“What’s the matter with that kid?”
Celestia wasn’t happy at the end of her pointless conversation with Zeke. He left abruptly and was vehemently against lending any kind of assistance.
“I found that strange.” Remarked James while pushing back his glasses and standing up.
“He was relatively polite when we talked to him. Did you expect him to be like Edward?”
Upon the mention of Edward Orland, the girl snorted and averted her gaze.
“Apparently, before awakening, so to speak, he was getting bullied by two of his classmates. Maybe his unwillingness to help stems from that.”
“And what, pray tell, does that have anything to do with me?”
“You shouldn’t have threatened him.” Chirped Vanessa, also surprised by Zeke’s attitude. Although he was fairly outspoken, he was still a bit ‘docile’ when she talked to him.
“I’ll try talking to him.”
“What?”
Celestia slapped her hand against the table, her anger rising, which was extremely rare as tended to things in a calm and responsible manner.
“Out of the question! Do you think I can’t make him cooperate? He’s just a kid!”
“Trying to be forceful isn’t the right method, Celestia.”-Vanessa
“I am not going to be. As you know, I have my ways.”
After saying her piece, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door with more force than necessary.
Later that day, in the Infirmary.
“The principal himself? Really?”
James was sitting on one of the medical beds and listening to Xavier, his older brother.
“Yes. The test results of each student are naturally classified, but it’s definitely odd for the old man himself to actually erase the results. You are indeed into something, James.”
Seeing his sibling deep in thought, trying to find a way to figure out the truth, Xavier sighed and spoke again,
“However, if the principal didn’t do anything to the kid, I doubt it’s dangerous to Erys as a whole. It could be a family secret.”
“What if it’s not? What if Zeke has resorted to taboo techniques to forcefully awaken himself? Or worse, what if he sought Jonathan’s help? I know he’s Max’s brother, but I’m part of the Special Investigation Squad and I have to look at things objectively.”
“Just let it go, James. By now, you should’ve learned that logical reasoning isn’t necessarily the best option. Furthermore, you aren’t going to win Maxine’s heart… I’d even say you’re losing points by doing this.”
The doctor’s words were enough to convince James, who laid back and let out a long and heavy breath.
----------------------------------------
“All eight were killed. Her wounds are slightly different, however. There are burnt marks all over…”
Vans Valort, Samuel’s father and a Detective, was scrutinizing the brutal and bloodied crime scene. Although it was located outside of the city, which wasn’t within his jurisdiction, he was still assigned to the case due to its relation to the serial killer plaguing Kethra’s Arms and its entourage.
He looked at his partner, a timid youth with large spectacles, and instructed him to write every detail.
“There’s no doubt about it. It’s Jonathan’s doing. After his most recent sighting and the surface of his new ‘accomplice’, it’s safe to assume that the motive was revenge.”
Vans cursed under his breath as he saw the bodies of the soldiers being wrapped in a large black plastic bag.
“The girl had gone and done it. She’s a criminal now and there would be no turning back.”
More than anyone, the man was angry at himself, not only for failing to find Amelia, but for also failing in saving her from this doomed path.
“I want every nook and cranny of this forest searched. Also, inform the Department of Defense and report to me their response!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The officers dispersed and a whole perimeter was set up in the middle of the rarely-frequented dirt road.
While Vans was inspecting Melissa’s corpse, his partner stuttered then said,
“E-em…these marks seem to be from Lightning-aspected Magic. Th-this will narrow down our search.”
“I know already!” Snapped back Vans, his teeth gritted. Unlike him, not many knew about Amelia’s involvement. In fact, he only received this information from the squad of students dispatched by the principal.
‘If I remember correctly, the girl was a Defect. But Zeke… his ability had uses lightning. Damnit! Things will get out of hand if I don’t wrap this case quickly.’
----------------------------------------
For the second time, Zeke stood near the Dean’s hut, speechless to see another student, one waving at him.
He didn’t know how Julia convinced the Dean or if she had received an offer, but the fact remained: The curfew notwithstanding, she was there.
“I seriously need help. Your ability can help me improve!” She declared with both hands on her hips and a haughty stance.
“Which is why I asked the old man for help!”
“Who are you calling an old man?!”
She was hit in the back by his stick, but she didn’t fall to the ground. She rubbed her stinging back and childishly complained.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“It would be beneficial for both of you to train together. At least try it once.” Seriously uttered the Dean as he stared at the stone-faced Zeke.
After a long internal debate, Zeke reluctantly agreed and was led to the side. Julia raised her arms and changed her stance, her beaming smile displaying her joyous mood.
“It will be fun, I swear! We will learn from each other.”
“Don’t forget this is meant to be a secret. Don’t blow things up and try to be a little bit discreet.”
Once he warned them, he walked to Azmer and, as always, kept striking him with the stick every time he did something wrong.
Soon, the girl charged at him while activating her ability, which significantly increased her attack and movement speed. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Zeke’s eyes, aiming a punch at his shoulder.
In retaliation, azure lightning burst forth, clashing with her fist and slowing it momentarily. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop her attack as Zeke was pushed back, trying to not let out a groan of pain.
‘She definitely held back… but it still hurt like hell. What’s her body made of?!’
“Use more of your lightning! That’s what I’m here for!”
She didn’t attack again, instead, she patiently waited for him to re-adjust and focus, which he swiftly did.
When she charged at him for the second time, Zeke did not escape using ‘Life Motus’, he relied on the Aether stored within ‘Rune of Life’ and followed up with ‘Voltage Arrow’, which manifested a literal spear of lightning rather than a small arrow.
The shiny blue lightning even attracted the attention of Azmer, but he ended up getting hit viciously by the Dean, to the point that traces of blood were visible on his back.
“Focus, I said! Focus!”
Surprisingly, Julia took the spear head-on and was astonished to see her body flying to the back, her uniform charred and over half of her stomach revealed.
“Wow!”
Another ‘arrow’ made of crackling lightning shot at her, but she evaded at the last second and leapt in the air and vertically swiped her head downwards as she descended upon Zeke.
Trying to see how much force he could exert, Zeke imbued his leg with the so-called ‘Voltage’ and used ‘One-star Side-kick’, clashing his leg with hers.
Even though Julia didn’t have any flashy ability, her strength was simply monstrous, so much so that Zeke felt a surge of pain and numbness as his leg was overpowered. He fell to the ground while rubbing his aching leg whereas Julia safely landed on her two feet.
“I’m really impressed. Not many First Years have as much brute strength as you. Does your ability also strengthen your body?”
He didn’t reply, he just stood up and, with a gloomy and defiant face, said,
“Again.”
“From the looks of it, you don’t like losing too! Here I come.”
After a full hour of non-stop sparring, Zeke reached his limit and had to rest. Fortunately, Julia didn’t insist on continuing, and, after repeatedly thanking him, she returned to the dorms, declaring at they should do this again.
Unexpectedly, Zeke benefited greatly and, through his dozens of clashes with Julia, he began to efficiently use Voltage, either in basic moves or along with the skills.
It was an invaluable skill that, quite literally, allowed him to manifest lightning and, to some degree, shoot lightning bolts that were about half as strong as a normal ‘Voltage Zap’.
As he had the Daily Tasks to complete, he forced himself to stand up after a short rest. However, mid-way through the tasks, his body refused to move, but it was not due to pain or exhaustion.
It was as if he was stuck inside a non-functional, only able to breathe and looked around. It lasted for a couple of seconds before he regained control, he tried to cover his mouth but that didn’t work as he vomited a full mouthful of blood.
This caught Azmer and the Dean’s attention, the latter appearing next to him almost instantly.
“You okay, lad?”
Zeke raised his hand in reassurance and wiped his mouth, his eyes fixated on the blood dying on the ground.
‘This must be what the System was talking about. It’s not even leaving me any choice by this point.’
He had to get the Crown, however, he neither knew what it really was nor where, which made the task all the more difficult, if not impossible.
“I just need a bit of rest.”
Zeke’s forced a smile and walked away, seemingly ignoring the two pairs of eyes glued to his back.
As he was making his way to the dormitory, his limbs became stiff and his heartbeat became louder and faster. For a couple of breaths, Zeke’s senses sharpened, making him able to hear the subtlest of sounds and smell different kinds of scents.
His pupils constricted as he leaned on a tree and took deep breaths.
“T-this… damn… system.”
[Deterioration of physiological functionalities!]
[Seek the Crown]
[Deterioration of physiological functionalities!]
[Seek the Crown]
The same two notifications kept repeating themselves until Zeke fell to his knees and vomited more blood. After that, clarity and silence returned, but the youth’s face was as pale as a sheet of paper.
When he obtained the Special Mission, he thought nothing of it at first. As he was stuck in Erys, he had decided to delay the mission, but, clearly, he didn’t have the luxury to choose the option. The system was practically forcing him to seek the Crown or suffer like this.
Even though it wasn’t explicitly said, it wasn’t hard to assume the meaning behind ‘Deterioration' of physiological functionalities’. Basically, his body was failing him and the only way to return it to normal was to seek the Crown.
“Does this mean I have to leave Erys? If I’m caught, I could be expelled…”
Zeke muttered to himself as he sneak inside the dormitory while touching his chest, which was inexplicably hot and sweaty.
..
“You!”
The second he stepped into the room, Samuel popped from out of nowhere and pointed at him.
“You’re not hanging out with those wannabe delinquents, right? Please tell me you’ve been doing something productive.”
“I wasn’t with them.”
“Good good! Nothing good will come out of that. Anyroad! Mind helping us with something?”
Seeing Samuel buttering him up, Zeke frowned and looked at the timid Alan sitting on his bed and pretending to be reading a book.
“Help with what exactly?”
“Well! Unlike you, we’re not that good at Theoretical stuff. Can you explain a couple of things, please?”
Samuel pleaded while fishing out a thick book and politely presenting it in front of Zeke.
After a short silence, Zeke sighed and nodded his head. He beckoned both of then and, for the next hour, he helped them go through their homework and revise for the upcoming exams.
“You did a much better job than Mister Christopher. He usually glosses over some stuff, deeming them as basics and things the students should be aware of. Which, mind you, isn’t the case!”
“These are basic stuff, though.” Retorted Zeke while putting down the pen and walking to his bed.
“You need to study more, Sam. As for you, Alan, you need only memorize the formula I showed you.”
“T-thanks!”
The short and bespectacled kid bowed and, slightly excited, drifted to his desk and immediately began studying.
“Ah! By the way, Sam…”
“Mhm, yes?”
Zeke hesitated for a bit, pondering whether it was the right choice to ask for Samuel’s help. Just when he resolved himself, the door opened and a battered and tired Azmer entered.
“Nevermind.”
The night passed on and the four students went to sleep at a very late time. When the bright sun rays pierced through the large windows, Samuel jumped off his bed and Alan was the next to follow.
However, both Azemer and Zeke were groaning and stiff, the former from the Dean’s hits and the latter from the ‘punishment’ inflicted by the System.
‘It’s getting worse by the day. I have to hurry.’
…
It was only later that day, around evening, that Zeke realized how bad his condition actually was. Periodically, his body would feel extremely heavy and even refuse to move, which was problematic. The worst of it was the abrupt rush of blood and the vomiting, which made him repeatedly go to the bathroom.
Forced into a corner, Zeke concocted a plan there and then to find the Crown as soon as possible. Coincidentally, the System lent a bit of much-needed assistance.
[Analyzing the user’s vicinity… locating the Crown…]
[Special Mission: Retrieval of the Crown]
[Distance successfully calculated: 2461 Meters North-East]
It actually gave him the exact location of the Crown, which, unexpectedly, was closer than he had thought.
‘It must be somewhere in Kethra’s Arms. Why does it have to be there of all places?’