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
After explaining their situation, The two women finish their meal while Rio continues thinking of any way he could help them regain control over Revenant.After giving it some thought for a few minutes, a loud alarm rang out from Dawna and Nissa's pockets."I guess it's time we get to work," Dawna says as she stands up and pulls a small tablet from her pocket."Looks like we've got some fresh meat" She says while Rio looks around curiously. Dawna taps the screen a few times and shows it to Nissa.After taking a few seconds to look over the image, They both begin gathering their supplies and making their way towards the door. Rio follows close behind as the two women exit the room and make their way to a large metal box sitting in front of a wall covered in various machines and computers.They tinker with one of the computers for a bit as the box opens revealing two short daggers and what looks like a rifle.Dawna takes the daggers and holsters them on her waist while Nissa takes the r
"Wait! Hold on for a second. That can't be right."Nissa runs up to Rio grabbing hold of him tightly."Whoa, watch where you're touching!" Rio barks as she haphazardly flips and turns him all around. Rio is confused and annoyed but soon Nissa stops and lets him go.Flying away behind Dawna, Rio shakes his furs back into place as Nissa looks to be deep in thought.Chuckling to herself, Dawna steps behind Nissa and taps her on the shoulder."So what's got you in such a good mood all of a sudden?" Dawna questions curiously."Those rebels of course. Didn't you see what just happened! He killed them""Well, yeah. That's kind of what we do around here. Nothing out of the ordinary to me.""Well then, think a little harder. How did he kill them.""Hmmm, I don't know. Missiles?" Dawna looks towards Rio and shrugs a bit.Placing both of her hands on Dawna's cheeks, Nissa turns Dawna to face her."The only weapons that should be capable of harming one's souls are the one gifted by the Creators!
After a few minutes of walking, Rio came upon a small lake surrounded by large rocks that created a natural barrier around its perimeter, keeping its contents in.As he approached he heard sounds of movement, from within the body of water. He peered inside to see several fish swimming around in the clear blue waters below. He looked even deeper into the lake but he was unable to see the bottom. The moon light shining down from the gaps in the cave was not enough to illuminate the lake in its entirety.It was kind of creepy staring into the dark abyss within the lake, but that wasn't important right now. The only thing on Rio's mind was his next meal."New mission: Catch food for you and your team."[Reward +1 bookmark]"Huh, that's weird. The missions typically only appear when I'm in danger. I wouldn't really consider fishing to be a peril filled activity. But I definitely appreciate the free bookmark." he mumbles aloud as he looks around the room once more."Wouldn't want to give aw
Rio was now in the deepest parts of the water and was beginning to worry. He was tense as he awaited the return of the monster While continuously attempting to return Zack to his void.After minutes had passed, Rio began to feel something. It was similar in speed and shape to the last figure and Rio knew that he needed to keep an eye on the monster. He didn't want to lose track of it like last time. Dodging the tentacle like before, Rio formed his talons, Latching onto the tentacle as it swung by. As he plunged his talons into the monsters skin, It thrashed around the water spreading its blood all around the lake.As Rio was swung around on the side of the tentacle, He was able to catch glimpses of a much larger monster residing within the lake. And soon, The monster began approaching him fast.Or rather, He was approaching it fast as the tentacle that he was riding on belonged to the Monster."Zack has been sent to your reserves.""Phew, At least that's taken care of. Now I just need
"What's wrong? Do you dislike talking with me?" Lynn asks while giving off a disappointed vibe.No,No. I was just surprised. I don't think there has ever been a moment that someone in the void had actually spoken to me." Rio answered. "Well, besides Alberoth." He added under his breath. "Speaking of, I wonder what he thinks of all this. I guess I'll know once he wakes up.""Welcome back, little guy. Did you have a good time exploring around back there....Where are your legs?"Shrugging his shoulders, Rio threw his haul onto the ground next to a fire that the girls had set up.Looking at the food, the girls began to laugh a bit before patting him on the back.Rio, looked up to see what they could be laughing about and noticed that they had already begun eating something. There was a large pot full of something delicious as its aroma began making its way into Rio's nostrils. He failed to notice it before as the smell of dead fish was more than enough to cancel out any other odor. Seeing
Arriving at the entrance to the city, The girls take the child and say their goodbyes."Go ahead and wait for us back at the dorms. There's no way they would allow you into the main building so just wait for us to return alright." Nissa explains.Rio nods in agreement and splits off from them in another direction. He makes his way into the city taking in his surroundings. He hadn't had a good chance to look around since he arrived and now was as good a time as any. Rio begins walking around town, taking note of the buildings around him. He saw many shops along the side streets that advertised foods and accessories. He also noticed that there were a lot more people around this area than he originally thought there would be.He had figured that the town would be relatively empty considering what he had heard but not only were there plenty of inhabitants, but they were all in high spirits. Even though he had yet to see the worst of this world. He had assumed that things would be a bit so
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