DALNO: The Beginning

CHAPTER 7: Dedication Upon Passion

June 10, 3142, 10:40 AM, Kyourou-ho Hospital: Asoko Branch. Aston is walking to the hallway of the establishment while looking at the number tags above the patient’s doors.

He stopped in front of one, Room #665. Raised his right arm, and attempted to knock on the door. The door opened before so, revealing a red-haired girl standing with its anesthetic stand as support, reminiscing Naiyhto.

“Are you, Nozomi Makushi?”

The girl nods coldly.

“Where’s brother?” Nozomi asked in demand.

Aston gazes at the cross above Nozomi’s bed. Noticing, Nozomi starts to cry and loses grip on her anesthetic stand. He then attempted to help her get up, but as he got closer to Nozomi.

“I will kill you— Vincent Ashite”

Shocked, Aston swiftly turned his head around the room and saw a television parallel to Nozomi’s bed.

Aston swiftly got out of a sobbing Nozomi’s room and busted rushing out of the hospital. He speedwalks with his hands inside his pockets with an alarming expression.

How?

How can it be broadcasted?

How did it reach her?

I told the Ashites to be cold shoulders about that incident.

Himono doesn’t even know her.

Nor in the same school where he teaches.

[Himono is Raiden’s last name]

It’s the television who’s the only suspect left.

So back to square one,

Who broadcasted it?

Do others see it too or are it just a show exclusive to Makushi’s sister?

I’ve searched within one thousand kilometers from the incident that night for stand or wire marks but got none.

And this is not caused by the deceased Makushi.

Since his status in life is not enough to hijack a television program.

Let alone when he spent the rest of his time in prison and a torture cellar.

SHIT

This is starting to escalate at an unnoticeable rate.

Aston continued to walk at the same speed on the way back to the leader’s office for the said matter to unpuzzle itself.

10:45 AM, Homura Academy. Silence is present on the school grounds, the dust waltz with the breeze as it uses the tree’s leaves as the moving stage with the rustle of the grass below them clapping impressed by the spectacular performance of harmony.

And then…

Ren broke flying out of the second-floor window as he knocked out unguarded. Shocked, Ren smirks in excitement as black and purple Arcanae hexagons start to overflow around his body.

From the broken window, Blaze spectated Ren’s fifty-meter fall and waited for the thudding sound, the body did a faint sound of a thud than logically is. This alarmed Blaze and threw a hand gesture, the students followed and leaped through.

Now in a free fall, the boy in a black hooded jacket got his hand out of his pockets and aimed his palm at a nearby tree. Gray Arcanae hexagons appear and made the branches of the target tree fade as if dissolving. The boy now aimed his hand below them and the diminished part reappeared in the same structure and used it as transport to the ground.

“Thanks for the ride, friend,” said Blaze in delight.

The boy nods casually, with little to no expression present.

“Well that’s Shado for you, disciple”

Surprised and confused, Blaze and Vincent moved their gaze in search of the boy who responded to the said words.

“Behind him, my brother”

As the voice says, behind Shado reveals a silver-haired boy in black shorts, blue rubber shoes, a black t-shirt, and a purple-like scarf reminiscent of a galaxy covering his nose to mouth standing in one of the branches with both hands inside his pockets.

…

…

They stared at each other, blankly.

“Are you supposed to be saying something the moment you found me?”

…

…

They look back to the goal as if nothing happened. The moment a leaf from the rifted branch makes contact with the school grounds. Void strings burst out of the ground and swirl in a random pattern in a third of a second, dissecting several of the student’s limbs to pieces whose reaction time is too slow.

“INTERESTING”

Ren’s scream and rhythmic clapping alarms everyone as each clap slowly uncovers himself from the fog made of dust.

“Interesting is the word, eh… I’d never thought you tittygrabbers would make it this far” Ren’s clapping stopped as he generated more combinations of black and purple Arcanae hexagons from his fist. ”As for the record, two seconds is all I need”.

From a starting number of twenty-four, twenty-four remain at this point of the fight. Even though there are the ones who got dissected from the attack earlier, the victim cannot lose blood as the dissection only disposed of the missing part that disappeared which made the dissection occur and with this, Ren can return their limbs with his choice of favor.

Aston,

The students began to generate Arcanae hexagons in different colors and materialized them into different forms.

It seems this batch has one of “them”.

Fear is present on their faces to the point of some gulping their own sweat. But even so.

As they’re the first to notice the flaw of my exam. 

Their dedication to the end of the exam bought them courage and strength.

Thank goodness I learned Continuous Seal Style.

Even in these conditions, they can’t let this only chance given by Vincent and started by Blaze go to utter waste.

The one that focuses on reviving of a sort.

A sweat drop has fallen from a focusing kid’s cheek.

5 minutes earlier, the students were in a full circle.

“Vincent, no, everyone, there is something I need you to know about Ren’s Arcanae,” said Blaze.

Everyone stared seriously.

“That thing is that”

Ren smiles hysterically.

“He mainly uses”

Void Style

“Control techniques”

Control: Epicaricacy

[Control Arcanae Techniques: A category of improved Arcanae techniques which is learned by excelling on both Manipulate and Summon techniques; The techniques within this category were able to control a person or in a majority scale of organisms manipulating their movement to the user’s accord]

The sweat drop is five centimeters away from the ground. Everything slows down. From the timestamp of 0.013 seconds, Ren’s Arcanae hexagons materialized into gigantic, gauntlet-like gloves.

The timestamp is 0.034 seconds, Ren began to move with his crazily-done barrage towards the students by materializing consecutive void portals to connect his fists to the student he wishes to hit as he rushes to also hit those that were near him.

The timestamp is 1.02131853 seconds, and the number of hits each of the 24 students has gotten was listed.

Joshue Aimbacris - 152

Ramon Ajavante - 482

Maxides Ajila - 283

Simon Ajilar- 434

Kalil Aliraba - 201

Asforld Ambert - 511

Vincent Ashite - 314

Kyoumei Beimei - 126

Jiojen Blease - 623

Madachi Dakita - 376

Chomozo Dareta - 196

White Falcon - 254

Hyougyou Feimheillt - 597

Shado Fury - 32

Peipor Gleez - 519

Geal Gasupe - 164

Megutschichimorou Gon - 645

Hallorand Haley - 342

Karuma Jen Reiss - 549

Blaze Lissclion - 24

Faraday Lissworth - 392

Keicho Monoma - 333

Neir Ogan - 378

Lhogan Poissant- 429

Tch… I’m not hitting them equally, especially that mid-air dodging Lissclion behind me… His eyesight manages to follow me in this state now, good progression brat.

The timestamp is 1.0923333 seconds, and the number of hits the students have taken has equally increased by 278 other than the ones listed.

Maxides Ajila - 43

Asforld Ambert - 457

Vincent Ashite - 124

White Falcon - 34

Shado Fury - 7

Blaze Lissclion - 5

Faraday Lissworth - 821 

Neir Ogan - 723

Dang you, Ren… This is overkill, if only I can speed up a little faster than his Control, I might’ve saved every one.

The timestamp is 1.5 seconds, Ren’s movements became even faster to the point that materializing his portals is delayed by 0.0000435 seconds with a maniacal laugh as he enjoyed the student’s delayed pain. The number of hits the students took has equally increased by 600 other than the ones listed.

Vincent Ashite - 1238

White Falcon - 1548

Shado Fury - 593

Blaze Lissclion - 100

Faster

The timestamp is 1.7234217 seconds. The number of hits the students took has equally increased by 2000 other than the ones listed.

Blaze Lissclion - 246

Tch, this Lissclion is really dodging my attacks despite moving slowly.

Faster

The timestamp is 1.9423146 seconds. Ren giggles in pleasure. The number of hits the students took has equally increased by 8000 other than the ones listed.

Blaze Lissclion - 2364

FASTERRRRRR

The sound of piercing speed released Blaze from the control of Ren’s technique and uncontrollably dashed and tackled him from the back, disrupting and releasing the technique.

Ren got flying away to a distance from the impact of Blaze’s kick. Despite that, the sound of raging wind from Ren’s barrage began havoc on their body as it caused a delayed reaction.

Five minutes have passed, and several students begin to pass out while the delay of Ren’s barrage occurs. One by one, blow by blow, they start to lose morale. Blaze aches in closed eyes, crunching to withstand the pain. He turned his gaze from Ren's direction and saw a frozen Vincent kneeling on the sandy ground with blood streaming out of his shocked mouth, unable to move a nerve.

Three minutes have passed, and the delayed barrage stops, from the starting count of twenty-four, fifteen were driven unconscious and five were paralyzed. Blaze stood up on sea legs as he clenched his side with his palm. Catching his breath, he heard a familiar voice within the distant fog of dust.

“Fist Enhance”

Revealing himself once more, The smirking Ren’s hands were covered by his own Arcanae reminiscent of a boxing glove.

[Arcanae Body Enhancements: A type of simple buff that covers the user’s desired body part with its Arcanae energy, with it comes the ability of the user’s Arcanae like being able to make someone wet by being hit with a fist enhancement from the user with water Arcanae]

Shocked by what he saw, Blaze looks to his weakened and collapsed classmates and back to Ren. But so, Ren is already in Blaze’s face already throwing a punch. Blaze dodges this by speed consecutively as Ren always catches up to him.

“Tch hehehe, just let me kill you already… LISSCLIOOOON”

Blaze proceeds to charge up as Ren hysterically grabs his blindfold and reveals his golden eye with the right being scarred, covered in a black matter. The matter began to envelop Ren’s body just as Blaze punched his guts. He got flown away once more and stood still before his body met the ground. He raised his head up and revealed his silver hair changed to scarlet and his pale skin tone to shadow.

At an establishment near the academy, A blonde male in an HSMA uniform looks at Ren’s transfiguration through the window, then at the exhausted students. Little after, he left with a calm expression.

Good luck surviving,

Classmates

The transfiguration is finished three minutes after, Ren looks scarier and menacing with his cloak made out of his Arcanae. Out of nowhere, he threw a void-like ball from his back revealing the purple scarfed guy from earlier barely dodging the projectile by a crossover, destroying half of his scarf and his momentum.

Blaze starts to run as he’s too exhausted to use his Arcanae, the moment Ren gazes at him. It struck him with fear and got stunned.

Dang it,

MOVE, YOU DANG BODY

Ren walks closer to him with a motive to kill. He looks toward the stunned Blaze straight to the eye and materializes a void ball on his fingertips.

“I thought you want to make a change, but you act as same as your damned father”

“GET DOWN, YOU FUCKING AAHHH”

Blaze’s instincts automatically followed the screaming voice’s command, dodging the slices a bloody Vincent made with his materialized Buster sword that’s too big for his size and carrying, towards the unguarded Ren. Blaze looks down and his body starts to dematerialize in a similar manner as the tree earlier. In the next blink of his shocked eyes, he’s a distance away from Vincent and Ren with Shado beside, protecting Blaze from Ren while he’s being materialized by Shado’s Arcanae.

Destroying the majority of Ren’s cloak, Vincent is at his limits, if he moves, he faints. As the Buster sword he materialized vanishes, he looks towards Blaze and takes a deep breath.

“I’ll leave the rest to you… Remember… it's still… part… of… the… plan”

As Blaze got his senses back, Ren used 20 Seals: Flash Step towards Vincent and punched his guts leaving him unconscious. While falling down, Blaze recalls a part of their strategy.

“What! Fighting head to head to the Professor?” screamed the shocked girl after hearing Vincent’s plan. “But that would likely get us disqualified, right?”

“You see, this is not just about fighting nor introducing one’s self towards another” Vincent responds. “It is that we are missing the point of introducing. The Professor even already gave us a clue but the majority overlooked”

Everyone is confused, excluding Blaze.

“This may seem far-fetched of a clue but, remember when the Professor introduced himself? Did he do it before? Or during the fight?”

“Well, it’s before because someone asked him so”

“So, it may not seem like the Professor planned this but the encrypted message is there… The reason why this exam is made… And for how it is made… Up to his attitude and tone of voice… It all goes down to one thing… He wants us to fight him”

“But how can we trust this though? Aren’t you an Ashite?”

Vincent became distressed by the girl’s question.

“As long as I believe him, you should too” Blaze cuts-in in a casual tone.

The girl turned silent and looked down.

“Do you have any backup plans in case this fails, though?” The boy in a purple scarf asked.

“If so, it all comes to Blaze who made you gather here in the first place in an instant”

“But I barely made it through?”

“Either wise, a Hypno technique is a Hypno technique”

Blaze continues to argue with Vincent but he pats his shoulders and calms him down.

“We believe in you, begin the change you wanted starting with you”

In the fight, Blaze began to stressfully think of a strategy. With Vincent now unconscious, he stresses himself even more for an effective plan. Out of a sudden, Ren scream’s out his family name.

“IF YOU WANT THINGS TO CHANGE, BEGIN CHANGING YOU”

Dark Eye Form, Void Style: Kingdom Of Darkness

A black matter began to appear in a similar manner in the classroom but instead of spreading from down to up, the technique began from Ren’s back and rushed forward as it removed every single sign of light and objects it passed, disrupting Blaze’s focus.

“Anti-matter, Hypno: Cosmic Lights”

A ray of light suddenly engulfed the area and overpowers the darkness of Ren’s void to the point of being obliterated. Blaze rubs his eye and looks for that familiar voice.

[Hypno Arcanae Techniques: A category of improved Arcanae techniques which is learned by excelling on both Manipulate and Imitate techniques; The techniques within this category were able to control a majority scale of organisms manipulating their attributes to the user’s accord]

“Falcon, White Falcon… The name should be unforgettable, now” said the boy in a purple scarf. “What to do, Lissclion?”

“I told you to not call me that”

“I can call you whatever you want until your goal is fulfilled, you can do the same to us if you want… Now calm down and tell me and Shado what to do”

Scared, Blaze continues to make a strategy under great stress as his mind is fixated on the time it would take for Ren’s eyes to recover from White’s technique.

Well frick,

Vincent got us this far,

And now I can’t mess it up.

Dang, this has been always an issue for me,

A strategy of my own is fine, but

Making one for a majority of people is just hard for me.

I need to fix this,

This fight will decide,

If I’m worthy of progressing further

OR NOT.

Blaze raises his head in a serious expression and looks toward the newly recovered Ren.

“Shado, Falcon, distract and attack Ren from a distance, and don’t let him get my presence at all cost”

“What will you do? If you’re trying a new technique, don’t gamble with it”

“Don’t worry, Falcon… This might be unmastered, but this is not a gamble”

Blaze took on a running stance with Cyan Arcanae hexagons emitting from his body. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The Arcanae hexagons that are currently floating began to reverse their track as if he’s absorbing their own Arcanae energy.

I am Blaze Lissclion,

I dislike my clan’s predetermined loyalty and wealth.

Despite that, I still act like I am popular and powerful.

My dream is to become the greatest Arcanae user in Ithorenth.

Every time I make friends, I make rivals at the same time.

Yet despite this complex ambition, I have a weak spot.

And one of them is the ability to think of a strategy for a mass of people.

I need to be stronger, and stronger for my progression to exile this weakness from me.

I hope you’re watching me Mr. Genzou, 

In this examination,

Is the perfect start.