《Night Terror》 Chapter 1 - A Walk in the Bush - (2018) A man walked through the dense Australian bushland, sweating heavily. His long brown hair was tied back a loose ponytail that swished as he walked. A torrent of flies would swarm anxiously whenever it whipped past. "After all this time, the flies still aren''t any better..." He stood at an imposing 193cm with broad shoulders to match. Fairly average looking, his best feature was often said to be his piercing grey eyes. Sometimes, they would seemingly change to a bright blue, which had caused more than one girl to momentarily hold their breath in awe as they looked at them for the first time. Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, he took a quick drink from a bottle hanging off of his pack. "Ahh, I''ve been in this shitty bush for around 6 months now...This hellhole... It''s probably not even 10am and it''s already at LEAST 40 degrees (c)! On the bright side, today is the day I''ll finally get out of here, no more starving in the heat." He capped his bottle and wiped his chin, feeling the rough stubble on his face. "I haven''t even managed to grow a decent beard in all this time..." Walking for a few more minutes, he stumbled into his campsite. A single dome tent was pitched a few meters from a small, clear river that flowed through a hidden valley. A giant Eucalyptus tree provided the only shade in the area around his camp. "I guess I''ll finish tidying up while the fire starts going, then work while it''s cooking."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Nodding at his plan, he set the wood in the firepit ablaze, then went into his tent and put his compound-bow away. He folded up his sleeping bag and grabbed a long coil of rope on his way out. Climbing up the enormous Eucalyptus, he managed to find a safe perch on a low branch and tied the rope firmly at one end. He gave it a tug to test it would hold and was satisfied with his knot. He lowered his weight onto the rope, testing it, before climbing down fully. After returning to the fire to add more fuel, he went to quickly skin and clean the spoils of his morning hunt; A small feral pig. Not the greatest meat to eat if you can''t cook it properly, as it''s full of parasites, but at this point he was starving! He had been hunting almost every day this month and yet this tiny pig was his first catch. Honestly, he was lucky to have gotten it at all. Perhaps it had been abandoned? It was the first bit of edible wildlife he had even heard, let alone seen in the last 2 weeks. The bushlands around his camp were eerily quiet, besides the usual whine of cicada''s and the chuckling of running water. "Ahh well, won''t matter soon. I''ll enjoy what I''ve got here and now. Food is food." He polished off the entire roast piglet without any guilt over his gluttony. Not eating in 2 weeks would make anyone the same! His clothing and hands were covered in grease, so he washed himself clean at the river. Standing there under the scorching sun, he took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the cool, flowing water on his skin. "Ok, enough stalling, it''s time to do this." He walked over to the Eucalyptus tree, grabbing a chair on his way over and placing it under the rope. "Now I rest." He pulled the noose calmly over his head and tightened it. At that moment, the only thing he could feel was an intense sense of peace. No big regrets, he just wanted eternal sleep. As he jumped off the stool, there was a feeling of weightless for a second before * SNAP * the rope went taut. As he struggled, his last conscious thoughts were: ¡°Well shit, should have made the rope longer...¡± Chapter 2 - Rebirth (100th Year, Romanus Era) Perhaps it was the last dying cries of his oxygen starved brain, but at the point of death, he experienced a cliche moment ¨C His whole life briefly flashed before his eyes. His father had been a career soldier with the Australian Army. Loud, proud and terribly awkward at times, but a truly respectable man with a truly respectable beard.. His mother was a stay-at-home Mum. A gentle soul with great skill in cooking deserts. She would often sing as she baked, so he enjoyed quietly reading as he listened. They cherished their only son for 7 years and his youth was spent in peace. Soon after, his mother fell pregnant with triplets and life became far more chaotic. Training constantly with his father, he suffered through high school, waiting to enlist in the army. When he was 15, his father was killed by a drunk driver. After nearly beating the man half to death in a rage, the man decided to continue with his plans to become a soldier. As his training went on, he could run further and faster every week. Progress was a great feeling! After getting high marks on the Army''s written test and interview, his dreams began to take shape... Then a letter arrived: ¡°We''ve discovered some medical issues, please consult your Doctor. We will hold onto your application until you''ve recovered. Best Wishes!¡± With no father and a chronic illness, his dream turned to nothingness in an instant. Money was tight and he was constantly a burden since no jobs would take him and his illness. After ten years, he''d decided enough was enough. If he couldn''t be useful, he could at least have a long rest, alone. Grabbing his backpack and bow, he quickly scrawled a note to his mother, then began his journey into the bush. With the slideshow coming to an end, his consciousness finally went dark.
* Bu-Dump Ba-Dump * A strange reverberation violently wrenched back a flicker of his consciousness. Like a heart beat hooked up to an amplifier, the pulsing echoed through his entire being. * Bu-Dump Ba-Dump * As he opened his eyes, he was assaulted with a sudden wave of vertigo. He was floating in a void... Behind him was a shimmering, transparent energy wall with trillions of galaxies beyond it! There was another similar wall some distance in front of him, but it was hard to truly know how far away it was. Looking ''up'' and ''down'', there was nothing but eternal blackness between the two walls. It gave off the feeling of ¡°Nothing will survive in here...¡±, stimulating a primal fear deep within him for a moment. He almost lost himself to the terror, but the soul-shaking pulsations swept over him again and again, calming his mind. Without this comfortable feeling constantly beating on his psyche, he might have started to go insane from the lack of direction. Was he standing up? On his back? Was he upside down? ARGH! * Ba-Dump* He had been in a state of ''attempting to throw up'' for quite a while because of the dizziness, but he could do nothing except painfully wretch. Nothing came up. A familiar feeling for him, it happened daily for the past 10 years. "God, this sucks. My entire stomach hurts and my head''s still spinning from the void. Hopefully this isn''t Limbo... I don''t want to be stuck in this shit!" This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He traveled along weightlessly in the nothingness for what felt like hours, accompanied by only the pulsing and his stomach rumblings. "Is this reincarnation? I wasn''t expecting anything at all from the afterlife, to be honest. I hope I get some cheat abilities or starting gear this time around. But honestly, anything''s good as long as it''s not a cockroach... If there really is a god here, please spare me from that fate! Even a goblin would be better!" After what felt like days, the wall of strange energy ahead started noticeably moving closer and closer at an alarming speed. He felt a brief electrical tingle cover his skin as it passed through the wall and then darkness took him once more.
The first thing he felt was pressure from all sides. Like being wrapped tightly in a blanket as you sleep, only to wake up unable to move because of the tangled bedding. The second thing he noticed was off in his periphery... 3 bars. Red, Yellow, Blue. "The fuck?It feels like I''m being crushed by something warm?" He struggled, but it was ultimately pointless. He could feel his limbs trying to move, but they simply couldn''t. After about 20 minutes, he was assaulted with light and discovered he could finally move his arms and legs a little. * WHOOSH * He felt he was suddenly moving at a rapid pace. A mans face came into blurry view. It was a rugged, earthy looking man with a massive bushy black beard. His ancient looking eyes were as blue as a summer sky, glinting with intelligence and pride. ¡°**** ********** *****¡± ¡°** ***** **!¡± "Doesn''t sound like any language I''ve ever heard... I still can''t move very well either. Oh shit, don''t tell me I''m a baby..." Denying it wouldn''t change the fact. His own tiny little hand had wandered into view as he was thinking. His left handwas obviously that of a baby! "Well I guess I should have expected that from reincarnation. Where''d this ring come from though? I didn''t see anyone the whole time I was in the void?" He had spotted a baby-sized golden ring on his right ring-finger. It had two bands of gold, framing a strip of royal blue in the middle. The face of the ring had a smooth golden carving of a beautiful goddess with hair that curled out in all directions, giving the effect of a brilliant sun behind her. As he was inspecting the ring, his father swaddled him and he was bound again! "BLAST!" As he lamented his loss of freedom, a white glow briefly lit up the entire room from somewhere behind him. A short moment after, the blinding light vanished and multiple footsteps headed for the door. He listened intently while his assumed parents spoke in hushed whispers. Presumably about him, since they were constantly pointing at him and the ring while they argued. The two nodded with determination, hugged and the man left the room in a rush. He was alone with his new mother. "Maybe it''s feeding time? I hope this doesn''t get too awkward..." His new mother was a beauty. She was in her early 20''s and had long straight golden hair that curled at the ends. Her emerald eyes sparkled with a certain mischievousness. She was quite short compared to her bear of a husband, perhaps only 173cm, but she radiated a feeling of intense power. Despite having just given birth, she was rosy cheeked and constantly giving him a comfortable smile. His first few feedings went as well as you could expect, for a man of 28. The embarrassment alone was enough to last his entire new lifetime! He progressed quickly and started learning to walk and talk. If his parents ever spoke, he would listen intently and try to work it out. He wasn''t certain, but it sounded similar to English, only with slightly different basic sounds. By the age of 2, he''d figured out some basic things from his constant observations: Firstly, his new name was Abe Haruki. His parents were Ketrel and Ayako and they ran a large ranch, just an hours walk outside the walls of a large town. The local culture seemed to be based on Japan, with people often bowing to each other as they passed, based off status. The bars in his periphery were most likely HP, Stamina and MP, but he wasn''t certain yet. The yellow bar dropped as he ran and the red dropped after he tripped and skinned his knee, so he just needed to test out MP next. Finally, the weather! It was far more mild than Australia. It was more like English weather back on Earth. Haruki was constantly thankful. ¡°Thank god, no more 45 degree days...¡± His daily life was happily spent toddling about, lost in thought and inspecting what he could. The world outside the window was bright and full of farmlands. Some mountains in the far East had snow on their peaks and people traveled along the nearby road often enough for him to hear scattered conversations while in the front lawn. It was a comfortable place to live, especially for him. ¡°I''d like to see those mountains some day.¡± Chapter 3 - Age 6 (6th Year, Augustine Era) ¡°Your tutor should arrive in a few days, are you looking forward to it Haru-chan?¡± Harkui''s head snapped up, suddenly wakened from his thoughts. ¡°Yes, Okaa-san.¡± He hadn''t quite gotten used to having a new set of parents yet, plus he wasn''t all that talkative to begin with. He''d decided to keep his sentences short and concise, so he''d be less likely to blurt out something too adult for his age. He wanted to avoid unconsciously snapping out a sarcastic retort or a bad joke. ¡°The last thing I need is my parents thinking I''m any weirder...¡± ¡°Otou-san was looking for you too. He wanted to talk about your training.¡± As Haruki''s eyes lit up, Ayako shook her head and chuckled. ¡°Boys...¡± It wasn''t the sword training that he was excited for. He was still was rather uncertain about fighting, despite his previous dream. Even in school, he had been overly passive. In 3 fights, he''d taken 3 all-out-punches on his iron jaw, simply shrugging in response and coldly asking ¡°Can I leave yet?¡± each time. Despite not enjoying violence, he refused to stand down. Since the punches didn''t hurt, he was able to stay calm, making the tactic extremely effective at rattling his opponents. Everyone who fought him never threw another punch and eventually, no-one in the entire school bothered him. He was rumored to have a head made of bricks, while some girls half-jokingly called him the ''Big Friendly Giant'' behind his back. The real reason he was so excited was that he was also getting an introduction to MAGIC! He was a big gamer throughout his life and many a year was lost to a certain fantasy MMO. He even tried out just about every free MMO out there! Even the grindy Asian ones! His whole life he''d wished magic was real, but it was a neglected wish buried deep under many layers of cynicism and reality. But today would be the day he would achieve that dream! He pulled on his muddied boots, buckled his rough leather belt tightly then eagerly rushed over to the door. As he opened it, he hesitated for a moment. ¡°What''s wrong Haru-chan?¡± ¡°If Otou-san goes berserk, please save me. I beg of you.¡± He bowed with a cheeky grin towards his mother, before turning to escape quickly through the door.
Ketrel was waiting outside, dressed in a set of cheap leather armour. On his belt were two iron long-swords, their pommels glistening roughly in the morning sunlight. Before Ketrel had married, he had been a gold-ranked adventurer in his Barbarian homeland, Stonehaven. The rankings were the same as the money ¨C Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum. Achieving Gold rank was something many people respected and feared. He would often tell Haruki stories about conquering dungeons or slaughtering monsters before bed-time. While it was a little awkward for Haruki to be getting bed time stories at his age, they still left a deep impression on him. He also appreciated any new information, regardless of how embellished the stories were. ¡°I wouldn''t mind being an adventurer. Especially now that I finally have a body that won''t fall apart on me!¡± As Haruki excitedly sprinted over, Ketrel nodded with a serious look towards his son. ¡°It''s time to learn the basics of sword and sorcery, Haru. However, if I hear you''ve been beating up other kids with this, I''ll end you myself.¡± Haruki quickly nodded his head. ¡°Don''t worry Outo-san, I''ll become a great adventurer like you!¡± he said proudly, dying inside slightly after playing the over-zealous child act for his father. ¡°BWAAAAHahahaha! That''s my boy! Now come over here and pick your weapon. If you direct your magic towards it and say ''inspect'', you can see things like damage or bonuses. These are all low quality white weapons though.¡± Kestrel pointed to a rack with many different weapon types. Mace, axe, short and long swords, a spear, halberd and even a gigantic claymore. Thinking for a moment, Haruki picked up a small iron dagger with his left hand. He had long since noticed his magic and even learned to direct it around his body, to some effect, so this was easy enough. ¡°Inspect¡± Fine Iron Dagger 25/25 (White) 15-20 physical Fast attack 35% armour penetration. A well made, but cheap, iron dagger. Level 5 The small, unadorned dagger fit well in his hand, causing him to reminisce back on the times he''d trained in knives with his original father. Feeling such a sense of comfort, Haruki immediately attached it to his belt. ¡°Mm, a good choice. It''s light and you are still young. Perfectly fine to start with. We can train you with swords when you get older... er¡± Haruki snatched up a short sword in his right hand. He turned to make a few swift movements, getting used to the feeling and weight of his new weapon. Thankfully, they weren''t TOO heavy, because he still had the muscles of a child, albeit a strong one. ¡°Inspect¡± Fine Iron Short-Sword 35/35 (White) 20-30 physical Average Attack 15% armour penetration A well made, but cheap, iron Short-Sword. Level 5You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Seeing his son pick up a sword as well, his eyes shone. ¡°Dual wielding, eh? I suppose we can give it a go. At least I know a few things about that...¡± and he drew both of his long-swords in a swift, flowing motion. Haruki was struck dumb for a moment as Ketrel showed off a few lightning quick movements. The swords looked as if they were dancing, giving off violent shock-waves with each attack. As Ketrel finished his performance, he suddenly vanished. Haruki looked around in shock for a moment, then felt the heavy impact of his father''s hand on his shoulder, followed by a piercing laughter. ¡°Gotcha. BWAAAAAAHaaahaahaha!¡± Ketrel was standing behind him, savoring the look of surprise on Haruki''s face. ¡°That last move was the one I''m planning on teaching you later. It''s called ¡°Windstep¡±. It''s great fun at parties!¡± and he roared with laughter again over what Haruki assumed was some inside joke. ¡°Not sure I want to ask...¡±
After learningsome basic movements and how to practice them effectively, Haruki trained them again and again, until his arms refused to move any more. Even age 6, he was still remarkably fit. Probably more so than his old body at his prime... "The universe can be too cruel..." During the midst of his existential crisis, Ketrel came over from where he had been watching. ¡°Seems you have the aptitude for duel wielding, your movements are quite good for a beginner. I''ll train you each day after your morning chores from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, Otou-san¡± Haruki bowed his head slightly with a grin, then collapsed onto the ground in a heap of exhaustion and sweat. Ding! Unlocked: Dual-wielding Proficiency: Level 1 Short-Sword Proficiency: Level 1 Dagger Proficiency: Level 1 Haruki smiled at the messages. ¡°It couldn''t be a more perfect world for me! The weapon information even popped up like I was wearing AR glasses or something!¡± ¡°While you''re gathering up your strength, I''ll tell you about the very basics of magic. The rest, you can learn at the academy when you''re older.¡± Haruki shivered with excitement and pulled his partially liquefied body back into a solid state to absorb the lesson. ¡°Within magic, there are 8 elements. Earth ¨C Water ¨C Fire ¨C Wind ¨C Lightning ¨C Light ¨C Dark ¨C Nature. Each person is born with an affinity for at least 2 elements. There''s a good chance you have inherited our wind affinity, so we can work with that. If you didn''t have an affinity for it, you wouldn''t be able to learn the magic, let alone use it, but both your mother and I have wind so it should be almost certain...¡± ¡°Now, Windstep. It''s a basic movement ability that lets you move a short distance like before, for a moderate cost of MP. In battle, speed is highly important. Any false step can end your life, a single stroke can cut down many lives.¡± Haruki nodded. It sounded like his HP bar didn''t amount to much, so he was probably just as vulnerable as the last world. If you moved last, you''d probably die. A hardcore-mode RPG world. Haruki shivered slightly at hearing how fragile he was. Even a single critical strike to a vital area could be enough to leave you mortally wounded and bleeding out. As time went on, it became apparent that Ketrel wasn''t the greatest teacher, but since he had mastered the skill he was teaching, he was able to directly transfer most of the knowledge of the spell itself. Putting his hand to his head, Ketrel concentrated and gathered a small bubble of yellow magical energy. ¡°Normally, you''d have to study a scroll or become a Spell Crafter to learn a spell, but direct teaching techniques like this are also fairly common. But since it passes on almost everything except muscle memory, most people will only use this method to teach talented students, friends or family.¡± The bubble of magic silently shot forwards, blasting into Haruki''s consciousness like a brick. Totally unprepared, he let out a small grunt and almost collapsed. Just barely catching himself, he straightened up and closed his eyes to concentrate on the sudden assault of new information. He instantaneously knew how to perfectly manipulate his magic towards his feet and how to modulate it. He knew the range of the spell, how to cast the spell to the desired location and even examples of his fathers memories, showing the spell in use in a variety different ways. In under a minute, he completely understood the theory behind the skill. Ketrel looked slightly worn down. It seemed the transfer had a pretty heavy physical price. ¡°Someday, this spell could save your life, so practice it every day from tomorrow. The more you train, the more powerful a spell will become, so never slacken. If you get an abilities level high enough, it will even evolve a little and become stronger.¡± Haruki nodded, absorbing as much information as possible while his father smiled proudly as his son. ¡°For now, we''ll end the lesson with a quick mention of the status window.¡± ¡°Oi oi, STATUS WINDOW!? STATS!?¡± Thankfully, he managed to keep his face from splitting itself apart with a grin. ¡°You''ve probably heard people randomly saying ''status'' before, right? It''s as easy as that. Give it a go while you''re resting and tell me your stats during dinner. I''m exhausted after all of that, so I''m off to snuggle with your mother for a bit.¡± ¡°I guess I shouldn''t be surprised, this really is an RPG world... What kind of weirdo makes a universe like this!? I mean, besides someone like me... But I''m not a god! And I''m not complaining, but this is all too suspicious...¡± Ketrel sighed at the spaced-out Haruki, leaving alone with a quiet nod. ¡°Status¡± Haruki felt sufficiently nerdy as he quietly spoke the word. A window quickly faded into view:
Name: Abe Haruki
Age: 6
Level: 6
Health: 1000
Mana: 300
Class:
Title:
Professions:
Strength: 45 Magic: 40
Dexterity: 60 Endurance: 50
Wisdom: 35 Intellect: 40
I EVEN HAVE LEVELS!?! Haruki was breathing quite heavily at this point, from sheer excitement. ¡°Might as well happily accept this new world, or I''ll probably go insane from worrying over it... I''ve always wanted a world like this anyway, so why should I hesitate now that I''m finally here?¡± He spent another hour training his Windstep ability and was able to teleport a short distance a few times successfully. He confirmed that the bars were HP / Stamina / MP and that low stamina will weaken your sword swings immensely, as well as slowing you down. Thankfully, it recharged quickly and was relatively easy to manage.
After finishing up with training for the day, Haruki went to grab some lunch, but flirtatious giggling wafted out from his parents room, followed by stifled laughter and some pink clouds. "Ahh, right. They were ''snuggling''. I''ll leave those two alone for now..." He attached his new dagger to his belt, instead deciding to relax down at the nearby river. It wasn''t terribly large, but it was enough to provide for the large town nearby, as well as their little farming village. On the North side of the river, a road ran parallel, east to west. The other side of the river faced into a massive forest, known as ¡°Wolfswood¡±. He was allowed to go there on the promise that he would never cross the river. The namesake wolves rarely left their forest and preferred to avoid humans where possible, so he considered himself safe. He could probably handle one or two wolves on his own anyway, as they were relatively weak individually. Haruki settled down under his favorite tree and took a relaxed resting position among the many gnarled roots. The sound of gently running water mingled with the whispering of the wind through the forest, gently washing away the day''s fatigue. He loved this spot, since it was usually quiet and untraveled. He could be alone, in peace with his thoughts. Today, however, there was a small girl. Chapter 4 - A Silent Friend (6th Year, Augustine Era) The girl was about 6, the same age as his current body. The first thing Haruki noticed were her eyes. He immediately thought of a proud lion, staring at prey. Their half-Asian shape gave her a unique, exotic look that helped solidify her intense beauty. Even as a child, she still carried the feeling of alady. Her hair was shiny, straight and black. Tied back with a blue ribbon, it lazily waved back and forth across her tiny back. Her delicate, curved nose hada light smattering of freckles, giving a contrasting youthfulness to her otherwise mature look. Even as she stood still, her white, one-piece dress was in constant movement. Around her slender waist, a large blue ribbonwas tied with a large bow. Flapping carelessly, it drewhis eye to thesmall, plain dagger attached at herside. It looked just as plain ashis own, so it was probably only cheap iron. ''Hmm, seems carrying a dagger is normal here. This scene would have caused a riot in my old world.'' She had a serious expression on her face as she sat down and stared blankly at the river. ''Ouch, I''ve been ignored!'' Sighing softly at the newcomer, Haruki lost interest. After making a few squirming movements to get comfortable, he settled into the roots for a quick nap before dinner.
In between mouthfulls of his dinner, Haruki happily rattled off his various stats to his father. ¡°Hou, sounds like you might have some talent, my boy!¡± and another heavy impact hit Haruki''s shoulder, followed by the usual loud laughter. ''This man needs to learn to control his strength... I hope he''s not this rough with Okaa-san...'' ¡°When you''re 10, we''ll take you into the academy in the city to get your affinities tested. They''ll teach you more about magic if you pass, plus you can make some friends while you''re there.¡± Ayako chimed in. Haruki had yet to actually introduce Suzu yet, so she was constantly worried about her quiet, lonely child. Haruki lived in a small village, so the surrounding children were all uneducated commoners. He felt no bond with any of them, beyond ''fellow humans''. On top of the age barrier, there was also a culture barrier that was exceptionally hard to overcome. Haruki simply couldn''t relate to anyone, so he spent his time alone. In fact, hisvillage was so small that it didn''t even have a name. It was considered to be under the jurisdiction of the nearby city, Touhama, which was actually the capital of the entire country. It had many schools, a large magic academy and even a massive Roman-Catholic styled cathedral that housed most of the nation''s religious rulers. Haruki shovelled down the last of his meal, excited from the talk about the academy. He only had a few more days until he could finally start learning to read and write, but it felt like it was going take forever. His family had collected quite a few books and he had been dying to read them. Especially the one that seemed to be about magic!
3 Days passed in the blink of an eye, despite Haruki''s constant worrying. Around midday, a grumpy, mostly balding fossil-man arrived. Kestrel introduced him as the new tutor, causing Haruki''s heart to drop slightly. The twisted body of the man barely looked like it could hold itself up, let alone a book.His crooked, hooked nose and balding head gave him the look of a vulture, waiting in ambush. ''He looks like an angry old boot that headbutted a wood-chipper...'' Every day, Haruki woke up, trained with Ketrel for 2-3 hours, had breakfast and then studied hard. In his past life, he was a total bookworm. Since he didn''t have any friends, he read to keep himself occupied. At the end of the day, he''d go to his favorite tree by the river and nap while the strange girl often came to sit in silence.
¡°Read it again PROPERLY!¡± ¡°Yes Sensei¡± Haruki was currently in his third month of schooling. He''d forgotten how much he hated it... The one bright side was that the language was easy to pick up. As he suspected, it shared a lot of similarities with English, so it was mostly a matter of learning the new alphabet and sounds. The hardest part of getting used to it all was the honorifics. He didn''t use them in Australia, everyone just called each other by their first name, so the concept was hard to get used to. Thankfully, the right to left reading / writing style was easier to adapt to after all the manga he''d read previously. Despite all that, his reading speed was almost up to the level of his old speed, so he felt satisfied at the improvement. ¡°I''ll be done with you soon, at least you''re not a total failure.¡± ''Those are almost words of praise!'' ¡°A month later, I''ll depart. Don''t make me ashamed to have taught you, after you enter the world.¡± ¡°Yes Sensei¡± Haruki quickly stood and bowed at the waist, then sat back down to finish the lesson. After hislesson wrapped up for the day, he grabbed his new favourite book: ¡°A Treatise on the Fundamentals of Magic, Spellcrafting and Adventuring.¡± It was rather boringly presented, but the information was all highly useful. His father had bought it from one of the locals who had studied at the academy, so it was probably an old textbook. ¡°Skills¡± A window appeared,showing a list of his Combat, Magic, Passive and Neutral abilities. According to the book, Combat abilities were movement or physical attack based abilities that insert channeled mana into the body, weapon or armour. Magic was obviously related to any spells, Passive are any abilities that are like a permanent buff. Neutral has things like running or swimming. Combat: Duel Wield Proficiency: Level 1 ¨C 49% Increases attack speed by 2% while dual-wieldingThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Short Sword Proficiency: Level 1 ¨C 25% Increases Damage with Short Swords by 5% Dagger Proficiency: Level 1 ¨C 22% Increases Damage with Daggers by 10% Light Armour Proficiency: Level 1 ¨C 10% Increases light armour strength and durability by 5% Magic: Windstep: Level 1 ¨C 55% Allows a range of 5m - 50MP Passive: Blessing of the Sun Goddess: Uses - 3 Neutral: Sprinting: Level 2 57% Sprint 10% longer Swimming: Level 2 3% Can swim 10% longer and hold your breath 5% longer Climbing: Level 1 97% Chance of spotting good footing increased by 5% ''Blessing of the Sun Goddess!? I guess that makes sense, given the ring. Did I get a cheat item after all? Also, no skill explanation? Only that it''s passive and has a limit on how many times you can use it... Really, what an annoyingly obtuse ability...'' Haruki glanced at the ring that had been with him since his birth. It was certainly magical, or else how would it have grown in size with his finger? However, nothing he''d tried could get a reaction from it, so he put the thought aside in his mind for later. Grabbing his textbook, he decided it would be better to read it in his usual spot, so he set off towards the river. As usual, there was a familiar, quiet girl sitting in her usual spot. At this point, he was used to the awkward silence, so he casually pulled out his book and started reading. After a short while, his brain couldn''t process any more of the droning textbook, so he closed it and sat up straight, rubbing his temples. He was always hesitant to strike up a conversation with the girl. He was technically in his mid-30''s after all, so he always had a creeping suspicion he was about to be arrested whenever he tried to speak up. Today, however, he had decided enough was enough, so he decided to say something. ¡°Um, Hiya. My name''s Abe Haruki.¡± he politely nodded towards her, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Her head snapped in his direction, causingeven his soul to shiver as they finally locked eyes. ''Why am I being intimidated by a fucking 6 year old!?'' ¡°Seta Suzu...¡± Her quiet voice rang out like a crystal bell, almost seeming to linger gentlyin the air. More silence. ''This girl''s really quiet. Normally, I''d just try saying something stupid and childish, but I don''t think she''d like that... So serious...'' ¡°So, uh, you come here a lot. I didn''t steal your spot did I?¡± Suzu shook her head. ¡°It''s fine. It''s quiet here.¡± Silence. Her eyes were still locked with his, not moving around or flinching away. Haruki felt as if he were staring into pots of molten gold, shining and swirling with light. His heart rate rose rapidly and even his hands were shaking slightly under her piercinggaze. ¡°Well, uh, if you''re ever bored, I only live down the road I''m constantly bored so feel free to hang out there if you''re bored. Uh... See you later.¡± Haruki sighed and stood up to escape, flushed with embarrassment at his awkward phrase. He dusted the grass off his pants and stretched, before turning to go. ''Argh, why am I always so damn awkward!?'' As he turned, something had grabbedonto his shirt, causing him to pause and look back. Suzu''s golden eyes were right next to his, staring intently into the depths of his soul. For a brief moment, his entire body refused to move and his mind simply stopped working. ¡°Thank you.¡± Suzu made a quick half turn and walked back up the river, leaving Haruki stunned for a moment. ''Sweet Jesus, that was unexpected. I guess she''s gladI''m not being noisy in her spot?'' He chuckled to himself as he jogged home for dinner. ''I think I said ¡°if you''re bored¡± multiple times earlier... Ugh... I even invited her to my house... Smooth...''
A month went by and his tutor completed his stay. He grumbled something about ¡°adequately passing¡± and ¡°not an entirely worthless student¡± as he left. His Sensei was a no-nonsense man. He rarely spoke outside of class. He didn''t even stop to wave goodbye after he received his final payment. ''What a tsundere...'' Finally glad to be rid of the man, Haruki''s days returned to normal.Training or working, studying the various books his parents owned and finally, hanging out at the river with Suzu. She didn''t say much else, after that first brief conversation. Just simple greetings and goodbyes. This went on for another year before Suzu finally said something: ¡°Eto, what do you want to do when you''re older?¡± Haruki''s head jerked up in shock. In the year they''d been hanging out, she had never once asked a question, so his mind was thrown into a complete sense of disarry for a moment. He coughed, clearing his throat, before turning to Suzu. ¡°Uh, sorry, what was that?¡± he asked. She repeated the question and he quickly sobered up. ''Don''t forget... you''re supposed to be 6...'' With an internal sigh, he pointeda proud thumb at his chestand put on his best naive farm-boy smile. ¡°I''m thinking it might be cool to be a big adventurer, like my Otou-san. But other than that, I don''t have any plans besides the academy.¡± Suzu nodded as if she was pondering a life or death matter. ¡°Then I will join you.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Let''s be friends, Haruki-kun.¡± As Suzu spoke, she slowly stretched out her delicate hand towards Haruki. It took a moment for him to realize she was trying to shake his hand... With a startled nod, he gently gripped her hand while checking for flashing lights and sirens over his shoulder. ''Finally, someone who I can handle hanging around. Maybe my parents will stop trying to get me to hang out with the locals now...'' They sat and talked quietly for a short while longer. Suzu explained that she lived in Touhama with her father and that her parents had often traveled here with her in the past. It was her favourite spot, so she gladly walked nearly an hour each way to get there. Since she also enjoyed reading, Haruki gushinglyoffered to let her borrow some of his old books. Her eyes lit up with excitement and her face beamed with a smile as she happily accepted. ¡°I''ve read every single book in my house already, thank you.¡± While Suzu was usually serious and stoic, her rare smiles made Haruki feel as if he were being embraced by the sun itself. Blinding and warm, yet comfortable and familiar. ¡°No worries... Oh yeah, I''ve been meaning to ask... You said thanks a while ago, what was that for?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Ahh, nevermind...¡± ¡°Nn...¡± Silence... ''We''re back to this again? I''ve completely forgotten how to talk to women! Baka!'' Suzu quietly turned back to face the river, her expression as firm as always. ¡°It''s nothing much, I was a little sad and it felt nice to have some quiet company.¡± Haruki stammered to say something, then gave up in exasperation. It was a weird gap, such an old personality in the body of a 6 year old. He felt like he was talking to an Auntie, sometimes. ¡°Ahh, it''s like that. Well, if there''s anything I''m good at, it''s awkward silences¡± he said, pounding his chest with his fist. He''d always despised his inability to speak freely, so it was a refreshing feeling to finally be thanked for it instead. Suzu smiled a little at his words, nodding eagerly. ''Don''t agree so easily!'' As the sun was setting in the distance, the two wandered back towards town. Stopping at the plain metal gate, the two shared a brief goodbye, before parting ways for the day with a backhanded wave. Haruki had to stop himself from skippingupthe dusty garden path, he was grinning so hard. In his mind, he had always believed he wouldn''t find a real friend until at least his mid teens. But now, he was starting to feel quite comfortable around his odd new friend. As Ayako stirred the stew, she quickly noticed Haruki''s constant grinning. With expert skill, she broke him immediately. Even a master spy wouldn''t have survived the barrage of teasing and poking... "Ufufufu... Suzu-chan and Haru-chan, eh?" As Haruki buried his burning face back into his book, Ayako vanished into her own, strange fantasies.Stirring the stew and giggling occasionally, Haruki chose to ignore her and focus on reading. ''At least she didn''t ask for grandkids...'' Chapter 5 – Age 8 (8th year, Augustine Era) Haruki''s skill levels quickly rose with his daily training. His aptitude for dual-wielding mostly came from his past life; One of his hobbies was drumming, while his other was gaming, so his co-ordination was already better than most. ¡°Status¡±
Name: Abe Haruki
Age: 8
Level: 8
Health: 1000
Mana: 340
Class:
Title:
Professions:
Strength: 65 Magic: 60
Dexterity: 90 Endurance: 75
Wisdom: 50 Intellect: 50
¡°Skills¡± Combat: Dual-wielding Proficiency: Level 4 12% Increases attack speed by 8% while dual-wielding Short-Sword Proficiency: Level 3 64% Increases damage with Short-Swords by 15% and durability by 15% Long-sword Proficiency: Level 1 49% Increases damage with Long-swords by 5% and durability by 5% Bow Proficiency: Level 2 23% Increases damage and range of Bows / Crossbows by 10% and durability by 10% Dagger Proficiency: Level 4 33% Increases damage with Daggers by 40% and durability by 20% Light Armour Proficiency: Level 3 16% Increases Light Armour strength and durability by 15% Magic: Windstep: Level 4 59% Allows a range of 20m - 150MP Passive: Blessing of the Sun Goddess: Uses 3 Neutral: Sprinting: Level 4 87% Sprint 20% longer, lose stamina 20% slower while sprinting Swimming: Level 4 13% Can swim 20% longer and hold your breath 10% longer Climbing: Level 3 17% Chance of spotting good footing increased by 15% - Stamina usage reduced 15% Riding: Level 1 27% Mounted speed increased by 5%, stamina usage reduced 5% From what he''d learned, most people in this world start out with 1000hp and the only way for it to grow normally is by wearing rare items with added HP. Stats and levels continue to grow steadily with your age, until 15.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. At that moment, the ''age of ascension'', you can finally start to learn a profession and gain a class. Stats also stop growing by themselves, usually around the 150-200 range for an average person. After finally going through the ascension ritual, the world considered you as an adult. It was a widely celebrated milestone in most cultures. Classes are offered at random based on your stats and personality, but you can always choose to reject one you don''t like. Even the gear was exceptionally gamey. It had a colour ranking and everything! Trash items are Grey, White are normal, Green are magical and start giving stats. Blue is Rare, Purple is Epic and Orange is Legendary. Haruki was growing more and more suspicious of the world every day, but since there was still nothing he could do about it, eventually he stopped worrying again. Suzu once knocked on his door to see if he was home and Ketrel answered with a guffaw. Staring daggers at his father, Haruki walked outside and said hello. ¡°You wanna head down to the spot and hang out for a while then?¡± he asked, glaring back at the house with a pained look. Suzu nodded. ¡°Ahh, I''ll grab you those books too, wait here.¡± and he walked back inside. The whole time his parents weresilently juding and grinning, adding to Haruki''s internal anguish. ''If I''d known it would be like this... Then again, I should have thought instead of blurting something out like inviting a young old girl over...'' Taking the teasing as his punishment, he grabbed the promised books and ran back outside in record time, shutting the door loudly as his parents erupted into laughter. A vein popped up on Haruki''s forehead, but he took a quick breath and calmed down. ¡°All good, Suzu, let''s go.¡± While Suzu had also reddened from the teasing, she nodded and happilyskipped over to his side.
¡°You often talk to me like an adult speaking to a child...¡± ¡°Ghu...?¡± He had no response to that. It was true, he''d often caught himself slipping into a slightly childish tone when he spoke. It was an unconscious thing for someone of his age dealing with someone her age. ¡°I sometimes wonder. Are you older than you look?¡± Suzu asked, her unwavering eyes growing larger. ¡°Uh, I''ve heard it called an ''old soul'' before...¡± Haruki tried to divert a little, coughing awkwardly and shifting his gaze. At this point of the day, the sun was low and the shadows of the tree were covering Suzu''s face in darkness. The effect was almost eerie. She gave off the feeling of a stalking panther staring at meat from the shadows... ¡°Uh, you''ve gotten scary all of a sudden.¡± he smiled meekly. Suzu shook her head. ¡°You''re like me. You were reborn here from another world, right?¡± ¡°Gack....¡± Haruki''s soul was leaking out of his mouth at this point. She really was a predator... ¡°Nn. Knew it.¡± It took a moment for Haruki to fully register the words that were spoken. She was reborn here too? ¡°Did you come from Earth?¡± Haruki asked, filled with the slight hope of meeting a comrade. ¡°Nn.¡± Suzu nodded grinning. A huge weight lifted off Haruki''s shoulders as he finally learned he wasn''t alone. So many strange things were suddenly explained in so few words. His heart grew still as he felt a sense of peace wash over his normally frantic mind. ¡°What country? I''m from Australia.¡± Suzu looked strangely at him for a moment, as if bothered by something. ¡°Japan...¡± ¡°So what were your favourite games?¡± This was easily the most important question he. He NEEDED to know. ''She can''t be a gamer, right? That''d be too perfect! At least she likes reading, so we can talk about manga or novels! '' At this point he was probably grinning far too much. Suzu stared at him blankly, slightly confused. ¡°Ohajiki...?¡± Haruki blinked for a moment at the strange word. ''I feel like we totally missed each other on that one...'' ¡°Do you know what a video game is?¡± His heart lurched into his throat as he asked, desperate to hear a response. ¡°Vi...de..oh?¡± ¡°Shit...¡± He had just gotten his hopes up... ¡°...?¡± ¡°Nevermind. What year were you born in the old world?¡± ¡°Year? I grew up in the Nin''an era.¡± Haruki paused for a moment, scratching his head pensively while he replayed her responses over and overin his mind. ''My Japanese History is a little rusty, but that would mean she''s definitely pre-computer, right? Bah... I had a real desire to nerd out with someone too...'' Haruki sighed, slightly dejected. As he was lamenting, a thin finger softly poked his cheek, bringing his mind back to the present. ¡°Sorry, I thought you might have been from my own time. As far as I''m concerned, I should be calling you Oba-san.¡± he grinned devilishly, but received a prompt punch on the arm. Suzu''s small fist certainly wasn''t as delicate as it looked. ¡°If you''re older than 6, then you should know not to joke about a woman''s age...¡± she said with a pout and just a hint of bloodlust. ''Is it my imagination or can I see an ethereal panther roaring in the air behind her? Scary!'' Haruki shivered at the strange apparition. It almost felt tangible. ¡°I would never dream of such a thing M''lady. It''s just that I was born at LEAST 300 years after you were...¡± Silence. ¡°Haruki baka...¡± and she turned back to reading her book with a half smile. Haruki chuckled to himself. Life was good.
They spent more time talking unreservedly about themselves over the next few days. Now that they both knew the other wasn''t a child, they finally felt completely comfortable together. Haruki spent some time explaining some of the more notable inventions that she''d missed out on. She was especially curious about cars, fascinated that humans were able to travel faster than 200km/h without magic. He also tried to give a brief history of modern Japan, though he''d never really studied much about it, so it was extremely brief. As for Suzu, she had been one of the few female warrior''s of her time. She trained from youth with a long bladed polearm called a Naginata, as well as daggers. She spoke a little about her early life, her strict father and her desire to fight. She spoke of many her battles, her capture and even beingmarried off afterwards. As she mentioned the marriage, she visibly flinched, so Haruki decided to not probe any deeper. ''It''s so hard to believe, but then again, I''m also in a world with magic and level ups... And she doesn''t seem the type to lie about that sort of thing. Am I meeting some famous historical figure? There weren''t that many female warriors of that level in Japan from what little I know...'' ¡°I never did anything that interesting. I''m hoping this time is different¡± he clenched his fist while saying it, as if to show off his determination. Suzu nodded with a sly grin. ¡°Nn... We''re going to be big adventurers like your Otou-san some day!¡± Harkui buried his face into his knee''s as he remembered every awkward word he''d spoken in the past. ¡°Bah, I thought you were six...¡± he muttered under his breath. Chapter 6 – Suzus Past – Age 8.5 (8th year, AE) Suzu was curled up on her bed, nursing her bruised stomach. Her father had gained a large temper and a drinking habit after her mother simply vanished one year. She never remembered much about her mother, only gentle kindness and a parts of a song. The day she had first met that strange boy, she had received a beating from her father the night before. She was scared and upset, but the boy''s quiet presence soothed her a little as they sat. To say she was shocked when he suddenly started napping would be an understatement. She sat there, enthralled with his sleeping face almost an hour. When she suddenly realized what she had been doing, her head snapped back to look at the river and her breathing grew rough. From that moment on, she strangely felt comfortable. The wall she''d built between others was knocked down in a single day. In her previous life, despite proudly walking the path of a warrior, she was still sneered at by most of the men. Given the worst jobs, she eventually lost a hopeless battle and was captured. Despite the odds, she tried her hardest to achieve victory. Sheer willpower kept her on her feet until the end of the battle, when finally, a single arrow struck her chest. Despite her intentions, she had only been given 3000 recruits, while the enemy had more than 10,000 well trained soldiers. She was captured shortly after being struck down, to be married off. Even though theynever got along well, they both did what was needed to keep the peace. Eventually, she stopped speaking entirelyto anyone in her house. No-one looked at her as a warrior any longer, just a wilting wall flower. Asshe was just entering her mid thirties,she was struck down by an unexpected dagger in the back. Before her corpse had even grown cold, her husband had remarried whileher 2 children were simply told it was due to sudden illness. Suzu spent a few days crying in anguish, floating through the void. She bitterly cussed atthe gods, her husband, everything and anything that had been against her. The day she was reborn, she desperately longed to be a warrior once more. She resolved herself at a young age to train hard and achieve that goal once more. For a time, she was happy and her mind was finally able to come to accepther past. When she was 4, her mother went missing and her loving father became a violent brute. At first, he only drank, but when he started gambling, his temper got even worse. His beatings were never bad enough that people would call it abuse. He didn''t use a weapon, only his fist. Even though a fist was more than enough to easily bruise a small child, Suzu held her tongue and endured. This treatment was considered normal enough, both in her own time and now, so what could she do about it? She certainly couldn''t leave at her age and she didn''t want to intrude on Haruki. ''That''s the one thing I must not do.'' Feeling a sudden pang in her chest, she quickly shook herself and started dressingfor her regular rendezvous. She chose a flowery yellow and white sun-dress, tying it with a leather belt. As she attached her dagger, her mind was momentarily a flood with nostalgia.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ''I wish I had a proper Naginata, but this will have to do. When we become adventurer''s, I will pour my money into having one made!'' She crept around her unconscious father. He snored loudly, occasionally gurgling and scratching his flabby gut. Wine-bottles were strewn about the floor, but she managed to use her well-trained footwork to avoid them, rushing towards the nearby city gate.
Haruki had finished his training for the day and was already excited to meet up with Suzu. He quickly wiped down his body, before attaching his dagger to his belt. ¡°Going to the river!¡± He called out as he ran past the house. A loud roar of permission from his father echoed around the yard, so Haruki jogged quickly down the road. As he spotted Suzu, his adrenaline instantly started rushing. By her posture alone, he knew something was up. ''Why is she running so frantically? She''s waving now?'' Haruki pulled his dagger out with a shaky hand. He had never seen Suzu look like this before. He''d grown to know most of her expressions and tells after spending so much time together, but this was a new one. ''Is she scared!?'' He quickly spottedthe reason... 2 grey wolves were chasing her, about 100m behind! Haruki shivered in fearat his first time seeing a wild magical beast. Unlike animals, they tore humans apart for their MP, rather than their flesh. He noticed his own knee''s were quickly weakening. Slapping himself, he bent down to pick up a small stone, then forced his legs into a sprint towardsSuzu. Suzu was only 20m away and the wolves were inching evercloser. Haruki threw the stone with all his might, hittingone of the wolves in the head with a solid crack. Snarling, it turned towards him instead. ''Ok, Suzu should be able to manage against one, she''s probably stronger than I am...'' As he braced for the fight, his mind turned a fuzzy white as he heard a splashing sound behind him. Then another. Sweat started running down his face as he quickly glancedover his shoulder. Two more wolves were charging at him from the river! With perfect timing, they both jumped at Haruki. One went for his stomach while the other went for his throat. Behind him, the original wolf was rapidly getting closer. Time seemingly slowed down to half speed as the adrenaline fully hit him. He''d finally realized he was about to die. This had happened a few times in his past life, so he''d been expecting it. Using his frantic thoughts, he came to a snap decision. ''I don''t have mana left after training, so I can''t escape... I just need to make sure I kill one. Suzu will have a chance..." Crouching lightly as he cussed his slow regen, Haruki shot forwards with all the strength his legs could muster. His dagger slammed into the chest of the wolf leaping forhis throat, using the force to penetrate even deeper intoits heart. Haruki felt the wolfgo limp as his bladehit the mark. At the same time, with his left hand, he simply tried to push the other wolf away to protect his vital areas. His intention was to give him time to turn around and get some space to breathe, but the wolf had other ideas. It bit down on his wrist, whipping its head back and forth head in a violent, whole body motion. With a sick crunching and tearing sound, Haruki''shand simply came off. As hestood there staring blankly at his savaged wrist, a disturbingly beautiful crimson ribbon arcedgracefully from the stump, scattering into the air like rose petals. The wolf had already started devouringhis meal, completely ignoring the moaning child beside him. As if he was insignificant. Merely food. In that brief moment of shock, Harukifelt aheavy weight against his back, sharp pains piercing his throat onboth sides. ''I''m glad I killed one. Suzu should have finished hers, so she should be ok. I did my job.'' Filled with relief, thelast thing he heard was Suzu frantically screaming his name. As theweight on his back grew heavier, his head was finally rippedfrom his body with a sickening pop. Chapter 7 - Goddess of the Sun (???) Blessing of the Sun Goddess: Activated ¨C Uses remaining ¨C 2 Haruki blinked... A familiar dizinessentered his mind, setting his stomach rumbling again. It seemed he was standing in the void... "Wait... Standing!?" ¡°O-hai-o!¡± A lively, feminine voice called out from behind him, as if singingto a child. Haruki stopped mid wretch and turned to find the speaker. Before him stood the most beautiful woman he''d ever seen in his life! Her vibrant golden hair, straight at the stop and curly at the bottom, gave off a holy, yet familiar aura. She felt like a warm sun. Haruki had seen this appearance before... ¡°Nice to finally meet you Haru-chan!¡± she said with a giggle. ¡°Or would you prefer I use your old name...¡± ¡°No no, Haruki is fine...¡± At this point, his head had become clouded and muddy. During his two lives,he''d never seen or felt anything that would indicate any gods existed, so he''d always thought them similar tounicorns or ghosts. Simply a spooky story to scare the children. But now, there was one such god, standing before him. Any doubt was removed whenhe noticed her face bore a striking similarityto a certain ring... ¡°My name is Sara.Actually, I''m the newly appointed goddess of this world. The old one... ran intosome issues and won''t be back again.¡± The goddess placed one hand on her chest in a strangesalute. *PON* As her ample bosom bounced and jiggled from the impact, Haruki''s eyes both followed along unconsciously, as if glued. His scattered neurons finally converged into a single rational thought. A sudden rush of overwhelming emotion found him unconsciously kneeling, bowing his head. ¡°Goddess-sama¡± He rarely remembered honourifics before, but he certainly wasn''t going to forget in the face of a Goddess! Before, he had considered himself an atheist, but now, he had been shaken to his very core. Sara sighed, then motioned softly with her hand. ¡°It''s ok, you don''t have to be so formal. Just call me Sara and treat me how you would someone from Earth. This is a secret not many know, but most of us gods used to be mortals, just like you. Every one of us has an ego, so we''re nothing like the God you''re thinking of.¡± She finished with a sly wink and Haruki found himself lost in her alluring grey eyes. Her entire body overflowed witha gentle, mature sensuality, which left Haruki struggling to contain his impure thoughts. ¡°I''ve been watching you for sometime, watching you grow. I would have tried to help out sooner, but I only arrived here the same time as you did. I barely even had enough time to give you my blessing and select a suitable vessel for your soul to be reborn into.¡± Haruki''s head filled with hundredsof questions, but he started with the most logical first question: ¡°Why me? Is this normal?¡± Sara began pacing slowly, hergolden hair bounced and rippled against the harsh darkness of the void. Her charming figure caught his eye again briefly, but he summoned all his strength to mentally slap himself. ''Argh, stop! She''s a goddess... What if she can read my mind!?'' After a moment of quiet contemplation, Sara gave her answer with a proud smirk. ¡°If I hadn''t helped, your soul would have entered the cycle of rebirth normally. Over time, your memories oflife would have faded away. After many years, you would be reborn normally, living whatever life you''re given." Haruki nodded vacantly, still stunned over the whole ordeal. "But because I forcibly intercepted your soul and blessed you, you''ve keptyour memories.As for why I did this, I have two reasons. The first is simply because I need an Envoy on the ground. A god entering a material plane would likely cause it to unfold and collapse on itself, so I need someone like you to be my eyes and ears.¡± The lump in Haruki''s throat grew even bigger as those words poured over him. ''The envoy of a Goddess...'' ¡°Of course, there''s no need to rush your choice. You aren''t even at the age of ascension yet! As you train, simplygive some thought to the idea. The next time we meet will most likely be in another few years, so we can always discuss it further.¡± Sara bowed slightly. Shewas obviously somewhat hesitant, judgingby her stiff movements. ''It must be a big deal if she''s acting that awkward... A Goddess'' Envoy, huh?'' Harukihad to admit, the thought was certainly romantic, but he wasn''t sure if he would be able to handle the pressure. After hearing that he had plenty of time to think about it, he calmed down and managed to finally breathe again. ¡°Eto, what''s the second reason?¡± he asked after a while. ¡°It''s a secret!¡± Sara smiled cheekily and waggled her finger, as if telling off a small child. ¡°I will tell you in time, but for now, your lovely friend is still crying over your body... We should make this quick. Firstly, the ring. Use a drop of your own blood. Blood bindings are common on most magical items. It''s not much, but it should be quite useful on your journeys.¡± Haruki paled at the thought of having to cut himself, but nodded firmly. ¡°Second, about your blessing. When a mortal dies, their soul takes immense damage. Normally, this is healedduring reincarnation, but since you were intercepted directly, you''re still quite damaged. The blessings help prevent some damage, but if you use them all up and die once more, not even the Overgods could save you... Your soul would forever be destroyed.¡± Haruki''s mind chilled for a brief moment as he pondered her words. ¡°So, basically, don''t use up my blessings or I''ll cease to exist, yeah?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sara nodded sternly. Her previously laughing eyes were deadly serious. ¡°Losing your soul is the end, Haru. However, some theorize it''s actually closer to eternal pain and suffering...¡± She shuddered at the same time as Haruki. ¡°Noted...¡± Haruki weakly breathed a small sigh, shaking violently at the thought of eternal torment. ''I''ll pass on that particular hell, thanks. I''ll just have to make sure I don''t die again...'' Taking a moment to pluck up his last remaining shreds of courage, Haruki hesitated for a moment. A light sweat beaded on his forehead as he spoke. ¡°Eto, may I ask what your intentions are?¡± Perhaps it was too bold a question. Haruki felt his gut clench for a moment, but Sara blew it away with aburst of warm laughter. ¡°Haru-chan. What would you say if I told you I wanted to create a god?¡± and she smiled ever so innocently, leaning forwards as if she were casuallyoffering some juicy gossip. AsHaruki was busy choking on his own tongue,Sara doubled over, roaring with a laughter that would easily beat either of his fathers. Even the void shook and trembled around him. After takinga moment to collect herself, Sara wiped a tear from her eyeand turned back to Haruki with her tongue poking out.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Nah, I''m just messing with you. While I do have that goal, it''s not even out of the first stage yet. It''s many millions of years from completion. For now, I suppose I can tell you a little more about gods." Her face grew a slight darkness to it as she contemplated her next words. "Earth itself actually used to have several gods.Much more like the greek gods than your current religions claim.Grudge''s festered withboredom or rivalry and soon, the heavens themselves were cast into a vicious war.In the end, the only one left was Epimetheus. He only survived because he was so inept, the others chose to ignore him.¡± Haruki felt a slight pang ofcomradery towards such a pitiful god... ¡°The basic purpose of all gods is to gather faith energy. Most sentient lower races produce it and gods need it to function. Simple as that. Out of the 52 universes in this multiverse, every universeshould have least one god. If anything, we''re more like symbiotic beings. We take care of our universe and it nourishes us in return.¡± After hearing this, Haruki felt like a vast weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It''s not like these were some unfathomable beings who couldn''t be understood!They were just like him, only with a lot more power and a strange appetite for the faith of mortals. ''I can totally handle them being weird symbiotic aliens if they take onthis sort of form... If they were strange Cthulu beasts, it''d be a different matter entirely.'' ¡°I can appear that way if you wish...¡± Sara let out another sparkling laugh as Haruki stiffened up. ¡°Time''s up, I''ll see you again soon, Haru-chan. Have fun and be safe! I''ll answer more questions next time.¡± Without a moments hesitation, she leapt into the air and performed a flawless spinning kick to his chest, blowing him backwards into the void with ears ringing from the impact.
''That crazy goddess! That kick hurt like hell! Then again, if she really can read minds, I kind ofdeserved it.'' Haruki woke up next to the river. A faint sobbing could be heard in the distance, punctuated by anguished screams. Getting up sluggishly, Harukirealized he was by his usual spot. The sobbing sound was coming from Suzu... She was covered in blood, head to toe. Haruki''s heart froze for a moment in panic, but he couldn''t see any injuries on her body. ''Must be the wolves blood...'' After determiningshe was fine physically, he sighed with relief and called her name softly. Not getting a response, he walked a little closer and tapped her shoulder. ¡°Haru....ki?¡± Suzu turned with a blank expression, tears filling both eyes. ''Wow, she looks pretty rough, I must have been gone only a few minutes.'' ¡°I''m ok, Suzu. I''m not dead.¡± As if to punctuate his words, suddenly the body beside Suzu turned white and exploded into a puff of ash and smoke. ¡°Haru..ki... not... dead?¡± In a complete daze, she hadn''t quite accepted it yet. He just nodded and crossed his arms heroically, as if showing offhis healthy form. More tears burst from Suzu as she lept up, grabbing Haruki in a tight embrace. He managed to wiggle his arms free and wrapped her up in them gently. For what felt like an eternity, they sat there in each others arms. Suzu had calmed down, so he explained the situation. The goddess, the blessing, the ring, everything. She looked a little strange at first, but seemed to accept itafter quizzing him harshly. ¡°Haruki, thank you. You held them off...¡± and she began to sob into his chest once more.
They both started shivering as it grewlate, so after pinky promising to never mention this to anyone, they said their usual goodbyes. As she turned to go, Suzu quickly hesitated, pulling herself back into Haruki''s chest once more, as if confirming he was really ok. After noddingher head, satisfied, she smiled back over her shoulder, runningtowards the town gate. ''I hope she makes it before they close for the night...'' Haruki wandered over to the dead wolves, figuring he should checkthe bodies. He had noticed some white orbs floating into his chest during the battle, which he assumed was exp. So it made sense for there to be loot, right? ''Ooh, a couple of pelts, wolf meat, a few copper and a shitty grey dagger. And a ruby!? Excellent, I''ll sell this all at Touhama and make a killing!''
As he hurried in the front gate, Haruki noticed his father standing by the front door, leaning against awooden support. Spotting Haruki, Ketrellet out a devilish grin. ¡°You made sure the lass got home safely, right?¡± His question hit a sore point, Haruki winced as hetook a few points of mental damage. ¡°She''s fine, I saw her to the un-wooded part of the road and she''s probably tougher than me anyway.¡± he repliedwith a cheeky grin. Ketrelwas originally from the Eastern country, Stonehaven. The people living there were mostly Barbarians and Dwarves, so most of the women he''d grown up with had also been far stronger than him. Toa half blood Barbarian, it was only normal. ¡°Make sure you look after her, a fierce woman makes an excellent wife. Your mother still manages to scare me sometimes...¡± Ketrel sheepishly scratched at his beard. ¡°Enough of that. In a few years, I will be leaving for a while. I have to square some old debts, but I should be back well before your day of ascension.¡± Ketrel had never travelled much since Haruki was born. At most, he''d travel for a week, but he would always rush back home. ¡°Debts from the adventuring days?¡± Haruki quizzed. A favourfor a comrade might be the only thing that could pull his father away for so long. Ketrel nodded silently. ¡°When you''re 10, we''ll take you to the academy, but shortly after you start, I plan on heading off. I wanted to ask you before then... Have you thought about what weapons you wish to usein future? Haruki nodded decisively ¡°In my left hand, I will wield mydagger. They won''t expect me to be left-handed if my sword is in my right.¡± Ketrel nodded. ¡°Yes, it would certainly throw many people off, but don''t rely on it, Haru. Overestimating yourself is the fastest way to fall.¡± ''Yeah, you don''t need to tell me that after being eaten by fucking wolves...'' ¡°In my right hand, I would prefer along-sword or rapier. I''m quite curious to try one out, actually. I want to build my fighting style around parrying and agile counter-attacks. Fast strikesfrom strange directions, that sort of thing.¡± Ketrel thought for a moment, then nodded at the sound logic his son had given. Speed is life on the battlefield. ¡°Hoh, a rapier, eh? Those old codger''s at the academy might not be able to teach you such a delicate weapon. How''s a long-sword sound for now then?¡± ¡°Uh, that''s fine?¡± ¡°Good. Good. Then, let''s go in and have dinner, lad!¡±
Dinner was a cheerful affair, full of teasing and laughter. It was the perfect way to unwind his stressed out nerves after the earlier disaster. While he wanted to sit around with his family for a while longer, he also needed to sort out some things in his head. In the end, his need for answers won out and he retreatedupstairs to his darkened room. As he lay comfortably on hisbed, he beganreplaying his conversation with the goddess, considering his options. ''I have no idea what being an Envoy would entail, but she said she would explain it later, right?. I can ignore that for now. Ahh, blood. That''s right.'' Withhis dagger, he made a small cut on the back of his arm, flinching at the sensation of cold iron sinking into his flesh. He wasn''t terribly fond of pain, so intentionally cutting himself took a lot of his willpower. However, he somehow managed to do it without accidentally cutting his own arm off. Breathing a heavysigh of relief, Haruki flickeda single, little droplet of bloodonto the ring-face. *WHOOSH!* A small yellow light burst forth from the ring, envelopinghisbloodwith a crackle and pop. Shrinking,smaller and smaller, it formed into a bright yellow sphereroughlythe size of a pea. With a disturbing slurping sound, it was sucked into the ring. As the light extinguished, Haruki couldn''t help but feel a little grossed out... *Ding!* Item soulbound. ¡°Inspect¡± Ring of the Sun Goddess 50/50 (Legendary) Soulbound to Abe Haruki. A relic of the Sun Goddess Sara. Her warmth and kindness watches over us all. Made of pure mana, it cannot be removed or destroyed by mortal hands. Stats unlock after level 15. (Unidentified) ''I really DID get a cheat item! Shame I can''t see the stats for another few years... And at least I won''t lose it, if I can believe the flavour text...'' With a swift flicking motion, he removed his ringand gently threw it acrosshis room. Zwap! The ring appeared back on his finger before it had even bounced once. Haruki grinned stupidly to himself, alone in the darkness. Feeling restless, he decided to go fora walk outside. The cool night air was quite refreshing, making him feel at home. In his past life, he had often wandered around at night, staring up at the stars and feeling insignificant. But now, the stars themselves looked so very insignificant compared to everything he had seen. He joggedaround for a few hours, enjoying the tranquility of night, dancing in and out of the shadows. Previously, he often did this as well. Telling himself it was army training, mostly he was just bored and couldn''t sleep. In his old body, his knee''s clicked and his ankles clacked as he walked. Any stealth training he tried to do was ultimately useless, so he never took it seriously. ''Not so here... If I get the chance, I should learn some more about stealth and subterfuge. Can''t kill what you can''t see...'' With his nightly wanderlust contented, Haruki casually strolledtowards home. As his head hit his pillow, he immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. For 3days after the incident, Suzu didn''t show up at her usual spot, so Harukiinstead filled his time with reading and training to calm his nerves. The nextday, Suzuwas simply there, waiting for him as if nothing had happened. As they chatted happily, Haruki was relieved to see that she seemed to be ok. ''She''s seen real battles before... And she has killed... I guess I really was worried over nothing.'' As they talked and talked, Suzu stealthily crept closer and closer. Before he knew it, Haruki''shand had been captured in hers. ''Or maybe I SHOULD be worried... Was she ever this clingy before?'' Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of faint sirens on the wind. Chapter 7.5 – Suzu heads home (8th year, AE) As Suzu walked back in a daze towards her house, she didn''t notice a single thing around her. Her mind was too busy churning over everything that had just happened. When she had been reborn, there hadn''t been anyone waiting to meet her. She sheepishly recalled her pitiful state. ''Then again, would a god want to come close to someone cussing at them?'' Suzu sighed as she realized she had already arrived at the west gate. She nodded absently at the guards and continued the walk home. After a short walk through a tight alleyway, she arrived at a small, double storey town house. The chipped paint reflected years of neglect, while the heavy wooden door creaked on rusted hinges as it ground open. Holding her breath, Suzu poked her head inside the darkened doorway. Her father was sleeping on the floor again! Stepping through the countless bottles, she quietly began to prepare a rice gruel for dinner. Finishing the meal without so much as a clatter, she devoured it in moments, while her father mumbled something unsightly in his sleep. ''Hopefully he''ll eat the rest and then go out to drink again...'' If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Sighing to herself, she tip toed up to her bedroom, closing the door and locking it quietly. She collapsed onto her bed, painfully striking her hip on one of the books Haruki had loaned her a few days earlier. Her face flushed red as her eyes teared up. Suzu sobbed gently into her pillow, as conflicting emotions battled inside her chest. ''He almost died today. No, he DID die today. He even distracted one onto himself without hesitating. I might not even be alive if he hadn''t done that.'' She squirmed on her bed for another 20 minutes, unable to calm her mind. She''d never felt like this in either life. She was utterly overwhelmed. ''You''re a widow, a mother and a proud warrior, stop acting like a child with a crush!'' However, her face was still burning when she eventually fell asleep. Even her dreams betrayed her, as she was thrown into a dark, ominous forest. Completely surrounded by bandits, Suzu cried out for help as they mocked and jeered. In a burst of warm yellow light, Emperor Haruki appeared atop a brilliant black stallion, slaughtering the bandits with beautiful arcs of light. With a single step, he appeared closely behind her, wreathed in a shimmering halo. Leaning in, he whispered gently into her ear. ¡°I wish for you to become my wife...¡±
The next morning, Suzu''s sheets were strewn about the entire room. The bedside table was in disarray, her pillow was gone and her hair was a complete mess. After having a dream like that, she knew that she wouldn''t be able to look Haruki in the eye for a few days... Chapter 8 - Age 10 (10th Year, AE) Haruki woke with a start, shortly before dawn. Excitement coursed through every fiber of his being as he dressed himself quietly, shrouded in the darkness of early morning. ''I can finally find out my other affinities! I already know I have wind, but I hope I have enough to pass. I think it was at least 2 affinities of a certain strength to qualify?'' Now that he was dressed, he sat cross legged on his bed, tapping his fingers impatiently. Haruki caught himself stressing, so he deciding to spend his morning training. He could clear his mind and warm his body at the same time. Haruki had gotten used to most of his current techniques, but he still practiced them daily. Ketrel would often bellow out pointers or new techniques as he watched from the side. Despite Ketrel''s undeniable skill with weapons, his teaching ability was quite low. Both began to feel their training had reached a bottleneck, so they often turned to sparring instead. Haruki still remembered his first match with shame... He''d been disarmed and flipped upside down before he''d even blinked once. As they sparred more, Haruki began to notice his growth. Even though they were small increases, seeing constant progress created a demon deep within him. He trained with new a found fervor, bordering on compulsion. ''Gotta get stronger... Need to move faster...'' While Haruki was finishing his normal routine, the morning sun finally stretched out lazily across the eastern mountains. His training space was flooded in warm, golden light, halting him mid-swing. Haruki stood for a moment to enjoy the warmth as his sweat puddled on the hard-packed dirt beneath him. ''This warmth feels just like her...'' As Haruki bowed his head respectfully towards the rising sun, he felt at peace. This small tradition was something he''d recently started doing on a whim. Even if he still wasn''t certain about becoming an Envoy, Sara had saved his life many times now. ''Respect is earned, after all. If I didn''t at least bow after everything that''s happened, I''d feel like a douche...'' During one of the first morning rituals he tried, Haruki had been overcome by a strange impulse creeping into his mind. At first, he ignored it. He was somewhat used to having weird, compulsive thoughts, so he tried to distract himself to no avail. The more he resisted, the stronger it became until he finally broke. ''With nothing else to do until breakfast, now is a good time to try it out. No-one will hear me if it doesn''t work...'' ¡°Inventory¡± A white window solidified in the air in front of him, lined with empty columns and rows. After a brief inspection, Haruki focused his mind on the ring. Guiding his magic towards his towel and water skin, they vanished in a puff of black smoke. The now familiar slurping sound concluded with a wet pop and two squares filled up in his inventory. 1x Cheap Towel - 10s 1x Water Skin (439/600u) - 5s With an excited yelp, Haruki hurriedly dropped both items from the ring. With another small puff of smoke, they reappeared before him, floating at chest height. Intrigued, he grabbed his water skin from the air and drained it into his parched mouth. After determining that it tasted normal enough, he spent the short time remaining before breakfast absorbing anything and everything he could find. Haruki quickly discovered that he could drop or loot items that were within a range of about 2m. By simply casting his magic through the ring, he could spawn or loot items, at will, anywhere inside that 2m radius. If he wanted to, he could even drop weapons directly into his hand. ''It feels strange not having their weight on my belt though...'' Slightly over-zealous from his discovery, Haruki eventually packed everything he owned into his ring, including his money. When he''d first started helping around the farm, his father offered him a weekly wage. It was only 1s a week, but that was still more than most local children earned in a month! The monetary system in this world was quite basic, so it was easy for most people to learn and calculate. The coin types were the same as the Adventurer rankings; Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum. To exchange a lower currency for a higher one, it was a 100:1 ratio ¨C 100s = 1g and so on. With his inventory now sorting everything for him, Haruki noticed that his total life savings only came to 3 gold, 47 silver, 23 copper. A few items, such as the ruby, were worth a little more, but he''d held onto them. Since he still looked quite young, the last thing he needed was to be taken lightly and cheated by a merchant. In preparation for the Academy, Haruki had once asked his mother the value of money: ¡°A stay at a cheap inn might only be 5s a night, but meals there tend to be more expensive. A street vendor might sell a full meal for 10s and snacks for half that. A beginner weapon, perhaps 20s. Armour could be up to a gold, more if you want plate or good stats.¡± So while Haruki knew that he was far richer than most kids, he was actually quite poor over all. As there was nothing worth buying in his small village, it began to slowly burn a hole in his pocket. ''What''s the point of having money if you never use it?''
Breakfast passed quickly, long silences were punctuated with light teasing and jokes. After a short rest to let the meal settle, they gathered at the front door. Ketrel chuckled, seeing his son nervously shifting his weight. Ketrel had once known same feeling as a child. ¡°Don''t get too excited lad, you''ll run off and get lost!¡± As Ketrel roared happily, a small cloth-covered carriage appeared from inside a cloud of dust, turning off the main road. It trotted slowly up the driveway, coming to a clattering halt before them. A middle aged man dismounted, his clay coloured robes whipping gently as he landed. With a dour look, he bowed briefly. ¡°We''ll leave when you''re ready. If you need help with baggage, just ask me.¡± ¡°Wait, we''re riding there?¡± Haruki turned back, puzzled. Walking for an hour was considered nothing, in this world. Most wouldn''t hire a carriage unless they had days of travel ahead of them. ¡°Of course lad. I''m not going to let your mother''s beautiful feet touch those filthy roads!¡± Haruki and Ayako glanced at each other, shaking their heads with a sigh. Secretly, they were both happy to avoid walking.
After a short, almost boring journey, they arrived at the western gates of Touhama. Compared to the cities he''d lived in previously, Haruki wasn''t all that impressed by the size, but the gamer in him caused him to choke up a little. He''d never been to Touhama before, since there had never been any need to. Even though it was only an hour''s walk, he held no desire for civilization. Even so, it felt like a true fantasy city. He remained silent as he lost himself in nostalgia. As his father spoke to the guards posted by the gate, Haruki noticed that they all seemed to be showing great respect towards Ketrel. He watched his father with a new found pride as the guards bowed politely, allowing them to entrance without hassle. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Suzu had been pacing nervously for quite a while, now. Despite her excitement, her stomach was unsettled. When she finally spotted Haruki''s carriage entering the city, her body stiffened for a moment as her stomach performed a perfect double back flip. ¡°Haru!¡± Shortly after the wolf incident, Suzu had plucked up enough courage to ask him if she could call him casually. ¡°I''d actually prefer you did.¡± Haruki responded immediately, flashing a happy smile while staring deeply into her eyes. His normal silver had changed to a deep, ocean blue that stole her breath away. The whole ordeal had sent her into a slight daze, so it was another few days before she actually tried. The shame of her first attempt still burned hot on her mind. She''d been so embarrassed that she''d jumped into the river to cool off and hide her face, much to the amusement of Haruki. After everyone had finished their greetings, Haruki offered his roughened hand to Suzu, gently pulling her onto the wooden seat beside him. As the two chatted and joked, the carriage jerked onto the empty cobble road in a light trot. Touhama was quite a well structured city, when seen from the air. There were 6 main streets, stretching out in an asterisk pattern from the town''s center. Easily wide enough for 3 carriages, they linked the gates to the central square. Ten concentric circular roads grew out from the center, making daily navigation simple. Even if you did get lost, you simply had to keep walking forwards until you found a main road. From there, it was a simple task to gain your bearings again. In the central area, there was a large open-trade square, Many stalls were staffed by citizens or adventurers, selling various items such as skins or cheap weapons. Occasionally, large auctions would be held for the more expensive or rare items. The Church and Adventuring Guild also had their main buildings in the square, proudly overlooking town. The cathedral was carved entirely from a smooth white stone. As the sunlight struck the sparkling blue roofs, it scattered across the walls, creating an effect like water rippling over unblemished snow. The many towers were dwarfed an enormous main spire, constructed entirely of gold. Taller than the towers by half, the bulbous spire tapered to a sharp point. As it glowed under the sun like a beacon, a golden radiance was reflected over the town, bathing it in a warm light. It immediately reminded Haruki of a middle-eastern temple. ''It feels familiar. Like the old world and games clashing together.'' As he thought of all the games he''d never play again, Haruki''s nostalgia dredged up a feeling of melancholy. With a forlorn sigh, he turned his sight towards the other major building in the square. The Guild hall was constructed entirely from black slate. Seated next to the white cathedral, the scene created a strangely ominous aura. As if light and dark were perpetually fighting to a standstill. The hall itself was an entirely utilitarian box, favouring defense and function over beauty. The occasional crude wooden embellishments and ancient, iron-bound doors added a comfortable, rustic feel to the otherwise gloomy exterior. ''It truly feels fantasy, now.'' When the carriage halted in front of the Guild hall, Haruki looked to his father for an explanation. ¡°Ahh, the trials are held here, since the Guild has all the equipment for testing already, it would be wasteful for the academy to buy a separate facility. The actual academy is over on the North-Eastern wing of the town. It occupies the entire district.¡± After gently carrying Ayako to the door, Ketrel barged through them like a rampaging beast finally returning home. *BAM!* Everyone in the room fell silent at the impact, leaving Haruki with an anxious feeling in his gut as he stood at the doorway. It felt like he''d just walked into a western. The entire bar glared at the group with a smothering silence. Sweating a little, Haruki shuffled his stance uncomfortably under the weight of so many eyes. Ketrel simply stepped forward and bellowed out a round of thunderous laughter. Directed towards no-one in particular, it echoed around the room for a short while. With a last dying echo, the atmosphere in the building immediately changed back to normal, as if nothing had happened. ''Is this normal though? Is HE normal!?'' Haruki turned towards Suzu, hoping to save his sanity. With a thankful heart, he noticed that she was just as bewildered as he was. After so long, it was nice to know that someone else agreed with him. His father was definitely strange. ''If everyone else considered that normal, I might have snapped...'' Mere seconds after the booming laughter faded, a feeble looking old man hurriedly scurried over to their group, beaming happily at Ketrel. ¡°Ahh, nice to see you again, Rhino. It''s been too far long! This place finally feels like home again, hearing you bellow.¡± The old man gave Ketrel a friendly slap on the should as he greeted him. ¡°Magnus, you old fucker! Good to see your head hasn''t softened too much!¡± Ketrel roared back with a bestial grin, casually slapping wispy old man into a nearby stone wall. Ketrel scooped Magnus from the ground and into a rough embrace. Speaking of the past, the two quickly vanished into their own little world. Ayako cleared her throat, sending a sharp glare at their backs. As if feeling the gaze of a predator, both men shivered, getting back to the main topic. ¡°Ahh, the academy exams? Excellent! Follow through here and register. After a short wait, you''ll be called to the testing room to give blood. If you are successful on the first test, there may be follow up questions, but don''t worry too much about all that.¡± Haruki and Suzu both nodded as they stiffly followed the man through a large metal door, behind the counter.
Quickly findingseats in the waiting room, the two exchanged nervous small-talk. There were five other children there, chatting like old friends, so Haruki and Suzu both felt completely out of place. After about 10 minutes, Haruki finally heard their names called. Bolting upright, they both noticed that they''d been unconsciously holding hands for a while now. Sharing a quick grin, their nerves melted away as their eyes met. Hand in hand, they stepped through the door with confidence. As they entered small room, Haruki immediately noticed a dozen or so grumpy old men wearing sky-blue robes. They were sitting at small stone tables, each with various metal instruments, talking quietly among themselves. As they stepped forwards, a harsh, dry voice rattled throughout the room. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Abe Haruki¡± ¡°Step up here please, I''ll take a little bit of blood, then ask you some questions.¡± Without any prior warning or even basic human compassion, the old man deeply pierced Haruki''s thumb with a small dagger. After hearing a pained squeak from his right side, he assumed that Suzu had just suffered a similar assault. After dropping a disturbing amount of blood onto a small stone tablet, the robed man gruffly barked at Haruki to stand by the door. Without waiting for a response, he lowered his balding head, once more engrossed in the strange tool in front of him. Suzu joined him by the door shortly after, so the two were currently standing around awkwardly sucking on their throbbing fingers as the old men discussed something in hushed tones. ¡°Did that bastard go all the way to your bone too?¡± Suzu nodded, her eyes sparkling slightly around the edges. ¡°Some people have no respect... They were much nicer when taking blood in the old world...¡± After taking a moment to vent, Haruki noticed the strange mood that had been building in the room. A dozen elderly men were now huddled into a tight group, constantly glancing sideways at the two of them. Even though Haruki couldn''t make out their words, he was certain that they were getting quite heated over something in their results. ¡°Haruki-kun, Suzu-san, do you know of anything special about yourselves? Were your parents powerful adventurers? Or do you perhaps come from an ancient family lineage?¡± Haruki and Suzu both shook their heads, slightly bewildered. ¡°My Otou-san is the gold-ranked adventurer, Rhino, if that helps?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°No, he''s not at this level. Truly, this is astonishing...¡± Tension filled the pair immediately. Their hands found each other again as they shared a glance of unease. ¡°Ahh, no, you can both relax. We''re all just quite excited. Touhama Academy would be happy to offer you both a full scholarship, based off your first blood tests alone. You can both start next year, if you wish?¡± ''Scholarship...?'' Haruki had never been a great study, so he''d never even used the word in conversation before. Giving Suzu''s hand a light squeeze, his face broke out in a stunned smile at the unexpected news. ¡°We''d, uh, need to discuss it with our parents first, I think? But we''re both excited for the opportunity.¡± Suzu nodded quietly by his side, agreeing with his words. ¡°Excellent. I''ll speak to them now, while you''re doing follow up and the like. Follow Raleph here to the next room and we''ll talk about it afterwards.¡± With those words, he pointed a gnarled finger towards a tall, thin man bearing brilliant violet eyes. When Haruki turned to look, he was slightly shocked by the man''s willowy appearance. ''He looks waaaay too much like an elf...''
¡°Whew!¡± The examiners collectively released their held breaths, all heads snapping back to the data. ¡°Two from the same town, both with 4 strong affinities!? This is unheard of!¡± ¡°They''re certainly not the to have 4, but it''s even stranger that they''ve arrived together.¡± ¡°Nonono, what''s strange is that boy! He has opposing Dark and Light affinities!¡± The whole room was silenced with those words. Until now, it had been a basic law that dark and light could not co-exist. The energies would violently oppose each other, causing a violent explosion. While many were been born with either light or darkness affinities, no-one had ever been born with both. ¡°How does the child simply not explode?¡± Mutters rose, agreeing. Many broke out into emphatic discussions about magical theory, while others simply sat there in a stupor, staring at the evidence that seemed to invalidate a fundamental law of magic. There was only one man who wasn''t excited at the arrival of this new genius. He sat cross legged, in a dark corner of the room, scowling to himself. ''I must notify the church, right away!'' Chapter 9 - The Church (10th year, AE) Cardinal Romulus stood at the head of a long, marble table. Massive bronze braziers were dotted around the otherwise dark room, causing an eerie glow to send shadows dancing across the unyielding white walls. ¡°Brothers, you know why you''ve all been called, so let''s not waste time.¡± Second only to Pope Augustus in both age and rank, Romulus loathed wasting time. ¡°It has been many years since Epimetheus-sama disappeared. Since then, The Church has done nothing but cower in the citadel since that day. We cannot put off our decision any longer without serious repercussions.¡± A white hooded man from the left side stood up, clearing his throat gently. Romulus immediately recognized him as the leader of the Faithful faction, Cardinal Brutus. In the 10 years since their god had mysteriously vanished, two main factions had risen to power inside the church: The Faithful believed that their god would some-day return, rewarding their unwavering faith. The Abandoned believed they had been cast aside, devoting themselves towards unifying the continent and establishing a grand theocracy. ¡°Brother Romulus¡± Cardinal Brutus nodded in respect as he addressed the room. ¡°It has been a long time, no-one will deny that. However, I still firmly believe that we should work towards stabilizing our own nation foremost, while trying to keep the peace. If Epimetheus-sama ever returns, we would be rewarded for our piety, not for our bloodshed.¡± While many nodded at his words, another voice broke out from across the table. ¡°That may be true, but we can''t ignore the movement from the eastern and southern nations! The barbarians are up to something and the elves are suspicious as well. Unification will solve many of the security issues we''re facing!¡± While no-one saw who said it, many openly agreed. The table grew rowdy with mutterings. ¡°We''ll put it towards a vote, then. All in favour of unification?¡± The right side of the table raised their fists, while the left sat in silence. It was easy to see the rift in the church. As he counted the votes, Romulus sighed, visibly frustrated at the results. ¡°Once again, it seems we are split...¡± Seated upon a large marble throne behind Romulus, Pope Decius Augustus the 5th firmly announced his intentions.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Hear me. I support unification. Starting immediately, The Church shall begin preparations for unification! If Epimetheus-sama ever returns, he won''t be angry if we''ve converted even the heathen races to worship. 6 years hence, we shall wage a holy war across the continent. Any hedonism among the troops will be heavily punished. We must do this righteously, or we risk losing any hope for redemption.¡± Every head present bowed in respect, hiding the many faces twisted in anger or despair. ¡°As Your Holiness says.¡± Cardinal Romulus ended the meeting and immediately marched to the side of the pope, standing at attention. After a half minute, he impatiently tapped his foot. The few remaining stragglers quickly ran for the door. Most men here feared his wrath. With a heavy sigh, Romulusturned elegantly, bowing towards the throne. ¡°One more thing, Your Holiness. It''s about that boy, Abe Haruki.¡± ¡°Ooh?¡± Pope Augustus had once heard tale about the boy, many years ago. It came from a low ranking priest who had been present for the birth. He firmly claimed that the child had been pulled from the womb wearing a blue and gold ring, emblazoned by a beautiful woman. While it was certainly interesting, it had never been more than a passing curiosity to the pope. ''Perhaps he''s an emissary for another god? What if he has information about Epimetheus-sama? Regardless, I''d like it if he joined us...'' As Pope Augustus stared blankly at the wall, lost in thought. Romulus briefly cleared his throat, before continuing his report unphased. ¡°He passed the academy test with flying colours, but his affinities... He has both light and dark...¡± Pope Augustus froze, his brow beaded with sweat. ¡°Is he perhaps an enemy?¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°Light and dark? How does his soul not tear itself apart!?¡± Rising quietly from the throne, he dawdled over to the exit, still lost in thought. As his hand reached for the door, Augustus turned back to look Romulus in the eye. His steely gaze came with somber words. ¡°Brother Romulus, watch over the boy as he studies. If by his age of ascension, you can''t turn him, end his family line. If he continues to be resistant, break him. If you can''t break him, dispose of him somewhere dark. I''d rather not risk that child becoming a monster. Especially after the recent rumours that the boy''s mother is a Blood Witch... Make sure you send an appropriate force when the time comes.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness.¡± Cardinal Romulus bowed deeply as the pope vanished into the night. With one more thing now piled on top of his already wavering plate, he grumbled his way towards the kitchen, hoping to find a pot of herbal tea to carry him through the long night ahead.
Arriving at his private study, Pope Augustus collapsed heavily onto his bed and groaned from exhaustion. His bones were getting old, but unless he was murdered, he was guaranteed to live at least another 90 years. It was because of a special boon given to the highest mortal power. Bestowed by god himself every 100 years, even the calendar was heavily influenced by The Church. ''In a perfect world, that boy could have lived a happy life. But here, even Epimetheus-sama has enemies in the darkness. Such a child is nothing but a liability now. A shame, if not for his darkness affinity, he could have easily been a candidate for the next pope...'' Deep in thought, Augustus reached for a nearby chalice of wine. Draining the bitter red in a single gulp, he turned back to the mountainous pile of paper currently bowing his desk. After downing a second helping of wine, his pen finally touched paper. With a single stroke, the first stone had finally been pavedon the long road to unification. Chapter 10 – Results (10th Year AE) Haruki and Suzu both stumbled out of the testing room into a smaller waiting room filled with youngchildren from all walks of life. Haruki and Suzu nodded towardsthe few kids they knewbefore sitting down together in the corner. ¡°They all seemed pretty excited, I guess we''re both geniuses¡± Haruki said with an excited grin. A pained look leaked onto Suzu''s face. ¡°I''m not interested in all of that. I''d be happy if I could train with Naginata again...¡± Haruki was watching closely, so he noticed the brief flash of desire in her eyes as she spoke. ''I''ll ask Otou-san later to make a stop on our way out. I''ve finally found something I can put my money towards without it feeling wasteful.'' With that, Haruki buried himself in thought. As he was scheming, another boy strutted up towards Suzu. He was short and chubby, but he held himself with an air of nobility. His short silver hair glistened delicately as he bowed towards Suzu. ¡°M''lady, my name is Nishikiri Keishi, would you allow me the honour of knowing your name?¡± Haruki felt a strong urge to vomit. Suzu looked at the boy with a withering stare, causing him to take an unconscious step back. ¡°Seta Suzu.¡± The two soft words reverberated around the room for a brief moment, piercing deeply into Keishi''s soul. Without a second glance, Suzu turned away from the boy, pretending he didn''t exist. She opened her mouth to speak... ¡°Haru...¡± Keishi, still slightly boggled after receiving her gaze, cleared his throat and cut off her words. ¡°I''ll be at the academy next year, so we might be in the same class. I''d very much like to be friends.¡± During this entire exchange, Keishi had still not acknowledged Haruki''s presence. Suzu looked back over her shoulder with a flat expression, a dead look filling in her eyes after being interuupted. ¡°Sure...¡± Suzu sent a pained smiletowards Haruki, begging for help. With a devilish grin, he leaned in and gently cupped her delicate hands in his. Maintaining intense eye contact with the boy, Haruki brought one hand up to gently caress her face. Nuzzling into his palm, Suzu wrapped her arms tightly around his chest and a pink space quickly enveloped the two. Keishi''s pudgy face contorted, turning an odd shade of purple as he blustered. Hit by a powerful urge to explode with laughter, Haruki bit down on his tongue. With eyes wide and face pale, Keishi performed an awkward half bow while stuttering out a pitiful farewell to Suzu. After waiting for the boy to leave, Haruki turned back to Suzu and leaned in close to her ear. ¡°That kid was painful...¡± ¡°Nn...¡±
Shortly after the brief disturbance, Haruki and Suzu were called into a smaller office. Ketrel and Ayako were both sitting in large, leather chairs across from yet another old man. ¡°Come in you two, come, come.¡± he gestured with his bony hand, a friendly smile taking the edge off his otherwise sullen face. Quietly taking a seat, the two waited for the white haired elder to speak. ¡°Well, you both have a rough idea by now, as do your parents. Your results are, quite frankly, astounding.¡± With each word, the old man grew more animated. ¡°There has never been a case of more than one person having 4 affinities! It''s usually once per Era, if that! On top of that, you''re completely unique, Haruki-kun. To possess both light and darkness in your soul... Fearsome... In the future, you''ll need to be cautious. Many distrust those with darkness affinity... And since you also hold opposing affinities, that alone is interesting enough to draw many eyes.¡± Gulping heavily, Haruki nodded. ''Great, why can''t everyone just get along?!'' After taking a moment to breathe, the old man sheepishly smacked his forehead. ¡°Ah, sorry Haruki-kun. I forgot to mention your other affinities... They''re Earth and Wind.¡± Without pausing for a breath, the old man turned towards Suzu. ¡°As for Suzu-san, you''re also extremely talented in regards to affinities. Strong affinity for Fire, Earth, Water and Lightning! I''ve also heard you are looking to train in polearms? You could have a great future as an elemental warrior, perhaps?¡± Suzu''s face lit up at the mention of becoming a warrior. She wanted nothing more than to see the world, wandering and fighting at the side of someone she could trust. Power was necessary for her dream. ''Though the more I think about it, the more it turns into ¡°I want to wander and fight beside Haruki...'' A small puff of steam rose from her reddening face as she remembered where she was. ¡°I''ve already spoken with your parents and we''ve arranged for transport before the start of the school year. Your books and materials will be waiting for you at the school and you''ll each have your own housing close-by. Each week, you''ll also gain a small stipend of 5s for food and such.¡± Ayako, who had started crying at the mention of Haruki moving out, buried her face into Ketrel''s chest. The old man awkwardly continued talking over her as she sobbed. ¡°You''ll get a copy of the school rules and your subjects shortly after the opening ceremony, so don''t be late.¡± They exchanged small talk for a while longer, while Ayako repaired her face. The paperwork had been signed and it was official. They were finally enrolled in the Academy!
Haruki walkedout in a daze, feeling as if he was floating. Even Ketrel could hardly contain his excitement. ¡°We should go have a big meal tonight in celebration! Suzu-chan will join us, I''ll buy you anything you wish to eat!¡± his father bellowed, half bragging to the surrounding adventurers. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Otou-san, can we stop at a blacksmith on the way home please?¡± ¡°Sure, but uh, did you need your weapon repaired? I have spares at home.¡± ¡°Ah, no, I''ll tell you later¡± Haruki stole a quick glance towards Suzu and his father seemed to understand. ¡°Hahaha. That''s fine, we''ll head there now, then!¡±
As the light slowly faded, they found themselves standing in front of a shady looking shack in the south-western part of town. With their stomachs urging prudence, everyone piled in through the cluttered doorway. Obviously friendly with the vendor, Ketrel excitedly greeted the lanky middle aged man. ¡°What can I do for you today then, Rhino?¡± A gruff voice asked, a slight hint of joy mixing in with his words. ¡°Ah, it''s for my boy this time! Haruki, come over here and meet your father''s favourite smith!¡± Haruki casually walked forward, bowing gently beside his father. ¡°Greetings Smith-sensei¡± ¡°He''s nothing like you at all, Rhino!¡± the old smith teased with a crooked smile. Ketrel wore a proud grin as he nodded happily in agreement. Usinghis most mature tone, Haruki cleared his throat and spoke with a slight bow. ¡°I''m here today to commission a steel polearm, if I may. The young lady will give you the specifics of the weapon, but I will cover the cost.¡± Haruki said while pointing his thumb back towards Suzu. Her mouth gaped open as her brain finally registered the words. ¡°...?¡± Her eyes opened so wide that Haruki was worried he might fall in. ¡°You said you wanted a Naginata, right? If we run into wolves, you''ll have my back, right? Then don''t worry about the cost. Just, uh, don''t go over 3g please...¡± Suzu''s eyes glistened slightly as she nodded to each question. She felt uttery conflicted. ''How does he even have the money to just pay for such a weapon?'' ¡°Wolves?¡± Ayako asked, narrowing her eyes at Haruki. ''Is that a demon behind mother? It''s glaring at me too! God, she''s scarier than Suzu!'' After sensing his mother wasn''t going to let go, Haruki caved immediately. ¡°Ah, no need to worry Okaa-san. Suzu and I ran into a small wolf-pack along the road a while back. Don''t worry, it wasn''t dangerous, Suzu''s tougher than I am!¡± He winked at his mother, hoping she would drop it. Suzu wasn''t of any help, since she was already busy discussing various things with the smith. From metal composition to center of gravity, they covered every aspect of the weapon''s design. Somewhere around the middle of Haruki''s heated scolding, the smith finally remembered that he hadn''t introduced himself. Slightly flustered after losing himself in weapons talk, he politely bowed. ¡°Apologies, the name''s Nito, lass.¡± ¡°Suzu.¡± The two shared a devilish grin, shaking hands like old comrades. Working with vigor, they managed to come up with a design that they were both happy with. After calculating the materials, Nito priced the job at a flat 1 gold. Haruki pulled a coin from of his ring with a slightly sore look, flicking it over to Nito. The wiry old man snatched the coin with surprising speed, biting it once before throwing it into his strongbox with a satisfied smirk. Haruki felt light headed as his life savings plummeted. ''It''s for Suzu, any cost is worth it.'' Even so, spending a third of his life-savings in one go left a small psychological bruise. Receiving payment, Nito slipped back into shop-keeper mode for a moment. ¡°Suzu, the product will be ready in 3 days. Please pick it up at that time.¡± ¡°Nn...¡±
Nito had decided to start immediately. His other jobs were all rather mundane, so he was eager to work on such an uncommon weapon. While traditional Japanese weapons certainly existed in the world, most still preferred to use swords, spears or maces. Other weapons were generally only crafted when ordered. His excitement quickly turned to determination as he raided his personal ingot supply. He had decided to alter the materials slightly, after remembering a technique his Sensei had once taught him. It was entirely thanks to Suzu that he''d even recalled it. After she had briefly mentioned a strange type patterned steel from her homeland, Nito had recalled a single lesson from his youth. Nito had been continually impressed with Suzuduring their discussions. Wise beyond her years, she carried the gaze and knowledge of a veteran. Nito desired to make something he could be proud to hand over to such a formidable young lady. ''Since the lasshelped me remember, it''s only fair I give her the first work. And Rhino''s boy might become a good customer in the future, so it''ll only benefit me in the long run.'' He impatientlypoured most of his magic into the forge, causing a violent burst of radiant white flames to scorch the already ashen ceiling. Whistling a happy tune, Nitoscurried off to find some special ingredients.
¡°Are you sure it''s ok?¡± Suzu asked with watery eyes. No-one had ever given her anything that expensive before. While she had recieved many fine perfumes, dresses and jewelry, Suzu didn''t count those things. While her husband had been generous, none of it made her happy. Suzu struggled for another short while, before Haruki gently flicked her forehead. ¡°I said it''s fine. Stop stressing.¡± ¡°Haru... baka...¡± Suzu tried her hardest to pout, quickly betrayed by the hint of a smile. ¡°Just think about what we''re gonna eat for dinner.¡± Next to him, his parents watched on, grinning happily at the pink space that had formed around the two.
Haruki usually hated eating out, but the occasion definitely required it. His father bellowed out his name to the concierge and they were led to a table in the back, thick curtains surrounding it on all sides. ''Wait, does he have his own special table? Did they sound proof it!?'' Their table was quite low to the floor, which had been padded with a soft foamy material. Gathering up the many pillows, they quickly managed to construct comfortable positions to sit. Suzu was reading the menu while looking nervously at the prices, but Ayako whispered a few words into her ear, perking her up immediately. Truthfully, even in her last life, Suzu had never been to such an expensive restaurant! She ordered a small meal and a drink, but declined any further. As she waited for her food, Suzu snuggled up to Haruki''s side, quickly nodding off against his shoulder. With a devious grin, Haruki ordered an extra meal, asking for it to be delivered late. ''If I say I''m full when it arrives, she won''t turn it down. Not if it''s going to waste...'' Over the years, he had found many different ways to deal with her stubborn streaks. Proud of his cunning, Haruki smiled down at the softly snoring Suzu as she continued to dampen his shoulder with drool. As the food arrived, Haruki gently poked Suzu in the cheek until she finally woke with a gurgle. Seeing the delicious food in front of her, she began eating ravenously. As they finished eating, the conversation quickly grew rowdy. With such a good mood going, a few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Ketrel slurred loudly as he paid the tab, while the others waited outside, embarrassed at the ruckus. Suzu and Haruki were both holding onto each other, slightly drunk and staggering. Suzu had been allowed a few glasses of wine with dinner, while Ketrel had belligerently challenged Haruki to a drinking contest. ¡°I totally won...¡± Ketrel grumbled as he dragged himself onto the carriage, collapsing in a messy pile of limbs
The cart quietly rattled onto a main road, stopping a short distance from the west gate. Ketrel quickly paid the driver, motioning for everyone to climb out. With a leap, Haruki landed lightly on the blackened cobblestone. As he turned back to take Suzu''s hand, she took a flying leap from the carriage. Her long hair caught the cool evening breeze, billowing like smoke as she landed next to Haruki, taking his arm casually. Choking for a moment, Haruki pulled Suzu into a warm embrace. He had gotten used to having such a physically strong female companion, but he certainly hadn''t expected that. ¡°I''ll see you at the river tomorrow?¡± ¡°Nn...¡± Haruki endured a painfully long walk home, his parents constantly teasing and asking all sorts of awkward questions about Suzu. ''Please... my HP... I won''t survive any more critical hits!'' Cocking her head with an innocent smile, Ayako dealt the final blow. "Haru-chan, Okaa-san wants lots of grandchildren, ok?" Chapter 11 – Suzus Father (10th Year, AE) ¡°Ye ain''t going, I ain''t got the money!¡± ¡°The school is covering it all¡± Suzu replied, a sigh escaping her pursed lips. ¡°The fuck would they pay fer a useless twat? Ye can barely cook soup... ¡± She winced slightly at the cutting remark, but this was a relatively normal conversation for them. In Suzu''s mind, her kind father was dead. The man before her now was merely a simple beast. ¡°Bah, who''s gonna cook me dinner?¡± ¡°Eat at the bar. You won''t need to feed me while I''m there.¡± ¡°Ahh, yeah. Would save me from doing the shopping, won''t taste like utter shit either. Whatever, don''t come back unless you find a job. And grab me some more wine while you''re doing dinner, yeah?¡± Suzu quietly nodded, secretly pleased at how easily she had swayed him. All it took was the mention of saving money... While she awkwardly prepared dinner, her father greedily downed the fresh bottle, ranting about something unintelligible. The chicken soup she served went mostly on his clothes and at one point, he turned to throw up beside the table. ''Why did I have to get such a disgusting beast as my father, gods? My last father may have been strict, but at least he was respectable!'' Suzu retreated to her room, flopping heavily onto her bed as she pondered over everything that had happened. She had finally managed to find the weapon she had been wanting for years! And Haru bought it for her without even thinking twice! He was like a fairy-tale prince, swooping in and... paying for her weapon? ''Calm down, you''re truly turning silly!'' But no matter how hard she tried, the more she thought, the more excited she became. She could finally leave this terrible house and be together with Haruki. Away from this pig of a father. She deeply yearned for independence and it couldn''t come soon enough.
After a few quiet days, Suzu headed back to the Nito''s store, hands shaking and knees weak. ¡°Nito-san?¡± She poked her head around the decrepit door, glancing around the gloomy, unlit store as her heart frantically attempted to escape her chest. ¡°Ahh, come in Suzu-chan! It''s ready to go!¡± Nito was standing behind the register, an excited smile lighting up his face as her voice gently echoed around the small room. His words lit a spark inside Suzu, sending her excitement to a feverish peak. Her steps had a bounce and she was humming brightly as she followed Nito to a small storage cupboard. ¡°At first, I couldn''t get the blade right. I went through a few different pieces before deciding on a special smelting technique my master taught me many years ago. I only remembered it after you mentioned the patterned steel of your homeland, so I used your blade as a prototype, if you will.¡± Suzu took quick steps forward, grabbing the dark metal shaft of the presented weapon. With shaking hands, she gently removed the cloth cover and a small gasp escaped her lips. A beautiful patterned blade, about 40cm long, glowing in the soft light of the cooling forge. Small black nightshade flowers were carved along the spine of the subtly curved blade, while the pole itself was adorned with stunning silver Maki-e Cherry blossoms, inter-connected by thin, winding golden vines that spiraled the entire length. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°It''s not up to the level of my Sensei, but that''s still a genuine Damascus Steel blade. It will last you a life time if you look after it. Feel free to take it outside for a test swing.¡± Still entranced by the elegant beauty of the weapon, Suzu came to her senses for a moment. ¡°Inspect¡± Damascus Steel Naginata (50/50) (Rare) 50-100 physical damage Average speed 25% Armour Penetration This polearm was crafted by a skilled smith, using a forgotten technique. A formidable weapon that bears a stunning beauty. Stats unlock at Level 15 (Identified) +50 Strength +30 Dexterity +5% Attack Speed +5% Attack Range Engraved: Nightshade rune Strikes against humanoids will cause a slow, paralyzing poison to enter their wound. Suzu drew in a sharp breath as she read over the stats a second time. It was such a significant upgrade from the blunt iron dagger she usually carried. Despite her small size, Suzu''s arms easily bore the weight of the large weapon as she stood in awe. ¡°Come, I have a small yard outside.¡± Nito gestured towards an open door. A small, paved area came into view and she happily raced outside, immediately beginning her old training routine. With so many years of familiarity, she could easily determine how well this weapon compared to her old one. Shing! Shing! It was like night and day! While her old Naginata had been decently made, it would chip and dull after only a few strikes. If she had solely relied on her weapon, she would have died far younger than she did. With an elegant pirouette, Suzu cut a vicious whirlwind of death around her. Even the air seemed to shatter as the singing blade danced effortlessly, flashing with a golden crescent as it caught the sun. Shing! Shing! Finishing up the routine, Suzu turned and casually bisected a falling leaf with a satisfied nod, instinctively snapping to attention with a flourish. Her naginata let out an ear numbing CLANG as it planted firmly on the stone. ¡°Bravo!¡± Nito cheered from the side. After seeing how easily she had handled the weapon, the doubts in his mind vanished. The job had quickly become his own little pet project, so he had grown attached. Designing it had been a challenge, but it had also been the most fun he''d had in years. After finally seeing her wield it flawlessly, Nito was satisfied. ¡°I''m glad that this weapon is going to someone with skills worthy of wielding it.¡± Nito bowed gently. Suzu nodded stiffly, trying to hold back her tears. It had been so long since anyone had complimented her weapon skills, years of pent up frustration threatened to burst forth. With a quick turn away from Nito, Suzu brutalized another stray leaf as she settled her thoughts. Burning desire quickly overwhelmed the melancholy in her heart, her face splitting into a devilish grin as herself of her goals. ¡°Thank you, Nito-sensei. With your weapon in hand, I will tear apart my enemies.¡± Her hand balled into a tight fist as she spoke. Nito staggered back a few steps as the atmosphere around her turned cold, her terrifying gaze hitting him like a casually dropped anvil. ''This little girl... I wouldn''t want to meet her on the battlefield... Wait, is that... a panther behind her?'' Nito shivered again, firmly shaking his head. ''I''ve met many people with nastier auras over the years... Even so, she''s still damned scary.'' Seeing Suzu caressing the polearm with a strange look in her eyes, Nito wandered quietly back to his counter. Noticing she was alone, Suzu''s face grew serious. Turning to the west, she bowed so low that her hair swept the soiled stone. ''Thank you, Haru.'' With her new weapon finally in hand, Suzu skipped happily towards home. Chapter 11.5 - Suzu leaves (10th Year, AE) Even her father''s sour mood didn''t bother her as she hummed joyfully over a steaming pot. ¡°Yer in a good mood eh? What, find yerself a white-knight?¡± her father mocked her smiling face. ¡°What''d ye bring back, then?¡± Suddenly, her whole body tensed. ¡°It''s a weapon for me to train with.¡± ¡°Ha! Weapon? Bet ye couldn''t even strike down a rat, ye useless bitch.¡± His words were slurring heavily, so she ignored them as best she could. She served an extra 2 bottles of wine with dinner, hoping he would quietly pass out. Even after downing all 3, he muttered on under his breath. ¡°Gimme a look at yer weapon then.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I won''t break it, just wanna see the junk yer bringing home¡± and he snatched up the pole-arm, roughly removing the cover with a heavy tearing sound. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Oi, did Nito make this?¡± he asked with greedy eyes. Suzu nodded, her stomach filling with a sudden dread. ¡°Dunno why ye have something like this, it''s a weapon fer a real warrior, not a kid. I''ll sell it properly and get ye a short sword...¡± Suzu seized the pole with an iron grip, refusing to let go. ¡°Oi, drop it, ye damn ungrateful whore! Who do you think feeds you!?¡± He struck her heavily across the cheek, but recoiled in fear almostimmediately. With dead eyes, Suzu had drawn her dagger. ¡°Give... my... weapon... back... NOW!¡± She pulled with all her might, sending her stunned father stumbling into her rising knee. Taking a solid impact to his well-rounded gut, he slumped to the ground, cussing as he struggled to breath. ¡°Don''t come back here again ye ungrateful slag! I''ll sell ye to a slaver if I see ye again, ya hear!?¡± Chapter 12 - Unexpected Guest (10th Year, AE) *Knock Knock* Raising his eyes lazily from his book, Haruki looked over at the door with a sigh. As he stood to answer, Ayako burst into the room, coming to a screeching to a halt by the door. With her tongue poking out at Haruki, she eagerly wrenched it open. ¡°Arara, Suzu-chan? What a pleasant surprise...¡± Noticing the sheepish girl''s awkward fidgeting, she sent a questioning stare towards Haruki. ¡°Okaa-san, stop tormenting Suzu please...¡± ¡°Ufufufu but it''s so much fun!¡± With her usual devilish grin, Ayako walked off with a knowing giggle, leaving the two alone in deafening silence. With a heavy sigh, Haruki turned back towards the jittery Suzu. As their eyes briefly met, her gaze quickly returned to the floor, her small shoulders dropping ever so slightly. ¡°Come in, I''ll get you some juice if you want some?¡± He used the best ''receiving friends'' voice he could manage. ''Mother is probably listening in from the next room...'' With a timid nod, Suzu stepped inside, her naginata in hand. She still had a slightly dazed look about her, so Haruki nervously tried to break the ice. ¡°You can store that in my room for now, we can talk there too if you want?¡± ''Oh god, I just casually invited her to my room... FUCK! Settle down, brain!'' ¡°Nn...¡± Haruki quietly escorted her to his room, small droplets of juice sloshing onto his shaking hands.
The room was nothing special, though decently sized, but to Suzu''s eyes, it was ENOURMOUS! The furnishings were spartan, only a plain wooden desk and chair at the end of a large bed. An old hard-wood closet was tucked away into a dark corner while the rest of the room was barren, save for a few bookshelves. Suzu''s gaze flitted awkwardly around the room, struggling to calm herself as Haruki sat down beside her. ¡°What''s up?¡± He only asked a single question, it was obvious from her expressions that she was hurting. ¡°...¡± Suzu hesitated. ''How can I ask to stay here!? I''m such a terrible woman!'' ''But it''s Haru... It might be ok...'' ¡°I... need a place to stay until school starts.¡± Suzu lowered her head shamefully, muttering with barely audible words as she sat cross-legged on the cold floor. ¡°Fine by me, just have to ask my parents first. Shall I ask now?¡± Suzu''s face flushed a vibrant pink at his gentle words. Nodding once, she buried her face in her arms, tucking her knees tightly into her chest. ¡°I''ll be back in a minute, just relax.¡± With a final glance back, he bustled downstairs to find his parents.
They were both waiting for him at the bottom, grinning childishly. ''I see that Mother has already mentioned Suzu''s arrival... I hope they don''t get too weird... Maybe they really WILL start arranging our marriage...'' With a lump steadily growing in his throat, Haruki relayed Suzu''s message. ¡°She only needs a place to stay until school starts, plus we have a spare room.¡± he argued, even offering to double his workload to cover the extra expense. After speaking at length on the many benefits of adopting a stray Suzu, Haruki was interrupted by uproarious laughter. Ayako spoke up with a devious smile. ¡°It''s fine it''s fine, she''s almost one of the family at this point! Fufufu...¡± Relief washed over Haruki as he rushed upstairs to deliver the good news. Standing immediately, Suzu scampered downstairs with a stern expression. After formally thanking Ayako and Ketrel, she offered her help around the house. Little did she know that Ayako had everything already planned out... ¡°I''ll show you a few chores you can do, but it''s fine otherwise. Please, just train hard with Haru-chan and continue to be his friend. That would make me very happy. Yes, very happy indeed fufufu!¡± The few jobs she assigned were all the same as Haruki. Ayako had many other plans in reserve, but she doubted it would come to that, having noticed their blossoming feelings many times. ''I will have my grandchildren soon! Fufufuu!''
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Haruki and Suzu quietly made the bed in the spare room, neither looking up from the task until it was finished. Stepping back to admire the crisp, military folds, Haruki finally noticed that Suzu had no bags with her. ¡°Do you need anything else? Clothes or anything?¡± ¡°I... only have what I have.¡± Suzu answered cryptically. She had only briefly explained that she was forced to leave home, so Haruki was still quite confused about the whole situation. ¡°That means we need to go shopping soon. How about we have a shopping date in Touhama tomorrow?¡± Hearing the word ''date'', Suzu''s body stiffened, her head raising as she finally met his gaze. With hints of a small smile appearing on her previously sullen face, she replied with a vigorous nod. ¡°Nn...¡±
Suzu work shortly before dawn, confused and alone in an unfamiliar place. Looking around frantically, her memories of yesterday flooded back to her mind. Quickly calming herself, she snuggled back into her warm bed, a short squeak of pleasure escaping her lips. ''Right, I''m at Haru''s place. I''m living here now. It''s finally sinking in...'' While grateful to have escaped her father, she still felt guilty for intruding on the Abe family. But simply put, she had nowhere else to go. ''Thinking back, they''ve always treated me like family...'' Cocooning tightly in her warm, downy quilt, she remembered back on the previous day with a warm smile. Ever since she had arrived, Ayako had been constantly chatting to her happily about this and that, while Ketrel had promised to train her along side Haruki. His ham-hock fist pounded against his bulging, hairy chest as he bellowed. The playful mood around the house had quickly infected her. By the time Haruki asked her to get ready for the date, she had steeled her resolve. ''As long as I live, I will never return to that house.'' Rushing upstairs with a brief stumble, she hurriedly pulled on a plain, white sun-dress she had borrowed from Ayako earlier in the day. With a flick of her wrist, she tied her silky black hair into a long ponytail and raced back down. Haruki spoke with a muffled cough as she appeared, turning away to hide his glowing cheeks. ¡°That looks real good on you, Suzu. Shall we go then?¡± ¡°Nn...¡± They walked together in silence for a while, occasionally bumping into each other on the uneven road. With a determined nod, Suzu reached a slender hand towards him, gently capturing his arm. ''Victory!'' An unconscious grin swept over her face as they walked together towards Touhama. ''Today is much better...''
Arriving arm-in-arm, Haruki nodded atsmall group ofguards. Manyrecognized them from their last trip, waving them through with a curt nod back. Suzu hadn''t let go of his arm once whilethey''d walked. ''What the hell happened to make her like this? She had a disagreement with her parents, that much is obvious. Nothing to do but have some fun, for now.'' ¡°Let''s get what we need first, so we don''t forget.¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Planting both hands on her back, Haruki gently pushed the hesitant Suzu towards a nearby clothing store. As she noticed the prices, her face rapidly paled as she stammered out an apology, repeatedly offering to pay him back. Haruki firmly shook his head, a loose smile spreading as he spoke. ¡°Since it''s for you, I don''t mind spending a small amount. Consider it a gift.¡± With a gentle tug on her hand, he dragged her towards a nearby rack. Looking for a moment, he held up a white, lightly frilled dress against her petite frame. ¡°Looks damn good...¡± Haruki muttered. They awkwardly stumbled on, choosing a few morebefore Suzu began protesting again. ¡°Too much.¡± ¡°It''s fine, I have plenty left over. Are you ok these 4 then?¡± ¡°Nn...¡± A teasing whistle smashed their pink mood like a sledgehammer. Flicking a gold coin towards the sweetly smiling cashier, Haruki took Suzu''s hand and quickly escaped out into the noisy street.
Hand in hand, they meandered around the main square, buying snacks whenever they saw something tasty. Lazing on a stone bench as they ate, their thoughts were occupied by a nearby puppet show. A lazy, inept god bumbled aimlessly around the heavens. Falling for their many lies and tricks, he came to believe that his enemies were allies all along. As he happily idled his days, they plotted in secret. A mortal chef was sent in tribute, baking the god dozens of delicious treats. Downing them greedily, his muffled grunting quickly gave way to pained screams as his soul was slowly eroded by a fearful toxin. Sinister laughter echoed around the square as the puppet fell, curtains quickly snapping shut. ''That ending was rather abrupt...'' Honestly, Haruki was rather impressed. ''They must have some massive balls to do a show like that right next to the church...'' Most of the children seemed to enjoy it, regardless of the questionable content, so Haruki cast the thought aside. ''Perhaps this is common here?'' The two sat for a while longer, quietly enjoying the bustle of the lively city around them. ¡°It''s not so bad to come to a busy place once in a while...¡± ¡°Nn...¡± ¡°Soon, we''ll be living here. We can come here whenever we want.¡± Shuffling closer with a bashful smile, Suzu planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°I hope we can learn some spells at the Academy...¡± A soft snoring interrupted his thoughts. ''Sleep well, Suzu.'' Time felt like it stood still as Haruki sat quietly, sneaking occasional glances at the sleeping beauty drooling lightly on his shoulder. A peaceful air hung around the bench as the sky quickly darkened. ¡°Holy hell, it''s way too late already!¡± With a startled gurgle, Suzu blinked in momentary confusion. ¡°The lamps are lit, we need to go now...¡± The couple tore off towards the western gate, desperately hoping to arrive before it closed. Stumbling up to the wide-open gate, the two had plenty of time to catch their breath. The sudden rush had turned them both slightly giddy. With high spirits, they walked arm in arm towards home, joking and laughing loudly in their own little world.
¡°There aren''t any lights on... Weird.¡± They crept slowly towards the darkened, creakinghouse. A sudden cold gust sent the skeletal trees into a clatter, sending a shiver down Haruki''s spine. A single, terrifying sound rose drowned out all else. ¡°Ufufufu...¡± ''Oh god...'' Chapter 13 - A Mans Weapons (11th Year, AE) In the months leading up to the new year, Haruki and Suzu were together every day, training and solidifying their skills. They had quickly become something close to lovers, but Haruki stayed firmly reluctant to do anything too ''physical'' while they were technically minors. After much pouting and nagging, he finally gave up a little ground. ¡°Let''s aim to graduate first. By then, we will both be considered adults... After that, ok?¡± Sulking slightly, she eventually agreed. The thought of spending the next few years by his side was enough to fill her with a fiery joy, so she was content for now. ¡°What if they ask at the academy?¡± she asked, blushing. ¡°Let''s just say we''re due to be wed. That should stop any annoyances.¡± he casually replied. ¡°Nn...¡± A pink atmosphere filled Haruki''s room as they sat, enjoying the silence. With a crash and a cackle, Ayako burst into their room. ¡°Dinner''s ready. Was I interrupting anything good?¡± ¡°Okaa-san...¡± ¡°I don''t mind if you''re 3 minutes late...¡± After exchanging a pained glance, the two followed her down to eat. ¡°Ahh, Haruki my boy, come here a moment!¡± Ketrel got up from the dinner table, dragged him into the living room like a ragdoll. Today was their last nightat home. ¡°Tomorrow, you will start your journey into the world as a man. But a man can''t protect what he must with cheap iron weapons.¡± With a swish, he pulled off a cloth that was covering a nearby table. Glistening on the table sat a dagger, a rapier and a long-sword. Haruki was almost afraid to touch them, each weapon was bordering on a work of art. First, he pulled out the dagger. The blade was a pitch black colour. ''Some type of Obsidian?'' The blade ended in a sharp, sturdy point for penetrating armour, while the spine of the blade had vicious serrated cutouts for rending flesh. The handle was wrapped simply, but neatly, in a soft black material that turned slightly sticky as it absorbed liquid. The Rapier was on the thicker side with a large ornate hand-guard made from dense, sparkling black bone . The long, flexible blade had small runes carved alongthe spine, glowing gently with a shadowy purple hue. Finally, the long-sword. It was also forged with a similar material and style, but the handle was significantly more ornate. Gold filigree wrapped the handle and sheath,while the basic design of the guard added a contrasting simplistic elegance, completing the ceremonial look. A pulsating orb shone a dim orange from inside the pommel. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Staring down at the weapons, Haruki''s mouth had been hanging open the whole time. Ketrel roared with pleasure, seeing him speechless. ¡°Old Nito owed me some favours, so I forced... I mean asked him gently to make you some quality weapons. No son of mine will go to the academy with old goods! After dinner, make sure you learn their qualities! Come now, let''s eat!¡± Haruki, still slightly in shock, bowed low. ¡°Otou-san. Thank you for everything.¡± Ketrel simply belted out another round of raucous laughter, slapping him mightily on the shoulder. Crash! ¡°Ketrel dear, please don''t use barbarian level strength in the house, ''kay?¡± Ayako peered around the corner, with a demon materializing behind her. ''How the hell are these women even doing that!?'' ¡°Dinner''s ready, come and get it!¡± Ayako followed up, instantly turning as sweet as sugar. Haruki and Ketrel looked at each other and shivered. ¡°Scary¡± x2
After dinner, Haruki hurried off to inspect hisnew weapons: ¡°Inspect¡± Obsidian Demon Dagger (75/75) (Rare) 30-40 physical damage Fast attack speed 45% armour penetration Can cause serious bleeding with the correct technique. Stats locked until level 15 (Identified) +100 dexterity +50 strength +2% attack speed +2% to cause a deadly wound. If the blade is pulled backwards through flesh, it will rip open a horrifying wound causing profound bleeding. Made from rare Obsidian Demon bones.
Obsidian Demon Long-Sword (75/75) (Rare) 45- 79 physical damage Average attack speed 15% armour penetration Stats locked until level 15 (Identified) +100 strength +50 dexterity +2% on attack to cover the blade in demonic flames, spreading fire withevery hit. Lasts for 2 minutes. Part of an Obsidian Demon''s elemental core is embedded in the blade. A durable and effective blade, crafted by Nito.
Obsidian Demon Rapier (Unique) 30-50 physical damage Fast attack speed 5% armour penetration Stats locked until level 15 (Identified) +200 dexterity +20 strength +5% attack speed +Indestructible Engraved: Rune of the Dark Ones. Striking an enemy will absorb a small amount of blood. When enough is absorbed, the weapon will evolve, becoming slightly stronger. Level 1 - 0% Crafted using an unknown technique, it pulses with a dark energy. Crafted by the skilled smith, Nito.
Haruki''s mind lurched to a halt. ''How much did Nito owe my father!? These weapons are insane compared my old trash!'' Originally, he had planned on using a long-sword until he could find someone to train him in rapiers, but now that he had all 3 weapons before him, his plans changed. ''I''ll train with all 3, a rapier isn''t effective against a tank, after all...'' Attaching the rapier and dagger to his belt, he looked towards the long-sword with a puzzled expression. ''If I buy a harness, keeping it on my back would be fine. I only need it for heavy armour and it''s not like I need to wear backpacks...'' Even though Haruki couldn''t use the stats on the weapons yet, he was drooling with anticipation. Chapter 14 - Back to School (11th Year, AE) ¡°Haru-chaaaaan!¡± Ayako wrapped him in a damp embrace as the small carriage finally arrived, clattering through their front gate almost an hour after dawn. ¡°Okaa-san... It''s ok, I won''t even be an hour away. You can visit us whenever you want.¡± Haruki''s voice muffled as he smothered against his mother''s chest. The grizzled old coachman looked as if he was about to have an aneurysm as he watched the tearful scene from the side. ¡°We''ll be late...¡± A vein popped from his forehead as he grumbled. ¡°I don''t have the time to watch a drama...¡± Releasing Haruki from her bear-hug, Ayako dashed away, briefly whispering something into Suzu''s ear. ¡°Kyaa!¡± She stumbled backwards, her face flushing crimson as Ayako cackled like a perverted old man. Father and son both shivered for a moment, turning to each other with a final nod. After sharing an awkward, manly embrace, Haruki climbed up onto the cart, gently pulling Suzu up behind him. The two stumbled back onto the rough, wood-plank bench as the driver eagerly whipped the reigns. Lurching forward with a clatter, the cart turned towards the road. ¡°Okaa-san, Otou-san! I''ll see you soon!¡± As they watched their only child vanish into the distance, Ayako and Ketrel held each other in a silent embrace. ¡°What did you say to Suzu-chan earlier?¡± Ketrel was slightly curious as to what his devious wife had done. ¡°I told her that I''m expecting at least 2 children by the time they graduate! Fufufu¡±
Suzu snuggled up besidehim as they traveled, capturing his arm and blushing furiously. Head resting gently against his shoulder, she sat silent for the entire distance, refusing to meet his eye. Even as they arrived at the gates of Touhama, her face still held traces of pink. ''Sigh. God only knows what that deviant mother of mine said to her...'' The carriage came to a crawl as the streets grew thick with people, taking them nearly half an hour just to arrive an the main square. An entire 6th of the city was dedicated to the Academy. Many budget restaurants filled the area with a delicious mix of aromas, while hundreds of students eagerly hunted around for a bargain at the various makeshift stalls. Touhama Academy was famous across the entire continent. Run by the Adventurer''s Guild and paid for by the Magi''s Tower, it was even backed by The Church. They would often spend ridiculous sums to secure students that showed talent in light magic. With such a powerful backing, it was one of the few schools that everyone respected. ¡°We''re here. These are your keys, your rooms are next to each other.¡± The coachman pointed at two luxurious looking town-houses, both sharing a wall. ¡°I didn''t expect them to be this close to the square... Could probably walk there in 2 minutes.¡± ¡°They''re for scholarship students, so that they''re close to the lecture halls or whatever.¡± Carrying the rest of their luggage with ease, he briefly escorted them to their front doors, dropping their luggage roughly onto the stone stairs with a grumble. ¡°Opening Ceremony is mandatory, starts midday. Main hall. Don''t be late.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. With a backhanded wave, the coachman climbed back into his seat, vigorously whipping the reigns and escaping into the streets at a dangerous speed.
¡°Our doors aren''t even half a meter apart! Shall we go inthen?¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Turning his key in the sturdy lock, the heavily reinforced door swung open with a soft groan. ''Holy hell, this is bigger than my house back on Earth!'' Peering in from the door, their mouths quickly fell open, awestruck at the luxurious room. A beautifully carved stone dining table stood to one side of the long room, a fireplace built into the wall along side it. Further up the back, a small kitchen was already filled with pots and pans, firewood piled high next to a pristine oven. Leaving their muddy boots on the tiled entrance, their feet sank comfortably into the dense carpet as they took furtive steps inside. Suzu excitedly flitted around the room, inspecting everything with an intense curiosity. ¡°Haru... It''s so good!¡± Haruki chuckled to himself, taking a moment to enjoy her excitement. ''We''ll have some good years here, I can feel it.'' ¡°Haru, race you to the top.¡± Not pausing for a moment, she sprinted upstairs with playful laughter echoing in her wake. With a shrug, He roared off after her, nearly collapsing as his eyes finally fell upon the bed. Suzu lay back, propped up by her elbows, back arched gracefully. With a mischievous smile, she beckoned him forwards with her finger. ''Not until we''re adults... Not until we''re adults...'' Haruki''s lust faded into sheer pleasure as he sank into the fluffy bed, wrapping his arms around her with a contented sigh. ¡°You could probably sleep an entire family in this bed... And it''s so damn comfortable!¡± ¡°Nn.¡± Suzu blushed, remembering back to what Ayako had whispered as they''d left. ¡°As much as I want to lie here all day, we still need to buy food...¡±
By the time the church bell chimed midday, Haruki and Suzu had already packed awaytheir shopping and were waiting awkwardly outside the main hall with a few hundred other children. ¡°Enter!¡± A powerful voice echoed from the hall as the doors burst open with a dull thud. Despite the chaos, they quickly found some empty seats near the back. An older lady, perhaps around 40, stood at the podium impatiently tapping her foot. She was rather plain looking, but her hazel eyes were gently and warm, while her voluptuous figure would steal the eye of most men. Her short, curly brown hair bobbed wildly as she stepped forward, clearing her throat. Her serene expression twisted into a fierce scowl as a small group of students kept talking. ¡°SILENCE, YOU NOISY LITTLE SHITS!¡± With her face quickly blossoming back into a pleasant smile, she began the orientation. ¡°Welcome to Touhama Academy, everyone! I''m the principal, Sumida Shiori. Firstly, I must inform you all that duels are prohibited on school grounds unless officially recognized and sanctioned. Please use the proper channels or you will be expelled at the very least.¡± Pausing for a moment to glare down at the crowd, hundreds of children simultaneously shivered. ¡°Lessons will start next week. Also, while we don''t mind you doing it sooner, you must graduate by the age of 20 at the latest. If you fail at that point, you''ll be asked to leave. After the orientation is over, you will be taken to choose your electives and sorted into classes. ¡± Haruki tuned out at this point. ''Orientation is the same everywhere, huh?Except for that part about duels...''
Shortly after it finished, they were all split off into smaller groups. After choosing their electives, they were herded into a small side room and forced to greet their classmates. Haruki and Suzu both introduced themselves rather bluntly when it came time. They weren''t there to make friends, but to learn, so they tried to create some distance. Giving off such a cold impression, rumours had already started to circulate. Most were convinced that they were arrogant nobles from a church family, deciding it was safer to just leave them be. ¡°Suzu-chan!¡± Haruki and Suzu both flinched, having both forgotten about the brat from the trials. ¡°Looks like you really came! Marvelous, shall we go eat lunch together after this?¡± Keishi gestured in the direction of town. ¡°I''m eating with Haru.¡± Keishi deflated slightly, but didn''t give up. ¡°I don''t mind if he joins us. Is he your guard?¡± Suzu shook her head. ¡°Fiance...¡± The chattering class fell silent as her words echoed painfully around the room. ¡°Did she say they''re married?¡± ¡°Maybe they''re lovers. Kyaa!¡± ¡°Lucky bastard...¡± ¡°Don''t be too sad, bro. Who cares about women anyway...¡± Haruki had a terrible premonition. Suzu had only recently hit puberty, but even at 11, she still held the graceful air of a lady. Her exotic features were beginning to mature, causing her to become lovelier by the day. To make matters worse, her chest and hips had started growing, so even her figure was beginning to attract a lot of lewd glances. ''I''ll have to watch that one in particular...'' Leaning close, he gently caressed Suzu''s face. With a serene smile, she lightly nuzzled against his palm, causing a few sudden nosebleeds to erupt among the girls watching. The teacher had completely given up on restoring order, leaning back with his feet up as hewatched, casually munching on an apple. ¡°F..Fiance?¡± Keishi glared at him, a flicker of hatred crossing his eyes. Without another word, he stormed off with a dark expression. Haruki let loose a relieved sigh as he watchedthe troublesome youth waddle away. ''Please don''t come back again... Please!?'' Chapter 15 - First Day (11th Year, AE) Haruki and Suzu were assaulted at the door by throngs of chattering children as they walked into the hall. Their interrogations continued for a few minutes, but an exasperated shout from the teacher quickly ended it. Thankful for the brief respite, they quickly settled into isolated seats near the back of the hall. Despite wanting to avoid such annoyances, they quickly became known across the entire school as ''The Noble Couple''. To the other students, they unknowingly radiated a cold aura of maturity and poise. With his initial moves failing miserably, Keishi seemed to have calmed down a bit. But even though he didn''t speak to them again, he was always glancing at Suzu. Haruki wanted to remove his eyes and set an example to the others, but Suzu halted him with a solid chop to the head. The first period was supposed to be Magical Theory, but his old textbook had already covered everything. Vacantly listening to the cumbersome drone, Haruki''s brain switched off. ¡°zZzZz...¡± THUD! ¡°Gack!¡± Haruki stood up, shocked awake by Suzu''s sudden elbow strike. Blinking twice as he noticed where he was, the teacher glared at him like a demon crawling up from hell. ¡°Since this one is sleeping, you must be confident in your abilities, yes?¡± ¡°Uh, yes Sensei. Apologies.¡± Haruki sat down in a daze as Suzu rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Thanks for the wake up, these textbooks always put me to sleep...¡± ¡°Nn...¡± ¡°Haruki-kun... Will you join me down here for a live demonstration please?¡± The teacher spoke up with a twisted grin. Haruki took a deep breath as he stood, casually walking down towards the teacher, showing no signs he was worried. ''Oh shit, I hope I don''t screw this up. ARGH! Stop looking at me, people! Fuck, fuck, fuck...'' Having the attention of the entire room was far scarier to him than dealing with wolves! ¡°Since you''re such a genius, Haruki-kun, I''ll be demonstrating a basic spell and you simply need to defend. Ready?¡± ¡°Oi, isn''t this just straight up abuse?¡± Finally limbered up, Haruki nodded sternly as he took a low, barehanded stance. ¡°Ready.¡± Even though he''d long since gotten used to sparring, this was slightly different. The teacher looked really pissed... The crooked old man stroked at his bushy white beard, thinking hard on how best to punish such an insolent child. ''Perhaps I''ll just scorch the arrogant bastard. He needs to learn how to respect a teacher... My flame will teach him quickly...'' Whipping his hand forwards with an elegant flourish, his dry, nasal voice rang out around the lecture hall. ¡°FIREBLAST¡± ''Perhaps that was too much? He''ll be ok, right? Shit...'' In his gnarled hand, a small, azure sun grew to the size of a basketball. With an ear-shattering CRACK!, it shot off towards Haruki at a speed beyond human comprehension. The students watching only saw a thick, blue beam shoot out from their teacher''s hand with a terrifying screech. A burst of scorching, azure flame devoured their fellow student before their eyes, sending many into a panic.
Adrenaline surged through Haruki''s body as his teacher spoke, sending his reactions into overdrive. For a moment, it was as if the world had slowed down around him. He uttered a single word through clenched teeth. ¡°Windstep¡± The entire classroom was silent. The students that were previously laughing at him, believing he was about to get a rightful beating, sat in stunned disbelief. Haruki was casually standing behind the teacher, rapier flickering with dark, purple energy. Feeling the cold blade pressed against his spine, the withered old mancollapsed to the floor, whimpering softly. ¡°Thank you for the lesson, Sensei.¡± Haruki sheathed his weapon casually, walking back up to his seat as if nothing had happened. Seated for only a moment, Haruki finally came down from the rush, shivering violently. Without a word, Suzu snatched his trembling hand into a firm grip, not letting go until after the lesson had ended. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The next lesson was his firstelective, Spell Crafting. Haruki had once read through a copy of ''The Beginner''s Guide to Spell Crafting.¡± and had been shocked to discover that he might actually have an aptitude for it. Completely recovered from his earlier state, Haruki listened intently as the soft, grandfatherly Sensei spoke at length about ''the divine crafting language''. Suzu was the one dozing off this time ¨C She had no real interest in spell crafting, she only wanted to be beside Haruki. Adjusting her head back slightly so the teacher couldn''t see her drooling, Haruki let out a soft sigh. The lesson covered mostly theory, but since it was their first day, the teacher had rented a single terminal to show to them. ¡°This terminal is expensive and rare, so we haven''t got our any of our own. Now would be a good time to look, if you''re interested in the Magical Sciences.¡± Haruki raised his hand so quickly that Suzu sat up, looking around in confusion. ¡°Sensei, could I please have a go? I''ve always wanted to try!¡± Seeing such vibrant enthusiasm, the teacher happily waved him down. ¡°Haruki-kun, do you have you any experience or should I talk you through it?¡± ¡°I''ve read a bit, can I just see what I can do?¡± The kindly old man shrugged. ¡°Just don''t create anything illegal... Or anything that would end the world...¡± Chuckling heartily at his own joke, he signaled for Haruki to begin. ''A master couldn''t make something like that even if he had a week... There''s no harm in him messing around.'' Nodding, Haruki eagerly poured his magic into the machine, booting it up. ''YES! It''s exactly like how I imagined it!'' A single line glowed white on the monochrome display.. Loading ¨C S.P.E.L.L. OS. Complete. Loading source: ''Light Mine''. Complete. With a bright flicker, a simple command line interface appeared, sending him into a brief choking fit. ''So it really does look like Java code!? Even the syntax is basically the same! I know my teacher used to brag that ''Java would run on almost anything'', but this is kind of insane...'' The spell''s source was only a few dozen lines of code at most. Haruki cackled to himself, his eye showing a glint of pure joy. He''d once tried a programming course in the old world. Even though he''d eventually dropped out due to his illness, Haruki''s skills were more than competent. Many of the other students would ask him for help while the teacher wasn''t around, since he had a knack for explaining things simply. Chakakakaka... Haruki''s hands breezed over the magical keyboard, which looked remarkably similar to the old world counterparts... ''The keys even pulse red... If I get enough time, I''ll see if I can change the colour...'' It was a simple enough matter to do minor tweaks to the existing spell''s code, so he decided to try something else. ''What about adding an element? It should be relatively easy, I just have to figure out the naming convention for the various elements... Wait, didn''t I hear something about light and dark exploding once?'' Hammering out another dozen lines of code, Haruki finally pressed the ¡°Craft Spell¡± button. Compiling Error: Line 14 ¨C Unknown variable. With a sheepish grin, he quickly replaced a letter and hit print once more. The teacher watched on with a look of reverence, but most of the class had grown bored, turning to chatter among friends. A mechanical voice screeched out from the small, stone terminal. ¡°Please set the name / command word of the new spell¡± ¡°Yin-Yang Minefield¡± ¡°Registered. Compiling and printing spell scroll: Yin-Yang Minefield¡± With a loud, dry cough, the machine ejected a large parchment onto the desk in a billowing puff of brown smoke. ¡°Thank you, Sensei. I''ve been wanting to try that for a long time.¡± Taking a moment to read the scroll, Haruki walked back to his seat, almost skipping with each step. You have learned the magic: Yin-Yang Minefield. This spell was crafted by Abe Haruki. 107 MP cost. Casts a dual element mine at a chosen location. (2m Radius) Light and dark energies are held in constant rotation by the opposing forces. If the shell is disturbed, the energy will destabilize and react, causing a devastatingly powerful explosion. Trigger mechanism does not distinguish between friend and foe. Friendly targets will not take damage from the explosion, however the concussive force will propel them! Suzu stared up at Haruki with a questioning look. ¡°Don''t worry, it''s just similar to something from Earth. I''m not a super genius or anything.¡± Hearing this, she calmed down immediately. Lately, she''d been struggling with a small inferiority complex. Having no chances to fight, she felt as if she was quickly getting weaker, while Haruki was constantly evolving his knowledge and techniques. ''No, I should be happy that he''s amazing. If I ever hold him back, then I''ll just train harder.'' As he finished reading the scroll, their teacher let out an exasperated sigh, sitting quietly for a moment with vacant eyes. ¡°Sensei, you''re welcome to give that spell to the school library, I''ve learned it already.¡±
That poor teacher''s name was Aurelius Primus. In his many years of life, he had never seen anyone work so assuredly and accurately on a terminal before. Most masters spent their entire lives investigating the secrets of the divine crafting language, while this first year had created an entirely new spell out of the basic spell he had added! Reading the spell description another time over, his face turned as white as a sheet. ''Using the reactive properties of the two energies to increase the yield? The headmaster needs to see this...'' Stumbling to his feet with a brief stagger, he addressed the class, voice cracking as he spoke. ¡°Free time until the end of the period, I have to leave for a while on business.¡± With the scroll hidden under his clothes, Aurelius sprinted from the lecture hall. ''This kid has the potential be dangerous...'' He burst into the principal''s office, not slowing down as he opened the door. Mustering the last of his energy, he weakly tossed the scroll onto her desk before collapsing into a wheezing lump of pure suffering. ¡°Aurelius, what is this?¡± she asked, looking up from her paperwork. ¡°Abe Haruki''s first unique spell... It''s...just look.¡± Unfurling the scroll, she started to read with a look of intense irritation. A few moments later, her expression changed to one of astonishment. ¡°The church cannot know of this. Please take the scroll to the forbidden vault and don''t mention this to anyone...¡± ¡°Is it that serious?¡± Aurelius came from a family that was devout to the church, so he had a rough idea, but seeing the principals reaction, he finally felt a sense of urgency take hold. ¡°Aurelius, please keep a close eye on Abe''s development. It seems things might get far more complicated, soon.¡± He bowed his head and retrieved the scroll, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he headed off on his new mission. ''A forbidden spell on his first attempt? Truly frightening...'' Chapter 16 - The Invitation (13th Year, AE) A few years had passed since Harui made his first ripples around the school. He and Suzu were always together, so they were mostly left alone by the other students. The two had grown slightly weary of the Academyin recent times. Spells were rare and expensive commodities, so they weren''t taught to the students unless a special case came up. The adventuring classes and combat training were helpful, but Haruki was completely underwhelmed by the rest. Keishi had quickly started talking to Suzu again, completely ignoring Haruki. He had been a little worried at first, since Keishi trimmed down as he hit puberty, steadily trading his paunch for tight muscles. Suzu, however, was greatly annoyed by his constant flirting. Haruki had once asked her if she wanted him to stop the boy but she shook her head, deciding to just blatantly ignore him. After classes finished, they would usually head over to the training halls, sparing with anyone they could find. It quickly became a daily ritual of theirs, never turning down an opponent, fighting day after day. Haruki''s skill with the rapier grew rapidly as he attempted to create his own style. Basing it around efficient and deceptive movements, he tested and introduced many smooth twists and flicks from other styles. Anything that worked, he would adapt and alter it until it fit him perfectly. He also discovered many useful tricks for controllinghis blade, allowing him to quickly change his angle of attack. ¡°Bow!¡± Haruki approached the starting mark, bowing to his opponent with a friendly grin. He was facing off against a 4th year student that he had recently become friendly with, Aihara Yuji. Yuji stood a head taller than Haruki, the rippling muscles showing off his years of hard work and training. His main weapon was a spear, but he was also quite strong with a sword. The two lowered into their stances as the judge yelled ¡°FIGHT!¡±, rushing at each other while drawing their swords. They struggled for a moment as their locking blades let loose a shower of sparks. Panting heavily as they pushed, the two briefly exchanged some friendly insults. ¡°All that muscle is slowing you down, eh Yuji?¡± ¡°I''ll smack you stupid like last week, Haru-kun. Don''t get too cocky!¡± Despite being younger, Haruki''s half barbarian blood had worked hard over the years. His lean muscles had strengthened into those of a man, easily stronger than an average gym-buff from his old world. Standing at 186cm, his well muscled body was large enough for him to be mistaken for a man twice his age. His straight brown hair had grown to below his shoulders, tied tightly by a blue ribbon Suzu had given him. It was a style reminiscent of naval captains from the pirate movies of his youth, but he''d always liked the look. Charging at each other again with loud yells, Haruki caught Yuji''s spear thrust with the flat of his blade, parrying it to one side. With a half pirouette, he danced around the side of the off-balance Yuji and firmly chopped at the top of his head with his open hand. ¡°Ahh, Haru-kun. You''re too damn slippery!¡± Yuji laughed as he rubbed at the small lump on his head. ¡°I learned from the best¡± he replied with a grin. Suzu, who had been watching from the side, gave some small applause as she scurried over to his side. ¡°My turn.¡± she said sheepishly, brandishing her polearm. Removing the cover with a soft flick of her wrist, a clear ringing sound sung out from the brilliantly shining blade. Even after all this time, the polearm still looked new. She was constantly polishing it, caring for it as if it were her own child. Suzu remembered back to when she''d first moved in with Haruki. She had been able to beat him so easily while sparring. But as they got older, Haruki adapted too quickly and was now constantly nipping at her heels. Haruki nodded to her, quickly moving over to his mark. Suzu was slightly awed as his long muscles stretched and flexed. He had started turning into a man before she''d even realized it. Her eyes were drawn to a drop of sweat, lazily sliding down his glistening chest. Suzu let out a soft squeak, spinning her polearm for a moment to hide her glowing face. Having calmed herself down, she firmly planted the butt of her weapon on the ground, coming to attention. ¡°After you, my lovely.¡± Haruki shifted his sword and daggerforward defensively, waiting for her move. Suzu nodded, shifting her weight onto her front foot as she thrust forwards. With Suzucalmly exploiting the extra range of her polearm, Haruki could only duck and weave as he waited for the right moment to strike. Parrying any blows he couldn''t dodge, Haruki circled, eyes constantly searching for an opening. Getting into the flow of the fight, Suzu chose to up the tempo. Stepping forwards with each attack, she unleashed a flurry of sweeping arcs, dancing elegantly asher weapon flashed around her. Each blow was powerful and overbearing, making it difficult to hold against. Taking a step back with each dodge, Haruki sighed in praise. ''She''s still getting even better every day. I need to keep up, I can barely get into range today!'' They exchanged blows back and forth for a while longer before both collapsing, back to back, in the center of the sparring circle. When they fought, it was almost as if they could feel each others next move. Each knew what the other was going to do simply by watching their eyes as they maneuvered. Comfortably exhausted, the two sat in their own little world for a moment as their heavy breathing rapidly returned to normal. ¡°You two are scary together, I couldn''t keep up!¡± Yuji remarked from the side. The three joked around for a few minutes more before more before heading off together towards the library. ¡°I''ll catch you at lunch tomorrow, Yuji!¡± ¡°Alright, I''ll see you then. Are you two still up for the weekend?¡± Yuji asked. He''d been planning a weekend trip to the river for a few weeks now. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Yeah, no worries, we''ll be there. Who else is coming, do you know?¡± ¡°Well, you and Suzu-chan for a start. Keishi will probably be there, since he''s coming with one of my other friends. I''ll make sure he doesn''t bother you though. The others are all friends from back home.¡± A feeling of annoyance rose in Haruki''s chest. While not a bad kid, Keishi''s single mindedness towards Suzu had been a constant frustration for the both of them. ¡°I can just castrate him...¡± Suzu said something scary, the two men shivering as they covered their groins. ¡°Uh, just let me deal with him...¡± Haruki retorted with a wince. He was worried she might actually do it, some day. They chatted idly for another few minutes before parting ways with Yuji and entering the library.
¡°Suzu-chaaaan!¡± a flowery, feminine voice filled the library, followed by a loud ¡°SHHHHHH!¡± During his first year, Haruki had been slightly troubled, since Suzu hadn''t found a single friend. While they were trying to act distant, he hadn''t intended on being complete loners. But one Elven child had latched onto Suzu immediately after their 2nd year. Liang Wen was a younger student, currentlyin her second year, but as she''d entered late, she wasn''t much younger than them. Her soft,purple eyes clashed violently against her straight blonde hair, but it also created a strange sense of incongruity within her childish face that only served to strengthenher charming looks further. Suzu and Wen were widely recognized as two of the top beauties in the school, so having the two around him every day only increased the looks of jealousy Haruki had to endure. Wen charged into Suzu with an excited squeal, burying herself into her petite chest. ¡°Wen-chan...¡± Suzu was stifling a smile, trying to remember the TPO as the librarians stared daggers. ¡°I''ll leave you two lovebirds alone... I have to speak with Principal Sumida, so I''ll back back soon, ok?¡± Suzu nodded, giving Haruki a bashful kiss on the cheek before waving him off and heading deeper into the library with Wen.
¡°Sit down, Haruki-chan. No need to be nervous.¡± Principal Sumida pointed to a large chair as she took her seat behind her large wooden desk. Quickly taking his seat,he sank deeply into the plush leather. ¡°Firstly, I just wanted to see how you were going. You are a scholarship student, after all.¡± Slightly suspicious, Haruki answered as expected. ¡°I''m learning lots, thank you, Sensei.¡± ¡°Haruki. I''ve read over your unique magicmany times now, I''m still shocked that you accomplished such a thing while so young...¡± ''Ahh, it''s about that? Guess I severely overestimated the average Spell Crafter''s knowledge...'' ¡°I had access to many books and lots of time, so I learned the basics at a young age.¡± He was keeping his answers slightly guarded, as he had no real knowledge of the woman''s personality or affiliations. ¡°You''re not in trouble or anything, quite the opposite. I wanted to offer you an opportunity for the future.¡± Swallowing heavily, Haruki simply nodded, eager to hear more. ¡°Come in, Grand Master.¡± Haruki''s head snapped around towards the door as he heard the title. ''A Grand Master? Here!? Now!? Huh!?'' Haruki started shaking. Grand Master''s were the top of the top 1%. They bowed to neither king nor church based solely on their own abilities. An elderly Elven man stepped into the room, his light blue robe flowing like water as he came to a halt beside him. Unconsciously, Haruki drew in a breath and held it for a moment. The powerful aura that filled the room was so potent that even an enraged beast would have immediately fled in terror. ¡°Haruki-kun, I am Grand Master Cho. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± Cho''s piercing gaze felt as if it were looking directly into his soul. ''Grand Master Cho!? As in THE Master Cho!?'' Haruki trembled uncontrollably as he turned to face him. ¡°Likewise, this one is humbled to meet the mighty Grand Master-dono.¡± Haruki was still terrible at remembering casual honourifics, but he certainly wasn''t going to show the slightest disrespect in the face of someone so powerful. ¡°It''s fine if you just call me Sensei, for now.¡± Haruki nodded, his whole body and mind utterly void of feeling. He sat there in silence for a moment, unable to together any words. ''Call me Sensei...? Opportunity? Wha...?'' ¡°Haru-chan, come in Haru-chan!¡± Principal Sumida said in a bright voice, awakening him from his stupor. ¡°I apologize, I was just startled by the sudden turn of events...¡± Haruki''s mouth still felt a little slack, but he straightened up and shook his head clear. ¡°I''m here to formally invite you to the SpellCrafting Guild. Once you graduate the academy, we would gladly offer you the honourary title of ''Special Master.'' I believe your skills currently qualify you for that much.¡± ¡°Special Master?! Sensei?¡± Haruki hadn''t learned much about the guild itself, so he wanted details. ¡°Ah, think of it as a freelance rank. You may use the equipment freely, but your actions will be logged for a brief trial period. Any spells you craft, the guild will keep the original, while you are allowed to make and sell single use copies of anything you make, as long as it''s deemed safe for public use. On paper, you will be apprenticed to me, but you will have status above the rest. I will offer you assistance any in training or materials you need. Occasionally, I''ll offer jobs if you wish to take them on. There''s some good money in it.¡± Haruki didn''t even take a second to think about it. He''d been considering joining them for a while and the contract was irresistibly lucrative. ¡°Sensei, I will gladly accept the position.¡± Haruki gave a low bow, going well beyond 90 degrees. Chuckling to himself over the excitable child before him, Grand Master Cho''s face brightened in relief. ''This child is going to be a handful, but that will just make it even more fun! What wonders will you show me, boy?''
Cho hadn''t taken on an apprentice in decades, even briefly considering retirement.But now he was excited, having found a worthy successor with talents that might already surpass his own. When he''d first received the scroll, he had thought he was being toyed with. He recognized most of the divine language as a basic light mine, but the many extra lines quickly caught his eye. ''How could a first year do this? This must be a joke...'' After a short beating, his aide assured him it had been hand delivered by Sumida Shiori herself, so his curiosity finally got the better of him. ¡°What bull-shittery is this!?¡± he first exclaimed, again questioning if he was somehow being made fun of. ''Yin-Yang Minefield? Using opposing energies to increase the yield, huh? This child can''t be a first year...'' Cho''s only cause for sadness was that there was no-one else in the world who could use this magic, comprised of both light and darkenergies. ''Smart kid, at least. He scammed himself a free top tier spell that no-one can use against him.'' Chuckling to himself, Cho quickly hurried over to meet with the Principal and investigate this strange child from the shadows.
At first, Cho wasn''t impressed. The boy seemed like a lout, always hanging out with a woman by his side. Days turned into weeks and his thoughts slowly changed. ''At least it''s the same one every time, perhaps he''s just loyal to her?'' Cho watched more and more, finally coming to see Haruki''s mind clearly. ''A strange child, who looks at everyone equally, constantly forgets honorifics and often looks bored. I''ve never once seen him raise his voice in anger.'' By the start of Haruki''s third year, Cho was finally convinced that he was the right choice, rushing off to add a unique ¡°Special Master¡± ranking to the guild. He had been long troubled, since the boy seemed to be traveling the path of an adventurer. ''If I let him keep his freedom...'' With the new rank in place, Cho smiled deviously to himself as he began writing the contract, finally completing step one of his plan to tie Harkui to the guild. ''Even if he leaves, with a contract this good, he will always come back to craft...'' Chapter 17 - First Blood ( 13th Year, AE) The weekend came quickly, but Haruki''s mind still hadn''t settled down. Suzu had jumped up in excitement when he''d first told her the news. ¡°You got an offer to join the guild?¡± Her mouth falling ajar as she spoke. ¡°Even apprentices are treated like nobles!¡± ¡°Nn. Special Master¡± he replied, puffing his chest out with pride. ¡°We can adventure freely and always have a fallback for money.¡± ''Not having to worry about money... It''s truly a good feeling.'' ¡°Haru, knock knock¡± Suzu lightly tapped on his head, interrupting his thoughts. Suzu was wearing a beautiful, light blue sun-dress that clung loosely to her feminine curves. It was something Haruki had bought on a whim while wandering around town, but it had since become one of her favourite things to wear. Wen and Yuji arrived shortly after, joining them by the west gate, talking excitedly amongst themselves. They were going to a wide section of river, further upstream, well known as a gathering spot for Academy students. After a noisy 10 minute walk along the dirt path, they arrived at the riverbank. It was a much nicer place for swimming than their old spot. Both banks had sandy beaches, covered in students and families with similar plans to escape the city. The water was deep and the current almost non-existant, so even poor swimmers could enjoy it. With Yuji waving frantically, they met up with another group of students, sitting down together for introductions. It was only a small group, but it was a close one. The two other girls introduced themselves as 4th year Umezawa Maki and Matsuda Tama. They were both slightly shy, but warmed up quickly towards Suzu and Haruki. The three other guys introduced themselves as well. One they already knew ¨C Nishikiri Keishi. Throughout the introductions, he had been stealing glances at Suzu whenever he thought no-one else was watching. ''I see you, you sly bastard... Good luck, you''ll need it to avoid Suzu cutting off your balls...'' The other two were both old friends of Yuji and Keishi. They had grown up together, so they had all formed a solid bond over the years. ¡°Yamakawa Hideyoshi¡± a tall Elven youth blurted out, followed by the last, ¡°Kanai Nobuo¡±. ¡°Now that''s done, let''s have some fun.¡± A cheer rose up from the group, causing many around them to look at them all strangely.
The girls split off, chatting noisily together while occasionally glancing over at the topless boys and cackling. ¡°Those girls...¡± Yuji grinned. ¡°Last one in the water is a first year reject!¡± The day continued on in peace, Haruki and Suzu both flirting at the drop of a hat. The girls thought it was adorable, often watching on while blushing and shouting ¡°Arara¡±. While the guys were all jealous, most students in the Academy had come to accept that the two were stuck at the hip and given up all hope. Keishi, however, had come to truly despise Haruki. At first, he was respectful and patient, but Keishi trained hard day after day, looking down on the slothful Haruki who always seemed to be napping or bored. ''I can easily beat him now. I''ll knock him down a level and win over Suzu''s heart. What''s so good about that lazy bastard anyways... Maybe he''s blackmailing her? I wouldn''t put it past him...'' The longer the day went on, the more and more his jealousy grew until finally, it popped like cork. ¡°Abe Haruki.¡± he said, standing with his bare chest out, attempting a manly pose. ¡°What...?¡± Haruki sighed to himself. ''This is going to be troublesome...'' ¡°I hear-by formally challenge you to a duel to the death for Suzu-chan''s hand in marriage!¡± At this point, his voice was so loud that everyone surrounding them could hear. Students started whispering and staring, awaiting the response with baited breath. ¡°Um, no? Firstly, it''s up to Suzu who she marries. Secondly, it sounds troublesome....¡± Haruki offhandedly remarked, shaking his head. Keishi''s face turned purple at the insult. ¡°If you run like a coward, I will simply ask her father to sell her to me... I hear he''s constantly short on money...¡± and he followed up with an evil grin. Suzu''s face drastically changed beside him and Haruki took note. He squeezed her hand gently and put his other up to her cheek. Turning her face towards him, he kissed her passionately on the lips. Everyone, including Suzu for a moment, were staring awkwardly. As their mouths parted, a thin bridge of saliva snapped, causing a single sparkle in the afternoon light. ¡°Oi, Haruki you shit!¡± Keishi had nearly drawn his weapon, he was so furious. Haruki turned back, staring daggers at Keishi. ¡°You said to the death?¡± Keishi hesitated, suddenly feeling a wave of terror clutch his body. ¡°I''ve said so already. What of it?¡± ¡°Then I GLADLY accept your challenge. Is tomorrow a suitable day for your death?¡± Haruki had started growling at this point. ''Gathering information on her family? I won''t forgive it... I need to test myself with live combat eventually anyway. I need to know if I will hesitate...'' Suzu squeezed his hand gently, face paling as his words. ¡°Haruki...¡± ¡°It''s fine, I won''t lose to that fuck...¡± He quickly took her hand in his, kissing the back gently to assure her. ¡°Nn...¡±
News of the duel quickly spread. More than half the student body had heard about it from those who had been there, while the staff quickly waved the paperwork through, eager to see a duel. They had become increasingly rare in recent years, as most of the military men had been sent off to train and prepare for war.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Duels to the death were even more uncommon, but the right itself was enshrined in the laws of both God and country. It might be a waste of talent, but that''s simply how it was and no-one dared challenge it. Keishi had stormed off afterwards, everyone else choosing to stay behind at the river. ¡°Haruki-kun... What happened between you two?¡± Maki asked, bewildered. She had known Keishi a long time and had never seen him that angry before. ¡°He''s just a fool who''s infatuated with someone he can''t have...¡± he sighed back in response. After explaining everything, the group finally understood what had just occurred. ¡°Still, of all things, to go after your fiance? I always knew he was a baka...¡± Miki and Tama both looked worried and slightly sick. ''Ahh, I forgot about them. In their eyes, nothing good can come from this. They lose either an old friend or a new one.'' As if sensing his uneasiness, Suzu hugged him from behind. This would be his second time in mortal combat, including the wolves, but it was his first time fighting another human. His mind raced, attempting to face the cold reality of his choice. ''I will kill a person tomorrow...'' Once the adrenaline and anger wore off, he''d noticed he was actually quite scared. He put on a brave face that managed to fool the others, but Suzu immediately noticed it in his eyes. The atmosphere quickly grew heavy, so they all started marching sullenly towards Touhama.
Suzu held onto Haruki''s arm quietly as they walked back, only responding if he called to her by name. Even when she did respond, her answers were shorter than usual. She was absolutely terrified of the duel. Haruki had never been in a proper battle, while she had already experienced it many times. Suzu mainly worried that he might hesitate at a critical moment and be struck down, something that she had seen often from inexperienced fighters. And despite being fully prepared for it, her first battle had left her with nightmares that haunted her even now. Haruki waved goodbye to their new friends at the square, dragging Suzu towards home so he could prepare their dinner. Suzu rarely used her own house, usually only returning to sleep. Every other hour of the day, she lived along side Haruki. ¡°Haruki...¡± she started, not knowing what else to say. ¡°I''m ok, Suzu.¡± he tried to reassure her, but his voice wavered a little. ¡°It had to happen eventually. I won''t let someone threaten you with slavery and live...¡± His eyes had grown a dark look, Suzu instinctively flinching back from the bloodlust he was radiating. It was her first time ever seeing him so angry. Haruki had managed to guess enough about her past over the years, seeing Suzu often tighten up at the mere mention of her father. He understood that the man was a fearful presence for her, but he just wasn''t sure why. Thinking back on Keishi''s words again, another few pieces finally clicked into place. Suzu''s eyes brimmed with tears asshe jumped into Haruki''s chest, sobbing loudly. ¡°Please don''t die... Hic!¡± she mumbled into his chest. Wrapping his arms around her slender back, Haruki held her until she calmed down, smoothing her hair gently with one hand. ¡°I won''t.¡± Kissing her tenderly on the edge her lips, he deftly scooped her up in his thick arms and carried her inside. ¡°Let''s eat, Suzu.¡± ¡°Nn.¡±
Neither of them slept well that night. Haruki managed to get a few hours of rough sleep, but many anxieties lurked in the depths of his mind. ''Can I even do it? I''ve only ever hit someone in anger once... And he really deserved it... I mean, Keishi kind of deserves it too, but death? That''s a little much... Perhaps I shouldn''t have given into his provocations... But he did threaten Suzu...'' The sun eventually rose, despite the wishes of Suzu. They met up with Yuji and Wen over breakfast, but the table was tense and their conversations were brief. The entire town seemed to have been overcome by a fever since the challenge, people constantly walked up to them asking various questions. Duels to the death were exceptionally rare, requiring a noble from the church to initiate them, so even the shops and stalls would likely close early to watch. Finishing their breakfast, the two hurried off to prepare.
The crowdspoke in hushed, excited tones as Haruki entered the arena, many people placing bets on the outcome of the duel. Large white pillars and archways were dotted around the grandstands encircling the dirt ring, briefly reminding him of the Roman Colosseum. ¡°Quiet!¡± An elderly priest walked forwards ¡°I am Bishop Quintis, I will be acting as arbitrator of this duel. Opponents, step forward and bow.¡± Haruki''s heart and stomach both tried to escape his body as he heard those words. Thousands of students and townsfolk had entered the arena to watch the spectacle and the atmosphere was quickly turning into a frenzy. ¡°I''ll be right back, Suzu.¡± ¡°Nn. Win.¡± Haruki stepped forward to his mark, drawing his long-sword and dagger as he attempted to calm his breathing. ¡°I won''t kill you right away... instead, I''ll make you suffer...¡± Haruki growled through clenched teeth, causing Keishi to flinch back. They bowed briefly and the entire arena descended into heavy silence. ''Fuck me, I feel like I''m about to pass out...'' Haruki struggled to control his shaking hands and ragged breathing, fear almost taking over his mind. ¡°I need to be able to do this to stand by Suzu in the future. I won''t be any good if I show mercy to my enemies...¡± Crouching into a low, guarded stance, Haruki stepped in carefully and swung his sword in a flat arc, attempting to get a read on his opponent. Keishi caught his blade, parrying back with a solid hit and sending a small tingle into Haruki''s hand. The two each took a step back, circling gently around the arena with locked eyes. ''He''s almost as strong as me in sword play, he must have grown up training daily. I might have to use magic to end this.'' As if having the same thought, Keishi started to channel his strongest spell, Inferno. It was normally a level 30 spell, but his was a modified version that had been in the family for generations. He smiled devilishly as he felt the mana building in his hands, while Haruki simply stood there, as if waiting to receive the attack. ''This fool won''t even know what hit him... Does he not know I''m casting?'' ¡°INFERNO!¡± Haruki let out a bellowing roar as clouds of gaseous white flame materialized around him. KABOOM! The floor shook and everyone in the arena stood silent as an explosion ripped through the spot Haruki had been standing moments ealier. He seemed to have been completely devoured by the vicious pillar of fire. Splash... plop. Keishi stopped smiling and looked down, horrified, as his intestines spilled out onto the floor. ¡°Die slowly...¡± Haruki growled from behind him. As if his spine were severed, Keishi fell limply to the ground, frantically trying to scoop the muddied viscera back into his torso. The crowd was silent as Haruki walked out of the arena, lost in his own mind, sword dragging on the ground behind him. He went over it again and again in his mind as he wandered forward aimlessly. The feeling of the knife entering Keishi''s stomach. The sensation of tearing flesh and organs against the back of his blade. He had predicted Keishi would likely switch to magic, so he''d simply waited, using Windstep at the last moment ashis enemy was distracted and drunk on his easy ''victory''. However, Haruki hadn''t predicted the intense shock that shut down his body. Haruki threw up violently, his breakfast splashing across the stone corridor. Falling back against the wall, he slid to the floor, tucking his knees tightly into his chest as he sobbed frantically.
The whole arena was quiet, except for the fast fading screams from Keishi. His movements grew slower and slower as he whimpered, before quietly passing with a final, terrified shiver. Suzu''s mind flared back to life as she watched the boy bleed out before her. ''Haruki...'' She had noticed him walking off, but her mind had barely registered it at the time. She remembered back to her first battle and how badly it had shaken her soul, so she immediately charged after him. Her heart wasn''t ready to see him hugging his knee''s and weeping. ''Ah, he got hit far worse than I did... '' Feeling a strange mix of both sadness and pride, she sat down next to Haruki and held him to her chest until he had calmed down enough to talk. ¡°sniff... Thanks...¡± ¡°Nn...¡± ¡°Sorry you had to see me like this.¡± ¡°It''s fine. I spent a week in my room after my first battle.¡± ¡°Let''s go home. I feel like hammered shit...¡± Haruki stood up, wobbling slightly as Suzu took his arm. They quickly made it home but the staircase seemed to stretch on forever as they climbed. Normally, Suzu would have gone home, but she didn''t have the energy. Collapsing onto Haruki''ssoft bed, they both fell into a deep, unsatisfying sleep plagued by constant nightmares. Chapter 18 - Aftermath (13th Year, AE) Suzu and Haruki took a week off school to help heal the scars from his first kill. He was constantly lost in his head, reliving the tearing sensations as if were happening all over again. He got little sleep from the nightmares and even lost his appetite, not eating for a few days. Suzu waited for him patiently, always nearby. Truthfully, Suzu''s presence probably helped him the most. Haruki wasn''t sure if he could''ve handled the guilt by himself. Suzu kept him distracted with stories from her time as a warrior, of all the rough times she''d been through and how there would be many more to come. This sobered him up the most and, in the end, his brain boiled the chaosdown to a simple question. ''Do I give in to cowardice and hide behind Suzu forever? Or do I accept it, live with it and fight by her side?'' When Harukiasked himself that question, his mind snapped back intoto order. He squashed down all thenegative emotions withsimple, raw determination to stand beside the woman he loved. Haruki''s hesitation towards violence had been deeply embedded in his heart for many years, but now, it had vanished. By the time their leave of absence came to an end, Haruki was mostly back to his old self. He still had frequent nightmares, but his conscience had been fully squared away.
In the wake of the duel, everyone in the school started referring to Harukias ¡°Windblade¡±. No-one knew who exactly came up with the name, but it circulated quickly throughout the Academyand eventually the entire town knew the name. On the day they returned to class, most of the students looked at him in either terror or awe as they walked into the lecture hall. The boys were respectful and short with their answers, while the girls would often look over and giggle, turning away to chatter about something or another when his eyes caught their gaze. Even the teachers handled him carefully, calling him ''Haruki-san''. Most who had seen the duel still shuddered, remembering the sounds of tearing flesh and splashing gore. Haruki and Suzu were quite happy about the extra space, since they needed tocatch up on all the work they''d missed.
That afternoon, Haruki managed to get his hands on an encyclopedia in the Library using his newfound notoriety. They were normally always checked out, since such a book was rather valuable, but he''d been allowed to borrowa spare.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Turning to the geography page, eager to see a map, Haruki finally laid his eyes on the world he now inhabited. ''It''s a fucking DONUT!? Are you kidding me!?'' According to the book, the continent was almost perfectly circular. In the middle, there was a massive in-land sea with a single island, labeled ¡°The Holy Citadel¡±. His country was currently listed as ¡°The Epimethean Theocracy¡±, or Epimethia for general use. It was in the north-western quarter of the continent. There were another 3 countries listed, each taking up their own quarter, with massive mountain ranges creating theborders. ''I swear, the more I see, the more suspicious this whole thing becomes. Whoever made this worldhad no skill in map design...'' The Elven country in the south-west, Yanshou, held the many Beastmen tribes as well. A large part was covered in dense forest and jungles, but they seemed to mostly be further south. In the north-east lay the Barbarian and Dwarven lands of Stonehaven, the birth-place of his father. The biggest enigma was the country to the south-east. It was simply labeled as ¡°Forbidden Zone¡± and even the tunnels through the mountains had been sealed off. Despite searching around for another few hours, Haruki could find nothing more about it. Rushing over to check out the book, Haruki smiled to himself. Jogging home, he instantly buried his nose in the large tome. ''Sweet, time to get more answers!''
Pope Decius Augustus the 5th sat at his large wooden desk, massaging his temples while reading a recent report. ''Completely disemboweled in a single move? Appeared behind him in an instant?'' Decius felt a slight shiver as he scanned over the report again. ''Truly a shame... Hasn''t stepped foot in the cathedral once... Displays no reverence towards the church... If I can''t make him loyal, then we''ll have to move forward as planned.'' ¡°Attend me.¡± A young priest walked in nervously. ¡°Your Holiness, how may I do your bidding?¡± ¡°Tell Cardinal Romulus that I expect him to have a follow up plan if his first doesn''t succeed.¡± The priest paused for a moment, puzzled. ¡°Your Holiness, have you had a premonition about the boy?¡± Waving his hand dismissively, Decius grunted as he turned back towards his paperwork, irritated over being questioned by a mere messenger. ¡°Tell Romulus that I''m simply being cautious. Now go.¡± The priest bowed as low as his waist would allow, scurrying off to find the Cardinal.
Cardinal Romulus was sitting in his office, grumbling to himself. It was quite late, but just as he was finishing up the last of his paperwork, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. ''Why now? I was about to go for some tea...'' ¡°Come in...¡± The door opened as an exhausted priest poked his head in meekly. ¡°Orders from his Holiness ¨C He asked that you have a backup plan ready when the time comes, in case your original one doesn''t work out. He urges caution.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes, Cardinal.¡± ¡°You may leave¡±. Turning his head back to his paperwork, Romulus sighed again, exhausted from therecent work load. ''Fine then, I''ll bring a full cohort. 200 regular soldiers ought to be enough for the first wave, but perhaps I''ll double the paladins in the second... Maybe I should ask Brother Brutus for a few more priests to be safe? 400 men should be enough.'' Briefly writing himself a memo, he stood with a stretch, groaning as his tired body moved for the first time since lunch. ''Back to the important things...'' With a slight skip in his step, Romulus hummed happily to himself as he scampered off towards the kitchen. Chapter 19 - Graduation (15th Year, AE) Haruki and Suzu continued to study alone, becoming even more isolated after the duel. Younger students scurried out of their way, while others were too terrified to speak when asked even the simplest of questions. Wen was the only one who didn''t seem to bothered by the whole ordeal, so they were together most days. The three often met up at the main square, chatting idly as they snacked on sweets. Yuji and the others had all distanced themselves since Keishi''s death. Haruki couldn''t blame them for it since he did kill their oldest friend, but it didn''t hurt him any less. Both eager to leave the Academy, Haruki and Suzu studied hard with their hearts set on graduation.
It was halfway through Haruki''s fifth year and, more importantly, finally time for his day of ascension. He had been going home often enough, since it was only a short walk, but for such an important event, he had decided to stay for a few nights. His father had recently returnedfrom his travels too, so he was looking forward to sparring with him once again. ¡°I''ll be back within the week, Suzu.¡± Haruki originally wanted her to come along, but she was in the middle of special training withher naginata. Neither of them wanted to interrupt it after she''d worked hard to find someone with the necessary skills. ¡°Nn.¡± She pouted, still half tempted to chase after him. They shared a brief kiss goodbye before Haruki released her and took a step back. Haruki nodded once and jogged off with a backhanded wave. Suzu felt completely alone as her eyes finally lost track of him in the crowd. ''Be safe, Haru.''
Haruki walked along the western road accompanied by a wave of warm nostalgia. ''Ahh, this is where it all began. This is where I met Suzu, That''s where we nearly died that time. I met that weirdo goddess too. Wonder what she''s up to these days?'' The gate let out a brutal, grinding shriek as Haruki closed it behind him, sending Ayako racing out from the house with joyful tears streaming down her face. ¡°Haru-chaaaan!¡± She tackled Harukito the ground, pulling him into her smothering bosom so tightly that his shoulder popped painfully. ¡°Gack. Okaa-san, I''m glad to see you too... But I can''t breathe.¡± Releasing him, she reflexively apologized before exclaiming ¡°Welcome home!¡± with an angelic look. ''It''s good to be home... When did that even happen, anyway? When did this become home and not Earth, I wonder?'' Earth was just a distant memory in his mind now. He sometimes even had trouble remembering what his old parents looked like. The only remaining desire from that time was the urge to game. ''I wonder what my ping would be like from another universe? Probably no worse than the average Australian internet connection...'' He followed his mother inside, happily chatting to her about Suzu. Finally hearing his voice, Ketrel charged out of the kitchen, wrapping him up in yet another vicious embrace with a mighty roar. ''I''m going to be thinner after this visit... And deaf.'' The three quickly caught up over lunch, eating heartily as they laughed at Ketrel''s stories. But despite the mood being comfortable and joyous, Haruki still felt a small pang of loneliness. ''I wish Suzu could have been here for this....'' During their luxurious dinner, Ketrel offered Haruki his ''first'' beer. Haruki chugged it down with a loud belch, earning himself a roar of approval from his father as Ayako rolled her eyes. He wasn''t overly fond of drinking in the past, but that was mostly because it cost too much to even get him buzzed. While his new body was somewhat different, it seemed to have his strong constitution towards alcohol. Ketrel proudly slapped him on the back. ¡°Your first drink. And you''ve already had your first kill. By every measure but one, you''re a man.¡± ¡°Now for you to become a father...fufufu¡± Haruki winced at the critical strike. Their raucous celebrations continued until late, wrapping up shortly after midnight. In a half tipsy stupor, Haruki collapsed onto his old bed and fell into a deep sleep, too exhausted to remove his clothes or weapon belt.
¡°IN THE NAME OF EPIMETHEUS AND THE CHURCH, OPEN THE DOOR!¡± Haruki was jarred awake by a heavy pounding below him. Peeking through the window, his heart sank as he discovered the source of the noise. ''What the fuck!?'' There were around 30 soldiers standing in lines by the front door, all bearing the insignia of the Church. A few priests were intermixed, but he counted no more than a few at first glance. What made his heart quake was further off in the distance... ''Is that... They must have sent at least half a cohort! Why would they send over 200 soldiers to our house?'' As Haruki peered down from the window, Ketrel answered the door with a violent look on his face. ¡°What do you want? We''ve broken no laws, so just fuck off.¡± ¡°The Church has issued a declaration. The occupants of this house are to be held for questioning in regards to the usage of blood magic and multiple darkness affinities.¡± Ketrel stiffened up. Ayako had been born into an old clan, hidden away and long forgotten by the world. At the cost of their own blood, they could greatly empower spells or control the minds of others. While the ability was rare, it was one of the few big taboos of the Church. ''How the fuck did they find out?! We haven''t even told our own son yet!'' ¡°We''ve done nothing wrong, so I will again tell you to kindly fuck off or I''ll MAKE you fuck off...¡± A burly, middle-aged soldier took a cautious step forward with his hands raised, attempting to defuse the situation.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Rhino. You''re well respected in Touhama. Don''t do anything rash and I''m sure you can just talk it out with the Church. You''ll probably just get released in a few days.¡± ¡°You fucken'' kidding me? You think my head''s soft? You don''t bring an entire fucken'' army to escort someone for questioning...¡± he roared, slamming the door shut in the soldier''s crestfallen face. With a slow, well trainedmovement, Ketrel silently unsheathed his blades. Ayako was standing by his side, anxiously glancing up towards Haruki''s room. ¡°Dear, we can''t falter now. That''s as good as giving up Haruki ourselves...¡± Ketrel nodded. ¡°Seems we have a rough battle ahead, my love.¡± She smiled back at him with a furious passion smoldering in her eyes. ¡°Just like old times...Fufufu.¡± He pulled Ayako into a deep kiss, both of them lingering in silence for a moment. ¡°Ketrel, dear, could you get the door please?¡± With a nod, he charged towards it with a lowered shoulder, shattering the thick wood outwards in a rain of splinters. ¡°YAAARRRRGGGHHHH!¡± Two mighty blades erupted from the debris, slicing a few men in half. Their bodies separated at the waist with a wet grinding sound, sending the survivors into a panicked retreat as the giant Barbarian sauntered towards them. Painted red in the blood of their comrades, he sneered down at their backs as he roared. ¡°Windstep.¡± Ketrel teleported a short distance forward, slicing into the rear of the retreating formation like butter. ¡°Call the paladins!¡± a shout rose up from a nearby priest. Shink. His head fell to the ground in a spray of dark, arterial blood. ¡°PILUM!¡± A wave of spears darkened the sky as the soldiers let loose a volley. Ketrel teleported even closer with a crazed look in his eyes. Keeping to the edge of the formation, he circled around them cautiously. Seeing a moment to strike, he stepped in and thrust his blade intoa priest''s throat before quickly stepping back again. Ayako watched on with a face that would scare even a demon. A sinister, twisted smile formed on her lips as she raised her arms above her head with open palms. ¡°Blood moon.¡± The sky grew dark as a river of blood floated towards her, coalescing into a pulsating crimson orb between her hands. As it absorbed more of the surrounding blood, it quickly grew in size. After it reached the size of a small car, Ayako flicked it towards the soldiers with a loud shout. ¡°Now!¡± Ketrel appeared beside her as the orb burst violently over the remaining soldiers. Red rain washed over the men, but their fear quickly turned to laughter and jeers as they looked around in confusion, seemingly undamaged. ¡°Epimethus is stronger than any cursed blood magic! Charge them!¡± Their light mood quickly shifted into horrified screamsas chunks of flesh began falling from their bodies, many soldiers staying conscious as their organs and flesh liquified. Not even a minute passed before their last dying groans subsided, leaving behind only a fleshy red mud puddle. A single priest sobbed up at them from the mess of flesh, having somehow survived losing his limbs and most of his lower abdomen. ¡°Please... Don''t... Kill...¡± Ketrel ran over, callously lopping his head off with a cold sneer. ¡°Was that it?¡± ¡°Don''t raise any flags, dear...¡± Ayako smiled back stiffly, shaking slightly at the knee. Her magic was overwhelmingly powerful, but it used up a large amount of her own life-force. She could risk another 2 or 3 big spells, but beyond that, she would be in danger of dying. Seeing the fragile state of his wife, Ketrel quickly returned to her side, planting one sword tip into the ground beside him. A loud roar in the distance gained their attention. ¡°Oh fuck me... Paladins... That priest wasn''t kidding, eh?¡± Ketrel gripped his wife''s hand gently, giving it a reassuring squeeze. At least 100 paladin''s were currently forming into a long line at the top of a distant hill. ¡°Who''d have thought they''d be this angry? First they start a war, now they''re attacking citizens with elite units?¡± Letting go of her hand, Ketrel pulled his sword from the ground with a serious look crossing his tired face. ¡°Shall we, then?¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± They both took up a defensive stance, preparing for the next wave.
Haruki had been watching on dumbfounded ashis parents erased hundreds oflives as if they were nothing but ants. Snapping from his daze atthe sudden silence, Haruki realized he needed to help. Grabbing the bow that had been hanging on his wall for as long as he could remember, Haruki prepared himself for battle. ''Only 3 arrows... Shit. I hope this bow isn''t decorative... Please don''t snap on me, Okaa-san would kill me if I broke you...'' Haruki ran outside, still tightening the straps on his leather armour. His gaze immediately met his father''s wild eyes. Ketrel was surrounded on all sides by paladins of the Church. Bleeding, broken and out of mana, he roared furiously ashis attacks steadily grew slower. Theyhad taken up a perfect encirclement around him, using their shields as a wall to keep him trapped while spears stabbed into him from all directions. Ayako had already collapsed by the front door, pale faced and unable to move. Another sharp pain pierced his shoulder as Ketrel turned back towards the house for a moment and roared. ¡°Ayako, please. Use it now. I''ll see you again soon, my love.¡± Ignoring the dozen or so spears impaling his body, he bellowed out across the battlefield. ¡°Devour my flesh and destroy my enemies!¡± Ayako nodded back, sobbing as she choked out her final spell. Haruki had a sudden realization. ''That''s the look of someonewho knows they''re about to die...'' ¡°Nooo...¡± Haruki growled, hatred stirring in his soul. With each wound his father took, his own heart trembled wildly. Haruki fired his first arrow, missing wildly. The next two shots were no different. His shaking hands refused to let him fire accurately. With a furious howl, Haruki drew his long-sword and dagger, sending the bow back into his ring. Charging to the fray, Haruki was stopped in his tracks by a strange, ethereal howl risingfrom his father. Ketrel''s eyes were burning with a fiery energy, his entire body engulfed by a pillar of brilliant purple flames. Vicious waves of dark energy crashed out from his body, leaving nothing in their wake but scattered ashes and scorched earth. ¡°Fall back!¡± One of the remaining paladins screamed as the roaring pulsations reached a brutal crescendo. KABOOM! Haruki was blown away, sent tumbling across the ground by the massive shock wave. ¡°Haru-chan. Run!¡± Ayako screamed weakly from somewhere behind him, waking him up from aconcussed daze. Haruki''s mind cleared as he chanted to himself. ''No hesitation. Kill the enemies. Kill... Kill...'' Only a dozen or so paladins had survived the blast, while only a single priest remained. Haruki charged towards the wickedly grining priest. As he appeared beside him, the priest raised his hand towards him with a cold sneer. ¡°Thor''s Hammer!¡± He shouted his spell seconds before Haruki''s blade entered his throat. Haruki''s mind barely registered a sound behind him, but he was lost in an absolute rage, mind focused only on killing those who had murdered his father. Without regard to his mana, he quickly slaughtered his way through the survivors. A pained, animalistic scream unconsciously escaped his throat as he finally stabbed the two remaining paladins through their visors, twisting both blades in their eye-sockets with a sickening crunch. Breathing heavily and completely drained, Haruki slumped down onto the stinking, muddied ground. ¡°Okaa-san. I avenged Otou-san...¡± The silence was piercing. ¡°Okaa..¡± Haruki finally looked back over his shoulder and saw his house, burning. There was dark patch on the grass, as if it had been struck by lightning. ¡°No...¡± In the middle of the burnt patch, there was a smoldering body. ¡°ARRRRGH!¡± Haruki''s stood rigidly, mouth open and unable to look away from the smoking corpse of his mother. His ear''s tingled, drowning out all sounds with the rushing of blood, while his vision faded out into a painfully bright white. Turning awaywith stiff, jerky movements, Haruki staggered off absently towards Touhama. A single thought revolved over and over in his head. ''Kill them all...''
¡°I''ve come for graduation.¡± Haruki''s cold, gravelly voice rung out around the small dojo. ¡°Are you joking? How old are you, around 15?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In order to pass, you have to show off an adequate level of ability. If you fail to impress me, you won''t get to try again this year. Are you sure you want to go ahead?¡± Haruki growled back. ¡°Yes¡±. With an annoyed sigh, the teacher checked the list and, sure enough, Haruki Abe was listed as ''awaiting examination''. He had submitted the application shortly before going home, intending to graduate at the end of the year with Suzu. With a slight frown, the man grumbled and pointed towards a small arena on the other side of the room. ¡°Go ahead then, show me what you''ve got.¡± Haruki nodded, turning his back to the teacher for a moment. He muttered a few words and turned back with a blank expression. ¡°Done.¡± The teacher looked at him with a scowl of disbelief. ¡°Eh? You haven''t even moved into the ring...?¡± Haruki snatched up a small paper-weight from the desk, tossingit backhandedly towards an empty part ofthe polished, hard-wood floor. A massive explosion sent wood debris raining down over everything in the room. When the smoke settled, an entire wall of the building was missing, along with most of the ceiling and floor. ¡°P...Pass...¡± Haruki nodded sternly, marching out of the exam room without another word. ¡°Monster... I''ve met a monster!¡± The examiner let out a heavy sigh as he eyed the damage. Chapter 20 - Rising Sun (15th Year, AE) Suzu had been without Haruki for a few days now and the loneliness was quickly getting to be unbearable. ''If Wen wasn''t here, I probably would have chased after him by now...'' Suzu was relaxing on Haruki''s bed when she heard a door slam and footsteps below. ¡°Haru...ki?¡± Rushing downstairs with an excited smile, she burst into the room with a shout. ¡°Haruki!¡± She spotted her lover, but quickly stopped in her tracks. Her heart grew heavy as she stepped closer to his kneeling form, her breath vanishing as she finally met his eyes. So much pain poured out from them that she nearly burst into tears. ¡°What happened!?¡± ¡°Parents... Dead... Church...¡± Haruki finally broke down, his whole body shaking as he sobbed in Suzu''s arms. The two stayed there until evening, eventually passing out together on the floor from emotional exhaustion.
They both woke up stiff and sore as the sunlight crept in through a window. While they were both still emotionally spent, Haruki''s mood had turned slightly less hopeless. With an exhausted voice, he broke the silence. ¡°I''ve graduated already, I''ll be heading out soon to join the Adventurer''s guild.¡± Suzu almost coughed up blood. ¡°When? You didn''t tell me?¡± ¡°Yesterday, before I came here. I... have nothing left except for you, now. We need to start saving. The coins I have in my ring won''t last long.¡± ¡°I will join you.¡± Haruki shook his head with a pained expression. ¡°Complete your training and graduate. By then I should be ready and you will be too. I''ll be doing some jobs around the area while I gather information, so I won''t be too far away. I''ll sneak back here when I can.¡± ¡°No, I''ll go.¡± Suzu pouted, firmly planting her foot down in a huff. Haruki sighed, his tired expression softening slightly. ¡°Please. I don''t want to drag you into this yet. I''m only going to find information and a place for us to hide, so it won''t be too dangerous. For now, you''ll be safer here than beside me.¡± he said, pulling her into a tight hug and whispering softly into her ear. ¡°We can tear down them down together when I return. I want you to stay alive... Promise me you''ll speak to Principal Sumida or Master Cho if you''re in any danger.¡± Suzu finally nodded, melting into his embrace as her stubbornness wavered. ¡°Nn...¡± They spent a few more minutes talking before Haruki quickly kissed her goodbye. The Church would likely still be looking for him, so he didn''t want to put Suzu at any more risk than he already had. ''At least in Touhama, she''s somewhat protected...'' Haruki''s thoughts were racing 100 miles a minute as he stepped out onto the street. The sheer chaos bouncing around inside his head sent him wandering aimlessly for a few minutes. ''Adventurer''s Guild, right.'' With a quick stride, he walked off towards the guild hall.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Haruki shouldered open the heavy iron-bound door, a single memory flooding back to him as he walked inside. He took a moment to look around the packed hall, remembering the first time he''d come here with his father. With a tear coming to his eye, Haruki let loose a loud bellow as his father had done before him. ¡°Bwaaaaahahahaha!¡± His heart wasn''t in it, but he felt a small peace creep into his mind as he laughed. Ignoring the puzzled stares from the other adventurers, Haruki walked up to the reception desk. ¡°My name is Shun, can I help you?¡± A young male Elf stood behind it, his handsome face revealing an intense boredom. ¡°I''m registering a party.¡± Haruki grunted back. ¡°Ok, fill out these forms, please present identification when asked.¡± ¡°I only graduated yesterday, so it may not have come through yet.¡± ¡°It''s fine, I''ll check later.¡± Shun casually waved him off as he turned away, absorbed in drawing strange scribbles on a scrap of paper. Collecting the paperwork with a brief bow, Haruki sat down at a vacant table to get started. ¡°Hou, if it isn''t little-rhino?¡± a rough voice from behind caused him look up from his table. A thuggish looking man was standing arrogantly, a grotesque expression on his pockmarked face. ¡°I heard he got himself toasted by the church, the old fool.¡± He laughed, obviously trying to provoke a response. Haruki ignored him, remembering back on a story Ketrel had once told him about an ugly man with a grudge against him. ''Wasn''t this guy called Deme... something? Whatever...'' ¡°That''s perfect, he burned like the trash he is... err, was?¡± The entire hall went quiet as Haruki slowly turned around to face the man. An oppressive aura filled the room and then Whap! Those watching blinked in disbelief, unable to see the strike that beheaded the mouthy man. Haruki cleaned his sword with a flick, painting the wall with a mural of gore. Haruki sheathed his blade as he looked around at the remaining spectators. ¡°Anyone ELSE want to talk shit about my father? THEN STEP UP NOW!¡± he waited for a moment, but no-one dared to even breathe as his furious gaze washed over them. ¡°Didn''t think so...¡± His mind had unraveled pretty far, so he took a moment to calm his breathing before sitting back down with an exasperated sigh. Ignoring the twitching, headless body beside him, Haruki continued filling out the paperwork in silence.
Stepping over the body without another look, Haruki ambled back over to the reception desk. Shun had turned pale, shaking with each step Haruki took towards him. Even the guild master, who had poked his head out of his office at one point, retreated quickly as his eyes drew in the scene. ¡°W...What will your party be called, Mr. Abe?!¡± Shun stammered under the weight of Haruki''s fixed stare. He thought for a moment, then snickered to himself. ¡°How about ''Rising Sun'', then?¡± Haruki wanted to make sure it wasn''t anything too bad, since he''d promised Suzu that he would add her name to the party. She had pouted earlier, refusing to let him leave until he''d agreed to at least that. Flourishing his hand, Haruki produced two small vials from his ring. One was half filled with blood, which he placed gently on the counter. With his other hand, he drew his dagger. ¡°That is from the other party member, register her too. Here''s mine.¡± He quickly slashed the blade across his forearm. A large amount of blood welled up from the wound but Haruki didn''t once flinch, filling up the the spare vial in moments. Holding the vials with a delicate grip, Shun escaped into a back room. After a moment, there was a loud crashing sound, punctuated by vigorous cursing. The poor Elf was black and blue when he returned. His previously handsome face was quickly swelling and a small head-wound was bleeding gently onto the counter top. ¡°That''ll be... uh... 5 silver... please?¡± Haruki sighed, rolling his eyes gently as he handed over the money. In return, he received two silver tokens. ''Rising Sun'' was engraved around a small hole in the middle, while on the back, both his name and Suzu''s glowed dimly in small white text. Every few seconds, the names would pulse softly, almost like a heart beat. Loud whispers circulated as Haruki turned to leave. ¡°Oi oi, that kid''s getting silver right off the bat?¡± ¡°Don''t you know who he killed? That was the gold ranked Demetrius! He didn''t even get to fart before he died!¡± ¡°I heard he made a pass at Rhino''s wife once. Like he ever had a chance with that cold-blooded beauty... ¡± Ignoring their mutterings, Haruki walked outside still slightly shaking from rage. His scatteredmind quickly came back into focus as he thought of Suzu. ''I need to calm my shit before I snap again... If I end up killing a church member in a rage, the guilds probably wouldn''t prevent them from attacking us here.'' Taking another few moments to breathe, he remembered back to the promise he''d made as a child. ''We promised we''d be adventurer''s together, but here I am leaving, alone... I''m sorry, Suzu. I''ll make it up to you, I promise.'' After a short run home, Haruki breathlessly slid the party token under Suzu''s door, along with a brief note. ¡°Please be safe. Hope you like the party name, when I get back, I promise we''ll go to Yanshou together. I love you. - Haruki¡± A bitter sense of loneliness rose in his throat as he turned away from her house. ''I''ll kill them quick, then we''ll get on with our lives. I swear it!'' A sinister smile spread across his face as Haruki sprinted off towards his next destination. Chapter 21 - Hells Wrath (15th Year, AE) The Spell Crafter''s hall was quite an underwhelming sight; utterly plain, grey and boxy. Haruki didn''t even stop to look at it as he knocked on the door. Stepping into a small lobby, a pretty young elf immediately caught his eye behind a nearby desk. A look of surprise entered her luminous violet eyes as she spotted him, sending her scrambling to her feet. ¡°Are you Master Haruki?¡± She asked, cocking her head slightly, now visibly excited. Haruki scratched his neck nervously, unsure how to handle her reaction. ¡°Ahh, yeah. Were you expecting me today or something?¡± ¡°Not exactly, we''ve had a standing order to let you in for a while now. We''ve all been wondering when the first ever ''Special Master'' would arrive!¡± ''First... ever?'' A brief wave of terror flashed through his gut as he sheepishly mumbled an excuse. ¡°Ah, sorry I didn''t come sooner, I''ve had a lot of things going on lately.¡± ¡°No no, don''t mention it. It''s part of your job description to come and go, after all.¡± she replied, looking slightly concerned. She''d heard about his family from Master Cho just last night. Eager to change the topic, she leaned in close with a beaming smile. ¡°Oh yeah, you can call me Lei. I basically run the place.¡± Haruki nodded, slightly overwhelmed by the annoyingly bright Elf. ¡°So is Master Cho here? I haven''t had any kind of training or induction yet?¡± Lei chuckled, her long, loosely curled hair roiling like a river of gold across her delicate shoulders. ¡°Master Cho is currently out and about, but he told me to organize your work space and equipment. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask!¡± With one delicate fist, she slammed into her plump chest in an exaggerated salute. PON! Haruki''s mind felt strangely at ease after watching such an oddly cute creature. He flashed her a brilliant smile as he bowed his head slightly. ¡°Thank you Lei. I''ll leave it in your capable hands.¡± Clearing her throat, she stammered on as her cheeks flushed with a warm crimson. ¡°Ah, one more thing. Here''s your identification for the guild. This will open most of the doors in the office, so feel free to use it as you wish.¡± She handed him a small metal card inscribed with his name and some small runes. ¡°And here''s your badge. Your ranking is signified by the metals and gems used, but yours is unique.¡± In her other hand, she held out a small badge. A rose shaped sapphire glistened softly in the center, surrounded by a wreathe of golden leaves. ¡°It''s a little basic, but we had it made in a slight rush. We can re-design it later if you want...¡± Nodding in confirmation, he pinned it to his chest. Haruki followed her over to a heavily fortified metal door. A small green crystal was embedded in the wall, gently pulsing with a soft light. With a swipe of his card, the light faded into a solid white and the door slowly opened inwards with a heavy mechanical grinding. ''It''s kinda similar to the old world. I wonder if it could be altered to use biometrics?'' Leading him quietly for a short distance down a long, barren hallway, Lei paused briefly at a large common room filled with middle aged apprentices. Many were tussling over various books and scrolls while others were arguing heatedly about certain lines of code. ¡°Feel free to come here whenever you want, Master Haruki. You can eat, work or argue here as you wish.¡± The room ground to a deafening silence as the apprentices finally noticed their presence. Two dozen men stood frozen, every head turning towards Haruki. Some were slack mouthed in admiration after seeing his young age, while others had faces twisted in anger or jealousy. ¡°Don''t pay them any mind, you''re technically their senior here.¡± A fierce glare from Lei sent the room into a bustle of activity, many quietly resuming their previous work. Turning back out into the hallway, she walked him over to a nearby door. ¡°Here is your personal office. Everything in here is assigned to you and only Master Cho has access as your direct employer.¡± She leaned in with a sly wink. ¡°I have the keys too, though, so I can check if you''re sleeping...¡± Haruki shirked back a little, eager to change the subject. ¡°Thank you, Lei... So, was there a task or job waiting for me at all? I need money pretty badly, actually...¡± ¡°Ah, sure thing. You don''t have to take it now, but I''ve got a job list waiting for you. It''s pretty simple, just read the description and modify the spell to the listed specifications. To the right is the payment assigned for each job.¡± She pulled a sheet out from a pocket, handing it over as she unfolded it. Nodding eagerly, Haruki grabbed the sheet and investigated it with a hint of greed creeping into his mind. ''Wow, I could make some fast money like this. Even with 20-some jobs, it''ll probably take less coding than the weekly homework I used to do. Should be easy enough to hammer it all out...'' Remembering he wasn''t alone, he lowered the job sheet and bowed again towards Lei. ¡°Thank you, Lei, you''ve been a big help. I''ll have this sorted by day''s end.¡± Haruki sat down at his terminal, powering it on as he looked over the paper once more with an intense concentration. Slightly startled at his sudden shift in focus, Lei backed away a little. ¡°Uh... Sure... Don''t work yourself too hard, you only need to do what you can manage. Remember, I''m only a call away if you need me.¡± Lei said as she finally walked out, a worried look on her face. ''I hope Master Cho properly explained the work sheets. Oh well, he''ll figure it after he starts. He doesn''t seem to be an idiot, at least.'' Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Shaking her head, she quietly closed the door behind her. Groaning to herself as she remembered the ever-growing piles of paperwork, she raced back to the front desk to get started. ''I''ll tell him after work to be safe, then. I hope he doesn''t give up like the others, I wouldn''t mind if he stayed with us for a while longer...''
Haruki was left alone in his room with nothing but a terminal and list of spells. ''This seems easy enough, I guess I''ll just work my way down from the top. If I can''t get it done today, I''ll finish it tomorrow.'' Choosing an easy element-swap job, he cracked his fingers in anticipation. Ding! Would you like to learn Spell Crafting as your first profession? You will gain access to the S.P.E.L.L. OS /help function. Note: Each consecutive profession you learn will level 10% slower than the last. Haruki accepted immediately, a cheesy grin shattering his stoic expression. He''d forgotten about it during the chaos, but now he was excited. ''I''m 15... I can finally get a class now!'' Humming to himself as he thought about the future, Haruki started typing like a madman.
¡°Master Harukiii? Everyone else has gone home already? Hello?¡± Lei called out meekly into the darkened, empty hallway. She knocked on Haruki''s door gently, startled slightly by his flat response. ¡°Come in...¡± She opened the door to see him still sitting at his desk, staring blankly at his terminal. A large pile of scrolls sat to one side of the desk. A flicker of life came back into his eyes as he turned to her with an exhausted smile. ¡°Ahh Lei. I''m almost finished with the job sheet. It took longer than I expected, but the last one''s printing out now.¡± and he gestured over to the scroll stack as he tapped on the print button with a satisfied smile. ¡°Eh!?¡± Lei''s face twisted into a strange, contorted shape. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± Haruki asked hesitantly. He''d charged forwards because everything had been relatively simple, but he only just now remembered that he didn''t know the procedures or rules of his new workplace. ¡°Haru...ki...¡± Lei rubbed her temples gently, face devoid of colour. ¡°That sheet... It has every job listed for the entire month...¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°And to complete them all in one day? Normally your first job would take weeks!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°In fact, no-one has ever finished a job on their first day...¡± ¡°You don''t say?¡± Lei gently pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily as she massaged it. ¡°I''ll go get you the money...¡± Haruki nodded as he turned back to his terminal again. He called out to her casually as she staggered out the door. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lei-chan left the office, still slightly bewildered. ''What a monster... I wonder what Master Cho will say about all of this!?''
After seeing off the dazed Elf, Haruki pushed the print button on his terminal a final time. The reason he had worked so late was because he''d wanted to try crafting a spell of his own. He knew the details would be logged, so he didn''t bother mentioning it to Lei. ''I''ll leave it as a surprise for Master Cho... Shame I couldn''t use everything, though. I did pretty well though, the /help command opened up so many new options...'' He let out a dark, painful laugh as he read over the scroll. His other work had all been simple tasks; changing a spell''s duration, adding or removing elements, changing elements entirely, etc. But this was the first spell he had crafted entirely from scratch. Coming in at 93 lines of code, he''d spent the first hour abusing /help to figure out the names of everything he needed. Despite being locked out of certain commands and other components, there were enough available to build something nasty. You have learned the spell: Hells Wrath 300 MP Calls down a barrage of dark flame across a wide area, devouring the soul of anything it consumes. Caution: Affects all living beings caught within the area of effect. The Dark One''s hunger... A terrifying soul magic, callously crafted by Abe Haruki. Level 15 He left the scroll on his desk with a devilish smile, locking the door behind him. Lei intercepted him at the front desk, handing over five bulging sacks. ¡°Here''s your payment for today, Master Haruki. In total, that''s 5 platinum and 47 gold. We were short on platinum, so I had to pay in gold. Is that ok?¡± She cocked her pretty little head with a soft pout, batting her long lashes up at him. ¡°That''s fine, thank you Lei. I''ll see you next time.¡± Haruki opened the front door, eager to deposit his wages into his ring in private. Lei watched him vanish into the night with a happy grin, speaking quietly to herself. ¡°Good night, Haruki. Be safe.¡±
Grand Master Cho was sitting in his home office, sipping some warm tea and calmly reading over some notes. Bang bang bang! A loud knocking roused him from his thoughts. Sighing in exasperation, he rushed down to answer it. ¡°Lei?¡± The young elf was out of breath, having run over directly from the guild hall. ¡°Sorry... to intrude... Master... Cho.¡± she managed to gasp out briefly, before dumping a pile of scrolls on a nearby coffee table. Cho raised one eyebrow as he spoke. ¡°What''s this? I wasn''t expecting a delivery for another few weeks?¡± ¡°Haruki''s work. He finally came in today and asked for a job sheet. This is the result...¡± she said, still not quite believing it herself. Lei awkwardly held out the scroll she''d found in his office after he''d gone home. ¡°There''s this one too...¡± Grand Master Cho looked at it with a keen interest. ¡°So he did a months worth of work in a day and still had time to create something new? Excellent...¡± After opening the scroll, his whole body went rigid. ¡°Lei... Tomorrow, erase this spell from the terminal logs. Never speak of this to anyone again. Ever...¡± his words were dry and low, his hands rustling the scroll gently as he trembled. Seeing his sudden mood change, Lei grew serious. She trusted him more than anything, so seeing him scared shook her a little. ¡°Is it that bad, Master Cho?¡± He pondered for a moment, shuddering again as he remembered the words ¡°devouring the soul¡±. ¡°I pity anyone who angers that child... Not even a god could save them from something like this...¡± After sending the puzzled young Elf home, Cho haggardly sat down in his study to once again read over the scroll. With a heavy sigh, he opened a draw on his desk. ''Even I''ve never seen soul magic of this caliber before! Truly terrifying...'' He lit a candle and held it up to the scroll, quickly reducing it to ashes.
Haruki left Touhama behind after completinghis work. A single day had netted him a healthy sum ¨C 547 gold coins. Now that his immediate monetary issues had been resolved, Haruki turned his thoughts towards safe shelter. ''I can''t stay in this town, not while the Church runs everything. At least I have SOME immunity with my rank in the guilds. They can''t move on me in public without angering some powerful people.'' He remembered back to his adventuring lectures. They''d covered many dungeons in the local area and even been taught strategies for beating the more commonly seen bosses and creatures. He was also taught the chant required to capture an unclaimed dungeon core. Haruki thought back to one particular dungeon his teacher had mentioned. ¡°Recently, the Kobold mines have undergone a full transformation. Since then, adventurer''s have reported that everything has changed inside and out. The monsters are all stronger and have even changed their form to human-type bandits. As you all know by now, dungeons are technically living creatures, similar to magical beasts. When they absorb enough mana, their core will level up, causing the many changes seen throughout this dungeon.¡± He smiled to himself, happy that the academy wasn''t a complete waste of time after all. ''A bandit cave... Hmmm... Maybe I''ll check that out? It''s not too far from here and they might even have some treasure. They''d be really shitty bandits if they didn''t...'' Haruki headed west, pausing for a moment at the ashes of his old home. After a few minutes spent in silence, he proceeded north-west towards a small coastal mountain range. News: Its not you, its me... Howdy all, Firstly, sorry to leave you all dry like this. Originally, I originally only released for feedback, andman, I got a lot "> You guys reading have been the biggest source of motivation to keep it going until now, so once more, thanks for reading <3 I''ll still be writing the story and will post it here in full once it''s completed. I just won''t be posting new chapters indefinitely. My reasons for stopping: - I have anxiety and other medical issues going on that are stopping me from "getting in the groove", as it were. Hard to concentrate and edit, etc. 2 medical professionals have both separately recommended I stop posting to help out with my health for now. I''m not dying or anything, just multiple little things combining into one big mess. - I originally never intended to do a release like this - I posted the initial chapters all in a block,without knowing it would end up on the front-page (I got here from a bookmark from about 3 years ago, so I never actually saw it until chapter 12ish ). My expectations on lifetime readers was around 10, whowould be the people I asked on the forums to ''proof read'' it, with the full story dropping with promotion shortly after it finished. I tried to keep it going for the people who were reading, but I''m not currently in a state to do it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. - I''m creatively dry at the moment - It feels like all my juice goes into making the re-writes on old chapters work. My original stuff is quite threadbare with some fight scenes being especially empty, so I often spend most of aday ''fixing'' chapters. By the time I''m done, I don''t want to look at words for a little while I''ve only written another 1.5 chapters since I started posting, so hopefully this will allow me to focus on actually writing it and worry about everything else later. - Having a lag time between posting and where I''m at in the story is hard - I''ve accidentally posted a few spoilers simply because my head is spinning carrying on two timelines (mine and the readers). Even in re-writing, I''m having to fix continuity issues that crop up because I''m mis-remembering where the story is at. - The treatment I was expecting to help get me back into my groove hasn''t been as effective as I''d hoped. Actually, it''s caused even more issues while fixing some and was the final straw that broke the damned camel. Hearing all of your feedback has helped me greatly, so hopefully you''ll like the full story when it gets done "> Cheers, - Josh (aka WirlWind) PS - I''m kind of writing this quickly, so feel free to ask me to clarify anything I''ve missed out on or explained poorly.