《Anomaly》 Chapter 1: Kuren Sain Chapter 1: Kuren Sain Kuren Sain is a 14-year-old boy who attends the Combat Academy at Lombania. His mom died at childbirth and his father left him in search of an adventure. His uncle and aunt take care of him, for which he is grateful for. With their meager funds, his relatives sent him to the Combat Academy hoping he would become an accomplished soldier or general. But the future does not seem so bright for him. On this sunny morning, he awoke on the top of a bunk bed. He slowly got up and stretched himself. He looked below him and saw that his roommate had already left. ¡°I guess this means I¡¯m late.¡± Kuren jumped down from his bed. He landed awkwardly on his right ankle and tumbled forward. He hit his head on the drawer in front of him. He groaned and held his head while lying on the floor. After a few seconds, he gingerly picked himself up. He got himself changed into the academy uniform. He went into the bathroom and washed his mouth with a quick rinse. He quickly put on his shoes and left the dorms for class. * * * When he got to the classroom, he could hear talking through the door. He sighed and slowly opened the door. ¡°¡­ the types of mana can be split into two categories.¡± Professor Monaco explained to the class. When Kuren entered, Monaco turned to look at Kuren. ¡°¡­ Mr. Sain¡­ How nice of you to join us. Since you¡¯ve decided to grace us with your presence, do you think you could explain the two categories of mana?¡± ¡°Uh¡­I think¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Kuren answered with a nervous expression on his face. ¡°Is that so? Well if you can¡¯t answer then sit down. And maybe come to class on time so that you actually learn something?¡± Monaco replied dryly. Kuren quickly nodded and quickly scampered to his desk. ¡°Now then. Can anyone answer my question?¡± Monaco asked the class. A red-haired boy raised his hand. ¡°Yes, Flane?¡± ¡°Mana can be separated into two categories. Raw and artificial. Raw mana is used by demons, spirits and elves. Artificial mana is used by humans, dwarves, and also elves.¡± ¡°Very good. Now then can you also explain why humans use artificial mana instead of raw?¡± ¡°Raw mana is unrefined and uncontrolled. If a human was to use raw mana, the human would quickly lose control of the mana. The raw mana would spread throughout the human¡¯s body, and the human would die or become some misshapen magic beast. Artificial mana exists within our within bodies. The mana within the atmosphere is absorbed into our bodies and is refined into artificial mana. This mana is harmless to humans.¡± ¡°Very good. As expected of you, Flane. Now then, I hope that you all are ready for spars. We will be heading to the practice ground shortly.¡± Monaco smiled and nodded. ¡°And Kuren? Please come see me after class.¡± Kuren groaned and put his head on his desk. His day was already starting out to be pretty unfortunate. As Kuren lay on his desk, the red-haired student named Flane and his friends walked towards him. ¡°Hey Kuren, it¡¯s not very good to be tardy? That¡¯s not like you at all. Tsk tsk.¡± Flane addressed Kuren. All the other students around Kuren turned away and pointedly ignored the exchange. Kuren is a scrawny little thing. He is short and weak for his age. His looks are average. All these factors led to his current situation: he is not popular. In fact, he is ignored by most students. Or rather, they avoided him. The reason being Flane Adenium. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Flane. He is strong, handsome, and popular. He is the heir of the Adenium family, a powerful heritage with plenty of recognition and fame. Flane is at the top of his class. He has talent for both swordsmanship and magic. It was clear that Flane was on the path to becoming a spellblade, an occupation that was highly sought after and envied. Flane went out of his way to talk to Kuren. It made no sense for him to be Kuren¡¯s friend. Which is why he wasn¡¯t. He treated Kuren like trash. He constantly picked on Kuren. Whenever there was a weapons spar, Flane would choose Kuren and proceed to treat him like a straw dummy. Magic duels were even more of a joke. Kuren had no capabilities for magic at all. His mana pool was pitifully small too. The only spell he could use was [Ignis Globus]; he could light a tiny flame at the tip of his finger for an impressive 10 minutes. So Kuren became Flane¡¯s plaything. And Kuren never did anything to stop him. ¡°Yeah I woke up late. My roommate woke up without waking me up.¡± Kuren replied. ¡°You¡¯re blaming your roommate? That¡¯s no good.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s not what I mea-¡± ¡°You heard Monaco about the spars coming up, right? You¡¯re going to be my partner, okay?¡± Flane interrupted. Kuren gave a forced smile and nodded. ¡°Heh, nice. See you on the field, partner.¡± Flane walked away, snickering with his friends. Great. Now he had to spar with Flane. He rubbed his right ankle, where a black and yellow bruise was. Flane and his friends had constantly challenged Kuren. Each time, they would end the spar with a blow to his right ankle. His bruise was never given the chance to heal. As he rubbed his ankle, one of the girls in the class walked up to him. ¡°Kuren, you¡¯re going to spar Flane? Oh wow. That¡¯s so brave of you. Do your best all right?¡± Melodi Adenia. A beautiful and talented girl. She is the flower of the entire class. No, she is the flower of the entire school. She is untouchable, beautiful, and fragile. Countless boys had a crush on her, and flocks of girls followed her. The Adenia family was one that rivaled the Adenium family¡¯s power and history. So why did she greet Kuren? Why was she giving Kuren a bright smile that seemed like it could melt a man¡¯s heart? Was it kindness? Was it pity? Was it love? Whatever it was, the boys all glared at Kuren. Kuren could only weakly smile at Melodi. ¡°Yeah¡­thanks for the support¡­¡± Melodi¡¯s smile grew bigger. She winked at Kuren and gave him a thumbs up. She cheerfully skipped away. As she went away, Kuren became conscious of the cold sweat running down his back. He realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time. He began to feel a sharp pain in chest near his heart. Melodi. She was a flower to everyone in the entire school. Well, almost everyone. If you asked Kuren who he was scared most of in the school, it would not be Flane. It would not be Monaco. It would not be the principal. It would not be the rumored ghost in the attic. No. It is Melodi he is most scared of. Because to Kuren, she is not a flower. She is much more. Chapter 2: Melodi Adenia Chapter 2: Melodi Adenia As Kuren began to think about Melodi, the pain in his chest began to grow. He still remembered the first time he had seen her. She had been walking in the hallway with a couple of girls accompanying her. Kuren was instantly captivated by Melodi¡¯s beauty. Her gentle smile shook his heart and her pleasant laugh sounded like music to his ears. It was love at first sight for him. But there was no way she would acknowledge him. He was a nobody. His uncle and aunt had always been poor. His father left him nothing. On the other hand, Melodi was part of the prestigious Adenia family. So, Kuren gave up his little crush on Melodi. But one day, after class, Kuren forgot his books in the classroom. He walked back and entered the empty room. There was nobody in the room. He walked up to his desk and looked for his books. Then he heard footsteps behind him. Before he could turn to look to see who it was, he suddenly saw darkness. As he was falling to the ground, he saw a fuzzy image of a girl holding a book in her hand. He woke up tied in a chair. As he looked around, a girl sat on top of the desk in front of him. His eyes widened and he tried to speak. No words came out. There was a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth. He tried to move, but he was tied too tightly. He slowly looked up at the girl. She smiled. ¡°Heh, I guess it¡¯s just you and me. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Melodi. But I guess you know that. After all, you seem to enjoy staring at me?¡± The girl suddenly spoke. Kuren¡¯s face reddened as the girl called him out. Then he blushed even more when he realized he was alone with a girl. ¡°Hehe, how cute. You¡¯re making me feel nervous now.¡± Melodi got up and slowly walked towards Kuren. His heart began to pound as he thought about what was going to happen next. It was almost as if it was a dream. The beauty of the entire school, Melodi Adenia, was alone with him right now. Melodi stopped right in front of Kuren and lowered himself onto his lap. At this point, Melodi was straddling Kuren. Kuren was a teenage male with a beautiful girl on top of him; it was safe to say he was a little excited. Melodi giggled and slowly unbuttoned her shirt. She reached in and slowly pulled out¡­ ¡­a knife. Kuren¡¯s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. He started to struggle but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do. Melodi raised the knife and slashed down, her smile widening even more. She ripped open Kuren¡¯s shirt. Beads of blood appeared on Kuren¡¯s chest where the knife had touched. Melodi slowly poked Kuren¡¯s chest right where his heart was with the knife. Kuren watched in horror as Melodi giggled uncontrollably. ¡°Hehehe, I can¡¯t wait¡­to make you mine...you are going to all mine¡­so just let me mark you¡­and make you MINE.¡± Kuren¡¯s screams were muffled by the cloth in his mouth. Tears came out of his eyes from the pain. Melodi¡¯s breaths became quicker and hotter as she slowly carved Kuren¡¯s skin. M. A. She had carved her initials into his skin. She had marked Kuren as hers. The blood poured from his wound. Dizzy from the blood loss, Kuren fainted. The last image he saw was the giggling girl holding a knife in his lap. * * * Stolen novel; please report. He awoke. He was still in the classroom. He looked down. His shirt was still ripped open, but there were bandages wrapped around his chest. He had been untied from the chair and the cloth in his mouth was gone. He got up from the chair and almost instantly fell down. The pain in his chest was unbearable. Whenever he tried to rise, he would get dizzy and fall. He looked outside the window and saw that it was completely dark outside. Kuren groaned and slowly crawled towards the door. * * * Melodi was a flower to the entire school. She dazzled everyone with her beauty. But only Kuren saw what was underneath that fa?ade. Every time he thought of the girl, his chest began to heart. The scar throbbed almost as if it was reminding him. To Kuren, she is not a flower. No, she is much more. She is poison. She is evil. She is sadistic. She is beautiful. She is deadly. And he is hers. * * * Kuren got up from his desk. The entire class was moving towards the exit. He sighed. Now he had to spar with Flane. He knew there was no way he was going to beat him. Flane was superior to him in almost everything. Do your best all right? Melodi¡¯s words echoed in his mind. He grimaced. He knew that even if he was going to lose, he still had to put on a show. After all, to Melodi, he is naught but entertainment. He understood that the only reason she chose to talk to him was to amuse herself. And this fight was just another attraction. As he walked towards the door, Professor Monaco stopped him. ¡°Mr. Sain. Your grades in this class are¡­less than satisfactory to say the least. You used to be an outstanding student. But it¡¯s obvious that you¡¯ve been neglecting your studies. You seem to be sparring all the time now. Honestly, your physical ability is quite lacking. There¡¯s not much hope for you in becoming a swordsman. Your magical talent isn¡¯t much better¡­ At this point, the only hope for you is to focus on one area. I suggest focusing on combat theory. Perhaps you may become a tactician. Otherwise, you may just fail this class. I don¡¯t want to have a failed student staining my record. And I¡¯m sure that you don¡¯t want to waste your family¡¯s money. Just show some improvement or you will not be in my class much longer.¡± Monaco stated sternly. Kuren nodded gloomily. There wasn¡¯t much he could do though. There was no way he could improve his swordsmanship when Flane and his friends went out of their way to treat him like a training dummy. So why wasn¡¯t studying an option? Well, the truth is, Kuren is quite smart. He was doing quite well in the beginning of the class. Of course, this was before Flane was acquainted with Kuren. Flane¡¯s constant challenges and spars had drained Kuren of time and energy. He rarely had the opportunity to study. For Flane, beating Kuren up was just practice. Flane could actually use the battles to train his endurance and practice new spells and sword techniques. But why did Flane Adenium despise Kuren so much? A simple reason really. Because of Melodi Adenia. Chapter 3: A Spar Chapter 3: A Spar When Kuren first entered the Combat Academy, Flane had no idea who this little commoner was. Nor did he have any desire to find out. Then, Kuren met Melodi. Kuren became the one of the few boys that Melodi actually spoke to. And she seemed so happy when she was him. So, rumors began to spread about their relationship. When Flane heard these rumors, he had no idea who this Kuren was. But he knew Melodi very well. After all, Melodi had been his childhood sweetheart. Even though their families tended to clash, the two often played together when they were children. As they grew older, they began to realize the differences between them and the strained relationship between their families. They slowly moved apart, but Flane never forgot his memories of their time together. So imagine what Flane felt when he heard some nobody was making a move on his childhood friend. When Flane saw Kuren with his own eyes, he almost burst into laughter. In an instant, he perceived all those rumors as just petty gossip. There was no way his beautiful Melodi would ever love this commoner. He spoke badly of Kuren behind his back, but Flane never directly confronted him. Why would he feel endangered from a weak boy like Kuren? But the rumors did not stop. Melodi still talked to Kuren. She still smiled at him whenever she saw him. And Flane absolutely hated it. He hated how Kuren could exchange greetings with her. He hated how he accepted her smiles so easily. He hated how Kuren was so inferior to himself, yet Melodi still graced Kuren with her favor. Flane¡¯s anger could not be controlled. Thus began Kuren¡¯s torment. * * * Kuren was walking with the rest of the class towards the practice ground. He looked around and wondered if anyone notice if he just ran away back to the dorms. Professor Monaco coughed lightly almost as if he was discouraging Kuren from taking any hasty decisions. Kuren sighed and walked forward in defeat. The class reached the practice ground. It was really just a wide open field with scattered wooden swords and wooden dummies. ¡°All right everyone. Choose a partner. We¡¯re going to be sparring now. Remember the rules. Once someone has fallen down, stop fighting. If someone yells ¡°uncle,¡± then end the spar. Alright? Let¡¯s begin.¡± Monaco told the class. Kuren looked around and saw Flane smirking at him. Flane beckoned him with a crooked finger. Kuren gritted his teeth and walked towards the red-haired boy. As Kuren reached him, Flane tossed him a wooden sword. Kuren tried to catch it, but he misjudged the speed and the sword hit him square in the face. Flane snickered as Kuren picked up the sword. ¡°DO YOUR BEST!¡± Flane grinned and charged at Kuren. Flane started out with a simple overhead slash. Kuren raised his sword horizontally and tried to block the incoming blow. Flane had put his entire weight into that slash. Kuren¡¯s knees buckled and he was forced to take a knee to the ground. With Kuren on the ground, Flane had the advantage. Flane grinned and kicked at Kuren. Kuren tried to awkwardly block the kick with his sword, but the kick sent him rolling. He picked himself quickly and got back onto his feet. Flane was standing there, grinning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy. If you fall down, I¡¯ll wait. I want to make sure that I got a lot a practice.¡± Flane¡¯s grin widened and he slowly walked towards Kuren. Kuren was on edge. There was no way he could beat Flane with brute force. The other boy was stronger and faster. Kuren had to think of another way to win. His eyes narrowed as Flane¡¯s figure slowly approached. Flane was taking his time, savoring the desperation in Kuren¡¯s eyes. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. At the last second, Flane broke out into a sprint. Flane raised his sword above his head, ready to swing down. But Kuren was ready. He already saw his next move. Kuren took a step forward and lowered his shoulder. Then he shouldered Flane in the chest and sent him backwards. Flane lost his balance and fell onto his rear. Flane sat there, shocked at what had happened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy. If you fall down, I¡¯ll wait. I know you want lots of practice.¡± Kuren grinned, a little out of breath. The students around Kuren and Flane stopped their spars. They looked at the two, shocked at Kuren¡¯s words. All of a sudden, they all heard laughter. Flane was laughing uncontrollably. As he calmed down, the grin on his face disappeared. He got up and slowly exhaled. Flane¡¯s eyes were cold. The hand that gripped his sword turned white. The entire sword started to shake. His eyes used to have blue irises. At this moment, they were completely white, devoid of color. Kuren took a step backwards as he realized what was happening. It was too late. ¡°[Ventus Gradior]!¡± The wind roared around Flane. He took a single step forward. And then he was right in front of Kuren. Kuren couldn¡¯t react in time. Flane was simply too fast. Inhumanely fast. Flane raised his sword. Kuren tried to raise his sword too to block the incoming blow. Flane had a savage grin on his face. It was a feint. Flane kicked Kuren¡¯s right ankle. Kuren shouted out in pain. His right ankle was still recovering from all the times Flane and his friends had it. The bruise had barely any time to heal. The sudden pain spreading through his entire right leg sent him to the ground. Flane stood over Kuren with his sword raised. Both the boys were out of breath. Flane lowered his sword. He bent down and moved his mouth near Kuren¡¯s ear. ¡°Ridicule me again, and I will end you. You are nothing but the dirt beneath my feet. Know your place, you nobody. Know where you belong, you commoner. Your life could be over if I ordered it. Your entire life hangs on whether I decide to give out an order. How does it feel to be so pathetic?¡± Kuren was silent. He kept his eyes shut. Flane snorted and walked away. Professor Monaco walked over and stopped Flane. ¡°Flane, I understand that boys your age are competitive. But you can¡¯t use magic in a spar. That¡¯s for magic duels. I hope you understand¡­¡± Monaco lectured Flane as they walked away. "Oh and spars are over everyone! Return to your dorms to wash up! Class is over for today!" Monaco shouted as he left. The entire class finished up their duels and started walking back to the dorms. Kuren slowly got up. He tried putting his weight on his right leg. A surge of pain shot down his leg. He grimaced. ¡°Good job out there. It looks like you got Flane real mad.¡± Kuren looked at the source of the voice and glared. ¡°Why is that a good thing?¡± ¡°Hm¡­because it¡¯s amusing? At least to me!¡± Melodi giggled as she replied. ¡°Well. I¡¯m heading back to my room. Rest well. You deserve it.¡± Melodi winked and ran away. Kuren watched her as she left. ¡°At least ask me if I¡¯m okay¡­¡± he muttered. He slowly limped back towards his room. Chapter 4: Adenium Obesium Chapter 4: Adenium Obesium The Combat Academy of Lombania had a library that had a wide selection of books. It was not as large as the library in Centulus, the southern capital, but it was still quite impressive. Kuren was tucked away in a corner in the library. He hadn¡¯t been here for quite a while. Flane had always managed to find and harass him. Today, Flane was sitting in the classroom for an hour as punishment for using magic in a spar. That meant Kuren had an hour to himself. Currently, there was a pile of books in front of him. He was trying to read as much as he could, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to make up for the lost time. He sighed and closed the combat tactics book in his hands. He put it to the side and reached for another book. He looked at the title. A Botanical Collection of the Mysterious and Deadly Plants within the Forests of Alurca. A lengthy title, but interesting nonetheless. Kuren leafed through the pages, but he noticed that there was writing on each page. He frowned and flipped through the entire book. The notes in the book had the same handwriting. It seemed that a student had written all over the book¡¯s contents. One page in particular was dog-eared. Kuren unfolded the bookmark and looked at the page. One passage was circled in red:
Adenium Obesium:
Common names include Sahi star, mock azalea, and death lily. Belongs to the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Its leaves tend to clutter near the top of the stem, where the petals are located. There are five crimson petals on each flower. The flower contains a strong cardiotoxic poison, capable of taking down large beasts. The flower was once found near the former elven capital Adsoria. The elves once gathered its poison to coat their arrows. However, during the Start, humans invaded the capital and burned down most of the vegetation and trees, including the Adenium Obesium. Nowadays, the flower is only found in the Grimwoods.
As Kuren read the passage, he vaguely remembered learning about the Start in military history class. The Start was aptly named; it was the very first war between all the races on Alurca. The demons launched an attack against the other races, forcing the other nations to join forces. Only the elves had decided to stay out of the war. However, that didn¡¯t stop the humans from dragging them into the war. The humans raided the elven villages and their capital. They took the elves as slaves and forced them to fight in the war. After the Start ended, neither side had won. The demons retreated and the other races quickly broke their alliance. And the elves never forgot their burning hatred for the humans. Kuren turned back to the book. Written underneath the passage was a note:
I''ve been studying the poison of this flower and it is quite effective. Once the poison enters the bloodstream, it will only take a few seconds for the victim''s heart to completely stop. While experimenting with this flower and other ingredients, I discovered a new recipe. This new mixture has the same effects of the poison, but delayed. The delay is easily adjustable by changing the ratio of the ingredients. Listed below are the instructions for the mixture: If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.1. Pour 10 mL of Adenium Obesium extract into a container. 2. Place 2(x) g of rosary pebble dust into the container (x stands for the hours of delay). 3. Mix ingredients and let it settle for .5(x) hrs.
Kuren was shocked. If what the student had written was true, this poison was extremely dangerous. He closed the book. He was curious about the other notes, but he had no interest in poisoning somebody. Well¡­he was interested in poisoning one person¡­but the punishment for murder was death. Kuren had no interest in dying. He would accept Flane¡¯s torment and bullying until graduation. There just wasn¡¯t any opportunity for Kuren to take revenge on the other boy. Kuren looked behind him to see if anyone was watching. When he knew there was no one around, he discretely slid the botany book into his bag. Even though he couldn¡¯t kill Flane with poison, there might be plenty of other poisons in the book that would make Flane¡¯s life a living hell. Kuren smiled at the thought of Flane bedridden, unable to bother Kuren at all. Kuren suddenly heard the bells of the clock tower. Afternoon classes were starting. Kuren got up and started walking towards the exit, with his newfound book of poisons. * * * When Kuren entered the classroom, most of the students had already arrived. Flane was sitting there, obviously bored after an hour sitting the classroom for punishment. Flane glanced at him and gave Kuren a cold glare. Kuren quickly looked away and walked to his desk. A few more minutes passed and Professor Monaco walked in. ¡°Good afternoon class. I¡¯ve got good news for everyone. In a few days, we will be taking a trip to the Grimwoods. We will spending a week in the forest so that you all may obtain experience and practice. Even though the Grimwoods may be a little dangerous, there is no need to be alarmed. There will be other teachers accompanying us to make sure that there is no real danger. As long as you all follow directions and act calmly, there will be no unfortunate incidents. If anyone has any issues, please come see me after class.¡± The class began whispering excitedly. The Grimwoods. There always had been rumors and stories about the dark forest. Stories of a little girl who haunted travelers. Stories of a magic beast that left corpses scattered throughout the forest. Stories of demons wandering at night snatching lone travelers. Monaco began lecturing the class, but Kuren wasn¡¯t paying attention. He was too focused on the idea of the trip. He had a sudden idea. His mouth curved as he realized that luck was finally on his side. Grimwoods. A forest with a diversity of plants and vegetation. The home of the flower, Adenium Obesium. How ironic. Flane Adenium will be killed by a flower that shares his name. Chapter 5: They Gather at Grimwoods Chapter 5: They Gather at Grimwoods The day of the trip had arrived. All the first-year students gathered in front of the school. There were six classes in total, each separated by ability. Kuren was in class 1-A, the top. He had managed to make it in by studying day and night before the entrance exam. Even then, he barely managed to enter class 1-A, considering his swordsmanship wasn¡¯t very impressive. But now, his grades were dangerously low. He had to improve otherwise Professor Monaco would send him down to the lower classes. And Kuren had no intention of letting Flane stop him from getting a better education. As the students waited for the teachers to finish their preparations, Kuren fidgeted nervously. In his bag were two vials: one vial contained a sweet-smelling green liquid while the other contained a clear liquid that smelled strongly of disinfectant. The green liquid was a mixture of Adenium Obesium extract and rosary pebble dust. Kuren found the ingredients quite easily. Even though the flower was poisonous, it was still commonly used the medicine students in the academy. Its poison was quite effective in numerous medicines. Kuren stole the extract from a cabinet in one of the laboratories. While he was there, he also grabbed some rosary pebble dust, a common ingredient that had numerous effects such as delay and a minor relaxant. Kuren needed the dust for the delay in the recipe. If he was going to poison Flane, he couldn¡¯t take the poison and die instantly. Kuren would be caught red-handed. Kuren added 8 g of rosary pebble dust to create a delay of 4 hours. He planned on poisoning Flane¡¯s food in the Grimwoods. Then, while they walked in the forest, Flane would have die from the poison four hours later. If the teachers inspected his body, they would find that he died from the poison of the Adenium Obesium flower, which was commonly found in the Grimwoods. Hopefully, they would assume Flane had accidently come into contact with the flower or eaten some of its petals. Of course, when Flane succumbed to the poison, Kuren planned on being far away. It was not a flawless plan, but Kuren thought he had covered his tracks nicely. The other vial that Kuren had brought did not have any poison in it. Just in case, he stored an antidote in the vial. It was an antidote that could cure all poisons. Well, not really. It was actually a purgative. When taken, it would cause the recipient to throw up, excrete, and defecate any toxins in the body. He had found the recipe for this all-purpose purgative in the back of the marked-up book he had found. It seems that the reason why this antidote was not widely used was that it forced the recipient to not only throw up toxins, but blood and bodily liquids. If there was too much poison within the body or the victim took too much of the purgative, there was a high chance of the victim dying from blood loss or simply throwing up his or her guts out. Kuren had packed it in case he or an innocent bystander accidently took the poison. He had no intention of dragging anyone else into this. He had thought about Melodi, but she had never tormented him like Flane had. Well, she had left a mark on Kuren¡¯s chest. After Flane was taken care of, he would see if he could get Melodi to stop bothering him. The teachers finally completed their preparation for the mass teleportation spell that would send them to the Grimwoods. Before starting the spell, the teachers began counting the students, making sure everyone was present. Teleportation was not a simple spell. It required preparation, mana, and resources. One could not simply teleport to any place one wished. The destination needed to be marked with a tethered rune. The party teleporting needed a rune tethered to the first. The longer the distance, the more mana the casters had to pour into the runes. The chant for the spell stayed the same no matter the length: [Spacium Concateno]. Artificial magic required two parts in the chant in order to operate. The first part was the family that the spell belonged to, such as Ignis (fire), Ventus (wind), and Spacium (space). The second part was the actual construct that created the spell. For example: Concateno (connect), Globus (ball), and Gradior (stride/step). The teleportation spell [Spacium Concateno] allowed the user to temporarily connect two places with two tethered runes. These runes were quite expensive, but they were reusable. The Grimwoods rune was actually tethered to more than just one rune. There were many people who tethered their runes to the one in Grimwoods to allow fast travel. Other examples of spells are [Ignis Globus] and [Ventus Gradior]. [Ignis Globus] is the only spell that Kuren can use with consistency and actual results. It conjured a ball of flame. In Kuren¡¯s case, the most he could do was a tiny flame. [Ventus Gradior] was the spell that Flane used against Kuren in their spar. It allowed Flane to take a single step and traverse the distance between the two. Obviously, Flane¡¯s talent for magic was much greater than Kuren¡¯s. ¡°All right everyone! Get ready! We will be teleporting to the Grimwoods shortly! If you¡¯ve forgotten something, too bad! We¡¯re not waiting for you!¡± one of the teachers shouted at the classes. Kuren could hardly contain his nervousness. This was it. All the torment and bullying that he faced. It was all going to end here. ¡°[Spacium Concateno]!¡± The teachers casted the spell, and everything turned white. * * * In the depths of Grimwoods, a lone man was walking in the shadows of the trees. He suddenly stopped and cocked his ear as if he had heard something. He stood there, completely still. A few minutes passed. ¡°Damn. They¡¯ve found me already. I¡¯ve led them across the entire continent at this point. What the hell are they doing this far south?¡± The man stood there thinking about his next moves. ¡°These woods should be big enough to lose them again. Maybe some of those rumors were right. A magic beast might just come down and have them for a little snack¡­heh heh.¡± The man chuckled at the idea. After laughing, he closed his eyes. ¡°¡­I have 7 days before I can fight again. Until then, I guess I¡¯ll stay here.¡± The man made his decision and began walking through the forest once more. Unbeknown to the man, a figure hidden in the shadows watched him from a distance. As he walked away, the figure¡¯s glowing eyes disappeared into the darkness. * * * A cold wind passed through the trees. Kuren shuddered. Grimwoods. It was just as creepy as he had imagined it. The black trees seemed so foreboding with their twisted and gnarled branches. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You scared? You afraid some big bad monster¡¯s going to snatch you up?¡± Flane came from behind Kuren and grabbed his shoulder. Flane¡¯s friends snickered as he mocked Kuren. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you¡¯re scared, you can always come running back to me!¡± Flane and the others laughed uncontrollably. Kuren glared at them out of the corner of his eye. Keep on laughing, Kuren thought. There would be no mercy. The vialed poison in his bag would the end of Flane Adenium. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The students began separating into their individuals classes. Three teachers would be accompanying each class of twenty. Professor Monaco and two other teachers walked up to Kuren¡¯s class. ¡°Welcome to Grimwoods, class. Accompanying us today will be Professor Styria and Legith. Please listen to instructions and no one will be in any danger. To start off, we will be going deeper into the woods, so stay close.¡± Monaco instructed the class and began moving into the forest. Styria and the students followed him, and Legith tailed the class from behind. Half an hour passed and the class reached a clearing. Monaco motioned for everyone to gather. ¡°All right everyone. In just a few minutes, we will reach the chasm. Magical beasts and other animals tend to crawl up from there, so it may get a little hectic. As long you all remain calm, we will protect you. However, do remember the point of this trip is so that you may become experienced in real combat. Please don¡¯t hesitate to fight one of the monsters wandering around as long as we are there to supervise.¡± The students nodded enthusiastically. They never had the chance before to take on real enemies with their magic and weapons. They all carried a sword with them. Some had brought a longsword. Others even had a claymore. Kuren himself was using a sword borrowed from the school. He couldn¡¯t buy a sword for himself. Kuren glanced at Flane. The boy had an ornate longsword attached to his hip. The sheath was made out of glossy leather and had a luxurious shine to it. The sword itself had a jeweled hilt. When Kuren glanced back at his own borrowed sword, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little jealous. Was he really going to take down a magical beast with this lump of steel? Magical beasts were animals that had been corrupted by raw mana. Unlike humans, animals could usually survive when they absorbed raw mana. The problem was that the raw mana changed their body structures and their minds. They became stronger, but they also become much more single-minded. They became focused on one thing: survival. They would do anything to live: consume their own children, kill their packs or clans, and attack multiple enemies alone. In all honesty, Kuren would rather not fight at all. He just wanted to focus on studies for now. ¡°We are handing out lunch now! Please line up and get your meals!¡± Monaco shouted. Students began to line up in front of the teachers. Flane came up to Kuren and hit him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey buddy, you don¡¯t mind grabbing me lunch do you? Thanks, I knew you would say yes.¡± Flane left without even giving Kuren a chance to reply. As he walked away, Kuren¡¯s mouth began to curve up ever so slightly. Did his chance already arrive? Kuren was standing in line as he waited for his turn. When he reached the front, Monaco handed him a bowl of hot stew. The teachers had created a cauldron with a simple shaping spell. Then they poured the stew from their containers and boiled the stew with a flame spell. ¡°Next.¡± ¡°Professor Monaco, I¡¯m getting a meal for Flane too.¡± Monaco turned to look at Kuren, with an eyebrow raised. He gave an extra bowl of soup, a little skeptical. Kuren took the two bowls and started walking back towards Flane. He paused. He began to think about the vial of poison in his bag. Should he do it now? Kuren shook his head. It was too early. It was the very first day. They hadn¡¯t met any flowers, so it would be too suspicious for Flane to be poisoned now. Kuren would have to wait until they ventured deeper into the forest. Kuren handed the bowl to Flane and turned away. As Kuren walked away, Flane kicked Kuren¡¯s right ankle. Kuren screamed out in pain and fell, dropping his bowl of stew. Kuren looked at the spilled stew on the ground while his ankle throbbed in pain. How many times has his poor ankle been hit? As Kuren got up, Flane laughed together with his friends. With gritted teeth, he went back into line to get another bowl of stew. ¡°¡­I hope that you don¡¯t seriously expect to get another bowl.¡± ¡°No, I just spilled my bowl, so I wanted to-¡± ¡°Enough. We are not here to gorge ourselves on food. Get yourself ready. We¡¯re moving soon.¡± Kuren angrily walked away. As he swore he would get revenge on Flane, Melodi walked up to him. ¡°Hey clumsy. You know I don¡¯t mind if you have some of my stew, right?¡± Melodi smiled winningly at him. Kuren was already starting to shake his head when Melodi leaned in and whispered, ¡°You know I mean that you¡¯re going to some, no matter what you say.¡± Kuren stopped and nodded his head in defeat. Kuren walked with Melodi where she and her friends sat. He sat down and Melodi tried to spoon-feed him some of her stew. ¡°No, please don¡¯t do that.¡± Kuren tried to protest. Kuren really didn¡¯t want to drag attention to himself. Melodi put her spoon down and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Do you really think you have a choice?¡± As Melodi leaned in, Kuren suddenly became aware of a certain boy hostilely glaring at him right now. He nervously swallowed. Melodi leaned in once more and gave him a spoonful of stew. Kuren closed his eyes and ate the stew. Flane was watching from a distance. He was absolutely wordless. That Kuren was being spoon-fed by Melodi right now. That Kuren. Spoon-fed. By Melodi. One of Flane¡¯s friends, Dennius, noticed that Flane¡¯s bowl was shaking. ¡°Hey Flane, are you all right? You¡¯re kind of shaking right now.¡± Dennius asked Flane. ¡°What the hell do you think?¡± Flane flung his bowl at Dennius. ¡°Hot HOT!¡± Dennius danced around as the hot stew landed on him. Flane looked shocked as Dennius tried to get the stew off him. ¡°¡­sorry man¡­¡± Flane whispered to Dennius. Dennius looked back at him and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just don¡¯t get so heated all right?¡± Dennius told him. Flane nodded his head and looked back at Kuren. That bastard. He was going to make that little prick pay. He smiled as he thought about the next activity. They were going to fight monsters near the chasm. Knowing Kuren, the little coward would probably try to avoid fighting altogether. Well, Flane wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. His grin grew wider. Enjoy your time with Melodi, Kuren. Because you¡¯re going to be spending time with some of the locals next, Flane thought. * * * ¡°Have you found him?¡± ¡°Yes, milord. We¡¯ve found his tracks. He seems to be fleeing further south.¡± ¡°Is that so? If we don¡¯t stop him now, he¡¯ll reach Centulus.¡± ¡°Would he really run to the human capital? Doubtless they are searching for him too.¡± ¡°If he manages to make it to Centulus, this entire operation will be over. We are already far too close to Lombania to my liking. The city of Lombania is notorious for its abundance of spellblades. We need to capture him now.¡± ¡°Very well, milord. Also, we also have found something interesting within the forest.¡± ¡°What is it? Spit it out.¡± ¡°A group of students is camping near here. They wear the insignia of Lombania on their clothing. There also seems to be three mages accompanying them, perhaps their teachers? The group seems to be planning on heading to the chasm.¡± ¡°Are there any others?¡± ¡°Yes, but the other groups are scattered. They are too far away to interfere.¡± ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Remove the trash.¡± ¡°As you wish, milord.¡± Chapter 6: Descent into Darkness Chapter 6: Descent into Darkness The class had just finished their lunches. The students stood around waiting for the teachers¡¯ decision. ¡°All right everyone! We¡¯re going to head out to the chasm. Make sure not to forget any weapon and armor that you have brought!¡± Monaco announced to the class. Kuren made sure that his sword was by his hip. The only armor he had was the leather armor that he borrowed from the school. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would have to do. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t have to fight at all. Melodi looked at Kuren and smiled knowingly. ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re here Kuren. I know that if a monster came, you would protect me, right?¡± Melodi asked. Kuren nervously glanced at Melodi. She couldn¡¯t be serious, right? How was he supposed to protect her when he couldn¡¯t even protect himself? Melodi grabbed Kuren¡¯s arm, her nails digging into his flesh. ¡°Right?¡± she repeated. Kuren winced from the pain and quickly nodded. The class started walking behind the teachers towards the chasm. * * * The chasm looked like a giant crack in the ground. Someone could easily fall in if they slipped. The teachers stopped in front of the chasm and turned to the class. ¡°This crack seems to be the source of numerous magical beasts prowling around the area. The monsters are hiding right now, but they will show up eventually. For now, we¡¯ll wait until a beast crawls from below. Remain on guard. If you wish to fight one of the beasts, simply step up and we¡¯ll let you fight it. Understand?¡± Monaco spoke to the class. The students nodded and gave sounds of affirmation. Kuren tried to walk to the back, but Melodi kept a firm grip on his arm. He couldn¡¯t do anything but nervously wait. Flane eyed Kuren from a distance. He decided on a plan to embarrass Kuren in front of the class and Melodi. He would force Kuren to go fight a beast with him. Of course, Flane wouldn¡¯t be doing any fighting. Kuren would have to fend for himself. Most likely, Kuren would probably fall to the beast, and a teacher would have to stoop in. He smiled at the thought of Kuren displaying his utter incompetence in front of Melodi. Suddenly, a deep growl came from the chasm. The teachers and students instantly went on guard. ¡°They¡¯re coming. Be ready!¡± A black shape dashed from out of the chasm. Two more followed. When they stopped, Kuren got a better look at them. Three lizards covered in black scales. The scales were completely black, almost as if they completely absorbed the light. Pulsing red veins lay between the scales. The veins carried a red, glowing liquid that was more than just blood. Raw, demonic mana flowed through their bodies. Their red, reptilian eyes stared hungrily at the students. One of the lizards opened its mouth. Suddenly, the veins on its body began pulse faster and glow more intensely. A great blast of fire shout from out of its mouth towards the student. Monaco stepped in the flame¡¯s path. ¡°[Terra Murus]!¡± A wall of earth burst out from the ground. The flame hit the earthen wall and dissipated, not even leaving a mark. Monaco turned back to look at the students and grinned. ¡°So, who wants to go up first?¡± ¡°I will!¡± One of the students stepped forward. Kuren realized it was his roommate, Mare Noxumb. The boy was shy or maybe he just disliked Kuren. Whenever Kuren tried to talk with Mare, Mare would just ignore him or walk away. Mare didn¡¯t talk with any other students too. However, he was extremely interested in learning magic. His enthusiasm was visible as he volunteered to fight the lizard first. Mare didn¡¯t show any nervousness. He looked calm and in control. As he faced the lizard, it suddenly opened its mouth. Mare didn¡¯t hesitate. Before the lizard could attack, he pointed at it and chanted, ¡°[Aqua Telum]!¡± An arrow of water shot through the air and pierced through the lizard¡¯s open mouth. The lizard fell to the ground, slayed with a single spell. The students cheered as Mare took care of the lizard. He grinned and ran back to safety. One down, two lizards left. Melodi looked at Kuren and said, ¡°Wish me luck!¡± She had at her hip not an ordinary sword, but a rapier. Within it¡¯s a guard was embedded a gray jewel. She approached one of the lizards and drew her rapier. The lizard was on guard. It had seen what had happened to its previous companion. Yet, it still eyed Melodi hungrily. Melodi chanted, ¡°[Ventus Celero]!¡± The spell was a tier above Ventus Gradior. Ventus Celero allowed the caster to improve the speed of his or her entire body at the cost of more mana. Ventus Gradior could only heighten the speed for a single step. The fact that Melodi could cast such a powerful spell displayed her talent and ability. Before the lizard could react, Melodi had already dashed in front of it. The lizard, startled, tried to back up. Melodi pointed her rapier at the lizard and chanted, ¡°[Ventus Perfodio]!¡± The gray jewel in Melodi¡¯s rapier glowed as she thrusted the tip towards the lizard. The wind gathered and propelled her rapier. The lizard¡¯s scales could not defend against Melodi¡¯s piercing attack. The rapier stabbed the lizard¡¯s head. The wind burst apart its flesh and the lizard fell to the ground defeated. The entire class applauded the graceful girl as she slayed the beast. She walked back to where Kuren was standing. ¡°Did that impress you?¡± Melodi grinned impishly at Kuren. Kuren swallowed. Hell yeah she impressed him. He could never accomplish what she had done. A mixture of grace and deadliness. Kuren was reminded of just how dangerous this girl was. Kuren weakly smiled and nodded. ¡°So does anyone want to come up next?¡± Professor Legith asked the students. Flane stepped up but stopped. He turned back to the class. ¡°I¡¯ll go but I¡¯d rather be with a friend, you know? So¡­Kuren! How about you help me out here?¡± Kuren stared at him blankly. Was he serious? Kuren wanted to avoid fighting the lizard as much as possible. Melodi pushed him forward. ¡°Good luck out there! It¡¯s your turn to impress me!¡± Melodi encouraged Kuren. He looked back skeptically. At least make it less obvious, he thought. You just want me to put on a show¡­ Kuren gritted his teeth and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He unsheathed his sword as he approached the remaining lizard with Flane. He held the sword in front of him with two hands, shaking a little bit from fear and nervousness. The lizard took a single glance at Kuren and Flane. Kuren was obviously inferior and lacked confidence. Flane stood there smirking as if the battle was beneath him. The magical beast made an obvious decision. Kill the weaker one. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The magical beast roared and a flame began to appear in its mouth. Kuren moved backwards, but he tripped and fell on his bottom. Just as the beast was about to launch its attack, it stopped. Then, it whimpered. Kuren looked at the lizard in confusion as it scampered away back into the chasm. Kuren thought, what the hell is going on? All of a sudden, the students heard a voice from behind them. ¡°Huh, it seems that there is at least one intelligent living thing here. Running away was the correct decision. As for the rest of you¡­consider this your consolation prize.¡± A man with black skin and red eyes stood with two others. He wore a fine black suit that seemed out of place in the middle of the forest. The other two figures wore cloaks that hid their faces. As the man in the suit spoke, he raised his hand towards the students. Suddenly, earthen spikes burst out from the ground. The students screamed as the spikes approached them. Monaco¡¯s eyes widened. He shouted, ¡°[Terra Murus]!¡± A wall came out of the ground, blocking the spikes¡¯ path. ¡°Quick! Legith! Styria! Guard the children! I¡¯ll hold them back!¡± As Monaco ordered the other teachers, the spikes broke through the earthen wall. As the spikes came closer, Monaco drew his sword. He had three jewels on its guard, each with a different color: red, brown, and silver. He pointed his sword at the incoming spikes. ¡°Once more. [Terra Murus].¡± A new wall appeared, this time aided by the shining brown jewel in Monaco¡¯s blade. The spikes hit the wall and were stopped. Monaco couldn¡¯t see the enemies through the wall, so he began gathering mana for a more powerful spell. ¡°All right. Here we go. [Spacium Globus]!¡± All of a sudden, particles from the air, the ground, and the surroundings began gathering in front of Monaco. The particles condensed in the air, forming a sphere that seemed to have its own gravity field. The silver jewel on Monaco¡¯s sword shined brightly as he casted the spell. When the sphere finished forming, he sent the sphere flying towards the wall. Just as the sphere reached the wall, the wall burst into pieces. A chunk of the earth came hurling at the sphere. The gravity sphere absorbed the earth, gaining more mass and speed as it flew towards the unknown men. The man in the suit frowned. He raised his hand once more and swiped it through the air. The gravity sphere suddenly split in half, as if it had been cut by an invisible knife. The sphere quickly dissipated, sending masses of earth and dust onto the ground. ¡°¡­a spellblade? Oh dear. We had better take care of this right now or the lord will have a fit. Azai. Deal with this nuisance. Behemet. Come with me. Let us take care of the children and the other two mages.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The other two demons answered in unison. Azai sent a blast of fire towards Monaco. The man in the suit and the one named Behemet rushed past Monaco as he defended Azai¡¯s attack. The students and the other two teachers were trapped by the chasm behind them. They had nowhere to run. * * * Within the shadows, a figure watched the battle. Its glowing eyes never lifted off Azai and Monaco. ¡°A man¡­ a demon¡­they fight underneath the darkness of night¡­one fighting for his people¡­the other for vengeance¡­¡± the figure whispered words as if it was reciting lines from an ancient text. It frowned as if it had noticed something wrong. ¡°¡­but the demon loses the fight¡­and his life¡­¡± it narrowed its eyes while looking at Azai. ¡°¡­but something is wrong¡­the story will not be fulfilled¡­because¡­¡± it began walking out of the forest towards the battle. ¡°¡­because¡­that human will¡­¡± it emerged from the shadows. Azai suddenly noticed it and widened his eyes in surprise. A disheveled girl was slowly walking towards him. She kept on muttering words as she continued on her path. ¡°¡­will definitely die.¡± the girl finished. The girl looked at Monaco. Then she pointed at Azai. ¡°The story¡­it must be fulfilled¡­the demon¡­must be¡­Erased.¡± As the girl said her last words, everything became silent. Azai stepped back, but it was too late. The man flickered. He looked down at his own body in shock. His body flickered once more. He watched in horror as his body slowly began flickering faster and with more intensity. The man began fading into oblivion. ¡°I am sorry, milord. I have failed you.¡± The man whispered as he flickered for the last time and disappeared. ¡°The story¡­is fulfilled.¡± The girl fell to the ground unconscious, knowing that the story had been set into place. The man in the suit looked back at where Azai had once stood. ¡°You! What have you done, you insufferable piece of trash?¡± Behemet roared with an uncontrollable anger. Behemet suddenly unleashed a ring of flame that spread outward. As the ring approached the students, Legith chanted, ¡°[Aqua Murus].¡± Water in the atmosphere condensed to form a thin wall to protect the students. The flame hit the wall and dissipated, but its shockwave still sent the students back. Melodi was standing right in front of Kuren as the shockwave hit. Melodi lost her balance and bumped into Kuren. He stopped her fall, but he began falling backwards right into the chasm behind him. As he fell into the chasm, a hand reached out and grabbed his right ankle. Kuren howled in pain. His right ankle had not even come close to being healed. He twisted and shook his body around. The hand latched onto his ankle lost its grip and was forced to let go. Kuren watched as the opening of the chasm grew smaller and dimmer as he fell down towards the bottom. He no longer heard the sounds of the battle above. He could only hear the rushing wind as he descended into darkness. Above, Flane was his knees in front of the chasm. His hand shook from when he had grabbed Kuren¡¯s ankle. He was in shock. He didn¡¯t understand why he had tried to save him. He absolutely hated the other boy. Yet, his hand instinctively reached for him. Why would he want to save the nuisance? Not only that, he didn¡¯t understand what he was feeling right now. He should be happy. Kuren was finally gone. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Why? Why did his chest feel so heavy? Why did his heart feel as if it was weighing him down? Flane gritted his teeth as he looked down the chasm. Kuren was gone, his body swallowed up by the darkness. Flane stared for a long time. Melodi sat near, staring mindlessly at Flane and the chasm. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she wasn¡¯t quite there. Her mouth was slightly open as she tried to understand what had just happened. Kuren Sain, a boy who lacked talent, strength, and friends, disappeared in an instant. His story had just begun. But it was coming to an end. Chapter 7: The End of His Story Chapter 7: The End of His Story The boy opened his eyes. He got up and looked around. He could hear the soft snores of the other students. They were tired from the recent fight. The teachers were resting too. They set up a warning spell to wake them up in case of danger, so they could sleep in peace. But the boy could not sleep. Whenever he shut his eyes, he saw a certain boy¡¯s face, disappearing into the dark abyss. The boy walked out of the camp. He looked up into the night sky. A crescent in the sky watched over them. Flane began to remember all the times he shared with him. None of them were happy. All he had ever done was torment the other boy. Why did he do it? Because of her. Because of Melodi. Flane regretted the decisions he had made. Flane had made him suffer because of his selfishness and jealousy. And then Flane had let the boy die. The boy looked down at his hand. The hand that had last touched Kuren Sain. The hand that had let Kuren fall into the abyss. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± a soft voice broke the silence. Flane whipped his head around. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you, Melodi¡­I just¡­can¡¯t stop thinking about him.¡± Flane whispered. The guilt he felt was clearly visible on his face. ¡°Who?¡± Melodi cocked her head with a questioning look. ¡°What? Who do you think? Kuren. You know, your friend.¡± Flane answered incredulously. Was she being serious? Was she playing dumb? Flane took a closer look at the girl. He realized that she looked like a mess. Her hair was everywhere. Her bangs covered most of her face. She was wearing nothing but a blouse that barely covered her in the cold night. Melodi stared at him with a blank look. Her eyes seemed to look straight past Flane. Suddenly, a mysterious expression appeared on her face. Flane had always thought of the girl as a flower: beautiful and fragile. But at this moment, the look on her face sent chills down his spine. A new emotion replaced the guilt within Flane¡¯s heart. Fear. She took a step forward. He almost tripped over himself when he moved backwards. Melodi¡¯s lips curved in a thin line. She softly whispered, ¡°My friend? That boy? But I barely knew him?¡± * * * The boy woke up. ¡°Ugh. Ow¡­it hurts.¡± Kuren groaned as he resituated himself. The first thing he noticed was that he was soaked. And very hungry. He looked around. It was completely dark. He tried raising his right hand, but for something reason he couldn¡¯t. Whenever he tried, he would feel a sudden pain in his right arm. He raised his left hand in the air. ¡°[Ignis Globus].¡± A small flame appeared at his fingertips. With a new light source, he began looking around. He was in a cavern next to a small river that flowed deeper in the cave. On one side of the cavern, there was a small waterfall coming from the ceiling. It seems that Kuren had washed up here after falling down the chasm. When he took a look at himself, he groaned once more. His right arm was bending backwards. Completely unusable. And completely painful. His right ankle was swelling up too. As Kuren examined his ankle, he remembered the hand that had grabbed his ankle. Who was it? Kuren didn¡¯t see who had saved him. As Kuren thought about his unknown savior, he realized that he was completely alone. As Kuren thought more about his situation, he began to panic a little. How was he supposed to make out of here alive? His situation was not looking good. Alone and injured deep underground. Would anyone come and save him? He began to think about his uncle and aunt. Honestly, they didn¡¯t care too much about Kuren. Kuren knew that they took him in only because of his inheritance. They used some of the money to send him away to the Combat Academy, where they wouldn¡¯t see him for a while. Kuren thought they were probably rejoicing at the thought of having his inheritance to themselves. He shook his head. He shouldn¡¯t think so negatively. He wasn¡¯t going to die here. He was going to make it alive. And not because someone was going to save him. But because he was going to save himself. With newfound determination and calm, Kuren surveyed his surroundings once more. The waterfall in the ceiling was high up. He walked over and looked at the walls. They were too slippery to climb, and he doubted he could climb with a broken arm. It seems that going back up was not an option. He would have to follow the river downstream deeper into the caverns. He suddenly remembered to check his belongings. The sword he had was gone, probably washed away by the river. His bag was still with him. He checked the contents. The two vials containing a poison and a purgative were still safely sealed. However, the botany book was soaked. He took out the book and looked through the pages. It was still readable, but much of the notes written in the book were washed away. Kuren tossed the book back into his bag. He didn¡¯t have much, but at least, he had water. The river provided a constant and hopefully clean source of water. As Kuren was thinking about his choices, he heard a quiet rumbling. He looked around to see where the sound was coming from. The rumbling grew louder. Kuren realized it was coming from the waterfall. He cocked his ear, listening. The rumbling grew even louder and more intense. All of a sudden, a rush of water came pouring out of the waterfall. Kuren stepped back. The water poured into the river, widening it by a meter or two. Kuren noticed a few black shapes in the water. Were they rocks? As Kuren leaned in to take a closer look, sudden jets of water came bursting out of the water. He tried to dodge them, but one of the jets hit him in his right shoulder. The jet cut him open and blood began flowing out of the wound. Kuren cried out in shock. The flame in his left hand went out. Kuren vaguely saw the black shapes leap out of the water. They hit Kuren and bit into his flesh. New wounds opened up on his body and began bleeding. As Kuren felt the pain, he began vigorous shaking the unknown monsters off him. He heard their bodies hitting the ground. Then, he heard flopping sounds. Fish? They were most likely fish if they were flopping on dry ground like that. Kuren raised his left hand again. ¡°[Ignis Globus].¡± He re-chanted the spell. With a renewed light, he looked at his attackers. Flopping on the ground were black fish. Black scales with red beady eyes. Magical beasts. Kuren remembered. The chasm was filled with magical beasts. That meant danger was around every corner. Kuren suddenly felt that his chances of survival had significantly decreased. As Kuren looked at the fish, his stomach began to growl. He looked at the fish hungrily. There was nothing wrong with eating the fish right? They were still animals. Kuren moved closer to one of the fish. Suddenly, a jet of water burst from the fish. Kuren barely sidestepped the blast and he backed away. ¡°All right. You still got a little fight left in you. I respect that.¡± Kuren smiled. ¡°But now it¡¯s my turn.¡± Kuren left the flame sphere floating in the air. He grabbed a rock on the ground with his left hand. He slowly edged towards the fish. Suddenly, he pounced and swung the rock down. He was right-handed, so his swing was quite clumsy. He managed to land a glancing blow on the fish. But it was still much alive. He wasn¡¯t done. Kuren slammed the fish with the rock once more. The fish¡¯s scales were cracked and its red, pulsing veins could be seen. Kuren raised the rock and swung once more. A large indent appeared on the fish¡¯s flesh. It desperately tried to flop around in a desperate attempt to escape. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Wham! This time Kuren slammed the rock with all of his strength. The fish stopped moving. Wham! Once more. Wham! The fish was almost completely flattened by Kuren¡¯s swings. Wham! The fish was nothing but a scattered pile of flesh and scales. Wham! Kuren finally stopped. He was breathing heavily, a wild look in his eyes. He dropped the rock and began ravenously shoving the scattered bits of flesh and scales into his mouth. ¡°So hungry¡­¡± Kuren muttered with his mouth full. The scales in his mouth poked and cut him but he was too hungry to care. ¡°So disgusting¡­¡± The flesh in his mouth tasted absolutely revolting. Honestly, Kuren felt like throwing up. But he continued to shovel the fish remains into his mouth. With effort, he swallowed the bloody mess. He lay there on the ground, his hunger satisfied. But then, it hurt. Kuren felt a sudden pain rack his body. He curled into a ball. His stomach felt as if it was going to rip apart. Then, Kuren realized what he had done. He was an idiot. Consuming the flesh of a magical beast¡­ What was he thinking? Obviously the flesh was tainted by raw mana. If he ate the meat, he was obviously going to experience the repercussions associated with raw mana. ¡°Hurts¡­IT HURTS!!!¡± Kuren screamed as his body was racked with pain. It hurt so much. It hurt so very much. It felt as if he was going to split into two. The raw mana coursed through his body like a deadly poison. Even amidst the unbearable pain, a sudden light went out in his head. The purgative. His last chance. It could remove poisons. Why not raw mana? Kuren reached for the bag and desperately grabbed for the vial. When he had the vial in his hand, he used his teeth to rip the cork off. He took a large swallow of the clear liquid and downed the whole thing. The purgative burned in his throat. He could barely feel it when his entire body felt as if it being ripped apart. The burning sensation grew greater and spread through his body. At this moment, the only thing Kuren knew and felt was pain. He forgot everything else. The mother who gave her life for his birth. The father who left him behind. The relatives who used him for his inheritance. The lack of talent he was born with. The girl who used him as her plaything. The boy who tormented him. The plan to take revenge and end the life of another human. He forgot them all. Kuren knew only one thing. And that was pain. Blood poured more intensely from his open wounds. His screams echoed throughout the cavern. He choked and threw up blood and other bodily fluids. Red, glowing liquid began to flow from his body. The raw mana was being purged from his body. As more blood poured out of his body, Kuren felt his body changing. Hair began to simultaneously grow and fall out. His nails grew long like claws. He felt his muscles growing to the point of bursting. His once brown hair was turning into a deep black. His blue eyes changed into a crimson red. Red veins filled with liquid mana were visible on his skin. His body, tainted with raw mana, was breaking apart and reforming itself at the same time. Kuren shut his eyes. He couldn¡¯t bear the pain. He lost consciousness as he was overwhelmed with pain. * * * Kuren¡¯s body was constantly destroying and reshaping itself. His hair and eye color all changed color. His skin cracked and blood and mana oozed out. Then it would heal almost instantaneously. Then it would crack once more. His body went through a constant cycle. It progressed to the point that Kuren was completely unrecognizable. His body had become muscular and lithe. His nails were sharp like that of a beast¡¯s. His teeth became hard and sharp. His appearance began to match those of the magical beasts that lurked in the chasm. It wasn¡¯t just his appearance. His mentality too. Magical beasts care about one thing only: survival. Thoughts, emotions, and memories disappear when an animal is tainted by raw mana. A human could never handle the corruption of raw mana. Even if the human had the help of a purgative. If Kuren was a normal human being, he would not be able to survive even with a purgative. But he was normal. Average. Below average, to more exact. So how was he still alive? Even though he was weak. Even though he had no talent. Even though his fate was to die alone deep underground. He did not give up. He did not have a reason. It wasn¡¯t like he had someone waiting for him. It wasn¡¯t like he had some motive or dream to fulfill. He just wanted to SURVIVE. He wanted to LIVE. His will to survive was great. Enough to defy logic. Enough to defy his body¡¯s capabilities. Enough to defy his fate set by the heavens. A will that could surpass the heavens. Kuren¡¯s will of survival had been fully awakened within the depths of the underground. With determination, he had survived. But at the same time, he hadn¡¯t. His body was completely changed; nothing was left of Kuren¡¯s old body. His personality and memories were also gone, leaving behind an empty shell. Kuren lost his humanity. His thoughts. His feelings. His emotions. His heart. Kuren had died in that cave. His body and mind were completely gone, wiped away. And a new entity replaced him. A being that should not exist. A being that should not be alive. A boy with no heart. An Anomaly. * * * Deep underground, a boy lay soaked in a pile of blood and liquid mana. He woke up. He looked around. His red eyes saw easily through the darkness. It seemed that he was in a cave. He honestly had no idea had no idea where he was. Or how he even got here. Or who he even was. He tried to think, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything. The boy was oddly calm. An ordinary person would have panicked from being in an unknown situation with amnesia. But the boy didn¡¯t care. More accurately, he didn¡¯t feel anything. He felt as if there was hole in his chest, as if he was completely empty inside. The boy didn¡¯t question this emptiness. He simply didn¡¯t have any interest or curiosity in the matter. He took a look at himself. He was lying in a pile of blood, but he didn¡¯t see any open wounds on himself. His body looked fit and healthy. He frowned, unsure where the blood had come from. He noticed there were black fish lying around. They were dead, deprived of water. A small river flowed not too far away. Another strange mystery. Why were the fish out of the water? He felt a gnawing hunger in his stomach, so he walked over and picked up one of the fish. He placed the fish in his mouth and bit down. His sharp teeth easily broke through the fish¡¯s scales. The taste was familiar, but the boy didn¡¯t think anything about it. His hunger satisfied, he took a better look around. A bag lay on the ground. He reached in and found a book and a vial of a green liquid. The book was mostly ruined by water. There were still a few usable pages, so he tossed the book back in the bag. He unstoppered the vial and sniffed the liquid. It was sickly sweet. He did not trust it. Probably poison of some sort. He slung the bag over his shoulder and looked at the river. A waterfall came from the ceiling, but it was too slippery to climb. The only path left was following the river deeper underground. The boy didn¡¯t hesitate and walked alongside the river. The boy left behind the cave without a second thought. And with that¡­ The story of the boy named Kuren Sain came to end. And the boy with no heart began his own. Chapter 8: Kill. Consume. Steal. Chapter 8: Kill. Consume. Steal. ¡°¡­Azai has fallen?¡± ¡°Yes milord¡­we ran into an unexpected factor¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Seberon. Explain.¡± ¡°A girl appeared from the forest. She used¡­a magic I¡¯ve never seen before. Azai couldn¡¯t even defend against it. The girl recited some words, and Azai disappeared. He couldn¡¯t¨C¡± ¡°A girl. A single girl managed to defeat Azai¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Behemet raged and was about to take the humans on, but I stopped him. I decided the best course of action was to retreat. No need for any further casualties.¡± ¡°Retreating from the humans¡­This is a joke. There¡¯s no point in staying here any longer. We¡¯ve lost a fourth of our forces. At this point, capturing the homunculus is hardly possible. We will retreat for now.¡± ¡°Milord, I understand that the situation calls for a retreat, but don¡¯t we have allies near? The elves are in the neighboring forest. Might I suggest calling upon their support?¡± ¡°The elves? Hmmm. Very well. An excellent suggestion, Seberon. I¡¯m sure the elves will be glad to support us while wreaking havoc on the humans. Let us depart for the Adovian Forest then. The humans will be taken care of another time. ¡°Yes, Milord.¡± ¡°And Seberon? Do you remember the girl¡¯s appearance?¡± ¡°Her eyes glowed, so she was definitely of the spirit race. There also have been rumors of her in the Grimwoods. They call her ¡°the Specter.¡± Apparently, she wanders the forest, scaring away travelers and the sort.¡± ¡°Remember her face. We will take care of her the next time.¡± ¡°As you wish, milord.¡± * * * Monaco woke up. The sun had just come up, and the most of the students were still sleeping. He stretched himself as his muscles protested. He hadn¡¯t fought like that in a long time. He still remembered the face that belonged to the man in the suit. Black skin and red eyes. A demon. His power was unbelievable. Monaco had no doubt that the demon could have easily wiped out the entire class. The only reason they were still alive was because of the girl. The girl. She had walked out the forest. Monaco heard her reciting words like poetry. He still remembered her last words before the demon Azai had fallen. ¡°The story¡­it must be fulfilled¡­the demon¡­must be¡­Erased.¡± The girl had to have used magic in order to make the demon disappear. But Monaco had never heard of such a chant. Rather than a magic chant, it was more like lines recited from an ancient story or text. Whatever the girl had done, she had saved all of their lives. Well, except for one. Kuren Sain. He had fallen into the abyss. There was a low chance of him surviving that fall. And if he did, there was no way that talentless, weak boy could fight off the magical beasts that lurked within. The magical beasts had been corrupted by raw mana. Not just any raw mana. The liquid mana flowing through their veins glowed red. The red color meant that the mana belonged to a demon. That meant that a demon was corrupting the animals within the chasm with its demonic mana. Monaco believed the boy was as good as dead. A shame. But life is full of unexpected events and misfortune. As a veteran spellblade of the Lombanian 13th Squad, Monaco was well acquainted with death. The other teachers and students may be strangers to it, but Monaco had experienced the horrors of war himself on the battlefield. His experience had partly shaped him into the cold, strict teacher he was today. As he thought about Kuren, he shook his head in regret. If Monaco was alone, then he would enter the chasm in case the boy had miraculously survived. But he had an entire class of students to worry about. He recited the mantra that had been engraved in his head: ¡°Do not what is best for your friends. Do not what is best for your family. Do not what is best for yourself. But do what is best for your country.¡± A cruel mantra. But effective. The spellblades of the Lombanian Squads kept these words by their hearts. It was their way of life. Their way of serving their country. And they were one of the most effective armies on the continent of Alurca. Monaco got up and exited his tent. It was time to leave Grimwoods behind. His last thoughts about Kuren vanished as he made the order to leave. * * * The boy followed the river deeper underground. Whenever he was hungry, he pulled out one of the black fish and ate it raw. After the fifth fish he eat, a sudden image popped into the boy¡¯s mind. An explosive jet of water. The boy frowned. As he focused more on the image, words suddenly popped into his head. [Water Jet]. The boy began to move instinctually as if he already knew what to do. He pointed his palm in front of him and chanted the words that had popped into his mind, ¡°[Water Jet].¡± A blast of water came out of his palm and flew forward. It flew for around ten meters before rapidly losing speed and power and falling to the ground in a splash. It seems the boy had stolen a magic ability from the fish. The boy guessed that consuming the fish¡¯s meat had given him its power. A true peculiarity. A human using raw mana to cast spells. Raw magic was different than artificial magic. Artificial magic required a chant composed of a family and a construct. Raw magic did not need such tools since raw mana was essentially magic itself. Raw mana was much more flexible and alive than artificial mana. Thus, artificial magic was much less flexible and needed a chant to properly shape and create its spell. But the boy could not be considered human. Raw mana flowed through his veins. He was more akin to a magical beast. So it was not strange he could use [Water Jet]. The boy continued his path. Eventually, the river ended at a small lake. The boy could see small, black fish swimming in the water. A food source. He noticed that the cavern still went on deeper. Before venturing deeper, the boy walked closer to the lake and drank by scooping water into his mouth. After drinking, the boy stuck his hand into the water. He waited for a few seconds and then the fish noticed him. Once they did, fish swam over and bit into his arm. The boy quickly took his arm out of the water and plucked the fish off him. He threw them at the wall, temporarily dazing them. He picked one up and quickly used his sharp nails to slice it open. He neatly gutted the fish and stored it inside his bag. He repeated the process with the other fish. The wounds on his arm had already healed by the time he had stored ten fish inside his bag. Now that the boy had food, he continued going deeper into the cavern. The boy¡¯s sensitive nose began to pick up the spell of blood. It wasn¡¯t coming from his bag. It came from up ahead. The boy slowed his approached and carefully investigated the next cave. As he looked ahead, he saw a large, black lizard consuming the flesh of a small beast. The small beast was unrecognizable. The lizard had already reduced the corpse into nothing but scraps of meat and bones. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The boy slowly inched forward and picked up a rock. He slowly moved behind the lizard. As he reached closer, the lizard¡¯s tongue came out his mouth and began to taste the air. The boy noticed that the lizard was suddenly wary. He stopped moving. As the lizard calmed down, it resumed eating. Then the boy threw the rock at the wall in front of the lizard. Startled, the lizard looked up and a large blast of flame came out of its mouth. The flame hit the wall in a great burst of fire. The lizard quickly scrambled backwards. Right into the boy. The boy slammed his nails into the lizard¡¯s head. The lizard tried to wriggle out, but the boy¡¯s grip was like a vise. ¡°[Water Jet].¡± A jet of water came out of the boy¡¯s palm and pierced straight through the lizard¡¯s head. The boy let go of the dead lizard. The boy didn¡¯t waste time. He used his nails to slice open the lizard¡¯s body. He began eating its flesh. His hunger sated, the boy stood back up. No image popped into his mind. No matter. The boy began to create a new image in his mind. A great ball of fire blazing through the air. As the boy focused on the image, words suddenly appeared in his head. [Fire Ball]. With his newfound ability, the boy pointed his palm towards the wall. He chanted, ¡°[Fire Ball],¡± and a ball of fire was sent through the air. Another stolen ability in his belt. It seemed that as long as he had eaten part of the monster and he had seen the magic casted, he would be able to replicate the ability. If he had not seen the magic ability, he would need to repeatedly consume the magic beast until an image of the ability appeared in his head. The boy looked at the corpse that the lizard had been eating. Nothing left but bones. There was no point in eating it. He left it alone and continued on his trek. Eventually, the boy entered a very large cave system. There were multiple caves connected with each other almost as if they were rooms. When he first entered the caves, he noticed something strange. There was runes and pictures on the walls. Unfortunately, the boy had no idea how to read the unfamiliar language. The pictures depicted figures and monsters. However, being unable to read the runes, the boy could not understand the meaning of the pictures. Monsters were much more common in this cave system. He walked around, searching for an exit, but it was almost like a maze. The boy had a hard navigating. Whenever he came across a monster, he would sneak up on it and kill it. So far, none of the magical beasts had been particularly strong. Thus, their abilities weren¡¯t very strong either. Still, the boy ate them. A wildcat with the ability [Retractable Claws]. Another lizard with the ability [Cold-Blooded]. A rat with the ability [Trash Taste]. A rabbit with the ability [High Jump]. The animals were quite weak and proved to be no challenge for the boy. He stole all of their abilities. [Retractable Claws] gave the boy the power to retract his sharp nails. [Cold-Blooded] allowed him to freely switch his body type from warm-blooded to cold-blooded. He could regulate his body temperature with ease now. When cold-blooded, the boy was much more active in warm temperatures and less so in cold temperatures. Also, he would use up less energy; the food he ate would be converted into body mass and energy rather than body temperature. [Trash Taste] dulled his taste and magical beast meat became much easier to eat. [High Jump] increased the strength in his legs and let him jump to higher heights. He hunted the animals down as he traversed the rooms. As he investigated new rooms, he noticed something strange. The runes on the wall began to appear more frequently. At the same time, the wandering magical beasts appeared less. Yet, the magical beasts were also much stronger in this area. It seemed only the strong monsters could survive in this area. The boy became wary. He had a feeling that there was danger ahead. Suddenly, he heard a massive roar up ahead. Magical beasts began running away from the source of the sound. Many passed the boy without even noticing his presence. The boy narrowed his eyes. The beasts were obviously more scared of the source of that roar than they were of him. He cautiously approached the next room. Then, he saw it. No wonder the other beasts had fled. A great, big bear was consuming the corpse of another beast in front of the boy. The bear had thick, black fur. Red veins filled with mana could be faintly seen through the beast¡¯s fur. Its claws were huge, easily capable of tearing metal apart. Its fur was matted with blood. It seemed that it was on a rampage, killing beasts and staining its own fur with blood. The corpse that it was eating was that of a lion. The boy had never seen it before. He guessed that the bear and the lion had fought each other to claim this territory. It was doubtless that the bear was now king of this cave system. The boy briefly thought about taking down the bear, but he almost instantly dismissed the thought. The bear¡¯s strength was quite visible. The bear was gigantic, easily towering over the boy. Its muscles were huge, too. The boy still didn¡¯t know what the bear¡¯s ability was. The bear finished consuming the lion. The corpse was half-finished. The bear left and entered another room. The boy wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do. The only way forward was the room that the bear had entered. But entering would be suicidal. He remembered the vial of poison in his bag. A crude plan began to formulate in his head. A smile appeared on his face. A smile that was completely devoid of happiness, pride, or emotion. It seemed to convey one thing: the prospect of survival. The boy no longer saw the bear as a threat. It was only another beast that he must kill. Another monster he must consume. Another beast whose ability he must steal. He must in order to survive. * * * ¡°Damn. I literally just got those demons off my trail. Now I have this psycho after me?¡± Deep within Grimwoods, a man was running desperately. He was not alone. Behind him, explosions rang out and age-old trees fell to the ground. A figure could be seen chasing the man. Faint muttering could be heard as the figure ran. With every word, the forest was demolished with magic. ¡°How the hell is he still casting magic? Who the hell has a mana pool that big?¡± It was true. The figure had been constantly casting magic as it chased the man. It never stopped, almost as if it was in a trance. The man made a decision. The demons were already off his trail. It was time to leave Grimwoods and this crazy caster behind. The sounds of magic and explosions faded as the two ran through the forest. Chapter 9: Stekon in Flames, Betrayal in the Caves Chapter 9: Stekon in Flames, Betrayal in the Caves Once the bear had left the cave, the boy turned back to look at the lion¡¯s corpse. It was quite large and muscular. The boy could tell just how strong the beast was. He moved closer and decided to consume of the beast. Even if he couldn¡¯t steal its ability, he would become stronger from the beast¡¯s flesh. When he swallowed a mouthful of the lion¡¯s flesh, a sudden image rushed into his head. An image of the lion forcing other beasts into submission. [Intimidation]. The boy was confused. He had only eaten a mouthful of the meat. He also had never seen the lion¡¯s ability in action. It seemed that the stronger the beast was, the less the boy had to eat in order to steal its ability. This would definitely come in handy. The newly acquired ability would certainly help in the boy¡¯s plan. The boy walked away from the bear. He needed to find a suitable monster. Every beast he encountered, he did not kill. Instead, he took heed of their strength and ability. He looked for the strongest one out of all of them. Then, he found it. A lone wolf prowled the caves. The other beasts tended to avoid it, since its appearance was quite intimidating. However, its strength was incomparable to the bear¡¯s. It was nowhere near the same level. It did not matter. When the boy was done with it, the wolf would be strong. The wolf currently was on the prowl for food. The boy walked towards the wolf. The beast instantly went on guard. It eyed the boy suspiciously. As the wolf debated whether to kill the unknown threat, the boy activated his new ability, [Intimidation]. The wolf instantly began to cower and whimper. The boy walked up the wolf and tossed a rabbit he had recently slayed. The wolf slowly edged towards the corpse. After nudging the corpse a few times, the wolf began to consume it. After finishing its meal, it looked up at the boy. Its eyes were less harsh than before, but it was still obviously hostile towards the boy. The boy suddenly smiled. A smile that was cold. Calculating. Cruel. His plan was already set into motion. * * * A hooded man entered a tavern. The bells jingled as the bartender looked towards the man. ¡°Welcome, stranger. What would you like to have today?¡± ¡°Just a mug of whatever ale you have laying around.¡± The man replied. ¡°Alright, one mug of Stekon¡¯s finest ale coming up.¡± The bartender nodded and began to fill up a mug with ale. ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± The man thanked the bartender. ¡°Really? Just where did you come from?¡± ¡°I just made it out of Grimwoods. I¡­uh¡­experienced a little trouble.¡± ¡°Grimwoods, you say¡­that¡¯s no good place for any traveler. Just what were you doing in there?¡± ¡°I wanted to see the Seekers. I wanted to hear my Story. When you¡¯re this old, you still start to lose your memory.¡± The man grinned. ¡°Aw, don¡¯t say that. If you say you¡¯re old, what does that make me?¡± The bartender grinned back. ¡°Heh. Point taken.¡± ¡°So, how did your visit go? The Seekers are usually quite reclusive.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I tried to get into the Heart, but it¡¯s completely surrounded by a ring of mountains. The guards wouldn¡¯t let me through the pass. Said something about the Seekers being busy.¡± The man answered in disappointment. ¡°Tch. Those Seekers. They collect the Stories of every person on this continent. But they don¡¯t even share them with anyone. What¡¯s the point of wasting your time collecting Stories if no one reads them?¡± ¡°Yeah. I practically went through the Grimwoods and back for nothing.¡± ¡°Well, at least now you know the Seekers are nothing but trouble. You should be grateful you made it out of the Grimwoods in one peace.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Say, it looks like I have to stay the night in this town. I¡¯m looking for a place to stay. Is there a place you can recommend?¡± ¡°Truth be told, we don¡¯t get a lot of visitors in Stekon. We have a couple empty rooms upstairs if you don¡¯t mind the dust.¡± ¡°That would be perfect. The price?¡± ¡°On the house. I enjoyed listening to your story.¡± The bartender smiled and handed the man a key. ¡°Thanks. Here¡¯s for the drink. And the name¡¯s Savunt.¡± The man left a few coppers on the counter. ¡°Call me Siergo. Have a good night. Your room is the one to the left of the stairs. ¡± Savunt left the bar and walked upstairs. * * * The man entered his room and locked the door behind him. The room was quite small, but cozy. He walked over to the bed and sat down. Fortunately, the bartender had believed his lie. If the bartender had questioned him anymore, he might have had to leave. ¡°One more day. Then I can fight. Damn. Hopefully, those demons have let up on their search for me.¡± He sighed as he thought about his narrow escape. He had lost the demons in the forest. But then, a crazy spellcaster chased him through the forest. When he made it out, the mage had stopped chasing him. For now, he was safe. But Savunt knew that it wouldn¡¯t be too long before the demons resumed their chance. He stared out the window at the starry sky as he thought about his next options. The small village of Stekon slowly went to sleep as the moon rose in the night. * * * Within the nighttime, a household in Stekon was still bright and lively. ¡°Senia! Where are you? Furen¡¯s saying goodbye!¡± A middle-aged woman yelled. ¡°Coming Mom!¡± Senia dropped her book on her desk and left her room. She walked down the stairs. Her mother and a man stood below waiting for her. ¡°Hey Furen. Thanks for stopping by.¡± Senia smiled at the man. ¡°No problem, Sen. Just call me whenever you need me.¡± Furen grinned. He patted Senia¡¯s head like she was a little child. She still was a child, but she was 13 now. A little old to be patted. But she accepted the man¡¯s display of affection. ¡°Alright Sasi. I¡¯m gonna head back now. Have a good night.¡± Furen leaned and kissed Senia¡¯s mother. ¡°You too, Furen. Be safe.¡± Sasi replied. Furen headed out the door and waved goodbye. Sasi and Senia waved back. Sasi closed the door. There was a gentle smile on her face. Senia looked at her inquisitively. ¡°Hey Mom¡­why don¡¯t you two¡­just marry already?¡± Senia asked her mother. Sasi looked at her with a start. ¡°I would love to, Sen. But¡­these things take time.¡± The mother sighed. Then in a low mutter, ¡°Especially when he¡¯s a spineless coward.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing, sweetie. Head upstairs. It¡¯s getting late. Go to sleep.¡± The mother quickly recovered. ¡°Alright. Have a good night Mom.¡± ¡°You too, dear.¡± As the village of Stekon went to sleep, the neighboring Adovian forest was still brimming with excitement and anticipation. * * * ¡°The mighty lord Azarot has come to visit us?¡± An elderly elf asked in mock amazement. ¡°Cut the crap, Glair. I¡¯m in no mood to fool around. One of our own has been lost.¡± Azarot replied coldly. The elf elder widened his eyes. ¡°Was it the homunculus?¡± ¡°No. It was another. But that doesn¡¯t matter. In our current state, I¡¯m not confident in our ability to take on the homunculus. So I would like to enlist the help of the Adovian elves.¡± The demon replied. ¡°Our help? Very well. Are you aware of the current location of the homunculus?¡± Glair asked. Azarot cruelly smiled. ¡°Yes. We left a tracking beacon on him. He¡¯s currently within the village of Stekon.¡± ¡°Stekon? Oh my, that¡¯s right next to this forest. If he is that close¡­then let¡¯s attack now. Before he can flee once more.¡± Glair suggested. ¡°Exactly what I was thinking. Tonight, the village of Stekon¡­will go up in flames.¡± * * * The boy and the wolf walked side by side. The wolf had completely changed. It had doubled its original size. Numerous red veins pulsed all over its body. Its teeth were incredibly sharp and large. And its attitude towards the boy was completely different. Even though it was a magical beast, it looked at the boy with loyalty and affection. The boy had constantly followed the wolf, helping it hunt down new prey. Whenever it was hungry, the boy would feed it any beast he could find. The wolf grew stronger with the boy¡¯s help. Over time, the wolf began to completely trust the boy. Its survival and growth was all due to the boy¡¯s help. The boy looked at the wolf. He smiled. His plan was going perfectly. Through [Intimidation], he had managed to completely subdue the beast. By feeding and protecting it, he had managed to make the wolf accept him. Now, the wolf would follow his orders with blind loyalty. Perfect. The boy took out the vial of poison from his bag. He had tested the poison on a wandering rabbit. He had waited for the poison to take effect, but nothing happened at first. In fact, the rabbit acted completely normally. It wasn¡¯t until four hours later, the rabbit suddenly dropped dead. No warning at all. It seemed the poison had a delay of four hours. The boy didn¡¯t understand the reason for the delay, but the poison worked. He walked over to the wolf. The wolf let the boy open its mouth. The boy poured the vial of poison down the wolf¡¯s threat. The beast was unsure of why the boy was giving him the strange liquid, but it accepted his decision with blind trust. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The boy patted the wolf and smiled. ¡°Come boy. It¡¯s time.¡± Boy and wolf began to walk. Towards the bear. Towards the king of the caves. * * * The bear was slumbering, when it head footsteps. It got up and roared. It seemed that a new challenger was approaching. It walked out of its lair into a large circular room. There, a boy and a wolf awaited him. The boy ordered, ¡°Go get him, boy!¡± The wolf snarled eagerly and rushed towards the bear. The bear growled and raised his paw. The bear slammed its paw towards the wolf. The wolf quickly sidestepped and bit the bear¡¯s neck. The bear roared and grabbed the wolf with its claws. The wolf whimpered as it felt the bear¡¯s long claws pierce its body. The bear threw the wolf against the ground, shattering its bones. The bear quickly pounced on the wolf and began to tear its flesh apart with its impressive teeth. The wolf turned its head to look at the boy, whining and pleading for help. But its owner was gone. The wolf spent its last moments abandoned and betrayed by the one being it thought it could trust. * * * His plan was quite simple. Find a beast that would become loyal and strong. Poison the beast and let the bear kill it. The bear would eat the poisoned beast and die. The boy needed the beast to be strong, otherwise the beast would not challenge the bear. The boy needed to instill a fake sense of confidence in the beast in order to get it to fight the bear. In order to make the beast listen to him, he needed loyalty. The wolf was perfect. Even though it was a magical beast filled only with thoughts of survival, it slowly developed a sense of loyalty towards the boy. The beast would follow the boy anywhere he went. So when the boy gave the order to fight the bear, the wolf did not question him. The boy smiled. His plan worked. Now the bear would return to his cave. Four hours later, the poison would take effect. Now, he just had to wait. As he waited, his last thoughts about the wolf he had cared for disappeared. * * * Four hours later, he walked into the cave where the bear and wolf had fought. The wolf¡¯s remains were scattered on the floor. The boy took a single look at its corpse and turned away. The wolf had served its purpose well. The boy continued forward. In the next room, he found the bear, lying completely still on the ground. He smiled. The bear had fallen. The boy walked past the bear. Suddenly, a roar shook the room. Eyes wide with shock, the boy turned around. Too slow. The bear was already on him. Its paw came down, and the boy¡¯s left arm went flying. Incredible pain coursed through his pain, but the boy hardly registered it. He jumped backwards. The bear rushed towards him. Suddenly, it stumbled. It fell to the ground. It struggled to raise its head, but it became sluggish with every move. When the bear stopped moving, the boy finally moved from his position. His left arm was missing, and he was heavily bleeding. The boy could feel his skin slowly covering his wound. He got up and moved towards the bear. He placed his right palm on the bear¡¯s eye. This time. He would make sure the bear was dead. ¡°[Water Jet].¡± A rush of water pierced through the bear¡¯s eye. The boy sat down and waited for his recovery. He couldn¡¯t move on until his wound recovered. He closed his eyes. Sleep came soon. * * * A landscape. Completely white. Devoid of everything and anything. A single being was sitting on the ground. He suddenly turned his head around. ¡°Oh. So you¡¯ve made it.¡± The boy stood up and looked in front of him. But there was nothing. Only empty space. ¡°Wow¡­you¡¯re different than I had imagined...but that¡¯s to be expected. After all, you¡¯re much stronger.¡± There was a sad smile on the boy¡¯s face. ¡°You are so strong...you want to live so badly¡­not like me.¡± The boy¡¯s voice began to falter. The boy looked down at his feet. ¡°I¡­am just a nobody. No one will ever miss me. No one will ever remember me. I don¡¯t understand¡­the point of living anymore.¡± The boy looked up once more. ¡°But you¡­are different. You don¡¯t care about any of that.¡± A strange mixture of emotions appeared on the boy¡¯s face. Admiration. Fear. Self-disgust. Self-loathing. ¡°Even if the whole world turned against you¡­I¡¯m sure¡­you would just fight the entire world, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± The boy closed his eyes. ¡°So¡­keep on living¡­for the both of us¡­¡± The empty world began to dim. Everything turned to darkness. * * * He awoke. Well, not really. To be more accurate, he opened his eyes. Sleep was unknown to the man. He opened his eyes because he realized there was something wrong. He sensed danger. He got up from his bed and looked out the window. The sky was tinted orange. But it was still the middle of the night. Savunt forced the windows open. He could smell the smoke from his room. Fire. ¡°Shit. They¡¯ve found me already.¡± The man furrowed his brow. He couldn¡¯t fight. He needed one more night. He had to flee once more. He climbed out the window. He jumped down and landed on the soft ground. He looked back at the tavern. ¡°Sorry, Siergo¡­but I can¡¯t stay around.¡± * * * ¡°Humans¡­they burn quite nicely.¡± The elf Glair remarked. Azarot turned and raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°This seems¡­rather crude.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t worry my friend. These filthy humans deserve to burn to ashes. They will pay for their crimes.¡± Glair¡¯s eyes burned with a fiery passion and hatred. Azarot looked down at the burning village. ¡°Why have you not attacked before? I¡¯m shocked you would allow a human village to be so close to your forest.¡± ¡°We have attacked. But¡­we ran into a little trouble.¡± ¡°Trouble? The humans pushed you back?¡± Azarot asked incredulously. ¡°No! It was one of our own. She ruined everything.¡± Glair growled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. She is gone, exiled forever.¡± Azarot nodded and noticed a certain man running through the fiery town. ¡°He appears at last. Seberon!¡± Azarot called out. Seberon instantly appeared at his side. ¡°Yes, milord?¡± ¡°Take Behemet and capture the homunculus. There¡¯s nowhere left to run.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± * * * He ran. As fast he could. Even though the village was burning, there were no sounds other than the crackling of fire. Something was wrong. There should at least be screams or yelling. As he ran, he looked through the windows. He noticed what was wrong. He saw the dead bodies scattered throughout the rooms. Suddenly, he heard a scream. Savunt turned and looked at the source of the scream. A house going up in flames. He hesitated. He shook his head and ran towards the house. He kicked the door and looked around. He heard crying on the floor above. ¡°MOM!!!!¡± Savunt sprinted up the stairs. He burst down the bedroom door where the scream come from. The first thing he noticed was the girl sobbing over a dead body. Then he noticed the elf grinning as he inched closer towards the girl with a thin blade. The elf turned and saw a fist coming straight at his face. With the elf on the floor, Savunt turned to look at the girl. She was holding the dead body close, crying her eyes out. Savunt grabbed the girl, wrenching her from the dead boy. ¡°NO!!! STOP! MOM!!!¡± the girl shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Savunt ran out the door, leaving behind the dead mother and the burning house behind. He quickly ran towards the forest. As he ran, shapes in the darkness suddenly appeared in front of him. Two demons and a crowd of elves were awaiting him. Savunt jumped backwards, as an explosion of fire appeared at his previous position. ¡°Behemet. You may take him.¡± ¡°I was planning to anyways.¡± Behemet launched a gigantic fireball at Savunt. He narrowly jumped out of the way. Flames rose around him. Give up. There is nowhere left to run. We know you are not at full power. It is hopeless.¡± Seberon¡¯s voice could be heard. Savunt gritted his teeth and looked down at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were wide open, tears coming down her face. She looked back at Savunt with fear and hatred. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­this is all my fault. I¡­will at least save you.¡± Savunt said with a distraught voice. He began to call upon the little power he had. ¡°And I only had one more night until I was fully restored.¡± A bright light shined in the town. Seberon and Behemet were forced to turn their eyes, as the light grew blinding. Everything began to turn white. When the light faded, Savunt disappeared along with the girl. ¡°No! Where has he gone?¡± Behemet shouted with frustration. ¡°Remain calm. He can¡¯t have gone too far. We will find him.¡± The elves and demons began to disperse into the forest, looking for Savunt. Ash rose towards the sky as the flames consumed the town. Chapter 10: Luxury in the Caves Chapter 10: Luxury in the Caves Savunt ran through the forest carrying the girl with him. He looked down at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were closed. It seemed she had fainted. He kept on running. He could hear the shouting and yelling behind him. The demons and elves were after him. He ran, leaving behind the burning village of Stekon. Suddenly he stopped in tracks. ¡°Aw come on, not this psycho again. I just got rid of you.¡± In front of him, a hooded figure stood waiting for him. ¡°[Follow my heed. Let the ground break. Swallow him up].¡± A strange chant. But obviously powerful. The ground began to crumble at Savunt¡¯s feet. The ground began to break and collapse. A great crack appeared in the ground. Savunt and the girl fell into the newly created hole. The earth closed as they fell, swallowing them up. * * * The boy woke up. He looked down at himself. His left arm was still missing, but the wound had healed. He slowly got up and took a look around. The bear was dead, sprawled on the ground. The boy walked over and debated whether to consume its flesh. Then, he shook its head. The poison had contaminated its flesh. It was too dangerous to eat the bear. The boy¡¯s stomach was hungry, so he pulled a dead rabbit from his bag. He quickly ate the rabbit before moving further into the caves. As he walked, he began to hear a voice. ¡°How the hell did I get back here? I was so close to the end¡­now I¡¯m back at the entrance?¡± ¡°I guess I have to go all the way back¡­¡± As the boy walked closer, he saw the source of the voice. A man dressed in a cloak was standing in front of a pair of stone doors. The boy was confused. What were the doors doing in the middle of the caves? Suddenly, the man turned around and looked at the boy. The boy got a better look at the man. He had black skin with red eyes. A demon. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s a human doing here? Oh! My bad. You look just like a human, so I mistook you for one. Heh, my bad. You¡¯re just one of the mindless beasts wandering around. Well. I¡¯ve no interest with your kind. Be gone with you.¡± Before the boy could react, the demon pointed a finger at him. Suddenly, the boy was sent flying backwards. He landed the floor, crumpled into a ball. Meanwhile, the man was already turned back to the doors. The doors began to move and open inwards. ¡°Well, let¡¯s do this one more time.¡± The demon walked past the doors and left the room behind. The boy was lying on the ground. He felt as if something had directly hit his stomach. Winded, he could barely breathe. After resting for a minute or two, he got back up. He calmed himself down and looked at the open doors. The demon had walked past the doors. He was obviously a threat the boy could not handle. Still, the doors seemed to be the only exit out of the caves. Left with no other options, the boy walked towards the doors. * * * The girl woke up in an unfamiliar environment. Everything was completely dark. She couldn¡¯t see a thing. She tried to move around, but something was keeping her down. She struggle in vain. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake! My bad. Just wait a second.¡± An unfamiliar voice sounded out in the darkness. Whatever was keeping her down released her. She stood up, but she still couldn¡¯t see a thing. A flame suddenly came into existence. Senia saw that she was not alone. A man was sitting on the ground, smiling at her. She realized that she was sitting in a cave. ¡°Hey there, I¡¯m Savunt. I found you in town and ran but¡­we kind of fell¡­¡± The man sadly trailed off. Sudden realization flooded into her mind. Oh god. Her mom. She was¡­ Tears began to flow down the girl¡¯s face. Savunt stared in shock, at a loss as to what to do next. ¡°Hey there, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s going to be all right.¡± ¡°No¡­my mom¡­she¡¯s¡­¡± the girl stopped, choked back her own tears. Savunt rubbed her back, trying to comfort the poor girl. Eventually, the girl calmed down and reduced her sobbing to infrequent sniffling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­I can¡¯t believe¡­that this is happening.¡± The girl looked up at Savunt. ¡°Thank you¡­Savunt. Thanks for saving me. I¡¯m Senia.¡± ¡°Senia. That¡¯s a wonderful name.¡± Savunt kindly smiled at Senia. Senia was comforted with the presence of another person. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you around Stekon before. Are you a traveler, Savunt?¡± Senia asked. ¡°Yeah. I actually just came to Stekon. You could call me a wanderer. I sort of travel around the world, looking at the sights.¡± ¡°Really? Then what was your favorite place?¡± Senia began to cheer up. She started to become a little excited, listening to Savunt. ¡°My favorite place? That would have to be¡­Amesprit. The island of the spirits. The view from there is spectacular.¡± ¡°Amesprit? Where¡¯s that?¡± Senia eagerly asked, her worries already forgotten. Savunt smiled. ¡°In the middle of Heaven¡¯s Mirror. When you stand on the island, the lake is absolutely beautiful. When you look at the waters of Heaven¡¯s Mirror, the reflection of the sky is crystal clear.¡± ¡°Wow! That sounds amazing!¡± ¡°How about you tell me about yourself, Senia?¡± Senia excitedly nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve lived in Stekon my whole life. My mom is super nice. And she¡¯s a great cook! My dad¡­isn¡¯t around anymore. When I was four, the elves from the Adovian forest had attacked our village. My dad went to go fight with all the other men. My dad won! But¡­he didn¡¯t come back¡­¡± Senia trailed off as she remembered faint memories of her father. Savunt had a look of confusion on his face. He has seen the village of Stekon. They were a peaceful town. He doubted they had any military power. Yet, they had forced back the elves? It didn¡¯t make any sense. The elves could have easily defeated the weak town of Stekon. As Savunt pondered, a quiet growling could be heard. He instantly stood up and was alert. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Stay close to me, Senia.¡± He looked down at the girl. Her face was completely red. In a very quiet voice, she whispered, ¡°Um, Savunt. That was my stomach¡­¡± Savunt grinned. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you some food, all right?¡± * * * The boy walked past the doors. As he stepped through, he realized something strange. He had left the caves behind. The walls were flat and made out of stone bricks. He was walking in a stone hallway. Eventually, the hallway ended and the boy entered a large, circular room. Within this new room, there were four doors in total. One which he had just come out of. One in front of him and two to the left and right. In the middle of the room, there was a glowing circle on the floor. Within that circle, there a rune that pulsed rhythmically. The boy didn¡¯t understand what it meant, so he left it alone. He looked around the room to see if there was anyone around. It seemed that demon had already passed through. The boy looked at each door. He didn¡¯t know which door to pick. He arbitrarily chose the one on the left. As he walked up to it, he saw a rune on the door. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Two lines, one horizontal and the other vertical, crossed each other perpendicularly. He didn¡¯t understand what the symbol meant. He pushed the door open and walked through another long hallway. As he walked further down the hall, it started becoming dimmer. His enhanced eyes could easily see through the darkness, but it seemed no light at all reached the end of this hallway. The boy kept on walking towards the end. He finally reached the next room. Within this room, there was complete darkness. The boy couldn¡¯t see the walls, the ceiling, or the ground. However, he did see one thing. In front of him, a gigantic crystal was in the ground. The crystal glowed, but the light did not shine on anything else. Within the crystal, the boy could see a body. There seemed to be a child with long, flowing hair inside the crystal. Pierced into the crystal was a small dagger. It did not enter very far. There was a tiny crack in the crystal where the dagger was stuck. As he walked closer, the child suddenly opened her eyes. ¡°You there. The human. Come closer. And set me free.¡± The boy stopped walking. Then he turned his back on the girl and walked away. ¡°Huh? Hey! Where are you going? Stop! Come back!¡± the girl shouted with confusion. The boy kept on walking towards the exit. ¡°Hey! Why aren¡¯t you freeing me? Don¡¯t you have a conscience?¡± the girl yelled with desperation. The boy finally turned around. ¡°Why would I free you? What¡¯s in it for me?¡± the boy asked, cocking his head to the side. ¡°Are you an idiot? Why do you think I was sealed in here? Because I¡¯m strong! Much stronger than you pathetic humans! So free me already! I promise I¡¯ll lend you my strength.¡± The girl begged pathetically. ¡°Fine. How do I free you?¡± the boy began walking back towards the crystal. ¡°Just pull that dagger out of this crystal. Then you¡¯ll free me.¡± The boy gripped the dagger¡¯s hilt with his right hand. He tried to grab it with his left hand, but he couldn¡¯t. Then he remembered his left arm was gone. He tried to pull the dagger out with just his right arm but it would not budge. Then, he placed his feet on the crystal. He began to use his entire body to pull the dagger out. Little by little, the dagger began to come out. ¡°There you go! Keep it up!¡± the girl cheered the boy on. The dagger finally came loose. As the boy fell to the ground, the crystal shattered into pieces. When the boy looked at the crystal¡¯s remains, the girl was gone. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m down here!¡± A sudden voice came from the boy¡¯s hands. He looked down at the dagger. The blade glowed with a strange light. ¡°Even though I had to convince you, I¡¯m still grateful for the help. And since I am a great and benevolent angel, I¡¯m willing to grant you my power. The name¡¯s Luxury.¡± A cheerful voice sounded from the dagger. The boy nodded and began walking towards the room¡¯s exit. ¡°Hey stop! At least tell me your name!¡± the dagger shouted in frustration. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have one.¡± ¡°¡­Great. Well, that¡¯s not going to work. How about this? I¡¯ll call you¡­ Cerien. Yeah. I like that.¡± The dagger named the boy with a satisfied tone. ¡°Very well. Let us go Luxury.¡± The newly named boy walked towards the door. Cerien tried to open the door, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right. I forgot.¡± The dagger said with disappointment. Cerien looked at the blade with confusion. Suddenly, the room began to tremble. Cerien could sense something moving within the darkness. A deep voice could be heard. ¡°Boy. Return the blade. If you take it out of here, you will unleash a havoc on this world.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t listen to him. Just pry open the door and let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Suddenly, the rumbling grew larger. A shape emerged from the darkness. Cerien now clearly saw the source of the deep voice. A gigantic ape emerged from the darkness. Unlike the rest of the animals, its fur was not black. It was pure white. Its eyes were pale blue. It was not a magical beast. ¡°I have guarded that demon for over a hundred years. I was surprised that a human could even pull the dagger out of the crystal. But you shall continue no further. My only purpose is to stop that demon from ever unleashing her wrath on this world again.¡± Cerien looked down at the blade in shock. ¡°Hey Luxury. You said you were an angel.¡± He accused with growing suspicion. ¡°¡­Oh did I? Well¡­that was just a figure of speech, you know? I mean¡­I guess you could call me a demon. But I prefer the term, morally challenged individual.¡± The ape laughed, but there was no amusement in his laughter. ¡°Morally challenged? Don¡¯t lie. You don¡¯t have any morals. Boy. Drop the dagger. Do so and I will let you free.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t listen to him! Didn¡¯t you hear me? I will grant you immeasurable power. Just get me out of here!¡± Luxury interjected. ¡°Do not listen to the demon¡¯s lies. Luxuria is not to be trusted.¡± The ape gravely warned. ¡°Hey don¡¯t go telling people my real name! It¡¯s embarrassing!¡± the dagger whined. Cerien looked down at the dagger, then back up at the ape. Without hesitation, he tossed the dagger back to the ape. ¡°Much appreciated, boy. I prefer not to kill anyone without just cause.¡± ¡°HEY! ARE YOU AN IDIOT! DIDN¡¯T I PROMISE YOU POWER? YOU BASTARD! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I¡¯M GOING TO FIND YOU, CERIEN! HEY! WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? STOP! COME BACK!¡± Cerien turned his back on the ape and the slightly upset dagger and left the room behind. The ape turned to look at the blade in its hands. ¡°Luxuria. That boy¡­he wasn¡¯t¡­human was he?¡± ¡°Oh, you just realized, you fat ape? I thought so at first too, but I realized quite soon. Unlike you, you goddamn filthy primate.¡± ¡°He reminded me of the magical beasts lurking the caves. How on earth did a human become¡­so¡­unhuman?¡± * * * Senia and Savunt were sitting next to a fire. They had found a rabbit hopping around the caves. Savunt grabbed it and snapped its neck. Savunt instantly noticed that the rabbit was tainted by raw mana. Senia couldn¡¯t eat the rabbit as it was, so Savunt began draining the raw mana from the beast. Senia waited patiently by the fire as raw mana flowed out the rabbit. Senia didn¡¯t realize it, but Savunt was collecting the raw mana and storing it. ¡°All right. Now it¡¯s time to cook it.¡± Savunt then began cooking the rabbit over the fire. Senia stared at the dead rabbit with mixed emotions. She was starving and desperately wanted to eat, but¡­ ¡°The bunny¡­it¡¯s so CUTE!¡± Savunt looked at Senia with a dry grin. She looked right back pleading with her eyes. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have¡­killed something else? Other than this cute little bunny?¡± Savunt shook his head and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be picky. Rabbit tastes great anyways.¡± The two sat waiting for their meal to cook. The two sat in comfort, knowing that they were not alone. Senia smiled, even though her world had been ruined. Savunt was by her side, making everything all right. Chapter 11: Monster Chapter 11: Monster The boy walked out of the dark hallway and re-entered the large, round room. Luxuria. Without a doubt, she held massive power. However, that white ape was guarding the dagger. The boy could tell that the ape¡¯s strength was much greater than the bear he had defeated. He also had no poison left. There was no chance of him taking the ape head on. Thus, he had no choice but to leave the demon behind. At least, he left with something. He had a name. Cerien. The boy now had a name of his own. Cerien walked out from the door. To his left was the hallway he had originally entered from. To his right and in front of him were two doors he had not yet opened. He randomly chose the door on the left. On the door was yet another rune that he did not understand. It was a simple circle with a smaller square in the middle of it. He opened the door. In front of him was a long hallway. Cerien started walking down the hall in search of an exit. * * * Savunt and Senia walked through the caves. As they ventured deeper underground, they began to see writing on the walls. ¡°Hey Savunt. What¡¯s with all these pictures on the walls?¡± Senia asked curiously. Savunt glanced at the runes. ¡°The long-forgotten language of an ancient people. The Lagrim clan.¡± ¡°Really? What happened to them?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s really sure. They disappeared around two centuries ago. Very few people can read the Lagrim language, so not many know what happened to the Lagrim.¡± ¡°Can you read it, Savunt?¡± ¡°What part about long-forgotten don¡¯t you understand?¡± Savunt chuckled. ¡°But to answer your question, yes I can.¡± ¡°Oh? Then what does it say on the walls?¡± Senia cocked her head to the side. ¡°Oh nothing important. Just grocery lists, diaries, and such.¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s kinda boring¡­¡± Senia ignored the rest of the writing and skipped further down the cave. Savunt took one more glance at the walls and frowned. The writing on the walls were not grocery lists. They were not diaries. No. The runes on the walls were simply a repeated pattern of words. Words the warned of impending doom. Words that were hastily scribbled in fear and desperation. Words written by madmen. The final message of the Lagrim clan. ¡°T H E M O N S T E R I T H U N G E R S" * * * Cerien entered a new room. The room was quite simple. There was a double door in front of him and nothing else. He walked up the door and tried to open it. It was locked. There was a keyhole in the middle of the door. But he had no key. There was nothing else to do in the room. As he turned around to leave, a sudden black shape rushed at him. Cerien felt his skin being scratched as he tumbled on the ground. As he fought off the unknown enemy, he got a better look at it. A monkey with black fur. Its nails and teeth were abnormally large. The monkey was smaller than Cerien, but its ferociousness made up for its lack of size. The monkey viciously clawed at the boy¡¯s face. Cerien lost vision in his left eye. In a desperate attempt to get the monkey off, he used his nails to scratch the monkey right back in the face. The monkey screamed and jumped off him. Cerien had given the monkey long, bloody scratches on its face. Before he could make another move, Cerien began to stare in shock at the monkey. Its wounds began to rapidly heal. The scratches disappeared from its face, leaving only the blood that the monkey had lost. The monkey seemed more sluggish than before, but it still launched another attack at Cerien. Cerien was too slow to react, and the monkey bit right into his shoulder. Ignoring the pain, Cerien decided on his next move. The monkey¡¯s rapid regeneration was incredible. In order to defeat the monkey, he would have to end it in one blow. Cerien used his sharp nails to pierce through the monkey¡¯s chest. The monkey screamed even louder as Cerien plunged his right hand deeper into its chest. He wrapped his hand around what he assumed to be the monkey¡¯s heart. Then, he pulled as hard as he could. He ripped the monkey¡¯s heart straight out of its body. The monkey fell to the ground. The hole in its chest began to close up. Cerien raised his foot and stomped down as hard as he could on the monkey¡¯s head. SPLAT! The monkey¡¯s brains and blood stained the floor. The monkey¡¯s body twitched. Its wounds stopped healing. Cerien stood over the monkey¡¯s dead body. He was in pretty bad shape. His left eye was cut open. There were scratches on his face. A chunk of flesh was missing from his shoulder. He had tiny scratches all over his body from the monkey¡¯s claws. Cerien looked at the monkey¡¯s heart in his hand. It had stopped beating. He smiled. One more ability to steal. He bit into the heart, blood bursting from the bite. He ate the heart until nothing was left. Then, he began to visualize an image in his head. An image of the monkey rapidly healing the wounds on its face. Words soon popped into his head. [Rapid Regeneration]. Another ability that Cerien had stolen. Cerien suddenly felt his skin stretching and growing. New flesh was filling up his wounds. His left eye quickly regained its vision. The wound in his shoulder closed up. As he felt the effects of [Rapid Regeneration], he became fatigued. The healing effects seemed to take energy out of him. It was still an incredibly powerful ability, but it could not be used without periods of rest. He looked at his left shoulder. His arm was still missing. The regeneration had not taken affect. He assumed that there was no open wound, so his arm had no healed back. Once he had a sharp tool, he would be able to cut off the stump he had for a left arm. Then, he might be able to regenerate a new arm. He fought off the desire to sleep and stood up. He looked at the double doors in the room. There was nothing he could do here. He could walked back through the hall he had come from. He re-entered the round room. There was only one last door he had not yet explored. The one to the left of him. He walked over. On the door, a rune was inscribed. It was a square with a line through the middle. He opened the door. The door closed behind him as he walked through to the last room. * * * Senia walked right next to Savunt, holding onto his shirt. They passed through the caves and the writings on the wall appeared more frequently. They passed the carcass of a rotting bear and wolf, obviously the remnants of great battle. Then, they reached a doorway. The door was already open when they reached it. ¡°Alright, Senia. Stay close. We¡¯re almost out of here. Just keep on walking with me alright?¡± ¡°Hm. I got it Savunt.¡± Senia nodded, holding onto his shirt more tightly. Savunt looked at the orb of flame floating next to him. He didn¡¯t have much mana left. He had been absorbing mana from the magic beasts wandering the caves. But the flame was a constant drain on him. He had to get out of these caves quickly, so that Senia would be safe. They entered the doorway into a long hallway. At the end, they entered a large, circular room. There were three other doors here: to the left, to the right, and in front of them. Savunt looked at the runes of each door. The left door was marked with a cross. The door in front was marked with a circle with a square within it. The right door had a square with a line through it. Savunt pointed at the right door. ¡°There. That rune means exit. That¡¯s our way out of here.¡± The two quickly ran up to the door and opened it. ¡°Light! I can see light!¡± Senia excitedly shouted. She quickly ran in front of Savunt and charged up ahead. ¡°Hey! Wait, Senia! Wait for me!¡± Savunt quickly followed the girl from behind. * * * Cerien was in a new room now. Much like the previous room, there were double doors in front of him. However, unlike the previous room, there was a pedestal in the center. On the pedestal was a white cube. The cube lit the room with an eerie, white glow. He walked up to the cube. He raised his right hand and touched the cube. Suddenly, the cube shook. The white glow was replaced with a dark red light. Cerien could hear a rumbling from the hallway that he had just entered from. The rumbling stopped and the cube became still, but the red glow remained. Cerien frowned. Perhaps something had changed in the hallway? He walked back to see what had happened. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. * * * ¡°Senia! Can you hear me?¡± Savunt pounded on the wall that had suddenly fell from the ceiling. ¡°Yeah Savunt! I¡¯m on the other side.¡± Senia shouted. Savunt pounded harder, but the wall did not budge. ¡°Damnit! Just wait Senia! I¡¯ll find a way around! Just wait here!¡± Savunt shouted as he ran back. ¡°Huh? Hey! Don¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Senia cried out. ¡°¡­oh no¡­please¡­don¡¯t leave me alone¡­¡± Senia whimpered as Savunt left her. She crouched down and began to hold her head. Savunt was gone. For the first time in the caves, she was completely alone. Tears began fall down. ¡°¡­please¡­someone¡­anyone¡­¡± Senia rocked back and forth. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She turned her head in shock and looked in front of her. A sudden, new voice rang out in the hallway. ¡°Where did that wall come from? Hey. Girl. Do you happen to know where the exit is?¡± A boy with black hair and red eyes looked at Senia. The boy was older and taller than her. The boy was wearing ragged clothing that was torn in many places. She instantly noticed that the boy was missing his left arm. ¡°Uh¡­I don¡¯t know?¡± Senia responded in shock and surprise. She could hardly believe her luck. Just when she thought she was completely alone, she already met another human. The boy nodded when Senia responded. Then, he turned around and walked away. ¡°Hey! Wait!¡± Senia ran up and grabbed onto the boy¡¯s torn clothing. The boy turned. ¡°What is it?¡± He cocked his head. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­don¡¯t you think we should stay together?¡± Senia weakly smiled. ¡°¡­if you want.¡± The boy quickly answered. Then he turned around and started walking away. Senia ran after him. ¡°I¡¯m Senia.¡± She told him. ¡°Cerien.¡± The boy promptly replied. ¡°That¡¯s a nice name.¡± Senia smiled at Cerien. The two walked together in silence. Senia stayed close to boy, grateful for the company. The hallway ended and the two entered a room. Senia realized that the source of the light was coming from a strange cube on a pedestal. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that. I think that¡¯s what brought that wall down.¡± Cerien remarked. Senia nodded. She looked closer at the double doors, when suddenly the doors began to open. She ran backwards and hid behind Cerien. As the doors opened, a man stepped out. He looked at Cerien and Senia. ¡°Oh. You again. And it looks like you¡¯ve brought company this time.¡± The demon smiled cruelly. ¡°Hey Cerien, how do you know that guy? And why does he have black skin?¡± Senia asked him. Cerien did not answer. ¡°Hey there little girl. What¡¯s a human doing deep underground? This is no place for a girl your age.¡± The demon¡¯s smile grew wider. But his eyes were cold and cruel. ¡°Cerien¡­I don¡¯t like this guy. Can we go away?¡± Senia pulled on Cerien¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You don¡¯t like me? That¡¯s¡­ Ironic. After all, that boy you¡¯re talking to right now¡­ Is a monster.¡± Senia turned to look at the demon angrily. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t call Cerien a monster! If anyone¡¯s a monster, you¡¯re it!¡± she shouted. The demon shook his head. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t we find out? Boy. I will give you two choices. You fight for your survival. Of course, I¡¯ll just kill you both. Or¡­hand over the girl. I¡¯ll take the girl¡¯s life. And I¡¯ll let you escape.¡± The smile on the demon¡¯s face seemed incredibly twisted. ¡°Well then. Make your choice, boy.¡± Senia looked at Cerien. ¡°Hey Cerien. Let¡¯s just run away. There¡¯s no need to-¡± Senia was cut off as she was suddenly shoved forward. She fell to the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± She looked at Cerien in confusion. Before she could say anything else, she suddenly began to rise in the air. Her hands went to her neck as if she was choking. Her feet kicked in the air as she struggled to breathe. Suddenly, a loud crack could be heard as Senia¡¯s head turned at an unnatural angle. With that, her body fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. ¡°Well. I guess we find out the answer.¡± The demon turned and looked at Cerien. His smile disappeared. His face was full of disgust. ¡°You¡­really are a monster. As promised, I will let you live. Pass through these doors and you shall find the exit. Now leave. Before I change my mind. You piece of trash.¡± Cerien didn¡¯t waste any time. Without glancing at the girl¡¯s dead body, he left the room and went through the doors. The demon swiped the cube on the pedestal. The red glow faded. A sudden rumbling could be heard further down the hallway. He walked down the hall, leaving behind Senia¡¯s lifeless body. * * * Savunt had chosen to enter the door with a circle with a square within it. The rune meant ¡°city.¡± The other door had a rune that meant ¡°forbidden.¡± Savunt doubted that the ¡°forbidden¡± door had the key to opening the wall. So, he chose the other door. When he entered the new room, he first noticed the carcass of a monkey on the floor. It had been recently killed. In front of him was a pair of double doors. Unfortunately, they were locked. He looked around for any hidden mechanism, but there was none. As Savunt wondered what to do, he heard another rumbling behind him. Had the wall been removed? He quickly rushed back. As he ran, he suddenly saw a figure ahead. Was it Senia? No. The figure was much too tall and masculine to be her. He stopped. Sudden dread filled Savunt. The man in front of him was all too familiar. ¡°Savunt. How long has it been, my man? Or rather, my homunculus?" ¡°¡­not long enough.¡± Savunt replied. The man in front of him was Garmr. A legendary demon who had existed since the Start. Garmr. The first head of Cerberus, the infamous trio of demons that directly served under the great Demon King. ¡°What are you doing here in enemy territory? You should be on the other side of Alurca.¡± Savunt asked. ¡°Ha, my friend. I could say the same to you. But then again, I¡¯m pretty sure anywhere you go it is enemy territory.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste. I don¡¯t care why you¡¯re here in the Lagrim ruins. I just need to get out. Tell me. Did you see a human girl wandering these ruins?¡± Garmr smiled. ¡°A human girl? Oh yes. I did. In fact, I snapped her neck with my own hands.¡± ¡°YOU WHAT!¡± Savunt roared. ¡°Oh come on. Don¡¯t be surprised. I can¡¯t let a human tell the world that I¡¯m here. Oh that reminds me. There was a human boy with her.¡± ¡°Spare me your chatter.¡± Savunt replied with barely contained hatred. ¡°Oh no. This is important. That boy¡­he was¡­one of a kind. I gave him a choice, you see. And without hesitation, he chose to sacrifice that girl¡¯s life. I¡¯m not going to lie. He is a monster. Whatever humanity he had, he had obviously lost. If you want to take revenge, I suggest not wasting your time with me. In your current state, you are in no shape to take me on. But the boy is a different scenario. Go on. Kill him. I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Garmr coldly smiled. ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t need you to tell to order me.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re still going to listen to me, right?¡± Savunt did not answer. He walked past Garmr. He walked towards the door with the exit rune marked on it. * * * Cerien walked along the hallway. He was finally reaching the exit. He kept on walking, leaving behind the caves. As he walked, he suddenly felt the fatigue coming over him. Damn it. Not now. I¡¯m so¡­close¡­ Cerien closed his eyes as he fell to the ground. * * * A white landscape. A boy was standing. A look with disgust and anger was on his face. ¡°You. What do you think you are doing? I can¡¯t stand by and watch anymore.¡± The boy could barely contain his anger. He closed his eyes. ¡°I understand killing the wolf. It wasn¡¯t human. Merely a magic beast.¡± ¡°BUT THE GIRL!¡± he shouted. His eyes opened. ¡°THE GIRL WAS HUMAN! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY HER!¡± the boy was shouting with all his might. ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?¡± the boy fell onto his knees. Tears of frustration and anger fell. The boy quietly sobbed. In a quiet voice, he whispered, ¡°You¡­ Are a monster.¡± The white world slowly faded into darkness. Chapter 12: His Awakening Chapter 12: His Awakening Sorry for the delay. Schoolwork is piling up. Also, Fallout 4 came out. It¡¯s taken up most of my time :( Here¡¯s the chapter. Cerien opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was a man sitting across from him. ¡°Oh hey. You woke up. Are you all right now?¡± I found you collapsed on the ground in this hallway. The man smiled at Cerien. Cerien looked at the man. His clothes looked comfortable and well-suited for travel. The man himself looked like an ordinary human. He seemed to be a little dirty, probably from walking deep underground. He was definitely cleaner than Cerien, who was practically wearing rags now. His clothes had been torn apart from the magic beasts in the underground. Cerien did not sense any danger from the man, so he let his guard down. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Cerien nodded his head. He looked around. He was still in the hallway that led to the exit. He was so close now. ¡°Thanks for the help, but I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Cerien said his goodbyes and began to walk away. ¡°Hey wait up!¡± The man shouted as he ran after Cerien. ¡°Before you leave, there¡¯s a question I want to ask.¡± Cerien nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead.¡± The man placed his hand on Cerien¡¯s shoulder before he could move away. ¡°Tell me your name at least, right?¡± Cerien coolly looked at the man. ¡°It¡¯s Cerien. What¡¯s yours?¡± The man¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold. His grip on Cerien¡¯s shoulder tightened. ¡°You know, I normally wouldn¡¯t mind telling you my name. But I don¡¯t really see the point¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes began to glow with a blue light. Before Cerien could react, he suddenly was sent flying into the wall. He gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of him. ¡°¡­in telling my name to a dead man.¡± Suddenly, an earthen spike rose from the ground. It pointed itself at Cerien¡¯s, and shot forward. Cerien, still slightly winded, stumbled out the way. The spike nicked his cheek. He tripped and fell onto the ground. ¡°That feeling of being betrayed¡­I imagine that¡¯s what she felt. What Senia felt.¡± The man suddenly laughed. But there was no joy in his laughter. ¡°But it¡¯s not like you would understand.¡± The man raised his hand. The ground began to shake as something emerged from the ground. A weapon began to form in the man¡¯s hand. A great, long halberd. A giant axe blade was on one side. A long spike came out of the polearm¡¯s top. Cerien got up, recovered from the previous blow. The man slowly walked towards him with that giant halberd. Cerien raised his hand. A flame appeared in his palm. He sent the [Fire Ball] at the man and began running away. With a single swing of his halberd, the man removed the incoming flame from existence. His eyes glowed once more. A spike emerged from the ground again and flew straight at Cerien¡¯s leg. The spike pierced his calf. He tripped and fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but his leg was completely messed up. He turned and shot a [Water Jet] at the man. The man easily blocked the jet with his halberd. Cerien couldn¡¯t run anymore with his crippled leg. Before he could pull the spike out of his leg, the man was already in front of him. In a desperate attempt, Cerien activated [Intimidation]. The man stopped, surprised at the sudden killing intent emerging from the boy. ¡°Wow. How completely¡­useless. If you want to intimidate someone, here¡¯s how you do it.¡± Suddenly, a great presence began to fill the hallway. Cerien began to feel an emotion that he had never felt before. It was fear. Even when he fought the bear, he was not scared. He had nothing to fear from a mindless animal. When he faced the demon, he was not afraid. The demon had no interest in him. But the man standing in front of him. The feeling emerging from this man. It filled Cerien with a sense of doom. Of certain death. The man¡¯s very presence seemed to suffocate Cerien. It took his every effort to remain conscious. The man drew his halberd back. Cerien was paralyzed with fear. He could do nothing but watch the man. ¡°Forget your last words. A monster like you doesn¡¯t deserve any.¡± And with that, the man thrusted the halberd into Cerien¡¯s chest, directly where his heart lay. The man removed the polearm in one smooth motion and dropped it onto the ground. Cerien watched the man as he walked away, leaving him to die. Everything began to darken as his eyes shut. * * * ¡°This is¡­karma isn¡¯t it? You deserve this. You deserve to die.¡± A boy was alone in the middle of a white world. ¡°What? No response? ¡­ Tch. What did I expect?¡± The boy turned and began to walk away. ¡°Stop.¡± A new voice echoed throughout the world. The boy froze and turned. A figure stood in front of him. A boy with jet-black hair and red eyes. A boy who had the face of Cerien. He looked quite different from the first boy, who had brown hair and blue eyes. ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to die.¡± The first boy frowned. ¡°Are you kidding me? It¡¯s not like you even have a reason for living.¡± Cerien frowned. ¡°¡­ Your point? Is it so wrong to want to live?¡± ¡°Do you really think what you¡¯re doing right now is living? Because right now, you¡¯re just sacrificing innocent lives. Look where your actions have gotten you. A complete stranger ended your life because of your decision.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying? Don¡¯t tell me you want me to give up my life for someone else.¡± ¡°I just want you to retain just a little bit of humanity! I want you to actually live for a reason, not just mindlessly survive on the sacrifices of others!¡± ¡°A reason? Where the hell am I supposed to find one?!¡± The two boys¡¯ voices rose as they shouted at each other. Tensions rose. Frustration could be heard in their voices. The two boys stared angrily at each other. Then, the first boy opened his mouth. ¡°Screw you. There¡¯s no way that I¡¯m just going to stand by and watch, you cold-blooded murderer.¡± Cerien angrily shouted, ¡°No! That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re going to do. Stand and watch. This is my life now. You gave up yours. So shut up and watch like a good little boy.¡± An expression appeared on the face of the boy with brown hair and blue eyes. An expression that never had appeared when he was alive. An expression full of defiance. Of bravery. Of determination. Two words came out of his mouth. Two words that expressed feelings that he had never experienced before. ¡°Hell no.¡± * * * A boy lay on the cold floor in a pool of blood. A hole lied in his chest right where his heart was. Even though he should be dead, the boy¡¯s body still twitched every now and then. Slowly, flesh began to fill the gaping wound in his body. As the hole began to seal, the boy woke with a start. The first thing he noticed was the dull pain in his chest. When he looked down, the hole in his chest that the man had left in his body had closed up. However, he noticed something strange. Right where the man had pierced his chest was a scar. His body should have healed from [Rapid Regeneration], yet there was still a scar. Cerien was confused, but decided to ignore for it now. What was important was that he had managed to survive the encounter. The man thought he had finished off Cerien by piercing his heart. However, Cerien¡¯s new ability had managed to save him from certain death. Thankfully, the man had not went any further than that. If he had removed Cerien¡¯s head, then Cerien would probably not be standing up right now. Cerien noticed the halberd lying on the ground. He walked over and picked it up with his right hand. He looked down at the stump he had for a left arm. The wound that he got from the bear was gone now, but it was time to reopen it. Cerien raised the halberd and brought down the blade on his left arm. The remaining stump was sliced off. Cerien fell to his knees as [Rapid Regeneration] activated once again. Suddenly, a bone burst out of the open wound in his left shoulder. More bones began to follow. Strings of muscles and flesh twirled and twined around the bones. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The bones began to move down from his shoulder, forming a new arm. New sinews began to connect his joints. Flesh and muscle quickly covered his bones. More and more flesh appeared until finally layers of skin began to cover his left arm. Soon, a newly formed arm had replaced the one he lost. Red veins filled with glowing mana on the arm pulsed brightly before slowly calming down and fading away. Cerien clenched and unclenched his fingers, getting back a feel for his left arm. After swinging it a few times and testing his nails, he judged that his left arm was back to normal. He began to walk down the hallway, taking the halberd with him. It was the first weapon that he had found. However, it was quite heavy. He could not hold the halberd up for long. Thus, he decided to drag the halberd along the ground. The hallway was angled upwards. Cerien began to see a faint light and hear a soft wind up ahead. As he reached the end of the hallway, he found a mirror. There was knob on the right side of the mirror, so it was obvious that it was a door. Light shone through a crack between the mirror and the wall. The wind gently blew through the crack. However, before he opened the door, he looked at the mirror to take a good look at himself for the first time. He was wearing clothes that were about to fall apart. His shoes had been long abandoned, worn and broken apart. His black hair was so dark that it did not seem to reflect any light. When he looked closer, he saw a streak of light brown in his hair that was obviously out of place. He fingered the strands of brown hair, wondering why part of his hair was colored differently. As he looked back into the mirror, his red eyes stared right back. His eyes were a crimson red. They were cold, failing to convey any kind of emotion or feeling. As his eyes wandered, Cerien noticed something strange. His eyes were drawn towards the scar on his chest. He would have normally just dismissed the scar. Perhaps, the injury was too much for his body to completely heal the wound. Maybe that was why a scar was left behind. However, that would not explain the shape of the scar. The scar was in the shape of two letters. He didn¡¯t know why or how, but he could read the letters. M and A. Suddenly, the scar began to burn, as if there was a fire in his chest. He fell to his knees as his heart began to burn. From deep within his mind, a face emerged. The face of a beautiful girl. Long, flowing hair that was flossy black. Flawless, white skin. Piercing blue eyes. A smile that was kind and caring. A smile that hiding something twisted and cruel. A single memory emerged from his mind. A dark classroom. Empty save for two people. Him and the girl. He is tied up. She is over him, heavily breathing and wearing that perverse smile. He can do nothing but scream into his gag as she carves into his flesh with a knife. He can only watch as she marks his body. A memory that chilled Cerien. A memory that caused the fire in his chest to grow hotter. With a hand over his burning heart, Cerien quietly whispered a name. ¡°Melodi.¡± * * * Students walked in the hallways of Lombania Combat Academy. They chatted as they walked to their next classes. A certain red-haired boy was making his way through the crowds of students. ¡°Hey, Flane! Wait up!¡± Another boy shouted. Flane turned. ¡°Just get over here, Dennius.¡± Dennius quickly weaved through the crowd and made his way to Flane¡¯s side. The two walked to their class in a comfortable silence. As they neared the classroom, they saw a familiar figure. She walked gracefully and coolly, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes. Students and a few teachers couldn¡¯t help but look at the girl¡¯s beauty. However, just as quickly, they looked away and continued walking. The girl¡¯s beauty was captivating, but there was no way that one could just simply ignore the coldness surrounding her. Melodi had always been a flower to the entire school ¨C beautiful, kind, and delicate. However, something had changed. Ever since the trip to Grimwoods, the kindness on her face disappeared. There was a lack of emotion, of happiness that unnerved anyone who approached her. Her brilliant and shining smile had forever disappeared. A flower no more. She had become a walking ice sculpture. She was fragile. Cold. Unfeeling. Flane glanced at her and couldn¡¯t help but remember the night over a week ago. The night after the boy named Kuren Sain had disappeared. The night that Melodi revealed to Flane her crazed smile and instability. In fact, that was the last time that Flane had ever seen Melodi smile. When the students returned to the academy, Melodi didn¡¯t seem to recover from Kuren¡¯s death. It was ironic really. Flane knew Kuren was the reason for her change, yet Kuren himself seemed to have been forgotten. No one talked about him anymore. No one mentioned his name. No one seemed to mourn his loss. Even Melodi herself never said anything about him. No one except for Flane. Flane felt like he was the only who remembered Kuren. Flane felt as if the guilt would never go away. If only he had another chance. If only he could go back in time and stop his bullying. But there were no ifs. There was only regret. Melodi looked towards Flane. The two made eye contact. Melodi¡¯s eyes seemed to have glazed over, not even recognizing Flane¡¯s presence. She simply passed him, entering the classroom. Flane accepted it. Melodi wasn¡¯t the same girl that he loved before. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he had the same feelings anymore. No. He knew he didn¡¯t. The very manner in which Melodi acted. The twisted smile he saw that night. It was as if she was completely different person. Or perhaps, these was Melodi¡¯s true side that he had never seen. Cold. And uncaring. As students began to sit down and wait, Monaco entered the classroom. ¡°Alright, settle down everyone. I¡¯ve got a few announcements to make. As all of you may be aware, we have recently acquired a visitor from the Grimwoods.¡± Monaco announced. Monaco turned towards the door and beckoned someone with his hand. A girl with silver hair walked through and entered the room. She was quite short, and looked young. Her eyes were a dull blue. Her face was quite pretty, still developing from a child into a teen. A very noticeable tattoo was on her left cheek. It seemed to be a rune, in a language unknown to the students. Gasps and murmurs went through the room. The students recognized the girl. They had all met her a little over a week ago. She was the girl who had saved them from the demons¡¯ attack in Grimwoods. ¡°Hello there. I am called Rai. Nice to meet you everyone.¡± The girl smiled and performed a little bow. The students clapped politely for the one who had saved all of them. ¡°Rai will be joining our class for a little while. I think this is also the first time that a Seeker will be in our school.¡± Monaco told the class as he looked down at Rai¡¯s tattoo. ¡°A Seeker?¡± ¡°Wow! No way!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Do you¡­think I could get with her?¡± Whispers went through the classroom as the students were shocked by the appearance of a Seeker girl. Most people have never even seen a Seeker in the flesh. They were extremely secretive, secluding themselves away from the other races in a ring of mountains guarded by fierce warriors and guardians. ¡°Before class starts, I have one more announcement. A little unusual, but we have another new student. Though, I think all of you may know him.¡± A rare smile appeared on Monaco¡¯s face. He beckoned towards the door once more. A figure walked through towards the front of the room. As he walked by, the class froze. They temporarily forgot about Rai for a moment. The boy in front of them took away all their attention. Flane gripped the edge of his seat, his knuckles turning white. The boy turned towards the class. His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled at the class. Short, light brown hair covered his head. His body was quite thin, but it seemed to hide strength underneath. The boy bowed his head. ¡°Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is¡­ Kuren Sain.¡± The smile on his face grew wider. ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡± Chapter 13: Return to Lombania Chapter 13: Return to Lombania Cerien stood frozen in front of the mirrored door. His chest ached. A burning sensation lingered. A vivid memory. A scene that played in his head. As quickly as the memory had appeared, it disappeared. Cerien tried to think of the girl, but he couldn¡¯t remember anything else. Even the classroom that seemed so vivid in his memory faded. The girl¡¯s beautiful face became hazy, As his last thoughts of the strange girl in his head disappeared, he gathered himself and cleared his head. Whoever she was, she had no importance to him right now. He reached for the doorknob and opened the door. A sudden rush of bright light and fresh air hit him. He had finally made it out. He looked around. Trees were everywhere. The chirping of birds and the sounds of the forest wildlife could be heard. Everything was tranquil. -- Cerien looked back. The door that he had entered from was gone. Instead, the trunk of a tree was behind him. He looked around, but there was no entrance back to the underground. He shrugged. He wasn¡¯t desperate to go back anytime soon. Through the dense forest top, he could see smoke rising in the sky. He noticed that the sky was already starting to darken. As he noticed his surroundings, his stomach began to growl loudly. He was hungry and tired. His fight with the stranger and his recovery after had sapped him of energy. Cerien decided that he would find out before night came if there was anyone else in the forest that could help him. He walked through the forest towards the smoke, dragging the halberd with him. * * * As the sky darkened, Cerien found the source of the smoke. A small campground with four men huddled around a small fire. A spit roast hung over the fire, with some unidentifiable animal slowly cooking. Cerien¡¯s stomach grumbled at the smell of the meat cooking. Cerien¡¯s eyes wandered and he spotted a figure chained to a tree near the men. Cerien saw that the figure had a small stature. He was a dwarf. Chains wrapped around his body stopping him from moving. The dwarf angrily stared at the men while they sat waiting for their meat to cook. Suddenly, the dwarf¡¯s eyes shifted and locked onto Cerien. The two made eye contact. A smile slowly crept onto the dwarf¡¯s face. Suddenly, the dwarf coughed. He got the men¡¯s attention and they turned towards him. ¡°Hey boys! Don¡¯t be alarmed now, but looks like you¡¯ve got a visitor.¡± The dwarf announced with a grin. The men instantly stood up. Cerien froze. The men were alert now. One of the men looked at the dwarf skeptically. ¡°Spread out! We¡¯ll find out if anyone actually is lurking around.¡± One of the men ordered. The men began to wander throughout the campground. Cerien was crouched, hiding behind one of the bushes. He realized that the bush didn¡¯t provide much cover at all. Also, there was a long trail in the ground behind him from the halberd that he had dragged. It would only be a matter of time before they found the trail and then him. One of the men walked closer to the bush he was hiding behind. As he got closer, Cerien stopped his breathing. He tried to remain completely silent and still. Suddenly, the man turned in Cerien¡¯s direction. He noticed a long groove in the ground. Curious, the man walked to get a better look. Cerien didn¡¯t hesitate. He activated [High Jump] and suddenly leapt through the air right towards the man. He held onto the halberd with both hands, carrying it with him. The halberd¡¯s blade cleaved through the man¡¯s head, giving him no time to react. Cerien¡¯s momentum carried him further right towards a tall tree. He unsheathed his claws on left hand and grabbed onto the tree¡¯s bark. His right hand held onto the heavy halberd. He remained there, albeit with difficulty due to the halberd¡¯s weight. When the man had been killed, his body fell down with a thud. The other men instantly turned towards the noise. All they saw was a shadow leaping into the air. ¡°Oi! Skal! Y¡¯alright?¡± one of the men shouted. There was no response. ¡°Nukir! Go check it out! Damn bastard is sneaking around!¡± he ordered. One of the men walked towards the corpse. As Nukir neared the corpse, the halberd in Cerien¡¯s hand was starting to feel heavier by the moment. Cerien was tired and hungry; he could not hold the weapon up much longer. Nukir walked right underneath Cerien. Fortunately, most people never look up when they are searching. The men were looking for the hidden intruder, but they never thought to search up in the trees. As the man passed him, Cerien swung the halberd with great effort and tossed at the man. The halberd flew through the air and landed on the man. He fell letting out a cry. ¡°Nukir! What the hell! I swear I¡¯m going to find ya and cut ya to pieces wherever ya are!¡± one of the men shouted. It was dark and the trees obscured the other men¡¯s¡¯ view, so they didn¡¯t see the halberd land on Nukir. They only heard his cry. Now there were only two men left. But Cerien¡¯s halberd was lodged in the man¡¯s corpse. Without it, Cerien was not confident he could take on the other men. Before he could do anything else, his stomach growled loudly. The two men turned towards each other nervously. ¡°Did¡­did ya hear that?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­sounded like¡­a growl.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...some kinda beast is out there¡­¡± The two men mistook Cerien¡¯s stomach for a hungry predator. Convinced that the hidden enemy was a prowling beast, the two men were on edge. They lost the staggering confidence they had before. They started to retreat back to the campfire away from the shadows. Cerien was still in the trees. He thought about his options. He could leave the men behind now that they had retreated. However, he would have to leave behind the halberd. Also, the men might see him and come chasing after him. His hunger would stop him from putting up a fight. Speaking of hunger, Cerien could still smell the roasting meat over the fire. He decided. He would launch a sneak attack on the last two men. That way, he would ensure his safety and his next meal. Cerien slowly climbed further up the tree. From there he began to leap from tree to tree, safely hidden from view. Soon, he was near the two men. He pointed his palm at the campfire below and used [Water Jet]. The rush of water put out the fire, removing the only source of light in the dark forest. ¡°Oi! What the hell man! Why¡¯d ya put out the fire?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do nuthin!¡± The two men shouted at each other, confused at the sudden darkness. Suddenly a dark shape landed on one of the men. The man went down. As he started to shout, something pierced his throat. His scream was cut off as he fell to the ground, blood pouring from his throat. Cerien stood over the dead man¡¯s body, his right hand soaked with blood from the man¡¯s throat. He turned towards the last man in the camp. As the man got a closer look at Cerien, he cursed. ¡°What the hell¡­yer just a boy. Why the hell were we scared o¡¯ ya?¡± the man snorted. He drew his sword and began slowly walking towards Cerien. The former fear was completely gone, replaced by confidence. A confidence that was not misguided. After all, he was facing just a boy. Cerien stepped backwards. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could take on the last man. He had lost the element of surprise. Not only that, he was barely standing up right now. Tired and hungry, he didn¡¯t have much energy left to fight. But he couldn¡¯t run away now. The man would catch him and end his life. He had to fight back now. He raised his hand and sent a [Fire Ball] right at the man. However, his mana reserves were extremely low right now. A pathetic flame flew towards the man. He sneered and easily dodged it. Taking great leaps, the man rushed towards Cerien and raised his sword above his head. As the man brought the sword down, Cerien stepped backwards into a tree. Nowhere to run. The sword came down. He raised his hands and closed his eyes. Clang! The sound of steel hitting steel. Cerien opened his eyes. A man wearing a cloak had appeared in front of him. He was blocking Cerien¡¯s opponent with a longsword that was beautifully and intricately designed. Three colored jewels ¨C red, blue and yellow ¨C were fitted into the guard. With a single flick of his blade, the cloaked stranger sent the other man¡¯s sword flying. Before the other man could move, the stranger moved the tip of his sword at the man¡¯s throat. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything. I¡¯ll only give you one chance.¡± A cool voice rang out through the forest. The man slowly nodded and the stranger lowered the blade. The second the longsword was gone, the man reached for his pockets and pulled out a dagger. The next few moments happened too fast for Cerien to even register. In the blink of an eye, the man¡¯s body fell to the ground. Cerien took a closer look at the body. It was missing its head and the hand that held the dagger. The stranger turned and faced Cerien. Cerien saw underneath the man¡¯s cloak. He wore bandages covering the left side of his face. A handsome face with blond hair and a green eye stared at Cerien from underneath the hood. ¡°Hey there, stranger.¡± The man looked at Cerien with a dubious look. ¡°To take on four men by yourself¡­impressive and brave.¡± ¡°Probably stupid!¡± the dwarf added. Cerien opened his mouth to reply. Before any words could come out, he felt his knees give in. He fell to the ground, weak and starved. ¡°Woah there! You all right?¡± ¡°Oi! Slei! Leave the boy alone! I¡¯m the one chained up over here.¡± A gruff voice yelled at the hooded man. He looked over at the chained dwarf. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.¡°You look fine from where I¡¯m standing. Just hang there for a little bit, Kjorn.¡± ¡°You bastard! Get over here!¡± As the dwarf yelled angrily at the man, Cerien closed his eyes. Exhaustion and hunger took their toll. * * * Flane¡¯s classroom was a mess. Monaco had completely given up on teaching for the rest of the class. The students were simply too immersed with the two new students in front of them. Or rather, just one of them. Students surrounded Rai, the mysterious Seeker who had saved all of their lives. ¡°Hey, Rai! What¡¯s it like being a Seeker?¡± ¡°I thought you guys couldn¡¯t use magic?¡± They bombarded her with questions. ¡°Sorry. But I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t remember anything. So I couldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Rai responded in a cool voice. The students still continued to ask her questions despite her reluctance. The other new student in the room sat on the other side of the room. A smile was on his face. The students had gone up to him and greeted him. They all congratulated him for making it back alive. However, in the end, there wasn¡¯t anyone close enough to truly be happy for his return. Well, except maybe for one. Kuren was sitting at his desk, when a girl walked up to him. A beautiful face with long, black hair. Melodi looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s good¡­that you¡¯re finally back. I wasn¡¯t sure¡­if you were going to make it out of that chasm.¡± Her voice was cold, almost emotionless. Kuren looked back at her, the smile gone from his face. Instead, an odd expression rested on his face. A mixture of surprise, confusion, and doubt. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m glad I made it out of there. It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± ¡°Yeah, it really is.¡± A conversation that hung on the edge between politeness and awkwardness. ¡°I¡­I missed you.¡± She said in a tiny voice. ¡°Huh?¡± Kuren was at a loss of words. Melodi walked away before he could even give a response. Kuren sat there in a daze. Not too long after, another student came up to him. A boy with red hair faced him. ¡°Hey there Kuren. I know that¡­we¡¯re not exactly¡­you know. The best of friends¡­but still, I just wanted to¡­ugh¡­.Damn it! Why is this so hard to say?¡± The frustrated boy cursed angrily. ¡°Listen. I guess I just wanted to say. That I¡¯m sorry. For treating you so badly. For being an asshole. For everything.¡± The boy sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for us to be friends. But¡­¡± The boy looked at Kuren. ¡°If you need hand, you can always turn to me.¡± Kuren nodded and smiled. ¡°Thanks, Flane.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought you would say. I know I can¡¯t be forgiven so easi ¨C Wait. What?¡± Flane stopped and looked at Kuren in confusion. ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t need to apologize. We¡¯re friends right?¡± Kuren replied. ¡°Um, right.¡± Flane slowly walked away in a confused daze. Kuren sat there, waiting for the class to start. A smile crept onto his face. * * * ¡°Why don¡¯t we just leave him? I don¡¯t see the point in babysitting him.¡± A grumpy remark greeted Cerien when he opened his eyes. ¡°Come on, Kjorn. He¡¯s just a boy. We can¡¯t just leave him all alone.¡± The smell of roasting meat entered Cerien¡¯s nose. His stomach growled loudly. The cloaked stranger who had saved him and the captive dwarf were sitting next to a campfire roasting an animal. As Cerien¡¯s stomach made itself known, the two looked at him. ¡°Well, our guest wakes up.¡± The stranger said with a smile. He ripped off a piece of meat from the roasting animal and skewered it with a stick. He walked over to Cerien and handed it over. ¡°You must be hungry. Here you go.¡± Cerien took it and his hunger got the better out of him. He stuffed his face with the meat. The man sat next to him and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I managed to get here in time. Otherwise¡­you wouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡± The man said seriously. ¡°Oh wait. I haven¡¯t introduced myself. The name¡¯s Slei.¡± Slei pointed at the dwarf. ¡°And that grumpy fella over there is Kjorn Curseforge.¡± ¡°Hey! If you don¡¯t tell him your own last name, why would you tell him mine?¡± Kjorn yelled angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡± Slei sent a glare at Kjorn. ¡°Wha- what are you¡­¡± Kjorn trailed off and looked at Cerien. Then a nasty grin appeared on his face. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Kjorn. I guess you¡¯d call me¡­a wandering blacksmith. Or maybe a runaway blacksmith.¡± Then Kjorn looked at Slei. ¡°And Slei over here. He¡¯s a Hero.¡± ¡°Wha-hey stop that!¡± Slei shouted. ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± Slei sighed and sheepishly turned towards Cerien. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. That¡¯s just his stupid idea of a joke.¡± Slei sighed again. ¡°I¡¯m no Hero. Just a sellsword looking for some work.¡± Cerien finished his skewer and looked at the two. ¡°Cerien.¡± He said. ¡°Hmm?¡± Slei looked confused. ¡°Cerien. That¡¯s my name.¡± ¡°Ah! Cerien¡­seems familiar¡­but I don¡¯t think anyone named that.¡± Slei wondered out loud. Slei suddenly stopped and looked at Cerien closely. Taken aback, Cerien backed up. ¡°Wha-what is it?¡± ¡°You¡­your clothes are about to fall apart.¡± Slei said with a sheepish grin. He took off his cloak and handed it to Cerien. Cerien slightly hesitated before taking the cloak and donning it. ¡°So tell me, Cerien. What¡¯s a student of Lombania Combat Academy doing out here in Grimwoods?¡± Slei asked. Cerien looked at Slei with confusion. ¡°The insignia on your shirt. Well¡­those tattered rags you¡¯re wearing for a shirt. That insignia belongs to the Academy.¡± Kjorn explained. Cerien looked down at his clothes. It was torn everywhere, but in the center, a faded symbol was barely visible. A sword surrounded by a magic circle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t answer that.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t? Or you won¡¯t?¡± Kjorn replied gruffly. ¡°I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°Oh! Amnesia! How rare! My bad, we had no idea! Right, Kjorn?¡± Slei subtly kicked Kjorn in the shin. ¡°Ow! I mean, yeah. Sorry ¡®bout that.¡± Kjorn apologized belatedly. ¡°Say, Cerien. We¡¯re heading to Lombania right now. How about you come with us? Someone might recognize you.¡± Slei suggested. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll come. Thanks for the help.¡± ¡°No problem. Oh, before anything else, here you go.¡± Slei suddenly handed Cerien a familiar bag. The bag that he had carried through the underground. ¡°It was on you when you fainted, but it was just about to fall apart. So, I tied back it together.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Cerien took the bag and looked inside. Dried blood and the remains of meat were inside. Also the book. ¡°Sorry about that book. When I opened it up, it was completely ruined.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It was like that when I found it. But there are some pages that are still readable.¡± Cerien leafed through the pages. Whenever he saw legible writing, he would rip out the page and stuff it in his bag. As Cerien searched through the book, Kjorn suddenly coughed. Cerien continued looking. Kjorn coughed once more. Cerien frowned, but he ignored it. Kjorn coughed quite loudly. Cerien slowly raised his head and looked at Kjorn. ¡°What is it, Kjorn?¡± ¡°Well. It¡¯s just that¡­before we leave. I want to get something straight.¡± Kjorn stared at Cerien, locking eyes. ¡°You¡­you¡¯re human right?¡± Cerien froze. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. No one said a word. ¡°Hey. Relax. What are you talking about, Kjorn? Of course he¡¯s human.¡± Slei suddenly broke the silence. ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t see it, Slei? Well I did. This hum-¡± Kjorn cut himself off and looked at Cerien with slitted eyes. ¡°This boy. He casted raw magic. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s human.¡± Slei scoffed with disbelief. ¡°Come on, Kjorn. I¡¯m sure that you just mistook it for raw magic. There¡¯s nothing to be-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Kjorn cut him off. ¡°It was weak, but the boy casted a jet of water and ball of fire. All of it without saying a single word. You understand what I am saying? Chantless magic. Without a doubt, this boy is using raw mana.¡± Slei was silent. He slowly turned towards Cerien. He took a look at Cerien¡¯s red eyes. His jet-black hair. Slei wasn¡¯t sure but he thought he could catch a glimpse of something glowing red underneath the boy¡¯s skin. Cerien had remained silent the entire time. He suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I am human. I know nothing about myself. In fact, my name isn¡¯t my real name. A stranger I met had given me this name. So, I can¡¯t tell you if I¡¯m really human or not.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stress out about it, Cerien. We don¡¯t suspect you of anything. It¡¯s just that¡­it is impossible for a human to use raw mana. Yet, you look quite human to me. Perhaps¡­you are a half-blood?¡± Slei mused. ¡°A half-blood?¡± Cerien inquired. ¡°Yes, you could be half human and half of some other race that uses raw mana. Like a spirit. Or an elf. That would explain your raw magic.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I can¡¯t confirm nor deny that.¡± Cerien glanced at Kjorn. ¡°Does that answer your question?¡± ¡°Hmph. Not at all. But it¡¯ll do for now. Don¡¯t think you¡¯re off the hook. We¡¯ll find out who you really are.¡± Kjorn glared with distrust. ¡°Oh come on, Kjorn. Give it a rest.¡± Slei smiled exasperatedly. ¡°Cerien, pack your things. We¡¯re leaving Grimwoods. We¡¯ll go to Lombania and see if anyone knows you there.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Cerien nodded. Chapter 14: Imposter Chapter 14: Imposter Cerien walked behind the two men, carrying one of their bags to help out. The bag he was carrying was quite heavy. As he walked, he could hear something hard clanging in the bag. Up ahead, Slei and Kjorn were talking, but Cerien wasn¡¯t interested in their conversation. As they walked through the forest, Slei turned his head. ¡°Hey, Cerien. We¡¯re almost out of Grimwoods now. It¡¯ll only be a short walk from here to Lombania.¡± Cerien nodded. ¡°Hey, Slei. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why are you and Kjorn heading to Lombania?¡± Slei hesitated before answering. ¡°Well, Kjorn here has a workshop in Lombania. He needs to check up and see how business is doing.¡± ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Me? I guess¡­ you could say I¡¯m visiting family.¡± Kjorn snorted at Slei¡¯s answer. Cerien looked at Slei inquisitively, but Slei turned away, ignoring him. Cerien didn¡¯t ask again. If Slei didn¡¯t want to answer, Cerien would leave him alone. They walked for a little longer before finally breaking out of the trees. ¡°Over there.¡± Slei pointed at the beginnings of a dirt road up ahead. ¡°We just have to follow that to reach Lombania. It¡¯ll probably take us half an hour.¡± Slei looked at Cerien. ¡°Hey, while you¡¯re in Lombania, you could stay with us.¡± Then Slei suddenly stopped. ¡°Well, I mean unless someone recognizes you. Then you¡¯re free to go anywhere you please. But if you¡¯re alone, we¡¯re here to help.¡± Slei awkwardly stumbled his words as he tried to help Cerien out. Surprised at the man¡¯s offer, a rare smile appeared on Cerien¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you. I would be grateful if indeed no one recognizes me.¡± Slei stared at Cerien¡¯s smile. In a quiet voice, Slei remarked, ¡°Oh. I think that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you smile.¡± Cerien looked at Slei. ¡°What was that? I didn¡¯t quite hear.¡± ¡°Oh nothing.¡± Slei turned away, a hidden smile on his face. * * * In the center of Lombania, in the town plaza, the mayor was holding a celebration for two certain people. Kuren and Rai. Flane and the other students stood in a crowd waiting for the ceremony to begin. On a large platform in the center of the plaza, Kuren and Rai were standing along with the mayor and other officials. As the crowd excitedly waited, the major walked the front of the platform. In a loud voice, the mayor announced, ¡°Ahem! Good afternoon everyone! Thank you all for coming here! In case you have not heard, quite recently, students from the Combat Academy were attacked by demons while venturing in Grimwoods. Thankfully, they were able to fight off the demons with only a single casualty. And this casualty has come back from the dead! First off, I would like to call Professor Latens Monaco up! A former member of the 13th Spellblade Squad, Professor Monaco used his skills to defend the students against the demons.¡± The crowd cheered and clapped as Professor Monaco walked up and stood right next to the mayor. Monaco bent his neck as the mayor adorned a golden medal onto him. ¡°Secondly, we have another hero who saved the students. Rai, a young Seeker, used her powerful magic and easily defeated one of the demons. Without her help, there would have been many more casualties. It is an honor for the city of Lombania to have such a young hero in its midst. Granted, she will not be staying long, but for the duration of her stay, I hope that that our city would gladly welcome her.¡± The crowd¡¯s cheers were quite loud for Rai, but there was confusion hidden underneath. After all, they all had heard a contradiction within the Mayor¡¯s speech. Rai was a Seeker, and she used powerful magic. It simply didn¡¯t make any sense. Seekers were famous, but not for their strength. Rather, their lack of strength. The only power that Seekers had was an unexplained one. No one knew how, but the Seekers were able to record the Story of every person on Alurca. They were literally writing down history as it was being made. Certainly, this made the Seekers quite important and powerful, but not in a combative sense. They lacked the ability to contain mana and cast magic. So how had Rai done it? Rai walked up next to the mayor and accepted the medal given to her. ¡°And finally we have one more to celebrate. After the attack, we all had assumed that one of our students had been lost. He had fallen into a chasm and we assumed him to be dead. Yet, a week later, he returns from the depths! With strength and courage, he fought off the beasts underground and returned stronger than before. His determination and bravery is to be paraded. An excellent example of the standards we expect from the students of the Academy. Please come up, Kuren Sain.¡± The crowd cheered once more. A smiling boy with brown hair walked up to the mayor. The mayor placed a medal on Kuren¡¯s shoulders. Kuren then went to stand next to Professor Monaco and Rai. Flane watched Kuren with a smile on his face. But doubt lingered in his mind. How did Kuren make it out of the chasm? Did he really fight off the magic beasts? The Kuren he knew was weak and frail. Flane shook his head and dismissed the thought. He shouldn¡¯t be questioning Kuren. He should be happy for his return. Flane had decided. Flane was going to make it up for all the times he bullied Kuren. The guilt he felt needed to be cleansed. * * * A trio of a dwarf, a man, and a boy entered the town. Dwarves were uncommon but that not rare of a sight. The man¡¯s blond hair and the bandages covering his face drew attention. In fact, some people thought they recognized him but couldn¡¯t quite remember who he was. And the boy. He was wearing a cloak that hid his features. Though, one of the children running around caught a glimpse under the hood. The child quickly scampered away when he saw crimson-red eyes staring from underneath the hood. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Cerien asked. ¡°Let¡¯s just head through town first. I¡¯ll go find an inn for us to stay at. Then I¡¯ll suppose we can go around asking if anyone knows you.¡± Slei replied. Cerien tugged at the cloak he was wearing. ¡°Do I really need to wear this? Don¡¯t people need to see me to recognize me?¡± ¡°Well? It¡¯s just that¡­you look kind of suspicious. I don¡¯t want the guards coming over asking questions. So for now, let¡¯s just wait until we head to the Combat Academy before revealing yourself, alright?¡± Cerien nodded. The trio walked through the city of Lombania when they saw a large crowd in the plaza. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going here? A party? Think there¡¯s booze?¡± Kjorn wondered out loud. ¡°I doubt they¡¯re drinking in the middle of the day. Look! I think the mayor¡¯s up there on the platform.¡± Slei pointed. The three walked towards the plaza. The crowd was cheering as the mayor gave out medals to people. Cerien stopped and stared. Two people stood right next to the mayor. A man who looked to be in his 30s and a young girl stood up there. For some reason, the man seemed quite familiar, but Cerien didn¡¯t know why. The mayor was in the middle of a speech. ¡°¡­strength and courage, he fought off the beasts underground and returned stronger than before. His determination and bravery is to be paraded. An excellent example of the standards we expect from the students of the Academy. Please come up, Kuren Sain.¡± The instant Cerien heard that name, he froze. Something inside began to burn, as if screaming for attention or recognition. A young boy with brown hair then walked up next to the mayor. He accepted a medal and turned towards the crowd with a smiling face. When Cerien saw that face, he stopped breathing. Cerien knew he had never met the boy before. But he felt something was wrong. It was that face. It was so incredibly familiar. A face that Cerien felt as if he had known forever. Suddenly, the boy turned in Cerien¡¯s direction. The two boys locked eyes. It hit him. That face. He knew it. He had seen it. Just as Cerien realized it, his surroundings began to turn white. ¡°Hey, Cerien. What¡¯s wrong? Hey! Kjorn! What¡¯s going on¡­¡± He heard a voice calling out that slowly faded away. Cerien closed his eyes. Everything turned white and he lost consciousness. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. * * * ¡°So it was you.¡± Cerien was standing in a white landscape. A white world full of nothing. In front of him, a boy with brown hair stood there glaring at him. ¡°You have the same exact face as the boy I saw in town. As Kuren Sain.¡± ¡°Yes. It was me. I am Kuren.¡± ¡°But¡­why are you here? What is this place? And why did I see you in Lombania? I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Are you stupid? You still don¡¯t understand?¡± Kuren sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s get one thing straight. That boy you saw in Lombania. He is not me. Do you understand? He is an imposter. A liar. And he is pretending to be me.¡± ¡°I see. An imposter.¡± ¡°Yes. And you are going to kill him.¡± Cerien turned towards the other boy. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Wha-What are you saying?¡± Kuren was at a loss for words. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s pretending to be you. That doesn¡¯t concern me at all. This is my body. You have nothing to do with it.¡± Cerien turned away and began walking away. He wasn¡¯t sure where he walking, but he just wanted to walk away from Kuren. ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t think so. You will come to realize just how much I have to do with you.¡± Kuren muttered as Cerien walked away. The two separated as the white world began turn to darkness. * * * Cerien awoke and saw a wooden ceiling above. He was lying in a soft bed. He got up and realized that Slei was sitting in a chair nearby. ¡°Oh hey sleepyhead. Seems that you like to pass out quite often you know?¡± Cerien stared blankly. ¡°You passed out during the ceremony. What happened? You just keeled over suddenly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just lost consciousness.¡± Cerien thought about the people standing on the platform. ¡°Hey, Slei. Who were those people standing next to the mayor?¡± ¡°Oh them? Well apparently, some demons attacked a group of students in Grimwoods. A teacher and a young girl apparently fought off the demons. Oh wait! There was a missing student during the attack! That could¡¯ve been you! Oh wait¡­never mind. That missing student came back. Heh, I forgot.¡± Slei chuckled over his mistake. ¡°Hey where¡¯s Kjorn?¡± Cerien asked as he looked around for the dwarf. ¡°That grumpy guy is at his workshop. Oh that¡¯s right! He told me to tell you to visit him.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Even though he may seem mean, he¡¯s real softie at heart. He wants to thank you for saving him in Grimwoods.¡± Cerien frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t save him. In fact, I was about to die to that man.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the effort that counts. Just go ahead and accept his thanks. It¡¯ll make him happy. Oh, but don¡¯t tell him that I told you. He¡¯ll get mad at me. His workshop is down the left of the street when you exit this inn. You¡¯ll know it¡¯s his workshop when you hear the anvils at work.¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll go now. I have nothing better to do.¡± ¡°And here. Before you go, here¡¯s a cloak. Make sure to hide yourself. And I¡¯m not going to stay here. I¡¯ve¡­got to meet someone. We¡¯ll go to the Academy tomorrow, okay?¡± Cerien nodded. And with that, he left. * * * As Cerien walked through the street, he made sure that the cloak hid his features. He noticed that there weren¡¯t many people who had black hair like him. And no one shared his crimson red eyes. He understood why Slei told him to hide under the cloak. The sounds of a busy town entered his ears. Children shouted and yelled at each other as they ran through the streets. Cerien detected loud clangs somewhere in those sounds. That must be the anvils. Cerien walked further and then he saw a sign hanging in front of the shop. The sign read ¡°Blacksmith¡± and a picture of a hammer and an anvil was on it. He walked into the shop, and instantly began to sweat as he felt a sweltering heat. ¡°Kjorn! Are you here?¡± Cerien called out. ¡°Coming! Just wait a bit! Take care of this, Veera!¡± A gruff voice shouted from the back. As Cerien waited, a familiar dwarf wandered out from the back, carrying a bag. ¡°Oh. Hey boy. You¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that you wanted to thank me?¡± ¡°What? Who told you that?¡± Cerien shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kjorn¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. It was Slei, wasn¡¯t it? That goddam sneak.¡± Kjorn sighed and raised an eyebrow at Cerien. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Now that you¡¯re here, I have something to say. Back in the forest. I was captured. I saw you. And yes, I told those bandits that you were lurking around. But I didn¡¯t tell them where you were hiding, now did I? I just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t going to just runaway. Still. I did force you to fight those guys.¡± Kjorn grumbled. ¡°Listen. I still don¡¯t fully trust you. Until I know just what you are, I can¡¯t. But that doesn¡¯t matter right now. This is a matter of paying back a debt. I forced you to fight, so I have to give something in return. A dwarf¡¯s honor. Something that humans have forgotten.¡± Kjorn scoffed. Kjorn then opened up the bag he was carrying. ¡°Here you go. Forged by yours truly.¡± Kjorn took out a pair of shiny, metal gauntlets and tossed them to Cerien. Cerien took them and put them on. They fit nicely on his hands. They were quite light. The metal seemed thin, but at the same time strong. On the back of each gauntlet, there was a strange rune or symbol of some sort. Cerien raised his eyebrows. ¡°You managed to make this in this short of a time? You even got my size down.¡± Kjorn growled. ¡°You know, if you weren¡¯t an amnesiac, I would¡¯ve kicked you out of here. Of course I can make something like this. It¡¯s in my blood. Any dwarf could make something like this easily.¡± Then Kjorn grinned suddenly. It was a nasty grin. ¡°Well, not these gauntlets in particular. In fact, I would say that no other dwarf could make something like this. See these runes? They¡¯re a special gift from me.¡± ¡°A gift. What are they?¡± ¡°Not telling. Finding out for yourself is much more fun, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll give you a hint though. The harder you get hit, the harder you¡¯ll hit.¡± Kjorn turned away and waved Cerien away. ¡°Now run off now. I¡¯ve got to take care of the shop. And don¡¯t worry about breaking those beauties. They were made to take a beating. Oh wait! They have one more feature!¡± Kjorn turned back and pointed at the tips of the fingers of the gauntlets. ¡°I noticed when you were fighting, you had long claws. Retractable claws. So, go ahead and take them out now.¡± Cerien looked at Kjorn in confusion but decided to listen to the dwarf. He activated [Retractable Claws] and took out his claws. His nails then poked out of the tips of the fingers of the gauntlets. ¡°Oh. Nice.¡± Kjorn grinned. ¡°I worked some slots onto the tips there. So your claws will peek through those slots. And of course, if you don¡¯t want to use your claws, those fingers are sharp enough to slash.¡± ¡°Thanks, Kjorn. This is a very nice weapon.¡± ¡°As if I need your approval.¡± Kjorn laughed, but he was obviously a little happy. ¡°Now get out of here. I¡¯ve got work to do.¡± Cerien left with his new gauntlets in hand. He thought back to the stone halberd he had used in Grimwoods. These gauntlets were much more superior weapon than that heavy polearm. In fact, they felt weightless. It was strange. But Kjorn told him that these gauntlets were made to withstand blows. So they were a weapon and a shield. Empowered by his new gain, he began walking back towards the inn. Then he realized Slei was not waiting for him. Cerien had another destination in mind. Looking around, he stopped one of the nearby people wandering around. He asked, ¡°Do you know where the Combat Academy is?¡± Chapter 15: Casual Reunions Chapter 15: Casual Reunions How strange, he thought as he walked through the streets towards the Academy. The buildings of the Academy loomed over the rest of the city. Tall walls surrounded the Academy, protecting from any unwanted visitors. It all looked so familiar. A mix of apprehension and excitement filled him. Cerien felt that he must have been here before. On the side of one of the buildings, there was a large insignia. One of a sword surrounded by a circle. The same symbol that was on his shirt. It seems that Slei was right. Cerien must have been a student of the Academy. As he walked towards the main gates, a couple of guards stood blocking the entrance. As he neared them, they walked up to him and stopped him. ¡°Halt. If you wish to enter, remove that cloak, stranger.¡± One of the guards said. Cerien was about to take off his cloak and show them the symbol on his shirt when he stopped himself. Under his cloak, he was wearing nothing but rags. His clothes had been reduced to tatters. Revealing himself would be almost like an act of nudity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to reveal myself. Could I just come in and see if anyone knows me?¡± The guard shook his head. ¡°Sorry, but we can¡¯t let you in if we don¡¯t know who you are. Security¡¯s been upped ever since the attack in Grimwoods.¡± ¡°Alright. I understand. I¡¯ll come back.¡± Cerien nodded and left. He started walking along the walls. As he walked, he realized that the guards only seemed to watch the gates. The actual walls themselves weren¡¯t guarded. It seemed that the Academy was confident in the walls¡¯ ability to shut out any intruders. Soon, Cerien entered a darker area of the city. The buildings were a little taller and blocked out the sunlight. He looked at the sky. It was tinged red. The sun would set in a little bit. Cerien decided to wait a bit. When darkness covered the city, then he would make his move. * * * Slei walked through the hallway. He was in the city hall, walking towards the mayor¡¯s chamber. As he passed other people, they gave him a glance before quickly looking away with shocked recognition in their faces. Slei reached the mayor¡¯s room and knocked three times on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± A tired voice sounded from behind the door. Slei opened the door and entered. A man was sitting in a chair at his desk. He was facing away from the door, looking at the window behind him. ¡°Who is it?¡± the man asked without looking at his new visitor. ¡°Good afternoon, Mayor Bimol. I¡¯d like to ask a few questions, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Slei replied. The mayor sighed. ¡°Look. I just had a long ceremony. And now I have to take care of this goddamned paperwork. I would really like to answer any questions you have, just not right now. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ll have to come another ¨C¡± the mayor suddenly cut himself off as he turned to face Slei. He grinned as he realized who he was talking to. ¡°Slei! My dear old boy! I had no idea you were visiting. You rascal! You should¡¯ve told me. Oh oops! I keep on forgetting my manners. You¡¯re not a little boy anymore.¡± Bimol stood up and bowed. ¡°I am at your services, Your Royal Highness.¡± ¡°Haha. There¡¯s no need to worry about it, Bimol. I just want to ask something and I¡¯ll be on my merry way.¡± Slei laughed as he tried to console the man. ¡°Yes? What would Your Highness ask of me?¡± Bimol asked. ¡°Hey. Enough with the Highness stuff. It¡¯s just you and me right now, Bimol. Anyways, I wanted to ask you. The King. I heard he¡¯s coming to Lombania. Is it true? And if so, when?¡± Slei asked. ¡°His Majesty the King is indeed paying our city a visit. He is coming tomorrow. We¡¯ve been trying to keep this on the down low, but the town of Stekon was burned down. No survivors. When our soldiers investigated, we found the dead body of an elf left behind and the remains of demonic mana. That sleepy little town never stood a chance.¡± Bimol shook his head sadly. ¡°His Majesty wishes to hold a ceremony to address Lombania over the issue of the elves and demons. He also is planning to personally congratulate our three heroes.¡± Bimol looked at Slei. ¡°Were you here earlier today? We had a fine celebration for three fine heroes.¡± ¡°Yes I saw. It was quite admirable. I remember seeing Monaco fight back when he was in the 13th Squad. Truly a master spellblade.¡± Slei remarked admiringly. ¡°Yes. A damn shame he retired so young. Anyways, now that you¡¯re here, how about we go grab a drink?¡± Bimol grinned as he walked over and grabbed Slei¡¯s soldiers. Slei laughed. ¡°Alright, Bimol. I know just the place. The inn I¡¯m staying at has got some fine waitresses, which I know you like. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Which I like? Come on, Slei. You like ¡®em just as much as I do!¡± Bimol laughed. * * * It was night in Lombania. The walls surrounding the Academy were dark. The walls formed a square around the Academy. Four main gates in the middle of each side. There were only torches by the main gates. There were towers at each corner. There should be guards watching in the towers, but vision would be reduced to nothing in this darkness. A shadow emerged from the buildings surrounding the Academy. It quickly dashed towards the walls, picking up speed. As it neared, it suddenly leaped into the air. It was an amazing leap that seemed to defy human abilities. But it wasn¡¯t enough. The shadow almost reached the top, but not quite. As it soared through the air towards the wall, it suddenly drew back its right arm and hit the stone wall, grabbing on with its claws. The shadow stopped there. A black splotch on the gray stone walls. The shadow quickly climbed up the rest of the wall using its claws. At the top, the shadow quickly climbed over and ducked down. Then it jumped down, entering a courtyard. As it landed, it got up and looked around. The courtyard was quite small. There was grass and plants scattered throughout. Stone benches seemed to be randomly placed. As the shadow walked through the courtyard, a quiet cough echoed though the empty courtyard. Well, not so empty anymore. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that we were having a visitor, tonight. I¡¯m afraid that visiting times are closed. You¡¯ll have to leave school grounds now.¡± A man suddenly said from behind. Cerien quickly turned. He didn¡¯t think he would be caught so quickly. The man smiled, coming closer. ¡°It was quite impressive, climbing over the walls so easily. But I hope you realize that intruding into the Academy is not so easy. The second you climbed over, the school¡¯s wards activated. You would have been electrocuted with a nasty shock if I hadn¡¯t stopped it.¡± Cerien thought that climbing the walls had been too easy. ¡°Sorry for that. But I needed to enter the Academy. And the guards wouldn¡¯t let me.¡± The man turned his head. ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± ¡°I wanted to see if someone knew me here. You see, I have amnesia. I don¡¯t know who I am. A few days ago, I woke up deep underground. When I came up, I found myself with some strangers who told me I was in Grimwoods. They recognized the insignia on my shirt and told me to come to the Combat Academy so that someone would recognize me.¡± Cerien explained as he opened up his cloak and pointed to the insignia on his tattered shirt. ¡°I see. Well, do you mind taking off that hood? I¡¯ll probably be able to recognize you.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Cerien nodded and removed his hood. His red eyes and jet-black hair were revealed in the moonlight. The man¡¯s eyes widened and came in closer. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I could help you, but¡­there has never been a student in this school who looks remotely like you. Especially not with those red eyes.¡± ¡°I see. That¡­is a shame. Thank you for the help anyways. I¡¯ll leave then. Sorry for the trouble.¡± Cerien began walking back towards the wall. Before he could leave, the man said. ¡°Wait. If you remember anything and need my help, just ask for Professor Monaco.¡± Cerien turned. ¡°Thank you. And my name is Cerien. It¡¯s a name that I picked up from a stranger.¡± Monaco nodded and waved him away. Cerien then began running towards the wall and used [High Jump] to scale the wall once more. * * * Cerien returned to the inn. Loud yelling could be heard from outside. It seemed that nights for the inn were quite busy. When he entered, a familiar voice greeted him. ¡°Hey, Cerien! Where were you? I just told you to visit Kjorn! Not to go run away for the entire afternoon!¡± Slei asked, smiling at Cerien. ¡°Sorry, I just wanted to see if anyone recognized me. Oh and I visited the Academy. Turns out no student who looked like me ever went there.¡± ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure if we keep on asking around, someone will recognize you.¡± Slei patted Cerien on the back. Cerien nodded. ¡°Here, come on. Kjorn and some friends of mine are waiting over there. Have you gotten some dinner yet?¡± Cerien shook his head. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you some. I hope you like to drink.¡± * * * Monaco paced around in his room. The intruder he had met. Cerien. A boy with black hair and red eyes. Monaco had not lied when he said there had never been a student with the boy¡¯s appearance. But something felt out of place. The boy¡¯s story, first of all, was quite strange. Waking up deep underground? In Grimwoods? Was it a coincidence? It was quite similar to how Kuren disappeared. But Kuren had already come back. Another thing. Even though Monaco was sure that he had never see Cerien before, something about him¡­felt familiar. Yet, the boy felt very peculiar too. It was an odd feeling. This feeling¡­was a paradox of some sort. Monaco sighed. He pushed the matter out of his mind. He had more pressing issues at hand. The King himself was coming to Lombania tomorrow. The King was coming for to congratulate Kuren, Rai, and Monaco. However, Monaco knew his real purpose. The elves and demons. They had burned down Stekon. The people of Lombania still had not heard about it. After all, Stekon and Lombania were separated by the Grimwoods. It had only been a few days since Stekon was attacked. It would take a little longer before people would begin to realize something had happened. The King was coming to talk about Stekon. Monaco felt nervous. Neither the elves nor the demons have attacked us so brazenly in quite a while. It was a direct challenge to the humans themselves. Monaco could only hope that another war would not start. He looked outside the window at the sky. When tomorrow came, it would only bring more worries. * * * Cerien walked up to his room. He had a long dinner with Slei and Kjorn. Some of their friends had come and joined their dinner. They asked many questions, but Cerien tried to avoid most of them. It was tiring, trying to keep up with their pace. He sighed as he opened up the door to his room. He looked at his bed, and realized that a new set of clothes was folded on top of his bed. Slei must have went out and bought him that. Cerien reminded himself to thank Slei later. It was strange. The extent to which Slei was helping. Slei was such a selfless and kind person. Cerien felt¡­as if he could not be any more different than Slei. The face of Senia popped up in his mind. He shook his head. He would rather forget about what had happened down there. His head hurt whenever he thought about Senia and the man who had tried to kill him. All of a sudden, Cerien realized something. He hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but the man who had tried to avenge Senia used magic. But he hadn¡¯t chanted at all. Kjorn¡¯s words echoed in his head. Chantless magic. And that meant raw magic. That meant that man wasn¡¯t human. But¡­his appearance was completely human. Quite unlike the demon that Cerien had meet underground. Still, he had no idea that the man wasn¡¯t human. A surprise, but Cerien didn¡¯t really care about it right now. He stripped down and put on his new clothes. Then he lay in bed and closed his eyes. The next time he met that man, Cerien would just have to run away. Anything that wasn¡¯t human¡­was dangerous. * * * Savunt walked through the ruined city deep underground. He wasn¡¯t sure how long had passed since he had killed that boy. He didn¡¯t really care. The deed was done. Not that it made him feel any better. He sighed. Humans. Demons. What difference did it make? In the end, all races were selfish and twisted. Savunt wanted nothing to do with them. Yet, in the end, they wanted everything to do with him. He had carried Senia¡¯s dead body and buried in the ground. He used a stone to mark her grave. But he hadn¡¯t visited her grave ever since. It was depressing seeing the grave of such a young girl. Right now, he was following Garmr through the ruins of the Lagrim clan. Savunt didn¡¯t know much about the Lagrim. They were a secretive bunch. All he knew was that the clan was an exiled group of Seekers. Unlike the normal Seekers, the Lagrim did not wish to record Stories. Rather, the Lagrim wished to seek ultimate power. They researched magic and perfected it, creating wonders. However, about a century ago, one of their experiments had gone terribly wrong. Something happened and the Lagrim clan disappeared, leaving behind nothing but their ruined city. Everything else, the notes that they had recorded, the spells they created, all of it had disappeared. And now, Savunt was walking through this very city. Garmr was not far up ahead now. Savunt had to find out just what Garmr was planning. Why would he come to the ruins now? Especially when it was so close to the humans? He didn¡¯t know Garmr¡¯s reasoning, but Savunt was going to find out. Was he going to stop Garmr? Maybe. The truth was, Savunt didn¡¯t really care what the races did to each other. They could fight as much as they wanted to as long as they didn¡¯t involve him. But when they killed innocent people, Savunt could not stand by. If Garmr was planning to kill innocent people, Savunt would stop him. Savunt stopped walking. In front of him was a large building in the middle of the city. It looked similar to a temple of some sort. As he walked up the steps, he felt a sense of dread and doom growing. It grew stronger with each passing second. Savunt narrowed his eyes. Perhaps Garmr had already accomplished what he had sought out to do. Savunt stopped hesitating. He entered the temple. He needed to stop Garmr or else innocent lives might be lost. Chapter 16: Kill the Imposter Chapter 16: Kill the Imposter
¡°Hey, wake up Cerien.¡± A voice woke Cerien up. He got up and saw that Slei was getting ready. Slei must have returned to the room while he was asleep. Cerien noticed that Kjorn wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Slei. Where¡¯s Kjorn?¡± ¡°Oh. Him? He has his own place by his shop. It¡¯s not big enough to house the two of us though.¡± Slei pointed at the gauntlets next to Cerien¡¯s bed. ¡°I see that Kjorn gave you his gift. Nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes. I was surprised at how quickly he had made it.¡± ¡°Well, he worked on it while you were passed out. You were out for an entire day. The whole time you had a fever. I stayed by your side to make sure you didn¡¯t get any worse.¡± ¡°The entire day? Wow. I thought I was out for a few hours, not an entire day. Sorry for the inconvenience. Oh and thanks for the clothes.¡± ¡°Heh no problem. Anyways, get ready. The King himself is going to give a speech today. We¡¯re going to see it.¡± Cerien nodded and got out of his bed. He donned his gauntlets and his cloak. ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡± * * * In the city plaza, a massive crowd had gathered. After all, the King himself had come down from the capital to talk to the citizens of Lombania. On the platform in the middle of the plaza, the King himself stood ready. Royal guards stood around him. Guards surrounded the platform, stopping anyone from coming too close. Once there was a substantial amount of people attending, the King walked up the front of the platform. ¡°Good morning, citizens of the great city of Lombania. It is my honor and my joy to come visit this glorious city. Recently, the demons had attacked a class of students from the Combat Academy in the Grimwoods. Due to the strength and bravery of two certain individuals, there was only one casualty. And miraculously, even this one casualty managed to come back unharmed. Today, I would like to honor these individuals for their achievements. Firstly, Latens Monaco, a Professor of the Academy. A veteran spellblade of the 13th Squad. This is not the first time that I have personally awarded Latens. His bravery and ability was constantly proven throughout his career and even now. Latens fought off the demons by himself. A brave feat that requires praise. Please, come up.¡± Professor Monaco walked up to the King. He went down on one knee and bent his neck. The King placed a brilliant, golden medal. It was similar to the one from the previous celebration, but much more shiny and ornate. Then the King turned back towards the crowd. ¡°When the demons attacked, apparently there was one casualty, a student named Kuren Sain. He had fallen into a chasm, his chances of survival thought to be none. However! He proved all of us wrong and climbed from the depths of hell to come back to Lombania! Persistence and determination. These values are what define an exemplar student of the Combat Academy. These values are what Kuren possess. Please, come up.¡± Kuren came up with a smile on his face. He accepted the medal and stood next to Monaco. ¡°And our last award. She is not a citizen of Lombania, but a girl belonging to the Seekers. Yet, she still defeated one of the demons singlehandedly. Such power and she used it to save the students of the Academy. Without a doubt, her power and honor needs to be awarded. Please come up, Rai.¡± The King finished. However, as the crowd clapped, no one came forward. Murmurs of confusion ran through the crowd as no one showed up. Suddenly Kuren walked up to the King. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m sorry, but it seems that Rai is still in her room. I will go and bring her at once.¡± The King nodded and waved Kuren away. ¡°Well, it seems that Rai is unavailable currently. No matter. I will hand her the award later. Anyways, the citizens of Lombania have made me proud. Unfortunately, there is another matter that I have come to discuss. A few days ago, after the attack in Grimwoods, there was another attack. The quiet, peaceful town of Stekon was burned down.¡± The crowd¡¯s cheering stopped. There was a palpable silence in the air. ¡°The culprits¡­the elves and the demons on a joint effort attacked Stekon. They left no survivors.¡± The King¡¯s voice shook with anger. ¡°I have come to Lombania today for an important reason. Our nation has not entered a major war for more than century. But the attacks that have occurred on our people cannot be excused. I simply cannot overlook such blatant acts of savagery and brutality. People of Lombania! I come here today! To call upon your might! The military city of Lombania is the pride of our empire! With the strength of Lombania supporting us, victory is ensured. Today! Let it be known! I declare war on the elves and demons!¡± The crowd erupted into applause and yelling. A frenzy took over the people. Feelings of hatred rose towards the elves and demons. When the King finished, Kuren had slipped away, running into one of the nearby alleys. Unnoticed, a cloaked figure quickly left the crowd and followed Kuren. * * * Cerien dashed through the streets after the other boy. Why was he doing this? Didn¡¯t he say that the imposter had nothing to do with him? He gritted his teeth. Even if he said that, something inside him yearned for it. Something inside was screaming to kill that boy. Whenever Cerien looked at Kuren, something inside his chest burned. The burning sensation grew stronger. He pushed his thoughts out of his head. He wasn¡¯t doing it for the real Kuren in that white world. He was doing for it himself. He wanted to get rid of this burning feeling inside his chest. Yes, that was it, he assured himself. Cerien picked up his speed and ran after Kuren towards the Academy. As they reached the main gates, there were no guards to stop them. It seems that they were all attending the ceremony. Perfect, no one would stop Cerien from entering this time. Kuren still hadn¡¯t noticed him, so that meant Cerien had the element of surprise. That meant Cerien would be easily able to kill the boy. Kuren entered one of the buildings. Cerien was about to enter, when suddenly he heard a voice. A voice that was filled with menace. ¡°[Ventus Adtono]!¡± A sudden blast of wind hit Cerien from the side. The gust sent his cloak flying away. He was lifted off his feet and sent flying. He hit the ground a few feet away, rolling to a stop. He quickly got up and saw a girl wielding a long rapier facing him. ¡°Hey there. I couldn¡¯t help but notice¡­that you were sprinting after my dear friend. Wearing that cloak, you looked quite suspicious. And now with that cloak off¡­you still look quite suspicious.¡± The girl remarked, looking at Cerien¡¯s red eyes and black hair. The tone in her voice was cold. Her face was emotionless and rigid. Cerien didn¡¯t say anything. He was at a loss for words. The scar on his chest felt like it was going to rip itself apart. The girl in front of him, he had seen her before. Her long, flowing black hair. Piercing, blue eyes. Her face had been burned into his memory. He remembered the girl. And her name. ¡°Melodi.¡± Before he could stop himself, he said her name out loud. The girl opened her eyes with shock and stepped back. ¡°H-How do you know me?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care who you are. State your reason for following Kuren. Or else I will make you.¡± ¡°My reason?¡± Cerien regained his thoughts and stopped to think a little. ¡°Well, I guess. To kill him.¡± Before Cerien could say anything else, Melodi¡¯s rapier thrusted towards his face. Cerien quickly rolled to the side, dodging the girl¡¯s thrust. ¡°You wish to kill him? Well that makes things complicated. Because I don¡¯t want Kuren dead. Oh, but maybe things are actually a little simpler.¡± Melodi paused and pointed her rapier at Cerien again. ¡°Because I¡¯ll just kill you first.¡± ¡°[Ventus Celero]!¡± She chanted. A gray jewel in her sword glowed. The wind gathered around her. She quickly dashed towards Cerien. Cerien awkwardly blocked her thrust with his gauntlets. He was not ready for Melodi¡¯s massively increased speed. She quickly followed up with several slashes. Cerien stepped out the way of the first two slashes, but the third was too quick. He blocked it with his arms. Melodi drew her rapier back and chanted, ¡°[Ventus Perfodio]!¡± The wind gathered and concentrated around her rapier as she thrusted it towards Cerien. Cerien felt a dangerous aura gathering around the rapier. He sidestepped, narrowly dodging the incoming thrust. The wind gathered around the sword left the blade and thrusted towards Cerien¡¯s previous location. It kept on going towards the wall. Cerien¡¯s eyes widened as the wind hit the wall. The thrust pierced the wall completely, leaving a hole. If Cerien had tried to block that¡­he might have lost his arms. The jewel in Melodi¡¯s rapier shone bright, but her breath was getting heavier by the second. The constant magic was draining her of her mana. Cerien was not in much better shape. The constant barrages of the wind cut him in multiple places. Not only that, his gauntlets were extremely hot. The runes on the back on the hands were glowing a dim red. It was uncomfortably hot, almost to the point of burning his skin. Melodi gritted her teeth as she drew her rapier again. She thrusted her blade. This time, Cerien was ready. He ducked and leaped forward, leading with his right shoulder. His shoulder slammed into Melodi¡¯s stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She let go of her rapier as she fell backwards. She lay there on the ground, when Cerien stood over her, his right hand raised high. He unsheathed his claws, slipping through the slots in his gauntlets. Just as he was going to bring down those claws on her, he suddenly gripped his chest. The pain in his chest grew stronger. The scar on his chest throbbed painfully. Melodi recovered her breath and kicked Cerien away. She quickly grabbed her rapier from the ground and rushed towards Cerien. Cerien tried to get up, but Melodi stabbed him in the chest before he could. He coughed up blood, splattering it onto Melodi. She kicked him in the chest, taking her rapier out in one smooth motion. Cerien fell back, blood seeping from his open wound. She had punctured his right lung, making him choke on his own blood. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He put his hands on the ground. He lay there on all fours, coughing up blood onto the ground. He looked up and saw Melodi walking towards him. It was strange. The entire time, her face had been cold and emotionless, like she was wearing a mask. But now, she seemed unhinged. The blood splattered on her face painted a surreal image. Her lips were curled upwards. On her face, there was a twisted smile. A cruel smile that seemed so familiar to Cerien. She was enjoying this. Every moment. Every time her blade cut into his flesh, her smile would grow wider. It was breathtaking, watching her face come alive with such emotion just from cutting Cerien apart. With a perverse smile on her face, she thrusted her rapier towards Cerien¡¯s head. He started at his incoming doom, unable to look away. A flash of metal blinded him. When his eyesight returned, a familiar figure was standing in front of him. ¡°Jeez, Cerien. You run away for just a moment, and you¡¯re already trying to pick up a girl.¡± Slei¡¯s words were quite light and humorous, but his face was impassive. He stared at Melodi with a blank look. ¡°Shut up, Slei. I¡¯m really not in the mood for your jokes right now.¡± ¡°Wow. You sound just like Kjorn, with that grumpy attitude. Hmph. Get out of here, Cerien.¡± Cerien shook his head. ¡°Sorry, but I have to take care of something.¡± And with that, he activated [Rapid Regeneration].¡± He felt the energy and mana being expended in his body, as his wounds began to heal themselves. With a grunt, he picked himself up and ran towards the building that Kuren had entered, leaving Slei and Melodi behind. * * * It was strange. Ever since she had returned from Grimwoods, Melodi felt like she was empty. She wandered from class to class, her face an impassive mask. She didn¡¯t feel any joy or sadness. She didn¡¯t feel any emotion at all. She just felt cold inside. When Kuren had amazingly returned from Grimwoods, she actually felt happy. Or at least, that¡¯s what she told herself. But when she looked at Kuren, she still felt that emptiness inside of her. It seemed that she was doomed to never smile again. And the worst thing was that she didn¡¯t even care inside. When she saw a cloaked stranger run after Kuren in the streets, she intercepted the stranger to stop him. When she knocked the cloak away, she saw the boy underneath. And she felt strange. Something inside her felt warm. As she fought the boy, she felt the thrill of the fight like never before. Her cold mask began to break. As she swung and thrusted her rapier, she couldn¡¯t help but feel exhilarated. When her rapier stabbed into his flesh, her mask broke away. She didn¡¯t even realize it, but a manic smile had broken out on her face. The expression on her face was completely twisted, intoxicated off the high of cutting this boy¡¯s body apart. Melodi had sparred with other students. She had killed magic beasts before. But she had never felt this sort of elation before. Something inside her awakened. She relished in the pain and torment on this boy in front of her. The warm feeling that had appeared inside her when she saw the boy grew hot. The coldness she felt melted away, replaced with a comforting sense of familiarity. As she stabbed and slashed at the boy, the boy tried to block and dodge. But he couldn¡¯t defend against all of them. Her rapier cut his body, ripping his clothes. Soon, his chest was ripped apart, a hole in the middle of it. Even in the middle of the battle, Melodi¡¯s eyes were drawn towards the boy¡¯s chest, right where his heart was. Right there was a scar in a peculiar shape. It looked like the initials M.A. When she saw that, she felt confused. But she instantly understood. Why it felt so pleasurable. Why it felt so familiar. Why she was breaking out into an uncontrollable smile. That boy was HERS. Melodi didn¡¯t want this fight to ever end. But now this man was standing in front of her. And the boy had ran away. The smile on her face disappeared. She was going to let it end here. She raised her rapier once more. The man drew his sword and faced her. * * * Cerien ran through the building. It looked like a dorm of some sorts. He looked into each room, but they were all empty. He quickly rushed towards the stairs. The whole time, the heat in his gauntlets felt like they were burning his skin. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. When he got to the second floor, he heard a muffled scream at the end of the hallway. He ran towards the source of that scream. He saw a closed door. The source must be behind the door. He quickly kicked down the door and entered the room. What he saw wasn¡¯t what he quite expected. He had found Kuren. He was standing over the corpse of a girl lying on the ground. There was a gaping hole in her chest. The corpse was lying in a pool of blood. Kuren turned towards Cerien. ¡°I-I just got here. I just wanted to get Rai to the ceremony. B-But when I got here¡­she was like this!¡± Kuren¡¯s voice was shaking with fear and dismay. Cerien stared at the boy. Something inside his chest beat painfully. He clenched his teeth. The only way he was getting rid of this pain if he killed that imposter. ¡°Die, you fake.¡± Kuren¡¯s eyes widened in shock and he took a step back in surprise. Cerien sent a [Fire Ball] at Kuren, but he dodged. ¡°Hey, was that raw magic? Woah! And wait a minute! At least listen to my story before you go and try to kill me!¡± Kuren¡¯s attitude had changed. His tone was mocking and amused. ¡°Oh hey. You were the guy who kept on following me when I ran here. Hmm. Ah, I see.¡± Kuren grinned. ¡°You knew from the start. That I was a fake.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Cerien snarled. He charged at the other boy, ready to slash him. Kuren¡¯s grin grew wider. He pointed his palm at the incoming boy. ¡°Hey. This is a real [Fire Ball].¡± A great ball of fire formed in Kuren¡¯s hand. It shot towards Cerien with blazing speed. Cerien had no time to dodge. He put his arms in front of him, using the gauntlets to block the projectile. The impact sent him flying backwards towards the wall. He coughed up blood as his ribs broke from the collision. His gauntlets had taken most of the blow, but the heat in them had grew immensely. The runes shone bright red. The heat had gone beyond burning. It didn¡¯t even feel hot anymore. Cerien just felt an indescribable amount of pain. His mind was going blank. He was going to lose consciousness real quick. Was this the present that Kjorn had planned on giving him? These gauntlets were going to be the death of him. His vision dimming, Cerien saw a blurry image of Kuren laughing. Cerien got back up. He was about to pass out from the pain. But he persevered. He shut his eyes and raised his right hand. In desperation, he swung his claws down at Kuren. And then, Cerien stopped feeling everything. The unbearable heat in his gauntlets disappeared. Sudden realization dawned on him. He must have passed out. Or he could¡¯ve just been killed. Perhaps this was the afterlife. But he heard a groan of pain. Cerien opened his eyes. His eyes widened further in shock. There were deep, long claw marks in the walls and the floor. Cerien was standing quite far from the marks. He looked down at his gauntlets. He finally understood what the gift that Kjorn had left him was. Kjorn¡¯s hint echoed in his mind. The harder you get hit, the harder you¡¯ll hit. What a bastard. He should have just told Cerien from the start. He heard a groan once more. Kuren was on one knee on the ground. His right arm was hanging limply, his left hand gripping it tightly. Blood dripped on the ground from his right arm. ¡°Hehehe. Amazing. You caught me completely off guard. Congratulations, human. You managed to actually wound me. Though, I¡¯m not so sure that you¡¯re human. Whatever. That power¡­does deserve a modicum of acknowledgement. Boy. My name is Behemet, proud lieutenant of the Demon Lord Azarot. State your name, boy.¡± ¡°Cerien.¡± He said coldly. ¡°I came here under the guise of Kuren Sain for one purpose. To avenge my brother Azai, murdered by the girl over there. Though, that purpose has been accomplished now. You¡¯re too late. She¡¯s dead.¡± Behemet said with a nasty grin. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the girl.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Behemet¡¯s smug expression was replaced with confusion. ¡°I followed you for one reason, you fake. To kill you.¡± Cerien suddenly charged at Behemet. His arms felt quite weak and tired, but he still had energy left to slash Behemet. After all, Behemet was kneeling, his right arm disabled. He had nowhere left to run. Cerien slashed towards Behemet¡¯s right arm, where he was defenseless. The worried expression on Behemet¡¯s face was replaced with a smirk. Behemet¡¯s right arm suddenly moved and grabbed Cerien¡¯s wrist. With one smooth motion, he got up and threw Cerien against the wall. Cerien¡¯s head hit the wall, and his vision went fuzzy. He fell the ground, feeling light-headed. Behemet chuckled. ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s that easy to beat a demon?¡± ¡°Sorry boy. But it¡¯s over. You failed to kill me. But since you went through all this effort¡­how about I do something for you in return?¡± Behemet cruelly smiled. He turned towards the door as two guards entered the room. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going here?¡± one the guards asked. ¡°Guards! I can¡¯t believe what just happened! I just came here to get Rai, but this¡­thing! He killed her! I just barely managed to subdue him!¡± Behemet pointed towards Cerien¡¯s limp body. Cerien¡¯s vision faded as the guards walked towards him. As he lost consciousness, Behemet waved at him with a wicked grin. Chapter 17: Cursed Hands and Burns Chapter 17: Cursed Hands and Burns Sorry for delay. I had midterms. Studying and such.
Cerien woke. He was lying on the floor on his side, his cheek pressed against the cold, hard floor. He got up and looked around. He was sitting in a room with stone walls and a stone floor. In front of him were vertical iron bars. He was in a cell. Outside of the cell, a guard was watching over the cells. He noticed Cerien had woken. Wordlessly, the guard left, leaving Cerien alone in the cold cell. Left alone, Cerien began to remember what had happened. He had finally met the fake Kuren. But it turns out, the imposter was simply stronger than Cerien. He had completely overpowered Cerien. And not only that, the fake had framed him for the murder of that girl. The girl must have been Rai, one of the heroes that were being celebrated. And now he was being framed for her murder. Damn, he thought. Cerien assumed that he was thrown into this prison for the supposed murder of that girl. Even if he tried to protest, he doubted anyone would believe him. As Cerien thought about his lamentable situation, he heard footsteps from outside his cell. The guard must be coming back. A familiar man appeared in front of Cerien¡¯s cell. ¡°It¡¯s disappointing to see you here. I thought better of you.¡± Slei shook his head sadly. ¡°Cerien. For the murder of Rai, you are hereby sentenced to an execution tomorrow morning. Repent in this cell until your life ends.¡± Slei¡¯s voice was cold and unforgiving. There was an opening at the bottom of the jail bars. Slei slid a plate of food through the opening. ¡°Your last meal.¡± It could hardly be called a meal. On the plate was a small loaf of bread and a few chunks of cheese. ¡°And before I forget, here you go.¡± Slei tossed a bag into Cerien¡¯s cell. ¡°That¡¯s yours. I don¡¯t want that lingering in my room back at the inn.¡± The bag landed with a dull clang. And with that, Slei left. Cerien watched Slei leave, showing no emotion on his face. As soon as he was gone, Cerien sat in silence. Wait. A clang? Why had his bag made such a heavy sound? The only thing in there were the papers from the book he had found in there. Confused, he got up and moved towards the bag. Opening it up, he found a familiar pair of gauntlets. As he moved to put them on, he realized that his hands were burned. Badly. Bloody burns and charred flesh. His hands ached, but it was nothing compared to the pain that he had felt when his gauntlets were burning him. He put the gauntlets on. Good. He had them back now. But he was still stuck in this cell. He walked closer to the bars and looked at them. They were thick and looked strong. He doubted he could easily break through them. And if he did, he would make enough noise to alert the guards. He sighed. He would have to find another way other than simply breaking down the bars. He looked down at the plate of food that Slei left him. He was feeling rather hungry. Perhaps he would take a look at what was left for him. He looked at the cheese and saw that it was moldy. He definitely wasn¡¯t eating that. Instead, he picked up the bread. It was hard and looked unappetizing. He broke the loaf into two pieces and saw that there was mold inside the bread too. He lowered his hands, putting the bread back onto the plate. However, he noticed something strange on the plate. There was a small, metal object. It had been hiding underneath the loaf of bread. He tossed the bread aside and picked up the metal object. It was a key. Cerien turned towards the jail door. He walked over and inserted the key into the lock. The key turned easily and the door opened with a creak. He was free. As simple as that. It seemed that Slei had not given up all hope on him. Cerien walked quietly through the prison. There were other prisoners sleeping in the cells. He made sure not to wake any of them up. Up ahead he saw a small door. He opened it up and found a staircase waiting for him. He climbed towards the steps towards escape. What would he do after escaping? Would he go back and try to kill the fake Kuren once more? No, he shook his head. Cerien right now was a wanted criminal. Staying in Lombania would only ensure his capture again. He had to escape and leave this city for good. For now, Cerien had to forget about killing Kuren and just focus on his own survival. As he reached the top, he found another door. He opened it up. He entered a large hallway. Large pillars supported the ceiling. Small doors were along the walls. To his right, at the end of the hallway, there was another staircase that led to the second level. To his left, at the other end, he saw large windows and a door that appeared to be an exit. He ran towards that end of the hallway, leaving behind the prison. * * * Slei watched Cerien run away from behind one of the pillars in the hallway. He smiled, knowing that Cerien had escaped. He put on his hood and drew his cloak in closer. It was time to leave Lombania. He began to follow Cerien. As he took his first step, a voice called out. ¡°Leaving so soon? But we haven¡¯t even gotten to talk.¡± Slei slowly turned and looked at the man facing him. ¡°Father.¡± There was a complicated expression on Slei¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s already been a year, my son¡­is there still a need for you to wander? I need you back. Your people need you back.¡± The man pleaded. Slei laughed humorlessly, as if he was laughing at himself. ¡°There is no need for a failure. What good am I?¡± ¡°Slei¡­that was the past. This is the present. You are different now.¡± Slei shook his head. ¡°Back then¡­I couldn¡¯t even save a single person. Yet I dared to call myself a Hero. That sort of arrogance¡­cannot be forgiven.¡± Slei¡¯s voice shook with regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Father. But the people do not need me. What they need¡­is a real Hero. Not a screw-up like me.¡± Slei turned away from the man and began walking towards the exit. ¡°Slei¡­you cannot keep running away. Your fate¡­has been decided from the moment you were born.¡± The man¡¯s words were spoken too softly for Slei to hear. And with that, Slei left. The man stood there alone, a deep sadness showing on his face. Another man appeared from behind him. He was quite old, his hair turning white. He wore attire similar to that of a servant¡¯s or a butler¡¯s. ¡°Your Majesty, is it all right to let him leave like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Loku. Slei¡­needs to find his way right now. He¡¯ll come back. Right when he is needed the most.¡± The King turned and walked towards the exit. Loku followed. They walked in silence. No words were said. But Loku could feel the heavy depression that surrounded the King. Loku could only stare helplessly at the King¡¯s back. Loku had served the King ever since he was just a boy. He was proud to have watched the King grow up to be a fine ruler. But now he was faltering. His own son could not stay near him. He was forced to declare war. Loku shook his head sadly. The responsibility of the King was a heavy one. One that he could not share. For now, Loku could only stand by his side and watch. * * * It was night in Lombania. Cerien ran through the empty streets. The cold air felt refreshing after being in that damp prison. He knew he couldn¡¯t stay here. The guards would probably find out about his escape quite soon. He started running towards one of the exits of Lombania. As he ran, he saw that there were guards up ahead stationed at the gate. There were bright torches burning near them. He stopped and hid in one of the nearby alleys. He wasn¡¯t going to get past the guards with those torches illuminating the gate. He heard the sound of hooves clopping on stones from behind him. He turned and saw a wagon being pulled by a horse. Cerien quickly duck into one of the nearby alleys. Hidden in the shadows, he waited until the wagon passed right next to the alley. He quickly ran behind and jumped inside the back. The tarp covering the wagon would hide him from the guards. Hopefully, the guards would not check. Inside the wagon, there were bags and boxes laying around. Cerien sat between two boxes and waited. ¡°Halt.¡± A voice came from outside. A guard. Cerien frowned. Something about that voice was familiar. ¡°Where are you headed for in the middle of the night?¡± The guard questioned. ¡°Headed towards Mercek. Got some goods to drop off.¡± A gruff voice answered. Cerien frowned even more. That voice was also familiar. ¡°In the night? Couldn¡¯t you wait until morning?¡± ¡°Urgent delivery. If I put it off any longer, my client is going to talk my ass off.¡± ¡°Hmm. Normally I wouldn¡¯t just let you off life this. Lombania¡¯s in a state of war after all. Here, how ¡®bout this? You said you were heading to Mercek? I¡¯ve got some business at Centulus. Let me hitch a ride for part of the way. And I¡¯m sure you could use a little protection.¡± ¡°Centulus? The capital? Hmph. Fine. Hop on.¡± ¡°Alright thanks. Let me go grab my things.¡± ¡°Hurry up. I need to leave soon.¡± Cerien heard the footsteps fading as the guard left. A little after, he heard the guard returning. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s be on our way.¡± The wagon shifted a little as the guard hopped onto the wagon. He must have taken a seat in the front because he didn¡¯t enter the back of the wagon, where Cerien was. The horse pulling the wagon snorted and they began moving. Cerien remained quiet, leaving Lombania and the imposter behind. * * * Cerien wasn¡¯t sure how long he had spent in the wagon. The guard and the wagon driver both were silent the entire time. Eventually, Cerien fell asleep. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Cerien awoke when the wagon suddenly came to a stop. He heard the footsteps of the other two as they got off the wagon. They started walking towards the back of the wagon. Cerien tensed up. Did they know he was in here? ¡°Oi. You can come out now.¡± A gruff voice called out. They knew. Cerien debated how he was going to fight the two off, when he suddenly realized why the two voices were so familiar. That gruff voice belonged to Kjorn. Then the other voice must be¡­ Cerien got up and exited the wagon. Slei and Kjorn stood there, looking at him. ¡°Can¡¯t believe how far I¡¯ve fallen. Transporting a criminal.¡± Kjorn grumbled. ¡°All right, calm it down, Kjorn. Before we head any further. I would like to get something cleared up. Cerien. Did you kill Rai? And if so, why?¡± Slei asked. ¡°No. I¡¯ve no reason to do such. I don¡¯t even know the girl. It was the boy who I was after.¡± Cerien frowned. ¡°The boy? You mean Kuren Sain? Why would you kill him? He¡¯s just a student who managed to make it out alive from Grimwoods.¡± ¡°Because he is a fake.¡± Cerien replied. ¡°A fake? What do you mean?¡± Slei asked, confused. ¡°That boy is not the real Kuren. He is an imposter. I was going to kill him. But¡­he was stronger. Much stronger.¡± ¡°But why? Do you have some connection to the imposter?¡± Cerien shook his head. ¡°I have my reasons.¡± Cerien looked Slei in the eyes. ¡°That fake is the one who killed the girl. I only came after she was murdered. When I fought him, he told me that his real name was Behemet. Some demon lieutenant or something. I don¡¯t really remember the details.¡± ¡°Hmm. Damn. Behemet. I know of him. A nasty fellow with a nasty temper. To think that he snuck into Lombania.¡± Slei sighed. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to go back and take care of him.¡± Slei turned and smiled at Cerien. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s nice to see that my trust in you was not misguided. I knew that you wouldn¡¯t just murder Rai. A shame. She was so young.¡± Cerien nodded. ¡°We¡¯re passing by Centulus right now. I¡¯ll get off here and get another ride back to Lombania. For now, stick with Kjorn. You¡¯re a wanted man. The kingdom will be looking for you.¡± ¡°Huh? You sure ¡®bout that? I¡¯m headed towards Mercek. The trading city is full of scavengers looking for money. They wouldn¡¯t hesitate to bring the boy in.¡± ¡°Well, Mercek is towards the west, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s better than staying here. Find a place for him to hide, all right?¡± ¡°Hmph. Whatever.¡± Kjorn muttered under his breath. ¡°All right. Cerien, I¡¯m getting off here. Good luck. And I hope that we will meet again. If you wish to find me, ask for the name, Slei Apocynaceae.¡± ¡°Apocynaceae? A fancy name.¡± Cerien remarked. ¡°Yeah, one fitting of royalty.¡± Kjorn added. Slei punched Kjorn in the shoulder. ¡°All right you two. May the gods bless your journey.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Slei walked off, leaving Kjorn and Cerien behind. ¡°Hop on. We¡¯re heading west.¡± Kjorn ordered. Cerien nodded and the two moved towards the wagon. They sat in the front. With a quick whip of the reins, the horse began moving. The two sat in silence as the wagon rolled ahead. Cerien broke the silence. ¡°Thanks for the gauntlets. Even though I didn¡¯t manage to kill the fake, I did come close.¡± ¡°Oh? So they were useful?¡± ¡°Well. In a way. Though it felt like my hands were on fire. Is the whole burning sensation necessary?¡± ¡°Burning? What the hell have you been doing? It¡¯s not supposed to hurt that much. A little discomfort and that¡¯s all.¡± Kjorn said with a surprised expression. Cerien took off his gauntlets and showed his hands to Kjorn. The skin on Cerien¡¯s hands was peeling off. His flesh looked raw and angry. Blood was seeping from some cuts and tears. Serious burns and charred flesh were all over his hands. ¡°WHAT IN WAYLAND¡¯S DAMNATION!¡± Kjorn cursed as he saw Cerien¡¯s burned hands. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t tell me that you kept on blocking. Without ever attacking back?¡± Kjorn accused, glaring at Cerien. ¡°Well. Yeah. I didn¡¯t really get much chance to attack.¡± Cerien replied. ¡°Damn. You¡¯re an idiot.¡± Kjorn sighed. ¡°Hey, what type of weapon injures its own user? It seriously hurt.¡± ¡°Damn right it did. I told you they were special gauntlets. They¡¯re a one of a kind. And if you¡¯re an idiot who just lets his enemy keep on attacking him, you¡¯re gonna be in a world of burning pain.¡± ¡°What do you mean? How are they special?¡± ¡°See those runes on the back? They¡¯re a curse. The gauntlets simply store energy. Impact energy to be specific. With every collision, energy is stored inside those gauntlets. That¡¯s why you felt that burning sensation. Of course, store too much and they¡¯ll burn your skin off.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. All the energy built up.¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ll release all the energy at once in a single attack. I¡¯m sure you noticed just how powerful it was when you actually attacked. A dangerous piece of work, to the user and the enemy. Be careful with those. Don¡¯t store too much energy at once, or you might lose your hands for good.¡± Cerien nodded. He then looked at his hands. He activated [Rapid Regeneration] and the burns on his hands disappeared. His hands quickly healed and he put his gauntlets back on. ¡°HEY! WAIT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?¡± Kjorn shouted in horror. ¡°Can you stop shouting? I just regenerated myself.¡± ¡°What? Are you being serious? That¡¯s¡­amazing.¡± Kjorn was in uncharacteristic awe. ¡°Is it really that surprising?¡± Kjorn¡¯s awe quickly disappeared and his glare returned. ¡°Huh? Of course it is, ya dumbass. Artificial healing magic doesn¡¯t exist. Only raw healing magic does, and even that is rare.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t use it on other people. And it makes me real tired.¡± ¡°Stop complaining.¡± Kjorn grunted. The silence returned as the two sat comfortably. Then it was broken by Cerien again. ¡°Hey, you said we were headed towards Mercek? I remember you said it was a trading capital.¡± ¡°Yeah. Not just that. Mercek is full of people looking for business and opportunities. Plenty of mercenaries and sellswords. It¡¯s a cruddy place.¡± ¡°Then why are we headed there?¡± ¡°Guess you didn¡¯t hear. The King was in Lombania and he just declared war on the demons and elves. And Lombania just happens to be a short walk from the Adovian Forest.¡± ¡°Adovian Forest?¡± ¡°Yeah, bunch of elves live there in the forest. And they live way too close for my liking. Since they lie to the east, I¡¯m heading west. To get away as far as I can. I don¡¯t want any part of this war.¡± ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m headed to Mercek. And you are going to go past that. It¡¯s too dangerous for you in a big city like Mercek. You¡¯re going to head up northwest towards Beron.¡± ¡°What is Beron?¡± ¡°A small town. They won¡¯t have heard of you yet, so you¡¯ll be safe there. And also, I¡¯ve got someone in that town who wants something from me. You¡¯re going to give him the goods. Then, you¡¯ll return and give me the payment.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go to Beron yourself?¡± ¡°To the north west of Beron, are the mountains. And Beron is too close to the mountains. Way too close. In case you didn¡¯t know, the dwarves live up there. And, I¡¯m not on the best of terms with my fellow people.¡± Kjorn answered dryly. ¡°Is that so? Why?¡± ¡°For reasons.¡± Kjorn curtly replied. And with that, their conversation ended. The two rode silently. Cerien eventually fell asleep. * * * ¡°Wake up.¡± Cerien opened his eyes. He was sitting on a wagon. The sun had set and it was nighttime. In front of him, he could see a brightly lit city up ahead. ¡°Here you go.¡± Kjorn passed him a bag. ¡°Inside is bunch of food and drink. A few coins for you to spend. And here¡¯s the stuff you need to drop off.¡± Kjorn handed him a larger, heavier bag. ¡°Who am I giving this to in Beron?¡± ¡°Ask for a man named Jian Shasi. I believe he¡¯s the head of the Transcendent Sword Style.¡± ¡°A swordsman?¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh hey. I have an idea. I bet you¡¯re a little heated ¡®bout losing that fight with Kuren. Why don¡¯t you ask Jian Shasi to teach you? The man is undefeated, you know? Though, you may be a little disappointed when you find out what his sword style actually is.¡± Kjorn smiled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll understand. But the man is the real deal. I wouldn¡¯t call him the best swordsman. But I will say that he will never lose in a swordfight.¡± ¡°How does that make any sense?¡± ¡°Heh. Enough teasing. You see that city up ahead? That¡¯s Mercek. I¡¯m heading there. You. Go around the city, and you¡¯ll find another road on the other side. Follow the road and you¡¯ll reach Beron. Once you¡¯re down with business in Beron, come find me in Mercek. But don¡¯t come immediately. Wait a few months for things to cool down. Then come back. Make sure to disguise yourself.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it. You can stop fussing.¡± ¡°Hey! I am not fussing. It¡¯s just that Slei will get on my back if something happens to you.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± A rare grin appeared on Cerien¡¯s face. Kjorn growled menacingly. ¡°Thanks for the help, Kjorn. I appreciate it.¡± Cerien thanked Kjorn honestly. ¡°Tch. Just make sure you don¡¯t get any scratches on my gauntlets.¡± The two departed. Kjorn and his wagon entered Mercek. Cerien took his bags and began towards Beron. Cerien thought about his fight with the fake Kuren. In the end, Behemet¡¯s power was too much for him. Would learning how to use a sword be enough to kill him? Beginning to have doubts, Cerien walked towards the town of Beron, the moonlight shining down on him. Chapter 18: A Killing Method Chapter 18: A Killing Method
Cerien opened his eyes. The cold morning air felt crisp and sharp. He had set up camp while walking along the road towards Beron. Inside the bag of supplies that Kjorn had given him, there was a convenient sleeping bag for him to use. Waking up, he felt a little hungry. He took out an apple and some bread out of the bag and ate. After finishing up his small meal, he got up and continued his journey to Beron. Cerien walked for a few more hours along the road. He didn¡¯t meet anyone else. It seemed that Beron was too small of a town for people to be constantly traveling to and from. As he walked, he saw the beginnings of a mountain range. The road led to a town at the base of the mountains. That must be Beron. Cerien walked a little faster, his journey coming to an end. Dian Shasi. The head of the Transcendent Sword Style. The truth was Cerien didn¡¯t actually feel like learning how to use a sword. His gauntlets should be good enough. Swordfighting seemed like a waste of time, especially when it took years to master it. Kjorn had recommended it, but Cerien decided against it. It would just be a waste of time. He would just drop off the goods and find somewhere else to wander. Perhaps he would visit the mountains, where the dwarves lived. He doubted that the dwarves would know that he was a fugitive. When he entered the town, the villagers eyed him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. No doubt they were put off by his red eyes and jet-black hair. Perhaps he should¡¯ve worn a cloak. No matter, he doubted that the villagers would drive him out just because of his different facial features. He stopped and asked one of the villagers walking around. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m looking for Dian Shasi. I have something to give him.¡± ¡°Dian Shasi? That old coot? He lives up in the mountains. I don¡¯t know how to get up there, but his son does.¡± ¡°His son? Do you know where he is right now?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in luck. His son, Dian Shawu, usually only comes to town once a week for provisions and the sort. I just saw him today in the market. The market¡¯s over there. The boy is short and has short, black hair. But not as black as yours.¡± The man remarked. ¡°He wears a sword on his hip, so you¡¯ll know when you see him. You¡¯d best be finding him before he leaves.¡± The man pointed at a bustling part of town. Cerien nodded and thanked the man. He walked towards the market, noticing the assortment of goods on display. It was mostly just food and produce. Clothes and a few sets of jewelry were on display. Nothing much to look at. Cerien looked around for the boy. As he did so, he felt as if hostile eyes were staring at him. He looked around, but there wasn¡¯t anyone suspicious. Shrugging, he continued to look for the boy. Over by one of the stands, he saw a young boy who looked around 11 years old talking with the owner of the stand. They seemed to be haggling over the price. The boy was wearing a sword on his hip. That must be Dian Shawu. Cerien walked up to the boy, hearing bits of their conversation. ¡°Come on lady. I¡¯ve got other things to buy. I come here every week, you know? I¡¯m a loyal customer. You can¡¯t just go and raise prices on me!¡± ¡°Sorry, but the harvest¡¯s been tough. Pickings are meager. If you can¡¯t pay the price, then find someone else. Though I doubt anyone will sell for lower.¡± ¡°Tch. Fine. Later, old lady.¡± The boy scowled as he walked away from the stand. He bumped into Cerien and looked up in shock. ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± Cerien looked at the boy coolly and asked, ¡°Are you Dian Shawu? I am looking for your father.¡± The boy¡¯s expression became suspicious and he glared at Cerien. ¡°What? Another wannabe apprentice? Just when I thought you were all gone. My father doesn¡¯t want any students. If you want to learn to whack people with swords, go somewhere else.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not here for that. I have something to give him. From Kjorn.¡± Cerien motioned towards the bag he was carrying. ¡°Oh! Kjorn! Why didn¡¯t you just say so? My father¡¯s been waiting for his delivery. Go wait over there, I¡¯ll be right with you once I¡¯m done buying provisions.¡± Dian Shawu pointed towards an alleyway. Cerien nodded and walked towards the alley. He stood there, leaning against the wall in the shadows. Waiting for the boy to finish. Cerien watched him as he scurried around the market, in search of better prices. Cerien was so absorbed with watching the boy that he didn¡¯t notice the three men walking towards him. They were only a few feet away when Cerien finally noticed. He frowned, stepping back, further into the alley. The men kept on approaching, menacing looks on their faces. Cerien realized that the hostiles eyes watching him must have belonged to them. ¡°What do you want?¡± Cerien questioned the men, but they didn¡¯t answer. They kept on walking towards Cerien, giving off no intention of stopping. Cerien backed up until he reached a wall. Nowhere left to run. He didn¡¯t want to, but he had no option but to fight. ¡°Hey there boy. Saw that you just entered town. It¡¯s not safe to be traveling alone, ya know? We noticed you got a hefty looking bag over there.¡± One of the thugs remarked as he pointed at Cerien¡¯s bag. ¡°I¡¯d suggest handing it over before you lose it or anything.¡± He grinned nastily. Cerien bent his knees. His claws unsheathed themselves and protruded from his gauntlets. He was just about to pounce on the thugs, when a voice called out. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you guys around town before. You guys are new, so you might not know this. But around here, we don¡¯t go around threatening others.¡± Dian Shawu stood at the entrance of the alley, coldly looking at the three men. ¡°Another brat. Scram or else someone¡¯s gonna get hurt.¡± ¡°Hmm. Odd. That¡¯s exactly what I was going to say.¡± Dian Shawu put his left hand on the hilt of his sword. The sword was attached to his left hip. ¡°Ya dumb kid. Let me teach you a lesson.¡± The thug snarled as he ran towards the boy, pulling a long dagger out of his shirt. ¡°Transcendent Sword: First Art. [Shooting Star].¡± A calm voice rang out in the alley. Dian Shawu pointed his hilt at the incoming thug, but he did not draw his sword. Something flashed in his sword¡¯s hilt. A shiny object shot through the air towards the man. The man cried out, dropping his dagger. Both his hands went to his face, blood pouring down. Dian Shawu leapt forward and drew his blade. It was a simple, one-edged blade. Thin and sharp. Lethal and plain. Dian Shawu slashed the man quickly. He fell instantly. ¡°Next.¡± Dian Shawu looked at the remaining two men. ¡°YA BASTARD!¡± The men shouted. They rushed towards Dian Shawu brandishing a club and a knife. ¡°Transcendent Sword: Fourth Art. [Shining Star].¡± In the sword¡¯s guard, a white jewel began to glow. Dian Shawu raised his sword towards the sky, and a bright, blinding light filled the alley. Cerien didn''t close his eyes in time and was blinded by the light. When his eyesight returned, Dian Shawu was standing over the men''s bodies lying on the ground. His sword was already resheathed. Dian Shawu stood there silently, a few flashes of regret showing on his face. After a moment, he turned towards Cerien. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± * * * ¡°Thanks for coming with me. There¡¯s a lot to carry.¡± Dian Shawu sounded grateful. Cerien and he were climbing up the mountain. After reporting the deaths of the three thugs to the village authorities, they set off to see Dian Shasi. While they climbed, Cerien couldn''t stop thinking about how Dian Shawu had fought. He had first dismissed the Transcendent Sword Style as an ordinary sword style, but he thought differently now. When Cerien watched Slei fight with a sword, he had been elegant and graceful. Dian Shawu¡¯s fighting, on the other hand, couldn''t be called a sword style. It was brutal and efficient, it was simply a means to an end. Kjorn¡¯s words echoed in his mind. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°The man is the real deal. I wouldn¡¯t call him the best swordsman. But I will say that he will never lose in a swordfight.¡± Perhaps, Cerien had something to learn after all. Perhaps, he would ask Dian Shasi to take him on as an apprentice. They had been walking for an hour when they reached a level area. The peak was still far away. This area of the mountain was covered by a dense forest. The trail that Cerien and Dian Shawu had been following led to a log cabin. ¡°We¡¯re here. My father is probably waiting inside.¡± The two walked up to the cabin. Dian Shawu knocked on the door. ¡°Father. I¡¯ve returned. And I brought someone.¡± ¡°A visitor? How many times do I have to tell you? I don¡¯t want any more students.¡± An elderly, but strong voice came from within the cabin. Dian Shawu replied, ¡°He¡¯s here to drop something off from Kjorn.¡± ¡°Oh? Then what are you doing? Bring him in all ready.¡± Dian Shawu opened the door and they entered the cabin. An old man was sitting on the floor in the middle of the cabin. He was sitting on his knees with his back straight, facing the door. A sheathed sword lay by his left side. His eyes were closed. A calm, slow breathing could be heard. ¡°Greetings, I am Cerien. I have brought Kjorn¡¯s goods.¡± Cerien gestured towards his bag. The old man¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Hmph. Leave them here. Dian Shawu will bring you the payment.¡± The man waved Cerien away. His eyes closed again. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I want to ask of you.¡± Cerien said before he could stop himself. In his mind, he kept on replaying the fight between Dian Shawu and the thugs. A sword style that couldn''t be called a sword style. A style of fighting that was not elegant at all. He had only caught a glimpse of it, but he understood what it was. It was a way to win. A way to fight dirty. A way to kill one¡¯s opponents even if they are more skilled. A killing method. This was what Cerien needed. What he needed to kill Behemet. The old man opened one eye. ¡°Please accept me as your disciple.¡± Cerien asked. This was it. This was his chance. Hope rose inside him. The old man¡¯s eye closed once more. ¡°No.¡± * * * Savunt stared at the altar in front of him. The room was built strangely. Seven runic circles were inscribed into the floor, surrounding the altar in the middle of the room. ¡°Garmr. Just what the hell are you planning?¡± ¡°Savunt. Haven¡¯t you ever wondered what made the Lagrim disappear? What could¡¯ve made an entire clan of people disappear?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure that everyone would be better off not knowing.¡± ¡°Well, the Demon King is very interested. Thus, I¡¯ve been searching for the past few years. And I found myself at their underground city. Do you know how hard it was to find this place? Practically nothing is known about the Lagrim. And when I finally get here, I find you and some children running around. And that got me a little pissed.¡± ¡°It was mere chance. I didn''t mean to come here. Neither did the girl. And I doubt the boy did.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s what gets me pissed. I''ve been searching for years, Savunt. And you just found this place by chance.¡± Garmr sighed. ¡°Tell me, Savunt. Do you wish to stop me?¡± Savunt stared at Garmr. He didn''t answer. ¡°Well, it''s not like you could. A couple centuries old aren''t you? You were made for one purpose, Savunt. Win the war. Win the Start. And you did. But you weren''t made to last. My eyes can see. Your soul, it''s slowly losing its grasp on this world. It''s beginning to leave your body. Your soul and your power is deteriorating. You''ve become a mere shadow of yourself.¡± Savunt interjected, ¡°You''re right. But I¡¯m still here. Garmr, the Lagrim were wiped out for a reason. They messed with things that should be left alone. The Demon King would be wise to learn from their mistakes.¡± Garmr smiled and shook his head. ¡°A new war is starting, Savunt. And this time, the demons will win. Especially with the Lagrim¡¯s knowledge. This is my last warning, Savunt. Leave before I decide to capture you.¡± Savunt gritted his teeth. He had no choice. Garmr was right. He was perfectly capable of capturing him. Reluctantly, Savunt turned and began walking away. ¡°Garmr. I won''t stand by idly this time. This stupid war of yours is not going to start.¡± ¡°Oh Savunt, since when did you care about the lives of others? Just where was this heroism during the Purge?¡± Garmr''s words went unanswered. His laughs filled the room as Savunt left. * * * Savunt walked through the hallway. He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand. As he walked, he vowed to stop Garmr¡¯s plans. Another war would sever the lives of the innocents, something that Savunt had to stop. Something that he wouldn''t let happen again. The mistakes of the Purge would not be repeated, he told himself. The hallway Savunt was walking through led straight to the exit of the ruins. As he walked through the hall, he noticed something strange. He felt as if something was missing. But he couldn¡¯t quite place what it was. The feeling grew stronger as he noticed the remains of a battle. Tears and holes were in the wall and ground. Then, Savunt realized what was missing. A body. Belonging to the boy who had caused Senia¡¯s death. Savunt narrowed his eyes. He was sure that the boy had died. His heart had been pierced. Senia¡¯s innocent smile appeared in his mind. His blue eyes grew cold and glowed with a menacing light. It seemed that he had an unfinished job to take care of. * * * Sunlight slipped past a crack in the curtains. The room was dark save for that little bit of light. A girl lying in her bed sighed softly. She slowly got up and dressed herself. She moved slowly and stiffly, like a rusty machine. She equipped her rapier on her hilt and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled from sleeping. Her face was lacking of makeup. Another sigh escaped her lips. Melodi didn''t want to pretty herself up. In fact, the only person she wanted to appeal to seemed to have lost his spark. Kuren Sain. She had been enamored with him since they first met. Seeing his shy, innocent face made her feel strange. It made ever want to mess it up and make him scream. So she did. In an empty classroom, she tied Kuren up and carved her initials into his chest. Afterwards, seeing his quick flash of fear made her want to squeal. His apprehension when she was near him made her giddy. He was her plaything. Her toy. When he fell into the chasm, Melodi felt lost. She felt empty. She felt cold. And when he miraculously returned, the feeling did not disappear. She felt just as cold. And Kuren felt distant. She remained by his side, hoping for that spark to reappear. But Kuren was different. The chasm had changed him. He was no longer afraid of her. And thus Melodi no longer felt interested in him. And then, someone new appeared. A boy wearing a cloak running after Kuren in the streets. She stopped him at the dormitories. Then, they fought. And she felt it once more. The spark. Every time her rapier cut into his flesh, she felt it. A smile grew wider on her face with each slash. A familiar feeling that continued to rise. The very emptiness inside her disappeared. And then, it was stopped. The damned man stopped their fight and the boy ran away. The next thing she knew, the boy was imprisoned for murdering Rai and then he escaped prison. He was gone, and the emptiness returned. She sighed again. No makeup today, she decided. No one to impress. Chapter 19: Celestial Blade Chapter 19: Celestial Blade
A great beast lay on the cold, stone floor. Beautiful, white fur matted down with red blood. Eyes slowly turning glossy. For decades, the white ape had guarded this room, keeping the dagger safe. And making sure that the dagger¡¯s seal never weakened. And now, decades of guarding were coming to an end. The white ape had been simply overpowered. A demon had wandered into his room. With a wave of the demon¡¯s hand, the ape fell to the ground, blood pouring from an open wound in his chest. The demon looked around for a bit. Probably finding nothing of interest, he left the room, leaving the ape to die. The ape kept the dagger close, hiding it from the demon the entire time. It felt immeasurable relief when the demon left. But despair quickly returned as the ape realized it wouldn''t be able to recover. It had received a fatal wound. With its death, the seal on the dagger would weaken. The ape couldn''t let that happen. ¡°Feeling a little under the weather?¡± A gleeful voice emanated from the dagger. The ape emitted a low growl. ¡°Shut up Luxuria. I won''t let you roam free.¡± ¡°You stupid gorilla. When you die, nothing can stop me from leaving this musty cave.¡± The ape groaned as it tried to get up, but it was in vain. The ape¡¯s life was coming to an end. A strong flow of mana began to leak from the dagger. Frustrated, the ape knew it couldn''t stop the seal from breaking. It was a Blood Seal. The strongest form of seal and also forbidden. It required the dealer to sacrifice some of his lifeblood. Even someone as powerful as Luxuria normally wouldn¡¯t be able to break it. But it was breaking anyway. The ape had a creeping suspicion of why, but it hardly mattered. It could do nothing to stop it. As the ape¡¯s breathing slowed down, its grip on the dagger loosened. With its final breath, it muttered its last regret. ¡°Kokai. I¡¯ve failed you.¡± * * * ¡°No.¡± The old man said. Cerien didn¡¯t leave. ¡°Please. Take me as your disciple.¡± He pleaded once more. ¡°Why the hell do you want to learn from me? If you¡¯re looking to swing a stick around, find someone else.¡± An annoyed expression appeared on the old man¡¯s face. ¡°I saw Dian Shawu fight. And I''ve never seen anything like it before.¡± ¡°Wait. What? You saw him fight?¡± A strange expression appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Yes. And you can''t tell me the Transcendent Sword Style is just an ordinary sword style. A child faced three grown men. Yet the child won without a scratch on him. And I saw how that child fought. A flying projectile. A blinding light. How can that even be called a sword style? Kjorn told me that you weren''t a great swordsman. But you would never lose in a swordfight. I understand what he meant now. Dian Shasi. You are no swordsman. You''re a winner. A killer.¡± Dian Shasi¡¯s expression was cold. He glared at Cerien silently before turning to Dian Shawu. ¡°Are you daft, boy? Don''t leave any witnesses. That is the first rule.¡± He growled. Dian Shawu nervously bowed his head. ¡°I''m sorry father, it won''t happen again.¡± ¡°You''re right. It won''t. From now on, you are banned from bringing your sword into town.¡± ¡°Father, please it won¡¯t happen again!¡± ¡°Enough. Leave us.¡± He barked at Dian Shawu. He quickly scampered off, leaving Cerien and Dian Shasi alone. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as they stared at each other. Dian Shasi broke the silence first. ¡°You know, a Transcendent Sword practitioner never leaves any witnesses behind. Do you understand why?¡± Cerien thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°You said it yourself. This is not a sword style. It¡¯s a simply a way to kill my opponents. I will never lose a swordfight because no one knows this. They expect an ordinary swordfight. But my techniques are far from ordinary. My opponents never expect it, thus they are easily defeated. So, now you understand the importance of no witnesses?¡± Realization dawned on Cerien. ¡°Yes. Because if there are witnesses, then people will learn about your techniques. The element of surprise is lost and your opponents will expect your techniques. And thus, a swordsman would be able to defeat you.¡± Dian Shasi nodded. ¡°So you understand then your own circumstances? You are a witness. And thus, you must be killed.¡± Cerien suddenly became very aware of the sword laying by Dian Shasi¡¯s side. ¡°But then again, Kjorn would be upset if I killed you. And he is the only blacksmith I trust. I don¡¯t wish to risk losing his work. So, there are other options.¡± He sighed. ¡°I could let you leave, but then you could tell other people what you saw. There would be nothing to stop or deter you. So there is one other option. You will become my disciple and I will let you live.¡± Cerien felt relieved to hear the good news but he still had doubts. ¡°How does that stop me from telling other people?¡± He questioned. ¡°You don''t understand? You wanted to learn my sword style right? Well, let¡¯s say that I teach you. After, if you go blabbering to other people, then the sword style you worked so hard to learn will become obsolete.¡± Cerien understood now. ¡°However. Before I teach you, I want you to understand. A Transcendent Sword practitioner only takes one student. That has been the precedent for over two centuries. If there are more students, the chances of the sword style leaking to the public greatly increase. I don''t want to break this rule. So I won''t teach you the Transcendent Sword Style.¡± Dian Shasi grinned while Cerien stared in confusion. ¡°Instead, the sword style that you will learn will be called¡­hmmm...what should I call it...how about...Celestial Blade Style. Yeah I like that.¡± Dian Shasi looked at Cerien. ¡°If anyone asks you what sword style you learned, tell them you learned the Celestial Blade Style, all right? This way no one will know you were my disciple.¡± ¡°Very well then. I hope to learn much from you, Master Dian Shasi.¡± Cerien bowed his head. ¡°Your name, boy?¡± ¡°It is Cerien.¡± Dian Shasi grunted and got up. He picked up his sword and walked out the door, Cerien following close behind him. * * * A lone girl ran through the forest. She wore comfortable clothes made for the outside. A rapier hung on her hip. Two black wolves chased after her. They were quickly gaining on her. As they got closer, the fur on the wolves rippled as their muscles readied to pounce. While running, the wolves leapt through the air towards their prey. The girl suddenly stopped and turned around. She drew her rapier. ¡°[Ventus Celero].¡± Two words were chanted. The wind roared as it gathered around her. The wolves leaping through the air were about to fall on her. However, when they landed, the girl was gone. The wolves looked around in confusion. Then the girl pounced. She had jumped into the air right above the wolves. She fell on one of the wolves, piercing its head cleanly. It quickly whimpered as it dropped to the ground. The other wolf was sent flying backwards by the impact caused by the rushing wind around the girl. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The wolf quickly got up and growled at the girl, half in anger and half in fear. The girl¡¯s eyes were cold and piercing, lacking any emotion at all. Suddenly, red veins began to glow on the wolf. Its eyes glowed red too. The wolf looked up at the sky and let out a howl. The girl suddenly dropped her rapier. She fell to her knees and held her hands to her ears. She shut her eyes tightly in pain. Blood began to drip from her ears. The wolf stopped howling and looked back at the girl. Snarling, it pounced towards the girl once more. The girl, disoriented, watched the wolf charging at her. She snatched her rapier back up and managed to bring it up just in time to defend herself. The wolf¡¯s mouth bit down on her rapier. She was forced onto her back, desperately stopping the wolf from taking a bite out of her. Saliva and spittle dripped down from its mouth. The rapier bended flimsily, as the wolf shook around. Her eyes narrowed as she struggled to get the wolf off her. With great effort, she managed to kick the wolf away. Catching her breath, she got up to her feet. The wolf glared angrily. Red veins glowed once more. It opened its mouth to howl again. ¡°[Ventus Gradior].¡± The wind roared as the girl took a single step forward. The wolf had no time to react when the girl suddenly appeared right in front of her. Its howl was stopped prematurely as the girl¡¯s rapier pierced its throat. Blood gurgling from its mouth, the wolf fell to the ground as the girl drew her blade back. Stepping back, the girl fell back on the ground, taking a moment to breathe. Sloppy. That was her assessment. She had nearly lost to those wolves. Melodi had been visiting Grimwoods every day after classes. Her excuse was combat experience. She had bought a teleportation rune to visit Grimwoods. Runes were expensive, but reusable. And Melodi¡¯s family was not afraid to spend money for their little girl. She had been improving constantly. Few students from the Academy would be brave or strong enough to go alone into Grimwoods. But she did. Cutting down everything she met. The magic beasts that she encountered all fell to her sword. As she fought, she thought about the man who had stopped her during the King¡¯s ceremony. She was about to end the fight with the boy who killed Rai, when a new man had appeared and saved him. The man had blond hair and wore bandages covering part of his face. He had easily beat Melodi in a swordfight. He had practically made a joke out of her. How embarrassing. She came to Grimwoods partly to get better with her rapier. Partly because it was where Kuren had first disappeared. And partly because she just wanted to cut something up. Too bad cutting up mindless animals in the forest didn¡¯t even come close to the euphoric feeling when she fought the boy who had killed Rai. Melodi sighed as she cleaned the blood on her blade and sheathed it. She trudged back towards the Grimwoods rune outside the forest that would teleport her back to Lombania. Unbeknownst to her, a hooded stranger watched Melodi as she left. A faint, unintelligible muttering could be heard. The forest of Grimwoods seemed to be darker than ever. * * * ¡°Here you go.¡± Dian Shasi handed Cerien a sheathed sword. Cerien took it and drew it. It was a simple sword. A one-edged blade. Slightly curved. A small guard protected the sword¡¯s hilt. A gray jewel was attached to the sword¡¯s guard. There were no other notable features. ¡°This is the most important tool that you will ever use. Obviously. It seems quite normal, right?¡± Dian Shasi said dryly. Cerien nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s supposed to look like that. Just an ordinary sword. But of course there are many hidden weapons hidden inside this sword. The first technique I am going to teach you is going to involve one such hidden weapon. See that dummy?¡± Dian Shasi pointed at a straw dummy standing up a distance away. Dian Shasi grabbed the sword from Cerien¡¯s hands and sheathed it. ¡°The first technique is called [Shooting Star]. It can be used from many positions. The most common starting position is when the sword is still sheathed on your hip.¡± Dian Shasi held the sheathed sword with his left hand by his hip. ¡°Watch the sword.¡± Dian Shasi¡¯s left thumb moved quickly and a click could be heard. Suddenly, something shot out of the hilt of the sword, heading straight for the dummy. When it landed, a small metal spike stuck out of the dummy¡¯s head. Cerien realized that Dian Shawu had used this technique against the bandits. ¡°There¡¯s a mechanism inside the sword¡¯s hilt that lets loose a small projectile. It¡¯s especially useful because your opponent will not expect an attack while your sword is sheathed. Come closer.¡± Dian Shasi beckoned Cerien over. ¡°See this notch on the guard? If you press down, the projectile is released. The sword only has room for three projectiles. And you can¡¯t fire them one after another. You have to reset the firing mechanism.¡± Dian Shasi pulled out a long metal stick. Using the stick, he pushed down on the bottom of the sword¡¯s hilt. The bottom gave way, and Dian Shasi kept on pushing until another click could be heard. ¡°There. And now it¡¯s rearmed.¡± He pointed the hilt at the dummy again and let loose another projectile. Cerien watched in earnest, understanding the effectiveness of the sneak attack. ¡°Here you go.¡± Dian Shasi handed Cerien back the sword and then pointed towards a row of dummies. ¡°You¡¯re going to practice using this technique against those dummies now. Use these spikes when you run out. You are not allowed to stop until you can hit a dummy¡¯s head 100 times in a row.¡± ¡°Wait. What?¡± Cerien said in shock. Dian Shasi nastily grinned. ¡°Come on, my son Shawu can hit a dummy¡¯s head 1000 times in a row. If you can¡¯t even match up to 10% of his ability, then I¡¯m not going to bother teaching you. Now get practicing.¡± Cerien groaned and got his sword ready by his hip. He aimed the hilt at the dummy¡¯s head. Steady¡­steady now¡­and fire! ¡­ The projectile completely missed and flew right past the dummy. He pushed back the hilt and tried to fire another one. Empty. Cerien realized he only had three spikes to fire. He gritted his teeth and went to recollect the spikes. Dian Shasi walked away chuckling to himself. * * * Savunt walked out of the underground into the forest of Grimwoods. The woods were deathly silent. He felt rather dejected. Helpless. Powerless to do anything. Perhaps he would visit Amesprit, the island of the spirits. The spirits were always good with magic concerning the soul. Perhaps they would be able to strengthen the connection between his soul and this body. Amesprit lies in the middle of Heaven¡¯s Mirror, a large lake to the west of Grimwoods. It was a short trip, so he might as well start heading there now. He marched ahead, cursing his own weakness silently. Chapter 20: Its Raining Chapter 20: It¡¯s Raining
¡°Starting tomorrow, we will begin Anti-Demon and Anti-Elf Combat Classes tomorrow. War is coming and every one of you should be prepared to defend your country.¡± Professor Monaco¡¯s voice was grave and solemn. The entire class of 1-A listened silently. Ever since the King¡¯s ceremony, the class had been quiet. The news of the war and the death of one of their classmates had put them into a depressed mood. Melodi stared dully at Monaco. Sighing, she wondered when classes would end so that she could go into Grimwoods. ¡°That¡¯s it for today. Class is adjourned.¡± Murmurs went through the classroom as the students got up and moved around. ¡°Oh and Ms. Adenia? Please come down here.¡± Monaco called out. Melodi sighed once more and slowly dragged herself over. Her blank stare was met with a stern glare. ¡°Ms. Adenia. It has been brought to my attention that you¡¯ve been visiting Grimwoods every day after classes. While it is laudable that you have the bravery¡­ Or the stupidity¡­¡± he added quietly. ¡°It is extremely dangerous for a student to be wandering around Grimwoods alone, especially during this time. Unless you seek further punishment, you will not be allowed to enter Grimwoods anymore. It is simply too dangerous. It would truly be a misfortune if another student was lost.¡± Monaco told her grimly. Melodi nodded, her face an impassive mask. Monaco sighed and waved her away. ¡°You¡¯re excused.¡± Melodi left without another word. She didn¡¯t look back. As if she would listen to him. Every day that passed by was incredibly boring. If she did not go out to Grimwoods, then she would probably die of boredom. Grabbing her things, she prepared the rune to teleport to Grimwoods. * * * ¡°The clouds are coming in.¡± Savunt looked up towards a sky filled with dark clouds. ¡°I suppose I better start moving. Amesprit is waiting for me.¡± Savunt walked out of the forest and left Grimwoods behind him. The dark, foreboding forest watched silently as he left. Savunt walked a bit further before coming to a small hill. A small stream emerged from the hill, coming from the underground. He started walking along the stream, towards Amesprit, city of the spirits. * * * Cerien was practicing techniques in the courtyard when he felt the first drops of rain come down. Perhaps he should go inside. As he made to leave, a disgruntled voice yelled out. ¡°Hey who said you could stop!¡± Cerien looked at the cabin. Dian Shasi sat watching him angrily. ¡°Come on, it''s starting to rain.¡± Cerien said exasperatedly. ¡°Your point? Do you think that when it rains, your enemies are just stop fighting? You think they¡¯re just going to sit around waiting for the rain to stop?¡± Dian Shasi growled at him. ¡°Hell no. Stay out here and keep practicing.¡± Cerien scowled and turned back. Taking his sword in hand, he continued to practice his techniques in the rain. Spikes shot out one after another as he practiced [Shooting Star]. Two out of three hit the dummy¡¯s head. Not bad, he thought. ¡°You can¡¯t even get three shots in a row? What garbage.¡± Dian Shasi¡¯s critiques never stopped. ¡°Then fucking teach me, you old bastard.¡± Cerien cursed under his breath. Cerien retrieved the spikes and began practicing again. Spikes flew out as rain from the sky fell heavily down. * * * A girl ran through Grimwoods alone. She was barefoot, wearing nothing but a tattered dress. She looked young and frail. Her blood-red hair was long and fluttered in the breeze. Her eyes too were blood-red. Her lips had that same color of red. Everything about her seemed bloody. So it was strange. That she was so pale. Her skin was so white, so bloodless. It contrasted with her blood-red features. A contrast that was beautiful. Beautiful. That was the word to describe her. Even if she was running frantically through the forest and cursing loudly. ¡°Shit! Why the hell is this guy following me? I just got out of that underground dungeon and I''m already being chased?¡± The girl¡¯s words were coarse and rude, but her voice was soothing and calming, almost seductive. Right behind her, a hooded figure was chasing. Faint muttering could be heard, as if it was chanting something. The figure momentarily shined. The red-haired girl stopped and dodged to the side. Suddenly plants and roots burst out of the ground where she was standing just a few moments ago. The girl quickly began running again. As she ran, she looked back. The figure was still in pursuit. ¡°Damn. Fine then. How about you try some of my magic instead?¡± The girl ran towards two trees close to each other. She readied her arms as she passed right between the trees. As she did, she swung her arms and they flashed red. Two red blades shot out and cut through the trees. They fell down, blocking the path. The girl flashed red and disappeared in an instant, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood behind. The figure climbed over the fallen trees, but it was too late. The girl was gone. * * * ¡°Hah. Hah...whew. Finally.¡± The red-haired girl was lying on the ground, catching her breath. She slowly got up and picked herself up. ¡°Almost a century spent trapped down there. You can''t seriously expect me to go and start fighting again?¡± She grumbled. ¡°Sigh¡­ Most of powers are sealed by this stupid Blood Seal. There''s got to be a way to get rid of this.¡± She stopped speaking and cocked her head to listen more clearly. ¡°There''s someone nearby. This could be a good chance. I haven''t gotten blood in a long time.¡± The girl licked her lips and began to walk toward the source of sound. * * * Melodi walked around the forest, looking around for something to hunt. Slowly walking through Grimwoods didn¡¯t feel too bad, but she was bored. With it all. With boring school life. With boring fights against wild animals. All she wanted¡­ was a real fight. Melodi closed her eyes and breathed in the cool air. She stood there, resting in the darkness of Grimwoods. Death. It''s coming. Melodi¡¯s eyes shot open. She sensed danger. Incoming death. She didn''t have time to process her surroundings. She needed to move. Now. She threw herself to the side, rolling on the ground. As she did, she felt something fly past her. The rush of wind buffeted her. Melodi got up and drew her rapier. She turned to face her opponent. It was¡­ A little girl. A little girl who looked no more than 10 years old. Her blood-red hair flowed in the wind. Her red eyes looked at Melodi coldly. She wore nothing but a worn dress. Melodi felt sweat dripping down her back. As if her death was already certain. As if there was no escape. As if there was no other future. Her mouth was dry. The red-haired girl slowly walked towards her. She outstretched her hand. Something red formed in her hand. Suddenly, red spikes shot out of her hand towards Melodi. Time seemed to slow down. Melodi watched them rush towards her. She tried to move, but she was frozen. Probably in her own fear. She felt completely and utterly helpless. She watched her own death come towards her, defenseless. She clenched her teeth. What was she doing? Isn¡¯t this what she wanted? A real fight. Against another living human. This was what she wanted. This is what she got. Time sped up again. And she could move once more. She threw herself out of the red spikes¡¯ way. One spike managed to cut her on her hip. She rolled on the ground. She got up and faced the girl once more. She opened her mouth and chanted¡­ Nothing. Still nothing came out. Her mouth was unbearably dry. Melodi didn''t give up. This was her fight. She was going to let it end so easily. She reached down to her open wound. She cupped the blood flowing out in her hand and brought it to her mouth. Her throat no longer dry, she spat out the rest of the blood. The red-haired girl watched Melodi drink her own blood. Once she was done, Melodi brought her hand down and smiled. It was a bizarre scene. Melodi was standing there, blood flowing from her hip. Blood smeared around her mouth. The red-haired girl murmured softly, ¡°Oh, so the human still has some fight left in her.¡± ¡°[Ventus Celero].¡± Melodi chanted. Melodi dashes towards the girl with a burst of wind. She readied her rapier and thrusted it at the red-haired girl. As Melodi neared the girl, she saw that there was a smile on that red-haired girl¡¯s face. Melodi¡¯s thrust passed the girl as she sidestepped. Red blades began to form and shot out towards Melodi. Using the wind to aid her, Melodi jumped backwards. But she was still cut by some of the blades. Blood pouring from multiple wounds, Melodi struggled to stand up. She watched as the red-haired girl walked towards her slowly. Suddenly the girl stopped and cocked her head. A moment of silence before the girl turned to face Melodi once more. ¡°Human. In a minute, something is coming, and it''s killing everything in its way. I can¡¯t fight it right now, and you definitely can''t either.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was cold and elegant. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Melodi winced. Compared to the girl¡¯s voice, her own seemed so barbarian and crude. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°There is only one way to leave this place alive. Before it arrives,¡± the girl stretched out her hand. ¡°Form a Contract with me.¡± ¡°A Contract?¡± ¡°I don''t have time to explain. Just now that we both will obtain the strength to escape.¡± Melodi looked into the girl¡¯s red eyes. Then at the girl¡¯s outstretched hand. She hesitated. ¡°Just take my hand before it¡¯s too late.¡± The girl snarled at Melodi. Melodi shut her eyes tightly and quickly took the girl¡¯s hand. Suddenly, Melodi began to feel something burning on the back of her hand. She gasped. She took her hand back and cradled it. She looked at the back of her hand and saw something strange. A red mark. A symbol of a bat. ¡°Finally. I have some of my power back.¡± The red-haired girl smiled. ¡°Congratulations. You''ve entered a contract with the great Lilac Sanguine, Luxuria of the Seven Sins, Vampire of Lust, ruler of many, queen of men and women alike, and puppeteer of blood. Rejoice, mortal.¡± Luxuria remarked dryly. As they were speaking, a cloaked figure walked into the clearing. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done here. Well, introductions are over. We''re getting out of here.¡± Luxuria leapt towards Melodi and grabbed her hand. Before the cloaked figure could do anything, Luxuria and Melodi flashed red. They disappeared and nothing was left but a puddle of blood. As the figure looked at the puddle, rain began to fall down. The figure stood alone as the rain became a thunderous downpour. * * * Melodi opened her eyes. She wasn¡¯t sure what just had happened. The girl had grabbed her hand, and everything flashed red. And now, she had no idea where she was. She took a look around. The ground was completely barren. Dry and cracked. It stretched on for miles in every direction. Dust storms gathered in by the wind obscured her vision. In the distance, faint shapes could be seen moving. ¡°This is¡­ The Badlands.¡± Melodi whispered. A land that was ravaged by war. Nothing was left except the beasts that still roamed the land. ¡°Damn, it wasn''t this bad the last time I saw this dump. At least there were still some plants around.¡± Melodi turned around. The red-haired girl was looking around. She seemed¡­different. As if she was older. She used to look like a child. But now she was taller. Her body was larger and became more curved. She looked to be around 14 years old now. ¡°You''ve been here before? And you look different.¡± Melodi asked. The girl turned and looked at Melodi. ¡°Refer to me by name human. And to answer your question, yes. I''ve been here before. How long ago was it? Hmmm. Well, I''ve been sealed up down underground for a century or so. So a little more than a century was the last time I''ve been here.¡± ¡°A century? But you look like a little girl!¡± Melodi exclaimed incredulously. The girl''s head whipped around. Her red eyes glared at Melodi. ¡°My name, human. It''s Luxuria. And I only look like this because most of my power is sealed away.¡± As she spoke, Luxuria pulled out a dagger and twirled it in her fingers. On the blade, a red runic circle could be seen. ¡°The Contract between you and me has restored some power. Which is why I look a little different now. But I''ll need longer to restore my power.¡± Luxuria gripped the dagger tightly, her knuckles turning white. Melodi frowned. ¡°Then call me by my name too. It¡¯s Melodi.¡± Luxuria turned slightly, a slight smile on her face. ¡°Very well. Melodi it is. Moving on, it seems that we were teleported right in the middle of the Badlands. My fault, really. I just teleported us randomly in the hopes of escaping. For the meantime, it looks like we¡¯ll have to stick together. Unless, you think you can leave the Badlands alive, Melodi?¡± ¡°Luxuria, can¡¯t you just teleport us again?¡± Melodi asked. Luxuria scowled. ¡°Of course not. That was a onetime thing. A last resort. I can¡¯t control our destination and I have to wait a few weeks before using it again.¡± Melodi turned away and looked at the dust storm gathering around them. ¡°Then, I guess we¡¯ll stick together for now.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Luxuria replied. ¡°The sooner we get out of this place, the better. All this dust is making me feel dirty.¡± Luxuria tossed the dagger to Melodi. ¡°Here. Try not to lose it alright? I¡¯m bound to that stupid dagger.¡± Luxuria told Melodi. ¡°Why not just break it?¡± Melodi asked. ¡°You think it¡¯s that easy?¡± Luxuria scoffed. ¡°As long as that Blood Seal is on there, it won¡¯t ever break. Just keep it close and there won¡¯t be any problems. Now, let¡¯s head out.¡± The two girls began walking through the dust storm. Great beasts roared in the distance, as if warning them to stay away. * * * ¡°Here I am.¡± Savunt said softly to himself. He was standing at the edge of a lake. Heaven¡¯s Mirror. A beautiful lake whose clear surface reflected the sky. However, tonight, rain was falling down heavily. Savunt stood at the edge, looking towards the center. Right in the middle of Heaven¡¯s Mirror was his destination. Amesprit, city of the spirits. They would fix his weakening soul link. Hopefully. ¡°I need to find a boat.¡± Savunt looked around, hoping for something to cross the lake with. As he looked around, he spotted something on the lake, heading towards him. He squinted his eyes, staring as it came closer. It was a boat. ¡°What luck.¡± Savunt smiled. He walked close to the lake¡¯s edge. As he did, he noticed something strange. There was someone on the boat. The boat came close, and as it did, Savunt heard the sounds of someone crying. He looked inside, and there was a little girl sobbing. ¡°Hey there, little one, are you okay?¡± The girl looked up, her eyes filled with tears. They glowed softly in the darkness. A Spirit girl. ¡°Little one, what are you doing out here? Your home is across the lake.¡± Savunt said. The girl shook her head. ¡°No. Please. Don''t make me go back.¡± She pleaded. Savunt frowned. ¡°Very well.¡± He stretched out his hand to the girl. ¡°What''s your name, little one? Mine is Savunt.¡± The girl hesitated before cautiously taking Savunt¡¯s hand. ¡°My name¡­ It''s¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°It¡¯s Rai.¡± * * * ¡°Second Lieutenant. Welcome back.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Azarot.¡± Garmr smiled at the demon before him. ¡°I''ve returned with good news that the King will surely like to hear.¡± ¡°Excellent. Seberon!¡± Azarot called out. A demon wearing a black suit appeared. ¡°Yes, milord?¡± Seberon replied. ¡°Take the lieutenant¡¯s message directly to His Majesty.¡± Azarot ordered. Seberon nodded and turned towards Garmr. ¡°Tell His Majesty that I''ve found out the secret of the Lagrim. I''ve found the key and the altar. Hand him this.¡± Garmr gave Seberon a tattered book. ¡°This will explain our next plans. That is all.¡± Seberon nodded. He swiftly left, leaving Azarot and Garmr alone. ¡°Lieutenant, this secret¡­ Just what is it exactly?¡± Garmr smiled. ¡°Seven souls. Seven sacrifices. A ritual. A summoning. A great, enveloping darkness. These are the secret of the Lagrim. With their notes, we will summon the great beast that wiped them out. And then we will unleash it on those who oppose us.¡± Azarot nodded. ¡°Just as well, the humans have declared war on us and the elves.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Yes. We also have Behemet disguised as a human in Lombania currently.¡± ¡°Ah, undercover I see.¡± ¡°Yes, he is posing as a student at the Combat Academy. He''s somewhat of a hero over there. They¡¯ll never expect his betrayal.¡± ¡°Perfect. I''ll return up north to the capital, Azarot. I''ll see you again.¡± ¡°Yes, Lieutenant. I''ll stay down south. Behemet will need to be kept on a tight leash.¡± * * * It was night on the continent of Alurca. Black clouds covered the sky and rained down thunder. Amidst the clouds, a giant mass was flying in the sky. On that mass, a man stood watching below. He wore a golden mask that covered his face. He wore a silver glove on his right hand. In the middle of his palm, was embedded a glowing stone. It glowed multiple colors and shone brightly. Behind his mask, his eyes glittered as he looked at the land below. ¡°It''s raining.¡± He said to himself. ¡°Once again. A storm is brewing. Perhaps¡­ I¡¯ll take a part this time.¡± It couldn''t be seen, but he was smiling underneath that mask. The man chuckled to himself as the land he used to call home was ravaged by a thunderstorm. END OF BOOK 1
Thanks for reading. There¡¯s going to be a lot more delays between chapters now for a while. I have senior projects for school right now. It¡¯s going to take a lot of time and I got sports too. I¡¯ll still try to get a chapter in once every while. Now, most of the main characters have been introduced in some way or another. The others won¡¯t be seen for a while. The next book will be the real start of their journey. Please continue to read my story J.