《Journey through the Worlds》
Chapter 1.00 - Prologue
For those of you reading this for the first time, I would like to inform you that this is the sequel to my first fiction, the link is at the bottom of this chapter.
It was just a few hours before sunrise. The snowfall had already started decreasing as the time of the year drew closer to spring. What should have been a quiet serene morning was interrupted by screams as humans and elves alike fled from their homes in a quaint little mining town.
Being located close to the borders of the Demon queen¡¯s beast horde, the mining town was still highly vulnerable to attacks by demon beasts that have been trying to expand their territory from the north. Despite the frequency of attacks and clashed with the beasts dying down the last few decades, such attacks on smaller outlying towns were not uncommon.
A couple frantically packed whatever they could into their small car. Necessities for the road, map, compass and a mana operated emergency beacon. As the pregnant lady strapped herself into the front seat, the husband swiftly hit the ignition key, gearing up the starter motor of the car which in turn got the engine going. As the repulsion runes in the piston heads started blasting the piston away from its cap, the axles on the car started turning and soon, the couple was fleeing southbound in their old car.
They were about the only family who owned one of these relics. Being from a poor mining town, most of the workers could barely afford day to day living expenses, much less a mode of transport. The richer higher-ups who ran the mines had their own shuttles which took off into the skies long before the beasts even reached the town¡¯s borders. One of those shuttles would cost more and a limb and a life to purchase. They ran on mana supplied by highly sought after and valuable moon stone, needing to recharge after use.
Her water had broken, but in the midst of the chaos and panic, neither she nor her husband noticed, both keeping their eyes peeled on the road ahead for signs of any more magical beast that might show. They navigated their way through the winding path alongside the ravine. This was a somewhat familiar path for them. Having taken multiple trips to the Portal City to visit their families every holiday season, they knew almost the entire path on the back of their hands.
As he left the screams of his fellow colleagues and miners behind him, he pushed forwards into the thick forestry, constantly checking in on his wife who seemed to be having a hard time coping. That¡¯s when he noticed.
¡°Honey! Your water¡¯s burst! We need to stop and prepare for our child!¡± He exclaimed, looking at his wife¡¯s bulging belly, within which held his future son.
¡°NNNGGGG¡! No! Keep going! I will handle this. We are not far enough from the beasts yet!¡± She rejected his proposal, enduring the pain that was radiating from her lower half.
¡°Oka ¨C SHIT!¡± he screamed as he turned a corner to find a Wyvern perching on the edge of the road.
A sinister grin grew on the sky blue wyvern¡¯s face as its black eyes shimmered in the morning sun. With a loud screech, it leapt into the air and extended the talons on its hind lefts, ripping the roof off the small car that was trying to swerve around and past it. Tossing the roof to the side, it grabbed the man and took off into the sky, dropping him from a height.
The woman watched in horror as her husband came down in a crunch on the asphalt road not too far behind the car. Enduring the pain, she winced as she stretched her body over to grab the wheel with one hand, stabilising it while the other frantically opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small sidearm.
The wyvern turned its attention to the still moving car after dropping off his first victim. Slicing through the air it dove for the car only to see its prey turn around and look it in the eye. A blinding flash later, it found itself crawling on the road, watching the car roll away as its left eye bled out. Unable to do anything about the pain and injury, it quietly returned to the carcass of the man, grab it and flew back towards it¡¯s dwelling, leaving behind a trail of fresh red blood that covered half its face.
The moment the woman shot the beast, she desperately tried to regain control of the car as it began rolling off the road onto the forest floor. Navigating the car through the woods to avoid the trees, she held in her screams as her contractions tore her soul apart from the sheer pain. Eventually, the thick undergrowth entangled the car¡¯s wheels and axles, causing it to come to a gradual stop deep in the midst of the forest.
She clambered out of her seat, struggling to lay out a thick blanket on the forest ground as she went into labour. Screams of pain and anguish reverberated through the dense forest, with no one nearby to hear. Too focused to delivering the baby safely, she couldn¡¯t reach for the emergency beacon, eventually holding her son in her arms.
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Smiling softly at the coughing and sniffing baby, she wrapped him in a towel and hugged him, covering him with her body as she passed out. The snow piled up on her back as she hunched over her baby boy, keeping him warm with the last of her strength and will. As she drew her last breath, the baby boy fell asleep in his mother¡¯s warmth, leaving behind an eerily silent forest.
The sky gradually lit up, then dimmed as afternoon passed and dusk approached. The mining town was but an empty shell now, with no indication of any survivors. Distress beacons were lit all over the town and on the outskirts but the help came too late. Even by the quickest plane or airdropped soldiers, the town was still a good 3 hours away from the nearest military base or developed city.
As the leaves of a nearby tree rustled, a giant cat slowly emerged from its optical camouflage. It was one of the top predators in the forest, next to the magical beasts. Lying just beyond the reaches of the demon beast horde, this Seraplor had yet to be influenced by the demon queen¡¯s aura which affects all manners of magical beasts.
The cat slowly crept up to the woman¡¯s lifeless body, observing the surrounding for any threats. Sniffing the woman¡¯s body, she nudged the body with her nose, causing it to fall over but not change position. Rigor mortis had started to set in, and in the middle of the corpse, hidden away in her bosom was a young baby. He was wrinkly and ugly, wrapped in a soft yellow towel with a few strands of black hair on his head.
As her warm breath fell on the baby, it seemed to wake up, stretching and opening its mouth, yawning. His eyes were still closed as he squirmed out of his mother¡¯s embrace, rollingonto the soft forest floor in his towel. For reasons unknown to anyone, the Seraplor made an odd decision. Nibbling on the towel, she lifted the baby up and returned to its den, where there were 2 youngling Seraplors awaiting their mother¡¯s return.
The Giant cat was but a young mother, not yet reaching its full length of 10m. She had a coat of colour-changing fur, a thin soft mane which signified its gender, and 3 long agile tails that kept swinging from side to side. One tail was slightly shorter than the other two, only having recently grown when she hit reproductive maturity.
As the young single-tailed Seraplors began suckling on their mother¡¯s milk, the baby subconsciously did the same, grabbing a tuft of soft fur with his 2 pudgy hands to draw himself closer to the warmth of the big cat.
[[Demon beast Territory]]
The demon beasts loitered around the vast icy plains lazily with no real goal in their life except carrying out orders from the demon queen and her generals. These beasts used to be normal or even magical beasts that had been affected by the demon queen¡¯s aura. Transforming their body from prolonged exposure to the deathly Aura, they no longer ate for sustenance, but instead fed on the mana in their surroundings to survive.
Mana there was, plenty of it especially in the north. They had improved intelligence and could coordinate with each other I attacks. Planning an ambush was not out of reach of their intellectual capabilities.
The horde was a mixture of wyverns, bears, tarsuses, Fientrals, and even smaller but just as vicious trenitts. Even the plant¡¯s had evolved with the exposure to her aura, becoming deadly poisonous and growing a sentient mind. In short, the demon beast¡¯s territory was a terrifying place to be, even with the advanced technology of the world. The humans and demihumans had tried assaulting the north on numerous occasions in the past millennia, but none had succeeded in dealing any sort of damage. Long range ballistics projectiles simply disappeared once they entered the reaches of the Demon queen¡¯s influence. The beasts were unbelievably powerful, able to withstand infantry or armoured attacks.
Despite their power, their attacks on the rest of the world seemed to have slowed down considerably recently. Even though satellite scans revealed that their numbers were more than ever before, they were not moving out. It seemed to strike fear into Aioa¡¯s world leaders who speculated that the demon beast horde were gearing up for one massive invasion.
While the demon queen slumbered, her 2 generals took over the duties to keep the attacks from humans and demi-humans at bay. With just the 2 of them, it was definitely enough to take over the world, and yet, they never revealed their true abilities, choosing instead to bide their time as they protected their queen, and the precious egg that she was grooming. It was their only connection to their long lost master, their King.
Chapter 1.01 - A new Beginning
[[Shortly after his death]]
¡°Well hello there young man. I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you again so soon.¡± A familiar elder gentlemanly voice resounded from Kiefer¡¯s side as he opened his ethereal eyes.
¡°This voice¡Grandu?¡± Kiefer called out, turning his line of sight, searching for the owner of the voice. It was really dim, with an eerie moss green glow around. The only lights came from images of all sorts of people and animals who seem to materialise from thin air and float mindlessly towards a giant glowing green sun that roiled and turned some distance away.
¡°We meet again, ya sneaky brat. I will forever remember the day you tricked me and escaped from my academy.¡± Another familiar voice spoke.
¡°Drigor too?¡± Kiefer asked again, this time fixing his sight on a group of 3 people floating next to each other. There was an old man, whom he had seen only once in Drigor¡¯s memories. Next to him was the unshaven man he remembered as Drigor¡¯s human form. Lastly, on the other side, hugging the old man¡¯s arm was a young lady, with features that resembled Isana. She seemed a little shorter and more slender, without the same womanly curves that Isana possessed.
¡°Where¡¯s Gondor and Desir? Don¡¯t tell me they didn¡¯t die?¡± Kiefer asked, looking around, searching for a translucent giant turtle and a giant snake.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. The 3 of us overpowered them the moment they came through. Their souls are now being torn asunder along with billions of others¡¯, being reassembled to form new life as they return to different realms through a portal in the middle. Grandu proclaimed, pointing at the glowing green sun.
¡°I see. Well sorry I couldn¡¯t keep up my end of the bargain. Isana is now alone again on Aioa. And Drigor, I¡¯m terribly sorry about killing you. If only I had talked to you more, then¡¡± Kiefer apologised, looking down at his ghostly legs. They seem to be spirits, but still possessed feet.
¡°You did your best.¡± Grandu comforted him. ¡°Plus you brought together the rest of the titans. No one has been able to unite the titans like you did. Isana is not alone. I don¡¯t think she ever will be.¡±
¡°So how come every soul I see is heading to the sun immediately after appearing, but you three are still hanging around like its tea time in the netherworld?¡± Kiefer probed now, his curiosity taking over his guilt.
¡°It¡¯s not just the three of us. See over there? And there? There are other like us, Titans and overlords of their own worlds. Worlds like Aioa which have mana. We can control our own ethereal bodies in the netherworld thanks to our unique makeup. Being able to generate our own mana, the netherworld registers us not as souls that need recycling, but foreign object that don¡¯t belong here. That is not to say that we cannot reincarnate. We can, as long as we enter the sun, be we lose all our memories, abilities and our proof of existence.¡± Drigor explained. He was the one with the utmost knowledge of the netherworld, being a prime necromancer himself.
¡°And what about our powers and skill?¡± Kiefer asked, itching to experiment with this new knowledge.
¡°I¡¯m not sure about yours, but ours are severely limited. I¡¯m Wanda by the way. Isana and Drigor¡¯s sister.¡±Wanda replied this time, having kept to herself for the duration of the conversation.
¡°I see. I guess there is only one way to test things out.¡± Kiefer commented, as he began to feel around his ghostly body for signs of his favourite particle.
[[Deep within Forest north of Portal city, present day]]
Growls and laughter could be heard as undergrowth was flattened and trees broken by the rough horseplay of 2 big cats and a young human boy. The young Seraplors already had 2 tails each, only a year away from reaching the age where they leave the den. The young boy was naked, and covered with scars, but was smiling brighter than a summer midday sun. He was enjoying his last year together with his siblings before they each went their own way.
As they tumbled and tackled each other, play biting and pawing at one another, they heard a low growl and all perked their heads up. Their mother had returned. She was a full grown female Seraplor with 3 flowing tails that cracked as they whipped the air. Compared to the young 4 year old boy, it was a wonder he had not been crushed by his mother or his siblings yet. Despite being only 4, his physique seemed to indicate otherwise, with well-built body rippling with muscles, clear sharp eyes and sharp canines.
In the mother¡¯s maws, was an icy blue wyvern, its body limp as the cat had a firm grip on the neck. Dropping the wyvern¡¯s carcass on the floor in front of the den, she licked each of her children once, her blood soaked tongue leaving a red trail on their bodies before heading towards the nearby river for a drink.
The younglings wasted no time tearing away at the wyvern¡¯s scales, making quick work of its armour and biting chunks out of the sweet raw flesh that hid underneath. As the young boy finished his fill quickly, he thought of a mischievous idea. Slathering his hands in the fresh red blood from the carcass, he suddenly leapt onto his brother and sister, smearing their faces with his bloodstained hands and laughing loudly at the silly looks of the 2 cats.
Of course, they retaliated together, pouncing towards the boy as he agilely moved from tree to tree, nimbly swerving barely out of reach of their paws. Out of the three, he was the smallest, but by far the most dexterous. With that little gameplay started, they gradually moved away from the mostly eaten carcass and back into the forest, resuming their game of tag.
[[Elsewhere, not too far away]]
¡°Hey Sarge, why are we out here again?¡± one recruit uttered as he slogged through the dense and humid forest with his squad.
¡°You know what it¡¯s like. Orders from higher-ups. Those lab-junkies just need to ask and they get the support from the superiors at the drop of a hat. To think the job would fall on Spectre trainees was unexpected, but orders are orders.¡± The sergeant replied, indicating that he had no say in this. He himself was a fully trained Spectre, leading a group of battle hardened marines who were just starting out the Spectre program.
¡°The least they could do was give us proper weapons, not tranq-darts¡ this is so last millennia.¡± Another recruit complained, tilting his rifle side to side and inspecting the harmless weapon.
¡°The orders are to tranq and tag. These beasts are endangered and the Lab junkies don¡¯t want us killing anything. They only want to monitor the animals and keep tabs on the range of the demon queen¡¯s influence.¡± The other sergeant in the squad explained, as he sliced through a thick vine with his military machete.
¡°Yea right... demon queen my ass. Nobody even know for sure if she exists. They are just putting a face and person to the phenomenon to make it seem like they know the cause of the beast¡¯s behaviour. No one¡¯s seen anything resembling a demon queen in centuries.¡± A third recruit vociferated, irritated by the pointless mission they were sent on.
¡°Well we know something powerful is in the north, be it a person or not. You¡¯ve seen the records. Artillery, long range ballistics, low orbit strikes, high orbit strike, all useless in the north. They say the projectiles simply disappear without a trace. There were even records of stealth bombers going on a one way trip without so much as a distress signal, never to be heard from again.¡± The first sergeant reminded, avoiding a pile of dung at the foot of a tree. ¡°Careful, this is fresh. Seraplor, maybe Hexbears, judging from the size. Get out your thermals. Keep your eyes peeled.¡± He alerted the squad.
The recruits stopped their chatting and immediately got into high alert, stopping in their tracks as their scouts scanned the surrounding with their thermal goggles.
¡°What¡¯s our windage?¡± one of the recruits whispered to the scout as he studied the information on his HUD. The scout remained quiet, as tension grew in the squad of 10 soldiers. They may be trained soldiers, but when facing the magical beasts on this planet, tranq-guns were hardly enough to leave a wide enough safety margin for them to relax.
After a short pause and a scan around his surroundings, the scout raised his hands and made circular motions in the air to direct the soldier¡¯s attention to him. Using 2 fingers to point to his eyes, and then far off into the woods, before changing his hand signal to raise 1 finger followed by a 5 and then a zero.
Everyone understood that the scout was indicating the target animals at 150m in the direction he pointed. Waiting for more information from the scout, everyone tensed up, some eager while other reluctant to face the beasts. Again, his hands made a circular motion, then pointed left to the direction of the animals. Trusting the decision of the scout, the sergeant made the hand signal to move in the direction the scout pointed, with the squad eventually moving downwind of the target.
After a few more directional changes, the scout tapped his visor to check if there was some kind of error. They were now only 20 metres downwind of the animals and his thermal imaging showed 2 Adolescent Seraplors seemingly attacking a young human. Transmitting the image to the Sergeant¡¯s HUD, everyone waited nervously for the final decision to engage the targets.
The order was swift and decisive. Everybody moved in formation, quickly closing in on the 2 startled Seraplors and the young boy who was slathered in blood. The 2 cats had bloodied snouts which made it seem like they had been attacking the boy.
Reacting immediately to the intruders, the two young Seraplors camouflaged themselves, staying deadly still, making it seem as though they disappeared to the naked eye. This was their first time meeting these strange black creatures carrying long rods. The boy stood there eyeing the squad of soldiers.
With a single shout, the soldiers squeezed their triggers, hitting the first camouflaged Seraplor with 5 darts. As the camouflage dispelled, the Seraplor slowly tried to steady itself as it fell to the ground. Seeing their sister slumped on the forest floor, the boy yelled threateningly at the soldiers.
¡°Gah! Gah kah Gao!¡± he yelled to the male Seraplor who quickly dashed back through the forest as the soldiers fired a second volley of darts towards him.
The young boy flew into a rage, watching his sister get knocked out and his brother attacked. As quickly as a blinding flash, he dashed forwards and used a thick branch to aim a downward swing from the back on one of the recruit¡¯s necks. The recruit barely reacted in time, blocking the swing with his rifle, which broke the branch in half. However, this did not stop the boy as he grabbed the recruit¡¯s shoulder from mid-air and twisted, swinging the full grown man overhead and slamming him down.
Next, he aimed a punch at the nearby recruit¡¯s stomach, only to hear a sickening crunch as his fist met the titanium carbon nanotube blend of fabric. Wincing from the pain of broken fingers, but not stopping, he aimed a large rock at the trunk of a tree. The impact crushed the trunk and caused the tree to fall, blocking the squad from the fallen Seraplor and impeding their vision with the thicket of leaves and branched.
Without turning to look back, he quickly hoisted the giant and heavy cat on his shoulders and dashed back towards the den, leaving the soldiers stunned at what just happened.
¡°What¡¯s a Nat doing all the way out here alone?!¡± the downed recruit groaned as he got up and dusted himself.
¡°No idea, but it would seem that he was protecting those cats. Everyone check your gear. We will be following the tracker on the unconscious Seraplor.¡± The sergeant ordered as everyone hustled around, feeling each and every piece of their gear.
¡°There will be a full grown Seraplor guarding their den. Priority target is the adult, then the boy and finally the remaining youngling.¡± The second Sergeant instructed as everyone formed up into their patrol formation once more, following the scout¡¯s directions.
As they trekked through the jungle, they eventually reached their target destination, where they saw the young boy licking his hand that he broke trying to punch the recruit. It wasn¡¯t bleeding, but very visibly swollen.
¡°I got this.¡± Said the recruit who was thrown to the floor earlier, as he took aim at the boy. The young boy noticed the group of intruders and growled menacingly, his unconscious sibling behind him.
As the recruit opened fire, the young boy swiftly grabbed a large Frisbee sized flat rock and deflected the incoming dart, keeping his eyes locked on all the men before him. Standing guard over his sister, the boy did not move an inch, not willing to leave his family behind.
¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± The sergeant quipped as he raised his hand and pointed it towards the boy. [Earth Prison] he yelled as his suit lit up with a rustic brown glow, causing the ground to suddenly rise and swallow the boy up to his neck.
¡°Hmph. Show off.¡± The other sergeant scoffed, looking at the now helpless boy. ¡°Anyone can do that once they get augmented.¡±
¡°Contact Rear!¡± the scout yelled as everyone pivoted on their feet to turn around, seeing 2 giant Seraplors pouncing atop them. A rain of darts shot out and soon, both giant cats were down on the ground, the boy yelling and screaming as tears rolled down his cheeks. The Spectre trainees only got away with one sprained foot on one of the recruits tanks to their superb reflexes and intuition.
The soldiers got to work quickly, hoisting the cats back into the den and then tagging them with a radio receiver and a mana flux transmitter. This way, they would know when the animals came under the influence of the demon queen¡¯s aura and the scientists back in the city would be able to determine the range of the aura.
Walking over to the boy, the sergeant took off his helmet to reveal a fatherly face with sharp eyes and a gentle smile. As he stretched his hands out to pat the boy, he attempted to take a bite, and he did, only to be unable to bite through the suit. As his hand was firmly clamped in the jaws of the 4 year old boy, the sergeant raised his other hand and patted the boy on his head gently.
¡°I know you don¡¯t understand me, but see?¡± He gestured to the 3 cats that were in deep sleep. ¡°They are still alive.¡± Gesturing to the large chests heaving up and down visibly.
Waving his hand over part of the earth prison, he chanted the word [Dispell] and the part came undone, revealing the swollen hand. The sergeant then signalled for the medic to come over and he prepared a shot from within his medkit. The cylindrical tube had 4 prongs extending from one end and looked quite menacing.
With a quick jab and squeeze, the biodegradable nanomites were injected into the boy¡¯s bloodstream, quickly targeting the broken bones and mending them, stimulating the surrounding muscles to contract at the precise angles to position the bones while interfereing with the synapses of the sensory nerve that ran from the hand and up the arm.
The hand reformed and quickly healed as the swelling decreased substantially, all painlessly. The boy was shocked at the magic that healed him, quickly calming down after he was released from the prison and allowed to hug his family. He could tell that they were alright, only sleeping deeply. Deep inside, he knew he was different from them, and yet he couldn¡¯t bear to leave them. The man who healed him was with the rest of the intruders, smiling kindly at him from afar, gesturing him to follow.
Making up his mind, knowing his family was safe, he decided to see what this man had to offer. If he could truly become stronger, he thought he would return and protect his mother once more, just as she had protected him all his life. Grabbing a tuft of her hair, he cut it with a sharp piece of rock and tied it into a small bundle with a string provided by the soldier. He kissed his mother goodbye and turned to leave, tears dropping on the forest ground.
It was not his place to be. His siblings were growing much faster than he, and they would leave soon, making him a burden for his mother. He had already intended to leave once his brother or sister left, so this was but a mere advancement on his departure. Knowing they were safe was enough. He could not ask for more from the creatures that overpowered them but chose not to kill them.
The Spectre trainees cut short their trip with the kid in tow, bringing him back to base in a Twin jet light aerial transport they termed the Falcon.
[[Deep in the North]]
The mountain rumbled as a strong heartbeat could be felt radiating from within. A small cavern within the mountain housed a precious egg as tall as a man. The egg was mostly silver in colour, with faint blue speckles and dark grey swirls that littered its surface.
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It sat on a thick mat of blankets, as if being incubated by a human rather than an animal. While the outside of the cavern maybe so cold that temperature drop several tens of degrees below zero, within the cavern, it was warm and humid, almost sweltering like the middle of a rainforest. There, the egg sat for almost one and a half centuries, slowly developing, slowly growing.
The cave was silent, nay for the howling chilling winds outside. Then from the calming throb of the mountain¡¯s heartbeat, a tiny scratching noise was heard. At first, it was almost inaudible, then, the scratches grew louder, accompanied by a pecking sound, like someone hitting a thin ceramic tile with a stick. Eventually, cracks formed on the smooth egg surface and from within, a tiny talon emerged.
Having found its way out of the confined space, the single black talon hung over the opening for a while, as if resting from its ordeal. Then a twitch. The talon wiggled and started to break away pieces of the eggshell, slowly causing the opening to enlarge. Finally, when the hole was about the size of a large dinner plate, a sharp snout stuck out of it, along with another talon.
With a talon on each side of the opening, the snout slowly opened as it took in its first breath of fresh air. In on swift motion, the talon ripped a crevice diagonally downwards from each side of the opening, shattering the eggshell to reveal an exhausted dragonling, bathed in amniotic fluid and panting on the floor amongst the remains of the shell.
The dragon resembled Kiefer¡¯s titan form, only a little skinnier and much much smaller. With a black body and spikes along the back and on each side of her head, the dragonling sneezed, coughing out some amniotic fluid stuck in her lungs. Her body was mostly a glistening black colour, with the scales turning white at the tips of her spikes. Her tail swished around on the damp floor, sweeping away the eggshell crumbs and the fluid, slowly opening her eyes to look around. Green. Like her mother¡¯s, her eyes were bright emerald green.
¡°kyuu.. kyuuu..¡± *sniff sniff* ¡°Kyuuu!!¡± she called out with her tiny voice. She was barely 5m long from snout to tail, but already outsizing a fully grown wyvern. As she stumbled on her new limbs, trying to crawl outside of her cave, the mountain began to rumble as the cave suddenly began to grow in size.
What was once and had been a mountain for the past few centuries was now transformed into an enormous white dragon, layers of snow and dirt piling off her back as she stretched her mighty wings. With a tremendous roar that shook the ground and cleared the clouds, she stretched her long rugged neck and looked at her child. Bending close to the ground, the newly hatched dragonling measured up to one of her smaller tooth that protruded out from her closed jaw.
*HUUUFFF¡.*
Isana gently blew on her child as she breathed out through her nostrils, blowing away the egg shells and amniotic fluid. Then came a sudden blizzard that caused the little dragonling to shield its face with its wings and forearms. As quickly as the snowstorm appeared, it dissipated and from within, walked out a beautiful curvaceous woman in a flowing sky blue silk dress. She no longer had her usual long waist-length hair, but instead sported shoulder length silvery hair that only served to make her eyes stand out even more.
¡°My¡ child¡¡± She whispered, her lips quivering as she gently stroked the dragon¡¯s cheeks. Tears were rolling down her lustrous eyes as the black coloration of the dragon¡¯s body showed proof of his legacy. How long had she yearned to see his face again, or even anything remotely similar to him that would remind her of her fond memories? And there, standing in front of her, was his child, with the same black body he possessed after their first and last night together.
The dragon understood immediately who she was, lowering her head and snuggling up to her mother. Isana hugged her baby girl, letting their respective manas intertwine with each other. This was what she had waited for centuries. Ever since she found out she was laiden with the egg, she had pulled back her attacks on the wretched enemy, choosing instead to stay low and defend her treasure at all costs.
Looking at the dragon once more, she smiled gently, caressing each individual scale on her face, before her eyes lit up brightly. Her lips parted, and one word resounded through the northern region.
¡°Kina¡±
[[Meanwhile in an office in portal City]]
¡°Sir, you have a visitor. She doesn¡¯t have an appointment, shall I let her in?¡± a young arachne secretary opened the door slightly, poking her head in and asking the youthful man sitting behind a brobdingnagian desk.
As the man looked up from the stack of papers strewn over his cherry oak desk, he smiled after sensing the mana signature of the woman seated outside his office.
¡°Let her in.¡± He said, putting down his pen and smiling.
¡°To what do I owe this nice surprise?¡± He asked, observing Isana enter his office, slowly stepping across his polished wood floors on her high heels and sit across the desk from him.
¡°My child has hatched. Just mere minutes ago. I¡¯m here to ask if you want to reconsider your side in this war, and maybe take this opportunity to meet your niece. Kiefer, after all treated you like his brother.¡± Isana coldly replied, not amused by Rashael¡¯s carefree attitude.
¡°As I have answered you so many times before, no I will not help you. You know as well as I do that Kiefer would not have wanted this. You are merely venting out your anger and sorrow on these lesser beings. You¡¯ve seen the images just as I had when Gondor died. What his last actions were. The human was being controlled by Gondor. Why won¡¯t you forgive their race already? It was an entire millennia ago.¡± Rashael sighed at Isana¡¯s stubbornness.
¡°Do you want to see my daughter or not?¡± Isana asked coldly, the room dropping a few degrees.
¡°Yes of course!¡± Rashael replied quickly, pausing before continuing. ¡°Isana, I¡¯ve been meaning to say this since a while back, but don¡¯t you think you have been a little too selfish? Especially with Kiefer when he was alive. He would do anything for you and Sher, and yet now, you oppose humanity and wreak havoc, striking fear into their hearts. Why don¡¯t you spare a little thought about how Kiefer would have felt if he saw this? I¡¯m not telling you to stop blaming them for his death right this instant, but it¡¯s just something for you to think about.¡± Rashael continued preaching.
¡°You know where to find me.¡± Isana muttered, ignoring what Rashael had said. And yet, she had a slight prick in her heart, knowing there was truth to what he said. However, the person to blame for her beloved¡¯s death is gone, and the humans were the only avenue for her to exact her grief. She knew they were not to blame but she kept convincing herself otherwise, hoping it would lessen the pain if she could target her frustration, sorrow and heartbreak at someone.
As she got up from her chair, she shattered into tiny ice crystals that fell onto the wooden floorboard and melted, forming a puddle of water.
¡°Haaaah¡.¡± Rashael let out a long sigh. ¡°At least consider what kind of water damage you will do to my pristine maple floorboards. And I had them specially imported from earth too.¡± Rashael silently thought to himself, pressing a button that lit up a buzzer outside his office.
¡°Yes?¡± the Arachne girl earlier came in immediately after knocking.
¡°Priscilla, please clean this up before it ruins the wood. I¡¯ll be going out for some time, maybe 2 or 3 days. Inform the teachers of my absence.¡± Rashael instructed as he took out a thick coat from his closet.
¡°Of course Principal Ray¡± The girl nodded and quickly called for a janitor on her phone.
Briskly walking out into the field, Rashael admired the institution he had upheld for almost 5 centuries. It was a huge compound, bigger than any of the old cities that existed while Kiefer was still alive. And yet, the institution was merely a spot on the map of the city, the biggest and most populated one on Aioa ¨C Portal city.
His institution was a combination of schools catering for students from elementary all the way to post graduate studies. There was even a new wing opening up for athletic scholarship students in the University branch. As per Kiefer¡¯s vision for equal opportunities for everyone, the school was cheap despite its high standards and reputation. Anyone without a criminal background was allowed in, and they could choose to study either non-magical courses or magical course, or even a combination of both.
Of course, running an institution as large as that was not cheap, with the school mainly being funded by the military as well as other companies from the private sector who specialise in technology that were dependant on mana. As with anything that consumed copious amounts of mana to function, they all required a mana storage unit, which happens to be produced only by a single company owned by none other than Rashael.
The mining factory located on his moon, there were no workers, only drones and automated machinery, mining as very limited supply of moon stone. No more than 5kg is supplied per year, but that was more than enough to run the school. They fetched astronomical prices and most buyers would use a blend of moonstone and a subpar manmade replicate to produce mana storage devices. While the storage capacity was severely limited, it was sufficient to run the current level of equipment and devices.
Sighing at Isana¡¯s stubbornness and thinking of what his niece would look like, Rashael quickly sunk into the ground while there was no one around. His identity as a Titan was known only a few, and while famously known as the legendary healer, no one outside of titans and the world¡¯s leaders have seen any of his other titan abilities.
He was the last to arrive, seeing his sisters already seated and enjoying some wine. He inwardly thought of how much they have changed, all having matured and their taste buds introduced to new and wonderful delicacies. What used to be a nice aromatic tea, has now been replaced by a sweet bottle of rose wine. He found it weird that while Isana hated, or claimed she hated, earth humans, she found no trouble enjoying their food and drinks, and to some extent even their technology.
Somehow, sometime unknown to him, Isana had moved her house from the mountains north of Mutatis to this cold desolate mountain side, with an entire back yard carved out of the mountain side where the young black dragon was frolicking in the snow.
¡°Hello brother. How goes your school?¡± Luna greeted him first, setting her wine glass down.
¡°It¡¯s all fine. The new athletics wing is giving me a headache though. I¡¯m more inclined towards intellectual beings, so having those muscle heads around makes me feel like the overall intelligence quotient of my school is plummeting quickly.¡± Rashael complained. ¡°How about yours?¡± he quickly asked.
¡°Same as always. I¡¯d have to say, those earth humans are quite ingenius. The newest model and software for the augmentation is actually decent. One of my Nat(ural) students actually lost to an augmented earth human in a magic battle. Have you been helping them design those new suits?¡± Luna asked suspiciously.
¡°No no.. that¡¯s all them. I have nothing to do with their little magic imitating device. To think they would implant a processing chip into the back of their heads to replicate the function of our mana centre. These humans really know no limits. Only after meeting them did I finally began to understand Kiefer¡¯s thought processes.¡± Rashael shook his head and denied.
A slow lull overcame the room as the topic moved to Kiefer, everyone avoiding eye contact. Then, Fiora broke the silence, pointing at the backyard where young Kina was playing.
¡°Guys, look!¡± Fiora exclaimed. ¡°Looks like she is about to start flying!¡±
Little Kina stretched out her giant white tipped black wings, inspecting them by turning her head side to side. With a strong downward swing, the snow on the ground immediately kicked up, swirling away from where she stood. Inspecting the effect of her actions she tried swinging one side, then the other, and then both together again.
This time, she kicked off the ground as she flapped, causing her to shoot up into the air quite a distance before crushing back down to the hard rocky floor. A crack was heard, but she didn¡¯t seem injured. The 3 avian titans winced, Rashael letting out a small ¡®Ooo!¡¯ when she hit the ground. A small crater was left in the floor which Kina observed, then resumed her wing flapping.
This time, she jumped harder and flapped harder, continuing to flap her wings to keep herself hovering off the floor for about 30 seconds. She came crashing down again when she was tired of flapping, seemingly disoriented and a little anguished.
¡°Haha. She¡¯s still young. Not even a day old yet and trying to fly?¡± Rashael commented, returning to his drink.
¡°Well, she¡¯s curious. Give her time, she¡¯ll eventually come to realise her own skills. Even Isana took a year to be fully aware of her skills before she used mana to fly instead of her wings.¡± Fiora added on, proud that she knew more about Isana than her siblings did.
At that moment, Isana came floating down from the sky, landing in the back yard and kissing her child before proceeding into the house through the back door. As she strolled to the dining table where the 3 were seated, she pulled out a steaming pot of stew from her PD, laying it on the table as everyone cleared the wine bottle, making way for the meal.
Following behind her were Sher and Feir who similarly landed in the courtyard. While Sher walked into the house, Feir stayed behind in his giant wolf form and began rough housing with Kina, tackling her to the ground as they tried to bite and claw each other. Kina smiled gleefully at her playmate as she rolled around on the floor, the snow painting her black body in blotches of white.
As they were about to start their meal, the titans were interrupted by a loud audible growl that trailed off into a squeal. They turned to look at Feir who shook his head and looked at Kina. Kina seemed to be concentrating on something in the sky as her tummy rumbled once more, illiciting chuckles from her mother and the titans.
Abruptly without warning, Rashael felt a surge of mana explode from Kina as she bolted up into the sky, spreading her wings to help her stabilise in the air. He sudden movement stunned everyone as Isana and Sher rushed out of the house while dropping the ladle she was holding. She needed to follow her baby, not wanting to lose her child.
What they saw shocked them even more, as Kina came shooting down towards the ground, creating a crater as she landed. In her jaws was a poor wyvern still struggling for its life while in one of her front legs, clasped tightly by her talons was another, already crushed to death. Looking at her mother with a wide grin, she presented the one in her hand while snapping the neck of the wyvern in her mouth.
¡°hahaha... looks like she learns fast, like her dad.¡± Rashael laughed at the gory scene of splattered blood.
¡°And she¡¯s as vicious as her mum.¡± Luna added, watching Kina devour the wyvern bite by bite.
Isana smiled, placing the offered wyvern in front of her child and patting Kina on her head. Slowly, she took out a towel from her PD and cleaned up the blood around her child¡¯s mouth, before heading back into the house. The titans followed behind her, Feir already in his smaller dog form and trotting along into the house.
[[Back at Portal City Spectre training Facility]]
¡°So what¡¯s the meaning of this Sergeant Sanders?¡± The Lieutenant asked, looking at the boy dressed in cheap clothes that were obviously bought at a discount store, with the price tag still attached.
¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned in the report, we found this boy living with a family of Seraplors in the northern woods. From what we¡¯ve seen, he may not have been taught by anyone, but he¡¯s a Nat Enhancer. Im not sure of his casting abilities, but he lifted a 400lb Seraplor like it was his laundry and sprinted with the weight. I want to register him for a Spec training regime as my son. Of course, he will need to be taught to speak with words.¡± Sander paused, looking at the boy grabbing papers off his superior¡¯s desk. ¡°And some manners.¡± He continued.
¡°If he really can do what you say he can, then I see no problem. We could use a talented individual like him. And if he turns out to have an aptitude for casting, I happen to know an associate of mine who runs an excellent school that will teach him how to be the best caster.¡± The lieutenant said, rubbing his unshaven chin as he assessed the boy visually. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this investment of your turns out well.¡±
Chapter 1.02 - The Start of School
Hello hello hello! To all my followers, Thank you all so very much. It is a little weird adding this Author''s comment on this chapter, but it is technically the first new chapter on this fiction, soo.. yea. enjoy.
¡°Well? What do you think? Will he be able to register for the magical stream of classes in this academy?¡± Sanders asked nervously, his hands gripping firmly on a young boy¡¯s shoulders from the back.
¡°Hmm¡ I can¡¯t say for certain. While it¡¯s true that he has a rather large mana capacity, we can only tell overtime the rate of growth of his innate mana capacity. An average Nat¡¯s mana ranges from five to six hundred Magical units (MU). For someone his age, having 950MU is already quite large. But like I said, everybody grows at different rates. He may grow really quickly, or even stagnate at his current level. The other thing though, is that he doesn¡¯t seem to speak a lot, so I don¡¯t know if he will be able to cope with the caster¡¯s classes.¡± The instructor informed Sanders, keeping the small handheld device that just took measurements from the boy¡¯s blood.
¡°Yes, he is rather shy, but my boy Seras is not mute. I¡¯ve shown you his medical checklist. Not only his magical capacity, even his physical body far exceeds anybody his age. And he can already enhance his body. I would still love to give him the best opportunity to grow and learn. If it does seem that he is unable to follow the lessons, I will take it upon myself to have him transferred to the non-magic stream of classes. There are always other options available for him.¡± Sanders assured the instructor of his boy¡¯s abilities.
¡°Okay then. Since you insist. Now that the basic test is over, I just need to verify his basic understanding of science and if he passes, then we can conclude the registration process.¡± The instructor announced, looking at the boy who did not avert his gaze, but instead met the instructor¡¯s stare head on.
¡°Well that should be relatively easy, my wife and I have been teaching him for the past 8 years. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do just fine.¡± Sanders laughed heartily as he patted Seras on his head gently.
¡°So boy, write out for me, the complete balanced equation of the combustion of pentane in air.¡± The instructor started, handing the 12 year old boy a pen and paper. Immediately without even considering to think, the boy took the pen and started scribbling on it furiously, finishing the task in under a minute.
¡°Impressive. Now draw a free body diagram of an object travelling around a planet in low orbit within the stratosphere, labelling all the forces acting on the object.¡± The instructor continued. Once again, the boy started drawing arrows and circles, scribbling down the names of each force that he drew. He was done in a jiffy, which seemed to impress the instructor even more.
¡°Well now. You seem to have a pretty bright head on those broad shoulders of yours. For the last question, Draw a simplified diagram of an Arachne¡¯s circulatory system, carefully labelling every key organ and the direction of the blood flow while also indicating whether the blood is oxygenated or not.¡± The instructor asked, passing the young boy a red and blue colour pencil.
This took a little more time due to the complexity, but the boy answered it flawlessly nonetheless, which put a wide grin on his father¡¯s face. The instructor could only smile in admiration, placing a stamp on the boy¡¯s registration papers with a loud ¡°THUMP¡±. He looked up to Sanders and smiled gently, nodding his head and praising the man. ¡°You and your wife taught him well. I¡¯m sure he will make a fine student at Mutatis Institute of Combined Learning and Education (MICLE)¡±
The father and son pair headed out of the auditorium into the wide hallway, where they followed the digital arrows running along the walls that led them to class registration. There, they would choose his classes for the next 4 years of his life. The young boy was calm, more mature than he would seem for a child his age. He knew his father had poured everything he had into grooming him, even leaving the well-respected Spectre program on a prolonged administrative leave to take care of him in conjunction with his wife, who at that time was an engineer.
The day quickly ended with the boy registering for a dormitory room within the institute¡¯s compound, seeing as his parent¡¯s residence was an 8 hour drive away. With that done, they quickly returned home, reaching back as the sun began to set. The registration had taken up all morning and a little bit of the afternoon. Even with 48 hours in a day, it was still barely enough for them to spend some quality dinner time together.
Within the week, Sanders was to return to duty and Seras, to start school. They had spent a good long 8 years together, learning and teaching, growing and fighting. Seras was no longer the small unshaven barbaric boy that he was when Sanders first met him. Named after the Seraplors Sanders found him with, ¡®Seras¡¯ was meant to a plural abbreviation for ¡®Seraplors¡¯. Sanders did not think much when registering the boy¡¯s name, resulting in a thorough reprimanding from his wife only after the name had been finalised.
The school¡¯s uniform resembled a suit, white with black lapels and wrist collars. It was long sleeved, but breathable, making it comfortable to wear even in summer while upholding a classy and suave look for guys and an elegant and charming look for the ladies. Seras was standing behind the door to his one-man dorm room, nervous about starting his first day at school.
Slung around his neck was a small glass vial no larger than his pinky. Within it was a tuft of hair with ever changing colour. The hair seemed to react to his mana, changing colours based on his feelings. Of course, it was tucked away beneath his uniform, hidden from plain view of prying eyes who might be curious as to what that hair was. There was no way he was going to risk losing a memento from his mother, the Seraplor that saved and raised him as her own child.
Taking a deep breath and making up his mind, Seras stepped out of his room, the door locking behind him with the sound of an electronic lock gearing a piston into the door frame. The room could only be accessed with a combination of his fingerprint and his Student ID card which doubled as a contactless electronic keycard.
Within minutes, he was seated within the auditorium, next to a short black haired girl with silver highlights. Waiting for the opening ceremony to begin, he looked nervously around the auditorium, carefully observing the teachers, senior students, and other freshmen like himself. Most of the freshmen looked nervous, few were confident like the girl next to him. He internally thanked his lucky star that he was assigned an aisle seat, which meant he only had to sit next to one stranger and not 2.
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The opening ceremony started with a short but motivating speech from the dean, principle and co-founder of MICLE. The man looked to be in his late 20s, wore a flowing cream coloured robe with gold lacing, making him seem almost like a priest or a saint. Everyone in the venue could tell he was a powerful man just from the mana he was emitting. Had it been 8 years ago, Seras was sure even him, his siblings or his mother would have actively avoided such a man.
Not paying attention to what the dean was saying, Seras¡¯s sight continued to wonder before finally returning to the dean who had concluded his speech. Much to his surprise, the dean was staring at him. Had he been caught not paying attention? Seras began to worry, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead. His foster father clearly told him to stay out of trouble, and yet here he was in a predicament.
As he was fidgeting about and pondering what to do, the girl next to him stood up and walked onto the stage. Realising what had happened, he sighed quietly with relief. The dean was looking at her, not him. Now all he needed to do was to keep a low profile and hopefully, his days in school would go by quickly and peacefully.
¡°Aahh... ahem! Good morning esteemed staff members, fellow students. My name is Kina Trishen. I have been given the honour of giving the opening speech as a freshman representative. While I may be unfamiliar with certain customs here in Portal city, my uncle, Principal Ray, has kindly offered me a spot in his grand institution for my education. Even though I say this, I do hope that you will treat no differently than any other students who have had this wonderful opportunity to live, study and grow in this environment that has been specially designed for our younger generation to prosper. I hope everyone gets along and that we will all have a wonderful time learning and exploring new opportunities together.¡± The girl announced while reading from a small note that she quickly tucked away into her breast pocket.
She bowed curtly as the audience burst into applause, quickly alighting from the stage and trotting back to her seat. Seras¡¯s face though, was a little grim. This girl did not just have powerful connections; she was not the least bit weak. Her mana indicated that she was far stronger than he was, maybe only second to the principal. Seeing her return to her seat next to him, and all the stares aiming at his direction, Seras cursed under his breath. He had wanted to keep a low profile, but he just happened to be seated next to a beautiful girl whose uncle was the dean of the institution.
Thinking it through a little more, he began to relax, realising that as long as she did not interact with him, all the limelight would fall on her and then, he would be able to meld into the shadows. It was at times like this that he wished he had his sibling¡¯s ability to change colours, blending into the surrounding and becoming invisible. He subconsciously clutched the glass vial underneath his shirt, smiling gently at the memory of his mother, and all the joyful times he had playing with his siblings.
With the opening ceremony over, Seras quickly left the girl far behind, briskly walking to his first classroom. There was no homeroom class today, having been replaced by the opening ceremony. The school wasted no time, diving straight into curriculum on the first lesson, starting out with basic biochemistry. While the students were only 12 years old, enrolling in the magical courses required a fair amount of knowledge, hence their stream of lessons were more advanced, learning what high school students would at their age. Interestingly though, most if not all of the 20 odd students enrolled in this stream were able to follow the lessons.
As Seras sat down in his seat as allocated by the school¡¯s AI system when he tapped his ID card to enter the room, he casually and quietly began taking out his Chemistry textbook. It was a thick book, weighing over a kilogram. He was about the only one who couldn¡¯t afford to buy the digital copy, while every other student rolled out their Flexiscreens and began selecting the textbooks from the menu.
Then, he looked up to notice that his worries might just be beginning. Kina walked into the room and all the attention of the classmates gravitated towards her. The principal¡¯s little Niece. The one with the most potential in this new batch of students. She was short, only 1.4m tall, but already had a sizeable rack that would put other girls to shame. Her face was slender and elegant, with deep green eyes that mesmerized anybody foolish enough to look into them.
Then, she walked across the front of the classroom, her hair flowing behind her. Seras prayed silently, dreading her every step. She stopped. Then she turned, making his heart sink. It was his aisle. With every step she took, he knew his hopes of staying low-key was flying further and further away. His was the 2nd last seat in his column. Seeing no signs of her footsteps slowing down, he knew. He just knew in his heart that he would have to change his plans for his school life.
As he suspected, the girl plopped down behind him, pulling out her rolled up flexiscreen from her small pouch. Being seated in front of the popular and attractive girl, he knew that some of the attention she garnered would eventually spill over to him. In worst case scenario, he would be targeted for being in such close proximity with her. His only hope now is that she would ignore him.
Keeping silent and staring down on the textbook on his desk, he avoided the gazes of so many of his classmates, all their sights locked in his direction. Then, the worst happened. He heard her chair squeak as it dragged across the floor, the shuffling of her uniform which could only mean that she stood up.
With a light tap on his shoulder, Kina leaned over her table and smiled sweetly. ¡°Hello! I believe we sat next to each other in the opening ceremony. My name is Kina. What¡¯s yours?¡±
Bee Tee Dubs, his name is Seras, pronounced as such -- Seh- rus, not Si- rAs.
Chapter 1.03 - The School Project
¡°Se- Seras¡¡± he mumbled softly. Surprisingly she caught what he has whispered and smiled at him before pointing to the door.
¡°The teacher¡¯s here. I¡¯ll stop disturbing you for now.¡± Kina replied and returned to her seat.
Seras sighed in relief, before realising that most of the males and even some females were casting either envious or hateful looks at him. Despite that, he just stared at his book and went on with the lesson. The lesson was boring, not anything he didn¡¯t know. It would seem the first lesson for each subject was just a recap of what they have or should have learnt so far.
Throughout the morning¡¯s lessons, Seras would constantly hear scribbling noises or yawning from behind him. Kina was obviously disinterested in the lessons. They were either too boring or too easy for her. Regardless, she didn¡¯t seem to pay attention to any lesson with the exception of biology related ones. Seras on the other hand was well versed in biology. Being a Nat enhancer, his foster parents made sure he knew the human body inside out, enabling him to enhance individual parts of his body through daily meditation.
Kina would talk to him in between classes, asking all sorts of things like where he¡¯s from or what he wants to be when he grows up. Being socially awkward, Seras only nodded or shook his head, never speaking to her. She seemed to understand his issues and eventually stuck to yes or no questions, since asking him why he refused to speak did not grant her any answer.
The school¡¯s lesson plan was simple, especially for freshmen, although classes only became more packed as the years went on. However, for now, the only magical class in the freshmen batch had it easy, as did the rest of the cohort. Classroom sessions were in the morning, with a short 20 minute tea break after the first three 1-hour lessons. After the next 2 classes, it was lunch time and a rest break for the students until late afternoon when it was about 3 hours before dusk. During the 9 hours break, students could sleep or study or even go out to the town.
The afternoon session though, was usually either Practical laboratory sessions or magic practice sessions. For the moment, according to Seras¡¯s schedule, Monday to Wednesday were physics, chemistry and biology practical sessions and Thursday was magic practice, giving him the Friday afternoon off. There were no classes on the weekends, but the students were encouraged to join clubs and societies within the academy to enrich their life with extra-curricular activities.
Seras of course opted to stay out of all these extra activities, partly because he felt awkward around human contact, and also because he knew he would not be able to afford the club fees and equipment rental costs if he joined one. Instead, he took up a part time job as a librarian during his off hours which helped him earn a little extra pocket money. While the pay was meagre at best, he felt comfortable in a quiet environment and had very few people bothering him.
Quickly, a week went by and most students were settled into their timetables. Seras though, was too preoccupied with being surprised at Kina¡¯s persistence. She had already made herself very clear that she belonged to the upper echelon of the society and the student hierarchies, being the principal¡¯s niece and also being about the only freshman who was proficient in more than one Division in casting magic.
Seras on the other hand was already labelled as the outcast after the first magic practice session, being unable to perform even the simplest spells due to his refusal to speak. It only made things worse when Kina comforted him after his failure, which seem to make people think that he was somehow taking advantage of her goodwill.
Another 4 more days of one sided conversation went by and finally Seras could bear it no more. He would confront Kina and ask her to stop. As per her usual pattern over the past week, he knew that she would somehow find him amongst the sea of students in the cafeteria during the lunch hour rush. She would always eat her lunch with him, talking to him and trying to get him to reply.
Seras set his tray down on the table, getting seated himself and picking up his metal spoon. Like clockwork, even before he placed his first spoonful of food into his mouth, a similar tray clanked down on the other side of the table. Facing him was a smiling Kina who was about to start running her mouth like a machinegun loaded with questions.
¡°How was today¡¯s Math class? Were you able to follow Miss Falador at all? You seemed to be scribbling notes an awful lot.¡± Kina asked as she looked at him with her green eyes, breaking a piece of bread and soaking it in her creamy soup.
Seras kept quiet, not responding to her question but instead meeting her gaze head on. Then he put his spoon back down, finally mustering the courage to open his mouth to speak.
¡°Why?¡± he croaked hoarsely, not used to moving those muscles in his throat. Before Kina could answer, he cleared his throat, and asked once more. ¡°Why do you keep talking to me?¡±
Kina¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. She had not expected a reply after having been given an extended silent treatment. Then, recovering from her shock quickly, she smiled gleefully, also setting her bread down on her saucer and replied with a serious look.
¡°Because you are strong. Stronger than any of the other students in the class. I can sense it. It feels like you would be very¡ tasty...¡± Kina replied, suddenly trailing off into a whisper in the end, hoping Seras wouldn¡¯t have heard her.
Seras was surprised by her answer, and even more so at her last comment that he had heard her whisper. He just looked at her as the silence ensued between them, the atmosphere of the busy and crowded cafeteria masking their awkward mood. Finally, for the first time since school started, Seras had a peaceful questionless lunch as Kina ate in silence.
However, his peace and quiet was not to last, for during the afternoon magic practice lesson, Kina was once again back in full throttle. Already asking him questions of his family and his past that she had failed to get an answer to, Kina was going at it even before the instructor showed up. Praying silently that the instructor would be on time and making a mental note to show up in future classes only after the teacher or instructor arrives, Seras endured the hateful stares of the onlookers.
¡°Alright everyone, gather around. Today, I will be issuing you your group projects that you will work on for the next 6 weeks. Now I say group project, but if you think you are capable, you are more than welcome to do it alone.¡± The instructor paused, flicking through his handheld flexiscreen to look for the relevant teaching resources.
Seras sighed in relief at what his teacher had said. He could do it alone if he wanted. Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught a sight of Kina staring and smiling at him, which made him shudder and sweat. Quickly moving through the crowd to hide himself from her line of sight, Seras moved to the other side of the group.
¡°Now, I¡¯m sure all of you are already capable of performing class 2 spells with the exception of Kina and Seras. Kina has already demonstrated to be able to perform a class 4 spell last week, so naturally, her project difficulty will be raised to help support her growth. Everyone, including Seras is to research the inner workings of a class 3 spell and present their findings during their magic theory class 6 weeks from now. Anyone teamed up with Kina will have to do the same, except with a class 5 spell, a titan class spell, or any mystery class spell.¡± The instructor continued.
The group of youngsters immediately started chatting amongst themselves excitedly. This would be their first research project where they had the freedom to choose their own topic and methodology. In their previous school years where they learnt 1st and 2nd class spells, they were simply taught the spells without being given the opportunity to experiment. Quickly, groups and cliques were forming as students huddled up to discuss which skill they should research.
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Seras observed the class from afar, taking out his book on advanced spells from his backpack. It was a small book, only listing the names and effects of any recorded spells without any explanation whatsoever. Flipping through the pages, he saw a group of courageous and adventurous students approach Kina, probably inviting her to join their group. They must have considered the increased difficulty but decided to take it as a challenge rather than a roadblock.
Then, Seras¡¯s eyes widened. He locked gazes with Kina. His face became downcast while hers showed a wide grin. Predicting the worst, Seras quickly packed his bag, enhanced his body and started sprinting away from the class. Even if he had to ditch the class halfway and suffer some sort of punishment, it would still be better than getting mixed up with that girl.
Most of the class were too busy to notice his actions. He sprinted so fast that within a blink of an eye, he was already at the outer perimeter of the practice field, jumping over the 5m fence with ease while carrying a backpack filled with books. He only had one thought right now. RUN. He could decide on his project topic later. For now, creating distance was the priority.
Kina of course only smiled. For her, a fleeing prey is always more enjoyable than one that stood still in fear. With a thought, she disappeared from the crowd, stunning everyone who was still talking to her mid-sentence. Naturally, she had inherited one of her father¡¯s skills before he became a titan, being able to teleport anywhere that she could lay her eyes on.
In the face of instantaneous teleportation, what significance was enhanced sprinting, regardless of its speed? As soon as Seras landed, he looked back to determine Kina¡¯s location, only to find that he could not spot her even with his enhanced eyesight. Confused and slightly relieved that she was not chasing him, he turned back around and quickly dropped to the ground. There in front of him was the girl, grinning so wide her lips could almost touch her ears.
¡°Tch!¡± he clicked his tongue as he quickly recovered from his shock, getting up and jumping back over the fence. The ground cracked under his feet from the sheer force of the jump as he fled once again away from the predator. Landing back on the lush green carpet of grass that covered the entirety of the practice field, Seras sprinted back towards the instructor, hoping he might be able to help by passing a ruling that he could choose who not to work with.
As quickly as he left, Kina blinked into his path again, making him swerve abruptly and forcing him to take a detour. Seras was not one to give up. He had fought wyverns with his bare hands before, and that was when he was 4 years old. This girl shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Resorting to his last trump card, Seras decided he had no other way out other than to use spell casting. Body enhancement alone was not going to let him escape this girl.
He muttered a class 2 spell under his breath, as the air around him quickly became humid while the grass and ground shrivelled up. Still sprinting along the circumference of the field, Seras predicted where Kina would show up based on the last few teleports and cast , a class 1 spell from a different division as .
A rocky pillar about 30cm in diameter shot up from the ground, impacting Kina just as she teleported in front of Seras. She grunted while he smiled, quickly changing directions once again. By now, their little cat and mouse game had caught the attention of the class and they witnessed Seras performing casting magic from 2 different divisions, water and earth. Of the numerous divisions, these 2 divisions were the simplest due to the abundance of the ingredients for the spell.
Then Seras made an abrupt stop, catching his breath as Kina blinked in front of him once again, not even the slightest bit injured from the earth pole attack. She was still smiling as usual, but her green emerald eyes seemed to be brightly lit, as if a fire was flickering within them.
¡°Do you give up?¡± She asked, inching forwards.
¡°Never.¡± He replied in a crisp and clear voice that only his foster parents had heard before. As he smiled, quickly crouched down, enhanced his fist and punched the parched ground, creating a small shockwave and a large crater. Dust flew up everywhere, distorting and limiting the vision of everyone. Within the confusion, Seras quickly sprinted back towards the fence, taking advantage of the brief window of opportunity during Kina¡¯s confusion.
Unknown to him, Kina sent out a mana wave, already detecting his location. This time, it was her turn to bring things up a notch. Instead of simply blocking his path, he teleported right next to him, quickly gripping his wrist. He was stunned by her actions, still trying to figure out how she had figured out his exact location so accurately to teleport right beside him.
The instructor cast a quick wind spell to blow the dust away, revealing a giant crater and not too far from them, the principal¡¯s niece pulling a young boy forcefully as he struggled to get out of her grip futilely.
¡°Instructor Glenn, I will be teaming up with Seras.¡± She said confidently as she arrived in front of the class.
¡°Uhh. Um. Seras, are you ok with that?¡± The instructor asked, seeing him still struggling to break free from her vice like grip.
¡°Glenn. I said I will be teaming up with Seras.¡± Kina repeated more firmly, glaring at him as she tightened her grip around Seras¡¯s wrist, causing him to wince and whimper a little.
¡°Uhh.. oh ok then..¡± Glenn stuttered, unable to go against this princess¡¯s demands. ¡°Wh- what skill would you be researching?¡± He asked, pitying the poor boy who was looking at him with pleading eyes and frantically shaking his head.
¡°Titan class skill - ¡± Kina replied with confidence.
¡°Miss Trishen, that skill is only a myth, which according to literature belongs to the Titan Rashael. Are you sure about this? It might not even be real.¡± Glenn asked again, hoping to deter the student from taking on more than she could handle. Meeting a setback this early in life while studying magic could have disastrously detrimental effects on a magician¡¯s growth.
¡°Yes I¡¯m sure¡± Kina replied, loosening her grip on Seras¡¯s wrist and changing positions to now hold hands with him, still gripping as tightly as before.
¡°Oh ¨C ok then. Kina Trishen and Seras Sanders will be forming a team studying the titan class spell ¡± The instructor announced as the class stirred up into mummers.
¡°I look forward to working and studying with you.¡± Kina smiled at Seras, releasing him from her grip. ¡°I will come find you in the library tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already arranged for your colleague to take over your shift.¡±
[[Meanwhile from an office nearby]]
¡°Haaah..¡± Rashael sighed, looking down on the practice field from his window. ¡°She¡¯s just as pushy as her mother was when chasing after what they want¡¡± he spoke out loud, the large horned grey dog the size of a german shepherd next to him nodding its head in agreement.
For those of you who are confused with the new classification system for the spells, it is as follows.
Spells are classed into divisions based on the raw materials needed to invoke the spell. for example, would be a Water division spell while would be duh, Earth division.
Classes of spell refer to difficulty in invokeing the spell, with it increasing in difficulty from class 1 up till class 5, with titan class outclassing class 5 and mystery class containing spells that have been proven to work but with no records of how or why it works.
Chapter 1.04 - The new Quest
Hello my dear readers. I''m sure you will enjoy this chapter thouroughly. It''s a present from me, and this chapter revolves around Kiefer. As you all have guessed it, there will be multiple MCs in this fiction, Kiefer being one of them. Hence, Kifer will not hold the limelight all the time. There will be some chapters focusing on Kiefer while others focusing on Seras, Kina or the titans.
You just have to remember that while reading a chapter that is focused on Kiefer, the events are occuring after his death on Aioa and before Kina''s birth, during the 1000 years or so on Aioa that i skipped between the previous fiction and this one. They serve as filler chapters that will recount Kiefer''s adventures during this timeskip. anyways, enjoy.
[[Netherworld]]
¡°Well, at least I know I still have my powers.¡± Kiefer lamented after realising that his abilities were literally useless in the netherworld. While he could still execute most of his skill, there didn¡¯t seem to be a point in having skills at all. The netherworld was a boring place, with no goals, no excitement, and nothing to do other than stand float and talk.
¡°Yes well, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already noticed, almost nobody spends more than 3 seconds in this realm, being recycled by the green sun quickly after they appear.¡± Grandu pointed out as he turned his head to look at the billions upon billions of souls that were heading towards the sun.
¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way to get back to Aioa or even earth without going through the soul recycling process?¡± Kiefer asked, squinting his eyes to catch a glimpse of the other powerful beings also hanging out in this realm. Then, a sudden thought struck his mind. ¡°Grandu!¡± he yelled suddenly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill me and then revive me on Aioa? How did you do that?¡±
¡°Ah.. ha. Haha¡ that, actually wasn¡¯t me.¡± Grandu replied awkwardly.
¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Kiefer asked now, completely confused.
¡°Umm.. ok here¡¯s the truth.¡± Grandu paused, fidgeting and scratching his cheek bone. ¡°It was actually the boss of the netherworld that sent you to my world. His name is Fahlnir, but everyone here calls him the Balancer. That¡¯s because he settles disputes and manipulates the different worlds that feed the netherworld, ensuring a balance in life and death in each world.¡± Grandu explained.
¡°What¡ and here I thought it was you who sent me to Aioa. So you lied to me all this while?¡± Kiefer complained his hopes of returning to Aioa suddenly dashed.
¡°Well, that part¡¯s not wrong either.¡± Grandu rebutted, hoping to redeem himself. ¡°Fahlnir was the first sentient being to be created and to die, being the first to arrive in this netherworld. His ability is to control mana and hence, indirectly control lesser souls. He explained that he created the sun in order to reduce the overcrowding issue within this realm, while returning life to whence they came. I had requested for him to specially send you to Aioa since he was already planning to kill you to postpone the advancement of your world.¡±
¡°And where is he now?¡± Kiefer questioned, a sliver of hope gleaming in his heart.
¡°I¡¯m right here, young one.¡± A voice suddenly sounded behind Kiefer, causing him to spin his ghostly body around quickly. There, floating in front of him was what he could only describe as a centaur looking lizard. Instead of a horse¡¯s body, he had a dragon¡¯s body, with 4 sturdy limbs adorned with sharp talons. A human abdomen and torso but with a serpentine face was attached to the front of the body while a powerful lizard¡¯s tail was swinging at the back. Inwardly, Kiefer was already delightfully surprised that the creature did not speak with ¡®ssss¡¯ attached to each individual word.
¡°My name is Fahlnir. I honestly did not think that the young powerless human I killed would eventually turn out to be a titan of the new world.¡± He commented, inspecting Kiefer from head to toe.
Taking it as a compliment, Kiefer smiled politely, before extending his hands to initiate a handshake with the creature. Even though he was confident in his own abilities and powers, Kiefer knew that the creature before him exuded a prideful and majestic aura, not the least bit frightening. And yet, Fahlnir¡¯s presence alone demanded respect and clearly indicated that he was much more powerful than Kiefer.
As Fahlnir extended his human hands to meet Kiefer¡¯s handshake, Kiefer introduced himself. ¡°Hello sir. My name is Kiefer. It would seem that I am deeply indebted to you for giving me a chance to live my new life on Aioa. As Grandu has informed me, it was you who transported me and I was simply wondering if you would be kind enough to enlighten me on how you did so.¡±
Grandu and Drigor widened their eyes in surprise. They had not thought that the arrogant Kiefer could speak so humbly. Not once had Kiefer been this humble to them, and he had the right not to be, but seeing this was definitely a first.
¡°Quite the polite young man aren¡¯t you.¡± Fahlnir chuckled as he withdrew a small pouch from his waist, putting his hands in a retrieving a tiny red bead, no larger than a half a centimetre wide. ¡°This here is a soul bead.¡± He explained as Kiefer¡¯s eyes locked onto the small shining sphere. ¡°This provides me with enough energy to manipulate a soul appearing within the netherworld and allowing it to materialise in another world.¡±
Kiefer nodded, not taking his eyes off the bead. Mentally, he was already calculating just how many beads Fahlnir would have within that small pouch. 20? No maybe 30? As he made short of the guesswork, Fahlnir who had paused briefly continued speaking.
¡°Of course, that only applies to normal lesser souls, not titan souls such as yourself. If not, when Grandu had begged me, I would have sent him back to Aioa instead of you.¡± Fahlnir explained, crushing the tiny sliver of hope within Kiefer¡¯s heart.
¡°Is there any way for me to return to Aioa?¡± Kiefer asked, not willing to give up.
¡°There is one way, but only your soul would return, without a physical body for you to interact with the rest of the world. What you will become is essentially just a mana signature within Aioa, with a conscious.¡± Fahlnir explained further, fanning the flames of Kiefer¡¯s curiosity. He paused, watching Kiefer¡¯s intent stare before continuing to speak, his jaws barely moving.
¡°The only way to return is to cling to a soul when I use the soul bead and return said soul to its world, thereby dragging you with it. The dangers though are that you risk detaching from the soul during the transition phase, and hence be trapped between worlds. When that happens, there is nothing I can do to help you. Naturally, a soul that is returning to its own world would try to filter off anything that is foreign, essentially trying to shake you off. To put things into your perspective, think of the soul as a bull that you are riding as it desperately tries to kick you off its back whilst returning to its world.¡± Fahlnir gave a very explicit description.
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¡°Okay, and why do I sense that you are not going to offer your services for free?¡± Kiefer asked cautiously, waiting for the catch in this seemingly wonderful offer.
¡°Well, as you might have guessed, these soul beads are quite rare. And they can only be found on my original planet, Risea. So, my proposition is as such. If I consume 2 beads, I will have sufficient energy to maintain the portal open as a soul enters the netherworld, allowing you to pass through and possess the body of the recently passed soul. Using the body, you will search my homeworld for the soul flower which blooms only once every 20 years. The soul flower blooms in random places, sometimes in the middle of the volcano, or at the bottom of the sea, other times on the table top next to a very lucky person. Its location is not limited to places where plants can grow.¡± (Fahlnir)
¡°And how am I supposed to bring these flowers to you? From what I see, I¡¯m carrying nothing more than the clothes on my back. I can¡¯t even open my Pocket Dimension in this netherworld.¡± Kiefer asked, already seeing so many problems in this plan. Who knows how long this quest is going to take, and what sort of situation he would be suddenly thrust into as he possesses a random body. Would he even have his powers or will he be limited to the body¡¯s physical abilities?
¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. Grandu went through this once too, just to save his world. Let me finish explaining.¡± Fahlnir growled, a little annoyed with Kiefer interrupting him. ¡°The soul flower is very well known in my world, and a very sought after treasure. When carrying one, a person will have the choice to return to their body if they die. Even the beasts on my world knows of it so whenever one blooms, there will usually be a powerful beast guarding it. If you die while carrying the flower and choose not to be resurrected, the flower will slowly condense into a bead by the time you fully transition to the netherworld. So all you need to do is to collect 10 flowers, find some way to store them safely, which shouldn¡¯t be a problem given that you can open a PD like Grandu, and finally commit suicide, or die, to return here with the 10 beads. With that, I can send you back to Aioa on a piggyback ride on one of the lucky, or unlucky souls.¡±
¡°Fine. You have a deal.¡± Kiefer nodded in agreement, relaxing after he heard that he can store the flowers in his PD, which meant that he would still have all if not some of his abilities after going to Risea.
¡°So, shall we begin?¡± Fahlnir asked, his yellow lizard eyes gleaming as he tossed 2 beads into his jaws, swallowing quickly. Immediately, Kiefer felt a wave of energy erupt from Fahlnir¡¯s body as wisps of iridescent red mists began rising from the pores of his torso and from between the scales of his draconian body.
Without his consent, Kiefer was shoved by the dragon-centaur hybrid into a green portal just as a soul passed through. While the soul shot straight for the green sun, Kiefer felt a powerful suction as he raced through a dark tube, quickly passing out for an unknown reason.
[[Risea]]
As if he had been asleep, Kiefer suddenly opened his eyes, finally seeing a sight that clearly indicated that he was no longer in the netherworld. It was dark and dingy, and Kiefer could barely make out a dim flickering light in the corner of the stonewalled room. Then as his senses gradually returned, he could hear silent sobbing in one corner and faint screams in the upper floors of the building he was in. A stinging sensation erupted from his back as he looked down and saw that he was sitting up in a pool of blood, feeling the slow trickle down his back.
Extending his hands and inspecting it as if they were the strangest things he¡¯s seen, Kiefer was relieved when he caught a glance of a small wiener while looking down. At least he was still a male. Feeling his scrawny malnourished body, then his face, and finally his pointed ears, Kiefer concluded that this was the body of a small elf boy, possibly only 4 to 5 years of age.
Standing up and walking, Kiefer could sense his mana surging from within as he enhanced his senses, finally having a slight idea of what this boy was and where he was. He had possessed the body of a slave elf boy who probably died from blood loss after excessive beating. His regenerative abilities as a Titan dragon quickly returned as his skin hugged bones and torn back healed, gaining substantial muscle mass and finishing with a nice healthy gleam of a pale creamy skin.
He saw that he was not alone and that there were other children in similar conditions as he. Without Rashael¡¯s ability to heal injuries, Kiefer quickly ignored them and zeroed in on his goals. Find the flowers, return to Aioa, return to his family. This was not his world, and he could care less about the suffering of its residents. However, decimating people who deserved it still gave him a sense of satisfaction, so it¡¯s not like he would completely cut off interactions with this world.
Opening his PD and taking out his mithril/moonstone skinsuit, Kiefer unravelled the threads and rewove a full body suit for his now smaller and slimmer body. He worked silently and within the darkness, no one noticed his actions, not that there were any guards on duty. Taking out his mithril sword, he prepared to leave for his new adventure alone.
¡°Boy¡ You don¡¯t have to rush. My world¡¯s time flow is at least 1000 times faster than Aioa¡¯s, so you can take things easy. Just remember though, you are not the only titan on this planet, and the ones remaining are very vicious, destroying civilisations on their whim. So you will realise that my world is not as developed as it should be, given its age.¡± Fahlnir¡¯s voice echoed in his head as Kiefer easily pried the bars of his cell apart like they were soft noodles.
¡°Let get started shall we?¡± Kiefer muttered to himself as he began walking slowly towards the staircase. There were 2 stairs, one leading up and the other down. Seeing as there were no windows on his level, Kiefer assumed that he was in the basement and chose to head upwards first, quickly locking eyes with a burly man who was smoking a cigar. As the man¡¯s expression changed from boredom to surprise and to anger, Kiefer¡¯s golden eyes gleamed, his lips curling into an evil grin.
Chapter 1.05 - The Information Gathering
As he stepped out of the stone building, fresh red blood dripping from his mithril sword and leaving behind bloodied footprint, Kiefer looked around and observed his surroundings. The building was located at the far end of a street which seemed to lead to a large town not far away. Between where he was standing and what looked to be the densest part of the town, there were a few other stone and wooden houses littered on the side of the street.
It was midday as the sun hung high up in the sky, torching the ground mercilessly with its harsh summer rays. Kiefer shield his eyes from the sun with his small hand as silvery ropes snaked their way back into the building from beneath his feet. Very quickly, the sound of bending metal and clinking pouches could be heard as Kiefer released the slaves being held while at the same time looting the corpses of the 50 odd men and women who ran the place.
Taking a look inside one of the pouches, Kiefer poured out its contents onto his small palm, some of the coins threatening to fall off the edge of his creamy white hands. The currency used here was vastly different from Aioa. While they shared the similar copper, silver and gold coinage system, this world seemed to have varying values of each type of coin, depicted by the different embossed logos on each coin, which could only mean that they originated from different countries.
There seemed to be 2 main logos and 1 other type that was found in small quantities. Kiefer just assumed that this meant there were 2 large countries and a smaller but still significant third country that ran this world. Fahlnir had failed to inform him of any details about this world, its geography and even its political system.
As the slaves slowly began to clamber out of their cages and crawl up the stairs, they could not see any signs of their saviour, except for the horrid bloodshed of their captors left behind by the mysterious boy. Unknown to them, Kiefer was already walking along the edge of the town, having teleported there from the slave house he had just destroyed.
Kiefer noticed the dark and depressing atmosphere the moment he set foot. Despite being in the middle of the day, and the people hustling around in a hurry, Kiefer still felt this sinister aura that permeated the air. On closer inspection, he final understood why.
He had heard of such towns existing on Aioa but had never had the chance to stumble upon one. Everyone minded their own business, not interacting with others. Any form of interactions that existed within this town was only conflicts or trades. Even then, trading was done swiftly with large sums of currency being exchanged in an instant and people not even bargaining or advertising their wares. This only meant that the negotiations had already been decided before hand and this was merely the final step in completing a contract.
A Thieves town. That¡¯s what this was. If you were not a craftsmen or an inn keeper, you were a thief, a smuggler, a pirate or a murderer. Everyone actively avoided such places since it was the heart of all underground activities. Merchants only had the option of being robbed within a large radius of this town. The occasional corrupt noble or two would come here to hire an assassin but that was rarely seen since they would rather send a middleman rather than risk getting killed and plundered themselves.
Kiefer walked around the town barefooted, garnering the stares of all the mewling crim that laid their eyes on him. A young child with barely anything on his body walking through this town was like a piece of meat being hung above a pack of hungry wolves. A dark shadow flashed past Kiefer, but with his enhanced senses, the shadow¡¯s movements were slow as a snail.
He was a hooded figure, a full head taller than Kiefer¡¯s new child form, and a small dagger coated with a film of grey liquid was held in his hand. Kiefer made an intelligent guess, assuming that the liquid was some sort of anaesthesia meant to disable him long enough for them to sell him to a slave house. The dagger was swung in a small arc, aiming to barely nick his shoulder that was protected by the thin mithril skin.
*clink!*
The shadow was surprised as Kiefer pretended not to know what had happened. The dagger had failed to penetrate Kiefer¡¯s mithril skin that covered his whole body except his head, feet and hands. The shadow quickly turned and flashed once more, this time aiming for Kiefer¡¯s unprotected cheeks.
¡°Perfect.¡± Kiefer thought as he smiled. Had the shadow walked off after the first failed attempt, he would have let the person go. However, with this 2nd attempt incoming, Kiefer decided that since he was so eager to meet his demise, his wish would be granted. Grabbing the extended hand that held the dagger, Kiefer quickly slammed the person into the ground with a flick of his wrist.
The force with which he did so was so great that the person left an impact crater in the ground. However, this time, it was Kiefer¡¯s turn to be surprised as the man got up quickly and bolted off as if he had not been hurt the least. Quickly coming to his senses, Kiefer gave chase, his small childlike body leaving behind a blurred afterimage.
Being in broad daylight, the shadow was naturally very easy to spot, with the sun¡¯s rays becoming his boon. Not just Kiefer, but almost everyone present could follow his movement with their eyes as he quickly darted for a dark alley where the building¡¯s shadows would help him blend in better. Kiefer however, seemed to have just vanished from his spot, which surprised a few of the veterans who witnessed the small tussle.
Instantly catching up to the shadow just as he turned into the alley, Kiefer¡¯s vice like grip caught his black hooded cloak and yanked on it, revealing a slender girl no older than 20. She had dark tanned skin with blood red eyes, and ears not unlike his. Her facial features could be considered average, though they were nothing compared to his wife.
She blinked her red eyes twice, not believing that the small child had caught up to her, then quickly turned and tried to run again, only to find her feet firmly locked in place by a sea of silvery snakes. Not willing to give up, she reflexively unhooked a few knives from her belt and swung her arms, flinging the knives at Kiefer, hoping to distract him momentarily to break his spell.
¡°pting pting pting!*
The knives rang out as they bounced off Kiefer¡¯s golden unblinking eyes as his mana armour deflected the insignificant attack. By now, the mana threads had engulfed the young lady up till her neck, restricting all her movements with the exception of her head.
¡°I have a few questions and then I will let you go. First. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Kiefer started with his interrogation, wondering if there will be a language barrier.
The captive dark elf was terrified. They say that thieves value their lives over anything else but assassins value their honour over their lives. She was but a trainee assassin, having used to be a thief, she was terrified out of her wits. Not wanting to provoke the monstrous child in front of her, she simply nodded furiously to his question.
¡°Good. I only need to know who runs this decrepit town of slimeballs and where I can find this king of slimeballs.¡± Kiefer asked solemnly.
¡°Vi-viscount Cloude¡ He controls this town from the city of Harentes north of here. He passes the instructions to his right hand man Julios. I ¨C I don¡¯t know where to find Julios¡ b- but my master might¡¡± She stammered as she tried her hardest to keep her breath, suffocating from the restrictions that were threatening to crush her lungs.
¡°Just one last thing before I let you go.¡± Kiefer continued, loosening the binding a little so she could breathe. ¡°How did you escape from my attack completely unharmed earlier?¡±
¡°A- an impact talisman that my master gave me. It will protect me from any strong impact once. She gave me to protect my life. It shatters after one use.¡± She replied.
¡°Good. Now go.¡± Kiefer said, releasing her and watching her stagger off into the alleyway. Quickly turning around, he already detected 4 more presences closing in on the alley from the main road. They were thugs who were hoping to profit off the conflict of the 2 people, taking the prime opportunity of other people¡¯s conflicts to swoop in for the kill on both of them.
As they turned the corner into the alley, all they were greeted with was an empty street. Not even a wisp of presence was left as they felt the cooling summer wind blow through the empty street. Puzzled by the disappearance, they turned back around and returned to their meal, not knowing that Kiefer was watching them from the skies.
¡°I guess I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better starting point than this crime town. What better place to requisition information about treasures than a town filled with thieves and bandits.¡± Kiefer muttered as he scanned the town for a shop. He would first need to look the part to blend in before getting more information. The target for now would be to take control of this town and hence any information it holds.
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As he scanned the town from the skies with his enhanced eyesight, Kiefer came to realise something. This world seemed to have a much higher concentration of mana than Aioa. His spells propagated faster and seemed more powerful compared to on Aioa, with a simple mana pulse travelling much faster than normal.
Very quickly, Kiefer identified what looked to be a merchant wagon pulling up into the town. Finding it weird that a merchant would even come anywhere close to this region, he focused on the suspicious trailer and discovered that it was actually being led into the town by a group of misfit bandits. Grinning at this godsend, Kiefer was soon outfitted in a set of stylish clothes just barely small enough to fit his childish frame.
Jingling more coin pouches in his hand as he stashed the wagon away in his PD and burnt the corpses of the 8 unfortunate bandits, Kiefer headed straight towards the busiest and loudest inns in the town. The ruffians arguing and fighting could even be heard from 5 blocks down. The inn was the largest of its services, towering over its neighbouring buildings at 6 storeys, built out of stone for the bottom 3 levels and wood for the top 3. There were very few windows, and they were all shut even in the middle of the day.
As Kiefer walked in through the front door, some of the quieter patrons started whispering amongst themselves while the others who were laughing gaudily or loudly yelling at each other failed to notice his presence. Kiefer quickly walked up to the bar and climbed up onto one of the chairs, his eyes barely looking over the tall bench top.
¡°Oi kid. I don¡¯t know how you even made it here in one piece but I suggest you run as far as you can. Saying its dangerous for you would be an understatement. I can already estimate at least 4 rowdy groups aiming to kidnap you while that group of ladies there have already practically turned into wolves.¡± The bartender spoke calmly as he wiped the table top, looking at the kid who sat down at his bar.
¡°It matters not what their plans are. I need to know who I can approach to help me get some information.¡± Kiefer replied nonchalantly as he set a single gold coin down on the table.
¡°Haah! You sure got guts, and money for that matter.¡± The bartender scoffed as he quickly swiped the coin that had barely touched the table for more than a second. ¡°I don¡¯t know which rich noble elf family you came from, but if you need information, you¡¯re best heading to that building across the street. Ask for Hunter. He¡¯s got ears all over this entire region. If you need something, he¡¯ll be able to find it. Only problem might be the price.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡± Kiefer said gratefully. At least there was one semi-decent soul in this god-forsaken place. He jumped off the stool and quickly made his way back towards the door. Almost like clockwork, a group of 3 sinister looking men dressed in the most uncivilized way possible blocked his path to at the door. As their faces grew uglier with each passing moment, contorting into crooked smiles, the one in the middle parted his lips to begin speaking.
With a loud boom and a crash, the entire bar¡¯s attention turned to the commotion where the door was now broken and the man that was standing in the middle was now unconscious and bleeding inside the building across the road. No one had seen what happened, but Kiefer had simply punched the guy so hard that he flew through the door and into the opposite building.
The 2 lackeys had no idea where their leader or the young child went, their eyes tracing the carnage that led them to the opposite building. Kiefer was now stepping over his latest victim, sauntering into the dimly lit place. It was a store of sorts, selling suspicious looking items at over the top prices.
¡°Boy¡ You are going to have to pay for the door you know.¡± A raspy voice rang out from the back room of the store behind the counter.
¡°I¡¯m looking for Hunter.¡± Kiefer called out looking straight at the counter where his mana pulse detected a presence hiding.
¡°Yes. That. Would be me.¡± The raspy voice replied as a balding old man who looked like he was made of twigs stepped out from behind the counter. He was no taller than a metre, holding onto a short cane for support and had a pair of large thick glasses hanging on the bridge of his nose. ¡°What do you need boy?¡±
¡°I need information regarding an item called Soul flower. Where to find them and who¡¯s holding onto any of them.¡± Kiefer quickly replied, not wasting any time as he kicked the unconscious man below his feet back out the door.
¡°ahaha¡ I¡¯ve lived for 300 years and this is truly the first time I¡¯ve experienced what they call ¡®looks can be deceiving¡¯. I thought I¡¯d seen it all but this is really a first, a boy with so much strength with so little knowledge on this world¡¯s most common of information.¡± Hunter commented as he adjusted his glasses with his skinny fingers.
¡°Well? What can you tell me? I¡¯m kind of in a rush.¡± Kiefer urged him, starting to get annoyed at the frail old thing¡¯s nonsensical bantering.
¡°The information¡¯s gonna cost you. Depending on how much you pay, I will divulge the appropriate amount of information, which is of course, after I deduct a generous sum for my door.¡± Hunter replied as he stared straight into Kiefer¡¯s eyes, not the least bit intimidated by Kiefer¡¯s display of strength earlier.
Kiefer immediately took out the consolidated sack of coins that he had added together from all his previous victims, tossing it high into the air. Then, the old man suddenly leapt into the air, bereft of his previous slow demeanour and caught the sack of coins, landing on a wall mounted shelf on the other side of the shop.
With great agility and dexterity, Hunter poured the coins out of the sack, letting them all flow in a stream downwards and collecting them back into the sack before they fell out of his reach. Kiefer noticed his eyes darting from coin to coin as they fell, sharp as a hawks vision, locked onto their prey.
¡°Hmm¡ Considering the currency exchange rates, this totals about 300 Harentes gold coin. Quite the sum for someone so young to be carrying, but still barely enough for my services.¡± He replied, having counted the coins as they fell earlier.
¡°So? What can you tell me with what I gave you?¡± Kiefer asked impatiently.
¡°Only the bare minimum. You can find a soul flower in each of the major kingdoms¡¯ treasury.¡± Hunter replied, pausing to inspect Kiefer¡¯s reaction.
Kiefer¡¯s brows twitched uncontrollably, his anger roiling inside. This old man was clearly cheating him but he knew he could do nothing. Threatening to kill the man would yield him no results even if he managed to get his money back.
Seeing the young elf seething with anger, Hunter smiled before opening his old crooked mouth to speak once more. ¡°I can tell you more, but in exchange, you will provide me with the required services in the future should I require someone of¡ your expertise.¡± He said, pausing to watch Kiefer nod slowly.
¡°The soul flower withers within minutes of being plucked, so it¡¯s life-saving effect is only useful for a few minutes. Anyone who eats it while on the brink of death will without a doubt be saved. Therefore, any powerful person who discovers a soul flower will defend it without plucking it, keeping it safe within a close distance. Naturally, kingdoms bloom around it as powerful men build fortresses to protect their treasure. Similarly, when found by demon or magical beasts, they create a lair around the flower, protecting it with their lives as they grow stronger from the aura of the flower. If you want one, you will have to steal it from the world¡¯s most powerful kingdoms or the world¡¯s most fearsome creatures. Unless you are lucky enough to find one randomly blooming, there is no other way.¡± Hunter explained in great detail.
Kiefer finally understood why such a treasure wouldn¡¯t be easily located even on the black market. Once plucked, it¡¯s shelf life is mere minutes before it loses its worth, not enough time to transport or even conduct a proper sales transaction. The problem though is that from what Hunter had said, he would need more information on which countries had been built around the flower and which has not, unless he simply rampaged through the entire world, turning over cities in his wake.
¡°Thank you.¡± Kiefer bowed curtly as he turned to leave.
¡°I¡¯ll be hearing from you again shortly, young elf.¡± Hunter called out from behind as his figure blurred and disappeared into the darkness of the shop.
¡°Looks like my first stop will be Harentes then.¡± Kiefer muttered to himself as he teleported into the skies, wondering how he should go about to determine if there was a flower in that city.
Chapter 1.06 - The Father and Daughter Monsters
So I made a decision to include the stories from both worlds in a single chapter from now on so that you will always get a piece of Kiefer while still focusing on what is going on with Seras and Kina. Tell me how you like the format or if you prefer each chapter to focus entirely on one side of the story. It''s my first time writing the story from multiple plot points concurrently so im still unsure of the best way to execute such an idea.
¡°And so, unlike the class 3 healing spell which boosts the body¡¯s natural immune system or which uses the caster¡¯s mana and multiplies the body¡¯s controlled cellular division rate to close wounds quickly, the titan class spell has been definitively proven to work on a completely different mechanics as it¡¯s lower class counterparts.¡± Kina explained as she projected her voice clearly to the class, pointing at their project¡¯s presentation module displayed on the holographic screen.
¡°After much in depth research, we have concluded that while no one has been able to conclusively explain the inner workings of the spell, the hypothesis suggested by Professor Mark Rowin 30 years ago comes the closest in feasibility and possible imitability with regards to reproducing the spell.¡± Seras continued as the presentation moved on to the next picture.
¡°His hypothesis was that the spell reads the residual mana signature of the target, and formulates an algorithm to postulate the original structure of the target¡¯s mana signature while he/she was still alive, thereby determining the quantum state of the target right before death. With the calculated quantum state, the spell converts the caster¡¯s mana into the target¡¯s recreating his exact quantum state while he was still alive.¡± Kina explained.
¡°While in theory it might seem possible, however due to the fact that a person¡¯s quantum state of flux is constantly changing, there has yet to be advances in mechatronics or Manatronics to be able to instantly read and record a person¡¯s quantum state before it changes. Hence, the Titan class spell yet still remains a mystery that only the mythic titan Rashael can perform. And that brings us to the end of our presentation regarding the Titan class Skill .¡± Seras concluded their speech as the 2 of them took a bow.
¡°Does anyone have any questions?¡± instructor Glenn spoke up this time, walking to the front of the classroom where Kina and Seras were standing. It had been six weeks since the start of their assignment and Kina and Seras¡¯s presentation was the last. Looking around, one hand was raised high up in the air from the back of the class. Glenn looked at the student and nodded, watching the student drag her chair as she stood up to pose her question.
¡°Is there any way that Professor Mark Rowin¡¯s hypothesis is able to account for the supposed 5 minute time limit as mentioned earlier in the presentation?¡± She asked, staring intently at the pair who was up on the front.
¡°As we have mentioned before, there is no proof that the spell even exists, or that there is even a 5 minute time limit after the target¡¯s death. However, we discussed this in great detail and came to assumption that beyond 5 minutes, the target¡¯s remnant mana signature would be too dispersed for the spell¡¯s algorithm to reverse calculate its original structure.¡± Seras explained, watching the female student nod understandably and sit back down.
¡°Have you considered the alternate hypothesis regarding the soul¡¯s transition to the netherworld? The history books seem to suggest an era of strife between the ancient city of Diantes and her neighbours, where Diantes efficiently deployed the used of necromancers who could connect to the netherworld. What if the Spell has more connection with the soul and the netherworld rather than quantum physics?¡± Another boy asked quickly just as the first girl sat down.
¡°As we¡¯ve mentioned before, there is no conclusive proof on how the spell works. We are merely presenting what we have deemed to be the most probable hypothesis to date. While what you have suggested is not impossible, we find that taking the path of quantum physics has a more solid foundation and hence a higher chance of finding proof for the hypothesis.¡± Kina rebutted the student.
¡°Thank you Kina and Seras. That will be all for today¡¯s lesson.¡± Glenn interjected, ushering Kina and Seras back to their seats. ¡°Your results will be posted online in 48 hours. Class is dismissed. Enjoy your holidays people.¡±
Over the past 6 weeks of school, Seras¡¯s impression amongst his peers had made improvements by leaps and bounds. His nickname was now ¡®Monster Tamer¡¯, being quite well known throughout the entire student body, not just the first years. How they came about to this name though, was interesting.
During his first week after Kina dragged him into her own antics, many student, though mainly comprised of the male cohort, envied him and hated him. Why would they not? For he was selected by their princess, their idol. Being the natural pacifist that he is, Seras managed to avoid most of the troubles that came with said jealousy.
However, everything turned around when the Kina fan club boys approached her and started bothering her to ditch the wimp and to study with them instead. This led to the famous incident of Kina hanging one of the boys by his ankles off the edge of the roof during morning assembly. Of course, she managed to weasel her way out of trouble by using her identity as the dean¡¯s niece.
Unfortunately, this instead spurred an even stronger reaction from the Fan boys who now targeted Seras instead. This led to Kina¡¯s rampage where she was literally flinging students in her warpath left and right, only to have her anger somehow quelled by Seras. And hence the nickname ¨C monster tamer. Kina¡¯s headstrong attitude earned her the respect of the female cohort and the fear of their male counterparts.
Even then, after 6 weeks with Kina, Seras was still adamant about keeping his distance, trying to pass his school life quietly. He peeked around the corner as he came up from the stairs, checking for any indication that the monster princess might be lurking around in wait for him. While he was grateful for the recent improvement in his overall image and his classmate¡¯s treatment towards him, Seras still preferred not to be related to Kina.
Today was the last day of school before the month long break and he was not going to risk having his entire month occupied by Kina¡¯s whims. Seeing the presence of boys and the lack of chattering, he quickly headed for the exit on the other side of the long hallway, bolting by so fast that the draft behind him was considerably large.
Seras looked at his dorm one last time, before shutting the door behind him. It was only for a short time, but the time he lived here alone was the most peaceful time he had. With no one other than Kina to disturb him, he was free to reminisce about his family; always holding his mother¡¯s fur in the air above him and watching it shine in a myriad of colours.
Slinging the bag over his shoulders, inside containing nothing more than a set of clothes and some personal affects, he quickly left the building in haste, his intuition kicking up that a storm was approaching. Sure enough, no more than 10 minutes after he left the dorm building, a young girl with white tipped black hair was stomping on the ground outside the dorms, furious that she had missed her chance to drag him off.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Arriving shortly at the local portal exchange, he chucked some coins into the machine, inserted his home¡¯s key into the slot and placed his palm on the scanner. The runic markings on the edge of the doorway began shifting to synchronise with the information held within his key after verifying his identity, connecting the doorway with his foster home¡¯s portal door. The metallic screen slid to the left as he walked through the portal, entering his foster home.
¡°Mum. I¡¯m back.¡± He called out calmly as he walked down the hallway. The distant sound of pots and pans clanking stopped immediately as a middle aged women stepped out of the kitchen to look at her son, a warm smile forming on her face.
¡°Welcome back Seras. How was school?¡±
[[Back on Risea]]
A large fireball fizzled into a whiff of smoke as the royal family and the royal court mages¡¯ expression turned aghast. Behind the young elf was a trail of carnage, warrior soldiers frozen in ice or imprisoned in some unknown silver material. The large 3m tall steel door that served as the main entrance to the royal assembly room was literally rolling on the ground, having been reduced to nothing more than a large steel sphere.
¡°S¡ Sire¡ your majesty¡ He uses some weird magic¡ it nullifies our spells¡¡± The head mage informed the king who was seated in his throne, his queen trembling beside him. The King however, seemed unfazed, as befitting a king. His poker face did not let up, staring straight at the intruder without as much as a grimace.
¡°Young Elf. What is it you desire? Surely there is no need for all this carnage.¡± The King spoke clearly, his hand gripping the seat handle tightly. He already knew what this elf was here for. He had heard tales of it, historians recording such rampages that appear randomly throughout time. There had been 3 separate recorded events of similar nature happening to ancient civilisations before his.
The Harvest. That was what the historians named such events. A random powerful being would appear without warning and seek out the soul flowers that they kept protected. Out of the thousands of generations of civilisations in Risea¡¯s history, only 3 times had such a thing occurred, but each and every time it led to massive destruction of numerous kingdoms in all continents.
¡°Where is your soul flower?¡± Kiefer asked coldly, taking slow deliberate steps towards the King and Queen, the permafrost spell freezing everything within 5m around him.
¡°I will tell you where it is, if you will listen to my request.¡± The King bargained, a look of disbelief running through all his guards¡¯ faces. They all had one thought right now ¨C How is their King able to keep calm and even initiate a trade with this monster?
¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have no time for your requests. I can already sense the flower under your throne. I will be taking it now. Do not attempt to stop me or that will be the last thing that anyone in this kingdom of yours do.¡± Kiefer threatened as he moved steadily towards the throne, his mana pulse accurately sending him a feedback from the flower¡¯s mana.
¡°Please wait!¡± The king yelled in a hurry, quickly getting off his throne and kneeling in front of Kiefer. ¡°I can tell you the possible locations of 3 more flowers if you will spare my Kingdom of your fury. You can of course take the flower in my possession as well.¡±
The queen was astonished. Her proud husband, unrivalled by anyone in terms of battle experience, strength and war strategies was prostrated and begging this young Elf. She watched as the guards not incapacitated by Kiefer all kneel down on one knee as well, bowing their heads.
Kiefer paused in his tracks, and looked at the earnest man at his feet, begging to protect his kingdom at all costs. He smiled, knowing that the city of Harentes had an able leader, able to make quick and wise decisions. He spread his mana pulse to the maximum range, searching for more flowers within a 500km radius. He received 2 feedbacks, one about 300km east in the ocean and another to the west, just barely out of reach of his 500km range, making him unsure of the authenticity of the feedback.
¡°I can sense one in the oceans to the east and another to the west. What are they guarded by and where is the third one?¡± Kiefer demanded as the King quickly raised his head, wiping the sweat off his brows with his sleeve.
¡°The flowers are almost always guarded by Dragons. They have a high affinity for the soul flower¡¯s mana and while they might be a lesser dragon when they find it, they always grow into full-fledged dragons when absorbing the flower¡¯s aura and mana. The 2 locations you have mentioned are indeed lairs of greater dragons that have guarded their treasure for centuries. The one in the ocean is a water dragon while the one in west is a Nature dragon, residing in the densest forests on this continent. The last one though, we are not too sure, but we suspect to be deep underground in a dungeon about 3 days horseback southwest from Harentes.¡± The King answered him truthfully, praying that what he said will be enough to avoid the calamity that might befall his country.
¡°And you want me to clear out these threats because they are so close to your country.¡± Kiefer scoffed at the King¡¯s apparent schemes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it on the account that you are a good leader. However, I want one more piece of information from you. Where do I find Viscount Cloude?¡±
¡°Thank you for your benevolence mighty elf. Viscount Cloude is in the 5th district. His mansion is the largest, atop a small hill. You can¡¯t miss it. It has a whole orchard of fruit trees behind it.¡± The King described as Kiefer looked at him, nodded and turned to leave, vanishing instantly from the room.
Seeing the monstrous elf disappear without taking his soul flower, the king stood up and returned to his throne, slumping down and heaving a great sigh of relief. The tension in the air was now gone as his guards and soldiers were released from their respective prisons. Knowing that the elf will be back to collect his flower, the King could only knead his temple in despair, his wife clutching his arm tightly.
¡°Send a message to the other cities as quickly as you can.¡± The King ordered as his aide quickly recovered himself. ¡°Inform them that the fourth Harvest has begun. It is time to put our ancestor¡¯s plan together so we can defeat this being of great power with our combined forces. It¡¯s time to make preparations for the summoning ritual.¡±
Messengers carrying the vital information soared through the sky on the backs of tamed wyverns as they left in different directions from the barrack¡¯s roof. They were the fastest in the world, able to cover a week¡¯s worth of horseback distance in a matter of hours. And yet, the King feared that it may not be fast enough. He knew not, how long the 2 greater dragons and the dungeon would be able to delay the plans of this super being that has descended upon their world.
Chapter 1.07 - The Parents
Soaring through the skies, Kiefer estimated the shore to be about 100km east of Harentes and the soul flower to be on the seabed some 200km offshore. Even though the distance of 100km is not very far and Kiefer could quickly cover it within minutes of continuous teleportation, with Risea''s current level of technology which was oddly similar to Aioa''s, it was still a great distance.
Kiefer spotted another city along the way, slightly smaller in size than Harentes. The distance between the two cities was covered in dense forestry while, beyond the 2nd city, it was a pale green meadow which slowly transitioned into the white sandy beach on which lies the port city.
The port city was half the size of Harentes. While the other two cities were circular in layout, the Port city was elongated and stretched along the coastline for almost 5km. Ships of varying sizes and purpose lined her docks along the entire stretch, with some even dropping anchor not too far out in the sea. Such large vessels chose instead, to send smaller accompanying boats to conduct trade with the city since they could not enter the shallow waters.
The waters around the city were murky and disgusting, making one unwilling to dip even their toes in. However, the further away it got from the shore, the clearer the water became, eventually settling on a calming deep cerulean colour with frothy white waves adorning its surface. From Kiefer''s view up high, he could spot numerous white sails swaying in the wind as they rode the waves towards the Port City.
Mutatis. Kiefer began reminiscing the city he had built and couldn''t help but wonder what became of it after he perished. How was Isana and Sher faring? Is Rashael helping to develop Mutatis as per his plans? There were so many questions running through his mind and yet, he could only focus on the task at hand if he were to have them answered.
Resuming his journey once again, Kiefer fought back the urge to descend upon the Port City. He knew he could not afford to waste time on human interaction. There would be plenty of that once he''d returned to Aioa. Teleporting rapidly through the clouds, the small elf child donned in a cream coloured cloak went unnoticed within the skies as he left the Port City behind him.
Standing on his mana platform below the clouds, Kiefer smiled as he watched the trail of ships sail past on the busy trade route. What should have been a straight path between 2 continents had now been skewed into a ''V'' shape to avoid the region where the soul flower and the dragon resided.
"I guess I better get on with it then. I really did not expect Viscount Cloude''s basement to house another soul flower as well. To think there were two flowers within such close proximity to each other." Kiefer muttered quietly to himself as he sent out another mana pulse to locate the flower and the dragon guarding it.
He could see a flock of wyverns with their riders racing through the air below him towards the continent. He had not expected the residents of this world to have tamed magical beasts to such extent. Ignoring the wyverns, Kiefer teleported down to sea level where he erected his dome shield as he prepared to go underwater.
"Ooops. This might not be as easy as I thought." Kiefer lamented as he found it increasingly difficult to proceed after a mere 2m underwater. While the dome held within it enough air for Kiefer to breathe for the duration of his journey, he had no firm ground to anchor himself and drag the large bubble of air down with him, making it virtually impossible to reach the seabed.
After thinking about it for quite some time, Kiefer finally arrived at a solution that seemed feasible. As he activated his permafrost spell, the seawater froze into an inverted hemisphere of ice roughly 50m in radius. Willing his mana threads into a conical drill, he started digging into the ice as shards of ice crystals began shooting out of the hole in the floating ice island.
With this method, Kiefer made his way down several hundred metres, freezing the seawater as he descended the ice pillar. Then he felt a sense of rumbling and stopped momentarily, preparing to face the dragon. After a short while, Kiefer finally realised what was happening as the pillar began tilting with him still trapped in the hole in the middle. The dimensions of this gigantic ice block would not allow it to float vertically, and hence, it was tilting to restabilise itself.
"Fuck me. How could I have forgotten such basic physics on buoyancy." Kiefer cursed as he teleported back to the surface, watching the island tilt to form a massive ice log spanning 500m long. "Back to square one, I guess..." Kiefer sighed as he began to think up yet another plan.
"I probably won''t be able to lure the lizard out since it would be hugging the flower with its life. I would use a black hole, but I would then risk losing the flower as well. What to do what to do..." Kiefer pondered as he sat on his mana platform just inches above the tip of the sea waves.
Once again coming up with another not so sane idea, Kiefer immediately got to work, opening his PD and retrieving a weapon he had only used once. The pitch black neutron sword could only be wielded using his mana ropes, measuring at five neutrons thick and 1.5m long. The thin but heavy sword floated in mid-air, almost as if it was weightless. Kiefer then quickly let it drop, anchoring himself to the heavy sword with his mana ropes as it dragged him down into the abyss.
Holding his breath, Kiefer immediately sank into the clear waters, which eventually became devoid of light. He felt a slight thud as the sword hit the seabed after which it continued to fall at a slower rate. Reacting as quickly as his enhanced senses allowed him, Kiefer stowed his neutron sword away as he suddenly illuminated the surrounding sea floor with numerous orbs of light.
What greeted him was a giant gleaming dragon no smaller than his dragon form glaring straight at him. The dragon''s scales seemed to shimmer a mix of blue and green under the illumination of Kiefer''s orbs of light. Its face resembled that of a seahorse, with a single row of spikes running down its spine with webbed skin in between. Wingless but streamlined, this dragon had obviously evolved to be the top predator underwater. Its slender limbs extended to reveal webbed talons with frills of skin underneath the armpits.
Kiefer took a quick glance around, looking for a flower, managing to spy a single red and orange petal sticking out from underneath the dragon''s arm. Before the dragon could make its move to lunge at the intruder, the young elf had disappeared, reappearing high up above the water surface.
Exhaling quickly and taking a deep breath in, Kiefer smiled surreptitiously. He had seen the ocean floor; now he could teleport there at will. His body that was dripping wet was blown dry momentarily by a blast of heatwave, and Kiefer prepared to drag the dragon up with the next teleport.
Kiefer''s next moves happened in a flash, completing his primary objective almost instantly. He teleported directly to the seabed, his mana threads extended from his body, binding the sea dragon before teleporting back up to the surface. Releasing the sea dragon that was now howling in frustration, Kiefer quickly teleported back down again, storing his first soul flower within his PD and disappearing without a trace.
The enraged dragon kicked up a storm as dark clouds loomed over the ocean. Thunder clapped as scores of lightning struck the ocean surface, forming bridges of light between the sky and the ocean. The thief who stole his most prized possession, though, was nowhere to be found. All that''s left was a large wingless dragon howling in agony and misery, his sole purpose in life robbed from right under his nose.
Kiefer could not be bothered to waste his time fighting and killing off monsters. His only goal was to retrieve the flowers and anything else was simply a hassle. He did not owe the King of Harentes anything and with his power, there was nothing that the King could pit against him to deter him from taking their flower. His next target was the dragon in the west.
[[Back on Aioa]]
"Good evening mum." Seras greeted as he climbed the stairs and headed for his room. He had not been back in a few months and yet, there was not a speck of dust on his table. Even his sheets seemed to have been freshly washed and pressed as if his mother had been expecting him to return.
"How was school?" Mrs Sanders yelled from the kitchen, projecting her voice towards the upper floor of the house. However, only silence ensued as Seras shut the door to his room to get changed. Within moments, Seras was back down in the kitchen by his foster mother''s side, stirring a pot of clam chowder.
"So how was school?" Mrs Sanders asked once again, this time with a soft, calm voice as she chopped some vegetables at the end of the kitchen bench.
"It was a little rowdier than I expected," Seras replied as he placed the lid back on the pot to let the clam chowder simmer.
"Oh? How so? I''d have thought you would avoid interactions with other students given how shy you are." his mother asked with a curious tone.
"That''s what I wanted to do, but there is this girl that seems to be obsessed with me for some unknown reason. To make matters worse, she''s the dean''s niece and the most popular girl in our cohort. She''s really powerful, so there''s nothing I could do about it." Seras complained, shivering at the thought of spending another few more years with that monster.
"That''s odd. I didn''t think there''d be anyone more powerful than you. Didn''t your entry score show you have a much higher mana concentration than others? How high is her MU? Is she Natural or Augmented?" Seras''s mother asked, pressing him for more information.
"Don''t know," Seras replied, turning the tap on to wash his hands. "Never occurred to me to ask. But she''s a Natural that''s for sure. There is no way an Augmented human could reach her levels. She''s even mastered the mystery class