Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56"I can't do that." Sora's feet failed him and he fell into his seat and buried his face in his hands.
"I would love to do it for you but I won't always be here to help out. Remind me, why can't you do it yourself?""I would get expelled.""Attacking another mage is against the rules. Defending yourself during an attack initiated by someone else isn't.""I can't Ryo, I can't afford to get kicked out of the Academy." Sora raised his head "I have nowhere to go."When people had worried about Sora's condition being contagious, his father had abandoned him the moment he was told Sora couldn't harness his powers. The son of a level three Hunter, with a useless energy. The smear wasn't something he had wanted to be associated with.Besides being fascinated by the Masters, his father was one of the reasons he didn't want to be a Hunter but it didn't matter anyway, he would never get to be anything.Ryo's tone became soft from seeing the fear in Sora's eyes. "He can't keep doing this to you.""I'll be fine."Sora gave a faint smile that Ryo reciprocated. "Alright.""You still stink though. Go freshen up."Sora stood up and picked his dirty shirt and threw it at Ryo who laughed it off....Sora and Ryo made their way to the dining hall. The hall was massive. There were four columns with chairs lined up on very long tables all the way to the back. Leaving space for the serving stands.They walked all the way to the back to get their meals and joined queues with Sora standing to Ryo's left on another line.After a few minutes, Sora felt a pull on his forehead, his head hurt and his scar itched. He put his hand to his forehead to itch the scar and Ryo noticed his discomfort."What's wrong?" Ryo asked."My head hurts a little but I'm fine."Ryo put his hand to Sora's forehead to check his temperature."You don't have a fe…" He barely finished his sentence when he drew his attention back to Sora's forehead.Ryo moved closer to Sora, quickly separating the hair that covered his forehead to reveal the scar. Sora pushed his hand off his face immediately."What the heck is this?""Nothing""He did this." He wasn't asking, he was stating it.Ryo's eyes burned with rage. He turned to face the room. The dining hall was filled but not to its full capacity. He started from the end close to them and scanned the room as though looking for someone.Sora realized what he was doing and tried to stop him. "Ryo please, it's not worth it.""You're worth it.""He's not worth it, please. You could get into trouble with the Masters and even the Hunters too.""I'll be fine." Ryo dismissed him."Ryo please don't. I don't want this.""He won't want it too when I'm done."It took a while but Ryo sighted who he was looking for. Konan was seated at the other end of the room with his group eating and laughing. Sora followed Ryo's line of sight and saw that he had found Konan.Ryo smirked. "Good" and it scared Sora.Ryo took a step forward but stopped abruptly as Sora moved and stood in his way."Please." Sora pleaded, not because he didn't want Konan to get what he deserved but because he didn't want to be seen as a weakling that had to be defended.Ryo put his hand on his forehead, raising the hair to reveal his scar. He dropped his hand to Sora's neck to touch the mark from his cut. "It won't stop till someone does something about it."Ryo gently stepped around Sora and marched over to where Konan sat. The closer he got, he could hear the sound of Konan's laughter and it annoyed him more.Dai's eyes widened as he saw Ryo approach with Sora closely behind him. He saw Ryo's fist balled and raised but not in time to alert Konan who was caught completely unawares.Ryo's fist made contact with Konan's face and it knocked him out of his seat.Everyone around them stopped moving and the area became silent."You should be grateful there was no energy attached to that punch. You would have died." Ryo's voice was filled with rage.Konan got up and dusted himself. He put his hand to his lips and cleaned the blood off them. Ryo had busted his lips.He looked to see Sora was still standing behind Ryo to the left and then back to Ryo. Konan smiled"One more time Konan. Touch him one more time."He tilted his head to Sora "I see your bodyguard is back.""Stay away from him." Ryo barked."It's quite cowardly to attack from behind, you know.""I have no problem giving your busted lip a partner right now.""I doubt you can land one hit successfully.""We can test that theory right now."Konan and Ryo stood face to face fuming and breathing heavily. Energy surged through them and stopped at their balled fists"Someone's here." Marce gestured ahead to Masters walking into the dining halls. They knew they would get in trouble if caught but they didn't back down.Sora moved to Ryo putting a hand to his shoulder "You can't get in trouble over him. He's not worth it."Dai moved Konan "They're not worth getting into trouble for."Konan and Ryo stood head to head still with with mage energy surging at their fists"They are close." Marce alerted themRyo relaxed first and Konan followed suit."You're lucky they're around." Konan"You're lucky I'm more hungry than angry. Stay the hell away from Sora." Ryo retorted.Ryo turned and walked away from him with Sora beside him.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 8 Meeting
Sora and Ryo sat at the table and ate in silence. Ryo must have been really hungry. Sora watched him gobble down good like he was being rushed but in between his eating and breathing, Sora could see him scrunching his palm once in a while. It had to hurt. He had punched Konan without his mage energy and busted his lip.Konan and his friends had left shortly afterward because their once-occupied seats were now empty.It wasn't the first time Ryo defended him. Although it had never gotten as intense as it did today, Sora knew Ryo would always defend him.Ryo was more handsome than he was—if he was at all. He had the fit Sora had only ever dreamed about and he had developed a few muscles since training with the Hunters. He stood an inch shorter than Sora, but his body made him seem taller.Ryo always had a buzzed cut that gave a full view of his oval face that ended with a stubble beard.Ryo has a face you could describe as happy and approachable, and whenever he smiled or laughed, his e
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 9 A Soul Eater in the Ivy
The Ivy Hall was massive. Sora had only been in twice. The first was when all new intakes were made to seat in the hall upon entry for the Masters' welcoming and a rundown of obligations, rules, and regulations.The second and last time was during Ryo's selection ceremony a year ago. It should have been his too, but having no powers automatically meant he would not be selected into any faction.The Hall was built as an auditorium with space to accommodate at least a thousand people and a podium, which the Ivy Masters were already seated on with blank expressions on their faces.Ryo moved closer to Sora. "I have to join the Hunters. You can find a seat for yourself."Sora nodded in return."I'll find you after. Just wait at the entrance."Ryo left to find the Hunters and Sora took a seat at the back of the Hall and put his hood up. The last thing he wanted to do now was, garner attention.About ten Hunters were lined up horizontally behind the masters. They had to be the best Hunters t
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 10 Creepy
His dreams were always the same.It always started with him walking into one of the Ivy training rooms only to see an exact replica of himself training intensely. Mage energy flowed ceaselessly through his entire body as he summoned water from the air and try to hold it in place as it grew in size. It grew bigger but his body would ache all over in return and his clothes drenched in sweat, from having to release so much energy at once.He would stop to rest and even out his breaths, but after resuming his training, nothing would flow out of him. Not a drop of energy flowed even after trying over and over. He would watch himself panic and grow scared from the fear of being powerless.Every single time he dreamed, it was the same and no matter how much he yelled at himself to not take a break and just push through till the end, or take things easy, slow and steady, he didn't seem to hear or notice anyone speaking to him. He always took a break and had the same result every time.Frustra
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 11 Not a Mage
It had been four days since the Ivy Meeting but everyone still seemed tense. Mages walked in smaller groups and avoided being out long before dusk. Once the safest place in all of Namyrs, the Ivy had now become filled with so much anxiety and fear.Hunters still stood guard at several locations in the Ivy, and their presence gave some sort of comfort but it wasn't enough to rid people of their anxiety.As expected, words didn't go out about the new death. The Hunters had kept it hush, the masters would probably know too. Seeing as everyone was already tense, it was probably a wise decision to not share the information.Ryo and Sora walked into the Dining Hall, and headed straight for the serving stand.They caught Konan's eyes as they walked, Sora straightened his hood over his head but Ryo seemed completely unbothered.They had barely sat down to eat when they were approached by another Hunter. When on duty, the Hunters' had a black form fitting uniform with their rank badges on them
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 12 Defeat Hix
The skies became darker and the air colder. Roars and laughter from the Hunter echoed through the woods as it shed the body it had dorned. The dark clouds gave way and the Soul Eater within it came forward. Its dark energy terrified Sora beyond anything he had ever felt and he could see Ryo's hands tremble even though his energy surged through them. Never in his lifetime had he thought seeing a soul eater was possible, but here it stood before them. They were indeed living their last moments. Descriptions had not done justice to them at all. Soul Eaters were dark creatures known to traumatize even the strongest mages, just from looking at them. Soul Eaters had the same gaunt skull-like face that was slightly bent to the side, almost like they had been hit in the jaw. With black eyes that matched their black exterior, fangs, and claws that seemed ready for action, and dark energy that flowed around them, waiting to draw in its victim. It was said that the claws of a soul eater could
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 13 Rebirth
Namrys was colder these days. The switch from the hot summers to the cold winter had been quick. Maybe too quick. Days are shorter and even the flowers seemed to have shifted from full green to a slight brown. This particular night was extremely cold and white fog formed as he exhaled one more time. Crouched on the roof of the infirmary of the Ivy, Sora sat alone facing East towards the Ivy gates. He was covered in layers of clothing, but the cold made him feel naked. He had his earmuffs on, but it didn't stop the cold from freezing his ears either. The cold air filled his lungs and left his skin dry constantly. The thick fog that covered the city should have made it impossible for him to see clearly, but he could see the second hand on the city clock afar off as it hit another sixty and he could see the minute hand move slightly to hit twelve sharp. The clock dinged nine times. Nine pm, Thursday. Ten days since they got attacked. Ten days since he died and was reborn. Three d
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Chapter 14 Only I can
"Are you okay?" Sora sat still on the bed and didn't respond. He tuned out for most of their conversation and instead, studied her with keen eyes. Whether or not she minded his silence, she didn't show it because she kept talking. She had to be at least twice his age, maybe thrice. She would have been in the Academy for a very long time because he could see the aging lines that were starting to form across her face and her lips which had started to give a slight bow. A thick portion of her hair on the left was a sharp gray color that stood out amongst her brunette hair which had been neatly styled into a low bun but her petite figure and soft voice could throw anyone off when guessing her age, it still had him guessing. She had come in to examine him again but unlike the previous times, she stayed to talk to him today. Today, the eleventh day since he died, and four days since he woke up. He still had no intentions of speaking, but something about Laya drew him in. He decided he m
Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage Get away from me
Explaining to the Ivy Masters about all that happened in hopes that they would believe him didn't seem like a good plan either.Sora put his hood over his head looking down as he made his way to his room whilst preparing to face the reality of Ryo's absence when he heard a loud shout from across the hallway."Halfling!"Not today, gods!Sora turned and began to walk back the way he had come without looking up to see who had shouted. He didn't need to.He could hear the sounds of the footsteps that approached, and he quickened his steps too.Sora broke into a run but he was knocked off balance as a strong force tangled his legs, making him trip and fall to the ground and it gave enough time for them to catch up to him.Dai grabbed him from behind and pulled him up as Marce broke the water force still tangled around his legs."Hello
Latest Chapter
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Not that one
The stren baritone voice Sora had heard the last time he was in Warrick’s house was a complete contrast to the person before him. He had expected an equally stern man with an intimidating build and sharp exterior but Warrick was a plum and short man with a hairline that began to recede ages ago and a huge mustache he obviously was in denial about...All qualities he knew he had seen somewhere before.“Who are you?” Warrick demanded as he moved even closer to them.“Messengers—Visitors ” Sora and Aridah replied respectively.They exchanged questioning looks and looked back at Warrick with awkward smiles“Visitors—Messengers” Once again their eyes met.Warrick raised his gun an inch higher and closer to their faces. “I will not ask again, who are you?”This time Sora looked to Aridah as if to give her the floor. “Please tell him who we are.”Aridah cleared her throat and stepped forward from behind Sora, but not close enough to be in Warrick’s line of sight. “We are messengers who are vi
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
I’m sure
“Are you sure about this?” Aridah asked Farah whilst rubbing the little boy’s head gently. “There might be nothing there.”“I’m sure. There’s nothing else for us to do here, at least there’s something to look forward to now.”“You can come with us, you know. We’re not sure where we’re going yet but at least we’d be together.”“Ari, I’m sure. We will go to the Capital to find my brother.” “And there’s no way to change your mind?”Farah moved closer to Aridah placing a reassuring arm on hers. “I know you’re worried about our safety but we’ll be fine. We will travel by day and hide by night, we’ll be fine.”Aridah sighed, accepting defeat. “Alright, but you don’t have to leave yet, you can stay here till you’re ready. ”“We’ll leave in two days. I want Niko well rested before we begin the journey.” “How are you even going to get there? You can’t possibly walk all the way.”“We’ll need a carriage, or at least something that moves but I have no idea how to get one.”Aridah “There should be
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Outnumbered
The Academy was in chaos. They had barely survived the first attack and irrespective of how hard they had prepared for another attack, nothing prepared them enough for the army of soul eaters that befell them. It was another surprise attack, but this time they had taken the capital first.The Hunters rushed into the capital leaving the Academy vulnerable and the soul eaters, led by Two, seized the opportunity to attack the Academy. The number of soul eaters were outrageous compared to how little Hunters were left guarding the Academy, but they fought nevertheless and they fought hard.Z and Kain fought together, bringing down soul eaters, but her eyes always found Tydinn in the crowd and that was when she saw him outnumbered by soul eaters, his blades still went up and down slicing through the mammoth crowd but she was only a matter of time before they would close in on him and take him down.Z's eyes went wide with rage at the sight of Tydinn struggling and without thinking, she jump
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Endless
Kresha’s hunters division was large, several separate buildings made up the division and most of them were already engulfed in flames. Everything was happening too fast, and within a minute or less, fire had spread across the entire landing. The hunters that had run back into the division stood at several locations trying to put out the fire with water they drew from the earth, the air, the plants and the fountain in the middle of the division but none of their efforts seemed to work.The building in front of Sora had just started to smolder in the fire and the first thing that crossed his mind was whether or not there were people inside. He thought of going inside the building and looking for some people, but the extreme heat that was coming out of the house thwarted him instantly.Sora channeled all the energy he could and raised a shield to protect himself before dashing into the building. His shield did well to prevent the flames from burning him but it did not stop the smell of f
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
I saw you run
Sweat dripped down Sora’s body as he made his way from the woods into Kresha. Running to Kresha late at night and in the middle of training hadn’t been in his plans for the night but he felt a sudden urge to find Warrick again and possibly the Hunters division too. The urge had been too strong to ignore so he dropped everything and ran without second guessing himself.As he ran, he felt the cold hit his face but in spite of the cold, his insides kept burning. It burned so much and his head ached as well, he felt the floor rise up to his face and back down as nausea hit him but most of all, his craving for souls drove him insane, however he didn’t stop running. Although he craved for souls, he felt stronger than before, his training was working but it also made his frenzy come quicker and for some reason, this felt stronger than any frenzy he had ever had. He knew it was only a matter of time before he lost complete control and gave in to his frenzy, finally becoming the beast he alway
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
If patterns work
Aridah walked quietly in front of Sora as they weaved through the streets and Sora waited patiently for a response but nothing came.He finally broke the silence. “You can’t avoid this forever.”Aridah faced him with her tongue stuck out. “I can try, can’t I?”“Aridah, why are you stalling?”“There’s a lot of people around, can we at least get home first?”Sora knew it was another excuse to get out of talking and she probably would find another reason when they got to the house but he wasn’t going to push. He would have to wait and see how things played out when they got to the ho
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Tell me what you know
“Err…where are you going?” Aridah called out to Sora.He stopped in his tracks and faced her. “Home.”The word was out his mouth before he realized he had just described her house as his home but he didn’t take it back either.“We’re not going home yet.”“Why not?” Quite frankly, he had had enough of Kresha for one day and was ready to get out.“Because I’m going to work.”“Work?”“Yes, work. What people do to earn a living.”
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Warrick
Kresha was a mess! A total mess, and Sora’s eyes went wide with shock as he took in Kresha. The streets were filled with people moving in different directions, never stopping for the human obstacles that bumped into them occasionally, but swirling around them. Sora had never been claustrophobic before, but from where they stood, the view of the almighty swell of people made panic rise in his chest but he did his best to remain calm.He could smell them too, the people and the thick fowl air, a jumble of fresh herbs and spices from the stand next to them, body odor from passersby and fermented alcohol. That was when the heat hit him and he suddenly didn’t seem to mind replacing his shirt with a more revealing one not minding the ramifications.It was as though his senses had been amplified to the highest frequency and everything sucked.
- Rise of the Strongest Soul Mage
Madness
It had been three days since he regained consciousness, since he woke up on Aridah’s floor and two days of trying relentlessly to get words out of her about Varnek, but every single time he asked, she avoided his questions by changing the topic. Her constant efforts to dismiss him only confirmed that she knew more than she was letting on which made him persist even though he was growing impatient.He grew frustrated when he tried training the next morning and realized how weak he had become. He was completely drained and could hardly lift a pin, but it got even worse when he realized he couldn’t jump either. Jumping was the only way he knew to move long distance which would make returning back to the Academy a little more difficult for him.When he asked Aridah how she moved to places, she told him she walked everyw
