Bill had his eyes on the dagger. "Hand over that dagger or else," threatened Bill lifting his fists. "Really? A threat isn't that persuasive," replied Jay, who was completely unfazed by Bill's empty threats. With the dagger in his hands he was determined that his odds of beating Bill weren't that bad. Seeing that Jay was not in the slightest bit afraid of him, Bill was pretty surprised considering his earlier display of raw power. Staring right at Jay, he unintentionally caught Louis's glare in his peripheral vision. Bill diverted his attention to Louis, the cold stare made him shudder instinctively. Staring into his eyes were like staring into the abyss, the malice in his eyes made his blood run cold. He was afraid that others were going to mock him for being scared by the androgynous boy.
"Get out of this classroom, right now or I'll break every single bone in your body," shouted Bill to hide his embarrassment. Jay tightened his grip around his weapon, preparing to fight after seeing that the brute couldn't be reasoned with. Loius pulled him back, saying, "Don't you dare." "Why? I think I have a decent chance," replied Jay with a smirk, holding up his weapon that barely counts as a dagger. "He is not our first priority," Louis replied, pulling him back. Jay looked around the classroom looking at the faces of his fellow classmates who decided to turn a blind eye, some were afraid that Bill would beat them up if they intervened, others' eyes were filled with envy after seeing the dagger. Anyway, they didn't look like they were going to step in at all. "I'm someone who hold grudges, better watch out," Jay childishly threatened as he silently left the classroom from the backdoor. Louis quietly followed behind after sending a chilling gaze across the whole room.
"What now? We don't even know what's out here," Jay sighed anxiously, overwhelmed by the sudden change. "Food, water, shelter, the three basic rules for survival," Louis replied calmly, surveying his surroundings. "How do you stay so calm? You could've stayed in the classroom, it will probably be a lot safer," Jay asked, impressed by how well Louis maintained his composure.
"To be honest with you, I'm scared to death. But unfortunately, I have no plan on dying so soon," Louis said, dusting off the dirt and dried up blood on Jay's clothes. After a brief discussion, they decided that the cafeteria was their best bet for securing food. Currently on the fourth floor, in order to scavenge some food, they have to cross two buildings and a courtyard. The building seemed to be affected by an unknown force, cracks ran through the walls, the pillars looked like they were on the verge of crumbling. Water was seeping through the cracks, probably from some wrecked pipes.
The duo carefully snucked down the hallway, no knowing if there were more monsters similar to the ratman earlier. Louis was looking around constantly, muttering something under his breath. They safely arrived at the staircase that leaded downstairs. For some unknown reason, it was dark and wet, electricity seemed to have been cut off ever since the incident. "Be careful, I can sense something lurking underneath the stairs," Louis warned, stopping Jay right in his tracks. Looking down the stairwell, Jay saw nothing but darkness. "You must have the best eyesight out of anyone I have ever known," Jay said, impressed. "I obtained a skill called Song of Revealing, I can vaguely sense things in range," Louis replied. "Echolocation? Do you know what it is?" Jay whispered, afraid that he might alert the entity. "I can only roughly sense the outline, but something is definitely there," Louis whispered back. After pondering for a better solution for quite a good while, they decided that the only way was to venture downwards and face the unknown monster. They carefully walked down the stairs trying not to alert the monster of their presence. "It is right around the corner," Louis whispered. As they turned around the corner they almost ran face on into a large-headed owl with sharp eyes, cruel looking beak, greyish white wings and hooked claws. Jay's pupils dilated again, as something inside him began to analyze the foreign bird-like monster.
[ Strix, grade unknown, descendants of Polyphonte cursed by the gods who transformed into birds because of acts of cannibalism. Man-eating birds that can wield powerful curses. Feathers can be made into powerful potions. Are the birds of ill omen.]
Unlike the previous time his new ability activated, it seemed that the strix was way stronger than the ratman, as his ability failed to determine its rank.
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The small pulse of mana wouldn't go unnoticed by a powerful magic creature like the Strix. "It's not good for you to pry into my feathers," screeched the Strix, extending its dark wings. Ethereal feathers that were radiating with pure malevolence levitated in front of the Strix. Feeling the energy stored inside the feathers, Jay knew that their fates were in the hands of the Strix. "Prepare to run, I'll try to slow him down," Louis whispered as weird energy around him started to fluctuate. However, there was no way Jay was going to leave Louis behind. "No offense, I was simply frightened by your mighty presence," replied Jay, bowing his head as he tried to talk himself out of this sticky situation. Cold sweat drenched his clothes, his heart beating anxiously. A single second became eternity, Jay stared at the bird as he held his breath in fear. The feathers that were orbiting around the Strix suddenly vanished, the deadly glare from the bird turned into a warm gaze. "Finally, the prophesied one has befallen. I look foward to the new Era you would one day lead, Overlord of Beasts," it screeched. "Overlord of Beasts?" Jay muttered under his breath, confused. "This shall be my gift to the future lord," the Strix screeched before vanishing right in front of their eyes.
Feeling a warm sensation wash over him, a weird feather shaped tattoo appeared on his palm. Nearly escaping death, he knelt to ground panting, trying to catch his breath. Taking several deep breaths, he was finally able to process the whole conversation. Still wondering what the bird meant, Jay was interrupted by a light pat on his shoulders. "What did the bird say?" Louis asked, half-knelt besides him. "You couldn't understand him?" Jay asked, confused. "It was just screeching and squawking," replied Louis, shaking his head. "That's weird. He mentioned something about me being the Overlord of Beasts, and he also granted me this weird tattoo," Jay said, opening his palm in order for Louis to see clearly. "What tattoo?" Louis asked, puzzled. "This one," replied Jay, almost shoving his hand in Louis's face. Looking at Louis's confused expression, Jay realized that the tattoo might be invisible to others. Closely observing the elaborate lines, Jay could feel his skill activate as his pupils dilated once again. Focusing for a few seconds, it seemed that his skill was finally able to analyze the foreign mark.
[ Seal of the Strix: This mark seals a portion of the Strix's true strength. The mark's bearer would slowly unlock the different skills of the Strix as their strength increases.]
Even after reciting the information aloud for Louis, Jay was still confused about the powers of the seal. "Try to concentrate on it like when you are activating your skills," Louis said, giving out some decent advice. As Jay focused his attention on the tattoo, he could feel a weird energy fluctuate. A black feather nearly identical to the ones levitating around the Strix appeared in Jay's palm, floating as if it was awaiting its next command. As Jay poured more energy inside the feather, it slowly became more opaque. But as the feather became more opaque, Jay's face slowly turned pale as he began to feel lightheaded. "Stop inputting mana before you pass out!" Louis shouted, forcefully waking Jay from his trance. Severing the stream of energy, Jay could feel the rampant energy contained in the feather condense, forming a stable feather that he could store. Observing the feather, Jay guided his mana into his eye, as he activated his skill willingly for the first time.
[Feather of Curses: A manifestation of curses. Effects vary from the amount of mana conjured, ranging from blindness, hunger, nausea, weakness, insanity, poison, stamina draining, withering, and slowness. Once condensed will last until the caster wills it to explode, can be set to explode on impact.]
Fiddling with the feather in his hand, Jay suddenly glared at Louis. "Why?" Jay asked, backing up. Startled by Jay's sudden change, Louis was dumbfounded. "What do you mean by why?" Louis replied. "The way that you could willingly activate your skills meant that you knew about this so called mana. And from the way your mana fluctuated when we encountered the Strix, you were definitely prepared to activate some sort of skill. I was with you the whole time since the accident happened, there is no way you fully grasped your skills without using them once," Jay said. Guilt flashed over Louis face, as he remained silent for a few seconds. "I can't explain why, I swear that I'll explain to you one day. Please just trust me for the time being," said Louis, with sincerity written over his face.
Although Jay was definitely troubled by Louis withholding important information, he knew that everyone had their secrets. And from the earlier incident, Jay felt that Louis was definitely prepared to sacrifice himself to ensure his safety. "Just promise me that you will won't one day stab me in my gut," Jay said, deciding to trust his gut. "Thank you," Louis said, embracing Jay. While they were having their heartwarming moment, Louis suddenly turned around. From the cracks of the building a tiny rodent leaped out, quickly scurrying away into the darkness. "It's fine, it's just a rat," Jay said. "I do hope so," Louis replied, feeling a impending sense of dread.