《Gods and Glory》


 Volume_01 : Impeachment of the Devil Overlord

    At long last, the gray skies wept ash and rain. As the wide burnt fields singed from the battle that took place, while once tall mountains are now plains of coal with not one grain. There a tyrant feared by all, his goals and ideals spread and proclaimed. The absolute ruler never failing to enforce his laws upon his subjects, giving no voice to those he reigned over.


    He forbade any form of worship, not to himself or to the ever-present beings. He was bestowed an unofficial title of being the "Devil" to best describe his acts against the Gods and his power granted by the entities who aid him in his cause. But none of these have any more matter to one''s concern, for on that day, the Devil fell.


    There had he knelt, wounded and tired, before the famed hero. For three decades he had ruled and stepped over all the races, never showing any mercy. Here he sits, facing a supposed threat. The hero pointed the sword towards his neck, though this had been, the Devil found himself amused. Laughing in the midst of battle, he said.


    "Hehehe~ Ahh, so much fame awaits you does it not? O, great hero of Matrona. ...slaying me, such a feat. Aren''t you proud, hm?"


    Silent as ever, the hero refused to reply. The Devil smiled to himself and closed his eyes, as if finally submitting his life to ruin with open arms. Lifting the sword, the hero was ready to strike again.


    "Oh~ hero, you who fail to see the truth. Yet so proud of your blind faith to the good Gods. Yes¡­you will do."


    He said with a creepy grin while tilting his head ever so slightly. A surge of power suddenly covered the Devil, as the hero was pushed aback.


    *KABOOM*


    "Astaroth! Enough of this worthless struggle, submit yourself and answer to your sins!"


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Demanded the hero. Such dark energy had protected him, corroding even there which he stood. There was an unsettling smile upon Astaroth''s face.


    "Did you actually think that you, a puny human, could force me to use all of my power?! I killed four out of the seven High Gods, Gabrielle. I slayed those whom you worship, now they send a worm weaker than shit to kill me, you mock me, fools!! Come then, Gabrielle. Show me, SHOW ME HOW TO KILL ME!"


    He shouted in a demonic voice, loud enough to uproot trees miles away, sweep the clouds and shake the very earth.


    Infuriated by proclamation of the slain Gods, she charged towards the sphere of dense dark energy with her sword pointed at the evil. There was a rush of emotion that she felt, the Gods were her only source of hope in her once miserable life. Rage had taken over her pure soul, painting her mind red.


    ¡°HAAAAAAAAAHH!!!¡±


    At the intended moment of impact between the sword and the black-violet sphere, the dark energy dispersed. Sending the rage-drunken hero straight to Astaroth, reducing his heart to pieces.


    *BOOM*


    There was a moment of pause for the whole world to conclude what happened.


    ¡­


    Though having his heart skewered by the holy blade, his smile never went away. Had he on his right hand prepared, a green orb. He held the sword with her hands leaving the dumbfounded hero stuck from his grip and unable to evade as he struck her abdomen with the green object, pulsating through her body.


    ¡°Argh-!!¡±


    A bright green flash covered the area, the hero in the middle of the commotion. Her body had slowly started to fade to space, sending her to panic.


    "No... No, no, no, no! What''s happening to me?! Aaargh!!... I... Curse you, curse you! I''ll be back, I''ll come back to personally remove your head!"


    She said, weeping still her eyes full of hate. Astaroth managed to laugh at the hero while pulling out the blade, as soon as he did he coughed out blood all over the place. Falling to the ground, he talked to Gabrielle who was slowly vanishing to nothingness.


    "Gehahaha-!!*bleerghh* I don''t plan on living anyways, *cough cough hack* this world just brings me nothing but pain. This mission of his is such a pain, reall-*gack ahack gaha*"


    He said as he bled down, worsening the blood coming form his coughs. The hero cried, asking questions.


    "Why?... why would you even do such cruel acts? Why go against the Gods? Why did you have to kill so many, why?...Answer me...Answer me, Devil!"


    The once more knelt-down figure bleeding his final moments.


    "Number seventy-seven...slave seventy-seven *cough* help...please help...him."


    ¡°H-huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As his head slowly fell, the Devil had died, a satisfied look up his face.


    The hero witnessed a questionable victory as she had faded completely, moments after hearing his requests. The green flashes died down and silence befell the battle, left with the body of a once renowned tyrant Astaroth, The Devil Overlord, who once ruled all of Matrona, and the belongings of the hero, Gabrielle Xylmuitte, the hero chosen by the Gods to defeat the fearsome Devil. A battle that ended with no victor, another war fought with no gain, a life full of worthless sacrifice, and dreams that never came true. If only time would comply.

 Volume_01 : Thrown Back in Time

    As one could hardly imagine, the hero was conscious. But how, when, and where are questions without promising answers. Yet astonishingly, she awakes.


    "¡­what...where? I''m alive?... But, it¡¯s so dark. Did I win? What happened to the battle? Anyone?"


    *unclear voices*


    Subjected to wonder, she tries to open her eyes. As she does, she is overcome with a bright light.


    "Gah! So bright, where is that even coming from? Woahh..."


    "Huh¡­?"


    When she opened her eyes, she saw two humongous figures looking down on her. She freaked out of course when one of them tried to reach out to her.


    "UWAAAAH! Giants?! How are there even Giants today?!"


    Is what she had wanted to express, yet what came out was the cute wail of a newborn.


    ¡®What!? My hands, why are my hands so... fat...wait no, that''s not the point. My foot, my body...its small. My hair is also even shorter than before. What...what on earth is happening? What did that Devil do to me!?¡¯


    After sometime, she had finally realized her situation. The two "Giants", as she had referred to them, seemed awfully familiar. Too familiar for comfort.


    {Gabrielle Xylmuitte ¨C 2 weeks old}


    ¡®...how is this possible *sniff*. I saw you die, I saw both of you die that day. *sniff sniff* gwuuu... mother, father, I missed you both so much. *bawls*¡¯This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    From her parents view, their two-week-old, adorable child was crying.


    "Oh dear, here she goes once more. *sigh* Come now, princess~. *caries baby Gab* Won''t you stop crying for this poor father of yours, hm?"


    Says her mother, Mrs. Eleanor Cadluv Xylmuitte, as she picks Gabrielle from her crib. Her father, Mr. George Kloin Xylmuitte, was quite a mess. He had been pacing around the room, panicked by each action Gab(Gabrielle) did.


    "I wonder why she cries, is there something wrong? I should call for the town doctor. Maids! Summon Dr. Martin this instant. Also, do hurry with my child''s milk... Lea (Mrs. Xylmuitte), what do you think, is there anymore that she needs dear?


    Eleanor giggled to her husband''s utterly clueless condition.


    "George~, would you please ease yourself. The child is alright, trust me."


    She said while gesturing for George to sit by her side. Gabrielle was their second child, the second daughter to the house of Xylmuitte. Currently she has one other sibling, Diana, her older sister.


    "Oh darling, just look at her beautiful, pristine eyes and that silky ashen hair. She would one day grow to be a beautiful maiden. And I hope that she too would meet a man like her father, this I¡¯ll pray for."


    "Truly she shows beauty, one that is from her charming mother. Is it not?"


    The couple continued to tease one another, when the door slowly opens and a small girl peeks through. It was Diana, the eldest. She poked her head around the little space the door allowed her through. Diana was a renowned genius, praised by all the tutors that had come by to teach in their mansion. Though intellectually gifted, she was lacking in all sorts of social ability. She has hardly left her room all her life and spends most of her time reading her favoured books.


    "What is it Dear? Come in, take a look at your sister. She¡¯s just as adorable as you were as a baby. Come see."


    Called Eleanor to Diana, who was at the door.


    "M-May I?"


    "Of course. Now come on in, love."


    She then ran to her mother''s side, quickly getting ahold of her arm. She had this look where you can tell, she''s interested on the baby.


    "This is your little sister, Gabrielle. Won''t you say hi?"


    "¡­H-hi, Gabrielle."


    She said with such gleam in her eyes. Gabrielle was overjoyed to see her eldest sister. She was her closest and only friend back then. In her past life, Gabrielle was forbidden to be in contact with outside factors. Diana, who was in the same boat as Gabrielle, kept her company. The youngest wasn''t always present at the house, so they were unable to talk much.


    He was supposedly sent to an elite school built by the church for the purpose of finding the prophesied hero. Though it was awfully suspicious for when Gabrielle received the blessing instead as a hero, there were attempted assassinations targeting her, believed to be connected to the friars. Gabrielle was determined to change her family''s terrible fate, now that she had been allowed another shot.


    ¡®I still can''t believe I went back to the past. I never knew Astaroth had that kind of power...but why use it on me? Why send me back? There was also that thing about a slave, seventy-seven was it? I''ll look for him after I settle things with the family.¡¯


    Getting a second chance on life could possibly be the most exhilarating event to happen to anyone, wouldn''t you agree? Gabrielle knew this herself, and she isn''t going to let this opportunity pass her by. Little does she know of the things that await her, and the things that she had missed in her past life. This story entails the decisions our heroine makes, the consequences she takes, and the truth behind Astaroth''s revolt to the Gods. A story about trust and truth with a touch of magic.

 Volume_01 : The Beginning, Once More

    <Xylmuitte Residence>


    <George Xylmuitte''s Library>


    {Gabrielle Xylmuitte - 2 years of age}


    In Mr. George''s study, a pile of books were stacked over one another cleanly. In the middle of it all was a one year old child who was seemingly eager to understand the content of the book she had opened. It was Gabrielle, ever since she had learnt to stand she had started reading complicated books about magic. Her parents of course had no clue to what she was up to, leaving her to the maids telling them to allow her access to wherever but going outside and into the basement was forbid. Gab''s maid, Alisa, was a young woman who cared deeply for her.


    She saw Gabrielle as her younger sibling, and she hardly left her side. Gab was trying to learn basic magic by herself, though the struggle was real. Her tiny body was one thing, she had to be carried by her maid everywhere, though all she had to do was point. Her mana was also a big obstacle, she could hardly practice her [Conjure] due to lack of magical power. It was Sunset and Alisa had baby Gab between her crossed legs, though she had fallen asleep.


    ¡®I need to do something about this small mana pool of mine, so hard to even maintain a simple [Water Conjure]. Even just having it move for a meter consumes more than half of my mana. Father must have some written [Conjure Technique] that could help in increasing my mana pool. Better ask Alisa for the upper books tomorrow. It''s already curfew *sigh*, just you wait till I grow a little more. Now then, we better go back before we get scolded again.


    She thought and started shaking the sleeping Alisa.


    *Alisa awakes*


    "uuuuhh...*yawns* What is the matter young miss?"


    She says to Gab who then points to the window showing the setting sun.


    "Oh my! The curfew, we must head back now. Come young miss *lifts Gab*. Ouch *almost trips*, oh no, my poor legs. I should really stop sleeping like that now."


    <Dining Room>


    Night came.


    At the family dining table, there the Xylmuitte family ate dinner. As royals would do, the head of the house would dine in the edge of the table overlooking the members of his house.


    "Alisa, do tell me where Gabrielle went about today, would you please?"


    Requested Mr. Xylmuitte who just came from his office in the kingdom''s castle. He was a noble assigned by the king to help maintain the financial state of the kingdom''s treasury on balance. Though this form of work required redundant duties of rechecking the expenses and future budget of the kingdom on different areas, George was a man of great patience and he was also deemed to have a stern sense of duty to the country.


    "Oh yes, of course sir. Today the young miss wanted to visit your study, she seemed quite interested and consumed by your books specifically. The miss and I spent the whole day inside your study with her asking for my assistance on reaching for books in places too far for her as of yet. That is all."


    She reported. She was used to this task, for every night on dinner Mr. Xylmuitte asked of it.


    "My, aren''t you the little genius, hm? Oh you cute little thing, if only this mother of yours could spend more time with her child. Who''s mommy''s little angel, hmm, hmmm, you are? *giggles while tickling Gab*"The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Teases Eleanor. She notices George looking stressed out and starts to worry.


    "Is something the matter, dear? You look rather tired today particularly."


    "*long sigh* It¡¯s about the budget for the army''s weaponry. There were missing funds, and now we will have to retrace our steps until we can find the source of loss. Now it''s taking forever just skimming through old documents. And if I''m unable to find the roots of this problem, my position demands me to provide and cover for it instead.*long sigh*"


    He says.


    "My word, that is quite troubling. How much was lost anyways?"


    She continues while slowly grasping the situation.


    "We''re missing two carriages, fifteen horses, forty-three armor sets, twenty short-swords, and fourteen lances. A carriage costs 200 copper volis, a horse takes 32 copper volis, a whole armour set is 38 copper volis, short-swords for 9 copper volis, while lances for 12 copper volis. Summing up, well its about... 3 silver volis. That is about five percent of my monthly income, takes a chunk of my hard work and time spent in the office in vain. Dear, what should I do?"


    He said while taking hold of his wife''s hand. He always runs to her when things get rough, with the fact that she was one of the brightest students of their time.


    "I would be more than happy to help you out but let us do so after dinner, shall we?"


    "I would be delighted. And maybe you could delight me on my other needs as well. *winks*"


    "Oh stop it, you. There are children, can''t you see? *blushing*"


    Gab cringed to her father''s remark.


    "How about you Diana? What did you do today?"


    "Yes Father, today was the same with my previous schedules. This morning, I attended to my lessons in the violin. Later on, I took up arithmetic with my tutor. Then forward to my painting lessons where the maestro taught me landscape portraits. Afterwards was nothing but my free time so I decided to head to the town library. That is all."


    "Wonderful as always, my girl. I''m so proud of you."


    "Oh, no mother. I merely perform what was to be expected from me. Thank you~"


    "Well done, Diana. I can see a shining future ahead of you. Continue what it is that you do."


    "Yes, of course. Thank you, Father."


    After finishing dinner, the couple had proceeded to do their "business" in in their room. While Gab was carried by Alisa and Diana accompanied by her own personal maid, Felicita, an elderly woman who also took care of Diana since her birth. She was a really kind woman, showing respect to every person she encounters.


    <Gabrielle Xylmuitte''s Room>


    Alisa then takes Gab to her room. It was laced in pink while swirling around with sky blue. A miniature chandelier hung from above, over her white crib. There were also two lamps for the lighting and around the room were cabinets filled with Gab''s clothes. A tiny drawer with a closet hanger was by the side, Alisa uses this. She then prepares Gab''s bath and milk. While doing so she leaves Gab in her crib.


    "Just a minute, miss. We will proceed to your bath once I return, all right?"


    She asks. Gab nods in response. Alisa giggles and pats her on the head.


    As she prepared hot water, Gab had her chance. She was waiting for this moment when Alisa would be distracted. She conjures a spell on her body, [Skill Boost : Strength]. This allowed a person to temporarily increase his strength in folds depending on his mana pool, for Gab this just allowed her to somersault her way out of the crib, grab a book from under the bed, throw it into her crib, jump back up inside, then hide the book beneath her bed''s foam. This ate up half of her mana, though when compared to other infants, her mana was that of an irregular, a monster. She achieved such a feat by continuously cultivating and practicing her [Conjure]s.


    ¡®Nice and quick, yes!¡¯


    She said to herself after hiding the book and standing proud for achieving such a feat.


    "Miss? The bath is ready now!"


    Called Alisa. Gab was startled, thinking that she was caught red-handed. She falls flat on her head.


    "Miss, what are you doing?"


    She asks as she sees Gab with her head on the bed down flat and her but raised. In an effort to make an excuse, Gab does push-ups.


    "Wha- Miss?!"


    "Umu umu!" she mutters but thought ¡®What the hell am I doing?!¡¯


    Alisa is stunned. Then, Gab does sit ups.


    "Eeeeh~??!!"


    "Umu umu!" but was thinking ¡®Huh?! What the heck? I''m making it worse!¡¯


    As of now Alisa was confused about what Gab was doing. And finally, she does head-stand. But she was clearly struggling.


    "Woahh- wait, no. What are you even doing?!"


    "Umu umu!" thinking ¡®Aahaha, just stop, stop it. Don''t look at me~!¡¯


    Then the conjure finally runs out of time and she fell flat on her face on the bed.


    ¡®Ah, it finally ran out huh?¡¯


    "M-miss? Are you alright?"


    She asked and took Gab into her arms.


    "U-umu...*blush*"


    Alisa then carried Gab to bathe. After that, she combed her hair to dry.


    ¡®If I remember correctly, before getting the blessing from the Gods, my aptitude was a triple talent. [Wind], [Lightning] and [Water]. [Wind] magic allows me to create more offensively based abilities and also that it can be used as a substitute for other forms of transportation. While its the same for [Lightning] magic, it''s attack power is on a much larger scale and can hit multiple targets while using minimum of my mana. [Water] magic focuses on purifications and healing abilities it has a quite a let-down on the offensive capabilities.¡¯


    She thought while Alisa brushed her hair. After she finished, Gab laid down looking asleep. Alisa kissed her forehead and said.


    "Rest well miss, Good night."


    She left the room, blew out the chandelier and the lamps. After a while, Gab sits straight up.


    ¡®I''m sorry, Alisa. But I won''t be able to rest well for the following years. Rather, I mustn¡¯t. I have a war to prepare for.¡¯


    She thought and lights up the lamp. She retrieved the book she hid from below her mattress and up front her pillow while carrying her bottle of milk.


    ¡®And I will get to the bottom of this farce. The war between the Gods and the Devil. I have a long way to go, don''t I?¡¯

 Volume_01 : The Hero Prepares

    <Gabrielle Xylmuitte''s Room | Midnight>


    ¡®Magic is a form of a connection and communication between an entity and the world. A conjure is like an instrument used to contact the world and each conjure contains different, unique messages that ask permission and assistance from the world to gain dominance over and manipulate certain things to your desire. But to contact the world comes with a cost, a form of energy, this is where mana comes into action. Mana is infused into everything in existence. It helps in building and maintaining that object into the creators desired shape.¡¯


    ¡®But there is a difference in mana capacity for different objects. For inanimate creations such as rocks, crystals and minerals have a set and irrevocable mana capacity. Different rules apply to creations bestowed with the ability to grow, their mana capacity vary and change as they age and grow. They have a delicate characteristic that separates them from inanimate objects, the mana pool. Inanimate objects have a container inside them and this container is already set, a living thing''s mana pool is different. It is somewhat a container but it can expand with growth and carry more mana.¡¯


    There was Gab studying late in the night. She was so absorbed into the book she was reading. Each time creating conflicts in her mind and slowly reasoning her way to the answer. She comes across a story about the first Devil and Hero.


    ¡®Satan, the first Devil. He was once a divine being and the leader of the archangels at that. Before becoming the devil, he was called Lucifer. He was the best at nearly all aspects, this made his pride swell. He demanded to be announced as a God as well and be worshipped. The Gods cast him out of the heavens and was sent deep inside the earth in a molten prison where he is to repent for his actions. It was to show the difference between what an angel is compared to a God. This, instead of enlightening Lucifer, sent him unto a rampage. He destroyed the prison and turned it into his base, Hell. He gathered forces who were willing to worship him and go against the Gods, and that incited the war of Heaven and Hell.¡¯


    ¡®There was worldwide devastation and catastrophe, all of Matrona held its breath. Lucifer''s four pairs of white, shining wings were turned black that then emits evil and disgusting aura. So unpure that everything around it were to shrivel, wilt and die. After so, they will be reborn to be an object that complements evil. This affected various things, including Lucifer himself. His heart full of pride was used against him. Influencing him with a destructive force and power, he was now convinced that he was more powerful than any and all of the Gods. The war came to end by Satan''s defeat, slain by the first hero blessed by the Gods. His whole body was full of injury and his right arm was torn off along with his legs. He fell back into the deep chasms of Hell which was then sealed shut and can never be opened. Peace came, there was celebration and rejoicing all over Matrona.¡¯


    She remembered Astaroth, about him suddenly overtaking the four empires military force all at once. Death plagued those lands on which he set foot.


    ¡®This kind of power must be a common trait among the Devils. Thinking back, all of them were described as poisoning the lands where they walked, rendering them infertile. The only forces on par with this Devil''s [Corrupt Magic] is the blessing of the Gods, [Divine Magic]. He was able to kill four of the hailed Gods. No Devil in history was able to do that, not even Satan.¡¯


    Realizing how she never managed to scratch him even with the blessing, chills crawled up her spine. The first and only attack to ever have an effect on him was when he allowed Gabrielle to stab him. Just thinking about it makes her see how big the gap is between him and her.


    ¡®Damn, what''s the deal with that monster? How much power do I even need to force some damage in?!¡¯


    She thought. Then after a while of thought, she closed off the book.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡®I better think about this tomorrow, its already morning...I swear I''ll find a way, just you wait.¡¯


    ¡®Swordsmanship has many divisions, but what I should focus on is a technique which would help me force my way in. A technique to pierce through that devil''s defenses...that''s it!¡¯


    She thought and went to sleep.


    For the next three years, Gab would continue to practice her conjures. She took her eyes toward swordsmanship afterwards.


    - 3 years later -


    <Dinning Hall>


    While they were eating breakfast, Gab decided to ask permission from her father. But there was one problem regarding this.


    "NO! Enough of this! I expect of you grow up as a maiden, not for you to be sent to the front lines and die!"


    Though being a well-known swordsman himself, George was strict on allowing his children hold the sword.


    "I do not intend to go anywhere near the battlefields father, I merely see it as an art that I want to learn! I never had any thoughts about using it against other people. (Lies!) "


    {Gabrielle Xylmuitte - 5 years of age}


    She reasoned.


    "Look here Gabrielle, I- *flinch*"


    Mr. Xylmuitte looked at his four year old child talking about learning the ways of the sword with such determination in her eyes. It was an unbelievably ridiculous sight.


    "...alright. I believe you. I don''t think you''ll last long doing rigorous training anyways."


    He reluctantly agreed.


    "Really!? "


    "Yes, really."


    Gab was overjoyed, throwing herself to her father and giving him a hug. Mr. Xylmuitte fell over from his chair. Gab then stood up and ran around.


    "Thank you father, your the best. I love you so much."


    "T-that''s right! Ahahaha I am the best, aren''t I? Hahahaha!"


    "(Chance!) Yes, that''s true. Gab sees father work very hard every night and Gab wants to grow strong so Gab would be able to help father."


    She says while doing puppy eyes and cutely snuggling in her father''s shirt. It was super effective. (*pokemon reference*)


    "guuhhh *sniff*... Gab... Father will work his hardest for our family, and from now on *sniff sniff*  I will be the one teaching you swordsmanship! Father will try his best, okay?"


    He said with teary eyes while raising Gab up the air. Gab knew about how good her father was at swordsmanship, rather than saying how good, it would be how famous he is for his skill. He is very versatile on his techniques. There was hardly a match for him in the whole continent.


    <Xylmuitte Residence | House Garden>


    Early in the morning, there a five-year old Gab was running around the mansion''s perimeter. She wasn''t on a fast pace but considering her age, she was possibly at the fastest a five-year old could go. Alisa was standing in front of the mansion''s doors awaiting Gab''s return, she was carrying with her a towel and three glasses of water on a silver tray. Gab was on her fifteenth lap, of course she was tired.


    "*GASP GASP* Damn it...*GASP* W-water!..."


    "M-miss?!"


    Shouted Alisa out of concern. Gab was barely standing, but she had to follow her father''s given regimen. Thinking back.


    "Listen Gab! If you want to start real sword training, then you must follow this training diet I''ve set out personally. Okay?"


    Said an excited George who was showing Gab a set of schedules for her. They were inside his office with Alisa.


    "First things first, when you wake up. Do about thirty minutes of full-body stretches. After so, eat breakfast. Don''t eat too much because you''re going to be moving a lot later on. After eating, walk around the house to let the food sink in. Just about ten minutes or so will do. Then comes the morning jog, you will need to do fifteen laps the whole area outside the mansion. After tha-"


    "F-fifteen?! Sir, isn''t this a bit to rough for the young miss? I mean, she still is a child. Would you not consider some leeway?"


    Demanded Alisa, concerned.


    "Yes, I did see to it that the regimen was safe even for Gabrielle. Normally, she would have run forty-five laps non-stop. But since she is a child, fifteen is a suitable amount. Ahahaha!"


    "Forty-five..."


    Repeated Alisa who was left on a daze on what might Gab turn into after this.


    "Moving on...now where was I?"


    "After the laps."


    "Oh, thank you Gab. Yes, as I was saying. After fifteen laps, you will only be allowed to take three glasses of water that''s all. After so, you are to do sword swings till lunch. Of course there are breaks. For every twenty minutes of practice, you get a five minute break. Counting the hours, you wake up at eight right? So then you get approximately two breaks. Before and after the exercises be sure to remember to stretch. Afterwards you are free to do what you will. Questions?"


    Continued Mr. Xylmuitte, Gab and Alisa were left speechless after the discussion. Gab could hardly imagine the difficulty of what she was to face, yet there was excitement.


    "None, father. When do we begin?"


    "Tomorrow, of course."


    "Eh?"


    "Oh and I will be adding into your schedule a weekly assessment. During this day, the two of us will have mock battles for me to see how much you have grown. Dismissed."


    And so began Gabs primary training to ready herself for the dark days to come. A year had passed since then, another one and she will begin going to the school. Before, she refused the idea of going to school, she preferred less of contact with outsiders and instead learned about subjects on her own volition. But this time, this life, its different, she has no idea what''s waiting for her there.

 Volume_01: Happy Birthday

    <Xylmuitte Residence>


    <Guest Hall and Front Garden>


    There was a huge crowd inside the mansion, there were drinks, food and celebration. Alas, Mr. Xylmuitte was on the miniature stage on the end of the hall, calling to everyone''s attention with a tune of his wine glass and fork.


    *ting ting ting ting*


    The sound of glass resounded through the crowd, catching the attention of the guests.


    " May I interrupt your conversations? I can see that everybody is enjoying themselves. As you know tonight is the celebration of my daughter''s seventh birthday. Starting this fall, she will be attending classes. As to ready my child of the outside world, I''ve decided to have her speak in front of her guests. Gabrielle?"


    "F-father?!"


    {Gabrielle Xylmuitte - 7 years of age}


    Responded Gab who was surprised at the sudden speech she was being forced to make. Embarrassed of her actions she clears her throat.


    "Oh, I mean. Yes. *steps forward and clears throat* Good evening to all of my guests, tonight. Um, thank you for celebrating my birthday with me. P-please have a nice night, and um, I hope everyone is satisfied as they go home later. Thank you!"


    Though inside she was already thirty-three(26+7), Gab had never spoken to a crowd before. Remembering now, she was quite selfish and introverted back then. The party proceeded as planned, everybody was dressed in quite the luxury. Mr. And Mrs. Xylmuitte were in a matching blue attire, while Diane was in a beautiful red dress. Gab, the birthday girl, was in a twinkling white dress. It complimented her ashen gray hair and her astonishing green eyes. In the midst of the party, Gab was forced to accompany certain important guests related to the family in order to show respect and manner. It took quite a while to entertain a whole crowd of people. One of them was a certain girl dressed in yellow. Beside her was a younger boy, trying his hardest to look intimidating.


    "Good evening, second miss of the house of Xylmuitte, I greet you a happy birthday."


    "Oh yeah, hi. Thank you for the greeting and also, um, thanks for coming here. Uhh, excuse me but...may I know to whom I owe this gratitude?"


    The girl looked at her in disbelief, as if knowing who she is was supposed to be an obvious matter.


    "You can call me Mary. Its a pleasure to meet you. This here is Matthew, say hi. *lightly gestures to Matthew*"


    "G-greetings, miss."


    Greeted Matthew, bowing slightly.


    "Oh I''m Gabrielle, nice to meet you too."


    "I recall Uncle George saying that you''ll start school this fall. Which school are you planning to go?"


    Asked Mary.


    "Queensfort Studies, its my first choice to be honest. I heard that their education level on academics and magic is quite famed."


    "Oh, then we would be meeting there. Its where my father had supposed me to go."


    At this point, Mr. Xylmuitte waved at Gab to come over and greet some other guests.


    "Really? That would be nice. Um, Its been a pleasure meeting you Mary, but please excuse me for now."


    "Oh yes, certainly. Let''s chat again if there''s a supposed opportunity."


    And so Gab went to greet the guests her father wanted to introduce to her. Mary was left behind with Terrance, after a while they were escorted by a well-dressed butler and two other escorts. He whispered to her some sort of message, and they left. While Gab was starting to feel the built-up stress from roaming around so much.


    "This is my daughter, Gabrielle."


    Introduced Mr. Xylmuitte, showing Gab to two grown men.


    "Ah, yes. Is she the one who wanted to take up swordsmanship?"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "She is, and I must say, her progress rather is impressive. Spar with her sometime, give her some pointers and advice."


    "Gladly. I am Francis Loutte, a humble professor in Blade Arts Division of Queensfort Studies. Happy Birthday Gabrielle."


    Bowed one of the gentlemen her father was talking to. He had a fine build with short blonde hair and he was dressed neatly.


    "Thank you for coming to celebrate with me. It is my utmost pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Sir Francis. I plan to spend my academic years at Queensfort Studies, so please take care of me."


    "Hmm, you are aware of the requirements to study at Queensfort right? Are you up for it?"


    Said the other man her father was speaking to. He was dressed in a fancy robe lined in silver. A red head with a menacing frown, long straight hair and a thin goatee.


    "The academy only takes geniuses. No normal folks around, girly. To enter the academy, you must complete the-"


    "Three tests of Aquila, which have been used ever since the academy first accepted students two-hundred and eighty years ago. The first test is a test of intelligence, each examinee is given a unique set of ten questions and a trial they must overcome with nothing but deduction and judgement. The following test is a test of talent, each examinee must excel in three individual fields. That is, either physical brawn, weapon expertise, excellence in mana operation, conjuration versatility and effectiveness or unique blessings and talents. The final test is unknown and is changed yearly to prevent preparation between examinees. And I respectfully assure you of my abilities to pass."


    Gab was pissed. She felt the need to defend herself from the underlying insults between the words of this man.


    "Hooo, quite arrogant I see. But that would help ease your father''s worries here. I mean, the academy only takes forty-five pupils each year. And that''s not all, being a scholar at the academy requires you to maintain certain levels of achievement in all activities. Would you be able to last, I wonder?"


    *POP*


    "HUH!? Who are you anyway? You''ve been underestimating me for quite a while now and I''m not that patient, you know?! HUH, WHAT?! YOU WANNA GO BUD?!"


    She exploded, that was it. This guy just keeps on gabbing about how much negativity there is at the academy. Mr. Xylmuitte was holding Gab back who was about to attack the man.


    "Now, now. We don''t treat guests like that, calm down Gab, my dear."


    Gab was easily exhausted though, adding up how long she''s been greeting guests.


    "This here is your uncle Philip, we''ve been close friends since young, the three of us. Have you met his sons by the way?"


    "T-that''s right! I am Professor Phillip Mcdouglas, I am a professor at Alchemist Division of Queensfort Studies."


    George pointed on the redhead hiding behind Prof. Francis.


    "I don''t think so, I haven''t met any red-haired kids so far."


    "Oh really? Phillip, where''s Patrick and Leonard?"


    "I think Patrick went with Diane, Leonard is with his mother. I recall Eleanor talking with her actually."


    "Is that so, then go look for your mother Gabrielle. Happy Birthday once again."


    "H-happy Birthday, Kid"


    Greeted Phillip. Gab glared back and made him flinch.


    "Yes, Father. Thank you all for coming to celebrate with me."


    She bowed gracefully to the two guests.


    Gab went to find her mother.


    "She''s growing up rather quick, is she not?"


    Asked Francis.


    "Haha, yes. I can feel my age creeping up because of her, but never mind that. After all, with age comes wisdom."


    The three men cheered and continued their celebration.


    <House Garden>


    Eleanor was pregnant for five months already. Though she was once again experiencing the difficulties of pregnancy, she hardly showed any sign of suffering. Gab saw her mother talking to a woman in a violet dress, as Phillip had said.


    "Hello dear, so how is your special day? Oh and have you met your aunt?"


    "It is a wonderful night mother. Also, no we haven''t met. But I suppose she is Uncle Phillip''s wife and that''s...one of his sons?"


    "Yes, that''s right, she is Phillip''s spouse. Her name is Marina Cadluv Mcdouglas. She''s my twin sister and your aunt. While this little boy is Leonard, their youngest child. "


    That''s right, Gab had noticed the likeness of their faces. It was hard to tell which was which, especially having them dress both in bluish hue.


    "Hello Gabrielle, Happy Birthday Dearie. Come Leonard, greet your cousin. Let''s not be shy now."


    There was Leonard, hiding behind his mother''s dress. He was dressed in a cute mini-tuxedo with how adorable he is on that slick-back red hair.


    "...h-hello, cousin. Happy Bwetday!"


    He said, accidentally biting his tongue.


    "Oh dear, he really isn''t good with other people. That which you carry now sister, the third I presume."


    Continued Marina who comforted Leonard.


    "Yes, that''s right. We sure hope it''s a boy this time around, not to say but, we have got enough ladies around the house."


    "Oh dear fate, as for me I''m rearing for a girl. We really are sisters aren''t we now?"


    Their chatter was endless and Gab was caught up by a funny sound.


    "*rumble*...guuuh"


    There was Leonard holding up his hunger. Gab gestured to him if he wanted to eat. All he did was blush...and hide even more.


    "*sigh*Fine, you wait right there."


    Gab took off. Leonard had wondered where she had gone to, but that was the least of his worries right now. He was so hungry and, his mother, Mrs. Mcdouglas was so immersed in her reunion with her beloved twin. When Gab came rushing back, she brought with here a tray with buttered meat platter. Leonard was drawn to the food, slowly leaving his mother''s side.


    "That''s right, good boy. Come here, come here, you want this delicious food don''t you?"


    It was as if she was luring a beast out of its den. She took him up the grassy spot overlooking the crowd. Then there she had prepared, what looked like a miniature feast with the help of Alisa.


    "Um, miss? What are you doing?"


    "Baiting the rabbit out of its hole."


    He was reaching out hopelessly to the food, like some sort of hypnosis.


    "...C-cute..."


    Murmured Alisa.


    There was Leonard, sitting mindless of his surroundings while eating happily to his delight. Bit by bit but non-stop, he was munching the food down to his stomach. Lost in the satisfaction of flavor, he paid no mind to Gab and Alisa observing him.


    "Miss, who is this cute little boy?"


    "Leonard Mcdouglas, the second son of Phillip Mcdouglas, basically my cousin. He looked hungry so I gave him something to eat. I might as well give the food a try, seeing how good it looks while he''s taking it down, should be finely flavored."


    "That''s right. You haven''t eaten at all, greeting your guests and all that. I brought in some extra for you miss, thinking that this might happen."


    "You''re the best, Alisa. Thanks for the food!"


    She says before digging in on her platter, it took quite a while for them to finish the whole mini banquet. The party slowly died down as guests took away in their carriages. By the time they''ve finished, it was a lot more quiet than before, although there were still about twenty or so people conversing amongst themselves. The maids and butlers of the house had started putting away the empty plates and utensils.


    "*BUURPP*, guaah! So full. *sigh*"


    "M-miss? Wasn''t that a bit too...immodest maybe?"


    "Naah. It''s my party anyways, why not enjoy it?"


    "...I suppose so."


    Says Alisa, her tone in doubt.


    "U-umm...t-thank you."


    "hm? It''s alright. I''m Gabrielle, you can call me Gab."


    "Y-yes! I-I-It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintanceswep-ow!"


    Leonard tries to introduce himself and ends up biting his tongue.


    "...can''t take it...HE''S WAY TOO CUTE!!"


    Shouts Alisa who grabs Leonard and hugs him tightly. She ends up rubbing her voluptuous chest on his beet-red face.


    "Um...L-Leonard? Hey! Alisa, stop that!"


    "Huh?"


    She held a fainted Leonard in her hands, his nose, bleeding.


    ''...Oh crap...''


    Is what they both thought.


    As the party was coming to an end at near dawn, the Douglas family were up and ready to go home on their carriage. Bidding farewell to the guests and all, on the soft embrace of her bed and now seven years of age *in body*, Gabrielle fell sound asleep. Alas, she would then come to experience that which she hasn''t before.

 Volume_01: Behind The Scences

    <Thorinar Empire>


    <Edge of the West Quarter>


    "Damn! Who could have known that he would strike Ugo''s head with a block torn from the wall. I even went to lengths as such to equip that bastard with that cheap sword. A fuckin'' waste he is!"


    Brazenly announced by Mr. Sandulto, he was on a carriage along with five other well-dressed individuals. Mr. Hector Sandulto, he is one of the nobles ruling the second eastern most division. He is a rather large individual with his seemingly endless appetite.


    "Bahahaha! It is a gamble. Blast me if you thought you could win every time!"


    Replied Mr. Durim who sat farthest from Mr. Sandulto, Mr. Albrecht Durim is a rich businessman under the field of weaponry trades. He is an old gentleman with a fine coat and had constantly worn dark glasses.


    "Haha, regardless. The three of us lost quite the fortune on this match, have we not? Except for you that is, you must be quite happy right now huh? Mr. Hiendricks?"


    Pointed out a stern-looking man with a hulking figure, Mr. Richards. He is one the thirteen generals, ranked eight, Mr. Galadot Richards.


    "*smiles mockingly* No, no, It''s just luck, gentlemen, luck!"


    Announced Mr. Hiendricks, sarcastically humbling himself. Mr. Alexander Hiendricks, he is the youngest among the bunch with the age of 21. He is a renowned genius throughout the continent, advancing weapon designs for the military.


    "Tch, cocky bastard. I bet you had your hands on this!"


    Blamed Mr. Sandulto, glaring at Alexander.


    "My, I wouldn''t dare. I mean *snicker*, with your respectable presence, how could I? Right gentlemen?"


    Mocked Alexander. Veins up Mr. Sandulto''s head looked as if they were about to pop. The others giggled, trying their best not to laugh. As to finish it off, Alexander bows in a girlish manner.


    At long last, had they arrived. Coming out of their carriage, standing on the higher ground to see the construction going on.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So, how much time do you have in mind before this project of yours is finished. Alexander?"


    Asked Samson. Samson Bradley, The Court Magician, he''s an old man with a goatee. Always holding onto his staff, highly respected and adored.


    "Since the last eight months? Hm, about five more, Master Samson."


    Replied Alexander.


    "Isn''t this actually pointless? I mean, can you name a country that could ever stand up to the empire? None!"


    Boasted Mr. Sandulto.


    "Ahh! But this view is quiet too narrow, Hector sir. What we are preparing for is that of which is beyond earthly scale."


    Said Alexander. The other four''s expression were all the same, confusion.


    "Think, Gentlemen! What could be so great as that even our beloved empire should feel threat?!"


    Alexander had this sneaky look up his eyes. Darting from one man to another, to the first one to realize.


    "The Church?"


    Guessed Mr. Samson


    "Right you are! I never expected less from a fellow genius."


    Baffled, the others were questioning them furiously about the matter.


    "What do you mean by this?! Are you saying that we are to face a threat from the heavens?"


    Questioned Mr. Durim.


    "No sir, I do not speak of any immortal forces. But you see, human greed is such an ugly thing yet it lives inside of us. It entices us always, never extinguished."


    Continued Alexander while looking down at the slaves working.


    "We can never avoid that which fuels our desires. We are but humans, full of dreams and wants. Never will be satiated nor fulfilled. Those friars are human too, Sir Hector, they will prove true to my words. No matter how holy or how blessed, one will commit sins."


    Explained Alexander to the dumbfounded crowd.


    Reclaiming his demeanor, Mr. Samson spoke up.


    "Alexander, boy. Let us discuss more of this in your little hut, up ahead. To give this conversation a tad bit more privacy."


    "Of course, shall we?"


    Led Alexander to the carriage once more.


    ...


    <Southern Outskirts of The Empire>


    <Haljeu Port>


    *CRACKLE CRACKLE BOOM*


    *WHOOOSHH*


    A storm was underway near the coast, thunderclouds and heavy rain kept people away from the port. The unforgiving waves tore apart even the sturdiest boat on shoreline. It was one dark day.


    Even so, a waggon made its way up to a cliff nearby. The shores can be seen from there, brewing a sight to see as another sailed ship capsized. They stopped not far from the cliff''s edge and brought out a boy with long, black hair. He was shackled on all limbs including his neck. Only piece of cloth he had was tied around his waist.


    Removing the shackles, three men brought him to the very edge. They pushed him towards his near death, then one of them spoke to another.


    "Hey, do we really have to do this? His just a boy!"


    They had to shout on behalf of the raging storm.


    "There''s no choice! We cannot disobey his orders, unless you want to join this child in his suffering."


    The doubtful one lowered his head, learning he cannot defy such cruel truth. They look at the boy, hovering the weakened torch near his haggard face, showing a body riddled with scars and rotting wounds.


    "I''m sorry kid! Nothing personal, were just following orders!"


    Called out the guy in the middle, as if to redeem his following deeds a bit. The boy remained motionless and silent. Not a trace of life left on his mangled face.


    The three nodded among themselves in approval. Finally the largest one among them stepped forward, looking at the boy with pity. He kicked him off the cliff, down to the wrathful waves below, creating a splash on the surface of the waters.


    As the cold embraced his bruised body, there was no struggle with the water filling his body. His lifeless eyes looked to see what would be his grave, the seabed. As laid there softly, tired of all that he went through since the day he was born.


    His memories flashed before his eyes, the short time that he had lived. But was that really living? Can a lifetime full of torture and cruelty be considered living? He could not feel his body anymore, slowly succumbing to the cold. His sight was getting hazy, his consciousness falling into the dark. Looking at the last bits of light he could see, when something swam by. Something enormous in size. But the boy could care less, he was too tired.

 Volume_01 : Suspicious Serpent

    "Bleergh!! *coughs*"


    A burning sensation was felt inside his nose as he puked out liters of seawater. Disoriented and sick, he continued to hurl.


    After feeling much better yet still ill, the boy looked around. He found himself alone in a cave, a really spacious cave. As typical, there were stalactites and stalagmites all over, but one more peculiarity. A small, motionless pond shining in a light blue glow, it was unbelievably still. But strangest of all, was the fact that the boy was breathing and alive. He was perplexed, he drowned without a doubt.


    "I''m...alive...huh?!"


    He silently thought to himself.


    *tack tack tack*


    The sound of a pebble falling broke the silence inside the lightly illuminated cave. The boy scanned the environment after managing to stand at least. Curiously he looked over the pond. Though as his current state shows not, the boy is very bright.


    "Weird...this is really weird. Counting the miracle of my resurrection, this glowing pond takes it up a notch. It''s even perfectly circular!"


    He took time to investigate this body of water, then he notices something else. Caves have naturally rough floors but...the floor around the pond is slippery smooth. Some stalagmites were crushed too with no sign of any stalactite falling. As final evidence, there was a hidden pile of skeletons from various creatures.


    "...something''s here."


    He thought as he paused his actions. Chills crawled up his spine after looking at the empty husks of what was once bodies. He jumped off back to where he woke up after picking up a human''s femur without realizing what it was. He was on guard, looking around back and forth.


    "...boo"


    "UWAAHH!"


    He was startled when someone suddenly whispered behind him. Fallen over, the boy saw what crept up behind him. It was...him, yes him, the boy. But no, it looked like him yet it was not him, a doppelganger.


    It giggled and suddenly ran behind a stalagmite, then came out as a cat on the other side...what?


    Yes, that''s right. In place of what was supposed to have been his doppelganger...transformed into a cat. How curious. It hopped around over some of the crystalline spikes and then it looked at the boy with gleaming eyes. The boy got to his feet and held the bone he found with both hands.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Then again, the "cat" jumped to the shadows. A sparrow soared out of that spot, catching the boy''s attention. It looped around in the air, slowly nearing towards him, going around some of the stalactite up the ceiling. Out of nowhere, it was gone...literally, it was gone.


    "...huh?...What?"


    The boy was utterly dumbfounded by what just took place. The "things" playful act was quite off-putting, making things worse and harder to understand.


    "Bahahaha, such priceless reactions!"


    A thundering voice suddenly burst laughing, sending tremors throughout the cave. The boy jolted back instinctively facing the direction from where the voice came from.


    "W-who''s there?!"


    He called out to the darkness.


    "My, who could it be? What could it be~? Hehehehe"


    It teased.


    "Show yourself!"


    "Hah! Such boldness. Also quit shouting, there is only the two of us in here, child."


    "A-are you the one who brought me here?"


    "That I am. I was playing around near some human settlement by the sea, then I saw how you¡¯ve gotten pushed off by some other humans a bit larger in size."


    ''¡­damn''


    The boy thought.


    "um...I died. I surely died that time...so how am I here right now?"


    He asked. The creature fell silent.


    "...hey, kid. Since I saved your life, so you owe me¡­right~?"


    It said in a very serious tone. The boy was wary of the new atmosphere their conversation created.


    *gulp*


    "What do you want from me? I never asked you to save me."


    "Ah, yes. But I''d rather make use of you. After all, you¡¯re a special one, aren''t you?"


    "Huh...me? I¡¯m special, what do you mean¡­by that."


    "Kid, you hate the world, don''t you?"


    This time the boy was silent.


    "H-hmm...How are you so sure?"


    He asked, this time with a slight hint of aggression. He was reminded, reminded of all that was done to him.


    There was movement, all around him. As if there were something crawling, something unfathomably big.


    "Because I too. I too, resent the world."


    From where the voice came from there were now a pair of huge eyes staring directly at him. They had a yellow tint that shined in the dark.


    "I have been present ever since the birth of this land. Presented with all the beauty I can imagine."


    Those eyes blinked in a reptilian manner, while slowly moving closer.


    "Yet with all the beauty I can add, this world was tainted with too much disorder, too much diseases."


    The sharp snout came into view, revealing the glittery scales it had. Rows of razor-sharp teeth were clustered on each side of it''s mouth.


    *growling*


    The boy lost his strength and lowered his arms, looking at the huge majestic dragon poking it''s head from the darkness.


    "I am called Leviathan. Name yourself, human child."


    It said while revealing his luminous serpentine body that stretched throughout the whole cave. The boy was astonished beyond words.


    "...W-WOAHHH!"


    A glow of blue covered its scaly crystal-covered body, with four short limbs and a sail on its back.


    "Don''t you have those bat-like wings?"


    The boy asked.


    "Hmph! Those are for lowly creatures who have not mastered the art of levitation. So primitive, they are!"


    It boasted and crossed its arms.


    "So...your name?"


    "..."


    "Hey, kid. I''m asking for your name."


    "...um, I don''t...have a name."


    They fell silent for a while.


    "¡­then I shall bestow you one."


    Announced the dragon. The boy was surprised, to actually receive a name from something so bizarre.


    "Hm, how about ¡°Boy¡±? It''s much easier calling you that."


    "..."


    "What? You don''t like it?"


    "Then I''ll call you Overgrown Cave-Scaly, you okay with tha-"


    "HEY! Alright, alright I''ll think of another one."


    The beast stroke his chin as though to show he was in thought.


    "There was this magician I knew of who aided a hero in the fight against a demon before, about 800 years ago. He was called Enoch. If you would bear this name, you must then achieve something as great as his deeds, in respect of his reputation."


    "...okay, good enough."


    "...you mongrel. Have you no thanks to my efforts?"


    "How''d you keep me alive?"


    "Oh no, you died. You seriously died."


    Now he was confused.


    "Allow me to explain."


    Said the dragon.


    *clears throat*

 Volume_01 : Striking A Deal

    <Leviathan''s Cave>


    "As I said, you''re dead. Well after that, as I was watching, I fortunately was able to harvest your soul."


    Leviathan reminisced.


    "...you stole my soul?"


    "You can put it that way, yes. But I couldn''t help it! Souls of your caliber are hard to come by."


    "...what''s so good about my soul?"


    He wondered. Enoch, as he was named, had been keeping Leviathan company for quite a while now. Though they slowly came to learn about each other, he still had no sense of trust towards the beast.


    "I''m delighted you asked."


    It said, then suddenly a sphere was spawned around them with the flick of a claw. Enoch, naturally, was startled.


    "Worry not, It''s just an [Illusion Conjure], It will help me explain and show you..."


    "Let us put it this way, a soul is a unique form of mana, mana that carries our ¡°Conscious¡±. Each and every of these souls are different as their own person, and emotion plays the role of the scale. Upon certain death, an individual''s soul automatically compiles all it''s memories into one emotion. This is also the reason as to why most say that their life ''flashed before their eyes''. In the end, the most prominent emotion will then brand the soul to which one of the 13 levels of Eden it will proceed to."


    He explained thoroughly. A lot of things suddenly popped out of nowhere, matching the descriptions that Leviathan said. It was a beautifully astonishing sight to behold.


    "Too simplify, we call the unique mana or the soul as ?Life Essence?. ?Life Essence? is fundamentally similar but structurally different from normal mana. Their both energy that can be manipulated but while mana follows a self-replicating process, making it endless, ?Life Essence? can only be produced by two ways. The first one is by turning a tremendous amount of normal mana as a price, for a single existence, usually this is a process only beings of godly-scale can manage to pull off. The second one is through reproduction, two other souls producing another soul. That is why the birth of a child should be considered a miracle."


    He continued while new forms took place inside the sphere.


    "Hey, this is really amazing and all that but...It still doesn''t explain how or why I''m here."


    Enoch demanded.


    "How impatient you are, truly."


    "No, it''s you who''ve been dragging this on."


    "Well, alright...You see not a lot of people are designated to lowest level of Eden. Long ago, hateful souls were sent to Hell. But ever since Lucifer revolted and took over the place, a new realm was constructed. The highest level of Eden was known as <Elysium> or in other words "Paradise", while the lowest was titled <Et Relicta> or "The Discarded". Often those who are sent to the lowest are never seen again, all of them were described as an existence so hateful and infernal that they were never allowed to see the light again. You my boy, were just about to be banished for eternity or in simpler words, Erased from the plane of existence."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    An illusion of a pitch black sphere then came into picture, it slowly yet surely pulled the boy towards itself. Enoch was resisting to his utmost, but to no success. Just before he touched the orb, everything was set back in place and the sphere was gone.


    "Think of it like this. You, right now, are the most essential piece to my plans. And well, I have taken into consideration that you will have a self-appointed duty to fulfill if given this chance. Then I can easily help you fulfill such duties, there is no limit to what I can do see. Even the gods have been hunting me out of fear about what I am capable of, that''s how powerful I am. But I can''t help you if you don''t help me as per trade."


    "...damn, you talk a lot."


    "Haha, yes. See, negotiating is one of my multiple talents."


    "You said you''d help me with anything. Is murder counted?"


    "Hah! Dear me, I forgot to explain. For me to help you, we must enter a <Deal>. After that you will receive my blessing and you will become my <Host>. A <Host> is someone who has two or more different ?Life Essence? or souls in a single body. The capacity of the body for other souls is two at standard but the stronger the body, the more souls will fit. The body''s original owner''s soul will have full control over the body, that is an irrevocable position for that soul unless you die of course¡ª"


    "Please cut it short, you can explain all of this to me later."


    "...alright. So after the <Deal>, you will receive my blessing. My blessings are¡­¡±


    *Ping*


    {


    [Wrath] (Active)


    Grants temporary but overwhelming power by feeding on the <Host>''s mana till it runs out while affecting the <Host>¡¯s rationality and sanity as more power is used.


    [Shape Shifter] (Active)


    Allows the <Host> to transform into any organism he has consumed.


    [Intimidate] (Passive)


    <Host> can release and maintain a deadly aura.


    Range and Pressure depends on emotional state. Can kill if an individual is unable to withstand pressure. Does not consume mana.


    [Consume] (Active)


    Allows <Host> to absorb the ?Life Essence? of his victim. <Host> will receive 50% of each of the victim''s stats as a permanent addition to his stats.


    }


    ¡°As you can see, most of them are prepared for slaughter."


    A panel of sorts suddenly appeared out of thin air, displaying some words. Reasonably, all of the skills he would receive will without a doubt, help him grow much faster. He would gain all this by allowing this beast to take up some space in his body, still suspicious but the rent he would receive makes it worth it.


    "Hahahahahah!! This is gonna be good. I accept your offer, I can''t wait to get back at that fat motherf*cker."


    He answered. Just imagining the things he would do to those who had mistreated him made him drool. There was a big grin up Leviathan''s snout.


    "Then let us begin, oh and by the way. A fair warning, this will sting...a lot."


    He said before starting the [Deal].


    "I don''t care. As long as I get to butcher that fatso, nothing else matters."


    Below and above Enoch, magic circles glowing in purple appeared.


    "And now for the contract...You can read, right?"


    "...I''m not stupid."


    "Right~. Then, just as I showed you, the terms are well within demand."


    *Ping*


    A panel was presented in front of the boy, showing him a letter about what Leviathan just mentioned. One thing caught his eye, on a part of the letter it said.


    "


    Leviathan


    {The Wrathful Ruler | Majister of Trickstery and Deceit | Monster King}


    "


    ''Hm, well I can ask him about this later. And he also emphasized my value to him, so I won''t have to worry about him double-crossing me. But, he did revive me, I guess I should trust him at least.''


    Enoch thought to himself, before pressing his thumb on top of his name. Then as soon as he lifted it off, the panel disappeared.


    *Ping*


    Another panel came off.


    - CONTRACT RECOGNIZED -


    - PROCESSING -


    *DUMM*


    The circles started to configure itself, turning in various ways. A unseen force suddenly lifted Enoch mid-air while constricting his limbs in a restrictive position. A new circle, now a lot smaller, appeared not to far from his chest. It slowly moved to his left, and shot out a burning-hot laser onto his left pec.


    *Whirring*


    "NGGHH...GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"


    It was carving on his flesh as a few more rays began to shoot out. He was introduced to a whole new world of pain. The [Conjure] took its time to thoroughly burn a mark on his flesh, branding him. Leviathan also then started to move around the tortured boy, he slowly started to shrink as he sped up.


    "AAARRGH!! *coughs roughly* GGUUURRGHH!!!"


    Enoch was going crazy due to the pain, he was convulsing. Unable to endure, he fainted. But was awoken again due to the excruciating torment. This went on for about an hour or so.


    ...


    *Ping*


    - STIGMA PRINTING COMPLETE -


    - THE GATE IS READY -


    - PROCEED TO IMPLANT -


    By the time it was over, Enoch was still suspended motionless above ground. His eyes were lifeless and bloodshot while every orifice of his body was leaking. Mixing sweat, snot, tears, drool, and even piss. Yet fortunately, he was still sane but barely. His body was then slowly made to face the ceiling.


    Leviathan, who is now the size of an overgrown snake, took pity on the boy and was deeply impressed. Not many can go through that kind of tribulation and still have an intact spirit.


    ''What a find, I am most definitely privileged to be able to witness this boy''s growth. You have done well, Enoch, my child. I shall help set a path fit for you to thread, the path of a king.''


    He thought to himself. He then soared above the magic circle that held Enoch and dived towards it at full speed.


    *SONIC BOOM*


    As he passed through the circle, Leviathan vanished. The boy''s eyes and mouth were wide open and shone blue.


    *Ping*


    - PROCESS COMPLETE -


    The circles slowly vanished and an unconscious Enoch was slowly laid down on the ground.

 Volume_01 : At The Guests Hall

    There are a total of 4 Empires in the Continent of Matrona. These are the Thorinar Empire or the Human Realm, the Demitrout Alliances or Kingdom of the Beast race and the Einlad Dwarves, the Velvetoir Empire or the residence of the Elven race, Siethdorians, and the Bloodswourn Legion where the Serpentines rule.


    These groups have been under silent terms for a little less than 500 years. But though they do not portray public violence, the empires have been on constant tension and competition among themselves. And they''ve later set the stage at the academy, Queensfort Studies. As wide and as prosper being it''s own kingdom, Queensfort Studies accepted bright and talented students from every nation. It was built by a famous and powerful elven magician called Aquila, who was known for being indiscriminate and kind yet stern and adamant.


    Queensfort isn''t the only place to school young prodigies, but it has proved over and over again to be the best when it comes to nurturing raw talent. Multiple graduates were revered to be geniuses that thrive on their own fields and came home to as a highly respected individual recognized by the empires. Such is the place where our hero will be attending.


    <Queensfort Studies>


    Carriages lined uniformly over at the prepared stables after delivering their passengers at the entrance to the guest''s hall, which was by the way, comparable to a stadium. Nobles and peasants from different races were accommodated by students from the academy tasked to do so, a way to show off the promised prestige of its name.


    *Creak*


    The hinges of the wheel cried as to mark the of the ride. The coachman rushing to the door assisted, only to find Gab asleep carelessly on Alisa''s lap.


    "s...iss...Miss *giggles*, we''re here."


    "Uhh *wipes drool*"


    The journey lasted a quarter of a day and Gab was hardly able to get a wink of sleep because she kept rolling around the room, excited to enter school. Her body got back at her during the ride. Alisa came down the coach and assisted Gab on her way down, later then handing her the things she prepared for the occasion.


    "B-b-best of luck miss, may the god, Orthtro, guide you. Uh, I know you can do it. Um, y-you can do this!"


    Alisa stuttered, trying her best to cheer Gab on. Turns out she was more nervous than Gab was right now.


    "Y-yeah...are you alright?"


    "*deep breaths*...yes, miss. I''m alright now, off you go~."


    "Yeah, I''ll see later."


    In her first life, Gab had read and memorized most of the books in her dad''s library. And mind you, he had more than 10,000 books in his study. She proved to have quite the brainpower, but reading all of those took away her social life for she lost all her time in there. So the first test was sure to be a breeze, her problem was the second one.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    What talent does she boast? If her knowledge can be deemed as one then she wouldn''t have to worry about this, but here scholars are commodity. Now that wouldn''t be much of a talent, would it? Well her mana, mana manipulation, and conjure versatility can tell anyone to shut up.


    But well, what she needed was something that can finish the deal. She needed something that can assure a future where she gets chosen as hero and that thing should help her at the least, do damage to Astaroth. So what is it?


    She was there sitting by a bench at the back. Gab was with the other children taking part in the tests. A girl took a seat beside her, however, Gab...was asleep with her eyes open.


    "Hmph! Well at the very least you look decent. Which family do you come from?"


    "..."


    "...Haha, I know. It must be a shock for you to talk to someone as famous and revered as I am. But pity now, I have bestowed upon you the blessing of being in my presence."


    "..."


    "Oh of course, you must be puking nervous to speak. Giving account to the examination we are about to participate in, how dreadful."


    "..."


    "...*annoyed* H-hey."


    She leaned near Gab''s face. Who was at the moment sitting upright but was looking into empty space. The girl waved her hand in front of her, trying to call out for attention. But Gab remained stagnant.


    ''Uwahh~ I accidentally talked to a strange one. She hasn''t blinked since a while ago. But she is without a doubt a noble, the hairpin proves it but I can''t remember which family had that pattern...I should try at least three more times to make her notice me. Daddy always told me that "...Listen honey, when I was young like you, I thought that money, fame and power was everything one needs to be happy in this world. And well, now that I''m all grown up. I proved myself right, always knew I''m genius. So sweetie, now that you are of right age, do what I did. Keep yourself close with rich, disciplined people because when they become famous, so do you. Daddy just wants you to be happy dear, alright? Give your daddy a kiss, my little poochypie~" So I must stay close to this girl and catch her attention.''


    And so here she goes again, trying her best to catch Gab''s attention while trying to avoid looking desperate.


    "Hey." *pokes Gab''s cheek*


    "..."


    "Heey~." *softly blows air on neck*


    "..."


    "...*pissed*"


    "..."


    "Oi!!! *knocks head* Tohh!"


    Waking up while holding a bump on her scalp. A girl in a dress too big and elegant with gloves and a well-designed fan, greeted her. Well Gab was simple, she had stockings, belt, short skirts with a long-sleeve and a light vest.


    "Ow! *holding her head*"


    "Hmph! That''s what you get for ignoring me."


    "Um...who''re you?"


    "...what?"


    "Why''d you hit me? And I was at the best part of my dream~...damn. *irritated*"


    "Y-you were asleep...? *flustered*"


    "Yeah."


    ''D-DDAAMMMIITT!!!!''


    Yes, the girl is embarrassed to the very core of her being. Looking away from Gab and covering her face.


    "Hm? What''s wrong?"


    ''T-THIS BITCH...I''LL KILL YOU, I''LL KILL YOU! THE EXAM WOULD BE STARTING WITHOUT YOU NOW. YOU PETTY! SAD! PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT!! UUURRRGGGHH!!!!!! YOU SHALL EXPERIENCE MY WRATH RIGHT HERE!''


    She then quickly turns to answer Gab.


    "Oh no, everything is alright, just a bit of excitement. I''m Marie by the way, Marie Eloise V''becuim. It seems you didn''t hear me a while ago, pleased to make your acquaintance. *bright smile*"


    "Hm, so it''s Mariel."


    "What, no. My name is Marie Eloise, not Mariel!"


    "Mhm, nice to meet you Mariel. I''m Gab, Gabrielle Xylmuitte, it''s really nice to meet you. Hehe~"


    "Wait, no, listen to me. Its Marie, not Mariel, MARIE!"


    "*ignores*...*twitching*U-um, you know. I''m really happy right now. I''ve finally made my very first friend, and um...P-please take care of me, Mariel. *heavenly smile*"


    "Wha¡ª? *flustered again*"


    It''s super effective. (*pokemon reference*| yes, again)


    "W-w-well since your my first friend that''s my age, I''ll allow a nickname."


    *Gab giggling*


    *DUNN* *CREAK*


    The giant doors leading to the examination room slowly opened. There was gasping from the crowd as five people walked out. There was an tall old man with a horns and a tail in ashen white robes, a serpentine. A pale, human woman with fixed, reddish-purple hair that matched her outfit of a loose, red kimono with wooden slippers.


    A girl with fluffy ears and 9 dazzling fox tails, she had short orange hair with a ribbon behind her head, also wearing a kimono but pink and shorter to show her small legs. There was dwarf wearing thick armor engraved with runes, he carried a giant hammer on his back. And an elf, he had really long, pure-white hair braided reaching his thighs. Wearing a simple, light-blue robe and a smile.


    "To all examiners, we shall now proceed with the trials. Prepare yourselves."

 Volume_01 : Acknowledged

    <Queensfort Studies>


    *TING TING*


    "Begin!"


    Announced by the examiner as the first trial started.


    The examinees of over 4,000 individuals were first divided by race. The dwarves were to go with the old serpentine, the elves with the nine-tails loli, the beastkin with the human lady, serpentine with the armoured dwarf, and the humans with the braided elf.


    There were about 810 elves, 602 serpentines, 1060 beastkin, 482 dwarves and 1046 humans. All of them were children at the age of seven. After the division between each race, they were divided into groups of 100. Well by counting, there will be a lot of excess. So there were batches consisted of mixed races, and Gab was part of them for she got designated much later. Out of 40 batches, 2 were mixed.


    <39th Batch''s Examination Venue>


    A written examination. Typical, right? But think about this. Out of 4,000 entries, only 120 will be accepted to become students. This is to bring out only the best of the best.


    Each student were given a unique combination of ten questions, greatly avoiding cheating. Now Gab, well after about 15 minutes down in the paper writing. She stood up and was just about to pass her paper, noticing three familiar faces.


    Someone sitting near the front row caught her attention. It was Mary, the one she met at the party(you forgot, didn''t you~). She was waving at Gab and beside her was Matthew, burying his face on the paper given. Waving back, she later noticed who the examiner was.


    ''Eehhh~!!''


    Of all the people inside the campus, what are the chances for her meet this guy again? It was Phillip, Phillip Mcdouglas. That one guy who kept on belittling Gab at her party.


    ''Why did I have to bump into this guy here, godammit! Now he''s gonna accuse me of cheating, being able to pass this early...Ahh fuck it, try me!''


    ...


    Phillip was checking the names of the registered examinees listed for his batch, the papers lain out uniformly on his table.


    ''Zamiro''u, Ashford, Ruven, Fleiro, V''becuim, Xylmuitte, Fuentel...hm? Xylmuitte~?''


    "U-um...excuse me, s-sir?"


    "...!!"


    Said a familiar voice whom he immediately recognized. He slowly looks up and sees Gab with a crooked smile and glaring eyes. She was handing out her paper to Phillip.


    "Hmph! I''m assuming you have a question of sorts about an item in the test, too bad the papers has been reconfirmed multiple times so it is your lack of comprehension that poses a problem."


    He said after crossing his arms and leaning on his chair.


    "Oh no~, I am finished answering this stupid test and am now about to submit my paper. Stupid~!"


    "Pfft!"


    Mary was holding her giggles with all her might but listening to the two was just too hilarious. The other examinees looked at her curiously.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "P-pardon me.*giggle*"


    "Quiet, please."


    Announced Phillip, putting the crowd back to the pressure of the test.


    "And...You. You say you''ve completed a test that even our scholars would take at best an hour to fulfill?"


    "Yes."


    "Haha~! Just how shameless can you be?"


    He blurted out as he received her paper, then reviewing it.


    "There must be a limit to your...arro...gance..."


    He fell silent. Gossips started to get audible around the room, everybody was interested if it was really true.


    *Gossips*


    ...


    It has been a while since Phillip took his eyes off the pages.


    (ehh~ she finished in just 15 minutes?)


    (wow, it''s a genius.)


    (she looks like a noble, what family?)


    (she must have cheated)


    (but this school never had a history of cheating)


    (damn, I wish I were that smart.)


    "I said QUIET, ALL OF YOU!!"


    Shouted Phillip rising from his chair.


    ...


    "You...*sigh* follow me."


    There was gasping all over the room.


    "Oh my~"


    Mary said to herself, shocked along with the whole crowd. Gab gave Phillip a condescending smirk with hands on her waist and raising a brow.


    "Tch!"


    Was all Phillip could say while popping a vein. Passing through the door to the back, Gab follows closely behind. She was floating in this strange sense of victory, waiting for the fact to slowly sink in.


    It took them a while to finally reach the destination. Currently, they were standing in front of a wooden door with fine carvings. Phillip was fixing himself up and trying to look as presentable as he can, then carefully knocking on the door.


    *knock knock*


    "Yes. Come in~!"


    "Pardon my intrusion, Headmaster Ethraldir."


    They come in to the room. There was the braided elf with glasses sitting in front of his table with towering piles of paperwork. Though presented with such a problem, his calm demeanor was never moved.


    "Ahh, Phillip! What''s the matter?"


    "Um, well sir. Take a look at this."


    *hands paper*


    "Hmm, what''s this?..."


    *Reviewing*


    Gab was nervous. She kind of figured that the braided elf must have held a high position in the system but being the Headmaster wasn''t out of question too.


    The Headmaster was intently reviewing her papers, then he cleanly fixes them on the table.


    "I don''t quite understand, what''s the problem here?"


    "Well, as you see, sir. She completed the test, with full marks."


    "Yes, it is uncommon for such brilliance to present itself but it still happens."


    "...she did that in less than 12 minutes."


    "*flinch*..."


    The Headmaster had this doubtful look on his face, then after that, he looks at Gab.


    "What is your name Miss?"


    "I am called Gabrielle sir, Gabrielle Xylmuitte. The second daughter of the house of Xylmuitte."


    The elf''s smile slowly came back but now in a bit more curious way.


    "She may proceed to the next trial, Phillip."


    "Yes sir."


    "...um, excuse me. But aren''t you going to make me take the test again? As to make sure I did not cheat?"


    "Did you?..."


    He said with a hint of animosity.


    "N-no."


    "Haha, then there is no need to. Besides you''ll probably ace it once more...you may take your leave."


    "Excuse us, sir."


    "Good luck for the next trials~!"


    They said as the two turned to leave, closing the door behind them. As they were walking back to the venue, another professor ran past them to the direction of the Headmaster''s office. Phillip looks back to see but sees Gab instead. There was a simple look of victory up her face.


    "Tch! Just because you aced the written portion doesn''t mean you''ve passes, you brat."


    "Oh my~! But I haven''t said anything...*kekeke* I''m a damn genius, huh~?"


    "*POP*...damn brat, I''ll get you for this!"


    He said after they re-enter the venue. By the time, the second phase of the trials started. The talent portion, the time to demonstrate your own unique abilities. Everybody was preparing themselves, given half an hour to prepare before presenting.


    All the batches were to do the presentations simultaneously in front of three judges in each of their own venue. They were made to wait in the fields within the campus, allowed to bring the items deemed necessary.


    Though the exam hasn''t started yet, everybody was showing off their pride and establishing territory. There were a lot of different groups in the field, the division was common on either between royals, nobility and peasants or simple racial discrimination.


    Gab was sitting under the shade of a tree in her loneliness, reviewing her [Conjure]s. Mariel approached her as she too had no company.


    "Hah! That wasn''t much a challenge, I was finished in less than an hour. I could easily compete with their scholars in here."


    "Hey Mariel~! I''m sure you did. Are you ready for the next trial?"


    Gab greeted with a humble smile. Little did Mariel know, that she was boasting in front of a recognized prodigy.


    "I specialize in [Life Magic]. How''s that? Truly befitting of a noble as precious as me~."


    "Woah~! That is so cool. I always wanted to try [Life Magic], but sadly my affinity to it is not good enough to cultivate it effectively."


    "Ehehehe~. Nevermind about me, how about you? What''s your specialty?"


    "Well...It''s not too grandiose but is still worth mentioning. I''m good at [Lightning Magic]."


    "Hmm~ It contrasts to your personality. Your more of a mild and easy-going person on my opinion, so I thought that maybe you would be a [Wind Magic] user. But [Lightning Magic] is pretty good too, you can tear apart anybody who tries to upset you."


    "Hahaha! I wouldn''t want to do that. Anyways, sit with me here we could pass time talking before the exam."


    *Gestures to sit beside her*


    "*blush* I-I-If I must, then excuse me."


    *Sits*


    Mariel fell silent while Gab resumed reading.


    "...H-hey, It''s unfair that I''m the only one with a nickname. So I''ll call you one too. Gabrielle...Abrielle...rielle...Then Ellie, from now on I''ll be calling you Ellie and only I am allowed to. Alright?!"


    "*giggle* Okay, okay, you can call me that...Mariel you''re cute when your flustered."


    "Wha¡ª!!*blush intensifies*"


    They continue to talk thoughtlessly while waiting for the exam, the other students were feeling the pressure of the following trials.

 Volume_01 : Predation

    Inside a silent, cloud forest, where the trees were motionless and the wind was still. Feeding on grass freshened up by dew, a rabbit-like creature filled itself up. It had thick, black fur, abnormally large hind legs, and big red eyes. There was nothing more peculiar to this creature other than the razor-sharp spines coating the edges of its long, thin ears.


    *SNAP*


    Its ears quickly launch quills, darting towards the sound behind the thick line of bushes. It paused and stood straight up for a better view, questioning its security. Sunlight never got to the ground, but it could still see well around the trees. The fog was not too much, though it was well enough to reduce visibility of the surroundings. Nothing. Just the deafening silence.


    Its long ears were straight up like an antenna, twitching from one direction to the other.


    *SLASH*


    And there goes his right ear.


    *SQUEAL*


    He dashes away for dear life, the remains of his right ear bleeding profusely while the left was was heavily injured with three claw marks. There was no way to defend himself in one on one combat now, his instincts told him that the assailant was close behind. There was a cliff near the eastern side of the forest that divided the ground. If he could cross over to the other side, the predator wouldn''t be able to pursue.


    The only problem is...it was really far from where he is right now. He was losing blood, a lot of it that he''s started feeling dizzy. But he needed to tough it out if he wanted to live, the deadly marathon begins.


    ...


    <After two hours of endless running>


    The fog cleared and the cliff could now be seen. He had to rest briefly five times and check if he was still being followed. But each time he did, he almost lost his life. Now he had three gaping wounds on his back but his ears stopped bleeding after an hour. But even so, he''s lost so much blood on the way.


    The edge. The will to live wins today, he was finally safe. He jumps with all his might, visually suspending him in mid-air. Goodbye to that persistent monster trying to kill him.


    ...


    *Grabs*


    Something gripped his head from behind, looking closely at his face with the most sinister smile.


    "...CAUGHT YOUU~!!!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    *SQUEAL¡ªBPLEURGH*


    Dead, head bashed into a tree. Eyeballs popped out of the skull, its face turned into a messed up spaghetti of brain and blood.


    *Twitching*


    The killer looks at his kill and opens his mouth wide.


    *Woiishh*


    The rabbits body was deteriorating quickly while its blood was slowly going into the killer''s jaws. After a few seconds, it was less than a dry piece of rag. The creature stands upright then wipes its mouth.


    ''There...took me a while to catch this one. You were right, this pest is really troublesome.''


    ''L: (Told you so. It''s called a [Quilled Hare], their unbelievably quick on their feet and those throwing darts are lined with paralyzing venom. They get more potent as the Hare ages.)''


    It was Enoch...but with a dark monkey-like figure. His body and limbs were covered in black-violet fur, excluding only his face and chest. He looks much healthier now than he did before. The mangled face of his healed but left behind a scar going across. And finally, a tail twice the length of his arm. Leviathan, ever since settling in Enoch''s body, communicated telepathically.


    ''And remind me why I had to hunt this rat?''


    ''L: (Try reviewing your stats for a moment.)''


    "Okay~...[Examine]"


    *Ping*


    He said while looking at his arm. The usual-unusual panel popped up infront of him, showing his stats.


    {


    Name : ? Enoch ?


    HP : ? INVALIDATED ?


    MP : 280/340 + 142, 697


    Age : ? 7 ?


    Race : ? Undead Puppet ?


    Condition : ? Morphed : [Shadow Ape] ?


    Stats :


    {


    STR : ? INVALIDATED ?


    AGT : Lvl 13 + 628


    DEX : ? MAX ?


    INT : Lvl 13 + 759


    WSD : Lvl 13 + 651


    STM : ? INVALIDATED ?


    }


    Skills :


    - Active -


    [Shape Shifter {[Flicker ] | [Shadow Armour] | [Brute Strength] | [Venomous Dart Quills]} ]


    [Intimidate]


    [Consume]


    [Examine]


    - Passive -


    [Wrath - Lvl 4]


    [Shared Mana - Leviathan]


    [Shared Skills - Leviathan]


    [Bloodlust - Lvl 4]


    [Self-Reconstruction - MAX]


    [Mana Manipulation ¨C Lvl 5]


    [Conjure Mastery ¨C Lvl 5]


    Affinity :


    [Corrupt Magic]


    [Shadow Magic]


    Titles :


    [Leviathan''s Host]


    [Devourer]


    [Reanimated]


    [Limitless]


    [Defiant Being]


    }


    "Undead Puppet, huh..."


    ''L: (Yes, It was the only way to revive you. Now you are an Undead because you technically were supposed to be dead but I tied your soul to an immortal-body, that is a copy of yours. The [System] must have recognized you as an officially new race.)''


    ''I still don''t understand what this [System] of yours is. I get that it can transform and calculate given information into a series of numbers, but is that all? That would''ve been useless to begin with."


    ''L: (*sigh* Ignorant child...Nevermind that now, you should be able to experience how useful it really is along the way. Well more importantly, look. We''ve accomplished the task at hand, try using the new skill)''


    ''Ohh~! I finally understand why we had to chase that rabbit around. Now that I have ranged weapons, hunting wouldn''t be as annoying as before...Do I have to shoot it from my ears too?!''


    ''L: (That is an option, but it truly will be inefficient. You will need to learn controlling your ears, just as you did when your tail first came to...How about using your tail instead? I mean it would be quite difficult but once you learn to, it would be very beneficial having one other appendage.)''


    "Right~. I''ll do practice while we''re on the way. C''mon, where''s the next target?"


    ''L: (How impatient...might as well. Done with [Shadow Ape], killing the leader got you [Shadow Armour],you killed a lot of those lower ranked apes to be honest. I almost feel pity for the clueless chimps. The [Quilled Hare]. We''re fortunate enough to accomplish that on the first try. So next is...a [Crystal Leopard].''


    ''...well? Where and what is that?''


    ''L: (It''s quite a rare being and considered holy by some half-wits when it''s only like a statue of ice chiseled into the shape of an overgrown cat. The only place where we''re sure to find one is at an old school to the northwest from here.)''


    *BOOM KKRRRSSHH*


    Taking a stance, he started travelling northwest. Leapt from tree to tree using [Flicker], disappearing and reappearing.


    ''L: (It should take you a day and a half to arrive there, counting on your skill. But be very careful, there are a lot of powerful magicians there. They protect everything within the school''s vicinity.)


    Enoch stopped, perched on a branch while scanning the area for prey.


    "Man, I could go for some snack right now. That rabbit didn''t really fill me up."


    ''L: (Mind you, with that body I gave you. There is no such need for food or rest, now off we go.)''


    "Tch! Scaly old-man."


    ''L: (Oh shut it, you mangled mongrel. You can feast on the [Magic Beast]s they keep there in that school. Most of them have been domesticated anyways, so they won''t pose too much of a problem.)''


    ''And what''s the name of this school you keep talking about?''


    ''L: (As I recall~...It was Queensfort.)

 Volume_01 : Calling Attention

    <Queensfort Studies | Open Grounds>


    "~Gather In Me! Oh Glorious Flames. Cinders Of Warmth, Burn My Enemies!~ [Fireball]!!"


    *PSHH¡ªBOOM*


    Enchantments, a classic procedure for [Conjure]s. As said, a miniature ball of fire shot towards a sandbag target. Burning further an already singed surface, the crowd cheers.


    "HA! HA! HA! Feast your eyes! Witness the power of the Willingson Family. You peasants have no such place in this prestigious school!"


    Announced the obnoxious entrant whilst talking down to the other contenders. There was gossiping among the crowd, bad-mouthing the young noble.


    "How''s that! Judges?"


    "Yes, Next Entry!"


    "...huh?"


    "NEXT. ENTRY."


    "Y-YES!"


    *runs off*


    They were outside, setting up a large tent. There were five dummy targets standing in fair distance from the cast zone. From the line of examinees outside, Mariel steps up the stage and begins.


    "You may begin."


    "~Nature''s Blessing, Full Of Grace. Help The Wounded, Brim With Life~ [Heal]!"


    *Bright Glow*


    *Cheering*


    The dilapidated targets were now glistening-new. Cheers could be heard all over, even the three stone-faced judges were clapping.


    "Eh? Ah...um *bows then hurries off*"


    Flustered, she meets Gab on here way back.


    "That was pretty amazing."


    "...hehe, thanks."


    "See you~! It''s my turn now."


    She comes up the stage, concentrating with her eyes closed.


    ...


    "You may begin."


    Opening here eyes, Gab could see Astaroth infront of her. That ominous presence, smiling at her mockingly.


    ''THE GODS ARE DEE~AAD, THERE''S NOTHING. YOU''RE NOTHING... POWERLESS.. PITIFUL¡­THERE IS NO FUTURE FOR YOU~ KEK-KAKAKA!!!''If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Gab slowly reach out her hand.


    *Controlled Breathing*


    "...die."


    ...


    The test venue had to be transferred. Damage done literally destroyed everything within the range of the spell, not even a speck of dust the of recent targets could be found. The judges were dumbfounded, audiences stunned, everybody was silenced.


    Gab was called up again to the Headmaster''s office.


    "BAHAHAHA!! This tiny child actually forced you to change venues for the exam?! BAHAHAHA!"


    The Armoured dwarf was talking to the Headmaster when Gab was brought for verdict.


    "*glares*Maybe she can even help you remove the ticks on your beard."


    "How dare you!? My beard has no such defiled critters, it smells better than that ridiculous wig on your head."


    "Hmph...So, back to the matter at hand. Miss Gabrielle, your form of application did not state any affinity for [Divine Magic]. And well you cannot lie to me and say that you weren''t aware of such talent that you carry...*deathly stare* That much power could so only be produced after justifiable amount of training, not on the first appearance of your talent. So tell me in full truth, why that is absent in your form."


    "*ROUGH COUGHING AND WHEEZING*"


    The soul-crushing pressure was back again. Gab could hardly breath, tears welling up as she held her neck, gasping for air.


    "ETHRALDIR!!"


    Shouted the Dwarf. The Headmaster was brought back to sane planes, he looked as if he had awoken from a bad dream and held his head with regret.


    "F-forgive me! Gabrielle, my dear. I am terribly sorry you had to go through that. Please, excuse my foolishness."


    He said as he attempted to stand but fell back on his chair. A sharp pain was piercing the back of his head.


    "Are you alright my friend? I shall call upon Mallory, she will know what to do."


    "No...no Farvous, I am fine. I haven''t been getting enough sleep is all. Please, guide Miss Xylmuitte back to her batch. The Third trial will have started by now, I will call you up another time Gabrielle."


    ...


    *clench fists*


    "...the truth is, I know very well that the church would hunt me down knowing that a female possesses qualities fit for the next hero. This could potentially bring harm to those around me, and so I have chosen to keep it secret and wait for an opportunity to talk with you. I trust that Master Farvous has no strong connections to the church that so I have chosen to speak now."


    The two who were listening to her faced each other with perplexed looks.


    "BAHAHAHA! Witty, little kid. That''s right, we too have been wary of those friars. They''ve done been sending spies here about your age, you see. That''s the whole reason why this worrywart got so feral, excuse us milady."


    "Yes. Miss Gabrielle as Farvous stated, we too have been commonly targeted by the Holy Churches of the Seven Deities. The reason we still know not, we have been quite desperate to catch a spy for questioning."


    Gab was quite relieved, knowing the institution she would be spending a little less than half her life was sanctuary.


    "I might have an idea about what their after."


    She said with a grin.


    "...and how would you know?"


    Asked Farvous in return.


    "Let''s just say I''m very smart. Heracles, the first hero died after his battle with Lucifer. But his body left one more legacy, one that would help future Heroes on their journey. The ?Lion''s Heart?, a crystallization of the first hero''s will and magic. It had been handed down and nurtured by the past 7 heroes, borrowing the mana stored by past heroes and giving up their own for future generations. In the hands of the previous or the seventh Hero, Arthur, he too received power from the artifact but he later on disappeared along with the stone. He told no one about it other than his closest and most trusted companion, You Headmaster."


    Rather than shocked, the Headmaster was worried. She knows too much, way too much for a child her age. He was visibly nervous, both from confirming his suspicions about the church''s target and the monstrosity standing before him.


    "H-how curious...I would like to discuss some matters with you some more, Miss Xylmuitte, but for another time. For now, why don''t you complete the trials first?"


    "Yes, of course. Thank you for your time, sir. And I''m very sorry for my recklessness."


    "Haha~ I''ll consider it necessary but please avoid repeating such an event."


    "Alright, off we go girly."


    Farvous brought Gab back to her peers who were just about to begin the final trial. Most of them were anxious about what the trial might be. As Gab arrived to join them, she could see that some were obviously cautious but most of them seemed amazed. Mariel came running to her, with a fairly satisfied look on her face.


    <School Theater>


    "Ellie~!"


    "Oh. Mariel~! Ahahahaha"


    "Ohohohoh~"


    In her thoughts, Mariel had been celebrating.


    ''Ah! Here comes my jackpot. Daddy, I''m about to be famous. Ohohoho~"


    *WHACK*


    "Ow!"


    Gab was grasping her throbbing head.


    "Why''d you hit me?!"


    "Because you said nothing about you ridiculous powers to me and even went overboard on the second trial. They had to transfer the venue because of you, you know. As a result, we are now off-schedule."


    "Haha sorry~! I''ve been warned by the authorities to hold back at least."


    "Quiet! Their announcing what the final trial is already."


    "Ehh~"


    They were at the school theater, aligned by batch. Finally after waiting some time, the batches were separated and brought to the final venue. There was a giant door with clockwork, mechanical locks around it. It was also covered with [Holy Sigil]s, as if to keep what''s inside, caged.


    "I believe everyone was notified to bring with them any one object that they deem is most necessary during combat. Please ready yourselves and equip the items you''ve brought. The final trial shall begin but before that I will explain the rules and criteria after you''ve prepared. You have 5 minutes."


    Gab took up the long case she''d brought, opening it. A thin long sword was kept inside cotton-soft interior of the case, a rapier to be precise. Wearing the belt and sheath, she places the sword and saw to it that it is easy to draw.


    The other participants brought their own unique items. Some had wands, staffs, enchanted bows, clubs, armlets while one even had full-body armour. Everybody was prepared, yet nobody knew what was waiting for them behind that gigantic door.


    "All gather!"


    Announced the red-headed human lady from before. No matter how many times laid eyes on her, she was really such a stunning beauty.


    "I will now explain to you, younglings, to nature of our test. So that at least...you''d come out, breathing still."