Chapter 92: Quirk

The group from Room Eighty moved around the large laboratory, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe as they admired the various tools, convenient magical artifacts, and vast space that stretched before them. The lab was a marvel, its walls adorned with glowing glyphs that pulsed faintly, casting a soft light that illuminated every corner. Shelves lined with mysterious ingredients, glass vials, and ancient scrolls filled the room, their soft shimmer giving the place an aura of untapped potential.

The group moved together, yet each was lost in their thoughts. Nando, always the most vocal of them, ran his hands across a table filled with strange devices. His expression was one of mild frustration. “I can’t believe they stuck me in some rundown mining town with greedy hopefuls,” he muttered, his voice tinged with annoyance. “It’s dusty, ugly, and nothing worth looking at, since when have I been so unlucky.”

Sena, on the other hand, was grinning, his excitement palpable. “I’m thrilled! My town is developing in the far south, close to the border. Plenty of action there—I’ll get to fight some real monsters.”

Abel smiled at Sena’s enthusiasm but added, “I’m stationed in Reinhart, in the southwest. It’s not a huge village, but there’s an old nomadic ruin nearby. I’m looking forward to exploring it.” As he mentioned the ruins, a shiver ran through Ronald. He adjusted his glasses, the memory of their shared encounter with a similar ruin still fresh in his mind.

“Be careful,” Ronald said, his voice low and serious. “You remember what happened last time. Those ruins hide things far worse than we expect.”

Abel nodded in understanding, though a spark of curiosity flickered in his eyes. “I know. But that’s what excites me. There’s so much more to learn.”

Ronald sighed but didn’t argue further. “I’ve been sent to a fishing town in the east. Nothing special, but there’s a lot of water for me to work with.”

Isabella, who had been quiet until now, chimed in. “I’ll be heading north,” she said, her voice calm and collected. “There’s an underground forest discovered near a small town up there. I’ve been assigned to explore it, make sure nothing dangerous is lurking beneath.”

As they continued to explore the lab, their conversation turned toward the logistics of their stationing. “We’ll still come back to the Tower regularly, right?” Abel asked, glancing at the others. “We can meet here, at least once a month. Besides, I might be using these labs often.”

The mood lightened as they shifted the conversation to their newfound strengths. Sena, always keen to discuss battle, glanced at Abel. “That star of yours,” he said, “it’s fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like it, we should spar one day, I want to see how strong the stars are.”

Abel chuckled. “The mana pool you have, which manifested into a scorching horn is intimidating dude,” he replied. “But Ronald’s ghastly water bubble is what really catches my eye.” He grinned and nodded toward Ronald. “And I see you went with the nickname ‘Lake Spirit.’ Very fitting.”

Ronald blushed slightly, embarrassed by the attention. “Yeah, well… it’s better than nothing. Besides, it makes sense with my affinity… I'm still getting used to the random whispers during the nighttime.”

Isabella smiled, shifting the topic to herself. “As for me,” she said, stroking the small snake coiled around her wrist, “my mana pool has become my snake. It’s one with me now, but this”—she gestured to the snake—“is just a manifestation. The true mana pool is the mark on my cheek.”

The others listened with interest as Isabella explained that the snake was a protective shell, able to change its size to assist her in combat, if destroyed, it would reform over time as long as she lived. “It’s strange,” she admitted, “but also reassuring. I feel… connected… just like Ronald, I struggle with my own issue or quirk and that is having two thoughts within my head. It can get confusing but as I progress we should be more in sync.”

“What is a quirk?” Sena asked.

Isabella looks towards him and speaks,” It's similar to the side effects that magic artifacts have. No power in this world comes free of consequence, although not as problematic as the side effects from artifacts they are still a permanent problem for all apostles. To some, it might become more intense when you rise the ranks, but as a Rank One Apostle, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.”

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Sena, Ronald, and Abel were listening keenly impressed by the information but also surprised that they hadn't heard of this before. Nando smiled and tapped Isabella on the shoulder, “I'm not surprised that a member of the Adder Family would know this information. Even big families overlook their quirks and neglect the fact that they possess one.”

Isabella looked towards him curiously but smiled, “Well our name precedes us, we are no longer a family of the central region.”

“Well, it's all central region political crap. Hmph.” Nando said, crossing his arms and looking away with a dark face.

Isabella chuckled, “I'm sure your Andrade family knows a lot about it, you guys were in the central region even before mine, and now one of the most well-known in Bask.”

Abel and Sena looked at one another as they obviously couldn't relate as their family heads were simply mayors just now grasping the idea of magical artifacts, however, Nandos and Isabella's family being knowledgeable in magic and being from the central region did not come as a shock, as they had showed knowledge about certain magical matters before. Ronald was a little different than the previous two but also different from Nando and Isabella as his family never had an apostle before but were aware of the world of magic.

Abel began to put things together as finding out about quirks made him realize a dew things. He felt that having a quirk as an apostle wasn't a rarity and it came in many different ways and it seemed to affect the individual uniquely. Sena seemed to itch for a battle at all times, Nando seemed to be very miserable at times, and so on. He felt his own quirk materializing the last few days as he felt alone, a sense of longing. Maybe due to his star not being in the sky amongst the others, maybe from him being away from his family, and maybe a combination of both. But he did feel as though quirks were more than just setbacks, maybe they were a way to progress and find a way forward.

The group marveled at her ability again for a bit but soon turned their attention to Nando. Abel was the first to ask, “What about your mana pool? What’s the deal with that black heart of yours?”

Nando’s face darkened slightly, his eyes flickering with an emotion none of them could place. “It’s… complicated,” he began, his voice quieter than usual. “The Tomb Walker I’m aligned with had an affinity for Misery. It’s dark, but it’s powerful. Affinities can be abstract, you know?”

The others looked at him, puzzled. “Misery?” Ronald asked. “That’s… an affinity?”

Nando nodded. “The more abstract the affinity, the harder it is to progress through the ranks. But it also means there’s potential. I just have to figure out how to use it.”

Abel couldn’t help but wonder how difficult it would be to progress with his own star affinity. “I guess we’ll all have our challenges,” he muttered.

The conversation lulled as they finished inspecting the lab, but their camaraderie didn’t fade. As they left the lab and began walking toward their rooms, they passed several other newly promoted apostles. Among them were Tina and Jane, who both greeted Abel and Ronald with warm smiles. It was a strange sight—Tina, especially, had once been cold and distant.

Nando and Sena exchanged confused glances. “What’s going on there?” Sena asked with a grin. “Since when do they get along with you two?”

Ronald, embarrassed, quickly dismissed any assumptions. “It’s nothing like that,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “We’ve all grown closer through… well, everything that’s happened. We’ve been through a lot together. Even Tina has changed. Our prejudices were broken down.”

Nando chuckled and nudged Ronald with his elbow. “Just as long as Edmund doesn’t interact with me,” he joked. “That guy’s insufferable.”

To their surprise, as they continued down the hall, they crossed paths with Edmund himself. He wore his new black apostle robe. His eyes briefly met theirs, and though the tension was palpable, Edmund gave them a curt nod of acknowledgment.

Awkwardly, the group nodded back, exchanging looks of disbelief. They had expected some kind of confrontation, but instead, they were left with a strange sense of relief. Perhaps even Edmund had changed.

They finally arrived at their rooms, each one spacious and grand, fit for royalty. Abel, in particular, was taken aback by the luxury. The room was far more lavish than anything he had ever known, especially when compared to the average-looking halls right on the other side of the door. The bed was large, draped in fine silk sheets, and the furniture was polished and elegant. A large window overlooked the Tower grounds, providing a view of the distant horizon.

Despite the beauty of the room, Abel felt out of place. It was too grand, too luxurious for someone like him. Even his home back in Duskton, though comfortable, had been modest. As he sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts drifted to the village he would soon be stationed in—Reinhart, a place full of unknowns and potential.

With a deep sigh, Abel leaned back, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts of the future.