With the room clear, Rio can hear the distinct sound of gears turning behind the closed doors.As the gears turn the door opens exposing an interior full of rusted machinery. The sounds of flowing sand audible from within the chamber.Rio took a quick glance around the room as he flew inside.The walls were covered with various pipes and tubes that were connected to the walls, ceiling, and floors.The room was steaming from the many pipes and causing Rio to sweat.The place was like a sauna as the heat only got worse as he continued further into the space."What kind of place is this? What kind of machine produces this level of Heat." Rio ponders as he continues to inspect the area.After taking a few moments to take in his surroundings, Rio began looking around for the sound of the humming.The volume of the humming had grown substantially after passing through the door.It was loud enough to hear even with the blaring Mechanisms working within the room.Following the sound, He comes
Rio began flying around the room looking for anything he could use to his advantage as the old man returned to controlling the town.Rio noticed several large sigils carved into the walls, despite the heat radiating from within the room, the sigils remained cool. Looking closely he noticed that they each had the image of a familiar book front in center.The book was similar to what Alberoth had appeared to him as before he was reborn."Hey, Alberoth! Do you want to explain what this is?"Rio was pissed at the thought of being trapped in a town created by this childish book.manifesting himself, Alberoth hesitated before giving his attempt at an apology."Okay, So I may have had one or two apprentices here or there. But none of them were this strong, as far as I remember. Although, I guess it has been a few years since I was last awake." Alberoth tried his best to give a reasonable explanation as to why his own student was capable of restraining his power."One or two?" Rio questioned
"Where do you think you're going!"The old man shouts towards Zeran as he envelops him in the surrounding sand.Within moments, Zeran is covered in the sand as it begins hardening, forming a sort of shell.The sand piles on and on, in an attempt to crush the intruder, but the assault was child's play to Zeran as he burst out from within the shell sending the man recoiling back.As Zeran escapes from the sandy tomb, Rio unleashes an attack of his own using all of the power he had gathered. The blast was sent hurtling down the room as the sand beneath it turned to glass.Hitting its mark, the room booms as sand is flung everywhere and smoke fills the empty space.The old man and Rio, watch intently as the smoke clears revealing a large metallic cocoon. The cocoon unwraps itself and reforms back into Zeran's new arm.There, Zeran stands between Rio and the old man."You're both weak!" He shouts, raising his hands towards both of them.wagging his fingers he beckons them to approach him.
The room was reduced to rubble and dust as Zeran turned away with a malicious grin. He raised his head high looking upwards as he Basked in his destruction. "Soon there will be nothing to stop our conquest. This world will belong to our kind once more. And I will become the spearhead to bring his majesty's plans to fruition. I will show these fools that they are nothing compared to my mighty strength." He spoke loudly to himself as he made his way towards the edge of the room. As the walls crumble around him, he powers up his jet pack and jumps out of the room through the tunnel he had created from his entrance. He flew high into the air above the now complete city. With the old man's domain removed the He was able to see the city in its entirety. Flying past the mass of run down buildings Zeran returns to give his king the good news. *** [Facility] Site-Bomb stands leaning against the wall for support. His clothes tattered, and his skin covered in blood and furs. His eyes were
A week passed since Rio had left the distorted town. He had become more accustomed to his new abilities as he travelled down the side of the road. Without a car, Rio was forced to make his move by foot. And Despite not knowing where he was, Rio pressed on.His power over earth had become a reliable tool alongside the journey. Although its level was low, it was still useful for him. He could sense the vibrations through the earth, giving him a full 360 radius of vision at all times.It was an almost perfect addition to his skills. The only problem was that as of yet, He was unable to physically control the earth around him. There were too many limits on his power but if he was able to find a way to increase its level, He might be able to match the powers of the old man.He continued down the path until he came across a group of people sitting on the side of the road. His sight had been enhanced which allowed him to make out the group, even in the dead of night. They didn't seem to be h
Rio looks up at him and tilts his head slightly, His confusion clear in his eyes."Are these guys not worried about that portal?" Rio ponders curiously.Setting Rio on her lap, the group continues driving until the flashing light emanating from the portal fades."We made it. And just in time too" The woman says with a sigh of relief."We should be able to get back to the dorms before the chief starts his rounds.""Thank the Creators, I don't think I could handle another lounge lashing from the old grouch."I'm glad to see that you are all doing well." A voice echoes from the front of the car. "I was beginning to wonder if I had to come looking for you.""oh uhh, good morning sir. Why are you up so early?" The man driving the RV began sweating as he looked over to the man who had spoken to them.He was wearing a tightly fitted tan uniform with a tag and medal pinned to the chest. Rio was unable to read what it said as it was written in a language that he had never seen before."I could
Arriving above a long string of rooms, the group says their goodbyes before splitting off from one another. The three guys fly off on their own leaving Rio with the two women."You must be tired, so how about you come with me back to my room. We can get cleaned up and then get some much needed food and rest.""Nodding his head, The two women take Rio down into the dorm. They enter through a door with the symbol of a scythe on it and take him down a set of stairs. As they descend, Rio begins to notice the smell of freshly baked bread. He can hear the sound of people talking in the distance, and the sounds of pots boiling over in the kitchen."Wow, This place is amazing." Rio says as he looks around at his surroundings.The walls were made of stone and wood and the floors were made from hardwood planks. Everything was spotless and smelled fresh and clean. The dorms were well lit by the light from the windows and the lanterns hanging from the ceiling."Welcome to the Woman's Reaper dorms
"I guess we should start from the beginning. This world is known as Revenant. It is a realm located between the forces of life and death. Think of it as a kind of space between your Human realm and the underworld. This realm was created as a temporary storage space for passing souls. As the Human realms population rapidly increased so did the mortality rate, and as a result, There was a severe lack of space to hold all of the lost souls. To fix this problem, Revenant was born."And for a period it worked. Souls were able to wait in this realm until their time to pass on arrived. But something unexpected occurred within this realm that no one could have predicted.This realm was meant to only store souls until they could be processed but It also acted as a realm similar to the other two. This meant that as long as their state of soul hadn't changed since their arrival, There was no way to force them into the final realm.At first, it wasn't such a big deal. A quick talk with the souls
Hiro focuses his mana and summons a barrier around himself while Rio rains down fire on the crowd of Larissa clones. Rio's orbs tear through the clones like paper. Each one falling to the ground after receiving a direct hit from Rio's barrage. The sound of impact echoes across the area as dozens more clones fall to the ground dead or dying. Seeing the destruction that the wolf was able to cause in such a small amount of time, Larissa gasps in amazement. "This is what it means to have real power. I'll definitely make you mine." Larissa whispers softly. Her eyes glow brightly with excitement as she approaches Rio. "Come on now, come to mama." She charges forward at him, avoiding the fire coming from above Rio. As she gets closer, He readies himself. Stabbing her dagger towards RIo, Hiro swiftly moves in to block the strike with his sword and slashes downward towards her. Larissa dodges the slash effortlessly but her eyes widen in shock when Hiro grabs her arm with his free hand.
Turning her attention back to Hiro, Larissa places a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll take my sweet time getting rid of you first. Then I can take my time with your companion," With that Larissa teleports behind Hiro and wraps her arms around his neck. Hiro struggles against her grasp but finds it difficult as he can feel his power fading as she takes hold on him. Hiro continues to struggle against her, until Fye sends Larissa crashing to the floor. Hiro quickly distances himself from Larissa to catch his breath and as he does so Larissa steps out from the crater left from her landing. "I'm going to ask that you don't interrupt me when I'm working, young lady. I will get to you when it is your turn. In the meantime, How about you play with these guys." Larissa snaps her fingers causing the ground to shake. From within the earth rise several zombies which crawl out from the soil. Each zombie stands tall and menacing with rotting flesh covering their bodies. "Now t
6 months fly by as Hiro continues his training under Gaius. With every passing day, Hiro becomes more comfortable with using his magic. Rio was worried when their training had begun taking longer than he had hoped but, his worries faded when he looked at how much time he had left. Despite being in the trial for 6 months It seemed to have only been around 6 days outside. And with all this time Rio was able to reap the benefits of Gaius's training as Hiro was becoming more and more powerful. Hiro was now at a state where even Gaius was beginning to have trouble handling him, and Gaius knew that Zack would be ready to head out into the world. Gaining permission from the king, Gaius gave Hiro a set of armor and weapons. Hiro wore the outfit proudly as he headed out to the castle's entrance. There he met Zack who was waiting for him. Once they arrived, Hiro was given a map with a destination marked on it. Zack told him that this was a place known as the city of the dead. According to
Gaius walks out into the field and tosses his spear at Hiro. He fumbles with the weapon for a bit until it finally slips from his grasp and bangs against the ground. "Don't break it now. I only have one of those" Gaius chuckles as he watches Hiro pick the spear up from the ground. As soon as Hiro picks up the spear, Gaius plants his feet and stares down the boy. "Come on now, don't make me wait too long. Just come and give me your best shot. Hiro swallows nervously and clenches his fists tightly as he stares at Gaius. He had spent the previous night practicing how to use his power defensively but had failed to learn how to use it offensively. Knowing that his best choice would be to just try his best, Hiro runs at him with the spear in hand. He wields the weapon clumsily as he rushes at Gaius. Before he can make contact, however, Gaius blocks Hiro's path by raising his arms to block the attack. Gaius grips him by the neck and throws his body back to where he started. "I know y
The next morning, Rio and Hiro hurry to the training grounds as per Zack's request. Hiro's eyes were red and swollen from lack of sleep. His hair looked messy as if he hadn't washed it recently either. Despite these signs, his face remained full of determination as he faced off against his mentor. Gaius was already waiting for them when they arrived. He stood tall and proud with his spear held by his side. "By the look of you, I'm guessing that you didn't get much sleep." Gaius states bluntly as he looks over Hiro. Hiro shakes his head in response. "I might not have gotten much sleep, But you will see the impact of all of my efforts soon." Hiro explains confidently. Gaius narrows his eyes slightly before responding. "Cockiness is not an attractive trait, But I will allow you a bit of pride if what you say is true. Now then, How about you prove to me how strong you are today?" Gaius says as he steps forward with his spear raised high above his head. Without hesitation, Hiro readi
"Again!...Again!...AGAIN!!!" Gaius shouts as he continuously slams his spear and fist into Hiro. Hiro groans as he pushes himself up to his feet yet again. Not giving up, Hiro takes the beating while attempting to draw on the power from before. But no matter how many times he tries it, Hiro remains unable to protect himself. Gaius smacks Hiro upside the head with his free hand, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a training dummy. Hiro hits the wooden structure with such force that it cracks beneath his weight before collapsing entirely. "Damnit!" Gaius curses as he runs over to Hiro and picks him up off the floor. "Maybe we should take a quick break. If we continue at this pace, you won't live long enough to even see real combat." Gaius sighs while dusting Hiro off. "We'll come back tomorrow when your wounds have healed. Until then, I want you to keep practicing on manifesting your power." Hiro nods in agreement with his exhausted body. As Gaius walks away from
Jack then begins to lead Hiro away from the fountain. As they begins to walk away, Rio notices that the light that had engulfed Hiro's body begins to slowly seep into his body, Causing his stats to increase with every passing moment.Rio couldn't suppress his grin as he watches his servants power increasing, which in turn allowed his own power to reach new heights.After a few minutes pass, the three of them arrive at an outdoor training ground with equipment and weapons stationed around it. Jack then gestures towards a nearby man wielding a spear."This will be your instructor, Gaius. He is one of our kingdoms greatest warriors." Jack explains as he leads Hiro over to him. "Gaius, this is the Hero that we mentioned before. He will be joining us in the near future. And we have much work ahead of us before then."Gaius bows his head respectfully and nods his head in greeting. He then turns his attention back to Hiro as he extends his hand. "I am honored by your presence and welcome yo
The rest of the day passes by smoothly with Rio and Fye focusing on their given tasks while Hiro rests in the bed. Then next morning, Rio is awakened to the sound of a knock coming from outside the room. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light as he sits up in his bed and orders Hiro to open the door. As soon as Hiro opens the door, Rio spots a man dressed in a black robe and holding a book in his hand. He seems familiar to Rio as he stands there in front of the door. "He must have been one of the men accompanying the king earlier." Rio figured as he stretched out his body. "Good morning hero." The man says to Hiro while giving a slight bow. "I hope that your night was well." The robed man adds after seeing Fye sitting in the corner of the room. "Yeah it was pretty good. I was able to get some sleep. Hiro tells the man in response as he invites him inside. "Rio had given Hiro the ability to answer independently for the time being. Although he wanted full control o
The two of them are led to a bedroom with large windows that overlook the city. The city is bustling and filled with people and traffic. As Rio and the young boy enter the room and close the door, the young boy begins to take a seat upon the bed. As Rio and the boy sit on the edge of the bed and face each other, the king begins to speak. "This will be where you will be staying during your time with us in the grand kingdom of Chania. I will allow you some time to rest for the day as you will be busy tomorrow as we help you gain control of your new powers. Have a good night, Hero." The king leaves the room and closes the door, leaving Rio and the young boy alone to take in their surroundings. As soon as they are alone, Rio activates his domination to gain control over the boy. With full control of his powers returned to him, Rio figures that it's in his best interest to take the reins personally in this trial. Especially if the boy's powers turn out to be of use to him. He was sti