanced was your earth before the last attack.¡± ¡°Ah, about the same as this one. But, I recall the first iteration. Humanity had begun to expand past the stars and reached levels of technology that allowed planetary travel and terraforming. Then a being came and began to consume the universe forcing us to find a way to survive, leading to the inhabitation of a new universe. We discovered the people living there were tens of thousands of years behind and hid out tech in various parts of the world.¡± Kyrion nodded. ¡°Check out.¡± ¡°Then the world eater came again, forcing us to do this a third time, losing much of our tech and original members, but gaining the Slayers, and Cerberus as organizations. We colonized this planet around a thousand years ago and with careful decisions many of us had ¡±managed to integrate seamlessly and share our shattered knowledge.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°The man leading the Slayers at that time, didn''t make it, as he sacrificed himself to ensure our escape. What they became after, well, I¡¯m glad you put them down. The Janitors are a newer group made by the creature calling himself Uncle Sam, he was here before we got here and has played many roles in the history of the United Continent.¡± ¡°That stingy tea drinker was quite weird.¡± ¡°So you know how much of a headache he can be.¡± ¡°I heard he died.¡± ¡°Meh. It¡¯s more he can choose if he¡¯s inhabiting a living vessel, a spirit, or existing as a force of nature.¡± ¡°Wait¡­Is Uncle Sam, Cecil''s cat¡­Oh that sneaky feline. If I can split parts of my soul off, it shouldn¡¯t be so surprising.¡± Kyrion stated as he followed the old man. ¡°Yes, in part.¡± The old man led them through a large city packed with people to a small ally to a body-beaten and bloody moments away from death. Kyrion approached it only to sense them take their last breath. He was already too late. ¡°You knew they were here.¡± ¡°I sensed a fading soul. Heal them.¡± ¡°But they''re dead! I can¡¯t. It doesn¡¯t work.¡± Kyrion said as he felt their pulse, lack of a heartbeat, and failing brain. ¡°You can and you will. Put this in your mouth.¡± The old man pulled out a cinnamon stick stuffed with odd plants and placed his right index finger at the end, causing the limb to bend back like the lid of a lighter, revealing a tiny flamethrower that he used to light the stalk. Kyrion put the stick in his mouth and felt calm as he inhaled. Then the world around him turned grey as the world resembled the Land of the Lost. He saw a small echo of the person''s body above them and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Put the soul back in the body then use your resurrection spell.¡± ¡°How did¡­ It¡¯s likely obvious.¡± Kyrion passed his hand through the echo and scowled. ¡°You need to use your powers to touch souls.¡± Kyrion then tried doing so with mana and found resistance. Adding a spark of Soul Power allowed him to force the soul into his body as the spell for resurrection. Unhindered he felt his healing mana mix with his new arm and brought the person back from the brink, but their appearance appeared healthier than when he started. The figure tried to shoot up only to be held back by Kyrion¡¯s hand as he squinted. He could have done it all with mana. There was no resistance, unlike the last time he tried it. ¡°What¡¯s that look?¡± ¡°Heads are going to roll if this fails back home.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I suspected you already knew the spell, you should be able to see the souls of the deceased at will now. Use that power as needed, and good luck.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Kyrion stated as pulled out a bottle and handed it to the man. ¡°I¡¯ll use this well. But, you¡¯ll need to see the queen. She has a map of ley lines.¡± ¡°You should not have said that. I could just go take it.¡± ¡°You could, but she also has a cabal of elite wizards at her disposal. You wouldn¡¯t want to anger them now would you?¡± ¡°I might. But I don¡¯t need to. I¡¯ll pop into her house in a few days.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get shot by things that can hurt you.¡± ¡°I can live with that. See you.¡± Kyrion stated. He was going to send a plant doppelganger.
Throughout the next week and a half, Kyrion stepped into every hospital he could, healing terminal or recently deceased patients, increasing his Patron count and prowess in resurrection in the process. Clearing out the United Continent, and setting up future healers to take care of everything save resurrection. That spell was quite intensive in that he could cast it five times an hour, but after doing so he¡¯d need to rest or focus to regain his divine essence. That process took 2 hours. The price for resurrection was set at $500, or donations of food/toys, the value of which didn¡¯t matter, when his clerics(Doctors) asked for his help. By the end of two weeks, the healthcare of the United Continent crashed. As medicine became semi-obsolete, surgery was easy, and organs were numerous to come by via regeneration. The healers of Kaolad were invited to Unity and Peace and began to share the miracles they could grant worldwide. Standing in a factory in the North Pole, Kyrion pulled out the elf gremlins he pulled from that other planet. Having imparted sentience on all of them as well as minor education. Kyrion tasked them with creating toys and using their finances to purchase anything that couldn¡¯t get made as letters to the North Pole increased rapidly. A website was made to promote his brand in every language, giving a tour of his massive factory that many were skeptical of until Kyrion, dressed up like Santa, began to read out letters while sitting on a throne of candy canes and gingerbread. The letters were real, promises were made, and letters of confirmation were sent back out. Making the gifts was surprisingly easy as the Gremelfs or Gnomes were quite handy when it came to crafting with their hands, easily keeping pace with requests. Still, he needed to keep this up yearly. Bringing him back home. Kilo seemed relaxed as he watched Kyrion enter their house. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy.¡± ¡°I need you to build me a Santa bot. For next year. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to continue the insanity, but if I give you a year of time to get it done with your resources it should be easy. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. So when are you going to check on the others?¡± ¡°When I¡¯m not busy¡­ It¡¯s crunch time and I have maybe 30 days to get this done. The toys are prepped but I¡¯ll need to ally with the Janitors to get things going. I can¡¯t stay in this world much longer.¡± Cedric walked in from the kitchen. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to where Cecil and Bella are?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have my assistance. On one condition.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kyrion asked if he would admit that he wasn¡¯t the easiest to track down at the moment. ¡°You take us with you.¡± Cedric¡¯s wife stepped into the room causing Kyrion¡¯s left eye to twitch as he sensed three heartbeats where there should only be two. Then noticed that Cecil¡¯s mother¡¯s stomach had grown slightly.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that it will be safe, but you will have some time to prepare for the changes happening to earth. But are you sure that you want to go there, in your condition?¡± Kyrion looked at Cedric. ¡°This is partially your fault. She is one of your clerics now after all. Apparently there are other perks when it comes to working for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. But you both do seem younger. Fine, you two can come.¡± Kyrion sighed. Gram stepped out next. ¡°It¡¯s time to absorb Ari. She¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°They¡¯re ready. I¡¯m ready.¡± A short girl with red hair, and green eyes, wearing blue jeans and a flannel jacket. ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve played every game that has existed, read everything ever posted. My knowledge of this world and its history are vast yet that tells me things are purposely deceitful. I don¡¯t want to be bored and you plan on trolling the planet. Like some reverse phantom thief. Making an announcement stating that you¡¯ll be breaking into every home, leaving gifts then dipping before they can get you. That''s more interesting than sitting down at a desk learning things I already know.¡± ¡°We really are the same person.¡± Kyrion took a step back. ¡°Wait, do you see this as a massive prank?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Not just that. I¡¯m arming the people of the world, by breaking into their homes and giving them weapons that they can use to fight against the apocalypse. I¡¯m making them stronger, and in time they will return their investments. But I¡¯m not too worried about that.¡± Ari placed a hand on Kyrion¡¯s forehead and vanished into him. He was now both of them, and he could feel his mischievous nature was slightly more cold and calculating. He would need to be careful to avoid slipping into the well of madness that seemingly doubled in size. Kyrion summoned a body made from plants and sent Ari¡¯s consciousness into it like he did the others, back home. Wearing the exact clothes they had on before they merged. ¡°Much better, you should have an idea of my other plans with a good portion of my abilities and money.¡± ¡°One minute.¡± Ari grabbed a few large trash bags and vanished. ¡°Oh no. Whats the law on retrieving hidden assets from a company that has been shut down and declared bankrupt.¡± Cedric raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know where the Slayers kept their money?¡± ¡°Ari did. Its all on them.¡± Kyrion stepped back. Ari returned through the portal right after. With none of the trashbags she''s entered with. Kyrion noticed the bags filled with money, weapons, tools, and artifacts in his domain. Closing his eyes he let out an internal sigh. ¡°I decided to expose their location and break down their location after receiving my reparations.¡± ¡°You¡¯re what?¡± ¡°I was kept in a vat for 50 years in a fluid that prevented growth and enhanced my perception. Then they forgot about me and left me in the Arctic for the last thirty where I was used as a database, an advanced information storage program. This is my retirement, 401k, back pay, and payback. There¡¯s more at the location. I¡¯m considering making 4 round trips and then moving on to the other caches. Since the owners of said caches disposed of themselves and left hints to their loyal drones.¡± ¡°Thats the thing about this merger. It isn¡¯t instant knowledge for me. I have to search for it while you can just use what you get.¡± ¡°I am just much better at it. You have about 16 gigabytes of Ram for mental processing while I¡¯m packing 160 terabytes. It''s science.¡± ¡°That''s short, basically short term memory. Oh you¡¯re distracting me while you send drones and robots to collect the rest. The real question is, are you sharing the loot?¡± Kyrion figured it out quite quickly. Causing Cedric to scowl as he looked between them. ¡°Fine¡­ It''s around 3 yottaFLOPS.¡± ¡°Like the shoes?¡± Kyrion hadn¡¯t heard that word before and felt that information suddenly appeared in his brain. ¡°You get it. You think therefore you know.¡± ¡°So I know you''re lying. Supercomputer level processing maybe, but unless you had direct contact with multiple computers or servers, you¡¯re only limited to right above the peak of cognitive abilities back home. I wouldn¡¯t have out planned you so quickly if you could figure things out that fast. We¡¯re likely close, but you lack imagination. Which is why you lost. You see things in three dimensions, for me, things are more malleable.¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Cedric touched his earpiece. ¡°A parade of elephants. Penguins in Rome? You sent people to check it out! Someone painted red stripes on the White House?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll turn green in eight hours. This is payment for the new moon.¡± Kyrion stated as he struck something off a list. Cedric¡¯s right eye twitched. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Gram asked. ¡°The Statue? A red felt dress, Santa hat? How! When did. No one saw it happen? The Eiffel tower is lit up? That''s normal. Multiple toy , and candy store break ins. Worldwide. Only candy and toilet paper were taken in excess and one of each type of toy? Gold bars hidden under the registers?¡± ¡°What¡¯s toilet paper?¡± Kyrion asked, ignoring the explanation. ¡°You¡¯ve been here three months and you don¡¯t know what toilet paper is?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°He¡¯s misleading us.¡± Gram stated. Cedric put his phone down, ¡°Have you been to a superstore yet?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You would enjoy Stan¡¯s Club.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°I am so lost.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so focused on food, yet you missed the place where everything is sized for you.¡± A purple-haired woman appeared through a doorway, confused as various weapons were drawn and pointed at her in seconds. Ceres didn¡¯t know what a hollow point gun was, nor did she understand why there was a red dot on her helmet. However, she did place both hands on Kyrion¡¯s arms and slammed her armored head into his. ¡°Owww.¡± Kyroin said from across the room, where he was pouring a cup of iced tea into a glass. A small vial was added into the cup and then stirred with a little bit of mana. The plant clone dissolved into nothing, cleaning up its mess along the way. ¡°Feel better?¡± ¡°You left me over the ocean!¡± Kyrion tilted his head. ¡°No. You went off on your own while I was injured, That blast disrupted my mana!¡± ¡°I tried to find you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a big girl, you can figure stuff like that out on your own. How did you get lost?¡± ¡°I teleported a few times, then my head started hurting and I fell into the ocean. Armor is not good for swimming, Then I had to fight sharks, sea leviathans, and other monsters.¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± Kyrion replied. ¡°I was drowning!¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just teleport out? Plus you don¡¯t even need air to breathe.¡± ¡°Not everyone has infinite mana for teleportation.¡± ¡°Sounds like a you problem.¡± Kyrion took a sip of the tea and poured another vial into it. Ceres lunged at Kyion only to be flicked on the forehead hard enough to cause her to stumble, as the tea was placed in her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t drink that by the way. Anyways I do not recommend TwI, Teleporting While Intoxicated. You never know where you¡¯ll end up.¡± ¡°Drunk? I don¡¯t recall drinking. Ander offered me tribute.¡± ¡°Hospitality and you ate 3 of his cups. Anyways.¡± ¡°Big Ben, vanished and was replaced by a Christmas tree twice as large.¡± ¡°I call it the Christmas Tree of Power. Basically when the wizards of England and New England respectively need mana, they sniff the pines from that tree and receive an influx of mana. It turns pollution into mana and will return to a clock in 19 hours. The queen chooses the days this occurs by the way.¡± ¡°A giant mass of energy is pooling above Korea. Is that you?¡± Kyrion turned to Gram. ¡°Which sibling lives in Soul?¡± ¡°Seoul. Yes I can tell. And I¡¯m not sure. Mildred?¡± ¡°You are a quite questionable father at times.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°To be fair. There are two still missing.¡± ¡°Speaking of missing, Deci, where is she?¡± Kyrion asked. Gram scratched his head. ¡°She said she had time to make up and ran off after you left. Not sure where she is but she does send notifications from an encrypted source? Something about an island for card games.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± Kyrion stated he¡¯d find the island later. ¡°Seoul is either Hecate or Mildred.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°You don¡¯t know either?¡± Kyrion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mmmm...If I could see Jin¡¯s system it would be easy. But apparently he received a quest not to share it with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a good friend. But a pretty unperceptive older brother. Which one is older.¡± ¡°Heacte.¡± ¡°There you go. Did she ever try hiding things from you? Like toys, diaries, projects she was working on in an attempt to usurp your position as oldest child?¡± Kyrion stated as though he had years of experience.¡± ¡°Huh. Hindsight is 20/20. Definitively Hecate if she was working to save humanity longer than you¡¯ve been active out of spite or a sense of competition. She always did try to compete with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember any of that.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Checks out. Kilo, I guess you must have been frustrating.¡± ¡°Does Seoul have soul food?¡± ¡°They have Seoul Food.¡± Kyrion moved to teleport only for nothing to happen. ¡°Thats new.¡± ¡°Before you go, care to explain why every world power is participating in your insanity?¡± ¡°Only if you agree to become a devout believer in me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a divine mandate for all of his followers. Essentially he tasked his direct followers for creating the best Christmas attractions. Most world powers are participating and he¡¯s also given them acces s to a bit of his power for this purpose. So I can use an amount of channeled Faith to make the decorations magical with the help of Kao. Or the kid standing infront of us.¡± Cecil''s mother said with a shrug. ¡°So the president is in on it?¡± ¡°The first lady mostly. She has a better sense of aesthetics. I¡¯m surprised that there isn¡¯t much competition.¡± ¡°Oh, right, religion kind of vanished when humanity entered this universe. Since such things cause conflict, the Slayers had monitored it and kept it to a minimum. To be fair, people aren¡¯t treating Kao as a deity and more of a being offering them power for a pittance. That was under the belief that conflict is what hurried the apocalypse the previous times.¡± Gram stated. ¡°Good to know.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run that through me?¡± ¡°The leader of Unity informed your superiors though they are doing something secret, you weren''t invited since I told them you¡¯d be assisting me directly.¡± ¡°Ugh. Why me?¡± Ari returned quietly noticing everyone was distracted as per their plan. Asking a question. ¡°Anyways. Do we need to build Hecate a body?¡± ¡°Handled it, using the data from your clones I can manufacture my own.¡± Gram stated blandly. ¡°Good.¡± Kyrion tried to teleport again. Failing he scowled and tried to sense the source. Then looked at Ceres who looked away. ¡°I¡¯m trying to leave.¡± Kyrion said dejected. ¡°Where are you going and how long will you be gone?¡± Kyrion used a bit of his soul power and found no resistance. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know.¡± Kyrion teleported to the North Pole where he found his new workers moving about without a care in the world. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have finished with everything yet. Status report Karl?.¡± ¡°They did. Though a majority of the game systems were purchased due to lack of understanding with that level of tech. All of the toys for Christmas have been made, but we did have to by rights from to owners of certain toy brands. Like these Spin tops that fight each other, toy cars that turn into robots, dolls with inhuman proportions, cooking sets, among other things. We made a deal with, Card Monsters, they will be a colab set that will go out the week before Christmas, for the enchanted cards. They won¡¯t activate until the 25th and the academy you set out to create will begin taking students in January. Portals will open up leading to the island and will allow for them to learn magic and help build the final system.¡± Karl stated. ¡°Good. Wait¡­ Cardamon collab? Will the cards summon monsters made of mana?¡± ¡°A good portion will be monsters, a large amount of your spell catalog, spells in the card game, monster gear, and gadgets made from magi tech.¡± ¡°Good. Are you sure about staying here partially? I get why you.¡± ¡°This is my home world. Unlike Cecil, I want to help if I can. Also, my mind isn¡¯t limited like yours. Splitting part of myself off to stay in that dungeon won¡¯t harm me as I can freely travel due to being just information bound to vessels." Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 61 Outbreak Ander awoke to various sirens going off in his home he had previously been a Slayer Base and moved to his combat gear in a hurry. His specially made kimono was a dark green with white stripes while his black enchanted plates hidden inside the cloth protected him from stray attacks and missiles. Opening the doorway, he heard Chyio begin to rise. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Trouble.¡±Ander stated as a salamander around 600 feet long from head to tail and 300 feet tall and proportionality wide¡­ He had a dangerous sense of Deja Vu. As it covered itself in flames and landed on the city square killing hundreds before Ander could get a good look at it. ¡°Wait up. I¡¯ll...¡± ¡°Stay here! There isn¡¯t much time and I need to go all out! Catch up when you''re fully awake and ready.¡± Ander blasted at the Salamander approaching the speed of light and landed a claw filled with black lighting on its right eye. The limb was destroyed, yet the creature''s tail countered. Sending the young warrior through three skyscrapers before he could reorient himself. Two eyes grew on the creature''s head, one on its forehead and another to the right of its empty right eye stalk. Putting both of his hands together, Ander surrounded the creature in a cage of electricity. ¡°Dark Lightning Rend!¡± Then with effort powered by his soul, he closed the cage causing cauterized flesh to fall off the creature and then fall to the ground as it was turned into thousands of small chunks to fall off of it and disintegrate. Ander let out a sigh of relief as he used a good portion of his power to end the beast quickly. Only that wasn¡¯t the only Salamander he had to deal with as thirty more began to fall from a purple hole in the sky. Before the monsters could land however a field erupted all over the planet causing the sky to turn green and every human without magic or supernatural abilities vanished. ¡°Oh than the gods.¡± ¡°No. Thank me.¡± Ander heard Kyrion¡¯s voice from above and squinted at the purple-hued sky. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ander asked. ¡°Humans of Earth, It is I, Commander Of Unity and Peace, Voice of Kaolad! We have moved everyone who can fight to a world in between reality and chaos. Time will pass much slower here and it will last until you manage to eliminate the threat or I''ve run out of power! Due to the nature of my powers, you will receive rewards for clearing the monsters that attack humans here. I have also sent our army to assist! You will need to fight well and pace yourself. Good luck.¡± The voice said to everyone from above. ¡°Ander, these monsters are full of divine essence. Each one of those big ones buys me twelve hours or 12 resurrections. After 200 die I should be able to bring back those who died on the initial assault. Then those who die here, but I can''t fight myself.¡± ¡°Resurrections?¡± ¡°It¡¯s limited but yes I can bring people back now if they died very recently and leave behind a portion of their soul. But doing so on such a scale will likely leave me weakened when I manage to go back to my body.¡± ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Karl says this is a scouting force from another Multiversal branch. I need to go, or I risk losing my humanity.¡± Kyrion¡¯s consciousness vanished. Ander absorbed his expended divine essence along with a little from the creature''s corpse. It took him around five minutes to do so as the rest of this country''s defenders took to the field. Chiyo appeared armored, with a white oni mask over her face. ¡°Still don¡¯t want my help?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that. Had I known that barrier was coming I would have waited. We need to kill 200 of those things to save everyone who died prior. My Commander just got much stronger.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you usually call him a captain?¡± ¡°A captain usually fights with a group of people under him. Kyrion can¡¯t currently fight without good reason, and my friend is commanding humanity. Therefore now he¡¯s a Commander, kind of a sideways promotion. But still a promotion.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to have words with him.¡± ¡°His people have been reviving the recent dead for a while now. 2 days seems to be his current limit on how long has.¡± Chiyo drew her blade. ¡°Less talking for now, more fighting.¡± Ander smiled at that prospect. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was possible to love you more than I already did.¡± The duo charged towards the hoard of salamanders.
Issac, Mocha, Jin, Mira, and Lee, were covered in body-fitting armor with their respective colors. Kilo drove up with Sean on a blue motorcycle and swerved to a stop. A diminutive woman with red hair and green eyes climbed out of the sidecar. ¡°I¡¯m Kilo¡¯s cousin Dwenevere. Anyway, I heard that he¡¯s been training you and granting you powers. Are you ready to be defenders of Unity and Peace?¡± ¡°Nope.¡±They said in unison. ¡°Good good. Wait what?¡± ¡°We plan on staying independent.¡± Lee stated. ¡°I¡¯m a proud member of Cerberus.¡± Jin added. ¡°I¡¯m focused on Football and Basketball when that season comes around.¡±Issac crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m preoccupied with my club president''s business.¡± ¡°My private life is much too complicated.¡± Moca looked at Sean. Sean sighed. ¡°Well I¡¯m in. They have a decent Esper rehabilitation program. I¡¯ve even gotten to meet some of my relatives. Not that I recognized them.¡± ¡°He put me in charge as deputy commander while he¡¯s gone.¡± Kilo sighed. ¡°Ugh. Fine. Sheesh, you get these anyways.¡± Everyone except for Jin received a key. ¡°Pressing the button will summon your mechs. They are designed to moved based on your levels of understanding and video games. Issac, yous will be an extension of your body. Moca, yours plays like an fps with a controller. Lee, you get a fight stick, with a few extra functions. Mira, you get a mouse and keyboard. Jin, Sean, and Kilo will have altered versions of the base models. You should be able to catch on quickly.They were designed with your playstyles in mind. So if anyone went easy on Kyrion, during a game. He¡¯ll know.¡± ¡°He¡¯s worse than my four year old brother. At least I can teach him how to button mash.¡± Lee sighed.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°How is he doing? I haven¡¯t spoken to him since he took me home.¡± Moca didn¡¯t recall playing games with him either. She did enjoy online first-person shooters but¡­ ¡°I was informed that he kidnapped you. Then took you somewhere safe.¡± Mira stated. Sean¡¯s expression grew violent for the briefest of moments as he recalled the person who took everything from him. Turning away from the group, he took two pills causing his rage to settle. ¡°No time for that now. Get in your machines. Each one should be able to go toe to toe with those large monsters. The comms are active, just focus on who you need to speak to and it will work. Otherwise, we have people to save.¡± ¡°So, where is the great Kao, anyway. He isn¡¯t fighting.¡± ¡°The spell he¡¯s using to protect the other side has made him a target for a mass of monsters. His army is currently fighting them off to keep the spell going. He can¡¯t afford to push his body further in its current state.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Mira asked, concerned. ¡°He cheated the system to get here and has been skipping steps to gain power that rivals gods back home. His body is either going to die due to poisoning or adapt in a way that will mutate him greatly. He appears to have stopped right outside of that wall but granting that much power has begun to pay dividends and it¡¯s slowly but surely pushing at that edge. This is ontop of obtaining half of his shards before reaching the expert tier. He¡¯s burning his own life like a stick of dynamite for a world he has no business being in. Which is why I¡¯m assisting.¡± ¡°Well, that''s likely the only pep talk we¡¯ll be getting. I say we fight and get this over with.¡± Issac pressed the button on his key causing a mech wearing a green bear skin cloak with various sharp spikes on its mobile frame as well as retractable cleats, and knuckle dusters with claw-like gauntlets that could shoot magic if he sent it through the connection. ¡°Guess I¡¯m next.¡± Moca received a more humanoid mech with four arms, each of which held a different gun and a long sharp skeletal tail extended behind it. Its build was agile and light with parts that could be discarded for speed and maneuverability. The weapons are capable of being used as boosters when necessary. The machine was built to react to Moca¡¯s slightly boosted perception and wind magic. Lee looked like a giant fighting game character that focused on counters, throws, and interrupts, although it also seemed equipped with coils on its arms and legs. The white machine seemed to have a semblance of sentience as it placed a hand in front of Lee for him to climb onto as a seat in the middle of its chest opened revealing seats. Mira¡¯s mech was black, with the black cowl over its head and a cloak flowing down its back. The mech was lithe and seemed to only have a magical sniper, a weapon capable of firing rounds of single-target death on anything it hit. Jin had a sword and could use fire magic. Nothing special at all. It did not enhance his esper abilities or rewrite causality. It was just a normal Red machine. ¡°Allright. You should be safe in those. Where is the other one? Didn¡¯t I call everybody?¡± ¡°Sera, was one of the brainwashed espers. The people acting as her parents vanished along with her.¡± Moca didn¡¯t meet Kilo¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thats what I get for being out of the loop. When did this happen?¡± ¡°I went to her house around a week ago. Nobody was there, she was a part of the Slayers of Humanity?¡± Issac scratched his head. ¡°Likely another victim. Did anyone go in, or did you just look.¡± Sean asked. ¡°I did go in. No one was there, the place was tidy, albeit dusty, but nothing seemed off.¡±Issac sighed. ¡°How did¡­¡±Dwen started. ¡°No time for that! We¡¯ll get back to you. If we find her we¡¯ll let you know.¡±
Kyrion woke up with a migraine as though his skull was trying to split in half as blood flowed from his nose and right arm. Pulling the limb up, Kyrion noted 41 odd green eyes had grown on his arms like growths, and through each one, he could see and manipulate. As that realization kicked in, Kyrion focused on maintaining a human shape watching as the eyes faded into him and various holes in the limb vanished. ¡°Must have been my imagination.¡± As the raspy words left his parched throat. The sensation of over a thousand-dimensional holes above the world opened simultaneously, dropping monsters and aliens from somewhere else onto the planet before he could react. The blood all over his currently trashed borrowed room went unnoticed as he felt his body pulse in response. Coughing, a bloody octopus the size of a marshmallow landed in front of him. Each of its miniature suction cups held lamprey-like teeth and it had gotten inside of him somehow. Stepping on the creature Kyrion noticed that along with his blood, the creature he¡¯d just destroyed had a similar scent to the smell in his room. Kyrion placed both hands on his chest. ¡°Purge Body!¡± Enveloped in purple and white flames, various parasites hiding in and around him were eliminated and cleansed causing him to fall to a knee, breathing heavily. Two eyes opened on Kyrion¡¯s right arm starting. Waiting for a response. ¡°If you are the thorns. Blink and never appear like this again.¡± Kyrion watched the eyes vanish into his arm and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m turning into a monster. A demon, that isn¡¯t good. Ari, what''s going on?¡± ¡°Monsters have appeared worldwide. News stations haven¡¯t had a chance to show whats going on, but there have already been deaths. This appears to be a scouting force.¡± ¡°Worldwide? Deaths? I can¡¯t have that.¡± Kyrion put on his uniform as the Commander and teleported to the cold Mt.Everest where the vast majority of monsters seemed to have appeared. Kyion then summoned Ceres, as well as the blue long dragon, and the giant serpent from this planet''s neighbor. Krion¡¯s white scarf grew until it was the size of an 18-wheeler and charged towards a newly opening rift and dived in causing it to close. Its eyes glow a bright light and it roars that of a truck horn. Only to fall out of another rift moments later. That rift closed right after as it curled up chewing on the remains of monsters. Kyrion felt numerous pleas from his healers bombard him at once with requests for resurrections, healing, power, and safety. The migraine returned as this time over a hundred eyes opened on his arm, Thousands of thorns appeared, each geometric triangle holding a single green eye. Each one opened a window in Kyrion¡¯s mind that showed him a new sight. ¡°Do you want to help?¡±Kyrion asked and felt that they did wish to serve. Noting Kyrion poured his divine essence into the triangles, his power spreading outward as he did. He commanded them to surround the planet. Watching as tens of thousands more left his arm and surrounded it. All of Kyrion¡¯s focus was on limiting his sight, and senses. Focusing on his friends as he covered the world in a barrier of spatial mana and separated everything remotely magical or supernatural from the planet. The drain on his soul was giant but within his absurd regeneration if he was to consume coins to power it. As his powers reached a limited omniscience he felt that pushing himself further would cause him to cease to be what he was. He wouldn''t be able to move while crafting this space. He¡¯d made himself an anchor and covered the world in a barrier. ¡°Oi Dwen, I need to speak with Kilo and Cedric!¡± Dwen responded with telepathy. ¡°On it You¡¯re connected via telepathy.¡± ¡°Kilo, gather or clubmates they are quite strong and the mechs are done. Use those to protect that continent. The more you defeat the better.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°Cedric. The code is 21619897239661475, use that to get into the vault in Quebec. It''s in the vaults under the bank. There are a few caches spread all obut I haven''t been able to figure out what else they have there.¡± ¡°Really! How did you memorize those numbers! I get why now! But! Ugh¡­Three days earlier would have been convenient.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rush you there.¡± Kyrion connected the two locations and constructed a portal to Cedric and the hanger. ¡°I¡¯m in. Now what¡­Did¡­Oh. Those are some big weapons¡­¡± ¡°There is also a hangar with flying vehicles. Get your people in and out.¡± Kyrion commanded before moving back to Dwen. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need you to get Sean in on it as well. Ari, contact Alpha and Omega.¡± ¡°They are already fighting on the front lines. They have split the animal army. The Penguins are flying a few carriers over the ocean towards Africa and Europe. Omega in Africa, Alpha in Europe. You¡¯re healers need direction, give them a divine proclamation. I¡¯ll patch you in. Adlib a speech.¡± ¡°People of Kao! I offer you a chance to assist me. I need you all to offer up an item you value. And in a moment you¡¯ll receive a touch of my power. Whenever a monster dies, its power will go to the item if you hold it up. 3/4th will go into the rest the item which will be able to resurrect and heal beyond your limit. At this time I can not resurrect anyone in this space. Humanity must survive and for that I will let you know. The item will be capable of firing my version of divine judgment. The spell is called Divine Spear, it won¡¯t harm people or our animal allies but the monsters will be affected. Don¡¯t focus on attacking however, lives are more important than damage. Another message will go out shortly.¡± Kyrion granted all of his followers a new spell based on his knowledge. Kyrion turned his focus to Karl. ¡°Karl, enchant all the items to those specifications. Also, this entire area is my domain; currently you can treat it as your dungeon. I can¡¯t absorb all this power, I need it to go into other places.¡± ¡°A deception, the power goes to you. You''re essentially getting them to take a quarter of the power into your items.¡± ¡°Correct and since my priests are mostly limited to the United Continent, due to restrictions It¡¯s fewer trips I¡¯ll need for project Christmas.¡± Kyrion stated before focusing on a massive influx of power as he sensed the power of something Ander eliminated went mostly to him. ¡°Now for project, offload the excess to Ander by having him kill a good portion.¡± Kyrion sent a connection to his friend. ¡°Too long. But I will inform everyone of the changes in your stead. Further rewards will be delayed to the end however.¡± Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 62 Waters Edge Ander was on his hundredth dispatched salamander when another two hundred fell from the sky above and the portal closed. Marking a final wave of foes. The young man was beyond irritated when that wave came. Much to his irritation, though he¡¯d gained enough power to increase his range and potency. Ander thought for a long moment at the predicament. If the barrier was powered by Kyrion¡¯s soul, then he should be able to reach at least that far with his ultimate technique. ¡°Chiyo dear. Please get far away from me and any monster. I¡¯m about to do something I¡¯m not too proud of.¡± Ander was fully proud of what he had planned. ¡°Ander¡­What exactly are you going to do?¡± ¡°I mean. If Kyrion¡¯s going to play deity and we both come from the same world. Shouldn¡¯t I follow suit? He isn¡¯t that much stronger¡­Well he wasn¡¯t before I got here.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ You can bring back the dead?¡± ¡°No. Not yet anyways. I can restart a stopped heart if I''m careful but I¡¯m not really a healer.¡± Ander said as stripes formed on his body as black and white lightning radiated from his body in an aura of power. Chiyo got plenty far back. ¡°Get away from the monsters!¡± The other agents did so making room. They knew Ander was strong but no one tested his limits. That was the thing when two monsters were on the planet. If either one could blow up the world it was better not to anger them both simultaneously. What Ander did next, proved them right. ¡°Genocide¡­ Bolt!!!!!!¡± Ander yelled as the combined blast of lightning turned the first into dust on impact. The blast spread out 10 times, each strike spreading more and more as the creatures were one shot and the power of the attack increased greatly. What had been a struggle, turned into a slaughter beyond what they could hope as within a minute the attack had crossed over to China to the west, as well as the western UC, to the east. Monsters turned into dust and spread as the bolts soon continued for another ten minutes meeting in Spain before shooting into a rift. The slaughter continued throughout the world as every Salamander that had existed, did exist, and had yet to be, was wiped out of the universe. ¡°Salamanders were the most common of foes and quite powerful, but not the strongest of or deadliest I suspect.¡± Ander let out a breath and collapsed having pushed his soul to its limit and gotten stronger for it. ¡°Ander¡­How limited is that attack?¡± ¡°The enemies have to either be similar or I have to know what I''m aiming at. I only set it to attack gargantuan lizards, without wings.¡± ¡°If you targeted humans?¡± ¡°Kyrion would put both of us down for our own good. Not you. Me and himself. More than likely.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t see that happening¡­¡± ¡°Same. So don¡¯t bring up hypocriticals.¡± Ander lay down against a building. ¡°Hypotheticals.¡± ¡°Tomato, apple.¡± Ander collapsed his forehead hitting a light pole and denting it on the way down. A cocoon of white light surrounded him as the excess power was put to use.
¡°I found Sera. She¡¯s currently being held in an old Slayer containment field. Both of her alleged parents had her sealed before they could fall.¡± Dwen said to Issac and the others via their connection. Issac¡¯s machine grabbed a rhino covered in stone and slammed it into a two-headed lion. ¡°What!¡± ¡°Thats. Where are they?¡± Jin asked in a whisper. ¡°Trapped in the real world.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t every¨C¡± Jin started. ¡°They aren¡¯t Esprs, just trained agents. Nothing odd about them and not ranked high enough for magical gear.¡± Kilo stated. ¡°So she¡¯s alone.¡± Mira stated. ¡°Yes. We can get there in an hour if we leave now.¡± Dwen said from Jin¡¯s speaker before scowling. ¡°When did she get in your machine Jin?¡± Moca asked. ¡°Uh¡­Not sure¡­¡± Jin lied, horribly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, If you want to save your friend we need to work together. My brother also likes this machine because it''s faster and has a second seat in it.¡± ¡°It has the same specs, but red with flame motifs.¡± Kilo stated as the blue mech morphed into a blue jet and shot off. ¡°Which makes it faster. That''s science.¡± The red machine transformed into a red copy of said machine. The rest followed suit in time figuring out the buttons when black and white lights passed through them and into monsters around the area that had gone into hiding. Causing dust to shoot up from the ground.
All around the world people fought, died, killed, accumulating points that would eventually go to magical items and weapons. As well as large amounts of power. The abrupt battle was turned around and most enemies had been eliminated on the surface. That was until a red metal pickup truck, the size of a moon slammed into Kyrion¡¯s domain forcing its way through the protective veil around the planet. ¡°Not good.¡± Ceres flew into the massive truck and easily tore apart the metal letting out a purple breath attack that created bubbles to form on the surface before a group of blue, green, and black-furred monsters with large ears but scarred humanoid cow faces. They somewhat resembled minotaurs with their horns, but their build was closer to a human¡¯s proportions and height. Upon getting out of the ship they noticed the dragons hovering around them waiting for an excuse. ¡°So, why are you here?¡± ¡°Bossman?¡± The cow people stopped when they caught a glimpse of Kyrion holding up the barrier. ¡°Is that what I told you to call me?¡± Kyrion asked in mock irritation which was used to kids the curiosity.. ¡°Uhhhh.. Oh great Mooooooster Kyr. Father of all Mooooonsters, eater of the stars and moooons, Cosmic Glutton, there is mooore but I forget.¡± ¡°Also, add Commander of Unity and Peace, as well as, Captain of Drisil, Kaolad, Missionary of Kao, Rion, Insane, mad, Santa Claus, Lord of Thorns, Crimson Magpie, Casino Owner, He who frees deities, slayer of dragons, Brewmaster, True Pacifist, Relentless Demon, oh and Trouble. Add those to my list of titles. ¡®Uhhh Mooster, did you forget that you have some of those titles?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mention them the first time. Now did you. ¡° ¡°Sorry Mooster!¡± The Mino people said in unison. ¡°Good. Now why are you here right now?¡± ¡°Ah. You see. We saw the humans fire off a powerful shooter. And thought that dey is ready to be ummmm¡­Concord. That it.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun. Also, this world is ripe with all kinds of food. Have you heard of a cheeseburger?¡± ¡°Is that a weapon?¡± ¡°Use your context clues. What do I keep you around for anyways?¡± ¡°We are the Ko¡¯su¡¯dina.¡± (emergency field rations.) In Kyrion¡¯s home language. ¡°Is that so. That¡¯s a truly honorable position. What was it now, a 3 rank promotion on death?¡± ¡°Four. We become Kyr¡¯s right hand. You must have many right hands.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a few in my lifetime.¡± Kyrion was irritated by the world-ending version of himself that people feared. The same terrible sense of humor, and mischievous nature. When had Kyrion called a sentient creature food? A long blue dragon floated above the cowmen and hovered with a curious expression. ¡°Are they friends or sausages?¡± ¡°Ah. You know, I wouldn¡¯t be this way if sentient monsters never tried to eat me first. If rabbit people can eat kids. I should be able to eat rabbit people. Isn¡¯t that right Ceres?¡± Ceres slowly blinked and landed next to Kyrion. Drool leaking as the cow people seemed to stir an instinctual hunger. ¡°Uh yes. I could go for some beef.¡± The cow people knew that word and stepped into a shield wall. ¡°We are not the beef!¡± ¡°You came here against my orders. You are what we want you to beat. Don¡¯t you want to be my Dina?¡± ¡°That sounds alot like dinner when you remove the first two parts.¡± Kyrion pulled out a three-day-old cheeseburger he¡¯d been saving. ¡°This is a hamburger with cheese.¡± ¡°Meat?¡± ¡°As well as bread, cheese, and vegetables, a perfectly balanced meal if there ever was one.¡± Kyrion waved it back and forth then tossed it at the group and watched them gobble it up animalistically. Kyrion¡¯s minotaurs are vegetarians by nature, with a solid influx of eggs to help them get large. In comparison, the cow people in front of him were like wild oxen. Kyrion didn¡¯t eat his minotaurs. But¡­ ¡°What was that meat! It was delicious.¡± ¡°Ground Psudo Beef.¡± Kyrion stated. Pseudo Beef was imitation meat grown from meat plants developed by Dwen during her time here. It was beef if beef could be multiplied and grown on trees. It was a failed experiment but tasted no different than cow meat. There just wasn¡¯t enough soul in it. Kyrion scowled. Flavor? Seasoning, it wasn¡¯t seasoned enough.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ground Beef?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Beef as in cow?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Kyrion stated, catching on. ¡°Oh the aftertaste is because it¡¯s three days old? Gotta eat them fresh.¡± ¡°You fed us a baby?¡± ¡°Do you want it right out of the oven?¡± Dwen had cooked them in the oven. Which also didn¡¯t make them burgers. Kyrion prided himself on eating anything. But he¡¯d gotten spoiled as of late. ¡°You mooonster!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. Now then. If you stay on this planet any longer I¡¯ll force you to eat more Pseudo Beef until you can¡¯t live without it.¡± ¡°Heartless! How dare you turn us into canablies!¡± ¡°Oh. Oh¡­Well, you come to my friend''s world, ahead of schedule. Drop monsters on an unprepared populace and call me a monster? Do you know why you¡¯re supposed to wait?¡± Kyrion¡¯s sclera turned dark and surrounded them in mana. ¡°Because you¡¯re lazy?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ No, because this world has the best food I¡¯ve tasted, albient not the most nutritious. I¡¯ve been making a cookbook based on all kinds of things since I¡¯ve been here. You are getting in the way of me saving the universe from a tasteless future. If you don¡¯t was Psudo Beef, I do have gyros.¡± ¡°Do they have meat?¡± ¡°Lamb. Not Psudo Beef.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Kyrion pulled three hot gyros out of his pocket. Each one paper. The four cows fought for them and Kyrion watched in mock amazement as all four fell over sick after ingesting actual meat. Or¡­..Kyri ¡°Oh¡­ Looks like you can¡¯t digest¡­parchment paper.¡± ¡°Soo good.¡± One of the cowmen said as their eyes dilated and he entered a food coma. After ten minutes of waiting. ¡°We require more of the gyros.¡± ¡°Snacks don¡¯t make demands. But, I¡¯ll make you an offer. If you can convince your crew to settle on the Moon, or a remote island and act as one of my special crews. Swear on your souls to listen to this version of me, then I will offer to have you revive payment in gyros not to be confused with Euros.¡± ¡°They sound the same.¡± ¡°Yeah, the person I got this language from calls it that.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be right back.¡±
Kilo had hopped out of his mech and placed his hand above a biometric scanner only for the limb to begin to glow silver as the screen changed then turned green. Issac charged into the next room the second the doors opened towards a second set of automatic doors that clearly didn¡¯t open fast enough as the young man tore the doors apart. Various pods which held robotic soldiers lay empty as the group of young heros arrived in a lab where a ginger haired woman was connected to hundreds of wires that had been embedded into various parts of her body. Her eyes were covered in a dark red cloth as a pool of copper lay on the ground under her. A mask on her face did nothing as the rest of the life support attached to her didn¡¯t follow. Jin¡¯s eyes widened as he moved to block Moca, and Lee who had been behind him. Someone who had been a friend, was instead used, by the people she trusted, and turned into a living husk. ¡°Lee, Moca, I can¡¯t stop the others but you two should turn around.¡± Lee scowled as he moved around Jin then scowled. ¡°Oh¡­We need to get out of here. Now!¡± Mira looked to Lee. ¡°What the hell do you mean? Our friend is.¡± ¡°This was the future I saw! Damn it! I thought we would avoid this outcome. Listen if we don¡¯t get out of here. All of us are going to die.¡±
Despite such a proclamation, Lee didn¡¯t leave. He waited for the others to leave first. ¡°I won¡¯t leave her behind. Now either help me get her down or run. I won¡¯t be going anywhere.¡± ¡°You know I can see the future. If you die! There won¡¯t be any coming back! Something is wrong here.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Sean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all fools.¡± Lee stomped his foot. ¡°Moca, don¡¯t you have something to do? Family to find?¡± ¡°My father is a dead bastard, my mother has been dead for years, and apparently I¡¯ve been talking to a robot in a hospital bed. I have no other family and honestly, I don¡¯t have much left to lose. So I won¡¯t leave a friend behind.¡± Moca clenched her fist ¡°Moca¡­.Kilo, I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re the only one not here right now. Aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That is somewhat correct. Jin, can you get Dwen out of here if things get messy?¡± ¡°Why are you all giving up? We should be able to win against whatever comes our way!¡± ¡°No. Something hasn¡¯t felt right for a while now. If the worst comes then we will need to be ready.¡± ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Jin scowled as an image shot through his mind in slow motion.
¡°Jin you¡¯re mech can get Dwen out of here. If she dies, the earth is likely¡ª¡± Kilo started when his eyes exploded from inside his metallic skull. Blood, oil, and coolant shot everywhere and coated the area in a green blood-like substance. As Kilo¡¯s head fell forward, a large missile-like projectile hit him in the back of the head and impacted his shull. The robotic body was durable enough to keep it from skewering him. Jin turned to the others only to see Mira lose her head as a tentacle of water wrapped around and squeezed with the lethality of a guillotine. Issac had grabbed Sera, only for his veins to tear out of his body and then drill into the young man¡¯s brain through his ears. Sean moved quickly dodging striking and closing the distance only for a pulse of power to shut off his artificial Esper abilities, as tendrils of water grabbed each and every limb, beginning to pull. Finally, Lee, and Moca who had been too slow to react, were crushed by the ceiling plate that fell on top of them as water rushed in to fill the room and drown anyone present. The former needed a second for his pecognition to trigger while the latter seemed frozen.
¡°Jin-¡± Kilo started. Jin drew his Phoblade and slashed toward a missile launcher that had just risen out of the ground. Cutting it in two he raised the temperature and conjured a blast of flame which was used to evaporate the surrounding water and dry out the moisture in the air. Sean moved Moca to a safe location, before charging forward his abilities given by the procedure failing as he threw a dagger into a tube connecting Sera¡¯s life support to her body. Issac tore the wires apart only for Sera to pay him back with a fist that passed cleanly through his torso yet barely managed to avoid anything vital. Issac felt the wounds rapidly close as the wound regenerated and he struggled back to his feet, exhausted. Mira fired her death gun into various launchers that had appeared destroying them before they could lock on. Kilo interfaced with the room seeing the others move and began to rench control from the entity controlling Sera. ¡°Mind Rend.¡± Sera said in a monotone. Causing Jin and Sean to fall to their knees. Lee slammed both of his hands into the side of her head confusing as he tore out the remainder of the wires as the wrap fell. Revealing two empty eye sockets as Psionic energy slammed into him and pressed him against the wall. Scrambling to his feet Jin felt something off.
¡°Wind Spear!¡± Moca yelled as two spears of wind appeared in front of her only for the spell to go somewhere else as two water tentacles slammed into her. One spear passed through Lee¡¯s head while the other hit Kilo¡¯s left leg causing a chain reaction that led to them dying shortly after.
Jin tackled Moca before the spears could form as the water tentacles missed their sneak attack. Various tubes could be seen flowing through her ears and implanted to the side via various wires and tubes. She couldn¡¯t hear anything they didn''t want her to hear. ¡°Sera! Wake up!¡± Issac grabbed her by the shoulders. The veins in Issac¡¯s arms ceased to flow as a command was sent to his brain. ¡°Stop!¡± Sera yelled in a monotone. Dwen sighed as her sclera turned dark. Moving at a speed that displaced the air around her, she pulled out a familiar purple mushroom and stuffed it in the trapped girl''s mouth. ¡°You all are so melodramatic. ¡± ¡°What?¡± Sera ceased moving as the wires in her body were pushed out and blood followed to the ground as the damage to her body was vast. ¡°Your turn to stop. Just like that the fight ended as Sera stood in front of them motionless.¡± Dwen stated as she ¡°You could have done that the whole time?¡± ¡°Those bastards stole our tech and tried to make it their own!¡± Metallic rods extended from Kilo¡¯s right arm resembling a flat phoblade as he approached the computers and placed a hand on the console. A blue blade shot out and extended into the device as his mind entered the console. Within moments his eyes glowed blue as the data he¡¯d gathered was sent to his mental backup. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jin asked. Kilo looked to Sera, noticing that the bleeding had stopped but scowled. ¡°There are more here. Dangerous failures. The slayers were trying to force those they¡¯d gathered into machines to create thralls. Sera did surpass their expectations, and was also deemed a failure and was to be scrapped later tonight. The tech they used is a poor imitation of what I am currently and they clearly stole one of our much older models from somewhere. Without knowing what they¡¯re doing.¡± Moca scowled. ¡°You¡¯re a robot? Are you an Ai?¡± ¡°No, no no. I am probably 50% human. Every power where I''m from has a price and the more one is pushed past their limits the closer they become to a monster. My father had already converted into a machine he could control before he fled here. It¡¯s just that I was the first body he¡¯d managed to find and most recently began to move around outside of my tank and out of the net.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I also didn¡¯t do much.¡± Moca scowled. Lee sighed. ¡°It¡¯s better this way. We can wreck the building a bit.¡± Lee punched a monitor and caused a chain reaction that caused them to pass through the wall as a hole to reality was opened up. ¡°Oops.¡± ¡°Wind wall!¡± Moca yelled as bullets rained on the opening only to be redirected and ricocheted back into the building causing more damage to themselves as the portal closed. ¡°You should go. Unlike me, bullets are quite lethal. Jin, Kilo swap machines, Kilo take her back in the red mech.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I am an expert in spirit mastery. Meaning I¡¯m a tier higher than my younger brother. We should be quite close in terms of raw power.¡± ¡°That makes no sense.¡± Moca stated. ¡°My brother cheats the system every chance he gets. Suffice it to say I can handle things here.¡± The others left eventually leaving the humans to Dwen¡¯s machinations. Had they known, what she could do, they would have insisted she not stay behind.
Ander sat in front of a group of masked people in cloth clothing. He knew them as this country''s assassins or Ninjas. He¡¯d been surrounded hours after his fourth genocide bolt. The insignia on their shoulders resembled snakes. A gun was pressed against the back of his head. As he pretended to be helpless. Rune erasure was easy when the user knew what they were doing. Ander, who''d help Kyrion build structures, knew runes. While he wasn¡¯t a master of them he could easily erase them subtly with careful blades of wind. His control was what made him deadly after all. ¡°So. What do you want?¡± ¡°We noticed you sneaking around and buying up various tech organizations. I want to know what you¡¯re after?¡± ¡°Oh? That''s simple. I ¡®m trying to go home. For that I¡¯ll need resources. Are you going to get in my way?¡± ¡°You will need to work with us then. Sign everything in your name over to us when you leave and we¡¯ll take good care of those assets. We guard an important area, if you don¡¯t take us up on the offer we¡¯ll take it off you another way.¡± ¡°Oh, your bandits! Here I thought you were Ninja¡¯s.¡± Ander laughed as he sent invisible bolts into the man behind him and hijacked his body by manipulating the electric signals sent by his brain. The gun went off and fired into the back of Ander''s head, falling uselessly to the ground. Said gun was then pointed at one of the other ninjas and fired three more times resulting in a battle between allies. Seeing the distraction Ander left the area as a bus-sized Rhinoceros Beetle standing on two legs rounded the corner. Releasing his control, the group fought each other for a while longer on their own. Both sides trying to stay alive as a monster interrupted. ¡°Oi Chiyo, have them marked off as not good standing. If they would try to extort me I must not be the first.¡± ¡°I will. See to that. But the Orochi are quite dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are.¡± Ander crossed both of his arms. ¡°Those weapons were made to disrupt mana. A direct hit from it as intended would have left me powerless had I not caught on.¡± ¡°Back up, when did you learn how to mind control people.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t mind control. I hijacked the signals in his brain to force him to attack an ally. Instead of me. It wasn¡¯t all that impressive and only last for a few seconds. I can¡¯t make armies of people fight themselves. Single target for fine control. Aoe for Chaos and simple commands. Limited to 5 people at best.¡± ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°I was looking for a better way to teach and taught by forcing someone''s positioning to be perfect would make them better and faster. But the journey is just as important as form for many.¡± Ander sighed. ¡°Ah. I think I get it.¡± ¡°Now then. Any more species that need wiping?¡± Ander got to his feet as a gold necklace with a citrine jewel resembling a tiger appeared in front of him. ¡°Huh.¡± Ander put it on and felt his energy absorption double along with his efficiency which essentially doubled his capacity. A matching necklace, made from sapphire appeared. Only the creature was a bird. ¡°I think that¡¯s for you.¡± Ander pointed toward Chiyo. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to pick it up and dust it off?¡± Chiyo raised an eyebrow. Ander moved to pick it up only for his fingers to pass through the item. ¡°I can¡¯t touch it.¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯ve encountered this before?¡± ¡°He turned the planet into his dungeon. No wonder he¡¯s giving off items. When he closes it down, he¡¯ll be forced to reabsorb all of the energy which would likely cause him to explode. I bet his gnomes are making toys!¡± ¡°You mean elfs. Santa has elfs.¡± ¡°Elves don¡¯t look like that back home. They remind me more of the lost gnome race.¡± ¡°Lost? What happened to them?¡± ¡°If people knew they wouldn¡¯t be lost. Now then I think this battle has been mostly wrapped up. So what did you have in mind today?¡± Ander realized he¡¯d reverted to his tactless tone and tried to sweep it under the rug.
¡°We have come to an arrangement.¡± The cowmen stated. ¡°You will be known as the Cowboys. I will be sending some of you to train in India.¡± Kyrion said with crossed arms. ¡°We didn¡¯t even get to tell you our decision.¡± The lead Cowboy stated, ¡°It¡¯s either yes or annihilation. I assume you are intelligent enough to know that going against me, is volunteering to become food for my food. I¡¯ll keep you all in that big red barn and just haul you along.¡± ¡°N-no need for that.¡± The lead Cowboy spluttered out. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t resist. My good little dragon is hungry. He could go for some Ko¡¯su¡¯dinas himself.¡± ¡°W-w-we s-surender!¡± ¡°You know the rules.¡± ¡°We swear on our souls and the souls of our species to serve you till the fires of all of our lies die out. As Chief of the Ox¨C¡± ¡°Cowboys.¡± ¡° As Chief of the Cowboys.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kyrion smiled a smile that caused the Cowboys to sweat milk. ¡°So they secrete milk when scared. Is all of the water in their body milk instead or is it some type of defensive mechanism?¡± Karl asked. ¡°A shame, you smelled like you¡¯d go good with cookies. Santa Claus loves his milk and cookies afterall.¡± ¡°I.I am very uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I accept your oath. Breaking it means your race belongs to me as food for my food.¡± Kyrion watched as a bit of his power wrapped around their souls like a chain. He could grant them all abilities that would set them aside from the rest of their kin. The boost would be permanent, and stay even if they turned on him. ¡°Ultimate regeneration so long as you aren¡¯t decapitated and chocolate, or Kakao isn¡¯t spread on the wound, you will regenerate from almost anything so long as you have milk and blood in your bodies. Limited im-mooo-ortality.¡± ¡°That is a nice boon.¡± ¡°Good. Good. Don¡¯t become a problem I have to deal with later.¡± Kyrion bluffed. Despite speaking, the body he was using wasn¡¯t able to fight and keep the realities separate. He¡¯d be spreading himself much too thin. ¡°Well then. Since I don¡¯t sense any betrayal I¡¯ll inform you that becoming my enemy will mean a slow death on a meat farm where you are given enough milk to survive the horrors of creating and testing psudo beef.¡± At that moment, Kyrion quashed all hopes of a rebellion that would have occurred when he wasn¡¯t looking. Kyrion raised his hands to signify to himself that he was pushing everything out of his domain when a message hit him hard. Book Lost(2.5), Chapter 63 Mind Rend ¡°Kyr we have an emergency! We found Sera! She¡¯s bleeding everywhere. They took her eyes!¡± Issac said through his phone. ¡°Thats not much of a big deal. People lose them all the time.¡± Kyrion stated calmly as he traced the signal to their location. He¡¯d picked up an enchantment to manipulate the phone waves and could now take them in through his eyes and ears absorb the information, and track the speakers. The design was Dwens but the bio implant was something he did very recently. Only those who knew him could call said line, yet good ole S. Cam, did learn the hard way multiple times. ¡°Not a big deal!¡±Issac seemed surprised. ¡°Human experimentation, Kyr, she¡¯s a child by society''s standards here.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t she just grow them back?¡± ¡°Did you grow back your eye?¡± Dwen asked. ¡°I can, well could, but I prefer a good prosthesis. I also don¡¯t need to see through my eyes to see.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being stupid. Why are you being calm about this? They took our friend, turned her into a weapon and mutilated her. To create a weapon, to kill you!¡± ¡°Issac. Thats enough.¡± Kyrion stated calmly as eyes opened on much more than his arm. Tens of thousands of eyes covered his body and clothes as he looked through the eyes of each of his thorns finding the location in the real world. ¡°No it''s not enough!¡± Jin took the phone. ¡°We almost died. Had Dwen not been here and my power not been what it was, we would have all died. We are surrounded by auto turrets and the second we leave this world of yours we¡¯ll be gunned down. I know what your¨C¡± ¡°You don¡¯t. It¡¯s fine. Pour a drop of the pink vial on Lee¡¯s waist into each eye socket then have her drink the rest. Don¡¯t go anywhere. But please close your eyes, becuse in thirty seconds from the bottle being used. I¡¯ll be there, I don¡¯t want you all to see what¡¯s about to happen.¡± ¡°Uh. Already taken care of. The kids are overreacting.¡± Dwen stated. ¡°Oh right! So I don¡¯t need to execute them?¡± ¡°What?¡± Issac seemed confused. ¡°Kyrion. Did you ever encounter a mushroom in your Limguard trials?¡± ¡°Yes? Why do you ask? It almost got me?¡± ¡°Meh, your blood likely consumed them first. No, the spores of said mushroom turn people into thralls under my command briefly. I can give them simple orders. The human problem took care of itself. The turrets may still be a problem though.¡± ¡°Oh, thats a lot less bloodshed then.¡± Kyrion stepped out of his domain and began closing it as Karl distributed rewards based on contribution to those who killed monsters with Ander getting the highest by quite the margin followed by Chiyo, then Jin. The next few names were none Kyrion recognized Nor cared about as he was busy. After a third teleport, he appeared somewhere underground in an area strewn with corpses that showed no signs of damage despite various anti-magic bullets littering the ground. The thing about anti-magic bullets was that they negated magical defenses like barriers by dispelling the unnatural. His natural endurance took multiple volleys head-on as he conjured a wave of divine wind. ¡°Dimensional Cyclone.¡± Kyrion chanted. The devices were swept up and smashed against the walls of the underground area and then traveled upward to the uninfected people above. Members of the slayers that were still loyal and in on the atrocities. He wasn¡¯t ready for that weight, so he¡¯d played a minor trick with his spell. Sending his senses out as the wind tore the base asunder. In minutes a skyscraper had gone missing from the world. That action followed by the knowledge that he seemingly killed over a hundred people despite being twisted, were still natives of this world. Said thoughts irritated him for all of ten seconds as the rest of the barrier failed and he was surrounded by 8 pissed-off Slayers with supernatural abilities. His friends and sister were nowhere to be found. ¡°Oh¡­You¡¯ve figured out how to mess with my teleportation.¡± Kyrion stated with irritation. ¡°And you just murdered civilians in cold blood.¡± ¡°To be fair. I feel a little guilty now. But why all the auto turrets and other weapons if that was a normal office building. You can¡¯t blame me for this when you interrupt my travel and put your weapons near civilians. This is a setup, and you did get me, I¡¯m trapped unless I choose to go renegade and destroy the planet.¡± Kyrion dropped a cannon out of his domain with the slayer emblem. He then sat down on it and relaxed. Four of the espers used the same power in conjunction, creating chains of energy. Said chains wrapped around Kyrion and tied him in place. Kyrion patiently examined the chains and found that his D.E. was sealed along with his mana. But with careful movements, he could slip through or break through if given enough time. Kyrion also kept his connection to the thorns that had left his body. His ability to transmit information through phone waves was gone. But he could still communicate his location to Ceres which he did. ¡°So what do you want from me? Be very specific.¡± Kyrion stated as he received confirmation through his thorns. ¡°What we want is your death. Ever since you¡¯ve arrived you¡¯ve been making trouble for our organization and even set up a competing force. But with you dead the head falls off of the snake and it all crumbles.¡± A blond-haired man stated. His glasses showed his dark brown eyes and a brown goatee. ¡°Ah. You guys are like an infestation. The more I get rid of, the more I find in other places.¡± Kyrion sighed. One of the other espers punched Kyrion with a fist coated with bone armor that did no damage to the victim. As the bone armor shattered revealing a shattered hand underneath the surface. ¡°Oww. I think that stung a bit, try it again with your other hand.¡± ¡°You asked for it.¡± The man punched again the simple taunt working. Then again had these people been smart, they would have jumped ship instead of trying to capture him. Kyrio jumped as the fist came causing the chains to be heavily damaged by the blow, exploding into a flash of light. The four Espers Gasped as their concentration was broken, which was enough for Kyrion to do something he didn¡¯t like. He rapidly increased the temperature before decreasing it, putting them into a form of shock as their minds cooked, then chilling. The spell damaged the part of their brains that controlled Esper''s abilities and seemingly locked them permanently. ¡°You need to know to quit while you¡¯re ahead.¡± ¡°Plan b! We have a warheads underneath Seattle. One wrong move and the entire north west coast goes up in flames along with all your friends!¡± ¡°How does it work?¡± Kyrion asked. ¡°I press the button and everything goes boom! It will send a signal to our satellite then beam it down to¡­Wait why am I telling you this?¡± Kyrion clicked his tongue and covered the area in his domain, much like he did with the planet on a much smaller scale. Then it hit him, this was the right place, his destination was just off a building, and the sounds of bullets being fired shot through his senses. ¡°This is a deception. You¡¯re trying to trap me. But that won¡¯t work. There are no warheads. There is no explosion and you are no Slayer.¡± ¡°And they told me you were slow. We are the Order of Zeroth, or O.Z. Our goal is to push humanity to new heights. We don¡¯t need people like you interfering.¡± ¡°Admirable. But you messed up when you kidnapped our clubmate.¡± ¡°Clubmate?¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t give him the chance to explain as he knocked the remainder out physically and then flew to the next building as his ability to teleport seemed to return.
Quest Obtained: Destroy 8 auto-turrets before the dragons come. 6 minutes remaining. Rewards, a level up for every member of our party, access to a branching quest. The Slayers of Humanity must be annihilated for humanity to prosper. Jin drew his phoblade and stood in front of Moca. ¡°Sean get ready. Moca, surround yourselves and the others in a dome of wind. Kilo and Dwen stay in the back. They have anti magic weapons.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Sean ignited his red weapon and took the front. Kilo didn¡¯t respond. ¡°The second we¡¯re connected to the real world I¡¯ll begin disabling defenses.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Dwen pulled out some seeds which she embedded in the ground as a mushroom plushie fell to the ground in front of her. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you kids handle it.¡± The barrier went down as Jin snatched a ruby pendant out of the air placed it around his neck then drew his second pho blade igniting both at once as the world around them returned to the way it was supposed to be. Sean moved through the raining hail of bullets cutting the barrels off and slashing through the generators at speeds impossible to watch. Jin deflected the barrage with disturbing ease as he danced through the hail and created a cross of flames that destroyed the next turret. Moca¡¯s barrier went up as missiles and bullets slammed into it ineffectually. From there Sean and Jin continued to clean them up with ease. As he did however a muscular figure standing eight feet tall with metallic weapons attached to every part of his body appeared. ¡°I am Jac! You trespassers will die!¡± The figure said with a mixture of robotic and human vocal cords. Branching quest 1, survive until help arrives, 2, defeat the Jac clone. Jac felt his body grow slightly stronger when the brute arrived. ¡°Sean?¡± ¡°I feel stronger as well. What is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. Protect the others. I¡¯m going offensive for a moment. In thirty seconds have Lee, join in, then let Mira provide cover fire after we get a good rhythm going. The second that barrier goes down. That crazed bastard will kill Moca, Issac and Sera.¡± ¡°When do I join in?¡± ¡°If I go down. You take over.¡± Jin stated as he ran towards the brute which seemingly moved behind him with impossible speed and slammed an arm down. Jin spun into the strike jumping before it could hit the ground and slashed into the clone''s chest watching as his swords grazed and cut through skin and muscle revealing three hearts, one human and the other two belonging to different monsters. Jin then watched as a stomp came down and shook, just before he landed. Rolling to the side as a fist nearly caught his head. Jin slammed both of his blades into the outstretched limb before rolling into a haymaker and embedding his swords into two of the creatures'' hearts causing him to wail. Grabbing Jin by the head and throwing him into a wall. Jin spun into the air as Lee Joined the fight slamming fist after fist into the monster¡¯s torso. Dodging each strike that came and landing reverberating blows that pushed the blades Jin placed deeper. Jin drew two smaller pho blades that charged forward, running up the side of the wall as he jumped past the monster''s head driving one sword into his eye and another into his head causing its perception to falter for a moment. A black bolt of light hit the clone in the chest and neck, these wounds didn¡¯t heal and Lee evaded a kick only to get grabbed and thrown. Sean appeared cutting cleanly through the exposed human heart as he buried a grenade into the hole of another as he sped off and caught the flying Lee. The grenade went off destroying the revealed hearts causing its regeneration to cease. But it still didn¡¯t die as it charged Mira. Kilo appeared, easily slicing the clone''s arms off with a blade hidden in his arms he spun a blade in his leg, cleaving off his head as a roundhouse cleft the exposed limb off. The steam then rose out of his body as his body began to rapidly cool. ¡°Kilo. How many weapons are you hiding in you?¡± ¡°Quite a few. When I¡¯m in a body meant for fighting. I don¡¯t go to school with 37 weapons hidden inside me.¡± Kilo joked as his body went limp, the connection stuttering. The clone''s head rolled to Kilo for a while. Just as it was about to hit his leg Sera yelled. ¡°Mind Rend!¡± The head was bisected and then shredded from the inside revealing a bunch of legs under its body as it was being controlled externally. Sera blinked while holding her head as she looked around in confusion. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we gone? We need to get out now!¡° ¡°Now now. You have no need to run. I assure you. You are safe here. Right Moca?¡± Moca froze as she saw her father. Was he her father, was she like Jac or the other clones? ¡°Moca held her head.¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s worried dear Moca. Please answer me.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Jin stated as four more of the juiced-up clones appeared at the man''s side. ¡°No¡­We took down one, but if they have the same power.¡± ¡°Dear Moca, take care of Sera for me.¡± Moca turned to Sera and began to conjure wind spears only to fall unconscious before they could form. ¡°Moca, get up.¡± The man ordered to no avail. ¡°Guess we do this the hard way. Go, my sons!¡± The man pointed his right hand forward and noticed a brown eye on his palm. The eye blinked shut. The clones moved to attack only to collapse like Moca did. Shortly after. ¡°What is going on!¡± The man drew a gun and pointed it at the down Sera. A small mouth appeared on his finger. A tongue came out of the mouth and brushed against the trigger. Sending the taste of steel and sulfur to the holder. ¡°Go ahead, pull the trigger I dare to.¡± Stated a whisper in the wind. A pair of blue eyes grew on the side of his head while another mouth was inside his ear canal. The man panicked and fired into the air behind hitting the wall and causing the ricochet to branch off and hit him in the shoulder. ¡°Again!¡± The voices cheered as more mouths grew. Covering his body in eyes, mouth, nose, and in some cases ears. The man appeared more like an abomination than a human. ¡°More!¡± ¡°Entertain us!¡± ¡°Feed us your madness!¡± ¡°Give us your soul.¡± ¡°Where are you. Come out! You guys help!¡± ¡°Above!¡± ¡°Bellow!¡± ¡°Inside!¡± ¡°Behind!¡± ¡°Everywhere and nowhere. We¡¯re crawling inside your skin right now.¡± Triangles moved between the layer of skin and bone sending him into a panic as the sensations multiplied. ¡°No! Get out of my head!¡± The man fired more and more at the wall unmoving as the others watched in confusion. ¡°There is only one way to make us go away!¡± The voices spoke in perfect unison as though they came from the same person. ¡°Only one way to make us stop. We¡¯ll just grow louder and if you get captured. The dumb little humans will keep you alive. You''ll get brought back multiple times back to the voices, back to the terror while we crawl and eat, until your bones are mush, your muscles bits. Your eyes empty, but your ears will hear and you will feel us moving around and chewing.¡± The voices gathered and spoke as the man collapsed holding his arms. The gun fell from his hands as he ran out of bullets. In the next instance, Kyion appeared from behind and caught the weapon, then watched the man panic and buck like a wild animal as he threw himself to the ground. ¡°Was it you? Were you messing with me?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Kyrion lay with a straight face, his mouth in a confused frown. Kyrion manipulated the man¡¯s nerves remotely triggering full-body spasms and breaking sounds as his thorns moved around. ¡°You lie!¡± The man swung as he tried to get to his feet and Kyrion moved to the side dodging with ease as the scared man collapsed to the ground. Sean approached the prone figure and withdrew a blade. ¡°Stop! Make them stop!¡± Kyrion lightly dusted off the man''s shoulder and he began to writhe in pain. He whispered in the man''s ear. ¡°I don¡¯t take things this far often. Usually, people learn to avoid my ire before this point. This is the least you deserve for what you¡¯ve done to the people of this world as well as my friends. ¡°You now look like what you''re on the inside. A gluttoning mass of flesh and bones that will mutate for as long as you live. Unable to live like a human.¡± Kyrion then moved away and nodded to Dwen before addressing the others as Shen approved the body. ¡°Sean, you Alpha, and the others can decide what to do with him. He¡¯s done for now. His pain receptors have been magnified greatly so too much torture could kill him. I do I¡¯m opening a portal back to Kilo¡¯s house and order some pizzas.¡± ¡°So after risking our lives and saving our friend you want us to wind down with a pizza party?¡± Mira said with an eye twitch. ¡°I¡¯ll get some ice cream, soda and wings as well. Look, I¡¯ve disabled the mind control bugs and hypnosis effects on the flesh golems and Moca. Sera¡¯s was removed when you gave her the potion. Just a question, does anyone know how Sera slipped through the cracks as an Esper? I didn''t pick up anything odd or strange.¡± ¡°She was capable of minor suggestions. She could get people to do things or make decisions. Never something people didn¡¯t want to do, mind you.¡± Issac woke up and stood in front of Sera. Letting out a deep breath before continuing.¡°An example would be, if someone was on the fence on a decision, she could make it seem more urgent. If it makes sense, she was the reason our club is likely loyal to begin with it. Everyone wanted to be there. Well, except her, she was likely there because I was.¡± ¡°But she was there because you were there. Right?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± Issac crossed his arms and looked Kyrion in the eyes. Kyrion saw resolution in them and steepled his fingers like. ¡°You¡¯ve grown much in the time I¡¯ve been here. So I¡¯ll ask you another question. Are the two of you holding hands? Like Kilo and Mira?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Kilo and Mira said in sync. ¡°Thats! Well. I mean¡­¡± Issac stammered at the question that caught him off guard. ¡°By the gods! You¡¯re practically making the pizzas aren''t you! No the calzones. Does Pizza Czar have calzones? Wait, focus, Issac answer the question.¡± Kyrion held his head as words were mixed up in his head. ¡°Yes, but only three meats total.¡± Issac answered. ¡°Not that question. The other one. Are you making Calzones?¡± Issac stuttered, reddened but eventually Dwen swatted her brother on the side of his head with a piece of flat wood. Issac was then lost as Kyrion moved about as if he were being pulled away. ¡°You know what. Change of questions. Where did you crazy kids meet?¡± ¡°At an orphanage for people with patents from this world. I don¡¯t really know what my real parents were but I was always athletic, taller, and more durable than most. When I broke a bone, it alway healed faster than normal. The powers you granted me enhanced that greatly.¡± ¡°So Sera was also there and by coincidence she happened to get adopted by people who lived in the same neighborhood.¡± ¡°The opposite. She was adopted first. I was in there for a year before a young couple picked me up. People saw my size and thought I was older than I was, my muscle tone was not normal for age.¡± ¡°I know the pain. When I was ten, I was about half a foot shorter with a face that matched my age and a body carved out of Beefcake Biweekly.¡± ¡°Shelving that last part for now but getting back to it later. Issac, did Sera choose your parents?¡± ¡°Yes, and by coincidence they lived right next to her as well. Which probably was some negotiating. Most people in our world tend to live close by. I think Mira would be the only one who broke into the world subconsciously.¡± ¡°So she can tell me to sit down and I¡¯ll only do it if I''m thinking about sitting down? So, if I¡¯m on the fence about between Anchovy and Artichoke Alfredo pizza and Meat Master¡¯s.¡± Sera looked at him for a long moment before letting out a deep breath. ¡°Oh that''s neat. It sounds like a thought I¡¯d have but my defenses tell me it''s not. Curious. I¡¯ll get both. It¡¯s weak, but a good ability to have if you¡¯re dealing with unstable people. Could be used to help people if used for good. But something tells me it''s stronger than it was.¡± Dwen stretched and then looked at her brother. ¡°Did you take them down so I wouldn¡¯t have had to kill them?¡± ¡°Yes. You should also teach Sera how to use her esper abilities.¡± ¡°Going to take over the world?¡± ¡°The penguins are incharge of Australia, apparently they made friends with the King of Roo¡¯s and taught the wildlife the way of Kao. They even gave me some new little buggy friends.¡± A portal opened above Kyrion¡¯s palm as a black spider with a red rectangle on its back crawled onto his palm and looked around. Very confused, it raised its right arm. ¡°I am Kao and these are friends.¡± Kyrion placed the spider atop his head and let it crawl about. Mira passed out standing up. Lee fell to the ground catatonic. ¡°Are, they scared of you? They do know that they are immune to your venom. That''s a power I gave to all of them.¡± Kyrion asked as he scratched the spider a bit on her thorax. ¡°Well, I know a tailor who would love you.¡± The spider vanished into Kyrion¡¯s domain. ¡°Why did you let that thing crawl all over you?¡± ¡°Did you see my Jellyfish boxer? Anyhow, come on, this is the day before I make my grand proclamation. Prep is complete.¡± ¡°Prep?¡± Mira asked. ¡°Santa Claus is coming next week. And he has to make his schedule known to the world. After that I go home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that time already?¡± Kilo asked. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Hey Kyr, mind if I go to your world to train for a bit?¡± Jin asked innocently. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I received a quest to train in your world. It¡¯s very important that I do so.¡± ¡°Ugh. Ask you parents. I won¡¯t be responsible for your life decisions. Now lets go!¡± Kyrion opened a portal to Kilo¡¯s house.
The Pizza party was a farewell party for Kyrion and Jin as well as a celebration. For the next two weeks were preparation and bulk market raids where Kyrion stocked up on all of the toilet paper. Tens of Thousands of rolls were purchased along with the factories that created it from materials to the end product. While he could live without it, such implements would be quite useful to his friends. He was quite sure Ander had gotten spoiled as well. Every recipe for food he found interesting, and all of the information he¡¯d gathered was on multiple hard drives and books. While a few laptops, supercomputers, and other devices that didn¡¯t belong in his world were there as well. Kyrion would have access to all of this world''s knowledge and in turn, Cecil and his father could get that going. As far as he was concerned all of earth was as ready as he could get it and in time. He knew that they would survive what was to come. The guardian of that world was left behind to act as the icon and head of his patron system while he was away gathering power and using it to protect the natives. The Cowboys were integrated into the Alliance of Animals. Quite a few penguins and other animals joined him on the way back to act as dungeon monsters that would revive in time to act as protection. All in all. Kyrion and Ander were leaving happier people than when they arrived. Both knew that they would be back when the monsters came to help out, but for now, they had tournaments to finish. Tests to take, and many more battles ahead. The Cult of Kao even wrote a children''s book in a fairy tale format to show how Kao used his abilities to obliterate the evil monsters as well as the Slayers of humanity. The book lacked details and the words blood, guts, and gore fountains were replaced with rainbows. Fairy dust, and sour candy worms. Book 3: Chapter 36 Birds of Prey Birdion stood behind, Dog-Eared Nicole, (Novalie) as she lost both of her arms in quick succession and began to bleed out. Birdion could regrow both of her limbs quite easily but he knew not to touch her without permission. That was made very clear the first and last time he did so and his left arm was removed. Kyrgios had picked both of them up from the almighty Icaron, though the land-based Theriang and sky-based Aviarcus had been at war for countless millennia, leading to mistrust and bigotry when forced to work together. Birdion had even killed quite a few of her comrades personally. So it wasn''t undeserved and he didn¡¯t mind watching her bleed out. She¡¯d killed him three times without remorse. ¡°If you can fix my arms, hurry up you damned birdbrain.¡± ¡°Birds are the smartest creatures in the sky. So I''ll take that as a compliment.¡± Birdion replied as he placed two of his feathers in cauterized stumps. In moments, twin bursts of flame erupted from the open wounds, and arms appeared where they used to be., though various battle scars and built-up calluses were gone. ¡°Did your powers evolve?¡± ¡°I recently had to resurrect while all my cells were being destroyed before they could fully form. It was a learning experience. I must thank you for removing our enemy.¡± ¡°So he didn¡¯t join you?¡± Novalie drew a line around her right wrist with a claw causing her bracelet to reappear. The wound closed and a scar immediately formed. ¡°Scars don¡¯t suit you very well.¡± Birdion looked away as the door opened and a platinum-haired woman with rose-pink irises entered the room. Pink shards of ice rotated around her wrist. At her hip was a small metal device. ¡°Quinara how goes your scouting?¡± ¡°They stole and improved upon our technology. I wasn¡¯t able to get in range without entering theirs and I can fire from a mile away.¡± ¡°And Brick?¡± Bridion asked ¡°Drowned to death then impaled. His tracker is gone, meaning he¡¯s likely dead.¡± ¡°I told you that letting him walk in alone would lead to something like this.¡± Birdion shook his head. ¡°How are they so prepared?¡± Novalie asked while rubbing her wrist. ¡°They outnumber us greatly and are quite diverse in abilities. What about the orcs?¡± Birdion asked the scout. ¡°The central assault team has retreated. They realized that they were out manned and being used as fodder. So they decided to leave the battlefield and regroup.¡± ¡°Wipe out their opposing team, they get their captain back. If by some off chance we lose, they have a weakened foe.¡± Birdion cocked his head to the side. ¡°Victor, Minerva, and Sheeva are still ready to strike. How goes our allies?¡± Novalie looked to the scout. ¡°Milo is injured heavily, Lisa, White Fox and Edwin are gone. Apparently a parisite in Milo¡¯s wing stumps tore Edwin and only him to pieces.¡± Birdion resisted a primal urge to laugh when he suddenly grew concerned. Then, his mind felt cool, and he forgot the feeling. An emerald glint briefly showed in his left eye. ¡°Let''s launch a joint attack on the fortress tonight. All or nothing.¡±. ¡°They will never see it coming.¡± Birdion smirked Hel meditated as her mana was pushed past its limit and her newest breed of insects was born. Worms that consumed mana and spread it across the environment. While tiny now they could grow colossal in time. The first batch had already grown to be a foot long in this mana-rich environment. ¡°With this task done it''s time to move onto my final task.¡± Hel activated her mass communication flower. ¡°Phase Epsilon is in motion. Time to go on the attack.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Answered Biron. ¡°Roger.¡± Stated Cecil. ¡°Epsilon?¡± Asked Chiyo. ¡°About time.¡± Stated Tiffany. ¡°Can I get a moment to rest?¡± Asked Minah who seemed exhausted. Bella did not answer. ¡°They will never see it coming.¡± Said an unfamiliar voice. Chiyo scowled as she looked at Hel. ¡°What is plan Epsilon? I haven¡¯t been informed.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Hel sighed. ¡°Right, it means use your best judgment and go all out.¡± ¡°That is concerning. Wait what do you mean by all¨C¡± An explosion that shook the land went off a good distance away as the mana cannons locked onto a single area and fired simultaneously along with Cecil¡¯s mech. A mountain a good distance away seemingly exploded as black ichor and giant tentacles covered the land. ¡°Once per day or week attacks. I¡¯m hoping that was the once a week blast.¡± ¡°Well this may seem concerning but I''ve seen magical weapons capable of much more.¡± ¡°Those drain the area of ambient mana. This one makes things grow and flourish. Using the target''s mana as a catalyst.¡± Chiyo squinted. ¡°Who designed a weapon like that?¡± ¡°No idea, I wasn¡¯t involved in R & D.¡± A goblin wielding a large wrench looked at Hel as though she had grown a second head. It realized what it was doing and walked away. ¡°Research and Development?¡± Chiyo stated. ¡°Anyway, Cecil and Bella are done for this round. Not sure why you''re here to protect me. Given that you aren¡¯t stronger than me. Now talk why would you pick someone like Ander.¡± ¡°You want the details?¡± ¡°We have the time and I¡¯m somewhat invested in this strange drama.¡± ¡°Well then it started he fell from the sky.¡± Bastion was riding on his new giant pet crab, back to the oasis, Kyrion made. The fighting had moved and the blood tangerines were ready to eat. Bastion reached for one and found that he was too short. ¡°Need more tall.¡± Bastion stated. The crab seemingly grew a foot and Bastion grabbed three in quick succession. Taking a bite through the sweet and sour exterior. ¡°Soo good!¡± The crab held out a pincer plucked a fruit from the tree and consumed it. ¡°Figures. Wait¡­¡± the crab spoke as they moved between the trees while Bastion plucked a few more fruit from various trees. The duo arrived at a log cabin where a masked Kyrion was busy creating tile floors in his new house. House was being generous. On the outside, it looked like a small hut, but with some knowledge of Kyrion¡¯s ability to alter space and use earth magic, the truth was obvious. The tiny hut was a house the size of a mansion. ¡°You two aren¡¯t supposed to see this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Bastion asked. ¡°This is my hidden grove, my love nest. The illusions and defenses¡­¡± Kyrion seemed irritated. ¡°People saw you die. How are you still here?¡± ¡°Look. How many times have I faked a death by now? It should only be surprising once. Falling for such a trick again is foolish. Never assume I¡¯m dead especially if I leave a body behind. Those are traps. Guess you could stay here while plan Epsilon goes off.¡± Kyrion brought his tiles into the hut then proceeded down a staircase and landed in a large entry corridor. The last few tiles were placed and Kyrion popped his back. ¡°Wow! Do you have toys?¡± Bastion asked, the crab currently on his shoulders as he walked down the stairs. ¡°In my travels around Cecil¡¯s world I have come across many toys and made even more. Beyrazors according to the lore in a universe far away from ours. People use Beyrazors to settle disputes, and even the fate of the world.¡± Kyrion held out a small circular object with the picture of a hand on it under the metal was a series of rubber wing-shaped protrusions and beneath those was a metal ball bearing that could sink into a pocket and switch to a rubber tip. Bastion took the object and then looked at it in awe. He then noticed that it was an enchanted item as well. Kyrion then handed Bastion a packet of stickers. As well as a dagger-shaped device. ¡°Go have fun. There is an arena on the third floor. Your opponent will show you how to play.¡± ¡°My opponent?¡± Kyrion sighed and wondered why someone would bring those two here. Lin entered from a side room an amused expression on her face. ¡°This is how you intend to hide from the public eye? In plain sight?¡± ¡°This is legally my land so I can somewhat limit their scrying. As I¡¯m already hard to sense on my own, sending a double in my place to be eliminated was well within my capabilities.¡± ¡°Is that why you spared that shard?¡± ¡°Birdion? Oh right¡­ I did something inhumane to him. Though it wasn¡¯t inaviarcane. That Gios is an irrideamble pile of troll feces, but he sure can do some things to a brain that I couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t though undoing it would complicate things.¡± ¡°Hmmm? What line did he cross?¡± Lin asked. ¡°Enough for me to know that the entire force he sent to slay me have had their memories altered so much that they are convinced their captor is their savior. Also¡­Birdion¡¯s dead lover is the one who tried to kill me. Giving him back that information would be troublesome.¡± ¡°What did you want to do with Viole?¡± ¡°Her memories were altered as well. Fix, then convince her to join with Nicole and Novalie. Hopefully Ari¡¯s trouble doesn¡¯t come back to bite us.¡± ¡°It probably will, not that it matters. Your empire, your rules. You could legalize having multiple wives.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t fall for that trap. ¡°I only have an eye for you. Nicole is a childhood friend. Also I imagine any sharing would end with me getting sawed in half. To see if I could multiply by mitosis. Yes but it isn¡¯t worth it. Or drawn and quartered if two more want a piece, Cecil already claimed my brain for research purposes.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I also couldn¡¯t handle more than one. Not without splitting myself in two. Again, not worth the pain or effort.¡± ¡°Fine I get it. Sheesh. Given that your mother picked me and your personality, I expected some rebellion.¡± Kyrion tilted his head to the side. ¡°Any fires of rebellion died when I understood the cost of my survival. Parents do their best and given my memory, keeping me from understanding innate magic was for the best. When my empire takes this continent I¡¯ll eliminate the Beast Blood plague and bring my childhood home back to life.¡± ¡°And the incursion?¡± ¡°Will be on the Goskin continent. There wouldn¡¯t be enough life here for it to waste assaulting, and starving to death. My land doesn¡¯t like invaders.¡± ¡°So you intend for me to stay here?¡± ¡°Correct. At least for the year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look after the kids then. All four of them.¡± ¡°Illanda and Eden aren¡¯t ready for a battle of this scale and you suspect the nature of those two foxes.¡± ¡°Alright. How do you plan on keeping the white carpet clean?¡± Kyrion pointed to two blue bell flowers attached to the wall. ¡°Every eight hours they will clean the house.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± ¡°Karl is still designing the fifth floor, ask and you will receive.¡± ¡°How many floors do you intend for?¡± ¡°Eight. The bottom most is a lab/medical wing. The lab portion is for guests mostly.¡± ¡°What kind of guests?¡± ¡°Siblings that intend to make potions for their graduation. I can grow resources here that are unsuitable to my home continent. Have you heard about ice?¡± ¡°Ice, yes it¡¯s my affinity.¡± ¡°Not Ice¡­ Zuheys.¡± Kyrion squinted as he fished for the word. It didn¡¯t come out the way he intended. ¡°No. No I have not.¡± ¡°What about Ogerbits.¡± Kyrion squinted. ¡°Martini toppers. ¡± Kyrion added. ¡°What''s a martini?¡± ¡°If I tell you. Then you tell my mother, it would become this nation''s drink.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Who¡¯s fault is it that the purer the water gets the more alcoholic it is in your case?¡± ¡°Who knows. Now then, let''s get to it. I have some shenanigans to get up to.¡± ¡°Good luck then. I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± Lin left through Karl¡¯s portal which connected through their dungeon. Kyrion then activated the runic commands placed on Birdion¡¯s brain and triggered a frenzy. Book 3: Chapter 37 Supernova ¡°Nova! Where are we? How did we?¡± Birdion seemingly panicked as his plumage began to scatter about. ¡°Nova? You do not get to call me Nova, bird. Only master Gios gets to do that.¡± Birdion held his head as thousands of feathers shot out peppering his teammates and spreading like a plague as people regained lost memories and were freed from the compulsions placed on them.¡± Novalie countered the feather with Violet flames and thrust forward. Birdion took it head-on and erupted into feathers as a second wave shot out and pelted the gathered group. When Birdion reformed he wondered why he was identifying himself with such an insulting moniker, when a sword made of light removed his head a second time. Shadowy spears impaled Novalie and locked her in place as Atimn and Tiffany seemingly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Do something Quinara!¡± Novalie yelled. Quinara coughed blood before she faded from existence as twenty arrows of ice lay scattered on the ground. ¡°An ambush? When? How?¡± Novalie stared daggers into Birdion. ¡°Nova?¡± ¡°Traitor! Bloodline¨C¡± ¡°If you do that here you¡¯ll die! Listen to me!¡± Birdion attempted to stop her as a barrage of projectile spells were launched in that direction. Birdion died and didn¡¯t immediately return. Though he did play his role as a shield well enough. ¡°Release!¡± Novalie¡¯s bracelet snapped as wisps of smoke and the smell of sulfur emanated from her body. Aside from that, nothing changed. ¡°How much mana do you have left?¡± Tiffany asked. ¡°Enough for one really big spell or two medium spells.¡± ¡°Do you have any magic theory experience?¡± ¡°A crash course, though I''m not a master of it.¡± ¡°Inverted chanting?¡± ¡°Never. Mixing light and shadow is chaotic.¡± Nova pushed at her restraints as the ground under her began to crack. ¡°Invert what I say from here on out. Let''s go for 3 lines.¡± Tiffany''s rapier morphed into a large runic paintbrush the size of a mop. ¡°Without light, darkness is a lie.¡± Tiffany painted a set of runic symbols with her brush made of light. ¡°Through darkness, light reveals the truth.¡± Atim formed runes of shadow on the ground under Tiffany¡¯s spell. ¡°In a world of illusion, where does light die?¡± Tiffany asked the mana around her and the spell responded by making the runes go gray. ¡°In this universe of facts, when is darkness couth.¡± Atimn realized he dug himself in deep. Though his words of shadow did sharpen and appear somewhat refined. ¡°I call upon the realm between light and dark.¡± ¡°We request the spirit of Chaos to grant us a boon. ¡°Void Finale!¡± A gray hole in space opened up around everyone in that room ¡°Chaotic Genesis!¡± Atimn caused the portal to separate the black and white as the mana swirled. Novalie broke out of the restraints and with inhuman speed, tore a hole through Tiffany¡¯s neck triggering the wards. Moving swiftly she removed Atimn¡¯s sword arm before a Fox¡¯s head the size of a cottage shot out, scooped her up, and dragged her into a new world. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°No idea¡± Kiara sighed as a confused birdman appeared out of nowhere. ¡°But I get the feeling this is plan Epsilon in the works.¡± ¡°Nova! Where did you go?¡± Kiara felt an eye twitch as she watched the birdman take off his head and shake it a bit revealing a face nearly identical to Kyrion, only this person wore a lot more red and gold jewelry. Red winglike appendages appeared on his back in the current form. ¡°I was told to give this to you.¡± Atimn handed Birdion a rolled-up scroll. ¡°When did you get that?¡± ¡°Tiffany gave it to me, and she got it from Rie.¡± Birdion opened the scroll up and scowled. ¡° I surrender to Kyrion. You son of a human!¡± Birdion vanished through a tear in reality. Atimn fell back into a chair and relaxed as he pulled out a potion for his arm only to notice a scythe of blood protruding from his chest.. In two swift actions, Kiara and Atimn found themselves in the medical ward, the former for a near decapitation, the latter for sudden blood loss.
Ari felt a lock on their power fade and let out a sad sigh. ¡°We have lost all our strong members. A shame our run ended early. Also the Orcs got Noah and are heading here to negotiate Minah¡¯s team''s surrender.¡± ¡°How did they get him?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°He passed out after beating Meta.¡± ¡°So four on four?¡± Minah asked, exhausted. ¡°Hel, Chiyo, Minah, and Brion.¡± ¡°Chester, are you finally going to fight?¡± Asela asked. ¡°Possibly. But I¡¯m not going to like it.¡± Chester sighed as he opened a case, causing cubes of mana to float around him in an orbit. ¡°What happened to Isaiah?¡± ¡°He died during the orc attack.¡± Wura stated. ¡°I¡¯m literally standing right next to you?¡± Isaiah slumped and then was promptly crushed as a cannon fell from a tower and landed only on him. A loud crater formed under him. His remains were gone as he was rushed away.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Sorry! I leaned against the cannon and it just happened!¡± Bastion yelled from the top of the tower. The kid looked around before seemingly vanishing. ¡°Nicole, Chester, Wura, and Asela. Based on the mapped location I can find where Tiffany and Atimn infiltrated. Though 6 entities have arrived. I believe it''s Milo¡¯s team.¡± ¡°Six. How do they still have such a large team?¡± ¡°They have been cunning so far. I imagine a head on battle from them would be rare.¡± ¡°So we have fourteen enemies. Those aren¡¯t good odds.¡± ¡°No they aren¡¯t, and staying defensive won¡¯t get us any further.¡± ¡°Hel, you lead the Drisil squad while I will lead my team. Pincer tactics and quick deadly assaults should lower their numbers using your best judgment. While the total is fourteen, eight of them are likely to fight us head on while the others may wait till we¡¯re weakened before attacking.¡± ¡°It would make sense. We¡¯re their target and if they get rid of us they get their captain back.¡± Hel scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll have to fight on my own. Which means I¡¯ll be weaker than I should be.¡± Minah looked exhausted as she eyed the area on the map. ¡°My mana still hasn¡¯t returned.¡± ¡°I can carry you and run while you rest.¡± Brion offered. ¡°That would be rather¡­¡± Minah started. ¡°It¡¯s fine Minah. Just be direct.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a princess, being carried by a man of your stature could cause rumors.¡± ¡°Honey, you aren¡¯t my type. Not like anyone I know would care regardless.¡± Brion said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you saying a princess isn¡¯t good enough?¡± ¡°Not at all. Hel, do you want a ride? Stamina and durability are about all I have going for me.¡± Hel didn¡¯t hesitate but her eyes did go dark for a moment. ¡°Epsion.¡± Brion sighed as weights he¡¯d kept all over his body began to fall by the tons. ¡°I am not that heavy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to leap. It''s easier when I''m not weighed down by over a hundred tons.¡± ¡°And you just now remove them?¡± Minah asked in surprise. ¡°I rarely fight in this form.¡± Brion prepared to leap. Hel dug in and the ground seemingly vanished after a loud explosion. ¡°So you know. I don¡¯t think Brion can soften his landings with wind magic.¡± Nicole stated. Minah sighed. ¡°Earth affinity. Based on what I''ve observed it¡¯s possible that he¡¯s going to mimic our captain and transfer the force into the ground.¡± ¡°Or break both legs in the process leaving behind a crater where Hel and Brion should be..¡± Chiyo looked up as Brion broke through the clouds and wondered how people could jump that high in a world where gravity was doubled. The group of six warriors split off with Minah and Chiyo circling the general direction Brion had jumped. The four from the Military academy stepped onto a large flat plane of mana and then began to float off towards the stronghold. Isaiah crawled from under the cannon for a few minutes, his body covered in dirt but otherwise uninjured. ¡°Guys! I¡¯m still alive! Guys?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you¡¯re coming with me.¡± A black armored arm wrapped around Iseah¡¯s neck and cut off his oxygen. In moments the practitioner was rendered unconscious. His arms were tied up and he was placed inside an earthen cask. From there the two seemingly sunk into the ground and disappeared.
Bastion watched as his hands seemed to shrink by the moment his height changed as well. His memory was fading more and more by the day, and yet he was content. Something in him told him that his mission was accomplished whatever that was. White Fox sighed as he held a cookie in his hands. ¡°What do you think is going to happen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I get the feeling that we need to go.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to forget. Things are fun here, and I get to eat all the sweets I want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we will. Though I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get them all at once.¡± ¡°What is the final step again?¡± ¡°I forget.¡± Bastion raised a patch of his bangs upwards and revealed a large and brutal scar on his head where he¡¯d taken a great and forgotten quite a bit because of it. ¡°Well that sucks. Can¡¯t be helped Black Fox. We should at least watch the end.¡± Bastion summoned an Ice cream from nowhere in particular and took a seat as a screen appeared in front of both him and White Fox. The screen showed Kyrion in his current state, deep inside a cocoon of red feathers, Divine Essence condensing into his body and pushing past a limit he wouldn¡¯t have risked prior as he began the process of evolving his spirits. ¡°Next.¡± White Fox ordered. On the next screen, Both Hel and Brion were falling towards the safehouse where Cycle the Psycho was lying in wait. As they continued to fall, Hel let go of Brion and began to fall at a much slower pace, as a swallowtail the size of an elephant appeared right under her. The duo wondered for a moment as the bug wasn¡¯t summoned earlier then quickly realized that the summon required constant upkeep if kept past an extended period of time. ¡°Ludwig, I need you to release the spores.¡± The purple mist fell from the butterflies'' outstretched wings as Hel¡¯s mana was rapidly drained. The butterfly dropped decidedly faster and at an angle to spread it in the proper configuration. Unlike what one would expect from a butterfly, the pollen-like substance caused mushrooms to grow and rot to immediately take hold of the area. In moments the area was covered in these mushrooms which were capable of poisoning fledglings with ease and some practitioners Although that wasn¡¯t the point. ¡°A field of rot has been brought to bear. Witness the pestilence and tremble in Fear. Be consumed by the swarms of the lands and skies. Then return to death by the hands of the lord of flies.¡± The sky darkened as Hel fell off the butterfly and disappeared through a portal after summoning a very powerful entity. He mana unable to shield her from such a fall and a pair of summons. Brion looked up from his crater and sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯m up¨C¡± A wall of ice rose around Brion and suddenly closed as a woman with pale blue hair spoke from behind him. ¡°You will call off these bugs this instant. If you don¡¯t I''ll be forced to make you suffer through being shattered while frozen solid. Brion struggled to move but found that he couldn¡¯t break out. It wasn¡¯t a strength problem as much as it was a high-order spell that would only get stronger the more he struggled. And thus he had one real option to avoid being frostbitten. He¡¯d transform into a sword and wait. Ice didn¡¯t affect that form in the slightest and his body was stronger. Though he would need someone to break him out. ¡°Honestly my comrade did this and risked her life to summon something like this. I couldn¡¯t stop it if I wanted to. I guess you¡¯re stuck until the people watching think you''re near death.¡± Brion was frozen to his neck as Sheeva turned and walked away deciding to try another method.
The screen shifted Minah and Chiyo were intercepted by a pink-haired girl with a giant hammer. ¡°Did they predict our plan?¡± Minah asked Chiyo. Chiyo examined everything from the surprised and worried expression hidden behind an air of pride. ¡°Doubtful. Are you here to ambush us against orders? That won¡¯t be good if you disappear and your betters discover that you went against protocol and failed.¡± The pink-haired girl shook, but not in fear. ¡°But if I win, It won¡¯t be a problem!¡± Moving in a burst of speed that could catch a practitioner off guard, the pink-haired girl tried to crush Chiyo with her hammer. Chiyo sighed and took two steps forward and in moments blood erupted from where half of her right torso seemingly vanished as a hammer found itself pressed into the ground. ¡°I got¨C¡± The pink-haired figure started before blood warped from multiple slit arteries before her head began to fall off. ¡°That was my Dance of a Dozen Blades.You should have listened a bit longer.¡± Chyo sighed as her body instantly regenerated and her clothes returned to their unmarred state. Minah blinked as she could barely see the people in front of her and it was disconcerting. She¡¯d sworn there were only ten strikes.¡°What are you?¡± Chiyo watched as the neck reattached itself before the pink-haired girl could trigger the wards though her hair was notably shorter. As her eyes flicked back into place the half-dragon noticed their arms had been removed and before they could react the Chiyo¡¯s blade pierced the area where her heart should be. Should, as the wards kicked in and got her out of the arena before the lethal blow could land. ¡°Eleven, twelve.¡± Chiyo placed her sword back in her sheath. ¡°Oh. How are you so fast?¡± ¡°Repetition. I¡¯ve trained my body to move separately from the limits of my thoughts. In the time it takes to think of one strike I¡¯ve already sent out ten. I adapted to fighting people who move at high speeds naturally and thus I¡¯ve trained to keep up with people that fast.¡± Chiyo gave her a partial truth. ¡°So that was what Ari meant.¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ Don¡¯t trust half of what that one says. They are a bit mentally compromised. Your captain was troll-like before, so I assume it is a shared trait, though Ari is four times the troll. If that makes any sense. I hope I¡¯m using the right words.¡± Chiyo seemed irritated as her words felt off. ¡°I mean. He does regenerate like one. I guess it would make sense.¡± Chiyo muttered a word and scowled. ¡°Just why doesn¡¯t the word exist here?¡± ¡°Let''s continue. I didn¡¯t expect you to be this strong. I guess it makes sense. Though I must ask. Why didn¡¯t Ander tell me he was married?¡± ¡°Because time is iffy and splitting a soul in half temporarily is a difficult concept to explain. Ask him yourself when the tournament ends. Though I suspect you didn¡¯t like him all that much to begin with.¡± Chiyo examined the enchanted hammer buried in the sands and destroyed it with carefully placed strikes before they continued to move forward.
Nicole wrapped a piece of cloth over her nose and mouth as they flew, a powerful stench of rot having become prevalent in the area. ¡°We are entering an area of high decay and death aligned mana, be careful about breathing too much in at once.¡± ¡°Death? As in necromancy?¡± ¡°Yes and no. It''s a complex distinction but nothing will rise from whatever dies here. Someone summoned one of the 13 Regents of the Netherworld. I won¡¯t be able to fight whoever summoned it.¡± ¡°You should be fine. As the summoner made sure they wouldn¡¯t be around when the creature came out. I believe it''s to prevent the creature from killing its master. As the 13 Regents tend to do that quite often. So Cerberus can¡¯t attack those it¡¯s supposed to guard. Is that correct?¡± ¡°Cerberus were created to guard those creatures. So harming them in any way is impossible, just as the regents can¡¯t teleport once summoned unless the current Demon Lord commands them to return. Which is unlikely.¡± ¡°Why is that unlikely?¡± Chester started. Wura, Asela, and Nicole seemed to be a bit concerned as they all knew bits of the truth. Asela sighed. ¡°The previous and Current Demon Lord is my grandfather and the reason he can¡¯t control the 13 Regents is due to his body being taken over by the Beast Blood Emperor then having his soul removed.¡± ¡°And the Regents are tied to his soul?¡± ¡°That would make the most sense.¡± Wura stated. ¡°I get that you¡¯d want to keep something like that a secret. But I suspect the others also know.¡± ¡°Iseah and Atimn don¡¯t know. Though anyone who knows my great grandfather personally knows this truth. Charles especially, and if he didn¡¯t tell you then there is probably a reason.¡± ¡°It changes a lot honestly. Can you command demons?¡± ¡°No. I have no power over them, nor am I powerful enough to subdue them.¡± ¡°Can they harm you?¡± ¡°Not willingly, but If I enter their Miasma and get hurt, then it¡¯s my fault.¡± ¡°Got it. Does Hel know who you are?¡± ¡°No. I doubt Kyrion would spill secrets belonging to others. Though how she gained access to one of the 13 is interesting.¡± ¡°That it is. Wura, we¡¯re not going to engage directly. Rain Mercury down on them, while Nicole and Asela send down heat. So long as we stay up and out of combat we should be safe.¡± ¡°I doubt that. Sorry, but you can¡¯t be allowed to continue interfering. Do me a favor and don¡¯t die when you get back.¡± A figure with dirty blonde hair and a Harlequin mask appeared behind the floating group and caused the platform under them to melt away. ¡°How are you here?¡± Aslea asked in surprise. ¡°Who?¡± The blond hair faded to a greenish-black color as a gauntlet hand slammed into Asela and caused her to land with a loud boom. Nicole created an explosion of powerful mana where the figure.was. Only to miss as a black cloak of ink floated to the ground. In that brief moment of distraction, Nicole¡¯s body had nearly been split in two and the emergency wards triggered her forced evacuation. Wura slammed a spear of Mercury through the figure''s eye socket forcing Milo¡¯s evacuation though it wasn¡¯t fast enough to prevent a spike tail that could have pierced the back of her neck. Chester had been in a team of four and in the blink of an eye, three were eliminated while he was helpless. ¡°Never again.¡± Chester summoned a Violin as he fell and began to play a melody in the minor key that caused the land to shake and space to tremor as a bubble of force suspended him in the air. ¡°Rhapsody of Rebellion.¡± As Chester began to play the battlefield began to shift as left became right, up became down, the water became fire, ice became stone, time didn¡¯t have any meaning, and the laws of reality were in a chaotic mess for as long as the music seemed to play. Book 3: Chapter 38 Asura ¡°Well this is going to suck.¡± Chiyo watched as her sword was stopped with two of four arms. ¡°We¡¯re outnumbered and outpowered.¡± ¡°I was told to surrender in a situation like this.¡± Chiyo scowled. ¡°Save us some trouble then. You should be the last ones on your team.¡± Chiyo sighed. ¡°Minah. Get as far as you can. I¡¯ll try to slow them down.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Chiyo slid her sword down and entered a low position as golden afterimages followed her movements and she powered her next strike with that energy. The blow forced Yaclack fifteen feet back with both of his feet buried in the ground, though he was otherwise uninjured. Though his eyebrows did raise half an inch. ¡°I nearly felt that. You are still a fledgling in this path but your prowess with a sword surpasses that. Still If thats all¨C¡± Minah didn¡¯t like it, but she ran forward and past the orcs, her body turning into a blur as the land turned to molten glass behind her. ¡°No. I don¡¯t like it. I can push myself a bit more.¡± ¡°Is that so? Brothers and sisters, give chase.¡± ¡°You can try. But you must survive for at least a minute.¡± Chiyo¡¯s black hair glowed a deep violet as her eyes turned crimson. In the next moment, her muscles seemed to bulge as her presence seemed to increase. ¡°Her mana is increasing rapidly! But within your limits Yaclack.¡± ¡°Arc of Negation.¡± Yaclack formed a diamond with his four hands and tore free the mana surrounding Chiyo. The transformation didn¡¯t stop and her power continued to increase. ¡°Rain of a hundred blades.¡± Chiyo slashed into the sky above Yaclack which caused a cloud tear and rain to begin falling. ¡°This isn¡¯t a spell!¡± Chiyo moved forward and embedded a needle into Yaclacks abdomen. ¡°That would be correct.¡± Yaclack immediately pulled the needle out as the first drop of rain hit him and for the first time since he was a child, the orc screamed in pain. ¡°This isn¡¯t magic!¡± ¡°No it isn''t. It¡¯s a technique meant to break through physical defenses or cause a distraction to people who heavily rely on their brain for control. Each drop of rain will fill as though a sword has pierced your body. Consider this payback for forcing me to fight you in this state.¡± Chiyo adjusted a broken wrist and it was fully healed. ¡°I take it I removed a mana based limiter on a non mana intensive technique. If it¡¯s just pain I can deal with that.¡± Chiyo unsheted her blade at a speed that caused the wind to howl and with enough force to cause the sand on the ground to heavily pelt the orc causing him to retreat. ¡°Pain is but a trial. It does not control me. For I will overcome all trials.¡± Yacklack muttered the mantra of his clan and took a step forward, his body growing in size as he did so. ¡°Land splitter!¡± Chiyo stomped with enough force to cause a crack to open up in the ground as the land heavily filled with tunnels collapsed causing Yaclack and the other three orcs to begin falling into the depths with Chiyo. Yaclack using his four arms managed to grab onto two of the orcs, one being the strategist while the other was an ax wielder, and through them both out of the pit towards Minah¡¯s general direction. Chiyo slowed her fall using a small amount of mana, landing softly as she moved forward to strike Yaclack head-on. The orc parried each blow with his four arms despite each slash being quick enough to create a set of chained afterimages. The exchange itself caused the area around them to shift and the falling rain to evaporate whenever it entered range. The two fought for a few minutes with neither giving an in: The area they fought in sank into a crater. Then Yaclack seemed to make a mistake. Chiyo in her bound battle rhythm immediately moved towards the exposed throat when a ball of acid hit her head on and knocked the blow to the side. The slash was tough enough to break through his recently reached expert body. ¡°You made one mistake, and that was forgetting that I wasn¡¯t alone.¡± Chiyo got to her feet and sighed as the acid wounds healed and her hair returned to its natural state. ¡°And your¡¯s was letting me lead you here.¡± Chiyo pulled a pin from a strange ball, tossed it upward, and muttered a line. ¡°I surrender.¡± In the next instant, her body was whisked back to the arena as the underground shook and the land over them began to collapse. Looking up the orc realized he couldn¡¯t escape. Then the grenade went off and shrapnel shot off everywhere. Moving to the best of his ability Yaclack ran to an open tunnel with his ally only to find a halberd thrust into their body. As a scythe of blood nearly took his head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the deal.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t have you telling the others about this place before its done.¡± Answered the black knight.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. A hooded figure sighed. ¡°Let''s hope your last two teammates can deal with a sword stuck in some stone as well as that speedy girl. As we¡¯ve already eliminated most of the others.¡± Yaclack grimaced as the scythe was tugged slightly and the orc was taken and he was sent out of the arena. Minah threw a pair of daggers at her pursuers as she ran around the outskirts of the rotting desert. The strategist evaded the daggers, while the ax wielder deflected both the one sent at him. However, they realized too soon that it was a feint and watched as Minah ran into the field of rot and insects, moving through them with ease towards a sword buried in six feet of stone. The sound of a Violin resounding throughout the area The Ax wielder lit his axes on fire and then watched as they exploded leading to a spirit-broken state which in turn immediately sent the warrior out of the arena as the state nearly allowed for the miasma in the environment to turn him inside out. ¡°What did you do!¡± The strategist seemed surprised. ¡°Nothing. If i¡¯m being honest both of my legs have just broken and my armor won¡¯t let me topple over. Guess this is where it ends.¡± Minah built up mana in her right arm and transferred it into a propulsion device in her fist before throwing a punch that caused the arm she used to fly off in the opposite direction her mana seemed to backfire and yet the strategist for the Orc¡¯s team was pierced by shrapnel. ¡°That was close.¡± The orc woman turned to leave but suddenly realized that either the field had spread or she had gotten so far in, that she could no longer see the exit. So instead she wondered why her allies hadn¡¯t returned or why she hadn¡¯t been transferred somewhere safe as she kept the wound in her shoulder plugged. Eventually, her eyes fell on a sword hilt she¡¯d glimpsed from a scrying orb with a storage capability. It showed a golden warrior wielding a sword that was also one of his teammates. ¡°You¡¯re trapped which makes this nice and simple.¡± The orc approached the sword buried in the boulder blood trailing behind her. She then reached for the blade only for a jolt to pass through her as she passed out. The mana around the sword sent out a rejection that instead of slaying only knocked her unconscious.
Chiyo, Minah, and Hel had journeyed to the forest after a quick discussion with the headmaster as their captain had prepared something for them all ahead of time. As though he¡¯d predicted the outcome of this match to the end, where only Brion remained on one side while the other had a stable and yet unconscious warrior. In such a plan the mission was simple: destroy Brion and the orcs win, but for anyone to destroy Brion in that field of Chaos, they would need to use a lot of energy and would risk destroying themselves. The two remaining teams with able members aside from Chester, who for all intents and purposes appeared unreachable, could pick their next opponent if they could get to Brion or the orc and land a finishing blow. Yet there was a stalemate, a bit of uneasiness as people suspected that things were going a bit too well for them. As Chiyo led them into the dungeon, the three women saw both Ander and Damien fighting in an arena built just for them. Lightning flew, sound shattered, the world screamed and yet they continued both with heavy injuries. ¡°Wait. So they weren''t really kidnapped!¡± Minah started with a scowl. ¡°I mean, I gave them an offer they couldn¡¯t refuse. Fight for my amusement or die.¡± Maldian fibbed a bit. It was more along the lines of becoming my apprentice or letting the other surpass you by leaps and bounds. Chiyo bowed. ¡°Master, we have been told to come here but aren¡¯t quite sure why or what it would accomplish.¡± ¡°The shepherd or gods can only invoke one heavy limitation at a time.and have decided to stop his spatial affinity from working which means time is no longer a barrier, secondly everyone save Chiyo is ready to reach that next level before the final round. That is why he¡¯s currently stalling for time.¡± ¡°Oh. So they''re going to evolve their spirits now? This can¡¯t be good.¡± ¡°Wait did he plan damaging his affinity?¡± ¡°No. But it was a heavy restriction that superseded the one he already had. So long as years don¡¯t pass in minutes, you should use this as the opportunity to reach the cusp of practitioner. I don¡¯t recommend breaking into the expert tier for another three or so days however.¡± Maldain looked longingly at various tokens in his left hand. As the number 3 his tablet was a coveted artifact and while not as good as the monopoly Charles and Alexander had on the top two, it was still quite effective. ¡°Take these and ask the dungeon to build you two private rooms for meditation. This is probably going to hurt. As for Chiyo, the only thing you did wrong was fight a recent expert as a peak fledgling, Not something you could win on your own and yet you held your own against a true spirit master. Though when you get the mana I expect your 100 swords technique to be actual swords not raindrops.¡± ¡°I will endeavor to reach that level.¡± ¡±Now then. As a gift for such a bout I give you Raijin.¡± Chiyo read the characters on the side, Fujin. ¡°I will cherish this blade for as long as I live.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Well then I have a dual to supervise.¡± Maldain looked to the screen allowing Chiyo to scamper off and practice a few swings.
Karl used masked goblins to lead Hel and Minah to their reawakening booths. Bella had already gotten in hers while Cecil was nowhere in sight. ¡°For the next year and a half I will be putting you under a lot of physical and mental strain as we get you to adapt to the new levels of power in your system. The people you fight will mostly be in the lower expert tier of power. That team has a few dragons in black armor so be careful.¡± ¡°So, will my spirit enter a metamorphosis?¡± ¡°Correct, you will also be unable to use cores. Unlink you three Tiffany has gone through her second awakening and will be pushing into the expert tier where her spells and runic effects will become much more potent.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s so strong, how did she lose?¡± Minah asked petulantly. ¡°Casting an expert tier spell with a teammate that had a lot less mana and just as much experience. She made sure not to reveal her spell limits to the enemy. As there could be another fight.¡± ¡°How can we win when our captain is out of the fight?¡± Minah asked. Hel scowled. ¡°Kyrion once told me, well a fake me, though he linked me into the conversation as well via his plans. But I digress. He told me that death is an inevitability and that he wouldn¡¯t let it happen to him by accident. It was a hint to his opponents as well as to Cecil and I, he planned to fake his death during the tournament to buy us some time. He¡¯s also apparently had plenty of practice dying, or being in situations where he should have died.¡± ¡°One at birth, not counting the monsters that failed to eat him, the attempted kidnappings, the multiple deaths during a time loop, that last decapitation, various deaths in the land of the lost and the one where his heart was just destroyed.¡± Karl listed off a series of concerning situations. ¡°It was during the time loop shenanigans, technically it didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°No wonder he¡¯s so paranoid. Die enough times and I guess he knows when something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± ¡°Paranoid?¡± ¡°I did tell you abount the communication devices he gave us to keep track of our teammates while we¡¯re out and about. Didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You did but they can be used to find the location of allies.¡± ¡°And if he could always make these, what would stop him from hiding one in your armor or gifting it to you.¡± ¡°Wait, is this how he stayed steps ahead of me? It¡¯s a wonder my secrets stayed secret.¡± ¡°Master deplores having to fight fair and thus is a poor opponent in anything that should be perfectly balanced. Now that it¡¯s just the three of them left in the alliance he doesn''t need to really worry about fair play, or collateral damage, let alone holding back.¡± ¡°Just so I understand how much mana he has? The test was a distraction right?¡± ¡°It is no longer measurable in a sense. One could say limitless to a degree, if he was willing to sacrifice the lives of those in his domain for mana. Truth be told Kyrion was gauging the limits of that orc¡¯s mana probing ability for this exact set of circumstances.¡± ¡°So that reading was a lie?¡± ¡°Yes, the point was to give them a believable limit in case he needs to appear to be taken out. ¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be a different person?¡± ¡°Volain probably told them that Rion just changed his name and face again.¡± Lin sighed as she entered the area. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We will need to move up the plan. I¡¯ve found who the other shards belong to. Victor is one of Volain¡¯s shards, Sheeva is one of mine, and Minerva belongs to Minah. You will need to evolve your spirits while this is going on. Volain will be invited in a minute; he''s strong enough for a shard already. Karl let out a monotonous sigh. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± ¡°That''s out of character.¡± ¡°Without access to his domain pulling creatures out is much harder than it needs to be. But according to Undine, that continent is currently considered sacred which means entities from the incursion won¡¯t be able to attack it. Thus we¡¯ve been building underground settlements with the help of a Dwa¨CEarth Fairy.¡± ¡°I was going to ask that.¡± ¡°Did you know that the captain''s blood is 55% mana alcohol? No one thought it prudent enough to inform him that alcohol under a certain tier does nothing for him though has been tested. Breaking past that tier is like a poison that works fast, dealing damage while getting him drunk fast, then it fades and he gais a higher tolerance.¡± ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s perpetually drunk?¡± Lin caught the change and went on it. ¡°He blacked out when it first happened but that''s common among higher affinities.¡± ¡°Can you lot, hurry up?¡± Asked a bird-faced man with emerald eyes from behind. In his hands was a wheelbarrow loaded with seeds. ¡°Who the?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lin moved them out of the way and sighed. Book 3: Chapter 39 Bugged Negotiations Kyrion popped his neck as he finished the underground apartments as well as the various hidden buildings and pathways underground. He¡¯d spent days working on this, and even developed a special moss that turned carbon dioxide into oxygen among other things, and glowed at certain times of the day, various vents scattered about pulled air from other places and cycled it about keeping the area clean. After building his hideaway, he needed a second place to mount his assault, where the Fortress would act as a target and a home for the creatures of light, and the undercity would act as a place where certain monsters could live in peace and protect his lands. It wasn¡¯t the place where he¡¯d hide an immortal monster army that was at his beck and call. ¡°Am I becoming a villain?¡± Kyrion considered it for longer than he should and nodded. ¡°To anyone who faces an army like this, more than likely, yes. Let''s see, I got my cloak and eyepatch, should I wear a hat as well? Not a crown.¡± Kyrion shaped his thorns into a black crown of sharp triangles that constantly floated an inch above his head and no matter how much he moved it stayed at the same distance from the top of his head. The cloak was black and blood red with golden embroidery while the eyepatch was black with a gilded symbol that resembled a fox. ¡°Now then it seems the orc has been captured and is being kept prisoner as beating her would cement a fight they don¡¯t want. I gave them four days to work, so Chester should be nearing his limit which means today is the day I strike. Sucks that I couldn¡¯t milk them longer but Brion takes priority.¡± Kyrion continued to monologue to himself as he thought out his next move. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I need Chester to survive for my plan to work. Ari, if you''re listening, prepare to fire the payloads.¡± Ceres sat at a table with an annoyed Aether, the two of them being the last two on the team to survive. ¡°When did we lose the other two half dragons?¡±Aether asked with a dark tone. ¡°While they were digging the tunnels, suddenly their signals went blank. It appears that there are new races underground. Some sort of rabbit-human hybrids, my ability to track them went dark. I assume that they have been sent back.¡± ¡°It would be easier if they were dead. What of the alliance with Sheeva?¡± ¡°Victor has also gone missing. There have been no signs of the yo¨C of the missing captain.¡± ¡°Right. He¡¯s up to something and I get the feeling he won¡¯t like it. You should inform him that Asela is currently in a critical state due to the sneak attack by Milo. His mana can negate healing and linger even after getting sent out of the Arena. Chances are, his people are going to finish the job.¡±Aether raised a teacup full of a sanguine-colored beverage and consumed it. The veins in his body became visible and darkened as he activated the power within his blood. While Kyrion wouldn¡¯t kill him on purpose Aether knew that accidents did happen, and if he wasn¡¯t at his best then he could die in one of those accidents. ¡°Do you really want me to take Sheeva out now?¡± ¡°An effect like Chester¡¯s has no effect on your innate magic. Four days should be enough for him to finish whatever he was planning.¡± Aether crossed his arms and left the makeshift hut, unaware of the grass that seemed to be watching his every move. The red substance spread across the desert in a day and revitalized the land with the blood of countless monsters and animals. It had even crossed into the field of chaotic magic and taken on a purple hue making everything in the area his territory. Ceres recalled a statement from Gamodren before the current match. He¡¯d told everyone on the team this statement, and though she knew it was off, she didn¡¯t protest as he¡¯d told his real students the whole truth prior.¡°Four things make someone like Kyrion dangerous, his innocence, his creativity, his mana, and time. Never give someone like him time to do things if he¡¯s an opponent. If you fight with him, the more preparation he has the better. Due to my lessons it''s likely that he may attempt to draw attention from himself while allowing someone to think he¡¯s off the board.¡± Ceres sighed as she reentered the field of wild energy and found Brion surrounded by a contingent of three warriors. Sheeva the ice mage had a scowl on her face as Ceres approached. A warrior in silver armor and covered with various weapons had her arms crossed as she watched the song play on a Violin warp reality. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I have come to assist in the battle against the guy in the sky. While I can¡¯t do much, I do have a decent throwing arm.¡± Ceres stated from behind her black helm, as she picked up a rock. ¡°Don¡¯t think that''s going to work on him. I¡¯ve already tried arrows and javelins. They curve as they approach and not naturally. It¡¯s some kind of barrier.¡± Minerva stated. ¡°Right. So you two have no way of getting him down from there?¡± Ceres primed her throwing arm while Mana moved under her feet. So long as the land was under Kyrion¡¯s control, she could use it unhindered by the field, and unnoticed. ¡°Feel free to try.¡± Minerva sat on a boulder and watched Ceres like a hawk. Prepared for any visible shenanigans while Sheva gave off an aura of relaxation. Ceres launched the rock forward and watched as it seemed to sharpen into a spear mid-flight unhindered by the field of Chaos. The spear slammed into and through an invisible wall, which surprised Sheeva and Mineva, enough to let their guards down for a brief instance. Which was how they didn¡¯t see the spears of earth that would have decapitated them from behind. ¡°Loyal friends, and a keen intellect, buried under his air of idiocy. With that I guess it¡¯s time to surrender.¡± Ceres looked up and watched as Chester¡¯s music faded while horror faded into confusion. Ceres then took off her helmet and many things became clear. Chester muttered something. ¡°To think he¡¯d have his maid infiltrate an opposing team. Just how far ahead must he be able to see? Was he also a seer?¡± Hundreds of questions flowed through his mind as the strain of using so much Divine Essence took a toll on his energy and stamina. As Chester nearly landed on the ground a bunny-eared humanoid hopped out of a hole that had opened up and caught the falling young man, then landed in another recently opened hole the creature whisking Chester off the battlefield. Kyrie appeared behind Ceres with a halberd in his hands. ¡°You must be Ceres, we¡¯ve never had the chance to speak, one on one. My name is Rie, and for it would be simpler to say I am a plant clone and not a real person so my death would be a minor inconvenience. Don¡¯t look down on me though, my body is more durable than it looks.¡± ¡°You smell too much like someone else. Are you trying to lose Rion?¡± Kyrie sighed as something about him changed. ¡°Man¡­ I really thought that would work.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ceres asked. ¡°Why am I not fighting Psycho?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He uses a circular double bladed scythe. No chance am I going there unarmed.¡± ¡°Would you like me to surrender?¡± ¡°No need. Sorry about this. Detonate.¡± Kyrion snapped his fingers as the area around Ceres exploded in a mushroom of green mana, the spell made to initiate the emergency retreat spell placed on her when she entered the portal. The green mana then solidified into a tree that stood sixty feet tall and spread countless seeds of various types across the land. From acorns to coconuts. From there Kyrion watched as Ceres was forced to retreat, then he approached Brion who was trapped in his sword form, and sighed.¡± ¡°You awake buddy?¡± Brion didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Brion!¡± Brion still didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way.¡± Kyrion wrapped a hand around Brion¡¯s hilt and pulled the sword most of the stone coming with it. As the stone had melded to the blade via chaotic mana. Still, it wasn¡¯t that heavy to him, a five-ton sword was still usable in this world though he could hurt someone if he wasn¡¯t careful. Brion still didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Shaggs, return to me.¡± Kyrion returned the clone outside the arena into his soul and felt a great deal of power return which would cause Volain some irritation. From there Kyrion looked towards where the current fight was and sighed. This will be annoying.¡± From there Kyrion began the process of flying towards his final battle of the tournament.
Aether deflected the greatsword aimed at his neck with a rotation of his weapon and brought the second blade towards Kyrie¡¯s throat, the strike missing by a hair as Kyrie kicked Aether in the chest and sent him thirty feet back. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger, Kyrion, but I¡¯m not done yet.¡± Aether drew a symbol resembling a circle with various skulls scattered around it. Kyrie summoned a wall of earth around himself as the spell was finished. ¡°Disintegrate!¡± Aether watched as a hole the size of an elephant passed straight through the circle green mana symbolizing someone¡¯s defeat rose from the top of the dome. Aether scowled and looked closer, there was nobody in the dome so he must have gone. ¡°He got me.¡± Aether felt two hands grab his legs and begin the process of dragging him underground.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Reset!¡± Aether yelled as a field of mana surrounded him and caused the hands of the earth to appear as just floating hands. The maneuver gave Kyrie time to put his opponent in the ground where a near point-blank mana cannon held by Ari was immediately fired. ¡°Wall of bone!¡± Aether surrounded his body with a dense wall of what appeared to be dragon bones which caused the blast to rebound sending Ari flying into the ground, their left arm gone, and the cannon destroyed. The wall of bone was heavily cracked and yet completely intact. ¡°There was no data on a power like that. How strong are you?¡± ¡°I am invincible. Now then, where is Gios?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ari¡¯s expression went blank as multiple small devices resembling tubes with wings made from the remains of the mana cannon floated around him in a rotating pattern. Kyrie slammed his greatsword into the bone shell and seemingly shattered it with an explosion of what appeared to be water mana. He followed the attack up with an overhead strike. The strike was redirected by the double scythe, its tricky nature proving itself as a blade pierced his ribs. ¡°Oh! That evil brat thought that far ahead when he made you. Neither of you bleed!¡± ¡°Your blood magic won¡¯t work on us, Psycho. Though your death affinity seems to be quite useful.¡± Kyrie said as he retreated as though having his lungs pieced was a minor inconvenience. ¡°Useful but¨C ¡°Fire.¡± Ari said in a monotone, interrupting the rapport that the two were building. Aether dodged through the attacks as his sclera darkened and his eyes glowed crimson. Moving through every projectile with extreme accuracy. ¡°That was ru¨C¡± ¡°Fire.¡± Ari fired again, only the second time around half of the shots that missed seemed to hit Aether from behind causing minor burns but not breaks in his skin. ¡°Sto¨CBone spears.¡± Ari jumped up as hundreds of spears shot out of the ground and then branched toward them. Kyrie used the opening to coat his blade in wind and water magic to create an effect similar to ice magic. The greatsword was swung downwards in an overhead arc. ¡°Frozen Moon Cutter!¡± The man behind the attack was huge, even by Kyrion¡¯s standards and Aether wasn¡¯t able to dodge, and taking it head-on could prove lethal but he wasn''t out of options as Aether and Ari seemingly switched places without warning. Ari closed their eyes and accepted his defeat as his body vanished into Kyrie. ¡°That isn¡¯t fair.¡± Aether complained. ¡°You suddenly teleporting isn¡¯t fair.¡± Ari stated through Kyrie¡¯s mouth as a second set of spectral arms appeared behind Kyrie, around those arms appeared the miniature cannons they''d scrounge together. ¡°Now that you''re just one person, do you believe you can still beat me?¡± Aether scowled. ¡°No. You are far too experienced for just the two of us to beat head-on, but¡­¡± Kyrie dropped his greatsword and placed both arms on the ground. ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I offer up my body, to the heavens above and the netherworld below.¡± A field of mana surrounded Kyrie as though they were in a barrier. ¡°This is just a tournament!¡± The drones shot a second barrage forcing Aether to dodge the overcharged attacks. ¡°Bring my enemy to their knees, let them be besieged by the arsenal of unending weapons.¡± A second circle surrounded Kyrie as they continued to chant. Aether cut their hand open and held it out. ¡°Barrier disruption!¡± As the bloody projectile passed through the first shield a boulder appeared out of nowhere, and redirected the blood bullet. Kyrion sat atop a rounded hill with a pile of stones at his side. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve gotten rid of Ceres.¡± ¡°Correct. You¡¯re next and we¡¯re running out of time. Lay down and surrender for me. Save me the trouble of bruising that ego of yours.¡± ¡°Not a chance. Why do you even want to win?¡± ¡°That''s a secret. Why are you here?¡± ¡°To regain my strength.¡± Aether sighed as nothing came from Kyrion. Kyrion tossed the stones up and caught them as they fell back. ¡°Really? You aren¡¯t going to reveal your grand plan?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like the cut of your jib.¡± Kyrion said as he held up the glorified club that was Brion coated in rock and slammed it into a stone sending the rock careening off into the distance. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to take the sword out of the stone. You do know that right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not aiming to be a mythical hero king. I just want peace.¡± Kyrion took in a breath as his muscles tensed from within his flowing robes, the action nearly imperceptible. ¡°You expect¨C¡± Kyrion moved with enough speed to leave behind shockwaves as he slammed Brion at his opponent with enough force and momentum to cause the land around the attack to shear away like a boot in mud. Aether was prepared for a sneak attack and in turn managed to dodge the oncoming strike by nearly matching that speed as he retreated. ¡°Bone spear!¡± Aether commanded various bones to shoot out of the ground towards Kyrion, only for them to point away as they seemed to have been controlled. ¡°Was that White Fox?¡± ¡°No, that was me. I won¡¯t tell you how I did it though. ¡°Rending Tornado!¡± Aether proceeded to retreat and continue retreating as he sensed a mix of hot air and cold air being whipped into a frenzy as Kyrion spun in a circle slamming his weapon into the bones around him to create debris. ¡°Bless us with your rain of unending weapons, and let us experience the pain of inevitability!¡± Kyrie muttered muffled somewhat by the heavy wind as he added a fifth line to his chant while the main body played deadly distraction. Aether seemingly recalled that the fight wasn¡¯t just on one a bit too late. ¡°Manafest on this world, Divine Arsenal!¡± Weapons from throughout history appeared in the air above from the simple stick to more high-tech versions of swords that were more sophisticated than Kyrion¡¯s phoblades. Instead of falling onto Aether, however, the storm picked up in strength and took in what seemed like countless weapons from throughout the ages. The danger of Kyrions tornado was magnified as Kyrie¡¯s body vanished and the two shards returned to the back of Kyrie¡¯s mind. The spell was indeed powerful but it was also one mostly comprised of mana. Which meant that it could be overpowered by a spell of the opposing element or countered by one of its own. Aether created a matching tornado that seemed to spin in the opposite direction, using a bit of his divine essence to imbue it with some more power, causing the wind around him to turn black. The warrior then used his remaining strength to bunker underground only as he tore up the earth he seemingly fell into an underground area lit with various mots. ¡°Wait, was the plan to face me here?¡± ¡°No. It was to give me a chance to face you. The others did some heavy lifting as the plants he used to make the clones were hard to grow here. I go by Ra, by the way.¡± Aether sighed and looked up to the ceiling. ¡°You are mad, you know that?¡± ¡°Yes we are, all that energy wasted on an attack that is aiming to cause you to experience an energy rebound.¡± Ra broke the distance in a way similar to Kyrion¡¯s method only smoother as the wind didn¡¯t shatter behind her, the force getting transferred into her fist as she slammed it at Aether, leaving an inch of distance between her fist and his chest. A loud crack reverberated as Aether¡¯s sternum was broken and regenerated in seconds. The blow buried him deep in the hard earth around him. ¡°That¡¯s some power you have there.¡± Aether coughed up some blood onto an open hand then swung it in an arc. Ra dodged each bead as they passed then moved forward to attempt a barrage of deadly blows. Aether pulled his hand backward and watched as needles of blood impaled her through her back. ¡°Blood puppetry.¡± Aether stated as he held up one of his hands and pointed to the ceiling above. Ra raised a hand and watched in horror as her mana was forcefully used to open up a hole above Aether. What Aether hadn¡¯t expected, however, was for armor, vehicles, and weaponry in the weight class of tons to fall on him through that portal. ¡°Bone dome!¡± Aether hurried as he dropped the blood spell he had focused on Ra. ¡°Dragon¡¯s Dance.¡± Ra moved through the sound barrier and began carbonation that started with a set of kicks that went medium, high, then low, the momentum of the low kick used to push into a double punch that resembled a dragon¡¯s maw closing in. Aether spun into the final blow and watched as the area he had been in erupted into flames as the area was superheated to a degree where it had ignited. An energy was expended though it wasn¡¯t mana. ¡°That was close.¡± Cough Aether felt at his throat and squinted as he wasn¡¯t going to risk suffocation by speaking any further. With the hole blocked off, Ra continued her assault with a series of punches and kicks aimed to force her mostly human opponent to dodge or have the wind knocked out of the opposing warrior making it clear, unlike him, she wasn¡¯t breathing, due to currently being a plant clone. The fight continued until Ra threw a series of kicks that missed their mark. Aether moved in for the kill only to realize his opponent had expired and their body collapsed like a damp paper bag, its form shriveling up as it reverted to a seed. Aether commands the earth to open only to hear utter silence above him. No music, no infernal buzzing, no loud tornado. Everything was peaceful, Aether had immediately known something was wrong but what was well beyond his thought process.
¡°Hey Bumblebee, now that we¡¯re alone, I have a proposition for you.¡± Kyrion said with steepled fingers. ¡°I am Bealze¨C¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Your name that is. You see, what matters, is that I don¡¯t want you dead, or gone. You see I have a use for you. What is it you love, Bumblebee? What do you desire?¡± ¡°I love consuming pollen, and nectar, and if I''m starving and lazy, mortal garbage is a cheat meal.¡± ¡°A demon after my own heart. Simple, what if I gave you a continent with no humans and all the plants you can harvest that would last for an eternity should you not over indulge.¡± ¡°Why would I believe you were capable of this?¡± ¡°Send your swarm all over. This place was a dessert, the whole continent I mean, and within seven days it¡¯s already lush and vibrant with life. A continent like this wouldn¡¯t be much work, though clearing the monsters out could be a pain.¡± ¡°Humans don¡¯t do things for free. What do you want?¡± ¡°Two things really, I want you to be my friend and work with one other person of my choosing until the Demonlord, my uncle, regains his soul. Second, I want you to avoid killing the person who brought you to this world. We won¡¯t call on you often but for the battles ahead and the freedom of your master, I will need all the power I can get. Also you need to agree to be my ally for a bit after my uncle he gets his mind back.¡± ¡°And if I refuse?¡± Kyrion laughed, ¡°Ha! If you refuse, you get nothing.¡± ¡°Nothing, that doesn¡¯t seem like an ultimatum.¡± Kyrion¡¯s irises glowed purple as darkness surrounded them both, in the form of geometric triangles. ¡°You aren¡¯t using your imagination. This storm of weapons I summoned wasn¡¯t for Aether, it was for you. You see, Bumblebee, my thorns are getting hungry, I¡¯m sure I can satiate their hunger with a boar or some meat but you. You are like a Wagyu steak to them. Do you know what that is? Nice, juicy, and full of O so much Divine essence that they will regain quite a bit of strength and you will be like the billions of souls trapped in your corner of the netherworld. Helpless and suspended in nothingness. Forgotten. You will get nothing. You will be nothing. You will know nothing.¡± Kyrion spoke in a tone that brokered no argument as more triangular objects split off from his crown and began to hover around the Lord of the Flies. ¡°I accept your proposal, may our friendship last an eternity.¡± ¡°It should last at most eight months then you¡¯ll probably be free to do whatever you want on your continent until people come to inhabit it. I¡¯ll let you set the terms, and if you want I¡¯ll make the journey extra difficult.¡± ¡°You are ruthless, human larvae.¡± ¡°Not really. I just know how to deal with demons. Might makes right and power speaks for itself. Show weakness and I end up dead, which means you¡¯re getting me while I¡¯m ready, pragmatic, and ready to act on my warnings to prove a point.¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°You are of the few I can entice and were summoned by a comrade. It would be a waste not to get this done.¡± ¡°I see the resemblance, your eyes aren¡¯t as kind as your uncle¡¯s. That kindness and lack of resolve got him in this mess.¡± ¡°It takes practice. We¡¯re getting an incursion soon. I won¡¯t let a single expert tier invader escape if I can help it. So, will you be my friend?¡± ¡°I will.¡± The Lord of the Flies states. Kyrion placed two vials and a blue coin on the ground. ¡°Take these and go adjust to your new power. I think my next opponent is ready.¡± Beelzebub quickly flew away. Their wings buzzed loud enough to shatter the sky that got in its way. ¡°It¡¯s always good to make new friends.¡± Kyrion cracked his neck as Kyrie¡¯s sacrificed body returned with quite a few differences. Instead of the red hair, a deep brunette ponytail was braided behind them with silvery highlights that could be signs of aging. Their form was also that of a woman. Had they been human, somewhere between 28 and 32, based on the signs of maturity, and natural presence? It was very likely that they were much older. Something about their face itched a place in Kyrion¡¯s brain, though he didn¡¯t risk thinking about it too much. ¡°So, how is the vessel we sacrificed?¡± ¡°Strong and durable, most vessels would be burned eternally just by hosting my presence. A mortal of your age shouldn¡¯t have knowledge of that type of enhancement. Why did you summon my arsenal? You know a lesser deity would have to come in person.¡± ¡°Are you even a god? Just asking, out of curiosity. The one¡¯s i¡¯ve encountered are quite a bit more.¡± ¡°Impressive? Respectable? Unique?¡± ¡°Annoying. I have nothing against you, as you seem much more grounded and not in control. Despite being able to kill me five times in two seconds.¡± Kyrion shrugged. ¡°You know gods can''t smite mortals without good reason. Favoritism leads to corruption. Now why do all this?¡± ¡°You look familiar¡­ Not that it matters. Can you wake my friend up real quick?¡± Kyrion handed Brion to the goddess and watched her swing it a few times adapting to its weight and heft. ¡°I can. But what is it you wish to offer me?¡± Kyrion took out a blue coin and watched the creature with enhanced senses and mental processes. As he flipped the blue coin he noticed the goddess''s eyes follow the coin carefully. ¡°Where did you get something like that?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Anyhow, ten of these per wish, how does that sound?¡± ¡°Ten? A wish?¡± ¡°Request. Put simply I need you to do two things, wake up Brion as he seems to be in a coma.¡± ¡°Already done.¡± ¡°Great! Next you need to deliver this to the first Imala, not the current one if that makes any sense.¡± Kyrion held out an ornate black box with a strange symbol on it. It resembled a worm poking out of a rock with a scholar''s cap on its head. ¡°What in it?¡± ¡°A magic book. Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± Kyrion lied, what was in it was Imala¡¯s tower monolith and it wasn¡¯t activated. There was also a communication device. ¡°Are you trying to start your own faction before you get to the next world?¡± ¡°I have no intention of going there. Though I may visit for tea and cakes.¡± Kyion held out a bag with 22 of the special coins and wrapped it with a string. The item was taken and the minor war deity left. Book 3: Chapter 40 Kyrion watched as the earth erupted and the summoned silver weapons fell into a hole, and as time went by Ra eventually returned to him. Within the next minute or so Aether came out with a relatively confused expression. ¡°Why is it so silent?¡± ¡°Who am I supposed to be right now? For you I mean. I¡¯ve finished negotiating with three beings that could probably put me through my paces in my current condition. I know what you can do and I know all about the backdoor into my cerebellum that you gave yourself when we shared a body. So, do you want this to be a fair fight, or are you here to end me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to figure out why you arranged for the final fight to involve me and you despite our opponents missing.¡± ¡°Cecil got cheated and he was one of two people on my team that can beat you one on one.¡± ¡°What and are you the second?¡± ¡°You know all my moves, most of my tricks, and how I think. At best I could force a draw.¡± ¡°What do you propose.¡± ¡°Assume it¡¯s a draw, and I¡¯ll surrender then you¡¯ll surrender.¡± ¡°Why would I accept something like that?¡± ¡°¡®Simple really. Gios is already here and he¡¯s hiding among one of the spectators. The invasion has started early for him, and with most of his shards within me, he is no longer restricted.¡± Kyrion stated a hypothesis. ¡°Don¡¯t play with me Kyr.¡± Aether¡¯s sclera darkened as tendrils of black mist surrounded the two of them. ¡°That is just a hunch, given his ability to manipulate space and the fact that he sent a bunch of his spawn here, I can assume that he is quite close.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°A hunch is a hunch. We can fight, both of us will get injured then we¡¯ll have to face that bastard while in a weakened state. I can¡¯t handle him as I am but I don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Well he¡¯s yours to kill. I can always kill him if he beats you. Why don¡¯t you pr¨C¡± Aether said coldly. Kyrion moved at a speed well beyond sound and yet there were no shockwaves present in his path as all the wind for miles wide converged into one location, a simple palm strike, from Kyrion¡¯s palm shot an absurd amount of wind mana and divine essence that caused the sky to break as clouds were forced out of its path. In moments a giant hole in the sky could be seen a the moon Icaron shattered like thousands of shards of glass being broken. For a brief moment, six spheres could be seen, each much larger than the circles he¡¯d grown up looking at in the sky every morning. The seven moons were currently right next to each other and in near-perfect allegiance Kyrion suspected. ¡°We have hours!¡± Aether didn¡¯t hesitate as he looked at the palm that hand barely missed him and plugged a bone spear through where Kyrion¡¯s heart should have been. Only Kyrion didn¡¯t disappear immediately. Kyrion in turn had used the distraction to thrust Brion into Aether¡¯s abdomen and knock him out of the arena leaving a floating greatsword alone on team Drisil. Around forty-five seconds later the orc woman appeared on the arena floor unconscious and the winners of the second and final round were announced. ¡°Team Drisil will face off against team Norm in the final round!¡± ¡°Whats that? No way! Norm has withdrawn from the tournament! The Victors of this years continental tournament is Drisil, led by Kyrion Moslay, under the supervision of Headmaster a Caeden.¡± ¡°What do you? How did you get that pat me!¡±. Confusion erupted from the arena as Aether moved towards Kyrion, a scythe twirling in their hands while Kyrion danced between the blades, always just a millimeter away from getting cut up. ¡°I hate you!¡± Aether pulled his scythe back and watched as Kyrion''s head popped off and yet the expected blood fountain didn¡¯t erupt. ¡°You have been blinded by rage young one. The fights over and you¡¯re still trying to kill me? ¡± Kyrion said from behind as he watched a straw dummy collapse to the ground. Such a thing shouldn¡¯t have been possible without his space affinity and yet it had appeared. ¡°What is that? That isn¡¯t any kind of magictech Cecil developed.¡± Kyrion pulled a bean out of a pouch and cracked it before tossing it forward. From the seed came a straw doll that was suspended in the air. In a flash, it appeared to resemble Kyrion¡¯s shape and appearance. Kyrion struck an exaggerated pose balancing on the tip of his left foot and bending back into a half-moon. His right foot was sticking up in the air. ¡°Ninja substitution technique.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a ninja and why do you know stuff I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Not sure, I think they are a mix between secret assassin and bodyguards. Ask Ander, I just have a bad habit of picking up things I find interesting, without thinking then hoarding them. You should know that already.¡± Kyrion hopped into the air and flew off he had to find Gios before they escaped. As Kyrion¡¯s eyes landed on an orange-haired individual that resembled Rion he felt an itch at the name of his neck and blasted off. Something was wrong, and he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. Two of his signals had vanished as though they had never existed and yet he couldn¡¯t figure out who was missing. ¡°Eden, Ceil, Bella, Tiffany, Minah, Hel, Brion, Max, Ander, Chiyo. All of them are present, then who vanished? Vanished? Did I make an eleventh tracker? Something just happened.¡± Kyron scowled as he knew something was torn away from him. Kyrion landed at the entrance to his dungeon where a somber Lin stood with a tired expression. ¡°So you won and will go to the final round.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡± ¡°It does, if you win then we¡¯ll be trapped in a five year training bubble. While the rest of the experts are gone. The goal is to wait out the call then create an army of experts to defend our world. If you win, you¡¯ll have to fight in an army led by whoever they pick.¡± ¡°Ah¡­so do you want me to lose?¡± ¡°Yes. For all of our sakes. I can¡¯t lose you right now.¡± Lin¡¯s eyes seemed quite red, almost bloodshot. ¡°No promises. But, I can tell you that I won¡¯t be able to fight in my current state.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I burned out all of my eternal organs and mana veins, I can use some power to fly but that''s due to the residual mana around me. In a few minutes I will be unable to use mana for about two days. The only thing that will be functional is my regeneration and fire D.E.¡± ¡°Why did you use that much power at once on something so trivial?¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°To be fair, I only wanted to move the clouds out of the way.¡± ¡°So you underestimated your power?¡± ¡°Did you know that the moons are actually ginormous?¡± ¡°Yes. I imagine each one is as big as this one?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can''t put a planet in my domain. Which means no holding planets hostage.¡± ¡°What were you going to do? Blackmail a deity or try to ransom a planet? ¡°Maybe drop a moon sized rock on their planet that should break everything.¡± ¡°Do you want them to smite you down?¡± ¡°Just need to keep my options open. To think Hel would summon a creature like that during the tournament.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was capable of it.¡± ¡°She is the best summoner at your school. I expected this much if she was willing to go all out.¡± Kyrion looked at Lin with a perplexed expression. ¡°Why do you know this?¡± Lin pulled out a pamphlet written with a familiar set of handwriting. ¡°I was given this, by your mother. She was trying to figure out how the harem thing worked and one of your sisters gave this to her. Kyrion recognized Freya¡¯s design and squinted. ¡°Do not take anything written in that book relating to me as gospel.¡± ¡°Hmmm? Most of it contains statistics and obvious pairings. Quite a few were pulling for you and Minah. As she seemed to ask about you alot and you shared quite a few classes.¡± ¡°What are you going on about? I didn¡¯t¡­Fraternal twins are confusing.¡± ¡°She was third, want to hear about second? To think I had so much compettion.¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯m still having whiplash. Anyway, I have reservations for dinner at a nice restaurant in Deltin. A short flight, with little traffic, best of all no experts will be there due to the tournament going on.¡± ¡°You have a match tomorrow and you want to go on a date?¡± ¡°Hmmm? I¡¯m not participating tomorrow. If the world is about to go up in flames I¡¯d rather enjoy these last few days then spend them fighting for something I no longer need. Also, I believe Sheeva is likely to follow us away.¡± ¡°No. It isn¡¯t time for this. We should prep¡ª.¡± Kyrion placed a finger in front of Lin¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shush. You''re clearly stressed, exhausted and hiding something from me. You are also contradicting yourself. Do you want to wait out the incursion in seclusion or do you wish to save as many lives as we can by taking them from our rivals?¡± ¡°Neither and both. Shouldn¡¯t you be angry or something? You seem quite calm for someone in your position.¡± ¡°I know that you wouldn¡¯t willingly keep a secret like this which means it¡¯s related to something that hasn¡¯t happened yet. So, should I stay here for now? Or would my knowing something is wrong, mess it up. I can wipe my own memory if you wish.¡± Lin sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t answer your question, is your perception enhanced?¡± ¡°I¡¯m normally a bit more tactful and quiet about my observations but something about this situation screams Charles. Or seers.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°They said that if you could figure this out you should participate in the finals with the best people at your disposal including me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It means your mind is resonating with Gios, and calling to him, so he¡¯s really close.¡± ¡°Oh, and you''re saying we shouldn¡¯t be? I could get us disqualified for tampering with the battlefield prior to our arrival.¡± ¡°And get yourself executed?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­Lin, have you ever kidnapped someone?¡± ¡°No? Define kidnapped.¡± ¡°Whisked someone away to a location that only you or a select few know about?¡± ¡°Yes, and no? It wasn¡¯t kidnapping so much as it was transportation, new members of my organization.¡± ¡°Right, then I¡¯ll lead, as I''m the most experienced in this. We go to dinner and you drop one of these in my drink while I go to the restroom. You pay the bill and then drag my unconscious self out to somewhere secluded.¡± Kyrion held up a pouch with some yellow power substance that had been individually packaged. ¡°Kyr¡­before I say no. What is that, and why do you have it?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, this is an antacid. Perfectly harmless and I was thinking about selling them next to bars and the like.¡± Kyrion opened the pouch and poured it into his mouth. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s also high in vitamins, with a good source of potassium.¡± ¡°Kyr. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Otherwise¨C¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be hunted down like cattle.¡± Said a familiar chilly voice that caused Lin to freeze up while Kyrion didn¡¯t react physically. He silently activates various runic traps around the area for the other pests. Unlike Lin, he¡¯d known of her presence the second she got within a mile of their location. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± Lin created a wall of ice between herself and Sheeva. ¡°Lin, do you need my help with this?¡± Kyrion asked with a bored expression. ¡°Take care of the others first.¡± Various triangular objects floated out of Kyrion¡¯s robes and flew toward the various practitioners hidden in the trees. ¡°Feast of 100 blades.¡± Kyrion closed his right hand and tens of screams started and stopped at once as various bodies hit the ground simultaneously. No one died from the wounds inflicted with surgical precision but quite a few could go into shock if they didn''t receive healing in a semi timely manner. ¡°Exactly seventy three practitioners have fallen. Waiting on you.¡± Kyrion stated. Lin redirected various spears of ice then through her hands forward causing vines of ice to wrap around Sheeva¡¯s legs. Sheeva broke out and attempted to summon power when a loud clunk echoed from behind her head and she passed out. Kyrion observed the four-armed buck wielding a familiar club with a familiar set of runes. It bowed to Kyrion and then seemingly moved through a teleportation circle. ¡°I don¡¯t know your name but you¡¯re getting a promotion!¡± Kyrion eyed the buck. ¡°Kyr, while she wasn¡¯t me, I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯m going to have a bit of trauma.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Maybe an abroad promotion. Maybe send him to Earth to act as our liaison.¡± ¡°Sure. Yeah.¡± Lin approved her downed shard and made contact. In moments Sheeva faded into blue energy and then entered Lin¡¯s body. For a moment Lin seemed to glow a light blue before she suddenly passed out. ¡°Well¡­That''s not good.¡± ¡°What isn¡¯t good?¡± Asked a pink-haired man who resembled the spawn of Gios only looked quite a bit like Song from the previous round. ¡°Huh, to think you moved right under my nose. Is this a vessel or another shard for me to consume?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Gios didn¡¯t answer the question as he began the process of bending space. Kyrion who knew the signs stomped a foot and the power fizzled into nothing. ¡°Can¡¯t you just die and save me some trouble? You can¡¯t beat me in a fight, especially with your lover lying unconscious right next to you. An unscrupulous individual could kill her before you attacked for convenience. ¡°You refer to the twenty seven archers placed around us. Correct?¡± ¡°Just twenty seven?¡± ¡°No, fourteen now. Now then, Gios, you look quite a bit different now. Why is that?¡± Gios didn¡¯t cancel the spell they were crafting out of blind stubbornness. ¡°None of your concern.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a guess. To come to this world early I imagine that heavy restrictions were placed so that you could hide among the practitioner tier people and deal with them from the inside?¡± ¡°Do you¨C¡± ¡°And you¡¯re using a form of possession magic to animate that doll as well as the three golems you have remaining.¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be in sight.¡± ¡°Gios¡­ Oh you sweet summer child. I¡¯m sure your world has druids. Or necromancers, can¡¯t forget those. Do they let you anywhere near their inner sanctum without a fight?¡± ¡°What are you going on about¨C¡± Gios felt a pang in his head as all of his golems exploded simultaneously. ¡°Seems I was wrong. You aren¡¯t Gios, though you believe yourself to be him.¡± ¡°How can I not be me?¡± ¡°Unless strictly using dangerous levels of Charm magic, Gios is likely capable of altering brains, memories and more, if given time. Are you certain that you aren¡¯t Dwen¡¯s shard that had their mind overwritten?¡± Kyrion eyed the seemed to use the same form of power Kyrie had access to. ¡°Fire!¡± Song commanded and the forest stayed quiet. Kyrion picked Lin up while Song stood there menacingly. ¡°Not working?¡± Song focused their mana and flinched as the rebound hit him all at once. His nose began to bleed as his energy went haywire. Kyrion then began to walk away he¡¯d done enough damage. ¡°Return to the beginning where the world was fire and ash.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Kyrion was not going to stay and get hit by a spell like that. He¡¯d been right and wrong, Gios was hiding among practitioners, but he¡¯d also placed quite a few agents all over the place. Lin seemingly began the process of waking up as Kyrion snapped his fingers. 76 Stone golems fell from various locations to the ground and shattered simultaneously. Various triangular objects float around the debris and absorb it. In time 76 new triangular objects joined the thorns. ¡°Ky¨C¡± ¡°Lin, I need you to open the portal on the second level. It should get us to the Arena. Karl closed the dungeon off behind me. Retrieve our monster allies after we leave.¡± ¡°Already retrieved while unlikely to have been hunted I predicted your worry. They would rather die protecting you then protect themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s oddly loyal.¡± Kyrion pivoted around a tree, his expression concerned before he proceeded down a flight of stairs. ¡°Well you are holding the souls of their families hostage and monster resurrection is possible. It¡¯s the least they can do in my opinion.¡± ¡°Not as surprising and much more palpable than saying they see me as their god or something.¡± ¡°That is one faction of the bunny race that you let out relatively recently. Would you like to see the statues?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m good for now.¡± Kyion ran down the side of a wall and flew into a room with ten inert doorways. ¡°There should just be three.¡± ¡°Correction, you chose three, but I had to make multiple gateways to connect to your continent, and bypass the defenses you set up.¡± ¡°How did we get there in one jump then?¡± ¡°An expert with a space affinity and many more years of experience, like your new teacher. How¡¯s that going by the way?¡± ¡°No idea, apparently when that shard of consciousness returns to me, I can work with that new knowledge if I spend time comprehending it. Why?¡± ¡°One second¡ªWell that''s not good. Use the first portal to get to the med bay. Asela¡¯s condition has gone from stable to critical, Eden is in danger and Charles is busy fighting someone around his level.¡± ¡°Who are they fighting?¡± ¡°I have no data, but they have taken to the sky and I assume the country as such a fight starts and ends with collateral damage. 300 civilians dead and over a thousand wounded just on their arrival alone. ¡°What?¡± Kyrion¡¯s irises seemed to morph into a spiral pattern for the briefest of moments. ¡°That shouldn''t be possible. They came too early.¡± Lin looked around. ¡°No, it¡¯s time. It seems that we¡¯ve lost our last two days in an instant.¡± Kyrion closed his eyes and sat Lin down. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Asela and the others, you need to hide in the safehouse. Adapting will take time, and I¡¯m probably going to need to see you alive.¡± Lin nodded in understanding. ¡°Fine, but if you die again, I won¡¯t forgive you this time.¡± Book 3: Chapter 41 Andromeda Kyrion had hopped through the portal Lin had opened a minute later and found himself surrounded by individuals wearing black tactical armor, with helmets that covered their faces and eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kyrion asked the individuals in the nicest tone he could muster, ¡°Target at 11 O¡¯clock! Only E tier.¡± ¡°E? Hmmm?¡± Kyrion watched as devices resembling guns were turned towards him all at once. Various blasts of raw condensed mana were fired, creating mist and smoke as they impacted walls and flesh alike. The damaged hospital had begun to collapse. Yet the screams from various warriors confused me. ¡°Is that all?¡± Kyrion asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°How di¨C.¡± ¡°Saving windblade.¡± Kyrion slid his hand in an arc casting their helmets and various neck protectors to fly off. No one died, but everyone who was hit fainted instantly. Kyrion walked out of the room and into a hall where he could hear a crashing noise. ¡°You''re all dead!¡± While Volain was going on the attack. Kyrioin heard breaking, crushing, and screaming, and while Volain, the slaughter was no more or less one-sided than Kyrion¡¯s nonlethal assault. Kyrion didn¡¯t mind. As a healer, killing someone in a hospital was taboo. Kyrion also didn¡¯t enjoy taking sentient lives, but again, these people attacked a hospital. Volain was letting them off easy. Kyrion paused and fixed the broken building around him then reinforced the supports before he continued on his path. Stopping only to watch Volain rammed figures in a red suit through two walls and reduced them to paste before the third. The dark-skinned young man¡¯s eyes turned an eerie red as he went on a frenzied rampage. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m the one letting them off easy.¡± Kyrion watched as a man who¡¯d lost both legs and yet stayed conscious tried to escape only for Volain to turn around. Deciding to stop it here. Kyrion flung a needle into the neck of the fleeing man causing their heart to slow to a crawl as they passed out. ¡°Volain, there are more people to fight. Leave these weaklings along.¡± For a long moment, Volain looked as though he¡¯d attack Kyrion, then seemed to gain a resolute expression as his eyes fell on a stuffed orca covered in blood, a small hand the only thing attached to it. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you choose to spare these bastards. Every single one of them deserves death.¡± Volain grabbed the unconscious soldier''s neck and snapped it with ease. ¡°Are you sure¡­¡± ¡°I heard his heart stop. What took you so long!¡± Volain turned to push Kyrion into a wall. Kyrion however moved to the debris and carefully moved everything out of the way before the body of a girl missing a hand and riddled with holes could be found. Her hair was platinum blood her expression was vacant and her heart had stopped but that wasn¡¯t enough for someone to die if their will was strong enough, and the doctor was skilled enough. In a hospital like this, it was very hard for someone to die, due to various enchantments that preserved life and kept one¡¯s soul close for a few minutes. ¡°Well you''re right her heart was destroyed, can you pass me that hand? And the living body of one of my prisoners?¡± Kyrion pointed to the severed hand and then to the room he just come from. Volain did so, though he didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Why did you leave them alive?¡± ¡°Organs. If they are going to come here and hurt civilians then I¡¯ll use them to fix what they broke. A heart for a heart¡­ Do you know anyone who needs a new kidney or two? This one has a decent liver as well. Not a smoker either, good choice Volain.¡± ¡°So your forcing them to live on in others?¡± ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m removing organs while they''re still alive because I can regrow them later. This is very inhumane and very painful. Also a taboo outside of war, does this feel like war.¡± Kyrion cut the soldier open removed a heart and examined it before removing the child¡¯s heart. ¡°Organ replication.¡± Kyrion cast a spell that did more than what he¡¯d said. The heart he¡¯d created for the child would be accepted without issue, and be a perfect match to her own with some adjustments Kyrion put in every heart he made to increase longevity. In moments the new heart was in its new home and the old heart was carefully discarded. The remaining useful bits gathered into a stasis chest Kyrion found for time-sensitive medicine though the brain was put in a jar which he¡¯d give to either his mother or Curella depending on who he found first. Kyrion then applied a bit of healing magic to the unconscious child and reattached her hand. ¡°Times like this remind me that your skill in combat is laughable when compared to your ability to heal. Then it irritates me that I couldn¡¯t beat you, while you were tricking me.¡± ¡°To be fair, if I¡¯m fighting someone head on, there are likely to be quite a few contingencies. Or they are much weaker. Had I not been injured I might have risked fighting you head on. So far the people in our tier who can beat me in a head to head fight are you, Ander, and Damian. I am fighting none of you monsters head on. Now then, the girl should wake up, either take her through the portal or get her somewhere safe.¡± ¡°What portal.¡± Isaiah came running down the stairs, his right arm in a sling and a hole in his left shoulder the size of a baseball carved straight through. His expression pained as he spotted Kyrion and Volain. ¡°Two experts are in the building. Asela is in danger, I''m supposed to be finding the others and getting back up.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Volain asked as he approached Iseah. Kyrion passed by on the other side and squeezed his right shoulder while sneakily fixing the whole and broken limb. ¡°Get the kid out of here. She dies, you die. Get it? Good.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just. Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember the names of side characters.¡± Kyrion let go and led Volain up a flight of stairs. Isaiah sighed then got to work escorting as many civilians out of the wreckage as he could. ¡°Who was that?¡± Volain asked. ¡°No idea, but his face was very punchable.¡± Kyion used a hint of sarcasm in his tone while leading Volian where Asela should have been ¡°Right?¡± Volain said seriously. ¡°Left actually.¡± Kyrion jumped to the left. Volain saw the movement and hugged the left wall as a beam of purple mana cleft the building in half from above narrowly missing the duo and leaving the hospital in two. ¡°Another one. We¡¯ll need to work together again.¡± Kyrion bent down and focused his earth around him to find anyone he recognized.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I heard eight people die, some of them were participants in the tournament. Others were unrecognizable.¡± Volain stated as he picked up speed. Kyrion turned around a corner and held out a hand for Volain to stop. Continuing forward Kyrion placed both hands in his pockets as an old man with his white hair braided in pigtails stood over an injured Uriel. ¡°I¡¯m just a healer! I can¨C¡± Uriel started and Kyrion raised an eyebrow as she tried to use mental magic to dissuade her assailant. ¡°Ha! In war, enemy healers are the first to be targeted. You are no different.¡± The soldier attempted to attack Kyrion continued forward undetected as he walked past the old man and looked him in the eyes for a long moment. Scowling he realized that he wasn¡¯t being noticed. Sighing Kyrion tapped the man on the side of the head causing his brain to begin a dangerous process of self-destruction as though icepicks were being slowly but forcefully pushed through his skull. In moments the figure was lying unconscious, and brain dead as the organ began to cannibalize itself. ¡°Just a healer. Well, you do seem dumb for a healer. You don¡¯t even know how to use all your affinities properly.¡± To Uriel Kyrion had suddenly popped into existence right in front of her, the large man a bit too close. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Kyrion sighed, ¡°If I teach you the trick, you better swear not to use it to harm anyone I care about.¡± ¡°I so swear.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Kyrion tapped the side of her head and transferred a reasonable amount of information all at once causing her to seize up before quickly regaining control. ¡°That much in just a tap? Information overload.¡± ¡°Correct, doing so is risky but you¡¯re a healer so most are negated if you know what you''re doing.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t use that technique in front of anyone. Finally, it''s about to get chaotic. Volain, I¡¯m moving up two floors, you get the next!!¡± Kyrion ran through a window and while in mid-air, pushed off an invisible platform and flew into the hall two stories up. As he landed he poked his head out the window and squinted. ¡°I hope they are allies. Looking around the pale white walls and carefully maintained floors Kyrion knew he¡¯d surrounded himself with practitioners. Suddenly walls of wood partitioned them as Kyrion looked around for someone he knew, seeing no one he recognized as a participant in the tournament. He approached the wall and sat down, his expression bored as he watched eyes grow from the various walls and confirmed that everyone save him had been driven into madness. Pulling out a teleplant, Kyrion activated it. ¡°Noah, are you with Asela at the moment?¡± ¡°Yes and no. I am currently chasing Milo. He came to finish the job along with some help.The other figure is a man who looks alot like you and Asela, only a bit older, with darker hair.¡± ¡°Damn it! Noah, that''s the Beast Blood Emperor, do not engage.¡± ¡°A bit late for that don¡¯t you think?¡± Volain cracked his knuckles. ¡°Volain. Do not go up and fight that expert. It¡¯s tantamount to suicide. He is the face of an Empire, just because he''s younger than most of the walking fossiles doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°Was that before or after you got back? Prior to that bonding adventure we went on, I probably could have wiped the floor with you.¡± ¡°It was closer to fifty fifty and we both know I don¡¯t play fair so 40/60.¡± ¡°He smells weak.¡± Volain grumbled as Noah slammed a shield into the large man doing little to no damage. ¡°Parasite possession. Not sure how or why, but that''s what I managed to put together with what I know of their empire of tapeworms.¡± The Beastblood Emperor''s eyes looked onto Kyrion in rage. ¡°What do you know, welp? Before you weak mortals came we were the first species. The originators of all life you have no right to call me a tapeworm!¡± ¡°Must be that paper thin ego. If that¡¯s what it took to get your attention. Guess it¡¯s payback time. Where¡¯s your brat?¡± ¡°A loss is a loss. I¡¯ve prepared for one of my children to consume him then take over.¡± ¡°Huh. Ruthless, can¡¯t say I¡¯d do the same, especially when he managed to take out four people simultaneously and injure the person you came to capture. So who did you sacrifice to Charles?¡± ¡°Sacrifice? Our lord Yat has graced our side with a being of neigh immeasurable power. No one is being sacrificed.¡± Kyrion reached into a pocket pulled out a flask instinctively and downed a sip of a clear almost crystalline liquid that looked as though it belonged in a lake in some old fairy tale. Though for the briefest of moments the world shook as it left the bottle. Something was watching him very carefully and he knew instinctively that if he showed too much of a power increase, the world would treat him like an expert and send him into the incursion Which is why he only took a sip and tossed it to Volain. ¡°Toss that back, and do it quickly, if we¡¯re fighting someone like that we need to be beyond our known peaks. You may want a new liver and stomach in 12 hours and it begins to wear off in 4.¡± Kyrion partially lied, a small sip, a taste, would wear off in four hours and thirteen minutes, and the stomach pain was either instant or nonexistent during the next day. ¡°A potion?¡± ¡°LSP.¡± Kyrion stated blandly. ¡°Is that a drug or something?¡± ¡°No, it''s a performance enhancer. Now down as much as you want, I only have one flask though so try to be frugal.¡± Volain¡¯s muscles bulged then suddenly he gained another two inches in height but his muscle mass greatly diminished as something replaced all his muscle fibers with something else. For the briefest of moments, Kyrion cracked an evil smile. It faded soon after as the world shook much harder. The liquid Kyrion had given Volain was Liquid Soul Power or Liquid Divine Essence. When drunk in a reasonable amount the effects were permanent and the downsides minor in the long term. For someone who already had pathways for their D.E. the consumption allowed for the user to reach the next tier and evolve their magic. Volain had jumped straight from peak practitioner to middle expert in a matter of seconds. ¡°What the abyss did you give me?¡± Volain asked. ¡°An experiment involving my own energy. You have about thirty minuets until you get forced to leave this world.¡± ¡°You forced me to reach the expert tier!¡± ¡°Well, you were already stronger than most, such a jump is hardly an inconvenience in your case.¡± ¡°I still would have liked a choice!¡± ¡°Would you rather die, also I didn¡¯t expect you to drink that much after you saw me take a sip? If not, hurry up and pass the flask back.¡± Volain did so with a sheepish expression. Kyrion shook his flask and scowled. How Volain managed to down so much in seconds was beyond him. Volain had jumped into the middle-upper tier of experts and would likely sleep for a month with a horrendous hangover when he came down from the power detoxification. ¡°How much did you down? Do you know what it takes to make this? Do you know many orphanages I had to go through to collect the required tears? The virgin gods I had to seduce for the ingredients, or the baby seals I had to skin alive for their skin, multiple times as I couldn¡¯t kill them one at a time. Had to regenerate the skin to thet the perfect leather grip.¡± ¡°Tell me you''re joking?¡± ¡°Do you know?¡± ¡°Hello?¡± Asked an irritated emperor he¡¯d stopped his charge and attempted to get their attention as he didn¡¯t feel right¡­ ¡°Feel right? The.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t have played dumb another ten or so seconds? It was just getting good.¡± Kyrion said as he thrust a spear into the Emperor''s back only for it to barely cause him to bleed a little, only barely piercing his defenses though that enough was for Volain to charge in faster than anything Kyrion had tracked previously forcing him to accept that the movements were surpassing sound and steadily increasing as invisible clashes could be heard around him. As though caught in the eye of a storm. Kyrion diverted the energy he absorbed into his senses and enhanced them to a degree where he could see Volain fight the ruler of the beast''s blood empire to a standstill. The fight was close to equal, but Volain was using his energy too fast and wasting it with unnecessary movements a flaw he¡¯d move past with time. ¡°I will make sure he has the time.¡± Kyrion moved forward through the fray of unseen speed and towards an exhausted Noah. ¡°Hey. So you''re back as you?¡± ¡°Not for long. Where did they take Asela?¡± ¡°Milo grabbed her and is currently flying east of here.¡± ¡°And Eden?¡± ¡°The headmaster picked her up right before the matches ended.¡± Kyrio placed a hand on Noah¡¯s shoulder, restored some of his stamina, and healed all his wounds. Kyrion focused on the trackers he¡¯d planted on his friends. Max had been taken miles away sometime during the finals. ¡°Great, I suggest you get out of here as soon as you can. If Asela isn¡¯t here then I need to catch up now.¡± ¡°Right I¡¯ll get to the others. See you in the finals.¡± Noah stood and stomped on the ground opening up a path to the floor below where he repeated the maneuver. ¡°You better hope not.¡± Kyrion smirked as he closed the holes and sighed, pulling out another bottle of what he called Vigor. To a regular human, it could destroy and remake a liver seven times. To a fledgling maybe two or three times. A regular practitioner would feel sick for a brief moment due to not being able to handle concentrated divine essence. To Kyrion and anyone else who underwent that training. It was power in a bottle, a kind of elixir of power that didn¡¯t wear off. ¡°All is one, under my control, from the raging ocean to the quakes of the land, the winds that tear cities asunder, the trees and grasses I have raised, the flames from beneath the land.¡± Kyrion began to chant as massive amounts of power stuck to every word. The emperor hesitated the briefest of moments as it tried to kill Kyrion before he could finish the spell. Breaking forward for a moment, only for a knee from Kyra to hit him in the jaw, while her forehead slammed into his. Which would have cracked a skull had it been a practitioner or early expert. ¡°We are a force of nature. Unbending power. Our might enough to erase. ¡± Kyrie moved back, drawing the dazed experts'' attention. ¡°No!¡± A pincer belonging to a familiar creature appeared and disappeared in a brief moment as the power he drew on falter.¡± ¡°What? But¨C¡± Kyrion resisted the urge to drool despite seeing the massive crustacean he¡¯d fought. Somewhat, the predatory gaze of a puma stalking prey wasn¡¯t hard to miss when they were not hidden. The opening gave Volain the chance to grab the experts from under their shoulders and suplex them into the roof. The building shook for the briefest of moments. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be this strong! You are but ants!¡± The Emperor spoke and his skin began to go from sickly pale to a deep purple as his sclera turned black and his irises faded. With a kick Volain was sent flying to the edge of the roof and arm broken by the blow but no other injuries aside from that. ¡°Transformation! Second form. You should run.¡± Cackled Ari from behind, their presence unnoticeable as they plunged two wooden chopsticks into both of the Emporer¡¯s inner ear canals, slightly deafening him with deadly ease. Black blood trickled as the transformation halted. Volain set his arm as bloodlust filled him and spectral armor surrounded his body and condensed. ¡°More! More, more, more more more more!¡± ¡°How are we just figuring out he¡¯s a berserker type?¡± Ari said from safety, having flipped onto a platform of air, right at the edge of the building. Kyra, focused her energy while her opponent was occupied and began her part. ¡°Our magic enough to alter space and time. To bend the powers of Order and Chaos. To set the boundaries of life and death. We offer up a sacrifice.¡± The Emperor didn¡¯t manage to catch the last point due to limited senses and a maddened Volain relentlessly attacking him with no regard for his injuries. Chucks of Volain had been torn off and yet each attack seemed to only increase his power. Based on blood loss alone the young man should have gone down. ¡°We offer up this contract a life for a life, a soul for a soul to bring one home to their own body. Take our power and the soul of the offering in the center! Spell chain, Grand Exorcism!¡± A pillar of light engulfed the rooftop as the Beastblood Emperor was engulfed. Then a dragon of pitch black scales blotted out the sky and the attack with its body causing the attack to fail. Though the damage the colossal creature took was significant the fight wasn¡¯t over yet. The light didn¡¯t stop as Tiffany arrived moments later, her powers active as she flew towards the dragon, her sword glowing. She embedded a blade of light the size of a ballista into the creature''s ribs. Kyrion¡¯s shock at the sudden attack surprised him. He knew she was motivated by vengeance but she hadn¡¯t known the target of such ire. The black dragon brought a claw down to cut Tiffany in two when a much smaller but still giant prismatic serpent intercepted the blow and contented with a breath attack so white it overcame the darkness that the scales created and pierced through. ¡°You traitor! Bloodline command, die.¡± The giant dragon stated. Book 3: Chapter 42 Lords ¡°Sorry mother, but you have debts to pay, and sadly I''m not the only one here to collect,¡± Gamodren stated flippantly as his form shimmered and various people appeared in the space around him. ¡°I¡¯ve waited millenia for this. Stepmother oh sweet catharsis, doesn¡¯t it drive you mad? Being away so long? I knew hedging my bets on that curiosity would pay dividends.¡± An older blond man resembling the ruler of Etravonia, and Maldain, only his eyes were purple swirls that spiraled into nothingness. When Kyrion squinted he noticed the man¡¯s ears were pointed like an elf, only each was in a different direction. A vague memory involving how he obtained his spirits played back in his memory and despite some minor differences, this was the man who gave him his spirits, and yet now, Kyrion could tell that he wasn¡¯t just a spirit master. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, cousin! Remember we need to share.¡± Stated the mad golden-eyed swordsman, that was Maldain. Ten minutes prior, in the air the clouds covered in a field that redirected light and sound to make everyone aboard his back invisible. Gamodren transported a gaggle of monsters wearing the flesh of people. As each one had a screw loose. A tired woman with wild blue hair sat atop a cloud and sighed. ¡°Can you keep it down? I haven¡¯t slept in¡­ Oh has that day finally come? So is that little one Xander¡¯s bloodline? Did he spot us?¡± She pointed tens of miles ahead to the top of a building where a figure had jumped into a window then quickly poked in and out as though confirming something, then bodies began to fly out the window. ¡°Both of them technically, though the big one is possessed.¡± Maldain nodded ¡°I knew it. He just has the same look in his eyes. Though I¡¯d say, I didn''t think you two were both involved, with this lesser world.¡± An old man with a tired expression sighed. ¡°Trash knows where to hide. Though it''s odd seeing a mix of bloodlines like that. In theory he should be a corpse, though based on memory, someone must have altered time for this result. The Rion I know was nowhere near this strong this young.¡± ¡°You know how this goes. Monsters like him either die young or become one of us. Also, you need to start saying who you''re talking about. Adjectives, nouns, use them so that people understand when you switch from one person or another¡± Stated a black-haired woman in a kimono, a third eye resting on her forehead as she watched the two of him. ¡°When was the last time we hung out like this, shame Xander is still in training for his new position. To think he¡¯s stopped being a Renegade now of all times. Then there¡¯s Time who is busy meddling with the rabble.¡± The blond man shook his head and sighed. Gamodren sighed as he flew the people on his back towards the fighting. ¡°Why are you having a discussion that goes against my own organization''s tenets?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean, They Who Document All? Don¡¯t worry that the leader will be open to you becoming one of us, you even have the motive, means, and opportunity.¡± ¡°Yeah, but my fiance is also in that organization. I don¡¯t intend to leave, over something so minor.¡± ¡°You can stay in that one if you intend to be a grunt forever. Offer stands but I won¡¯t ask again.¡± ¡°Fine, why did my father even direct me to you guys anyway.¡± ¡°Well, that''s simple kiddo. You see, your mother has angered a lot of people over the years.¡± The blue-haired woman sighed into her hand. ¡°Time doesn''t heal all wounds, it just makes drive more important.¡± ¡°And for one reason or another, we intend to wipe her out, soul and all.¡± ¡°Oh, so I take it you all are at least his level?¡± Gamodren pointed to Maldain. ¡°If anything, he was the youngest of us until we recruited from this world. The people here start young and get training quickly, and you fight all the time while remembering to practice what makes you different. Those few years drastically increase overall power and strength but can leave some mentally scared in various ways.¡± The blond man looked at his cousin. ¡°So, how long are we going to talk up here?¡± The old man asked. ¡°When mother makes her move we strike. I doubt that man is a bad pawn but his body returning where it belongs would inconvenience her current master. And unless he¡¯s been increasing his range further than he had prior, it is unlikely that he saw us clearly.¡± Maldain sighed before pulling a modified temporal coffin out of a ring and opening it up, to reveal a fully healed Damian who was very confused. The action was repeated three more times as Tiffany, Ander, and Chiyo also appeared. The woman in a kimono looked at Chiyo in confusion. ¡°Where did you kidnap someone like that?¡± ¡°Ask him, spatial magic eludes me. Why do we even need another universe?¡± Maldain pointed to Ander who was the first to come to. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Explain why your wife is here?¡± ¡°Oh that. Kyrion found a way to twist space enough to slip through to another universe and using his domain, allows him to take people along.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s been to the lands of Abe?¡± ¡°I believe there was a ruler with that name some time ago. His face is still on money in the country my friend ended up in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s likely a common name by now.¡± ¡°Probably. Now then, who, what, when, where, and do I smell a fight?¡± ¡°Not important. Can your friend go from one world to another at will?¡± ¡°He needs to reach the expert tier and that world is also in danger due to something similar in this world is happening there.¡± ¡°Ah, more reason to save it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t get there if he dies. Well you could, but I believe the trick he used once won¡¯t work again, to get there after if he dies again.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He uses a time loop to split his soul from his body to train in the lost realm. Accidentally brought me with him as well.¡± ¡°That would explain why you are nearly at our level despite not having reached your world¡¯s expert tier.¡± ¡°He brought me along first, which led to a blood oath of servitude being broken.¡± ¡°Ander what do you plan on doing after this?¡± ¡°Honeymoon, white beaches and no one trying to kill us. Then we need to return to earth during its transition to help out. After that aside from peace, I don¡¯t know what will happen next.¡± ¡°What''s with you young people, and getting married? I didn;t get married until I was two hundred and forty-five.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting your first wife? Must be getting senile old man.¡± Maldain sighed as he looked ¡°You¡¯re only what six years younger?¡± ¡°Oh so now the six years matter.¡± The two cousins looked ready to fight.¡± ¡°Shush, we¡¯re here. I¡¯ll drop the kids off now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay. I¡¯ve been looking to feed my tiger a bit.¡± Black stripes appeared on Ander¡¯s flesh as his eyes became catlike. In his hands, a halberd coated in electricity appeared. Swords were nice and hand-to-hand was interesting, but Ander loved polearms. The blue-haired woman brought Tiffany Chiyo and Damian down while Ander stood up there a bit longer. ¡°This type of dragon grants power proportional to how much damage you deal to it. So don¡¯t worry about hitting it last. Just hit it as hard as you can and maybe you¡¯ll get 1%. Little one.¡± The old man smiled as he added the adjectives like he was supposed to. A vein pulsed on Ander¡¯s forehead and the essence he had leaked began to turn the sky black for a moment. ¡°Correction 10%. If you ever get tired of peace¡­¡± ¡°If I live to a hundred I''ll likely consider it, though only if my wife is also allowed to join. She¡¯s been practicing our magic for upwards of five months outside of time dilation.¡± ¡°Maldain? How good is that one?¡± The blond one asked. ¡°On par with me in my thirties.¡± The blond man shivered a bit. ¡°Though Ander is past that, by leaps and bounds. The other boy is about tied, but he¡¯s spoken for. Time is better with music and weapon types.¡± ¡°So, does this mean we¡¯re assisting in defending this planet during the incursion?¡± ¡°We can vote on it later. Ah, cousin, wasn¡¯t this how Xander Incarnated. Outnumbered and out manned?¡± ¡°To be fair, he did succeed in his Oath.¡± ¡°He did say he¡¯d destroy Limguard himself if the Beasts came knocking as it was the only way to keep their plague from spreading.¡± ¡°What about Ace?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Ah look, let''s put a pin in this conversation. Bertha has arrived.¡± Ander had been lost in plenty of conversations. But a bunch of people tens of times his age were talking about world-changing events like the newest gossip at a book club. While people were dying. ¡°Live long enough and see someone you once knew or loved get reincarnated after a few centuries and you tend to care about the lives of regular folk. In three hundred years the old farmer who died to a boar attack will either be back there farming in the same place, or attempting to break out of the cycle. If you¡¯re weak enough, sometimes you¡¯ll be given a handicap and keep all your memories.¡± The old man stated, ¡°What is the purpose of it all then. Fighting? Getting stronger? Is it to survive.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you. But listen, if someone challenges me I fight them. If I challenge someone strong. They better be able to survive long enough to verbally surender. Tomato, potato. All the same. It¡¯s rare when new souls join our cycle, always mixes things up and throws the seers for a loop. You are one of those curiosities, I can¡¯t grasp how strong you are.¡± ¡°Oi focus, we have a fight co¡ª¡± ¡°Die!¡± The area went silent for a moment as the cousin jumped from the dragon¡¯s back and made their move. Then and only then did Gamodren reply. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it? After sending so many of us to death, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to pay the piper their due?¡± A smoking pipe was delivered to Gamodren¡¯s mouth via serpents that soon returned to their place. ¡°Myriad world.¡± Gamodren stated a puff of some obscured everyone for the briefest of moments and as it faded, everyone in the fog was gone. ¡°Your dead!¡± The Beast Blood Emperor had nearly the perfect chance to sneak attack. Kyrion let his guard down for a window. Had he not talked, he might have caught Kyrion by surprise. In the brief bellow, Kyra had moved forward and slammed two hands into his side. ¡°Expel Power!¡± The blow burned where it landed and vast amounts of mana, life essence, and D.E were all being sucked out at once the power of such a blow caused the Emperor''s form to falter and shift. Before the fight could progress, another form arrived. This one is in the form of a young man Nearly Identical to Kyrion, save for porcelain white skin, and a crazed look in albino red eyes. Most of the hair on his head was red up to the halfway point where it became whiter than snow as well. ¡°So we finally meet in person. Didn¡¯t expect you to cause my people so much trouble early on.¡± ¡°Meteor swarm!¡± Kyrie decided that he wasn¡¯t going to wait. From the sky, ten giant meteorites began to fall straight towards them. ¡°You¡¯ll kill us all!¡± The supposed Gios panicked for a brief moment revealing that this one feared death. Which was normal, but not something Kyrion would expect from him. Kyrion placed a hand on his chest causing wings of flame to erupt from his back, while a robe of water surrounded his body, the contrasting elements working together to form steam which shrouded his form. An Onyx crown then covered his head enhancing his motor skills past their already enhanced rate. Kyrion felt his body react to the power building and guessed he had a good ten minutes before he had to shut it down. Still, he hadn¡¯t quite finished yet as time ceased to function. A grandfatherly figure in robes sitting next to a peach tree sighed. ¡°So you know, breaking through the barrier limiting your spatial magic will cost you ten years of your mortal life. The cost of defying your world''s deity should be harsher. Do you continue? ¡°I should be dead already, what''s ten years sooner. Can you take off twenty and increase my power?¡± Kyrion pushed his hand to the side in irritation. Then as though time hadn¡¯t stopped, white lines formed on Kyrion¡¯s heart and tightened, the life having been pulled out successfully. Oddly enough the pain wasn¡¯t the most he¡¯d felt but he could tell that some of his hair had gone stark white. Space became linked as the connection between Imala and Kyrion had broken. Unbeknownst to him, he had stepped into the path of a Renegade. A being that could not be summoned by other deities from this universe. The incursion wouldn¡¯t call him away if he reached the expert tier, as various limitations on his power that his spirits had placed, were freed. Three voices spoke in unison as Kyrion appeared behind the next Gios clone and held both temples as he restored their brain to an unaltered state in a single touch. The strange man recoiled in pain, afterimages followed behind Kyrion as he slammed an open palm into the chest of the beast blood empire. ¡°Burning purification!¡± White flames erupted inside the body¡¯s core and soul carving away at the parasite and crippling it in a single blow. Screams from multiple voices erupted inside his body as various creatures died at once. He had been hoarding excess parasites in his body to work as a backup. Had meant by the time Kyrion finished the only parasite present was the first and it wouldn¡¯t get the chance to return fully. ¡°Go home uncle. You need to fight him now.¡± Opening two bags within his domain, a soul slipped out and flowed into the inert body of the emperor. Turning to leave Kyrion felt a familiar hand pass through his torso. ¡°I¡¯m lucky I''m paranoid.¡± Kyrion grabbed the arm and began to squeeze as a smile hit his face. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± ¡°Well, the thing is. I¡¯m a plant clone. We¡¯re all plant clones. When those meteors hit you¡¯ll be the only one affected. This is how I checkmate my opponents.¡± ¡°Open gates of the Netherworld. Regents into these lands come and serve me!¡± The parasite ordered as it fought with the atrophied soul of his uncle. ¡°The thirteen clans serve you master.¡± Said a horned creature dressed in regal clothes, the entity didn¡¯t bother raising its head. ¡°I need you to kill this interloper and guard me from those meteors. The Regent didn¡¯t respond as Kyrion¡¯s smirk returned. ¡°I would like you to offer the person next to me a beat down, get him close to death but don¡¯t kill him. Got it?¡± The speaker stepped up first and punched the lower jaw of the Emperor hard enough to unhinge his jaw. The one stepped up, Beal, and injected various proboscis into the demon lord before retreating. The next 10 demons stood up and impacted the bound man one by one tearing the skin off of him and regenerating him to the degree the ranking expert who had been weakened, collapsed.¡± ¡°Kyra, finish it.¡± ¡°Sacrificial Exorcism.¡± Kyrion felt his life force poured into the spell as more years were taken from him to fuel the spell, he¡¯d poured 30 years worth into it, causing half of his hair to go stark white from the ends and halfway across his form, and strength waning as exhaustion hit him. ¡°Huh, just ten left eh? I can work with that.¡± Kyrion watched as the beast blood Emperor died and his uncle fully returned to his body after forty years of dormancy. The Emperor had finally paid his debts and the beast blood empire would soon be much weaker. This fight should be over. The clone part had been a convincing lie, truth be told he couldn¡¯t find that other part of him that had been resting with Volain in the hospital. He¡¯d reached out to that portion of his mind only to find it inert and vacant. ¡°Oh¡­That was an interesting play.¡± Kyrion looked to his three present shards though his eyes landed on Kyrie.. ¡°What?¡± Kyrie asked, leaning on his halberd. ¡°So¡­ I assume you knew Gios had taken over one of my clones.¡± Kyrie sighed. ¡°You really are quick on the uptake. Yes, unlike the other two, you didn¡¯t exactly beat me yourself. Thus my allegiance is my own, I have nothing against you personally. Unlike you I don¡¯t like betting on a longshot or sacrificing my lifeforce to win a fight. I have died and unlike you, my soul was trapped in darkness for years. Sealed there by your brother, I won¡¯t fall into that darkness again and I won¡¯t let your recklessness drive me down.¡± ¡°That is a good point. You need some punishment for this but I don¡¯t hate you yet.¡±Kyrion sighed as that sentiment was similar to the despair he felt when he first learned that he was sick, even now he could feel that at most he had twenty years left in this body before it rapidly began to decay. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Nope. I did do all those things which has greatly shortened your and collectively all our lives. It wasn¡¯t only my choice to make so I didn¡¯t exactly prove your explanation wrong. Just a question when did you become a traitor?¡± ¡°Neutral at worst. Only thing I did was not say anything when I noticed your clone wasn¡¯t connected. Self sabotage, but you still have other fish to fry. Do you really want to chase that bastard down?¡± ¡°Where is he right now? Before I get angry.¡± ¡°He¡¯s searching for your parents. He¡¯s aiming to put them down, then do the same to everyone you love. More than likely, it¡¯s what he did to Kiara and Birdface. I had my memories heavily altered, while this one isn¡¯t from this world.¡± ¡°Oh. A lot less than I expected. I already knew about that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s trying to make you choose between saving your parents or saving your cousin, and friends.¡± ¡°That''s a dumb question, and the correct answer is neither as the second I leave this area he attacks and kills you guys then moves onto the injured Volain and my uncle.¡± ¡°And if you¡¯re wrong?¡± ¡°My parents are somewhat weakened, but not defenseless. I imagine fighting them won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Damn, so you knew I was here the whole time.¡± A slightly younger mirror image of Kyrion stood before him. Where Kyrion¡¯s skin was a caramel tone, Gios was deathly pale. Where Kyrion¡¯s eyes were green, Gios appeared to have orange pupils. Whereas Kyrion was tall and slightly broad-shouldered despite his flexible build. Gios was thin, lanky, and brittle-looking. Though his height wasn¡¯t much shorter. ¡°Of course, you''re a version of me that thinks like a coward. Despite being somewhat stronger than many of your enemies, you fight like your always weaker, using every bit of advantage you can get.¡± Kyrion smirked. ¡°What are you going on about? I can kill you in an instant.¡± ¡°If you could have done so, you wouldn¡¯t have revealed yourself. You see, we have similar styles. Only I don¡¯t fight like I¡¯m weaker.¡± Kyrion¡¯s speed seemed like teleportation due to the speed at which he seemed to close the gap, the only thing confirming that it was movement alone was a sonic boom that ripped half the roof off of the hospital as an enhanced fist met a barrier of magic that shattered instantly causing shards of mana to fly everywhere as the blow broke through and found jaw. Kyrion watched as Gios lost his entire lower face in one instance, then watched it regrow a moment later. ¡°Why is your right hook so strong?¡± Gios coughed up some teeth and then moved into a more combative stance. Gios copied Kyrion moving at a similar speed with one major difference. Gios traveled through multiple loops to build speed and momentum into a punch that should have sent his ribs, heart, and lungs flying off the building. Yet the fist was embedded in Kyrion¡¯s, chest stuck. ¡°Why did you try the same trick as last time? Removing my heart isn¡¯t that easy anymore. You are welcome to try again.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Gios squeezed, crushing the organ with ease. The effect caused blood to flow from Kyrion¡¯s eyes as yellow veins appeared on the black sclera. ¡°My heart, oh the pain. Imala if I see you in the afterlife, I''m taking you down a peg. I¡¯ll rebel until my soul is destroyed you hear!¡± Kyrion then fell to a knee as the pain was clearly too much and wailed as he rolled around in pain and exaggerated gesticulations. At one point he¡¯d bent back so far his head touched the ground while his stomach pointed upward as though his spine was disjointed then, as though totally unaffected he stood straight up without using his arms fully unaffected. . ¡°Did you really think that would kill me. You¡¯ll need to squeeze harder than that.¡± Kyrion said with one would assume was false bravado. Then suddenly a green heart was ripped right out of his chest falling to the ground immediately. As it¡¯s hand caught fire. In moments the heart exploded causing hundreds of olive pits to shoot out and embed itself in everything it touched. In a matter of seconds, a hundred olive trees grew like weeds causing a curious type of Chaos. ¡°What are these strange plants! I¡¯ve never seen anything like these before,Oh look at the time.¡± Kyrion teleported to his dungeon half a second before Fire fell upon the elven capital burning down any newly grown tree in seconds while blue lightning hit three places simultaneously. Kyrion¡¯s clone, Gios, and the spot Kyrion had been standing in were smoking craters with little more than ash in two. The true Gios had been safely hiding among evacuating villagers when the bolt seemed to miss, causing a stone to shoot from the ground at an odd angle and tear out his right eye. A swear came from Gios as the wound was one he couldn¡¯t heal. Thus he decided to retreat. Despite all his efforts Kyrion hadn¡¯t figured out everything and in time, Gios would be ready next time. The score had been tied which was fine, he¡¯d overestimated himself and underestimated the craftiness of someone who¡¯d known he was coming. Opening up a purple gateway the thin Gios hopped through. His only good eye focused on escape. The limb was not his only loss in this fight. He¡¯d also lost two of his strongest servants stationed on this planet in one go. Then there were the servants provided by the blue-haired one., both had vanished from the world simultaneously with no explanation. ¡°Was this an elaborate set up?¡± Was the last thought he¡¯d voice on Imala this day. ¡°Fifteen years left. Does this make me middle aged?¡± Kyrion sighed as he looked at his arms and sighed. If he kept pushing himself then he wouldn¡¯t have much life. The Vigor he consumed took its toll, causing a second hit to Kyrion¡¯s body as his muscles tensed and contracted hundreds of times over a minute. ¡°Why did you break a binding from Imala?¡± ¡°It was that, or death. But that''s what I get for being ill prepared.¡± Kyrion relaxed when a set of familiar pincers found themselves around his neck. ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked an older man. "Its about time." Kyrion crossed his arms. Book 3: Chapter 43 Gamodren looked at the corpse of the creature that brought him here then made his life a living hell. There was no guilt, no grief, no happiness, he felt nothing, not even a sense of loss. The feeling was jarring when compared to the two people who¡¯d fought him head-on. The cheering and parading of the dragon''s corpse felt sickening, mostly because he was a half-dragon himself. Though he wouldn¡¯t say the results were surprising. Everyone here was a monster among monsters, a titan among giants, It wouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise if they told him that they had surpassed the gods a long time ago which made something concerning. ¡°How strong are the one and two in this world if Maldain lost?¡± ¡°One is gone while two is relentless when motivated. Though seeing the kids you helped train fight things stronger than them makes me wonder if you¡¯re of the same ilk. Just a slightly older brat. Seeing as you were her son, as well would make us step-brothers to some degree. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re fiance would be glad for you to gain a promotion into our ranks, we may even offer her one ourselves. What¡¯s her name?¡± ¡°Suzen, she¡¯s a librarian in the order. We¡¯ve been somewhat together for ten or so years.¡± ¡°Su-Zen? My Su-Zen?¡± The purple spiral irises seemed to speed up until they seemed normal for a brief moment then the left one shifted to red. ¡°Hmmm?¡± ¡°So¡­ You''re that bastard, eh?¡± A hand grabbed Gamodren by the collar for a brief moment. ¡°What are you going on about?¡± Gamodren seemed somewhat concerned as he saw the insanity of the magic this man used. The younger Maldain sighed and put a hand on his cousin''s shoulder. ¡°Listen, this man is a friend. He¡¯ll make your Su happy, or die trying. I¡¯ll make sure of it for you.¡± ¡°You better.¡± The red eye faded back into the spiral of souls that lived within him. ¡°Still, how is a practitioner capable of that much concentrated damage?¡± Gamodren looked where his mother''s neck should have connected to her head and shivered. The impact hole was about as wide as a ballista and the area around the attack was covered in tree-shaped burns, but the exit was enough to decapitate a neck thicker than most homes. ¡°Ummm¡­Ander, where did you learn to do something so destructive? ¡°Same place as you. I¡¯m not as versatile as you or Kyrion, if I¡¯m not teaching my abilities are more suitable for killing than yours. My utility is somewhat limited, and I¡¯ve tested the limits of wind. I see, this is why you didn¡¯t fight Damian in the finals, your spirit evolved.¡± ¡°A second awakening. The headmaster helped with that, unintentionally.¡° Ander partially lied as the stripes on his form faded and disappeared. Pulling back into the art piece on his back. The headmaster had done it intentionally but it was more akin to a reawakening, the difference isn¡¯t too great in the grand scheme of things. ¡°I see.¡± Gamodren didn¡¯t press further. ¡°Can Kyrion beat that Gios fellow?¡± ¡°If Everyone has eight shards, and he¡¯s encountered five of eight and he¡¯s the sixth, what do you think the other two are really up to? I doubt Gios was little more than a Bishop in this grand scheme. Meaning¡­¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Maldain asked. ¡°It means that there is a chance that we may have stronger entities to fill the power gap. For Kyrion to be this good at predicting their actions means that they haven¡¯t surpassed him in that regard. Which means our true enemy is a much bigger mastermind, pulling the strings from behind the curtain.¡± ¡°The Cult of Yat the Betrayer. One of the strongest deity level beings in the universe, one that was sealed in a realm between this one and the next one in line. The place known as the Ginnungagap, an endless void where the only thing present is a entity feasting on souls torn away from reincarnation.¡± ¡°Oh¡­That thing.¡± ¡°What thing? Maldain asked. ¡°While in the other world Kyrion accidentally absorbed way too much power to contain and used it to smite a giant entity. Apparently the gods saw what he was doing and lent their power.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°They may not get along but everyone knows Yat must not come back to this place or it will spell ruin. Any god, good standing or otherwise would lend power to smite that creature down since they can¡¯t do it directly.¡± Gramodre ran a hand through his hair and sighed. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t feel real. I never imagined getting rid of my mother would be this easy.¡± ¡°Uh¡­She likely isn¡¯t completely gone. Weakened for another millenia or so, but she¡¯s likely reincarnated into one of her many daughters. On rare occasions she¡¯ll choose to take over her strongest child regardless of gender, but one has severed her curse while the other has had his life absorbed despite not being dead. Choosing either of you would be impossible.¡° The older Maldain sighed. ¡°So this isn¡¯t over?¡± ¡°She¡¯s lost all but one blood tie and until that form reaches adulthood she won¡¯t be able to create any more meaning if she is found in this state then she can be killed.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t live that long without having contingencies. It¡¯s one of the first things we learn.¡± ¡°I imagine. It¡¯s a defense mechanism for when one of her children manages to kill her, she¡¯ll possess that child right after. Before she completely loses her mind. Had you not found a way to unlink yourself before arriving we¡¯d have had to kill you.¡± The older Maldain grimaced as he eyed Gamodren closely. ¡°Fine. Should I leave this place?¡± ¡°Dragons don¡¯t have shards thus are immune to being called. So returning to your plane will fix quite a bit.¡± Birdion, formally known as Kyrin, grimaced as he held an unconscious Viole. A shard of wood protruding from her stomach had pierced her from behind while she was running towards the source of the conflict. When he tried to apply his healing magic it failed to trigger, proving that he was either too late or it was beyond regeneration. The injured didn¡¯t have enough mana or stamina to heal the wound, and in Kyrin¡¯s current form, he couldn¡¯t access his magic. It was as though everything was being punished.¡± Suddenly another red-haired man appeared in front of him, covered in burns and various wounds that appeared to carve themselves on his flesh from the inside. The words glowed in gold and red, carved onto his core being. Did you think I would let you escape after putting me through all this? This is where you die, Gios. You will be reborn as a mindless olive tree and enjoy being an immortal, soulless punching bag for Divine Retribution. ¡°Rin! You have to save me! If you don''t, you''ll never get to see your wife again.¡± Rin looked down and then back up at the man who manipulated them, brainwashed his friend, and forced him into this predicament. ¡°He¡¯s right. This is where you die.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fall for his lies. I¡¯m the good one. I¡¯m the hero that will lead us back on track! He¡¯s corrupted!¡± ¡°He¡¯s the liar? You have manipulated my mind for years!¡± ¡°To best that great Evil. You don¡¯t know what we¡¯re trying to stop!¡± ¡°You killed millions of innocents between the nine moons. You, not him. The real question is how he managed to remove the hold so quickly.¡± ¡°And he will be the end of this universe! It was for the greater good Rin. If he survives, everything we fought for will be annihilated!¡± Kyrgios scratched at his throat as the skin became rough like the bark of a tree. ¡°Ah you must really be in a pickle, poor Gios?¡± A man shrouded in grey robes with a fox mask appeared between the two shards. ¡°Who are you?¡± Birdion took a step back. ¡°You may refer to me as Val, the Observer.¡± ¡°Poor Gios has failed to live up to my expectations. Thus I would like to offer you a chance at redemption. Kill Gios, then use the power from that to kill Kyroin when he slips up. ¡°I don¡¯t want power from him. I¡¯m satisfied with my current master shard.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t change your mind? I know he offered you something, like a fool you took it, but it would be a shame to waste the potential of this loop¡¯s Gios.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I am That Which Observes the Cycle of the Beginning and End. Gios did have potential, but due to an early run in with that Devil, his life was cut short. What I''m here to offer you is a chance to finish what poor Gios has started and summon the one true lord of the multiverse.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane. Why would I give up freedom for some insane cult?¡± ¡°Me? Insane? You must be deaf, because I¡¯m certain I told you to call me Val.¡± The eyes behind the mask glowed red and multiplied as ten glowing eyes grew from the mask and looked about. Then at once they all fell onto Gios. Red light engulfed Gios but did nothing immediately as Val let out an exaggerated yawn. Blood erupted from Gios like a fountain from all over his body leaving behind a shriveled-up corpse that fell to the ground as spikes of blood pierced through multiple places on Kyrin¡¯s body. As roots connected with his brain began to expand outward turning the remains to dust an Olive tree appeared where he died. ¡°Guess I need to retrain you.¡± Val took off their mask revealing a face that matched Kyrion¡¯s down to the last detail down to the faint scar over where his prosthetic eye rested. Two more sets of eyes rested below the first giving him six crimson organs. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Burn this face into your retina. For it is the face of the man who has killed your wife. She was delicious.¡± Val stated as the thousands of geometric stars pushed through his body and forced his head to look down at a currently deceased Viole, her form destroyed in his arms. ¡°No! No! Kyr! You bastard! This isn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Yes. The trick to planting memories is simple. If you have people who share the same memory, by consuming the mind of one, it''s easier to fool the other by replacing targets. Give into the rage and take this power as your own. Or I will consume your mind and I¡¯ll be back at three.¡± Six bloody tendrils flowed through his form as it was reduced to ash and saturated with sanguine mana and Divine Essence. As Kyrin reformed his body looked quite a bit different, his hair was darker and his features were much more human and angry. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯ll! Kill you!¡± Rin moved forward to kill the strange iteration. ¡°You will make an excellent pawn, now then go train in the Wild lands until you''re strong enough. And find that shard of ours hidden in that world. If you get it first then we can still fight back. How he managed to pull the soul of the second Ari back here is a bit of an annoyance but within my expectations.¡± ¡°What have you?¡± Kyrin looked down to see Viole¡¯s remains, a small ring glowing where her body had been. ¡°I¡¯m on your side Kyrin, believe me. This doesn¡¯t have to be the end for you.¡± Val took out a device and threw it to the ground, opening up a portal that Kyrin seemed forced to walk through. Watching as the portal closed Val reached to pick up the ring when a foot with enough power to split a hill in two was stopped by a shield made from bone. ¡°Well that was rude.¡± ¡°You just tried to take one of our shards.¡± The much older shard of Kyrion pulled out a flask and proceeded to take a long drag before placing it into their domain. ¡°What was that? Some high grade potion?¡± ¡°99% Divine tier Alcohol, with a drop of dragon blood and special leaves for flavor.¡± ¡°Why would you drink before fighting me?¡± ¡°Fighting someone like you sober would be a pain. Val servant of Yat, and the traitor that got us into this mess.¡± ¡°So you figured that out. A shame. Now I need to erase you before you can get back to the main body. What are you even called?¡± Val asked as he reached for the blood around him. ¡°Me? You may refer to me as, "The Drunken Hero.¡±¡± ¡°Hero? Why would you go so far as to call yourself a Hero?¡± ¡°A hero is destined to die. And that is my destiny. My one job is to die taking the big bad with me, wielding the Sword of Purification.¡± ¡°That false prophecy. I¡¯ll Kill you before you get the chance.¡± Spears of blood flew towards the Hero. Through luck or some sort of precognition, the hero evaded each of the attacks and landed a jab against Val¡¯s temple. The blow was meant to scramble his thoughts and force him to retreat only instead of causing Val to stutter and fall apart as though a puppet had lost its strings. A wooden head rolled across the ground much to his irritation. He kicked the head into the stratosphere and watched as it turned into dust before making it to space. ¡°This is why I can¡¯t fight you sober. Kyr isn¡¯t going to like this.¡± The drunk hero then pockets the ring and takes a long drag from their flask quieting the pain in their core. Kyrion felt the connection with Birdion ripped away and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I knew Gios was a pawn, but to think that they would be dumb enough to take the bait. Also, don¡¯t his powers seem oddly familiar?¡± ¡°Similar to yours. Almost a perfect match.¡± Kyrie asks from his current position. His head poked out of the ground like a weed. ¡°Just life, and in a more focused form than my skill. Anyway, to think he¡¯d kill Gios and Viole, only to blame me. Isn¡¯t that right Nicole?¡± ¡°My name is Novalie. Why do you insist on getting it wrong?¡± Dog-eared Nicole asked. ¡°You look like Nicole, but with dog ears, thus Dog-Eared Nicole.¡± ¡°Why does your Nicole see in you?¡± ¡°Hopefully nothing. Now then, what I showed you was through one of my new KVD¡¯s, plants that record and play back video.¡± ¡°I saw, what do you want from me?¡± ¡°Peace and quiet.¡± Ari rolled their eyes. ¡°How will I accomplish that?¡± ¡°Well first off. I need you to hate my guts with the passion of the sun.¡± ¡°Done.¡± There was no visible change. ¡°We¡¯ll test that soon enough. The other Nicole is getting close to ground zero. I need you to fuse with her and that ring the other picked up.¡± ¡°So you want to make me hate you while making me stronger.¡± ¡°Yes. See, you''re smart when you try. I need to balance out that obsession she has with me with hate and loathing.¡± ¡°Or you can do that thing where you alter people¡¯s memories with a touch.¡± ¡°I can only erase recently made memories, and It isn¡¯t detail oriented. I can also repair damage to a brain and restore someone else¡¯s changes.¡± ¡°Are you always so disrespectful to your betters?¡± The pincer hand man said in irritation. ¡°How irritated are you? That can¡¯t be healthy for a man as old as you.¡± Kyrion didn¡¯t turn to look at him directly as an eye appeared on the side of his face and pointed directly at the emperor. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°One question at a time. Sheesh, also I believe I get my manners from my mother. Don¡¯t tell her I said that or I¡¯ll need to flee to another universe.¡± The man clamped his claws shut and scowled as his hand disappeared, after getting sucked into a portal. ¡°...¡± Kyrion sighed, ¡°We are at the Elven capital, in the center of the Goskin continent. I am a student of Drisil and the captain of our soon to be winning team. Now, remove your hand, before I desire a curious taste of that crab hand.¡± ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°The parasite in your body thought you were getting too old and thus tried to upgrade to a younger fresher model.¡± Kyrion sighed as he took a few steps back and sighed. ¡°And you didn¡¯t kill me?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be the one to explain to The Death Tyrant, that I killed her brother, when I could purify the parasite possessing him. I am 25% sure the reason the Beast Blood Empire hasn¡¯t been purged is due to this possesion.¡± ¡°Enough Kyrion. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be skilled in attending to people who woke up right after a long battle?¡± Kyrion¡¯s mother said from behind, a skeletal vulture the size of a SUV beneath her flapping wings of bone, that sounded more like whips cracking in the air than a bird flying. ¡°Cordelia?¡± ¡°[Redacted¡¹¡± Kyrion scowled as a name was stated in front of him and yet he couldn''t understand it. Rolling his eyes, Kyrion turned. ¡°Anyways, your granddaughter was kidnapped by that bastard son of yours. I don¡¯t like the cut of his jib, and so, bye-bye!¡± Kyrion hopped through the portal before his mother noticed the facade he was putting on. He wouldn¡¯t let her see him step away from death again. As Kyrion arrived where he sensed Milo¡¯s presence, three corpses littered the ground. Asela appeared to have bled out, while Milo¡¯s head had been removed. Oddly enough Sinbad had also been here, though two sharp blades had pierced where his heart should have been. Standing above the trio was a figure in green armor, their body metallic and powerful alien to anything Kyrion had seen before. ¡°Cosmic Rend!¡± Kyrion yelled as blades of dimensional power surrounded the entity, as well as his thorns and in seconds the creature was smeared across multiple planes in chunks. Moving to Asela, Kyrion placed a hand over the wound and attempted to heal it to no avail. Kyion continued to use his magic on the corpse and even reached for his resurrection spell. Only for his body to react negatively towards it. He didn¡¯t have enough power left to cast his resurrection spell directly, and if he used any more life force in this state then he¡¯d die. ¡°Tch. You shouldn¡¯t have come here. Though I guess it was unavoidable eventually. Though based on the current situation I guess it was necessary. They did tell you that you could get your spirit back if you won the tournament. You did win so I should give you your reward.¡± Charles moved over to Asela and placed a hand on his forehead as a mark resembling the sun began to glow as it was pulled out of her body. His face was dejected as he held an orb of power at the end of his fingers. ¡°I will offer you a choice. Look at it first.¡± Charles held out the orb. Kyrion examined it, sensing that it was incomplete. ¡°This has a piece of my soul. You made me into her patron?¡± Kyrion sensed the power in the orb, all of it was damaged, lacking the heat and nurturing abilities he had recently gained himself. Charles raised an eyebrow as Kyrion tinkered with the core and placed it back into the mark on her forehead. ¡°What have you done?¡± ¡°Self Resurrection and regeneration. She should¡­¡± Kyrion watched as flames erupted from her corpse and formed a chrysalis made of burning flower petals her body was covered in fire as she returned scowling as she looked around in confusion. ¡°Kyrion? What''s going on? No, why is he with you?¡± Charles didn¡¯t react as a sword was leveled at him. ¡°To offer the winner of the tournament his prize.¡± ¡°Whats wrong?¡± ¡°I saw him. He¡¯s the one who attacked us!¡± Charles¡¯ face fell as he looked at Kyrion with horror. That means this isn¡¯t a regular incursion. Did you break things when you passed through the multiverse?¡± ¡°On second of limbo is enough to throw everything to hell isn¡¯t it.¡± Kyrion scowled as the realization hit him. ¡°Kyr¡­I can hold him off for at best ten years. But that version of me is mad, and wild. I will need help.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°Gather everyone you can onto Noah¡¯s ship.¡± ¡°Why does Noa have a ship? You''re in a landlocked country.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sky ship. Cecil helped make it prior to the tournament, well he helped with the designs for enchantments and tech applications. Then I went back in time and gave it to him to improve as though he¡¯d never seen it. I repeated that until we got a ship that can ferry people through time. It was a last resort as once it¡¯s used¡­¡± ¡°Got it. What about my wish?¡± ¡°When you see me again, tell me something I would know.¡± ¡°You intend to send me ten years back in time?¡± ¡°Just about but only for around one of those years then you will jump forward four, repeat another year then come back to our time right after the matches. You will have three years to prepare but I will be out of commission. Doing something like that will put eyes on me and likely send me away. Failure will lead to what you see above. From their I¡¯ll give this universe five whole years. Gather everyone you want to take with you. You can''t take your mother or uncle for legal reasons..¡± ¡°That sucks. Am I going to be a kid again?¡± Kyrion rolled his eyes. ¡°No. You¡¯ll be as you are now unless you don¡¯t want to be. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯ll have to build my home on the continent again.¡± Was Kyrion¡¯s only response. ¡°You won¡¯t have to. As part of the spell I¡¯m casting the whole continent the fight was on will be taken with the ship. That¡¯s where it''s resting after all.¡± ¡°Why would I do that anyway? I can fight.¡± Kyrion clenched his fist, his fingers cutting into his palm causing blood to flow relentlessly. ¡°There¡¯s more I didn¡¯t want to inform you about. Your father has also been killed in this attack. He was slew one of the Elder dragons and died soon after. Minah was attacked by the enemy while she was resting, and Everest was caught attempting to assassinate an enemy.¡± ¡°Why are you offering me this choice when you can just do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the level of plotting you can do, if I can get you to pull strings in the background I¡¯m sure the others can grow enough to surpass themselves. Though you will need to be someone else for a time. Revealing yourself could be troubling.¡± ¡°What do you get out of it? Wait, am I shaggy?¡± ¡°If you are out of the picture, making plans for the future will be easier. Yes and no, that one was quite a bit older.¡± ¡°So your saying, my presence makes things complicated.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s in your nature. This is the 274th version of this day that I¡¯ve gone through and so far it¡¯s gone the best, and yet Asela still manages to get killed.¡± ¡°Quit talking about it like i¡¯m not here!¡± Asela demanded. ¡°Two hundred and seventy four? Why don¡¯t I recall?¡± ¡°I am a master of this form of magic, I control who keeps their memories and thus I will offer you all of yours, including the reason behind the disappearances of [Redacted¡¹and their brother.¡± ¡°So, this fight will be avoided and all I have to do is disappear?¡± ¡°For at least 4 years, what you do in that time is up to you. I¡¯ll inform the headmaster of this after you find me.¡± ¡°My friends are going to be pissed.¡± ¡°That''s expected, but they will also have a chance to survive if you can protect them.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really like Minah, but I don''t hate her either. If you said Lin died I may have jumped at the proposal.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯d try to kill me, fail, then end up trying to take me down with the planet. Besides, little you will be running around making the same decisions over and over. So long as you don¡¯t interact with him. It should be fine.¡± ¡°I can resurrect everyone!¡± ¡°If you tried that, Imala would be forced to get rid of you. I tried sending other people before but it hasn¡¯t gone well. If you fail this time. That''s it.¡± ¡°Allright, I agree to that wish, turn back time you damned devil. gather all my living friends, Dwen, Chiyo, and. If it''s time to break time then I¡¯m doing it right.¡± Kyrion cracked his neck. ¡°As you wish. On a side note you¡¯re uncle will be under possession. Save him and get back his name.¡± Charles pulled out his Violin and began to play. Kyrion teleported away chaining his jumps along the way as he appeared in his house on the continent he created. Moments later his friends and allies appeared along with a giant ship that seemed to rise from the ground. Tiffany, however, was not present and when Kyrion sent his senses to her tracker he found that it was missing. ¡°Damn it!¡± Kyrion punched a hole in the air. The sound reverberated outward. Max looked up. Resolve in his expression as he resembled his father in many more ways as his golden hair and eyes looked directly at him. ¡°What''s the plan?¡± ¡°Time travel. We¡¯re going to fix this one way or another. The goal will be to get as strong as we can in nine years then launch a direct assault on the other planets and unify them. Ander and I will destroy the beast blood empire the second we appear.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I¡¯ll go as well. I need to take care of some business as soon as possible.¡± Gamodren stated. ¡°Ah, Dwen, hold these for me.¡± Kyron tossed Dwen one of his emergency trackers. With her abilities, she would be instrumental in keeping track of the other ¡°I¡¯ll need to stay far away from myself.¡± Cecil scowled. ¡°You could just go back home. That should help your timelines add up. Humanity will be in danger. You''re the vice commander when you go back.¡± Kyrion stated. ¡°I¡¯d appear in my world before we left.¡± ¡°Better not to think about it.¡± Kyrion looked away before focusing on Brion. ¡°Someone killed Everest, I''m sorry I didn¡¯t look out for the two of you enough. But now I ask that you refrain from getting involved in their madness. ¡°Is that so?¡± Then up in the sky, it turned black. A bubble of green surrounded the vessels as an eye the size of a sun appeared in the sky. The Eye looked directly at the bubble and fired a beam of power at it. A small figure with a black cloak appeared in front of the beam, hands held out redirecting the attack as the ship and everyone in its radius disappeared. Deep in a hatchery, a small body erupted from an egg. It was a scaled humanoid figure covered in an orange membrane. The child had eerie green eyes and inky black hair. He looked around, noticing six others who looked just like him of differing sizes and slightly different shapes. The small child sensed a pang in his chest as a voice echoed in his head. A sickening desire. ¡°Kill everyone present then feast, if you wish to live. The strong succeed and the weak get eaten.¡± The voice echoed with disinterest. As though the command was absolute the newborn dragons transformed into small lizards and began to fight. Everyone except for Kyrion and Lin appeared on the airship over the old continent. Only the environment hadn''t died again. It was as though the land had grown and prospered despite time moving in reverse. The area was teeming with life but empty of monsters making them wonder what happened. Asela let out a breath. ¡°Who did he anger, this time?¡± Cecil sighed as he moved toward the fortress they built.¡±I¡¯ll get a map and some satellites up and running. Should take a week to get the continent mapped out. I recommend exploration and securing food for an extended stay since our fridge is gone.¡± ¡°So. This is ten years back?¡± Dwen asked as she pulled out a square mushroom and planted it. ¡°Yes. Why?¡± ¡°This is an emergency teleportation shroom. With a little bit of mana it can get up to three people to the nearest teleportation circle. The issue is, we don¡¯t know where that is and splitting up is likely more trouble so I ask that each of you take a tracker so that we all stay alive. No one here is weak but it''s better to know where we all are.¡± Ander scowled. ¡°I thought we were going to deal with the Beast Blood Empire.¡± Volain sighed. ¡°Change of plans. This doesn¡¯t seem like ten years in the past. Train and hunt monsters. Then when the ship is ready we leave.¡± Gamodren grew prismatic wings on his back and began to flap them rising into the air as he began to transform. ¡°Unlike you all. I really need to go. There is something I won¡¯t let happen this time around.¡± For all present, this was the first time they saw his draconic nature. Then the transformation ended as a dragon of many colors appeared, he was the same size as the airship which was over 1000 feet long from head to tail, his body was denser and the limbs were long and muscular. Gamodren¡¯s golden eyes landed on Ceres as he flapped his wings, shaking the air around him in moments he burst forward accelerating past the sound barrier. Ceres had not known the nature of her master''s teacher. Though the sensation of suppressed bloodlust when he looked at her this time was gone. Something about him had changed greatly. Kyrin awoke in his room he hadn¡¯t been there in six years. His body felt younger and weaker but his mind was there. He¡¯d been given power from that odd incarnation and told to rebel. Kyrin knew better than to do that. As he groomed his red feathers, the bird boy left the room and came face to face with his servant. A fox girl with white fur held his scepter and crown which sat atop a large pillow. Both were polished. ¡°Ah this is right after my coronation. But before the revolt. Meaning I have another year or so. That works.¡± ¡°Master? Are you feeling ok?¡± ¡°No. But I have work to do. As ruler of the Aviarcus I will end the enslavement of those below.¡± ¡°So sudden? But master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a changed man today, the only way things will end if we go down the old path is desolation.¡± ¡°Yes my lord.¡± Kyrin winced. ¡°We are a theocracy are we not?¡± ¡°Yes. The people here believe in the god Icaron. Why do you have that look in your eye.¡± ¡°What has Icaron done for us?¡± ¡°Uhh. My lord.¡± ¡°I say we should offer up our requests to Kao.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± The fox asked curiously. ¡°You¡¯ll learn soon enough, Jala.¡± The fox squinted as Kyrin addressed her by name. Something had to have drastically changed for that to happen. A hawk-faced man, with a strong jaw clad in fine silver robes, and glasses entered his home with a stricken look. ¡°Ashleigh, grab our son! We need to hurry! A young-looking woman with brown hair ran into the room carrying a sleeping child around three. ¡°Eldan, what''s wrong?¡± ¡°A trap, it was a trap! I don¡¯t have much time. The two of you need to run. This city is infested. If you don¡¯t.¡± Eldan held his gut and coughed causing blood to leak onto the floor from where he held his stomach. ¡°Eldan?¡± The hawk-faced man looked pale as a white worm shot out of his stomach towards the woman. Eldan caught the worm with his left hand and squeezed it, crushing it into a paste as it died. But that split in focus caused a vessel in his right eye to bleed and then vanish as the mouth of another parasite ate it from the inside. ¡°You have to hurry!¡± Eldan slammed his body into the wall and drew a runic symbol on the wall with his blood. He then carved a second rune into his forehead. The combination would use the rest of his life force to create a flame that would burn himself and the estate to ashes in a matter of minutes. The child awoke from the yells and screaming. Confused he watched as his father burned himself from the inside. A parasite screamed in pain as it was taken with him. Unable to escape it moved around the empty eye socket and skull looking for a way to escape mutilating the corpse to no avail. The young boy screamed. ¡°It¡¯s ok Edwin. We¡¯ll get out of the city. We¡¯ll hide in the forest while this blows over. We¡¯ll survive together. Ok?¡± The boy didn¡¯t stop as he was carried out of Invan. He saw the people of the capital turn into monsters and then return to their human-like shapes as they attacked their former friends, family, and neighbors. The image of the devastation burned into the child''s mind along with the sound of his mother''s heartbeat. And the look of terror on her face when he saw its reflection in a window stall as she ran past it.