“There’s no one here.”
Celestia and the other five members of the squad suspiciously looked at Detective Vans. He led them to an empty field West of the Sunken Metropolis, claiming that he had received reports mentioning Jonathan’s presence here.
However, even after searching for half an hour, they found nothing of import. No one lived here, and the lack of any vegetation made it difficult to hide in here.
“I’m starting to think this was all a trick.” Stated James as he glared at Vans Valort.
“...”
“You’re not denying it…”
The six surrounded the man, and though they didn’t use any violence, their piercing gazes were threatening enough.
“You realized that this is a waste of all of our time, right? Jonathan could be in Kethra’s Arms, about to kill another innocent person.”
Truthfully speaking, Vans was having slight regrets, but even as he was pressured, he refused to spill the beans and blame Zeke. He wasn’t forced to do any of this and, deep in his heart, hoped that Zeke succeeded in helping Amelia.
“Yo yo! What!?”
V, who was wearing sunglasses in the dead of the night, removed them and stared at the sky. The rest followed his gaze only to be rendered gobs-smacked by the ludicrous sight.
On the other side of the Sunken Metropolis, a blindingly resplendent crimson meteor was descending from the darkened sky.
Although its size was relatively small, the light it was emitting covered almost the entire canopy.
“What in the…”
Even the usually composed James was speechless by the spectacle. It was extremely improbable for a meteor to strike the planet without any prior notice. Moreover, this one seemed to have appeared out of thin air…
****
“Fuck…. Fuck! What’s that?!”
Julia was cursing out loud, her eyes reflecting the incoming meteor. It was still a distance away to see it properly, but it was definitely a falling meteor covered in a crimson light.
Zeke was the most astonished of the three as the sight was strikingly similar to the one he experienced that day. However, unlike last time, everyone could see the crimson star. Furthermore, it seemed to be heading directly at him, which was surely not a coincidence.
[The Holder and The Crown have successfully merged… initiating the first tribulation.]
‘Tribulation? Really?’
After the initial and momentary shock, the three students dashed toward the purple portal. Azmer and Julia were the first to go through, but when Zeke was about to follow, his body was thrown to the back. It wasn’t the portal itself that rejected him, but something else… something invisible and powerful.
Back on the other side of the portal, in that dark and old basement, Julia and Azmer looked at the portal, waiting for Zeke, who never appeared.
“Where is he?!”
Julia Lopmore restlessly paced around the portal before realizing something, thus making her jump back while cursing under her breath.
Azmer stood there, frowning as he examined the two thugs laying on the ground and groaning in pain. They seemed to have been hit by Amelia’s black lightning, the scorch wounds on their bodies were a clear indication of that.
The blond-haired youth stood there only for a couple of breaths, contemplating his choices before leaping into the purple portal.
When he returned to the other side, what welcomed his sight was a reddened sky and a suffocating heat that made his body shiver instinctively.
Julia was trying to convince Zeke but the latter had his head raised and his body enveloped in blue lightning; He was clearly about to face off against the meteor.
The incoming danger was a boulder emitting a crimson light, its diameter was no more than 40 meters, but that didn’t make it any less frightening, especially when it was headed right at you.
“You’re freaking crazy! What are you hoping to achieve?!”
Zeke turned his head ever-so-slightly and chuckled, looking no different than a madman. He seemed determined to see this to its end as more lightning burst from his right hand, swirling uncontrollably as it rose higher and higher.
Eventually, Julia angrily stomped the ground and shouted, “This time, you’ll owe me for real!”
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as a layer of milky-white aura covered her skin and shattered the ground under her feet.
The last one was Azmer, who gave one last glance at the portal and then conjured his golden fire. His body was like a vacuum, pulling any and all Ambient Aether into his body and then converting it into Fire Energy.
Within a couple of seconds, a miniature golden sun was hovering above his profusely sweating head. He seemed to have trouble controlling it and was waiting for the meteor to get closer.
At last, the inevitable doom was upon them; Zeke’s body unleashed a veritable pillar of voltage that shot at the blinding boulder, Julia’s body was like a cannonball, rising upwards and crashing straight into the meteor, and Azmer’s ‘golden sun’ exploded deafeningly, resulting in a raging sea of flames that spread in the sky and slowly diminished the crimson light.
Stolen story; please report.
For a second or two, there was nothing but an ominous silence, followed thereafter by a devastating shock wave that blasted all three youngsters dozens of meters to the back.
The so-called ‘tribulation’ was cracked by Julia’s attack, which it hit first, then it was pierced by the voltage and melted by Azmer’s flames.
A medium-sized crater and a cloud of dust could be seen around the unscathed purple portal. Zeke, Julia, and Azmer were laying on the ground, two of them seemingly unconscious and the last one coughing and groaning.
Azmer pushed his hands against the ground and sat up, his eyes wandering all around him but the cloud of dust blocked his vision. His head was ringing and his body beyond exhausted, refusing to obey him.
When enough time has passed and the night gales blew away the dust, Azmer saw the unconscious Julia and Zeke. He tried to take out his phone and call for help but his body failed him, at last, and he fell to the ground.
“I-is it safe?”
Jack and Sulong, both of which were in a horrible physical condition, dragged their injured bodies across the portal and looked around. They quickly spotted the three students, but what caught their attention was the devastation that wrought this area.
While Jack dragged Azmer’s body, Sulong put Julia and Zeke’s bodies on his shoulders and grunted in annoyance.
“1200 Alc? He better pays me more than that for all of this!”
The two thugs carried the three students back to their office instead of going to a hospital. Sulong didn’t want to be interrogated regarding his involvement in Jonathan’s case, so the best option for him was to remain devoid of suspicion and wait for Zeke and co to recover on their own.
…
Barely an hour passed after the incident yet the place in which the meteor crashed was filled to the brim with soldiers. The curious journalists and media were warned to stay at the back as the place was blockaded.
“This can’t be Jonathan’s doing…”
The Special Investigation Squad, although intrigued about this unusual phenomenon, didn’t linger there for more than necessary. The Department of Defense was quick to act and had already dispatched dozens of soldiers to seal the region and properly investigate.
Of course, the portal leading to the basement in Kethra’s Arms was discovered, which only raised more questions and was another incentive to keep things under a tight wrap. After all, that portal wasn’t something unfamiliar, it was the selfsame means of translocation used by the higher-ranked Proto Demons. However, this one, strangely enough, seemed to be a simple portal linking two far-away locations.
***
“Agh…”
Zeke’s eyes flung open as he gasped for breath, his body sweating buckets. He was sitting on a hard and dirty mattress in what could only be described as a cramped storage room.
Julia was curled on top of another mattress, seemingly sound asleep and enjoying a good dream. Azmer, on the other hand, was frowning and experiencing a nightmare.
‘Right… we faced the tribulation.’
[User: Zeke Orland]
[Race: Human]
[Level 5 (52/65 EXP)]
[Strength: 59]
[Agility: 59]
[Aether: 56]
[Fortitude: 9]
[Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Aether Voltage (22/22) active | Groundbreaker (1/32) inactive- Sreyzhan Rune (1/9)]
[Skills: Fists of Fury(Proficiency 100%) - Aether Control(Proficiency 89%) - Voltage Zap(Proficiency 100%) - Spark (Proficiency 51%) - One-star Side-kick(Proficiency 100%) - Life Motus(Proficiency 100%) - Rune of Life (Proficiency 55%) - Voltage Arrow (Proficiency 100%)- Rune of Death(29%) - Sreyzhanian Arts(10%)]
[Survival Skills: ‘Rune of Life: Voltage Manipulation(Proficiency 68%)]
[Available PE: 30]
[Available Stat Points: 20]
[Available Skill Points: 1]
After checking the System Logs, Zeke saw that, by successfully surviving the first tribulation, he was required with a bit of PE and some stats. Moreover, after over-exerting himself in the usage of ‘Voltage Manipulation’ and ‘Rune of Life’, both of the skills’ proficiency increased considerably.
‘I still think I wouldn’t have survived if these two didn’t help.’
He was still feeling tired, but the sensation what wholly different from the ‘degradation procedure’ he had suffered through. Basically, he just needed more rest and he would recover to his peak state.
‘Amelia… why did you save him? Why? I don’t understand.’
The youth dragged his feet outside of the storage room and soon recognized where he was at: Sulong’s workplace.
He marched to the main office and, as expected, saw the two thugs watching the TV and drinking beer.
“The little ‘angel’ woke up. Wohoo…” Sarcastically cheered Sulong as he gave a side-way glance to Zeke. You could see bandages wrapped around his left arm and chest, but ignoring that, he seemed to be healthy. Jack too, was in a very good mood as he fiddled with a shiny red crystal while giggling like a child.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Seven hours? Give or take.”
“...”
Zeke walked to a nearby table and gobbled the snacks under the annoyed watch of the baldy. When he felt a bit full, he slumped on the couch, frowning as he watched the TV.
“He escaped, did he not? We didn’t see the girl with you so he must’ve taken her too. She attacked us out of the blue…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Hm? Does that mean you got what you want?”
“You could say that.” Nonchalantly answered Zeke as he let out a heavy sigh.
“Well… we didn’t get our much-wanted revenge, however…” Sulong grinned and took out a crystal similar to the one Jack was playing with.
“We found a couple of these near the crash site. Apparently, it’s worth alot in the Black Market.”
Zeke tried to snatch it and examine but Sulong shook his head and hid it in his pocket.
“That’s our payment. As mere ‘mortals’, we suffered during your clash with that freak. To begin with, we only got our hands on seven such crystals.”
“Fine, then. How about you use them to fund your work? Make it more presentable and legal?”
“...”
Hearing nothing but his silence, Zeke scoffed and added, “Don’t tell me you were planning on wasting all your money on booze and whatnot?”
“It’s our money! We can use it however we want!” Objected Jack, but he was immediately silenced by his friend.
“It was just a proposition. If you want us to cooperate in the future, at least work harder to better yourself instead of being wasteful.”
“You’re slimy bastard, you know that? I let you stay here free of charge and saved your life. If I left you there, you’d be locked in an unbreakable cell in the Department of Defense’s Headquarters.”
“And I’m grateful for that. But, I think the crystals were enough of a payment.”
“Hah! It’s not like they’re yours.”
“Who can tell? Maybe I left them there.”
“Nonsensical sophistry! How about you get out of here with your friends before that detective comes knocking on my door.”
*****
In the blistering wastes of the Whitefrost Planes, Jonathan Stellar Link was carrying the unconscious Amelia on his back and fighting against the raging blizzard that was making his walking slower than a snail.
The Whitefrost Planes were North-West of the Nezulian Republic, hundreds of kilometers away from the Sunken Metropolis. Subsequent to his failure to contain the Crown within Amelia, Jonathan decided to flee the country before the Department of Defense made a move.
He had no reason to expose himself to more danger, especially not after losing to Paths of Extinction System to Zeke.
While gritting his teeth, Jonathan bore through the freezing cold and pushed his heavy feet across the knee-deep thick snow. His next destination would be the Witch Association, in which he was certain another System existed.
“We shall see how long you’ll last, Zeke Orland. We shall see if you will accept your imminent demise.”
END OF Volume 1 : The Crown