COI C208

“We are here, the land that forge the end of this world. Yet, it never did destroy itself. Legends say that this is not a world but a world of someone’s creation. Or so it is what we heard as men. Or are we really men? Countless questions had happened to all of us, different beings that look like in the same race, mankind or what are we in the inside. Truly we are in the most common human nature, but our culture differs, our mana provided, our knowledge felt bizarre instead of understood, and there is nothing for us to see it where all of us can’t leave this world”

- Order Core Vic (Dexter Guild’s Predecessor)

Wheatley reconnects the lost surveillances deluded by the dusts. With its keen skills to find little chances to see what lies around the distance in the most given time possible. It founds the Raker Mawn Guild.

“Well now, I’m starting to forget that Jigeram’s light was against all creatures with mana. It is still true by the way. Nervously laughing* Wait a minute, the readings are . . .”

It starts to move around into the digital space like mad man yelling all around.

“AAH! Why did I forget about the old Cirtei dwarven high mountain shell? Wait . . . I was in the part of the rediscovery. I think I’m going mad AAH!”

After a few seconds screaming itself, it quickly went back to observe them inside the crystallized chrysalis. Then it saw Rusic coming to the rescue with the other Enders, the same Enders who are part from the five banners. Along with one of the guild masters under the banner logo, Phantom Moons. Birds in ritual forms moving around the chrysalis especially one had spilled blood, it was Haw’s.

The guild master had seen enough of the fight, and says it to himself “Hulyir was here, and with this magic differs from his usual magic arts in his blade. They are must be one of the dividends who are opposed Isekai City”

He raises his birds and start pecking the chrysalis, the first opened was Haw. The guts are indeed dripping, but his heart still dying beats forbade him. The ritual birds dive into his body cleaning and pecking out what horror magic infested his insides. Soon more of the guild master’s birds go to Haw’s team and continue the procedure.

It didn’t last to see it where the ritual birds appeared one of the damaged surveillances and pecks off the lens. Leaving Wheatley nothing to observe after that “You got to be kidding me. It’s the bird again or was it in my dialogues. Hmm, I’m sure I recognize the bird. But why the side of my head feels like they’re my mortal enemies. No, no, stop it. I need to figure out what’s going on with the dusts. If I know how to then, wait a minute. I wasn’t even part of the good guys. Although, I would’ve love to have my own evil theme myself”

Wheatley starts to practice its evil laugh. Chelly sees the data has been cut off on her device while ignoring the fact that Wheatley went crazy. She contacted It3ch about it, and soon keep it to one of her personal archives. This is the fact they couldn’t ignore any longer. Wheatley is leaving them notes about the true situation in the future. As what she gained from the defectors, it is certain that the next moon cycle means danger to them. Especially Fuku City wasn’t about to get rid of them, they disappeared. Somewhere inside the city, that reason alone she must find out where?

In Stranding Island, it is hard to say they didn’t see them. Goblins are taking care of the dusts, the elves are nourishing their flesh, and the demons are checking for signs of corruption in their very souls. Three Raker Mawns were taken into custody by the guild master. The birds chirping to tell their warnings across their path. It attracts a lot of attention in the middle of the night, but not far as the citizens reside. The one who woke up from the noise is Miyusuki.

He approached outside, but was stopped by one of the guild master’s crows. It looks at him with its intimidating stare, the suspense forces him to back as his breath release dark mist. The darkness in his vision grew. His vision getting weak and forced his body to keep awake. After a few steps back, he fell ill and quickly took into tired state. Trying to say a word to the bird, but his tired mouth barely raised his lips. It is the reminder he had forgotten, and so he goes back to bed reluctantly.

The next morning, It’s the weekends. The students go outside and admire the morning view in the sky. It is hard to believe that the shamanism is controlling the weather seeing it like horrifying monsters making a mockery to its form chowing down the dust as if it wants to kill itself. When the two interacts, between spirits and dusts, they fell to the ground in a different direction and away from the island then into the sea. It was a very confusing interaction when faces come and go. Unusual but at the same time effective way to protect the island.

Ootadakimasu sees a random goblin walking by pretending as if he didn’t know a thing. He sees that opportunistic stare pushes away his head out of the goblin’s ego. The spirits manifest around the goblin playing around mocking to himself. Ootadakimasu thought wrong as he is about to reach out, and then the goblin said

“I told you deadz that the kid reaches out to me. I know, I know. Laugh*”

The spirits moved to the students changing their appearance to appease their eyes. The hideous looks removed its dusty texture and become its usual color smokes.

Ootadakimasu ignores the goblin’s ego and said to him.

“Yeah” He arrogantly can’t say any further. The spirits laugh as one of them passes through his body

“Yes, you wonder how other spirits are fighting against the moon light?” The spirits talk, normally.

The students have never experienced like that before and everyone comes closer. Joanne, Holly, Usweet-censored, and Miyusuki moved closer to Ootadakimasu wondering about it.

The goblin smiles and thought why. “You never heard those spirits talk, right?”

They nodded. Most spirits are always acting like animals, saying only words so little without even pronouncing a proper word except for the Kes’thars.

In this moon cycle, no life to interfere and no mana to disrupt their communication. The spirits are the counter of nature, which is a different version from what the students think. In their fantasy it always co-exists, but in this world or shamanism to be exact, countering against the neutral mana nature.

Goblin explains further “Look at the sky, it may look ugly and able to fight against it with its mean looks. Those spirits though, they were once your enemies. Feral spirits were tamed and our ancestors guide them to the top and torture them to no end. The rain of shards fell only beneath the sea. They have its purpose so don’t get it”

The shards reach to the sea, no one could ever see it down there except for the goblins resting along the walls. Their rituals could see the feral spirits sank to the depths, no body but the crystallized dust itself. Strange voodoo sinks to the unknown where the spirits being tamed into its resting place. The tribal goblins see it, the suspicion they could’ve guessed what the other spirits are. It is true, if the citizens give notice to them. The tribes can differentiate all the goblins together. The spirits they found are definitely from the rebellion. Sadly, the goblins knew these spirits. The deadz or dead spirits are here, the great rituals that pushed to kill those citizens in the east coast.

The Enders embassy, they able to heal the Raker Mawns faster than what Isekai City hospital provided. The guild master and the elves worked together for their fast recovery. The wounds from Ironno and Guildmember are bearable to the least, Haw in the other hand, has this usual mutilating tactics. Indeed. That this practice only works who have their bodies fully endure the harshness of destructive magic from its unbelievable pain. The so called Rehabilitated Zero or RH-0 and his strange puritan body structure. None of them seemed to care what Dexter Guild did to him and only leaving a mystery that cause the predecessor to be executed.

The other four guild master and mistresses didn’t want to be involved, except for this guild master with his banner kept high, the phantom moons guild. His subordinates entered the room, sharing the same experience except only cursed by shamanism. They look at Haw who is ‘cursed’ by archscience or experimented on.

“Guild master, is there a need to see old cases from the old guild”

“He is in a different guild now, but I’m sure he won’t be hesitating any longer. This discovery who he found out are Hulyir and Ka’zei”

“Sir, those people are nothing a like to him”

“. . . It is as you say . . .”

“Sir?”

They left the room, only for Haw himself. Haw, in his sleeps, starts to remember his involvement these two individuals. A strong sense of fear that he felt was ordered instead of experience. Strange for his body to react like that, even proven his logical made conscience tell him otherwise. His body though couldn’t work together with his mind. The pain he experienced is nothing to compare from his mission with the Dexter Guild. The differences he faced because of the Enders themselves.

Guildmember gives him the mind to increase his consciousness. Time is his weakness needed for the potions against his enemies, but this message come across without him acknowledging it first. A request from Myrrkei along with Voldemyr suspicion after he left. Ironno supposed to know about it too since their mind keep merging together. Guildmember still persists his mind.

“I won’t be staying long, but our new recruit is doubting for some reason. During this cycle, venture and find where those souls are. Use that gem Juela given you and collect it for the shield student”

Haw didn’t respond, and only listen to his request. The training, the shield student and his friends need to learn more. Their bodies need to understand the limits and the pain they should’ve. After all these cycles, they found out something odd when interacting the fights. Haw himself found out how he had forgotten these kinds of mana controls. Will-power is missing. When did it weaken them or rather what did they do to lessen their true neutral mana? The involvement was the summoner. Again, that reason without proof. Haw’s mission is building up, and with glimpse of his eyes awake in the morning. The sound of his device ringing.

He sees an unknown caller, he answers it, and he recognized her voice. “It’s been a long time, and you know why”

“Archscientist, it seems I’ve been involved indirectly?”

“Huh, so you didn’t know your guild is involving with me. How long are you in that city? It doesn’t matter to me. You know that my, our guild were heavily and definitely involved. I heard that you fought someone with little preparation. That I don’t want you to do if you were at my departments. I am trying to say here that you need to use your old arsenal, your made-up things are getting useless”

Lady Coheld called him on his device. It is a sign of most actions have been taken place. Haw understands only a few from her involvement. The city, his guild bringing the train here personally, and Tabitha’s strange access to Fuku City. Those three alone made him suspicious, but never ask and follow those journeys to what are available to him. He enclosed his head again for Tabitha’s sake, a reflection that never tell to everyone. Until the archscientist mentions it.

“Oh, I know you were involved. Her reflection from what I have observed is really dangerous. You’ll have some jobs to do, and a little bit of experiment. My unsettling gift to you is at your ‘home’”

“What gift?!” Haw spoke out loudly as he knows it will be useful in dangerous situation. The shocked brings to her ears and grins her expectation. His humanity is building up. It is rude of her to treat him an experiment again, his rehabilitation is getting better there instead from the lab. She stops prying deep into his life and gives her real reason to call him.

“A gift, that you were not just someone’s test subject. The sole survivor who is not able to die conditionally. You remember it, don’t you”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I don’t recall what you’re saying. Back then it was all started in my childhood”

“Then you should be fine. You’ll meet her with that piece of your mind. Remember that gift of yours, I hear too much about the city’s malfunctions. Use it carefully”

The call ends, and a message appeared coming from his girlfriends. Along with a picture that comes from the package. It is already there with a little lie to the side of it. Nanami texts him with a silly emoji.

“Dummy, you’re gone and this package arrived. We know you are busy, but the looks what we see inside made us so curious. Come home quickly, please”

Haw slides his screen and accidently sees their pics before seeing it in full view from the list. He sighs disappointedly as he is not going to teach them, especially the recruit.

Guildmember is with the students, the disappointed in their face to hear that Haw and Voldemyr will be very busy in the weekends. They saw Haw coincidentally as he moves out from the Enders embassy. Miyusuki didn’t ignore him and come running to Haw

“Teacher Haw! I’m glad you’re still here. I want to report you about what we have found earlier”

“. . . Apologies, I have something to do”

Haw pointed at Miyusuki’s gauntlet “You mean this”

“Yes, your training needs to balance all your skills from what they have giving you so far”

Miyusuki hears Guildmember’s telepathy. They were scorned to hear that those two Enders who tried to kill them are not dead but did much to Haw’s team made them afraid to face them again. Haw is lacking more of his sets than ever before. They are not fighting against the citizens anymore, and they are fighting people who knows how to kill effectively. Miyusuki rushes to Haw again and check his body. Nothing is wrong with him, the words inside his head was in disbelief.

Haw says to him “You’ll see your power. Your city will break free from the influence. What you have said to me before, you must achieve it”

Haw teleported away, from the magic used by Nanami and Shinji. Their curious overtook them and bring him back to their apartment complex. Miyusuki witnessed his disappearance and the others are reaching out to him.

“What happened to teacher Haw?”

Berserker was confused “I think we shouldn’t be training. Come on guys, we are temporary residing here. We rarely come visit here”

Holly pointed their surroundings. It is true the changes were massive compared to Miyusuki’s last visit. This place is more for them to wonder especially they are also citizens here. They need a break. They need a deserving rest.

Haw is teleported into the building. The receptionist, the owner of the apartment, already opened the package along with her friends. A sealed container inside the package, endlessly rebuilt itself with every time they opened it, they took it off returned into a loop. The symbol of the Dexter Guild logo reanimating itself. The boyfriend calls out to him.

“Sorry for messing up your things, but this is really some weird high-tech shit . . . ow!”

“You guys are the one is curious here, still. After that prohibition, Haw is not that strong without his equipment either. So, are we getting into trouble for this?”

Haw responds “I don’t know, but I am getting a lot of stuff to do. Codex RH-0, here!”

“What!?”

The boyfriend raises his head hearing him some movie like voice line. The sealed container abrupt them with terrible loud noises. Because of multiple attempts to break it open, the consequences rose up like a broken junk trying to open making some noise in the inside. Breaking it apart lead to this, and many trying to block it with their magic. It pierces through their spells encouraging their pain to blinding in their eyes.

“Shit!”

The noise didn’t subside as it opens. Haw approach it slowly. This container’s noise is a nuisance to everyone, and there is nothing he could do but to follow according to the steps he must go through. He placed his hands on the container, scanning to any identity he had registered back in his old guild. It is slower than he had remembered, he sees the process acting like torturous machine fighting back at the people who tried to open it. The noise overwhelmed them and proceed to leave the apartment.

They got out, with everyone else except for Haw. The receptionist and the girlfriend shouted at Nanami and Shinji.

“What the hell?!”

“Yeah, why is that container is screaming at our ears?”

Nanami is as confused as them “I don’t know anything about that. I thought it was just any ordinary packages and look something interesting”

Shinji holding to her ears, still ringing “I guess we shouldn’t open it before letting him know. We got curious because how it magically appeared in front of our doorstep without anyone even our personal security camera can’t see who brought here”

The receptionist thought so too, a little creepy but intimidating to the least. She checks again with the video camera where the package appeared. Only a split second, without any traces of images instead instantly there out of the blue in the morning. It was like a sudden second before the boyfriend opens the door to do his daily exercises. Bringing inside the apartment was a real deal breaker as it was too heavy and used every magic rune the have, he had to carry it all the way inside. Even opened it make it more troublesome than it seems, only thing they know is the Dexter Guild logo, surely an Enders like Haw make sense.

The noise ceased, and the boyfriend quickly gets back in. “Well, Haw has stopped it, then we could go back inside. I hope he could explain it us a thing or two”

Others followed him inside and saw something interesting. Their eyes stick close to the strange green light as if something nerdy out from the show. The table had turned into Haw’s counter and the container turned into a shelf like mechanism. Like they are in a sci-fi show. He goes in and saw the chemistry set.

“Whoa, what are all these?”

“Something I should have a long time ago. Especially this one”

Haw pointed out the set, a bit different than those usual chemical looking stuffs. This is really magic related than he can comprehend. Enders equipment set into his gloves, with hidden pads on his wrist and other special hidden compartment from within. Rune Isles made to prevent against the dusts and more.

“I am for now, not using this kind of items. But the city is already into the dusts. Why not try it for yourself?”

Haw said it to him with a straight face. He looks nostalgic over it, but the boyfriend feels like this is a threat rather than a test.

“Why am I doing this?”

His girlfriend answers “Do it, I am curious too”

The receptionist agrees “Yeah, this is Haw we are talking about. I want to see why the city prohibits it”

“Ugh! How about trying your girlfriends Ouch!”

Shinji hits him “Be a man, will you?! I was hoping you guys can do anything since you two clean the building together”

There was a loud shake happened inside the building. The test stops. Haw sets it aside, and pulls the boyfriend in front of it.

“Stay here, and let the machine do it on its own. I don’t think this is an earthquake”

Haw runs out from their apartment and bring his bottles and sets of bags.

The boyfriend reaches out “Wait!”

It was too late, he left and him looking around the women eyeing on him to do it.

“Fine” He gets in reluctantly and the container starts to open up and scan all over him.

The container phases through the equipment like molten fire as it opens to set up. He jolted back, but the materials appeared behind him and bump to it closer than he should. His girlfriend tries to stop it, but receptionist stops her

“This is Haw’s thing, so don’t you worry . . .”

“AAH!” He screams as he pulled inside of the equipment fully transform itself and putting him inside in tightest space he had feared.

“No way! He is claustrophobic, he can’t stand himself in close spaces”

Loud noises start erupting inside, and his magic start to spill out. The container is resisting his rejection, but it able to hold it in for a few possible seconds. The noise gets louder, but echoes inside. The girlfriend tries to help him. Her friends won’t let her. The sounds of steams spraying out to remove his magic from releasing and damaging the equipment. The equipment starts to speak

“Analyzing, user is panicking through mental stress. Holding, Repairing, Unit created . . .”

The equipment is being desynchronized due to the wild reaction of the boyfriend. Forced to disappear leaving the set lying on the table. The boyfriend appeared with something on his shoulder. Letting go the other good archtech to improve his performances, he stands up and feels his body is being booted up. Looking himself as if his body has augmented. Actually, it wasn’t, the mana on him is channeling through with it and to him cycling through like it is regulating his mana control. He looks at his UI as he is both relief and regretted it at the same time.

“Haw! you should’ve told me . . .!”

Another shake inside the building. The door opens and he quickly reacts, combining with his new tech on his shoulder. He casts a fire spell, and the target hit. Flames hit the target and continue burning. The burns effects that he never thought using persisting against his target.

“HEY! Why are you attacking? you might hurt someone. OOF!”

His girlfriend got hit by shadow entity, punching through to her ribs against the wall. The boyfriend reacts quickly and attack his target. The target dashes inside to cause a commotion. But with the boyfriend’s grapple able to hold it and pulled it out from the apartment.

He throws it against the wall, then a few splashes of potions at the target. The target materialized and revealed to be one of the demons’ armies. They thought they were gone, but they seem to be coming back in this harsh cycle. Haw made it to come back and said to him

“Is that all the upgrade it gives you?”

“I got scared from it trying to put me into a small container”

Haw looks at him believing that he is scared

“Don’t give me that look!”

Haw then looks inside and see the container is being desynchronized. The boyfriend is frightened from the most viable equipment he had. Haw thought this is the most convenient thing he had ever experienced. Ruined by a claustrophobic man, Haw explains it to him.

“Remember we agreed together to defend this apartment complex, right?”

“Yeah, wait a minute. It is today. That was too soon . . .”

“Hey! We got a problem inside. We can’t heal your girlfriend here” Receptionist shouts at them.

The boyfriend turns around and check and see. While Haw tends to his own matter to get what he can make with his package. The girlfriend is in deep pain, the hit to her side of her chest. Can’t be healed and the bruise is growing like an infection. The receptionist and the others couldn’t do a thing. The boyfriend says to his girlfriend

“Are you ok?”

“Breathe* I’m barely breathing, but I’m fine. Cough*”

“No, damn it! I should’ve been serious”

Girlfriend slaps to him, she looks honestly angry of seeing him down. “You said; you don’t want to sleep inside the evacuation area. Now we are here taking responsible from our action. What about the people who are staying here? Are they safe too? coughs*”

“Hey now, I think they should be fine. Right Haw?”

Haw didn’t have enough time to prepare. Shinji and Nanami are providing him with all the rune items they have. The boyfriend looks at him seriously and asks again

“Right Haw? You think they are safe, right?”

“Remember what I have just said before going here”

At the ground floor, the residences were overwhelmed and left down lying as their bodies corrupted. The people are start fleeing to their rooms as their last line of defense break. Regrets are soaring high to every floor. The shadowy forms of the demons’ army returned under the seal on their bodies. A demon is controlling them as its souls are only collecting the fools’ mana to regain their sustenance. Outside of the building, there is nothing left for the warning signals to get through here nor further to the district. One resident fell into their hands, only trapped into a crystallized chamber. Leaching the poor victim to what mana left inside of him.

The living vessel consumed by the shadowy creatures. A grasp from its hands and feed into its hands. The empty sealed mouth, only its eyes glow in the shadow, and with powers returned to go invisible. The wind and dusts followed.

They speak “The masters have brought us to a lesser one. She had interest in our skills”

“Yet, only release the dent of our abilities. When will the masters to fully acknowledge this place?”

“For now, this “mistress” found our remains. She playfully controlling us and them as food”

They moved as the wind, disappeared as they go up to the floors. The residences sealed from their rooms. Hiding and scared, it feasts their horror.

They thought their runes will protect them. The shadowy figures weren’t acting anything stupid like the siege from before. The ‘mistress’ is under their control. Easily opened it where the runes should be. The resident was dumbfounded

“No! I thought they can’t do that”

The shadowy presence entered his apartment and the runes were vandalized. The shadow reveals its body showing a dead corpse struggling to get in. It was his chance to fight back. As he steps out from his hiding place, he uses his rune weapons to destroy it.

It fell like an empty husk. In front him lies a dead body from Horsin, the remains dried up and horrified from the decayed skin melted its mouth. He falls sitting on the floor from the shock. He soon realized the runes itself keeping him sane, but felt like he can’t resist the shadowy form from its negative presence. He turns around, and something else appeared behind him. Another one, attached its leathered dyed skin to his clothes. He doesn’t know where he got it from, but it grows exponentially like an insect sucking his blood or mana in between.

He screams and tried to take it off, his mana spread all around as if he is bleeding. That touch reawakens the fallen husk and grabs his ankle. He tries to break free, but he was tug in such an immense force and pulled out from the room. A horror of shadows appeared from the ashes of its dried husk, including the one who pulled him out. They consumed his mana and forced out his aura to be sealed into crystallized chamber, trapping another one. Drained and becoming a vessel like one of the victims before. They used them again for their nourishment.

The building complex is slowly becoming the den of these shadowy creatures. Away from the exposure and grew to its limited potential. The annoyance of their voices echoes among the floors. Where the sister of the resident who scolded her brother from bullying Haw is running with him up to the building.

His brother is coughing in exhaustion “Cough* We are almost there, little sister. We are going to be save by that guy”

“But he is just one man. You see the numbers of them coming from the entrance”

“I know, but this is an Enders they talk about. I am sure he should!!! LOOK OUT!”

He pulls out his runes items and go in front of his sister. The long reach of the dark scythe into their bodies. It destroyed itself by blocking it with his rune weapon. The runes shine and force them to back away. The brother pushes his little sister up, as he looks up, he sees another one is aiming at his sister. He uses runes again. It didn’t affect them and reveal is one of the residences being possessed. His sister got hit and fly up to the air, he was able to catch her and throw her back up to the stairs. The door opened and she rolling inside. He runs up pushing away the possessed then closed the door and sealed with runes.

The possessed hits his back and his body crystallized along with it inside the chamber. Trapped, he watches the shadowy creatures trying to get his sister. With a relief on his face and he thought he saved her, but the possessed easily pulls away the runes he placed at the door before fully entrapped with him. Shocked and hopeless to see them getting in to get his sister. Wild banging inside his imprisonment, he fell unconscious as they are now consuming his mana. The horrors they must face when these monsters able to get them. He regrets what he thought about the Horsin who helped them.

The sister looks around with the bruise hit by the possessed. Dark entity, neutral mana that she never thought was overpowering her from her own high stats. Easily consumed by these shadowy creatures, the tears on her eyes and the pain she realized she is dying. These are the demons’ army, she thought. The phenomenon who they thought are weak because of the dusts. Here, they show their true strength without being exposed. She looks at her hand as her skin starts to aged, feasted by the monsters in front of her.