COI C231
The day has come. The 4th moon cycle is coming to an end. The Jigeram goes south to the sea. The view, when it’s about to go down looks like a sunset. The sun appears after so long from a powerful moonlight. The city never knew how the Jigeram’s light able to block the entire sunlight with its light blue rays. A phenomenon of this world, the sun finally made its appearance to ease many inhabitants in this Kinteinnou region. Without the Jigeram’s light, the crystals start to crack as mana wasn’t absorbed and contained, releasing it from its chamber. One after the other, the leak of mana spurts out multitude of colors, identical to shamanism’s colors.
The dust should’ve eaten all the mana. But they didn’t know it belongs to a strong mana source. Since the day when the dust falls and crystallized, the remnants of these mana linger without a care. Soon the Jigeram will leave, and the mana remains in this region will return to in its saturated state. Where the natural mana hid beneath the surface, the surface mana is clearly had powerful properties.
“Those are not the mana you’ve expected inside the crystals. Better yet, treated it as poison” The Victory Rooks adventurer warned their citizen companion
“The what are they?” The citizen points out the leak as the light comes out from the crystal
“Other than poison, it is a magic gem. An unstable gem”
A sense of interest among the adventurers to the citizens, but they soon look around how devastated all around them. The time to see what happened in the aftermath is soon drawn them to quit. Still, there are people out there start gathering the unstable gem. It was easy when the ruins of the city had provided so much concentrated crystals. All neatly collected and properly store by their vast RAPs skills. It was the right time to rebuild the city from its ruins. After all that is happened, they finally get their lives together. Soon life will be going back to normal.
The young boy holds it in his hand is the refined gem he had never feel so terrified in his life.
“Teacher Haw, are you sure I have to skip class for this training”
“Time lost because of the dangers, Shield Student. It was brave of you to risk your life because of the brigands on your back”
“I’m just glad I have to live another day. My uncle will be furious at you if our guild failed”
“Such as us in Rune Isles”
“I suppose, but why in this specific time? It is almost time where the moon sets onto the sea”
“Why? Do you want to see it?”
“Yeah, it looks beautiful in light blue gives a passing after all it did terribly in this region”
“Such a daring way to say to the light that nearly killed us all”
The shield student starts smiling then chuckles. The 3rd and 4th moon cycles are the true bane of their existence. His laughter slows down with tears flowing.
He cried “At least we survive”
Haw sees his tears. He can’t respond with the shield student’s expression. He slowly remembers what Andui said to him. Remembering her tears back then made him be a little subtle.
He comforted him “And so you will face another day. I rarely giving someone advice because how stern I am and the rest of the others. For you, the only way I can make you experience the dangers is with this gem”
The shield student reaches his hand out to the multi-layered stone. A strange familiar sight, the same looking stone made him remember on social media.
“Wait a minute, let me get my phone. Is that? No way? It’s the same rock that Silfa brought”
“The same rock? Let me take a look”
The shield student shows it to him. A picture held by anyone trying to hold it as it weighs them down. Every one of them tries to pick it up like it was a challenge. Haw held his gem firmly and said
“Why not you give it a try?”
“Are you sure?”
He lays his hand as the gem touches his palm. The moment Haw let it go, the sheer weight comes in but wasn’t enough to send his hand to the ground.
“It is heavy, but not the same from the video. Is your stone really from east mountain?”
“I have nothing to prove. It’s a matter to see that you have low excess mana”
“Excess mana . . .” He whimpers and checks his UI.
It was very outdated, low amounts of features except for the basic settings and controls, and his RAPs limited beginners and low levels. It has range for athleticism, trades, home economics, maintenance, and so on. He scratches his head with nothing so special on his settings.
“Teacher Haw?”
“Huh, yeah?”
“Ah you know, after all this chaos is over. Would you uhm . . .”
“You want me what you’re lacking, right?”
“Yeah, sort of”
There is a reason why Haw wants him to skip school. The shield student is near to what Sanquin desires. The dusts are clearing away by the wind. Thanks to their protective equipment, it hides what they really need for their bodies to adapt. The training for this recruit is the only way get through with his disadvantage. Low in mana, but possessing many gifts from the Enders.
The recruit has the gauntlet of the Dexter’s Guild, the Sanquin’s blessing, and Guild mistress Fay’mae’s doll. Those are not gifts can be found in Enders Bridge. They are the items made or power given personally to him. This makes him wonder why they chose him instead the other recruit stays at Enders Bridge. This young recruit is being given such powerful tools. Sanquin’s blessing and the doll are the two he can’t understand. But Sanquin’s instruction is for his awakening. Sanquin was waiting for this time to end the 4th moon cycle. Now all the moons are at sea except for one moon stagnant at Rune Isles. It is the perfect time to unleash the Shield Student’s potential.
The shield student was brought outside of the city. Where the highly dense crystals found within the forest. There they will search Sanquin’s instructed location. There is a large massive block lying in the outskirt ready to crumble, and they see a message written on it
“It is time for the ceremony. Miyusuki, I know I won’t be here to help you to strengthen my blessing on you. But know this. Time is growing thin in this important training. Be warned, this is not what your people called a power boost. It is a promise they kept that you too will join them. Once you see the truth, hide everything what you experience here thus far. Never give in to people who wants to know or all you have train for will be your death. Unless they will join your fate” Then it falls apart.
Haw explains to him “You see here, shield student. Whether you have a powerful equipment in your hand. The Runic shield which you already understood how to, right?”
“Right”
“Voldemyr sees you’ve been struggling with it as you never properly fight it with the mana is meant to use. The gauntlet you wield is obviously lacking utilities and other archscience tech. Yet, you use only the basics. The lacking you’re talking about is different. Could you tell me about it?”
“Well yeah, It’s the gauntlet, the weapons, and everything”
“How about the doll? The shadow being from your breath? Do you think there is a need of improvement?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what am I going to do with it. I was hoping you train me again with physical exercise brought that shadowy thingy”
“That physical exercise brought out the shadow from your breath? Or was it exhaustion fused together with your blessing. Archivist spotted your powers were delivered reactively and not willingly. Also, the doll rarely comes out to help you”
“Fae-chan”
“That’s right, the doll belongs to powerful individuals. They inherit such abundance of old and new magic without fail. Your doll may have such power but I don’t know how we are going to use it without knowledge”
“Oh”
Miyusuki frowns at the opportunity to use Fae-chan. It saves him a single crucial time against the brigands.
A flash happens inside Miyusuki’s head. The blessing occurred calling out to him
“Ugh!”
Haw sees him hurting “Are you alright, Shield Student?”
“Yeah, I’m alright. It just Augh!”
His mind flashes a glimpse of a crystal obelisk, where it can be seen at the background where the city is. Somewhere close to the outskirts and crystal trees nearby, where the city lies visible enough where it can be found close to Fuku City. A voice reaches to his ears, it was Sanquin’s voice
“Play time is over, go there and learn actual magic from YOUR guild”
“AH!”
A loud strict tone got through his ears. The feeling of his ears burst but as he checks it, they were fine.
Haw asks again “You’re getting ill, is it time for us to leave this place . . .”
“Ow, no teacher Haw. I think I heard Sanquin’s voice inside my head”
“Hmm, I guess her way of communicating you have not properly in tune. What did Sanquin says?”
Miyusuki keeps rubbing his head from the sheer pressure of her voice calling out to him. It was only one single message and it hurts him, but kept the words intact inside his head. He says the same thing what she had said
“Play time is over, go there and learn actual magic from YOUR guild”
The line ‘your’ is loud and clear and made Haw confirms Sanquin’s actual tone. He never forgot how she uses it on Oue when she gets serious.
Miyusuki starts to go further out of the city. Haw follows him and asks again
“Did she give you the direction where to go? This is how far she instructed me to go”
“Yeah, it keeps sticking in my eyes like a spot of light when I stare at it like looking at the sun for too long”
“That’s new for me to hear. Let’s get going, we both know how Sanquin is acting right now”
“Alright, ouch!”
Without hesitation to prepare to go to the wilderness. Miyusuki has to listen the message. Sanquin is being harsh lately, what brings her act like this when Haw is already going to guide him there. Although Miyusuki is prepared, his worry is about his teacher is going in there without him carrying proper weapons. They were just gathering the crystals, and now they are heading into the forest.
At the outskirt, Miyusuki have never realized the grasslands of this outskirt have become nothing but a barren wasteland. The dust is on their knees as they walkthrough. He feels his legs stinging even he has protective runes. Haw never feel anything, but only the weight of how heavy the dust is when moving forward. They are struggling in different effects of the dust. Either be its weight or being feasted from the Shield Student’s mana. It was the first time for Miyusuki to be here as the city warned not to go out. It was very far away and the two never cease to stop, if they do. They fell to the dust as its poisons or leach will succumb them.
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Miyusuki sees the crystal forest falling one after the other from its weight. The weight of its branches fell from the leaking crystal containing the unabsorbed mana. It collapses before them. Miyusuki stops for a second and check for more falling debris. He starts to hesitate, then he sees Haw venture further as he sees something
“There is something over there. It didn’t glow like the rest of the trees. It must be one of those posts”
“Post? But what I see is a crystal obelisk”
“So, that’s what it is called. I used to call it a post because some of my guild members tend to mention it that way”
“Really, and I thought . . . There it is!”
Sun enters inside the forest as the other remaining falling crystallized branches fell to the ground. It’s sun light rays in and reveal what Miyusuki saw inside his mind. The crystal obelisk becomes clearer as the sun phases through it like a prism. Internally, what lies inside is the writings where he can understand. He was shock to see those writings
“English . . . No, there is also Japanese beneath it. Haw, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, I can’t seem to understand what I am reading. Those words above I don’t know but I can read underneath. That’s strange. Did the Enders start to understand your city’s language?”
“Maybe your right, but why Sanquin led us here anyway?”
The writing says “There is no introduction from all this. Raker Mawn guild, bring the recruit inside. It is very important that he must train with his actual master”
Haw recognizes the word patterns “It’s Sanquin. I think he is disappointed in you”
“Me? I didn’t even train properly”
“I understand that, it is probably that she watches over your body”
“Watch over my body? That sounds a bit of a pervert if you said that”
“I know your youths, and you were slacking off”
“. . .”
Miyusuki didn’t respond. It was obvious he was having fun with his friends during the isolation. There is nothing better to do because how depressing those days in the evacuation area.
He was involved for the first few weeks of his training. It was unbearable and they understand why he can’t continue on after being taken a train to escape from the brigands. His life should’ve been over. All the time he is been doing is relaxing and continue his normal school life. After that experience, the simulation room at school has shown little improvement for him because they are starting to treat it as a game. The stress on him was ceased and starts to remember his powers were not in full use. Sanquin’s tone inside his head is the given why she does this while the rest of their guild were busy.
Without saying a word, he remembers the vision how to get inside. Pointed his head up as he holds his breath, channeling his black mist within his lungs, and soon blows it gently like he is smoking. The smoke flowing into the crystal where the dusts stain on it tried to absorb the black mist. It melts down as the crystal forces the black mist inside. It siphons in and pulls Miyusuki in with his mouth filled with black mist as well. Through his throat stuck by the black mist, he tries to stop it out. He was hook like a fish then yanked into the crystal.
Once it was over Haw was left behind as the crystal writes itself in their own language.
“Guard it, Isekai City is very unpredictable when it comes to secrets” Haw spoke it out
Then someone comes in “Brilliant! Just a bait that lures him or me in”
A sarcastic tone from a person hidden and blinded by the reflective lights from the crystals. The man was easily seen with his dark journeyman outfit. A face reveals the man’s hand blocking the reflective light. Disappointingly showing himself late before the recruit got inside
“It’s been a while, Haw”
“Myrrkei, I still haven’t got a word from the guild master for letting you get close with any spheres or grounded portals”
“That one you’ve said to me. It’s not a portal, it is a gateway. Never mind, I know I did my wildest interest with the Sister’s Hope Highschool. And I won’t apologize for it, just, acknowledging it like it was allowed to be brought there”
Myrrkei throws a bag at Haw. Haw catches it. It was Haw’s old gear and equipment. It was left behind because it wasn’t allowed in the city. The equipment fully graded in Enders’ quality.
Haw asks “Why bringing this to me?”
Myrrkei shares the same expression as him, unmotivating. “She was disappointed. We already know why”
They look at the crystal starts to crumble and reveal its iron and brass statue hanging up from the frame. A wooden archway filled with ornaments crafted on the corbel wood bracket. Together as the statue appears then fades at the archway’s side, as it behaves like an impulsive dream. The black mist composes it existence leaving Myrrkei jealous for the young boy have to go through the passage. To ease his gruntled moment, he said to Haw
“How far did the city advance itself? I delivered a very fragile piece to a friend of mine in the city. I hope it will help them to deal with”
“Hiding your envy won’t work from me, Myrrkei. But if we want to share our sides of knowledge for both recruits. We might exchange of something”
Myrrkei almost forgot “You’re right, there is something Tabitha wants in the city. Would you help her when she gets back to her city?”
“I’ll do so, while you help the shield student to unite all of his gifts”
“That’s . . .!”
Myrrkei thought Haw overvalued his offer. Those gifts are all powerful tools from the different guilds and strong individuals. His head stops pondering on himself and focuses on the need of their guild members. Tabitha is fully train now and with magic items respectfully honing naturally because of Kiege, Juela, and Oue. Yet, he ignores Archivist’s involvement. The shield student, Miyusuki, lacks too much. The archway in front of them is showing Sanquin concerns. The guild master will not be please by it too.
Myrrkei claps for himself “I almost forgot we are in the same Raker Mawn guild. The draft for going to Isekai City really made me have low expectation to the former guild members. Right, Dexters?”
Haw shows Myrrkei’s doubt “They are already ahead. You have already complained about it before”
“Sigh* It wasn’t complaining. It was a critique of their hasty endeavor”
Myrrkei looks around the crystal debris “Let’s prepare for the defenses, we should follow her message, perfectly”
Miyusuki enters a realm that he felt like he is in his home country. A garden where is close to the cliff next to the sea. A rising sun sets where its dusky glow showers the grass. It goldens the landscape giving a beautiful view. He sets his eyes on the ground for a moment. The glimpse at the side of his eyes where he can see markings hidden in the golden grass. The markings rose up as flowers blooming themselves away from him, close to the cliffs, then he sees someone is standing by it. Hidden by the dusk, appeared physically with each passing blooming flowers facing at the person.
The person turns around, it was a man, and shakes his head from what he sees on the flowers.
“My wife should’ve been helping you. This introduction is very aesthetic for my taste”
“Uhm, who are you? Are you Sanquin wants me to improve myself?”
A twitch movement on his feet, as he bends the grass with the wind. A sudden pulse of magic passing through where Miyusuki barely feel it. The man understood why
“The heavenly demon’s disciple. You’ve already shame her with your numb senses”
“What?”
Another pulse of his magic as the realm swift and turned into a different realm.
The garden rose from the ground as different levels of highest terrain separate one another. It flies to the air except for them where they stand. Miyusuki didn’t feel a thing. The young student wasn’t afraid but in awe
“Wow, this is really cool”
The man felt troubled that this is a sign of his condition. All terrain set to different heights where the earth, water, air and fire segregated completely to prepare for his next move. This is far worse than he had thought. Sanquin is overestimating the people from before. He calmly said to the young boy
“You’re in awe means you don’t know what threats I brought”
“Really?!”
His eyes shine the hopes to obtain such power like this. The man looks at his eyes already give away how the citizens’ strength so far. The man never underestimates Sanquin’s disciple, rather, made him believe more about his son fighting those people, and live. Later, he settles the terrain around them as they talk
“I’m glad you listen”
“Then you will train me even harsher like one of those fighting shows: Standing on poles while carrying a bucket of water, climbing from mountain to mountain by just jumping, or teaching me techniques . . .”
Miyusuki keeps talking in excitement. The man couldn’t help but smiling of his enthusiasm. That face makes him reminds himself how he should’ve given a chance to teach his son too to do those things. Actually, he didn’t understand what Miyusuki said to him with that kind of passion. He explains to Miyusuki briefly
“You can, and it only takes the hardest thing you should’ve done a long time ago”
“Like what?”
“Your UI”
Miyusuki was stunned. His old powers returning? He starts smiling with glee then frowns later on.
“Does it mean I will lose Sanquin’s blessing?”
The pain brings a powerful force, feeling a smack on his head from the back. He looks around as his vision being blurred. The man sees him getting hit. Sanquin is showing the demoness side of her. This realm is made from the full power of her demonic technique. It is the domain of the demon, and dare to speak her name poorly will surely show harm. The young boy deserved it. So young with pointless questions will hurt more than he should put his trust on her. After he recovers, the man said to him
“It’s time to get your UI. Through your own strength . . .”
Miyusuki feels confident as he can finally have it back. Then he hears him in a more dire voice
“. . . The consequences are the demons will notice your freedom”
“Freedom?”
“More rather to speak of, just like us”
Miyusuki mumbled his mouth trying to respond. He is looking for the words as his mind try to get a hold himself after all that happened. His curiosity sets in and gives a terrified question
“I heard something from Voldemyr, you mean free as in like normal people. The powers to face life and death through your will”
The man claps his hands “Truly, yet our guild will help you in your imputable struggle”
‘Life and death’ is a short term for Horsin people who doesn’t rely on the supernatural powers. Powers that exceed their own natural limits who is willing to follow the natural order like the goblins. Strength of its own like the humans. Craft only the powers of their gods like the dwarves. It is the same for the elves as well, however they can take others power too. Lastly, the demons who actually left this world. All different form of natural strength, in order to separate the curse and the dependence of this world. Knowing such lore, it is hard to explain for the other races. It is their will to separate them from Horsin altogether. That’s the truth that they could not accept.
It was not long when Miyusuki starts following the man’s instructions. Opening his UI where only he himself could see. Trial and errors circling around while the man instructs him
“Ignore what you see, and focus what you really want to control. Treat it like a dream turned lucid. Let your very thoughts be in command or your dream goes without you. Even you have to reveal what you desire, your selfish and delusional desire. Go through that thought and took control for yourself. Like a dream, it won’t hurt you. That UI belongs to you”
The UI starts static. It begins to appear in front of the man. A screen like view that supposed to be seen on monitors. There he sees sudden changes as if something so old try to regain back to the young boy’s UI. The mana is so faint that the source is barely reaching back to its control. The man nods carefully from what he just saw. Miyusuki focuses on the UI, seeing things where he can’t control is now opening like it was some secret icons blending in on the background. The words written are hard to understand, all foreign to his eyes.
Surprisingly. He can see the features that lost from him is returning to his control. His body is shaking. He keeps his posture and try to keep going. Then there is a pop up on his notification. That nostalgic ping sound made him how he misses those warning signs. The warning brings to his attention and he goes down in one knee as he froze from the shock.
Terrified, he says to the man “I can’t believe it. My UI is threatening me”
“YOU’LL DIE IF YOU TRY TO TAKE THIS USER INTERFACE AWAY FROM ME!” It says without them knowing, but there is one who read it clearly.
Horror and tension crawls into Miyusuki’s head, feeling the tension is real from that message. Then he hears her voice again. It was the voice like he was in the middle of an argument among the two. The UI and Sanquin are arguing. Words that he cannot understand, where both tones of their voices shrouded with powerful wails and horrifying screams. Then the devilish laughter smooths him,
Sanquin speaks to him “Ooh, my preparation is always unmatched for him. My disciple, I have made you do something I never expect to happen. Continue this path, you will face more than your UI. Leave now, and death is closer than you might think . . .”
Miyusuki doubts himself. All of a sudden, a threat coming from an UI means the people who have it will be harmed because of him. He is not ready to face it. It all makes sense to him, why they must leave. The city state leader, from what he remembered to be a demoness. She knows what happened to them. She wants them to leave, to escape the future what will happen to them, and to never return after they have been through. His lips trying to speak out to the man, the voices in his head, but couldn’t say a single word. The man sees him trembling.
The man knows better what’s going on. Sanquin is being spoiled, and the man knows what spoils her. Sweet revenge. The UI in front of him, he stunned it and separate the link between it and the young boy.
“Oof!”
Miyusuki’s body releases the mana he had left. Drained down to the dried husk inside of him, he pulls himself up carrying his equipment showing his natural strength. All the inventory he had inside his UI is temporary shuts off.
He says to the man “Am I really have to do this? After so many of them telling me to be ready in so many ways, I quickly faced without knowing. What if?”
The man bends his magic to silent his lips “You are one of us. Especially to the girl who entered Enders Bridge, her purpose is to leave. You too and have to survive this world to get there. Witness this incident, and change your views here. Many have given you too much gifts to abandon now. The dream reveals to be your nightmare, and we tried to control such nightmare. Well, boy, there is no escape”
“No escape?”
“My mistake, there is no escape to meet the guild master”
“What?”
The realm starts fading away as the realm turns into a room.
A recognizable room where the office of the guild master identically designed. Miyusuki looks around from the sudden changes then he sees the guild master himself. Daygen sees the Shield Student
“I have seen what happened, shield student”
“You know me?”
“Yes, and let me introduce myself first. I am Daygen Naim, your guild master”
The room finishes transforming and Daygen’s office is link to the realm. The moment for the two meet was in awe. The silent persists as Miyusuki looks around his office, it looks like a small library, but the magic exposure makes him tremble a bit. The blessing inside of him quivered from what is coming from the door.
The door opened. Rushes through like a mad woman and seeing him in Daygen’s office, she sees him again in such a surprising visit.
“Miyusuki?! Where’s that woman who brought you here!”
Oue questions him with a hateful tone. Daygen spitefully said to Oue
“I am the one who brought him here. Sanquin made it urgent for me to observe this phenomenon”
“Sorry, guild master. This is also forbidden to use that kind of magic”
“I know what I am dealing with, and this young boy is becoming one of them”
Miyusuki whispers what he heard “One of them, is there more like me?”
Oue looks at Miyusuki angrily as she closes the door. Mixing both expression of worries and anger for what is happening because of Sanquin’s involvement. Miyusuki shakes his head and returns to guild master Daygen.
“Ah, sir? What’s going on?”
“It’s your powers. Now my people know why you possessed such incompatible strength”
Daygen quickly raises his magic revealing his true magic potential. Miyusuki reactively uses his gauntlet to block the blinding spell and the gauntlet can’t absorb Daygen’s power.
Daygen quickly presses his hand on to him, giving him the ceremony that should’ve done a long time ago. Partially distributed by Sanquin, and now it is going to be completed by him. Filling the mana needed to survive this world and expel the source of the UI. The first time on Miyusuki’s body felt confused. Lost and receiving the mana that have flourished inside his body, then he starts coughing. He is coughing nonstop. It was unbearable and worse of all the consequences of drawbacks coming inside him. His health returns again with the usual symptoms.
He barely stands up. Suddenly he pulled up with a helping hand, he looks up and sees Sanquin looking at him smiling. She always smiles devilishly, but at this moment she grins boldly at his misfortune. The secret is out, and the new cycle is approaching. Since the 2nd moon cycle where Isekai city summoned to this world. On the 5th moon cycle, the last cycle to the 1st moon cycle, had shown their progress. Daygen have prevented the 2nd trojan horse. Their guild is safe, for now. The rest of his guild members at Isekai City will soon discover their freedom. Just like Enders were.