When Zeke opened his eyes and finally awakened from his premature slumber, he felt an uncomfortable numbness in his left arm. He let out a soft groan as he immediately remembered what happened.He had used ‘Over-drive’ to retaliate against William Lorson, but his body couldn’t cope with prior over-exertion along with the almost fatal injury inflicted by the frightening black flames.‘This is Erys’ infirmary. I survived… that’s a good thing.’The young man slowly sat up while chuckling in a self-mocking manner. His whole left arm was wrapped in tight bandages, but even without getting a good look, he knew it was irreparably damaged.Still, there was no need to regret or worry about this consequence. Doctor Xavier was nowhere to be seen, so Zeke turned his attention to the accessible System Logs.********[User: Zeke Orland][Race: Human][Level 7 (16/105 EXP)][Strength: 99][Agility: 84][Aether: 91][Fortitude: 25][Paths: Martial Arts (1/12) inactive | Voltage Body(1/44) | Groundbre
“You’re really a magnet for all sorts of trouble!”Unexpectedly, Samuel was the first visitor of Zeke. The energetic youth had snuck in the dead of the night when Xavier had retired to his room. “Freaking hell, dude! Your arm looks like shit!”“It does indeed.” Replied Zeke while softly laughing. In times like these, Samuel’s honesty was a breath of fresh air. Although they didn’t have a lot of time to hang out recently, Zeke’s impression of the Detective’s son was favorable. After all, Samuel would offer help when asked and despite his blabbering mouth, he was a loyal and amicable individual.“What did that gloomy doctor say? Will you be able to participate in the Practical Exams?”“He wants me to rest, but I don’t want to be graded solely on the Theoretical Exams.”“Speaking of which, I’ve got the chart.”Samuel grinned and leaned closer as he fished out his phone and showed a picture to the curious Zeke.Depicted on the poorly-taken picture was the chart for the upcoming battles,
In the spacious and cozy ‘lounge’ of the Special Investigation Squad, Celestia Black and John were looking at the campus, their eyes focused on the crowd of people opposing each other. Most of the students were either asleep or readying themselves in the dorms, so there weren’t many onlookers, to begin with. Those who happened to witness such a sight were wise enough to keep their distance and opt for being quiet spectators.“From one hole to the other. I almost pity the boy.” Remarked Celestia as she kept her eyes on Zeke. While it was true she had first disliked him, her impression of him slightly changed. His attitude notwithstanding, she knew that he was a good-natured youth, one whose circumstances pushed him to become an impassive and overall gloomy person. John, who stayed a couple of paces behind the girl, remained silent for a long time before a chilling voice came out of his now unsealed lips.“Prepare yourself.”As she heard the Talking Sin out of nowhere, Celestia turne
“This is the place where they kept the kid?”Edward, who, despite Zeke’s unknown whereabouts, was in a surprisingly good mood. After what happened in Erys, the entirety of the Vyrsan family will be seeking revenge. If Olivia were to die, they were would have sufficient motive and not even Solas would be able to completely stop them.The incident was so big that the Department of Defense had already learned of this. Edward was certain that they would eventually figure out the truth and would pursue Zeke, but their intentions remain to be verified. They wouldn’t outright wish to harm Zeke, first because he was Edward’s family, and second because they weren’t knowledgeable about the System, thus making them wary.“Yes, sir.”Katrina stood at the entrance of the clean and empty office, politely bowing her head to Jan, who was accompanying her benefactor.“Indeed… I can smell it. The strong and foul scent of blood. It wasn’t a normal spawn, I’ll tell you that.”“The report says that his ag
Tuesday evening, the second day of the Practical Exams.North-West of the Sunken Metropolis, there was a chain of big and small hills housing several farms and settlements.Atop one such hill, filled with nothing but a stretch of grass and flowers, Zeke stood under the setting sun.He gazed at the sky, which was dominated by a beautiful orange hue as a cool wind breeze brushed against his skin.His charred black arm tingled and he felt a bit of pain, but it was manageable. The young man, who changed into casual clothes and cleaned his previously disheveled appearance, took deep breaths as he patiently waited.A fair distance away, at the side of the road, Jack and Sulong were chatting without a care in the world. They were enjoying cold beers, instructed by Zeke to await his return, no matter how time would pass.After an indeterminate amount of time, Zeke heard footsteps coming from the rear, and when he turned around, he saw the blond-haired Azmer.“I honestly thought you wouldn’t
Azmer’s physique, albeit stronger than average people, still paled in comparison to his opponent’s. With the golden sword in hand, he charged at Zeke but he only took a couple of steps before his target vanished into thin air.Instinctively, Azmer swept his weapon horizontally, unleashing vast amounts of golden fire, which clashed against several lightning bolts shot from Zeke.Using ‘Life Motus’, Zeke had closed the distance and attack, and when the successive ‘Voltage Zap’ were blocked, he ‘teleported’ again and swept his leg upwards.He moved with impressive speed, one that Azmer couldn’t react to, thus getting hit in the shoulder and blown a couple of meters away.Still, he landed on his feet and clasped the sword near his chest as a pillar of fire burst forth, spreading to all directions and forcing the approaching Zeke to leap back.Azmer relied on his powerful Pyromancy to make a small explosion under his feet, launching straight at Zeke, the golden sword thrust forward and sho
“This is the best you found?”Zeke sat at the back of the van, moving around due to how uncomfortable the cramped the place was. There were only two seats and the back was meant for anything other than people. Basically, it was a vehicle meant for delivery and not ‘traveling’.Unlike Zeke, Arbert was sitting motionlessly, unbothered by the bumpy road. It hasn’t been long since he was ‘born’, yet the boy had grown drastically. He looked no different than a 12-year-old, with relatively long blood-colored hair, pale white skin, a pair of sharp eyes, and a slim body.He was talking more and more, but most of his conversations were with Sulong. He would sometimes mock Jack or spout nonsensical stuff. Strangely enough, he seemed inexplicably wary of Zeke, barely meeting his gaze or acknowledging his presence.After winning against Azmer, Zeke wasted no time and departed from the Sunken Metropolis along with his new companions. Admittedly, they weren’t the best, nor the strongest, but he fel
Frederic Whitefort, the exiled Vagabond, was wearing a ridiculously poor disguise as he jumped over the towering walls surrounding Erys. He safely landed on the ground and safely looked around, spotting nothing but a peaceful and quiet forest. However, scarce had his feet touched the grass did a shadow figure dash from afar and stop a couple of paces away. The Dean, unlike his usual composed demeanor, was frowning and menacingly looking at Frederic. “We do not welcome your kind here, vagabond.” Unfortunately for him, Frederic’s was more infamous than famous. He wasn’t a criminal, nor was he a threat to the Nezulian Republic, but he was relatively well-known, especially amongst the powerhouses. This young man, wearing a fake beard and a long mustache, had forsaken the distinguished Whitefort family in pursuit of mysticism and mysteries. Prior to his banishment, he was an unrivaled genius, a prodigy that shook the whole world. Yet, he abandoned any and all training, obsessing over