《The Eighth Sin》


 1 Reawakening

    "What is this...?" A muffled voice groaned out as the blurry vision of the darken skies above began to fade from light. "How...?" The voice continued; deep crimson iris'' glancing to the left as he heard a voice yet was incapable of understanding the words nor gaining any form of sight of the figure which only left a shadowy silhouette of someone running to his side. His lips parted again, yet not words peered forth. ''Oh...'' The male seemed to speak to himself internally. ''So I lost...'' He muttered inside of his mind as he closed his eyes. ''So that''s what happened...'' The male repeated himself; almost as if out of pity yet held some form of enlightenment to these words. "Beginning the Reconstruction process... Obtaining present information..." A voice peered forth which caused the male to open his eyes only to see a dim light piercing through the darkness. The male would attempt to call out, yet nothing parted his lips.


    "Data Obtained. User: Riyku Von Rosario. Present Age: Error! Incalculable. Reinstating Age to twenty-five. Beginning Body identification..." The voice seemed to peer from the dim light before him; becoming ever more vivid as it spoke. ''Another rebirth? This isn''t like the last several times though... Oh, whatever...'' The male''s internal voice echoed throughout the darkness. "Body data successfully obtained! Recreating preset for Body Structure... Completed! Gathering ability data..." A soft sigh mixed with a groan escaped his lips. He could no longer feel the cold wet of the ground; no instead it felt like he was just floating amass an empty space. "Error! Ability data is too great to carry over. Select ten attunements..." Another groan escaped the male as the vivid light commanded him to select ten attunements.


    ''Just preselect whatever...'' The male spoke into the darkness. "Affirmative! Selecting ten personal attunements. Select personal abilities to carry over." The voice would repeat in which the male repeated himself with a heavy sigh. ''Preselect whatever''. "Affirmative! Ten personal abilities have been preselected. Gathering remaining needed data... Complete. User Riyku, select an affinity to finish completion." The male''s brow rose before he shook his head with a sigh. ''Pick whatever.'' He seemed rather agitated with everything going on. "Affirmative! Affinity, Attunements, and Abilities are all preselected based on the previous lifestyle. Beginning the rebirth process now." The vivid light illuminated the darkness around the male after speaking such words which caused him to winch from the brightness. Although; once the illumination died down the sight of a clear blue sky with pure white clouds slowly making their way was before him. Adjusting his line of sight he happened to see a barbwire gate; of which he followed around before taking note of the cement he was standing upon. "A building roof-top." The male muttered to himself; his voice deep yet smooth and soothing to a natural.


    "Correct!" A voice popped out of nowhere. "Huh?" The male was taken by surprise thanks to the voice which instantly sent him into an alert state. "Where are you?" The male inquired; as his body twisted left and right. "I Apologize; User Riyku; I am inside of you. I will be your Operator during this present life." The male''s expression became... lax so to speak. This wasn''t his first rodeo with voices speaking in his mind. The male exhaled a soft sigh before shaking his head. "Operator? Well then, elaborate." The male inquired in which the voice peered forth into his mind yet again. "Of course. User Riyku; the place you are in is a different world; one far from your own. The timeline was also adjusted according to your previous lifestyle to make things a bit more difficult for you. Just in case you got any ideas." The voice explained; something which the male knew of and nodded. "Of course that would happen. I picked up I wasn''t in that forsaken place anymore. This place is far too bright. First; who are you, then tell me the world I am in." The male inquired yet again even if it sounded so demanding it was not.


    "Well... I do not have a name. So you can call me Operator if you wish." The voice proceeded to explain to the male who just sighed heavily in response. "Then we''ll figure it out later. Now the world, and what is going on." The male pretty much repeated his earlier inquirement. "Ah, yes. This world is known as Peccatum. The laws of society, politics, and populace work the same way as the previous world; with some exceptions." The male''s brow rose; "exceptions?" He inquired as he shifted his weight onto his right heel while crossing his arms just above his abdominal area. "Yes. The laws can be morphed in your favor as long as you continue to win." The Operator explained. "Win what?" The male asked out of curiosity. "Anything. From fights to games like chess or poker." The Operator replied in which the male released a light muse from his lips. "Well then, I''ll investigate upon that later. For now, tell me what is going on with my being." The male stated in which the Operator responded; "Of course, User Riyku. Different from your previous body which was made of nothing more than Binary Data; your new body is Cybernetic. It is a mixture of your Digital Attributes and Enhancements as well as a fleshy body. Which is simply known as Cybernetic Bodies. Of course; it is not to be mixed with cyborgs or nano-technology." The Operator stated in which the male''s brow rose while his eyes scouted around the area of the rooftop; as the Operator continued.


    "Cybernetic Bodies possess what is known as a User Interface or UI for short. The UI is displayed upon your personal vision like a HUD which if you look at the upper left-hand corner you can see a green color bar and below it a purple color bar. Above the green color bar is your name, and alongside that will display many other things like negatives and positives that affect your body." The male shifted his iris in the direction mention before noticing a grayed our bar below the purple one. "What''s that last bar?" The male inquired. "Oh. That is your Form Duration Bar. In your previous life, you were able to partake of several different forms which adjusted your attributes, appearance, and affinities." The Operator explained in which the male shook his head. "Okay... So nothing is really new. It''s the same." The male would shrug in which the Operator would attempt to correct him. "Negative. A cybernetic body allows you partake of fleshy desires and adjust your nerves system along with many other things. In addition to that; you can bleed and take damage like a normal body. However, the green bar will need to be depleted first or something will need to pierce through your vitals." The male''s brow rose in surprise. "So it''s like a shield? Although I am guessing the purple bar is more like a mana pool?" The male asked. "In a way yes. The green bar acts as a shield that will absorb damage before you can be truly injured; however, the shield can be pierced through if the right weapon is used. The purple bar is similar to a Mana Pool; though it holds different functions than one; in addition to that it can be used to replenish your shield." The Operator explained in which the male shook his head with a soft sigh.


    "Alright, well I think I get the gist of it. Now then, what exactly are you?" The male inquired. In truth, he knew nothing of this ordeal; even though he was used to these sorts of things. Having an ''Operator'' was new to him in a sense. "I am your Digital Interface Operating System." The voice poured into his mind; though the answer seemed to be more based on what he figured it was. "So you are my personal A.I? Well... nothing new there." The male muttered having cleared up his initial thought of what this Operator was; clearly, this wasn''t his first rodeo with voices in his head let alone other ''souls'' in his body. "Now then, a name for you... A feminine voice; though an A.I." The male mused lightly to himself in thought before eventually coming up with something. "Got it. You will be named Coco." The male stated. "Coco." The Operator rephrased it before seeming to accept it with a noise of delight. "I am your personal Digital Interface Operating System; Coco." The Operator Coco stated. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. We are going to be together for quite some time." She seemed to add in which the male mused lightly. "Of course. Now then, More on this world and this building I am standing on. If you will." The male inquired.


    "Of course. This world is like I said similar to your old one; yet with exceptions to those who play Gambit''s Dance. Which is a world-wide game where two parties can challenge one another." Coco stated. The male would shift his weight onto the other heel as he unfolded his arms and let his hands slip into the pockets of black leather slacks. His eyes slowly closing as a sigh soft parted his lips. "Yes, I remember. Tell me more about this game. More so what it holds, what challenges, and most of all what laws can be defied." The male remarked. "Of course. There are two kinds of people who participate in this game. The Gamers and Subscribers. The Gamers are those who challenge other Gamers and take part of Gambit''s Dance. The Subscribers are those who tune into their favorite Gamer and support them with anything they can. From food to money; even emotional support as well. While they are not active in the game; they are extremely important to Gambit''s Dance. Simply because they act as Witness'' for the Challenge of Gamble." Coco explained in which Riyku opened his eyes lightly to glance at the clear sky. "Challenge of Gamble? I am assuming you are referring to the Game?" Riyku inquired. "Yes." Coco seemed to reply.


    "Well, What of this Witness role? Is it so people are unable to cheat?" Riyku questioned as he rolled his shoulders around a bit feeling kind of stiff from all the standing around. "Actually yes and no. You see; Cheating in Challenge of Gamble is only allowed if not caught. If you are caught you will be demoted and severely punished. However, the Watchers can actively support their Gamer during the ''Game''. With tips, words of encouragement and even ointments as well as other things." Coco would explain in which Riyku seemed to understand every word of it as he watched the clouds effortlessly float by. "Well, I am sure I do not wish to find out what this severe punishment would be. So then what of the ''Gamers''. How does the Challenge of Gamble work?" Riyku inquired.


    "Ah! Yes. Those who are challenged to a Challenge of Gamble are known as Challenged. One of the rules states that the Challenged are allowed to decide any form of the game; from combat to simple coin-flips, unless they decide to release this to the Challenger." Coco explained in which Riyku''s brow perked up. "Rules? Well, I guess everything has some kind of law to it." The male mused lightly as he began to approach the fence a little ways away. "Of course! The Rules are fairly simple. I''ll put them on your Display while I go over them. You can always look at them later to by calling out to your portfolio from your UI." Coco stated in which Riyku nodded in agreement while looking out over city-view he had. A simple semi-transparent tab with a list of rules displayed before him; even though the tab was slightly transparent Riyku was still able to read over it with ease.


    "Alright!" Coco shouted before going over the list before them.


    Rule number one: No one under the age of sixteen is allowed to be challenged.


    Rule number two: Both parties of the Challenge of Gamble must present equal win to lose value, otherwise the Challenge will be canceled.


    Rule number three: The Challenged is allowed to decline the Challenge of Gamble.


    Rule number four: Under no circumstances is death permitted unless the Challenge of Gamble permits such.


    Rule number five: Both parties from a Challenge of Gamble are not allowed to be challenged for the next forty-eight hours. However, they are allowed to challenge.


    Rule number six: Under no circumstance is either party allowed to cheat, any evidence provided and proven true will result in severe punishment.


    Rule number seven: The losing party must abide by winning parties spoils of war. Failure to provide said spoils will result in severe punishment.


    Rule number eight: Only a Moderator is allowed to interfere in a Challenge of Gamble; any other person will be severely punished and the Challenge will end instantly. This does not apply to Subscribers.


    Rule number nine: The only time a Challenge of Gamble can be called into a draw with no victor is when the Game takes far longer than it should. Any Game exceeding a twenty-four hour time will result in a draw unless the conditions of the game state otherwise.


    Rule number ten: All Gamers must play at least one Game per week to keep their present ranking or they will face demotion.


    Coco explained as Riyku read along with her explanation.


    "Okay; so what are these rankings?" Riyku inquired in which his Display was suddenly changed into a small list of rankings. "Simple; both Gamers and Subscribers have rankings; though Unlike Gamer Rankings. Subscriber rankings have no penalties for being at the lowest rank. So we''ll set them aside. For now, you have a list of rankings for Gamers. I already went ahead and registered you as a Gamer anyways. You''ll notice a green dot where it says Unranked." Coco stated, and indeed Riyku did see the green dot. Though; his brow twitched. "And who said I wanted to be a Gamer?" He inquired with slight annoyance. "J-Judging from your previous life; I could tell that was the best course of action. Theoretically, at the age of sixteen, your parents force you to choose. So anyone not affiliated with either or would be considered an abnormally." Coco replied with light confusion and wisdom. This caused the male to sigh softly as he shook his head lightly. "Then nothing could have been done. So explain to me how the ranking works." Riyku requested.


    "Well, it''s simple. After five Games you will be placed into a corresponding Ranking depending on the difficulty of each game and your ratio of winning. Games like death combat and advanced levels of mental games are more rewarding but have major risk factors. Whereas games like coin flips and chess have lower risk factors yet are less rewarding. That is why it is called Gambit''s Dance." Coco explained even more; however, Riyku seemed to keep up quite well. "So the higher my rank the better my life will be?" He inquired. "Yes. Those of higher rankings can be overlooked by authorities and gain several lengths ahead in life. In addition to that once you reach a ranking of the top ten, you will gain an allowance from the corporation of Gambit''s Dance. Those who are in the lowest from five hundred to two-fifty Rank provide funds to the corporation. The lower your ranking the more you provide." Coco answered to him in which his brow rose yet again. "Wait... only five hundred out of like several billions of people?" The male quizzed. "Indeed. Although, not everyone is a Gamer. The person who is in the last place can be overtaken by a Gamer who is just short of them. In which case it can cause the person in the last place to drop from the ranking list. Those who are below the five-hundred mark are considered Slaves. Slaves can be sold by the corporation to Gamers to make money which is another way to keep people out of the gutter. However, one can still break free of enslavement by playing Games. The Master of the Slave can not decline nor disallow a Slave to partake in a Game. To add; The Slave can challenge their Master for freedom as well as their spot. Though in doing so; the Slave must forfeit their life if they lose. They are no longer considered human if they lose." Coco answered in which Riyku began to message the bride of his nose lightly.


    It was indeed a lot to take it, but he seemed capable of gathering all the information as well as processing it. "What is the score of the person in the last place?" Riyku questioned. "Presently the last place score is held by Tim Mendoza with a score of twenty wins, eighty-nine losses, and zero draws. However, if you are worried fret not. There is a probation period which disallows one to be enslaved by the corporation for three weeks to allow them a chance to make the ranking list." Coco seemed to sense that; being enslaved the moment he made his ranking would cause him to become a target. "Oh? Well, that is helpful." Riyku stated. "So if I win all five high-risk factor games, what will my ranking be?" The male inquired. "Factoring in deadly combat and advanced mental games... you will be placed around the hundreds in ranking" Coco answered. "And if it weren''t high-risk factor games?" Riyku wasn''t planning on simple games; although most people probably wouldn''t go for high-risk factor games in the end. "Well.... somewhere in the four-hundreds. It all depends on the factor of the game. Not only does it account for your win ratio; but it also gives you a numerical score which you can use in place of cash to buy special items from the corporation. The higher this score the better your ranking will be. The score is calculated based on performance. So even if you win, but you pretty much did nothing the entire time you may not get a pleasant score. The losing party can end up with a better score than you if allowed. So be careful." Coco added which caused Riyku''s brow to twitch. "And why didn''t you tell that in the beginning?" He grunted with a menacing voice. "Well... It didn''t occur to me until now. Back onto the topic. Each set of rankings has a division. The lowest from five-hundred to two-fifty is known as the scrubs. Those lower than five-hundred are known as the Gutted, going from two-forty-nine to one-fifty are known as the polished. From one-forty-nine to eleven are known as the pros and those from the top ten are known as the Ten Legends. The Unranked are known as Unranked of course." Coco explained in order to get Riyku to tether his mind from her mishap.


    "Interesting... One final question about Gamers. If I were to challenge someone in a division like the Ten Legends or even the Pros; does that affect my score?" The male inquired. "Yes. If you are Unranked or even Gutted or Scrub, any one of a higher rank than you earn you more points if you win. Although if you lose, nothing really happens to your score. However, most do not accept challenges from divisions lower than them because the risk factor does nothing for them. If they win that''s just it. They don''t get much score even if their performance was great; because it is to be expected for them to win." Coco explained in which Riyku snickered lightly with a devious smirk. "Is that so..." He wasn''t questioning but stated with a rather devious idea. "


    "I won''t stop you, but if you do challenge someone of the Ten Legends and they do accept. If you lose, nothing good can come of it." Coco stated which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly and shrug it off. "I won''t. There is a reason they are up there." The male stated. "Indeed. Unlike your previous life where you were the only one who had a ''Leveling'' system. This world has it as well. Though it is not as advanced your own. Theirs can only be done through Gambit''s Dance and Monster Hunting; while you can level without such limitations. In addition to that, you can obtain new information by just skimming a book thanks to one of your ten attunements." Coco would tell him; though the mentioning of his ten attunements caused him to question her again. "Speaking of that; what are these ten attunements, ten abilities and single affinity that was mentioned before?" The male quizzed lightly as he turned his back to the fence to rest against it while closing his eyes ever so lightly.


    "Oh! Well to start your ten attunements are enhancements to your senses. Supreme sight; Abnormal hearing, Extraordinary feel, bizarre taste, and extreme smell. These are the five basic attunements. The last five are applied elsewhere. Super-Photographic memory is one which allows you to remember just about anything by storing it in a data space of your mind. Then there is Extreme reflex; which your body reacts based on your expertise and experience throughout your lives. Be it in combat or other daily tasks of life. Next would be indestructible bone structure; an attunement that makes it impossible for your bones to be destroyed. Cybernetic Cells which is a hyper-regenerative of your body. Making your minor wounds heal almost instantly. Lastly would be the time-space body structure that allows you to warp through time and space without any time-sickness affecting you." Coco answered with the tune attunements to his body then followed up with ten abilities.


    "Next is the ten abilities. The first one is control over All forms of Matter this includes Dark Matter. Next would be control over the shadow; your main ability from several lives. The ability you were born with. Next would be your time-space usage; like before you can transverse through time and space. Because of such your timeline and transportation to this world from another galaxy entirely is why things were done in such a fashion. The fourth ability happens to be your demonic qualities this includes your hell-fire ability. Fifth is reaper qualities; from the time you were part reaper as well. Sixth happens to Aura''s Rune ability which applies all your rune and aura abilities in one enhancement to your body. Seventh would be your Digital Domain abilities. Eighth would be your soul-trace abilities; not to be confused with your reaper abilities as these are far different from those of your reaper qualities. Ninth would happen to be your ability to keep a portion of your life in a sub-space should you need to revive. Lastly, the tenth ability is your Weapon Mastery. Which allows you to call forth to weapons you''ve mastered and stored. Now, all abilities and attunements will only grow stronger through continuous usage and leveling up. This will unlock more depth to each attunement and ability; so it''s highly advised you progress each one and level up quickly if you want to return to your original state." Coco ended the explanation; a bit short of course. "What of my single affinity?" Riyku questioned.


    "Oh! Well... You''ll find that one out on your own actually. I picked it out since it seemed like the best one." Coco stated which caused Riyku to groan lightly. "Just tell me..." He muttered in which Coco replied. "Nope. Since it''s an affinity you probably won''t truly realize it is even there. But one day you might." A light chuckle parted from Coco as she teased him. The male would shake his head with a soft sigh as if ''getting over it''. "Since we''ve gone through much about myself, this world, the laws as well as what a Gamer is and Gambit''s Dance. Tell me about Subscribers; as well as this building." Of course, he had already inquired about the building, but just to be sure Coco had not forgotten he would inquire yet again.


    "Of course! As I previously stated Subscribers are people who watch and aid Gamers. Although their rankings go based on their contribution and length of service. Subscribers can only be subscribed to one Gamer at a time. Which makes their support unique; of course, Subscribers can get rewards from the Gamers as well as the Corporation. Said rewards can be anything from getting out of jail free-cards to millions of cold hard cash. Just all depends on the Gamer they watch. Not all Subscribers are in it for rewards though, some are them are Subscribers simply because of the fact that they like a certain Gamer. Their ranks are much simpler though. You got Fledgeling, Follower, Supporter then Worshiper. That''s really all there is about Subscribers. It''s beneficial to have them, but not necessary to get by." Coco explained the Subscribers which caused the male to give a light nod which stated to understood. She would then proceed to explain the building he was standing upon.


    "The building you are upon is known as Gambit''s Overhaul. It is a mixture of a school and a company. The school is broken into divisions for age-groups and the company is run on a completely different side. You are upon the roof-top of the division where it is a mixture of high-school and college students. To your right is the division where the middle and grade school students are and to your left is the outpost gate to the company. Each division has their own dorms as well so students and workers can live on the Overhaul. Only Subscribers and Gamers are allowed on the Overhaul with the exception of the military. That is only in severe cases though." Coco would tell Riyku who blinked for a moment. "Hold up... can''t Adults challenge the youth?" Riyku questioned. "Indeed they can; however, Adults and the Youth generally steer clear of one another. That is also one of the reasons why there is an age restriction as well." Coco added. "Murder..." The male mused lightly as he gave a grim expression. "Among other things. Best not worry about it for now. Upon your wrist, you will find the feather-weight I.D wristband." Coco instructed to the male who would lift his hand from his pocket to realize there was indeed a black carbon-fiber wristband upon his wrist with an ID chip upon it. "So this is it?" Riyku asked.


    "Yes. That is your personal I.D Wristband that will allow you to roam around the Overhaul. It also tracks your score and allows you to purchase items and meals as well as challenge other Gamers. This I.D Wristband will also display your Subscriber count and can be used to communicate to others. In addition to this, it stores data from all classes sent electronically from your Teacher. This also applies to the Workers as well. It is also life-proof making it indestructible from all elements of life so you never have to take it off and you can wash it as needed." Coco explained as the male looked at the vivid clear chip. "Interesting..." The male muttered before shifting his glance towards the squealing of a door being opened. "I told you I heard someone up here." A masculine yet youthful voice peered forth as another came to. "You better not be joking, Rick. No one is supposed to be up here. This place is Polished Turf." A feminine voice responded; youthful as well yet timid in a sense. "So what? We can just challenge those Polished jerks and take back our turf!" A feisty feminine youthful voice appeared next. Though it seemed there was a group of four instead of three. One of them seemed to have been silent.


    "I told you!" The masculine youthful voice from before exclaimed as he pointed at Riyku. The brown hair dyed platinum in certain spots perked forth. The youth appeared to be in his late teens, perhaps eighteen? Standing around One-hundred-seventy-six centimeters as well. "Ah-ha... what are we going to do if he is with the Polished!? We are sorry! We didn''t know who was up here!" The timid youthful voice from a pink hair girl standing at about one-hundred-seventy centimeters a little shorter than the male beside her; seemed to cower behind the first male to speak out. Moving past the two of them was a tiny red-haired woman standing at One-hundred-sixty-four centimeters who peered up at Riyku as she approached him. She seemed so small compared to the nearly Two-hundred and thirteen centimeters tall; in which the male looked down at her. "You wanna go?" She stated firmly holding to her place. The feisty red-head caused Riyku to smirk. Though his eyes shifted from her own crimson eyes to the fourth and final member of this group. A male of black hair and black orbs to match stood at nearly the same height as him yet a little bit shorter; in which he pulled the girl back. "Oh?" Riyku mused lightly; having observed them, they all seemed to be around the same age. Perhaps they were all high schoolers or some were freshmen in college. He didn''t bother asking; however, his eyes shifted from the red-haired woman who was bickering at the black haired male towards the other male of the group who had called out to him. "Say who were you talking to? Yourself?" The male inquired with a bit of a serious look.


    "And if I was?" Riyku replied with a snappy comeback if it could be considered one. "Well... It''s none of our business but if you are not Polished you should evacuate this area. If they catch you up here they might try something." The male replied. "Hoooh? I thought Challenges couldn''t be forced?" He was referencing to the rules. This caused the male to blink for a moment and wave his hand around in dismiss. "All Rules can be broken with loop-holes. Blackmail is one of them. Trust me... you don''t want to get involved." The male stated in which Riyku chuckled lightly and pushed himself off the fence. "Then shouldn''t you four be leaving as well. If I take into account your actions and words; I''d say none of you are Polished." Riyku would attempt to confirm his findings. "You got us-" A voice peering from the door which would override the boy''s voice. "Oh Non-polished on our new turf? Sounds like that stupid brat too." The voice was rather loud and obnoxious. Though it seemed to cause the four of them to fall quiet and move from the door-frame. They seemed to gather more so on the other side of the roof-top.


    "Jack... We were just seeing who was up here. That''s all." The boy called as a dark brown haired male standing around the same height as the fourth member of the group, but still shorter than Riyku moved into view. His body structure compared to the other two male''s was more defined or at least that is what Riyku got from the way his clothing fit him. Following behind this male named Jack happened to be a black haired female standing a bit away from the male and another female who was brunette wrapping herself around the male''s arm. Both these females held adversely different body proportions to the two females from the group of four. For starters, the tiny red-head was well small and petite. The pink haired woman wasn''t curvaceous but wasn''t thin either. The brunette held a more majestic appearance from the two; however, none of them even held a candle''s lite chance in hell in appearance to the black haired woman. She looked like a goddess, yet her demeanor seemed more reserved. The two girls appeared to be a little taller than the red-head, but not as tall as any of the men. Riyku''s eyes shifted back to the two guys who stood in front of the two females. Their bodies were way too different; the platinum hair boy looked a bit too weak to hold himself in a fight against the male named Jack. Although the other male; who wasn''t on the muscular side seemed like he might hold a chance. The male closed his eyes before shifting his head skyward.


    "Is that so? Is this the person?" Jack mentioned Riyku as he looked at him. The male hadn''t paid much attention to the guy. "Oi, I am talking to you punk! You deaf?" Jack''s obnoxious voice called forth to him which caused Riyku to sigh heavily. "I might be if you keep barking like some tiny mutt," Riyku stated with a snappy comeback which caused Jack''s brow to rise. "You looking for a fight, punk?" Jack stated as he looked over Riyku. "Wait... are you new here? I don''t know you. Never seen you around either." He had noticed in which the female on his arm would respond. "Indeed he does. I don''t know anyone as handsome as him." The woman which caused Jack to growl. "Oh, he is handsome, is he? Should I mess up his pretty face?" Jack glared at Riyku who sighed heavily. "Not interested in harlots," Riyku stated bluntly with a dismiss of his hand. "Besides, Be it if I am new or not has no concern over you." He added in which the black haired woman took notice of him for a mere moment before looking elsewhere. "Did you just call me a whore!?" The woman exclaimed. This caused the platinum-haired boy to chuckle lightly; though he was silenced by the pink-haired girl.


    Jack seemed to tense up as he moved forward. "Bell, I''ll take care of this guy real quick. You and Sophia stay back." The brunette-haired woman smiled gleefully as she stepped towards the black-haired woman. "Okay baby. Kick his ass." So the brunette-haired woman''s name was Bell and the black-haired woman''s name was Sophia. That just left the four in that group over there, but for now, Riyku''s attention drifted to the guy who was up in his face. "Let''s go punk. I challenge you!" Jack lifted up his wristband which began to glow brightly. "Oi oi oi! You don''t gotta do this Jack! Leave him alone!" The platinum-haired boy exclaimed; though Jack''s attention kept upon Riyku even as he answered. "Some Kids need to be taught a lesson. You''ll be next Rick, you and your little group that is." The male shifted his eyes to Rick before looking back to Jack. "What if I decline?" The male tilted his head to the side slightly which caused Jack to chuckle lightly. "Then I''ll just report to the office that you attempted to molest my sweet Bell. Of course, she''ll back me up and we''ll make it look like you attempted to violate her to." This caused Rick to growl and Sophia to make a disgusted face as she turned away.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll be witness to test against their claim. You don''t have to go through with it!" Rick shouted. "Oh... if you interfere I''ll be sure to come after you, Rick," Jack stated which caused Rick to step back lightly and Riyku to shake his head. "Alright, I''ll accept. Since I am the Challenged it is my pick; however, I''ll let you pick." Riyku stated with a sly smirk. Sophia''s eyes shifted back to Riyku in shock. Actually, everyone seemed surprised. The ability to pick a game was a huge advantage that Riyku just gave up. "Well... then. A brawl. The first one to be K.O or admit defeat will lose. If I win; you will become my personal vendor for the remainder of your school-life." Jack stated after a brief moment of shock. "I''ll be sure to wipe that cocky smirk off your face," Jack stated. "Then if I win, you will leave Rick and his group alone for the rest of your school-life." Rick''s expression along with the rest of Rick''s group seemed to be a bit shocked. "Whoa... are you--" Rick was about to say something, but was override once again by Jack. "Alright, terms accepted. Let''s go!" Jack exclaimed as he took a few steps back. Riyku would lift up his hand that the wristband was on, perhaps that being a key to starting this whole ordeal. Well that was what he got from the way this Jack fellow did things earlier. The I.D Chips released a thin beam that seemed to shot into the atmosphere above. A few seconds later a display above them appeared each with a mugshot of them. Under the icons happened to be their names and their ranking. The male shifted his glance upward. Jack Just... Rank was two-twenty-five. Though that wasn''t why everyone was shocked. "Wait! You are unranked! Who the hell are you!?" Jack shouted; everyone''s eyes drifted from the name Riyku Von Rosario; Rank: Unranked then to the male himself. "My name is up there..." He stated bluntly with a sly smirk before watching the male take to a battle stance. Putting his hands up as if he were some kind of street-fighter. "Whatever smartass. Let''s see how cocky you are once I beat your ass." Jack stated firm in which Riyku shook his head. Letting the hand with the wristband rest at his side while his other hand seemed to be kept pocketed in his pants. His stance compared to Jack was more passive and relaxed; composed even.


    "3.... 2..." An automated voice echoed from above as if to count down. Riyku seemed more so bored with this yet he wouldn''t say anything. He would keep his eyes upon the male though, watching Jack''s every moment. "1..." It was then a blaring horn sounded off which would commence the start of the Game. A battle cry from Jack sounded off as he rushed towards Riyku. "Witless one..." Riyku muttered to himself.

 2 Riyku Von Rosario The Unranked

    "Witless One..." Riyku muttered as he stepped to the side when Jack threw a sudden straight for the gut. It was then followed up with a right hook that Riyku seemed to dodge effortlessly as well. This wasn''t the end though since Jack seemed to quickly strut upon his heel and twist himself from Riyku''s line of sight in order to bring his left elbow to Riyku''s temple. Riyku wasn''t falling for this slow course of action. Although, Jack wasn''t movingly sluggish either. To say it was a slow course of action was to say that Riyku perceived it in such a manner. The male was simply moving at the speed of a tortoise in his eyes. He would invade the male''s space the moment Jack moved from his line of sight which caused Jack to miss; as well as broke Jack''s view upon him. Jack was caught off guard with a dumbfounded expression. Since Riyku was just before him moments ago he had yet to comprehend that Riyku had brought his hand to the male''s throat and cupped his fingers around the flesh before lifting him off the ground swiftly and slamming him into the roof-top. The concrete seemed to have been damaged from the force, but it wasn''t much. Just a few cracks here and there. Though Riyku lifted the male again and slammed him back down again; repeating this process several times before releasing the male who had formed a slight crater around him. Everyone was a bit shocked; that this male did what he did to Jack. Though it wasn''t over since Jack who coughed up blood would begin to rise steadily in a struggle.


    "Do you concede?" Riyku inquired. Jack shook his head as he continued to struggle; attempting to push his aching muscles up. "Then suffer..." The male muttered as he picked the male''s head up by his hair and slammed his knee right into Jack''s face which pushed the male back; upon his backside. He would then move to stomp upon the male''s chest repeatedly which caused Jack to continuously choke out blood. After a moment Riyku would remove himself from the male and glance over Jack who was still twitching. "Hmm... Do you concede now?" Riyku inquired. "Just give up Jack! Please!" Bell who was off to the side began to have tears running down her face as she cried out to him. Jack would steadily begin to struggle to stand up on both feet firmly. His muscles clearly telling him to stay down though. "No... I can''t... Lose in front of you... Bell." Jack stated, as noble as he sounded even though he seemed like a prick from earlier. Riyku would sigh before approaching the male yet again. "Stop! Don''t hurt him!" Bell shouted though Riyku wouldn''t stop approaching the male. "Then have him concede, or he may end up dying," Riyku stated bluntly; with a coldness to his words. "You''ll be punished if you kill him!" Rick shouted which caused Riyku to snicker.


    Reaching out to Jack he would push aside an oncoming weak fist only to retaliate with a throat grasp. Lifting the male off the ground he would begin to apply pressure to the male''s throat. "Concede now," Riyku stated firmly. "Give up Jack! This isn''t worth it!" Bell shouted. "That''s enough man!" Rick shouted from the sidelines as well. "I... I... Give." Jack finally coughed out after several moments of struggling. Riyku would drop the male onto the ground and turn away. A blaring horn sounded off; which signaled the end of the Game. Jack''s icon faded black with a red X and Riyku''s icon brightened with bright text ''WINNER'' over it. "As stated in the conditions you will leave their group alone now," Riyku stated as he looked at his ID Wristband.


    "Fuck you asshole! You nearly killed him!" Bell shouted at Riyku from Jack''s side since she had raced to Jack''s side and knelt down beside him once the Game ended. "But I didn''t," Riyku stated which caused the teary-eyed woman to growl and shake in anger. "I''ll get you back for this... I''ll make you regret this!" Bell shouted in anger at him. Sophia approached Bell and placed a hand upon her shoulder. "Let''s get Jack to a nurse. He is in critical condition." Sophia stated in which Bell looked up at her and nodded lightly. Sophia and Bell would aid Jack in standing up. "Indeed you should. Though I''d be careful several ribs are probably fractured. Don''t want him to die of hemorrhage now do you?" Riyku added which caused Bell to curse under her breath while they carried Jack off.


    "You knew you would get punished if you killed him, right?" Rick questioned as he approached Riyku slowly. Riyku looked up from his ID Wristband which had displayed a score of one-thousand-seven-hundred-fifteen points. His glance shifting back to Rick. "I did. I wasn''t going to kill him though. That grip would only have caused him to pass out. Though the broken ribs could cause internal damage if not treated properly." Riyku stated to Rick who seemed a bit surprised. "But... that was brutal." The pink-haired woman came forth. "You need to strike fear in your enemies if you want them to stay away. That should keep him away." Riyku responded. "Yeah, but now you''ll probably have more powerful guys on your ass." The redhead perked up. "Unless that is what you were after." The black-haired male finally spoke; his voice not as youthful as the others, but still held something of the sorts to it. "It is," Riyku replied.


    This caused the four of them to become shocked. "I mean, you are unranked, but should you really be making enemies? Wait, forget that, being unranked at this point in your life is rare as all hell!" Rick exclaimed. "Is it?" Riyku shifted his head to the side curiously. "Duh!" Rick shouted. "Well, it doesn''t matter now. Who are you people, since you already know my name." Riyku stated bluntly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Oh yeah! My name is Rick Lofty. This pink-haired shy girl is Mel Melanie. The feisty redhead over there is Jessica Volz, and our silent guy there is Eden Ions." As Rick introduced each one of their group; they gave some form of gesture be it cheerful or rude. "I see. Well then, pleased to make your acquaintance." Riyku stated before looking towards the door. "Say, are you new, Riyku?" Mel seemed to have questioned softly. "I am. Though I''ve seem to have gotten lost on my way to the office." Riyku stated which caused Rick to raise a brow and Jessica to laugh. "What are you stupid or something!? How do you get lost on a roof-top?" Jessica added with her laughter. "Just thought maybe I could find something from this view. Guess not." Riyku stated with a shrug.


    "We can show you around since you are new," Rick stated warmly. "Indeed." Mel agreed. "Wait, what!?" Jessica called out. "He did help us out big time. Now Jack won''t bother us anymore since that was the condition." Rick stated. "Well yeah... but." Jessica tried to debate. "Let it be Jessica. Rick has a point, besides there is no harm in helping a fellow student." Eden stated as he placed a hand upon her shoulder. "Ugh fine..." Jessica finally gave in. "It is settled then. Let us take Riyku to the main office; might as well go ahead and show him around while we are on our way there." Rick added with a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Though we have club activities to do today. Don''t forget." Jessica seemed to pitch in. "Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me. We should probably pick up Nora while we are at it." Rick added which caused Mel to sigh softly yet smile lightly afterward. "You are supposed to be our club Leader. Don''t go shoving things off onto Nora, now." She added; the playful banter seemed to have caused the four of them to chuckle lightly.


    "I don''t mind a tour; though, shouldn''t you four be heading to class or something? You look like students to me." Riyku tuned in which caused Rick to shake his head. "You really are new here. This isn''t a normal school. Classes here are divided among the Divisions. For example; all of us in the scrub division only partake of two to three classes a day. The remainder of our time is supposed to be used to gather points and wins in Games. Of course, it would take forever for a single student to do such. So they create clubs. Clubs get specific activities, ranging from dailies to monthlies. Once an activity is completed the rewards are divided amongst the group. Though the activities given depend on the club you join." Rick would explain to him which caused his brow to raise. "And what is our club based around?" Riyku inquired.


    "We are the Card Club. We specialize in Card Games. Jessica handles the poker games, Mel handles the games like goldfish and old-maid. Then Eden handles the games of memory. As for me, I can do all of them." Rick elaborated for Riyku but seemed to have got punched in the shoulder. "You mean sit on the sidelines while Nora does all the work for you," Jessica added which caused Rick to groan. "Hey that was rude, and that hurt," Rick complained which caused Eden to react. "Oh quit being such a baby." This remark caused the four of them to chuckle ever so lightly which made Riyku shake his head lightly. ''I''m not fit for this world...'' He thought internally as he watched the four of them. "Let''s get going. We need to get you to the main office." Rick stated in which Riyku made a simple nod of his head before following Rick and company through the door. "Say, where are you from Riyku?" Mel asked while they made their way down the flight of stairs. "Yeah, I am curious too. We haven''t seen anyone like you around here before." Jessica added.


    "A town a few days walk from here," Riyku stated as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "A town? Is there one?" Rick inquired. "There is. It''s run by the Countess of Desires." Eden replied which caught the girl''s attention. "You mean?" Mel gasped. "Riyku... you aren''t anyone''s property are you?" Jessica called out in which Riyku shook his head. "No. I don''t know who my Father is, but my Mother died from illness several years after my birth. Afterward, I''ve just been living on my own." Riyku stated fairly bluntly, and even though his mono-expression didn''t give off anything, but his eyes showed the suffering in them. "I am sorry..." Mel stated softly. "Yeah, I didn''t mean to pry," Jessica added in which Riyku shook his head. "It was a long time ago." While he did state the truth of his parents'' and his living, the place was entirely different. In fact, it was an entirely different time-span to. "Umm... Did you, or have you well ya''know..." Rick stumbled as he asked softly. "Have sex?" Riyku was rather blunt about it but wanted to confirm the man''s suspicions. "Rick!" Mel exclaimed and Jessica punched his shoulder which almost made him trip down the base of the stairs. Though the male would catch himself pretty well and turn on his heel to look back up at Riyku. "Look I was just curious. Because they say that the town is filled with such things." Rick attempted to defend himself yet only earned scornful looks from his peers. A soft sigh escaped Riyku''s lips. "Yes. I have. Plenty of times." The male answered; which caused the girl''s faces to fluster and Rick to bink for a moment. "Well, I do not doubt it. After all, that is what that town is all about." Eden stated.


    "I don''t know what is all the fluster. It''s just an intimate act between two people." Eden would add upon seeing their reactions. "Wait, so does that mean you''ve done it to Eden!?" Rick exclaimed to which Eden shook his head. "No. I''ve thought about it several times though." Eden added in. "T-thought about it?" Jessica asked with an even more flustered face. It was clear to Riyku that Jessica had a thing for Eden, and Mel was probably in love with Rick. Though he could only assume that the two males were oblivious to their affections. This caused Riyku to sigh ever so softly before shaking his head. "You''ll find out one day for yourselves. No one stays a virgin forever." The male remarked which caused the four of them to flush, the girls turning even brighter than before. "C-come, let''s just get you to the main office." Rick stumbled as he pressed onward, the other three agreed in silences as they followed him. Riyku couldn''t help but release a soft chuckle as he soon followed the four of them from the rear-side.


    The four of them seemed to have begun to converse about different activities; what they would do for that day and even classes. All the while Riyku had been glancing around and about. Taking note of the luxuries looking hallways with fancy looking lights dangling from the ceiling. There had been doors every so meters spread out with signs above them stating a single digit number followed up with a letter. It went from Three A to Three E; or so it would seem from what the male could gather before they went down another flight of stairs that had been in the middle of the Three C and Three D., Of course, there was a fork in the hallway it seemed with another hall-way that had branched in the opposite direction of the flight of stairs they were going down. Riyku had taken a quick peek but didn''t get much from it. In the meantime, it seemed as if they had passed up several other students who bore the same checkered white and black shirt and black slacks as the rest of them. He simply thought of it as a School Uniform at this point. Of course, the women were wearing skirts and some of them choose to wear stockings of either black or white coloration to match.


    Instead of parting upon the next floor down; they circled around the flight of stairs and headed down again to the base floor it would seem. Taking a moment to look left and right as the four proceeded on. Riyku would notice the signs having the number one instead of three, but the lettering was the same. He instantly grasped that it was the year of each student here. Was this a high school department though? "I wonder..." The male mused lightly before noticing Rick calling back to him. "Yo Riyku, let''s go. The Main Office is right down this hallway." Riyku saw that Rick was pointing down the fork a little way down in which he would proceed after them to follow them. Looking around a bit more, the male noticed that the eatery was on the base floor as well as a gymnasium and even club rooms. There was even a Game''s Hall; that the male took a look through from one of the windows. It wasn''t long before they reached the Main Office though. "Here we are," Rick stated with a warm smile along with the rest of them. Riyku blinked though in confusion as to why they were still here. "Thanks." He stated as he began to make his way inside. "You don''t have to wait for me, you know that right." He would remark in which the four shook their heads almost in unison. "Nope. We want to see what class you are and what your Altitude test looks like." Rick stated in which the other three nodded rapidly. ''Altitude test?'' Riyku thought internally.


    "Oh. That''s right. An Altitude test will test your intelligence, fitness, and mentality to best determine what your classes should be." Coco seemed to perk through inside of the male''s mind. ''I see...'' Riyku added into his internal thought before chuckling lightly. "Alright, but it isn''t anything fancy." The male stated before moving off to the main desk. "Hello, I am here to pick up my schedule and take my Altitude test." The male stated to the beautiful black haired young woman. "Of course, I''ll just need to be seeing...." As the woman looked up from her papers she slowly fell silent as she noticed the devilishly handsome male before her. Her face began to flush ever so slightly. "Umm..." The male tilted his head to the side, adding to the brightness upon her cheeks as he attempted to get her attention. "Ahem!" Her co-worker next to her attempted to get her under composure which caused her to shake her head. "Oh yes. I am terribly sorry. I do not know what came over me. I''ll need to be seeing your ID wristband." The woman stated as she slowly regained her composure after a few moments. "Of course." The male offered up his ID wristband to her in which she placed some kind of device over it. Locking it around the ID wristband. "Just keep steady and breath normally. We are going to do the Altitude test now and then provide you with your core classes." The woman stated softly in which the male nodded lightly.


    After a few moments, there was a beep sound which caused the woman to remove the device from the male''s ID wristband. She would then set it aside and went over to her computer; typing upon it and scrolling over it. "Riyku Von Rosario, Age twenty-five, Blood Type..." The woman paused for a moment as she noticed it was just a bunch of question marks. "Umm...." She was about to say something else before the screen seemed to just to AB. "Oopsie. Seems like a few things slipped past. Since your blood-type isn''t normal around here." Coco stated into Riyku''s mind lightly which caused his brow to twitch yet he did not say anything afterward. "Everything okay, ma''am?" Riyku inquired after a moment. "Yes, just going through the rest of your data." She stated. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until she reached the end in which her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "W-WHAT!?" The woman shouted which caught the attention of her co-workers. "What now?" One of them came over before looking at the screen the woman was pointing to. "NO WAY!" Said co-worker seemed to shout which attracted more attention before the principal seemed to come out of the office. "What the hell is going on out here!?" A strong feminine voice shouted throughout the office. "You need to come to look at this!" Someone called out in which the woman approached the desk only to view the screen. Her eyes widening before looking at Riyku.


    "Are you Riyku Von Rosario?" She inquired. The beautiful curvaceous yet strongly independent woman seemed to glare at the male with a dangerous fancy. "I am." The male replied with a glare of his own; one that told her to stay back if she knew what was good for her. "All ranks are triple-S. Either you hacked the system, or you are some kind of superhuman." The woman stated boldly which caused the male to shrug. "Who knows, perhaps you should find out for yourself." He replied with a bold tone in return. "Not only that, but you are also Unranked with your most recent and single win being today. Being Unranked up until now isn''t unheard of, but extremely rare. Adding that with these test scores... Your level is eighty-eight. Extremely high for someone of your age. Just who are you?" The female leaned over the desk reaching to grasp the collar of his shirt to reel him in while eyeing him deeply. Her scent was quite lovely; the firey look in her crimson eyes added to this since the male was eyeing her back. Not to mention she was just a tad bit taller than him too. "Well there are ways to finding out, now aren''t there." The male tempted her with his silver-tongue yet she seemed to resist, but not all too easily. "Hmph. As much as I would enjoy a match; I won''t grant you one so easily. Although there are other means of testing if these results are true. We will be placing you in our Top University classes. One A for everything from fitness to intelligence. Final exams will be coming around soon, so you have several months to catch up. If you fail any of these exams you will be forced into being my personal slave for hacking into our system." The woman stated strongly which caused some of her employees to gasp in surprise.


    "And if I win?" The male inquired. "Then I''ll give you a Challenge of Gamble. A pretty fair deal since Challenging the HeadMaster of this entire domain can only be done once a year if you rank top in either the working field or gaming field. Riyku snickered lightly and reached out to cup her cheek gently. "I look forward to our Game, HeadMistress." The male stated boldly; the fiery sexual tension between the two bouncing around the room before the woman released him with a ''hmph''. "Give him his data and let him be on his way." She stated as she headed back to her office; once she passed the door closed it, her hand moved up to her enormous bust and just over her heart as if she could feel and hear her rapid heartbeat. Her other hand seemed to move in-between squirming legs as he cheeks reddened deeply. "Who... was he?" She moaned softly. Meanwhile, Riyku was looking at his ID wristband for a moment as he was explained the process of obtaining his schedule and keeping track of anything that was to come in the future.


    Which didn''t take long since he was already on his way out the door in which he was met with Rick and company who seemed a bit confused? "What happened in there?" Rick asked. "Not sure, they were going off about something unheard of," Riyku stated with a shrug. "You mean being unranked? Well, it is extremely rare..." Eden added in which Riyku shook his head. "No. I got all Triple-S on my rankings." Riyku stated bluntly purposely avoiding any mention of his level. He had briefly recalled that their levels were not put upon the board. Perhaps it was a private ordeal; in which case it was probably best to keep as much to himself as possible. Although the simple statement of his Triple-S ranking caused a brief silence and blank looks. "YOU WHAT!?" Rick shouted as the other three shouted, "WHAT!?" This caused many students passing by to give weird looks. "Ahem..." A voice came out of nowhere which caused all but Rick to look in the direction of the voice. "Oh! Nora." Eden stated as Rick looked over. "What is going on here?" Nora inquired. "Nora this guy right here has Triple-S in all ranks and that''s not all. He is also Unranked!" Rick exclaimed as he looked at the average height of a beautiful black haired female who held decent proportions for her height. Arms moving under her bust with a heavy sigh, "While that is unheard of it, it doesn''t mean you need to make a scene." Her crimson eyes went from Rick to Riyku who rose a brow. "So, this is the amazing guy? Riyku Von Rosario, I presume?" Nora inquired. "Yes, but how did you know?" Riyku''s eyes narrowed slightly.


    A slight dismissal with her hand as she answered him, "Your name is floating around the higher class students. Since you beat Polished Three C Class, Jack in combat. Many have your name going in and out their mouth. If anything it won''t be long before the entire school knows you and people start to come after you." Nora stated. "So you should be careful. I am only warning you since you helped get Jack off of us." Nora added in which the four of them sighed heavily and shook their heads. "No need to worry, Nora." Jessica''s exhausted voice peered out which caused Nora to blink rapidly. "What do you mean?" She asked as she shifted her glance from Jessica to Riyku. "What she means is that this guy." Eden pointed at Riyku. "Is probably far scarier than any of the Pros and possibly even the Top Legends." Eden finished in which the others nodded lightly in sync. "You are joking. I get that he is Triple-S in all rankings; but still..." Nora attempted to hold her ground. "You had to be there to see the brutality, Nora. This guy almost killed Jack." Mel added which caused Nora''s eyes to widen slightly as she looked at Riyku who shrugged. "Well, if you five are done talking about me. I''ll be on my way." The male was beginning to walk off until Nora stopped him by placing her hand upon his shoulder. "Wait." She stated in which Riyku looked back at her to see what she wanted.


    "Do you even know where you are going? Your classes at that?" She added in which Riyku sighed softly. "It''s in my ID wristband. I am in class One A on the University campus." Riyku stated which caused the five of them to give yet more of a surprised look. Nora began to remove her hand from his shoulder and step back. "Just who are you anyway?" She asked lightly in which Riyku shook his head. "Who knows. Well, I''m off. Let me know if anyone else messes with you guys." Riyku stated with a wave of his hand as if telling them bye as he walked off heading out of the door from the high school campus. A heavy sigh parted the male''s lips as he looked around the campus grounds. "I know I saw a view of everything up top, but it seems more.... exquisite up-front. I truly do not belong here." The male muttered lightly as he made his way towards the campus gate to leave the high school campus.


    It really did not take long for the male to arrive at the gate of the University campus grounds. In fact; it was just a straight shot down the sidewalk. Though it would seem that the grounds of this campus were far more luxuries than the high school grounds. A soft sigh parted his lips as he looked around while progressing straight towards the main-building before him. Although his eyes did drift left and right seeing two more buildings on each side a little way down each pathway. Judging from the structure they were probably dorms. Eventually, he seemed to make his way into the main building, and even though the place was pretty busy he was still able to find the sign for the main office. Figuring that he should check in with them first anyway.


    Upon entry the male noted the secretary slamming away on the keys. She appeared a little more mature than the previous woman he had met. Though her features were still eye-pleasing. "Excuse me." The male offered up which caused the woman to look up from her screen with an expression that stated ''screw off''. That was until she noted the male in front of her. Her expression grew light and pleasant as she smiles at him. "You must be the new transfer, Riyku Von Rosario. Your files have already been sent to us. Your case is indeed rare and interesting; someone like you showing up out of nowhere." She spoke with a flirtatious tone. The male had noted the way she spoke towards him. If anything he thought that he could get some sort of information from this woman since she was displaying so much interest in him. So he would lean upon the counter to close the distance between the two after noting her tone. "Indeed, I might just scope you off your feet if you keep up that tone with me, Miss..." He hovered over the ''S'' for a second to take a look at her name-tag. "Racheal." He added with a mild tease at the end. "Oh my... Uhm..." The woman seemed to fall ever so quickly into a hot mess as her face flushed brightly. "That is if I have my own dorm room." The woman seemed to want to say something about such through her eyes shifted to her screen as she hastily pulled up his file.


    A soft sigh escaped and displeased moan left her lips. "You don''t." She whispered silently; though the male clearly caught it thanks to his hearing enhancements. "I''ll take your displeased groan as a sign that I do not. Pity. Speaking of dorm rooms; who is my roommate?" He inquired, attempting to get information out of her. "It is indeed sad." She stated without warning before blinking at the realization of her words. "Wait... forget I said that. No, wait, nevermind... Uhm... Uhh... Oh yes! Your roommate." Racheal stumbled over her words as she looked through the dorm room number. "I am actually not supposed to disclose this sort of information.. I could get into a lot of trouble." She mumbled, and even though she stated such she continued to search up the information. "I''ll make it worth you''re wild..." The male uttered sweetly as he leaned in more, reaching to cup her cheek in his hand and turn her face towards his own. His eyes staring deeply into her own as he pressed his lips to hers.


    The sudden kiss caused her face to brighten even more as she moaned sweetly into the kiss; returning it deeply and almost leaping out of her chair to wrap her arms around him. Almost... since he had pulled back after a good moment. Caressing her cheek while keeping his hot steamy glance upon her. "Good enough?" His vocals were.... smooth. His silver-tongue cutting through her heart, tearing her apart instantly. "Y-yes..." Her voice hitched as she shifted around in her chair while her eyes remained upon him, lusting for more. "If you are a good girl, I''ll stop by your place another time." He saw the lust in her eyes as a means to obtain even more information for providing a service. Riyku clearly knew his way around these sorts of things. After all, he has had sex numerous times and indulged in these pleasing acts a great portion of his previous life or lives for that matter. "Oh Fuck..." Racheal whispered before shaking those intimate thoughts aside for the moment to look at the screen. "Y-your roommate is... Kristen Luvlin." She seemed a bit sadden when she spoke the name. "A woman?" The male tilted his head lightly with an inquiry. "Sadly." She admitted her displeasure openly which caused the male to nearly invade the opposite end of the counter. Pulling her by the collar to press his lips against her ear in order to whisper something.


    "P-please..." She whimpered needily in which the male released her and moved from her intimate space. "Of course, Racheal. Just send your address to my ID Wristband." His devilishly delicious tongue seemed to spew honey from it endlessly. A nod and a squeal of pleasure left her at the response she got. "I am assuming the Dorms are Co-ed; I figured they were gender-based since there are two." The male remarked about his earlier thoughts.


    "Oh, they use to be until the Founder changed it up. Since we started gaining more people as time passed the gender-based dorm system was becoming a problem. So they made it co-ed; of course, the Founder established a housing or apartment area outside of campus grounds which is where I stay by the way." She added the last part a bit needily which caused the male to smirk lightly. "Well then, what of my roommate?"The male inquired as in to get more information and Racheal seemed to comply quite easily. The effects of being seduced were working quite well it seemed.


    "Kristen Luvlin? She''s one of the Ten Legends. Age twenty-two. Ranking at number seven... her win ratio is at a high eighty percent with over five-hundred games played and plenty of points in her bank. Her level is fifty-five. ''Fifty-five?'' The male thought to himself; he was above eighty.... so that was why the HeadMistress found it odd for his level to be so high at his age. Not only that but..." Racheal''s brief pause caused the male''s brow to perk up. "But?" He inquired. "Well... She doesn''t take kindly to roommates. Men or Women actually. She wanted her own dorm room because she was unable to afford her own apartment complex. Since she is one of the Top Legends, she was given the privilege of such; however, It would seem that our Founder displaced you in her dorm room because of your circumstances. I should add that anyone who has willing tried to become her roommate met a dark end, not necessarily death; but worse." Racheal stated softly.


    "Hoooh? Well... This should be interesting." The male stated as he folded his arms across his chest. "Please reconsider. You can even stay with me if you need a place!" The woman exclaimed in which the male''s brow perked up yet again in surprise this time, but he shook his head with a slight smirk. "I never back down from a challenge. In fact, I do not plan on losing anything. Though I may take up your offer to spend the night another day." His words flowed smoothly as she whined lightly before nodding gently. "Okay. Well, I''ve sent both my Address and your room data to you. You are not scheduled to attend any classes until tomorrow as to allow time for you to adjust to the environment. Classes start at seven in the morning so be ready." Racheal stated lightly. "Will do, Racheal. Thanks for everything." He gave her a playful wink before heading out of the office. Moving the information he obtained from his ID wristband he would pull up a pathway to his dorm room upon his UI. "Guess, I should go meet this... Kristen." A silent snicker left the male as he spoke his thoughts silently.

 3 An uneasy feeling

    Riyku was heading straight towards the dorms; upon closing in on it, it would seem that the dorms were twice if not thrice as large than he saw from his previous distance. "Well then, the room is on the top floor; probably a suite." He stated lightly; though it seemed someone had heard his vocals since they peered forth. Poking their head out from the behind a column. "Umm... Are you new?" The blond-haired soft-spoken female? This was a woman, right? For someone of the University level, most women were more endowed by now. Yet this one was quite lean, more so to say flat at that. Their appearance gave off this adorable vibe though as they made their presences known. The sea blue orbs peering up at him almost made it seem like this person was going to strain their neck. "I am. Is there something I can help you with?" Riyku inquired as he shifted his weight from one heel to the other. "Ah... Uhm... Well. Yes. My sister sent me to find some new guy. You wouldn''t happen to be Riyku Von Rosario?" The feminine voice echoed out as they fidgeted shyly. "I am indeed such a man." Riyku would keep the note of this ''sister'' on hold so he could deal with the present situation.


    "Yay!" The tiny person squealed in joy with a slight jump. "I Challenge you to a game!" They exclaimed as they landed, a stern look upon their face. The male held a bit of a blank glance before waving his hand around before him. "No can do. I have already been challenged today. As rules dictate gotta wait for forty-eight hours to pass." Riyku replied before slipping his hand into his pocket. "Perhaps then you can." He would add as he began to walk forward; attempting to move up the stairs and into the dorms. "Stop!" The feminine voice squealed out as they moved in front of him."Those rules do not apply if you challenge me." The male blinked at the sudden state in which he chuckled lightly. "And why would I challenge you." He added after the chuckle. "Well, I know who you really are. My sister has your files on hand and will upload them at the ready so everyone will know who you are." A bold statement the person had made, backed up by a strong conviction as well.


    ''Coco... How did anyone get a hold of my files? Didn''t you make something up?'' The male''s eyes peered as he spoke to the Operator. "I did. You were born in the back-water town run by Countress Desire. Other than that, there is nothing more." Coco replied to the male in his mind. ''Then what is this about someone knowing who I am?'' The male reinstated his question for clarification. "Well, it is not impossible. Everyone is connected through the Archive system. I may have written something out, but your life can be traced through your Soul." Coco answered the male which made him kiss his teeth. Leaning over to glare at the person before him, he would remove his hand from his pocket; showing the ID Wristband. "Very well then. If I win, you tell me who your sister is and take me to her." The look in Riyku''s eyes caused the strong will person to shiver ever so lightly. It was as if they were looking into the eyes of a murder. "O-of course. I-If..." The person took a moment to compose themselves. "When I win, you will become my friend." The male blinked for a second at condition this person made before shaking his head. "Fine. What is your game?" The male would step back to glare down at the person as they rose their ID wristband up as well.


    "We will be doing a quick sprint around the building. However, it wouldn''t be any normal run. We are allowed to obstruct each other by any means necessary." The person stated in which the male took a few steps back to move off of the stairs and upon the concrete walkway. The person seemed to follow suit and stand right next to him. "In addition, you are allowed to take any short-cut you want as long as you touch the check-point markers which will be displayed upon your map on your ID wristband. They will also be displayed in holographic form as well." The person added in which the male nodded. "Then let us begin," Riyku stated in which the person nodded lightly and took to a sprinter''s stance. Both of their ID wristbands shot a thin beam of light up which revealed yet another board mug-shot of them. "So the rumors are true, you are in unranked." The person stated. "And you aren''t a woman. Your vocals and girlish appearance can be quite foolish; Skylar Novaa." The boy flushed lightly at Riyku''s claim. "3.... 2.... 1...." A Voice Announcer began counting down. "Go!" It shouted in which Skylar took off while Riyku stood in place for a moment. Adjusting a few things upon his ID Wristband. "Coco, bring up a map upon my UI." He muttered; though Skylar was far too ahead to even catch what was being said. A quick glance back and he noticed that Riyku wasn''t even running yet. "Underestimate me, will you?!" A fire burned in the male''s chest as he picked up the pace suddenly.


    Meanwhile, a display of the entire race course appeared upon his UI before him, with check-point markers ever several meters. It was a perfect circle if one ran the whole course; however, all they had to do was touch the check-points right? A smirk curved across the male''s lips as he tapped the toes of his shoes against the ground before giving a few hops. A little checkmark appeared under Skylar''s mugshot showing that he had just passed the first of four check markers. Taking a few steps back the male would look at the columns before racing towards one; jumping up upon it before kicking off of it and closing the distance between the adjacent one. He did this all the way up until he reached the roof where his hand would grasp the hind of the roof-top in which he pulled himself up and over. A quick vault allowed him to land upon his feet and without second to lose the male had run off the rooftop to leap towards one of the check-points. Hitting it just a few seconds after Skylar had done which seemed to have taken several minutes. The landing was pitch perfect too since the male had ducked into a roll, and since his limbs wouldn''t damage the force was converted into a boost of speed which allowed him to catch up to Skylar.


    A wave with his hand the male pulled past the boy though instead of pertaining to the path he drifted off to the right side. Hopping along the building''s side he would run along it using the momentum to carry him further ahead. Skylar''s eyes widened for a moment before his teeth gritted. "I call to thee; Goddess of the wind. Beseech me and grant me, your grace." The chant caused a green aura to flicker over the boy in which his pace picked up to where he was behind Riyku. A smirk curved across Riyku''s face as he clasped upon a railing on the edge of the building using it to carry himself with a quick turn towards the second check-marker. It was then that the second had lite up; and for Skylar, a minute later did the same. Kissing his teeth, Skylar could only watch Riyku who was steadily pulling ahead. "How.... how is he soo fast?" He growled before beginning another chant. "I call to thee; Goddess of the wind. Cut down my foe." A green aura flickered over the boy once again, but this time several arcs of wind surged towards Riyku. Of course, such an arc was impossible to see; however, the male could sense some kind of attack coming in his direction. Jumping up at the right moment he would avoid each of these arcs; though would not retaliate just yet it seemed. Skylar would instead continue his barrage which seemed to cause Riyku''s momentum to drop each time he jumped allowing him to catch up. Though it would seem Skylar''s gift had run out the moment he did catch up to Riyku to looked down at the boy with a chuckle. "Fancy moves you got there. However..." A quick jut and the male would once more turn off the track. Skylar knew exactly what was going to happen and to stop him would reach out towards the male to grasp his shirt. Though the timing was off; and Skylar was just short of reach.


    Riyku seemed to repeat the same transaction from before which caused him to hit the third marker; however, it seemed Skylar was only seconds behind Riyku. For whatever reason, the male had attempted the same thing as Riyku and pulled it off which caused both of them to eventually become neck and neck again. "Oh? So you have the finesse for it. How intriguing...." Riyku stated which caused Skylar to chuckle lightly. "I may be small, but I am full of surprises. Though, I won''t let you win." The boy would begin another chant, "I call to thee, Goddess of the wind; Beseech me with your mightest wind. Strong enough to burst through my goal and leave my foes in the dust." A bright green aura would shine brightly in which the boy seemed to indeed leave Riyku in the dust. A snicker left the male as he watched Skylar leave his distance; though, with a flick of his wrist, his shadow latched upon the males. Slamming his feet into the ground he would attempt to anchor himself and create traction so that when he removed himself from the ground at the correct moment his body would be flung forward as if he were shot from a gigantic rubber band. However, instead of zooming straight past the male he would land right beside him. This surprised Skylar so much so that Riyku''s wicked grin only struck fear in the boy. "By any means necessary you said." He repeated with a devilish thaum as he grasped the boy by the clothing and spun around quickly before tossing him far from the goal; the distance Skylar landed at was the third-check marker though as he got up after crashing into the ground he noticed that the race was already over.


    Riyku''s picture was lite up with the Winner underneath it; while Skylar''s was grayed out with and X-marker over it. A frustrated growl left the boy as he fell upon his knees, his track uniform in tatters from the collision with the ground. "I lost..." Skylar muttered in disappointment. "You did," Riyku stated though; the shock of the male being right in front of him was more enticing than the male repeating that he had lost. "How did you...?" Skylar muttered though Riyku shook his head. "For me to know and you to find out. Now... take me to your sister." Riyku added as he stuffed his hands into his pockets in which Skylar took a moment before nodding lightly then standing up. "That''s right. I''ll lead you to her; though I am not sure why you want to meet her." Skylar stated softly in which Riyku sighed heavily. "For me to know and you to find out." He repeated himself in which Skylar''s brow rose in suspicion. Their journey led them back to the front of the dorm room where they seemed to be greeted by several others who held them in place. "So... you lost, not only that but in a race nonetheless." A deep voice peered forth; filled with evility to it''s fullest. Riyku shifted his glance from the group of people who seemed to wear the same track uniform as Skylar; towards the one speaking out. "I..." Skylar mumbled though was interrupted by the male. "You have no right to be on the track team. Even if you are a good runner, your only drive is to make friends. That is your weakness."


    Skylar seemed to look down in which Riyku shook his head. "He probably would''ve won against anyone other than myself. You shouldn''t give yourself soo much credit, Captain." Riyku stated mockingly with a sneer. "Oh, the rumored unranked? Filth from the sleazy country dares to address royal such as me?" The male glared down at Riyku from the top doorway. "At least I know how to please a woman, you are pretty much nothing more than an ATM for them to withdraw from." Skylar would perch up at Riyku who seemed to hold no fear in both his tone and expression. "At least I have the money to spend on these harlots." The male retorted in which Riyku chuckled. "That would be all you have going for you, Captain Small." The male''s brow twitched which meant Riyku was getting to the male. "Are you challenging me? Do not underestimate me just because you beat that commoner trash." The male seemed rather annoyed at this point with Riyku who snickered at the male. "Perhaps, I don''t mind adding yet another win to my streak even if it is something as pitiful as comparing the size of our manhood." Riyku would wave his hand in dismissal. "How dare you!" One of the people from the small group behind the Captain shouted out in anger. Raising his hand up the supposed Captain would signal for them to seize before anything came of it.


    "Tell me, Are you challenging me, or aren''t you?" The male bore a more composed expression; though piercing at the same time it would seem. Riyku''s interest became slightly peaked; this male was no longer messing around it would seem. A smirk curved across his face as he rose his ID Wristband into the air. "I am," Riyku replied in which the male nodded lightly. "So be it. Since I am Challenged; it will be a race. However... not just any ordinary race. We will lap once around the track and this time no check markers. The course will be a perfect circle formation; holographic barriers will be placed around so if one leaves the barrier than they forfeit the match. Although... everyone on the track team will be participating. Of course, you can invite anyone you wish as well as long as they do not exceed my team''s members." The male shifted his glance towards Skylar. "You can even take that loser with you as well." Skylar glared at the male before looking at Riyku. "Cancel this game. It is clear that you are at a disadvantage even with me on your side. Captain Amorira has several Subscribers as well; if anything his goal is not to win but to humiliate you." Skylar spoke in a tone that only he and Riyku could hear.


    Riyku shifted his glance from this Amorira person to Skylar before lightly patting the male''s head. "I already figured that out. No one can suddenly become composed after expressing such emotion earlier. Clearly, he is skimming." He replied to Skylar. "So then!?" Skylar exclaimed in which Riyku shook his head. "I do not plan on losing." Amorira''s composure remained quite bold as he glanced over the two. "I take it you won''t be backing down. Well then, on with the conditions. If I win, you will grove on your knees like the pitiful commoner you are in front of everyone in the courtyard tomorrow morning. Asking me for forgiveness and to accept you like the piece of filth you are." Amorira''s condition for winning was quite humiliating indeed; though Riyku''s was... well...


    "When I win, you will fork over all your points including your status as Captain to Skylar and quit the track team altogether." Skylar''s eyes widen all of a sudden; however, Amorira''s narrowed at Riyku. "W-What!?" The company behind Amorira exclaimed.


    "Like hell, we''ll accept him!"


    "You can''t make such a drastic change to our team!"


    "Fuck you!"


    The complaints went on and on until Amorira quiet them down with his hands. "The terms rival that of mine it would seem. Though... I do not plan on losing to commoner trash." Amorira stated boldly as he rose his ID Wristband upward. Thin streams of light beamed upward from the chips into the sky which set a new course. There was a holographic starting line where the positions would begin and a finishing holographic where they would end. In addition to that, the walls rose up in a yellowish tint just as Amorira had stated they would. Everyone gathered at the starting line before a count-down began to automate above them.


    "Riyku..." Skylar muttered softly as he sat down upon the steps away from them. "Don''t worry about it." Riyku would jester to Skylar seeing the male far too worn out from their challenge to participate. "I work solo anyways..." Riyku muttered under his breath. His eyes glanced around as he listening to the automated voice of the count down. "5...4...3..." It seemed everyone was in the same tracker position; everyone but him that was. A screen would appear above them showing a display of what was going on with a red dot in the lower right-hand corner with the text ''Live'' next to it. "Coco explanation now," Riyku stated bluntly; though no one seemed to notice.


    "Ah... well anyone who has Subscribers over a hundred will get a live broadcast of their match displayed." The quick explain was all Riyku nodded as he simply nodded and watched the track team dart off when the announcer said: "GO!". The male would begin walking after them as his eyes glanced over each and every one of the track members. Most of them indeed seemed to possess a good pair of legs; although the Captain was the one who was the furthest head of them. "R-Riyku?" Skylar tilted his head at the male yet it seemed that Skylar wasn''t the only one watching. Since it was a Live Broadcast just about everyone was watching; random students, Ricks group, even the Head Misstress had been paying attention from her quarters while taking part of a cigar from a nearby window. A female underneath a blanket called out to her; although her eyes remained fixated on the screen. That wasn''t all it seemed that several others had taken an interest as well.


    "Move Riyku!" Rick shouted having noticed the male was merely walking. "That boy... how many matches has it been?" Jessica questioned in which Eden replied. "The only one I know about is the one from today. He must''ve challenged the Captain of the track team, but who knows..." Mel seemed quite flustered, "I hope he''ll be okay...." She mused lightly. "Well if he loses it''ll be his own fault for messing around," Nora stated while folding her arms under her bust. "Move to damn it!" Rick shouted out again even though it was clear that Riyku would be unable to hear him. Speaking of, Riyku kept his normal walking pace. His eyes shifting towards something upon his display; a mini-map of the course with several red dots along with a white dot. The red dots were moving hastily; with one of them having already been at the quarter point while the white dot was far behind.


    "Is he underestimating us? Or did you just give up?" Amorira questioned in his mind as he took a glance back before growling and picking up the pace. "Commoner trash is always Commoner Trash." The male snickered. "Is everyone watching?" Riyku looked towards Skylar who blinked. "Uh... yeah. Do you plan on losing!? Hurry up!" Skylar exclaimed to him in which the male shook his head with a snicker. "Elements of old... Spirits of new... fuse into one and bequeath me your power. No... give it to me. Indulge in my essences and bring forth the winds of devastation..." The male began to chant as he continued his normal walking pace. "A magika chant? I''ve never heard of this one..." Skylar muttered lightly. "I give you my being, fall into the exotic pleasures from my Diabolic stream.... so that I may morph thee into something greater... I call upon thee...." The male''s body began to glow, yet nothing of a green aura, but one more gray and eerie. "Death''s Embrace." The fury of wind encircled the male suddenly, an explosive power burned forth which caused the trees to shiver and the skies to darken.


    A chill in the air caused Skylar to shiver; though be it the chill or the scary looking wind that spark off the male as if it were going to cut right through the ground beneath him. Though... Skylar wasn''t wrong. The ground beneath the male was indeed taking damage. "What?" Amorira took notice of the skies which happened to dark suddenly. It was indeed abnormal considering it was clear and sunny just now; however, he didn''t pay much attention to it yet.


    "W-what is that?" Rick inquired as they caught a shot of Riyku for a moment being encased in some kind of black wind. "I''m not sure... but it doesn''t look too friendly," Mel added softly as she glanced over the screen. "Kick fucking ass!" Jessica exclaimed but Eden shook his head. Nora was silent, but in her mind, she was thinking ''I''ve seen that somewhere...''. However, the Head Mistress who was watching seemed to understand. "That''s...!"


    Riyku expunged from his position in a blinding speed. It did not take long for the male to catch up with the other track members. "Yo, what is that?" "What''s going on? Why is the sky is so dark?" "Was is suppose to rain today?" They continued to question what was going on. "What the hell is that!?" One of the track members spotted a fury of black wind. "Dude, bust ass! That doesn''t look friendly!" Another member shouted. The scene looked like a hound chasing down criminals, but before long the screams of several track members echoed throughout the area as their bodies were thrown from the course, and it was then that Amorira paid more attention. Taking a glance back; what he saw was nothing humane, but a blacken hurricane swallowing up everything in its path. This caused the male to growl in both fear and frustration. "What the hell is that!?" He shouted as he picked up the pace even more; it seemed almost for naught until the heavy wind dissipated and Riyku''s being seemed to sprint right beside Amorira. "Hello... Captain." His voice held a chill to it; one that sent a shiver down Amorira''s spine. "Fuck you! What did you do to my team!?" Amorira shouted with fury. "They are safe but unconscious," Riyku replied bluntly. "You won''t win. I''ll make sure of that!" Amorira stated and just as Amorira was about to start a chant Riyku reached for his shirt and yanked him back. Stepping hard into the ground causing his foot to seep in would stop them from flinging forth, and since Riyku''s bone structure was indestructible he wouldn''t take any form of damage from this. "I don''t think so..." The male would rip Amorira back like some kind of rag doll before releasing the fabric and using his other hand to plant Amorira firmly into the ground as he tripped the male over. The force was surely enough to fracture several bones, but Riyku made sure there was no immediate danger before proceeding onward. Instead of running he simply walked towards the goal. The entire time the feed was being broadcast; just about everyone was stunned. No one truly understood what had happened.


    Even Rick''s team was awe-struck. Nora finally seemed to understand what her friends meant when they said that Riyku was probably the scariest person they had known. "Something isn''t right here...." Nora muttered which caught her friend''s attention; "What''s up?" Rick inquired, however, Nora replied after a brief moment. "It''s... No, It''s nothing." Just before Riyku had crossed the finish line he glanced up at the live feed screen; before looking for the camera in which he seemed to have found. "I''m coming for you... Head Misstress." The male boldly claimed which sent shivers down the Head Misstress''s spine; however, they were not of fear but excitement. "Come then. I am waiting at the top. My Mysterious little toy." She seemed to reply silently to herself; meanwhile, the student body seemed quite shocked. Not only the student body but even those in the workforce.


    "Umm... User Riyku... You do realize what you''ve just done, right?" Coco called into his head as he passed the finish line. The Winner text was brightly above his portfolio along with a red x and a grayed out version for Amorira. "Of course. I''ll become stronger. So much stronger that I will never lose, not to the Top Ten, the Head Misstress..." The male would look at his hand and ball it tightly. "Nor will I lose to ''them'' ever again."


    "Them?" Coco inquired in which Riyku shook his head after a brief moment of realization In truth, he had not a clue as to why he stated the things he did. "I... It''s nothing." The male muttered after a brief silence. "Perhaps it was an emotional surge from your soul? While you do not remember mentally; your soul essence remembers quite well. Which is why you have a knack for many things at this age." Coco explained for Riyku who just shrugged it off. "This wouldn''t be the first time. Surely the fragmented pieces will come together." He whispered softly. The sky above slowly began to return to the normal crystal clear way it was. Riyku would look towards Skylar before approaching him. "Now, what is done is done. You are now the Captain, but first, you should see that the old Captain and his crew get the treatment they deserve. Of course, afterward, I''ll be awaiting you to take me to your sister." Riyku stated before moving up towards the dorm entry.


    "How?" Skylar''s voice quivered in fear and awe as he kept his face down at his feet the entire time. "How what?" Riyku inquired as he stopped at the doorway. "How did you win? How are you so strong?" Skylar questioned softly. Riyku would shake his head though, "I am not strong. Winning is a matter of using whatever power at your disposal. As long as you know what your opponent is capable of you can devise a plan to come out on top." Riyku responded, but the answer seemed to not satisfy Skylar. "Not strong!? You just used some kind of spell that no one knows about. I''ve never seen it, and it wasn''t a blessing of the Wind Goddess either. Then you go and challenge the HeadMistress of the Overhaul!? You''ve beaten everyone you''ve come across, and you pique the interest of my sister as well. But you aren''t strong!?" Skylar shouted as he turned to face Riyku whose back was at him. Riyku would sigh heavily and wave his hand in dismissal. "There is always someone stronger than you. Never believe you are the strongest, otherwise it will become your downfall." Riyku would proceed onward, but Skylar wasn''t finished. Hastily the tiny male moved after him to grasp Riyku''s wrist. "What bullshit is that!?" Skylar shouted out; however, fell silent when Riyku looks back at him.


    "You want to get stronger? Seek power and knowledge; build your will to never bend. Most of all..." Riyku fell silent the moment Coco shouted his name through his mind as if to stop him from saying too much. "Most of all...?" Skylar muttered after a moment, but it seemed Riyku wasn''t willing to give him the answer. "never forget who you are." Riyku replied with a different answer; one that came from his subconscious, before pulling from Skylar and moving onward. Skylar blinked for a moment, in utter confusion of what was going on. He wasn''t sure what was going on. Someone who exhibited power beyond comprehension was saying they weren''t strong? Skylar didn''t get it, but he did take in everything Riyku stated at the end. "Power and Knowlege; a will of steel and never forget who I am? Easier said than done...." Skylar muttered softly before beginning to page the medical team through the ID wrist-band.


    Riyku had been making his progress throughout the Dorm, heading toward the elevator; pressing the button to call it down to him before waiting. His hands slipped into his pockets as he sighed lightly. "User Riyku, Does something bother you?" Coco, his personal Operating system called out to him through a mental connection. "No." Riyku would reply aloud, then look up as the sound of the elevator arriving and the doors slowly opening came forth. Riyku would enter the elevator and remove a hand to push the fourth-floor button. The button lite up and the doors began to close as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall to relax slightly. "It''s been none stop. I feel restless..." The male mused lightly. "See there was something wrong." Coco incited in which Riyku shook his head.


    "It is nothing. Just a bit of fatigue." Riyku would reply to which Coco replied, "Unlike your old body, your new body can feel things like fatigue, hunger, thirst, and pain. Amongst other things. As I have said before." To these words, Riyku chuckled lightly. "It''s not like I have anything to tell me what the capacity of what everything is." Of course, Coco bluntly replies, "But you do. It is in your personal menu. You can open it up to view all the traits, attributes, abilities, and attunements among much more." For a brief moment, Riyku was silently, but his brow was twitching. It appeared as if he were about to go off on Coco; however, he just released a breath of frustration. "I''ll take a look at it once I get a chance. For now, I still need to get to my dorm room and meet my room-mate." The male stated bluntly. As if on queue a ''ding'' sounded off and the doors slowly began to open. Pushing off the wall the male would move towards the door only to arrival the sight of several men in suits wearing shades.


    "Can I help you?" Riyku inquired in which none spoke. "No, not them. But I can help you." Someone called out from the group which made way for the appearance of a female. The woman looked as if she were some kind of princess with the dress she wore. However, it wasn''t anything bright and colorful, more so dark and exotic. The male''s brow rose as he looked down at the five and a half foot short woman. Her jet black hair with violet highlights matched her outfit and her tone of voice rival that too. Though from his view, he could clearly see a decent amount of cleavage, that wasn''t all he saw. A glimpse of pink? Well, it didn''t matter to him. Her outfit was extremely brazen, maybe she was some kind of dominatrix?


    "Ahem." The woman saw he was getting quite the eyeful, so he tried to get his attention. "Hm?" Riyku would show little interest. "As I was saying, I can help you." She stated in which Riyku waved his hand lightly. "I''ve already got someone to bed." The male dismissed her offer which caused her to blink ever so lightly and growl. The moment he tried to move past her through the guards stopped him. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at them. "I am trying to get to my dorm room. If you wish to stand in my way I can settle this the way you want to do this." Riyku''s tone of voice darkened through the men remained calm. Quite disciplined it would seem. The woman beside him began to chuckle lightly, "Yeah... No. I do not share a room with anyone. Let alone a male. Which is why I can help you. I''ll be helping you see your way out." The woman stated in which Riyku shifted his eyes back towards her. "So you are Kristen Luvlin. This makes things easier..." The male would raise his hand to reveal his ID wrist band. "I Challe--" The male''s voice was caught short of breath. His body began to stumble back and forth as he placed his hand to his head. "W-Wha..." Riyku would grit his teeth as his vision slowly began to blur. "User Riyku... Systems abnormal. Diagnosis of system beginning...." Coco''s voice began to echo into his mind before everything went blank. "Error in the program found... Beginning protocol...." The only thing Riyku heard up to the point of his blackout was those words from Coco.

 4 Disrupted Psychosis

    "Riyku..."


    "Riyku....."


    "Get up!"


    The shout awoke the male; though what he glanced upon was different. Darken skies, clouded by ash as flames erupt from all around him. Clash of metal against metal rang throughout his eardrums as he wondered what was going on. Just where was he? His vision had slowly begun to clear up which allowed him a better picture. He was upon a battlefield? Soil turned over, the smell of ash heavy in the sky and the scent of copper and iron wasn''t anything to shy from the corrosion. Standing up the male seemed just fine; however, he continued to hear his ''beep'' going off in his head. His eyes shifted around till they took note of a green bar. It was blinking red since it was dangerously low. His eyes looked towards his hands; his skin was a dangerous pale, in fact, his overall perception of height was higher than it should''ve been.


    "What is this?" The male would speak, yet his words did not resound from his vocals. His lips did not part. His body began to move, but not of his accord. "Iris! Seraphina! Fall back now!" His voice shouted out, his lips moved, but those words were not what he wished to speak. What indeed was going on? "Of course honey!" The smokin'' hot black haired woman who held a gray complexion called out. "Yes, Father." A female who resembled the male called back as well as the two of them would retreat while. A hand was placed upon the male''s shoulder; his head shifted back to another woman. "Master, I advise retreat. Skeith cannot hold out any longer. We are not in any condition to continue this battle." It was the same voice that called out to him. This one''s skin was more of a blue coloration and her hues were completely purple even the iris. She appeared to be like that of a demon, but less of one compared to the other gray-skin colored woman. "Nira... We can''t simply run. Those two will catch up sooner or later. Don''t worry... I have a plan." The male placed his hand upon her own to push it off before moving forward. "Skeith! Fall back." The male called out as he watched another man, who held the same complexion as the woman yet appeared more demonic than his gray-skin toned counterpart. If anything they could be confused as siblings; but they weren''t. The male kissed his teeth as he continued to deflect blades coming from a duo. "Easier said than done, Riyku!" The male replied.


    Riyku seemed to flick his wrist as several screens appeared before him. His fingers working along said screens like some kind of ultra-hacker. More tabs opened up as seconds passed and several colorations of auras flared along the male''s body. "I don''t mind killing you again, Skeith." Riyku seemed to tease yet a seriousness remained in his vocals. "Goddamnit, Riyku. I swear to god if you hit me with whatever you are about to use, I''ll hunt you down and make you wish you regret what you are about to do!" The male exclaimed as Riyku chuckled. "Then move." He replied.


    "I sense something off about all of this..." Nira who was behind the male with the two muttered under her breath. "What do you mean?" The gray-skin toned woman, shifted her glance as she looked at her. "Something about his data is beginning to corrupt," Nira replied. "Virus!?" The girl who had a resemblance of Riyku had called out in which Nira shook her head. "No, it does not feel malicious; however, I do not like it... It feels as if something bad is about to happen." Nira replied once again. "Done," Riyku muttered as the screens vanished from view. "System malfunction: Health Gauge has been reduced to one point... Buff Granted: Last Stand." An automated voice echoed from the male. "Hoooh?" The lips of one of the duo curled up. "Another trick up your sleeve, Riyku?" The same person called out even though they were preoccupied with Skeith. "Something like that. You two have caused enough trouble for me. It''s time I take you down, ____, _______". The male''s voice was cropped out and shortly after the vision went black.


    "What now?" Riyku called out before his vision became blurry yet again, this time around he seemed to awake to darkness. After a moment of adjustment for his eyes; he took note that he was in a room. The feeling of softness below him was that of a bed. He looked at his skin, the complexion not pale, but more so a creamy color. "Was that a dream?" The male whispered softly; able to hear his own voice answered his question. A sudden ache to his head caused him to wince and groan as he placed his hand to his head. "Argh... What?" The male groaned before an answer came to him. "User Riyku. You are awake. After expending so much magika at once during your race against Amorira; you''ve used up not only all of your mana but most of your energy as well. So the fatigue caught up to you. I drew upon this conclusion based on everything. I went ahead and rebooted your system so you would not go into a comatose state. You must remember that your body is now flesh and blood. Just because your bones are indestructible does not mean you are." Coco''s voice came forth throughout his mind which caused him to sigh heavily.


    "Speaking of which, I noticed your brainwaves were drifting around rapidly. Did you have some kind of dream?" Coco inquired in which Riyku nodded lightly. "I can assume such. Though, it felt far too real. Like I was actually there. My name was even called out..." The male spoke lightly. "Hmm... Sounds like you were dreaming of your previous life. Your soul still remembers everything; since your soul is still in contact with your body such is possible after all. As I explained before of course." Coco added in; though Riyku seemed to only sigh heavily. "Iris... Nira... Seraphina and Skeith. There were two more but, I never got their names." The male stated lightly.


    "Who are they?" Coco inquired in which the male shook his head. "I am not sure. Maybe comrades?" He would shake his mind from this ordeal. "Where am I anyway?" The male inquired softly. "A bedroom," Coco replied in which the male''s brow twitched lightly. "Clearly..." He muttered. "Whose bedroom?" The male inquired yet again with a bit more of a forceful tone. "Ooooh. Your bedroom." Coco replied in which the male would raise a brow. "You mean the one I am supposed to share with that girl?" Riyku questioned in which Coco replied; "Yes."


    The male glanced about, now that his eyes adjusted to the dark he could see slightly better. "I don''t see anyone here." The male stated lightly. "Well, that woman had her men drag you in and toss on the bed. Something about coming to deal with you tomorrow and that she would be staying with someone else for the evening." Coco explained in which Riyku released a soft breath. "Well, no sense in wasting time I guess. I should go over a few things." The male mused lightly; it seemed Coco was silently intrigued by what he meant. "If I recall correctly..." The male would flick his wrist up. As he laid there a dimly lite screen would appear before him. "User Riyku... How did you do that?" Coco inquired in which Riyku shook his head. "I am not sure. It happened in the dream, so I thought I would test it here. Seems like it worked out." The male stated as his eyes began to examine the screen.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 88


    Shield Points: 705/705


    Mana Points: 500/500


    Energy: 275/275


    Form duration: N/A


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: ???


    Stats: SSS


    Points: 2,031


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 141


    Toughness: 134


    Agility: 141


    Wisdom: 125


    Intelligence: 125


    Charisma: 141


    Skill points to spend: 32


    The male was silent as he went through the screen; however, the question marks did intrigue him. "Coco, I thought my blood type was taken care of." The male inquired lightly. "It is; however, this is your true status screen. It is a combination of what is on record in their system as well as what is on record in my system." She replied in which the male exhaled a soft breath. "What of this ''Class'' ordeal?" The male inquired in which the male smiled lightly. "Well, I am glad you asked. The Class indicates what Class you are. Presently you are not set as a Class; however, once you decide to Class Up. I can guide you in the correct direction. Although, there are two requirements before you can Class Up. First being you need to be over level ninety. The second requirement is that you have to clear a certain condition. What condition? Well, that is beyond me." Coco stated in which Riyku rose a brow. "What do you mean, it is beyond you? Are you saying you do not have the information on the Class Up?" Riyku inquired in which Coco replied; "It''s not that. It is more like when I try to investigate upon the matter; a system error appears and states; ''User Riyku has not met the correct Condition or Requirement for Class Up.''". The male sighed heavily and shook his head.


    "Well, whatever. I guess I''ll figure it out later. For now..." The male went silent as he motioned the screen with a light swipe of two fingers. Using what he had recalled from the dream in order to progress onward to the screen; however, the screen vanished from sight. "Huh?" The male mused lightly before flicking his wrist to bring the same screen up before him. His eyes would skim over the screen before taking note of a small arrow on the lower right-hand corner. He must have missed it before, and upon pressing his upward arrow a new column would rise. Upon the column had been several tabs with the words in order: Inventory, A.A.A, Skills, Settings, Companions. The male''s eyes narrowed for a second on the Companions tab. "Maybe I can get some info on those four..." The male mused as he pushed on the tab which brought up a list of names with the name of the tab:


    Companions:


    Coco-


    Rank: Operator


    Class: N/A


    Affinity: Helper


    Type: Support


    Club: N/A


    Jack Justice-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Polished


    Class: 3C


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: Brawler


    Club: ???


    Bell ???-


    Level: ???


    Rank: ???


    Class:?


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Sophina ???-


    Level: ???


    Rank: ???


    Class:?


    Affinity: Enemy or Ally?


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Rick Lofty-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Scrub


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: All-rounder


    Club: Leader of Card Club


    Mel Melanie-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Scrub


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Goldfish and old-maid specialist


    Club: Card


    Jessica Volz-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Scrub


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Poker specialist


    Club: Card


    Eden Ions-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Scrub


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Memory Game


    Club: Card


    Nora ???-


    Level: ???


    Rank: ???


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally?


    Type: All-rounder


    Club: Co-Leader of Card Club


    Racheal ???-


    Level: ???


    Rank: ???


    Affinity: Playmate


    Type: ???


    Club: Office Guide


    Kirsten Luvlin-


    Level: 55


    Rank: Legend (7)


    Class: ?


    Affinity: ???


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Skylar Novaa-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Polished


    Class:?


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Runner


    Club: Track Club New Captain


    Amorira Aro-


    Level: ???


    Rank: Polished


    Class:?


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: Runner


    Club: Former Captain of Track Club


    The male blinked for a second at the list of names; it was quite a bit but he would go through each one. Again with Question Marks... Was it a lack of information? Then there was the Affinity ordeal... "Coco..." The male muttered and as if having read his thoughts. "I personally update the Companions Archive based on who you come in contact with and what you learn about them. The Question Marks are blanks and some of them are marked with Enemy and Ally since the impression goes either or. As for the Affinity section, I will update as things go on. For example, Racheal is your Playmate and I am your Helper. " Riyku would take the explanation with a soft breath before shaking his head. "So the other four are not there." The male muttered lightly, but Coco did no respond. Taking this silence as a yes the male would press upon the arrow on the screen that was pointing in the left direction. Doing so transferred the screen back to the main menu with the column up. This time he pushed upon the A.A.A section. Doing so transferred to the tab pressed which would be titled: Abilities, Attunements, and Affinities.


    There seemed to be three different sections with a drop-down arrow to push upon. With a quick tap of each arrow; it would expand the section and upon a quick scroll through each section, he would see there were several roman numerical bullet points. "Hmm..." Riyku mused lightly as he scrolled back up to the top which was Abilities. Closing the other two for the time begin to focus on one section.


    Abilities-


    I. Atomic Manipulator Lv.1: The ability to manipulate Atomic Matter of any kind which includes Dark Matter. Using this ability will drain your energy reverses by 50 points.


    II. Shadow Manipulator Lv.1: The ability to control shadows at will. Using this ability will drain 2 points of energy per second.


    III. Chronokeeper Lv.1: The ability to control through space and time continuum be it forth or back within a threshold of 10 seconds. Using this ability will drain your energy reverses by 100 Points and consume 150 Shield Points as well as 60 Mana points.


    IV. Demon''s Heart: Lv.1: A passive Ability that allows Riyku to unlock his Demonic Powers that dwell deep within his soul.


    V. Reaper''s Will: Lv.1: A passive Ability that allows Riyku to unlock his Reaper Qualities that dwell deep within his soul.


    VI. Digital Domain: Lv.1 Both a Passive and Active ability that allows Riyku to alter a fixed region around him into his personal ''Arena''. Consumes 200 energy points and 300 mana points.


    -Riyku''s Arena Lv.1: Arena provides Riyku with a massive buff to SP, MP, En and all stats by 10%.


    VII. Runic Aura Lv.1: A passive Ability that unlocks Riyku''s potential to wield ancient runic magic.


    VIII. Essences Trace Lv.1: The ability to trace one''s Souls essences through sixth and seventh sense. Consumes 10 points of Energy and Mana points per second.


    IX. Quick Restoration Lv.1: The Ability to store ''Life'' once per usage; in a sub-space which activates upon taking Lethal damage. Activation will restore lost ''Life'' equal to ''Life'' stored; and ''heal'' all wounds completely. Consumes 10% of ''Shield Points''.


    X. Weapon Mastery: A Passive Ability that allows Riyku to Master any Weapon he picks up.


    Riyku would study over these ''Abilities''. They all seemed intriguing to him; especially the ability to restore his ''life''. While his mind did not fully retain everything from his past life; he did have some fragments there thanks to his soul. So he knew about most of these Abilities in full while some of them rang a bell, but the Quick Restoration was a new one entirely. Assuming they had levels meant that he could level them up as he used them; however, the Digital Domain ability was going to put out of commission till he was capable of raising his stats higher even with the buff in place. He would retract this section by pressing the command arrow before moving to the next section which was Attunments. The list seemed to have been displayed in the same format as Abilities.


    Attunements-


    I. Supreme Sight Lv1: Capable of expanding or focusing one''s sight.


    II. Abnormal Hearing Lv1: Capable of hearing high pitched frequencies or listening in upon conversations behind closed doors.


    III. Extraordinary Feel Lv1: Capable of detecting ''intent'' as well as ''presences''.


    IV. Bizarre Taste Lv1: Capable of detecting hidden elements that may have been mudded over.


    V. Extreme Smell Lv1: Capable of smelling odors or scents that most would be unable to pick up on.


    VI. Super Photographic Memory Lv1: Capable of recalling several events within a twenty-four hour period.


    VII. Endless Nimbility Lv1: Capability to react within an extreme time-span.


    VII. Indestructible Bone Structure Lv Max: One''s Bone structure is immune to any and all damage.


    IX. Cybernetic Cells Lv1: One''s Cells rejuvenate at an alarming rate.


    X. Time and Space Body Structure Lv1: Capability to withstand travel through Time and Space.


    The male couldn''t help but notice that these Attunements also had levels as well. ''Does that mean that they will grow as I focus on increasing them?'' Riyku thought to himself; in addition to that, it seemed that the eighth attunement was maxed out while the others were not. Putting these thoughts aside he would collapse the section by pressing upon the arrow before eyeing Affinities.


    Riyku had recalled that Coco had hidden what his Affinity was; however, did he have more than one? It wasn''t listed as Affinity, but Affinities. Without any more delay, the male would open the section with the arrow which came up surprisingly empty compared to the other sections.


    Affinities-


    ???? Lv. Max: Error.


    This caused the male''s brow to twitch in frustration. "I told you, you were going to have to figure it out yourself," Coco stated through his mind with a sweet and innocent giggle. "Bitch..." The male cursed under his breath which caused Coco to giggle even more. Releasing a heavy sigh he would collapse the section and push the screen away in frustration. Doing such caused the screen to vanish as it slid away from view. "Aren''t you going to go through the rest of your menu?" Coco inquired with a teasing manner in which the male huffed lightly. "Another time. For now, I should get some more rest." Of course, Coco had nothing to say to this. He was correct after all. "Good night, User Riyku." She stated softly as the male closed his eyes; pulling the blanket over himself as he turned on his side.


    The rays of the sun along with the chirping of birds seemed to come forth from the next day. A soft yawn would escape the male''s lips as he slowly rose from the bed. His hands moved to rub the Sandman''s sleep dust from his eyes before he moved from the bed to take a look at the clock on the dresser next to him. "Coco..." Riyku''s brow would twitch as he noticed that it was presently seven o'' five. "Good Morning; User Riyku," Coco called out with a soft yawn. "Indeed... but, I am late." The male muttered in frustration before releasing a heavy sigh. "Oh whatever, it''ll be a boring class anyways," Riyku muttered before moving to from the bed to a nearby closet. "Well, here is to hoping they put a school uniform in here for me." He stated bluntly as he opening the closet doors To his luck there was indeed a single uniform hanging neatly and wrapped in clear plastic as if it was just from the cleaners. He would take it off the bar, toss it on the bed he was just in and proceed to the showers. Undressing from the uniform he still had on from yesterday he would proceed into the shower. The steam fogging up the bathroom quickly as he began to rinse his body off. "Umm... User Riyku." Coco mumbled softly to get his attention.


    "Hm?" Riyku mused lightly as he looked around for anything to use. Luckily for him, there was body wash and shampoo even if it was a feminine product. Strangely this felt normal to him as if he had used feminine products several times before. Perhaps it was his soul. "While I did make a new body for you... It seemed some things were unable to be changed." Coco flustered in his mind which caused him to muse lightly as he began to lather his hands up with some body wash. Running the suds throughout his toned slim abdominal area and broad shoulders before moving to his toned slim legs and coming back up to his ''son''. "Oh." He couldn''t help but chuckle lightly at the horse of his third leg. "Well, that isn''t all..." Coco seemed slightly more flustered. "Your scars seemed to have moved over to this new body along with your hair," Coco explained. "Well, I knew about the scars. My soul seems to remember them well... even if I have no recollection of them. They are from the ''first'', ''second'' and ''third'' life that this soul had retained." Riyku stated softly with a light sorrow in his eyes. "I am sorry to bring it up. I did not know where they originated from." Coco came forth hastily. "It''s fine. I do not remember how these scars came to be either. Only my soul remembers, I just feel the pain, anguish, and sorrow from these scars." He mused lightly as he began to rinse himself off; before moving to scrub his hands with some shampoo to run throughout the long silky smooth black hair of his that reached down to his shoulder blades. After he finished up with that would move out of the shower and begin to dry off.


    The steam seemed to have fogged up the mirror in the bathroom so the male finished getting ready in the main room. Putting on his uniform before making the bed; he would look at the clock which stated seven twenty-five. Moving back to the bathroom the male would glance over the mirror; fixing himself up before looking around for anything to brush his teeth. Sadly, there wasn''t anything except a single toothbrush, some toothpaste, and some mouthwash. Guessing all these belonged to Kristen he would take the mouthwash and rinse his mouth out several times. It wasn''t proper, but it was the best he could do for now. Taking a look in the mirror one last time he noticed how devilishly handsome he looked; not like some boy, but a genuine man. Huffing lightly he would proceed out of the bathroom and more so towards the school now.


    It didn''t take long, but it seemed his presences came as a shock. As he moved the sliding door open he had stopped the lecture that was going on. "Oh, the New student shows up late on his first day. Even after the display, he gave yesterday." The vocals of a female came from the front of the class. Riyku shook his head. "Apologizes, I overslept." He waved with his hand; most would consider this disrespectful, but well that was if this was a normal school. The teacher sighed heavily and set down the chalk before turning to face the class. "I guess we''ll introduce him. As you all may already know; this here is Riyku Von Rosario. He will be joining us today onward. Do try to get along." The teacher was quite serious and slightly annoyed it seemed. Riyku who stood beside the teacher would pick up the chalk and begin to write his name out. As it was almost instinctive that he did this before he realized when he was done. "A pleasure," Riyku stated after turning back to the class to look at them. In total there were fifteen students including him. A rather small class so to speak; some of them were notable. A few females had their eyes on him while the males were glaring at him. If one had to divide class by sex; it was ten females and five males which included him.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, what is the present course about." Riyku inquired since there was a silence. The teacher was slightly surprised. From his earlier entry, she thought that perhaps he wasn''t going to take this seriously. "Well, presently we are going over mathematics." She replied. "I see." Riyku would glance from her to the class taking note of an empty desk in the back by the window. "That is my seat?" He inquired as he pointed at it. Looking back down at her; in truth, she was probably the second closest person to his height. The first being the HeadMistress. "Yes. Please take your seat, and we will begin once more." She stated in which the male nodded and headed on his way towards his seat. Most of the students kept tabs on him while some seemed to not care. Judging from the aura around it was going to be a rough time for him, and yet he seemed to show little interest. His eyes looked towards the board as the teacher scribbled formulas and continued the lecture. An internal sigh escaped his lips; he found this boring it would seem.


    "User Riyku, it seems you retain the knowledge of your past studies. Having dug deeper into this ''system'' I found that your soul has provided you with all of your studies from your past life; which is one of the main reasons you do not recollect any memories in full." Coco stated internally as usual. "I see." The male whispered softly, almost inaudible in fact. "The only thing you may have trouble with here is the ''History'' subject since you have zero recollection of any ''History'' of this place," Coco added in which Riyku shook his head lightly. "I''ll just study over it." He whispered yet again. His eyes started to shift towards the window; his hand rising upon his chin. "Bring up my personal menu upon my UI." He muttered in which Coco replied, "Okay.". The menu would appear upon his UI or HUD in which he glanced over with his eyes.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 88


    Shield Points: 705/705


    Mana Points: 500/500


    Energy: 275/275


    Form duration: N/A


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: ???


    Stats: SSS


    Points: 2,031


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 141


    Toughness: 134


    Agility: 141


    Wisdom: 125


    Intelligence: 125


    Charisma: 141


    Skill points to spend: 32


    It was the same as if he were looking at the screen. However, instead of pressing the command arrow he would attempt to open it via a mental and visual link which seemed successful. The tabs appeared like before: Inventory, A.A.A, Skills, Settings, Companions. This time around he would open up the Settings tab the same way he did with the columns, via a mental and visual link. As it ventured forth to the new tab he would take a quick glance over it. Like the A.A.A tab; this one seemed to have sections as well. Body, System, Soul, and interestingly enough there was a final one called Save. The male would blink for a second before using a mental and visual link to press the ''Save'' button in which a system command popped up upon his HUD. ''System saved: Wednesday 28th, 2796 7:40 A.M.'' The male blinked rapidly for a second. Wait... 2796? That was the year? Well, it wasn''t like he remembered the year of his previous life so he left it at that. The save system thing was interesting; he wondered what it would do. Going back over the tabs again there seemed to be a new one called ''Load''. "Hmm..." The male mused lightly as he glanced over this which caused a new tab to open up. There were five slots upon the first one was ''Wednesday 20th, 2796 7:40 A.M.'' Riyku would huff lightly as he thought to activate this Load. It wouldn''t hurt anything, would it? "User Riyku, If I may. Using this part of the system allows you to ''Load'' up anything you ''Saved'' at that point. For example; if you used ''Load'' now, you will turn the clock back by one minute. Of course, only you will remember what actually happens. Of course, you are only able to ''Save'' five times before having to rewrite over any previous ''Save''." Coco would explain as if having read Riyku''s thoughts.


    "Hmm..." The male mused softly in thought before giving it a shot. A bright flash of light would expand from his being and illuminate the surrounding area; once it died down the male looked around. It was a tad bit shocking, but strangely enough, it felt normal to him. Looking over a clock on the wall it indeed read seven forty. So he did go back in time. Putting this aside for later he would close out this tab and move onto another tab. System. Opening it up to bring the following to view:


    System:


    Date- May 28th, 2796 Wednesday.


    Time- 7:41 A.M


    Status- Full Functional


    Operator- Coco


    Version- 2.0


    ''Version 2.0?'' The male internally questioned. "Remember, This isn''t your first Cybernetic Body?" Coco stated in which Riyku recalled the events that she indeed did speak of such. "Well, that is useful." The male mused lightly. "Riyku?" The teacher called out to him seeing that he was distracted. "Come up and solve this equation." She added in which Riyku nodded lightly before dismissing the menu from his HUD and standing up to proceed towards the board. Taking the chalk in hand the formula was quite simple. It was your basic equation to solve for X using various variables. However... The male would enhance the equation by adding more variables which increased the difficulty but it was his way of showing her as well as his peers that he wasn''t just some stupid kid who lucked out. After solving the equation he would set the chalk down and move from the view of the board to return to his seat. Everyone seemed quite impressed which included the teacher.


    "Well done. I guess they were right about you being odd." The teacher stated before returning to the lecture; some of the students stole glances at him as he returned his view towards the window. He would reopen the menu upon his HUD. As he recalled there were two more sections to over in System. The first one he went over was Body; which appeared as such:


    Body:


    Nerves system Intensity level: normal


    Heart function: Normal


    Five senses function: Normal


    Internal Structure: Healthy


    It appeared to be a basic run through of his body. As if telling him that everything was all green. However, beside Nerves System, there was some kind of slider that ranged from one to ten; the preset was five. He had recalled something about his nerve system being able to be adjusted to where he was able to adjust the sensitivity to either, numb or extremely sensitive. For the time being, he left it as it was and decided to just go ahead and backtrack to the other sections. The last one to examine was ''Soul''. Once more via a mental and visual link, Riyku would open the section for ''Soul''.


    Soul:


    Condition- Normal


    Memory Fragments Obtained- 2,001,712,632,542 of 96,531,849,136,103


    Fragments of Neutral- 325,207,102


    Fragments of Joy- 0


    Fragments of Sorrow- 521,893,108


    Fragments of Anguish- 986,321,870


    Fragments of Love- 0


    Fragments of Hate- 1,999,879,210,461


    Fragments of Distortion- 1


    Riyku''s eyes slightly narrowed at the text before him. There were over a trillion fragments of memories that were part of this soul. Was that even possible? Typically the normal human life had usually eighty or ninety years worth of memories, Whole memories. These were mere fragments... How many lives did this soul go through? Then there was the thing with Fragments of Distortion, what did that pertain to? The only memory fragment he recalled was the dream from last night. He had many more than just one as well, yet there were zeros by joy and love. What did that mean? Could the remaining fragments be Love and Joy or were there more fragments for the other sections? In addition to that, what was the meaning or purpose behind these fragments? Were they there to help him understand more of his abilities, and what was going on. Or were they there for another means? However, before he could put any further thought into it the class seemed to have come to an end since the bell was going off. Dismissing the screen from view the male would look up to notice that everyone was starting to gather around his desk. "You only have five minutes before the next class resumes." The teacher called as she left the room. Riyku was suddenly bombarded with various questions as to where he came from, what he was doing here, how won several games, and why he challenged the HeadMistress.


    However, he simply shook his head, not too fond of all this attention. "Quite the snob. Allowing these girls to fondle over you like some king." A male''s voice called out from the distance as several women and a couple of men moved aside to make way for the one who called out to him. "I honestly don''t care for any of the attention," Riyku replied with a wave of his hand. "Is that so?" The blonde haired male called back; his emerald eyes glaring down at Riyku. He looked average, to be honest; from height to body tone. Nothing too special. "That it is. Is there something I can help you with?" Riyku inquired as he shifted his glance back at the male. "Well, there is. You see, The HeadMistress is mine. Once I ace the exams and get a place in the annual Death Games; I''ll be sure to rank top place and get to challenge her directly. After which I will win and claim her as my own. So your little stunt from yesterday means nothing." The male stated in which Riyku stood silent in the thought of what these ''Death Games'' were for a moment before chuckling lightly. "So you got that deal too?" He replied which caused the male to blink. "Deal?" He questioned in which Riyku smirked deviously. Leaning back in his chair as he began to explain, "Well, As long as I prove myself by the end of Exams I''ll get to challenge her just once. I don''t know anything about these Death Games, but it looks like I''ll get there before you." The response made the blonde haired male growl, "What!?" He shouted as his hands balled and shook in anger. "No. I''ll be damned if that happens. I challenge you, Riyku Von Rosario!" He shouted out after a moment in which Riyku''s brow rose in interest. "Is that so? Are you sure about that?" Riyku inquired.


    "Of course. You are more than welcome to pick the game, but once you lose you will forfeit this bullshit deal." The male stated in which Riyku snickered lightly. "That''s all? Just that? Well, I guess I''ll have you hand over the points worth of my loss if I win. Can you do that?" Riyku stated his own terms. The class began to gossip as a select few actually showed little interest in what was going on. "Can I? You don''t know who I am? I am Barron Vexon the fourth; of Legends, I am ranked at 8th." This fancy named lad seemed to state out in which Riyku took a moment before bursting into laughter. Everyone seemed to fall quiet at this act, but Barron was rather enraged. "Very well, however; as you know I can''t be challenged. Shall we set up a time and date for this challenge?" Riyku offered. "Indeed, neither can I. Tomorrow at 7:45 P.M at the fountain square just outside the University," Barron stated in which Riyku nodded. "Fair enough." Before anything else could happen the bell went off and the Teacher walked back in. "Everyone get to your seats!" She started to get the class in order, in which everyone hastily began to take their seats.


    "User Riyku, Are you sure? You said you weren''t going to challenge any of the Legends." Coco spoke throughout his mind. ''I know what I said. But, this is a good chance to earn some extra points and get me higher on the ranking list.'' Riyku replied in which Coco state; "That may be; however, do not underestimate the Legends. You are still human at the end of the day." Riyku nodded lightly in silence before looking back at the window. His mind began to fill with thoughts of what to challenge this man to.

 5 A new era begins!?

    Time seemed to fly by and before anyone knew it; classes were over. Riyku stood up from his desk and began to proceed out the door. Although something or more so someone stopped him from doing so. It was the same small girl from yesterday; wearing the same odd outfit too. "And...?" Riyku looked down at her who glared up at him. "We still need to settle our matter from yesterday. Just because you passed out on me, doesn''t mean we were done. I gave you time to rest. So now, we are going to talk about our arrangement. You are not allowed to stay in my dorm room." Kristen who had popped outta nowhere began to attempt to continue where they left off yesterday.


    "Yeah, I appreciate that you helped me out. But, my dorm is my dorm. Soo...." Riyku began to bluntly put out, but Kristen was quick on the uptake. "Nope. I refuse to roommate with anyone else. Here is how it will work. You will get whatever belongings you have out within the next hour and find new accommodation or... I will beat you to a bloody pulp in a battle of combat." It was a bittersweet tone and smile she gave off that caused Riyku to sigh heavily. "No can do. I am still on standby and then I have a challenge set up with Barron Vonwhathisface tomorrow after seven. Although, you are more than welcome to wait until the day after." Riyku replied to her and was about to walk past her until she stomped her way in front of him. "Oh no. We are going to settle this now. You are going to challenge me to a duel right now." Kristen stated as he placed her hands upon her hips. Riyku blinked for a second before smirking deviously as usual. "And why would I do that?" He inquired.


    "Well if you don''t, I''ll be sure to ruin your life and make you wish you were dead. After all, manipulating others is quite simple and easy with the right amount of money and motivation." Kristen replied in which Riyku chuckled lightly before stepping a few steps back from her. "You want a combat match? Of what caliber?" Kristen snickered at the question as he brought a finger up to her lips. "A battle till one of us forfeits or goes unconscious." Riyku''s brow would raise lightly before nodding. "Fair enough, but another time. I''ve got more important things to do." He stated as he waved his hand before moving past her once again. He still needed to have Skylar show him to his sister. There was the matter of uncovering this ''I know your identity'' stuff after all. Sure, he needed to get the thing settled with Kristen quickly as well, but he only tried to settle it yesterday because she was right there in front of him. Much time had passed since he had collapsed and needed to find out who this mysterious person was before they decided to leak out whatever information they had on him. Although it would seem that he would not be allowed such since this time it seemed he didn''t get far. The latex of whip seemed to have caught his wrist which caused him to glance down at it. His eyes narrowed lightly without looking back at the woman. Something inside of him was triggered; a flame lite with the fuel of hate burned in his eyes.


    "You want this that badly?" His tone suddenly shifted to something darker. "Of course. This needs to be settled now." Kristen replied in which Riyku would raise said wrist upward. "You will come to regret this." Riyku stated in which Kristen licked her lips, "Oh no, I am going to have fun with you. But we should battle somewhere more open." Kristen added in which Riyku shook his head. "You need this to be settled now. Let us begin. I challenge you, Kristen Luvlin." Riyku''s tone of voice was offset from what it had been earlier. "User Riyku, are you sure about this?" Coco''s voice inquired through his mind in which Riyku muttered, "I am."


    Kissing her teeth clearly the area of combat was not suited for her but whatever, Kristen would raise her wrist upward; revealing her ID band just like Riyku had done. "Fine. I accept; the battle will be K.O combat. Unless the other gives in. If I win you will leave my dorm and find your own accommodations." Kristen stated. "And if I win, I stay in the dorm and you will never speak of this again," Riyku added the last part to keep this from happening again. Clearly, he was annoyed with how everything was progressing. He just wanted to return to his investigation of his system and look more into the way this school and world worked. Now he had something in his way. Of course, that wasn''t all, there was also the fact of the remnants of his soul had surged throughout his mind, causing him to cringe when the latex whip got hold of him. Perhaps something in a previous life? "Fine." Kristen agreed in which two beams shot up from their wristbands; going through the ceiling without causing any damage and sparking up two mugshots of each in the sky above. A cybernetic screen appeared below the portraits with the red icon with the text ''Live'' just like it did with Riyku''s game with Amorira.


    Kristen would yank upon the whip that was still around Riyku''s wrist in which Riyku would pull back to avoid being dragged towards her. "Hmm..." Kristen took note of how much she was struggling to yank him towards her while he seemed to be carefree about his efforts to avoid such from happening. "This will be fun." She chuckled as she released the handle of the whip which caused it to fly towards Riyku. Dashing towards him hastily she would ball her hand into a fist and aim for his gut. Riyku would let the whip fly past him; allowing it to unravel from his wrist while stepping to the side to avoid the attack coming straight for his gut. He would follow up by reaching out for the woman''s throat; however, her nimble movements allowed her to smack Riyku''s hand aside by the wrist. Doing so used up her other hand and put her in an odd position which Riyku would attempt to now bring his knee upward since the woman was leaned forward in front of him. Interestingly enough the woman was quite flexible in the sense that she tucked her body in while using the fist she had launched at him earlier as he means to push her momentum forward more while curving her body right over his knee like some kind of kitten jumping through a narrow space.


    As she landed upon the ground, she rolled before hastily getting up onto her feet. During such a maneuver she seemed to have picked up her whip as well. Riyku''s brow rose as he shifted his glance towards her, a hand resting his pocket while the other remained at his side. This encounter was different from Jack Justice; she was on a whole other league. "Well, Kristen you seem to have quite the moves. If you had hit me in that spot, you surely would''ve knocked the wind from me. It''s a shame both my strikes missed you though." Riyku stated which caused Kristen to smirk in delight. "Flattery will get you nowhere. But, you are one of the few who can actually avoid my attacks." She replied before cracking her whip at him several times. The whip seemed to change in direction aimlessly; however, Riyku dodged each and every strike made at him while approaching the woman. "Is that it? A measly whip?" Riyku inquired as he crunched his fingers together as if forming a ball; several times in fact to where his bones seemed to make a ''cracking'' sound. Though they were indestructible soo... there was no real damage to them.


    "Ha! You wouldn''t be the first to approach me like such. How about this!" Kristen shouted as she motioned her wrist in a graceful way that the whip would flail out wildly. The speed seemed to also increase which caused some strikes to come into contact with him. Each strike that hit his skin would damage his ''Sheild Points''. Going down by seven points per strike. His ''Sheild Points'' were at six forty-two by the time Riyku had actually caught the whip in hand which caused Kristen''s eyes to widen. "What!?" She shouted.


    With a quick strong tug the woman was brought towards him; his hand would then come down to slam a fist right into her gut causing the air to be knocked out of her. Not to kindly not follow up he would toss the whip aside that she had released the handle of and quickly grasp her by the collar of her clothing only to yank her into the wall beside them. He would yank her by her clothing yet again out of the creator in the wall and toss her towards the windows. Grasping her forehead and slamming the back of her head into the window, shattering the window and pushing her body through the window. She would reach up to grasp upon his wrist in order not fall out of the window; her legs moved to wrap around his waist as she attempted to break free. "Bastard!" She shouted out at him; blood trickling from her head and face. Yet it seemed Riyku did not care for her words; instead, he brought her back inside only to release her head and bring his other hand around to slam a fist into her face. Quick to react she was capable of blocking this by releasing his wrist and using both of her arms to shield herself from the fist.


    Using the momentum from the force of his strike she would release her legs from around his waist and tuck and roll away from him only to get back up and spit out some of her blood while the rest from her eyes. "That was rude," Kristen stated under a growl. Riyku''s brow rose as if his interest was peaked. "So... you are still able to move like that. I thought you would''ve lost consciousness by now or even had something broken. Since that isn''t the case..." Riyku would bring one hand up just above his torso while the other remained slightly above the abdominal area but closer towards his lower body. Both hands were open palm, and if one looked at it from the right angle his stance would look like a Yin-Yang symbol was upon his torso area thanks to the formation of his arms and hands. "I''ll get a bit serious." He added before inhaling deeply. Interestingly, he had taken this stance instinctively. He did not question why he had taken this stance, nor was he even fully aware of such.


    Kristen cursed under her breath as she troubled herself with a way to beat her opponent. "Kristen!" Someone shouted her name which caught her attention. Her eyes drifted towards some kind of object in a mantle flying in her direction. The mantle would release the object which Kristen caught to reveal a chained whip with jagged edges. "From us, your Subscribers! Teach that cocky asshole a lesson!" Several girls behind her cheered her on in which she nodded with a smirk. "Will do Ladies." She didn''t appear as bad as they made her out to be; if anything Riyku looked more like the bad guy here. Though this did not faze him even in the slightest. "Are you done?" Riyku inquired in which Kristen gave him a grin filled reply, "Yup." She would crack the whip towards him, but unlike before he wouldn''t approach her nor would he catch it. He would deflect it with a single slap; not once, but several times before skipping backward only to dash forward hastily. The sudden dash seemed to have caught her off guard since she chased after him which was what he wanted. She would crack the whip in haste yet it did nothing since he caught the whip. Kicking off of the ground he would leap over her while bringing the chain with him only to clasp it against her neck while he landed upon the ground. Yanking the chain forward to pull her against his back which would end up in choking her out if she didn''t come up with some kind of plan. The jagged edges were digging into the flesh of her neck as she struggled to break free. "Checkmate..." The male muttered as he yanked once again which dug the edges into her flesh even more. Her blood slowly began to trickle down her neck as she clawed at the chains with both hands while kicking her feet around. Though since the height difference was great; she couldn''t even touch the ground.


    "Let her go!" Her Subscribers shouted out from a distance. "Tell her to give up, or she can just pass out to. Who knows, I might just kill her." Riyku would tug on the chain; of course, he was careful not to cut through his shield, but with the jagged edges well... His ''Shield Points'' were depleting rapidly. Now a little over five hundred since he had tightened his grasp upon the chains. Kristen was struck in fear at those words. ''He wouldn''t kill me? He''ll receive punishment!'' But as if to deny her claims, Riyku would tug even harder. "Stop it!" Her Subscribers continued to shout from the sidelines. "You will receive punishment if you kill her!" Another one shouted. This caused Riyku to snicker, "Then so be it. She can always give up. If her pride gets her killed it does just that." He tugged even harder now, his Shield Points around three hundred now. Moments were flying by now, but eventually, Kristen shouted, "I Give up!" The moment she did a winner was declared; her portrait was crossed out with a red X and Riyku''s was lite up with Winner over it. He had released the chains and her for that matter before standing up fully.


    "As for the terms, I will return to my room," Riyku stated as he eyed his Shield Points which were just under one-hundred. Kissing his teeth he would walk past her as several of her Subscribers came running up to her to comfort her while glaring at him. "That was your fourth win, Riyku," Coco stated mentally in which Riyku nodded lightly as he slipped his hands into his pockets. First was with Jack, then came Skylar, next was Amorira, and now Kristen. Tomorrow is suppose to be his fifth game with Barron. After that his rank will be decided; he had won all of them so far. Though who knew where he would end up. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he came across a crowd of people who had swarmed him. "Riyku Von Rosario the mysterious unranked student. You show up out of nowhere, claim four wins within a single day. Your first being, Jack Justice who is polished rank. Your second being against Skylar, pro rank and member of the track team. Third was against the Captain himself, Amorira who was also pro rank, and now you win against Kristen Luvlin who so happens to be ranked seven of the Top Legends. Not only this, but you also challenged the HeadMistress of the Overhaul on air. Tell me, do you believe you will get an easy pass in life? Everyone will be gunning for you now."


    The voice came through the crowd, a blue-haired female of underdeveloped proportions holding a pen and notepad in hand had pushed through. The crowd that surrounded him looked more displeased than joyful, but the woman before him appeared interested. Riyku stole a glance from his Shield Points which had recharged to one-hundred. ''So that process was slow... But it did recharge.'' "Riyku." The girl called out to him in which he relayed a huff. "Honestly, I don''t really care about an easy pass in life. Life is not supposed to be easy. Those who have had an easy life will one day fall to the pressure they are unprepared for. If people want to challenge me, bring it on. Just know..." The male''s lips curled into a devious smirk. "I''ll beat each and every one of those who stand in my path." He added, the woman began to scribble upon her notepad. "Your path to what? The HeadMistress?" The question seemed to dig deep into his mind. What was his path indeed? Sure to get stronger, to become unbeatable... but for what? The male would close his eyes softly as to drown at the noise that had begun to spur forth from the crowd. "Perhaps we should continue our discussions in more enclosed doors." The woman stated as she slipped past the male and slide something into the pocket of his blazer. Riyku would open his eyes only glance upon some kind of object coming in his direction rapidly. Bringing his hand up he would clasp his hand upon a thin stick which appeared to be an arrow upon closer inspection. However, a small ball had replaced the arrowhead and attached to the stick was some kind of paper.


    Riyku would unravel the paper from the arrow and toss the flimsy thing aside before reading the note. "Again..." The male growled as he crumbled the paper and stuffed it into his pocket before pushing past the crowd. It was an easy and overall trivial matter to do since he was generally more overbearing then they were. Before he knew it, Riyku was already out of the crowd and heading out of the Unversity. His thoughts were now upon the note. Apparently, it had something to do with him again; from the contents of it. One step by one he walked down the stairs before clashing with someone. "Oof." A small voice squeaked out as he subconsciously reached for a dainty arm to keep the person from falling down the stairs. A quick pull towards him and a softness pressed firmly against his abdominal area. His eyes which were fixated upon the clouds as he was in thought; had looked groundward only to see a dainty violet-haired woman. "Apologizes," Riyku stated softly admitting his own fault for not paying attention to where he was going. The woman looked up at him; her matching hues seemed so pure and innocent. A flush of pink tinted her cheeks as she found herself in an intimate situation.


    "No, no. P-please, forgive me. I was reading my book..." The woman stuttered with a fluster of emotion. Be it the male''s handsome face, or the intimate space between them. Riyku soon noticed that he had her up against him; as well as the onlookers who were chattering about them being some kind of couple. Releasing her softly so she had balance the male would take a step back as he eyed a small book upon the ground beside them. "You mean this one?" He inquired as he leaned over to pick it up and hand it over to her. "Ah, yes. Thank you." She replied softly as he reached for it. Riyku had taken notice of the title of the book. "The Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Virtues eh? Not many people look into these kinds of things. Are you a fan of aged tales?" Riyku inquired softly in which the female nodded lightly with a shy expression.


    "The Original Seven were released from Pandora''s box, but the reasons such is unknown. Some have a theory that it was a punishment for humanity; while others believe it to be a test. Of course, the contrary to the Seven Cardinal Sins were the Seven Virtues. Which helps to prove the theory of a test of humanity." Riyku stated bluntly which perked up her attention. "Why do you think they exist?" She asked softly as ever yet quite audible to him. "Hmm..." The male would take to a thought stance. "If you ask me the Seven are what humans created. The world we live in is filled with sin as it is with virtues. A raging war of darkness and light; one can not exist with the other. However, Did you know, that there is an Eighth Sin, though?" Riyku asked her expecting to hear that she did not and just as expected she did not.


    "It is supposedly told that Pandora had unleashed an Eighth Sin, One that would collect the Seven Cardinal Sins; as well as claim the Seven Virtues. Only then would true peace and balance be restored to humanity. What that final sin is though is beyond anyone." The male would shrug at the end; though it seemed he had captivated her with his tale. "So, if the world is in the ruin of sin and virtue; then that means the eighth sin is like a reset?" She asked lightly in which the male would shrug yet again. "Perhaps. Who knows what would happen. Clearly, the Eighth has yet to accomplish anything. Since both Virtue and Sin roam through humanity." Riyku replied to her in which the woman nodded lightly before a soft beep kept going off upon her wrist-band.


    "OH!?" She exclaimed lightly. "I need to go. It is time for my medicine. I do hope we are able to talk about this topic at a later date. Until next time." Before she could get his name and he could get hers she rushed off into the building. "Medicine?" Riyku inquired lightly before shaking his head and moving onward. Thinking it was time to head towards the dorms and return to his room.


    As he pushed open the door he was greeted with a cool atmosphere and a refreshing feeling of silence and peace. The room even smelt clean as well. Taking a glance around he did not see Kristen in sight. Maybe she was traumatized, or perhaps she was in care. Regardless it was nice, and since he was alone he decided to plop down upon the bed. Releasing a heavy sigh the male would close his eyes for a solid moment. If he hadn''t opened them hastily he probably would''ve fallen into a deep slumber. Flicking his right hand would bring forth the cybernetic screen to view.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 88


    Shield Points: 150/705


    Mana Points: 500/500


    Energy: 260/275


    Form duration: N/A


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: ???


    Stats: SSS


    Points: 3,207


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 141


    Toughness: 134


    Agility: 141


    Wisdom: 125


    Intelligence: 125


    Charisma: 141


    Skill points to spend: 32


    And there it was again, the basic status screen for him to look over. He made note of the Shield Damage and loss of Energy; before noting his Points had gone up. Of Course, he still had skill points to spend as well; that thirty-two almost begging him to spend them. Yet without a full understanding of the system, there was no reason to spend them hastily. "Strength is clearly used for how strong I am, and Toughness seems to be my endurance; that is probably what factored into my Shield Points. Agility is perhaps my speed... maybe even overall perception. Then there is Wisdom and Intelligence; those two most likely factor into my Mana, but in the end, the two are also separate. A fool can be smart, but at the same time not wise. The wise can be all-knowing, but still, make simple mistakes. If anything I should collective bring both of those up. Then there is that Charisma section..." The male muttered silently to himself as he began to ponder over what Charisma would be used for. "Persuasion comes to mind as well as intimidation. Of course, Charm goes hand in hand with Charisma too." In the end, Riyku hadn''t really been able to pinpoint what Charisma was used for other than the general Intimidation, Persuasion, and Charm. He thought of asking Coco but decided against it. Instead, he would bring up the column of tabs from the lower corner. He had yet to go over Inventory and Skills.


    Riyku would push upon the Inventory button just to see what it was like. Upon doing so brought up a large menu with several empty boxes with the exception of a few that seemed to have items in their place. Next to the Inventory boxes happened to be a cutout or shadow silhouette of him. There were five empty boxes with lines attached to each limb of the body. On each side of the arms happened to be a single empty box. If one had to guess it was for weapons. On the top and bottom happened to eight and eight with the label acc. When he moved his eyes over the shorten word ACC, it extended into Accessories until he moved his eyes from the abbreviated word. Did that mean he could equip sixteen different accessories? Clearly, necklaces and bangles, as well as bracelets, came to mind. But what of the others? Did these stack? It was a shame he did not have any kind of accessories to use. Except when he looked closer he noticed that one of the accessory slots was filled in. Pushing upon the slot it brought up a menu for the item.


    ID Wristband(Unequipable):


    Condition: Indestructible


    Rarity- F


    A fashionable Life proof band that is given to you as a coming of age gift when you reach the appropriate age to either become a Gamer or Subscriber. The Wristband also acts as your guide to starting Games, as well as Watch Games; they are also used in daily activities and everyday lives to get jobs done.


    Riyku''s brow twitched when he noticed it was Unequipable which meant he could never take it off. This also meant he lost an accessory slot. Though he did have fifteen more; as well as five basic slots which were probably for ''armor'' or something like that, and the other two slots which were most likely for weapons. Since the clothing he was wearing did not occupy any of the empty slots. It was then that he noticed a little reverse symbol at the lower corner where all the armor slots were. Pressing on it seemed to rotate the menu of armor slots to where something else appeared. The accessory slots, as well as the two side slots by each arm, had vanished and a figurine size version of him appeared on screen with the same clothing he was wearing. Above the figurine was the text ''Comfy Clothes''; in which four were aligned downward beside the figurine. Three of which were filled with the male''s clothing. Pressing on each one would bring up the menu item box for them.


    Standard School Blazer W/ Shirt:


    Condition: Clean


    Rarity- F


    A comfortable school uniform that is worn when attended the University of Gambit. The stylish black with golden and crimson lining is a representation of the school''s colors.


    Standard School Pants:


    Condition: Clean


    Rarity- F


    A comfortable school uniform that is worn when attended the University of Gambit. The stylish black with golden and crimson lining is a representation of the school''s colors.


    White socks:


    Condition: Slightly Clean


    Rarity- F


    Comfy cotton white socks.


    From what he got was that this was either what was to be seen or... would be underclothing for the armor. He wouldn''t be able to test this out until a later time, but there was something that came to mind. He would double-tap the icon for his shirt and within the blink of an eye, his clothing seemed to dismiss itself into a dim glimmer of light which now left the male''s torso bare. Having verified with a glance he would look at his inventory which showed that his Blazer was now set inside. He also tapped upon the other clothing icons; only once to dismiss their menu item. His eyes glanced at the inventory boxes; there were five filled slots. One was filled with his Blazer so the other four were something else. One looked like some kind of sword; the other appeared to be some kind of gun and the third one was some kind of staff. There there was the fourth one; this box was different though. It had been grayed out with chains over it as if it were locked. He would tap upon the box in order to bring up any info out of curiosity and something did appear from the item menu.


    Unidentified Special Weapon:


    Rarity- SSS


    Condition- Excellent


    Item is incapable of being identified until certain restrictions have been released.


    Riyku blinked for a moment in awe. The item was a special weapon and its Rarity was a triple S!? Then there was the Condition of the item which was Excellent, as well; however, in order to obtain the item he had to identify it, it would seem; but he did not know how to do so. In addition to that, there had been certain restrictions he had to release in order to even identify the weapon. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he tapped upon the item again to dismiss the menu. He would then tap upon the other three items to bring up their menus.


    Trainee Steel Sword:


    Rarity- F


    Condition- Crude


    A dull sword only used for training in the ways of the blade.


    Trainee Atom-Gun:


    Rarity- D


    Condition- Crude


    A Gun that uses the Atomic matter around; however, it''s power is drastically lowered since it is used for training.


    Trainee Magi-Staff:


    Rarity- E


    Condition- Crude


    A simple staff gave to beginner mages who want to learn the arcane arts.


    Just to test something out he would tap upon each item to dismiss the menu before pressing upon the reverse symbol to swap the menu back. Double tapping upon the sword and gun seemed to bring forth the two items into a hand. In his left was the gun and in his right was the sword. His eyes shifted to the two slots by the arms in which he noted they were filled with the respected weapons in hand. Though the steel sword looked cheap the Atom-Gun looked like some kind of high-tech weapon straight out of a sci-fi movie. Though those thoughts were dismissed when two texts popped up in front of his face.


    Passive Skill: Swordsmanship Lv.1 Learned!


    Passive Skill: GunSlinger Lv.1 Learned!


    Riyku''s brow rose; he had yet to even look at the skills tab. He did recall that he could master any weapon he wanted thanks to one of his abilities. So that pretty much meant that as long as he held onto the weapon he would learn the efficiency for it. Well, there was a way to test this theory. Though he wondered how to dismiss his weapons without having to open the menu. And as if on queue Coco would speak to him. "Since you are wondering, all you have to do is think of dismissing them into your Inventory; if you want to bring anything out of your inventory all you got to do is think about the item you want. However, this does not work for unidentified or locked items." Riyku would nod to her explanation as he dismissed the weapons with ease before calling to the staff which seemed to come forth into his left hand.


    Passive Skill: Arcane Wielder Lv.1 Learned!


    Passive Skill: Spearman Lv1. Learned!


    The text popped up yet again. "Well, I guess if I ever have any free time I''ll have to think of training with these weapons." The male stated softly as he dismissed the weapon only to glance upon his inventory. "Coco, Can I put just anything into the Inventory?" Riyku inquired in which Coco would answer, "With some exceptions, yes." She replied. "Like what?" Riyku inquired.


    "Well, you can not store anything living into your Inventory, humans, monsters, animals. I am unsure as to why myself, but the system logs state that it is impossible. You also can not store basic free elements. Such as water; now if it were in a bucket you can store it. This applies to the natural elements as well. Such as Air, Fire, and of course Water as mentioned before. They must be stored in some kind of containment device." Coco explained to which Riyku seemed to understand quite easily; be it his stats or something else. Riyku would press upon the back arrow to return to the previous screen where the columns of tabs appeared yet again; along with his status. Without hesitation, he pressed upon the skills tab which brought up a single list with the title labeled skills. However, before he could read through them the jiggling of the doorknob caused him to swipe the screen away from his view which dismissed it just before the door opened. There he saw the tiny gothic beauty he had beaten earlier glaring daggers at him.


    "So you really are here, and shirtless nonetheless," Kristen complained, though her harsh expression softened when she saw the multitude of scars upon his body. It almost looked as if she wanted to comfort the man, but she didn''t. Instead, she would move to the closet where she would pick out an outfit before heading to the bathroom. "No peaking, otherwise you''ll regret it." The woman stated harshly as she left the room and entered the bath. The running of water could soon be heard in which Riyku sighed heavily. "No reason to. You expose enough of yourself as it is." He muttered words that were clearly incapable of being heard by her. "Well, since she is here. I''ll have to put off looking at my skills tab. For now, let''s go ahead and look over this device." He would lift his wrist to glance at the wristband which would display a monitor. "Oh? It reacts to my thoughts?" The male inquired since the monitor displayed was like that of a simple computer screen. Though the only apps available were Web Browsing, School Short-Cut and Gamer Status.


    Riyku would tab upon the Gamer Status app which ultimately seemed to open up a sub-menu for him.


    Riyku Von Rosario


    Division: Unranked


    Wins: 4


    Draws: 0


    Losses: 0


    Points: 3,207


    Subscribers: 0


    Well, it was fitting for a sub-menu. Not much to tell. He would press on the little ''x'' button on the corner of the sub-menu which dismissed it before tapping upon the School Short-cut. This would open up the browser and bring a site page for him specifically it seemed since the page said had text that read, "Welcome back, Riyku!". After a soft sigh, he would glance over the selections he had. Class, Clubs, and Assignments. Thinking back on it the Teacher did say there was some kind of assignment. Clicking upon the Assignment selection would transfer the page to Assignments.


    Assignments:


    Total completed: 0 of 1


    Task- 1) Finish the essay on the Seven Cardinal Sins. Due: Tomorrow.


    Well, that was simple enough and it was upon the subject that girl was reading on. Perhaps she was doing it as a class assignment as well. It seemed there was even a way to send in the assignment once it was done via word document. Since he seemed to be able to do everything from this wrist-band he would press upon the little word document icon which brought up the word document page as well as a single digital keyboard that he could type upon with a single hand. Immediately he would proceed to work on the assignment.

 6 All choices have consequences

    It didn''t take long, perhaps twenty or so minutes and the male finished a thirty-page essay for the assignment. Once he was done he saved the word document and sent it while a soft breath escaped his lips. His eyes shifting to the door of the bathroom opening, along with steam came the woman in what appeared to be a gothic pajama outfit. Her hair was allowed down compared to before when it was up in a ponytail. A soft moan escaped her lips as she stretched her limbs and moved to sit upon her bed. Pressing her back against the headboard as she pulled up the monitor of her wristband. Her dark brown eyes glanced his way for a moment. "Is there something you need?" Oddly enough she did not seem the least bit nervous about the situation which betrayed how she acted earlier.


    Riyku shook his head, "Nothing." He stated with his eyes returning to his own monitor taking note that the task now said one out of one completed. He would dismiss the screen only to stare at the monitor desktop before him. "You aren''t going to do the assignment?" Kristen questioned him while she watched him. "I already did it." Riyku replied which caused her to do a simple, "Ah, Okay." After a brief moment, she shook her head. "Wait, What!?" Kristen exclaimed as he stared at the male directly. "What the hell do you mean you did it already!?" She practically shouted. "Yes, while you were busy bathing. Why is there something wrong?" Riyku inquired in which the woman moved from her bed; tapping upon the wrist band caused the monitor to close out while she made her way to his bedside and crawled on top of him to stare deeply into his eyes as if seeking truth from his words.


    "Bullshit. The assignment is not meant to be finished in twenty minutes or less. It should take at least two hours, three at most and at best a single hour. You expect me to believe you finished the entire essay in twenty minutes?" She seemed to attempt to interrogate him. Though it wasn''t intimidating to him in the slightest, in fact, this was quite appealing to him. Riyku had not noticed it before, but her buttons were not fully knitted up to the collar. A good amount of cleavage and stomach area were revealed, and the fresh scent of a clean woman emitted from her quite fondly. If this were any normal student or boy; they would''ve probably attempted something by now. Instead, Riyku would just shrug.


    "I can show you if you so desire." He added which caused her to narrow her eyes. "Show me." Kristen practically demanded. Riyku''s lips curled into a smirk as he brought up his ID wristband. "Of course; though, you should get off of me first. If anything, this does seem to be quite a scene." Riyku stated in which Kristen glanced around them, making note of what she had unconsciously done in her sudden urge to find out if he really finished this assignment. She blinked for a moment before exhaling a heavy breath; though her heart beat suddenly hastened thanks to the realization. Moving off of him and standing next to him she would clear her throat. "Ahem, Now show me." She seemed less demanding as if trying to hide her embarrassment from earlier. In truth, Riyku figured she would be more scared of him because of their battle. Alas, it did not seem that way. Pulling up the monitor he would go to the word document from the short-cut page. Upon opening his document, he would show her the screen which she took a quick glance over before seeing the numbers one out of thirty.


    "T-thirty pages?" Kristen stuttered before going through the first page. The wording, the meaning, everything was nicely shown. It wasn''t like some random crap pulled out of nowhere. The statements made were backed up nicely and even sources were sited quite well. She pulled from the screen and looked at Riyku now. Riyku happened to do what Kristen did to close out the window which was tapping upon the wristband to close off the monitor. "All better?" Riyku inquired which caused her nod lightly. "How?" Kristen asked softly. "How what?" Riyku would respond.


    "How can you do the things you do? Where does this talent drive from? Where does your strength come from? Just who are you?" Kristen inquired softly, unlike her usual demeanor, she seemed more so... girlish. Riyku would close his eyes and release a soft sigh. In truth, not even he knew the answer to that. This system came out of nowhere, his rebirth into this unknown world, and everything along with it. Without Coco he may have been lost, so he was thankful for his Operator. "I wonder that myself actually," Riyku stated subconsciously which caused her to perk up. Though when he realized what he did; he inwardly clicked his tongue. "Meaning?" Kristen questioned. "What If I told you I have Amnesia. Only fragments of memories come to me at a time; but strangely enough, I know a great deal. Much of which has nothing to do with me." Riyku stated; attempting to word things without actually giving away too much.


    Kristen glanced over his body, the tone structure with a multitude of scars to tell tales for what could be years. When she saw this; there wasn''t much in convincing her of such a matter. It was quite easy to tell that maybe Riyku did have such. Well in truth, he did. Just not in the normal means. "If so... That would be sad. Not knowing who you in a world filled with those who are willing take to everything from you at a moments notice." Riyku''s eyes looked in her direction when she seemed to speak softly. A lot more open than earlier. As he recalled his battle with her, and how supportive her Subscribers were; he realized that she wasn''t as bad as a person that Racheal made her out to be. Hell, maybe even Jack was a good person... Well, maybe not.


    "I seek strength and power to protect myself." The male stated bluntly, "I seek knowledge and wisdom to defend against those above me." Riyku added, "After all If I don''t then who will?" He finished which caused Kristen''s expression to become a bit sorrowful. "You are all alone?" Kristen asked softly. "I''ve always been alone." Riyku''s mouth moved on its own and vocals came out way before he could even think of how to reply. In fact, those words caused him to inwardly become dumbfounded. Did these words come from his past? Of late, many things said and done seemed to have been intuitive. Though if he had always been alone, what of that dream? What of those four people?


    "I see." Kristen looked as if she wanted to say more to him, but something stopped her. "I should probably go ahead and start the assignment. Since we will be roommates till the end; I Welcome you, Riyku Von Rosario. You are the First, Last and Only person to have become my roommate." Kristen stated, shifting her mood as best to a cheery one as possible. Perhaps it was an attempt since the look of sadness or perhaps pity was still in her eyes. Riyku would nod, "Thank you, Kristen Luvlin. Also..." Riyku stated which caused Kristen to perk up at him when she reached her bed. "You need not worry about anything happening. Regardless of whatever rumors you hear, be it now or in the future." Riyku stated which caused her to nod lightly.


    Riyku would eye the clock; a good amount of time remained before sleep would be truly necessary. "I''ll be taking a shower. Also... Do you know where I can purchase clothing?" Riyku asked in which Kristen blinked as she had stopped herself from working on her word document. "You only have a Uniform?" She asked in which Riyku nodded. A soft sigh escaped her lips before she added, "Then tomorrow we will shop for clothing for you." To which Riyku would reply. "That''s fine and all, but I still have to challenge Barron Von Douche, tomorrow." Kristen would tilt her head to the side as if trying to understand who he was talking about, before returning to her work. "Well, that is in the evening. We can take a trip to the shopping district right after school. Or perhaps you had some other kind of plan?" Kristen questioned in which Riyku shook his head. "Nope." He would step into the bathroom after giving her an answer. "Then, tomorrow after classes." Kristen added a confirmation to such Riyku would call by "Okay."


    Instead of just tossing his clothing onto the tiles of the floor the male was thinking of opening his Inventory to stuff his clothing into it. Interestingly enough with that simple though the Inventory screen appeared before his eyes. Next came text which read ''Would you like to set a voice command?'' A voice command? To bring up his Inventory? Was that what this was referring to? As if to read his thoughts, Coco would explain. "After some digging into the archives of the system. It is basically asking if you want to set a vocal command to bring up your Inventory. I also looked further and found that your system menu which allows you to set vocal commands for your other menus as well. In addition to this, you can choose not to set any command and leave it up to a motion flick of the wrist like you were doing before, or via a mental link like you did just now." Coco explained to him through his mind of course.


    "Do you plan on shutting the door?" Kristen called from the room. "Oh, my bad," Riyku stated before moving towards the door to close it; the cybernetic screen seemed to follow him as well. For now, he shook his head and replied softly, "No." As if telling the system that he would not set a vocal command. "Might I add that you may set command at any time for the menus since it is optional. Of course, I can always bring up your menu, but only on your UI. You can only bring up your menus as it is now." Coco added; from what Riyku got from her. It seemed that she did not create this ''System.'' More so her role was really just a Helper, an Operator. As she first stated she was. If that was the case; then it made complete sense as to why she did not have all the answers. For now, he simply removed his remaining clothing via double tapping on the items in the slots which transferred them into his Inventory. Only to proceed into the shower; but now that he looked at it. The shower room was quite nice. The mirror was wide and clean, the countertop for the sink wasn''t your average size either. It held a lovely design to match the gentle blue coloration of the tilt and even the coloration and design of the walls matched. When his glance met with the shower he noticed it appeared more spacious than he at first realized.


    Stepping into the shower he would slide the door close, and indeed it was quite spacious. He began to turn the dial for the hot water on and proceed with his shower; soon steam filled the shower room, but did not bother him even in the slightest. Instead, his body seemed to relax more so than before. With the Inventory screen still before him, he would tap upon the backward arrow which sent him back into the column section. Thankfully, the steam seemed to have had no effect on the visibility of the screen nor did the moisture affect the touch portion. "Now then." Riyku would tap upon the skills tab. Something he had wanted to do, to finish off checking out the menus. The menu changed; with the title of it as Skills.


    Passive Skills:


    Way of the Fighter Lv Max- Having trained through many lifetimes, experienced many battles and overcame several life or death situations. You have burned into your soul the ability to fight. Your body will instinctively take up arms or shields in whatever situation that comes forth.


    Swordsmanship Lv1- ''Your trust in your blade will run as deep as the experience you gain through such.'' +5 Strength when using swords


    Gunslinger Lv1- ''One of many tools one will use in their lifetime will be a ranged weapon. As you train you will come to realize your hard work will not go unnoticed.'' +3 Agility +2 Strength when using any form of ranged weapon.


    Arcane Seeker Lv1- ''Your thirst for knowledge is boundless. You seek that of which many fail to do. The more you learn of the Arcane Arts; the stronger your bonds with them will become.'' +3 Wisdom +3 Intelligence when using an Arcane Weapon.


    Spearman Lv1- ''Guns and Swords are not the only weapons at one''s disposal. Staves have always been used by both the warriors and the mages. As such, what you put in will be what you get out.'' +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Toughness +1 Intelligence +1 Wisdom when using a Staff of any kind.


    Cultivator Lv3- ''Your rigorous body is the main reason you are able to stand strong.'' Shield Points will recharge over time. Getting at least six hours of sleep will fully recharge your Shield Points. Getting eight hours of sleep will apply a bonus of 100 Shield Points.


    Spiritual Bond Lv2- ''Your profound knowledge of the existing elements around allows you to deepen your pool of mana'' Mana points will recharge over time. Getting six hours of rest will fully recharge your Mana. Getting eight hours of rest will expand your Mana Pool by 200 points for four hours.


    Silver Tongued Lv6- ''You have quite the way with words. You can talk your way out of any mess or into one if you so desire''


    - Intimidation Lv4- You are capable of striking fear into another, be it man or monster. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss mobs!**


    - Persuasion Lv3- You are capable of talking your way into makings things lean in your favor. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss Mobs!**


    - Seduction Lv8- Be it man or woman; you can smooth talk your way into getting whatever you want. Bonus applies to those with little resistance to Charm.


    Charmer Lv8- ''You are quite the Ladies'' Man.'' Women, are naturally easier to attract and reason with. Bonus applies to those around your age group or older.


    Active Skills:


    Blink Lv. 3- Teleport a few meters in any given direction. Consumes 15 Mana.


    Death''s Embrace Lv. Max- Call forth to the elements around you to bring forth a typhoon of destruction. Consumes 400 Mana and 200 Energy.


    Weapon Summon Lv. Max- Bring forth any weapon from your arsenal. Does not consume anything.


    Weapon Return Lv. Max- Calls back any weapon not in your hand; into your hand or inventory. Can always be used to store your weapons that are in hand too. Does not consume anything. **Not capable of summoning locked or restricted items, weapons or armor!**


    It seemed that was it. His Passive skills were quite nice, but his active ones were lacking. Though it seemed he had tried everything except for ''Blink'', on the active side of things. He recalled using Death''s Embrace once before, but did he already have the skill or did he gain it right then and there? Of course, he experienced most of the Passive Skills first hand as well. Such as Cultivator, and the Silver-tongued, as well as Charmer. What became interesting about Silver Tongued was that it had extra skills. Three to be exact, and all three he had made use of. Perhaps it was more like a bundle rather than an extra skill. But it seemed such skills leveled up with usage. It did strike him as odd while the Charmer and Silver-tongued were the two highest out of the bunch of passives. This included the extras of course. His Charisma points weren''t even that high, to begin with. Sure they matched a few other stats; but still. Well, he wasn''t going to complain about it since it had been a huge help thus far. He was also grateful for the little warning messages beside some of the skills. This would save him trouble in figuring it out himself.


    Well, that pretty much summed up his system menus. The added stat bonuses when equipping weapons were going to be nice. Especially later in the future or if things ever started to get rough. Pushing aside the screen would cause it to disappear; his way of dismissing the screen so to speak. Riyku would begin the process of bathing and when all was said and done he would remove himself from the showers. Looking towards one of the towels he used earlier he would dry himself off and wrap the black towel around his waist before opening the door. Steam would surge from the enclosed space outward into the bedroom in which Kristen looked to see the half-naked male only covered by the towel walking in. She could feel her heart beating in her chest rapidly. "Will you put some clothes on." Kristen pretty much demanded. "Also, if you plan on using the showers to... well do whatever it is you guys do. For the love of Verna, do not leave it on the floor." She only stated that last remark since forty minutes had gone by since he was in the shower.


    Riyku had stolen a glance from the clock only to look back at her. "I do not have the urge to do those things. Besides, even if I was in the mood; I would rather indulge myself in a woman. Though, since you seem to care. I was merely in self-thought." He had retorted to which Kristen managed to hide her embarrassment. Though on the inside she was getting ready to burst. "Whatever, just put some clothes on. It''s like you have no decency." Kristen rebutted. Riyku waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." Though what clothing would he wear? Well, the only option was his pants. Stepping back into the bathroom he would call forth to his Inventory; doing so he put his pants into the item slot which seemed to dress him properly in the blink of an eye. Interestingly enough, the pants came with underwear; and if that wasn''t intriguing enough. The underwear wasn''t the same kind as before. Or at least that is what it seemed like anyways. He checked just to make sure, and of course, he wondered what process it went through, but decided against digging into it too much.


    Riyku would step back out of the bathroom after removing the towel from his waist and folding it over the hanging rack. He would make his way towards his bed; of course, having noted Kristen''s glance up at him after he plopped down upon it. "Yes?" Riyku called out. "Well, It is better than nothing. Tomorrow we will get you some clothes. Don''t forget, right after classes." Kristen stated as she went back to her assignment, more so; she seemed to begin to finish it up. Moments later she had released a soft moan "Finally." She stated softly before sending the word document and dismissing the monitor afterward to slip under the blanket. There was a small button beside her bed which was right across from his; in truth, the button was on the wall between both beds above the small coffee table. "I''m getting some shuteye for tomorrow. You should do the same." Kristen stated. Riyku had recalled the bonuses of sleep from earlier. Thinking it to be a good idea; he would nod. Kristen would press the button to turn off the lights in the room before settling deep into the blankets of her bed. Riyku seemed to do the same as the two of them closed their eyes; facing opposite of one another even.


    A still blackness swept through Riyku''s vision. "Again?" He called out, but only his voice echoed throughout the darkness. "Coco!" Riyku called out yet no answer would come to him. It was then a bright white light illuminated the darkness. It was quite blinding, so much so the male had to squint his eyes and move his arm before them as protection. Though once the light died down and everything became clear he happened to have found himself looking up at a gentle smile. The face was surrounded in shade; incapable of being distinguished yet the smile was quite visible. "Good work out there today, Riyku. Even if you aren''t the oldest you are quite reliable." The woman stated before moving to pat his head softly.


    "What is going on?" The male questioned, yet the vocals would not part nor would his mouth move. It seemed to be another memory, yet this one was... Well, different. He judged himself to be in the body of a child, and the cute vocals of the boy backed up his claim. "I''ll always be here to protect and help mama." Wait, Mama!? This woman was his mother? If he could he would''ve looked around, but it seemed he only had the site the boy had. Still, the face of this woman was shroud in shadow. Odd... "My, how reliable. Go get your brothers, tell them dinner is ready. They should be with the mayor." The woman spoke gently in which the child nodded and ran off. Bustling through the door; he got a glimpse of the home which appeared to be like some wooden shack or tavern so to speak. In addition to that; the townsfolk and builds all around looked primitive. "Oh, Young Riyku. Are you looking for the Elder and younger brother?" An elderly voice called out to him in which the child turned to look towards the smiling elder who happened to be tending their garden. "Yes, I am Ma''am. Mama told me to get them for dinner." Riyku replied warmly. The tone and speech were full of warmth and care; it was difficult to even relate his present self and this boy. In fact, one would never be capable of telling the two, the same if not being called by the same name.


    The elderly woman chuckled softly, "Such a good boy. You will grow into a fine man one day. Your bothers and the Elder are with the Magi; speaking of which. Did you finish up your training?" The elderly woman asked softly. "Sure did. I did it early; I''ve been practicing during my free time. Wanna see? I can help you patch up your garden for you in no time." Riyku offered but the elderly woman shook her head. "No thank you, but I appreciate the offer. My Garden is my only past time. Without it; I''d have nothing else to do." The boy seemed to frown lightly before smiling afterward. "Okay, well if you need help moving anything around or help in general just call me. I am going to get my brothers." and with that Riyku seemed to have raced off. The elderly woman waved him off with a smile before returning to her work.


    It wasn''t long before the boy reached the upward sloop were the Magi resided. Although, he seemed to have been stopped in his path by some kind of dagger. The boy blinked before looking at it then picking it up. "Mina, I don''t have time to play with you. I need to get my brothers Jaccs and Jin. Mama said it''s time for dinner." Riyku would state firmly; sternly even, but being a child made it well... cute in a sense. "Awe, come on! You never play with me anymore!" A little girl had dropped down from a nearby tree; wearing that of a kunoichi''s attire. "I don''t have time anymore. I have to help out around the village." Riyku replied. "Why don''t you ask my brothers to play with you?" He tossed the dagger her way while he added. "Your brothers aren''t strong enough yet. While Jaccs has the power he is slow, Jin has speed, but his weak. You are the only one who can keep up and retaliate well. Besides, our match counts are still at evens. seventy to seventy." Mina caught the dagger then would pout afterward.


    "Hey! That''s not nice!" A strong voice came from the peak of the hill. "Well, she''s right." Another more refined voice added. "Jaccs! Jin!" Riyku called out to his two brothers. The one with the strong voice looked older than the both of them while the more refined individual appeared younger than them. "Flirting with Riy again, Mina?" The older one called out. "F-flirting!?" Mina shouted. "Shut up Jaccs!" She added in a flustered fashion. "Well, It''s no surprise that you have a crush on Riyku," Jin added with a shrug which caused the woman''s cheeks to flourish. "He is the only one besides your Master, the Magi who can actually match you in combat. Even the adults are unable to keep up." Jin added in which Mina moved up to them before smacking them both on top of the head then stomping off.


    "You made her mad," Riyku stated while scratching his cheek while his brothers rubbed their heads with pained expressions. The Magi behind them chuckled softly; appearing quite youthful yet wise at the same time. "Did you come to fetch your brothers?" He asked warmly. "Yes, it is time for dinner," Riyku stated with firm respect. "Alright, don''t forget to come by tomorrow for another session. Also, be sure to train when you have free time. It is the only way to develop your Mein." The Magi stated in which the three bowed before heading back down the hill. Darkness began to cloud the male''s vision as someone''s voice came through.


    "Riyku..."


    "Riyku..."


    "Get up already!"


    It was then that the male''s eyes flashed open; his vision shifting from a blur to realize he was back in his room. The woman standing beside him was Kristen in uniform. "Geez, You slept so silently and soundly that I forgot you were here. You are going to be late if you don''t get ready. Also, don''t forget about our shopping spree after classes." Kristen stated before leaving the room to head to the University. Riyku would sit up and eyeball the time; it was six forty-five. A soft yawn and stretch would come of him before he read the text.


    ''Your body fills fully refreshed. You have gained 100 shield points.''


    ''The elements have graced you during your sleep. Your Mana Pool is increased by 200 for four hours.''


    "Ah." Riyku had almost forgotten about that thanks to the dream as well as Kristen waking him from it. "Good morning, User Riyku. It seems you were going through another fragment of your memory." Coco stated within his mind. "Yeah, this time around I was a child. Apparently, I have two brothers and a mother." Riyku stated almost sorrowful as if his soul was crying. "Are you going to be okay?" Coco inquired in which Riyku nodded before flicking his wrist and bringing up his inventory. He would double tap upon the uniform blazer as well as his socks which seemed to cause them to appear on his person in a blink of an eye through dim particles of light. Moving from his bed he would make the thing before proceeding to the bathroom to partake of many rinses of mouthwash since he did not have a toothbrush just yet. Afterward, he would move to the door and put his shoes on before heading out to the University.


    Entering the classroom; happened to draw the attention of those who were already there. One of them being Barron. "You! You better not be mistaken that you can take down the Legends so easily just because you got lucky with Kristen." The male stated firmly in which Riyku blinked before shaking his head. "Any who stand in my way will perish," Riyku replied as he pushed past the male and ventured towards his seat. The murmurs and chattering of his classmates began to beckon on about who he was and where he came from. "You''ve drawn much attention to yourself." One of his classmates stated, which so happened to be a female whose seat was beside him. "It was inevitable." Riyku retorted.


    "Was it? You could have remained on the down low if you wanted, yet here you are. Flaunting your power aimlessly." The woman would reply. Clicking his tongue, Riyku whose gaze was fixated out the window would look towards the woman. Long silverish hair and a lean yet not dainty figure of a female had graced his sight. Pushing up her glasses up she would flip the page of her book. "I am merely stating my standing among the populace," Riyku remarked in which the woman mused lightly. "So you are gunning for first place?" The woman inquired while flipping another page. "If I was?" Riyku inquired in which the woman fell silent before closing her book and setting it down upon the table. Her silver eyes glancing in his direction. "I wouldn''t. The one who sits at the top is not someone to trifle with." The woman replied, a serious look in her eyes though before Riyku could get a word in the Teacher would enter the classroom and begin class.


    Classes did not take long and before anyone knew it, Lunchtime had arisen. Unlike the high school, Riyku did not know much of the University. He had relied on his mini-map to get him to the cafeteria yesterday. Thankfully, he knew the way, in which he pushed from his desk and headed out of the room. Be it scorn or fear, he wasn''t surrounded by anyone today. A pleasant feeling to be honest. Though the note from yesterday was still in his memory. "Meet me on the rooftop tomorrow during Lunch." A heavy sigh escaped the male''s whispered words. It was more so annoying since the letter was pretty much blackmail. Of course, that reminded him that he needed to meet Skylar''s sister too. Well, whenever that would be since his schedule for the afternoon and evening were booked. He wasn''t feeling that hungry; so instead of going to the cafeteria first, he headed to the rooftop. Using the mini-map to do so.


    Pushing open the door he would take note of the spacious environment; a few people were already up here. Most of which appeared to be coupled... actually of all them were. Expect a single woman staring off into the distance. Her long crimson hair reaching to her backside; a beauty from behind she seemed. Riyku made his way towards her before stopping beside her. "You are the one who called me out here, are you not? What do you need?" He was rather cold towards her; the letter was mainly the reason why. Stating that she would expose him to the entirety of the Overhaul, of who he truly was. "Riyku Von Rosario..." The female stated; her voice holding an elegance to it. "No need to be so cold towards me." She added in which the male growled lightly. "Rich, coming from the one blackmailing me." He retorted while shifting his eyes towards her, but not his head. She appeared just as beautiful from up front as was from behind. Her auburn eyes dancing along with the scenery before them.


    A soft chuckle escaped her lips, "You beat my younger brother, Skylar did you not. I had to meet with you at least once. Fret not, I won''t expose you. If anyone knew you were from that country, then things could become even more hellish for you. People who come from there are generally not welcomed here after all. Though, you do not have an aura of someone who hails from a lustful country." The woman explained; the male''s mood seemed to adjust to a lighter side, though ever cautious he remained. "Just to meet me?" Riyku inquired in which the woman nodded lightly.


    "While hacking into your files, I came across your status. You are around the same levels as those who hunt demons and protect our kingdom. I wanted to see for myself who you really are. Just as I had thought, you don''t appear to be anything like your background states. So tell me, where did you really come from?" The woman asked before shifting her eyes to him. Riyku''s eyes narrowed lightly before he closed them wholeheartedly. "What does it matter to you?" Riyku questioned in which the woman chuckled lightly. "I know everything about everyone here. From the headmistress of the Overhaul, to who has enslaved who. It just so happens that a random person magically shows up without any indication of notice. Then said a person takes four wins within two days time of appearing; of which two being from pros and one being from a Legend. In addition to that, you''ve won your rights to keep your dorm with Kristen. The Light of Women, one who never shares her room with anyone be it, man or woman." The woman stated. "Light of Women?" Riyku inquired before recalling that all of those who spurred on Kristen yesterday were women. The woman nodded lightly, "Yup. She is friendly and kind, caring even; but when it comes to men trying to get in her pants. She is as cold as ice; she even defends those who are being sexually harassed by men. She has never had a boyfriend on record either and appears to be single." The woman stated in which Riyku shook his head.


    "I''m not interested in claiming her if that is what you are trying to get at." Riyku would reply in which the woman would giggle. "So, you are single?" She added in which Riyku nodded. "I am." He replied to her. "Hmm, I might just take you myself then." The woman added with a teasing glance before giggling out, "I''m joking." She added. "No need for the sour face." Indeed Riyku wasn''t too pleased it seemed with such. "Rumors are spreading already, that you are a ruthless bully who would kill anyone if need be." She seemed quite sadden when she spoke these words. "Rumors are rumors," Riyku stated in which the woman shook her head. "Even so, they can damage your reputation if left unchecked. Skylar was quite worried about it. You see, Skylar has always just wanted to make friends. Although his shy personality can be one of the reasons he is unable to. Having his older sister attempt to get others to be his friend can cause a backlash, but you seemed to be the only one who treated him as if he were your friend." The woman stated as she moved her arms behind her back and clasped her hands together.


    "He has the wrong idea," Riyku stated in which the woman mused lightly. "I wonder." She whispered faintly before turning towards him. "My name is Mina Novaa. Do take good care of my younger brother if you will." She stated with a soft smile. The male''s eyes widen not because of her beauty, but because of the name, she gave him. For a moment a flash of the little girl from his dream appeared in place of the woman before reverting back to her. "Riyku?" The woman tilted her head to the side as she witnessed a single tear running down the male''s cheek. "Did... I say something weird?" She inquired in which the male who woke up from his daydream shook his head and wiped the wetness from his cheek. "Huh, no. I was just... recalling something." Riyku would reply.


    "I see... Well, take care then." Mina stated as she waved him goodbye before skipping towards the door. Riyku would turn back towards the beautiful scenery before him. "User Riyku, I detected an uneasy feeling in your chest and abnormal brain waves to boot. Did it have to do with that girl and the dream?" Coco inquired in which Riyku closed his eyes for a moment. "Not sure... Maybe I should start to investigate these memory fragments." Riyku whispered softly to himself. "Well, in any case, I should get something to eat before Lunch ends," Riyku stated before turning away from the scenery and began to make way towards the cafeteria.

 7 The Consequence of a Choice

    "Alright, class!" The teacher shouted as she slammed some papers on her desk to get everyone''s attention. Riyku had shifted his glance from out the window to her. "I have only got assignments from a few of you. Two of which came from those outside our class, Kristen and Lira. Kristen was in this class? Well, it did seem weird that they had the same assignment, but still... Did she have some kind of special privilege? Then there was this Lira person, the seats were filled so maybe she took classes outside of school? Well, Riyku wouldn''t think too much on it. "Barron, of course, is one of the few who turned his in. While the rest of you are slacking; even the new transfer student turned in his ON TIME." The teacher seemed rather pissed at her class; gossip began to erupt from the class before she silenced everyone. "Points will be deducted for tardiness. Furthermore, anyone who turns their assignment in tomorrow will be given half of their final verdict. I want all the assignments in by the end of the day. Do I make myself clear?" She affirmed her class which called back to her, "Yes Ma''am!"


    Riyku would turn his glance back outside the window. The thought of those memory fragments and dreams coming to mind. What were they? Clearly, they were past representations of his former lives; he understood that much. But, why were they there? Why did the system bring them over? What purpose did they serve? While in thought about everything his name was called out. "Riyku Von Rosario!" The teacher called out yet again for who many times it had been. His attention shifted towards her. "Your assignment, If I am not mistaken you wrote a thirty-page essay when it only called for ten pages. As such, I would like to hear your standing on the Seven Cardinal Sins and the Seven Virtues." Once more the glass began to chatter about him, as the teacher mentioned of his work. Standing up the male would exhale a breath. "If I must." It seemed to be that he would rather not, but he had no choice.


    "The Seven Deadly Sins or Seven Cardinal Sins; are the Sins that were deemed to be a humans downfall by Christianity. Those Seven were known as, Pride, Wrath, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed. These were the seven known to be excessive or abusive of human nature. Those who indulged in their sins were treated as an outcast; or executed for their crimes. Of course, the Seven Heavenly Virtues were instated at the same time; as something humanity should strive for. That being, Humility, Patience, Chastity, Kindness, Temperance, Diligence, Charity. Of course, it is said that Pandora is the reason that these Seven were released as if to test Humanity. Although, I believe that humanity brought both Sin and Virtue themselves." Riyku stated in which the teacher nodded before folding her arms under her chest. "Why, do you have such a strong belief?" She inquired, in which Riyku would reply, "Pandora had unleashed and Eighth Sin, one of which was supposed to bring back the Original Seven. Though doing so would leave the world in a utopia; a world full of light. As we all know, Light can not exist without Darkness. The Heavenly Virtues are to be considered light while the Cardinal Sins are said to be darkness. If one is lost; then so shall be the other." Riyku replied to her.


    The Teacher seemed somewhat astonished; in which she clapped her hands lightly. "Well done, I''ll have to go over more in-depth on your paper on my own." She was about to continue her lecture before the bell went off for Classes to end for the day. "It''s that time already eh? Well, don''t forget to do the assignments and be on time to Classes tomorrow." She added before dismissing the class. Riyku would take off. He had not forgotten about his plans this afternoon, so he made his way towards the gate of the University. In doing so, he would begin to wait for Kristen to show up. His hands tucked into the pockets of his pants for the time being. Many people were taking glances at him; though with his eyes closed, it seemed he had not noticed. His eyes only opened when he felt someone was in front of him. Though it wasn''t Kristen, no it was the violet-haired woman from yesterday. "What are you doing out here?" She perked up at him as he glanced down at her. "Waiting for someone." Riyku would reply. "Oh? Me to. Is this person a friend?" She asked him in which Riyku would shift his glance skyward in thought before returning his glance to her. "More like an acquaintance." He replied to her. "Ah, I am waiting for my friend. She said she wanted to do some shopping today. So, we are going together." The woman replied in which Riyku''s brow rose. "Shopping?" He inquired, it wasn''t odd for people to meet up in front of commonplaces, but it couldn''t be a coincidence, right?


    And just as a confirmation to his thought, Kristen''s voice shouted towards the woman. "Lira!" A soft breath escaped his lips. "Kristen!" The violet-haired woman who was apparently named Lira would wave her over. So, she was the other student who did not attend the classroom. Well, she seemed like a studious type in the end. "Oh, I see you''ve met Riyku already," Kristen stated as she saw Riyku standing against the brick wall. "Riyku?" Lira looked at the male who glanced over him. "Then, your acquaintance is?" She shifted her glance to Kristen. "Acquaintance?" Kristen inquired in which Lira nodded. "He said he was waiting on an Acquaintance." Kristen had recalled him talking about being all alone yesterday in which she nudged the male in the rib-cage. "Come on, no need to be so cold. We are friends after all." Riyku would huff lightly. "Knock it off already, you said we were going shopping for clothes today. Besides we are nothing more than roommates." Riyku stated; having adjusted the word from acquaintance to roommate. Kristen didn''t let that slide though, "I see, you are just too shy to admit we are friends." She added with more nudging. Lira who had been watching the transaction began to giggle lightly. This caught their attention which stopped their bickering.


    "Oh sorry, It''s just. Rumor has it that he is supposed to be some kind of murderous killer. Yet he does not give off that kind of vibe at all." Lira stated in which Kristen''s eyes seemed to hold sorrow before they changed to a happier glance when they shifted to Riyku. "Yup. Rumors are nothing but rumors after all. Come on, let''s get this shopping done. We need to pick out some stylish clothing for him. Apparently, all he has is his uniform. Don''t know why though." Kristen stated in which Lira would comment, "Oh my, that''s no good. Now I see why I was invited along." She added before taking them both by the wrist and attempting to lead them. "Hey, Hey!" Kristen exclaimed though Riyku seemed rather awestruck with the current moment. It wasn''t long before Lira released them so they could keep up easily.


    It didn''t take long for them to reach the shopping district; stores lined up along the straight path with food stalls every so often. It was quite busy too; the smell of delicious foods coming from the stalls along with the hustle and bustle made this place seem pretty popular. "Come on," Kristen stated as the three of them moved through the crowd and entered a shop. "Welcome!" A strong voice greeted them. "Oh, Students of the Gambit University. What brings you three here today?" A proud shopkeep came up to them with a warm smile. The eyes of the shopkeeper glanced over them before looking at the male. "My, whose boyfriend is he?" The question caused Kristen to shake her head and wave her hand while Lira seemed to blush lightly. "No ones." They both said in sync. "Pity. He is quite a catch; beneath that Blazer, you can tell his body is well built. Under those pants, he has some fine calves. His shoulders and gluts are so scrumptious looking too. If you ladies don''t want him I''ll take him." The male stated happily. Riyku''s brow rose, "As flattering as you make that seem. I am not interested in men. Though, I can ask for your opinion on clothing, yes?" Riyku inquired in which the male cooed lightly. "Shame, but since it is clothing you are looking for. I can be of service." The male stated happily as he clasped his hands.


    "Yumo!" Kirsten shouted in which the male looked towards him, "My darling, why are you upset? He isn''t into men. So don''t worry about me stealing him from you." The keep stated with a teasing smile. "Or you." He glanced to Lira with a chuckle which caused her to blush even more. Kristen sighed softly, "Can you just fetch my order please, and Lira''s as well." Kristen would remark. "Of course, Hunny. No need to give me a hard time. I am grateful for your faithful service, ladies." The Keep ventured off in which Riyku looked at both of them. "Order?" Riyku asked softly, So she had already planned on coming here in the first place. Well, the place did have quite the style of clothing the more he looked around. It was almost like a fashion show in here. "Yup. I and Lira are partaking of the Death Games that are coming up soon." Kristen replied. There it was, the term Death Games.


    "Since you seem so confused, Lira can explain it better than I can." Kristen had seen the expression of wonder on his face. Lira would step up to look up at Riyku, her flushed face lightly dying down now. "The Death Games are a nationwide tournament between the schools of each Overhaul. There are four Overhauls in total. Ours is known as Strife, then there is Contagion, Oblivion, and Paucity. Of course, each school is known as Gambit''s School, but most call them by their Overhaul names. Our school is the School of Strife." Lira would halt her explanation to see if Riyku was following in which he was. She continued, "Every year, Death Games is held to determine which Overhaul will be crowned for the following year. Crowned Overhauls are given special privileges as in, discounted prices; lower tax rates and most cases an abundance of funds. Those who can compete in the Death Games are only students of either Highschool status and higher." Once more it seemed she to took a moment to see if Riyku was keeping up.


    Indeed he was; so she continued, "The Death Games are mostly combatant games consisting of capture the flag to straight up combat. Though while these games may be easy; the reason they are called Death Games is that Death is permitted. As long as the Game is in sessions, Death is allowed. Which is the reason why only those of Highschool grade and up are only allowed." Well, Riyku figured out that much from the simple term Death Games, but now he wondered... Why did they want to enter?


    "Why enter if you can die?" Riyku questioned. "Well, the rewards for winning equal to that of death. While there is the prestige of your Overhaul; there are also rewards for those who perform the best out of everyone in the Games. Not everyone will die Riyku." Kristen answered for Lira. "What kind of reward?" Riyku asked in which Lira would speak up, "Points, rising in the ranking, weapons, and armor, as well as VIP status for medical facilities. In addition to that, you may be immune to being deranked or even enslaved for the entirety of that year no matter how many games or points you lose." Riyku''s brow rose slightly at what was offered. That indeed was quite a bit; It was pretty much a free pass to a wonderful life as long as one did not lose. "When are these games?" Riyku questioned.


    "Are you thinking of entering?" Kristen questioned. "Maybe," Riyku added in which Lira shook her head. "I wouldn''t. The games are tough on individuals. Besides, many who enter, enter as a team. Teams can only consist of up to three people. I, Kristen and Vex are all part of a team. So if you thought of joining up with us that would be impossible." Lira explained in which Riyku nodded lightly. "I see." The male was alone, and generally worked solo it seemed. So he would have a problem with trying to make a team or become part of one. "Do people enter solo?" Riyku asked in which Kristen''s brow rose. Lira seemed to become flustered suddenly. "Yes, but those who do end up dead. Do not do it." Lira was quite firm with her statement. Kristen placed her hand upon her friend''s shoulder and smiled softly.


    "His mind is made up. He isn''t any pushover either. He beat me in combat, so I am sure he will be fine." Kristen remembered that Riyku said he was normally all alone. She had put two and two together; figuring that maybe he did things solo all the time. If his entire life was solo work... he should be fine. Though the linger of sadness dwelled deep within her hues. Lira wanted to speak against this, but she refrained from such when she noticed Kristen''s glance. To Lira, it seemed that Kristen and Riyku had quite a bond for her to give such a look especially right after their bout. So she remained quiet for now. The Keep would come forth with three briefcases in which he handed a single black and single white one to Kristen while a Violet one was handed to Lira. "There ya go Hunny. Just be sure to come back alive." He stated after they took the briefcases then would glance to Riyku. "Are you ready?" He asked in which Riyku would reply, "Do you think you can make me an outfit for the games as well?" The male''s brow rose while the two girls seemed to shy away. "I can put the rush order in. It won''t be done until the day before the Games at the earliest. Are you entering?" Yumo questioned with a serious expression. "I am," Riyku replied with a firm resolve in which the keep studied upon before nodding. "Very well. What kind of enchantment do you want on it? We can only do up to three for free; the max is six but the rest will cost you." Yumo stated. "Enchantment?" Riyku inquired. "Oh, you don''t know? Girls, what are you teaching this man?" Yumo teased before beginning to explain what Enchantment was.


    "Enchantments are properties of the armor. There are three types, Offensive, Defensive and Supportive. Offensive properties contain an increase in attack power and speed. Defensive will be durability as well as armor enhancement and Supportive can be things like auto-regeneration of the armor or even auto-healing. Supportive properties are bizarre and unique; unlike Offensive and Defensive, you can not pick which kind of Support Property you get. Of course, you can redo all properties but at a cost." Yumo''s explanation was quite easy to understand. Since Riyku was already firm on Offensive and Defensive, you left the choices up to Supportive. "Support enchantments then." Of course, his answer caused the three to go eyes wide. "Are you sure? As I said, it is random." Yumo would confirm. "Yes." Riyku nodded in which Yumo would take that order down on his wristband. "Alright, well with that out of the way. Let us do some shopping. I went ahead and found several outfits for you to try out. Ladies if you will show him to the dressing room five. I have prepared the outfits there." Yumo stated in which the girls who were still bewildered by the fast pace of everything took a moment. "Ladies," Yumo called to them several times before getting their attention. "Sorry, Sorry. Room five got it. Thanks, Yumo!" Kristen stated as she took hold of Lira''s wrist to drag her along. "Let''s go. Come on Riyku." Following them to the specificated room, Riyku would walk into space before shutting the curtain. There were several hangers with several styles of clothing; though most of the styles held a ''dark'' aspect to it.


    Since Riyku could store his Uniform in his Inventory it would make getting undressed easily of which afterward he would proceed to get changed. Stepping out afterward in dark blue jeans with a dark navy blue shirt to match. His hands stuffed into his pocket as he looked at the two. "Well?" Riyku inquired as to which both of them nodded. "It looks casual. It''s nice." Both of them stated before Riyku ventured back behind the curtain only to come out a moment later in black jeans and a black button-up shirt, of course, the buttons were not fully knitted leaving the collar open. Kristen smiled softly, while Lira seemed to tilt her head lightly. "It''s lovely." Kristen stated, "It''s okay." Lira stated in which the two looked at each other before giggling. Riyku would shake his head and venture back before coming out again. This time the outfit was more light; the pants were a nice light blue color; the shirt seeing to be plain white with a jean jacket over the shirt. "How tame," Lira stated happily while Kristen was in disagree. "How Plain." Clearly the two had different fashion choices; of course, Lira seemed to lean more towards casual and light-hearted wear while Kristen was more towards darker and playful. This venture of rinse and repeat went on for quite a while.


    Finally, shopping for clothing was done. Normally, all of the clothes would be in bags; but since they were students it seemed the clothing would be shipped to their dorm rooms. Looking at a nearby clock on the wall, Riyku judged it to be half-past six. "It''s almost time," Riyku stated in which Kristen looked to the clock as well. "Oh yeah! That''s right!" She exclaimed as the three left the building. "What?" Lira questioned in which Kristen would explain, "Well, Riyku has a promised challenge with Barron from our class today around Seven." "Oh..." Lira would state softly before following up with a shout, "WHAT!?" This drew the attention of the crowd for a split moment in which Kristen would quiet her down. "Yeah. I didn''t get the details, but I heard it was over something about Riyku Challenging the HeadMistress." Of course, the two seemed to go on about it before Lira confirmed with Riyku. "Why are you challenging the HeadMistress?" Lira questioned in which Riyku would shrug. "In the heat of the moment, I guess." Riyku''s answer was rather lackluster in which the girls were even more confused. Of course, Riyku did it for a certain reason, yet he had zero obligation to tell anymore.


    While the two girls chattered the three of them seemed to have made their way back, and arrived with some time to spare it or so it seemed at first. Barron was waiting in the courtyard by the fountain as he had stated. Riyku would proceed onward from the two who would follow to see what was going to happen. "Wow, you actually showed up, though... You brought some baggage. The pitiful excuse for a Legend and her dog of a friend." Barron had made note of the two who glared at him. Riyku sighed heavily, "At least these two are more pleasant to listen to than your insufferable voice." Riyku retorted; if he had looked back at the girls he could see their expression change from sour to sweet with slight shock since they did not believe Riyku would stand up for them. "Ah, whatever. Let''s get this started. Riyku Von Rosario, I challenge you!" Barron stated in which Riyku nodded. "Go on then." He forked over the terms of the challenge so easily; which caught the two girls by surprise. "The game will be quiet simple. Since Exams are coming up, the winner is the one who scores the highest. As our terms stated previously; you will forget about this deal you made with the HeadMistress." Barron stated. "And if I win, as stated you will provide me with points equal to that of which I would have lost." The two seemed to be in agreement; however, unlike before how two beams would shoot up the two beam instead clashed together once before disappearing. "Since this challenge won''t be fruitful till then, the game is on hold until the day our scores are revealed," Barron stated before turning from the male. "Therefore, you can be challenged again; however, not forty-eight hours prior to the release of our exam scores," Barron added as he walked off in which Riyku shook his head before turning towards the girls. "Well that was anti-climatic; although, giving the terms away to Barron may be your downfall," Lira stated. "Why?" Riyku inquired. "Barron has always held the number one spot for scores. Not just the University; but the entire Overhaul. He has never once been anywhere below first when it comes to testing scores." Kristen explained in which Riyku shrugged. "There is a first for everything. No one is ever the strongest, there is always someone stronger than you." Riyku added as he began walking towards the dorms.


    "Does that apply to you?" Lira asked as the two followed him. "Of course," Riyku stated firmly. "he''s plenty strong as is..." Kristen muttered with a heavy huff. "Alright, I''m going to hang out with Lira for a bit. My men should''ve already put your stuff away Riyku. If you are truly thinking about registering for the Death Games, you only have until the end of tomorrow. After which the registration closes. You can register via ID wristband or at the front office." Kristen stated in which he nodded the three went their ways. Kristen and Lira went off somewhere together while Riyku would head up to his room. Entering into the room, taking off his shoes and closing the door before flicking the lights on the male would head towards his bed. Laying down on his back he would stare at the ceiling in thought, "Death Games... They''ll help me get stronger. But, Why am I here?" Riyku whispered to himself.


    "Coco, you wouldn''t happen to know would you?" Riyku questioned in which Coco would reply, "No. That form of knowledge goes beyond me. The system only gives me so much information. " Riyku sighed heavily, "System eh?" What was this System thing anyways? Why did he have one? The more he thought about it, the more it dawned on him that the only way to gain answers was to search through the memory fragments. Though, he had no means to go through them. The only way was through dreams and from what it seemed like; it was purely random. All he knew was he needed to become stronger, strong enough to never lose again. It was then he heard a knock at the door. Getting up he would venture towards the door and open it only to see Mina. Her breathing was rather hastened and she seemed exhausted. "P-please, you need to come quick." She held a worried voice as well. "Why? What''s wrong?" Riyku''s voice and mouth moved before he had time to even think. "It''s my brother. He''s in deep trouble, please!" Mina exclaimed to which Riyku would nod. "Alright lead the way." Quickly the male would put his shoes on before following after Mina. The two seemed to race down the stairs in a flash. Though, it seemed that Mina was lagging behind due to her exhaustion. If Skylar was truly in trouble they didn''t have time to waste; scooping her into his arms, "Hang on." He stated which caused her to suddenly wrap her arms around his neck just before the male leaped past the next fleet of stairs down to the base floor. "Alright, where to now?" Riyku asked in which a second later Mina brought back from her bewildering expression. "The Gym." This place Riyku hadn''t gone to yet. So he had to bring it up on the mini-map. Thankfully, Coco had been listening in and brought it for him. Every so often Riyku would eye the map on his UI as he raced towards the Gym.


    It didn''t take long before they arrived, to which Riyku would release Mina gentle as he eyed several people ganging up on Skylar. "Fucking Loser! We won''t acknowledge you as our Captain!" "Stop it!" Mina shouted to them which drew their attention towards her as well as Riyku. "What''s this? You brought this punk in because you couldn''t stop us yourself? The deal doesn''t change remember. Since you lost; you were to either become our pleasure toy or let us pummel your little brother to death." They truly seemed like the scum of the world at this moment. The track team that was, "Is that so?" Riyku would move an arm past her; glaring at the track team before him. "Rules are rules, you can''t intervene." One of the guys stated. "True... Although, how about a game." The male muttered as he glared at the men before him. A plan seemed to have formed quite quickly inside of his mind. "Why would we accept any challenge from you?" "Yeah! We already know what you are capable of! We aren''t that stupid." They exclaimed to which Riyku snickered. "Challenge me, Mina," Riyku stated in which the guys all seemed dumbfounded. "What the fuck?" "What are you going to have your way with her first?" They were rather confused, but not as confused as Mina. "Do it now!" Riyku shouted which seemed to cause her body to jolt. Though she quickly fell prey to his silver-tongue. "I Challenge you, Riyku!" Mina shouted in which Riyku''s snicker turned to a devilish smirk.


    "The game is simple, Mina. A simple coin flip. You pick first and I get the other choice. If I win, you are bound to me, not by enslavement. But by a bond that far exceeds that of any form of friendship." Riyku stated which caused Mina''s eyes to go wide which caused her to halt when it came to stating her terms. "What is it you want right now? What is it you desire of me at this very moment?" Riyku asked as the guys stared at them. It was then Mina understood what he was trying to do. "Save me..." Mina mumbled behind soft tears. "I can''t hear you, shout it! From your heart and soul for all to hear!" Riyku exclaimed. "Save me and my brother; Riyku, Protect us with all your might no matter what!"Mina shouted with heavy sobs; in which the deal was sealed, the two beams shot skyward giving off their portraits. It was then a coin appeared from the sky and began to fall down. "Very well..." Riyku would crack his knuckles; of course, his bones were indestructible. "W-wait? That doesn''t void our deal, right!?" The guys began to mutter and chatter over what was going on. "There''s no way that voids our deal..." They began to shudder in fear.


    "You guys..." Riyku would glance back at them, his stare striking fear into their hearts thanks to his intimidation skill. "You better hope, I win." He finished with a smirk. "Because, If I lose... I''m going to send you all straight to hell." A wicked grin curled across his face. For whatever reason, it seemed that Riyku was furious. Though why should he be? He had just met Mina today and Skylar yesterday. They were less than friends, but for some reason... something beckoned him to protect them. As the guys stared at the coin which bounced off the ground several times. "Heads!" Mina shouted. "The coin steadily began to stop once it bounced to where it was now spinning on the edge." "That''s bullshit! That doesn''t void our contract!" All the members shouted; which eventually awoke Skylar whose blurry vision rested upon Riyku and his Sister. "I knew... You... Were a good person..." Skylar muttered before passing out cold.


    "Land on Tails dammit!" The guys shouted as Mina clasped her hands together as if to pray. Riyku''s eyes seemed more so hate-filled than cold. "User Riyku, your heart rate has exceeded past normal means. Is it because of what happened?" Coco inquired throughout their mental link. "I don''t know... Something inside me is yelling. Screaming... trashing about to be unleashed." He growled as he glanced at the status on his UI. His bonus for Mana was gone, but the bonus for his Shield Points remained. "Protect them... no matter the cost." Riyku muttered as he balled his fist. "User Riyku?" Coco inquired before a text box appeared before Riyku.


    ''Passive Skill acquired. Guardian Angel Lv.1''


    Riyku''s eyes widened for a moment. "What is this?" He inquired. He wanted to find out; but before he could accomplish anything the alarm of a winner went off. Looking up, Riyku noticed it was Mina''s portrait that was lite up while his portrait was crossed out would signal the beginning of everything. Kicking off his heel he easily reached one of the members of the track team. Catching them by the face he slammed them into the ground. It was as if the alarm of the winner was what the trigger for him to start. Quick to lean back from a fist that came his way out of fear; he would grasp the arm and twist it while yanking the guy around before slamming his elbow upon the joint of the attacker breaking their arm which caused them to scream in pain. He would then pick the guy up by the throat and slam him into the ground as well. The floorboard breaking from the force unlike the first one. Though it didn''t end there, something inside of Riyku caused him to rush around within the shadows.


    ''Active Skill acquired. Shadow Step. Lv.5''


    It was as if the male had appeared from one of the member''s shadows. To which he caught said member by the hair and ripped them back slamming the back of their skull into the ground before stomping upon their stomach several times to put them firmly in the floorboard. Three were taken out; while four remained. These four were now running to get out of the Gym as fast as possible.


    However, It seemed Riyku was not going to have it. His speed seemed to have increased; along with his strength as well. Kicking one of the members straight into the wall from his spinal cord before dashing towards another one using the shadows yet again. This one he would grasp their track shirt; yank them back to trip them over his leg before stomping upon their ankle and kneecap several times before looking up from the screaming track member to the others. Now there were only two left; both of which were running in opposite directions of each other. A wick snicker left the male''s lips as he dashed towards one of them, dropping low into a slide only to grasp that members ankle. ''Blink.'' The male commanded as he teleported himself as well as the track member in hand, in front of the other track member. Thankfully, they hadn''t gotten too far apart. Since he was standing up straight now he was able to easily bring the track member in hand to smack straight into the running track member as if hitting a baseball with a bat, but it was more like slamming a person into another person. One could hear the cracking of several bones from the sheer force as he released the member which sent the two flying across the Gym, and when Riyku was done; all that was left was several unconscious and critically wounded track members along with a serious injured Skylar and an awestruck Mina.


    Exhaling a deep breath the male seemed to have looked over to Skylar who was still unconscious. "Mina, call a medic right away." He told her as he raced to Skylar. His voice returned to its natural state now. "Umm... Yes of course." Mina who didn''t have time to process everything began phoning a medic to their location. Riyku kissed his teeth as he looked over Skylar''s body. Many bones were broken, and it appeared as if he lost a lot of blood. "I''ll kill them..." Riyku growled under his breath. Just the state of which Skylar was in, angered him. "By the looks of it, you did," Coco stated internally, though Riyku didn''t reply. Mina raced beside them after she finished calling a medic through the wristband. "They are on their way. How is my brother?" Mina''s worried expression deepened seeing the state he was in. "He will most likely be in the ER for a while," Riyku stated grimly. "R-Riyku..." Mina shuddered partly in fear. "I''ll protect you. I''ll protect Skylar. No matter what..." Riyku stated firmly, which seemed to calm her fear. Though... when she glanced at the bodies. She couldn''t help but retain some of it.


    The doors of the Gym would burst open, but it wasn''t the Medical team. It was Kristen and Lira; along with Amorira and Barron. "What the hell happened here?" Kristen questioned. "Riyku!?" Lira called out. "The track team...?" Amorira inquired. "Explain now!" Kristen demanded as the four approached Mina and Riyku. Riyku stood up taking note of them heading this way, but before anyone could say anything. "Blink," Riyku muttered as his body teleported in front of Amorira in which he picked the guy up by the throat and began to strangle him. Eyes filled with hatred glaring firmly at the male. "You... You bastard... You knew about this didn''t you!?" Riyku shouted as Amorira clawed at Riyku''s arm to release him. Kristen, Lira, and Barron were awestruck by the fact that Riyku went from one place to another in a blink of an eye. It was then that they truly noticed that Riyku was seriously about to kill Amorira. "Riyku, let go of him!" Kristen shouted. "Riyku!" Lira shouted. "Answer me!" Riyku shouted to Amorira who eventually choked out. "No." It was then Riyku released him. His body dropped to the floor as he stared down at the male. "You are telling me that you didn''t know your guys were going to **** Mina and kill Skylar?" Riyku glared at Amorira who seemed quite afraid of him. Be it the fact of the intimidation skill or that his life had flashed before his eyes just now. The others were once more dumbfounded by what Riyku just said. It took everyone a moment to process this before Kristen and Lira raced towards Mina while Barron looked at Amorira. "Did you truly not know?" Barron questioned. Sure he had not known Riyku for even day, but he could tell from the scene around and how beat up Skylar was that Riyku was not lying.


    "Fine! I did! But I told them to drop it! The terms of a challenge are absolute! They decided to get hung up on getting revenge for me, but I told them it was a waste of time. They should apply themselves to bringing the track team up! I didn''t know anything about **** and murder, I only knew they wanted to do something about Skylar!" Amorira confessed. Riyku who was about to sock him was stopped by Barron who shook his head while placing a hand upon his shoulder. "I don''t know what truly happened here, but everything will need to be explained to the HeadMistress. The rules of a challenge are absolute as stated. So if those guys did challenge her and she lost. She must abide by the conditions." Barron stated in which Riyku''s glare shifted from Amorira to Barron.


    "You lost earlier. It was why everyone came here. To see what happened... Though, I can put it together easily. You had Mina challenge you to a game, of which the conditions would be you protecting her if she won correct? You are quite clever... however, only the HeadMistress can decide what will become of this. Those who own the power of the Overhaul are the only ones who can cancel out the terms of a challenge." Barron stated. "Go back to her side. I''ll take care of Amorira." Barron who appeared to be some kind of asshole earlier today was rather sympathetic with everything. I mean who wouldn''t be? No one of truly wicked intention wants to see their fellow student raped or murdered, right?


    Riyku nodded before returning to Mina and Skylar. "Mina told us everything," Lira stated softly. "What you did... It''s not something anyone has ever done. Games are supposed to be in the favor of one or the other, not both. Not to mention, you assaulted seven track members. The jurisdiction lies with the HeadMistress on if you end up severally punished or not." Kristen stated lightly. Though, Riyku wasn''t thinking about any of that. "It doesn''t matter. I''ll do what needs to be done." Riyku stated in which Kristen inquired, "Even if it means murder?" Riyku would nod, but Lira would shake her head. "You are not a killer, Riyku. I will protest to that." She seemed firm in her statement. "Same! Even though you beat me, you don''t seem like a bad person." Kristen added. "Your aura isn''t that of someone who murders all. It is of someone who protects with all of his strength." Mina stated softly; having overcome her earlier fear of him thanks to Lira and Kristen. "I will defend you as well, and I am sure Skylar will too," Mina added. Riyku nodded firmly to them, as he knelt down to take hold of Skylar''s hand. "Hang in there..." He muttered with a worrisome tone in which the other three placed theirs on top of his. It wouldn''t be long before the medical team arrived and everyone injured was rushed to the ER.


    It was then that Riyku''s name along with Mina''s was called over the intercom. "Riyku Von Rosario, Mina Novaa report to the HeadMistress Office at once!" Riyku and Mina glanced at each other before taking off. "We are coming to." Kristen and Lira followed them. "I''ll come along, as will Amorira," Barron stated as he pretty much dragged Amorira. The group seemed to venture out of the Gymnasium and off towards the HeadMistress'' Office; lead by Mina and Riyku all in order to face whatever punishment was to become of them.

 8 Escalation of a choice

    Several slams of a mallet came down, "Order, the HeadMistress demands order!" Someone called out to which those in the stands seemed to quiet down. The limelight showed over Riyku who was standing trail it would seem. "Riyku Von Rosario, do you know why you are here?" The HeadMistress called out in a strong tone. Riyku would nod instantly to which the woman would begin, "Good. You stand here because of your actions. You hospitalized seven members of the track team of which most will never be capable of running again thanks to you. So tell me, why have you done this?"


    Riyku would nod lightly. "Of course. It was part of my condition since I lost the match against Mina." The woman''s brow rose with interest. "To beat up those seven members?" She questioned to which Riyku would shake his head. "To protect her, to protect Skylar... no matter the consequences." Riyku stated firmly. "So what are you saying is you have to do everything within your power to keep those two safe?" She reaffirmed his statement. "Yes." Riyku would reply. "Even if it meant going against myself or even the military?" The HeadMistress added as if to test his resolve. "Yes," Riyku replied even more firmly than before. Whispers began to echo throughout the chamber and even The HeadMistress'' interest was piqued more than before.


    "Did you know that she was going to be violated?" The HeadMistress asked to which Riyku nodded. "They told me of their obligation," Riyku replied. "And that Skylar was going to be killed?" She added to which Riyku nodded silently. "So, you will stand in their path of an unfulfilled condition?" She questioned in which Riyku nodded silently once more, but the bold resolve in his eyes stood firm. A heavy sigh parted the woman''s lips. "I already questioned others of this incident when you came to my office. They seem to have backed you up. Now judging from what you''ve told me, it would seem that your condition is everlasting as long as Mina and Skylar live; of course, that means if Mina were to fulfill her condition you would have to step in. So to resolve this; we will cancel both games. The win to loss will stay on the record as well as the points won and loss; however, the conditions will be called off." The headmistress stated to which Riyku nodded "With that said..." The woman seemed to have been scheming since a smirk curled across her face.


    "There is still your punishment." Riyku knew that something was off. Everything seemed to have been going too smoothly for him. "You will be forced to participate in this year''s Death Games. You may work alone or with a team; however, you must be placed within the top three by the end of the Games. If you are below anything but those three places you will be stripped of your status as a Gamer and be reduced to nothing but a Slave, your life will be forfeit and you will be no longer considered human." The headmistress stated firmly. "I guess I don''t have a choice, do I." Riyku made the statement and not a question. "Of course not." She seemed to answer anyway. The surrounding jury began to chatter and converse aloud. Since it was becoming far too noisy the woman slammed the mallet hard which seemed to call for Order and they followed soon. "Very well. I had already planned on joining anyway." Riyku would turn on his heel before stopping to glance back at her. "First place will be mine," Riyku stated firmly before leaving the courtroom. Pushing past the doors he was greeted with two groups. One being Kristen, Mina, Lira, and Barron. The other being Rick, Jessica, Mel, Eden, and Nora.


    "Riyku!" Mina shouted in tears as she threw herself at him. "I''m sorry. I am so sorry!" She began to cry out. Taken by surprise the male didn''t know what to do. Though his body seemed to instinctively yet hesitantly wrap his arms around her and brush her hair gently. "Are you alright?" Kristen questioned to which Riyku nodded. "Hey man... Your friends here told us what happened. When we saw you lost we didn''t know what to think so we investigated which lead us to them." Rick spoke out in a worried tone. "You beat up some assholes. Good on you." Jessica called out. "I seem to have misjudged you," Nora added to which Mel nodded softly while Eden seemed to do the same silently. "So what happened?" Lira asked the question that all of them seemed to what to know.


    "Nothing special. The conditions for both games were called off, but the points and win to loss ratio were kept active. In addition to that, I am forced into the Death Games." Riyku replied; to which Rick''s group seemed surprised even Barron was surprised. "But you were already going to do that, so what''s the difference?" Lira inquired in which Riyku nodded. "Well, I need to score within the top three. Otherwise, I''m stripped of all my rights as a human and reduced to nothing but a slave." Riyku told them, Mina''s grasp around him seemed to tighten as if she were trying to apologize and comfort him at the same time.


    "Damn..." Rick stated softly as he looked away. "The Death Games eh? I mean we were thinking of partaking." Rick added to which everyone looked at them. "But, we don''t know what kind of games they are," Nora added for him to which his group nodded. "It''s fine." Riyku could tell that Rick wanted to help him. "I work alone anyway. Always have." He added. Kristen seemed to look away slightly, still bothered by what had happened between them last night. Lira had noticed this but did not say anything. Meanwhile, Rick was about to inquire about it until, "Well, it''s getting late. I am off. Riyku don''t think this changes our deal." Barron stated to which Riyku nodded. "You all should get some shut-eye too. We still have classes tomorrow." Barron stated before taking his leave.


    "Yeah... We are gonna go too. If you need anything give us a call Riyku, We''ll help you the best we can." Rick stated before taking his crew with him leaving the three of them. "Mina..." Riyku spoke softly to her, to which she seemed to cling tighter. "I''ll see you back in the room. I and Lira need to go over things with our teammate Vex." Kristen stated before taking Lira who nodded a goodbye. This just left him and Mina now. "Mina they are gone, it''s time to go," Riyku stated to which Mina shook her head. "It''s my fault. You are in this position now because of me. You hardly even know me and look at where I got you." She seemed to speak through soft sobs, though her voice was muffled since her face was buried in his chest. What she said was true. He didn''t even know her, but something inside of him caused him to react in such a manner.


    "And?" Riyku stated firm which caused her to look at him as he looked down at her. "Do I seem that heartless? To let you be raped and let your brother die? You said so yourself that I wasn''t anything like my background had me to be. You said so yourself that I am someone who protects others. Or did you forget?" Riyku seemed to have given a soft expression with a gentle and warm voice.


    "That''s different." Mina would retaliate. "We aren''t even friends. There is nothing you even know about me. I am just some stranger to you." She added to which Riyku shook his head. "Then I guess that would make us Friends now. I''ll have to find out more about you and learn more about you as well." Riyku''s voices seemed to have caused tears to run down her face softly. "Why?" She asked as she clung to his clothes tightly. "Because..." His words caught in his throat; why was he acting this way? What was going on with him? "You are special." The words came forth, though not from his mind, his soul it would seem. He had yet to realize what he just said until she looked at him with a bright face. "R-really?" She added to which Riyku would smile gently and wipe her tears with a soft nod. "Of course. I''ll walk to your dorm." And indeed he did, the two seemed to converse about many things, but it was mainly Mina talking about her life and childhood as well as Skylar.


    Once he dropped Mina off he would return to his dorm room to where he kicked off his shoes and stumbled forward. "Again..?" The male muttered as he released a heavy breath. "Riyku?" Kristen called out "Back so soon?" Riyku called back; the lights were not on it seemed to which Riyku flipped the switch to see Kristen in some kind of black laced underwear. Her face instantly flushed brightly before Riyku flipped the switch off and hastily moved past her though she would tackle him onto his bed. His back slammed firmly against the soft blanket as he looked up at Kristen who was now straddled on top of him. From the moonlights rays through the peaks of the curtain, Riyku could see her soft colorful flesh matched perfectly with her black lace underwear and bra. "What are you doing?" He inquired firmly.


    Kristen would place a hand upon his chest as she leaned closer to him, her face burning brightly. "I want to know." Her tone was rather soft, though only seemed audible to the two of them. "Know what?" Riyku replied. A solid moment passed before a gulp came from Kristen, "Why you are all alone. Why you have all of these scars. Why you seem soo... empty." She would trail her fingers over his shirt and unbutton the buttons before running her hands along his flesh softly. Tracing the scars on his chest softly. "You don''t have to straddle me for that information." Riyku would retort to which Kristen shook her head. "You are hiding something. You appeared cold towards me during out bout, but then you go and save Mina. It appeared as if you didn''t know her until today either. Your choices are unbefitting of who you make yourself appear to be. There is something more to you..." Kristen stated softly as she leaned even closer, now gazing into his eyes with her own. "It''s mystifying. You have no memory of your past, yet your body is rigged with pain. Your soul seems to be in pieces..." She whispered softly.


    Riyku''s arms began to twitch; why was he just laying there? He wasn''t pushing her off, nor indulging in her. "You said last night, you would rather partake of a woman instead of doing it yourself. Then partake of me..." She would press her lips to his, a firm kiss locked between them. Her eyes staring deeply into his eyes for a moment longer before closing softly. She felt her heart in her chest tighten and her face burns brightly. Riyku''s eyes closed half-heartedly, he didn''t understand why she suddenly became this way. Was it because of his Charmer skill? Or was she genuinely interested in him? She had been acting strange since that moment she found out about him. Speaking of which, why did he tell her? So many questions, yet no answers. However, he did reach up to give her a gentle push away to break their kiss. "Why?" Riyku inquired softly to which Kristen smiled softly at him. "I don''t know. Though whenever I see you, my chest feels tight. When I hear your voice I just want to listen to it all day. Being in your presences makes me happy. Thinking about you is all I have been doing lately. I don''t know why all of this suddenly happened, but It did. I guess I want to confirm everything." Kristen stated to which Riyku closed his eyes in thought for a moment.


    "You just met me. We were fighting yesterday, and now you want to have sex with me. You do realize what you are saying right?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen nodded and grasped his hand placing it under her bra against her breast so he could feel her heartbeat. It was rapid; going at an extreme pace as if she was nervous or something. Was it the Charmer skill? That question came to mind again. "Yes. I do realize what I just said. Still, something is burning inside me. Drawing me towards you. I need to find out why." For whatever reason, the moonlight that graced their flesh seemed to excite the atmosphere of this intimate moment. Slowly opening his eyes the male would slip a hand around her waist to pull her in closer. "Very well, remember this was your choice. I am not liable for whatever feelings you gain after this." Riyku stated firmly; yet even that standoffish demeanor was not enough to push Kristen away.


    For a moment the two stared at each other; before Kristen leaned forward pressing her lips against his. Riyku''s hand that was cupped or more so pushed against Kristen''s breast would massage it firmly; the tips of his fingers digging into the flesh yet seemed to be tender enough to not cause any harm. His other hand seemed to smoothly run up her back, to her shoulder then down her arm before moving towards her thigh. A soft muffled moan would escape from her lips from his touch. Their lips parted from the lip lock to where she would rise up, unbuckle her bra and remove it to allow her bust to drop down. They appear far more round than he had at first thought; her face brightened by the gaze he gave her was just as pink as the perky nubs.


    "You don''t have to stare..." She whispered softly as if embarrassed. "Would you rather I avert my gaze?" Riyku teased which caused her to groan lightly before quickly leaning down to nip at his neck. Kissing the flesh softly at first as if to get him back. Her hand smoothly running along his chest; feeling every inch of it she could while traveling towards his pants. Unzipping them so she could stuff her hand inside and pull out a warm length. Her hands gracing the horse of a meaty shaft would blink several times before she cooed. "Well, there is where all that confidence comes from." She whispered into his ear as she nipped it. Riyku wasn''t going to just sit here and let her do as she pleased now that she was stroking him firmly. His hands would run up her thighs to her rear cheeks; before massaging them firmly; pulling them and pushing them as well as moving them all around in every direction possible. It appeared quite pleasing to her for whatever reason; however, the more she dove into the pleasure the tighter her grasp behind. And to react the rougher Riyku''s handling of Kristen''s rear had become.


    A soft moan escaped her lips to which Riyku would maneuver in a fashion where he would kiss at her collar bone up her neck and around to the other side. The sensation was driving her further into her carnal desire to the point where she released the meaty rod of his and push off of him. Her eyes filled with lust seemed to steam over his body though. The expression on her face caused Riyku to smirk as if he knew exactly what he did. "You... Did that on purpose." She panted through excited breaths. "Of course, nothing wrong with a little foreplay. It looks like you are ready though." He mused as he watched her position herself just over him. Holding his rod up as she slowly slid herself down upon it. The tip of his shaft touching her lips was more than enough to cause a soft muse than as it broke through a soft squeal came. It wasn''t until he had fully pierced through her did her mouth open wide with a pleasuring cry. For a solid moment, there was no movement on both ends. The tightness that Riyku felt was shown in the form of a pleasing expression. "S-so warm... Y-you are so warm." Her voice hicked softly as she dared to speak. "And you are tight." The male mused with a pleasant voice. His hands moving to her thighs while his eyes looked up at her.


    "This isn''t your first time, now is it?" The male called out as if to confirm the on record virginity of Kristen, to which the woman nodded softly. "It''s been a while though. I haven''t had the shape of a man in a long time." The woman seemed to spew forth as she slowly began to rock her hips. "You are still young... Don''t tell me..." Riyku inquired softly to which she shook her head. "No. It was of my own volition. I thought that boy actually liked me, but it turns out he just wanted to do me." Kristen replied as she steadily began to pick up the pace. Riyku would aid her keeping her from moving around too much with his hands on her thighs; "Bummer, then again if it was how you thought, you wouldn''t be in this position." Riyku teased her lightly with a quick jolt from his lower hips to seep his meaty rod further inside of her for a moment. The sudden movement caused her to squeal in pleasure arching her back to allow his shaft to pierce further in while picking up the pace. "S-so good. I-I don''t care about him. His L-L-Loss!" She cried in pleasure as she felt Riyku''s tip smack against her womb. The sensation drove her crazy; her body picking up the pace only caused her tip of Riyku''s member to rapidly slam against her womb.


    "And... your gain," Riyku spoke through a rut as he moved his hands up to her hips to aid in rocking her back and forth at an even faster pace. To add to this, Riyku would jolt his body at the perfect moment which caused his shaft to pierce through her womb but only at the moments of the jolt. Each time he jolted his body the tip would pierce through instead of stay inside. "G-god! Yes!" Kristen cried in pure pleasure. "Fill me! Give it to me!" She seemed to have lost herself to the pleasure already. It was then text appeared in front of Riyku''s face.


    ''Extra Skill acquired: Playmate Lv.9''


    ''Extra Skill acquired: Perfect Partner Lv.6''


    Though his eyes were more focused on the woman''s pleased facial features than the actual text that appeared before him which vanished soon after it appeared. "Fuck me, more! More! More!" She shouted in cries of pleasure. Riyku arched upward; moving his arms to her backside to stabilize her and his mouth to her own. Thanks to the sitting position they were in, Kristen was now bouncing on him as best as possible and of course, Riyku would juggle her perfectly. She seemed to moan endlessly into the kiss of lustful passion. Beads of sweat would soon slip off their bodies and the scent of musk would fill the air shortly after. For a good moment, it was like that until Riyku forced her upon her backside. Lifting her legs over his shoulders he had been careful not to pull out from her. Slowly he would push himself deeper inside of her; this seemed to have caused a long drawn at moan. His hands moved to massage her breast; one for each it would seem. "Mmm..." She moaned softly as he played with her pink nub. Twisting it, twirling it and pulling at it ever so lightly as he rocked his hips slowly. Digging himself inside of her steadily.


    The soft sensation seemed to have caused her to climax suddenly since her body began to jolt rapidly and wildly. Salvia drizzled down her lips as she ushered a cry of pleasure while her body did its wild dance before her body hit the blanket once more. "Releasing soo soon? We''ve just got started. Kristen..." Riyku spoke softly as he stared deeply into her pleased filled eyes. "F-for real?" She thought he was joking until he started rocking his hips rapidly. Squeals of pleasure soon left her mouth and that was when she knew it would be a long night.


    Drenched in sweat and panting heavily; Kristen would eye the clock to see it was sometime after five now. Her face upon Riyku''s chest as she looked up at him exhausted. "I don''t even know... How many times I went, and you... you came inside of me three times... and you are still this hard." She spoke through heavy breaths to which Riyku smirked at her. His hand came up to brush her hair softly. "You appear too tired to continue... We can pick this up another time." Riyku seemed to be catching his breath though. "Yeah... I''d like that." She soon passed out on top of him to which he would chuckle lightly before closing his own eyes. Darkness soon consumed him and he ventured into a deep sleep.


    His eyes blinked open, the vision was blurry but when it cleared up he took note that he wasn''t in the same room. Kristen wasn''t beside him either. "Again?" He called out; though the voice only seemed audible to him and his lips did not move. It was another dream it would seem. His perception changed as his body got up out of the bed only to be greeted by two children. "Leslie, Lan... Good morning." He would ruffle the children''s hair with a warm smile. "Good morning, Papa." They both stated on sync. "Already up, Darling?" A voice called out from the door frame to which the male looked up to see a woman standing against it; to Riyku''s surprise, the woman resembled Kristen quite a bit. A chuckle escaped the male''s lips. "I did get some wonderful rest thanks to a certain someone." He replied. "Come on kids, help set the table. Your father needs to get ready. He has a big day today." The woman called warmly to which the kids nodded and call back to their mother before scurrying out the door. The male would smile softly as he approached the woman, moving to place a soft kiss upon her lips. "You know I can always help you out around here." He stated softly into the kiss. "You do enough for me as it is, Darling." The woman replied through the kiss before leaving the doorway and heading off. It seemed that this dream wouldn''t last long though since Riyku was already drowning in darkness.


    When his eyes opened up again; he saw Kristen still happily asleep. His hues shifted towards the clock which indicated a rather late time. "Taking a day off should be fine," Riyku whispered softly as he brushed Kristen''s hair gently. Seeing her happy expression caused a smile curl across his face before he closed his eyes to relax. "Good morning, User Riyku. You seemed to have had quite a night. Though it isn''t unexpected." Coco''s voice poured into his mind with a giggle. Instead of replying verbally, he used mental communication just so he wouldn''t wake Kristen up. "What do you mean?" Another giggle left Coco. "You know what I mean. After all, the memories of your past lives reside in your soul." These words... he already knew he could look into his previous lives through dreams, but not by choice. An internal sigh escaped his lips, "I truly do not understand. What do my past lives have to do with my present life?" Riyku inquired; to which Coco seemed quite confused, "You don''t remember the initiation that the system granted you?" Initiation? What Initiation? He didn''t know what she was talking about one bit. "Wait, you really don''t remember? Do you remember anything from that day?" She inquired to which Riyku thought for a solid moment. "I remember, all the events, but many things that have to do with how I woke up are super hazy as well as what happened just before my collapse," Riyku replied to her question. "I see... To confirm my thoughts; Do you remember anything in full detail of your past lives? I did tell you that you would recall your past lives in dreams, but you should have full memory regardless thanks to your link with your soul." Coco stated to which Riyku could only answer with, "No." That was after briefly trying to remember anything. "I was afraid of this. When you collapsed after meeting with Kristen I found a Virus in the system. When I went through the final check after rebooting your system; everything was all clear. So I figured it was just an abnormal residue response from your awakening; however, as I looked through your menus. The fact that there was a tab that was never meant to be there before that had to do with your ''Soul''s memory fragments'' was meant that you can not recollect anything from the past lives of your violation. To further back up this theory; almost all of your skills were erased which should not have happened to begin with. This would also explain your behavior since you woke up." Coco seemed to explain to which Riyku found surprising.


    "So you are saying, this Virus or whatever reset everything that had to do with my previous lives?" Riyku inquired. "Well yes and no. It seems that it could not erase everything. I''ve dug into the System archive, but there is no information on this matter. Furthermore, I have come to the conclusion that this Virus was attached to your soul before the reawakening process as if to prevent any recollection of your former lives." Coco seemed to explain her theory in full. If what she said was correct; then that would explain why he did not understand the majority of his actions thus far. "But why?" He quizzed to which Coco could not give him a direct answer. "Perhaps to prevent you from doing anything." This answer was not something Riyku took lightly. He had been wondering why he was here, why he was reborn and why he had this system. If Coco''s theory was true; then whatever or whoever placed this Virus on him knew this would happen and tried to prevent it. "User Riyku, It is best not to think too hard on this matter. For now, you should focus on trying to collect all of your memory fragments and regain all of your lost skills." Coco stated in order to break up Riyku''s train of thought. For his own sake if nothing else.


    "Well, I can regain the fragments through dreams; but what of lost skills? You said they were erased." Riyku stated in confusion. "They are, but you can always restore them or you can learn new skills. When you ''Acquire'' a skill it means you restored it, when you ''Learn'' a skill it means it is brand new; and was not from your previous life." Well, that explained the difference between Learned and Acquired; he had wondered about it but never really gave it much thought. Speaking of skills, Riyku did gain a couple of skills last night but was far too into his activity to pay much attention to them. Since he did not wish to wake Kristen who was happily sleeping; he opened the menu via mental link upon his UI. Going towards the skills tab he greeted with such a page on his UI:


    Passive Skills:


    Way of the Fighter Lv Max- Having trained through many lifetimes, experienced many battles and overcame several life or death situations. You have burned into your soul the ability to fight. Your body will instinctively take up arms or shields in whatever situation that comes forth.


    Swordsmanship Lv1- ''Your trust in your blade will run as deep as the experience you gain through such.'' +5 Strength when using swords


    Gunslinger Lv1- ''One of many tools one will use in their lifetime will be a ranged weapon. As you train you will come to realize your hard work will not go unnoticed.'' +3 Agility +2 Strength when using any form of ranged weapon.


    Arcane Seeker Lv1- ''Your thirst for knowledge is boundless. You seek that of which many fail to do. The more you learn of the Arcane Arts; the stronger your bonds with them will become.'' +3 Wisdom +3 Intelligence when using an Arcane Weapon.


    Spearman Lv1- ''Guns and Swords are not the only weapons at one''s disposal. Staves have always been used by both the warriors and the mages. As such, what you put in will be what you get out.'' +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Toughness +1 Intelligence +1 Wisdom when using a Staff of any kind.


    Cultivator Lv3- ''Your rigorous body is the main reason you are able to stand strong.'' Shield Points will recharge over time. Getting at least six hours of sleep will fully recharge your Shield Points. Getting eight hours of sleep will apply a bonus of 100 Shield Points.


    Spiritual Bond Lv2- ''Your profound knowledge of the existing elements around allows you to deepen your pool of mana'' Mana points will recharge over time. Getting six hours of rest will fully recharge your Mana. Getting eight hours of rest will expand your Mana Pool by 200 points for four hours.


    Silver Tongued Lv6- ''You have quite the way with words. You can talk your way out of any mess or into one if you so desire''


    - Intimidation Lv4- You are capable of striking fear into another, be it man or monster. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss mobs!**


    - Persuasion Lv3- You are capable of talking your way into makings things lean in your favor. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss Mobs!**


    - Seduction Lv8- Be it man or woman; you can smooth talk your way into getting whatever you want. Bonus applies to those with little resistance to Charm.


    Charmer Lv8- ''You are quite the Ladies'' Man.'' Women, are naturally easier to attract and reason with. Bonus applies to those around your age group or older.


    - Playmate Lv.9- You know your way around a woman''s body. Your touch alone can start a fire in their groin. Just make sure you can keep up when all is said and done. +900 Energy when engaging in sexual activities.


    - Perfect Partner Lv.6- With expertise in the bed comes great responsibility afterward. Thankfully, you are sterile. **You can adjust your Semen production and fertility in the body menu.**


    Guardian Angel Lv.1- ''You are the protector of those who you call comrades.'' Doubles Strength, and Agility while protecting any allies within 10 meters of your person.


    Active Skills:


    Shadow Step Lv.5- Travel through the shadows at rapid speeds. Consumes 20 mana.


    Blink Lv. 3- Teleport a few meters in any given direction. Consumes 15 Mana.


    Death''s Embrace Lv. Max- Call forth to the elements around you to bring forth a typhoon of destruction. Consumes 400 Mana and 200 Energy.


    Weapon Summon Lv. Max- Bring forth any weapon from your arsenal. Does not consume anything.


    Weapon Return Lv. Max- Calls back any weapon not in your hand; into your hand or inventory. Can always be used to store your weapons that are in hand too. Does not consume anything. **Not capable of summoning locked or restricted items, weapons or armor!**


    Well, that would explain one of the main reasons as to why Kristen was quite... enthusiastic last night as well as his endurance to maintain the activity throughout the evening. It would also help in answering the age-old question; ''Am I pregnant?'' ''Is she pregnant?'' Though there were two more skills there he had not seen before. When he thought on it, he did recall using the shadows to travel during his bout to protect Mina and Skylar so maybe it was then that he gained those skills. Closing out the menu via the mental link he would close his eyes and sigh softly. There was soo much to do; from tracking down his memories to acquiring or learning new skills. Now he also had to compete in the Death Games and prepare for that; of course, he knew he had plenty of time to prepare. Just a matter of when and how he was going to do it. He never did get any information on when the Death Games started, but he needed to register by the end of the day.


    A soft muse came from beside him as he felt a slight movement coming from under the blanket. His eyes opened and shifted to see Kristen''s own hues gazing upon him. "So it wasn''t a dream." She spoke softly to which Riyku gave a bit of a confused look. "Last night. I figured it was all a dream. I honestly, did not expect anything to turn out the way it did; but once you started touching me... I just lost myself." Her face became slight tinted in pink though she seemed to crawl up to him. Her forehead placed gently on his own as she gazed deeply into his eyes. A frown formed suddenly before a soft sigh released from her lips. "I guess it won''t be so easy." She whispered lightly; though Riyku still seemed confused. "What are you talking about?" He questioned before she shook her head and changed her frown to a light smile. "Nothing. Good morning I should say." She suddenly pressed her lips to his own. Cupping her hands against his cheeks lightly as she did her eyes seemed to close softly.


    Riyku seemed to have responded with his own smooch; before she moved off of him to proceed to the bathroom. "Well, we won''t be going to school today. So, let''s take a stroll around town. I''m going to shower. You are more than welcome to join me, Riy." Kristen seemed to cut his name short by a few letters as she stopped at the doorway to glance at Riyku. "If I did, I couldn''t guarantee you nor myself would be cleansed." He responded to her teasing remark to which she giggled. "I wouldn''t mind." She added as she seemed to have left the door open. The sound of water running soon came from the bathroom and with that steam as well. Riyku sighed heavily and shook his head. "This woman." He figured she had done this on purpose in order to entice him to join her. Getting up the male would make his way towards the bathroom. Though came to a halt when a ringing sound came from his wristband. "Hm?" He released a hushed breath as a screen pop up from the chip with an answer and decline button along with the text ''Skylar Novaa is trying to contact you...'' Pushing upon the answer button a video feed from the upper chest and upward revealed Skylar who was laying in a hospital bed it seemed. "Oh!? I-I''m sorry, I didn''t know you were about to bathe. I figured you were on break at school!" Skylar seemed to fumble over his words making note of Riyku''s naked middle to the upper torso and onward.


    "You doing alright?" Riyku inquired seeing the state Skylar was in, all wrapped up and bandaged like some kind of mummy. "Yeah. I can let you go." Skylar stated to which Riyku shook his head and leaned against the wall beside him. "No need. I took the day off today anyway. I need to prepare for the Death Games." Riyku replied to which Skylar seemed to give an apologetic look. "I''m--" Riyku cut off Skylar, "Don''t. Mina told me a bit about you and how you view me as a Friend. So naturally, I would come to your aid." Those words seemed to bring life to Skylar to smiled warmly. "Thank you." He stated softly. "No need. I am assuming you heard everything from Mina?" Riyku questioned to which Skylar nodded. "I did. If you need a Teammate I''ll become your teammate." Skylar stated firmly to which Riyku shook his head. "In your condition? Nope. Just rest and watch over me." Riyku replied, of course, it wasn''t what Skylar wanted to hear, but he sensed that Riyku would be just fine. Besides Riyku was right; the condition he was in was... well not fit for the Death Games.


    "Gonna leave me here all by myself? How boring..." Kristen''s voice called from the bathroom to which Skylar perked up. "Are you with someone?" Skylar inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "I wouldn''t say with, but yes," Riyku stated to which Skylar blinked before his face became tint. "I-I see. Sorry to have intruded!" Skylar hastily pushed the end button which cut the video feed off and the screen disappeared back into the chip. Riyku chuckled lightly but somehow felt that something would later come back to bite him. Well, for now, he would just attend to Kristen and her ''needy'' ways. "Did you think you could get away with teasing me?" Riyku stated as he entered the shower to a glistering wet Kristen who stared up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing her self closer to him in general. "I got what I was after." Kristen corrected him to which he snickered and moved a hand to her rear; grasping a full cheek and pushing her closer against his body. The other hand moved to her mid-back to aid in bringing her as close as possible before he leaned over to brush his lips against her ear. Her face tinted red as she moaned softly, "Do it." Steam filled the shower quickly; thanks to the heat from the water and soon followed the sweet succulent moans of a woman.

 9 A choices potential

    Busy as ever it seemed the shopping district was. People going up to stalls to get food and coming out of shops with bags and other various items. It was truly busy for a Friday; then again it was also around lunch time as well. Linked around Riyku''s arm had been Kristen who held a glamorous smile upon her face. If that wasn''t enough to attract the attention of males in their youth; it was probably the risque gothic attire. As for the female youths well that was Riyku; wearing a stylish black button up shirt with the mid-drift exposed as well as a few of the buttons around the collar left open. To match, there were black jeans as well which made the two appear like more of a couple. "Kristen," Riyku spoke in a tone to which only Kristen could hear. The tone wasn''t like that of a boyfriend addressing his lover though. "Yes?" She cooed back up at him. "I did tell you that I am not responsible for your present feelings, or have you forgotten?" Riyku inquired as his brow twitched. "Nope. I remember, but it doesn''t mean I won''t try to reel you in." Kristen winked at him playfully to which he sighed heavily.


    They seemed to make their way into one of the shops which appeared to be a small shop for what seemed like Accessories. "You need something in here?" Riyku inquired since Kristen was pretty much dragging him along. "Kind of. I am looking for a certain accessory." Kristen replied as she walked towards the counter with Riyku who gave a bit of a puzzled look. "Excuse me, Miss Natalie Are you here?" Kristen called out to which a woman came from behind the curtains of the back room as she called back, "Coming!" A normal woman, though mature is what Riyku''s first thought of her when he saw her. "Oh my, You have a boyfriend now? Congratulations!" Natalie would clasp her hands together with a smile. Riyku shook his head, "Nope." Meanwhile at the same time, "Yup." Kristen seemed to affirm her claim while Riyku denied it. "Oh? You aren''t forcing yourself on this young man, are you Kristen?" Natalie inquired to which Kristen shook her head. "Not at all. He will eventually become my boyfriend in the future." The woman would look up at Riyku as if examining him. "Hmm... Well, you seem capable of handling her whimsical ways young man." Natalie stated before looking back to Kristen, "So?" Riyku would sigh softly and unlink himself from Kristen. "I''m gonna take a look around the shop." With that, he left Kristen for a moment.


    Kristen would smile brightly at him. "Pick something out for me." She stated with a teasing wink before looking back to Natalie. "Oh yes, I am here for that bracelet. Did you ever find it?" Kristen inquired to which Natalie would shake her head. "No. I am starting to question if this accessory even exists. An accessory with five enhancement slots seems a bit far fetched." Natalie replied. Riyku who was looking at accessory in cases around the store would lean in on the conversation. "A Bracelet with five enhancement slots? So items could be enhanced? Hmm..." The male whispered softly to himself. "It does exist. Please, Natalie I really need that bracelet!" Kristen seemed to panic slightly. "I understand your situation. But finding something as rare as that is going to take more time. I already have all of my contacts searching for it." Natalie replied lightly.


    Riyku would return shortly to place a single onyx color necklace on the countertop. "Can I purchase this?" He inquired to which Natalie nodded. "Of course." She took the necklace and placed it on top of some kind of scanner. Soon a small screen appeared on Riyku''s end with a price and some text that read ''Please scan your ID chip now.'' There was a small arrow pointing on where the chip needed to be scanned. Riyku would extend his wrist out and quickly scanned his chip. A beep along with a k-ching sound soon followed in which Natalie would then hand Riyku the necklace. "Thanks for doing business with us! Do come again." She stated happily. Riyku would take the necklace and nod before turning to move around Kristen and fit the necklace around her neck. Kristen was a bit taken back by the speed of the process that her face tinted a slight pinkish color after she realized what had just happened. Natalie seemed to made a soft happy noise. "I-I was joking!" Kristen shouted to which Riyku chuckled lightly. Turning around he would walk towards the door. "I wonder who is trying to seduce who now." Natalie teased at Kristen groaned lightly but did not seem unpleased by his gesture. She followed after him, linking arms with him again. "Thank you." She stated with a bright smile to which Riyku nodded. "It looks good on you." He would reply while taking notice of the charm she now had. Shortly after the two left the shop.


    The two would go from shop to shop before stopping by a small outdoor cafe. Offering to seat Kristen he would push her chair in gently once she took a seat before taking his own seat across from her. "You say you aren''t responsible for my feelings for you, yet here you are taking me on this wonderful date and you even bought me this beautiful gift," Kristen stated happily. "I''m not responsible for your feelings." He stated bluntly as he glanced skyward. "But you don''t deny that this is a date?" She inquired teasingly to which Riyku would shrug. "Perhaps it is." He gave her a teasing glance in return. "May I take your order?" Their server came up to them to which Kristen nodded. "Please. May I have a cup of iced tea?" The server nodded. "Of course, and for you Sir?" He looked towards Riyku. "I''ll take the same." The server nodded and jotted it down on his pad. "Can I start you with anything to eat?" He would add. "Oh yes, May I have a bowl of udon?" The server nodded to Kristen''s request. "And you, Sir?" He looked towards Riyku. "I''ll take a burger and fries." The server would nod and jot the order down. "I''ll be right back with your drinks." He ventured off with the order in hand now.


    "Western-style eh? Well, You do appear as such. Tell me, Did you come from the Western side?" Kristen inquired to which Riyku''s interest was picked at. "Western side?" He inquired. Seeing Riyku''s puzzled expression made her remember that he had Amnesia. "Oh sorry. Forget I asked." She stated with a wave of her hand to which Riyku shook his head. "No, go on. What do you mean Western side?" Riyku inquired. "Well, The world is split into four main factions. The Eastern, The Western, The Southern, and The Northen. Each side has its own cultures and foods, but we all share in information. The closer you are to one of the four factions, the more endowed the cities and towns become of the foods and cultures. Since we are mainly on the Eastern side, most of our culture pertains to Eastern culture and foods. Though we have adopted some of the Western Cultures. Southern and Northern do not really influence this side of the world though." Riyku seemed to grasp Kristen''s explanation really well. "Don''t get me wrong though, since the world is now under the rule of the World Order, things like war and culture differences have died down plenty. Of course, the adoption of Gambit''s Dance and the Death Games are also a major factor silver lining key to what we have today." Kristen added to which Riyku nodded. "Your drinks." The server would return to place two drinks on the white cloth table. "Thank you." Kristen smiled at the server while Riyku nodded to him and he took his leave to help another customer afterward.


    Riyku would pick up his glass of tea and take a sip from it while processing the information Kristen gave him. "Wars still exist here, eh?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen nodded. "Yes, but mainly against the other species that exist on this planet with us. If you ask me, we should just co-exist. The Western faction supports all species while only certain towns and cities in the Eastern faction do. The Northern faction is mainly dominated by the other species while the Southern faction enslaves them. Since this is the case the Southern and Nothern mainly go to war with each other. The Western aid the Southern by all means, but we stay out of the war. Although, I doubt we can avoid it for long. Eastern is somewhat neutral on the matter, but I feel eventually we will have to choose. If you ask me, I would choose the side of co-existence." Kristen would explain more in-depth about the reasoning for wars and even the other species as well as her own standing on everything. In truth, it was enlighting and Riyku learned much about Kristen through this alone. She truly seemed like a gentle and kind person. Much more than the rumors put her off as.


    "So what kind of other species exist?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen would reply, "Several. There are the Vampires, Lycans, Demons, Angels, Demi-Humans and lastly Demi-Gods/Goddess, of course, there is a rumor that the Gods exist as well." Kristen would explain to which Riyku would nod lightly. "Are Demi-Humans not like the other species?" He inquired. "Well, All species are humanoids this including the Demi-Gods/Goddess. It''s just the Demi-Humans are a mix-breed of human and other species. The reason you don''t see them is that Demi-Humans are treated as slaves to both the other species as well as humans. Of course, not everyone treats them as such but more than enough do. The other species'' are elsewhere or in their own respective faction. The Western faction hosts both humans and other species, they also do not treat Demis like slaves. The Northern faction is their home turf while the Southern mainly sales them through the slave trade. Slave trade is banned here but still manages to get through which is sad if you ask me." Kristen seemed to sigh softly as she took a sip from her cup.


    "Have you ever met another?" Riyku asked bluntly to which Kristen nodded. "Yes, Since my Father is the CEO of Interstra Industries; who founded the ID Wrist-Band, we get clients from all around the world. The only type I have yet to meet is a Demon though. Demons are rumored to be nothing but evil. They feast on the darkness in peoples hearts and use it to strengthen themselves." Kristen would answer his question with a bit more information than what he asked for, regardless he accepted it with a slight nod. "That would explain all those men the other day. As well as your reason for wanting to be alone." Riyku stated bluntly as he leaned back against the chair while setting the cup down. Kristen would shake her head as if telling him he was wrong, "My Father doesn''t actually care about me. He only cares for the company. There have been several occasions when I was younger; I was kidnapped and my Father had to pay a large sum to get me back because I was a major asset to him. After all, I am the future CEO of Interstra." Kristen stated with soft sorrow. "I see. So they are only hired to protect you, but where are they now?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen waved a hand dismissively. "I sent them away. I told them that someone more competent was protecting me now." She seemed to state firmly. "Hoooh? Who might that be?" Riyku teased her, knowing full well it was him. "Well, He is a tall devilishly handsome man, strong as well as good in bed. Not to mention he is well educated." Kristen would tease him in return. "Sounds like a wonderful guy." Riyku retorted with a teasing remark and glance.


    "I wonder, He won''t fall in love with me even though he has bewitched me." Kristen would tease back. "Oh, who knows maybe one day he will." Riyku would continue the teasing; though that seemed to finish it off since Kristen was faintly blushing and now glancing elsewhere. Riyku chuckled softly at the notion before several black cars pulled up along the parking slots of the street. A tall aged man giving off a strong vibe would step from the car after someone had opened the door for him. Kristen knew exactly who it was and frowned. "Why is he here?" She cursed under her breath. "Hm?" Riyku would glance towards the man who would step up to their table and give both of him and Kristen a firm glare. "Kristen, why have you sent my men away? You know that they are there for your protection." The male held a strong vocal to his words.


    Kristen turned away from him. "They are useless to me. I have someone who is better suited for such a job." Kristen retorted firmly with slight sass. The male looked at Riyku who had been partaking of his cup of tea. "Hm?" He glanced at the male as he mused lightly. "This one?" The man questioned. "Yes, that one. His name is Riyku Von Rosario; he is the strongest person in all of the Eastern Region." Kristen made quite a bold claim, but was she wrong? Probably not. So far, Kristen had been the only challenging opponent thus far. Riyku would set his cup of tea down, moving his hands to his lap and close his eyes; appearing so calm and composed the entire time. "Is that so?" The man inquired before hastily pulling a gun from the inside of his black coat and aiming it at Riyku. Kristen didn''t even notice what was going on until several seconds later, though Riyku seemed to have noticed the barrel aimed right at him which made his eyes shift open slightly as if he were glaring now. "Father!?" Kristen shouted as she stood up from her table and pushed her chair from behind her, slamming her hands on the table. "Stop this at once!" She demanded.


    "Are you going to shoot? Or should I?" Riyku inquired making a notion with his eyes to the Atomic Gun that was in his hand that rested on his lap. The barrel pointed right at the man''s hearts if one followed the trail. Of course, the Trainee Atomic Gun wasn''t lethal, but this man did not know that. Now did he? The man looked down to see the gun in hand, a bewildered expression part took of him before he composed himself and asked; "Where did you get such a weapon?" The man inquired, Kristen who had circled around the table noticed Riyku was holding his gun in his lap underneath the table. "Who knows. I could ask where you got yours, but I already knew what you were doing before you even did it." Riyku explained as he fingered the trigger of his gun. Suddenly several men surrounded Riyku; all aiming rifles at him with red dots pointed all around his body. "Father! Enough!" Kristen shouted once again, moving to step in between the two of them. The man would lift his hand and put away his weapon while his men would withdraw their own. Riyku''s gun seemed to hastily return to its storage via Weapon Return without anyone noticing. His hands moving to partake of his tea once again. "Fine, but if you do anything that would damage the company''s reputation. I will be sure to take him out as well as find you a suitable partner myself." The man stated firmly before turning on his heel and returning to his vehicle. Soon after they all left; Kristen would attempt to relax by moving back to her seat and resting her head upon the cloth of the table. Having drawn quite a scene she hoped it would all die down soon.


    The server would soon return with their meals. "Here you are." The server stated warmly to which Kristen would rise. "Oh, sorry. Thank you." The server set the plates for each; for Riyku his hamburger and for Kristen her udon. Riyku would look over the burger before him before glancing towards Kristen who was already partaking of her meal. "Do I have something on my face?" She asked mid-bite having noticed Riyku look at her. "Nope." He was actually in thought for a moment. ''Eastern Region? Hm...'' Picking up a knife the male would cut the burger, the sizzling grease ran down the meat as the smell of fully cooked beef rose up to the male''s nostrils. Oddly, he wasn''t as hungry as he thought he would have been. Regardless he would take up half, careful not to make a mess and take a bite. The melted cheese, with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickle went well with the beef; even the mustard did not overpower the taste what so ever. A nod of satisfaction and he would take another bite soon after finishing the previous one. Kristen had been slurping away at her Udon as well, and before long the silence of the two enjoying their meals came to an end. Kristen smiled happily as she patted her lips and placed the napkin upon the table. Riyku seemed to have done the same before picking up his cup of tea to partake of it. It wasn''t is first glass since it had been recently filled up.


    Setting the cup down he would lean back against the chair once more. "So, arranged marriage eh? Let me guess, your father was originally going to set you up with some son of some other company to benefit his company. Though you did not like the idea of being married to someone you don''t even know let alone like and so you left your home." Riyku stated fluently; to which Kristen blinked several times in shock before nodding slowly. "Is there anything you can''t do?" Kristen inquired with a teasing groan which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "Who knows." A brief moment would pass, "So what do you plan on doing?" He inquired to which Kristen put her drink down after having partaken of it. "What do you mean?" She inquired what his direction of the question meant. "You''ve sent your bodyguards away and are probably on heavy surveillance now. Not to mention, You''ve managed to drag me into your affairs." Riyku would explain to which Kristen nodded lightly. "I guess you will just have to protect me then." This remark from Kristen caused the male to sigh softly.


    "And If I were to decline?" Riyku would inquire with a light groan. "Nothing. I won''t force you to protect me nor will I force you to be in love with me or even like me." Kristen stated firmly; to his surprise as if he wasn''t expecting such an answer. He did not reply to her though, but instead just nodded. Taking up his glass he would finish the cup off. His eyes shifted around the area they were in. It was nice, now that he got a clear picture of it. Everyone was cheerful and happy; families and friends alike smiling and laughing. Even couples on dates. It was indeed a bright scene; however, his expression did not seem to compliment it. Kristen noticed this and peaked at him softly, "Riyku?" Her gentle voice would reach him to where his eyes shifted to her. "Is something wrong?" She asked lightly to which Riyku shook his head. "No... Just..." He paused for a moment in thought, "I don''t belong here." He seemed to mutter lightly as if his soul took over for him. This remark caused Kristen to blink rapidly to the point where she wanted to clarify what she heard, "Can you repeat that?" Having noticed this Riyku shook his head. "I don''t remember what I said." For a moment there was a silence before Kristen sighed lightly. "If you say so. Though, Do not think for a second you will get away from me." She would say something out of the blue in order to change the mood. Riyku''s light chuckle to her remark would mean it worked to which she smiled warmly. "Is there anything else you would like?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen shook her head. "Then I''ll be right back." He would get up and head towards the host. A conversation drew of their pay to which he would scan his ID chip the same way he did when he bought the necklace for Kristen.


    "And here I was supposed to try and woo you in." Kristen practically cooed softly to herself. A warm smile would curl across her lips as she watched Riyku return to her. "Where would you like to go now?" He asked her to which she replied. "Home. The exchange with my Father has exhausted me." She stated with a heavy sigh to which Riyku nodded. "Then let''s go. Besides, I still need to register for the Death Games." Riyku stated to which Kristen''s soft smile turned into a slight frown. "That''s right..." She seemed to be disappointed with this. "Are you worried?" Riyku asked due to her sour expression. "Well... Kind of. The Death Games are a collaboration of all schools from all regions. While I do believe you are the strongest in the Eastern Region, that differs from the other three." Kristen would reply while they made their way back. "What about you, Lira and Vex?" Riyku would ask. "It is a completely different story if you have a team. There are people to watch your backs. I know I got theirs and they got mine. It''s been the way since our middle school days." Kristen would explain. Kristen wasn''t wrong in that sense. A team was quite helpful... But Riyku did things solo. "There is no team for me anyway. I''ll be fine on my own." Riyku stated firmly to which Kristen would unleash a soft sigh of defeat. "Fine, but you must remain alive. No dying." Kristen demanded his promise on this to which he nodded. "Alright, I promise." He replied, a soft giggle and bright smile curved across her face as she linked arms with him once more all the way until they came to the campus grounds.


    "Oh, by the way... what rank did you get? Mina was your last round for your placements, right?" Kristen had recalled that it was indeed his fifth game to which Riyku confirmed with a nod. "I have yet to take a look, why?" He replied to her as his eyes shifting around taking note of onlookers. "Well, I can''t be with someone who is weak." Kristen replied with a teasing gesture to which Riyku smirked, "Good thing we aren''t together." He teased back as they made their way towards the main office. Whispering chatter mouths about seemed to begin gossiping about the two of them, but Kristen did not pay any attention what so ever. She appeared to be like some kind of lovestruck schoolgirl. Bringing up his wristband he would tap upon the chip to bring up the digital screen. Not a moment later he would navigate towards his personal status screen.


    Rank: Polished (180)


    Wins: 4


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points:2,127


    Kristen would take a peek to study the screen before looking up at him. "I figured you would at least be in the Pro Division, but it is only five games. I''ll take it as the fight against me is the reason you even ranked that high in the first place since Polished and Scrub Divisions are easy to get into." Kristen seemed displeased with the results, but Riyku didn''t seem to care much. "I''ll jump ranks in the Death Games." His confidence was not to be mistaken for arrogance, he never once proclaimed himself as the strongest in the world after all. "True, as long as you don''t die," Kristen stated firmly as she tugged at him to give him a serious look. "Yes, I promised you already," Riyku replied to which a voice came out of nowhere. "Promised her what?" The voice was none other than the girl who tried to get an interview with him the other day. Again this woman had a pen and paper in hand as if prepared to take notes. Before Riyku would even answer he would sigh heavily, "Does that information truly pertain to you?" He replied coldly. "Well, when you put it that way... It does. I am a Reporter in training after all. Any scope is a scope. So, you beat Legend Kristen and then claim her heart not only that but just last night you hospitalized members of the track team for another girl and rumor has it there are some sparks between you and the HeadMistress. Quite the Ladies'' Man aren''t you? Riyku Von Rosario." The woman seemed firm in her statement which caused Riyku to snicker and wave his hand about. "Then you should be careful not to get involved with me, you might end up falling prey," Riyku replied to which Kristen cleared her throat. "Flirting with another girl in front of me?" She growled up at Riyku to which Riyku sighed heavily. "Didn''t I tell you last night that whatever feelings you gained throughout the session was not my responsibility," Riyku replied firmly to her to which she groaned and whined. "So cold." She muttered before the woman interrupted. "Session? Wait... you two are roommates, did you two have intercourse?" Her face tinted pink as she beamed towards them. Kristen''s flustered face give her an answer even though Riyku strayed from giving her one.


    Quickly the woman would scribble upon the pad. "This is a massive scope! An unranked man comes out of nowhere and beats down Legend only to plow her in the sheets later!" The reporter seemed excited enough; until Riyku took the pad from her. "Hey!" She shouted as she struggled to reach the pad. "Are you trying to damage her reputation?" Riyku''s eyes narrowed as he gave off stern and serious expression. "Riyku?" Kristen spoke softly as she saw his expression; he truly seemed to care even though he was cold about it. "N-no." The reporter trembled for a moment. Normally she would never back down, but she knew what he was capable of. A heavy sigh escaped the male''s lips, "If you really want a massive scope. You can put on there that I blackmailed her into being the way she is now." Riyku would drop the pad into her hands. "I don''t care about my reputation. Never have cared about such things, never will." Riyku would pull from Kristen and proceed onward; stuffing his hands into his pockets. Kristen seemed too awestruck to stop him, that when he was already entering the building did she realize what just happened. "You know... It almost appears as if he is hurting inside." The reporter muttered as she watched him. Kristen looked towards her. "What do you mean?" She had a clue on what it was about, but there was still so little she knew of him.


    "It''s the look in his eyes and the Aura about him. There is something missing, something that should be there but is not. It is as if he is longing for something, and yet..." The report fell silent before shaking her head. "Nevermind. I''ll put something good in the next paper. So look forward to it!" She exclaimed before running off. Kristen now left alone to ponder on what just happened. "I guess I''ll return to the room," Kristen stated to no one in particular before heading off towards the dorms. Riyku, on the other hand, seemed to have entered the main office. There he was greeted with Racheal''s smiling face. "Welcome back." As usual, the office was dead, empty almost with the exception of her. "So what brings you here today?" She seemed quite pleased to see his face to which he called out to her, "Just a registration." Riyku replied with a smile. "Oh? Of what kind?" She inquired as he moved towards the counter-top. "The Death Games." This caused her eyes to go wide for a second and as she was about to protest he moved to place a finger to her lips. "I have no say in this, I just need it done otherwise things could get ugly." From the look in his eyes, Racheal could tell how serious he was. In fact, recalling his data she knew he wasn''t going to go down easily either. "Fine." She whimpered lightly before turning to her computer and began typing on the computer.


    Riyku stepped back and nodded softly. "Thanks." He replied. A few moments of silence passed before Racheal called out, "Done." Riyku would move back up to the counter. "So, when is the start date?" Riyku inquired to which Racheal replied, "Right after the exam period. So if you have any preparations or want to do some training you should do so before the exams." Racheal replied to which Riyku nodded. "Thanks." He would proceed towards the door in which Racheal called out, "When are you going to come by?" Riyku stopped to think on it for a second. "Tonight," Riyku replied before heading out the door. Racheal seemed quite happy with the response. "Okay." She called out happily. Riyku stuffed his hands into his pockets and stepped outside the building. Taking a look up at the sky it was almost time for classes to be over for the day. Though his mind was filled with everything that had happened from yesterday till now. "User Riyku?" Coco called out, almost as if she had been watching the entire time. "Hm?" Riyku inquired through a hushed groan. "Training is usually the best way to free yourself from any distractions." It was as if she had been reading his mind.


    "Is there anywhere to train?" Riyku inquired via mental link this time around. "There is, though I am sure you''ll be surrounded by other students," Coco stated to which Riyku sighed softly. "It''s fine. I just need to keep everything on the down low." He stated mentally before moving onward. "Guide me." He added in which a tracking guide appeared on his UI for him to follow. It wouldn''t take long for him to reach the training grounds Coco spoke of; in fact, they were right behind the University. Although, there seemed to be almost no one around. A few stragglers practicing various magic spells on dummy targets. Some people using wooden swords as well as other uses Magic Devices like wands and gloves. "Which one..." Riyku mused to himself before taking to a station where there was a dummy several meters ahead of him. Since he wasn''t trying to draw attention to himself, no one realized he was actually there. It was a good opportunity for him to bring forth his weapons via Weapon Summon. In his right hand was his Trainee Steel Sword, and in his left was his Traniee Atomic Gun. The weight of the blade and the gun wasn''t anything shy of being heavy. Raising the gun upward he would angle it at the dummy. The dummies were similar to straw figures; however, the material used was something similar to a jelly substance. Riyku could take that from a first glance, as well as how the Magic used on them seemed to have high resistance and the blunt force from blades repelled off while making the dummies'' body ripple like water. It was the perfect practice partner, but who knew what would happen if he were to strike it.


    "Coco, what can you tell me about the dummies?" Riyku inquired just to see if she had any information. "Well, what I can pull from on record is that the Dummies are made of something similar to silicon. They are enhanced with extreme resistance to all magic types and have a high resistance to physical damage as well. All damage taken is migrated back into the atmosphere which is one of the enhancements; this also aids in making sure the dummy is no destroyed. However... the Dummies also have a self-regeneration enhancement just in case." With a slight nod, the male would pull the trigger. The sounds of gunfire echoing throughout the training grounds as he continued to pull the trigger several times. Though, once he heard a ''click'' and a ''beep'' he figured that he was out of ammo. "Hmm..." He mused lightly, "User Riyku, your Trainee Atomic Gun is built with a recharge that takes the matter into its clip. Therefore, you must wait for the recharge to end before you can use it again. This will only take about sixty seconds." Coco seemed to explain to which he nodded lightly before lowering the weapon and dashing towards the dummy. Indeed it had regenerated from the minor damage it had taken; swinging the blade from left to right over and over before coming overhead would cause the dummy to ripple as if migrating the damage taken.


    After sixty seconds had passed the male would leap back away from the dummy. A thought went through his mind as he wondered what he could do in with a combination of these two weapons. ''Shadow Step.'' The male''s body would seep into the shadows before arising from underneath the dummy. Bringing the Trainee Steel Sword upward as he sliced through it. Having arched his back in the process he would angle the Trainee Atomic Gun at the dummy, and release the entire clip before finishing his flip and gracefully landing upon the ground.


    ''Active Skill Learned: Shadow Surprise. Lv1''


    The text that appeared upon his UI caused his brow to rise. So, he could learn skills by simply testing out various combo methods? Did that mean he could come up with various skills? Regardless; he now drew in a crowd who were all glancing upon him. His eyes shifting from left to right before lowering his weapons to his side. "I guess that does it for today." In truth, it only felt like he practiced for half an hour, but maybe it was even less. He was thinking about leaving; but what would he do? Well, there was always returning to the shopping district; he had yet to browse for weapons or even finish taking a look at all the accessories from the shop from before. It was settled after moments of debating. He would head back into the shopping district; leaving the training grounds he would make sure no one was around before using ''Weapon Return'' to return his weapons to his inventory.


    Making his way out of the campus he came across the girl who had warned him about the person in first place on the ranking and Lira who were walking side by side while leaving the campus on their own. "Guess classes ended." Riyku thought to himself as he made his way towards the gate and proceeded in the opposite direction of them. A single hand stuffed into his pocket yet again while he made his way down the sidewalk and proceeded onward towards the shopping district. Bringing up his wrist with his ID band on it he would tap upon the chip of his wristband which brought up the display like before; however, he would navigate towards the school page in order to see if there were any assignments today. None seemed to have appeared yet so he closed out the display. His focus returned to the path before him, taking note of many people going places. His thoughts were what kind of weapons should he focus on buying and what accessories should he look for. As well as if he should check up on his Suit order.

 10 The driving force

    Once again the male was back at the Shopping District. Having thought to return to the shop where he purchased his clothing as well as placed his order; he decided against it since the Suit would not be ready till the day before the Games. The exams were months away so it meant that it took time to prepare a suit in general. Walking right past it the handsome male did attract eyes upon him; since he was still wearing the stylish black outfit from when he came here with Kristen. It was then he noticed a small child off in the distances balling her eyes out. Slowly the male approached the child, squatting down to her level and smiling softly at her. "Hello, how are you?" The child seemed to stop sobbing for a moment to look at the male before her. "I..." She looked around hastily. "Are you lost?" He asked softly to which the child nodded. Extending a hand out the male would introduce himself, "I am Riyku Von Rosario, what is your name?" The male seemed rather soft-hearted at this point. "Mary..." The child stated as she took the male''s hand. "Shall we go find your parents then?" He offered to which she nodded sadly. "Hmm... Can you be brave for me, Mary?" He asked the child to which the child tilted her head to the side. "Brave? You mean like when mommy asks me to not cry and be strong?" The male nodded softly to which she nodded lightly. "I can. Will it help us find mommy?" She asked to which the male nodded. "Yes. Can you tell me what your mommy looks like?" Riyku asked the child to which the child nodded lightly.


    "Mommy has brown hair and brown eyes; she was wearing a pink dress with flowers on it. She is also super pretty and strong." The male blinked before chuckling softly and patting her head lightly. "Alright, Mary. I am going to pick you up and we are going to go look for mommy." Riyku stated lightly to which she seemed confused until Riyku picked her up and settled her on top of his back. "Can you see your mommy?" He asked the child seemed to a bit awestruck by how high she was off the ground. "Whoooooa." She expressed. "Mary," Riyku called out to her to which she looked at him. "Oh sowwie," Mary stated before looking around and then pointed out in a direction. "I see her! I see mommy!" Riyku would follow Mary''s direction to which he approached the woman who was looking around worried. "Mommy!" The woman turned towards her daughter''s voice who was giggly and happy to see her mother. "Mary!" The mother shouted as she ran towards Riyku. "Oh thank you! thank you!" The woman thanked him more than she probably should have. "It''s not a problem," Riyku replied; as he looked at the worried mother she was indeed beautiful like her daughter stated. Helping Mary off of his shoulders he would set her beside her mother. "Mommy! Mommy! I was soo up high! I could see everything!" The child seemed rather excited with her short-lived adventure.


    The woman would hug her daughter tightly. "I am so glad you are safe." She stated happily. "I was brave just like mommy! Mister Riyku here helped me." She pointed to him to which he smiled softly. "Take care you two," Riyku stated as he turned away from the mother and her daughter, though the mother seemed to stop him. "Excuse me. If I can have your name before you go. You''ve been a huge help. I just want to know who you are." The woman asked to which the male chuckled lightly. "Riyku Von Rosario." He replied and was about to continue walking until she called out to him again. "Freya!" The woman called out. "Freya Mendoza." She stated her name in full. "I run the bakery shop at the far end of the district. Stop by sometime so I can properly thank you please!" She added as the male waved her off while walking away. "Bye-bye!" The daughter waved happily before her mother took her hand and they went off, perhaps heading home? Who knew.


    Riyku seemed to have continued his venture till he came across a sign that read ''Arms and Armor'' Proceeding inside he was greeted with the ringing of a bell and a warm "Heya fella! Welcome to Deyo''s Arms and Armor!" The bold and warm voice hit the male heavily to which he blinked. "Deyo?" He questioned before winching in pain as he placed a hand to his head. "Be right with ya!" The male shouted from behind the counter. Shaking the sudden pain away the male proceeded onward. His eyes looked around at several display cases with various weapons from swords to axes. Upon racks happened to be suits of various armors from chain to leather. "Yo!" Deyo the shopkeep shouted from the counter which drew in his attention. Something about the sudden person before him caused pain to spike forth once more throughout his mind which caused him to winch yet again. "You okay, fella?" The keep asked to which the male nodded. "Yeah. Just a bit of a headache." He replied though in truth he knew not why he had this sudden pain. "Well alright. So whatcha lookin'' for?" Deyo asked.


    "Good question... What do you have for sale? I am assuming those are all only holographic displays." Riyku had noticed a faint ''glitch'' and fake shine from the weapons and armors. The keep''s brow rose. "Oh? Well, they are just that. Though everything out there is what I have for sale. Anything in particular?" The keep inquired. "For now your selection of swords," Riyku replied. "Alright, just lemme get my assistant to check ya out so I can find ya the right kinda gear," Deyo replied to which the male''s brow rose. "Assistant?" It was then Deyo snapped his fingers and some kind of cyborg looking female maid came from the back. She appeared mostly human; except for her glowing bright blue eyes. "Sir?" Even the voice was humanlike. "Assist our guest," Deyo instructed to which the maid seemed to move from behind the counter and approach Riyku. "Going over status." The maid stated as a beam parted her eyes to scan over Riyku several times before finishing up. "Sending data. Data sent." The maid would return to the back area. "Alright, Let''s take a look." Deyo would take upon his ID chip to bring up a digital screen, tapping through it he eventually stopped upon the newly processed data.


    "Your name is Riyku Von Rosario eh? Hmm... Sounds familiar. Anyways, let''s see your level is..." It was then the male''s draw dropped completely. "E-E-Eighty-eight!?" Deyo shouted in surprise. "You are only twenty-five!?" He added before looking firmly at Riyku. "Boy... What have you been doing all your life? Hunting dragons!?" Deyo inquired as he slammed his hands upon the desk. Riyku sighed heavily and shook his head with a shrug. "Couldn''t say, I have Amnesia." He played it off even if it was partly true. For a solid moment, the keep eyed him firmly before dropping it with a sigh. "Well, I don''t have anything fit for a level of your caliber. The best I got is the Demon Slayer and the Angel Harvester." Deyo stated to which the male''s brow rose up. "Can you show them to me?" Riyku asked to which the keep noded. A snap of his fingers and the maid from earlier brought requested items to the counter. One blade was purely black with red veins that looked as if they were pulsating; the other was purely white with a dim shine to it. As Riyku moved to hover his hand over them a status window popped up upon his UI.


    Demon Slayer Replica +4


    Type: Sword


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    A weapon used in the ancient war between Man and Demon by the Great Hero Korin. The Demon Slayer is said to have slain several demons as well as the Demon Lord. +10% Bonus attack power when fighting against Demon Class enemies.


    Angel Harvester Replica +4


    Type: Sword


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    A weapon used in the ancient war between Man and Angel by the Great Hero Korin. The Angel Harvester is said to have captured several Angels inside of its blade. Including an ArchAngel. +10% Bonus attack power when fighting against Angel Class enemies.


    For a moment the male''s eyes widened when he noticed their rarity and what they offered. Not to mention they had this odd plus four next to it. Although, what did replica mean? Was it a remake of the original or was that something else? "Deyo, What is a Replica? Also when you said that you had nothing of my caliber were you referring to the plus four?" The things Riyku inquired about caused the male to blink rapidly. "Yo, Kid... Are you an inspector?" Deyo inquired. Inspector? What was an inspector? "Umm... No. What is that?" Deyo couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "An Inspector is someone who can look over that quality of an item. While Inspectors are not really rare; they are hard to come by since most Inspectors join up with those who forge weapons and accessories. They get paid to study over the quality of an item as well as give their stamp of approval on high-grade items." Deyo explained.


    So, there were others out there who could see the rarity of an item as well as its condition. This piqued Riyku''s interest, but he would save it for another time. It was mainly thanks to this ''system'' thing after all. "Well, I can look over them. Perhaps, I was in the past. I can''t quite remember everything." Riyku stated to which Deyo nodded. "That''s right, you got Amnesia. Well, then how about it. Do you want the items?" Deyo still did not seem to fully buy the Amnesia thing but regardless inquired as Riyku glanced over the status screen once more it was then he saw the value. Both were hefty two-thousand points. Right now he could only afford one and with no way to really know how much the suit would cost he would decline. Plus he still wanted to go over to the Accessory shop. "Too rich for your blood eh? I can tell ya are in school. So, tell ya what. There is an arcade of sorts across the street from here. You can spend ya points to earn points. Sorta like gamblin'' ya hear. Though, nothing too big. Though that ain''t why the kids go there. It''s the cause of the gaming ring ya see." Deyo stated to which Riyku''s brow rose lightly. "Gaming ring?" He inquired to which Deyo nodded. "It''s a quite simple mate. Anyone of all ages and join and play Gambit''s Dance no matter if you were challenged that day. As long as you keep winning you can remain in the ring, but the moment you lose that is all you get for the rest of the day. You can go back the next day to participate as well. Though there is a catch." Deyo explained to Riyku. "Of course." Riyku would agree to which Deyo nodded. "All games are low-tier. Nothing heavy like death matches; of course simple brawls are allowed though that would be the highest tier allowed. From what I''ve heard the yield for winning a brawl is one-hundred points flat. Other games are like fifty and the lowest is ten. The buy-in for the day is five-hundred points. They gotta make money to keep the business runnin'' after all." Deyo explained some more to which Riyku nodded having taken it all in fairly well.


    "I guess I''ll have to go check it out myself then." Riyku would turn on his heel to which Deyo laughed lightly. "Alright mate. I''ll put these on hold for ya since you seem interested in ''em; however, I don''t do that for just any customer. You gonna be a regular, ya hear?" Riyku would nod with a wave of his hand. "See you soon, Old man," Riyku stated as he left the store; the ringing bell was outmatched by the sound of Deyo''s laughter. Right across the street was a building with heavy tinted windows and a sign that read ''Gambit''s Arcade''. Riyku would move towards the building and push open the window doors to where he was greeted with arcade noises as well as cheers from off in the distance. It was shortly after did someone dressed as a hostess approaches him. His eyes shifted towards this woman who was nowhere near as tall as he was. "Welcome!" She exclaimed with that customer services fake smile. Riyku would nod as he looked around and about. "Is it your first time here?" The woman called out over the noise; though Riyku could easily tune the noise out so she wouldn''t have to. "Yes," Riyku replied to which the Woman looked him over. Taking several moments to examine him; she just realized how awestriking handsome this man was. A tint of pink took to her cheeks when she gazed into his eyes that seemed to continue to scout out the area. "Well then, allow me to welcome you once more." She composed herself hastily which drew his attention back in. "To the left, we have the Arcade Games and to the right the Dining Area. Behind me is the Gaming Ring; however, to enter you need to buy the pass to get in. Since it is your first time here; the first time is free. As a means to allow you to test the waters and see if you enjoy the Gaming Ring or not." The woman explained to which Riyku''s eyes shifted to the directions pointed.


    "I''ll take you up on the offer for the Gaming Ring," Riyku stated to which the woman nodded as she moved behind the counter she was previously. There she would place a device on top of the countertop. "Inset your Wristband here please." She motioned to the strange device to which the male would follow her instructions. The device would scan the chip of wristband before making a ka-ching sound. "All done, enjoy your stay." Her smile this time around was real rather than fake. The male nodded and move behind the counter and in front of a door frame. It looked like some kind of scanner door, to be honest; with the transparent inside of the frame with text that read ''Gamers and Authorized Personal only.'' Well, he was a Gamer so... He pushed through the transparent frame which gave off a pleasant ding sound. Perhaps it was some kind of judgment door that wouldn''t allow you to enter if you were not authorized to enter. Well no matter, Riyku would proceed onward further into the corridor. The sounds of cheers and other noises coming about along with what appeared to be a crowd of people seated around a large ring. The only opening was the walkway that was clear for him which seemed to lead to the ring. He was here for partake of this event after all and simply made his way into the ring where several others were indulging in Games. From rock paper scissors to simple coin-flips. Everyone seemed partnered up so the male simply had to wait it would seem. His eyes glanced around here and there watching people win and lose their games. The winners remained in the ring while the losers moved to the spectators seating.


    "Hey, you!" A voice called from behind him. "Tall dark and the handsome looking guy that looks like he belongs in a modeling film. I am talking to you!" A squeaking female''s voice called from behind him yet again which caused him to turn his head towards the voice. Small, blond twin-tail dyed blue tips woman with auburn iris looked up at him. A lollipop seemed to be firm in her mouth; though that was all that was noticeable. She appeared to be wearing an unzipped black jacket with neon blue lining; her entire upper body was exposed revealing smooth pale flesh and what was probably a black sports bra with neon blue stars. Her lower body happened to be black short shorts that matched her upper attire and black knee-high stockings with neon blue lines. Even her shoes were black with neon blue lining as well. "You shouldn''t be here." The girl called at him which caused his iris to shift towards her own. "what makes you say that?" The male inquired as he crossed his arms under his abdominal area. "You might hurt your pretty face." The girl removed her loli from her mouth and pointed it at him with a smirk. The male shook his head and waved his hand about. "A child treating me like she is older than me. I''m perfectly fine." The male replied to which the girl growled. "What did you call me!? I''ll have you know I am--" She was interrupted when a male approached the girl from behind. Rather young in age; but wore a butler outfit. "Young Miss, You know that you must not come here anymore. Especially while wearing such a revealing outfit." The worried male would kneel down before her with concern.


    "I can go where I please!" The girl cried out as she stomped her heel into the ground and shoved the butler aside. "I have business to settle with Connor! Don''t get in my way, Henry!" The girl would stomp past both her butler Henry as well as Riyku to approach another male who seemed to be glancing over his screen. "Connor!" The girl called out to the highschooler looking boy with red hair. His brown eyes glanced up from his screen to look at the girl before smirking deviously. "Have you come here to lose again? Must be nice, being rich." The male called out as he dismissed his screen back into his ID wristband. The butler would sigh heavily as he stood beside Riyku. "Is it going to happen again? When will she learn she can''t beat him." Henry muttered to which Riyku shifted his eyes towards the male. "Again?" Riyku inquired to which Henry nodded. "The Young Miss use to come to this Arcade when she was a child. She loved playing all the games in the Arcade, but as she grew more addicted she began to overtake everyone''s high scores and eventually was crowned Queen of Gambit''s Arcade. That was until a year ago; that boy over there dethroned her. He beat out every one of her scores and eventually defeated her a brawl match." Henry would explain to which Riyku shifted his eyes back towards the girl and Connor. "Is that so?" Riyku mused lightly as he watched the exchange unfold.


    "Being Rich has nothing to do with this! I will defeat you! I will win!" The girl shouted as she raised her wristband up to her. The band was even customized with a neon blue lining. Did this girl have an obsession? "Are you challenging me again? That means I get to pick the game." Connor would snicker. "I accept. Of course, the game is a simple brawl." The male would state to which an alert beamed up. "A brawl will be in session shortly. Once all present games are finished the brawl will begin. All personnel not involved in the brawl must report to the spectators seating. No games will be allowed during the event of the brawl." The alert would repeat itself a few more times. It was then chatter filled the atmosphere.


    "Again?"


    "Doesn''t she ever learn?"


    "She''s just going to lose again. Why does she even come here anymore?"


    "Girls should just stay out of gaming."


    It felt more like groaning than actual conversation. Henry would look to Riyku, "Come on. Let''s go." Riyku would look towards Henry before looking back at the two before nodding. "Alright." They would proceed to the spectator seating and take a seat while waiting for the remaining games to finish. This did not take long in all honesty; no more than a mere five minutes. "The brawl will now begin at the sound of the siren." The voice announcer once again came on before falling silent. The girl seemed to tap the tip of her toes against the ground while the male yawned while they waited for the siren. "How many times has she challenged him?" Riyku inquired to which Henry sighed heavily, "Over three hundred times. Not once as she won.. I am afraid." The response he got was a bit much. Three hundred times eh? So every day she came here to battle this Connor and not once did she win. Something was off here... Either the male was super strong, the girl was super weak. Either way, he would find out shortly.


    The siren would ring and the girl seemed to instantly dash towards Connor. A battle cry parted her lips as she vaulted into the air spinning rapidly before bringing her heel down upon Connor. Connor would yawn once more and raise his hand upward to catch her heel. Though the force behind this attack was nothing shy; dust kicked up from the ground beneath him and it felt as if the ring itself shook. "Something new... Did you practice it for days? You should go be a cheerleader, you look rather cute after all." Connor would snicker as he pushed her back into the air. The girl would growl at the remark and when she landed she would dash towards him yet again. This time she seemed to pick up speed and bring her fist forward to sucker-punch him. A chuckle left Connor as he slipped past this fast pace attack and moved around her; lifting her pigtails up to smell them while she continued forward. "Quite a lovely fragrance. Tell me, Cira. Why ruin your beautiful face and smell?" Connor called out. "If anything you could go back to being the simple pretty princess and have anything and everything you wanted. So why take from us?" Connor would growl as he dashed towards the girl, Cira and reached out to grasp her by the hair and yank her back towards him. Only to trip her while she stumbled backward in which he slammed his elbow into her gut which caused her to cough out the air in her lungs while being forced towards the ground. Riyku''s brow rose slightly as he noticed how tactful Connor maneuvered; however, his strength did not seem to compare even the least bit to Cira''s let alone his speed.


    Connor would walk away from Cria with a heavy sigh. "Tell me, why do you continue this pointless bout? Go back to your family and leave us alone." Connor would state to which Cria would push herself off the ground. "Never." She would grit her teeth. Connor glared towards her. "I''ll never stop. You are the reason none of the girls come here anymore. You treat them as sexual objects or toys. You believe the Arcade is only fit for boys and men!? I will never stop coming after you. As long as I can breathe, as long as I can stand, I will always hunt you down until the girls can come and enjoy the Arcade once again!" She boldly exclaimed as he took to her stance. Riyku would look around and indeed no females were around. Even more so from when he was at the entrance the only woman was the hostess. "Oh... My Master. I am sorry... If I were stronger I could help you." Henry seemed to sob lightly. Riyku shifted his glance back to the brawl before him. Connor having gone into a fit of laughter. "Your weak ideals mean nothing. All girls and woman should keep out of this place. You treat us men like trash. We are nothing more than mere dirt to you. So when we ignore you dainty prissy and proceed to our sanctuary of gaming you try to invade and bring your bullshit ideals with you." Connor growled under his breath. "Enough of this bullshit! You won''t stop coming after me unless I break few bones eh? Well, It''s not death combat, but there is no rule against breaking bones!" Connor would dash towards Cira; a sudden blaze of speed sprung from his step as if something had pushed him.


    It was then Riyku caught sight of it. Someone in the spectators seating had been providing aid to Connor without being noticed. Riyku did not truly understand how this was being done, but it was there. "Henry... Is there a rule against aiding those in the ring while not being inside the ring?" Riyku inquired to which the male looked to him. "Well... Those in the spectators seating are not allowed to intervene. Only Employees can actually do anything. If anyone is caught doing anything to those in the ring; then they can receive various punishments one of which can even cause them to be permanently banned." Henry explained though in other words there was an Anti-cheat rule. Kissing his teeth the male would explain to Henry. "Connor is being aided by someone in the spectators seating. It''s probably some kind of buff spell." Riyku whispered to Henry whose eyes grew wide. "Are you saying he is cheating!?" He exclaimed to which Riyku attempted to hush him before nodding lightly. "Yes. Can you fetch the hostess along with the manager of this place?" Riyku inquired as he stood up. "Well, I can, but what are you going to do?" Henry inquired as he looked up at Riyku. "I can''t have the helper running off if I catch him. So I think I''ll teach Connor a little lesson. You''ll put in a good word for me, won''t you?" Riyku smirked as he glanced down at Henry. Henry''s eyes lite up as if he were awestruck. "Yes of course!" Henry hurriedly stood up and rushed out of the area while Riyku glanced over at Cira who was taking quite the beating from Connor. Her clothing covered in dirt and blood along with bruises on her pale flesh. "Well then... Blink." The male muttered and with that, his person vanished instantly.


    Panting heavily, Cira was struggling to keep up while she glared at Connor who was laughing at her. "This is it. Say goodbye to your arms and legs." Connor shouted as he dashed at her yet again to which Cira plopped down on her rear from the exhaust and closed her eyes tightly. It was only until she heard everyone gasp and Connor shout; "What the hell!?" Riyku had appeared right between Connor and Cira; his palm blocking the fist Connor had come at Cira with. The force had kicked up dust and even shook the entirety of the ring to a massive degree. Cira would slowly open her eyes to see the tall man from earlier, "Y-you... Model guy..." she spoke through heavy breathing. "You put up quite a fight there, Cira," Riyku stated as he looked back at Cira with a smile before glaring at Connor. "What''s your problem man!? You can''t intervene in the middle of a game!" Connor shouted to which Riyku snickered as he pushed the male back. "Considering you have been getting aid from someone in the audience." Riyku would snicker. "Wha? Cheating!? As if!" Connor shouted. The crowd seemed to gossip here and there. "Cheating?" Cira quizzed. "Yup, someone has been providing him buffs throughout your bout. Initially, his speed and power were overall lower than yours. As the battle went on though, he seemed to get stronger. In a one on one, you would have already dusted this guy. However..." The male would glare daggers at Connor. "You were going to break her bones with buffs you got from outside help eh?"


    "As If! You don''t have proof!" Connor shouted to which Riyku snickered. "Then let''s see... You can use those buffs on me. However... I''ll be sure to engrave true terror into your flesh." Riyku snickered as he slammed his fist together. Connor would grit his teeth; the sheer coldness coming from Riyku''s words was enough to send shivers down his spine as if he were being intimidated. It was then... ''Blink''. Riyku''s body would vanish from the spot and appear in front of Connor who squealed like a little girl at the mere sight of Riyku''s wick grin before his body was launched skyward from a fist to the chin. Instantly; it was a knockout. The unconscious eyes from Connor were more than enough to prove that and even more so it seemed his ''friend'' from the seating had stood up and was about to make a run for it. That was until the hostess, Manager, and Henry all stopped said person in their tracks. Riyku would exhale a breath before looking back at Cira who was holding her bruised arm and approaching the male. "You... are hella strong... for a model..." She spoke weakly before seeming to collapse towards him. Riyku reached out to catch her a slightly worried look on his face before he examined her body to make sure there was no immediate danger. Once he cleared that up he would scope her into his arms and carry her out of the ring. The people in the seating were all silent and awestruck; "Everyone out!" The Manager shouted. "Now!" He added to which everyone left; right after Riyku did with Cira. They seemed to be waiting in the lobby now when the Hostess, Henry, and the Manager approached with both Connor and his accomplice. "Are you Riyku Von Rosario?" The Manager inquired to which Riyku nodded. "I am." The manager would sigh heavily. "I must thank you for what you''ve done. You not only saved our backers daughter but also got rid of the nuisance that was plaguing our Arcade." The Manager stated while Henry took Cira from Riyku. "So you knew?" Riyku inquired to which the Manager shook his head.


    "Not in full detail. We figured something was odd with how someone as strong as Cira who is in a Pro Division continuously lost to Connor who was is the Polished Division. We suspected cheating at first, but through investigation found nothing. Therefore we could not take action. Though, I am glad you came along. You see, Cira is the daughter of Maverick Marvin. Maverick was the founder as well as the supporter of Gambit''s Arcade. He went off to great more business like the Arcade here but is also the Backer of our Arcade as well. So you see, we were glad you saved Cira. If anything drastic were to happen when it did... Who knows what would have happened." The Manager explained to which Riyku looked towards Cira and Henry. Henry would confirm the claim this man said. Riyku would then look back to him and shake his head. "I don''t like cheaters. So no need to give me anything." He stated; however, that was almost contradictory since his ''system'' far exceeded their own as well as the fact that he came to this world at a high level, to begin with. The manager shook his head, "We won''t take no for an answer. Please, let us provide you with at least three hundred thousand points for your trouble." Riyku blinked rapidly at the amount offer. That was more than enough to get those weapons as well as have plenty more to spend later. Composing himself perfectly he would nod. "Very well. I''ll accept. Though, May I be allowed to come again?" Riyku inquired to which both the Hostess and the Manager nodded rapidly. "Of course! We will welcome you. Also, we will you a V.I.P Pass so you get discounts on all games and even the Dinning area. There are also exclusives VIP areas for the Dining Area as well." The manager stated to which Riyku nodded. "Okay, Thank you." He stated to which the Manager shook his head. "No! Thank you! Mimi! Please apply the points and VIP Pass to his wristband." The Manager told the Hostess. "Of course! Right, this way please." She asked Riyku to follow him. "Henry, do take care of Cira for me and her father." The manager asked to which Henry nodded. "I already called the house and let them know. They are on their way now." Henry replied. "Thank you. If you''ll excuse me... I need to finish this mess up." The Manager would drag both Connor and his accomplice somewhere. Henry would bow to Riyku, "Thank you Master Riyku. Please, stop by the Marvin residence whenever you can. It is right past the schools in the opposite direction of the shopping district.


    Riyku would nod to Henry to which the male left with Cira in his arms. He would then look towards Mimi the hostess who brought up the same device as before and placed it on the counter. "Handsome and chivalrous... that is quite a deadly combo to any woman." She attempted to flirt with which to which Riyku merely smirked as he placed the wristband where it need be and she began the process. "Those are the type of men you are into? I could''ve sworn it was the more dangerous ones." Riyku teased to which she sighed happily. "Are you dangerous?" Mimi inquired as she went through the process. "Perhaps. Guess you''ll have to find out on your own." Riyku replied with a wink which caused her to coo lightly. "Quite the tease you are. I''ll be keeping my eye on you, Rosario." Mimi would wink when they finished the process with the ka-ching noise. "All set." She stated before blowing the man a kiss who seemed to purposely ''catch'' the kiss on his cheek before leaving with a wave of his hand. "I''ll be back another time." He called out as he left the building. Cira and Henry were nowhere in sight; perhaps they had already left. All that was left now was to return to Deyo and get those weapons. Judging from the time of day; he spent maybe an hour in that Arcade. Well, he still had a few hours to kill before his scheduled plan to go to Racheal''s place. Riyku would walk over to Deyo''s shop and push through the doors. Empty as it was when he first came in, yet the old man well he wasn''t really old. Mature in age, but not old; had still been at the counter only this time he was polishing some breastplate. "Oh, Welcome back. Did ya get anything? You were only gone for about an hour." Deyo stated to which Riyku smirked and approached the counter. "I did, I''d like to purchase those swords now," Riyku stated firmly to which Deyo nodded and snapped his fingers. The maid from earlier brought up the weapons again.


    Bringing up his Gamer Status from his wristband the screen now read:


    Rank: Polished (180)


    Wins: 4


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points:302,127


    Gambit''s Arcade Battle Pass: VIP Status


    Nice! His points were now over three hundred thousand and he even gained something new. Perhaps it was that Pass the Manager spoke of. As he confirmed this, Deyo looked at him. "So how many points ya get anyway?" Riyku would grin widely as he turned the screen towards Deyo who looked over it before going eye wide. "What the!?" "How in!?" "Nevermind... You''re gonna be a regular right? That was your promise!" Deyo shouted as if he were trying to keep his customer. Riyku smirked and nodded. "Of course, that was the promise. Now you just got to keep up with the weapons and armor. If not, I might go elsewhere." Riyku stated to which Deyo smirked as if it that were a challenge. "Of course, Brotha! What else might ya be interested in lookin'' at other than the two swords? I got Daggers as well as bows all kinds of things ya might fancy." Deyo stated in which Riyku dismissed the screen by tapping upon the ID chip. "Let''s see them then," Riyku stated with a smirk and Deyo nodded with a bright smile. "Take a look!" He would bring up a digital catalog for the male to look through. One could tell from the various weapons and armor on this catalog that, Deyo and Riyku were going to become quite close friends and business partners in the near future.

 11 Preparations are essential

    Finally! Riyku had finished all of his shopping; from weapons and armor to accessories and even miscellaneous items for hygiene and what not. Everything was stored into his inventory which was easier to do without being caught than he at first anticipated. Looking up at the sky; it was now nightfall. The streets were not as crowded as they had been during the daytime. Some shops were closing down as well while others seemed to be opening up. He still had not forgotten about his plans for this evening so; "Coco, pull up directions to Racheal''s place." Riyku whispered and instantly directions would be pulled up upon a mini-map. Shifting his hands into his pockets the male proceeded onward towards his destination.


    Meanwhile back at the dorms. Kristen had been laying in the bed her arm rested over her eyes as she thought about why Riyku had yet to come back. "He''s not mad is he?" She whispered softly. "I mean... It seemed that he did care about me, is it because I threw myself on him last night? He didn''t resist... Was it a test?" Thoughts would flood her mind. "He probably thinks I am just some dirty girl who will take anyone to bed now." Tears began to whelm up in her eyes. "But then why did he say those things to that girl?" She had recalled that Riyku would make it seem like he was some kind of villain just to keep her dignity intact. The more she thought about it the more confused she became. The male was a complete mystery to her after all. She thought, that by sleeping with him he would open up to her more, but it appeared that nothing had changed. Not even that void of despair in his eyes. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he moved to sit up and bring up her menu on her ID wristband. She hovered over the contacts list and searched for Riyku''s name. The thought of giving him a call crossed her mind several times, but what if he didn''t answer? And if did; what would he say? Would he think less of her? As she struggled internally someone seemed to have been ringing the doorbell to their dorm rapidly for quite a while now.


    Waking up from these thoughts the woman would push herself off of the bed and dismiss the screen as she made her way to the door. "Coming!" She called out; she had still been wearing the outfit same outfit as when she left so she wasn''t concerned about her attire in the slightest. Opening the door she was greeted with a long silver-haired woman who happened to be wearing glasses; who had a concerned look on her face. "Vex? What''s wrong?" Kristen asked when she noticed her expression. "Have you seen Lira or at least been in contact with her recently?" Vex inquired to which Kristen shook her head. "No. Why did something happen?" Kristen inquired. "She just vanished. Like into thin air." Vex explained to which Kristen looked confused. "What do you mean?" Kristen asked. "I don''t know. One moment she was there, the next she was gone." Vex would answer. "We were just walking around town. Hanging out and what not. We thought about going to the Mall, but..." Vex''s eyes would go wide. "Oh god... Did someone kidnap her?" Vex would place her hand to her mouth as she stumbled away from the door. "Kidnap her? What do you mean!?" Kristen''s expression shifted into a more serious ordeal. "We were walking with a crowd of other people. It was when I finished crossing the road did I notice Lira had been missing. I tried to call out to her, then I tried calling her but apparently, she was out of signal range. I searched all over town, and I had hoped that maybe she would arrive here..." Vex would explain as slight tears began to whelm in her eyes.


    Kristen would grit her teeth. "We need to find her. Quickly!" Kristen exclaimed as he slipped some shoes on and moved out of the room. "Come on. If anyone did take her, she probably isn''t in town. Perhaps somewhere else... I can only assume that she is in one of the lower districts of the city." Vex was suddenly pulled when Kristen took her wrist to drag her along. "Lower District? Why would anyone from the lower quarter want anything to do with us?" Vex questioned to which Kristen shook her head. "I don''t know. Although, It can''t be good. We need to hurry. I''ll send a message to several others who can help." Kristen was already in the process of doing that actually to the point where she had finished by the time they reached the elevator.


    Back to Riyku who was already sitting naked in Racheal''s bed. The woman behind him seemed fast asleep while he had been wide awake. "Looks like you can''t quite handle me just yet." The male teased softly before shifting his attention his wristband which had vibrated. Tapping upon the ID chip a sudden message would display.


    ''This is Kristen. Lira has been abducted by an unknown group. I and Vex are on foot heading to the lower quarter; we have reason to believe that she was taken there. Please come to aid us. Also, do not waste time with the police force; as you know, they do not handle matters in the lower quarter.''


    Riyku read the message mentally before narrowing his eyes slightly and hunched over; resting his elbows on his legs while clasping his fingers together in thought. "User Riyku? Are you not going to support them?" Coco would call out through his mind. Riyku would stay silent for a moment. "It would be an excellent opportunity to test out the set of armor and weapons you bought as well as the effects of the accessories you have yet to equip." Boy did it seem Coco had quite the silver tongue as well. Although, she wasn''t wrong either. Looking back to at Racheal he made note of her still fast asleep; his eyes shifted towards a nearby digital clock which read eleven-thirty post meridiem. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as moved from the bed and gathered his clothing scattered around the room only to proceed to the bathroom to get dressed. Once the door was closed and his clothing was on the male would flick his wrist which brought up his main menu as always.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 88


    Shield Points: 705/705


    Mana Points: 500/500


    Energy: 650/275


    Form duration: N/A


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 141


    Toughness: 134


    Agility: 141


    Wisdom: 125


    Intelligence: 125


    Charisma: 141


    Skill points to spend: 32


    He would navigate to his inventory which brought up the shadow silhouette of him as well as the accessory boxes and armor boxes this also included the inventory itself of course. His inventory was filled with various weapons it seemed, as well as armor and other items. He would first click on the armor pieces, he had purchased five in total. Since it seemed boots and gloves came in pairs they were a single box; while torso and bottoms were separate and lastly there was a headpiece.


    Thief''s boots:


    Type- Light Armor


    Rarity- B


    Condition- Fresh


    A thief is nimble and daring; cunning even and therefore their way must be as such as well. +20 Agility when worn. +5% Critical Evasion.


    Thief''s Gloves:


    Type- Light Armor


    Rarity- B


    Condition- Fresh


    A thief must always be capable of cutting purses or picking pockets with ease and without delay. The gloves of a thief are often perfect a perfect match for their deeds. +10 Agility, +5 Wisdom, +5 Intelligence. +5% Critical Evasion.


    Thief''s Mantle:


    Type- Light Armor


    Rarity- B


    Condition- Fresh


    The mantle of a thief is what keeps them shrouded in the night. Not to mention the light weight of this chest piece is capable of protecting them in case of a situation arises. +10 Toughness, +10 Agility. +5% Critical Evasion.


    Thief''s Pants:


    Type- Light Armor


    Rarity- B


    Condition- Fresh


    One''s pants are not to be mistaken as simple attire of fashion. With great freedom comes greater maneuverability. +10 Agility, +10 Toughness. +5% Critical Evasion.


    Thief''s Hood:


    Type- Light Armor


    Rarity- B


    Condition- Fresh


    The hood of a thief will often keep their face hidden from view; only allowing their devious smirks and snickers to be shown to the public long before the public can realize that had lost a coin-purse or two. +10 Agility, +10 Charisma. +5% Critical Evasion. Effect: Obstructed Vision.


    That did it for the set which seemed to come into view upon his person right over his clothing from dim light particles. The color was shrouded in black from head to toe yet he still appeared rather stylish like some kind of rogue. Still, there was more to be done. He needed to equip the accessories, but when he was about to a text box appeared before him.


    ''Debuff: Obstructed Vision applied. Vision has been tunneled until the wearer removes or lowers the hood piece.''


    ''Armor Buff applied: Critical Evasion increase by 25% when wearing Thief''s armor set.''


    The male blinked; had his vision been obstructed? He didn''t feel like it had, but then again that was probably thanks to the increase in his senses. From sound to feel; he could clearly understand what was around him as if he were looking right at it, even if it was in a blind spot. Then there was the armor buff. An increase to Critical Evasion; if he totaled everything up it was a nice fifty percent. It was a lovely addition that he knew nothing of. The only other thing he didn''t know about was what this Critical Evasion even meant. For now, he would move onto his accessories. In total, he bought five. A bracelet, a couple of rings, a necklace and some kind of earring piece.


    Eleven Bracelet:


    Type- Wrist


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A bracelet that was worn by the ancient elven civilization. It is said to hold magical power locked away. +5 Wisdom, + 5 Intelligence, +50 Mana.


    Ring of Mana:


    Type- Ring


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A ring that is infused with an abundance of mana as well as allows one to cultivate mana from the surrounding area when worn. +100 Mana, +2 mana points per second.


    Ring of Vitality:


    Type- Ring


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A ring that is said to bring one''s endurance up and energize them more so; than they are could be when worn. +100 Shield Points, +100 Energy.


    Necklace of Shade:


    Type- Necklace


    Rarity- B


    Condition- New


    A necklace brought about from the abyss through odd means. No one knows where it came from or how it came to be. All they know is the wearer can become invisible when worn. Effect: Darkness'' Grace: Become Camoflouge to your surroundings when crouched for twenty seconds.


    Well, it seemed the same applied as when he equipped the armor pieces. Only the accessories were a bit hard to make out since the leather covered them up. Now that was settled and done with all that was left was the weapons. He had bought just about any weapon that would help in any situation. He wanted to test his two new swords out, but there were two other weapons that would prove more useful in the upcoming situation. Especially if he were dealing with multiple targets or a single enemy. For now, he would set those on hold and return to his status screen to check everything out.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 88


    Shield Points: 805/805


    Mana Points: 690/690


    Energy: 650/455


    Form duration: N/A


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Strength: 141


    Toughness: 154


    Agility: 201


    Wisdom: 135


    Intelligence: 135


    Charisma: 151


    Buffs:


    +2 Mana Per second


    +50% Critcal Evasion


    Debuffs:


    Obstructed Vision


    Eyeing the screen he noticed an increase in his Shield Points, Mana points and Energy. Well, that was to be expected to be honest; though the new buffs were also eye pleasing as well. Even the debuff had been applied; yet seemed to have no effect what so ever. All that was left was to track down the rest of the group. "Coco, is there a way to track down Kristen?" Riyku inquired to which Coco seemed to mule over the question in thought. "I believe there is; the only problem is that you don''t have the skill to do so yet. If things go like normal you will either acquire or learn it through this method; however, I don''t know how effective the tracking will be." Coco replied to which Riyku shook his head. "Doesn''t matter. Tell me." Riyku stated firmly to which Coco would reply, "Alright. Go into your companion''s list and look for Kristen then tap on her name and a box should appear." Riyku would open the tab to Companions.


    Coco-


    Rank: Operator


    Class: N/A


    Affinity: Helper


    Type: Support


    Club: N/A


    Jack Justice-


    Rank: Polished


    Class: 3C


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: Brawler


    Club: ???


    Bell ???-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Sophina ???-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Enemy or Ally?


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Rick Lofty-


    Rank: Scrub


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: All-rounder


    Club: Leader of Card Club


    Mel Melanie-


    Rank: Scrub


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Goldfish and old-maid specialist


    Club: Card


    Jessica Volz-


    Rank: Scrub


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Poker specialist


    Club: Card


    Eden Ions-


    Rank: Scrub


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: Memory Game


    Club: Card


    Nora ???-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ?


    Affinity: Ally?


    Type: All-rounder


    Club: Co-Leader of Card Club


    Racheal ???-


    Rank: ???


    Affinity: Playmate


    Type: ???


    Club: Office Guide


    Kirsten Luvlin-


    Rank: Legend (7)


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Playmate


    Type: Brawler


    Club: ???


    Skylar Novaa-


    Rank: Polished


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Friend


    Type: Runner


    Club: Track Club New Captain


    Mina Novva-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Friend


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Amorira Aro-


    Rank: Polished


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Enemy


    Type: Runner


    Club: Former Captain of Track Club


    Barron Vexon the fourth -


    Rank: Legend(8)


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Rival


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Lira ???-


    Rank: ???


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Yumo ???-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Owner of the clothing shop


    Affinity: Business Partner


    Type: ???


    Natalie ???-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Owner of the Accessories shop.


    Affinity: Business Partner


    Type: ???


    Freya Mendoza-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Owner of the Bakery Shop


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: ???


    Mary Mendoza-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ??? / Daughter of Freya Mendoza


    Affinity: Friend


    Type: ???


    Deyo ???-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Owner of Arms and Armor


    Affinity: Business Partner


    Type: ???


    Henry ???-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Butler for the Marvin family


    Affinity: Ally


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    Cira Marvin-


    Rank: ???


    Class: ??? / Daughter of Maverick Marvin


    Affinity: ???


    Type: Brawler


    Club: ???


    Mimi ???-


    Rank: ???


    Job: Hostess of Gambit''s Arcade


    Affinity: Fan


    Type: ???


    Vex ???-


    Rank: ???


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: ???


    Type: ???


    Club: ???


    The male would scroll through the list which held more names to it than last he checked. Stopping on Kristen some more information had also been updated. It was just Coco had stated from earlier that she would automatically update his Companions list with people he interacted with. Tapping upon Kristen''s name a text bot would appear that read.


    ''Invite to party'' ''Whisper'' ''Track''


    From here he figured he would just put the other two options on hold and press the ''track'' option. It was then a smooth guiding stream of light appeared on his UI for him to follow as well as another text box.


    ''Passive Skill acquired. Tracker Lv. Max.''


    Another maxed skill? Just what was he in his previous lives anyway? Regardless, he was thankful for the fact that this skill was maxed. If it wasn''t who knew how effective the tracking would have been. "Nice! Looks like you''ll be able to follow them all the way from here. You should get going." Coco stated in which Riyku nodded and proceeded out the bathroom door. Since the lights weren''t on he seemed to blend right into the darkness; if anything the moonlight from outside was the only glimmer that allowed anyone to even see him at this point. Taking note that Racheal was still asleep he would hastily move out of the door but remained quiet nonetheless down the hall to the elevator he went. Only to race out of the building and down the road; of course, with his attire the way it was he would probably be mistaken for an actual thief. So the male would maneuver onto a rooftop of the housing around. Thankfully this area did have housing which seemed to connect with the shopping district that the tracker was leading him on. So he was able to keep from the view of anyone while making way towards Kristen''s Location. "Don''t do anything too rash..." He muttered under his breath.


    Meanwhile, Kristen and Vex seemed to have already been investigating the lower quarter. The place was a slum. Law did not seem to reach down it; since around every corner happened to be either drug deals or prostitution going on. Sick families also seemed to have been trying to make a living down here as well. It was like the poverty of the country. "Shouldn''t we head back." Vex seemed to tremble lightly as they drew eyes from around. Kristen held her nerve though; "No. We need to find Lira before anything happens." Kristen replied just as firm as her resolve had been. "But... What if we get into trouble? Who will help us?" Vex seemed nervous to no end. "I''ve already sent word. If anyone... I know he''ll come." Kristen stated boldly; with full confidence that who she was talking about would indeed show up. "Who?" Vex asked, but before Kristen could answer a group of bandit looking men surrounded them. Hysterical laughter filled the air as one of the men walked up to Kristen. "Hey... cutie. What brings you down here? Looking for a fun time? Need some money? I can show you around." The men would offer with a cold tongue and devious smirk. Kristen would smack the male''s hand away with a growl. "Like hell, I would allow you to even touch me! You pigs need to know your place!" Kristen shouted furiously. The male growled, "Damn bitch!" He would hastily move to grasp the dagger hidden in the sheath under his sash only to swing at Kristen who would step into the male''s space and knock the attack aside by slapping his wrist. Quickly she brought a fist upward to strike at the male''s chin which sent him skyward and away from her into his group of buddies who all seemed to make way for the poor sap to land on his back out cold.


    "Is that all?" Kristen taunted them with a snicker to which the men around them growled angrily before the sound of heavy clapping came from behind them. The men suddenly made room for this humongous man who looked like some kind of tank with how his body was built. "Impressive. Tell me, girl, why are you here?" The man''s deep voice held a certain evil to it; one that meant he wasn''t to be trifled with. The men around him seemed to all hold a deep respect for him as well; which probably meant he was the Boss of the Lower Quarter or something like that. Vex seemed to hide behind Kristen with a trembling body meanwhile Kristen only glared up at the tall man who was probably taller than Riyku. "I am looking for my friend, Lira. A violet-haired woman so to speak." Kristen replied firmly to which the man nodded in understanding. "I see. I do recall my men bringing me in a violet-haired woman." The man stated to which Kristen''s expression brightened. "Where is she!?" Kristen exclaimed to which the man snickered with a wicked grin. "Probably on her way to the Whore House if she isn''t already there. The Master of that place bought her the moment we caught her. I guess she was a special order." To these words, Kristen''s bright expression turned grime; almost horrified. "Oh, do not worry. You two will be joining your friend shortly. After all women of your quality are hard to come by down here." The man remarked with an evil laugh to which his men followed up.


    "Like hell!" Kristen shouted in anger. "Tell me where this damn place is! I''ll go get her!" Kristen shouted to which the man chuckled darkly. "Why? I''ll be taking you there myself. After I have some fun with you two first. Men! Get ready!" The male commanded to which his men all took up arms from daggers to swords and maces. The man himself seemed to equip spiked brass knuckles which he slammed together with a dark grin. "I can''t wait to hear you two scream. We''ll be sure to engrave pleasure all over your bodies before handing you off." Vex would plop on the ground while Kristen looked around hastily for anything to use as a weapon. A nearby two by four seemed to be the only thing; racing to it she would pick it up before racing back to her friend. "I''ll protect you Vex, and defeat these guys. We''ll go find Lira." Kristen stated boldly as she took to stance. It wasn''t anything like a whip, but it was still something to be used.


    A bandit would charge her with a battle cry and thrust his dagger at her. Stepping forward she swung the board wide to smack the bandit''s hand before stepping in closer and stomping upon the male''s foot. She would bring the end of the board across his face which sent him flying as she released his foot before turning around just in time to block a slash from a cutlass. Since the blade was stuck in the wood she would release it the board and push the guy away only to receive a sudden sharp pain in her side before her body went flying across the street. An evil laugh parted the Boss'' lips as he smashed his brass knuckles together yet again. "You need to watch your ass girl." "Kristen!" Vex shouted as she noticed her friend struggling to get up; only seemed to take a continuous beating from various unarmed bandits. "No!" Vex shouted as she sobbed heavily, but her cry seemed to draw in the attention of other Bandits who approached her as starving wolves did for meat. "No No no! Go away!" Vex shouted as she crawled away but was stopped when her ankle was grasped and she was turned over onto her backside. "Where are you going, missy!? The fun has just begun!" The bandit he tossed her over had stated as he crawled on top of her and ripped her top off; revealing a plain white bra. Another scream would erupt from Vex which caused Kristen to look in her direction weakly. Her clothing in tatters from the beating before several men began ripping away at her clothing to reveal a pair of exotic black underwear. "Hell yeah!" "Woohoo!" The cheers would erupt from amongst the men.


    "I get this one first, boys. You go have fun with the other one." The men seemed sad about it, but would not defy their Boss and they all went over to Vex. "L-Leave her alone... You can do as you please... to me. J-just leave... her alone." Kristen would plea, yet the man would snicker evilly. "I''ll do as I please with or without your word; now then...." He would unzip his pants and remove an erect shaft from his pants. Rubbing the thick meat against Kristen''s thigh he would watch her squirm in disgust. "Bastard..." She cried out. "No!" Vex shouted as her clothing flew into tatters into the air and several men seemed to have already begun pulling out their rods and stroking them in front of her. Some even pushed theirs up against Vex'' body. One of the men was about to push the rod into her mouth until his movements stopped. "You going to do it or should I?" A man questioned the man who would halt while Vex''s eyes grew wide along with the man who would look up to see that the guy who stopped no longer had a head. The body would fall limp and the head would roll onto the ground in which the group of bandits would all cry out in terror. "What the fuck!?" Someone shouted. The boss who was about to shove his rod into Kristen stopped to look back at the sudden screams of his men only to see several more heads fly off bodies and blood spew forth. Standing up the man would zip himself up; no longer erect from the sight of his men dying after all, and looked around.


    "Are you done killing my men, Stranger?" The boss stated firmly with a serious glare in his eyes. Though only a wicked laugh would echo from the shadows around, almost undetectable. Even Vex and Kristen could not pinpoint where the laughter was coming from. "No." A voice parted; Kristen knew whose it was right away and relaxed her body. Tears had been coming from her eyes; and in shock, Vex seemed to keep looking around. It was right after the voice stated ''No'' did the rest of the men died the exact same way as the previous men. "Now I am." The tall dark handsome male who was dressed like a rogue moved from the shadows with a wicked grin only visible upon his face thanks to the hood. "Riyku!" Kristen shouted happily in which Riyku''s eyes shifted to Kristen. The sight of her alone seemed to cause something to build up inside of him. It wasn''t because he was angry with her, but because of what had become of her. Vex looked towards the man who appeared from the shadows, but could not tell it was Riyku. Perhaps only Kristen could tell since it was by his voice.


    "Oh? So this whore belongs to you? Tell ya what, you can have her, but I keep the other one and we go our separate ways." The boss would attempt to strike a deal with Riyku and for a moment it looked as if Riyku was going to accept but that wasn''t the case. "A whore?" Riyku would shake his head as he brought his hands up. A single gun and curved blade would appear in his hand. Though they were not the Trainee Atomic Gun or Trainee Steel Sword. No, the gun looked like your typical handgun; while the sword appeared to be something similar to a long sharp blade. The way these weapons appeared were through dim lights in a blink of an eye. It was most like from his skill Weapon Summon, but clearly, he had not used the blade or gun to kill the bandits earlier; it was something else. Angling the gun at the man he would glare at him if he could see it anyways. "Kristen is nothing of the sort. She may not be any Saint, but her heart is in the right place. I''ll be damned if I let you taint what is mine!" Riyku exclaimed which caused Kristen to blush brightly and the man to burst into laughter. "You got a neat trick kid, but just because you executed my men from the shadows does not mean you can win this battle. You threw away your only advantage when you--" The man was caught off when he noticed Riyku was no longer in sight. Hastily he began to look around before looking down when he felt a strange presence from beneath. Stepping back he would avoid the sharpness of a blade, but did not anticipate the follow up of a gun. The shots would be blocked by the man''s beef arms to which he growled at Riyku. It seemed Riyku had used his skill ''Shadow Surprise''. "The hell was that!? Some kind of Martial Skill? Are you Hunter?!" The man questioned both in anger and shock, but not fear.


    "Hunter?" Riyku would inquire as he angled the gun back up at the man. Kristen seemed shocked by the sudden display of attack as much as Vex did. "Yeah. A Hunter, one who hunts Demons and Angels as well as other monsters." Riyku would shrug. "Who knows." This caused the man to click his tongue and reach into his back pocket to pull out some kind of cramped up piece of metal that seemed to transform into what looked like a Gunblade. Riyku had seen such a weapon in the catalog but did not actually purchase it since it would have consumed nearly all of his points to obtain. "So that''s a Gunblade," Riyku stated as he lowered his gun to examine the weapon from a distance. "Damn right! However... I did not want to use it since the kick on this thing is absurd. It''s not just any normal Gunblade after all. It''s from the Prototype Serious: Sin." The man stated proudly as if it was his favorite toy or something.


    "Sin?" Riyku would look confused, but Kristen seemed to understand completely. "Are you insane!? Do you plan to take all of the Lower Quarter with you!?" Kristen shouted though soon choked up blood afterward. "And?" The man stated before pulling the trigger on Riyku without warning. Riyku blinked rapidly before his body seemed to suddenly move on its own.


    ''Critical Evasion activated.''


    Did he just dodge an attack that would have surely killed him? Was that was Critical Evasion was? Now he seemed more than pleased that he had this buff and bought this Gear. Kissing his teeth he glared back at the man who dashing towards him. Did it take time to recharge the shot? Maybe. Dashing forward, Riyku would bring the blade upward to clash with the Boss'' before angling his own gun for the body. Pulling the trigger rapidly; bullets would fire into the man as he grits his teeth and growled shoving Riyku away before stepping back. "Bastard!" The boss shouted though Riyku was never nice about openings like this. Quickly he would dash forward again and swing the sword around in several arcs that seemed to be blocked by the Boss; it was then that he took a stance to angle his gun when the Boss jumped back in which he pulled the trigger several times.


    ''Active Skill Learned. Chaser Lv.1''


    It seemed he learned yet another skill through simple combat like this. The crying pain from the man who fell onto one knee brought his attention back up to him. "Damn you!" The boss shouted as he angled the gun at Riyku yet again before pulling the trigger. Since it was a fifty-fifty chance with that evasion he would need to figure out something and fast. It was in that microsecond that time seemed to slow down. "What?" Riyku looked around. "Did everything stop?" He thought before taking note of the bullet still heading in his direction. "No... Everything just slowed down, but why?" It was then that a text box appeared before him again.


    ''Passive Skill Acquired. Chess Master Lv. 8''


    "What the?" He did not understand what that meant or even why it appeared right now. Chess? Wasn''t that some type of game? Why did he gain something like that? All these questions; but who knew how much time? Right... There was no time. Using whatever time he had at this moment he would rack his brain before coming up with an idea. It was then that his body vanished from spot and time seemed to resume its normal pace. The bullet flew at no target which caused The Boss as well as the girls to wonder where Riyku had gone, it was that same second that their answer was relayed. Riyku had appeared before the Boss and slammed his sword right through the neck only to rip it upward while leaping over the man and bring the blade back down through the body before tearing it out from the side while turning on his heel in a stylish manner. No, It was a stylish execution!


    ''Passive Skill Learned. Sword Execution Lv.1''


    It was too late for the Boss to comprehend what happened, his body hit the floor with a loud thud and this left Riyku standing behind a corpse. The Gunblade also seemed to slam into the floor as well. A heavy breath escaped the male as he released his weapons to return to his inventory with weapon return before looking at Kristen and Vex. "Riyku!" Kristen called out happily as she struggled to get up. Moving to her, he would help her stand before helping her over to Vex. "You are late..." Kristen stated weakly as if she were about to cry. Not wanting to know what would have happened if Riyku had not shown up. Vex seemed awestruck, her body shivered in fear from what just happened recently. "Vex... It''s alright. Riyku saved us. Everything is going to be okay now." Vex looked up at the two but did not move towards them. Instead, she just sat there shaking like a scared puppy. "Wait... this woman..." Riyku muttered. "She is from our class. She is my other teammate, Vex. Though this is a terrible time to introduce each other. Vex is going through a mental shutdown right now. I''ll explain later. Please carry her, we should get out of the Lower Quarter." Kristen seemed quick to compose herself, but maybe that was before who was standing next to her. Riyku nodded and let her go easily so she could stand on her own, but moving to reach for Vex who would smack his hand away and scream, "Go away!" "Vex it''s alright. I am here, Kristen... Look at me." Kristen would reach out to touch Vex lightly on the cheek which caused her to calm down just a bit. "K-Kristen?" Vex muttered softly to which Kristen nodded lightly. "Yes. We are going to get out of here now. We are safe. It''s going to be okay." Kristen seemed confident of her words yet again, this confidence seemed to touch Vex to where her dead eyes lite up and tears ran down her face. "R-really!?" Vex began to sob to which Riyku hastily scooped her into his arms. "Pardon me, but we really need to get going. I doubt that was all of them." Riyku stated in which Kristen nodded. "Just hang on Vex. We are leaving now." Vex would nod as she clung to Riyku while burying her face in his chest. Was this really that strong-willed woman from his class?


    Without delay, they had made it out of the Lower Quarter and at the outskirts of the Upper Quarter. "Kristen! Vex!" A voice called from afar. It was Mina. "Are you two alright!?" She shouted as she raced towards them. It seemed they had exchanged contact information a while back, but when? Well, who knew. "Thanks to this guy." Kristen pointed at Riyku to which Mina blinked. "Who?" Mina inquired as he looked up at the man. "Riyku," Kristen stated who seemed astonished. "Vex it''s okay now." Kristen would tap upon her shoulder lightly, but Vex seemed to hold tight to Riyku and shake her head. "No." She whined. "No! No!" She continued. "Vex..." Kristen whispered softly. Mina had reached into a backpack she brought her with and pulled out two cloaks one she wrapped around Kristen. "Thanks," Kristen stated lightly to which Mina nodded before trying to offer Vex the other one. "Vex, You need to let go of Riyku. We are safe now. We are out of the Lower Quarter, they won''t follow us up here." Kristen stated softly. "No! They were up here! They took Lira! I don''t want to go through all of that again! I won''t!" She seemed more traumatized than she perhaps should have been. It did not take a scientist to figure it out, but it appeared that Vex probably went through something terrible in her past.


    "Vex!" Kristen shouted now which caused her to shake. "Lira is still down there. If anyone can save her it would be Riyku. The police are not going to do anything. Riyku would you please?" Riyku looked at Kristen. "I already planned on it." He replied. "See, now please Vex. Let go so Riyku can go save our friend. Please." The plea from Kristen was enough to cause her to release him to which would make sure she was capable of standing on her own two feet for releasing her fully. Mina would wrap a cloak around her to cover her up once she was able to stand. "Please... save her. I don''t want Lira to go through what I did. Please..." Vex seemed to beg him to which Riyku nodded. "Of course." He replied hastily before taking off down the Lower Quarter, a serious expression on his face. "Come. I''ll let you three stay at my place for tonight. I don''t live far since I live off campus." Mina seemed to have called a cab which rode up next to them. "Come back safely... Riyku." Kristen stated softly before turning when Mina called out to her and entered the vehicle last.

 12 Crimson Nigh

    Riyku had already made his way back down into the Lower Quarter and just as he thought, there were ''guards'' everywhere now. The same bandit looking men that he had slain earlier; in fact... They looked like your typical monster in a video game retextured. Still, this was no time to be wondering why they all looked the same. Slipping around unseen and silent as ever the male seemed to avoid the majority of them. No sense in wasting any Energy or Mana right now. He did not know what was to come when he reached Lira. Speaking of which, where was she? He had overheard that she was in a Whore House; but where was that? Kissing his teeth in thought he was about to ask Coco for some help; until he remembered seeing her name on his companion''s list. Hastily the male opened his menu with a flick of his wrist so he could navigate to the Companion''s page. Without delay, he clicked upon Lira''s name and clicked track from the list of choices which brought up the same trail for him to follow. Dismissing the screen he would continue his stealth approach; slipping past many of the bandits until he reached the open area where he had executed the ''Boss''. The corpses of the fallen were still there; as well as more Bandits. It was as if they were investigating the area; perhaps looking for clues?


    It was then that male noticed the Gunblade from earlier. Several bandits were attempting to lift it off the ground, but it appeared to be far too heavy for them to get it to budge. Well, that could have been because their level was short of the requirement for the weapon. Regardless, if he could obtain that it would be a steal. Even if he could not use it. Extending a hand outward he though to use Weapon Return to store it into his inventory; however...


    ''Weapon has not been registered to you. You can not use Weapon Return.''


    Well, it kind of made sense. So, now he had two choices... slaughter everyone present or attempt to steal the weapon and remain nothing more than a wisp of air. The problem was which one would be the shortest. He did not have time to sit around after all. Probably slaughtering the bandits... though he could not use the same skill he did last time since it consumed nearly half of his mana to do so. Which would leave him with nothing by the time he reached his destination. So, he would have to do things another way. Using Weapon Summon; he called forth to two weapons. A single curved dagger that looked like it could easily slip into someone''s vitals without leaving much of a mess and a glove with blades; well in truth it looked like a claw; though the ragged edges from the blades looked like they could tear through armor and flesh with ease as well as rip out organs without so much as a warning. "The Assassin''s Dagger and the Night Crawler... These will be the perfect two weapons. Compared to the Duelist Blade and Ion Gun which is more suited to dealing with one person." The male nodded lightly in content.


    Assassin''s Dagger +4


    Type: Dagger


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    A blade used by the Assassins of old. It is said that these weapons were capable of silently piercing their target''s flesh from any direction and easy to withdraw for a quick escape. Effect: Deals addition damage if used on Vital points.


    Night Crawler +4


    Type: Claw


    Rarity: S


    Condition: Lethal


    Where this... thing came from is unknown. No one knows who used it but what they do know is that it was used to take out high priority targets without delay. Effect: Armor Piercing. Bleed Damage (Causes internal bleeding for several seconds). State of Shock (Paralyzes the target instantly for several seconds). Instill Fear (Will fear all non-boss mobs and monsters below the users Level when spotted while killing a target with Night Crawler).


    Duelist Blade +4


    Type: Sword


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    The one who challenges a Duelist is always said to seek thrill or death. Effect: Bonus Damage when facing against a single enemy.


    Ion Gun +4


    Type: Gun


    Rarity: B


    Condition: Piercing


    The Ion gun is said to be one of the top model guns used by the military. What it lacks in magical power makes up for physical piercing. Effect: Armor Piercing.


    Those were the four weapons he had used out of more he had at his disposal. Looking back at the Bandits that gathered in the open area. It would appear that even more had gathered in just a short time. Kissing his teeth he would dash from the hiding spot he was as he approached one of the backs of a lone Bandit. Driving the dagger into the Bandit''s back while he used the claw to tear at the throat at the same time before moving onto another Bandit with haste. Before the first bandit even began to fall he was at another. Bringing his dagger around to slice at the neck from behind while jamming the claw into the back. Again he moved on to another; however, one seemed to have taken notice of their fellow comrade in still motion. Tossing his dagger for the Bandit''s skull; he would take that one out while simultaneously taking another out by jamming the claw into the back of the second one and using his free hand to keep that Bandit silent while he drove the claws upward before ripping them out. Quickly he extended his hand outward to use Weapon Return to bring his Dagger back into his free hand while moving onto another Bandit. The first Bandit he had killed was starting to fall forward while he had taken another Bandit out with a quick jab from the claw to the targets ribs and the dagger to the throat. Then moving onto the next and the next; it didn''t seem to take long since the moment the first Bandit fell the rest were already dead. This completed another elimination of twenty or so more Bandits in a hare of a second.


    ''Active/Passive Skill Learned: Assassination Lv.1''


    The text box that appeared caught his attention. Active Passive? What the hell was that? Sighing heavily he would shake his head before looking at the Gunblade on the ground. Squatting down he would place his hand over it.


    ''Take Prototype Series: Sinful Gunblade?''


    ''Yes.'' ''No.''


    The male blinked before hitting the yes on the option box that had appeared before him. The Gunblade would fade into tiny particles of light and seep into his body as if a sign that he had obtained the weapon. A smirk had appeared across his face at that moment. Though, he quickly remembered where he was when he heard more Bandits off in the distance. This caused him to return to reality instantly and quickly make way back into the darkness to keep himself hidden. For now, he would keep the Night Crawler and Assassin''s blade on hand since they seemed quite effective; especially with his speed. Which was probably thanks to his Agility stat.


    Meanwhile back at Mina''s place, the girls seemed to have all been bathing in some kind of bathhouse fit for a royal. The interior was clean and sleek; statues of lion heads seemed to spew water from their mouths which happened to be what was filling the bath in the first place. Even though the steam would relax their bodies; Vex seemed to be having the hardest time of them all. Her eyes were still slightly dead and she seemed to have been hugging herself. Mina had a worrisome look; "It is okay now. We are safe, and Riyku will save Lira. I just know it." Kristen spoke softly as she moved to hug her friend who seemed to just seep into her arms. "If you don''t mind me asking; Can you explain to me what happened in full?" Mina was rather hesitant about getting information what it seemed Kristen was willing to divulge it in full. From beginning to now.


    As Kristen explained what was going on and what had happened Riyku was ''assassinating'' Bandits left and right without much of sound. All the way until he reached the heavily guarded mansion of sorts. Kissing his teeth the male would sleek away from any source light to keep hidden. "It''s far more guarded than the rest of this District." The male would look around for an opening. The entry was guarded by several men, the rooftop happened to have what appeared to be snipers as well as people watching their backs. As for the sides of the building from what he could tell were being patrolled by squads. The thought of attempting to go underground crossed his mind, but the only direction given to him was pointing straight past the front doors. "I guess I got no choice." The male would hastily dash forward; though the moment a guard saw him "Intruder!" He shouted which drew the attention of the rest of the guards. Bullets began flying in his direction; though they did not seem as fast as the bullet from the Gunblade. In fact, the bullets appeared, from his perspective, to be moving at speeds compared to someone simply jogging down the road. Using his Assassin''s Dagger he would deflect any of the bullets that came close to him while avoiding the others. In truth, it was only about several seconds until the male kicked off of his feet to jump skyward; flipping in the air thanks to the motion he kicked off of and planting his feet against the gate that was closed only to kick off it and tackle one of the guards. Hastily he would dig the Night Crawler into the gut; grind the claw upwards and rip out several intestines.


    ''Fear has been instilled in all low level and middle-level mobs.'' A text box appeared in front of him on sync with the screams of the dead guard''s comrades. Taking this as a chance to slaughter everyone who was stunned in fear; he quickly kicked off the ground and lashed around like some wild animal. Gashing out stomachs and throats with both Night Crawler and Assassin''s Blade. When all was said and done another text box appeared.


    ''Skill Level up! Assassination Lv.3''


    ''Skill Level up! Claws Lv.3''


    ''Skill Level up! Daggers Lv3''


    The three skills he got just today all leveled up twice in a short time. Well... He did massacre over a hundred people in total today. Looking up at the roof he noticed the snipers and their guards had all ran away. Probably from the Instill Fear effect; but who knew. Moving towards the gate he would slash at the chains that locked it up before kicking it open and proceeding towards the door.


    Back at Mina''s place, it seemed Kristen had finished filling Mina in. "You three have a strong bond. To be honest, I am quite envious." Mina spoke softly as she looked down at her reflection. "Well, I, Vex and Lira have all known each other since middle school. Back then things were simple. It was until we reached Highschool that things became complex. You see... The reason the three of us have a strong bond is because of the incident with Vex." Vex would look away which caused Mina to shake her head. "You don''t have to tell me. Especially if it bothers you so." Mina had noticed her sorrow but Vex would shake her head. "It is fine. It all happened when we were Freshman. We were apparently the three most beautiful females on campus, but that was only because of some stupid vote the boys of the campus held. Thanks to that; we were always leered at by other girls. No one wanted to even approach or talk to us and instead, we received blunt bullying day in and day out. Of course, we went to Teachers as well as our Parents, but no one would do anything. All they said was ''It''s part of life''." Vex would begin to explain. "Of the three of us, Kristen was always the strongest. She stood up against everyone; boy or girl even adults. She would defend and protect us. In truth, I and Lira looked up to her as an elder sister." As Vex explained even more Kristen would blush a bit even though she knew how serious this was to her. "Of course, we began to enjoy our daily lives. Just the three of us; until..." Vex paused for a moment. "Until I was kidnapped and taken to the Lower Quarter. I was there all alone and scared; for several days... They tormented me and injected me with serums... I was used as some kind of pleasure toy for disgusting men. It was Kristen who came and saved me... Seeing her face, hearing her voice... She beat each and every one of those baddies into the ground; of course, she had the help of Lira as well. With the two of them, I came back to the Upper Quarter and we explained what had happened to the Police, but they said they could not do anything. The Lower Quarter is beyond their jurisdiction. In other words, It is a lawless land." Vex explained through light sobs. Kristen seemed to comfort her. "So you see... I don''t want Lira to go through what I did. I hope Riyku saves her..." She spoke weakly. "He will," Kristen stated boldly which drew in their attention.


    "He''s..." Kristen would speak while Riyku simultaneously kicked open the door of this mansion like building. Screams from inside overrode the blaring music as the doors flew all the way to the DJ''s booth which seemed to crash right into it which eventually disrupted the music entirely. "Not someone to be trifled with." Kristen finished as Riyku''s grin curved wide across his lips. "You have something of mine. If you are good boys and girls; I''ll let you all go." Riyku would shout throughout the building which caused what was probably the customers to rush out while the ''Whores'' seemed to cower in fear. "Who the fuck?" A sturdy masculine voice came from the balcony in the farthest direction from him. "That''s the one who is going around killing all the Bandits. He even took out the West Districts Leader." A feminine voice spoke as a woman walked up beside the burly man dressed in robes. Even though her strips of clothing were more like censor lines; she was pretty much stark naked. Though not bad to look out. "Oooh? Is that so?" The man would exhale a puff of smoke from a cigar before calling out to Riyku. "You! What do you want? I don''t know anyone who is stupid enough to invade my territory." The man called out to which Riyku snickered as he approached only to stop mid-way through the building to look up at the burly man and female. "You''ve taken something of mine. I want her back. A violet-haired girl." Riyku stated to which the male''s brow rose. "Oh... So you are him." Riyku''s brow rose in return to the remark the male made.


    "Confused? Well, Not a surprise. You see some broad came here about a day ago telling me that my good friend Blackbeard was bringing in some fine merch. I don''t know how she got past all my guards, but she told me that a man will come seeking her. When he showed up, she said that you need to disappear. I don''t know who you pissed off mate, but the woman gave me the points and the code. So... I can''t give you the girl. In fact, even if I wanted to, it would be too late." The man stated with a peal of soft laughter. "She''s already being used by my VIP guests." He added. Riyku''s eyes glared up at the man. "I''ll take it that she is in the room behind you." His voice changed into a more darker tone. "She is, but you won''t be going back there. This is where you fall." The man stated as he snapped his fingers. Several guards appeared from both top and bottom even from behind him. He was completely surrounded with guns pointed right at him. "Fire!" The male shouted as bullets began swarming Riyku''s position. Instantly Riyku would use Weapon Return and Weapon Summon to return his Night Crawler and Assassin''s Blade; only to bring forth a single long blade stored in its scabbard; A Nodachi. With rapid rhymic movements the male would evade; cut down and deflect the bullets coming from all angles.


    ''Weapon effect active: Striker''s Will.''


    To Riyku the bullets were moving almost as slow as a snail which was why he was able to do what he was doing. It wasn''t until the smoke had completely filled the interior did the man shout, "Enough!" Which caused the guards to seize fire. "Is that all?" Riyku''s dark voice echoed throughout the smoke.


    "Weapon Skill... Flash Step." The male muttered.


    ''Weapon Skill activated. Flash Step will be enabled; Energy consumption will be increased by 3 times. Agility has been increased by 5 times the present amount.''


    Another text box appeared to inform Riyku who seemed to dash around; after images of the male appearing everywhere as the sounds of the guard''s final breaths were taken when he cut them down by one until the male appeared right beside the Man and the Woman. The tip of the Nodachi pressed firmly against the man''s throat. "Open it." He stated coldly as he eyed the closed door which was probably locked. "I wasn''t told anything about this. You aren''t even human. What are you a demon!?" The man complained as he began to sob. "Open the damn door!" Riyku shouted which caused the man to become fear struck either from Riyku''s intimidation skill or the fact that the man only noticed his guards'' bodies all minced up into tiny pieces just now. "Veronica open the door!" The man shouted to which the woman who was frozen in place suddenly moved to unlock the door. Removing the tip of the blade from the man''s throat he would sheath the weapon and make his way towards the door where he witnessed Lira strung up. Sitting around her were several men each one seemed to be pleasing themselves to her naked body, and upon the floor before her happened to be a mess clear liquid. The musk of semen was a clear indication of what was going on, and upon a second look, Riyku noticed that Lira was covered in some of the liquid as well.


    Gripping the Nodachi tightly he would hastily turn around and quickly draw the blade to lope off not one, but two heads in one strike. The draw was incapable of sight to the naked eye; the two did not even realize they were dead. Their corpses hit the floor with a loud thud which seemed to cause the group of men to perk up to see the lone male dressed in all black covered in crimson liquid with the same liquid dripping from the tip of the blade. "Soundproof eh?" The male stated with a wicked grin as he shut the door behind him when he entered the room. "You people...." His voice cold, menacing and full of rage.


    ''Conditions for Rage Form fulfilled. Rage form will be unleashed automatically in 5...''


    A text box would appear before him. Something he seemed to have ignored. The Nodachi in his hands seemed to return to his inventory without him even realizing. "You think toying with a woman is fun...?" Riyku''s voice thickened with rage.


    ''4...''


    "You think it''s a game? That women are just your pleasure toys?"


    ''3''


    "I wonder... would you have the same thought If I decided to play with your insides?"


    ''2''


    "Shall we find out?"


    ''1''


    It was then that a burst of ominous energy emerged from Riyku''s being that seemed to send chills down the men''s spines. Their rods had retracted and they all seemed to scurry around like roaches fleeing as fast they could. Two red beads parted the darkness of the hood with bright yet eerie illumination.


    ''Rage Form engaged. Duration available: 20 Minutes.''


    His eyes shifted from the text box to Lira who had this dead look in her eyes; that only seemed to perch into light when she noticed who was there. "S-save....M-me..." She could tell solely from the male''s height who it was. The tone of voice was just a confirmation. "Riyku..." Her voice weakly spewed forth. "Please..." She would plea. Approaching her he would grasp the chains that had her tied up and crush them into dust with a single hand. Using his other arm to catch her and remove her from the dirty stage she was strung up over. It seemed several men would struggle for the door, but the moment they tried to open it a text box appeared in plain sight.


    ''Defeat the Raging Beast.''


    "What?" One of the men shouted. "What is going on!? Are you talking about that!?" He pointed towards the man who was nowhere to be seen. They all began looking around wildly until what they sought had appeared right in front of them. Grasping both men by the necks he would slam both men into each other repeatedly until their bodies mushed together into mushy meat.


    ''Defeat the Raging Beast.''


    The text box appeared in plain sight yet again, even Lira could see it. "R-raging beast?" She muttered. Shaking his hands from the mush he would look at the remaining men who were all shivering in fear. "Impossible! What do you mean defeat!? Like hell we can! Let us out!" They all seemed to shout in fear.


    ''Defeat the Raging Beast.''


    The text box popped up again, bigger and bolder. Yet the men only cowered in fear at the sight of the crimson glow staring upon them. Approaching them... and killing them painfully. Skinning them, ripping off limbs that would not kill them instantly, and even gouging out eyes. Finally, a single man remained; cowering against a chair he looked out at the mess. There was no trace of any living organism left from what was there.


    ''Defeat the Raging Beast.''


    The text box appeared one final time. Riyku would lift the man by his hair and drag him over the stage. No words parted Riyku''s lips as he shoved the man''s face into the clear liquid. Using him like some kind of sponge or cloth. The man groaned and cried in pain and before long bones began to crack, not from Riyku obviously, but from the man. Riyku was slowly crushing the man''s skull against the stage and there was nothing he could do about it. He struggled and struggled yet nothing seemed to come to fruition. And finally... it ended. The body went limp yet it seemed Riyku was not finished. Tearing the limbs of the man and even digging a hole in the body he would toss the remains around the room before releasing an unsightly roar.


    ''Quest Failed.'' The text pop appeared and the doors seemed to pop open on their own. Riyku looked over to Lira who was out cold. Scooping her into his arms he would begin to leave this god awful building. The crimson illumination slowly began to die down.


    ''Would you like to end the Rage Form?''


    ''Yes.'' ''No.''


    Riyku would select the yes option in which the illumination completely vanished.


    ''Rage Form deactivated. Rage is now available to be activated whenever.''


    The text box appeared yet again on his personal vision. Though he did not have time to think about any of this. Hastily he would proceed out of the Lower Quarter with Lira in his arms. His eyes staring at her body that he had cleaned off with a clean cloth before killing those men. If one could see the look under his hood; it was not a happy one. It was one filled with anger, filled with hatred. Only one person came to mind... One person who seemed to have had a vendetta against him. That Bell chick. "I''ll make sure you dance like the Whore you are." He seemed to have muttered hatefully as he left the Lower Quarter. The journey back seemed to have been easier than going in; he did not move around hidden, in fact, there were no more Bandits around either.


    Looking around he took note of a blanket or perhaps it was a cloak. Regardless it was just hanging off of a broken piece of wood. Snagging it, Riyku would lay it on the ground before laying Lira on top of it. He would wrap her up afterward as if to cover her up while he scooped her off the ground so he could carry her once more. It did not seem to take long to get to the exit of the Lower Quarter. Once they reached the Upper Quarter, Riyku would glance around taking note that it well into the night and everything was closed down completely. His hidden iris glanced over Lira as he grit his teeth; still seeming to be enraged. "Coco," Riyku called out. He was going to have her explain how to contact someone through the Wristband. However, nothing came. "Coco," Riyku called out again. Yet nothing. "Coco!" Riyku finally shouted, but only received the sound of barking from several dogs. What happened? Why wasn''t she answering his call? Clicking his tongue the male would look around hastily. "Riyku?" Lira called to him weakly which caused him to look down at her. Her eyes weren''t as dead as they appeared earlier; in fact, they held some form of light to them. "You are Riyku, right?" Lira inquired to which Riyku would nod softly. "Thank you..." She whispered softly to which Riyku shook his head. "I need to get you somewhere safe. Mina came by and took Vex and Kristen. Can you contact Kristen?" Riyku asked to which Lira nodded softly and moved to free her arms from the cloth. Tapping upon the wristband chip would bring up the menu and from there she went to a contacts list. Only to tap upon Kristen''s profile and click the ''call'' button.


    "Lira!" Kristen''s voice shouted from the video feed provided. The woman was dressed in some kind of girlish pajamas and coming into view happened to be Vex and Mina who were sobbing lightly in joy. "You are safe!" Vex shouted out loud to which Lira nodded softly. "Thanks to Riyku." She replied weakly. "Can you come to get us? We are outside the Lower Quarter." Lira stated weakly to which Mina nodded. "I''ll send one of my butlers to come to get you. I''ve already explained the situation to my household." Mina stated before racing off. "Are you okay!?" Kristen questioned hastily to which Lira nodded softly. "Riyku saved me..." It was then she recalled that text box. ''Defeat the Raging Beast.'' Her look seemed to give off the expression she was in thought, but no one questioned about it. "That''s good," Vex stated. Kristen seemed to nod to Mina who had called to her. "Okay. Lira, Mina said someone is on their way to pick you up right now." Kristen stated to which Lira nodded softly. "Okay thank you." She spoke softly before ending the call and looking back at Riyku who was just holding her with care and standing there. "Thank you, Riyku. Thank you for saving me." Lira would repeat herself with light sobs to which Riyku nodded softly.


    A few moments passed and a vehicle pulled up beside them. A man dressed as a butler came from the driver''s side to open the door from both of them. "Master Riyku, Mistress Lira. If you would please. I am from Mistress Mina''s mansion. I will take you two there now." Riyku would nod and proceed to gently set Lira into the vehicle before Riyku moved to the other side to sit beside her. The butler would shut the door on Lira''s end and move back to the driver''s door to get in and take them to Mina''s place.


    It didn''t take long for them to arrive. In fact, Lira had already fallen asleep again and was laying her head upon Riyku''s arm. "Master Riyku, If I may, Mistress Mina told me of what transpired. Though you charged in alone and rescued by Mistress Vex and Mistress Kristen then went back into that place and rescued Mistress Lira. I may be overstepping my bounds but, Are you with the Hunter Legion?" The driver inquired as they pulled up to the mansion. "I couldn''t say. I have no recollection of my past." Riyku answered without much thought. His mind was elsewhere after all. "I see. My apologies for asking. We have arrived." The Driver would get out and open the door for Riyku. Riyku would get out and reach back in to pull Lira out without waking her. He would then proceed behind the Butler to the Mansions main gates and through. Only to arrive at the front door of which the Butler opened. "Welcome to our residence." He stated as he offered them to go in first to which Riyku nodded and proceeded inward only to be greeted by three lovely ladies in their pajamas. "Riyku!" Kristen shouted and was about to throw herself on him, but stopped when she noticed Lira was in his arms. "Lira!" Vex shouted to which Riyku shook his head. "She''s asleep. Can someone give her a bath... or at least wash her down?" Riyku inquired to which Mina nodded and used her Wristband to call for some assistance. "I''ll take Lira to get washed up," Mina stated as the driver from earlier offered to carry Lira to which Riyku handed her over.


    "You should get washed up as well," Mina stated seeing the state he was in. "True... What did you do?" Kristen inquired. "It looks like you were in a blood bath... How many people did you.... well kill?" Vex questioned as a Maid and the Butler took off with Lira. Mina wanted to stay but decided to follow her servants. "More than a hundred. Bandits, Guards and some guy who owned that damned place. Speaking of which... I know why Lira was kidnapped." Riyku stated coldly to which the girl''s brows rose. "There was a motive?" Vex inquired to which Riyku nodded. "If my theory is correct... It is some girl named Bell from the high school division. The girlfriend of a boy named Jack Justice who I beat when I first arrived." The girls seemed rather shocked by what was just stated. "From what I could gain. The owner told me some girl strolled in and gave him money and code while telling him that Lira was going to be his merch or something like that. She also filled that same man in on the fact that I was going to show up and needed to be disposed of. The only person I can firmly think of that has still had some form of grudge against me is her." Riyku stated having recalled her cursing him with some revenge plot.


    "So?" Kristen would begin. "What do you plan on doing now?" She inquired to which Riyku brought his hands up. The entirety of his hands and arms trembling not with fear but utter rage. "I''m going to rip her god damn throat out after I force her to dance like the whimsical whore she is." The steel cold ruthlessness words coming from him caused the girls to react in shock. "I would advise against that." Mina''s voice came out as she came from a corridor. "Bell Perez isn''t just some ordinary student. She is an upstart pop star and not to mention her fan base is quite fond of her. Of course, she is also the daughter of a Company CEO. If you did anything to her, I am sure there would be repercussions." Mina stated to which Riyku growled. "Then what do you expect me to do!?" Riyku shouted in rage. The coldness from his voice was enough to tell Mina just how angry he was. It was scary, but she managed to hold steady. After all, Riyku wasn''t upset with them, he was pissed because of what happened to them. "Bell Perez will enter the Death Games. She always does and usually has several inside teams that will forfeit matches for her or even throw their lives away. Since Death is permitted you can kill her there." Mina seemed to speak quite light of this manner, but that was because inside she was also pretty pissed off.


    "True," Kristen added. "Yup." Vex nodded. Riyku would take a moment of silence to quell his anger the best he could before exhaling a heavy breath. "Very well. I''ll be sure to rip that little bitches limbs off." Riyku stated before pulling back his hood. The girls all seemed to go wide-eyed at that moment. "R-Riyku!?" Vex inquired. "What happened to you?" Mina asked softly to which Riyku''s brow rose and Kristen peered into Riyku''s eyes. "What?" Riyku inquired before Kristen would step back. "Your eye color. It''s pure crimson." Kristen would answer to which Riyku would shrug. "I don''t know. I do know that I lost myself at the sight of Lira." Riyku stated to which Kristen backed away a little bit. "I see. Well, a lot has happened in these few hours. It is already three in the morning." Kristen stated as Vex and Mina yawned softly. "Indeed. Let''s get some sleep. Riyku I''ve informed Walter who was your Driver to escort you to the baths as well as provide you with a fresh set of clothes. He will then take you to a room we have prepared in advance." Mina stated to which the three girls waved him back and made off sluggishly.


    The butler Walter seemed to have approached him after. "Right this way, Master Riyku." Walter would attempt to guide him and Riyku would follow. It was a silent trip all the way through to the bathing house. Walter would step back after opening the door. "A set of clothes has been provided in the basket. You can discard your present clothing into the empty basket for us to wash while you bath. We will have it cleaned up by morning." Walter stated to which Riyku looked at himself. "It''s leather armor actually," Riyku informed to which Walter nodded. "We provide cleaning services for armor as well. After all, The Young Mistress is this Region''s top archery competitor. So, she generally wears light armor. Fear not, we will place it on the table in your room before you wake." Walter stated to which Riyku nodded and entered the room. Closing the door behind him, he would strip himself of the armor and school uniform before setting it in the empty basket and proceed through a sliding door into the main bathhouse.


    It looked just like the one the girls were using but who knew. Before partaking of a bath he would rinse himself down of the only thing on his flesh which was sweat since blood had not come in contact with him in which he would proceed into the bath afterward. After stepping into the warm waters, the steam seemed to suddenly vaporize his tension. His eyes closed as he leaned back against the edge of the bath with his arms resting on the edging. "Coco, can you hear me?" Riyku called out softly. After waiting for several seconds he would sigh heavily. What was going on? Why did she not answer him? Was she asleep or something? Thoughts and theories roamed throughout his mind about the events of the night. He would flick his wrist to open his menu deciding he would check up on a few things.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 89


    Shield Points: 805/805


    Mana Points: 674/674


    Energy: 377/377


    Form duration: 2:50:00/3:00:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 142


    Toughness: 135


    Agility: 142


    Wisdom: 131


    Intelligence: 131


    Charisma: 142


    Skill points to spend: 32


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    His eyes widened when he realized his level went up by one, when did he level up? He also noticed the buff of Mana regeneration was still active. Well, he did have the accessories still on after all. In addition to this, his Form Duration no longer stated not available but had actual numbers beside it. If he recalled he had twenty minutes of duration. Taking in the format, it meant he used ten of those twenty minutes, but his full duration available to him seemed to be at least three hours. Well, he had gained quite a bit tonight including several skills of which he navigated towards the tab for.


    Passive Skills:


    Way of the Fighter Lv Max- Having trained through many lifetimes, experienced many battles and overcame several life or death situations. You have burned into your soul the ability to fight. Your body will instinctively take up arms or shields in whatever situation that comes forth.


    Swordsmanship Lv1- ''Your trust in your blade will run as deep as the experience you gain through such.'' +5 Strength when using swords


    Gunslinger Lv1- ''One of many tools one will use in their lifetime will be a ranged weapon. As you train you will come to realize your hard work will not go unnoticed.'' +3 Agility +2 Strength when using any form of ranged weapon.


    Arcane Seeker Lv1- ''Your thirst for knowledge is boundless. You seek that of which many fail to do. The more you learn of the Arcane Arts; the stronger your bonds with them will become.'' +3 Wisdom +3 Intelligence when using an Arcane Weapon.


    Spearman Lv1- ''Guns and Swords are not the only weapons at one''s disposal. Staves have always been used by both the warriors and the mages. As such, what you put in will be what you get out.'' +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Toughness +1 Intelligence +1 Wisdom when using a Staff of any kind.


    Dagger: Lv3- ''Daggers are often seen as dishonorable in battle, but in a fight to the death any weapon is still a weapon.'' +5 Agility when using a dagger.


    Claw: Lv3- ''Claws in truth are a bizarre weapon. They can be used for a multitude of purposes beside combat as well.'' +3 to all stats when equipping a Claw.


    Cultivator Lv3- ''Your rigorous body is the main reason you are able to stand strong.'' Shield Points will recharge over time. Getting at least six hours of sleep will fully recharge your Shield Points. Getting eight hours of sleep will apply a bonus of 100 Shield Points.


    Spiritual Bond Lv2- ''Your profound knowledge of the existing elements around allows you to deepen your pool of mana'' Mana points will recharge over time. Getting six hours of rest will fully recharge your Mana. Getting eight hours of rest will expand your Mana Pool by 200 points for four hours.


    Silver Tongued Lv6- ''You have quite the way with words. You can talk your way out of any mess or into one if you so desire''


    - Intimidation Lv4- You are capable of striking fear into another, be it man or monster. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss mobs!**


    - Persuasion Lv3- You are capable of talking your way into makings things lean in your favor. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss Mobs!**


    - Seduction Lv8- Be it man or woman; you can smooth talk your way into getting whatever you want. Bonus applies to those with little resistance to Charm.


    Charmer Lv8- ''You are quite the Ladies'' Man.'' Women, are naturally easier to attract and reason with. Bonus applies to those around your age group or older.


    - Playmate Lv.9- You know your way around a woman''s body. Your touch alone can start a fire in their groin. Just make sure you can keep up when all is said and done. +900 Energy when engaging in sexual activities.


    - Perfect Partner Lv.6- With expertise in the bed comes great responsibility afterward. Thankfully, you are sterile. **You can adjust your Semen production and fertility in the body menu.**


    Guardian Angel Lv.1- ''You are the protector of those who you call comrades.'' Doubles Strength, and Agility while protecting any allies within 10 meters of your person.


    Tracker Lv. Max- ''Through much and I mean much tracking, you have learned the ways of a Tracker.'' Tracking any personal or monster will give you a thin stream of light that only you can see which takes you directly towards them in the shortest possible route.


    Chess Master Lv. 8- ''Your mental will is what brings you to be the best critical thinker. Solving solutions in marvelous time.'' Will activate only when needed which will slow down your perception of time to a near standstill until you make a move from your present spot.


    Sword Execution Lv.1- ''Sometimes finishing off your foe is all you can do to end the battle.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your personal vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you double the experience points. **Only works with Swords.**


    Active Skills:


    Shadow Step Lv.5- Travel through the shadows at rapid speeds. Consumes 20 mana.


    Shadow Mirage Lv.6- With command of the shadow you can cleanly strip a target of any limb by cutting the head or body piece of the shadow off. Consumes 40 mana per usage


    Blink Lv.3- Teleport a few meters in any given direction. Consumes 15 Mana.


    Death''s Embrace Lv.Max- Call forth to the elements around you to bring forth a typhoon of destruction. Consumes 400 Mana and 200 Energy.


    Weapon Summon Lv. Max- Bring forth any weapon from your arsenal. Does not consume anything.


    Weapon Return Lv. Max- Calls back any weapon not in your hand; into your hand or inventory. Can always be used to store your weapons that are in hand too. Does not consume anything. **Not capable of summoning locked or restricted items, weapons or armor!**


    Shadow Surprise Lv.1- A single target skill that will use the shadows to home in on the enemy with rapid speeds; only to emerge from beneath the enemy with a sword in hand then follow up with a barrage of bullets. Consumes 30 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Chaser Lv.1- Chase after a fleeing target with rapid swings with your sword only to follow up with your gun afterward. Consumes 30 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Mystic Skills:


    Assassination Lv.3- With haste you can instantly eliminate all mobs who are unaware of you. **Can not be used against Boss or Mini-Boss mobs.** Consumes 20 Energy and 10 mana per usage. Grants bonus experience points when assassinating a target. Multiplied twice for every target assassinated in rapid succession.


    Forms:


    Forms Gauge will recharge on a 1:1 Ratio.


    Rage Form Lv. 1- Awakened to your inner Rage you will steadily allow madness to consume you whole in return for unrivaled strength and toughness. + 300 strength, +300 toughness. Effect: Steadily lose your consciousness to the madness. Duration 20 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio.


    A new skill section seemed to have appeared, perhaps for Passive/Active skills, but who knew. It was a nice bonus which was probably why he finally leveled up. That and from his execution on that Boss guy. There was even a Form section now. To be honest he could not really recall what had happened. So that was probably the effect of steadily losing his consciousness to the madness. Though he did feel unbelievably strong. It was also nice to know that his duration of recharge was one by one which meant every second was a second and minute was a minute. Then there was the Chess Master skill which explained quite a bit. From the description, he could gain that it would probably only ever activate when he was in a life or death situation. That and it did not consume anything, but it also did not seem to have a limit on usage. Dismissing the screen the male would sigh softly and close his eyes to relax his body.


    "What to do now? I guess I could train for these next three months. Level up my skills and maybe get a few new skills if possible." He seemed to whisper to himself lightly as the steam filled the bath. "I guess I''ll do just that then..." It was settled, he would be focusing on training for the next three months.

 13 The calm before the storm

    The bell to end class for the day had finally sounded. Everyone who began to get out of their seats was groaning and stretching out their limbs thanks to their well-fought battles during the Exams which had ended. Riyku seemed to have been leaning against a fence on the rooftop long before the bells even went off. "Three months eh?" The male whispered to no one in particular. His crimson eyes fixated upon the students who were leaving the campus. Since the Death Games were now around the corner with the ending of Exam students would go on a Vacation during that time frame. Turning his glance away from the fence he would sigh heavily. "Still no contact from Coco... I wonder what happened to her." He muttered softly before speaking internally, ''Menu''. It was then a cybernetic screen appeared upon his personal vision. Since Coco wasn''t around he had set the short-cut commands so he could pull up his menus at any time.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 92


    Shield Points: 820/820


    Mana Points: 752/752


    Energy: 446/446


    Form duration: 3:00:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 158


    Toughness: 151


    Agility: 158


    Wisdom: 149


    Intelligence: 149


    Charisma: 158


    Skill points to spend: 32


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    In three months he had reached level ninety-two. If he recalled what Coco had told him, it was when he reached level ninety that he would be able to Class Up; however, Coco was nowhere as of now. So the Class Up was an impossible feat presently. Looking at the two rings on his right hand both appeared silver but one held a green color gem and the other a blue color gem. It was on the same hand that the gold bracelet could be seen as well. It wasn''t anything too fancy, but it was quite fashionable. "The Ring of Vitality and The Ring of Mana, as well as the Elven Bracelet..." The male whispered with a soft huff before moving the same hand to pick up a pendant; he looked over the pendant, a lovely black chain with a shadow design for a pendant would dangle. "Necklace of Shade..." He added with a soft huff and shifted his glance skyward. "The girls wouldn''t stop asking me questions the morning after the incident. Where I got my accessories, who I got them from and how I did what I did. Thankfully everything has settled since then, but..." He would close his eyes as if he were scowling. "I still need to pay that bitch back for what she did. Ever since then it seems that she has been on the down low. I questioned Rick and company about her whereabouts, and what she was doing but no one knows. I even asked Racheal to look into it, but nothing came up. Damn bitch hasn''t even been going to her classes it would seem..." Clicking his tongue inward he would take a moment to digress from his tension and sigh heavily.


    Dismissing the status screen from his UI he would tap upon the wristband chip to bring up his cybernetic screen. In which navigated to his personal status that was on the record.


    Rank: Pro(49)


    Wins: 104


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points: 402,369


    Subscribers: 0


    "In the last three months, I''ve been challenging others as much as possible. Apparently, some rumor was spread that if they defeat me at least once they will get some kind of reward. I don''t know who put that kind of bounty out for me, but it has helped me rise in the ranks and even gain back all of the points I spent on getting prepared." He sighed heavily before the door began to squeak open and four females, as well as a single male, approached him with joyous smiles. "I knew he would be up here!" Kristen called out. "Well, Isn''t he always up here?" Lira added with a giggle. "Of course he is, he bought this rooftop after all," Vex added to which Mina chuckled lightly. "Something about it being nice and quiet." She seemed to add to which Riyku sighed heavily. "It was." He replied. "Well, You have yet to kick us out. "Kristen would tease to which the rest nodded and Riyku shrugged. "Whatever. So what brings you five up here?" Riyku inquired as he dismissed the menu from his wristband to give them his full attention. "How did the Exams go?" Skylar asked as he looked up at him. "Easy," Riyku replied to which the girls sighed heavily. "Everything is easy for you, isn''t it?" Kristen complained. "I''ll say. Everything from the battles to the tests... This man appears undefeatable." Vex stated to which Lira chuckled. "Except for his loss with Mina." To which Mina blushed lightly. "That was..." Kristen would move over to Mina and reel her into her arm. "No need to be bashful. After all, we are all friends here." She added with a teasing remark. "Yup." Skylar nodded to which Mina sighed with a soft moan. "Alright, I got it." She was rather embarrassed but it did not seem to bother Riyku in the slightest.


    "So... Has anyone found out anything about this stupid reward?" Kristen questioned. "Nope," Vex stated with a shake of her head. "I''ve thoroughly been on the lookout for anyone acting strange. No one has appeared." She added. "Same on my end. Nothing has come up, not even off campus." Lira would pitch in. "Mina?" They all looked at her and she shook her head. "Nothing. I know I usually get the information quite fast, but... Nothing. Sorry, everyone." She would apologize to which they shook their heads. "Not your fault. This did come out of nowhere a few days after the incident after all."


    Kristen stated while placing a hand upon her shoulder. From Riyku''s perspective, it appeared that the girls had all gotten closer over the past three months. Tugging on his sleeve was Skylar who looked up at him. Still as feminine looking as always even for a boy. "Hm?" Riyku looked at him.


    "I don''t mean to dampen the mood, but you still have your duel with Barron as well as the Death Games coming up in less than a week. Are you prepared for everything?" Skylar whispered as Riyku would lend him his ear. "I am. I''ve done all I can up to this point." Riyku stated; the girls looking over at him and Skylar. "Done what?" Mina asked to which Riyku responded. "Prepare."


    "Oh, that''s right. You have been doing training day in and day out. You know sometimes I don''t even know where you go." Kristen stated to which everyone looked at her. "It''s true. He just vanishes at times. Do you have some sort of secret training area?" Kristen added to which Riyku shook his head. In truth, he had been visiting the Lower Quarter to gain experience points. Although, he was mainly ridding the place of scum as if to search for any clues or answers about Bell''s whereabouts. "Nope." He replied to which the girls shook their head. "Probably the forest off in the distances. It is a good hunting ground for those who are planning on joining the Hunters Legion." Mina stated to which everyone looked at her, even Riyku''s brow rose in interest. He had not heard anything of this, but then again his mind was preoccupied with getting stronger and gaining information on Bell so, it wasn''t like he was searching for things like that.


    "Speaking of which... Riyku, has Amnesia right? Do you think he was a hunter?" Lira inquired. "He could have been, but I don''t know." Vex stated to which Kristen would chip in, "Probably. After all, this man is the strongest in all of the Eastern Region." To which everything began chuckling in agreement. Riyku would sigh softly and shake his head before looking back out over the students. It seemed a brawl had begun as well as a few other challenges. "So it''s starting," Skylar muttered softly. "What is?" Riyku inquired. "Pregaming..." Skylar would state. "Pregaming?" Riyku was a bit confused. "Right before the annual Death Games, everyone rushes into games to gain points to prepare for the Games. It''s called Pregaming because most people don''t prepare in advance and they don''t have time to do so during the Exam period. Of course, someone like you has no need to take part in this. But if you want to, I won''t hold you back. After all the rewards are doubled during this time period before the Death Games." Kristen would explain.


    "But there is a catch?" Riyku inquired to which Kristen nodded. "Of course. The loss value is also doubled. Wins and Losses still count as normal but points earned are doubled as well as points loss. Most people partake of brawl games during this time because they yield the most points. Of course, those who do partake of this time period are mostly those who plan on entering the Death Games." Kristen added to which Riyku looked from her back out at the groups who were partaking of the event. "Are you going to partake? The five of us were planning on doing it." Vex stated. Silence overtook the atmosphere before Riyku eventually gave his answer, "I guess." "Well, then you should come with us. We are going to head to the Gaming Lounge." Skylar would state to which Riyku''s brow rose. "Gaming Lounge?"


    "Yup the Gaming Lounge is a place for everyone to partake of games. It''s mainly for those who are on standby and just want to go around challenging others for points or wins. The lounge also hosts several commodities. Such as a bar, seating for people to spectate or just overall relax and meet up, and solo gaming sessions where you can use your points to win more points." Skylar seemed to explain. ''In other words, It was like the Gambit''s Arcade. Speaking of which... I haven''t gone there in quite some time. Perhaps I should head over there.'' Riyku spoke internally before perking up when Skylar called out to him. As he looked up he noticed that the girls seemed to have already made their way there. "I think I''ll pass for today. I want to get some more training in." Riyku replied to which Skylar chuckled lightly. "Yeah... I doubt you could get much done there. Anyways if you change your mind we will be there." Skylar waved at him happily before dashing towards the door to leave the rooftop. Riyku would turn his gaze back towards the skyline to glance over it before deciding to head off towards the arcade.


    Pushing through the glass doors he was greeted with a warm smile from Mimi the hostess. "Long time no see. I figured you were never going to come back." The woman stated with a teasing remark towards him. "Been caught up with Exams and what not." Riyku would reply as he approached the counter. "Mmmhmm, if you say so. So, what brings you here today?" She inquired to which Riyku would glance around and about. "Nothing much. Since Exams are over, I just figured I would take this time to unwind." Riyku would reply to her, setting his glance upon her for a mere moment. "Hey, did something happen to your eyes?" Mimi had noticed that change of color in them. "Contacts. Apparently, It was a condition for my loss in a game." Riyku would come up with a white lie; his silver tongue also coming into play as well. "Well, that makes sense. If you ask me... It makes you look even hotter than you were before." She seemed to outright display her thought process. Riyku chuckled lightly, "I see you still have not forgotten about me." He would reply to her with a tease. The woman blushed lightly, "And you forgot this pretty face?" She would attempt to woo him in to which he would shrug. "Who knows." Riyku gave a teasing smirk with his statement which caused Mimi to groan softly. "Such a tease. Anyways, If you want you should check out the games area to my left." Mimi stated as she pointed to her left where the arcade noises were coming from.


    "I think I''ll do just that. Also, that girl Cira Marvin. Has she been coming here?" Mimi could see the expression of ever so slight care on his face to which she happily smiled. "She has. She should be in the Gaming Ring." Mimi stated to which Riyku nodded before heading over to the left side of the place. People were hustling and bustling around games, families laughing and friends having a swell time. The more he looked at everyone the more it came apparent that doing something like this was meant to be done with friends or others in general. Shaking his head from these thoughts, "No. The recent dreams... The soul fragments... I have always been alone. That is just how I''ve done things in my previous lives." Of course, he would not dismiss the dreams of him and his children, girlfriends or wives from his past lives. Though when he brought those memories back, something inside of his soul pulsated.


    [Do you seek power?]


    A distorted voice called out to him which caused his eyes to go wide. ''Do I seek power?'' He thought internally. Of course, he did. Though what was this strange feeling? It felt overwhelming, far beyond anything he could comprehend.


    [I can give you power!]


    The distorted voice called out to him yet again. Was this a trap? It wasn''t Coco''s voice. He could tell that much for sure. In fact, she seemed to have gone silent. "Where is Coco? Where is my Operator?" Riyku inquired internally.


    [Do you seek power?]


    The voice replied with the same questioned. It seemed he wasn''t going to get an answer. So, he shook his head. "No." He muttered before here an evil chuckle would surge forth.


    [You will in due time.]


    And with that, it seemed the voice had completely vanished. "No, what?" A familiar voice perked up. Turning around he would bear witness to the neon blue obsessed girl. "Just a thought aloud." Riyku would state to which Cira chuckled and punched him in the arm. "You''ve been missing for three months and come back a loony, now isn''t that something." She teased to which he shook his head. "Yeah yeah. Glad to see you are still here." Riyku would reply to which Cira chuckle at him. "Had to regain my status as Queen of Gambit''s Arcade after all." She replied to which Riyku nodded. "And you did?" He asked to which Cira nodded. "I did. I also made it so girls and women can come back and play. It''s not like it used to be yet, but it will get it there someday." Cira stated firmly to which Riyku nodded. "I''ll look forward to that." He replied to her with slight wit before deciding to make way towards one of the games. Taking out the plastic model gun from the holster it was in he would look at the cybernetic screen before him. "Oh? Going to try and beat my new record?" Cira followed behind him with her arms behind her back and a bright smile on her face. "New record?" Riyku inquired as he shifted his glance from her to the score upon display.


    [1- Cira - 9,231]


    [2- Cira - 8,849]


    [3- Henry - 8,739]


    The list seemed to go on and on with other names from the fourth place and lower. "Oh, Henry is on here?" Riyku looked back at Cira who chuckled lightly. "I forced him to in all honesty. You see, the games here can be used to hone real skills. Right now the gun feels like some kind of feather right? Well if you do this..." Cira would take the male''s wrist and slid his wristband against the scanner which then went off with a beep. Riyku''s eyes would widen as he felt the weapon gain tremendous weight compared to how light it was beforehand. "I see." He regained his composure having realized that the gun adjusted it''s weight to his data stored on the chip. "You get it? Wow... You have brains and brawns... Quite the combo their hot stuff." Cira would tease him before taking the gun beside him and pressing her chip against the scanner. Another beep came forth and Cira would hastily angle the gun at the screen. From the barrel seemed to come a red thin beam light. The beam seemed to point at one of the several modes which said ''practice''. Pulling the trigger would cause a light kickback and a semi-real gunshot noise. The cybernetic screen would fade into the black before fading out of black and revealing several wooden targets.


    "Let''s get some training. I usually do this as a warm-up for myself, but I already did the warm-up today." Cira stated as she took a stance and began firing upon the targets repeatedly. Riyku would look from the screen to her then to the screen again. Was she challenging him? A smirk curved across his face as he began to raise and lower the gun as if adjusting himself to the weight. ''Feels heavier than the Ion Gun and the Twin Tooth. Even the Atomic Gun was lighter...'' The male thought to himself before attempting to pull the trigger; though when his finger touched the trigger he stopped since he noticed the same thin red beam being there as an assistant. "Is it always there?" Riyku inquired almost as if he were annoyed by it. "No. It only shows up during the mode selection and in training to help you get used to the game or if you never aimed a gun before will help you with that. You can enable it before selecting any of the other modes by hitting the check marker the lower side of your screen if you need it." Cira explained as she emptied her clip only to hit the butt of the clip which seemed to give off a beep and showed her bullet count went from zero to fifty.


    "A clip size of fifty bullets for a pistol?" Riyku inquired to which Cira look over towards him and lower her gun. "It''s fake obviously, but since the game tracks you by your wrist band you can upgrade your guns with points," Cira explained to which Riyku seemed to understand. "There are other games around here that allow you to do such as the racing games where you can tune up your vehicle." Cira would add just before returning her attention back to the screen. Aiming her gun and continued to fire upon the targets. Riyku would aim at a target himself and squeeze the trigger. The kickback almost sent him astray since he wasn''t prepared for it, but he seemed to have held his ground fairly well. Though he missed the target it would seem. Cira chuckled lightly at the display to which she would nudge him in the stomach, "You are new to this sort of thing? I guess you aren''t good at everything." Cira seemed to tease him which caused him to groan. He would stand up straight this time; even though he was holding the gun with one hand he seemed to have a steady grip on it. Aiming the barrel at a new target; he would finger the trigger which would bring up that same stream which seemed to annoy him. Squeezing the trigger he would miss yet again, but not stray with the kickback. Clicking his tongue he would lower the gun to his side and sigh heavily.


    "Well, I think you got the jest of it. Let''s go ahead and start it up." Cira would return to the mode selection screen before selecting a ''shoot the moving targets'' mode. "Ready?" Cira looked over at Riyku who would nod and raise the gun back up. He placed his finger on the trigger as he aimed the gun at the screen; however, unlike before the thin red light wasn''t visible. The screen had been split into two vertically, one for Cira and one for Riyku. On the top of the screen had a displayed score of zero. "Go!" An audio sound shouted suddenly to which Cira would begin firing upon targets with excellent aim. Riyku would pull the trigger and bam! He seemed to hit a target with ease. A smirk curved across his lips as he confirmed the theory in his head. The only reason he was missing was that he was focusing on that beam. Since there was nothing to draw his attention away, he would hit the target then the next and the next. Cira had noticed Riyku seemed to be on par with her in terms of the score so she picked up the pace. Though, it would seem Riyku would have to reload before she would; however, that did not pose a problem. Since he had a free hand he would knock the butt of the gun just like Cira with perfect timing.


    ''What is with this guy?'' Cira seemed to have noticed that Riyku was keeping up with her quite well. "I guess I should take it up a notch." Riyku seemed just as he began to pick up the pace. For every three targets Cira took out, Riyku would take out six more. The score was now rapidly rising with Riyku coming out in the lead. Though it seemed to never end, the targets'' movements seemed to have hastened and there were more of them to hit. The moment Cira missed a target an ''X'' would appear on the top side of the screen. "So that''s how it is. I was wondering when it would end." Riyku stated as he seemed to keep up with the hastened targets. Cira clicking her teeth as she began to push herself. As time went on so did their game. A crowd had formed around them and began to chatter on about how the movements of the target were rather unpredictable. Changing speed and angle at random. Above Cira''s screen were two ''X''s now and a single one above Riyku''s. Though the two seemed to have quite a Gamer''s smirk cross their face. Their expressions were full of enjoyment to the fullest.


    Though, eventually, it would seem that the targets would begin to fade out of view as if they disappeared. This caught both of them off guard; which caused Riyku to miss once, but Cira seemed to just barely hit hers. Now the both of them were tied in marks, but Riyku still held a massive lead on the scoreboard. It wouldn''t be long before the game came to an end. Cira and Riyku both missed a disappearing target which marked the end of the game. They both sighed heavily; Cira sweating from how much movement she had done, while Riyku seemed to have just broken out a sweat. It was when they smiled at each other and the crowd that surrounded them become noted with praise and cheers.


    "That was so cool!"


    "Wow! Good Game!"


    "Ahhh!~ That''s The Queen of Gambit''s Arcade!"


    Both of them chuckled lightly as the crowd continued to go wild. The two of them seemed to have a tough time quieting down the crowd, but after a good while of talking with the others and what not the two of them would make it into the dining area. Both sitting at the bar booth awaiting their orders. "Cola!" A glass was slid down the bar table when the drink was called out and Riyku would catch it. "Sprite!" Another call came and another glass to which Cira would catch it. Both of them tipped their glasses together before taking sips. A refreshing ''ah'' sound parted their lips before they set the glasses down. "You surprised me there. I never expected you to be soo good. I take back what I said earlier." Cira stated to which Riyku chuckled at her. "No need." He replied to her. "Still, your name will start to circulate around the Arcade. The fact that you beat the Queen in a one on one match of Target Breaker is no easy feat. You would be the second person to have done it." Cira stated to which Riyku corrected her, "First." He took a sip from his glass. Cira''s brow rose as if confused. "I would not count a cheater''s win as a win. So I am the first to have beaten you on that game. Do not sell yourself short. You are not someone who goes down easily." Riyku stated which caused the girl to blush brightly and turn away. A soft chuckle parted his lips as he partook of his drink. Cira would do the same for some moments of silence as if to regain her composure.


    "Anyways, what brings a hottie like you here?" Cira stated to which Riyku would shrug. "I like the atmosphere. Everyone tries their best to win but also has fun at the same time. It''s my second time being here, but when I stepped in I felt free." Riyku stated to which Cira nodded. "I know what you mean. Most people would call it an escape, but the truth is... It is much more than that. It is like a second home for most. A place to relax and let go." Cira stated softly. Riyku looked over towards her and noticed a bit of a sad expression. "Something going on?" Riyku inquired to which Cira sighed heavily. "Yeah. My Father wants me to marry this wealthy guy''s son so that way he can inherit half of the sales that the company gets." Cira would state as she fingered the tip of the glass. "Something wrong with the guy?" Riyku inquired to which Cira shook her head. "No. I mean he isn''t model material like you, but he is not super ugly either. It''s just... I don''t like the idea of being chained down. There is no freedom. I probably won''t even be able to come back here once it happens." Cira explained to which Riyku listened before shifting his glance elsewhere.


    "Have you told him about how you feel?" Riyku asked to which Cira nodded. "He said since all I do is play games all day that I should at least be of some use to the family in some way. Don''t get me wrong, I get where he is coming from, but like..." Cira would fall silent over her wording. "You don''t want to be a bird in a cage. Something to be put on display. You want to let your wings fly and soar to heights unknown." Riyku stated or more so finished for her just before partaking of his drink. "Exactly!" Cira shouted as she looked at him. "Geez... You are strong, smart, handsome, and quite understanding. That is a deadly combo..." Cira stated to which Riyku chuckled lightly. "Are you falling?" He teased her lightly to which she blushed brightly. "Hell No!" She seemed to stammer as she looked away hastily. This only caused Riyku to chuckle lightly before finishing his glass of Cola.


    "You should be careful," Riyku stated as he closed his eyes and fingered the tip of the empty glass. Cira would look back at him with a quizzed expression. "What do you mean?" She asked to which Riyku would reply, "Your feelings... May never reach me." Riyku stated softly. "I am going into the Death Games soon. Who knows what''ll happen to me." Riyku added before opening his eyes and shifting them towards Cira who had invaded his personal space. "I never said I liked you or anything. However, Don''t you dare die!" Cira seemed to state boldly to which Riyku''s eyes perked up. He noticed the serious expression upon her face and in her eyes. "Alright. I''ll come back." Riyku stated to which Cira nodded. "When you do let''s play lots more games together!" She smiled brightly at him, almost too brightly in fact.


    A sudden ring and vibration would come from Cira''s wristband to which she pushed the answer button. "Young Miss, I am on my way to pick you up." It was Henry''s voice with an audio-only feed. "Alright. I''ll be waiting outside." Cira would state before hanging up the call and looking back at Riyku. "Well, my time is up. I won''t be here for a good while..." She seemed quite sad when she said that. Riyku wouldn''t let it go unnoticed either, "Is that so?" He questioned to which Cira would nod and step from his space. "Yup. Some family business to attend to for the next several days." Cira stated to which Riyku seemed to frown slightly. He did not need to be punched in the face word for word to figure would what she meant. It was most likely the engagement thing she spoke of. "Let me cut you a deal." Riyku''s voice caught her by surprise. "A deal?" She inquired to which Riyku nodded.


    "I''ll come back alive and in one piece. No.. I''ll even take first place on the Death Games. When I return you will listen to one request I have. All you have to do is hold off on your engagement process." Cira was stunned, shocked from what he just said. Come back alive and in one piece was hard enough, but taking First in the Death Games!? Now that was something else. She did not understand what he was trying to do but would nod silently. "Alright. It''s a deal. Don''t let me down." Riyku stated and before anything else could come of this conversation Henry had arrived to pick up Cira. "Young Miss, this way please." Henry would offer before noting of Riyku. "Ah, Master Riyku, How are you doing today? Have you been keeping the Young Miss company?" Henry inquired to which Riyku nodded. "More like she was keeping me company. I am quite fine, though I must be going. I need to attend to a few more matters before the end of the day." Riyku stated as he moved from his seat. Henry would bid him a farewell and proceed to take Cira as Riyku seemed to say his goodbyes as well.


    Eyeing the digital clock on the wall nearby he made note of the time being a little after seven. Dusk had already taken over the sky outside as well or that was what he could tell from the windows. Giving a wave of goodbye to Mimi who was taking care of a customer she would smile at him as if indicating she noticed it before Riyku fully left the Arcade. It was now time for the male to head over to the shop where he placed the order for his suit. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his checkered school pants he would glance around at the somewhat empty streets.


    "I guess everyone is heading home and what, not surprising with what is coming up." The male muttered to himself as he arrived at the clothing store. Pushing past the doors he was greeted by the bright smile of the man named Yumi. "Welcome back Darling, here to check up on your suit?" Yumi asked and Riyku nodded. "It''s not ready yet. Should be ready a few days before the Games. How did the exams go?" Yumi would make a bit of small talk seeing as how his store was dead right now. "Easy. How''s the business?" Riyku inquired to which Yumi would sigh lightly. "It''s always like this right before the Games. Everyone is out buying weapons or armor, or whatever they can. Speaking of which, have you prepared enough?" Yumi asked to which Riyku nodded. "I am ready. Although, I''ll be checking out Deyo''s shop and Natalie''s shop as well." Riyku stated to which Yumi nodded. "I was surprised to find that you were business partners with them. The three of us go way back..." Yumi sighed while he reminisced about the old times. "So you''ve told me several times now. How you three were best friends in Grade School all the way up to your time at the University and how Deyo is in love with Natalie while you tried to support them to get them together, but they are both oblivious of each other''s feelings." Riyku stated to which Yumi nodded. "They still are. Riyku, Do you think I can find someone." The man asked quite the question to which Riyku would approach him and tap upon his shoulder lightly. "There is someone out there for everyone. Even you. No one stays alone forever. I am sure the right person will come to you, or you may end up finding them." Riyku stated to which Yumi smiled brightly with teary eyes. "Awe, thanks, darling." He would attempt to hug the male but Riyku seemed to have stepped away just before that.


    "Of course. Now, I''ll be off. Need to hit up the other shops and check up on my orders." Riyku would turn on his heel. "Alright, tell the ladies I said hi, you playboy you." Riyku waved his hand while he left as if giving him an answer. His eyes fixated down the road a little ways towards Deyo''s shop.


    "Welcome!" The strong male accent of Deyo came forth. "Oh, it''s you. Been a bit since ya came by." Deyo stated in realization to which Riyku nodded. "How''s my order?" Riyku inquired. "Well, It''s coming along. Can''t say it''ll be done anytime soon. So you probably won''t get to test it till the Games." Deyo explained to which Riyku nodded. "It''s alright." He seemed rather nonchalant about everything. "The armor as well?" He added to which Deyo nodded. "Yup. I''m working on both at the same time. Say, can you run me an errand?" Riyku''s brow rose, "What do you need?" To which Deyo would reply, "I need you to deliver this to Natalie. Since I know I can trust you I am counting on you." Deyo stated as he handed Riyku an envelope. "A love letter?" Riyku bluntly asked to which Deyo became flustered and began to clear his throat. "Yeah." Riyku chuckled lightly. "Sure, but shouldn''t you have asked Yumi?" Deyo would shake his head. "I''ve tried. He keeps telling me to take it to her myself." Deyo stated to which Riyku would examine the closed letter for a moment before placing it back on the counter. "I think you should. It''s much better if you present it to her than have someone else do it. Besides, It comes off better." Riyku would suddenly turn on his heel as Deyo called out to him, but he had already left the shop. "See ya," Riyku stated before heading towards Natalie''s shop now.


    "Oh, Hey Riyku. Here to check up on those accessories I assume?" Natalie had been stocking her floor when she heard the bell from her door go off. "Yeah," Riyku replied to which Natalie would finish up her task and proceed back behind the counter. "Well, it won''t be done until the day before the Games." Riyku would chuckle lightly which caused her brow to raise. "Something wrong?" She asked to which Riyku shook his head. "No. Just my orders for you three will all be done on the same date." Riyku stated to which she seemed to giggle lightly. "Well, we have a special customer after all. When Yumi told us what you did for the girls, we wanted to help you in any way possible. We are glad to have you as our business partner." Natalie stated warmly. "I never asked for such treatment. I just did what needed to be done." Riyku would reply with a shrug. "Even so, what you did, no one else would have done." Natalie would retort, seeing the gleam in her eyes Riyku would give in. Realizing he would never actually win against her when it came to these things. "Alright, Alright. Well, thanks for the info." He was about head out until she called out to him. "Riyku!" She shouted. "Yeah?" He turned to look at her. "Can you deliver this to Deyo?" She seemed to pull out a letter from the drawer. ''Again?'' Riyku sighed internally. "Let me guess, a Love Letter?" Riyku stated bluntly. Her reaction gave him the answer he wanted. "You should deliver it yourself. It holds more meaning and shows the person you genuinely care. If you ask me from what I can tell, Deyo already likes you. So just go for it." Riyku stated.


    "He likes me?" Natalie''s pink face became red and full of joy. "Yup, so just give it to him," Riyku stated before leaving the shop with a goodbye. Now that everything was caught up all that was left was to return to the dorms. The evening clouds would show that time had indeed progressed faster than he anticipated. "Hmm... Maybe I''ll head to Racheal''s for the night instead. It is closer anyway and I haven''t visited her in a while." Riyku would stuff his hands into his pockets and with his mindset decided to head to Racheal''s place.

 14 The unknown voice

    Arriving at Racheal''s place he would knock upon the door. Yet he did not receive an answer, again he would knock and wait a bit but still silence. Turning from the door he would glance up at the skies. It was indeed already nightfall so he figured she would have been home by now, but nothing. "Maybe she is out and about." Riyku would mutter to himself as he proceeded towards the elevator. Tapping upon the button to go back to the lobby he would glance around and about as the digital number displayed where the carrier was at.


    With a bing sound, the doors would open and to his surprise, he was greeted with the woman he was just looking for. "Oh, Riyku." Racheal would attempt to step past the doors; although it would seem Riyku stood in her path. Normally, it would have been the usual tomfoolery; however, this time he had a serious expression upon his face. Racheal''s eyeliner had been messed up and her eyes puffy as if she had been crying for quite some time. "What happened?" Riyku inquired though instead of attempting to conceal everything, she would throw herself at him which forced him to take a step back from the sudden motion. The doors would close as the two were now standing outside of the elevator. Racheal''s face buried in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. Her muffled cries were barely heard; however, he could tell just how much of a wreck she was. "Let''s go inside so you can tell me everything." Riyku would escort her to the door while brushing her hair gently. Presenting her wristband to the door scanner would unlock the door once the scanner confirmed it was her. As she moved to reach for the handle Riyku seemed to come forth to open the door for her. "Come on." He gave her a light push to which she seemed to walk in. Removed her heels while Riyku shut the door and proceeded towards the couch where she would plop down with a sadden expression.


    Riyku would follow suit after removing his own footwear; however, he moved into the kitchen and pulled a cup from a pantry. Reaching into another pantry he would take out a bottle of aged wine. Riyku would fill up the cup before heading to where Racheal was and offer her the glass while setting the bottle on the coffee table in front of them. He had been here so many times that he already knew where everything was. "Here." He stated softly. When she took the glass he would take a sit. "Now tell me what happened." Riyku almost demanded of her, but the care in his voice would insist he was not. Racheal would nod softly after downing the whole glass and setting the cup on the coffee table. "It''s Brad. He is harassing me again. He kept calling me his ''naughty'' girl in front of everyone. Of course, I ignored these claims and continued my work, but that only seemed to anger him. He tried to challenge me, but I declined. Although, he insisted I accept and said if I denied him one more time that he would use any means necessary to get me fired. I tried talking to my co-workers but they were of no use. They just said to give him what he wants since I am his ''naughty'' girl. I am just soo tired of all of this. I am afraid to talk to my boss because he might side with him because they are best buddies." Racheal seemed to come out in full. Riyku would listen till the end and when she was done would rub the bridge of his nose. "This guy never quits..." Riyku grumbled before exhaling a soft sigh. "I''ll take care of this." He added to which Racheal looked over to him. "What!? No!" She seemed to shout hastily which caused Riyku''s brow to raise. The look on his face caused her to shy away.


    "I mean If you did he might try to blackmail you or get someone to come after you. You already have to deal with the pressure of the Games as well as whoever is already targeting you. I do not believe you need any more stress." Racheal stated firmly to which Riyku chuckled lightly and placed his hand on hers which caused her to perk up at him once again. "You are precious to me. I will never turn a blind eye to your problems. Do you understand?" Riyku seemed to be quite firm with his statement. This caused Racheal to blush lightly as she nodded silently. "Good. Now, you let me handle Brad while you relax. Have another glass or two of wine. I''ll draw you a warm bath so you can relax and I''ll wash your clothes for you." Riyku would get up and reach for the bottle to pour her another glass. As he began to head off towards the bathroom, Racheal seemed awestruck by what was going on. It was the first time in her life that anyone other than her family seemed to genuinely care about her. Sure she had the occasional boyfriend or two, but never did they seem to actually care. It made her tear up again. It had only been three months since she met this man, but to her, it felt like three years. All the times they spent together, going out and joking around. He even helped her family out in their times of need so she wouldn''t be so stressed. He had done so much for her in such a short time period. Reaching for the glass she would guzzle it down to keep the tears at bay, but in the end, they just steamrolled down her face. She was thinking about a lot and before she realized it she wanted to profess her love for him; however, how did he feel?


    As she recalled her meeting with him, she remembered the sexual tension and how she wanted to ride him all night long. It was a lustful desire, not a heartfelt one back then, but now... It was different. Her heart throbbed for him, but what of him? Was he just being nice to be nice, or did he care to? So many questions circled inside of her that she did not realize Riyku was calling her name.


    "It''s ready." He called as he came back from the bathroom to see her messy face in tears. A worried expression would partake of his facial features as he approached her. "Something else on your mind?" Riyku inquired to which Racheal would nod lightly. "What''s up?" Riyku asked softly. "I..." She paused for a moment, she wanted to say it but the words caught in her throat. It took all of her courage at his point to just blurt it out. "I am in love with you!" She shouted aloud. Her face plastered red as she stared up at him awaiting an answer. Riyku would scratch the side of his cheek, a bit taken back by the sudden profession. "I am flattered, Racheal," Riyku stated before closing his eyes. When she noticed this expression, she took it as he did not love her back and was about to turn away when suddenly he had pulled her into his being. Her eyes with wide in shock of this. "I appreciate your feelings. I truly do. However, at this time I do not see myself getting into a relationship." Riyku stated honestly, as he held her tightly. Racheal was about to sob believing that she would never be able to be with him but realized that he wasn''t in any form of relationship from his wording. "My feelings for you will not change. I will love you." Racheal would cling to him tightly. For a solid moment, they were in an intimate embrace until Racheal let go and stepped back. A warm smile on her face as she wiped her tears away. "I am going to go bathe now," Racheal stated before moving towards the bathroom and proceeding with her process to clean her face of makeup, strip and relax in the tub.


    Riyku would plop down upon the couch and slouch slightly as he rested his head on the top of the headrest to stare at the ceiling. A heavy sigh would escape his lips, not of annoyance or irritation, but guilt. Racheal wasn''t the only woman who had professed her feelings to him in the past three months. Kristen had professed her feelings as well and he got vibes that Lira and Mina also had the same feelings for him.


    [Hehehehe... You are going to lose everything if you don''t make a choice.]


    There it was again, that voice from earlier. "What do you want?" Riyku muttered as he closed his eyes.


    [Oh nothing. Just to warn you. Your indecisive behavior will be your downfall.]


    The voice added to which Riyku would shake his head. "I have no idea what you mean." He stated bluntly.


    [You do though. You have witnessed the deaths of many. Allies, Friends, and Lovers. So many of your wives died because of your weak nature. You could not grasp anything, nay... You would not grasp it. You allowed it all to slip through your fingers out of fear of losing yourself.]


    The voice would reply, the distortion sinister and evil as ever, yet seductive in a way. The words got to him though, his eyes narrowed as they opened and he sat up with a scowl on his face. "How do you know about the Memory Fragments!?" Riyku growled under his breath.


    [How? How else? I am here. Always have been since your rebirth.]


    The voice peered forth and Riyku''s reaction bore surprise. "But... You aren''t Coco. Wait... Where is she!? What did you do to her!?" Riyku demanded but would remain only audible to himself.


    [Kekekeke... Wouldn''t you like to know? Tell you what, I''ll tell you where she is if you accept my offer.]


    Offer? What offer? It could not be good, nothing good ever came from these things. Even he knew it from the fragments he was given. The more he thought in silence about why the fragments existed the more his questions went unanswered. "What deal?" Riyku inquired.


    [Simply really. Let me infect your body.]


    Riyku''s eyes would go wide and his fingers would dig into the clothing he held onto it.


    [Relax. It is not a takeover. I just need to finish a job and your body is the only thing that will allow me to do so.]


    "And how do I know I can trust your word? How do I know the moment I accept this deal you will not take over my body." Riyku stated firmly to which the voice seemed to sigh.


    [I am unable to. I already tried once before. When that happened most of my strength was zapped and stored into a separate dimension. What dimension is beyond me, but whenever you seem to level up I gain some of my power back. So the deal is simple; You let me infect your body and I''ll give you strength beyond your wildest dreams. In return, I''ll let you know what happened to your precious operator.]


    Riyku seemed to have fallen silent. This thing was after something? An unfinished job? He already knew this thing asked if he sought out power. Right now though, he did not. Closing his eyes he would think in silence on the situation. It was true that he wanted to know what happened to Coco, but the risk of this offer was too great. It was like this thing needed his permission to infect him or whatever.


    After several more moments, Riyku would give his answer, "No." He was firm in his statement. "I do not need your power. I am strong enough as it is. I won''t let anything terrible happen to anyone as long as I still stand and breath. I''ll just search for Coco myself as well. So go back to wherever you were." Riyku added to which the voice chuckled darkly.


    [Very well. I am here... all you need do is call out my name.]


    Name? Riyku''s eyes would narrow, but before he could say anything else Racheal seemed to have come from the bath with a towel wrapped firmly around her body. It was rather erotic in the sense that her glistering cream color flesh appeared soft and irresistible in all the right places. "No need for the stern look, Riyku." She would approach him and straddle him with one leg on each side her arms wrapped behind his neck, resting on his shoulders. Her eyes staring deeply into his for a solid moment. "I did some thinking. My heart does still move for you. You have done so much for me and my family that I doubt I could throw these feelings away so easily. So, I will chase you down." She pressed her forehead to his own. His eyes slowly opening wider as he sat there in awe.


    "One day, I will get you to fall in love with me." She whispered softly before brushing her lips firmly against his own. He was unable to react, for the first time in a while he was stunned completely. When she removed her lips she would also remove herself from him with a bright smile. "Now, I''ll be taking you up on your offer to relax," Racheal stated with a teasing smirk as she moved to lay down upon the couch. Her head resting in his lap as she stared up at him happily. She then noticed the smear of makeup on his uniform. "Oh my. We should get this taken care of." She pointed to his shirt to which he looked at. "You mean you just want to leer at me." Riyku teased her to which she winked at him playfully, "Maybe." She added. A soft sigh of thrill escaped Riyku''s lips as he began to unknit the buttons around his collar only to pull lose the black tie in a rather sensual manner. He would remove the tie and continue to unknit each button till the blazer was open to which he shrugged off the blazer and was left with the buttons of the white shirt. Racheal seemed to continue to leer at with anticipation.


    Steadily the male began to unknit each and every button of the white collar shirt which would expose a fair portion of his pale scared flesh. Racheal would move to slip a hand along the well built yet lean structure of his body as she released a soft pleasant noise. Riyku''s lips curved into a smirk as he began to caress her cheek softly. Moving his hand down and around her neck smoothly with a sensual touch before slipping under the towel to fondle her breast. Again came the pleasant soft noise as she closed her eyes, wanting to indulge in his touch. His other hand seemed to have slipped over her legs, around to the calves and coming back around the thighs. This only added to the sensation she was feeling. Her toes curled from his touch alone as she seemed to move her other hand to cup her breast and fondle them as well.


    "You are supposed to be relaxing." Riyku teased her when he noticed this. "B-but..." She would protest, but backed down and let her armrest off to the side. "Good girl." Riyku seemed to whisper sensually towards her which caused her to shiver. His hand on her thigh seemed to smoothly hike up the towel to expose more of her fleshy thighs. "Just relax," Riyku whispered sensually again, as he maneuvered both of his hands against her body as if massaging the flesh while providing a sensual feel at the same time. Racheal would hold back several moans but gasped every so often during the duration of this ''treatment'', and before long her body began to jolt around as if a climax had hit her hard. An exotic moan escaped her lips just this once before she relaxed her body again. Racheal''s eyes would peer open to look at Riyku who seemed to have quite the satisfied expression.


    "Geez, I took a bath too. You are so mean. At least let me take care of you!" She hastily sat up and would turn to turn around and face him. Her hands quickly moving to unzip his pants before he even had a chance to say anything. Quickly she would remove an erect rod that would pulsate firmly in her hands which caused her lips to grow wide in a smile. "My, someone was turned on." Riyku would close his eyes with a tint of red on his cheeks thanks to Racheal''s words. As soon as Racheal began to stroke his thick shaft, he knew it was going to another late night and prepared for it.


    The chiming of a clock went off three times. Riyku''s eyes shifted from Racheal''s sleeping figure which was under the blanket of the bed to the clock which read three ante meridiem. Swinging his legs over to where he would plant the soles of his feet against the ground he would get up only to move to the backroom which held a washer and a dryer. Of course, there was also a hanging rack of which Racheal''s work uniform was nicely fitted on. Riyku would remove the last load of clothing from the washer and place it into the dryer and then start it up. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he took a moment to lean back against the wall of the backroom.


    "What am I doing?" The male muttered to himself in thought. "Should I be having sex with someone who is in love with me, while I..." He paused in mid-sentence and closed his eyes before huffing heavily. "I get that I can level up by doing just anything... but having sex does not feel like it should be one of the things that give me experience points." The male muttered to himself yet again. "I wonder what Coco would say about this," Riyku stated before falling silently.


    "It''s just who you are."


    He would try to intimate her which caused him to chuckle lightly. "or maybe she would say something like, ''Don''t get ahead of yourself''." A soft sigh would escape his lips as his expression changed to that of worry. ''Skills.'' Riyku seemed to mentally state which brought up his skills tab upon his personal vision, or UI.


    Passive Skills:


    Way of the Fighter Lv Max- Having trained through many lifetimes, experienced many battles and overcame several life or death situations. You have burned into your soul the ability to fight. Your body will instinctively take up arms or shields in whatever situation that comes forth.


    Swordsmanship Lv3- ''Your trust in your blade will run as deep as the experience you gain through such.'' +6 Strength when using swords


    Gunslinger Lv3- ''One of many tools one will use in their lifetime will be a ranged weapon. As you train you will come to realize your hard work will not go unnoticed.'' +4 Agility +3 Strength when using any form of ranged weapon.


    Arcane Seeker Lv1- ''Your thirst for knowledge is boundless. You seek that of which many fail to do. The more you learn of the Arcane Arts; the stronger your bonds with them will become.'' +3 Wisdom +3 Intelligence when using an Arcane Weapon.


    Spearman Lv1- ''Guns and Swords are not the only weapons at one''s disposal. Staves have always been used by both the warriors and the mages. As such, what you put in will be what you get out.'' +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Toughness +1 Intelligence +1 Wisdom when using a Staff of any kind.


    Dagger: Lv5- ''Daggers are often seen as dishonorable in battle, but in a fight to the death any weapon is still a weapon.'' +6 Agility when using a dagger.


    Claw: Lv5- ''Claws in truth are a bizarre weapon. They can be used for a multitude of purposes beside combat as well.'' +5 to all stats when equipping a Claw.


    Cultivator Lv5- ''Your rigorous body is the main reason you are able to stand strong.'' Shield Points will recharge over time. Getting at least six hours of sleep will fully recharge your Shield Points. Getting eight hours of sleep will apply a bonus of 200 Shield Points.


    Spiritual Bond Lv4- ''Your profound knowledge of the existing elements around allows you to deepen your pool of mana'' Mana points will recharge over time. Getting six hours of rest will fully recharge your Mana. Getting eight hours of rest will expand your Mana Pool by 400 points for four hours.


    Silver Tongued Lv7- ''You have quite the way with words. You can talk your way out of any mess or into one if you so desire''


    - Intimidation Lv5- You are capable of striking fear into another, be it man or monster. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss mobs!**


    - Persuasion Lv5- You are capable of talking your way into makings things lean in your favor. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss Mobs!**


    - Seduction Lv9- Be it man or woman; you can smooth talk your way into getting whatever you want. Bonus applies to those with little resistance to Charm.


    Charmer Lv9- ''You are quite the Ladies'' Man.'' Women, are naturally easier to attract and reason with. Bonus applies to those around your age group or older.


    - Playmate Lv.Max- You know your way around a woman''s body. Your touch alone can start a fire in their groin. Just make sure you can keep up when all is said and done. +1000 Energy when engaging in sexual activities.


    - Perfect Partner Lv.7- With expertise in the bed comes great responsibility afterward. Thankfully, you are sterile. **You can adjust your Semen production and fertility in the body menu.**


    - Lover''s Bonus Lv.3- When sleeping next to your lover after a satisfying night you will gain twice the amount of experience earned for eight hours upon waking up.


    Guardian Angel Lv.1- ''You are the protector of those who you call comrades.'' Doubles Strength, and Agility while protecting any allies within 10 meters of your person.


    Tracker Lv. Max- ''Through much and I mean much tracking, you have learned the ways of a Tracker.'' Tracking any personal or monster will give you a thin stream of light that only you can see which takes you directly towards them in the shortest possible route.


    Chess Master Lv. 8- ''Your mental will is what brings you to be the best critical thinker. Solving solutions in marvelous time.'' Will activate only when needed which will slow down your perception of time to a near standstill until you make a move from your present spot.


    Sword Execution Lv.2- ''Sometimes finishing off your foe is all you can do to end the battle.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your personal vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you double the experience points. **Only works with Swords.**


    Claw Execution Lv.3- ''Ripping out the insides of your target can be messy and gruesome, but can demoralize your foe while motivating your allies.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your personal vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you and your allies full rejuvenation from fatigue.


    Dagger Execution Lv.4- ''A quick stab to the back, gut, neck or even heart can be fatal. It may be cowardice, but in the end, you are the one who is left to stand while they fall.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your personal vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you stealth for 8 seconds.


    Gun Execution Lv.2- ''What is more empowering than executing someone on their knees while they look at you with a glare as you hold the barrel of your gun to their face? Nothing.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your personal vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you 50 strength for 2 minutes.


    Happy Trigger Lv.3- Rapidly pulling the trigger of your gun will decrease the reload timing of your clips. *Only works with Guns*


    Active Skills:


    Shadow Mirror Lv.Max - Create a clone of yourself from your own Shadow. Costs nothing. Lasts until it is destroyed or is dismissed. **Clones only maintain 90% of your original power**


    Shadow Weapon Lv. Max- Craft a weapon from your own shadow. Costs Nothing.


    Shadow Replica Lv.3- Replica any weapon in hand for a fixed duration. Costs 100 Mana. **Replicated weapons only gain a portion of the original''s power.**


    Shadow Step Lv.7- Travel through the shadows at rapid speeds. Consumes 20 mana.


    Shadow Mirage Lv.6- With command of the shadow you can cleanly strip a target of any limb by cutting the head or body piece of the shadow off. Consumes 40 mana per usage


    Blink Lv.6- Teleport a few meters in any given direction. Consumes 9 Mana.


    Death''s Embrace Lv.Max- Call forth to the elements around you to bring forth a typhoon of destruction. Consumes 400 Mana and 200 Energy.


    Weapon Summon Lv. Max- Bring forth any weapon from your arsenal. Does not consume anything.


    Weapon Return Lv. Max- Calls back any weapon not in your hand; into your hand or inventory. Can always be used to store your weapons that are in hand too. Does not consume anything. **Not capable of summoning locked or restricted items, weapons or armor!**


    Shadow Surprise Lv.4- A single target skill that will use the shadows to home in on the enemy with rapid speeds; only to emerge from beneath the enemy with a sword in hand then follow up with a barrage of bullets. Consumes 20 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Chaser Lv.3- Chase after a fleeing target with rapid swings with your sword only to follow up with your gun afterward. Consumes 25 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Super Crit Lv.2- Your next attack will deal massive damage to the target, but only at a 20% Chance. Costs 100 Mana.


    Focus Lv.3- Increase your perception by x3. For every second in Focus, you spend 1 mana.


    X-Strike Lv.2- Tear open your foes chest while leaving a symbol of an ''X'' in your wake. Consumes 30 mana. **Only works with Claws**


    Multi-strike Lv.3- Swiftly swing your weapon around in a flourish of movement. Consumes 50 Mana.


    Empowered shot Lv.2- When holding the trigger your next shot will be empowered with x2 the damage. Consumes 30 mana and 20 energy.


    Mystic Skills:


    Assassination Lv.5- With haste you can instantly eliminate all mobs who are unaware of you. **Can not be used against Boss or Mini-Boss mobs.** Consumes 17 Energy and 7 mana per usage. Grants bonus experience points when assassinating a target. Multiplied twice for every target assassinated in rapid succession.


    Critical Strike Lv.4- Vital or weak points on your target will be marked and striking them will deal massive damage. Consumes 50 Mana. **Hitting a marked vital point will make a new one appear at the cost of nothing. This can be repeated as long as the vital point is struck within a time frame of 5 seconds.**


    Forms:


    Forms Gauge will recharge on a 1:1 Ratio.


    Rage Form Lv. 1- Awakened to your inner Rage you will steadily allow madness to consume you whole in return for unrivaled strength and toughness. + 300 strength, +300 toughness. Effect: Steadily lose your consciousness to the madness. Duration 20 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio.


    ~!7U5 F*7^ Lv.ERROR- ERROR!!!!


    Riyku had leveled up several skills and gained new ones over the course of his training. Though his eyes would widen upon seeing something new. It was a brand new form; however, he did not understand. What this unknown form was that came out of nowhere. More so, what it even meant. He only assumed that it had something to do with that unknown voice. If so, then why wasn''t it there when this thing tired to take over the first time. It hit him at that moment. "Coco... You." Riyku recalled that Coco said she found something in his data and would reboot his system to keep whatever was happening from doing what it was doing. If this thing was what caused him to black out back then... Did that mean that Coco was in a comatose state? Clicking his tongue the male would dismiss the skills screen with a mere thought and exhale a heavy sigh.


    "Even so there is not much of anything else that I can do right now. I can''t dive into my own subconscious of my own free will." He muttered in defeat while pushing himself off of the wall and proceed out of the backroom and into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Glass after glass the male would guzzle down before setting the empty glass upside down into the empty sink. His naked figure would carry on through the darkness as he went back into the bedroom where he got under the blanket and placed his arms underneath his head. ''If only I could dive into my own subconscious of my own free will. I could do something, but then where would she be?'' He mentally sighed as he closed his eyes. Things were starting to become cumbersome. For now, there was nothing he could do. He would put this aside and drift into a deep slumber.


    "Yo, Riy!" A strong masculine voice called out which caused Riyku''s eyes to shoot open. Blinded by soft light he would move his hand before his face before his vision adjusted. Looking around something was off; this place was not Racheal''s home. "Nice of you show up, man." Another voice came out of nowhere. It was then he saw a figure walk past him... no through him. "What?" The male''s mouth moved of his accord and his voice projected from himself. Wait.. what was going on?


    "Riyku!" A female squealed as she moved to jump onto the male who had just moved through him. "No way..." Riyku muttered as he looked at the male who caught the tiny woman who happened to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms crossed behind his neck. "Sicilia, I have work to do. Deyo isn''t going to tend the bar himself." The male stated to which the tiny woman whined. "Oh fine, but when you have time you gotta dance with me." Riyku would look around to get a better picture of this place. It was pretty much a nightclub inside of a bar. There happened to be a small dancefloor and a stage with several poles spread around. The bar happened to be right next to him and behind him was the entry. What, could be labeled as a dining room held dining tables adjacent from the bar. There was even a lounging area with love seats. He also happened to notice two sign above two doors on opposite ends of the place. One read ''restrooms'' and the other read ''Tavern rooms''. Upon closer inspection, the walls were decked with soundproof material. "What is this place?" Riyku inquired though it seemed that his voice could not be heard to the people. In fact, it appeared as if they had been moving around as if this were some kind of play.


    The male moved behind the counter as if to tend to several people. Women were flocking towards him giving him teasing looks and trying to seduce him as he handed out their drinks and conversed with them. "That is me..." Riyku would take note of the male. "Yo Deyo, when you are done with whatever you are doing over there come help out." The male called out to another man who happened to perk back up with a wave of his hand. "D-Deyo?" Riyku stumbled as he noticed a man resembled the shop keeper in the shopping district. "Yeah yeah." Deyo would reply with a wave of his hand as he returned to tending to a female.


    "It is known as Lucid Driving." A voice came from out of nowhere. Hastily, Riyku would look all around. "Who are you? Where are you?" He was clearly on high alert and his frantic expression seemed only cause the voice to giggle. "I am everywhere, but nowhere. You will come to find out in due time, Riyku." The voice replied which caused the man to click his tongue. "Fine. Then what did you mean by Lucid Driving?" Riyku inquired to which the voice seemed to mule over the thought of answering him before eventually giving him his answer.


    "Lucid Driving is when you dive into your soul. You can look through several memories that were etched upon your soul, but only for a limited time. You see, if you stay too long you may never return to your body because your soul is pretty much interlacing with itself. If it becomes too tangled it will never come undone and you will be lost to wander the memories of your soul for all eternity." The answer Riyku got caused his brow to rise. "When will I know when my time is running out?" Riyku inquired to which the voice giggled. "I couldn''t tell you. Only you will know when your time is running short." This caused Riyku to click his tongue in annoyance. "Can I search through any memory?" Riyku questioned to which the voice fell silent for a short period of time. "I wouldn''t advise doing so. It will only hasten the entanglement of your soul. But yes you can." Riyku would close his eyes and sigh heavily. "Looks like there is a heavy price to pay." He muttered to which the voice would agree. Riyku began to stumble around as he felt a sharp pain in his head and an uneasy feeling in his chest. "Looks like your time is up. Staying here any longer is not advised. I''ll force you out just this once, but after that, you are on your own." The voice stated with another giggle.


    "Wait, what!?" Riyku shouted before everything went black when he heard the sound of a loud snap. Steadily the male would begin to open his eyes when he heard the sound of chirping birds outside. His vision was blurry at first, but when it came to he would notice Racheal was gone. His wristband was going off with a vibration which caused him to raise it up and tap upon the chip to reveal a message.


    ''I went on ahead. Thanks for doing my laundry and cleaning up my house. I had a wonderful night... Also, thank you for everything. You are always helping me out, always there for me. It''s a shame that I got rejected, but I won''t stop chasing after you. After all, I do love you. From Racheal.''


    Riyku chuckled lightly and lowered his arm back upon the bed after closing out the message. "So it has always been like this. I wonder why." The male made a rhetorical question or more so a statement. In truth, this wasn''t the first memory that had him surrounded by women. There was another one as well, his first memory fragment. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he sat up and looked out the window which the sunlight poured in. His eyes then shifted towards the clock which read a little after nine. "Since it wasn''t a full eight hours I didn''t get my bonuses, but eh it''s whatever. I should just get the day started and head to that place Skylar mentioned of." Riyku stated to himself before getting up to prepare for the day.

 15 Jackpot!

    Riyku would glance around here and there to take in the morning rush. It was a lovely day and the aroma in the air would match. Hands stuffed into the pockets of his school pants the male would proceed down the road. His clothing was cleansed and ironed to perfection. Of course, it was done by him. After all, it was not like he had any kind of clothes he could have thrown on. ''Inventory'' Riyku used a mental command which would bring up his inventory upon his personal vision. A vast majority of the slots were filled with various weapons, armors, and items. Though he did not see any sort of clothing. Dismissing the screen upon his vision he would shake his head. "Perhaps I should store something of the sort just in case." The male muttered to himself.


    The smell of fresh baked goods would fill his nostrils. Which caused him to approach the Bakery shop, If memory served correctly he was told of a shop around here. Pushing past the door he was greeted with a jing from the bell above along with a welcome from a woman who looked oh so familiar. "Welcome!" Freya shouted gleefully. "Oh, it''s you. I was beginning to believe you were never going to show up." The woman stated happily to which Riyku chuckled lightly. "Not at all. With the Exams and what not have been in place. My time was taken up." Riyku replied as he approached the counter. In truth, he did forget all about Freya and her daughter. It wasn''t that he did not care what would happen afterward, just that his time was taken up by training and exams. "Mister Riyku!" Mary seemed to shout as she runs up to him with a bright smile on her face. "Hello, again Mary. How are you been?" Riyku would squat down beside her with a warm smile as he patted her head softly. "I have been good. I have been helping mommy out around the store too!" Mary seemed excited enough about her time spent in the bakery. "That''s good," Riyku stated before standing up to look at Freya. "Well, I''ll take you came for some sweet bread to start the morning? My rush just ended. So, I don''t have anything super fresh. Is that alright?" Freya asked with a genuine smile to which Riyku nodded. "That will be fine. It is better to eat something than to eat nothing." Riyku replied to which Freya would nod lightly.


    She began to move about behind the counter and pull out a few lightly sugar coated buns in which she placed on a pan and stuffed them into a warmer. She would turn the dial and press a button before proceeding to grasp a paper cup for him and pour what appeared to be coffee into the cup. The steam from the cup was covered up by a lid and the ding from the oven would cause her to take the sealed cup with her and set it upon the counter top. She would remove the bread from the warmer and place them in a big paper bag before closing it up and offering him the cup of coffee and the bag. "On the house. I wanted to show my appreciation for helping my daughter as well as helping me."Freya stated to which Riyku blinked before nodding and taking both. "Well alright. Say, Since I am here, would you mind answering a few questions for me?" Riyku inquired as he moved to sit down at a table. Setting the bag and the cup on the table before taking a seat himself. "I don''t see why not. What''s up?" Freya inquired. Riyku would pick up the cup of coffee and take a sip before setting it back on the table. "Do you know of anyone named Bell Perez?" Riyku asked which caused Freya to give a puzzled looked.


    "I do not believe so." Freya would reply. "I see, well what of a high school brunette who might be clinging to some man''s arm tightly. Like they are constantly flirting up a storm." Riyku inquired to which Freya began to mule over in thought. Riyku was reaching into the bag now to partake of one of the fresh warm lightly sugar coated buns. Though when he saw Mary looking a little sad he would smile softly and offer it to her. This seemed to brighten her day when she took the bun and began to munch and nimble upon it happily. "No. I do not get many high schoolers here. Only a select few come here, and they happen to be quite the close bunch. I believe his name was Rick?" Freya stated to which Riyku''s brow rose while he had already bitten into his bun. "I see." Riyku would speak only after he finished his bite of the bun. "Tell them I said hi." Riyku would add before taking another bite of the bun.


    "You know them?" Freya asked to which Riyku nodded lightly. "I do if it is the same bunch you are referring to anyways." Riyku seemed to speak as he reached into the bag for another bun. "I helped them out about three months ago when I first arrived here. Some guy was bullying them so I stepped in. Though It is a surprise to know that they come here." Riyku stated before partaking of the bun in hand. "Wow, you are quite the busy body huh?" Freya stated with a light chuckle which caused Riyku to give her a puzzled look mid-way through half of the bun. "Your name has been floating amongst the shop keepers. How you''ve been aiding them with mundane tasks." Riyku''s face would lightly tint pink as he looked away. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Ma''am," Riyku stated with a mouthful of the bun.


    "Riyku!?" A familiar voice called out to him. Which caused Freya and Riyku to look towards the door. "Oh wow! It is." Melaine would state with a warm smile. "Really? Lemme see!" Jessica''s voice peered from behind her friends. Eden would move so she would see. "In the flesh!" Jessica stated as the four of them approached Riyku. "So, you do know them," Freya stated with a teasing remark as she moved behind the counter. Mary would blink rapidly with the bun still in her hands. "Mister Riyku, who are these people?" Mary asked with a cute expression. "We are his friends," Rick responded before Riyku could to which Mary smiled brightly. "Really? That''s so cool! You are friends with everyone Mister Riyku!" The child stated warmly which caused Rick''s group to appear awestruck.


    Freya would chuckle lightly, "Mary come help mama with something and leave Mister Riyku and his friends alone for now." Freya called from behind to counter. "Okay!" Mary would jump from the seat she was sitting in and race to the kitchen. "Mister Riyku? Friends with everyone?" Jessica would begin to tease as she nudged his shoulder which caused his brow to twitch. "I think it''s lovely." Mel would state happily. "Jesus man, what have you been doing these past few months? I understand that Exams were here and you have the Games coming up, but still. I never thought you to be someone to aid people without a motive." Rick stated which caused Riyku to sigh lightly. "And what of you four? You four slacking off?" Riyku inquired which caused them to all become docile.


    "Figures." Riyku would partake of his coffee before offering the rest of the buns in the bag to them. "There should be enough for you four. They are quite good, but I am afraid I can not eat them all." Riyku was lying, of course, he could easily eat all of the buns if he wanted to. "Thanks...?" Rick took the bag and pulled out a bun before passing the bag to Mel who did the same then to Jessica and lastly to Eden. "So..." Rick would attempt to speak with his mouth full. "Why are you here?" He questioned to which Riyku would lean back in the chair and look at the ceiling. "I was looking for information," Riyku stated to which the four appeared interested enough to ask him of what. "Bell Perez, the girlfriend of Jack Justice." A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he followed up. The four of them looked slightly shocked and confused. "You see her claim for revenge has not gone unnoticed. So far she has put several of those close to me in grave danger. If she left is unchecked..." Riyku paused for a moment before shifting his glance to the four of them who all had crumbles of bread on their faces. A slight snicker parted his lips before he spoke what he wanted, "Have you four been approached by anyone weird?" Riyku inquired to which the four of them looked at each other and shook their heads then looked back at him. "That''s good. Just be careful. I don''t know if she will go after you four. After all, we do not interact with one another since our campus grounds are not the same." Riyku would lift his cup of coffee and partake of it once again.


    "If you want we can ask around our campus. After all, she does attend classes there." Rick stated to which Riyku shook his head. "I already got information that she has not been in classes for a while now. Besides, I do not wish you guys to get into any trouble because of my problems." Riyku would set down his empty cup of coffee and stand up to look over the four of them. Taking some napkins from the table he would offer them to which they would take and begin to wipe their faces. "What did she do?" Mel asked sensing something off about him to which Riyku''s brow rose. For a moment he would debate on telling them but eventually decided to just go ahead and give them the full rundown of the events that transpired as well as to what he had been up to.


    Meanwhile back at the University of Strife, Mina and Skylar were celebrating a full-on victory in their bout against another duo of students. "Yay!" They would both high-five each other before stepping over to a booth seat where Kristen, Vex, and Lira were at. "Good job!" Kristen would congratulate them. "Yes, congrats. That was your fifteenth win in a row today." Vex would add to which Lira smiled at them while partaking of her glass of soda. "He''s still not here yet?" Mina would sit down with Skylar as she scouted the area. "Looks like it. He never came by yesterday either." Lira stated. "Hell, he never even showed up to our room. I don''t know what is going on in his head." Kristen stated with a heavy huff to which Vex patted her head lightly. "There, there. Your Ruthless King will show up soon." Vex teased her which caused her to blush and swat her hand away lightly. This caused everyone to go into a soft giggle fit.


    "Still, do you think he is taking on this thing with Bell all on his own?" Lira inquired which caused their expression to turn grime. "I hope not," Mina stated softly. "Yeah, he doesn''t need more weight added to the Death Games," Skylar added. "Knowing him, he is probably trying to get information on her." Kristen would butt in which caused them to look at her. "You sure do know a lot about him," Vex stated bluntly. "So what?" Kristen tried to play it off, but it seemed Vex wouldn''t let this go unfinished. "Why don''t you just confess already." Vex sighed heavily to which Kristen became slightly flustered. "I have." A sudden shock caused the group to shout in awe which drew inattention. "Shhh!" Kristen would urge them to keep quiet.


    "You did!?" Mina inquired hastily to which Kristen nodded. "A few months ago, after he beat me. You all have noticed it surely. If you look deep into his eyes they appear empty. When you try to reach out for him he just seems to push you away. It is almost like he is distancing himself for a purpose. Of course, I am not saying that he dislikes or hates any of you nor myself. If he did, he wouldn''t be doing what he is doing now. It''s just..." Kristen paused in thought as if trying to come up with the correct thing to say.


    "He is shouldering everything alone." Skylar would finish for her which caused the girls to look at him. The sudden limelight caused him to blink rapidly, "Well, from what I know anyway. If I take everything I know about him and what he told me after he beat me, that becomes the conclusion." Skylar added. "What he told you?" Vex inquired to which Skylar nodded. "That he is not strong, that he is weak. When I think about it, he appears to be pushing everyone away to keep them safe." Skylar stated bluntly. "But then who will help him?" Mina inquired to which no one could answer. "Alright, then let''s put it to a vote." Lira would speak up. "A vote of what?" Vex inquired to which Lira smiled. "All in favor of aiding the Ruthless King, Riyku Von Rosario." Lira would place her hand in the middle of the table. The four seemed a bit slow before catching on and doing the same. "Alrighty, since we are all about to make this oath. We swear we will do whatever in our power to protect him even if he hates us for it." Lira stated before raising her hand up with a victory cry. The rest seemed to do just that before falling into a fit of laughter.


    Back to Riyku who had just finished explaining everything to Rick and company. Their faces were mortified. They had no idea that such was happening around them. Sure the Lower District was sleazy and considered to the slums, but still, who would want to know that they could just up and vanish without a moments notice. "So stick together. Watch each other''s backs and do not be afraid to flee or fight. I understand you four are not the brawling type, but if you are in pairs or better yet together as a whole then you do not have to worry." Riyku stated firmly to which they nodded. "What of you?" Mel asked which caused him to raise a brow. "Who will protect you?" This question caused Riyku to look away for a moment. "I can protect myself."


    [Lies.]


    It almost slipped past him, that voice, but he did not say anything about it. "Really?" Mel asked noting the sudden change. "He''ll be fine. Remember what he did back then, I am sure he is much stronger now." Jessica stated as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. Riyku is probably the strongest in all of the Eastern Region." Rick added which seemed to quell Mel''s thirst for knowledge for now. "Well alright. If anything happens, call us. We are your friends after all." Mel stated to which Riyku seemed a bit awestruck by this before shaking his head with a small smirk. "Yeah yeah." He would walk past them. "Take care." He added as he left the building, Rick and company would begin to partake of a booth and pull out a deck of cards showing that they were there to ''train''.


    ''I know you are there.'' Riyku stated internally as he walked down the streets, heading for the campus building. ''What is a lie? That I can''t protect myself? I have yet to be injured since I arrived here. You should know that.'' He added, though no response seemed to have come in his direction. ''Silent treatment eh? Very well.'' With that Riyku would keep silent during the entirety of his venture towards the campus. Several students seemed to have begun to avoid him in all manner possible upon his arrival. "If I recall correctly it should be around here somewhere," Riyku muttered as he began to look around for the Gaming Lounge.


    "Well, Hello there Ruthless King." A familiar voice came out of nowhere yet again. When he turned to take a glance he noticed it was the reporter from before. "Oh, It''s you. What do you want?" Riyku would turn away from the woman who hastily moved in front of him. "No need to act so cold. I am merely wondering why you have yet to visit me in my office. I thought men were quick to partake of a booty call." She seemed to tease him which caused him to sigh. "Not if it involves strings." Riyku would retort which caused her to chuckle. "I was only joking. Besides, I do not want to get on your bad side. So, what are you doing? Looking for the Lounge?" She asked which caused Riyku to nod. "But, how did you know?" He asked, to which she seemed to giggle softly. "Who isn''t?" It was then that he recalled what Skylar had told him. "Well then follow me." The woman would take his wrist and lead him to the Lounge.


    Upon entering the facility they were greeted with rave music and a mill dew smell. "Yup always seems to be like this around this time." The woman stated over the music before dragging him along to the barstools. She would take a seat and before long so would he. The barista would tend them. "Here again? Don''t go starting more trouble, Myu. The repair cost will be billed to you this time around." The barista would give the reporter a stern glare. "Alright, Alright. I got it. I am just here with him for now." Myu stated which caused the woman to look over and go eye wide. "R-Ruthless King!?" The woman shouted, but it wasn''t loud enough to draw any attention. "You''ve already brought trouble here. My lord... what if someone dies today. Ugh... Myu." The woman would groan to which Riyku sighed heavily. "Look, I am just here to earn points like the rest of the people. I don''t care about anything you may have heard about me." Riyku stated to which Myu would tap upon the countertop. "True, I may have come here with him. But he was looking for this place on his own. Besides, the only reason the student body gave him that title is because of the number of people he has mercilessly beat down for challenging him or forcing him to challenge them into a brawl." Myu stated which caused the woman to sigh heavily. "Fine. But like I said if anything gets broken... You are paying for it. IN FULL!" The woman added before Myu smiled at her. "Of course, now can you get us our drinks. Riyku and I will be drinking cola." Myu stated to which the woman nodded before moving to get the beverages.


    "I am not going to ask how you know what kind of drink I enjoy," Riyku stated as he scouted out the area. "A girl''s secrets will remain forever." Myu would coyfully express. "Yeah, yeah," Riyku stated before becoming shocked when he heard two voices shouting happily. It was then he noticed that Mina and Skylar had just won some kind of game. When Mina looked up from her brother she saw Riyku in the distance. "Oh! He is here!" Mina shouted to which Skylar looked in the direction Mina pointed. "Let''s go get him," Skylar stated as the two made their way towards him. "Ri--" Mina was caught off when someone grasped her wrist. "Hell no! You ain''t going anywhere. I want a rematch. Screw that duo game. A one on one!" The person who grasped her wrist shouted in anger. Skylar quickly turned around to attempt to remove the man''s grasp but was stopped himself by the guy''s partner. "Yeah, A one on one!" The other guy stated. "Let go of me! I don''t want to fight right now!" Mina shouted as she struggled, but before things could escalate further Riyku seemed to have stepped in. He would begin to fiddle with the cuffs of his blazer as he stood behind Mina and Skylar. "How about a two on one?" Riyku offered. "Eh!? Who the hell are--" The man was caught off when he realized who it was. "R-Ruthless King!? Hell no. No way!" The other suddenly released Skyler while his friend released Mina and the two of them ran off.


    "Thanks, Riy," Mina stated with a soft smile. "Thanks, bro," Skylar added. Riyku would nod before being bumped in the arm by Myu who would offer him his drink. "Here you go, Hero." Riyku would turn around to take the drink. "Thanks." Riyku would respond, though seemed to ignore her teasing remark ''hero'', before taking a few sips of the drink. "Myu?" Mina inquired as she noticed who it was. "Oh, Mina. Hey, how is it going? I see Skylar is doing well too. You two gaining a bunch of points?" Myu asked to which they both nodded. "Yeah, that was win number forty." Myu seemed quite shocked by this. "Come on, Join us at our booth," Mina stated as she began to lead Riyku and Myu with Skylar back to their booth.


    "Look who I found," Mina called out to the girls who were sitting there with bored expressions. When they all looked over to Mina they saw Riyku and instantly their expressions changed to a more gleeful one. "Hey! You finally showed up!" Kristen called out waving him over to sit by her. "Oh, Are here you to?" Kristen inquired as Mina, Skylar and Myu all sat opposite of Riyku, Kristen, Vex and Lira. "That''s not nice." Myu would pretend to be hurt which caused Kristen to roll her eyes. "Did something happen?" Mina inquired as the rest of the group other than Riyku seemed quite interested. "Oh, nothing really. I was just trying to get inside information on the--" It was when Riyku seemed to give her a stern look did she pause for a moment. "on the new student. Kristen seemed to not like it so much." Myu would change her tune with a fake chuckle. Kristen blinked rapidly before looking at Riyku who was just partaking of his drink. A soft smile curved across her lips. "Yup. She wouldn''t stop pestering him for information." Kristen stated to which Mina looked at Myu. "You''ve always been like that." Mina would complain lightly, but it was more like playful banter really.


    "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, you all are participating in the Games?" Myu asked to which Skylar would respond. "Everyone besides me and Mina" He would reply which caused the woman to blink before looking at Riyku. "I had heard you were going to join, but I figured it was false." This caused Riyku''s brow to perk up. "You did?" He questioned since he found it strange that others knew of this. "Well yeah, there is a rumor that is circulating around that you are being forced into the games and if you lose something bad will happen." The group seemed to turn grime which shows that she had hit the marker. "They are right; however, no one besides us, Barron and Rick and company should know of this," Riyku stated firmly as he set the glass on the table. "Tell me, where did you get this information?" He appeared far too serious for his own good, but no said a thing about it.


    "I can''t say..." Myu stated which caused Riyku to tap his finger upon the table impatiently. "Or you won''t say. Is what you mean." Riyku corrected her which caused her to gulp heavily. "Look, I can''t just give away my clientele. It looks bad on a reporter and can often lead to worse things happening." Myu stated firmly to which Riyku would stop tapping his hand upon the table. "Very well. You don''t have to tell me anything." Riyku stated as he leaned back against the booth. "I-I don''t?" She questioned, almost as if doubting what was going on. "Nope. You don''t. If it will damage your reputation don''t worry about it." Riyku would cross his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes. "Well, yeah. I wasn''t going to in the first place." Myu stated to which Riyku would retort, "Just know if anyone I know gets harmed... You will be the one I come to for answers." The sheer cold chill in his voice was enough to cause Myu to shiver in fear. If the others did not know that he was being like this just to protect them, then surely they would be in the same state. Mina wanted to rebuttal against Riyku, but Skylar seemed to keep her still.


    "H-Harm? Wait... I don''t know anything about that. She only told me that you were going to be forced into the Games and told me to spread that in the form of a rumor. I wanted to publicize it, but she told me not to!" Myu seemed to hastily speak which caused him to unfold his arms and sit forward as his eyes staring dead at her now, "Really now? This woman was a brunette, right? Appeared to be from the high school campus?" Riyku inquired to which Myu seemed to instantly backtrack herself as if to keep shut. "Your silence has given me my answer." Riyku would state firmly before partaking of the glass of soda on the table. Several moments seemed to have passed before he sighed heavily. "You can relax now. I got my information." Myu would blink rapidly as her body began to relax from the extra tense state it was previously in.


    "I won''t harm you. In fact, from what you told me you are a victim of her as well." Riyku stated which caused Myu to slump in the booth. "Victim? As well?" Myu was still in shock from what was going on. "Yes. My friends here, have been put in danger by your client. Bell Perez. She is after me because I beat her boyfriend up. I don''t care for her childish revenge plot; however, the fact that she placed traumatizing experiences on Kristen, Vex and Lira are more than enough to anger me." He would finish up his drink while Myu looked at the three girls beside him to which they all seemed to nod lightly. "It''s true," Mina stated which caught her eye. "Riyku is only trying to protect us." Skylar pitched in. "Don''t worry, I''ll help you out if anything happens because of this," Riyku stated which caused Myu to look in his direction. "We will too!" Kristen stated as she extended a hand to her. The rest smiled warmly at her which caused the fear to melt away as she reached out for Kristen''s hand. "Thank you." It looked as if she was about to burst into tears at this moment.


    "No need. Now then, I''ve gotten the information I needed. Sure, I may not know where she is at, but with what I have gathered. She probably has an organization in and outside of both campus'' grounds." Riyku stated as he set the empty glass down. "Some of the students are most likely being informed by their juniors or their younger siblings. That is the first option, the second would be that she has someone here that she is getting into contact with. Although, most people need connections for things like that, so it has to be someone from her campus who knows someone from our campus. The last deduction would be that outside help is being leaked into our campus, not by student to student, but by a third party." Riyku stated. "I can probably rule out the last deduction and the first one since Rick and Company know nothing of what has been going on and the Lower District has come up short of clues. So all that is left is the second conclusion. It makes sense really since I have been unable to get any steady information. Sure, she leaked the information to you herself, but someone else has to be watching us. You were just a means to an end." Riyku stated before sighing softly. "I would advise everyone to travel in pairs and do not go out at night. In fact, do not even leave the campus grounds when dusk comes." Riyku added which caused them to nod lightly.


    "What of you?" Mina asked to which Riyku rose a brow. "What of me?" He replied. "You don''t plan on continuing this all on your own do you?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "No. I''ve got what I needed. I was only scouting for information so I can stay ahead of her to avoid the same situation from happening again. I''ll deal with her come time for the Games." Riyku stated to which everyone seemed relieved. "Yay! That means you''ll be coming back to our room!" Kristen seemed to be most over joyous one of them all. This caused everyone to look suspicious except for Myu who already knew what was going on. "Well since there happens to be six of us excluding Riyku, I think I, Mina and Skylar should stick together as a group while Kristen, Vex and Lira stay in a single group," Myu stated to which Riyku would nod. "That sounds like a better idea. If anything happens, one group will contact the other as well as alert myself." Riyku added to which everyone seemed to agree upon.


    "Alright! Let''s go win some points!" Everyone shouted to which Riyku would move so that way the girls could get up and Myu seemed to follow Mina and Skylar. Riyku would return to the booth to which Kristen would look back at him. "You aren''t coming?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head lightly. "I would just scare''em away. Do what you need to do, I''ll keep the seats warm." Riyku replied to which Kristen chuckled with a small smile. "Fine. I''ll win you some points." She would state as she raced off to meet up with the rest. Riyku would look at the empty glass which was swapped out with a fresh glass from the Barista. "You know, you could have joined them." The woman stated to which Riyku shook his head. "It''s fine. They need experience." Riyku stated to which the woman chuckled. "If you say so." She would walk off with the empty glass while Riyku picked up the fresh one and began to partake of it.


    [You think they will be safe? What a pitiful lie.]


    Riyku huffed heavily. "Go away. I am in no mood for your bullshit." Riyku stated firmly.


    [Kekeke~ Because you didn''t get the information you truly wanted? Still, the information you caught was a steal. I wonder, how long will they last? Only a few more weeks until the Games.]


    Riyku would growl lightly against the tip of the cup before setting it down. "Piss off already. I don''t need your power. I''ll find Coco on my own and protect them no matter what." Riyku stated firmly to which the voice chuckled darkly.


    [Yes. Of course. You are all-mighty and powerful. No one can stand against you. I almost forget about that...]


    The voice seemed to have been sarcastic which caused Riyku to sigh heavily yet again. "I know I am not the strongest out here, but I can fair on my own against this bullshit," Riyku stated.


    [Yes. You can. But for them... They can not. You will lose them like all the rest because, in reality, you are weaker than anyone else. You always have been and always will be.]


    Riyku would slam the half-empty glass on the table, "Shut up!" He shouted. Taking note of this he would quickly look around and thankfully he did not draw any attention. A frustrated sigh would escape his lips as he put his head down for a mere moment. His eyes began to feel heavy and with that his vision became blurry. It was then that he seemed to have fallen into slumber.

 16 Operator in bound

    When the male came to, he found himself floating amongst the darkness. "Where am I?" He asked himself, but before he could even do anything several lights began to illuminate the area. They appeared to be flashbacks of his previous lives in the form of cinematic screens. There was even footage of his present life as well. "Lucid Driving?" Riyku muttered as he looked at all the screens. "I need to find Coco." He reaffirmed why he wanted to be able to do this in the first place and steadily began to search for fragments of Coco. His search wasn''t in vain, there was a steady trail that would eventually lead him some tiny brunette girl who was trapped inside of a cage. When Riyku approached the cage it went ablaze the moment he got within a certain parameter it seemed.


    Stepping back he as clicked his tongue he would call out to the girl, "Hey! Are you okay!?" His voice echoed the emptiness. "My, my someone is being a naughty boy." A voice giggled throughout the darkness. It was the same voice as before; the one who told him of the Lucid Driving. "I don''t have time for these games!" Riyku shouted as he seemed to ''dash'' towards the cage when the flames died down, but they would erupt yet again the moment he got within a certain parameter. "Well, you are right. You don''t have much time left. You have been here far longer than you were last time. I am sure you have been feeling it." The voice stated with a sigh. "As I said, I am not going to force you out this time. If you end up staying here for all eternity, that is your own fault." It added which caused Riyku to growl. "Then release, Coco at once!" He shouted through his teeth. "No can do. She is your limiter. Once I release her you will go through the Class Up process and once you do then..." The voice fell short of finishing her sentence. "Then?" Riyku inquired. "No. I have said too much. The time for you to find out is not now. You are far too weak. You must become stronger before you can handle it, otherwise, it will consume you whole." The voice stated, but before Riyku could get any more words out he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. "Your time is up. I suggest leaving at once." The voice stated firmly, though it would seem the male who was falling onto his knees from the pressure. He would grit his teeth as he struggled to press onward.


    "I said..." The voice paused for a moment before the male felt a heavyweight and a sharp pain in his side which sent him onto his back. "Leave!" The male''s vision was beginning to blur, but for some odd reason he could only make out a tiny frame. Though the coloration was more so black than anything else. Moments later the male seemed to have woken up, but be it the sudden force against the table or his own will to wake up, but it was impossible to truly tell. His eyes shifted towards the sudden force which happened to have been caused by some unruly figure. "Stupid bitch." Riyku would shift his glance from Vex to a male who was glaring down at her. "You ran into me!" Vex shouted as she pushed herself off the ground and glared up at the male. "The fuck did you say? Did you hit your head?" Riyku would sigh heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why are all of you nobles so arrogant." Riyku would growl, a tad bit pissed from the fact that he could not save Coco. These people were the perfect ones to take his frustration out on. "Who the hell are you!?" The man looked over to see it was none other than the infamous Ruthless King. The man would step back a few times before feeling a few hands touch him. "Don''t worry. We got your back. Let''s kick his ass." "Yeah!" "I got you, man!" "Let''s take down the Ruthless King!" "Yeah, he needs to learn his place!" Suddenly several others would join in too which Riyku stood from his seat and looked at Vex. "Where are the others?" He asked to which Vex shook her head. "I am not sure. They all said they were going to use the bathroom and meet back here. I went to get some drinks then this guy bumped into me and--" Vex was caught off when a fist came flying her way that of which Riyku caught and glared at the male. "I''ll be with you lot in a moment." He practically tossed the guy back before looking to Vex. "Sit here and wait for them. I don''t need you vanishing on me." Riyku stated firmly to which she nodded. "Are you sure you can handle them? I can always help you." Vex would lay out her mind to which Riyku smirked and shook his head. "I am a bit annoyed right now. So I''ll be fine. Besides you''ve seen what I can do." Riyku reaffirmed her worries.


    True, she had seen what he was capable of. Not just back in the Lower District, but his training shown during the several of the Challenges he had partaken of. Nodding softly she would retreat to the seat and release a heavy breath. "You should be more honest with yourself. You are exhausted." Riyku had noticed her fatigue and made note of it before turning to face the man who was all up in his face. "Barista!" Riyku called out to the woman who was behind the counter. "A massive brawl is about to start. I don''t want to damage any of your wares so, I''ll be taking this one outside." The woman would huff at the male''s words. "Well, at least you are kind enough to do that much even if you are about to send several of my customers away and steal more on top of it." The woman whined as she went to the mic,


    "Ahem! To all in the Lounge, we will be hosting a special event. This is a one-time thing, anyone who wishes to participate should follow the large group that is about to head outside. It will be a one versus all brawl. Since this is an exclusive event, I will be taking bids on the winning team, the winner will gain a portion of the points bid upon them as commission while I take some for myself and the then the rest will be multiplied and distributed into accounts of those who choose the winner, in addition to this the winner will also gain points equal at the end of the game as usual. If you decide you do not wish to partake you can seat here, enjoy a glass and watch the battle about to start or continue doing your own games. That is all." The barista''s voice came over the intercom after the music was turned down. Everyone was in silence for a moment as they watched a large group of people leave the Lounge, some followed and others went up to the counter to question the barista on what was going on while she set up some kind of system for people to ''bid''.


    "What is going on?" Skylar asked Vex with the rest of the girls behind him as they looked over at the counter. Taking note of the sudden commotion. "It is as she said. A massive game is about to start and she is trying to get money out of this." Vex stated as the group sat down by the booth with her. "Wait, where is.." Mina made note of someone missing. "Don''t tell me!" Kristen would rise up from her seat to which Vex placed her hand on her shoulder. "Stop. I tried to intervene to, but he told me to stay here and wait for you all. Besides, we all need rest; we have been at this non-stop since this morning." Vex stated to which Kristen huffed and took her seat again. "She is right," Lira stated with a soft smile. "Besides, he isn''t weak." Myu seemed to pitch in. "Though this is quite the scope. The Ruthless King becomes the Crimson King." She seemed to snicker in excitement to which Skylar sighed lightly and Mina scratched her cheek while Kristen glared at her, "Are you trying to ruin him!?" She shouted to which Myu shook her head. "Oh no, I am just saying. That is what people will call him after this." She stated as she looked at the counter taking note of the two teams. "Well, Riyku is one, but is he really fighting all alone and against how many?" Skylar questioned to which Vex would shrug. "I am not sure, the group that left was well over thirty people and more followed after that." She seemed to reply. "True, most of the Lounge is empty, those who are not participating are either taking a breather or finishing up their bouts," Mina stated as she glanced around.


    "Half of a hundred people?" Kristen questioned, but before long several digital screens would appear above each table and a larger one above the bar for all to see. In the corner was a small red dot with the text ''Live'' beside it. "W-wait! How many!" Kristen would slam her hands on the table. "Get him!" "Kill him!" The crowd around the bar began to shout at the counter under the team named ''Masses'' continued to go up while Riyku''s counter remained at zero. Clicking her tongue Kristen would ball her fist tightly. "Is this some kind of joke? Why is no one stopping this! That is at least a hundred people. Some of which don''t even seem to be part of this school." Kristen shouted to which Lira nodded lightly and placed a hand upon her shoulder. "I understand your frustration, but even if we left now. What can we do in our exhausted state?" Lira would confirm, "She is right. We will just be a liability. Let''s just hope and pray for his victory and safety." Mina added to which Kristen would eventually calm down. "We are supposed to help him... " She still seemed frustrated. "Frustrating I know. Which is why we need to become stronger." Vex stated as she kept her eyes upon the screen.


    Meanwhile outside of the Lounge where the track field was; happened to be Riyku who was standing firm and lax while surrounded by several people. "More people showed up... Some of them aren''t even students here... This has to be that bitches'' doing." Riyku made note of several people who weren''t even bothered enough to dress like a student. Though, no one on their end seemed to have any complaints about it.


    "3!"


    A count down would with begin. Several people seemed to have called to their weapons, while others would draw them from holsters or sheaths. "So, I''m not the only one with storage capabilities... How fortunate of me." He stated the last part sarcastically.


    "2!"


    "I guess I have no choice." Since he wasn''t aiming to kill anyone he summoned his Trainee Steel Sword and Trainee Atomic Gun. Those came into his hands through dim particles of light unlike how the others pulled from their ''storage'' which was more like they were pulling from some kind of distorted sub-space. Whispers would erupt on how he did that and what he did, but no one seemed to stay on it for long.


    "1! Battle Start!"


    With that and a blaring horn, it would seem the masses would rush him down. Though they were not trained for this sort of thing it would seem. Those who were ranged would take out their own who was charging him and those who were trying to chant spells were interrupted by people pushing them aside. Riyku wasn''t nice enough to wait for them to all synchronize like a team since he had already been dashing around the field with his ''Shadow Step'' skill while swinging his blunt blade to either deflect and counter or strike down his foes with unlethal attacks. Using his gun he would fire it rapidly around the area which seemed to allow him to take out those who thought they could sneak in his blind spots. Since he had the passive skill ''happy trigger'' the reload time was reduced, but while it was still there he would defend himself. Thankfully, the vast majority of these people were weak in terms of combat. Well compared to him anyway, he was able to either evade, deflect, or block their attacks until his gun was done recharging. The male seemed to once more relentlessly go on the offensive until his bullets were used up yet again. This became a rinse and repeat session for a rather long time. In truth, this event would have come to a close with no critical injury. That was... until the male stumbled forward from a sharp pain that came from his shoulder, then again through his other shoulder, and finally through his back which caused him to nearly collapse upon the ground.


    Seeing the sudden blood come out of nowhere when no one had even landed a scratch or got close enough to cause any damage would cause the masses to stop as the male fell onto one knee. His iris glanced over to the corner of his UI. His shield points were depleting at an alarming rate. Beside that status happened to be several red icons. When his iris'' glanced over them they showed the text as such.


    ''Punctured blow. Shield points will be consumed unless treated''


    ''Critically wounded. Shield points will be consumed unless treated.''


    ''Life defect. Shield points will be used to keep from bleeding out.''


    ''Mana seal. Mana cannot be used.''


    ''What!?'' Riyku growled at these negatives. When his shield points hit zero he spat out blood.


    ''Shield points reduced to zero. Wounds will no longer be sustained and loss of life is possible.''


    Text appeared before him before he hastily looked around seeing, the mortified faces of the masses seemed to hold in place. "What happened!?" One of the men shouted. "I don''t know, he just started bleeding and coughing up blood all of a sudden!" Another called out. "W-wait... Isn''t that!?" "His blood his black! He''s a demon!" Everyone suddenly became frightened, even those who were not students began to feel fright. ''Where... where is the one who shot me!?'' Riyku shouted internally as he continued to search for his target.


    "Riyku!" Mina gasped as she covered her mouth. "Riyku!" Lira and Vex shouted in surprise. "What happened!?" Skylar inquired as Kristen skyrocketed from her seat. "Wait!" Myu shouted which caused her to stop and look at her with a glare. "Why!? He is hurt! No one is helping him, in fact, they look as if they are about to kill him!" Kristen shouted with anger. "I know, but... His blood is black... That means he is a demon. Everyone knows that Demons are the most violent race out of all of the others. If you go out there, people will turn on you as well. You will be labeled as someone who helped a demon and treated as an outcast and most likely stripped of your rank." Myu stated which seemed to cause everyone to have looks of despair matched with utter silence.


    [Are you really going to let these idiots kill you? You fucked up. You let your guard down because you held back. You should have just killed them from the start.]


    There it was, that damn voice again. "Fuck off." Riyku would push himself onto his feet as he dropped his weapons which caused them to be forcefully returned to his inventory.


    [Look at their eyes. Sure they treated you like some kind of outcast, but they never had planned on killing you. That was until now all because you have black blood. Which by the way is not because you are a demon... well you are, but not fully.]


    The voice echoed into his mind. "I said fuck off." Riyku cursed under his breath; before stumbling forward when another bullet seemed to pierce through his leg which caused him to kneel on the ground. A painful growl would erupt from his lungs, ''Where are they!?'' He hastily looked around, but only watched as more of the masses closed in on him.


    [Just kill them already. You have the ability to do so. It is why your blood is black after all. Unleash it already.]


    Growling the male would spew out more blood and before long he began to feel faint.


    [If you don''t you will lose everything yet AGAIN.]


    The male''s eyes went wide as he felt something beating down inside of him. A sudden sharp pain began to swell in his chest, and the shouting of his soul, as if it were crying out to him. It was then he began to remember the reincarnation process. It was like a dam being overrun the water flooding throughout a city. How he was defeated, and what happened afterward. The black blood on the ground began to boil in response to this surge from his soul. His heart began to quake rapidly,


    [That''s right. You need such a power to become stronger. The roots of where it all began for you. One of your own original forms morphed and molded to fit solely you. Now... call it. Call to her!]


    The voice in his head edging him on, as he grasped his chest tightly and grit his teeth. The pain was beginning to become unbearable at this point. Several images, several memories; of a certain woman began to flood into his mind.


    [Do it!]


    [Do it!]


    [Do it!]


    "Seraphina!" Riyku shouted at the top of his lungs and as if to respond to the sudden surge, a burst of immense mana pushed those closing in on him away. A shroud of shadow... no darkness. Pitch black and eerie in chill would surround the male''s body and lift him off the ground onto his feet. It was then the darkness would take the form of a woman. Her skin was full of color, luscious and rich just like her purple silky smooth hair. Which seemed to have been all the way down to her slim midback. Her thick thighs and wide hips seemed to press firm against Riyku as she held his face against her naked bosom. "You finally called out to me. It took you long enough to remember who I was. I can''t believe you forgot about me, your own wife." The woman''s voice was full of sensuality, allure and dark seduction. "Now rest with ease, my love... I will dispose of the trash that dares to rise against you." She would set the semi-unconscious man down before glaring at the masses around her with red beat eyes. The horns upon her head were clear indications that she was, in fact, a demon. Though that wasn''t all, a spade tail flickered behind her and demonic wings seemed to have folded against her hips.


    "Foolish mortals. I almost pity you. You have no idea what you have caused to befall you." Her voice went from lovely to cold. The darkness around her began to boil before it flung around to shield Riyku which caused a ''dink'' sound. A bullet would lay waste into the ground as if it was deflected to which the woman looked towards one of the distant buildings. "Found you..." The sniper would bear witness to the grin the curved across her lips and was about to retreat until he felt something pierce through his chest. Looking down he would notice there was thin blackthorn, but when he followed the trail he was shocked to see it came from his own shadow. Before he could let out a cry the thorn seemed to have spiked inside of him which made him look like a porcupine before the shadow retracted after the instant kill.


    "Now then..." The woman would look around seeing all the frightened faces which caused her to shiver with joy. "Come, step forward and face your deaths with dignity." She would state as she licked her lips sensually. The darkness would swirl around her and basket her curves like a second skin. The tip of her heel stomping into the ground would cause several spikes to lash forward towards several of the masses.


    "Mana barrier!"


    A voice came from the crowd as a barrier of light would erect in front of the masses to block out the shield. Flying past the shield happened to be several arrows of light that Seraphina happened to have blocked with the darkness around her. Leaping back just afterward to avoid a pillar of earth from piercing through her body. Only to have to deal with a woman coming in with a flying kick that Seraphina happened to have blocked. Kicking off of Seraphina''s arm was Kristen who flipped in mid-air and landed beside Lira and Vex. "Hooh... not bad for mere mortals." Seraphina state as she glanced over the three of them. Kristen seemed to have been equipped with massive gauntlets and greaves that were both designed like some kind of futurized tech. Lira held onto bow which held the same design as Kristen''s weapons and Vex seemed to have a Mage''s Staff in hand. "Your teamwork is excellent. I am kind of jealous, to be honest." She whined playfully. "Who are you and what have you done with Riyku!?" Kristen called out. Seraphina would blink for a moment before chuckling lightly. "I don''t see why that is any of your business," Seraphina stated as she relaxed into a seating position. The darkness beneath her rising up to form a throne fit for a Queen. "Like hell! Riyku is our friend! If you so much as harm him... I swear..." Kristen would growl at the woman who snickered at her. "Harm him? My husband? As if. It is you mortals who did the harming. It is all you mortals have ever done to him. Abuse, steal, ravage, betray, torment, torture, and even kill. I am more so surprised that a mere mortal can even be called a friend to him. Still..." Seraphina would eye Riyku who was unconscious at the moment.


    "I shouldn''t be too surprised. He has forgotten everything. It is unlike the previous rebirths. This appears to be more like a full-on reincarnation. Even still, something must have gone astray. He not only forgot about me but everyone else as well." Seraphina stated her thoughts before deeply sighing. "Wait, what? Rebirth? Reincarnation? What are you talking about?" Kristen called out, just as surprised as the other three girls were. "Oh, every time he is killed he goes through a rebirth process. It wasn''t always like this though and his scars seemed to always carry over from body to body as if to serve as a reminder." Seraphina stated as she crossed one leg over the though. "A reminder of what?" Lira questioned. "His anguish," Seraphina replied, her iris'' glancing around taking note of the fact that the masses were evacuated.


    "So, you bought time to allow your pathetic friends to escape. Well, it doesn''t matter. No one escapes the wrath of the Dark Demonic Reaper." Seraphina would state firmly as she moved from her throne, well it more so returned to the darkness to allow her to grace the ground with her presences. "Anyways, I should dispose of you three... well, no five I guess since your friends decided to return." Seraphina made note of two more people who had approached the three girls from the rear. "Kristen! Everyone has been evacuated! Skylar already signaled for aid." Mina who was holding a staff of her own happened to have called out to them. "We can''t leave without Riyku though," Skylar stated while holding the hilts of his twin daggers.


    "You aren''t taking my husband anywhere kid," Seraphina stated firmly as she moved beside Riyku to caress his cheek lightly. "Ahh~ My sweet... how long I have waited to feel your flesh again." Seraphina would coo as her eyes flashed with a fusion of love and lust. "That is the second time you''ve said it. You bitch! Get your hands off of him! He is no one''s husband!" Kristen growled low at first before bringing her voice into an uproar and charging straight for Seraphina. Bringing her leg around for a sweep she would catch the woman off guard and be struck in the chest. She would have been sent flying of she did not root herself into the ground, but she was pushed a great distance away. "Bitch!" Seraphina would snap her fingers as the darkness rose up around Riyku and lashed at her like a whip. Kristen was evading the lashes as best she could, but some hits got through which seemed to sting quite a bit since she groaned each time she was struck.


    "Mana shield!" Mina''s voice came out of nowhere, and an aura of light would engulf the five of them as a whole. The lashes seemed to bounce right off of the shield which allowed Kristen to pursue Seraphina. "Thanks, Mina." She called out. "Earthen Cage!" Vex shouted as the earth around Seraphina began to cage her in. Seraphina glanced around noting the sudden shift, but the moment she tried to move she was unable to. Looking at her feet she noticed some kind of strange substance. "Gooey Arrow," Lira stated with a wiggle of her fingers which caused Seraphina who looked up at her to growl towards her, baring her fangs. It was then that Kristen seemed to slip in through the only opening along with Skylar before it closed up.


    "They should be able to handle her," Vex stated to which Mina nodded and the three seemed to run up to Riyku. Mina and Vex would kneel down on each side of him, meanwhile, Lira kept watch over the parameter. "The wounds on his shoulders..." Mina noticed that the wounds were bullet holes. "His leg and chest have them too. They are clean shots..." Vex added to which Lira looked towards Riyku to examine the wounds. "Sniper bullets. Not one of the masses. Someone clearly set this up." Lira stated before eyeing the parameter again. "Full heal!" Mina would wave her staff over Riyku''s body and light would begin to envelop him but suddenly dispersed.


    ''Error! Incapable heal factor.''


    A text box appeared above his body which caused the girls to glance over it. "What the?" Mina was completely dumbfounded by this weird box. "What is that?" Vex would reach to poke through it, but the screen seemed to only cause it to glitch out for a mere moment in response before returning to normal. Their surprised voices caused Lira to look towards them "That''s-" She was about to say something until she heard the eruption of the earthen cage explode out of nowhere. Skylar and Kristen flew back beside the group, landing on their feet only to kneel down while panting heavily. "Damn it... I hate to admit it, but she is strong." Kristen would speak through heavy breaths. "I don''t think we can last much longer," Skylar added as the five of them looked at Seraphina who was steadily healing from the cuts and bruises made by Skylar and Kristen.


    "Damn mortals! Filthy mortals! Stay away from him!" Seraphina shouted with an unruly scream which caused them to wince in pain. Her red beat eyes glowing even brighter than before. "If you truly care about him, then why are you trying to kill us!? We are his friends!" Mina shouted towards her. "Friends?" Seraphina almost laughed at the word. "With mere mortals?" She added before sighing heavily. "Where were you when he was on his last legs? Don''t get me wrong, I am glad he called out to me. I am glad he remembered me, but I would have it been in a different manner. Not through pain, not through anguish. You are so ready to call him your friend, yet you know nothing of the man beside you." Seraphina would snap her fingers as the darkness began to layer over the male like a second skin.


    ''Black Blood factor recognized. Healing all injuries. Estimated time of completion: 45seconds.''


    A text box would appear above the male. "What? Black Blood factor? Healing?" Vex inquired which caused them to look at the text box before looking back at Seraphina. "I have seen this box before. It had something else written on it, but the text reads ''Defeat the Raging Beast.'' I did not get it at first, but now that I recall, It was talking about Riyku." Lira stated as she looked down at her bow. "To be honest, I still do not get it, but what I do get is that Riyku is different from us. Right?" Lira looked back at Seraphina who seemed to nod. "He is. He is not from this--" Seraphina suddenly stopped speaking when she felt a string sharp pain burning at her wrist and ankles.


    "Illuminous chains!" A strong feminine voice called from the far end of the field. It was the Headmistress and several of the faculty members. Seraphina was biting back a scream of pain as she eyed the woman who was approaching from the rear. "You... bitch!" She struggled, but the chains seemed to only hold her in place. "It is a magic spell tailored to keep Demons in binds. The more you struggle the tighter the binds become. So, I would advise playing along and answering my questions." The woman stated firmly as she glared into the eyes of Seraphina. "B-bite me," Seraphina replied to which the headmistress sighed and snapped her fingers. The binds seemed to illuminate even more, and the effects increased. The pain caused Seraphina to cry out.


    "First off, who are you?" The headmistress had a serious glare in her eyes. Seraphina was reluctant to tell her but seemed to give in. "Seraphina Von Rosario." She growled out from her pain filled breath. "Where did you come from?" The headmistress inquired to which Seraphina snickered. "My beloved Husband. He called for me." The response the headmistress got caused her brow to rise. "Your husband? You were summoned? For what reason?" She continued the interrogation. The five could only watch what was happening.


    "Summoned is not the proper word... I was unleashed from his essences. I was called to... protect him from filth like you." Seraphina stated as she began to feel limp and weak, but the chains seemed to hold her steady. "Filth? Ha, says the demon in binds." The headmistress scoffed. "Look!" Vex shouted as she noticed burn marks beginning to appear on Riyku''s wrists and ankles. "Wait... is the damage... being transferred?" Lira inquired. "Stop! You are hurting him!" Mina shouted which caused the headmistress to glance back at the group. "What? What are you talking--" She was caught off when she noticed the marks being branded upon his wrist and ankles. Hastily she turned back towards Seraphina, "As I said... I am a part of him... We share the same fate... We are one. He is mine and I am his..." She choked out. "Riyku... please... wake up. You need... to wake up..." Seraphina called to him. Tears suddenly rolling down her cheek. "Please... my love before... it''s too late..." A brief silence would befall everyone. "I don''t want to be parted again... Not after waiting for so long... so, please.. Wake up!" Seraphina shouted with pain and plea. As if on queue, an explosion of diabolical energy began to swarm around him which caused the five near him to scream out of surprise as they tried to shield themselves. A sound of glass shattering would roll through which signaled that their mana shields had been destroyed. It was when the pressure died down, and they notice that Riyku was no longer laying on the ground. The headmistress shifted her glance from the place where Riyku was to now see a figure of pure black flesh and beaming red eyes standing before her. Black steam seemed to flicker off of the male who held Seraphina in his arms. The woman looked up at him with a weak smile.


    "Long time... No see... My love." She reached up to caress his cheek but fell short and her hand began to fall. Riyku would catch her hand and place it to his cheek with a sign of endearment as he fell onto his knees.


    "Again..."


    A distorted voice seemed to echo from the being.


    "I lost her again...."


    It continued, the eerie silence would befall for a mere moment.


    "I''ll kill every last one of you bastards!"


    The distorted voice released a shout that was heartbreaking, the ground began to quake from the sudden pressure and a crater was starting to form from under him. Though it wasn''t a shout of pure rage, but more like sorrow... anguish.

 17 Restless pain

    Riyku would steadily rise up after setting Seraphina down lightly upon the ground. His red glowing beads shifting around at everything. Though they were not filled with rage, no they were filled with pain, unlimited pain. "Riyku!" Kristen called out as she raced towards him, but she was stopped in place. Riyku had appeared before her in the blink of an eye, his hand firmly grasped around her neck as he rose her off the ground. Slowly the darkness from his hand would begin to infect her flesh as she placed her hands in his wrist. "Kristen!" Vex shouted as she raced towards them.


    "Damn it. I knew something was up the moment he released that damn spell. He is no ordinary man. He isn''t even a demon. No, he is something far more vicious than that, but what triggered it?" The headmistress would glance over to Seraphina. It was then she realized what happened, "If we hadn''t interfered... would everything have been okay? Damn it. I don''t know." She muttered to herself. "Everyone, prepare the barrier. We need to keep casualties to a minimum." The headmistress ordered to which everyone would sound off before heading into specific areas around the track and began to chant on sync. Meanwhile, she would approach Riyku and the others who happened to have been trying to get Riyku to release Kristen. "Let her go, please Riyku!" Lira shouted out with determination. "This isn''t who you are!" Mina added. "It''s okay... Riyku... It''s going to be okay..." Kristen would choke out as she reached out for him with a warm smile. "Everything is okay..." She added as the smile brightened and tears slowly began to ride down her cheeks. Steadily it would seem Riyku would loosen his grasp and eventually her feet touched the ground. She would approach him and embrace him tightly.


    "Back away!" The Headmistress called out to which Kristen shook her head. "No. He isn''t vile. He isn''t evil. He is in pain! He is suffering!" Kristen called from the male''s chest. As for the group, they all seemed to eventually pitch in and embrace him with Kristen. "You have not lost anything," Skylar stated softly. "We are right here," Mina added. "We are safe." Vex seemed to tune in. "We will always be beside you," Lira added. "No one can separate us from you, Riyku. We are your friends after all. Even if the world decides to reject you. Even if you go to war with the world... We will stand beside you." Kristen added. "Now and forever!" They all exclaimed in sync, the warmth of their voice causing the man to react. Seraphina would open her eyes only to make note of what was going on, a brief smile curved across her lips as her body turned into a dark mist and moved to swirl around the group before seeping into Riyku''s being. Steadily the eerie chill in the atmosphere died down and the pitch black of the flesh would begin to erode and shed off of him as it turned into black atomic dust and wisped away into the atmosphere. This left the male to glance over them with light tears running down his cheeks. The headmistress was now baffled by what had happened, but as she came to her senses she began to realize one thing. One key factor in everything that had just happened. "If anything happens to those five..." She closed her eyes and crossed her arms under her chest. "then.. the entire world may come to an end..." She finished as she exhaled a deep breath that she had whelmed up in her chest. It was of relief; since she doubted she could truly do anything against him.


    She could feel the immense amount of strength that leaked from the male. This wasn''t some Arch-Demon or Arch-Angel, it was the strength that far surpassed that; it rivaled that of a Demon Lord... no, it could have been even stronger. Just realizing how these five stopped him without so much as lifting a single weapon was an astonishing feat to her. "You six, see me in my office. We need to clear up this mess." The headmistress called out to them, then placed a few fingers to her ear. "To everyone on preparing the barrier. There is no longer a need, you may all go on standby for now. As you may be aware the threat has been suppressed." It was then that she got several voices edging at her which caused her to rub the bridge of her nose before seeming to silence the voices as if she had disconnected some kind of ear-piece.


    "Don''t ever do that again!" Kristen would punch the man lightly before embracing him again. "She''s right. Don''t ever believe you are alone, that you have lost everything. We may not know of anything of your past lives, but this is the present. This is a new life and a new you." Mina stated softly as her and the rest excluding Kristen had stepped back to give Riyku some space. Wiping his face of the residue from the tears he would release a heavy breath. "I..." He looked sad for a moment. "Thank you." He would smile softly as he nodded lightly. "Hey! Where did that Seraphina girl go?" Lira inquired to which everyone looked to see she had vanished. "Don''t worry... She is here." Riyku stated as she pointed to himself. "She is a part of me after all. You could say... she is my darkness." Riyku smiled warmly, for something that sounded so... terrifying he made it seem like something full of warmth. Everyone would take note before sighing lightly. "Alright, that''s enough. Follow me." The headmistress would come up behind them. "We need to discuss what just happened and sort several things out." She added with a stern look to which everyone seemed to look at her and nod lightly.


    Meanwhile in the Lower District inside a random building happened to be a cloaked figure and two others having a discussion.


    "So you failed?" The cloaked figure held a female''s voice which was full of disappointment. "What do you mean failed? You never told us anything about that!?" The man would shout out loud as he stepped forward, but his companion so to speak would put his arm out to stop him. "Thank you for your report, I''ll hand the rest. Return to your post." The man stated firmly, full of dignity and respect. "Yes, sir!" The other man stated as he left the small shack. "You failed to tell us of anything like that. That immense amount of energy is nothing something my men can stand against. Not even I alone could fight against him without preparing to lose a limb or two. Do you even understand what it is that you trying to anger?" The man inquired to which the cloaked woman growled. "Of course I do!" The woman shouted. "Is that so? Then I shall call our arrangement off. My best sniper and a best friend might I add, was killed by whatever that thing was. He is one of the best when it comes to hiding, but he was found out in an instant and killed without so much as a brief moment to despair." The man stated as he turned away from the woman. "Don''t you dare! I will have your head if you walk out on me now!" The woman called out. "Have my head? Ha, like a little bitch like you could do anything. You started out as nothing more than a cum-rag for the alleys until I took you in. Do you think, you can stand against me? You should know how foolish that would be, but I guess the life above has gone to your head. You think you can do anything just because some rich family bought you off me for their own personal gain. Pathetic..." The man would exit the building which left the woman standing alone.


    "Scerw all of you. I''ll be sure to make you all pay. Every last one of you!" The woman growled beneath her scowl before seeming to pull up her wristband to contact someone. "Contact the Twins..." She stated under her breath before closing out the audio feed after speaking her peace. "Just you wait, Riyku... You will pay for you did to me that day. You and everyone else..." A burst of twisted laughter would spark up from the woman as if she had insane.


    Back to Riyku and his group, they were seated at a conference table with the headmistress on one end and Riyku on the other. One one side was the Lira, Vex, Kristen, Skylar, and Mina. Kristen was seated the closest to Riyku while it seemed Skylar was furthest with the others in-between. On the other side happened to the faculty staff which included Riyku''s homeroom teacher, standing beside the headmistress was Myu which seemed to have daggers glared at her from Riyku''s friends.


    "Alright, now that we are all here. I must address something. Riyku Von Rosario is not human. Of course, by now that should not be a surprise. As such... We will keep this information on lockdown." These set of words caused many people to looked surprised. "I beg your pardon!?" One of the staff slammed on the table. "He is clearly a demon! What do you mean we should hide his identity!? Are you even sane!?" That staff member stated firmly. Several other staff members agreed some remained silent. It was Riyku''s friends who seemed to disagree. "Demon!? So while everyone poked and prodded him yet he remained far from lethal, while his friend was nearly raped and another killed, and while he protected them from such. You would guys wanna call him a Demon? Even though there are far more inhumane people in this school!?" Kristen rose up with anger in her voice. "That is different!" One of the staff members retorted. "Different? Oh, it''s okay for someone to be raped and murdered, but not for someone who we don''t even know is a demon to be labeled as one!? What kind of bullshit--" Kristen was silenced when the headmistress slammed her hand on the table to call order.


    "While Kristen does make a good point, we should also ask the man himself. Will you indulge us?" The headmistress looked as if she was demanding and not asking. Everyone turned their attention to Riyku who just sighed heavily. "For anything, I am about to tell you to make sense. I need to start from the beginning. Would be fine with you all?" Riyku inquired as he folded his arms across his chest. "Of course." The headmistress seemed to have spoken for everyone to which Riyku nodded.


    "I am not from here. I was not born here. In fact, I was reincarnated from another place, or more so I should say life. For what reason or purpose? That is beyond me. You see when I was reincarnated; My body was built from the ground up. While I do host the leveling system you all have, mine is far more advanced. I can level up from a multitude of things. I was even given a ''system'' to which I know nothing of, to be honest. However, what I do know is that this system is what brought me back to life, it is what aids me in leveling and it even allows me to do things like this..." The male would flick his wrist which caused a cybernetic screen to appear before everyone. "Enlarge." The male commanded as the screen became large for all to see; of course, everyone was awestruck by what just happened to behind with.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario.


    Level: 92


    Shield Points: 820/820


    Mana Points: 752/752


    Energy: 446/446


    Form duration: 2:30:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 158


    Toughness: 151


    Agility: 158


    Wisdom: 149


    Intelligence: 149


    Charisma: 158


    Skill points to spend: 32


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    "Level N-Ninety-two? Are you kidding me!?" One of the staff called out, everyone was even more surprised than they already were. Even the headmistress was a tad bit surprised. "As you can see, my entire stats are displayed here. If I do this.." He would bring up the column of tabs that had several labels to them. "I can navigate to different areas of my system." He would dismiss the column and close his eyes with a heavy sigh. "What madness is this!?" The same staff member from before called out. "He isn''t some measly demon. He is a God at this point! A God of Destruction!" The same staff member shouted with fear in his voice. "Destruction my ass! Riyku has not destroyed anything. If anyone has done any destruction, it would be the other students!" Kristen shouted. Things were starting to get heated as one group glared down the other. "If I may." Myu would perk in which caused everyone''s attention to flow towards her. "I have been getting word from several shops in the shopping district that Riyku has been offering them help with menial tasks. Even going out of his way to do it for them free of charge. If you ask me, that does not sound like someone who causes destruction, now does it?" Myu''s words seemed to cause the five to smile warmly at her and even the headmistress smirked lightly with a soft nod. "Indeed, it does not. Are you happy now, Brad?" Indeed.. this staff member who was trying to cause Riyku harm was none other than the infamous Brad. The same man who was tormenting Racheal. For now, the man backed down, "Continue." The headmistress added to which Riyku nodded.


    "As you can see. My level is abnormal compared to others. I was surprised at first to find out that the highest level person my age is Kristen. Nonetheless, you can also see for yourself that my age is unknown. If you ask me why that is or how old I am, I can not give you a firm answer. To say I do not know would be an excuse, but the truth is from what I do know, I come from both future and past in all walks of my lives." Riyku stated which caused everyone to appear more surprised than before. "Lives? So how many times have you been reincarnated?" The headmistress asked while everyone kept silent. It would seem that she would be the one mainly asking the questions from here on out.


    Riyku would shrug. "I could not say. I mean I can ask someone who knows more than I do." Riyku stated firmly to which the headmistress gave a raised brow to him. "Who?" She inquired. "You''ve already been acquainted with her. Seraphina." Everyone began to shiver for a moment in fear; having known just how strong this woman was, but regardless of their feelings the woman seemed to just ''pop'' into view. Her body straddling Riyku as if she were going to ride him, "You called darling?" She cooed at him, her body naked as ever. Kristen would growl and push from her seat to stomp towards them and bring them apart which caused Seraphina to blink rapidly. "Excuse me, but who are you?" Seraphina inquired as she held firmly onto Riyku while glaring at Kristen. "I am..." Kristen stumbled over the words as she looked to Riyku for an answer who sighed heavily. "Seraphina, can you answer their questions. You seem to have more knowledge about my past than I do." Riyku would ignore this little fight over him and return to the important task at hand. Kristen would cling to the male''s arm and Seraphina would growl at her before turning to look at the people while sitting in Riyku''s lap. Her breast was bare before them all, to which some of the men were leering over.


    "I guess. I was already listening in, so listen up. Riyku has been reborn a total of eight times. Do not mistake the seven other lives as short though. The first life may have been, but what followed after was long and unforgiving. Each life after his first death was cruel towards him. He suffered more times than you can even imagine. Lost many, friends, family, loved ones this including his own children. In addition to that, he was often betrayed as well by those he trusted deeply. I am telling you all this because you all seem to have one mistake about him." Seraphina stated firmly as she turned back to Riyku to cup his chin softly, giving her a lover''s glance. "He is beautiful. He has overcome much in his time. Of course, he has fallen many times, but only to rise up on his own without anyone''s help. You can say it is sad, but no one was ever there to help him. That was until I came along, there are others as well. Ones you might call family." She seemed to direct that last phrase towards him which caused his eyes to widen. "Family?" He seemed to muse lightly.


    Seraphina would nod softly before placing a peck on his cheek. "You will remember. It is better if you remember them, they are with you after all. Each of them is waiting for you to call them with your soul just as I was." Seraphina would whisper solely to him before turning towards everyone and wiggle her fingers as if saying ''bye'' and then she went ''poof'' into a black cloud that dissipated into the air. Kristen, including everyone else, was awestruck. "Eight times? Eight lives in total?" The headmistress questioned softly. "That is something... It explains quite a bit as well. If you were reborn over and over again, then maybe these stats came from your previous life." She added to which Riyku nodded. "That is what I figured from the start, but as for why is beyond me. All I can recall is that I lost a battle against something or someone... and then I was reborn right afterward." Riyku seemed to intentionally leave out the fact that he could remember his past through his dreams.


    "Amnesia..." Kristen and Lira whispered softly in sync. "So you weren''t lying..." Kristen added to which Riyku shook his head. "No. I wasn''t. Though, I am sure you can understand why I would not want to bring this to anyone''s attention. It is abnormal for people of this world to have a system of my kind." Riyku stated to which everyone seemed silent for the moment. "What of these Shield, Mana and Energy points, as well as this form duration bar. What do they mean?" The headmistress inquired.


    "Shield points refer to an exo-shield that will absorb any damage that collides with my body. Of course, it is not almighty, anything that is piercing will go through and break the shield." He experienced that one first hand. The girls and Skylar seemed to recall seeing the bullet wounds, but would not mention it. "As for the mana points, they determine how many times I can use skills and abilities. Sort of like how you all chant to use spells. I can skip over that and use my mana points. Although, once I run out that is it. I can not any skills or abilities." Riyku would explain to which everyone would listen in on, even if they did not fully understand it.


    "Energy explains itself. It is my fatigue. The lower it becomes the more tired I become and once it hits zero. I will pass out. However, if it is full I am as energetic as an athlete." Riyku stated firmly to which Kristen blushed lightly recalling their steamy times together. Of course, some of the girls took note of the blush but were slightly confused so they did not say anything.


    "As for Form Duration, It is the length of time of which I can spend in any form." He purposely left out the fact that some forms had their own time limits. "Well, can you explain why your status is full and the duration is knocked down by thirty minutes?" The headmistress asked to which Riyku would nod. "Seraphina healed me to a full and I engaged my form for the duration of thirty minutes." Of course, that wasn''t fully true. Whenever Riyku would engage in a form his Shield points, Mana and Energy would all shoot back up to full and increase based on the form of choice. He figured that out when he played with the Rage form a few times before.


    "I see. Well, that does tell us a lot about you. That and this Seraphina seems to have explained much as well as express great care for you. While I do not know anything about your family. I can tell from just today that those close to you are quite precious to you." The headmistress was talking about how the girls and Skylar seemed to have quelled whatever negative emotion Riyku was overcome with which caused them to blush and shy away. "They are precious to me. So much so that I would give my life to keep them safe." Riyku confirmed the headmistress statement which caused everyone to appear more shocked than not.


    "Well, this about does it. I can safely say that Riyku is not a demon. Even if the AB blood type is a lie and he does have black blood running through his veins, he is not even the slightest one of those vile creatures. So I hereby declare that Riyku is to be labeled as a human and addressed as such from here on out. If any of you have an objection may you speak now." The headmistress stated; and everyone on the staff side began to chatter about while Myu, the girls, and Skylar all remained silent with their resolve shown. "We will no longer call him a de--" The staff were all silenced when Brad interrupted them. "Fuck that! He is a demon! No other way to put it! You all saw it! Felt it! It was the diabolic pressure of someone who rules over all demons!" He shouted out to which the other staff members would sigh heavily. "If I may..." Riyku would speak out which caught the headmistress attention. "I believe Brad is merely speaking for his own personal gain. You see, I have a friend who works in the office with him." Brad would grind his teeth and ball his fist while he glared at him.


    "This man has been sexually harassing her to no need. Not only that he has turned her own co-workers against her. The other day she called me crying her eyes out. Wishing she could do something, but nothing could be done." Riyku stated to which Brad would push from his seat and approach Riyku hastily. Riyku shifted his eyes at the man with the intention to kill, and that glare alone caused him to shiver back in fear. "Tom, Daves! Stop this man and remove him at once. Keep him locked up in the interrogation chamber. I will be removing any memory he has of this incident." The headmistress stated firmly as two men came from the door and restrained Brad. Only to cuff him and carry him off to where the headmistress asked them to take him. "If I might ask, who is this person." The headmistress inquired to which Riyku nodded lightly


    "Her name is Racheal. She is an office guide for the University and does a damn good job if I do say so myself. But, that opinion is my opinion." Riyku stated to which the headmistress nodded. "I''ll be sure to address this matter as soon as we are finished. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, and do not worry about Brad or any of the others. I''ll take care of them as well." She stated firmly to which Riyku nodded. "Thank you." He added. "Now, if there is nothing else. Then the matter is settled. Everyone here agrees that this matter remains silenced and everyone is to understand that Riyku is one of us." Everyone would nod in unison. "Good, Dismissed! Myu, I will need you to write a fake report. Stating that a wild monster appeared and those six handled it." The headmistress stated as everyone stood up. Myu would nod happily, "Of course. Riyku and his friends responded to the appearance of a monster and eliminated the threat with haste; however, what of those who were at the scene?" Myu inquired to which everyone looked at the headmistress, well everyone except the staff, they had already left.


    "I already took care of it. I used illusion magic to reformat their memory. Everyone there will believe that a monster interrupted their battle and they all fled. Of course, this applies to the ''Live'' feed that was being broadcast. I highjacked it and reformatted it to tailor to the illusion I implanted. So, everyone watching will have the same story to talk about for days to come. With your article, I am sure there will be positive feedback on them as well. Do not let me down now, Myu." She stated firmly. "Yes, Ma''am!" Myu would exclaim for rushing out of the building. Everyone else seemed to have followed, that was until Kristen was stopped by the headmistress.


    "Hold a moment, Kristen." The woman called to her and Kristen looked back at her. "Ma''am?" "There is something I want you to know. You seem the closest one to Riyku of the bunch. So pass this on to everyone. I didn''t want Riyku to know, because he may distance himself from you all. While you stopped whatever process he was going into, you made one thing clear. You are his greatest strength, but you are also his greatest weakness. If harm should come to any of you five... It may very well be the end of all life." Though when Kristen heard this she wasn''t surprised. "I know. In fact, we all know. Which is why we will protect him. We will never fall and we will never cause any harm to him. You have my word." Kristen stated firmly, the resolve showed in her eyes to which the headmistress nodded. "Thank you." She whispered as Kristen seemed to hurry after her friends.


    "Well, that was boring." Seraphina''s voice came out of nowhere as she seemed to float around Riyku while holding onto his back. "Hey!" Kristen shouted. "Get off of him!" She added to which Seraphina stuck her tongue at out her. "I already know what you two did. It just took a bit to remember it." Seraphina stated bluntly which caused everyone to look at Kristen except Riyku of course. "You did what!?" They all shouted in sync to which Kristen sighed away. "It.. it was.. a heat of the moment thing.. and well it felt good.. and I wanted to know him more.. and... and.." She became flustered to which Riyku sighed heavily. "She became addicted after I had sex with her. If anyone it would be my fault. Happy now?" He questioned to which the girls seemed to pout. "You had sex with Kristen, but when I want it you push me away!" Seraphina whined to which Riyku sighed again. "Do you want to do it now then?" He inquired as to if he were being serious. "Really!?" She gleefully asked to which Kristen shouted, "No! He is mine!" Kristen would wrap her arm around his to which Seraphina looked down at her with a glare. "Is it true you had sex with Kristen, Riyku?" Mina looked up at him with teary eyes to which the male sighed heavily. "Yes, but do not get it twisted. I do not love her. She is the one who is in love with me. You are all equally precious to me, understand?" Riyku seemed firm in his statement. "So then, you will have sex with us to if we asked?" Vex came forward with the question to which Riyku seemed a bit shocked by, but not the question more so how all the girls including Seraphina who wanted answers.


    "Geez, are you trying to build a harem?" Skylar inquired teasingly. "No, I am not," Riyku replied to them before looking at the girls. "Ugh, fine. Yes, I will have sex with you if you ask me. Including you Seraphina. Now can we go somewhere, I am quite tired." Riyku stated to which each of them giggled happily at each other as if they had some secret meeting about this beforehand. "Just remember, I am his First and Main wife; the rest of you are his Mistress''." Seraphina stated firmly as she snuggled into him. Everyone except, Kristen seemed to be perfectly fine with it. "Hell no! You came out of nowhere! Well, I mean you were here first, but not in this lifetime! I am his main!" The arguing between Kristen and Seraphina seemed to go the entire time even after they left the hallway. Riyku would sigh heavily, realizing what he had just got himself into and knew full well that this would become a handful.


    "By the way... Seraphina you have the appearance of a demon. Can you change it up so you can blend in?" Mina inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "I can." And with that, her horns, wings and spaded tail would well disappear in a sense, and the darkness would swirl around her body to form into the school uniform. Although she seemed to stay afloat in the position she was him which was wrapping her arms around Riyku''s neck from behind. "Wow, that''s pretty cool. I wish I could do that. I could wear anything I ever wanted." Lira stated softly to which Seraphina blinked. "I mean you can. Well, you can as long as you have Riyku do it. He can do it too; after all, all of my power is originally his." The girls would look at Riyku suddenly who shook his head. "Don''t know how. As I said, Seraphina knows more about me than I do of myself." Riyku stated to which Seraphina sighed and rested her chin upon his head. "Speaking of which, what happened during that process? Normally, everyone goes with you; but we were all separated and scattered. Of course, we all found a draw point and converged together around a single memory; but nothing happened. You were amiss." Seraphina stated to which Riyku''s brow rose. "I don''t know. Coco could probably answer that one, but she is silenced. She was locked up by some entity I know nothing of. Saying that she is my limiter and if she was unleashed I would be unable to control my own power." Riyku replied to which everyone seemed generally confused. "Oh, Coco is my operator. She is the one that has been helping me from day one with figuring out this system and what not. It was about three months that she went MIA and I recently found her today along with what had happened to her." Riyku explained to which everyone tried their best to understand.


    "Well, we should try to get her back. She may be able to help you reunite with the rest of our family." Seraphina stated with some sorrow as if she had missed them dearly. "I will get them back." Kristen seemed to state which caused Seraphina to look in her direction. "Yup, we are Riyku''s friends after all. If his family is in danger, then we will help out as best we can." Vex would add and everyone seemed to agree. Seraphina smiled brightly and whispered something to Riyku''s ear which caused him to blush softly. "Hey!" Kristen shouted noting this, but Seraphina would only smile brightly at them. "Thank you! Thank you all for looking out for him when he had no one else." She genuinely seemed happy and grateful for everything, to which they all smiled at her. "It is our pleasure," Kristen stated as if speaking for the rest of them. "Let''s go grab a few drinks. After which I believe we should all stay at Mina''s place." Kristen would suggest to which everyone seemed to nod. "I don''t mind. We haven''t had another sleepover in a while. It will be fun." The group seemed to head off for the remainder of the night, conversing and having a great time. Instead of going to some bar, they decided to just go straight to Mina''s place where they would play various fun games and enjoy several drinks into the evening.

 18 The start of something new

    "Hic! Hic! Hic! R-reeykkkuuu" Mina wobbled over to Riyku and firmly straddled his lap. He was sitting on the couch relaxing with his head resting firmly against the headrest and his eyes closed. It was when he felt the pressure of another body planted firmly on his body did his eyes open and looked to see Mina who was pressing herself firmly against him. "You said, you would have... Hic! sex with me." The woman seemed drunk as ever right now. "I did, but right now would not be the best time," Riyku stated as he took the empty glass from her and set it on the coffee table in front of them, using his other arm to keep her from falling back as he leaned forward. "Why~?" Mina whined.


    "Because you are drunk. This goes for all of you." He noticed the other girls wobbling their way towards him before sighing heavily. "No fair~" Vex complained. "Y-yeah HIC! Kristen got to!" Lira seemed to add to which Kristen would snuggle up against Riyku''s right arm. "Hehe~" Even she seemed drunk as ever. "When you all sober up, I''ll take care of you each of you. Okay?" Riyku would state to which the girls all smiled. "Prowmise." They said in sync to which Riyku nodded. "Yes." After which they seemed to snuggle up against him. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he leaned his head back to rest it against the headrest and close his eyes yet again.


    ''Just like in your previous lives. You have an uncanny way of naturally attracting women.'' Seraphina''s voice called from inside of his mind. ''I saw that in one of the fragments.'' Riyku replied internally. ''I don''t get how this happens or what I do to make this happen. I get it that after these several months they may have developed these feelings for me, but... with Kristen, she threw herself at me.'' Riyku stated bluntly to which Seraphina chuckled lightly in response. ''Maybe it was because she saw you as something more than just a normal man. You never tried to take advantage of her, not once. Nor are you even trying to do so now. Kristen, as well as the other girls, see that and realize that you won''t betray their trust in you.'' Seraphina would explain, but it seemed Riyku still did not get it. ''Okay, but what of Racheal. Her feelings came out of nowhere, and I was truthfully just using her for my own personal gain.'' This caused Seraphina to tsk at him, ''Only in the beginning though. The thing you have yet to realize about yourself is that you have two sides to you.'' Seraphina stated to him which caused his brow to rise. ''You are a gentleman by instinct and a devil by nature. Whenever you see a woman of any shape, size, or personification you will instinctively be a gentleman towards her unless they are naturally a bitch towards you, of course, then you become a devil. Your instinct of a gentleman is simple as opening doors, aiding in carrying heavy loads or even just helping them out in general. Small things that most people don''t realize matter much.'' Seraphina explained to which Riyku sighed internally. ''You mean being nice?'' He would attempt to correct her. ''No. Remember how you told the barista you were going to take things outside. You were doing it to allow her to know that you were not going to bring harm to her store. The times before that you helped out several other women, be it old and wrinkly or young and childish. You do it by instinct because that is who you are... however, you are also a devil by nature. As such, you can get be angered easily if those precious to you are put in harm''s way. You may often at times come off as an asshole as well.'' Seraphina seemed to explain some more to which Riyku just gave up in the end.


    ''Still doesn''t explain my present situation. I mean, I can understand their feelings, but why they are willing to accept this situation is beyond me.'' Riyku would firmly put out to which Seraphina chuckled lightly, ''Because the world you are in encourages polygamy. Especially those of strong origin. Men and women both have harems to tend to them, not because the genders flock to them out of their sheer strength, but because of pure respect for who they are. They want to be able to be part of that person''s life to the fullest. Just like these girls want to be a part of yours. Just as I wanted to be and just as our family did, as well as your previous friends.'' Seraphina explained to him once more to which he seemed to finally grasp a bit of understanding of it. ''I won''t stop them then, but I don''t like the fact that they throw themselves on me every chance they get.'' Riyku would sigh heavily to which Seraphina chuckled lightly. ''You have your own self to blame for that, after all, you are the reason they feel that way about you. Everything you''ve done for them in such a short time-span. Not to mention your Mein is also a part of the reason.'' Seraphina would recap a bit before Riyku shook his head lightly. ''Whatever...'' This caused Seraphina to giggle lightly. ''Goodnight, my darling.'' She whispered softly before seeming to fall asleep. It seemed everyone was asleep now to which he would soon follow.


    Riyku''s conscious was plunged into the abyss once again and he seemed to glance around yet again at all the footage of memories there were. "You survived. I am impressed." A voice called out, the same one that he detested. "Again with you," Riyku growled to which the tiny black-haired woman who looked just like the tiny brunette locked in the cage had stepped forth into what little light was provided. "Huh? Wait.. who are you?" Riyku inquired to which the girl chuckled lightly. "Hmm... how to put it. I guess you can call me Blaze, I am from the version one point zero. While I was not your Operator like Coco, I was part of someone who watched over your system." Blaze would explain to which Riyku seemed a bit surprised by this, it was the first he had heard something like this after all. "Version 1.0. You mean before my reincarnation?" Riyku inquired to which the girl nodded. "Yup. Although, I should explain something to you. I wasn''t the one who locked up Coco. You see, I only came about the moment she was locked up. I have no idea who or what locked her away, but I would like to give you a fair warning." Blaze would state firmly to which Riyku narrowed his eyes at her, "And why should I trust you?" He would retort to which the girl would chuckle lightly. "Because I haven''t tried to harm you. You see, something has infected your system. They want you to revert back to the old system, the one that has damaged. For what purpose? I have no idea. I just know that the old system was full of malfunctions. There was nothing I could do to fix the malfunctions or even stop what was to come of it." Blaze would state as she circled around him. Riyku would follow her with his eyes, "What do you mean? What happened?" He inquired.


    "Your system shut down. You died. After that, I know nothing else. But I did hear something say, May the end begin anew." She would relay the message to him. "Huh?" Riyku did not understand it, to which Blaze did not even understand. "Not sure. After that, when the system was rebooted you were in a new body in this strange world. I was once more locked up and watched as a new Operator took over. After that, I just observed until I was free. That was when your Operator was locked up." Blaze stated. "Then what of that warning, with the limiter ordeal?" Riyku seemed to inquire. "Oh yeah. I ran a search through the process. You''ve met the requirements. First being, you need to over level ninety, and the second being you needed to have unlocked any form. The Class Up quest is supposed to send you into a trial against yourself. Where you will battle against enemies of your past and should you fail... well, you will be consumed whole by your own power." Blaze stated to which Riyku seemed to relax slightly. "So I just need to prepare and become stronger." Riyku stated to which Blaze denied his claim, "Wrong. You are strong enough. As I said this battle will be against yourself; therefore no matter how strong you become you will be fighting a battle equal of that. What you need to do is reaffirm your resolve. That is the strength you need. If you had gone into the Class Up with the resolve you had today, the Power of Darkness would have consumed you whole. The only reason you were brought back was because of the bonds you forged with those five." Blaze stated as she brought footage of Riyku hanging out with Lira, Vex, Skylar, Mina, and Kristen. The footage showed them doing various things, like shopping for clothes, checking out weapons and armors, and so much more.


    "They will become the pillar of your strength. The stronger your bonds become with them the stronger your inner strength will be. You are plenty strong on the outside, but what you need is inner strength." Blaze would step up to him and tap upon his chest. A bright light would illuminate over him which caused him to blink rapidly as he suddenly felt a warmth embrace his entire body. "What did you do?" Riyku inquired to which Blaze chuckled lightly. "I have bestowed upon you the Power of Bonds. The ''Bonds'' you make will link up with those you surround yourself with. They don''t have to be lovers, but friends and even strangers or business partners. The stronger your bond grows the stronger your inner strength with becoming. You will have a new tab labeled ''Bonds'' which will have each person''s name and the strength of their bond with you." Blaze explained to which Riyku smiled softly. "Bonds eh? It feels like something I never really had in my previous lives." Riyku stated to which Blaze shook her head. "You did, but you refused to accept them." This caused Riyku''s brow to raise. "Why?" To which Blaze shook her head. "Because you did not believe you were strong enough to protect them with your own power. Your inner strength became your downfall. Which is why I am giving you this power, and giving you this advice. So you do not make the same mistake again." Blaze would inform him to which he nodded lightly.


    "Looks like your time here is up. As such, I will be going as well. If whatever has infected your system catches wind of me, I may be locked away as well, so I''ll be in hiding for a while. Take care and remember, cherish your bonds." Blaze stated as his vision slowly became blurry and his body was ejected from the abyss only to awake to the chirping birds outside and the weight of the woman snuggled into him. Blinking softly he would take notice of the text box before him.


    ''You feel refreshed and ready for the day. +100 Shield points.''


    ''The spirits of mana graced you during your slumber. +200 Mana points for four hours.''


    Well, that is reassuring that he slept for eight hours. He really wanted to get up now, but he was underneath these five... so a thought came to mind. Seeing several couch pillows scattered on the floor he would use blink maybe five or six times in a row in less than a second to make it so none of the girls woke up while he was away. Nodding to his own accomplishment he would yawn softly and stretch his limbs as he began to head towards the kitchen area. He was greeted by the Head Chef who smiled warmly at him, "Ah. Master Riyku, Good morning. Did you and others have a wonderful rest?" The chef seemed to tease him lightly to which he chuckled and nudged the male in the arm. "I don''t take advantage of women. You know that, Chef." He would reply with a playful expression. "That I do. Are you planning on preparing breakfast for them? I can do that for you since I am already preparing breakfast for the Master and Mistress Novaa." The Chef offered to which Riyku shook his head. "I appreciate it, but I think I''ll get this one myself, "Riyku stated with a smile to which the Chef nodded. "Of course. I won''t stop you. If you need any help don''t be afraid to ask." He would reply to which Riyku nodded lightly before taking an apron off the rack and putting it on. Next, he would tie up his hair into a ponytail before moving to wash his hands and arms at a washing station. "Alright." He would begin to take out various ingredients for a western style breakfast. A bowl with several eggs, then some flour, sugar, and butter along with several other ingredients for the main dish. Since a small number of eggs would be used later he would prep the batter for the main dish. Once that had settled and become ready he would pour a small portion of the batter onto a skillet. Setting the bowl of batter aside for later use, for now, he would prepare the side dish which by now anyone could have guessed was going to eggs. Putting two and two together, it would home-style pancakes and eggs.


    As time passed, everyone seemed to have been waking up. Skylar seemed to have walked into the kitchen due to the lovely aroma. "Smells good in here. What are you making?" Skylar inquired to which Riyku would chuckle lightly. "A simple breakfast." He replies. Skylar would look at the process he was going through before blinking rapidly. "Simple? You made everything from scratch!" He cried out to which Riyku would shrug. "Is everyone up?" Riyku asked to which Skylar nodded. "Yeah, the girls are washing up," Skylar replied. "Good, can you set the table and get them into the dining area. "Umm, okay." Skylar was still kind of stunned, not once has Riyku ever seemed to bring any kind of home-cooked meal, or even attempted to cook. So, he didn''t know that he could do such a thing.


    As he left the kitchen he would make his way to his sister''s room and knock on the door. When he heard her say "come in," he would open the door. "Can you get the other girls. Riyku is preparing breakfast for us." Skylar told her. "Oh, of course." It took her a moment before she realized what her brother just told her. "Come again?" She asked him to repeat. "That was my expression too." Skylar saw the expression on Mina''s face. "He is cooking? For us?" Mina inquired to which Skylar nodded. "Okay, I''ll go get the other girls. Thanks for letting me know." Skylar would nod and proceed back to the kitchen area to set everything up before taking a seat him. Soon to follow were the girls who all took their seats at the table. The expressions on their face happened to shock because this was the first time anyone knew that he could cook. Well, that he was cooking, they did not know if he could cook. Still, the aroma in the air was sweet enough to make one''s mouth water.


    "Alright! Breakfast is ready." Riyku came out with a pushcart of two domes, one bigger and the other smaller. He would ride up to the table and remove the domes which revealed steamy hot pancakes and scrambled eggs. The pancakes seemed to be what gave off the sweet smell that would warm the body, and the eggs would compliant the smell with their rich looking text. He would set the plates in the center of the table along with two bottles of syrup that he got from Chef, before pushing the cart out of the way and taking a seat at one of the empty chairs. "Alright, go ahead." Riyku seemed to smile brightly at them as he sat there. Kristen was the first to reach for the tongs to take a few pancakes off the mountain and pick up some scrambled eggs with the scope provided. She would then use her fork to cut into the pancake and to her knowledge, it was like a knife to butter. Blinking for a moment she would put her fork into the piece and bring it to her mouth. The moment her tongue touched the pancake she seemed to moan in delight and munch on it before going back for more and more than used her fork to get some eggs which seemed to perfectly complement the text and taste of the pancake along. "It''s soo good!" She squealed with a bright expression.


    It seemed everyone else followed suit afterward and their reactions were all the same. "Glad you enjoyed it," Riyku stated as he reached for some himself, but set them in an empty plate beside him. "Seraphina, come out and enjoy a meal." He called to her and she seemed to appear in the chair, fully clothed this time at least. A soft yawn would escape from her lips as she looked at the food then to Riyku. "Good morning, Darling. Did you prepare this?" She asked to which Riyku nodded and she smiled warmly. "I have missed you delicious food. I am sure your skills as a cook transferred over to this life as well." Seraphina stated before partaking of the meal, her reaction was pretty much the same as everyone else to which he chuckled lightly and took his own share. Enjoying the taste of his food.


    Time would pass and everything was emptied. The Head Chef had come to collect the plates and utensils while setting glasses of warm coffee for everyone except Mina and Skylar who happened to have glasses of warm tea. "You never told us you could cook!" Kristen would exclaim to which everyone agreed. "You never asked." Riyku would reply as he partook of his cup of coffee. "True, but Seraphina knew and she reacted as if it were her first time." Kristen would add to which Seraphina chuckled lightly with the tip of her cup against her lips. "My Darling''s food is top tier. He would give a five-star chef a run for their money. So my expressions are adequate of such. Besides, he wasn''t always good at cooking you know." She would tease them a bit with his past which caused them to want to learn more. "Really!?" Lira inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "Mhm. He as pretty terrible at first. But as time went on, he learned to cook, season and handle food as if it were like breathing to him. I guess that is a perk of living for so long." Seraphina stated, and the mood would have turned grime if Riyku wasn''t the one to give a good laugh first. "It''s not that serious. I tested it out once on my own. Which is how I found out I could cook. It just comes to me the moment I think of something I want to make. The pancakes you had were cinnamon seasoned and the eggs were lightly scrambled and lightly dusted with salt and pepper. It wasn''t anything too serious." Riyku would partake of his coffee once again.


    "If you say so, I might just hire you as our Assistant Chef," Skylar stated which caused everyone to look dead at him. "Hey, what is up with that!? You look as if I am stealing him away!" Skylar called out to which everyone began to give a good laugh including Riyku. "Say, why don''t we hit up that Gambit''s Arcade later today. After all, it is our vacation time." Vex called out to which everyone seemed to agree. "Oh, give me a moment." Riyku would his wristband before him and tap upon it to bring up some contacts. One of which was labeled ''Gambit''s Arcade''. The male would tap upon it and an audio feed only screen appeared. "This is Gambit''s Arcade, your Host Mimi speaking. You know you can just call my cell, Riyku." The woman called out which caused everyone to look surprised. "Yeah, yeah. So, can you set up a party for at least seven people." Riyku inquired to which Mimi took a moment as if she were looking through something. "Sure can. Will this be a V.I.P room?" She asked which caused everyone to go eye-wide. "Sure," Riyku added. "Great! What time?" Mimi inquired to which Riyku would look at a nearby clock that read, a little after nine. "How about noon?" Riyku would reply, "Perfect! V.I.P party for seven set up at noon. See you then, playboy." It was almost as if Mimi knew exactly why the party was so high in number, but before Riyku could any response in the call ended. "Another woman eh?" Kristen would tap upon the table as if wanting an answer.


    "I don''t mind. He has had plenty of women in his life." Seraphina would finish her cup of coffee. "Well, when you put it that way... It makes sense." Vex would agree. "What? No, it doesn''t." Kristen would retort. "I don''t see a problem with it. We all had an agreement prior to this." Lira stated which caused Riyku''s brow to raise. "Agreement?" He inquired. "To protect you, remember." Mina would state with a warm smile almost as if hiding something. Riyku would shake his head as if he already knew what she really meant, "You can always fall in love with someone else. It won''t hurt me." Riyku would reply to which the girls all shook their heads. "Nope. I am sure I can speak for us when I say, our feelings belong to you. Sure, there may be a hotter guy, or a smarter guy, or someone who is kinder, but... you are you. I am not lying when I say you are pretty much a three in one, but of course, you can be mean at times. Still, I find it charming and I am sure the others do." Kristen would remark with a smile and the other girls nodded. "Well, they got you beat Riyku. Looks like you are the only one who has yet to accept it." Seraphina would state as she nudged him playfully. "Still, Ladies. Just remember who claimed him first." Seraphina stated to which Riyku looked at her and sighed heavily. "Looks like you are stuck with them," Skylar added to which the girls looked at him. "What are you talking about, you are part of this too," Kristen stated to which they nodded. "Wait, but I am a guy!" Skylar exclaimed. "So? There are men out there who have other men in their harems. What is your point?" Vex inquired to which Skylar shook his head. "No, no no! I will not have sex with him!" Lira and Mina seemed to chuckle lightly, "A harem isn''t just about sex. It is about the dedication of love and affection through many means. Riyku has shown that he cares deeply for each and every one of us, and we feel the same for him. Even if he does not want to admit that he has fallen in love with us." Mina seemed to explain to which Riyku would close his eyes with a happy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Alright fine." He would then open his eyes to see a text box had appeared upon his UI.


    ''Affinity Updated! Affinity- Harem King Lv.Max: By being surrounded by those who dedicate their love and affection towards you through many forms and means, and you do the same for them you will gain +1 Stat for each person in your Harem. You will also gain +10% experience points per person. You also unlock Harem Skills such as ''fast travel'' ''fast summon'' ''lover''s healing'' ''lover''s comfort'' ''restoration'' and, ''retribution.'' You are also allowed to share a portion of your power with those of your Harem and receive a portion of theirs. You may now use ''Link''. ''Your Harem members can be seen upon your mini-map as well as your expanded map, in the form of a pink dot. You can also identify them by name upon activation of a said dot.''


    Riyku had been reading over the text box which caused them to all look at him funny. "Something wrong?" Seraphina called out to which Riyku shook his head. "Something I wanted to know about when I first came here was Updated." The male seemed to chuckle lightly as a soft smile painted across his lips. "What is it?" Kristen questioned to which Riyku looked at everyone. "You guys." The remark caused them to give him a puzzled expression, but from the sincerity on his face, they could tell he really meant it. Seraphina, on the other hand, would know right away so she leaned back in her chair. "That''s so like you. I should''ve known." She seemed to state which caused everyone to look at her. "You''ll all find out what he meant sooner or later. For now, we should think about what to do." Seraphina stated having noted the time on the clock was nearing ten.


    "Maybe we should chill for a bit. We have had a rough time overall." Mina would suggest. "True, I don''t mind just sitting here chatting and having some coffee to pass the time." Vex would add. "It is a good coffee." Lira seemed to add to which everyone would agree by now that just relaxing was the best choice. "Say Seraphina, while we wait. Why don''t you tell us a bit more about Riyku?" Kristen inquired of Seraphina who blinked and shrugged. "What do you want to know?" She asked to which Kristen would give a thoughtful expression, "Mmmm, you said he had a wife and children. What of that?" Riyku would look to Seraphin and give her a simple nod, to which Seraphina snickered. "Well, for starters. The wife looked exactly like you and she had the same name as you. Two beautiful children to boot. Day in and day out they would play with their father when he wasn''t working, and when he came home they would help him to relax. Needless to say, just because you had two kids you didn''t stop the lovely dovey honeymoon thing. It was quite a bliss-filled time for him." As Seraphina explained, Kristen''s cheeks flared up. "Ahem, so what happened?" She tried to forward the subjected to which Seraphina shook her head. "Riyku, you should tell them. You do remember it after all." Seraphina stated as if handing it off to him. They sensed something sad was going to come of this and they were right when Riyku sighed. "My wife was murdered and my kids slaughtered before my eyes. It was because my wife married a demon and the children were part demon. So, when that got out the villagers did not take kindly to it. They chased me down to kill me, but I escaped." Riyku would express in a monotone voice and the atmosphere turned to grime. "I am sorry..." Kristen stated softly to which Riyku shook his head. "It was a past life, a past memory. I am here and this is my new life. " Riyku would expression which seemed to lighten the mood a little.


    "He is right. This is the happiest I''ve seen him in all of the lives he has been in. He is like a whole other person. I kind of wish I had my hot cold-hearted killer husband, but this soft adorable man is not so bad either." Seraphina stated which caused everyone to blink in shock. "Cold hearted killer?" Skylar inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "He never hesitated to take a life if it meant furthering his goals, be it whatever they were back then. For some odd reason, this attitude attracted women of all kinds. From assassins to dimensional walkers. Don''t know why, but I know I''ve always been in love with him since his birth as a child. I grew up with him after all. His Mein was that of the Shadow, I was one of the Queens of Darkness at the time and I wanted to take over his body and use it for my own purposes; however, he seemed to have a steady control over the shadows. Although you should not confuse Shadow with Darkness, both are different in their own aspects. He only tapped into my power after a while at such a young age which caused me to take an interest in him. Since then, I was just watching him; until one day he seemed to call for me. Sadly, it was right before his death as a child, but I cared for him even in the next life and the life after that and so on and so forth." Seraphina, it was a bit of a sad tale, but with a little happy twist.


    "You said he had a family, who else is there?" Lira inquired to which Seraphina nodded. "Four others. Skeith, Iris, Ithaca, and Nira. Of course, just saying those names won''t bring them here. Riyku has to remember then in full and call to them." Seraphina stated to which Riyku shifted his glance towards her. "In my dream, you were a black-haired woman, but now you have violet hair and different color eyes." Riyku would address which caused her to blink rapidly for a moment. "Probably in one of the previous lives. Of course, I can change my hair color freely. Do you prefer black?" As she asked the color changed to such, to which Riyku shook his head. "Your original fits you just fine." He would state to which Seraphina smiled. "Thank you, Darling." A soft sigh escaped from the girls around the table. "What''s wrong?" Riyku inquired. "We said we would help you get your family back, but if it has to do with your memory then I doubt we can help at all," Mina stated to which the rest nodded in agreement. "Oh, on the contrary, you all can help him. You just need to start the ignition for his memories to flood into him. In my case... well I don''t know what happened." Seraphina would state. "If anything, he was wrapped in darkness and feeling all alone. Which probably triggered it." She added and everyone looked at him as he shrugged. "I''m not sure. Something was talking to me and egging me on and after that, I blacked out." Riyku stated.


    "Something was talking to you? Like a voice in your head?" Lira inquired to which Riyku nodded. "That''s not strange. I can talk to him like that now or when I rest in his shadow." Seraphina would reply, "Still... If anything only one thing comes to mind. Harvester..." Seraphina added to which everyone gave a puzzled expression. "Oh... Sorry, let me explain. Harvester is a manifestation of who Riyku truly is at his core, or at least that is what he is supposed to be. Harvester seeks to bring pure destruction to all those around it. Harvester can take the form of anyone and anybody, including Riyku himself. Why Harvester exists is beyond even me. He claims to have been with Riyku as long as I have, but I haven''t felt his presences till Riyku became known as the Dark Demonic Reaper." Seraphina seemed to just throw out an explanation of one thing while leaving everyone confused on other things. Seeing this caused her to sigh lightly, "I''ll explain another time. We should get ready, it is already eleven." Seraphina stated as she glanced at the clock. Everyone seemed to look towards it too before nodded in agreement. "Alright, so we''ll all go ahead and get ready and then meet up at the front of the house in thirty minutes?" Mina inquired to which everyone nodded and dispersed, Seraphina seemed to have returned to Riyku through the normal means.

 19 A little bit of fun never hur

    Instead of walking to the Arcade, it would seem that someone drove them. Everyone would exit in an orderly fashion and enter the Arcade as a whole. "My, I was right on the dot." Mimi would tease Riyku seeing several females around him. Riyku would just shake his head as the girls blushed lightly. "Plus, they all look quite cute." She would add to which the girls looked at Riyku as if awaiting something. Kristen per usual was wearing a gothic dress; while it held to the black nature there were strips of bright here and there as design. Next up was Lira, who seemed more reserved. Nothing too flashy; a pair of jeans and a white tee-shirt. Following up was Vex, who happened to be wearing a fusion of black and white. Her skirt seemed to dabble in bits of white that were on top of the black shade, while her shirt appeared to be a vice-versa of it. In truth, this seemed to compliment her silverish hair color nicely. Riyku would shift his gaze over towards Mina now, she looked like a true princess through and through with the light blue design. Of course, they weren''t the only ones who wanted something out of him. Seraphina had hugged him from behind like usual and whispered into his ear, "What do you think?" The warmth of her bust against his back made it feel like she wasn''t even wearing clothes, to begin with. A soft sigh would escape his lips, "Yes, yes. You all look beautiful in your own outfits." He would give into their expression before looking at Mimi who was just chuckling lightly about what just happened. "Alright, follow me." She would lead them towards a room similar to that at which you could find in karaoke. Once they all took their seats against the red plush booths she clasps her hands together in delight. "If you need anything feel free to page us. This will be your exclusive room for the day, so once you are done let me know. In addition to this, you can spectate the Gaming Ring from this room, as well as enjoy a variety of songs with our karaoke machine. I do hope you all have a wonderful time." She smiled at them and they all gave their thanks before she left.


    "Alrighty, so let''s start with some drinks. We already ate, so let''s put off food till later." Kristen would pick up a menu that was lying upon the table before them. In fact, there were exactly, seven menus. One for each of them. Picking up his own, he would scan through the selection of drinks. From wild berry rum to tropical thunder vodka... Boy did these names seem funny or what. Nevertheless, the male would cross one leg over the other as he leaned back against the booth. An arm relaxing on the headrest while his other hand held open the menu before him. The girls, well with the exception of Mina and Seraphina had been conversing about something with the menu. Mina and Skylar seemed to have their own conversation and Seraphina was... well trying to peak at what he was going to get. "Soo... Going to get your Vodka like always?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku shifted his glance towards her. "Are you referring to my previous lives?" He asked to which she nodded. "Seemed to be the only type of liquor you really drank. In fact, you even drank it straight from the bottle." Seraphina would tease as she brushed her bust up against him again. "Oh, the things you did back then..." She whispered into his ear which caused him to close his eyes. The girls saw what she was attempting to do and glared at her, "Seraphina!" Kristen called out to her which caused her to shift her iris'' towards her. "Hm? Can I help you, sweetie?" She called out to her with a devious smirk.


    "Yes. Get off of him." Kristen stated firmly to which Seraphina giggled. "Why not just come join me. We can have our own fun here." It was then that Riyku snapped his eyes open and reached for the tablet that was laid upon the table. "Riyku?" Seraphina gave him a puzzled look as he began to place an order for two bottles of vodka, several glasses of water, and some darts before looking at everyone else. "Anyone want anything?" He asked with a blank expression. "Umm..." Skylar would be the first to give his order. "Can I get an Iced Long Island?" Riyku would input the order before looking back up to the girls. "Strawberry rum for me." Mina put hers in. "I''ll have the melon monarch," Vex added. "Berry Blast," Lira added. "I''ll just have whatever you are having." Kristen seemed to state. "Same," Seraphina added to which Riyku would move to add another bottle of Vodka before sending in the order. "What are you having anyway, Riyku?" Skylar questioned to which Seraphina would answer. "A couple of bottles of vodka." Everyone seemed slightly surprised by this. "Don''t worry. If anything, it''ll take several bottles before he is under the influence." Seraphina would add to which Riyku would shrug before setting the tablet down and closing his eyes again.


    "We aren''t just going to sit here all day, right?" Kristen inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "No, I ordered some darts. If anything, you can go ahead and do some karaoke while we wait." He seemed to put out bluntly to which everyone gave him a surprised expression. "Darts? Have you ever played before?" Vex inquired to which Riyku nodded. "In my previous lives."


    "Speaking of which, a lot seems to stem from your previous lives. Like your ability for critical thinking and your expertise in combat. Not to mention the fact that you are also great at cooking. It makes me wonder what else are you good at?" Skylar would go into thought to which Riyku would shrug. "Plenty." Seraphina would state for him as she sprawled out over him. Using him like some kind of pillow and looking up at him when he looked at her. "Like what though?" Skylar would prod at the topic. Everyone else seemed to want to know in which Seraphina would sigh lightly. "Well, Hunting overall as well as Tracking. Then there is driving and being a pilot. He can also be tactical at times, and he is good with firearms. Of course, this does not mean he is shy when it comes to using a blade or his bare fist either. His skills under the sheets are nothing to poke fun at. He can leave you begging for more or even mentally break you down. Mental break down does not only apply to sex though, but he is also able to do it for interrogation purposes too." For a moment Seraphina paused before continuing. "Just about everything really. But enough of him. What of yourselves? You and Kristen seemed to be quite the foes in close combat. Where did you learn your arts?" Seraphina inquired even though she was still laying on top of Riyku.


    Skylar seemed to be the first to answer this question. "Well, when I was a kid I was always picked on for my small size and my feminine appearance. Though one of my father''s friends asked me if I wanted to make use of my size and feminine features. As a child, it was a bizarre offer, but I accepted it. For several months I stayed at his home and studied under him on how to make use of my small size. Being able to conceal my presences and fall under an enemies line of sight to put them in disarray. During my intense training, It seemed I had a knack for using daggers. When my teacher realized this he decided to further my training by having me attend his Dojo. It was here I learned how to use my feminine features to bewitch my peers." Skylar would scratch his cheek as he flushed a little from the tale. "Ever since then, I''ve trained in my spare time, but it was never really something I engrossed myself in. I became engrossed in the track team so I joined up. I learned that Wind Magika was best suited for both my training as a rogue and being a member of the track team." Skylar would finish explaining a bit about himself and where he learned his martial arts.


    Up next was Kristen, "Well, as for me. I was forced to become strong. My gauntlets and greaves are my main weapons, while I host a sidearm which is a whip. Since I only use my gauntlets and greaves for the Death Games, most people believe my main weapon is that of a whip. You see, At first, I trained on my own. To fight against those who would harass me and my friends. I wanted to be able to protect them as well as myself. So I studied and trained under various master martial artists and learned various weapon forms. My Father was reluctant of this at first, but when I told him it would raise the companies reputation to find out the heir to the corporation was a strong woman he seemed to strive towards making sure I was going to be the strongest woman alive. Still, he seemed to also hire bodyguards and have them guard me at all times as the first line of defense." Kristen would sigh heavily, but Lira and Vex seemed to chuckle lightly. "That''s so you." They added.


    "Well, what about you two? Vex seemed to host a staff and Lira a bow. If you ask me you three make the perfect team." Seraphina would state to which Vex nodded. "Of course, we have been friends since forever of course. But, we did not want Kristen to be the only strong one. We wanted to be able to protect ourselves as well as her. So, I focused on the black arts of Magika. Learning how to manipulate and use all spells of both offense and defense. Don''t get me wrong though, It was not easy. Most people only choose to learn one of the three types of Magika. Offensive, Defensive, and Supportive. I learned both Defensive and Offensive because I sought strength to protect my friends as well as myself. Skylar over there uses Supportive Magika just like Mina does. Who is the complete opposite of myself even though we both use staves." Vex would explain to which Mina smiled brightly. "Lira, on the other hand, choose Archery. She has always been a big fan of such a thing. She is even the Captain of the Archery club." Vex stated to which Lira would blush lightly from the embarrassment. "I am, but that does not mean much. I only do it for fun after all, but everyone wants me to stay as Captain." Lira would add to Vex''s remark.


    "I only took up Archery, because it was fun. I won''t lie and say it was to become stronger or anything. My body is weak as it is. The Mana in the air makes my body go into an overdose if I do not consume my medication to reduce the amount of Mana my body takes in. When I say this, I mean that my body naturally attracts Mana versus other humans where they need to use chants to call to Mana. Since I naturally attract Mana, I need to release it steadily or take my medication which will release it for me." Lira would explain. "I usually use practice and training with my bow to release Mana and putting that into junction with my medication. My body becomes stable." Lira would add. A silence would befall them before Mina dared to question, "Why does your body attract Mana?" To which Lira would shrug. "I am not sure. Even doctors do not understand why. When I ask my mother she seems to give me short responses saying that I am special." Lira would state to which Seraphina would sit up and examine over her body. "Hmm..." Lira saw her leering at her which caused her to perch up, "Is something wrong?" Seraphina would shake her head. "It''s nothing." She would then return to laying over Riyku who simply sighed lightly.


    "Well, that is everyone except you, Mina." Seraphina would shift her glance to Mina who was sitting just on the other side of Riyku. "Oh, you are right. Well, I guess I can share. It''s nothing high in praise though. I simply wanted to help others which is why I took up supportive Magika. In addition to that, It seems my vast knowledge and ability to take in knowledge of others or ordeals and process such lead me to become a strategist in my life. So partaking of the supportive role only made it seem more fitting. That is pretty much it really. Nothing special." Mina would share her end of the story. In truth, everyone seemed to have different reasons for taking up arms and learning combat. But they all genuinely seemed to care for one another.


    When a knock came from the door before opening, Riyku looked to see someone had brought them their drinks, and the darts he had requested. Placing them on the table the server would bow politely then take their leave. Riyku would reach for one of the bottles of Vodka, pop off the cork and begin to take dips of its contents.


    ''Alcoholic beverage detected. Drunkness percent: 0.0001%''


    A text box had appeared upon his personal vision. The box seemed to minimize after a moment into a small de-buff right next to his Shield Point bar which caused him to look over towards it and when he did the percent showed itself to be the same, before his iris'' shifted towards the bottle. He would guzzle down the liquor and relax his body. The girls and Skylar all seemed to have been bewildered by the fact that his man just drank straight from the bottle. "Well, you''ll get used to it." Seraphina would take the bottle from his hands and part of it before offering it back to him with a smirk. Everyone would reach for their glass except Kristen who fiddled her thumbs around. "Umm..." Riyku would open his eyes with a glance in her direction, before taking the bottle from Seraphina and heading it over to Kristen. She was hesitant to even take the bottle, let alone drink straight from it. Lira and Vex noticed this and shook their heads offering sips of their drinks to her. She would set the bottle down and nod. "Thanks, I didn''t expect it would be like that." Kristen would state to which Riyku would lean over to reach for the open bottle. "Don''t worry about it," Vex replied. "Yup, I don''t think anyone did," Lira added. Riyku would once more take several swigs from the bottle before offering it to Seraphina who seemed to do the same before releasing an ''ahhh~'' sound and handing it back to him.


    "Wait, can you two even get drunk?" Skylar had noticed this exchange to which Seraphina nodded. "Yup. Though it takes quite a bit before that to even happen." Seraphina would respond to Skylar to which everyone just seemed to sigh with exhaustion. Setting the bottle down, Riyku would reach for the weighted darts. "Solos or teams?" He seemed to question to which everyone took a moment before agreeing on solos. A chuckle parted his lips to which he nodded. "Alright." He would stand up and prepare to toss the dart, but it seemed Seraphina had interrupted him. "What, no loss to gain?" Everyone looked to Seraphina when she said that.


    "What do you purpose?" Mina inquired to which Seraphina''s lips curved wide. "How about instead of a normal game of darts we do the highest win, lowest lose. It''s a game, Riyku made up when he worked at the Sionner Inn." Seraphina stated to which everyone looked towards him and he shrugged it off as if he had not the slightest clue on what she was talking about. "Of course, he probably does not remember. But it is quite simple. Like normal darts, you get three tries. However, you aren''t going for an out. Instead, you are going for the highest possible number which would be bullseye thrice. Though, you only get one turn. Each round everyone gets one turn and at the end of the round, the winner gets to command the loser to do something. The winner is the person with the highest score and the loser is the person with the lowest score. Easy right?" Seraphina seemed to explain, though everyone would get it because it was quite simple. "So it''s just normal darts, but you want the highest score possible." Kristen would recap to which Seraphina nodded. "Yup." She replied. "Well, alright. I''m in." Kristen stated to which everyone seemed to just shrug it off with a sure.


    "Well, go ahead then, Darling." Seraphina cooed to Riyku who would sigh softly. Tossing the first black dart he would hit just below bullseye, the second seemed to be just above and the last one seemed to strike on the single twenty. "Seventy even. Good job, Darling." Seraphina would state as Riyku went to collect the darts. "You''re next?" Riyku inquired to which Seraphina nodded. Riyku would hand them over and return to his seat only to receive glances upon him. "What?" He inquired to which Skylar sighed. "You are going to win every time." He seemed to admit to which everyone nodded and Riyku shook his head. "Won''t know unless you try." Riyku would state before turning his glance to Seraphina who was midway through her second dart. You could hear the click of her tongue when she missed her mark and prepared to toss the last dart. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she moved to gain the darts. "Single Twenty, Single three, and double five. Total of thirty-three." Riyku would state as Seraphina sat down next to him. "I haven''t been throwing knives and daggers around of late like someone I know. So my aim has been off." Seraphina teased to which Riyku would shrug. "You''ll get back into it." He replied, the exchange between the two really showed how much of a strong bond they had. That it was true that their history ran deep. "I guess I''m next." Vex would get up and retrieve the darts from Seraphina before taking to her position.


    "Good luck!" Lira called from the seats to which Vex chuckled softly and threw the first dart. Double twenty, then the second dart, double twenty again and lastly the third dart which seemed to land on single five. A huff left her voices as she moved. "Five points off eh?" Riyku stated as he folded his arms across his chest. "Not bad." He would add to which Vex nodded. "I may not be a professional, but all I have to do is beat your score. I figured hitting three doubles of twenty would do the trick, but I must''ve gotten cocky." Vex would offer the darts to Kristen who seemed to be up next since she was already standing. "It''s only the first round," Riyku replied to which Vex would nod. Their attention turned towards Kristen who was preparing herself. Calming herself before tossing the first dart which seemed to have struck single five. She would click her tongue before tossing the second one. Single nine, and then threw the last one which landed on single fifteen. She seemed to grumble as she made her towards the darts. "Twenty-nine eh? So far you are the lowest." Seraphina would tease which caused her to give her a look. A soft chuckle came from Lira who would pat her shoulders. "My turn." She would take the darts and begin to prepare herself as Kristen did earlier.


    One, two, three... Lira would toss them one after another. Vex and Kristen weren''t as surprised as everyone else seemed to be. "Well, to be expected from someone who uses a bow." Riyku would state which caused Lira to blush as she collected the darts. "Triple-fifty on the first run. That''s impressive." Seraphina stated. "Lira is no slouch when it comes to hitting her mark." Kristen seemed to boost for her friend which caused everyone to chuckle lightly. "Mina, Skylar?" Lira would offer the darts to which Skylar would take them. "Well... I''ll give it a go as well." He seemed to state as he moved to take his position. Though the way he held the darts was abnormal, it wasn''t like the traditional way. It was more like he was preparing to toss a dagger from hip-side. Inhaling the feminine male would relax his body, calm his nerves before exhaling and then he threw them. Not one, but all three at the same time.


    The silence was in the atmosphere once again, before Mina began to clap for her brother. "Good job!" She called out to him to which everyone seemed to nod in agreement. Triple seven, bullseye, and triple eighteen. That would lead to the second highest score present, one-hundred and twenty-eight. Skylar seemed to be scratching his cheek with a soft blush. "Thanks." He would offer the darts to his sister. "Still, what was that?" Lira would inquire as Skylar took his seat. "It''s how I throw my daggers. It felt more comfortable to throw all three at once than it did to throw one at a time." He explained while his glance was fixated on his sister. She wasn''t as fast as everyone else, though she seemed to score quite well thanks to a bit of patience. "Single nineteen, single sixteen and single eleven. Good job, sis." Skylar would state to which everyone seemed to agree. As Mina returned with the darts she seemed to be bashful of her score before handing them to Riyku. "Alrighty, that concludes the first round. The winner would be Lira who had a perfect score, the loser would be Kristen with a total of twenty-nine. As such, the Winner will give the Loser a task to complete." Seraphina stated which caused Kristen to sigh softly and Lira to go into thought.


    "Hmm... How about..." Lira seemed to continue to think on something for a good minute before nodding to her own personal thought. "Kristen, tell us how it is living with Riyku." Lira would state which caused Kristen to blush brightly. "Wha-What!? Why!?" Kristen exclaimed which caused Lira to chuckle lightly. "Because I want to know. You have never accepted anyone living in the same room as you. Of course, I know why, but I want to know what it is like to having someone bunk with you. Not just someone but someone who bested you in close combat and is that same someone who is in this room." Everyone except Riyku and Seraphina had their focus on Kristen as if they wanted to know. With this sudden limelight, she began to fidget a bit. "Well... It''s..." She looked to Riyku for answers but found that he wasn''t going to help her since he was already working on the second bottle. "It''s..." She murmured softly. "It''s what?" Lira inquired with a teasing smile. "Ah fine! It''s fun! It''s great even! He helps me with my work, and even talks to me! I feel protected! I feel safe! Of course, that isn''t all. When he comes out of the shower, he is freaking hot! I mean, the erotic scene is enough to send me into overdrive! I can''t stress how much I have to ask this man to put on a damn shirt! Although..." She fell silent for a moment. "I can''t wait for him to come back now that this search is done with." She would admit, a burning red face staring at him which everyone seemed to follow. Setting the bottle down half-empty he would smirk with his eyes closed. "I''ll take care of all your needs later." Riyku state which caused her to turn even redder. "Hey!" Seraphina shouted. "And you too," Riyku added. From this moment, the girls all seemed to give him a look to which Riyku seemed to exhale a breath. "Tell you what, from now on anyone who can outscore me will be the first to receive a pleasant time. Those below me will be only after I finish with the following person. Sound fair?" Riyku stated to which the girls all seemed to hold this fiery determination. "Oh boy... Look what you started." Skylar looked towards him to which Riyku would respond, "You are more than welcome to join as well." This caused Skylar to blush brightly and the girls to look at Riyku then him. "You said you weren''t part of this!" Kristen exclaimed to which Skylar shook his head and waved his hands rapidly, "He is messing around. Honest to god!" Skylar was quick to defend him. "Mmm... I don''t know. In one of his previous lives, Riyku had sex with a woman who had a dick. If you ask me it was rather hot. The way he forced the girl to..." Seraphina would trail off in the memory as everyone looked from Riyku to Skylar. "But I am a guy!" Skylar shouted to which Riyku finally chuckled lightly, "I am only playing around." Riyku stated to which everyone looked at him. "Really?" Kristen inquired to which Riyku nodded. "Yup. I turned down Yumi, did you forget?" Riyku questioned to which Kristen gave puzzled look before remembering. "That''s right! Geez... why do you got to tease us all the time." Kristen stated to which Riyku smirked. "It''s fun." He would chuckle lightly before standing up and making his way towards the board.


    Several hours passed, and many rounds of darts were played. They even ordered food and had plenty of more drinks. By the time everything was said and done, the girls were all out cold excluding Seraphina. Skylar had maintained his flow of liquor or well, held it in better than they did. Riyku was finishing off what appeared to be his tenth bottle to which he released a refreshing ''ah'' sound. "Geez, you can hold it quite well. It''s almost unfair. Is it because of your System?" Skylar inquired which made Riyku shift his glance towards the negative by his SP gauge which read, ''5.9%''. He would then look at Skylar. "Most likely. Seraphina will you stay here with Skylar and make sure the girls don''t do anything. I''m going to go pay for everything." Riyku did not question, but more so told her to do. A simple nod from her was all she gave him. "Okay, I can''t promise I won''t *Hic* do anything to the boy though." This caused Riyku to chuckle and Skylar to shiver slightly. "I don''t think he can handle you, but the choice is yours, Sera." Riyku would shorten her last name, with a bit of a remark which caused her to flush brightly and become docile as he left.


    "Sera?" Skylar inquired as he looked to Seraphina who nodded lightly. "It''s Riyku''s pet name for me. In previous lives, he only gave pet names to those who were dear to him. It was his way of saying ''You are mine, and only mine.''" Seraphina stated which caused Skylar to blink rapidly, "Wait... He doesn''t think I am trying to do anything, does he?" Skylar inquired to which Seraphina shook her head. "No. It''s my own *Hic* teasing that caused that to come out of him. He knows full well, I won''t bed anyone but him." Seraphina stated which caused Skylar to relax a little. "If anything, he would probably end up adding you to his list of claims." Seraphina who was probably drunk at this point stated bluntly which caused Skylar''s eyes to widen. "Wait, but I am-" Skylar was caught off which Seraphina nodded. "Yes, yes. I know you are a male. I don''t mean in a sense of sexual desire though... Riyku has had several male bonds that rival those of his lover relations. Though, they were never sexual. His love and affection came from other means such as aiding them in times of war. Saving their loved ones, and even going to great links to keep them alive." Seraphina seemed to state with great wisdom as if she had lived through these experiences. Truth was that she did. She would look to Skylar. "It''s the vibe I got from him when he interacted with you today. He holds great respect for you as well as the girls. Do not take his love and affection lightly, it does not come easily." Seraphina would add before reaching for several empty bottles to get the last few drops of each she could. "Wow... I didn''t know such emotion ran deep. I mean, I would never take his kindness for granted nor would anyone here, but to know that he holds us to such high regards is..." Skylar would pause for a moment when he saw the door open and Riyku step in.


    "Time to go. I went ahead and called, Walter, who is your butler. He will pick us up and take us back to your home." Riyku stated to which Skylar blinked rapidly. "What are you going to do?" He asked to which Riyku would reply, "See how Racheal is doing. I want to find out what happened." Riyku stated to which Skylar nodded. "That''s right. Well, okay. If anything comes up, I''ll be sure to contact you." Skylar would reply to which Riyku smirked with a soft nod. "Please do. I''ll be back later tonight, I am a man of my word. Be sure to let them know." This caused Skylar to blush lightly with a nod. "O-okay." It was then that Riyku seemed to have left with Seraphina who had hastily seeped into his shadow. ''Don''t leave me behind!'' She exclaimed through a mental link to which Riyku chuckled. ''Didn''t plan on it. You''ll have to wait till later tonight as well. Get some rest, you will need it.'' Riyku replyed through the link to which Seraphina cooed at him before falling silent.


    "Leaving already?" Mimi inquired as Riyku passed up the front counter. "Yup. Can you escort a butler name Walter to my room? He will be picking up the girls and escorting them home." Riyku would ask of her to which she nodded. "Certainly, but I never took you as one to leave them in another man''s hands." Mimi teased to which Riyku shook his head. "I assure you that, this butler won''t do anything. Besides, I will be tending to their needs later tonight. They will need all the rest they can get." His remark caused Mimi to blush brightly, "Oh my. So you do have a harem. Maybe I should join you." Mimi teased to which Riyku would smirk and wave his hand as he left the building. Mimi moaned softly, "Such a tease." She muttered as she watched him leave. It was just about dusk now, the evening would soon draw in. So he would run this trip and then head back to the Mansion.

 20 Serious Matters

    Per usual it did not take Riyku long to make way to Racheal''s doorstep. Knocking on the door seemed to be the first thing he did, before ringing the doorbell. He wondered why he didn''t do that earlier, but it really did not matter much. Hearing the door unlock the male would relax his shoulders a bit. He had been worried that something may have happened to Racheal, not from the ordeal with Brad, but the ordeal with Bell. Still, it seemed his worry was for naught since Racheal was beaming a bright smile at him. "What did you do?" She questioned through the grin on her face, to which Riyku would shrug playfully. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Might I come in?" Riyku would inquire to which Racheal would move aside to let him in. Riyku would make his way to the couch where he sat and Racheal wasn''t too far from him. Sitting down beside him she would give him a gleeful glance. "So, what happened?" Riyku inquired to which Racheal chuckled and nudged his shoulder. "I know you did something, but fine I''ll let it go for now. I am being given several weeks worth of a vacation due to Brad''s harassment. Not only that, but the vacation starts tomorrow and for about a week of that vacation I am being sent on a cruise to relax and unwind." Racheal would explain with joy. "That''s good. You can now relax." Riyku would state afterward, though the glance in his eyes was not really all there. It was as if he were trying to read into the future.


    "Is something wrong?" Racheal inquired having seen the expression he made. "I wouldn''t say that. I am just glad everything is going to be fine now. "Riyku would look at her with a warm smile to which Racheal chuckled softly. "Me too. I am sad to say that you can not come with me for a multitude of reasons." Riyku would shake his head to her remark. "It is quite fine. I doubt you would get much sleep with me around." His playful tongue slipped for a moment which caused her to blush gently. "Yeah... I doubt I would. I''ll be sure to tune in onto your matches during the Games. Since I won''t be able to watch from the stands of course." Racheal stated to which Riyku nodded softly. It wasn''t like he forgot or anything. The games were right around the corner after all. "Though, I am sure there is nothing to worry about with how strong you are. After all, you took down some kind of rampaging monster the other day." It seemed Racheal had been viewing the events that transpired.


    ''So she did hijack the footage. How sly of her. Still, she did save me. I wonder... what is she after?'' Riyku had been in thought which caused Racheal to call out to him. His eyes perked back up to her in which she asked, "Everything alright?" Riyku would nod softly. "Yeah. Just thinking on that incident. I am not even sure where that monster even came from." Riyku would shrug to which Racheal would doot on it for a moment before shaking her head. "Neither can I. Probably one of the forestries nearby. After all, the kingdom is surrounded by forestry. Paths to neighboring towns are part of the forestry as well." Riyku actually did not know of this, in truth he knew little to anything on what was outside of this town or even what other factions were like. Of course, from a first-person perspective. He did get hints on what they were like and what other towns of this kingdom were like through information exchanges between people in the lower district.


    "Sooo... Do you plan on staying the night?" Racheal inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "No. I had other plans already for this evening. Although, the offer itself is always tempting as ever." Riyku stated with a playful tongue. He would lean forward to brush his lips against her ear and seemed to have whispered something rather bashful since her face had tinted slightly pink. "Alright, I can wait." Racheal would moan out to which Riyku smiled and stood up before leaning over to place a kiss against her forehead. "Now. I must be off. I only came by to check in on you." Riyku stated to which Racheal frowned softly for a moment, before smiling gently at him. It was then she realized she was right, "Hey! I was right. You did do something today!" She exclaimed to which Riyku nodded to finally affirm her claim. "I did." Though, he seemed to already be making his way towards the door. "Enjoy your vacation, Rache." Riyku was pretty much out the door when he called back to her. A soft moan escaped her lips with a warm smile, "Always protecting others. Always helping others. You truly are a selfless man, Riyku." She whispered softly before deciding it was time to get ready, and began to pack up essentials for the trip.


    Riyku was now heading towards the Mansion. The pathway had led him through the shopping district onto what could be known as a highway since it was just a straight long strip. Though, it was odd. Even if the night had fallen there were few too little cars. In fact, there was no one around. The eerie silence had not been noted until he realized he had been walking in a straight line for longer than he had anticipated. Narrowing his eyes for a moment he would activate his senses to further his range of ''feeling'' presences. His eyes would narrow even more when he felt that there was not a single soul around. It was then a text box appeared upon his UI.


    ''Instance Dungeon detected. Now entering Dungeon.''


    "Instance Dungeon?" The male muttered as the illumination of the world around him began to twist and turn. It was like the world was spinning rapidly in several directions; although, he did not feel the slightest bit dizzy. When all was said and done, the world around him appeared bleak and barren. The night sky was crimson lite, the ground beneath his feet was soiled with black, and the buildings off in the distance in ruin. If he had not traveled this same road several times, he would never have guessed that he was still in the same place. The homes around him were as much in ruin as the buildings in the distance, and there was no evidence of what had caused it. Crossing his arms over his chest, his expression became serious. "What is this place?" He would tap his finger upon his arm in thought. "Clearly, I am still in the same town as before; however, it''s almost like this place has been wrecked to nothing." Riyku would state aloud.


    Once again the male would expand his senses to try and find anything or anyone within a good amount of distance; however, nothing had shown up. Exalting a heavy breath the male would return his senses to normal and figured he would try to at least find a way to return back. The thought of walking in the opposite direction crossed his mind; however, he remembered that the message said ''Now entering dungeon.'' Which meant that if there was no door behind him, then there was no way of leaving through the way he came in. There was also no means of which he knew he could leave for that matter. "Well, Guess I''ll just proceed onward." The male would uncross his arms and stuff his hands into his pockets. He would proceed onward down the road.


    It indeed was a simple path, straight all the way with broken fences and ruined homes along the sides. Every now and again he would see a totaled vehicle. Though the moment he came across his original destination his eyes grew wide. The place where the mansion usually was appeared to be more like some kind of demonic castle. The gates were closed and locked tight by a hefty lock, but on the other side of the gates there had been several creatures. To even call them demons wasn''t right; since the creatures, all appeared in the form of monsters. Riyku would approach the gate after gawking at it to which he looked at the lock. The moment he reached out for a text box appeared before him:


    ''The gate is locked. Would you like to use a key?''


    The options were yes and no. Though he knew he did not have any sort of key let alone a key for this hefty lock. After a moment of debating on hitting no, he said to hell with it and hit yes.


    ''You do not possess the proper key. Would you like to attempt to pick the lock? (5/5 tries remaining)''


    Yet again there was another option of yes and no. Though he did not expect to be allowed to pick the lock. The man had thought of just hopping over the gate or even breaking it down, but if he could infiltrate the cast unnoticed and unaware he would do so that way. Hitting the yes button he was given the tools needed through means similar to Weapon Summon and Weapon Return. He would proceed to pick the lock and with skill and luck combined he seemed to hear a ''click'' and the hefty thing fell to the floor.


    ''Skill acquired. Locking Picking Lv.9''


    ''You''ve gained 30exp.''


    The male would look at the text upon his UI. Something new had appeared and it wasn''t the fact he gained a skill either even if that was a new skill in a way. It was the fact that the number of experience points given was on display. For now, he would push that thought aside and push open the gate which gave of a screeching sound. Cautiously the male made his way into the courtyard; though interestingly enough none of the monsters had seemed to pay attention to him. In fact, most just walked past him without a care in the world. It was odd, but he did not question it. When he approached the front door, he noticed that the place was far larger than it should have been. In addition to that, this demonic looking castle still retained some similarities to its mansion counterpart. Upon pushing open the doors another text box appeared before him.


    ''Upon entering you may not leave until you clear the first floor. Will you still proceed onward?''


    Of course, the choice options of yes and no were there, but what did it mean he had to clear the first floor? This was rather confusing now. Attempting to expand his senses to see who or what was around this odd building as well as inside, he would granted with little information. The monsters walking about around the courtyard had been the only presence he felt. Deciding to push the no option the doors were shut on him and he would step back. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he looked around, for a way to leave this so-called instance dungeon. "Seraphina." The male would see if he could get her to help him, but from the silent treatment, she may have been out cold. It was then that out of the corner of his eyes he saw some kind of floating white orb that had been a few steps from him. "This wasn''t there before..." The male had made note of this, before approaching the orb. As he reached out to it, it would give off a bright shine, not enough to blind one but enough to make him feel a gentle warmth from it. Shortly afterward, a text box would appear not on his UI, but in front of him with several choices.


    The male would glance over the four options; although the final option to leave had been blanked out. As he reached for it he was given a noise of denial. As if it were telling him that he could not leave. Kissing his teeth the male would select the save option. It seemed familiar after all. Once he selected that option a new tab seemed to open up over the previous one.


    Save-


    1: May 28th, 2796 Wednesday. Location: Strife University


    2: August 29th, 2796 Thursday. Location: Underworld, Town of War.


    3:


    4:


    5:


    When he saw this screen he would remember the first time he ''Saved'' which had been back in class several months ago. Though the Location thing was a new feature... and it even told him where he was. "Underworld, Town of War?" The male was somewhat puzzled by this location. "Isn''t this an instance dungeon, what does it mean Underworld, Town of War?" The male muttered before looking around once again. The more he took in the scenery the more he realized that his place did appear to be in ruin as if it was a town hazed over by war. A true Underworld. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he pushed upon the x button to close out the save tab before looking over several the last two options available to him. In truth, he had hoped that the load option would appear, but it did not. Just to make sure, he would use his voice command, "System Load Menu." Though when he tried to call out to it, nothing would happen. So he tried again and nothing, one final time and nothing. This time he would try to navigate through his system menu manually, but upon reaching the menu for Save and Load, only Save was available. The Load tab was completely taken out of the occasion. "You have to be joking..." The male muttered before closing out his menu in frustration and looking back at the two options before him. Upon thinking about how everything played out presently, it would seem that the ''rest'' option was going to be to restore his SP, MP, and EN. Though one out of one probably meant he could only use it once.


    So, he would push that option aside and would proceed to select shop. Upon doing so would open out a well-placed tab before him. There were several tabs on the top and several tabs on the left side of the selection. The tab ''All'' and ''All'' were highlighted. On the left side had the text ''Type'' and on the top had the text ''Items''. Indeed the selections before him were items of various sorts from weapons and armor to healing potions and accessories. His eyes looked to the left side where the tabs were ''Rarity'', ''Condition'', ''Enhanced'', ''Enchanted'' and ''Level''. The topside had been ''Weapons'', ''Armor'', ''Accessories'', and ''Misc''.


    If he selected based on what item he was searching for and what type he would be able to pinpoint the location no? Well, he did just that. Selecting Item, Weapon would open a list of different weapons in a sub-tab. He had not expected the diversity of search to run that deep, but to make things simple he selected sword. Which seemed to have lite up the sub-tab ''Sword''. He would then proceed to select a Type. Selecting, Rarity would open a sub-menu just like it did for Weapons. The sub-menu would go from ''F to A''. The store did not seem to contain S rated weapons it would seem. So he just selected ''A'' for now which would light it up. He would then select the filter button which proceeded to ''blink'' the screen in and out of view for a split second to show his filtered choices. "Well, that is interesting." The male muttered to himself while glancing over the selection of A-rated swords. Some of the swords seemed to have different conditions such as ''Excellent'' ''Sharp'' ''Lethal'' and ''Crude''. There were other conditions he had never before seen like ''Magical'' and ''Distorted'' as well as ''Possessed''.


    To match this select the prices also varied, those with ''Excellent'' or special conditions seemed to be quite pricy compared to the ''Crude'' condition. In addition to that, the price seemed to be that of different currency that read ''Souls''. The male wasn''t too awestruck. The fact that the currency was similar to the place he was in, did not mean much to him; however, he noticed another text button that read ''exchange''. Clicking on it opened a small sub-menu over the shop menu which held the text.


    ''Points into Souls: 100:1.''


    ''Points- 252,341 / Souls- 0''


    ''Exchange?''


    A soft sigh escaped his lips. "So in other words, I can spend one-hundred of my points to collect one soul." The male muttered to himself before hitting the x button in the corner of the sub-menu. Sure, he could collect more points upon his return; however, he still had to pay for the suit. It was the last piece of equipment he needed to pay for, and he had yet to know the price. Now he was back at the shop menu, but since he had no Souls he would close it out and would close out the entire menu afterward which would cause the white sphere to die it''s illumination down as if it were being deactivated.


    Moving back to the door he would look at it before turning back to the gates. "It would appear that in order to leave, I may have to clear the first floor of this building. However, I have no idea what is behind this door. I don''t even know what kind of beasts or creatures reside in this place." The male would narrow his eyes with a serious expression. He did not even know what the strength of these creatures even was, nor did he have much of a way to tell. In fact, he knew nothing. His information on his place was zero. Walking in without so much as any preparation could mean death. Though, what could he prepare for? If he knew exactly what was going to befall him, things wouldn''t be so complicated.


    "Standing around won''t get me anywhere though. If I want to leave, I should clear the first floor and come back." The male stated before pushing against the doors. The text would appear yet again


    ''Upon entering you may not leave until you clear the first floor. Will you still proceed onward?''


    This time he would push yes and the doors would open on their own. A still blackness was revealed before his eyes. "I guess I can''t even get a glimpse of what is in there." The male would huff before going through the blackness which rippled like water to his touch. Upon coming out of the other side he made note of the interior of the building is roughly the same as it was in the other world; without all the demonic designs and what not of course. His crimson glance scouted the area, expanding his senses yet again to see if he could locate anything, and interestingly enough he did. An extremely strong presence seemed to have resided just up the stair-well which happened to have been making its way down the steps.


    "A mortal?" The distorted voice of the presence had come at him. "No, not quite." It remarked as it made itself known. The figure was a humanoid. The features of a demon, with the horns, claws, fangs, tail, and wings to boot. Above this figures head was a red cursor and below that cursor was the name, ''Verso The Demonic Butler.'' The color of the name happened to be a lighter red, almost pinkish even. "You have the scent of a demon, but also... Hmm... I can''t quite place it. Regardless, tell me how you stumbled into my Master''s Castle?" The demon called out to him. Riyku didn''t know if he should attempt to talk to this demon or come at him with a surprise attack. "Well?" Demon inquired having noticed the male''s hesitation. "I am not sure. I was brought here."Riyku replied to which the Demon''s brow rose. "You don''t say? That would make you sixth one today." The demon replied to which Riyku''s brow rose. "Sixth? What do you mean?" Instantly the male was on guard, in fact, there was a burning flicker in his crimson eyes. Noticing this the demon would chuckle, "Slaves. Are they perhaps yours?" The demon would inquire to which Riyku would close his eyes in thought. He did not know if these six were the girls and Skylar, or someone else.


    The lack of information alone was putting him one edge. Clicking his tongue he would nod, "Yes. They are." He replied to which the demon snickered. "Then I am afraid you must leave. The six you seek are my Master''s property now. If you are a thief, I will gladly partake of your soul." The demon suddenly became hostile. Riyku would grit his teeth as a single weapon would appear in his hands.


    Demon Slayer Replica +4


    Type- Sword


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    A weapon used in the ancient war between Man and Demon by the Great Hero Korin. The Demon Slayer is said to have slain several demons as well as the Demon Lord. +10% Bonus attack power when fighting against Demon Class enemies.


    It was the sword bathed in light. Looking to his free hand he would replicate this sword with his Shadow Replica which would replicate the Demon Slayer Replica. Of course, the shadow version would not be as powerful as the original, but still, it was better than nothing. Seeing this the demon would snicker and lick his lips. "Indeed, you are not mortal. You hold the scent of a demon, one of darkness at that. I''ll be sure to ascertain your power after devouring your soul." It was then that the demon flew right at him. The speed wasn''t anything close to that of the bandits he had been fighting. In fact, he wasn''t even close to that of the girls'' speed either. Clicking his tongue he would bring his blade up as if to slash at the demon who only locked the blade with his claw. Pushing the sword downward the demon would lunge his other claw for Riyku''s throat. With great nimbility, the male would arch his back and turn on his side to avoid this strike only to step back forth and swing his shadow blade around. For an attempt at cutting the demon down. The demon had pushed off the sword he was locked with to avoid this cut and landed upon his feet before dashing at Riyku once again.


    This time around Riyku would use his ''blink'' skill to teleport beside the demon while being in mid-swing as if in an attempt to cut him down yet again. Since this caught the demon off guard, he seemed to copy Riyku''s skill and ''blink'' away just before taking any serious damage. Though the blade did kiss his flesh and cause a minor wound. "Should have known. All demons can use ''blink.''" The demon kissed his teeth as he retook his stance, and regained his composure. Riyku on the other hand only narrowed his eyes. ''All demons? Did that mean even the demons in the other world?'' The male muttered an internal thought as he focused his eyes upon the demon before him.


    The demon would dash at him yet again, and Riyku seemed to prepare for it as best he could; however, mid-way through the dash the demon would vanish only to reappear a second later in front of Riyku. The demon''s claw coming straight for the male''s gut. Since he knew that the demon was capable of using ''blink'' he would use it himself and teleport above the demon only to bring both swords down. The demon figured the male would use this skill again and would use it to either evade and make distance or evade and counterstrike. So, he would turn around as if he gash Riyku''s throat out; however, Riyku wasn''t behind him. No, it wasn''t till the demon felt the steel and shadow of a sharp blade cutting through both his arms did he realize that Riyku had come from above.


    A high pitched scream would echo throughout the first floor halls as the demon stumbled forward while his blood tainted the clean tiles. "You bastard!" The demon shouted as he quickly turned around in an attempt to kick the male in the side since Riyku was still recovering; however, the time lag between Riyku''s recovery and his own wasn''t enough to allow such a feat to be done. Riyku had already thrust his sword into the demon while cutting off the leg with shadow sword. He would then rip out the sword in which the demon fell onto the ground with a loud thud. A marker would appear above the demon''s head on Riyku''s UI. Stepping up to the demon Riyku would cross both blades at each side of the neck before cutting the head off clean as if ''executing the demon''. The demon''s body would then began to boil and evaporate afterward, leaving not a trace of it behind.


    ''67,430Exp Gained!''


    ''326 Souls acquired!''


    ''Key to floor 2 acquired!''


    A heavy sigh parted the male''s lips as shadow blade dissipated and the original returned to his inventory. It was clearly a sign of the ending battle; though it wasn''t much of a struggle. Sure there were surprises, but he wasn''t serious injured or even scathed for that matter. "Key to the 2nd floor eh? I even gained more experience points and acquired souls. Not a bad trade... but what did he mean by there being six slaves?" Riyku''s expression became grim as he thought upon it. Though that changed when he bore witness to the illumination of blue light on the second floor and the appearance of another door which had not previously been there. Making his way up the steps with caution he would approach the blue sphere. "Could this be like the white one?" Riyku muttered his thought aloud before placing his hand against it which caused it to brighten a bit and a screen would appear.


    The Rest option was missing, as well as the leave option, but there was a third option available. Selecting the third option he was greeted with another menu to choose from.


    The only option was courtyard though, which was probably referring to the white sphere. Just to test this theory he would click upon it and the menus would all disappear in unison while the blue light burned brighter than ever. Moving his arm to cover his eyes from the blinding light he would grit his teeth. Though once the illumination died down he was greeted with the eerie scenery of the courtyard and the ruin of the surrounding area yet again. "So it does take me back. Perhaps the other areas will unlock as I clear them..." Turning back to the white sphere he would press upon it which gave him the choice menu.


    The first thing Riyku made note of was the fact that the Leave option was no longer grayed out. The second was the Travel selection. Since he assumed it would just lead him back to the first floor or give him that option he would simply ignore it and select the Leave option.


    ''Now exiting Instance Dungeon. Thank you for your hard work.''


    The fact that the text box was thanking him was kind of weird, but it was next to nothing when the distortion came through and the world began to spin and twist in all angles until everything was reverted to how it normally was. His being was now standing outside the door of the mansion and the world appeared as peaceful as it was when he was forcefully placed into that strange world. His eyes shifted towards the skies in which he made note of how dark it was. "How much time has passed since I left?" The male muttered to himself before he heard the sound of the front door being opened. If he didn''t realize he was back in the normal world, he would have put his guard up, but the refreshing sight of Skylar was what caused him to relax. ''So, they are safe... But then who were those Slaves that, that demon was talking about.'' Riyku would internally speak of before his attention was taken by Skylar. "There you are, do you realize how late it is? The girls are pretty pissed. It''s way past midnight." Skylar wasn''t upset, more so he seemed fearful to which Riyku sighed heavily. "Is it? Damn... what is the time ratio compared to that place." Riyku seemed to mutter aloud.


    "Place? Time Ratio? Did something happen?" Skylar inquired. Riyku realized then that he would have to explain what just happened to him. Not that Skylar or even the girls would probably comprehend. "Alright, I do need to explain. Gather the girls and I''ll tell you all what happened to me. It is a rather long story, but I hope everyone will be able to sit through it." Skylar would nod to Riyku. "I am sure they would like to hear. I myself would like to know what you meant just now. You are a strange one after all." Skylar stated to which Riyku would sigh heavily. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I''ll meet you inside." Riyku would reply to which Skylar nodded. "Alright, but don''t keep us waiting any longer than you already have. Well them, anyway." Skylar would reply to which Riyku nodded as the male went inside.


    Riyku would look out once more over the courtyard. "It really is different... What was that world anyway?" Riyku muttered aloud. A few moments of silence, before he would turn to face the door. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw the faint flicker of something, but when he heard his name being called by one of the girls his attention was drawn astray. As he entered the mansion, he would close the door and with that, the faint flicker happened to have been the steady appearance of the White-Sphere from the other world.

 21 A night of pleasure

    "Okay, so let me get this straight. You were coming home after checking up on Racheal and while you were on your way back you were transported to another world. Not only that but once you arrived in that world you were unable to come back the same way you came. Am I correct so far?" Kristen, as well as the other girls, had been sitting on couch opposite of Riyku and Skylar. They all had their cute pajamas on, and in all honesty, they appeared to be somewhat sober than how drunk they were earlier that evening. "That is correct." Riyku would reply, his hands resting in his lap. His eyes seemed fixated upon the girls before him. "Honestly, I probably would never have believed you if I did not know who you were, or even where you came from." Kristen would huff lightly, her tone wasn''t that of someone upset, but more of concern and worry. In fact, the expression each girl display was the same, one of worry and care.


    "Well, it sounds like a dungeon to me." Vex would state which caused everyone to look at her. "True, but there is always a way back out from the way you came in. Besides, the dungeons only took you to other parts of the world and not an entirely new one." Kristen would remark. "It was. Apparently, it was known as an Instance Dungeon. Underworld, Town of War." Riyku would speak up which caught their attention. "You said it looked just like our own world, right? Though, it was more so devasted and in ruin than anything else." Mina would make a statement to which Riyku nodded to her earlier question. "Indeed. A reflection if anything." Riyku would add. "What of this castle? You said it looked like our mansion in a way." Skylar was the next one to ask a question to which Riyku would reply, "It was. In fact, it looked like the demon castle had been corrupting or taking over the mansion. Since it looked like the mansion was still the same on the inside." Riyku would confirm with Skylar. "And you fought a battle. Against a demon, isn''t that right?" Lira would be the next person to ask. Riyku would of course nod lightly to her question.


    "It wasn''t long. If anything it was over before I knew it even started. Though, after that, I was able to leave and that was when I arrived here. How I left, well... Even I could not explain that one. Some kind of sphere had appeared which allowed me to leave. Though, when I did, I arrived back here and apparently it was already way into the night. Meanwhile, it only felt like an hour or two had passed." Riyku would elaborate for the girls as well as fill in the girls on the rest of what had happened.


    "Well, As long as you are safe. Still.... wasn''t Seraphina with you?" Kristen inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "No clue. I think she is still asleep." Riyku would reply, and as if on queue Seraphina had appeared, stark naked as usual and in the male''s lap. Her legs spread on each side of him and her arms crossed behind his neck as she glanced down at him. The first thing he had seen happened to be the fleshy melons in front of his face before his crimson gaze glanced upon the red beads that stared down at him with lustful intentions. "You called, Darling?" The woman cooed at him. "Seraphina...." Riyku would narrow his eyes at her which caused her to tilt her head to the side. "Hm? Did I do something wrong?" She inquired to which Kristen had called out, "Did you not know he was locked away in some bizarre world?" For a moment there was silence until Seraphina arched her back to look back the girls while stuffing her breast into Riyku''s face. "Honestly, no clue. I was out cold until just now. If anything, I would have known if something terrible happened to him since we do share the same essences after all." Seraphina stated before squealing in delight. Her body arched back up which caused her to look down at Riyku and began grinding her bare hips against his clothing. "You don''t have to bite me to get my attention darling, but I won''t complain if you continue." She cooed at him again. This set of actions caused Kristen to get up and move to sit down beside Riyku while giving him a look.


    Actually, it wasn''t just Kristen who was giving him that look. It was also the other girls too. "You have a promise to keep," Seraphina whispered sensually into his ear which caused a soft breath of comfort to release from his lips. "I have not forgotten. I will tend to each of you, starting with Lira." Riyku state as he glanced towards her. Lira seemed to blush lightly before standing up and making her way over towards him. Seraphina would look towards Lira with a smirk as she removed herself from Riyku. Getting up she would place a hand upon Lira''s shoulder and seemed to have spoken something inaudible to everyone, but Lira which made her blush even more. "Wait, so we are taking turns?" Kristen blinked rapidly as she looked at Riyku who would nod. "That was agreed upon, was it not?" Riyku would, in turn, question her to which she nodded softly. "Then that makes me dead last." She seemed to pout playfully which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "Umm... Riyku?" Lira would grab his attention. "Are we doing this here? Not in a bed?" She inquired softly while fiddling with her thumbs. "That would depend on whose bed we were going to use, now wouldn''t it?" Riyku''s tone of voice seemed to have slipped sensuality into it. "Why not use yours." Vex would reply towards Riyku to which his brow would raise. A slight smirk curved across his lips, "I don''t mind. Do you all plan on watching while you wait? After all, not everyone can fit." Riyku would reply which caused the girls to fidget in embarrassment.


    "I can bring your original bed, Darling." Seraphina seemed to have cooed from behind him which caused him to look up only to have his lips locked with hers. It was quite a surprise really since he did not even know she was behind him, to begin with. Still, he would return this playful kiss before asking, "What do you mean?" Kristen seemed to be the only one growling at Seraphina because of her actions. "Just as I said. I have my own throne as one of the Queens of Darkness that I can call to. Of course, you have your own throne, but we share the same bed. It is quite spacious." Seraphina would state which caused everyone to blink rapidly. "Well, I guess we should head to my room and exchange the bed out." Riyku would get up and Seraphina would nod gleefully. Everyone seemed to just follow in silence, well everyone but Skylar. "Umm... I am going to go to bed." Skylar called out to Riyku. "You are more than welcome to join, well... I guess you would be just watching though." Seraphina teased him which caused him to blush lightly. "You shouldn''t tease him too much. Though, it is up to you Skylar." Riyku would call back before looking towards him. "No, it''s fine. I am just happy to be able to be friends with everyone. That was my original goal after all. Besides, I already have someone I like." Skylar would admit softly. "Awe... isn''t that sweet. Well, I can help you get with this person." Seraphina seemed to coo towards him, to which Mina seemed to step forward and pinch the woman''s cheeks. "You will do no such thing." Her voice was stern, and the expression she held was something that one could call scary. "Okay, okay. Geez...." Seraphina would reply.


    With a few waves of goodbye, Skylar would return to his room and the girls seemed to venture off with Riyku. It wasn''t long till they made it into the room. Of course, the room itself was spacious as ever. Even for a guest room. "Alright, do whatever it is you need to do," Riyku stated to Seraphina who would nod and snap her fingers. Her shadow would expand throughout the entire floorboard of the room. Moments later the original bed would seep into the shadow and a new one fit for not just a king, but a Demon Lord would raise. The crimson cloth matched the comforter well, and if that wasn''t enough there had even been a few interesting love seats surrounding the bed.


    "W-what is that!?" Mina seemed to exclaim with a reddened face, in fact, everyone except Riyku and Seraphina had tomato face. "Oh, those." Seraphina would look at the seats. "They are special chairs used to keep you feeling great while you watch. I invented them myself the moment Riyku''s Harem grew far too large for him to be able to tend to more than five women. Since we are taking turns, I figured you ladies would like something to do while you watch and wait." Seraphina winked at them before shoving Riyku ontop the bed. The mass of shadow would retract back to her and she would glance at the girls. "Now, everyone strip." It was like she was commanding them to do so, and they seemed to follow without much fuss. Each girl had their own proportions and features, thick thighs, wide hips, lovely shaped breast, not a single girl was the same as the other. "You''re first." Seraphina would shove Lira towards the bed. Stumbling she seemed to almost fall on top of the bed, but instead managed to catch herself. Her violet orbs seemed to catch sight of Riyku steadily undressing. The lean yet well-built features were already eye-pleasing, but the multitude of scars seemed to have caught not only her eye but everyone except Kristen and Seraphina who already knew about it as well as seen such in person. "Oh..." Lira held a look of sorrow up until Riyku cupped her cheek to look up at him. She hadn''t really gauged the distance until she noted he was within kisses reach. Her face seemed to have tinged pink lightly, "If it bothers you, you don''t have to do this. Though I assure you, these scars will not bother me." The soft expression he gave her caused her to almost melt into him. She seemed to only be held up by her own hands which began to steadily give as she collapsed against his chest. "N-no... It''s fine." She seemed to whisper against his chest.


    "That goes for any of you. If you find anything uncomfortable you are more than welcome to stop." Riyku would state to which they all shook their heads. "You look hotter with the scars, to be honest." Vex seemed to come out, and Kristen would agree, "Right!" Mina was next to speak, "I don''t mind either. They show how much you struggled in your lives and how much you''ve grown as a person." A soft sigh would part Seraphina''s lips. "I am glad you girls get it. Now, let''s all get set up." Seraphina seemed to be first to sit into the love seat. Spreading herself as she slowly began sliding down upon the erect toy. A soft gasp escaped her lips before she reached for the remote that was resting on the armrest and began pushing buttons. The sound of a ''vibration'' seemed to erupt to which she moaned lightly while grinding herself against the toy. The girls seemed to blush before doing the same thing she did. Of course, each girl had a different reaction in the end. They all seemed to figure out the controls without delay and fixated their glances at Riyku and Lira. "H-hurry up." Kristen would moan softly from the seat.


    Lira had been blinking rapidly before seeming to have been pushed gently onto her back. The hand against her cheek would slide sensually down her neck and towards her breast. Cupping the bust and fondling it nicely; though her eyes were more fixated upon the meaty shaft exposed just over her entry. Riyku''s lips would brush against Lira''s earlobe which he nipped at. A soft gasp had parted her lips, but not from the sensually play alone. The shaft of Riyku''s rod had been grinding steadily against her entry as if teasing her. His fingers seemed to pluck and flick at the already erect nipple which caused her to gasp even more. Her face becoming red as she wrapped her arms around the male''s neck. It wasn''t long before Riyku would feel a wetness begin to soak him below which caused him to whisper something into her ear. "Yes." She moaned softly when he bit her neck gently right after. It was then that the male happened to drive himself deep into her. Several gasps escaped Lira as she arched into his body, her eyes lite up with the expression of pleasure. "God..." She moaned softly before her body began to jolt rapidly. Her legs seemed to wrap around Riyku''s waist as he began to plow away at the fields.


    Seeing this course of action, the girls began to not only grind against the toys they even began to fondle their breasts and rub their nether regions without care. "Oh fuck... oh yes... fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Lira would exclaim in cries of pleasure. Both hands seemed to cup her breast firmly, grasping them tightly as he curled Lira in. Now, he had been driving himself further inside of her as if hammering a nail into plywood. Well more like nails since the male did not plan on stopping anytime soon. "Fuck... I''m cumming... don''t stop!" Lira would cry through pleasing moans as her body shivered several times during this lengthy escalade of rough sex. God knew how much time had passed, but by the time she was finished, she had been drooling like some kind of broken doll. Though, her expression wasn''t that of a broken doll more like one who was pleased far more than they could have handled.


    "Lira," Riyku called out to the woman who looked like she was about to pass out. "Y-yes...." She moaned softly, almost as if she were struck with lust entirely. "Your turn is over. Swap spots with, Vex." Though, before he said anymore Vex had already been pushing him onto his back. Lira would giggle as she laid against the edge of the bed while her legs sprawl on the floor. Vex happened to have already been riding him before he could even say anything. Both hands happened to have kept her up while she would rapidly grind her hips against Riyku''s. "Oh fuck... this feels so much better! It feels so good! God!" Vex began spouting lust-filled words that sounded like nonsense through her sprawl of moans. When she wanted to change up the position she would, placing her hands upon his stomach to keep her from falling forward as she rapidly bounced on top of him like some kind of bunny. Riyku would reach for her waist, grasping her firmly and aiding her in this ride she was going for. "Give it to me! I want your semen! I want it!" Vex would exclaim in exotic pleasure as she continued to bounce away. Though to answer her call, Riyku would buck his hips in sync every moment he could which aided in driving himself further inside of her. This fast pace motion did not go long since the male had released inside of her several times which made her climax several times in return. "Waarrrrmmm... soooo waaarrrmmmm." Vex began to purr before looking over to take note of Seraphina who seemed to have had enough waiting.


    "My turn!" Seraphina exclaim to which Vex began to steadily get off of him, her lower region leaking out the same liquid that Lira had soiled the floor. Though instead of being one the side Lira was one, Vex was on the opposite side. Seraphina did not climb on top of him, no instead she would wiggle her rear at the male while looking back at him. "I want it to... It has been soo long since I''ve last had you inside of me..." Seraphina begged him which would cause Riyku to smirk. Seraphina''s hands grasped the end board of the bed when she felt Riyku'' grasp her hips. A sharp pain that felt pleasing to her caused her to moan out in front of Kristen and Mina who happened to be watching them along with Vex and Lira who happened to be fingering themselves and sucking their fingers.


    There was no delay when it came to driving himself deep inside of Seraphina whose mouth opened wide with an expression of pleasure. Riyku would slide his hand along her bareback; his arm coming around and in between her breast as his hand firmly grasped her throat. The other hand happened to have grasped a handful of hair and reeled her to stand solely on her knees. Pulling her firmly into his being so he could kiss the back side of her neck while bucking his hips which caused to grind herself against him. Seraphina''s arms would reach behind her to wrap around her lover''s neck while she purred softly to the message her neck was getting. The steady grind of a meaty warm rod lodged deep inside of her was more than enough to add soft moans to the constant purring. Releasing the handful of hair the male would use that hand to grasp her breast firmly and would begin to fondle the juicy meat of a succubus. "Mmmm... I''ve longed for this, Darling." She purred to him. Several moments passed with this steady position before he shoved her face into the comforter of the bed and slammed his hips against her own. Aiding this sudden rough explosive movement by using his hands to firmly grasp her hips and drive her against his own. A few slaps here and there which caused her to already constant moaning to spike with hitches. "Fuck me! Yes! More! More!" Seraphina seemed shout even though her voice only came out in a muffled gibberish.


    Kristen and Mina who were staring right at the scene could see Riyku''s devious grin and eyes filled with lust staring firmly at them before shifting back to Seraphina. Grasping a handful of her hair and tugging roughly upon it while hunching over the woman. His other hand once again came back up against her throat; a firm and rough grasp seemed to cause her to moan in groans. Her teeth clenched tightly as did her insides and with several more moments of pure pleasing she released firmly against his meaty rod. Though, she did not stop bouncing her rear against his hips. "Shoot it inside me! I want to feel it! I want to taste it! Give it to me!" Seraphina shouted through moans, but these moans soon became nothing but hics and hitches when Riyku increased the intensity. "Y-Y-Y-Yessss!" Seraphina would attempt to speak through her moan, but it only came out of if she were drunk. Riyku would eventually, jam himself one final time inside of her ripping her hair back while squeezing her throat tightly as he released firmly inside of her which caused her to squeal in pleasure. Afterward, he would release her to collapse onto the bed, her breathing hitched as she looked at Mina and Kristen through pants. "Y-your both up." Seraphina would slide herself off of the bed. The room was filled with the heavy musky scent of women and man.


    Mina and Kristen who were already off the seats and nicely soaked looked at one another before climbing into the bed together. "I-I have to confess... I am still a virgin." Mina seemed to stutter softly as she glanced up at Riyku who was towering over her. Riyku''s expression would soften as he moved a hand to cup Mina''s cheek softly. "Then we will save our sessions for another time. When we are alone if that is okay with you." Riyku seemed to express care even with libido high. "R-really? You will?" Mina stumbled over her words and Riyku nodded. "Of course, you are more than welcome to continue watching." Riyku would state. Kristen would look to Mina and smile softly. "It''s alright, no need to feel pressured. Besides, Riyku isn''t solely rough." Kristen would wink to Mina before pushing Riyku down onto the bed.


    "On top again?" Riyku smirked at Kristen who was rubbing her soaking wet entry against his shaft as if to tease him. "Mhhmmmm. You know you like it." Kristen would retort with a playful tease; though it seemed her lust overcame her before she could get anything out of Riyku since she had pushed his tip inside of her. Steadily she began to rock herself against him, meanwhile, Mina would crawl up to him and grasp his hand to place it against her breast. Riyku and Kristen would both look at her and smirked. Riyku began to fondle her breast though in a manner of ought most gentleness. Between the soft moans both girls, Riyku was in quite a pleasant situation. Having two beautiful girls at once was something he wasn''t expecting to happen. Nonetheless, he was keeping up quite well. Fondling both of them while still bucking his hips to Kristen''s rocking motion. Eventually, though, Mina would guide his hand down towards her lower region. Without any hints, Riyku would begin to massage her entry, before slipping his fingers inside. A gentle motion with his wrist for Mina and a rough tug and twist of the nipple for Kristen. Balancing gentle and rough was quite a feat for most, but he seemed to do such with ease.


    Since they had already been occupying themselves before with the chairs, it did not take long for both of them to climax. How many times had they done so? Well, that was unknown, but they still seemed to release with as much ecstasy in their voices as the other girls did. Still, it seemed they weren''t done. Kristen would remove herself from him only to crawl over to Mina and whisper something into her ear which caused her to blink rapidly. "Umm... if you think it will work." Mina would mutter to which Kristen would nod with a playful smile. "Of course it will." Both of them would look at Riyku who was a bit puzzled by what they were attempting to do. Kristen happened to have been on his right, while Mina was on his left. Though both girls seemed to position themselves so that Riyku''s meaty rod had been between both of their entries. Both of them steadily began to rock their hips against his shaft which caused both of them to moan happily. Riyku seemed quite pleased, his hands moving to stroke their thighs gently as they serviced him.


    This seemed to have gone on for a while, so much so that Lira was brushing her erect nipples against his face for him to take into his mouth, suckling, and gnawing on both at the same time. Meanwhile, Vex had been kissing the mushroom head of his rod and licking around what part the Kristen and Mina were not covering. Seraphina managed to slip in as well, massaging his sack as well as fondling and kissing it every now and again when she got the chance. The amount of pleasure Riyku was getting seemed to have equaled that of what he gave the girls. It wouldn''t be too long now for him to climax yet again, and sensing this the girls picked up the intensity. A few more moments of this exotic pleasure and the male himself would release, coating the inner and outer thighs of both Mina and Kristen while also getting some on Vex''s and Seraphina''s face.


    The girls who had expanded whatever energy they had left from this happened to beam at Riyku happily. "Okay... now for the cleanup." Seraphina would smirk as she snapped her fingers. Her shadow would latch onto each of the girls and clean them up entirely, sweat and all. Though this left Riyku, and she seemed to take to this duty while the girls snuggled up against him. The girls seemed too tired to protest, nor they did seem to care since Kristen and Mina were laying on each side of him, resting their heads against his chest. Lira had shifted her self lay on Riyku''s lower left while Vex was on the lower right. Seraphina seemed to have slipped back into Riyku''s shadow after everything was said and done. Leaving the male to be snuggled by the girls before falling into a deep slumber shortly after them.

 22 A world of ruin

    Once again the male would wake up to being snuggled by several women. Naked woman at that who happened to have all managed to gain a piece of him. A smile curved across his lips when he made note of their pleased and relaxed expression. It truly seemed like they all had an excellent night last night; though it was a shame that the male himself did not gain his bonus since he had slept a total of eight hours. In all honesty, he did find it weird that he seemed to only require a minimum amount of sleep to fully function. Though, he did not know what time it was presented either. If it was midday or still somewhat morning. Riyku would glance around the room for a solid moment as if to make sure that he was in fact still in this world. Once he confirmed that he would release a soft silent breath of relief.


    ''Maybe I should head into the Underworld today to get more information on why it came about so suddenly.'' Riyku spoke internally to himself so as not to wake the girls. There were plenty of reasons he wanted to return to that world. Figuring out who those six slaves were supposed to be, as well as determining the depth of that castle. Sure it held similarities to the mansion, but in the end, it was still different. If anything else, he would want to know if these demons could come into this world through the same method he went into theirs. So many unanswered questions, but the most important one of all to him was the time ratio. He only felt like he was in that place for maybe an hour, two at the most. But when he returned it was way into the night. If he calculated it based on the time of day he left, he had to say that it was sometime around eight or nine. So to return past midnight meant that he had been absent from this world for five to possibly six hours.


    Even if he did the calculations based on this venture that would mean for every hour he spent there, he lost three hours here. So a time ratio of three to one. This meant that he would need to be careful about the length of time he spent in that world. Still, it was impossible for him to move even if he wanted to. His eyes did shift towards the door when he noticed it slowly opening. It happened to have been Skylar, fully dressed in casual clothes as if he had been preparing to go somewhere. "You are all still asleep?" Skylar inquired to which Riyku would nod. "They are." Both of their voices seemed to have been hushed down, so as not to wake up the girls. "It is already past noon." Skylar would state to which Riyku blinked rapidly before sighing softly. "Just short of eight hours." Riyku would mutter which caught his attention. "Oh, it''s nothing. I would rather let the girls get some sleep, but if you need them..." Riyku would trail off and Skylar shook his head. "It isn''t anything like that. The head chef just asked if they were awake was all." Skylar would reply before turning on his heel. "I''ll just leave you be then." Skylar smile as he left the room, Riyku would sigh lightly once he realized that Skylar was his only hope of being able to get an early start today.


    Sometime in the middle of the day, everyone was up and about. Kristen, Lira, and Vex had all left to go take care of business with last-minute tune-ups on their gear. Meanwhile, Skylar and Mina seemed to have left to do some shopping for this evening. Riyku was the only one still in the Mansion, more so, having been the last one to actually be able to do anything. "Ah, Riyku. How was your evening last night?" A charming feminine voice peered from behind him which caused him to turn his head to look at a beautiful well-dressed individual. Her appearance resembling a more adult version of Mina. "Oh, you must be Aiya Novva. Mina''s mother." Riyku seemed to recall having heard the woman''s name from Mina several times before. The woman smiled warmly to his reaction before nodding softly. "I am. I have heard much about you from Mina and Skylar. I must take you for all you have done for them. Especially with your condition." Aiya would state with a small curtsy of gratitude. "Not everyone is willing to go out of their way to help complete strangers after all. I do hope that one day you will come to remember who you are." The woman would add, both her charming voice and warm smile would have any normal man or even a teen boy at that blushing.


    "It was no trouble at all. If I may ask..." Riyku would fully turn around to face the beautiful woman. "Has anything strange happened here of late?" Riyku seemed to have hidden the look of concern quite well. Aiya would take a moment to asset the question before shaking her head. "Since I have only just returned this morning. I am afraid I do not know. You will be better off asking Walter, or the head chef." Aiya would reply to which Riyku would nod. "Thank you. I think I will." Still, Aiya had her curiosity. "Has something happened?" Of course, she would ask such a question. Though Riyku would simply shake his head. "No. The place just feels.... different." Riyku was covering up his reasoning for asking, but the words that parted his lips also held the truth in them. This reply caused Aiya to giggle softly, "Perhaps that is because you feel safe here compared to other places. I can only say this, because of what Mina and Skylar had told me of recent happenings. Which is why I will always welcome you with open arms, Riyku." Aiya stated with yet another warm smile. "I shall take that to heart. Thank you, Madam." Riyku would nod to her remark in which she would nod back with a soft smile. "If you will excuse me. I must be off to do some paperwork the school has left me. As well as other tasks that need to be tended to." Aiya would state as she walked past him, Riyku would follow her with his eyes which caused her to giggle softly. "Also, you should probably lock the door if you do not want to be seen in such a state. While I do not mind my daughter becoming part of a man''s harem. I would hope that such a man will prove to be worthy." Aiya would add which caused Riyku''s lips to curve into a smirk. "I can assure you that such a man plans to live up to those expectations." These words seemed to cause the woman to chuckle lightly before continuing onward.


    "Geez... already at it first chance you get. Your libido knows no bounds, Darling." Seraphina seemed to have been resting upon his shoulder the entire time or perhaps she just showed up. "Yeah... yeah... Anyways. I should finish preparing." Riyku would return to the management process of his inventory which was upon his UI. Once everything seemed set and in order, he would dismiss the screen from his UI before leaving through the front door of the mansion. He was greeted with the chirping of birds, bright sun, clear skies and a lovely breeze. "Going back into that world?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku would nod before shifting his head left and right as if looking for something. Though it did not take long, the white sphere seemed to have been hovering in the same place it was when he had left the Underworld. Approaching the sphere he would touch it with his hand which brought up a menu with a single choice.


    ''Return to the Underworld''


    "Oh, so this is that sphere eh? Doesn''t seem like much." Seraphina noted to which Riyku shook his head. "Are you coming with me?" Riyku would ask to which Seraphina would nod before seeping back into his shadow. Riyku would then press upon the choice button which would cause a dim bright light to envelop him. Once the brightness dimmed, the male could tell he was already in the Underworld. The skies were crimson, and the demonic castle were key factors. This time there did not seem to be monsters hanging out in the courtyard though. "So this is the Underworld. Wow... I really slept through all of this, huh?" Seraphina seemed to appear yet again out of nowhere, but this time she held some kind of second skin clothing that covered portions of her body, leaving much for the eye to enjoy.


    "It is. Last time I came here there were monsters in the courtyard. Though they are no there this time." Riyku state before looking towards the doors which were closed. Moving towards them he would open them, without delay and to his surprise, there was no blackness covering the view of the room like before. In fact, the interior was open to view, as well as several monsters that roamed the halls. Little red cursors seemed to float above their head as well as text under the cursor that read, "Lesser demon." Riyku muttered. Seraphina had rested against his shoulder again while peaking into the lobby. "Interesting. It looks just like a demonic version of the mansion. If I were to guess, I would say those creatures are hostile though." Seraphina would state an already known fact to him. "I know. Though when I came here last time, I fought and killed a single demon. He wasn''t super strong or anything, but was able to keep up." Riyku state to which Seraphina would nod lightly as she moved in front of him. "Are we exploring this place today?" She asked as she peaked her head in to get a better view of the place. "We are. I have the key to go to the second floor, but I want to explore the first floor. If it is a complete replica, then there should be rooms to look through." Riyku state to which Seraphina would nod. "Alright."


    The moment Riyku entered the lobby all of the Lesser Demons looked directly at him before charging towards him. Kissing his teeth the male would step to the side to avoid a lunge attack which was followed by another and another. These small imps had no chance in catching him but seemed to persist until he kicked one up into arms reach and smashed his fist through the monster. The blood splashed everywhere, yet the other imps only continued their barrage meanwhile the male would evade continuously. None of them seemed to bother with Seraphina though which allowed her to use the shadows to counter-strike for Riyku. Killing a few by sending thorns of shadow through their bodies. Riyku would finish the last few off, with kicks and punches before sighing heavily. It was then that the bodies would expunge into mist particles and speed into his body.


    ''Lesser Demon defeated x20''


    ''200 souls acquired''


    ''220 Exp acquired''


    The text had appeared upon his UI for him to glance at before looking to the upper righthand side of his screen to take note of his status. Above his name, there was this bright lime green bar, which as about half-way filled. As focused upon it, he noted text appear in the form of a percentage, ''55.89%'' If he had to guess, that was probably his experience points bar. Though it was weird that it would just now show up. Then again, experience points just now showed up as well. "Something wrong Darling?" Seraphina had called as she approached his side. Shaking his head he would shift his glance towards her. "No. My experience points bar just appeared and the amount of experience I earn has also appeared. It wasn''t there before I came here either. Nor has the amount of experience I earn ever display for me when I was in the other world." Riyku would explain to which Seraphina would muse lightly. "Hmm... Not too sure. Nira could probably answer you that one." Seraphina stated which caused Riyku''s brow to perk up. "Nira?" He inquired to which Seraphina would nod before replying, "She was something you created. Called herself an Artifical Intelligence."


    Riyku did not fully understand what she meant, but he seemed to grasp a bit of it. "Well alright. I am not detecting any more hostiles on this floor. So let''s go ahead and check out the rooms." Riyku would begin walking to the left wing of the first floor and Seraphina followed afterward. They would proceed to each room and give them a good look through. In truth, the rooms resembled their other world counterpart. You could tell which room was a guest room, and which room as a room for one of the servants. Still, they did not find anything intriguing in the least. That was until they came across some kind of black box with veins pulsating on the outside of it. If anything this box looked like a chest. "A trunk?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "Maybe. Let''s take a look." He would walk up to the box before reaching down to open it. When he did, he was flashed with a blinding light which dimmed down to reveal a pit of nothingness. "There wasn''t anything--" Riyku was caught off which text appeared upon his UI.


    ''3500 Souls acquired.''


    ''Demon''s heart acquired.''


    ''Black gem acquired.''


    "I stand corrected..." Riyku would reiterate what he was about to say. "What did you get?" Seraphina inquired. Riyku would return to a standing position and look towards her. "Currency of this world, a heart, and a gem," Riyku replied which caused Seraphina to blink for a moment. "What? The currency of this world? A heart and a gem?" Seraphina seemed a bit baffled, but that was because what he stated was bizarre, to begin with. "Yup. The currency of this world is souls. Though, I don''t know what this heart and gem are for. Guess I''ll check into that later." Riyku would stuff his hands into his pockets and proceed out of the room. Seraphina would follow after him, without much of a word... mainly because she knew she would get anywhere with questioning him at this moment in time. She would tell that he was just as confused as she was, so, for now, she just followed along.


    When they arrived back in the lobby they noticed that the Lesser Demons from before happened to return. "Umm..." Riyku was in awe. Just a few moments ago he had not felt any presences on this floor, but now there they were. All twenty of the same looking imps messing around like no one''s business. "They appeared again?" Seraphina inquired as she peaked past Riyku to take a look. "I guess, I could take care of them. Show you a little bit of the Queen''s power." Seraphina smirked as she stomped her heel on the ground as if to command her shadow to expand throughout the lobby floor. The imps noticed this sudden dark pigment of the floor, but before they could react several thorns pierced through their bodies and simultaneously they all exploded into dark mist.


    ''Lesser Demon defeated x20''


    ''200 souls acquired.


    ''220 EXP acquired.''


    Text appeared on Riyku''s UI yet again which caused him to look from the retracting shadow towards the text. "It''s the same as before," Riyku muttered which caught Seraphina''s attention. "What is?" She asked. "It says the same amount of Lesser Demons were defeated and I acquired the same amount of experience points as well as souls as before," Riyku replied to her which caused her brow to raise in thought. "Mmm... who knows. They are weak, but they provide you with stuff so it shouldn''t be a problem. We still need to check out the right wing." Seraphina stated to which Riyku would nod. "Indeed. Though, I theorize that those twenty imps will again." Riyku stated as the two of them ventured through the right wing which would host the dining room, kitchen, resting center, and indoor pool.


    Since the dining room and kitchen right next to each other the male would enter that room first. Taking note of perfectly set dining room table had been on display, but nothing on the plates or even in the glasses. He would push through into the kitchen which was also absent of anything. Aroma, prep food or personal. Though there was this weird shine that caught his eye. Approaching the bookshelf that the shine came from he would reach out towards it only for the shine to disappear before touching it and text to appear before him on his UI.


    ''Book of Monsterology acquired.''


    "Okay..." Riyku muttered. "What?" Seraphina asked to which Riyku turned towards her. "I got a Book of Monsterology. Gimme a second." Riyku would reply before opening his palm out as if he were going to hold something in place. A second later dim particle lights would illuminate in his hand and form into a thick hard-cover book. Seraphina was not surprised by this feat since she had seen this happen several times, but she did give a curious look as to what the book was. "Is that the book?" She inquired to which Riyku would nod softly. "Perhaps. I did use Weapon Summon to summon it." When he turned the book around, he made note of the cover title that read ''Book of Monsterology'' on it. "Yup it is. I guess we should look through it." Riyku would open it to the first page which revealed to be ''Table of Contents''. There was a list that followed this page:


    ----Humans----


    ----Demons----


    ----Angels----


    ----Lycans----


    ----Demis----


    ----Vampires----


    ----Ascended----


    ----????-----


    The table of contents did not provide any page numbers, but more so just a brief summary of what was in this book. "That''s weird... there are no page numbers. How will you know what page to turn to when you need to find something out?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "I am not sure. Maybe there is some kind of hidden meaning to it. Hmm... Let''s try... Lesser Demons." The male would speak out towards the book. The text ''Demons'' would highlight and the book would rapidly turn pages before coming to a stop on a page that had a picture of the demons he had fought previously.


    Name: Imp


    Level: 55


    Race: Lesser Demon


    Category: Demon


    Experience points: 10 Points


    Drops: 10 Souls


    Hunted: 40 Times


    Weakness: N/A


    Name: Verso the Demonic Butler


    Level: 89


    Race: Upper-Class Demon


    Category: Demon


    Experience points: 67,430 Points


    Drops: 326 Souls, Key to floor two.


    Hunted: 1 Time


    Weakness: Holy Weapons


    For now, that seemed to be all that was available; though it seemed both a picture of the Imp and Verso were on different pages of this book. "So this is the demon you fought yesterday?" Seraphina inquired as she read through the text before looking at the picture of Verso. "Yes. I am surprised that there is soo much information on one page, though it appears there might be more since some of the page is left blank. Well for the imps anyways, I don''t think I''ll be battling Verso any time soon." Riyku stated before closing the book and returning it to his inventory via Weapon Return. "Why was the weakness stated for Verso and not the Imps, aren''t they both demons?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "I am not sure. I do wonder, but maybe it was because I fought Verso with the Demon Slayer sword; which I guess could be classified as a holy weapon since it deals bonus damage to demons. Whereas the Imps, I only used my bare hands and feet and you only killed them with your shadow." Riyku would explain his thought to which Seraphina would nod. "I see, maybe you just need to discover it by contentiously fighting them or try using the Demon Slayer on them if they are there again." Seraphina would reply and Riyku would agree before the two left the kitchen and dining room to follow. They would provide down the hall towards the resting center which was like an infirmary. Upon entry they found it to be empty; however, there was another shine that displayed for Riyku to approach.


    This time the shine was jammed inside of a medicine cabinet and when he reached out for it, the same process had applied as before.


    ''Lesser Tonic x2 acquired.''


    ''Lesser Mana Tonic acquired.''


    If he had to guess the two items he got where probably rejuvenation potions. He had seen them in the store yesterday when he opened it up. So he would brush them aside and turn to face Seraphina who gave him a puzzled look. "Nothing too fun?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "Some potions. Let''s go." Riyku stated as he left the resting center and headed towards the Indoor pool. Pushing open the doors he was greeted with what a normal indoor pool would look like, with the exception of the crimson-colored water. Riyku would explore the area a bit more in hopes of finding anything as he did in the previous areas, yet nothing came up. A soft sigh of defeat and the male would proceed out of the indoor pool area with Seraphina who happened to just walk behind him the entire time. "Say, doesn''t this place feel weird to you? Like... We''ve been here before?" Seraphina inquired. "Well, we have. Just not in this world." Riyku replied to which Seraphina shook her head. "No. I mean like this castle. I get this feeling I have been here with you before." Seraphina would state to which Riyku would shrug. "Who knows, maybe in a previous life. Though, I doubt it since this castle seems to be a replica of the mansion." Riyku would remark. Seraphina seemed to mule over the thought before coming to a stop when she bumped into Riyku. "Darling?" Seraphina inquired before peaking past him to see the imps had returned.


    "Oh, maybe you should try out the Demon Slayer now," Seraphina stated, but Riyku was already head of her. Having the weapon in hand the male would dash around the lobby using shadow step while cutting down all twenty of the Lesser Demons in a matter of seconds. The blade would return to his inventory via Weapon Return and he would look over the text that had repeated a third time.


    ''Lesser Demon defeated x20''


    ''200 souls acquired.


    ''220 EXP acquired.''


    This time he would bring out the Book of Monsterology and call upon the specific name, "Lesser Demon, Imp." Just to see if it would change anything and to his surprise, it turned towards the page of that he called upon.


    Name: Imp


    Level: 55


    Race: Lesser Demon


    Category: Demon


    Experience points: 10 Points


    Drops: 10 Souls


    Hunted: 60 Times


    Weakness: Holy Weapons


    Once he read through the text he would see that it had updated with the number of times he hunted these Imps and the weakness. "Well, looks like you were right." Riyku would close the book and use Weapon Return to store it into his inventory before looking at Seraphina who was approaching him with a smile. "Glad to be able to help. Should we head up to the second floor now?" Seraphina inquired and Riyku would nod lightly towards her. "Let''s go." Riyku would move up the steps and head towards the door. Upon reaching for the handle of the double doors a text box appeared.


    ''Use the second-floor key to open the door?''


    Riyku would select the yes option which made the key materialize into his hand. The key itself looked like a normal olden key with the design fit for a demonic castle. Pushing the key into the lock he would turn it, which signaled the sound that it was unlocked. The key would disappear from his hand the door would steadily open for him; however... "What!? What is this!?" Seraphina exclaimed while Riyku narrowed his eyes to what befell of them.

 23 Yet another demon

    "What the!? What is this!?" Seraphina exclaimed while Riyku narrowed his eyes at the blackness before him. It seemed to block out their ability to tell what was beyond the doorframe. "It''s the same as when I first ventured into the first floor. After passing through this substance, I was confronted by the Upper-Class Demon, Verso." Riyku would explain. Seraphina looked at him before looking back at the blackness before them. "Do you think you will be confronted by another demon just like Verso?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "I am not sure. I know far too little of this place to tell." Riyku would reply to her, before looking towards her. "There is only one way to find out though. Shall we get going?" Riyku asked of her, just to make sure she was ready. Seraphina would nod and seep into his shadow. Riyku would push past the blackness and seemed to have arrived upon the other side which revealed the same replication of how the mansion looked when going up on the second floor. Though... it was different in the sense that the second and first floor of the other world mansion was not blocked by a door. The rail guards and balcony that looked down upon the first floor were there, and when Riyku took a look he could see the twenty imps dancing around as if they were never slain. "Strange... there was no rail guard when we were down there. Was there?" Riyku inquired, almost as if talking to himself.


    ''No. I did not notice anything. Just the set of stairs that led to this door. But, Riyku I can feel a strong presence here.'' Seraphina spoke through the internal link thanks to the fact that she was in his shadow. "I know." Riyku muttered, "I can feel it too." He would turn on his heel to be faced with a female demon this time. The woman appeared to be dressed like a maid, to which she would curtsy towards the male. "Good day, Abnormal. It seems you have finally decided to make your way up here after taking care of Verso." The woman''s red beat eyes looked up at him as if taking him in.


    "Abnormal?" Riyku inquired to which the woman would nod. "Yes, Abnormal. That is what we in the Underworld call those we do not understand. You have the scent of a demon, yet one of a mortal as well as one of the Shadow and of a Reaper. Your scents are mixed and fused together so much so that is impossible to determine what you really are. Therefore, you are Abnormal." The maid stated, to which Riyku''s brow would raise. "Shadow, Reaper, Demon?" None of these made much of any sense. Yes, he knew he wasn''t normal, nor was he even a mortal but to claim him to be three different things. That was entirely new. "I can also sense one of the Elder Queens of Darkness in your presences. No need to conceal yourself, Madam." The Maid would add. Seraphina would appear from Riyku''s shadow with a click of her tongue. "Quite the keen scent you have there. You must not be any normal demon." Seraphina stated and the maid would shake her head.


    "I am not anything special. My name is Verona, I am a Maid of this Castle. Normally, I would greet our guests with my brother Verso, but his foolish and reckless behavior got him killed just as I told him it would." The demon maid Verona stated with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "So you plan on standing in our path, a battle to enact upon revenge?" Riyku inquired and to his surprise, Verona shook her head. "I am not stupid enough to fight a losing battle. Although, I also can not let you continue your venture throughout My Lord''s Castle either." Verona seemed to keep firm to her statement when she narrowed her eyes at him.


    "So you will choose death before your own life? Your loyal to your lord is strong." Riyku stated, having noticed her resolve. "My Lord is the one who picked me up off the streets and tended to me after all. Anyone who intrudes his Castle will be met with a hasten exit." Verona stated as she took to stance. Riyku would sigh softly and shake his head as the Demon Slayer Replica appeared in his right hand yet again. Pointing the tip of the blade at Verona he would call out, "Very well then. I''ll reunite you with your brother then." Meanwhile, Seraphina seemed to have been skimming some kind of plan in silence as if to prepare for the assured battle.


    Verona was the first to initiate her attack; though it wasn''t anything like the dash attack Verso came at him with. Instead, the woman seemed to have tossed a ball of blackening flames in his direction. The most interesting part was that the flames disappeared for a solid moment before reappear right in front of him. Kissing his teeth he would step back and bring his blade up as if to block the flames; however, the flames seemed to have exploded just before Riyku could act. Thankfully though, Seraphina had used her shadow to shield him. "Watch out Darling, that is the Advanced Hell Flame Magika. The flames will disappear only until they reach their target. The flames are also homing so be extra careful." Seraphina called out to him as Riyku looked to her with a nod. "Thanks." He replied, and Seraphina smiled brightly. Verona seemed to have chuckled lightly, "Should have known one of the Elder Queens of Darkness would know about the Hell Flame. Your present appearance is far too deceptive of your actual age, Mistress." Verona stated which caused Seraphina to growl towards her. "You did not just call me an old hag!?" She shouted as she stomped her heel upon the ground which caused the shadows to lash out her in sets of thorns.


    Verona would jump back several times to avoid the sets of thorns which caused her to plant her feet against the wall behind her. Pushing off of the wall she had planned to dash straight towards Seraphina, but Riyku had already come up from beneath her through the shadows. The blade bathed in holy light caused Verona to growl before her body vanished and appeared a short distance away from the two of them. "Again?" Riyku would narrow his crimson eyes upon the woman. "She is a demon after all. All demons of upper-class or higher are capable of performing the skill ''Blink''." Seraphina would explain to Riyku to which Riyku sighed heavily. "Of course she is," Riyku muttered before his body disappeared and reappear just before Verona who was caught off guard by the sudden thrust of a blade. This caused her to use ''Blink'' yet again to evade and Riyku would follow up the moment she appeared. Sadly, this game of cat and mouse had to come to an end eventually, and it wasn''t in Riyku''s favor. Verona had used several magical skills that slammed into Riyku without warning. Flames seemed to have erupted from his right, shards of ice from his left, and heavy winds from above happened to have all caught him off guard. The explosion of elements was enough to catch Seraphina''s eye rather quickly. "Riyku!" Seraphina called out.


    Verona had lept from the smoke while panting heavily and wiping some sweat from her cheek. "Wasn''t easy... pulling off a combo spell with Diabolical energy influenced within," Verona muttered as she steadily regained her composure. Well, she would have if she allowed it since Riyku had parted from the smoke himself, blade in hand and ready to lope off the woman''s head. His usual laid back expression was exchanged with one that held the intent to kill. Verona would jump back to avoid one slash, lean to the side to avoid another, rock to the other side to avoid a third and used ''Blink'' to avoid a thrust that came in her direction. When her being appeared she was breathing quite heavily; her legs happened to have begun to buckle. "How are you still alive?" Verona growled at Riyku who had glanced towards her. "because I am Abnormal." Riyku smirked as he spun the sword around so that he held it in a reverse manner.


    Riyku would kick off of his heel to dash towards Verona, bringing the blade around in the form of a slash which would cause her to lean back; however, that arc was a feint since he had brought the blade downward while mid-straight of horizontal which gave him the extra reach in order to make his cut. Verona had growled in pain as she slides back, grasping her chest which leaked of black blood. "Bastard!" Verona shouted at Riyku who merely smirked. Bringing the weapon up to rest the blade against his shoulder as he used his free hand to give her a ''come on'' signal. Verona only seemed to growl, more like a beast than a refined maid. It wasn''t till a few moments later did some kind of ring appear around her. The outer edge appeared just as lethal as the inner edge, yet she seemed to be immune to any form of damage.


    "A hoolahoop?" Riyku tilted his head to the side before chuckling and shaking his head at the woman. "It''s a Ring Blade, Darling. Though they are generally only sharp on the outside. Perhaps it is was crafted to never harm the registered user. If anything it might be a possessed weapon." Seraphina explained as she approached him from behind. "Possessed weapon eh? Well, mind giving me a hand?" Riyku shifted his iris'' towards Seraphina, having eyed his Shield Point gauge which was nearly empty. His Mana Pool was around the half-way marker if anything his Energy was the only thing that was still in tip-top shape.


    "Of course, Darling." Seraphina would steadily wrap herself in what appeared to be boiling black goo. It wasn''t from her shadow, but something else entirely different. Her wings furling out and her claws coming into play as she bared her fangs at Verona.


    ''Link activated. Linked with Seraphina.''


    A text box had appeared upon Riyku''s UI for a moment which caused him to narrow his eyes in confusion before it disappeared and his eyes shifted back to Verona when Seraphina called out his name. The damned woman had dashed towards him dancing around with her weapon like it was kind of toy to play with. Kissing his teeth he would bring up his blade to block and deflect the force away from him which pushed the blade from the ring aside, yet Verona had continued pressuring him. Seraphina would dash towards Verona with an attempt to swipe at the woman with her claw; although, she would deflect the claw with her ring blade while simultaneously pressuring Riyku.


    ''Shield points have reached Zero. Loss of life is possible.''


    Gritting his teeth Riyku would unleash a roar that shook the entity of the castle as a whole. It wasn''t the roar that pushed Verona away, but the wave of Diabolical Energy the male began to release. It was heavy, far too heavy for her to comprehend which caused her to kiss her teeth as she struggled to keep on her feet. "Darling?" Seraphina would fixate her gaze upon Riyku who happened have begun to emit some kind of blacken aura.


    ''Dark Form acquired.''


    ''Diabolical Aura acquired.''


    ''Rosario Style acquired.''


    "W-what is this!? You masked your power?" Verona growled towards Riyku whose being seemed to split into several entities as he appeared her. Though the entities were nothing more than mere after-images since the moment Verona slashed at it she felt nothing. Her eyes and head continued to track Riyku have best she could, but it seemed as she was only capable of tracking the after-images shown. "Damnit!" Verona shouted in frustration through her body would jolt when she felt something pierce through her chest from behind. Next happened to the fact that she would spew blood. Looking down at the blade filled with the light she began to panic and release a massive amount of energy from her entity which caused several spells to flourish from her being. Riyku had removed the blade and stepped back from this frenzy of attacks.


    "Riyku?" Seraphina had approached and placed a hand upon his shoulder which caused him to look back at her. "I''m fine. Don''t worry." Riyku stated, his crimson eyes had shifted from her towards Verona who was panting heavily due to exhaustion. Seraphina''s expression was different, it wasn''t that she was worried he was hurt, but more so about something else. "Well, alright." Seraphina would look back towards Verona who was using her ring blade to keep herself off the ground.


    "Where did you gain that power!? Only the Shadow Lord should be able to use such and power and he vanished eons ago!" Verona seemed flustered, she was incapable of comprehending what was just happened. No, it was more like she did not want to believe what was happening. "Shadow Lord?" Riyku inquired before shifting his eyes to Seraphina. "The Shadow Lord was the title given to the previous Underworld Ruler. He was given such merely because of his feats in creating the creatures known as Nightmares. Nightmares were creatures born of pure darkness. Creatures that ruled over the shadow and lurked in the night. They would feast on anything in their sights. Well, anything except their own creator." Seraphina stated though it seemed she was hiding something. Her expression gave off such, but Riyku had returned his glance back to Verona midway through her explanation.


    "Exactly! So how in the hell do you have his power!? The ability to use the darkness at will!?" Verona shouted to which Seraphina chuckled. "I am giving him such an ability, child. I am one of the Queens of Darkness, after all." She would taunt the woman, though she wasn''t really lying either. Seraphina was not giving Riyku her power, but more like he was taking it from her. Gritting her teeth, Verona would use the last of her strength to dash towards Riyku before using ''Blink''. "I''ve already seen that damn trick..." Riyku narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward and swung his blade around as if to cut down Verona the moment she appeared, and that he did. The woman was far too in shock that she had not realized she was dead. Her body would expunge into dark mist and steadily seep into his own body.


    ''Verona, The Demon Maid defeated''


    ''102,872 Experience points earned''


    ''730 Souls acquired''


    ''Key to floor three acquired''


    The text box appeared upon his UI, and just like how he defeated Verso last night, the same thing happened with Verona. No trace of the woman was left, and the reward was given to him. The steady black aura would dimish and the weapon in hand seemed to return to his inventory via Weapon Return. Riyku was about to look back at Seraphina, but the woman had slammed herself against him as if trying to tackle him to ground from behind. "We should rest up before we continue onward.'' Seraphina stated to which Riyku nodded. "That is fine with me. For whatever reason, that battle was completely different than yesterday." Riyku would state as Seraphina released him and the two of them moved to sit down on a couch nearby. "From what you told me about last nights battle, then I would have to agree." Seraphina would concur with him.


    Riyku would sigh lightly and hold his hand out as if summoning something. Indeed he was summoning something. The Book of Monsterology. "Demon, Verona The Demon Maid. Upper-Class." Riyku stated what could be known as keywords and the book began to flip pages rapidly before landing on the page that held a picture of Verona with her status.


    Name: Verona The Demon Maid


    Level: 92


    Race: Upper-Class Demon


    Category: Demon


    Experience points given: 93,520 Points


    Drops: 730 Souls, Key to the third floor


    Hunted: 1 Time


    Weakness: Holy Weapon


    "Ninety-two?" Riyku narrowed his eyes before looking to Seraphina who would shrug. "I know nothing of that kind of thing. Though if she is on par with your level, it would only make sense that she posed a threat to you. Perhaps you should level up a bit more before heading to the third floor." Seraphina would state to Riyku who seemed to sigh lightly and close the book in his hand before storing it back into his inventory via Weapon Return. "Perhaps. My experience bar seemed to have shot up towards a good eighty percent. If the next floor demon is stronger than this one..." Riyku would pause mid-sentence which drew upon Seraphina''s attention. "Next floor? Hang on... There were only two floors. Well, there should only be two floors." Riyku would narrow his eyes in thought before looking around the room. It was then he made note of yet another door just past another set of stairs. Beside that door had been another white sphere that was not there before.


    "If there is a third floor... just how many floors are there?" Riyku question softly before sighing heavily. "I could not tell you. Though, we should check out the left and right wings of this floor. We may find something again." Seraphina stated as she eyed the room. Indeed there was a hallway within her sights and beside them was another hallway which went in the completely opposite direction of the other one.


    After a few more moments of resting up, Riyku would be the first to stand up and Seraphina would soon follow. The two of them made their way into the Right Wing, which was the hallway just beside them. Looking down this hallway one could see several doors. "If I am not mistaken, the first two doors here are for guests, the next set of doors happened to be storage rooms and the following set of doors are supplied rooms," Riyku stated to which Seraphina nodded. "I believe so, yes." Riyku would proceed to the door on his right and attempt to open it, yet the door appeared to be locked. Interestingly enough, there was no option to lock pick it. Jiggling the knob again would cause a text box to appear.


    ''You are unable to enter this room at this time.''


    Blinking for a moment the male was baffled by what he read. "What''s up?" Seraphina inquired when she noticed the confused look upon his face. "We can''t enter this room at this time." He pretty much repeated the text aloud. "Hmm... Want to try and break it down?" Seraphina was partially joking when she said that. "I don''t think it will work, but you are more than welcomed to try." Riyku would reply as he stepped back and Seraphina shook her head. "Nope. If you are certain it will not work, then it will not work. This world is confusing... far too different from any normal world. The laws of this world seem to remind me of something though...." Seraphina would mule over her thought, but Riyku was not planning on waiting much longer since he had been able to open the door adjacent of the locked one.


    Pushing into the room, he scouted around and found nothing of interesting. Though the room itself did resemble that of the room Lira had been staying in. "It''s a guest room, yet..." Riyku would leave the room only to look at the locked door one more time. "Did you find anything?" Seraphina was about to enter the room he just left but was caught off when he left himself. "If memory serves correct this room is the room Vex is staying in," Riyku stated to which Seraphina tilted her head in a confused expression. "How so?" She inquired. "The other room looks just like Lira''s in a way. Though, I can not be certain without going back to check for myself. I''ll do it when we return though." Riyku stated before turning to face other doors down the hall. "Do you want to go through those as well?" Seraphina would ask. In truth, she was merely tagging along as a means to kill boredom. She did not seem to care much about learning the depth of this place even if it felt oddly familiar to her.


    "Yeah. I think we should. Just in case." Riyku would proceed onward with Seraphina at his rear. The two of them entered but storage rooms yet found nothing. Next, they entered the supply rooms and still found nothing. "Nothing at all eh? Let''s check out the left wing. We may find something there." Seraphina would state and Riyku would nod. "Of course. It''ll be our last section before we return back to the other world. We have been here for about three hours give or take. I am not keeping track, but merely going by how it has felt." Riyku stated and Seraphina would nod. She was aware of the time ratio mainly because of the fact that the two shared the same thought process when she was stored in his shadow. As the two made their way back to the main hall they took note of several creatures crawling around. "More Monsters?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku kissed his teeth. "I haven''t fully recovered yet either." He muttered as he made note of his Shield Point gauge being a quarter full. After all, he never entered any kind of ''form'' state; he merely used Seraphina''s power. So his Shield Points and Mana Pool were still in a recovery state.


    "Well, what do you want to do Darling?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku took a moment to think. "We push through. After going through the left wing, we won''t return until I''ve leveled up a bit more. I''d rather not leave without exploring what I can." Riyku would reply. A smirk curved across Seraphina face as she stepped in front of Riyku. "That''s what I like to hear. Now, watch your wife at work." Seraphina seemed to mutter something inaudible and shortly after her body steadily began to ''fill'' out. All the curves growing ever plumper just like her wings, spadetail, and horns seemed to grow. It was then that she opened her eyes to reveal a bright red beat glow and snap her fingers which caused several implosions to occur within the main hall.


    ''Demon Dog defeated x10''


    ''550 Exp acquired''


    ''500 Souls acquired''


    The text box appeared the moment the creatures turned into a dark mist. Seraphina''s body size and proportions seemed to steadily return to normal as did her Horns, Wings, and Tail. Softly she would stumble back into Riyku''s arms. Looking up at the male she would smile softly, "How did I do?" She asked to which Riyku looked down at her with a smile of his own. "Perfect. Can you walk?" He asked softly and she nodded lightly. With Aid, Seraphina would raise back into her own two feet and the two would make their way towards the Left Wing. "I believe that the two rooms before us are Mina and Skylar''s, the following two rooms are guests rooms which one of them is mine and the final two rooms at the end of the hall are for the Head Staff. I do not recall ever hearing about the room where Aiya stays though... " Riyku stated, having recalled that Mina never mentioned the room of which Aiya would be resting. "Who knows, you can bed the woman later." Seraphina would tease him lightly which caused him to shake his head. "If anyone, it''ll be you." Riyku would tease back which caused her to giggle softly. "A one on one match under the sheets? Why not just do it here and now?" Seraphina teased with a whisper to his ear. Riyku would ignore her lust for now open the door into Mina''s room. Well, the door that was supposed to lead to her room. "Interesting...." Riyku muttered upon discovering something. "What did you find, Darling? A lovely bed too---" Seraphina seemed to have fallen silent at the sight before her eyes. The expression she bore was that of utter shock. "No... way..." She muttered softly.

 24 A memory and a goal

    "This can''t be... This is..." Seraphina would push past Riyku and enter the room. Her red orbs glancing all around the room before plopping down. "What, what is it?" Riyku followed in after her. "This... my old room. I lived here when I was a mere child." Seraphina stated which caused Riyku to raise a brow. "You lived here?" Seraphina would nod softly, her eyes looking down at the rug beneath her. "It was way before I even knew you, or even know anything about being a Queen of Darkness." She stated as if she were about to explain.


    ---Many Eons in the past---


    "Momma! Momma!" A small child with raven color hair and raven color eyes beamed up at a charming woman who smiled down at her. "Yes, Seraphina. What can I do for you?" The woman called from the hinge of the doorway. "Don''t leave momma. Please." The child, Seraphina''s expression looked as if she were about to bawl her eyes out. The woman would turn to squat down next to her child and bring her in for a warm hug. "Don''t worry hunnie. Mommy will be back before you know it." The woman stated softly, though anyone could tell she was lying through her teeth. Sadly, the child bought it. "Promise?" She asked softly and the woman nodded and kissed her forehead. "I promise. Now stay here and be a good girl. I''ll bring you back Ice cream and all." The woman stated and the child smiled brightly and nodded, wiping away her teary eyes. "Okay!" She exclaimed before returning to her book on the floor. The woman would leave, with a sorrowful expression, "I am sorry..." She whispered softly.


    Time flew by and night came rapidly. Books upon books had been piled high on the floor. Yet the child''s mother had yet to return. "Mommy..." The child whispered softly as she flipped the page of one of her books. A few drops of tears splashed upon the paper. "Where are you...? I have been a good girl... I have been reading.... Will you come back soon... Mommy." The child would sniffle as she continued to read through her book. More time flew by, more nights came and gone and before anyone knew it the child herself had grown into a teenager. Mountains of books had filled her entire room, she had outgrown her clothing which torn to shreds and the darkness around her clothed her in the second layer of skin as if to act like clothes. "You never came back, mom..." Seraphina muttered as she closed her book and pushed off the ground. For someone who had not eaten in days, she appeared rather healthy. Moving towards the door she was greeted with nothing, but ruin. Her expression was of utter shock and she collapsed then and there when she made note of a skeleton lying against the wall. "No..." Seraphina would sniffle softly as she crawled over to the skeleton and reached out to it. "Ma-Ma-Mama..." She whispered softly. How could she tell this skeleton was her mother? Well... it was the residue of energy that been left. Following a trail of aged blood that would lead to the door she had just opened, she would release one thing. "Why!? Why didn''t you let me come with you!?"Seraphina shouted with anger and frustration. The woman had used the last of her life force to keep her child safe in that room from any ruin that was happening outside of that room. "Why momma?!" She shouted, knowing full well she would not get an answer.


    Though her screams did attract the attention of lesser demons. Imps and demon dogs at that. "Go away!" Seraphina shouted and her shadow would spike up in thorns the moment these creatures approached her. The thorns would pierce through the lesser demons and ultimately kill them. A dark mist would seep into her body shortly after, but she seemed to not care. Her main focus was on her mother''s skeleton. For some time the woman would continue to mourn her death, and when everything came to a passing she had buried her mother in the garden that her mother, as well as herself, tended to.


    Her raven orbs would look up at the crimson sky along with the ruin of this world before looking back at the castle she had just been in. "I''ve learned much through the books I read mother. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For being such a wonderful mother even after your death." Seraphina would bow lightly to her ruined home as well as her own mother before turning on her heel to face the road. However, when she did she made note of something shiny sticking out of the ground. Approaching it she would pick it up only to find it was one of those vocal capsules that one would use to relay messages to another. The moment Seraphina injected her energy into it, the capsule began to relay her a message.


    "To my dearest daughter, Seraphina La Stia. If you are receiving this message, it is because I am no longer bound to this world. I have passed on. Forgive me for being blunt, but I need to be hasty with this message. My daughter, I love you with all my heart and soul. It breaks me even now to know that I was unable to stand by your side. I am sorry that I left you all alone for all those years. But, It was in order for you to survive. Seraphina, you a Daughter of Darkness. I am one of the Five Queens of Darkness. Being my daughter means that you will inherit my origin. I do hope you read all of those books, my daughter because they will be your guide in your walk of life. But, just because you are one of my kin does not mean you need to follow in my footsteps. Venture out into the world and become what you want to become; however, If you choose to become a Queen of Darkness. You should find the Shadow King. You will know once you have found him, he will have a peculiar scent to him. Also, avoid the Angels as best you can. Once again... I love you, Seraphina."


    The message seemed to have ended there and Seraphina was now in a mess of tears. The message item seemed to have been taken in by the darkness around her as if she had stored it away. She would wipe her tears after recollecting herself. The expression in her eyes was one that held resolve. "I will find the Shadow King, Mother. I will become the next Queen of Darkness. Watch over me from where you are." Seraphina stated before venturing off.


    ---Present time---


    "The journey was long, and I grew as a person. I never met the other Queens of Darkness'' during my venture. But I did find the Shadow King." Seraphina would state to which Riyku would nod. "Well, I am glad you were able to achieve your dream of becoming a Queen of Darkness," Riyku stated as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "As am I." She smiled softly at him before getting off the floor with his help. "If you need to rest more, we can," Riyku stated softly and she shook her head. "It is fine. I can keep going. I may not fully remember this castle, but I am sure that the people in this castle is not acquainted with me nor my mother." Seraphina would state to which Riyku nodded. "Alright." The two of them seemed to leave the room and make their way towards Skylar''s supposed room. Upon opening the door, it was just as Riyku had expected it to be. A replica of Skylar''s room. Though there was this shine that struck out to him. Moving towards it he would reach for it only for the shine to which it would vanish and a text box to appear.


    ''Dagger of Rage acquired''


    The text read. "What did you get?" Seraphina questioned from behind him. "A weapon. More specifically, A dagger." Was it odd that he would get the same kind of weapon that Skylar would use? If so, didn''t that mean that the other rooms may host weapons similar to their room owners? If that were the case then there should have been on in Mina''s room at least. Lira was a guest, so maybe that was why there was not one, but who knew. Riyku would push this thought aside for now and proceed to exit the room only to look back down the hallway. "Well, all that is left is other rooms. We should make a quick run through and return to the other world." Riyku stated and Seraphina would agree. Both of them would venture through the remaining rooms, yet they turned up empty in the end. When they arrived back in the main hall they were greeted with another set of demon dogs. Riyku had shifted his gaze to his Shield Points and Mana Pool. The Shield Points were at a good set, and Mana pool was nearly full. Stepping forward he would use Weapon summon to bring out the Assassin''s Dagger, and Night Crawler weapons.


    Assassin''s Dagger +4


    Type: Dagger


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    A blade used by the Assassins of old. It is said that these weapons were capable of silently piercing their target''s flesh from any direction and easy to withdraw for a quick escape. Effect: Deals addition damage if used on Vital points.


    Night Crawler +4


    Type: Claw


    Rarity: S


    Condition: Lethal


    Where this... thing came from is unknown. No one knows who used it but what they do know is that it was used to take out high priority targets without delay. Effect: Armor Piercing. Bleed Damage (Causes internal bleeding for several seconds). State of Shock (Paralyzes the target instantly for several seconds). Instill Fear (Will fear all non-boss mobs and monsters below the users Level when spotted while killing a target with Night Crawler).


    "Oh... now that''s more like it." Seraphina licked her lips when she saw the look in Riyku''s eyes as he stepped into the main hall to aggro the demon dogs who raced towards him with hunger in their eyes. "Shadow Step..." Riyku muttered as he effortless dashed through the shadows, using both claw and dagger to slice through and tear down the demon dogs in seconds. Once all was said and done the male would dismiss his weapons via Weapon Return and the dark mist would seep into his body.


    ''Demon Dog defeated x10''


    ''550 Exp acquired''


    ''500 Souls acquired''


    It seems that the rewards for slaying the demon dogs would be the same as when Seraphina had defeated them. Brushing the text box aside he would turn to Seraphina who was gleefully heading towards him. "Watching you dance around the battlefield like that.... is just so majestic. A waltz of death..." Seraphina cooed softly towards him which caused him to chuckle lightly. "Your skill earlier still puts me to shame. Though, I appreciate the sentiment." Riyku would look towards the door leading to the first floor then to the door leading to the third floor. "Is something wrong?" Seraphina had made note of his transaction and Riyku would reply after a brief moment of silence. "Maybe we should go to the third floor." Riyku would reply. This caused Seraphina''s eyes to widen. "Are you sure? The battle with Verona gave you a hard time, who knows what is up there. It is okay if you come back you know. Besides, I am sure several hours have already passed since we last came to this world." It seemed like Seraphina was trying to get Riyku to take back his suggestion. "Hmm... You are right. Let''s go." Riyku stated as he walked up to the staircase. "Go? You are heading to the third door!?" Seraphina exclaimed to which Riyku shook his head. "Not quite. Don''t you see it?" Riyku stated when he stood next to the white sphere. "See what?" Seraphina asked as she looked around which caused Riyku''s brow to raise. "You don''t see it? The white sphere that is right here? It allows me to come here as well as leave." Riyku elaborated for her. Seraphina would shake her head, and Riyku would do the same. "Well then just come back. We''ll be leaving." Riyku stated and Seraphina would nod before her body seemed to return to his shadow. Riyku would touch the sphere which caused it to light up softly. The choice box appeared with a return to the first floor or front gate and he, and he selected to return to the front gate. Without delay, he was engulfed in light and when the light dimmed down he was at the front gate.


    ''What just happened?'' Seraphina questioned internally to which Riyku chuckled. "A fast travel of sorts. We are leaving now." As Riyku stated that he was once again engulfed in light and when it dimmed down a final time he was on the porch of the mansion. It already seemed to be night by now which caused him to sigh heavily. "I bet the girls and Skylar are worried sick..." Riyku muttered and Seraphina chuckled internally. ''Probably. You should check in at least.'' Seraphina would reply to him. "Yeah, yeah." Riyku would move towards the Mansion to open the door. The moment he did, he was greeted by Walter who was speaking to a frantic Mina and Kristen. "Umm..." Riyku would blink lightly. "Riyku!" Skylar shouted to which the girls all looked at him. "Yeah?" Riyku gave them a puzzled look even though he knew full well what they were doing.


    "Where in the hell were you!? We all tried to contact you on your wristband, but all we got was that you were in an area without service." Kristen seemed to exclaim as she raced towards him, the rest of the girls followed. "How about I ask the Head Chef to prepare coffee and tea and you all can have this conversation at the table?" Walter inquired. "Good idea." Skylar and Riyku would agree and Walter would nod. "Come along, Ladies and Gentleman." Walter would proceed to the Dining room and Kitchen area. The Head Chef happened to have been preparing a late night snack for Madam Aiya. Walter and the Chef exchanged words before Walter came back out to greet everyone yet again. "He says he will prepare you all a nice late night snack with some warm tea." It was then that Walter would proceed elsewhere once everyone said their thanks. "Now then... Riyku." Kristen would get his attention. "Well, you see...." Riyku would proceed to tell the girls and Skylar what had transpired for him. Everything from what had happened on the first floor to what came of the second floor, well everything except what Seraphina remembered. He made sure to keep that out, and if Seraphina wanted to share her story with them at a later date she could.


    "I see." Skylar would muse lightly. "If that is the case then maybe you should not return until you level up more." He added. "I mean, if someone who is the same level as you is on par with your strength, then what of someone who is higher level? They might be able to defeat you." Skylar would add on some more. Riyku would nod as he sipped upon his warm cup of tea. "I and Seraphina came up with the same reasoning. We do not plan on going back until I have advanced to a higher level." Riyku stated. "Sounds good to me. Besides, you were gone for nearly ten hours. You need to be more careful with how long you spend there." Kristen stated and Riyku nodded softly with a soft sigh. "Yes, I realize that." Riyku would reply. "What concerns me though is that the castle has the third floor. If anything, I wonder if it has to do with the plans they had for the original mansion." Mina stated her thought. Everyone gave her a puzzled look. "Oh, sorry. I just remembered that this mansion was supposed to have at least three or four floors to it. The idea was scrapped though when Mother and Father became engrossed in work." Mina would come forth with an explanation for her thought. "I never heard of that." Skylar would state to which Mina nodded softly. "It is because it was before you were adopted."Mina would state bluntly and everyone seemed rather shocked by this. "Come again?" Vex inquired. Skylar and Mina looked at both of them with confused expressions. "Is something wrong?" Mina asked. "Well... You said Skylar was adopted. Does that mean he is not your blood brother?" Kristen questioned.


    "That''s right," Mina stated. "Mhm. I was adopted into the family a while back. Did you not find it weird that we look nothing alike and I look nothing like Aiya?" Skylar inquired to which everyone shook their head. A bit of laughter came from them as if they were brushing it off in a soft manner. "It''s nothing too serious, really. Skylar was picked up off the streets. So we do not know who is real mother or father are." Mina stated this would have been a sad tale if Skylar was not smiling at everyone. "Yup. I am glad Aiya found me. You and everyone have been so good to me. It makes me happy. Thank you so much." Skylar stated warmly, which made Mina teary-eyed for a moment.


    Time would pass on and everyone seemed to enjoy their late night snack and warm tea. When everything was said and done, they would say goodnight one another and head to their respective rooms. Closing the door behind him, Riyku would move towards the bed that looked nothing like the one they were on last night. It was as if the original bed was back and nothing had happened. Removing his clothing to become bare naked the male would proceed to get underneath the blanket and place his arms under his head while looking up at the ceiling. Seraphina seemed to have appeared laying her head on his chest and looking up at him, just as naked as he was. "Is something bothering you, Darling?" She inquired and Riyku sigh softly.


    "Everyone seems to have a goal they are striving for. Skylar is doing the best he can to be friends with multiple people while attempting to take the track team to greater heights. Mina is preparing to succeed after her mother retires so she can keep the company going. Kristen seems to be trying to better herself to protect her friends. Lira seems to strive to help Kristen and Vex, and Vex is doing the same. Kristen, Lira, and Vex are also preparing to do their best in this year''s Death Games. Meanwhile, I am simply following the flow of things. I have no goal set in mind." Riyku stated softly.


    "Hmm... Well. From my perspective, you already have one." Seraphina would state to which Riyku''s brow rose. Seraphina would crawl on top of him to look him deep in the eyes. Her hands coming up to cup his cheeks softly as she placed her forehead against his. "More than one. You want to become stronger, to protect those you cherish. You want to find out more about yourself in your own way. And you are even trying to rescue this Coco person. You have soo much on your plate that you have no reason to say you do not have a goal. Each and everything you are striving for is a goal of yours and more will come as you live your life. I meant it when I said you seem to be the happiest person in this lifetime. It brings me great joy to finally see your smile and I would trade it in for nothing." Riyku was astonished by Seraphina''s words. Her expression was even more surprising, so much so that he thought his heart may have skipped a beat.


    "Did you fall for me?" Seraphina teased him a little which caused his expression to soften. "Haha, perhaps." Riyku teased her back which caused her cheeks to tinge a bit before she groaned softly and kissed him gently. Seraphina would close her eyes softly as she let herself fall into him, and Riyku would do the same as he replies with his own kiss. Once the kiss parted, Seraphina would snuggle into Riyku and two would drift off into a deep slumber.


    Slowly the male would open his eyes only to note that he was again in floating in the abyss. "Lucid Driving..." He muttered. "Correct, my other self." An eerie and sinister voice called out to him which caused him to shift his gaze in the direction of such a voice. It was there that he was greeted with someone who appeared to be just like him, only taller. The hair color was pure silver and the iris were pure green. The sclera was pure black instead of white and there happened to be several markings upon this person''s body that were not on his own. In truth, the only way one could tell they were the same person was by their facial structure and tone of voice if anything at all.


    "What? Who are you? Where is Coco?" Riyku inquired to which the person snickered darkly. "Oh please, the operator? I have her locked away for now. She is a problem. She is what was keeping me from reaching you." The person approached him which caused him to flinch. "Now, now. I am not going to hurt you. I need something from you after all." The person stated with a devious smirk. "What?" Riyku narrowed his eyes at the male. "I need you to open up to me. If you don''t we will both eventually die. These people can not protect you and you can not protect them. I would know, I am you after all. It''s happened soo many times. You''ve lost everything time and time again. Watching it all slip through your fingers because you refuse to use your full power." The male state which caused Riyku to growl and move away from him.


    "I don''t need your power! I know who you are now, Harvester." Riyku growled at the male who snickered at him. "So you do know of me, but you so also realize that I am also what you need. Without me, you will lose everything again. The day will come when they come for us, and when that day comes you will lose again. You can not escape them after all..." Harvester stated with a sinister snicker.


    "Them? Who is them?" Riyku would inquire with haste since he began to feel an immense amount of pressure and sharp pain. Harvester would merely snicker at the male, "You should know. You already have the memory fragment." He would add which caused Riyku to growl at him. "Just tell me!" He demanded. "Those two... Are... Fate and Destiny." Riyku''s eyes went wide before he left the Lucid Drive, well more like Harvester kicked him out. The male''s eyes shot open, his breathing was hastened and he seemed to have slowly begun to sweat. "Darling?" Seraphina had seemed to just be waking up when she noticed the state Riyku was in. "What happened? What''s wrong?" Seeing Riyku in such a panicked state meant something serious must have happened. "Fate and Destiny... I can''t escape them..." Riyku muttered. Kissing her teeth Seraphina would attempt to comfort him, bringing his face to her bosom and brushing his hair softly. "It''s okay. You don''t have to. They will not be coming this time. I promise you." Seraphina spoke softly to him. "But..." Riyku''s body began to shiver in fear. He had fully remembered everything about the time of his death. Two people, a single male, and a single woman had called him out to battle against him and his group. One by one these two people killed his friends and family, leaving him to fall into anguish and despair but ultimately ending his life.


    "It will be okay. As I said, they will not come after you. They cannot trace you." Seraphina continued her softly whispering words. "But, Harvester...." Riyku muttered which caused Seraphina to inwardly clicks her tongue. "Don''t listen to anything that man says. He may be you, but he is not right. He only wants to use you and your power to bring everything to an end. I promise you, nothing will happen." Seraphina stated softly as she forced Riyku to look into her eyes. The sheer resolve in them eased Riyku tremendously. His body stopped shivering and he smiled softly at her. "Okay, I believe you," Riyku stated to which Seraphina would nod. "Just focus on getting stronger, and focus on your goals. Focus on this life and do not worry about anything from the past. Okay?" Seraphina asked of which, but that alone was difficult. In order for him to learn more about himself, he needed his past, right? Still, he would give her a nod which caused her to smile softly. "Alright, now let''s get ready for the day. Remember, we are all going to hit the Gaming Lounge today, the Death Games are coming up in several days time. All you need to do is focus on that. So get your head in the game." Seraphina exclaimed which caused Riyku to nod softly.


    "You are right. I need to pass these Death Games. I need to become stronger." Riyku would state with a firm resolve, but something inside of him beckoned out to him. He could not quite feel it just yet, but it was there. Trying to grasp a hold of him.

 25 The day before the Death Games

    The sound of a store bell seemed to have gone off. "Coming." A feminine voice called from the back area of the store as a tall male approached the counter. "Oh! Riyku!" Natalie exclaimed with a warm smile on her face. "Afternoon Natalie, I see you''ve finally got your feelings through to Deyo," Riyku stated having noticed a silver band upon her ring finger. This caused the woman to blush softly and nod. "That''s good. I am happy for both of you." Riyku would add which caused her smile to brighten even more. "Thanks!" She exclaimed. "Though, I am sure you didn''t just come to converse with me. You came for this right?" Natalie would pull something from under the counter as if she had been expecting him to come today. She placed a small case on the counter that of which Riyku would open with a nod to her remark. Upon doing so his crimson eyes would take note of pair of black fingerless gloves laying snug on top of purple cushioning. The only difference between the two gloves was that one had some kind of jewel engraved within it. "You know, it was not easy finding something like that. My helpers bent their backs for it." Natalie would state firm to which Riyku would nod softly. "I appreciate the length you went through to gain this. Tell them I am grateful for their aid." Riyku would close the small case with a satisfied expression before looking at Natalie. "Thank you."


    Natalie sighed lightly with glee. "No problem. You did pay in full and up front. Still, I don''t know what you plan on using that for other than the Death Games. Riyku chuckled lightly while turning away from her. "Well, you should come and watch. Doubt you''ll get many customers once it starts." He stated with a wave of his hand before out the door he went. Since it was the day before the Death Games, the shopping district was packed full of people. The only reason he stopped by the Accessory shop first, was because of the fact that the clothing shop and weapons and arms shop were packed full of people. His next destination would happen to be the clothing shop, passing by Deyo''s shop he saw how busy it was. Still not as bustling as it had been when he walked past it earlier. Though, he knew he was right in his decision to save Deyo''s shop for last and enter into Yumi''s shop. The place wasn''t as packed as it was earlier, in fact, it looked as if everything had just died down. Seeing Yumi''s exhausted expression caused Riyku to chuckle, "Looks like you had plenty of fun." Yumi would look up from the front counter and shake his head with a sigh of exhaustion. "Always a jokester isn''t you boy." Yumi would state to which Riyku chuckled lightly again before stopping at the counter.


    "Well, I won''t take up much of your time. You know why I am here." Riyku stated to which Yumi nodded. "Yes, I do. I have it ready." Yumi would pull a large case from under the counter and place it on top of the counter. "Since you came by the other night to pay I just brought it up front in case you came early morning," Yumi stated to which Riyku would nod. "I was going to, but I saw how packed it was. Decided to stop by other shops and see how everyone was doing." Riyku stated as he reached for the case to open it. "How kind of you," Yumi stated sarcastically which caused Riyku to smirk. His expression shifted to one more filled with gratitude when he laid his eyes upon the jet black armor with strips of red designed in the formation of a rose. The veins that flowed throughout the armor seemed to have the coloration of dark green to match the coloration of jet black and the coloration of several strips of red. Though the roses were not red themselves, only the outline that formed them were red making the roses appear black. "It''s perfect. Don''t know why you went with a rose design, but it is perfect nonetheless." Riyku stated to which Yumi nodded. "I went with what I first thought of you as. Black beauty. That idea only came to me when I caught a glimpse of you in the all-black attire the first time you came by." Yumi would explain to which Riyku would nod softly. "I''ll take that a compliment."


    Riyku''s gaze seemed to have glanced over several three small jewels upon the armor. At first, he had not noticed them, but when the black jewels gave off a shimmer of shine his eyes had shifted towards them. "I am guessing these are the Support Enchantments?" Riyku inquired. Yumi would nod to his response, "They are. I was informed that the Support Enchantments were, Hydro, Burst, and Aero. Hyrdo is a supplement for water arts, Burst is a supplement for fire arts and Aero is a supplement for Wind arts. Meaning, you can use said arts without chanting. If you ask me, you got some pretty good enchantments. Using Magical Arts without chanting takes years of practice." Yumi would explain. Riyku had chuckled a bit to himself at the end. "Well, I appreciate the explanation. Might I ask a question?" Riyku would inquire. "Of course, Darlin''" Yumi replied to which Riyku shook his head towards his flirtatious manner. "Is it possible to apply enchantments to one''s own gear, provided the gear allows enchantments?" Riyku seemed to ask to which Yumi tilted his head to the side. "Well, I don''t see why not. Though enchanting Jewels and applying them into gear are two different tasks and can be extremely difficult. If you apply an enchantment incorrectly into a jewel. The jewel may break. This also applies to add the jewel into the gear. Some gears have restrictions on them. Such as using only offensive enchantments. If you force a defensive or supportive enchantment the gear itself will break along with the jewel." Yumi explained to him and he seemed to pick on it quickly.


    "Thanks." Riyku turned on his heel and was about to head out, "Do you plan on doing it yourself?" Yumi called after him. "Don''t know just yet," Riyku called back as he left the shop. The district was still bustling with people. Looking up at the sky, he could tell that it was sometime in the middle of the day. So, perhaps getting lunch would help pass the time. After all, he could see quite clearly that Deyo''s shop was still busy. Chuckling lightly the male began to make his way to Freya''s Bakery. Interestingly, the shop wasn''t too empty. It was quite moderate for customers. Perhaps people came here for lunch or a snack. Walking up the empty counter he was greeted with Freya who was smiling brightly at him. "Welcome! How have you been?" Freya would inquire. "The usual. Preparing for the Game and what not. It appears you have some customers today. Never thought people would come to Bakery in the late in the afternoon." Riyku replied. Freya would chuckle lightly. "That''s because everything is half priced during our final hour. Our regulars come every now and again. Some people wander in and find out on their own. So they come back another day." Freya stated. Riyku would nod before glancing over the selection of rolls, bagels and other assorted baked goods. The cases appeared nearly empty, so he kind of understood why things were half priced. "Well, I guess I''ll take some sugar-coated buns per usual," Riyku stated having seen there were only a few left in the display. "That so? So the usual cup of black coffee as well? Or perhaps you would like a little bit of creamer this time." Freya would tease him with a bold remark and a playful wink.


    "Picking up a husband, are we?" An elderly voice came about from behind Riyku which caused both him and Freya to look at the person. "Oh, you are the lady I helped the other day." Riyku would state. "Mother!?" Freya exclaimed which caused Riyku to shift his gaze back to Freya. The old woman would chuckle softly. "You were indeed a great help. I can see why Freya has her eyes on you. Tall, Handsome, and an overall gentleman. Not to mean strong." The elderly woman stated to Riyku and Freya seemed to blush brightly. "That was not it! I was merely teasing him! Riyku has always been a good friend, Mother!" Freya would exclaim which caused the old woman to chuckle softly. "Yes, yes. We all know that is how it starts off." Freya would sigh softly before smiling at her mother. "Well, you do not come here often. So what brought you here today?" Freya inquired to which the old woman nodded softly. "Just came to see my daughter and granddaughter. Though, if I am interrupting you trying to catch yourself a man. I''ll take my leave." The old woman teased with her daughter, "Mother!" Freya exclaimed with embarrassment in her voice. The whole scene itself caused Riyku to chuckle softly which caused both of them to look at him. "Sorry, sorry. Just seeing how you two act towards one another show how close you are to each other. I am glad you have such a strong bond with each other, but madam if I may be upfront with you. I am not looking for any spouse." Closing his eyes the male would proceed to explain.


    "You see, I already have my hands full with five women as it is. I would not wish to place Freya under any circumstances that would bring her discomfort. Right now, I am not looking for a bride. Do not get me wrong, Freya''s affection for me does not go unnoticed, and I do find it flattering, but I would rather not waste her time. If she wishes to settle down, I wish her the best in finding a man who will settle down with her." Riyku was indeed upfront about everything. He may have come off as an asshole of sorts, but the truth alone meant he was quite serious about not deceiving anyone. "Oh? So, you already have women swooned over you. Well, polygamy is becoming a popular thing nowadays. Mainly with key figures like the Emporer, and the lords that rule several countries. To be honest, If you told me you did not have any girl chasing you down I would have never believed you." The old woman stated in reply. "Ah, if only I were forty maybe even thirty years younger. I''d chase you down myself." She would add. "Mother!?" Freya exclaimed in embarrassment. "Now, now daughter. This strapping young man has five women in his bed. I won''t tell you to jump into the boat with them, but if you truly wish to be a part of this man''s life. You should give it some serious thought. From my eyes, I can tell that those five girls mean a lot to him and he is willing to protect them at whatever the cost." The old woman seemed to have changed her tone to a bit of more serious expression. Almost like she was trying to guide her daughter.


    "I know. I have seen him walking around with a few of those girls." Freya stated which caused Riyku to shift his glance to her. "Hooh? So you already knew everything about him and yet you are still trying to swoon him. Now, that''s my girl." The old woman would sing the praise of her daughter who blushed brightly, "Mother!" Riyku would chuckle softly and the elder woman would follow suit. "Well putting that aside. Follow your heart, listen to your soul, and they will guide you. I am sure this young man will welcome you with open arms." The old woman stated which caused Freya to huff heavily. "Now then. Young man, I must ask you something. Earlier you said you did not plan on having a bride. I assume that is because you do not believe you are fully capable of protecting any lady you betrothed?" The old woman questioned with a piercing glance. Riyku would sigh lightly, "Got me. I guess I should have known since you could somehow tell how I felt about those girls. Though, it is not just them. Everyone that is precious to me, I want to protect." Riyku stated firmly. "But, you afraid of something. Hmm... Well, I won''t pry into your life. Though, I will tell you this. You should never shoulder your burdens alone. Those you hold dear are willing to help you, I am sure of it. I am also sure that Freya would help you out too." The old woman smiles brightly which caused Riyku to shift his gaze from the woman to Freya who was blushing lightly and nodding softly to him.


    Riyku would release a soft happy sigh, "Thank you." He stated to both of them of which they would nod softly. "Now then. Freya, how long do you plan to keep us waiting? We are customers after all." The old woman was joking when she said that, but Freya would blink rapidly. "Oh sorry!" She shouted before scurrying throughout the department to get both her mother the usual thing she would order which was a lightly sugar-coated roll and a small cup of coffee and get Riyku some sugar-coated buns and a medium cup of coffee. "Here you are." Freya would hand them both their bags and the old woman would be on her way. Riyku would proceed to take a seat one of the tables and set his cases down beside him before partaking of the buns and coffee. His mind would venture into what the elder woman had spoken of about being afraid of something.


    ''Didn''t I tell you not to worry about that?'' Seraphina''s voice came through a mental connection. Of course, Riyku would nod softly in response.


    ''You did, but that is not what I am worried about.'' Riyku would reply through the mental connection.


    ''Then what are you worried about?'' Seraphina would inquire.


    ''The issue with Bell. I have this strange feeling that something may happen while I am partaking of the Games. Not with me, but with everyone else. I just can''t shake it off. Nothing has happened since the incident at the sports field. If anything, everything is eerily quiet.'' Riyku replied to Seraphina.


    ''Well, I mean. You did put on quite a show. Bell is the only one who knows what happened. I doubt anyone will believe her, so maybe you scared her stiff.'' Seraphina stated to which Riyku would nod softly. ''I hope you are right.'' He added. His attention was drawn away from his thoughts when he heard a cute voice call to him.


    "Hiya, Mister Riyku. Are you okay?" It was Mary, she had this slightly worried look on her face. Noticing this Riyku would nod softly. "I am. Thank you for asking. I was just thinking about some things. How have you been?" Riyku would reply to her with a soft smile and she smiled back in return. "I am great! Mommy showed me how to make coffee today. Though, she says I am still too young to drink it." Mary would reply to him and Riyku would chuckle lightly. "She is right. Tell you what, when you become old enough to drink coffee. I''ll drink some with you, and your mother as well. How does that sound?" Mary''s eyes lite up at Riyku''s proposal. "Really!?" She asked and Riyku nodded. "Yay!" She seemed to hop, skip and jump for joy. "I can''t wait to grow up now!" She chuckled softly. "Just remember to continue to help out your mother," Riyku stated to which Mary nodded. "Okay!" She shouted before zooming back to Freya to tell her what just happened. Freya looked to him with a warm smile and he tipped his cup of coffee to her with a smile of his own.


    ''That''s sweet of you. Looks like you just added a mother to your list on this Harem.'' Seraphina happened to have teased Riyku who just internally sighed at her remark. Riyku would look up at the clock to take note of the time, he also noticed how nearly empty the place and decided that it was time to pay a visit to Deyo to pick up his weapons now. Curling the bag up with the leftover buns he would approach the counter and set the bag on the table. "Thanks for the snack. I do appreciate it. How much?" Riyku inquired to which Freya shook her head. "Don''t worry about it. You are always helping us out after all. As before, I said it is least we can do." Freya stated to which Riyku shook his head. "I insist." Riyku would state to which Freya mulled over her thought. "Hmm... Then how about helping me out with some things tonight? I need to move some stuff around at my house, but it is a bit too heavy for me to lift." Freya stated to which Riyku would nod. "Alright, sounds fine with me. Just send me your address through wristband communication and I''ll head over tonight. What time are you planning on doing this?" Riyku inquired to which Freya would reply, "Seven or Eight. No later than Eight though." Riyku would nod. "Alright, see you around seven then." With that, he would be off, cases in hand as he now headed to pick up his final piece of equipment. Seeing as how it was now dusk, the streets were not as busy and Deyo''s business seemed to have died down tremendously.


    The bell rang the moment the door was open and Deyo''s voice called out, "Wel-- Oh Riyku! I was wondering when ya would show up." Deyo stated which caused Riyku to chuckle. "Been getting everything else. Besides, you seemed like you had your hands full all day. I''ll take it that I am the last person to pick up my stuff?" Riyku would ask and Deyo would nod. "Just about yeah. Lemme get it." Snapping his fingers, his assistant would come forth with a large case and would set it up on the counter top with a ''thud''. "Don''t know why ya want something like this, but hey, I don''t doubt ya for a moment. I believe it is called a Soluna. A greatsword with a second short blade built into it." Deyo would explain as Riyku opened the case to take a look at the beautiful black blade. There were two hilts, one normal and one in the middle of the blade as if held a second blade that was detachable.


    The blade itself held a similar design to his armor and gloves with the red strips here and there. Though, Riyku did not seem displeased. "Why doncha give it a swing or two," Deyo stated. Riyku would reach for the hilt of the greatsword to lift it from the case. Moving to rest the weapon against his shoulder he would maneuver to an open area of the store. More so, an area tailor-made for trying out various weapons. Inhaling softly the male would exhale before giving the weapon a deft swing downward, then turning the blade to bring it back upward before resting it upon his shoulder again. Deyo was in awe at how weightless the weapon seemed in Riyku''s hands. "Damn boy, I shudder to think what will become of those who battle ya. I also doubt anyone else could swing that weapon around as easily as ya did. Then again, It was a request ya made specifically. So, I guess ya know what ya are doing." Deyo stated to which Riyku smirked before returning to the counter to place the weapon in its case and closed it up. "I appreciate all you''ve done for me, Deyo. Also, Congratulations on making Natalie your fiance. Took you long enough." Riyku stated which caused Deyo to fluster a bit. "Yeah, yeah! Thanks, mate." Deyo stated. Riyku was about to head off until Deyo stopped him. "Oh, almost forgot. Me, Nat and Yumi will be watching ya. So, put on a good show for us." Deyo called out to Riyku who would wave while leaving.


    Taking a look up at the sky again, he could estimate that he had time left before meeting up with Freya. For now, he decided it would be best to store his luggage into his inventory, but to do so without being noticed was another thing entirely. Thankfully, there had been an alley nearby so he wouldn''t have to walk all the way to the mansion or even to his dorm room. Moving into the alley, he would make sure the coast was clear before using Weapon Return to store his luggage. Surprisingly, that did not take long. Well, maybe it wasn''t a surprise, but the time it took was not what he expected. "Well, that''s that." Riyku was about to leave the alley when he heard someone shout. Turning his head back to the depths of the alley, he would proceed onward until he came across three people. One of which did not appear to be from around here. That one is a female, while the other two looked as if they belonged to the Lower District.


    "Leave me alone!" The girl shouted as she struggled to break free of the two guys who had been carrying her. The two men didn''t have much to say until Riyku appeared before them. Stopping them in their path. "Geez... here I thought I cleaned up a good amount down there. So tell me, what do you plan on doing with her?" Riyku inquired as the two men glared down at him. "Who the hell are you!? Out of the way!?" They both shouted, ignoring the male''s question. "Help me!" The woman called out to him. By the looks of it, she was being kidnapped. "Look, guy, this has nothing to do with you. This woman stole from us, so we are bringing her in. Plain an simple." One of the men stated. Riyku''s brow rose at this statement. "Bullshit! You took what was rightfully mine!" The woman exclaimed. "Shut the hell up already!" The other guy shouted, and Riyku would sigh heavily. "Well, I don''t know the full story. But what I do know is that women in the Lower District are not treated properly soooo..." Riyku seemed to dash towards the two men, which caught them off guard. A quick elbow to the first man''s gut caused him to hunch over and drop the woman. Well, the woman would have dropped to the ground she had not wrapped her arms around the male''s neck. Causing the rope that tied her hands together to dig into the man''s throat. The other guy had clicked his tongue as he released the woman''s tied up ankles to withdraw his blade. Though when he did that, Riyku had already been in front of him with a fist aimed straight for the man''s jawline.


    CRACK!


    The sound of a jaw being dislocated and broken at that could be heard as the man flew back into the wall of a building and became unconsciously. This left the other man who so happened to have been put into a comatose state thanks to the woman who had choked the man out. Since she finished that she was just sitting, waiting for Riyku to at least help untie her, and untie her did.


    "Thanks." The woman stated as she dusted herself off. "No problem. So, what was that all about?" Riyku asked mainly because he wanted to know if this had anything to do with Bell. "That? Oh... Well... They stole something precious to me. Priceless even..." She would dig down her leather vest to pull out a pendant that had been hanging around her neck. "A necklace?" Riyku inquired. "Yes and no. This pendant may appear to be some ordinary necklace to anyone, but it is more than that. It is the last remaining thing I have of my brother." She stated which caused Riyku''s brow to raise. "I see, I am sorry for your loss..." Riyku stated softly and the woman shook her head. "No need to be. I thank you for assistance, but I need to get going." Without delay, the woman seemed to make her up onto the rooftop of a nearby building with ease and leave the area.


    "Well, she certainly appeared to be the part. With her roguish attire and all." It was then he noticed that night had drawn in. "Guess it''s time for me to get going. I did tell the girls I would be late tonight. But, I should call them just in case." And with that Riyku would proceed out of the alley, and proceed with his ordeal to meet up with Freya.

 26 It begins

    Somewhere at the central plaza in the Captial of the Kingdom, the roars and cheers of several individuals happened to be coming from the coliseum-style stadium. Those who were spectating this year''s annual Death Games had all been eagerly waiting for the games to begin. Some more than others. Though what stood out from the crowd was the high-class spectator seating which happened to look out at the field. There were several seats aligned perfectly side by side and in those seats sat several high-class figures. In the middle of them was the Emperor himself. Attended by two guards on both sides, a maid and a butler as well. The butler seemed to have been informing the emperor of something in which the emperor would rise. His elderly self seemed to make way towards the microphone of which he grasped in his hand. "Attention!" His masculine voice resounded throughout the stadium which seemed to hush the roars of the crowds. "I am pleased you are all gathered here today for this year''s annual Death Games. As usual, we have many contenders who all come from various places from around the Kingdom. These fine brave individuals who gathered to partake of the games do so to bring fame and fortune to their homelands and schools. As always, we will offer them a moment of silence before giving them a warm welcome."


    The Emporer seemed to begin the ceremony and while that was going through its process the contestants all seemed to be having a brief meeting to explain what was going to happen during the Death Games. Two people were standing at a podium; "Alright listen up! This year''s annual Death Games will be a little bit different. Instead of two main blocks, we have four sub-blocks. Every sub-block will have group A and group B. You and your group will be given a small letter which will reveal what group you are and what number you are in that group. For example; when the games start block one will have Group One A and Group One B take to the field for block one. Whoever loses will be next. So if Group One A losses, then Group Two A will be next. However, unlike last year the winner will stay for another four more bouts before they are cycled to the bottom. This is to weed out the weaker teams and keep the games going for no longer than a two-day period. The first day will be those battle for the spots of each block to go into the semi-finals. The winner of each block will then face the winners of another block for a chance to go into the finals. Of course, that will only happen on the second day. Both the semi-final and final matches will be on the second day." The instructor seemed to explain, everyone seemed capable of comprehending how the matches would play out. Some of the teams seemed a bit scared of the fact that they had to fight five rounds total before they would be cycled to the bottom.


    It seemed someone had a question though, raising their hand would cause one of the instructors to hush the chatter. "Go ahead." The instructor stated. "What if the remaining groups of a block are all left in a single group, what happens then?" Everyone shifted their attention from this person to the instructor. "If it comes to that then it will cycle through the said group until only one team remains. There will be no draws and of course like always, Death is Permitted, though it is not necessary. However, there has been some uplifting to the restrictions. During this year''s annual Death Games, anything and everything is permitted. From Grand Magic to heavy artillery. The inside of the blocks has been outfitted to sustain all types of damage and nullify it completely. That said, you will be fighting in boxes pretty much." The instructor stated which caused everyone to return to gossiping.


    Riyku who was leaning against a nearby wall would sigh softly. "I am guessing that the enclosed space means a lack of oxygen?" Riyku inquired, quite loudly; having spoken over the roars. "Depends on what happens inside of the box." The instructor answered him which caused Riyku to smirk. "Fair enough." He would fold his arms across his chest. "One last question," Riyku called out yet again, over the gossip. "Ask away." The instructor replied. "There is no restriction on how I kill my enemy that is correct? Does anything go? No matter how gruesome or brutal?" The serious glare in his eyes showed that his question was not to be taken lightly. Several people glanced in his direction and others seemed to gossip about him. The person beside the instructor would whistle in response to Riyku''s question. "None, but I take it you have some kind of vendetta against someone who is participating? I can see it in your eyes. Oh boy, I do love these sort of things. Be sure to put on a good show, boy." It was a female, perhaps an assistant... well maybe not since they appeared rather young. After a brief moment, the instructor would call out after checking the time on his watch. "Alright everyone line up to get your position number. After that just wait until you are called. This will serve as both a waiting room and spectators room for you all." The instructor stated firmly and everyone seemed to have started to line up.


    "Heyo." A voice called from behind Riyku, turning his head back to this person he would see a female and two males. The voice was feminine so he assumed the woman called out to him. "Hm?" Riyku mused softly. "I wanted to ask, but you don''t plan on killing everyone do you?" The woman inquired to which Riyku would shrug. "Depends on who I am against. Still, don''t see why that is any of your business." Riyku replied to which the girl giggled. "Just asking is all." She stated. "My name is May, this is Terry and Luke." When the girl introduced herself, she also introduced her teammates. Terry happened to be a small male who looked similar to Skylar in size, but not appearance. Luke appeared more masculine and taller than both of his teammates, and by the looks of it Luke was going to be the Tank, Terry the Dealer and May the Support, mainly due to their weapons. Riyku would nod, "Ri--" "Ruthless King!?" Riyku was caught off when someone called him by his campus title. The gaze of several to attended Strife University had glanced all in his direction.


    "Shit! I should have known you were going to join. We are all fucked man! Fucked!" This person seemed to complain as they lost all hope which caused Riyku to sigh heavily. "Then you should drop out." He stated to them. "It will be fine. I hear the Phantom is participating today. So they might get matched up on the opposite side and take him out for us." Someone seemed to add. "Ruthless King?" May inquired with a tilt of her head. "Yeah, this guy beats everyone down who challenges him. In fact, he does not even let up against women. It''s pretty brutal to watch." Someone stated. "Still, no chance against the Phantom though. That guy is unstoppable." Said person would add before taking note of the fact that they were holding the line back and seemed to have run to catch up.


    "Wow, you already have a title? That''s so cool! So... where is your team?" May inquired to which Riyku would shift his glance back to the girl. "Right here," Riyku stated which caused the guys as well as her to give off a dumbfounded expression. "Wait... you are joking, right? You do not seriously plan on taking the Games on by yourself, do you?" May inquired hastily to which Riyku nodded slowly. "There is no rule that states I am not allowed to do so alone. Soo... I don''t see the problem." Riyku replied to her which caused her to shake her heard. "Well, you don''t look strong to me. But, I''ll wish you the best of luck anyway. By the way, it''s your turn." May pointed in front of them. Riyku would turn to notice it was indeed his turn and he stepped up to the counter to pick up a letter before proceeding to space elsewhere. Ripping up the envelope he would slide out a piece of paper that read Block One, Group One A on it. A smirk curved across his lips from the thought of going first. Stuffing the paper into his pocket he would look around for a changing room to get ready. It seemed that people had been either already dressed and ready or had their stuff stored in some kind of luggage. Riyku had everything in his inventory so neither had been that way for him.


    Riyku had found a restroom area, proceeding inside he would lock the door before calling to his inventory menu and putting on his suit of armor. Taking a look in the mirror it seemed to fit nicely upon him and it even came with under armor which was a one-piece black cotton style skin-tight suit. Though it held no sleeves, so his arms were bare even with the top piece of his armor. The bottom happened to have been more similar to pants in their fashion. In fact, the armor itself appeared to be made out of leather rather than metal and was rather lightweight. The gloves seemed to match nicely with the suit of armor. All that was missing was his weapon which was in his inventory, but the truth in the matter was that he looked sharp and ready.


    Death Games Armor:


    Type- Armor


    Condition- Speical


    Rarity- A


    A set of armor tailor-made to fit Riyku. It is also provided with under armor. There are also three enchantment sockets filled that allow the wearer to use Hyrdo, Aero and Blaze Magical Arts without incantation as long as they are fully aware of the art they are trying to use. +30 Toughness.


    Elemental Distortion Gloves


    Type- Special Armor


    Condition- Special


    Rarity- SS


    A pair of gloves thought lost since the times of ancient war. Not many know of the power it holds, and those who do can do nothing to wield this ancient power. The gloves allow the wearer to manipulate the elements around them. Effect: Elemental Distortion.


    Indeed this set of armor would help in out in the games. Well, that and the accessories he had still been wearing since he first put them on. The Elven Bracelet, Ring of Mana, Ring of Vitality, and Necklace of Shade.


    Elven Bracelet:


    Type- Wrist


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A bracelet that was worn by the ancient elven civilization. It is said to hold magical power locked away. +5 Wisdom, + 5 Intelligence, +50 Mana.


    Ring of Mana:


    Type- Ring


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A ring that is infused with an abundance of mana as well as allows one to cultivate mana from the surrounding area when worn. +100 Mana, +2 mana points per second.


    Ring of Vitality:


    Type- Ring


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Used


    A ring that is said to bring one''s endurance up and energize them more so; than they are could be when worn. +100 Shield Points, +100 Energy.


    Necklace of Shade:


    Type- Necklace


    Rarity- B


    Condition- New


    A necklace brought about from the abyss through odd means. No one knows where it came from or how it came to be. All they know is the wearer can become invisible when worn. Buff: Darkness'' Grace: Become Camoflouge for twenty seconds to your surroundings when crouched.


    All that was left was to add his weapon of use. Since he wasn''t going to be free using his Weapon Summon and Weapon Return during the beginning battles at least, he would need to pull it out. Still, he wanted to go over its stats for doing so. Since this would be his first time using a weapon of that caliber.


    Soluna Blade


    Type- Greatsword


    Rarity- S


    Condition- Sharp and Heavy


    A large sword with a smaller sword that is retractable from inside of the blade. The smaller sword acts a second blade for the user to allow them to overwhelm and overcome any predicament. +50 Strength.


    Upon pulling out the weapon via Weapon Summon, he could feel the weighted weapon across his shoulders which caused him to dip his knees for a moment before he was able to stand up straight. "Well, this will be my main weapon for the battles. At least in the beginning anyways. I would rather not bring about a scene until after I take care of what needs to be done." Riyku stated with a lethal look in his eyes.


    ''I guess that means, I am stuck here?'' Seraphina inquired through the mental link which caused Riyku to nod. "For now. You are more than welcome to provide assistance, but do not come out. I''d rather not have the guards on me because they believe I am a demon." Riyku stated with a heavy sigh. ''Oh, but of course Darling. I''ll only come out when you call for me.'' She cooed at him which caused him to shake his head. "I''ll take it as it goes," Riyku stated before turning on his heel, unlocking the door and leaving the restroom. To his surprise, no one was around. That was largely due to the fact that everyone else was preparing and going through last minute checks.


    "So that''s our guy?'' Someone off in the distance had been whispering with their teammate. "Looks like the one." Another guy stated as he looked up from a photograph to Riyku. "By himself?" The third person of this squad seemed to state. "He is a demon after all. Let''s just take care of this and drop out afterward." The first guy stated to which they all agree in sync. Meanwhile, "Looking sexy." Kristen''s voice came up from behind Riyku, who turned to look at Kristen, Lira, and Vex. The three girls were smiling brightly at him, and each of them had been fitting into their suits that were tailor-made and designed to fit both their roles and their taste of fashion.


    "Not bad yourselves." Riyku would reply with a small smirk. "Thanks." Kristen beamed brightly. "Thank you," Lira stated softly with a flustered expression. "Mhm." Vex would remark. "So, what group are you in?" Kristen inquired. "Block One, One A. I am up first when it starts, you three?" Riyku asked them. "Well thankfully, Block One, Twenty A. I am not sure how many groups there are in total. But, they will drop fast. Rumor is that Phantom, Reaper, and M.S have joined this year." Kristen stated and Riyku''s brow would raise in response. "Phantom? Reaper? IVR?" Riyku inquired. "Oh, that''s right... I sometimes forget about your situation. Phantom is the winner of the previous year''s Death Games. Reaper was the follow up in second and IVS was third. Well, it''s not one person, but that is the team name they were given. Phantom is a group of fast pace, agile fighters that can end matches in seconds. Reaper is a team that brings nothing but death to the field. Everyone that fights against them usually ends up dead. IVR being the only team that survived against Reaper last year. Speaking of IVR, they were the team that beat us. I have no clue why they are known as IVR though or what that even stands for, but their team leader is one hell of a tactician and strong at that." Kristen stated and Lira and Vex nodded in sync as if to agree.


    "Well, If I am up against you three I won''t come out with the intent to kill, but I won''t be holding back either," Riyku stated with a smirk to which the girls gave him this expression of determination. "Good, we won''t either," Kristen stated.


    "Group One A, Group One B. Please report to your designated Blocks to begin your matches. You will only be given five minutes before you disqualified. I repeat, Group One A, Group One B. Report to your designated Blocks to being your matches. You only have five minutes before disqualification."


    A voice announcement came on which caught everyone''s attention. Riyku would look from the speaker to the girls, "Looks like I''m up. See you three in a bit." Riyku stated as he turned to leave the three of them. "Riyku!" Kristen called after him which caused him to turn his head back to look at her. "Good luck." She stated softly with a smile. Riyku would wave his hand in a nonchalant manner as he proceeded towards the entry with a large number one and a letter A over it. Beside that entry was a large number one with the letter B, but the doors were already they closed. Proceeding through the door he would press the only button there was to press and the doors closed. It felt like an elevator with the way it was shaft was moving, but something was off. When he heard a ding the doors would open and standing opposite of him happened to be a team of three people. Though the most interesting thing was that they were indeed inside of a box. There had been light posts to keep the inside lite, but other than that everything seemed closed off. It did not feel like the oxygen was limited, so perhaps it was being filtered? Regardless of that, he could hear the roaring crowds even though he was inside whatever this box was.


    "Seriously, alone? Man, this is going to be a cake-walk." Someone from the enemy team stated as they began to unsheath their blade. "And he is using a heavy weapon, ha! This is going to be too easy." Another person of the enemy team stated. "Let''s not get to fiesty, girls. This is our first debut, we need to show this handsome man everything we can." The third person stated. In truth, Riyku wouldn''t tell they were women until they mentioned it themselves. It wasn''t the armor, but more so the mannerism. His lips would curve across his cheeks as he brought his free hand up signaling them to come at him.


    Meanwhile in the crowd. "Hey! That''s Riyku!" Mel seemed to call out. "Well, he''s looking super cool," Rick stated. "Mmm, not bad. Kinda hot, even." Jessica added. "So you go for those kinds of guys, Jess." Ion stated which caused her to look at him and shake her head. "N-No! I was just saying he looked hot is all." Jessica would reply which caused Mel and Rick to chuckle softly. Rick would then look to Nora who was sitting beside him. "What''s wrong?" He noticed her serious expression. Nora''s serious expression would lighten up when Rick made note of it. "Huh, oh it''s nothing. Just a bit of thinking is all." Nora stated. "Riyku isn''t going to lose. If anything, he will come out on top!" Rick exclaimed. "True, he isn''t named Ruthless King for nothing. The fact his title circulated into our school is proof." Jessica stated. "Well... Yeah. I am not saying he is weak." Nora stated. "Then what''s wrong?" Mel asked to which Nora shook her head. "Something just does not feel right. The games have never been played like this. They have always been in either one or two blocks, but dividing it up into four blocks? I wonder why..." Nora narrowed his eyes yet again to which Rick would shrug. "It''s probably nothing serious." He stated. "Wow! Did you see that!?" Jessica exclaimed as she pointed at one of the displays that held Riyku''s battle in it. There were three others for the other battles, but it seemed Rick and company were only focused on his.


    Riyku had dodged several slash attacks from one of the girls, while also evading a thrust attack from another all the while making it extremely difficult for the other girl to release her tucked arrow. "I can''t get a clear shot!" The girl shouted. "We are trying!" The other one replied while Riyku smirked. "Is that all?" Riyku snickered which caused one of the girls to go off beat and break formation by rushing him down. "Damn you! All you do is evade!" The woman shouted. "Coward!" She added while she continued to rush him down with pointless or rather fruitless attacks. "Alright... here you go." Riyku would mutter as he brought his free hand up, the jewel in the glove sparked for a moment which caused something translucent to appear before him. "No, get back!" Her teammate called out, but it was too late. The girl was already midswing and when her weapons clashed with the translucent barrier she was repelled off which caused her to lose her balance. Gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands he would bring it down in one fell swoop. Interestingly enough though her teammate had come forth to shield her with the shield she had on her left hand. The force drove them back to their ranger of a teammate, but the foundation of the strike seemed to broke the woman''s shield. "Oh? Quite the durable one, aren''t you?" Riyku snickered. "Ray!" The girl who was shielded called out to her friend who was struggling to keep on her feet. The shield fell into two pieces as if it were cleanly split apart. "We underestimated him, girls. We should have known." The girl named Ray stated firmly as she grits her teeth in frustration.


    "Not coming to me? Well then..." Riyku would crouch low to the ground, placing the tips of his finger to the ground as if he were getting ready to push off the ground. "Ema, Claire, Get ready!" Ray shouted, but it seemed they could not prepare for the speed the male came at them with. Swinging the blade around to cut down both Ray and the girl behind her before dashing towards their ranger who had released an arrow at him the moment he was within arm''s reach. Though what caused her to give a shock filled expression wasn''t the fact that she missed, it was the fact that Riyku had disappeared only to reappear from behind, bringing the blade down to cut her down as well. Having taken out the first team against him in one fell swoop. The male would stand tall and rest the weapon along his shoulders, the weight still notable due to the fact that his knees had dipped in for a moment.


    "They aren''t dead. Just incapacitated. Still, you should treat their wounds so they don''t bleed out." Riyku called out, but it seemed that wasn''t necessary since medics were already on standby. Moving back to his side of the stage he would wait for his next opponent to come forth. Which would be Group Two B of Block One. Which of course did not take long since he could hear their footsteps already treading along the ground.


    "Oh?" Riyku would tilt his head as he made note of the next three people. "If it isn''t you three. Ho--" Riyku was cut off when he noticed that small male had dashed straight towards him. Narrow his eyes he would bring up his free hand again. The small male would jump back which caused Riyku to smirk. "Come now, don''t be afraid. I won''t kill you." Riyku stated which caused May to chuckle softly. "Well, of course, Terry would back out. He isn''t stupid to fall for something he has already seen. Still, the fact that you are capable of doing what you did, means you must be part of the Hunter''s Legion." May would lick her lips as she began to wave her staff around. "Can''t say I am. Though... Something tells me that you three will put up more of a fight than the previous trio." Riyku stated as he retook his stance, lowering his free hand to his side and adjusting his greatsword that was resting along his shoulders. "Be careful guys, that open guard is a feint. He is no amateur against groups." Terry spoke to his group mates the moment he was within a distance only they could hear. "Roger," Luke stated. "Naturally," May added. "Well, let''s begin you three. Show me what you are made up." Riyku called out as if signaling the beginning of the match himself even though Terry did it without warning.

 27 Fruitless bounty

    Since it seemed that May, Terry, and Luke were not going to come after him Riyku decided he would go after them. A quick dash would be intercepted by Luke who clashed his bastard sword against Riyku''s Soluna. "Oh? Not bad..." Riyku smirked as he felt the struggle to which Luke would give off a grin of his own. "Don''t plan on getting past me any time soon, kid." The male stated as the two continued their deadlock for a moment longer. "I will, one way or another." Riyku brought his free hand upward to Luke''s gut. The jewel embedded in the glove giving off a faint glow before an explosion occurred between the two of them. The explosion seemed to push Luke back with a growl while Riyku had slid back from the force himself. "Sorry Luke, I was a little late on the follow-up," Terry called out after landing beside him. May seemed to race towards Luke and proceed to provide him with some kind of healing aura. "No. You did fine. That guy knew what you were doing. For a second I noticed his eyes shift in the direction you were coming from." Luke explained before pushing off the ground, having used his bastard sword to keep him steady. "What? But how? I completely masked my presences." Terry would reply to which Luke shook his head. "No sure. We need to be careful about how we take him on. It doesn''t seem like he is out to kill us, but if we let our guards down just once..." Luke''s eyes would widen when he noticed that the smoke was not clearing out. "Speaking of careful...." Riyku''s voice parted from the haze before Terry cried out in pain. The sight of their comrade being flung to the other side of the arena caused them a bit of shock. "Terry!" May cried out before her voice was muffled by the fact that Riyku had his free hand cupped around her cheeks.


    "You three should''ve known that it would take time for the smoke to filter out of this box. Stopping to heal your comrade was a foolish move when you know naught of your opponent." Riyku would fling May to the other side of the arena who would clash with Terry as the man tried to stand up. This sent them back into the ground. Luke would give a battle cry which drew Riyku''s attention. Bringing his Soluna Blade upward, he would parry the Bastard Sword by knocking it aside before pressing the palm of his free hand against Luke''s chest. "Checkmate," Riyku stated. Luke was prepared for the worst, yet nothing came. "As you said, I don''t plan on killing you three. You three are not my targets. I won''t shed unnecessary blood." Riyku stated as he turned on his heel, resting his sword against his shoulders while he walked back to his side of the arena. "So you want us to give up!?" Luke exclaimed in frustration which caused Riyku to shake his head. "I never said that. You are more than welcome to come at me once you three have recomposed yourselves." Riyku would turn to face Luke who was accompanied by May and Terry. The smoke was now filtered out which left everyone a clear field of vision. May seemed to be healing Terry and Luke again, and Riyku was giving them time to recover.


    "Tell me something. Why didn''t you take us out as you did with the previous team?" May inquired as she finished healing them. "Hmm..." Riyku would close his eyes for a moment as if to think of a response. "Honestly, there is no reason. I just felt like it." He would state with a shrug. "Though, if that does not quell your thirst. Perhaps, it is to learn more about team play." Riyku stated which caused them to give a shocked expression. "Is that why you are fighting alone?" Luke inquired to which Riyku would shake his head. "No. I have my reasons for taking the battlefield solo. Well, we have wasted enough time. Let us continue." Riyku would take to his stance yet again, giving off the same impression of a fake opening.


    The three seemed to change up their formation. Luke was upfront like before, but Terry was off to the side with May standing between both of them. If anything they were all on the front line. A wise choice since that meant that they need no worry about any backline. "Terry!" May shouted just before she began to chant. Terry would dash towards Riyku, and Luke seemed to come from the other side with a pincer attack. A smirk curved across Riyku''s lips as dashed towards May who was left open. Though the fact that Luke and Terry had dropped down in speed was a bit worrisome. It was not until Riyku was with blade''s reach did May release her spell which happened to have been a massive amount of wind that not only pushed Riyku back but even cut down his Shield Points. If that wasn''t troublesome enough, Luke and Terry had been prepared for this. Luke was already in midswing with his Bastard Sword coming from behind Riyku. Meanwhile, Terry was in mid-air as if riding the wind to keep Riyku from jumping over the blade. Sure he could try to duck down, but the wind pressure was preventing him from doing so. His escapes would have been on lockdown if he wasn''t smart enough to withdraw the second blade from his Soluna. Kick off of his feet to ride the wind and use the second blade as to means to glide along with Luke''s Bastard sword and use the Soluna Blade as a means to shield himself from any kind of attack that Terry was going to throw his way. Though he took it a step further, when he kicked off his feet, Riyku threw himself in a spin which caused him to spiral through both of them like a bullet.


    Slamming both the second blade and the Soluna blade into the ground would yank him back into a proper position, and thanks to his indestructible bones, he did not receive any internal damage. Though, he would dash towards both Luke and Terry now, a grin wick across his face as he swung the Soluna Blade at Luke and the Second Blade at Terry, exchanging both blades to attack the other when they attempted to defend. Pressuring both them again back to May, now that the spell had ended.


    "Whoa..." Rick seemed rather excited, having witnessed how Riyku went from being pressured to putting on the pressure in a matter of seconds. "I see what you meant by him being the strongest in all of the Eastern Region, however...." Nora had narrowed her eyes at the screen. Her serious expression drew upon her group''s glances. "There is only so much one can do alone. Even if he is of the Hunter Legion, and he has always fought solo... There are some things that one can never experience alone." Nora seemed to express, which drew upon a more serious atmosphere than necessary. "Well, I am sure he has his reasons. But look at him, he is having fun." Ion would state. "True, that grin on his face isn''t there for show." Jessica would add. "Let''s just ask him when the Death Games end," Rick stated to which everyone seemed to agree. "Alright..." Nora would give in and enjoy the rest of the bout.


    Unable to break from the string of attack set upon both of them, they were completely forced back to May who was in the middle of chanting another spell. "May, move!" Luke called out to which broke her concentration and the woman hastily move around her teammates to face Riyku''s back. Though the moment she completely at his backside, Riyku would pivot off of his heel and dash towards May who had started up another chant. "May!" Terry called as he chased down Riyku with the attempt to take him down before he could reach May. Though the several lunge attacks did nothing, not even slow him down. The moment he reached May he would bring his Soluna Blade around to force her off her feet. Interestingly enough though, the weapon did not cleave her in half. Attaching the second blade to the main blade he would grip the hilt of the main blade with both hands and curve the weapon around with an upward strike as if he were hitting a ball with a baseball bat. This strike would send May towards the ceiling of this large box, and Riyku would follow up by kicking off the ground and ascending past her only to drop down by bringing the Soluna Blade downward. The weapon would carry May with her during this attack and the moment of impact shook the ground. "May!" Luke and Terry shouted in sync as they searched for their comrade through the haze as best they could. "Don''t worry. I didn''t kill her. I coated the edge of my blade with harden clay." The statement Riyku gave was false; his weapon wasn''t coated in clay, but more so a mixture of elements that would temporarily dull the blade.


    "Bullshit!" Terry shouted as she frantically looked around for any sign of May or even Luke. "You can be the judge for yourself after I knock you out next." It was then that Riyku seemed to have risen from Terry''s shadow like some kind of monster. He was aiming to reach for the back of the head, but Terry had turned around when he felt the presences of another so Riyku ended up grasping his face. Without delay, Riyku would slam the male into the ground with enough force to put him unconscious, but not enough to break anything or cause any lethal damage. All that was left now was Luke who was trying his best to look through the smoke, but everything was clouded for him.


    "Not a bad team, I must say. If I had not reacted as fast I did, then you may have been able to beat me." Riyku stated as his shadowy figure became visible to Luke. "Where are May and Terry!?" Luke shouted to which Riyku would chuckle. "As I said, they are fine. I kept my word, I had no plans on killing you three. So, the final question is are you going to fight or flee?" Riyku became completely visible the moment he was within a few meters of Luke. "Fight!" Luke shouted as he charged at Riyku who smirked. "Good." Riyku would step into Luke''s space the moment the male brought his blade down to cut him in half, but Riyku had intercepted the weapon by grasping hold of Luke''s blade with his free hand. The jewel giving off a shine as an aura enveloped his hand. "What!?" Luke exclaimed and was about to pull back, but Riyku''s Soluna Blade had come from the side and sent Luke off his feet. "Now then... I know that won''t knock you out soo..." Riyku would dash towards the male holding the hilt of the main blade with both hands again, only to bring it down upon the male to force him into the ground. Dragging along the ground before flinging the male off into the wall of the box as if he were hitting a hockey puck into the goal. Riyku would rest the blade against his shoulder and proceed back to his side of the arena as he waited for the medical team to come up and take away May, Luke, and Terry who were all unconscious.


    "Geez... he doesn''t know how to hold back, does he?" Kristen inquired as she sighed softly. Lira would chuckle softly. "Probably not." She would reply to Kristen. "Well, that is what we are going to be up against. I doubt he will hold back at all when the times comes. We should make sure we are thoroughly prepared." Vex would state in a serious manner which caught Lira and Kristen''s attention. "True." "Let''s make sure we are ready." Lira and Kristen agreed with Vex. "Oh look, the next match is about to start," Vex stated as she pointed to the screen to which Lira and Kristen looked up at.


    "Hooh... if it isn''t you three," Riyku stated as with a mono-expression. "Huh? We don''t know you." One of the guys would retort. "Really? I thought you three would, since you three had been checking me out earlier." Riyku''s statement caused them a bit of a shock which seemed to give him an answer on if they were after him. It wasn''t hard to connect the dots on who hired them. "So, what is Bell doing nowadays?" Riyku would narrow his eyes, the grip upon his Soluna blade tightening. Kissing his teeth one of the men shook his head. "None of your business. We were just hired to do a job." The male stated. "Yeah! So nothing personal, but you gotta die." The other man stated which caused Riyku to sigh. "Well then, before you kill me. Tell me if there are others you plan on taking out." Riyku pretty much demanded but seemed to hold back his demeanor of such.


    "Well, It really doesn''t matter to you. But yeah. We have three more targets after this. Then another two more... it is a shame they are participating, but there are ways to take down our targets without alerting the authorities." One of the men stated, in truth, they looked like the Bandits from the Lower District, but more of an upgraded version. "Is that so..." Riyku''s tone of voice darkened. He would remove the blade from his shoulder and let the tip clash onto the ground which caused them to give him a weird look. "Enough chitchat, let''s take him out, boys!" The man shouted before the three of them charged him down. "Honestly...." Riyku would mutter as he just stood there. "Take this!" One of the men shouted as they leaped at him, bringing two blades down towards him. Another guy had begun to fire off his pistols in Riyku''s direction while the last guy seemed to be tossing out land mines or some kind. "You three...." Riyku would bring the Soluna Blade upward; the tip of the blade piercing through the first male. The man did not even release what had happened until he felt a sharp pain in his stomach a moment later. It was then he felt several more sharp pains penetrate through his back which caused him to scream. Riyku had used this man as a meat shield for the bullets before tossing the critically wounded male into the land mines that were displaced around him which set them off in chain reaction.


    "Are not even worth my time." Riyku would activate ''Shadow Step'' to rapidly travel towards the gunslinger. Bringing his blade around he made a clean cut which separated the head from the neck. All that was left was the final guy who was cursing under his breath, pulling out two pistols to unleash a barrage of bullets onto Riyku. "Blink," Riyku muttered before his body vanished and appeared behind the guy. Grasping the man by the neck he would pull the guy back while pushing his blade through the man''s backside, piercing the man entirely before Riyku kicked him off of the blade. In a matter of seconds, Riyku had killed off three guys. Making his way back to his section he would glance around through the smoke, even though it was cloudy he could see clear as day largely due to his supernatural senses. It didn''t take long for the medic team to arrive and interestingly they came prepared. Easily navigating through the smoke and cleaning up the mess that was made. Of course, it took a bit longer than the last two matches, but it got done.


    "They must have said something that pissed him off." Jessica state which everyone nodded softly. "Do you think it has to do with what Riyku told us a while back. About the incident and about Bell Perez?" Mel seemed to inquire. "Probably," Rick stated as he tried to compose himself. "Most likely. After you guys explained it to me, I did some digging. Turns out Bell stopped showing up to school and canceled her all of her concerts around the time Riyku showed up. If anything, she is probably the mastermind behind everything." Nora put in her own statement. "But why? All he did was beat up Jack. I mean if calling her a whore as well is not enough of a reason to warrant this kind of behavior." Rick stated to which Nora would shake her head. "I don''t know. I never paid much attention to Jack his girlfriend or his sister for that matter." Nora would reply to Rick who sighed heavily. "Well, I feel sorry for the next combatants. I don''t think Riyku has cooled off enough, he hasn''t taken that stance at all." Rick stated having made note of the fact that Riyku had the tip of his sword dipped into the ground. His posture appeared as if he were hunched over.


    ''Darling?'' Seraphina called out through a mental link. "Putting a bounty on me is fine.... but putting one on everyone associated with me..." Riyku would growl darkly as he tightened the grip on the hilt of the blade. ''I understand how you feel, but if you lose composure you may end up making a mistake. You need to recollect yourself, my love.'' Seraphina tried to soothe him, and thankfully it worked out. He would shake his head after a brief moment and bring the blade up to rest along his shoulders like before. "Thank you, Sera," Riyku stated softly and Seraphina would make a delighted noise. The next team seemed to take place before him and the smoke had long since cleared so they could easily see each other. Riyku only saw the look of frightened faces. "You know... Can we just give up?" One of the teammates asked their groupmate. "I''m fine with that." A groupmate replied. "Fuck that!" The last groupmate seemed to disagree with the others and began to rush Riyku down. "Taking this guy out after the performance he has made in his previous three matches will give us a high reward." The guy shouted as he tossed small orbs towards Riyku which seemed to bounce off the ground before exploding giving off a bright light. Riyku would cover his face with his free hand, but the feeling of something pierce through his flesh caused him to grit his teeth. His eyes shifted towards his shield points as text appeared upon his UI.


    ''Minor puncture wound detected! Healing with Shield Points.''


    ''Wound healed!''


    ''Minor puncture wound detected! Healing with Shield Points.''


    ''Wound healed!''


    ''Minor puncture wound detected! Healing with Shield Points.''


    ''Wound healed!''


    The text would repeat over and over as he felt minor sharp pains dip into his skin, though he was incapable of even seeing anything. The blinding light wasn''t the only thing that masked his sense. The loud bang happened to have distorted his ability to hear, and for whatever reason, he was unable to pinpoint the person dealing damage to him with his ability to detect presences or intent. His sense of smell would do no good since everything was mixed and mushed together and his sense of taste was useless at this moment in time. Clicking his tongue Riyku would release a beastly roar while stomping upon the ground. The shadows below him would spike up which caused the attacker to leap back to his team. "Damn, that was close." The male shouted as he twirled his daggers passively in his hands. "Damn it, now we HAVE to fight!" The other man shouted in frustration. "Yeah yeah. Besides, what was that skill he just used? Was it a martial skill? I know those of the Legion can use unique skills, like Flash Step, but I have never seen that one." The male stated.


    "It didn''t feel like a skill, but like someone or something was protecting him." The second member of the team decided to speak up. "Oh? So, like a beast tamer like you?" The first member inquired. "Hmm... Not quite. I don''t get that feeling from him. It''s more than just a pact or a contract. Still, since we came this far, we might as well fight. He didn''t kill those of the first two matches, so he might not kill us. It seems like he is only after certain people." The woman would state merely through observation. "So, we won''t die?" The attacker from before inquired while licking his lips. "I wouldn''t test his patience though. Something the previous team did, made him snap. So we should still be cautious as ever." The woman stated which caused the two men to nod. The first one who was holding a sword and shield would sigh heavily while the second one was still playing with their daggers had snickered. "Fine fine. Are you going to use it here then?" He inquired. "I might have to if we want to make it to the finals." The woman replied. "Alright, I and Aevin will distract him while you prepare the summon, Maulin." The tanker would state, but it seemed the damage dealer had already dashed ahead yet again. Tossing another set of those small orbs in Riyku''s direction. Riyku would grip his Soluna Blade with both hands before giving it a mighty swing. The force behind the made would shoot out an arc of wind which pushed the orbs back towards Aevin who blinked rapidly. "Yo, Brisk!" Aevin shouted back to his teammate who sighed heavily and jumped in front of him. Using his shield to shield them from the blinding light. "I''ve told you before several times not to charge in like that!" Brisk exclaimed. "Yeah, yeah! Thanks for the hel--" Aevin was caught off when he noticed Riyku had circled around them. "Shit!" He shouted turning on his heel to pivot after the man. "Brisk, shield Maulin!" Aevin shouted and Brisk seemed to jut towards his comrade with haste. "On it!" The male seemed to have slipped past Riyku, but not with pure speed alone. Aevin would catch up to Riyku who had slammed his Soluna against Brisk'' shield which caused the male to dip down a bit from the pressure. Avein would leap towards Riyku from behind him as if preparing to jam his daggers into the male; although, Riyku had ducked down, rolled his body around with a pivot to avoid Aevin which only make the male hit nothing by air. Kissing his teeth he turned around only to see the large blade come crashing down upon his body which cratered him into the ground.


    "Aevin!" Brisk shouted, though did not seem to have time to check up on his teammate since Riyku had pulled the heavy shield aside while bringing the Soluna around to take out him. Brisk would use his sword in an attempt to guard. Brisk would redirect the force of the attack away from him with either luck or skill, it served to keep him in this bout longer. "Maulin!" Brisk called out as if asking for help and as if on sync a large summoning circle would appear below them. Taking note of this Riyku would jump back out of the circle thinking it was some kind of attack spell, but no, it was something else. A large creature would rise from the circle, resembling that of a minotaur with both height and body build. In fact, it probably was a minotaur all things considered, with the exception of the crown on top of its head. "Thank you, Tarrus for answering my call!" Maulin called to her summon. "Of course Milady. I have gauged the situation through your mana. Might I inquire as to why you are fighting this battle." The minotaur asked, his eyes still upon Riyku. His large hands gripping both of his battle axes tightly. "Well, the Death Games. Why else?" Maulin stated as she helped Brisk retreat further back. "Yes, I get that. But, this battle itself. You should have forfeit. This person is not a man, but a monster. I detect the aura of a caged beast. One waiting to break free. I must say, even I may not come out of this battle unscathed. Get your friend and fall back as far as you can. I''ll do what I can." The minotaur stated which caused Maulin to raise a brow. "What do you mean, caged beast? He isn''t human?" She asked to which the minotaur shook his head. "No. He is not." Tarrus stated which caused Maulin to gulp heavily. She would rush towards Avein who was still breathing, barely... he wasn''t inflicted with any outside wounds though. "Wait... you did cut him down?" Maulin looked towards Riyku when she confirmed that Avein was not in a critical state.


    Riyku looked towards her and shook his head. "You are not my target. I don''t mind taking you three... four." Riyku would correct himself before continuing, "out. However, you are more than welcome to give up. I don''t know anything about summons, so if you take damage equal to that of what I inflict on your summon. I can assure you, you won''t feel fine by the end of this." Riyku stated firmly, withdrawing the second blade from the Soluna as he crouched low to the ground as if he were about to take off. "We''ve already come this far. If you don''t plan on killing us, I see no reason to give in. Tarrus give it your all!" Maulin shouted which the minotaur smirked. "Of course Milady. You!" The minotaur pointed his battle ax towards Riyku. "I, King of Minotaurs, Tarrus, challenge you to a one on one duel. Winner takes all!" Even though this was a pointless feat, somewhere deep down inside the minotaur had this feeling that Riyku would accept. A smirk curved across his face, "Very well. I need to let off some steam. So you''ll do just fine. I accept your challenge." It was then that Riyku would kick off of his heel and the battle would commence.

 28 The adveristy of battle

    Tarrus would bring both of his giant axes down upon Riyku when Riyku was within striking distance; however, Riyku seemed to have sped himself up to avoid being crushed. The extra step also pushed him under Tarrus'' legs. Cutting the flesh with his blades caused the minotaur to growl as he quickly turned around, bringing his ax around to smash it straight into Riyku. The male would kick-off of his feet to leap into the air and avoid the strike; however, he had not predicted a second strike. So the second ax would smash into his back forcing him back to the ground with a growl. Kissing his teeth he would kick off his feet, but instead of leaping into the air he would pivot away from the minotaur. Continually to leap back away from the minotaur even after evading another strike that was set to smash him into the ground. The male would eye his Shield Points which took a major dent from a single blow, yet his body remained intact. "You are quite nimble even with wielding such a large blade. I must say it is impressive, young one." Tarrus called out. Riyku would shift his glance back to Tarrus with a smirk. "I should say the same about you. Following up with a second strike right after the first was smart." Riyku would admit that the minotaur got him pretty good there, still, he could not lose here. Inhaling softly the male would exhale; all four jewels that were embedded into his armor set began to give off a gentle shine. A flare of wind would wrap around him, then a flow of water, and lastly an aura of fire. These three elements would continue to cycle around him until they fused into one which seemed to emit off of the male in the form of steam.


    "Oh? What is this?" The minotaur inquired with intrigue as he prepared himself. Riyku once more dashed towards Tarrus; however, unlike before his speed rivaled that of an Olympic runner. Kicking off the ground, Riyku would lunge towards Tarrus; and with the side and the main blade in hand. Cutting through flesh as he passed by, but instead of simply dropping speed; he had planted his feet against some kind of translucent barrier. Kicking off of the barrier he would fling past Tarrus and clip his flesh again, only to repeat the process once more. "Faster..." Riyku muttered as he grit his teeth. The Jewel on his glove giving off a brighter shine as the male seemed to steadily increase speed, "Faster..." He added when multiple barriers began to appear one after the other. "I need to go faster!" He released a battle cry, and at this point, Riyku was flying past Tarrus like some kind of super fly. Clipping the skin of the minotaur each time he passed by. Tarrus could not even keep up with the speed, every time he tried to look for Riyku he felt pain engrave upon his flesh. Eventually, Tarrus tried to swing his ax at the male but only missed. Once, twice, thrice... again and again, Taruss would attempt to hit Riyku like a madman trying to swat a fly. Yet to no avail did Tarrus manage such a feat. Instead, Riyku had drawn the minotaur to his knees with a final bypass by cutting at the Achilles heel for who knows how many times it had been. Planting both swords into the ground to not smash into the wall of the box the male would grind up dirt while he slides back thanks to the momentum.


    Tarrus looked at Riyku with a smirk and a glare all in the same. "You truly are not human." The minotaur muttered while keeping himself from falling over with his axes. Riyku would reconnect the blades into one while panting heavily. "I''ll take that as a compliment." He would reply with a snicker before expending his free hand outward. The Jewel would burn brighter than before and he would glide the palm of his hand over his blade. The blade would soon erupt or more so flare out with clear flame. It was then that the jewel''s brightness became dull once more and the male would grip the hilt of the blade with both hands. "Now, here''s the finish." Riyku would bring the blade down from overhead which caused the arc of the flame to fly out towards Tarrus who smirked as if admitting his defeat. "Nooo!" Maulin would shout as she jumped in front of Tarrus with her arms spread wide. "Lady Mau!" Tarrus would attempt to shield herself but was currently unable to due to the immense amount of pain his body was going through. Riyku would narrow his eyes, "I won''t make it in time. I don''t have enough mana for blink..." He growled. Even though he was already racing towards Maulin for whatever reason, he was not going to make it for sure. "Damn it..." Riyku growled under his breath. It was then he felt something pulsate inside of him again. "Wha-what?" He would shudder when he felt it yet again. His body seemed to begin to distort rapidly before he completely vanished only to appear in front of Maulin and Tarrus. "You!" Tarrus exclaimed.


    Bringing his Soluna Blade up with haste he would block the arc with the flat edge of the blade pressing his arm firmly against the other side of the flat edge while struggling to keep himself from flying back into Maulin. A painful growl would pierce through his gritted teeth. "Move already!" Riyku had called back to Maulin who was stunned in place for god knows why. Riyku would not let the arc glide past him since Maulin would not move, nor could he prevent himself from steadily sliding back either. A groan escaped the male as a black aura seemed to dimly leave the male''s body. His eyes flared open when he felt a burst of power surge through him for a moment which allowed him to fling the arc off to the side. The arc itself seemed to explode when it hit the furthermost corner of the box meanwhile Riyku would collapse forward, using his blade to keep himself from hitting the ground. While he was panting heavily he noticed his Shield Point gauge had been emptied. His Mana gauge was also bare-bones and his Energy gauge was now around twenty-five percent full. "Ummm..." Maulin would call out softly to Riyku. The male would shift his glance towards the girl, the aura that was around him seemed to have exhausted itself long ago. "Thank you..." She appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Thank you so much!" She exclaimed while sitting on the ground. Riyku''s brow rose before shaking his head, picking the blade out of the ground he would rest it against his shoulder. "Yeah..." Riyku appeared more exhausted than he should have been. Making his way towards the other side of the arena he would sigh heavily. "Looks like it is my win." He muttered and Maulin would nod softly. "Yes. We, Group Four B forfeit our match!" Maulin shouted which seemed to signal Riyku''s win.


    Tarrus would huff heavily before calling out to Riyku, "Thank you for protecting Milady Maulin. You do not appear as beast-like as your essences give off. So I thank you. It is indeed your win." Tarrus would state before his body slowly began to dissolve into particles of light and seep back into Maulin. By the time Riyku was already on the other side of the Arena, the next team was coming to take her positions. Kissing his teeth the male would shake his head, "I shouldn''t be this exhausted." He seemed to complain.


    ''That is your fault Darling. You decided to be the hero.'' Seraphina stated through their mental link. "Yeah. I should thank you for helping me back there. Giving me your power allowed me to make it in time and deflect the attack." Riyku stated which caused Seraphina to reply, ''I do not know what you are talking about. I did not lend you any power.'' Seraphina stated which caused Riyku to raise a brow in confusion. "You sure?" He inquired to which Seraphina would insist. "Hey! What the hell are you muttering to yourself over there!? Did you hit your head!?" One of the guys on the opposite end would call out. Riyku would shake his head with a sigh, pushing aside the thought of who may have helped him. He would eye his status bar yet again. "I can''t push myself anymore. I need to end this quickly." Riyku would dash towards the team and bring his blade around; however, the swing was slower than anticipated and the person seemed to evade the slash. "My attack speed has decreased!?" Riyku exclaimed to himself with an inner thought before attempting another slash, then another and another. Each one only seemed to slow down, and before he knew it he was surrounded.


    "Haha! You must be exhausted! Let''s get''em boys!" The guy commanded as the other two charged him alone with the first guy. Thrust from behind would cause him to step to the side which would lead him into a slash from above, this caused him to step forward away from this slash which only leads him to take a blade into his arm from a third attack. Kissing his teeth the male would spin on his heel once swinging his sword around him several times before the tip of the blade began to grind against the ground thanks to the momentum. The male panting heavily as he looked down to see an open wound on his arm. Thankfully, there was a light haze about which seemed to change the perspective of the color of his blood. So it appeared more marroon than black. "Damn it..." Riyku would growl as he gripped the hilt of the blade to bring it around to deflect a sword attack, only to flatter when another came from his side. Jumping back to avoid this one would lead him to take a slash at his back which caused him to stumble forward. "Damn it..." Riyku growled again, clearly, these three were in perfect sync with one another. It was like they were leading him around. Riyku already knew since he had exhausted all of his resources, he was at wits'' end. His breathing was heavy now, and the look in his eyes was steadily turning dire.


    "This is easy!" "Hell yeah!" "Let''s finish this up!" The three guys cheered happily before darting around Riyku and leaping in to take strikes at him one after another. Riyku could barely keep up with blocking each side, that eventually his footing slipped from under him and he took several slashes to his arms and torso as well as backside. His armor had already been struck multiple times beforehand which made it easy to penetrate now.


    [You are going to lose.]


    A voice snickered into his mind which caused him to growl.


    [If you rely on my power, you will die.]


    The voice continued to edge him on.


    [Even if you don''t die, your life is forfeit unless you win.]


    It continued, a sly smirk of Harvester''s face appeared in his mind.


    [Unleash it already!]


    Harvester exclaimed.


    "Enough!" Riyku would release a roar, the shadows around him spiking out several times as if to continuously push the three guys back. The foundation of the box shook to some extent. ''Riyku! Riyku!'' Seraphina called out through a mental link, yet no response came from the male who was just standing there. The shadows would return to him and slowly slither up his body, closing out his wounds over time while the three guys took to caution while regrouping.


    "What the hell?" One of the guys would squint their eyes at Riyku who held this flourish of blackening color skin. An eerie aura was starting to surround him. "Did he just power up? What kind of bullshit!?" Another guy exclaimed in frustration. "Dude, that''s cheap. What is he, some kind of main character? This is rigged!" Another guy added. "Shut up! We can still win this. We need to focus!" The first guy shouted which caused his teammates to stop their complaining and focus now. The three of them taking to a guarded stance, each one was at the backside of the other as if to prepare for anything.


    Off somewhere else in the waiting area were several figures gathered around. "So, he truly isn''t human." A feminine voice called out from a pink-haired individual. "Well ma''am, what do we do? At this rate, he will tear through all who stand before him." One of the people inquired. "We stick to the plan. It is only a blessing that we are all in the same block." The pink-haired woman snickered. "I want all of you to exploit as much as this man as you can even at the cost of your lives. Otherwise... I''ll be sure to take them myself. Of course, if you survive and fulfill your duty, I''ll handsomely reward you." The pink-haired woman would express in a flirtatious manner. "Yes, Ma''am!" Everyone shouted in sync.


    "Idiots..." A stern young voice of a male muttered. "Your highness, you should not give them such high praise. After all, they are mere scum." Another voice came out, one more sophisticated and feminine. "She is right. For what they did, they only deserve their deaths." The third member of the trio who was resting in a lone spot in the waiting area had agreed. "Regardless, this Ruthless King. May be who we face against in the finals, so you two better not underestimate him. He does not appear fully human, either." The male stated firmly. "For you to speak so highly, he must be quite the powerful foe." The stern voiced woman would state. "Indeed, but remember you are not fully human either, My Lord." The second woman would add and the male would nod silently.


    Back to the match, well more so Riyku''s sub-conscious Seraphina was calling out to Riyku continuously, yet no answer still came to her. "Damn it! What happened!? Why did you let it consume you!?" Seraphina shouted, though her answer was given when she heard the snickers of a familiar voice. "What did you do, Harvester!?" Seraphina growled out towards the abyss around her. "Nothing. I merely reminded him of who he is. Of what humans have done to him. I showed him the true nature of humanity." Harvester would call from the darkness around. "You bastard! You have no right! What you are doing is cruel! This is a chance for Riyku to become different. A chance for him to be free of those damned shackles! So why!? Why do you insist on making him suffer!?" Seraphina would seether with rage now. "Why? Because he is the trigger. He can not escape Fate nor Destiny. No matter where he goes, be it into the far future, or the distant past. Be it another universe, or another world entirely. He continues to be reborn, continues to live in suffering until he completes his task and triggers the end of all life." Harvester would state as he made his descent from the darkness. "You know that more than anyone. The Eighth must decide, Destruction or Salvation." Harvester narrowed his eyes at Seraphina to glared at him. "Then you should not be forcing him to pick one over the other!" Seraphina would try slash at Harvester with her claws. Though the man would evade backward to avoid the strike with a snicker. "I will always side with Destruction, Seraphina. After all, I am his true nature incarnate." and with that Harvester would vanish completely. Seraphina was left alone in Riyku''s sub-conscious, "Riyku please!" She called out to him yet again.


    "Dude, this guy hasn''t moved yet. Should we just go after him?" One of the guys stated while keeping his eyes in front of him. "No. We need to remain cautious if he-- Shit! Where did he go!" The leader of their team shouted, which caused them to remain on high alert. Sadly, they would never anticipate that Riyku would rise from their combine shadows and split the three of them up. "How did he! GAHHH!" One of the guys cried their last breath which caused his teammates to look at him. The sight was both terrifying and rage engaging since Riyku had pierced the man''s chest straight through. Holding the heart of the guy who was dangling around his arm. The heart still seemed to beat, but Riyku would crush it before tossing the corpse at the enemy team as a district so he would repeat the process to the second guy. Which left only the leader now. "Damn it... Damn you! You... you... Monster!" The guy cried out as he gripped his blade tightly.


    No words parted Riyku, but instead, the male dashed towards the Leader.


    ''Defeat the Shadow King.''


    A text box appeared before the Leader''s face which would draw his attention away from Riyku for only a moment. This moment was critical since Riyku had reached the male''s throat and slammed him into the ground. Raising him and tossing him into the air. "What the hell!?" The leader choaked out, but before he could do anything tendrils of shadow spiked up to latch against each limb. A scream of pain would pierce through gritted teeth as the sound of bones breaking and skin tearing echoed throughout the box and before long the tendrils completely pulled the body apart the moment Riyku snapped his fingers as if to command them to do so.


    The winner was clear as day; however, Riyku would stumble around as the shade of black began to evaporate from his flesh and his eyes slowly closed. It was then that his body collapsed against the ground, "What..." Riyku would mutter just before blacking out completely.


    "Bro, you gonna get up yet!?" A strong masculine voice called out which caused the male to open his eyes; however, the sight was different. The sky was visible clear with stars shining brightly overhead. When his body moved his eye shifted towards a young adult male; probably the one who called out to him. "What?" The male huffed as he sat up. The imagery was fuzzy in the sense that Riyku himself could not paint the picture of the male. "You have been sleeping all day man. I know it''s your day off, but you should at least help out." The young adult male replied as he stopped next to the male. His hand moving to his head to scratch the back of it before yawning heavily. "Dude, seriously?" The guy called out to which the male finally sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. I''ll be there. It''s not like the festival is going to end anytime soon." The male would get up and dust himself off. Standing around the same height as the guy beside him. "Still, it would not be the same without you bro. Come on, let''s go." The guy stated and both of them traveled down the hill to a festive looking village.


    The sight went all black and moments later did Riyku''s eyes slowly open to the sight of a white ceiling. "What?" Where?" Riyku muttered as he slowly sat up and looked around to an empty room. ''You passed out. Are you okay, Darling?'' Seraphina''s voice called from the mental link which caused Riyku to nod softly. "I am fine, but I don''t understand what happened. I was being attacked by those guys, then Harvester started to... Wait, what happened to the match!?" Riyku exclaimed as he stopped his train of thought. ''You won.'' Seraphina replied. ''Please, lay back down, Darling. You need to rest up. Right not everyone is going through cycles since you completed her five matches. Get as much rest as you can before your turn comes up again. You need to recover.'' Seraphina stated and Riyku nodded before laying back down. His eyes staring at the white ceiling for a moment.


    "Seraphina, Did something happen when I blacked out? I recall coming to a brief, moment but everything between the times of being pressured to that point is a complete haze." Riyku stated softly. ''Nothing you need to concern yourself please, Darling. Get some rest.'' Seraphina stated to which Riyku would give in with a sigh of defeat. His eyes would close and he would relax his body before falling into slumber. ''I will protect you... I promise.'' Seraphina whispered.


    Meanwhile, it seemed things were heating up in all of the blocks. Teams were being dominated one after another. People being killed and some surrendering, there were a few who forfeited the battle before even partaking. A few hours had already passed since Riyku had finished his set. Several teams of all four blocks had been eliminated with how few people there were. Still, there were several handfuls left. It was finally, Kristen''s turn. Lira and Vex would follow suit and they entered into the first block. The arena had been cleaned out to a crisp, and even the air filtered nicely. It was like brand new. The three girls glared at a group of roughish figures who snickered and laughed at them.


    "We are being underestimated," Vex muttered with an annoyed expression. "Well, then why don''t we show these punks what we are made up." Kristen would smash her gauntlets together. Lira taking up the rear would knock an arrow in place; though the arrows seemed to be made of mana rather than the typical ballistic style arrow. Vex would gripe the shaft of her staff in both hands with a nod. "Lira, cover me!" Kristen shouted as she dashed forward. Lira would adjust her bow into an angle where she would release the bolt high into the sky. Vex would proceed to do minor chants while waving her staff around. "Let''s have some fun!" One of the guys shouted as he raced after Kristen, not paying any attention to the fact that Lira had fired off an arrow into the sky. The arrow would split into several arrows once it reached it''s peak height and would descend towards the guy who charged forward. The guy would cry out in pain as he felt the mana arrows pierce through his flesh, "Thanks, Lira!" Kristen shouted as she darted right past the guy who has now been pinned to the ground thanks to the arrows that pierced his body. One of the second guys would proceed to unleash a barrage of ballistic arrows at Kristen; however, Vex had used her spell to morph the earth beneath that guy which pierced through his body, while simultaneously morphing the earth in front of Kristen to act as a shield for the arrows. Kristen would vault over the wall of earth that had protected her, "Thanks, Vex!" Kristen shouted before she chased down the final person who was running away from her. "Where you going!?" She exclaimed as she gave it one final push and tackled the sorry lad to the ground. Straddling the man before decided to pummel his face in with her gauntlets.


    In truth, it was a short battle, but one that was won nonetheless. After all, they had four more battles to go. They knew they needed to end these battles quickly, so they could reserve their strength for their final battle. Which is why they wasted no time in taking out the enemy team even if it meant killing them. Just like how the medical team came up to clear out the bodies before, they did the same just now while Kristen would rejoin Vex and Lira. "Good job, girls!" Kristen expression with a warm smile. "You too!" Vex and Lira replied to Kristen. "Good job, Vex," Lira stated. "Same to you, Lira," Vex replied. The three of them giggled for a moment, before taking their position when their next set of opponents appeared on the opposite side of the arena.

 29 Impression of facade peace

    The sound of festive folk music and soft hymns would reach the ears of the male who was walking alongside his friend back into the village. "Riyku!" Someone exclaimed while pointing to the male. "Hey! Nice of you to join us finally." Another person called out, people began to greet him. Chuckling the male would return his greetings. "Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it, truly. I guess I should give the speech." Riyku was not the centerfold of everyone who had gathered around him. Clearing out his throat while the music died down and everyone settled into a silent state he would begin.


    "I know it has been a long and rough time during this war against the armies of the Noble Armata. I understand we have all lost people precious to us. Be them loved ones, or friends, even family. However, the time of war has come to an end. We have stuck out long enough to drive the Noble Armata back to their land!" Riyku exclaimed. "We are now at a time of peace, with the victory of the goddess who has blessed us. While we celebrate our victory tonight, this will also be a celebration for those who have lost their lives, not in vain, but to have strengthened our bonds with one another. May them finally rest in peace, knowing that we will now stand proud as a Nation of our own!" Riyku exclaimed. People started to cheer and clap. "Still..." Riyku would silence their uproar. "We need to remain cautious as we rebuild ourselves. We need to remain steadfast as we proceed into the future. Our Nation will be on to go down in history as the Nation who held against the Noble Armata. We need to set up a bright future for our children, their children and so on so forth so that this Nation will remain as one and stand strong for many eons to come!" Riyku would exclaim. "As you bask in your well-fought glory, remember that we are strong. Remember that we are proud and remember that we are HOPE!" Riyku shouted aloud it was then that the crowd would begin to cheer aloud. "Long live Hope! Long Live our leader, Riyku!" The crowds would roar aloud throughout the night.


    The festival would start up again and everyone began to dance and enjoy themselves. Several people would converse with Riyku and the person besides who had called referred him as his brother. When everyone went their separate ways, Riyku was left with a cup of wine in hand and his ''brother'' beside him. "We finally did it. It''s almost unbelievable." The guy stated as he looked at the joy-filled festival. "We did. But it is not over, there is still more to come. Hope will never die, as long as this Nation stands as one." Riyku stated before partaking of his cup of wine. "With you being our Leader, we will never know Despair again. To think that the guy we saved all those years ago would bring such prosperity to our land." The male would chuckle lightly. Riyku would look over to the guy who was tearing up. "She was right about you, you know. While we all refused to believe and accept you, she was the only one who would stick to your side." The male stated softly. "Ah, Racheal?" Riyku inquired to which the male nodded. "Who else." The man would swirl his drink his cup while looking at it. "Your sister was a strong woman. Beautiful and selfless to no end. She did everything in her power to protect someone like me." Riyku muttered with a half-hearted look. "Someone like you Eh? She saw the best in you. She saw you for you who you were. I still regret not following her... If I had just chased after her. If someone else had gone with her...." Riyku would place a hand on the male''s shoulder with a soft shake of his head.


    "You did nothing wrong. Do not blame yourself, Fredrick. I do not blame you or anyone else here for not following her that night. It is entirely my fault for not being able to protect her." Riyku stated which caused Fredrick to shake his head. "No. You did all you could. By the time we arrived you had taken out an entire Army of the Noble Armata, alone.... you even had the strength to withstand all that damage and still carry my sister back with us. I did lose my sister... but I can tell that you truly loved her." Fredrick stated, having noted Riyku''s sorrowful gaze. He would bump his glass against Riyku''s. "Come on, let''s drink. To Racheal, To Hope, to a Nation of Peace!" Fredrick exclaimed which caused Riyku to chuckle. "To Racheal, To Hope, and a Nation of Peace," Riyku repeated before they downed their mugs of wine.


    It was then that the memory seemed to have ended with a slow erosion of darkness. Riyku was now floating around his sub-conscious where he saw Seraphina in a soft slumber. Making his way towards her he would smile softly and caress her cheek gently. "You know, you could have saved her." A familiar eerie voice called from behind him. Hastily, Riyku turned around to see Harvester who had a slight grin. "What do you want?" Riyku inquired with a stern glare. "You already know what I want. For you to agree to my deal. I even let you sample my... well your original power. How was it?" Harvester stated with a smirk. "Sample? When!?" Riyku inquired hastily to which Harvester snickered. "When you wanted to save that girl. The skill you used was called ''Glitch''. It is faster than using ''blink'' or ''shadow step''. Sadly, that was not the full raw potential of that skill since you are not fully connected to me. The second skill you used is called ''Dark Buff''. It raises your strength tremendously in return for consuming your toughness. It is only temporary, but it is what allowed you to overcome your attack in that brief moment. Just like ''Glitch'', ''Dark Buff'' was watered down due to the same reasons applied." Harvester would explain which caused Riyku to narrow his eyes even more. "Was it also you when I blacked out? Your damn voice was there the entire time." Riyku stated firmly and Harvester would shake his head. "No. That is your present power. Dark Form, I believe is what it was called. I won''t lie, I did edge you into it. Otherwise, we both would have been dead. But that power alone is presently yours. Why you don''t remember is beyond me." Harvester would reply. "Shut up already. Stop trying to take over Riyku''s body!" Seraphina had shouted from behind Riyku which caused him to look back at Seraphina who was protectively embracing him.


    "Take over his body? No, no. I just want him to be ready for what is to come. You are holding back. He needs this power, this strength to overcome the trials ahead of him." Harvester would state with a shake of his head. "Bullshit! You only want to his body! You have always been to his body!" Seraphina shouted which caused Riyku to look up at her. "What are you talking about?" He inquired with a serious expression. "As I said, Harvester is what you were in the past lives. This is a new you, without the weight of your previous lives. He only wants to take over your body, so he can..." Seraphina caught herself and she turned her head away from Riyku. "So he can what?" Riyku asked.


    Seraphina seemed to not wish to answer. "Go on, tell him. He has the right to know." Harvester stated. "Seraphina..." Riyku stared at her and she finally gave in. "So he can take revenge against all life. Against everything and everyone that robbed him of everything. But Riyku, you need to know that, that was the past and that this the now! Do not let your past sway your decisions of the present. You have made several great friends, and I stand by what I said when you say you are the happiest I have ever seen you!" Seraphina exclaimed with haste and meaningful expression. "By all means, she is not wrong. You do not need to let the past sway your present decisions; however, they will come. They will rob you of everything as they have before time and time again. You... as you stand now, are weak. You can not protect anything. You will never be able to save those precious to you, let alone be able to defend yourself. I will say it time and time again, you will lose everything." Harvester would state before his body began to slowly seep into the darkness yet again.


    "Don''t listen to him, Riyku. He is just trying to get you to let him take over." Seraphina looked at Riyku, but the expression of fear was no longer there as it was before. "Riyku?" Seraphina called out softly. "I will figure something out. I won''t you or anyone precious to me be taken away and I will do it without accepting Harvester''s power." Riyku stated firmly and Seraphina would nod with a bright smile. "Good to hear. Now, it''s time to wake up my love. I am sure the girls are on their final match by now. You should tune in." Seraphina stated and Riyku nodded before closing his eyes, and when he opened them he was back to looking at a white ceiling.


    Riyku would sit up and swing his legs over the bedside. His eyes would glance up to his status bar on his UI. His Shield Points, Mana Points, and Energy Points were not even half full. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he muttered, "Inventory." Which brought up the inventory menu before him. He would select three items that looked like vials filled with different colors. All three vials would appear beside him through dim particles of light similar to how his weapons and armor came to be. When he was finished bringing the items out he would dismiss the screen by swiping away from him. Riyku would reach for one of the vials which held a green coloration, remove the cork and down the liquid. He would do the same for the second vial which held a navy blue coloration, then the final vial which held a golden coloration. Once all three were empty the three vials seemed to have returned to his inventory through Weapon Return, and his iris'' shifted to his status bar again. There had been little plus marks beside the three gauges which showed that they were rising over time. His eyes would then look towards the screen where the three girls were preparing for their final bout. "It was a good thing I prepared those. Same they were the only ones I had." Riyku would mutter to himself. ''Let''s just hope those three can kill some time for you to recover.'' Seraphina continued to which Riyku would nod silently.


    Kristen, Vex and, Lira appeared to be ready for the upcoming battle. They even seemed to feel excited about it, as if they had reserve energy. "Looks like we''ll be able to draw out this battle," Lira would say with a soft smile. "Yup. Give him time to recover." Kristen appended. "Still, what was that? It looked like what had happened back when Seraphina was first brought here." Vex declared which drew their attention. "True... I have an uneasy feeling myself." Lira added and Kristen nodded. "We''ll need to ask him when we get a chance. For now, let''s just do what we can." Kristen said as she made note of her opponents who entered retrograde of them. The look on their faces did not compare to the look on Riyku''s face which was grime. "Bell..." Riyku growled as he grasped the sheets of the medical bed tightly.


    "Hello, you three. Surprised to see me?" Bell would flourish her pink hair behind her. "Surprised? Nah, we knew you were here. It is a shame though, that we''ll be the ones kicking your ass." Kristen would remark as she slammed her gauntlets together before taking a stance. Vex and Lira would nod as if to agree with Kristen. Bell would scoff as she snapped her fingers. The two burly built men beside her would brandish their weapons. One of them held what looked like a mini-gun while the other seemed to hold a Gunblade. "Kill them!" Bell commanded and the wind up for the minigun would sound off. "Disperse!" Kristen shouted and the girls all went separate ways. "Are you kidding? A mini-gun!?" Vex exclaimed. "I''ll deal with him, you two got for the others. "Lira remarked as she knocked back several arrows before releasing them at the gun wielder. The wielder would release the trigger and side-step the arrows before winding up the gun again. The barrel was aimed right at Lira and bullets began to fly towards her. Thankfully, she was able to use the mana around her to increase her sprinting speed and was able to outrun the bullets, before returning fire on her own.


    Kristen would fly towards the gun blade user, slamming her greaves against the blade of the man''s gun blade. Meanwhile, Vex began to chant in the background while waving her staff around. Kicking off the blade, Kristen would land on the ground and dash towards the gun blade user, coming up from under the male who was stumbling back from the force only to smash the gauntlet straight into his jawline and send him into the sky. Vex who had finished her mantra would unleash a spell that would smash the gun blade user back into the ground with ample wind pressure. The male choked out a growl but was not allowed to raise since Kristen had kicked him in the stomach and sent him back towards Bell. Meanwhile, Lira had also pushed back the mini-gun sure with a barrage of bullets and acrobatics. Both men growled at the girls who would regroup, "These pressies ain''t no pushover. Boss, you serious about this?" One of the men asked. "Yes. Kill them already. Use whatever means necessary." Bell would command and the two nodded. "As long as you know what you are getting yourself into." The guy stated while aiming his gun blade at them. "You know what to do." He would remark to his comrade who would nod and wind up the mini-gun. "Disperse again!" Kristen shouted as the girls broke apart just before the bullets left off; however, the bullets were chasing down Kristen and Vex instead of Lira. Lira would grit her teeth, knockback several arrows and begin to release them upon the gunner. "Run!" She shouted to Kristen and Vex who were doing their best to outrun the barrage of bullets.


    The gunner seemed to take several arrows but would not go down. By the time he did let off the trigger, his body was filled with mana arrows. He would fall to his knees, with an unconscious look in his eyes. The gunblade user would smirk as he closed his eyes. "This is the end for you ladies. A greeting from the Sinner Corps." The moment the man pulled the trigger a blast of energy shot from the gunblade and surged outward in a brimming bright light. "Vex! Lira!" Kristen called to them as they regrouped hastily. Vex would put up a hasten barrier around them, while Lira released several arrows at the ground before them which would shoot up mana barriers. Kristen would cross her gauntlets in front of her as if to prepare for the upcoming attack. Since the blast had overtaken the entirety of the box before the gunblade user the only choice they had was to defend. Though... the blast would break through the first line of defense, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and now all that was left was Kristen as the final line of defense who was struggling to hold back the blast which curved around her. The gauntlets acting a shield for them. "Just a little longer...." Kristen would grit her teeth, blood seeping from her mouth as she felt her bones begin to give. "A little longer...." She growled, before roaring as she struggled till the end and came out victorious, but her body would give out and she plopped on the ground. Lira and Vex appeared just as exhausted as she was, due to the large amount of mana they had to use. Though, Lira would recover faster than both of them which left her to growl at Bell and the gunblade user who seemed to fall onto one knee while dropping his weapon. "Tch... They are too stubborn to die." The male muttered to which Bell shook her head. "You did a good job." She moved to pick up the gunblade, though she would merely drag it since she was unable to lift the heavy thing. "I''ll finish them off." She stated firmly.


    Lira would knock back several arrows, but when she released them each one seemed to miss their mark. "What!?" She exclaimed, before noticing her body was shivering. Bell would smirk, "What''s wrong? Can''t focus with all the mana distorted in the air? You didn''t think I wouldn''t study up on all of those close to Riyku?" She would stop mid-way looking over the three of them since Lira fell to her knees the moment they buckled up on her. "After you, three will be that bitch Mina and coward Skylar. Then, I''ll be sure to after that stupid Racheal chick and after that Rick and his sorry excuse for friends. You are all finished! All of you! You should have never become friends with him!" Bell seemed to lose her for a moment before realizing where she was and composed herself. "This is the end. Goodbye." She winked at them as she brought the weapon around. "Nooo!" Riyku shouted as he stood up from the bed. Kristen seemed to be out cold, and Vex was unable to stand, Lira would grit her teeth. "Move..." She growled as she pressed forward. "Move..." She continued to growl. "Move now, damn it!" She shouted as she pushed off the ground and jumped in front of the strike. Taking the slash straight across her body which pushed her back into Vex who had caught her. "Lira!" Vex shouted. Skylar, Mina, Rick, Jessica, Ion, Mel, and Nora all had this look of worry on their faces, but nothing compared to the glare that Riyku was giving. His fists began to ball so tightly, that he was causing self-damage to himself. The Shield Points were decreasing by one, but it was still damaged nonetheless.


    Lira would look up to Vex with a weak smile. "I''m sorry... I couldn''t keep our promise. I wanted to... protect you two.... in some way. I wanted... to become stronger..." She coughed up blood as she spoke softly. Vex began to shed tears, and shake her head. "Stop! You are going to survive! We give up! We lost! Medic, please!" Vex shouted as loud as she could. "Tell Riyku... I am sorry... and that... I... Love... him... Tell everyone... I love them... Please... Vex." Lira seemed to close her eyes softly. Bell was about to continue her onslaughter until the medic team pushed her aside. There was an official rule that the medic team was not to be harmed and when they took to the field all battle was to seize until they completely left. Tossing the blade aside she would take to her position where Group B would side. "Bring up my reserve members." She stated to one of the passing Medical members who was taking away both of her teammates. The medical member would nod and when they left two members would rise and stand beside Bell.


    "Block 1, Group One A, please report to your battle station immediately. I repeat, Block 1, Group One A, please report to your battle station immediately." A voice announcer came over the intercom, but Riyku had already left the room and started to make his way towards the first block elevator. The grip around the hilt of his Soluna Blade tightening as he brushed past several people. "What the hell!? Hey, punk!" Some guy would reach out to pull back, only to see the look in his eyes and become petrified. Riyku turned away from the guy who fell to his knees and seemed to wet himself. "D-D-Demon...." The guy shuddered in fear and his teammates looked from him to Riyku whose back was closed off by the elevator doors.


    "Father...." A small feminine voice would call softly as she stared at the door. "Is something wrong, Leader?" Someone called to the small figure who was hidden behind a black cloak. "No. Let''s prepare, our match is starting soon." The figure would turn on her heel, her pale flesh bearing sight for a moment before the cloak wrapped itself around her again, and two other people followed after her.


    "The look in his eyes. Perhaps, he will provide us with the answer we seek." The male from earlier stated having noted Riyku''s expression. "Maybe, your highness. However, we have our match to worry about." His teammate stated to which the male huffed. "I know, let''s get this over with." The male stated as he made his way towards his elevator door.


    "The murderous aura coming off that guy was insane! It rivaled out Leaders! Do you think we should recruit him!?" Some guy said hastily in a fit of laughter. "No. We''ll be sure to reap his soul when the time comes. For now, we have other souls to take. Get ready you two." A male carrying a sickle along his shoulders stated to which the two beside him smirked as they made their way to their elevator door.


    "The final matches between the last two groups of each block will now commence. At the start of the bell, all matches will begin. There will be no interference and no one is allowed to surrender! It is either kill or be killed!" Someone shouted over the intercom for the boxes which was strange since no one noticed there was one, to begin with.


    "Alright right! Team Phantom, Team IVS, and Team Reaper are all going to giving their debut match. I feel sorry for those against them since unlike last year, no one is allowed to surrender during these final bouts! Regardless, all those you came today, I hope you all have enjoyed yourself! and without further ado, Begin!" The voice announcer shouted as the matches for blocks two, three, and four seemed to all start without a hitch. As for block one... well that was going to be another story entirely.


    "BELL PEREZ!!!!" Riyku shouted through his grit teeth, the sound of his voice shook the foundation of the box. Though instead of being struck with fear, Bell was laughing hysterically. No longer trying to keep up her public image. "This is what you get for humiliating me you bastard! After I kill you, I''ll be sure get rid of the rest of your whores!" The woman shouted hysterically. "Maybe, I should ask the Medical team to preserve you so I can force you to watch! Haha, I should do that. Then I can have my men torment and **** your women as you watch while I slowly kill you! Hehehehe" The woman seemed to have lost it entirely. "Oh, how fun it''ll be to watch you beg and plea while I torment you to death." The woman''s fit of laughter continued into madness, though her laughter fit came to halt when a text box appeared before her. "Hmm... What is this?"


    ''Defeat the Raging Shadow Demon.''

 30 Impression of true peace

    ''Defeat the Raging Shadow Demon.''


    "Defeat the Raging Shadow Demon?" Bell would read aloud. Her eyes would glance up from the text box to look over to the male. "Demon?" Bell''s lips curled into a devious grin. "Oh yes. I''ll be sure to defeat the shadow demon. Then everyone will praise me for stopping a demon. I will have many suitors and I can finally live in peace, never to be mistreated again." Bell would point her finger at Riyku. "Get him, boys!" Bell would command. Two big burly men each holding a single great sword. However, the swords seemed to emit a bright warm holy glow. "You didn''t think I didn''t know? Of course, I knew. While you fooled everyone, I was working in the shadows. Waiting and preparing for this day. Of course, I never figured you would reveal those true colors of yours so easily." Bell would snicker, though Riyku did not seem to flinch at the sight of such a radiant light.


    ''Riyku! Riyku! Speak to me!'' Seraphina was calling from Riyku''s sub-conscious. ''Riyku you need to get ahold of yourself!'' Seraphina called out yet again, yet the male did not answer her. ''Riyku!'' Seraphina gave one last call as loud as she could, but nothing happened.


    [Do it, seep further. Fall deeper. This is who you are. This is what you are.]


    Harvester''s voice pierced through into his mind. ''Don''t listen to him!'' Seraphina called out, yet it would seem her voice was inaudible to him.


    [Show them the error of their ways. Reveal to them the terror of despair.]


    Harvester continued to edge him on, which seemed to be working. The male''s skin was slowly becoming pitch black. Though, that wasn''t all, the coloration of his crimson eyes were slowly turning beat red. The darkness around him would swirl upward from below him, the mana in the atmosphere seemed to react to this immense amount of power build-up which caused crimson lightning to spark around him.


    "That''s!?" Skylar would exclaim having glued her eyes upon the screen. "No... Riyku. You must resist." Mina muttered clasping her hands together as if she were praying. "Please..." She stated softly. As for Vex who was the only one conscious right now, "No Riyku! Don''t do it!" Vex called out to the screen knowing full well that Riyku could not hear her.


    [Yes. More. Build up more! Unleash more! Reveal more! Remember it. Remember everything! Humanity took it all away. So much was lost, because of them. In every life, these disgusting humans took everything from you. Lovers, Family, Friends, and even your children. Remember, who caused your anguish. Remember who caused your suffering. Remember your purpose and why you refuse to die.]


    Harvester continued to edge him on more and more, which lead to a flood of memories shifting into his mind. Deyo, Racheal, Mina, Kristen, Lira, Vex, Skylar... the memories of his past lives held resemblance of the people in his present life. Every person seemed to hold a special place in his soul. Every single one of them was stripped from him. Torn from his arms, violated and murdered before his eyes, slaughtered in front of him, torture by death, over and over the memories repeated in his head. Though in each memory, it was always a human. Never a demon, never an angel, never a werewolf or any other kind of species. No, human. Flaring his eyes open the male would unleash a painfilled roar that seemed to distort the mana in the atmosphere. Shifting the purity of the mana into pure diabolical energy.


    "What? What is going on in Block One? Is that some kind of skill!?" Several people seemed to utter when they noticed something strange going on. The chatter seemed to cultivate throughout the stand which caused a vast majority of people to shift their attention to the screen with Block One. Even those in the higher class seating were taking look.


    "Damn it! I should have canceled our deal. I knew this would happen." The headmistress would shout as she slammed her fist upon her desk. Gritting her teeth she would proceed to make a call on her wristband. "Yes, It''s me. I need you to bring in someone of a High ranking from the Hunter Legion. Yes, it is that matter. It has happened. Yes... at the Capital. Yes... I''ll be heading there myself. Thank you." The woman would hang up the call and release a heavy sigh. Moving from her seat she would grasp her coat and prepare to leave the room.


    "Umm... does anyone get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?" Ion inquired. "It''s that wind... I knew it! Diabolical Energy." Nora narrowed her eyes. "You mean... that stuff demons use?" Mel inquired as everyone looked to Nora who would nod softly. "Yes. Demons normally used Diabolical Energy rather than Mana, since Mana is a purity of the elements, while Diabolical Energy is pure negativity of the elements. Since their bodies can not handle purity, attempting to cultivate mana throughout their body is suicide." Nora would explain even though her focus was on the screen in front of her. "Then that would mean...." Mel muttered. "That Riyku is a Demon," Rick stated which caused everyone to gulp heavily, their eyes now glued to the screen.


    "We can''t get close to him!" One of the guys shouted. "Damn it! Just how much power is he going to be building up!?" The other one shouted. Kissing her teeth, Bell would reach into her skirt pocket to pull out a wand. "Two can play at that game," Bell growled as she started to wave her wand, her vocals coming off like that of an angelic descent as she began to sing a chant. Steadily auras would flare across all three of their bodies, in different colorations at that. "Buffs?" One of the guys inquired. "Thank you, Lady Bell." The other one stated when the woman finished, though the look in her eyes meant that she was forced to stop for whatever reason. As for Riyku, well... He seemed to be just about done as well. The burst of power that surged from him seemed to have taken around him in the form of an aura. A breath was released from the male''s lips as he twirled the blade around to hold it in a reverse style gripe.


    "Oh, so you are ready? Ha! Don''t think you can win so easily, demonic scum! We have Lady Bell''s goddess aura protecting us!" One of the men shouted. The other would snicker before dashing towards Riyku. "Let''s see how strong you are, Demon!" The guy shouted as he brought his weapon overhead to strike down Riyku. Riyku would catch the blade with his bare hand. A sizzling sound along with steam came from his hand as he stopped the weapon mid-strike. "What!?" The man exclaimed as she tried to pivot backward; however, Riyku seemed to have the blade firm in his hand. "Is that all...?" The distorted voice came from Riyku who looked up from the ground to stare at the man with hate-filled beat red glowing eyes. "Is that all, human!?" Riyku would crush the blade in his bare hand which caused the man to stumble backward. Quickly he would reach for a hidden dagger from his backside; however, when the man looked from his pouch to where the man should have been he was dumbfounded. "Rosario Style... Petal Dismemberment." Riyku muttered which drew the man''s attention behind him, "When did you--" The male would stop speaking the moment his right arm flew off of his body like it had been plucked. Then his left arm, followed by his left leg which caused him to fall to the ground; only for his right leg to do the same. "In the end... you were nothing more than a mere mortal..." Riyku stated as he glared back at the male from his shoulder. The male had not even been able to scream, even though one could see he wanted to shout in pain due to the tears that flooded his eyes. It only then did his head fly off and at the moment from a bird''s eye view, one could see the picture of a rose that had been drawn in blood with the male''s body in the center.


    Riyku would turn his attention back to the second male and Bell. The man looked terrified, "H-How? How did you manage to break through the holy aura!?" He called out in fear. Riyku would shake his head at the man. "Holy Aura? That? You are nothing more than a mere mortal. Do you truly believe you can call upon a Holy Aura?" Riyku muttered, his voice filled with nothing but hate, but he was not shouting or exclaiming; he was merely talking. "And you are demonic filth! We will purge you from this world! I''ll support you! So go kill him already!" Bell shouted which caused both Riyku and the man to look at her. A devious grin curved across Riyku''s face. "Try it, Mortal." Riyku would rest his hand upon his hips as the tip of the Soluna blade rested against the ground. "If you believe that sorry excuse of a woman can manipulate Diabolical Energy," Riyku added the moment the man had charged towards him. The man would show a moment of hesitation, which Riyku took advantage of. "Rosario Style..." He muttered grasping the hilt of his blade tightly. Crouching low to the ground while grinding the blade along the ground as he slowly brought it around. "Crimson thorns..." The male would utter as he brought his blade upward; the Diabolical Energy had gathered around his blade and unleashed towards the male who was engulfed by an arc of energy. Though in his eyes it looked like sharp thorns. A cry of pain left the male and when the arc dispersed, the man was filled with minor puncture wounds. His body jolted before he fell to his knees and dropped his blade.


    As Riyku began to walk up to the man who was unable to move, nor could he even speak it seemed. "The wounds you have engraved upon your body were not normal cuts. They were strikes at your nerves, making your body shut down completely. The reason you are unable to speak is that your lungs are slowly being filled with your blood even now. You will die a slow and painful death long before you die of blood loss. Fitting for scum like you." Riyku would walk past the man who just sat on his knees unable to move or even make a sound at that. All that was left was Bell who was growling at the man before her. "What the hell is this!? Demons are supposed to be harmed by holy light. Yet... why!? Why are you still standing!?" Bell shouted out at Riyku as he griped her wand tightly. Riyku was now towering over the woman, looking down at her with extreme hate in his eyes. "Someone once told me... The holy light is only granted to those of purity. Those who have a will and soul to do good in life. You truly believe you are holy?" Riyku narrowed his eyes at the woman who would attempt to strike him down with her wand since she too was engulfed in the Holy Aura. Sadly, it did nothing. Riyku would catch her wrist mid-strike and without hesitation, the sound of her bones being broken and an unruly scream of pain filled the air. The girl would drop her wand and Riyku would release her as she stumbled back in fear. Reaching down to the wand, Riyku would examine it when it was in his hands. The continuous sound of sizzling and steam would erupt from his hand. "This toy?" Riyku had scoffed.


    Holy Wand +3


    Type: Magical Wand


    Rarity: SS


    Condition: Holy item


    A holy wand capable of calling upon the Holy Light of the goddess of Aura.


    "What nonsense..." Riyku would steadily crush the item in his hand and before long it would snap. Two pieces falling on the ground of which Riyku would stomp on smashing it into dust before looking to Bell who was banging upon the door of the elevator shaft while pleading to be saved.


    "Look at you, cowering in fear. What happened? Weren''t you going to kill me? Make me watch as your men raped my precious friends? Weren''t you going to do any of that!? Where did all of that confidence go, BELL?" Riyku growled at the girl who was in tears. "Please! Stop! I''m sorry! I was tired of being made fun of! People started to treat me differently after you beat up Jack. Everything changed since you appeared! Just stop already! Please!" The girl would beg, yet... it did nothing.


    "You truly believe I can forgive you? After all, you have done? For something so pitiful..." Riyku would slam the Soluna Blade into the ground. "No... you will pay for your transgression." Lifting both of his hands, he began to weave them around as if he were conducting an orchestra. The shadows around playing to his melody, which grasped the ankles of Bell. Lifting her off the ground to hang her upside. "You will dance to my melody, long before I end your life," Riyku muttered as he continued to wave his hands around. The shadows coming up one at a time from different angles to whip her as a form of punishment. The strikes tearing through her Holy Aura with ease. The first strike caused her to cry in pain as it tore a piece of her armor. Then the second, and the third and the fourth, so on and so forth. "Please... I am sorry..." Bell muttered before a shadow tendril slapped her across the face. Riyku had no words for her. Instead, he would continue to play the melody before him, each time the woman would beg for forgiveness she would get slapped by a tendril. Eventually, the woman was left with nothing but tattered rags of her underclothing. Her body drizzling with her blood that dripped onto the ground as she dangled off of it. A glimmer of hope-filled her eyes when the shadows dropped her onto the ground. Though, that hope was shattered when they latched ontop her, grasping both of her ankles and wrist and spreading out completely. Approaching the woman, Riyku would circle her to stare into her eyes. Tears filled those fearful eyes of hers, yet that only seemed to amuse Riyku who would snap his fingers. The shadows would form into some kind of table that strapped her in firmly.


    "W-what are you going to do?" Bell inquired with fear in her voice. The woman had completely changed her demeanor as to earlier. "Make you suffer. Though... I''ll let you live if you can endure everything until the end." Riyku would smirk deviously, which only widened when he saw the flicker of hope-filled her eyes. "R-really?" She inquired hastily and the male would nod. "Of course. I am a man of my word." He added and the hope in her eyes would brim brighter. Though... she was not expecting anything like what was to come next. A thin shadow thorn would pierce through the tip of her index finger, then another thorn pierced through the same finger but a few centimeters down. The same thing happened again on the finger and again until it reached her knuckle. Another shadow thorn would pierce her ring finger next and cycle through the same sequence up until all of her fingers and thumb were completely pierced through. It was then a larger thorn pierced through her hand, then followed down her arms the same slow but steady pace as it did with her fingers. The entire time the woman would cry out in pain, tears rolling down her face as she struggled to endure.


    When both of her arms were completely done, her toes and legs seemed to be next. The same thing applied, the thorns grew in size to accommodate the fleshy space. Though, the hope that she would be able to live burned brightly in the girl''s eyes. Meanwhile, Riyku would stand there and watch, no expression on his face. The horror on everyone''s face at the gruesome and brutal torture on display was vivid. This was no battle, nor could it even be called a massacre. It was an execution.


    "Riyku..." Vex muttered as she grasped Lira''s hand tightly and the other grasping Kristen''s tightly. Lira and Kristen would squeeze Vex''s hand tightly, soft tears escaped both of their closed eyes. "Even they can feel it. This is not you... Please, don''t do this Riyku..." Vex whispered with a sorrowful expression.


    "An execution?" A feminine voice called out. Her eyes staring at the screen on display in the empty waiting area. "Looks like it." A young man''s voice called out. "Your highness... Do you believe think we can take him?" The second female of the group called out. The man shook his head, "Not sure. I need to be there to find out." The male stated. "Haha, the Ghostly Prince is scared of some lone man? Now that''s new!" A hysterical voice called out from their side. The two girls glared at the man who happened to snicker. "You bitches can''t do anything to us. So stay where your master is." One of the teammates of the man who was carrying the Sickle stated. A heavy sigh parted the lips of the young man. "Yet we were the ones who won last year''s Death Games. It looks as if everyone who was in the top three is here as well." The male added when he made note of the short cloaked girl.


    "IVS? Bah. They just got lucky again. Their team is filled with nothing, but bitches anyways." The man with the sickle stated, but that obvious taunt did nothing to the girl who was focused on the screen. "Father..." The girl muttered to herself. "Leader?" One of the team members of IVS called to the girl. "Well, it looks like we know who the fourth person will be." The young man stated as his eyes returned to the screen. "Well, he does look far more interesting than you lot. Plus that murderous aura he was giving off earlier too was delicious." The man stated with a sadistic smirk as his eyes turned to the screen.


    "Is that really, Riyku?" Rick inquired with slight fear. "I... Believe so." Mel replied. "Well, he appears to be super powerful. Like some kind of super boss or something." Jessica added. "But his method of going about this is... far too brutal." Ion would state. "Even for when he beat up Jack. He wasn''t trying to kill him there, but here... It is like he is going to execute Bell." Ion would continue. "On National Television at that." Mel would add. "That..." Nora would mutter to herself as if she were going to say something but stopped.


    "Just a little more..." Bell whispered to herself as she slowly began to fill lightheaded. "Just a little more..." She would repeat, her vision slowly becoming blurry. "I can survive... I will live..." She continued, even though her eyes were feeling extremely heavy. When the last thorn that had pierced through both of her thighs had come up Riyku would steadily begin to clap his hands. "Congratulations, you survived." Riyku would snap his fingers and the shadows would release the binds on her, the thorns retracting and the table disappears which caused the woman to fall to the ground. "Hm? What''s wrong? I thought you were going to live?" Riyku called out to the woman who had lost all hope in her eyes, which slowly became devoid of all life. "Oh? You thought I was going to save you? The deal was I left you live if you endured. You endured and I let you live. I never said I was going to save you." Riyku would walk towards his Soluna Blade and pick it out of the ground.


    ''Quest: Defeat the Raging Shadow Demon failed!''


    A text box appeared before the corpse of Bell. "If you were anything but human, you may have survived the blood loss," Riyku stated without looking back at Bell, his feet carrying him towards the elevator that brought him up here. "And that''s it, folks! This concludes our primary round of the Death Games. Our final contestants are; Team Rosario, Team Phantom, Team IVS, and Team Reaper. These four teams will proceed to the semi-finals tomorrow. So stay tuned and come again!" A voice announcer came on, and Riyku would enter the elevator shaft. When the doors closed his weapon would return to his inventory via Weapon Return. His hands resting at his side as he stared at the door.


    [Hehehe... You remember now, don''t you? The reason you continue to live.]


    Harvester called out to him. Though Riyku would shake his head. "My reason to live..." He narrowed his eyes. "I..." It was then that Seraphina''s voice finally got through to him. ''Riyku! Don''t listen to him any longer! Please!'' Seraphina called out which caused him to close his eyes. "Enough... I have done what I wished to achieve." Riyku stated. A prompt would appear before him.


    ''Rage and Dark Form duration has reached its limit. Deactivation will occur now.''


    It was then that the blackness on his flesh would steadily release from him like a mist, the glowing beat red in his eyes simmering down to a dull crimson color. Afterward, the male would fall back against the elevator shaft. Breathing heavily as he gripped his chest tightly. His iris'' looking upon his UI to see that his Fatigue bar was nearly empty, and his Shield Points had sustained major damage to them while his Mana Points were empty.


    [So... you choose to remain as you are now? The power you experienced is still a mere portion of what you are truly capable of. When the time comes that you need me, call me. I will give you the full extent of your power.]


    Harvester made a statement, before seeming to just vanish once more. ''Don''t listen to him Riyku. While he is right about that being a portion of your power, you do not need your old power in this new world. Gain power through this new world... Okay?'' Seraphina''s voice came out to Riyku who was heaving heavily, but never gave her an answer. The sound of a ding signaled the opening of the elevator door. Though before Riyku could even step someone shouted, "Freeze! Don''t Move!" A red dot was pointed right where his heart was. Eyes narrowing at him from someone who looked like they were a normal civilian or something. "What?" Riyku would growl. He was out of options, his fatigue bar was nearly empty, his Shield Points maybe ten percent remaining and he had no Mana Points. Even if he wanted to get out of this situation there was no way he could, so all he could do was just stand there. "My name is Azeal of the Hunter''s Legion. You are going to be coming with me for questioning." The man stated which Riyku shook his head, he knew what this was about. "Let me guess, because of my power?" Riyku stated to which the man nodded. "That is it. I would rather do this the easy way, but if you resist... well." Azeal stated to which Riyku chuckled lightly. "Do you think I could do anything right now? Take a look for yourself." Riyku would remark before falling back against the shaft.


    Azeal would lower his weapon and release a heavy sigh. "Just need to make sure. The power you put on display can cause quite a bit of fuss and can stir up the Nation. We just need to make sure that you are who you say you are is all." Azeal stated and Riyku would nod. "Fine by me. However, I need to see someone first." Azeal would see the worry in the male''s eyes and would nod lightly. "As long as you don''t try to run away. Let''s go." Azeal would move to help Riyku and the two of them made their way to the Medical room. Well one of them anyway. Upon entering the door, Riyku could see Vex who had turned from the two girls towards him. "Riyku!?" She exclaimed with both surprise and slight fear. "I am fine. Don''t worry..." He replied to her as he tried to make his way towards Kristen and Lira. "How are they?" Riyku asked. "Kristen is fatigued is all; however, Lira... well... They say she might recover, but it will be a while before she can take to any battles or anything like that. I am afraid that she may drop into the slave rankings..." Vex muttered which caused Riyku to grit his teeth.


    "Nah. That won''t happen." Azeal stated as he came up from behind Riyku and placed a hand onto his shoulder. "If her condition is that bad, her points and ranking will stay in a frozen state until she makes a full recovery. It''s not in the rules or regulations, but it is more like an official hidden rule. Not many people know about it, but it does exist." Azeal stated. "Who is this?" Vex inquired after listening to Azeal. The relief in her eyes and the released tension of Riyku''s muscles caused the man to step back. "Apologizes. My name is Azeal, I am with the Hunter Legion. I am here to take Riyku in for questioning. Nothing more, nothing less. I am sure you are aware of his power." Azeal stated and Vex nodded. "Yes. We all are. Though, please believe me when I say this. Riyku is not a bad person. He was only angry because..." Azeal would shake his head when Vex tried to explain to him what had happened. "You have it all wrong. As I said, I am merely going to ask him questions. After that, we will return to you." The relief in Vex''s eyes and the breath of relief were signs that she understood what Azeal said.


    "Well, it''s time to go Riyku." Azeal would state and Riyku would nod. "Take care of them. I''ll be back to check up on them myself later." Riyku would state with a sadden expression and Vex would nod. "I will," Vex stated firmly as she watched Riyku leave with Azeal. A worrisome expression partook of her face, "You be safe too." Vex whispered.

 31 A promise long forgotten

    Sitting in some kind of interrogation room was both Azeal and Riyku. Both of them were the opposite of one another. Riyku was leaning back in the metal chair, a heavy breath releasing from his lips. "Now then, Riyku Von Rosario, can you explain what this power you showed cased was?" Azeal inquired, with his hands clasped together as he leaned against the table. A serious look in the man''s eyes which were glued to Riyku. "I can, but at the same time, I can not," Riyku told Azeal whose brow would raise slightly. "What do you mean?" Azeal questioned with curiosity in his voice. "I do not truly understand the power I possess either. I just know that I possess it." Riyku would explain and the male would nod lightly. "Okay, then tell me what you do know," Azeal stated and Riyku would huff heavily. "Before I do that, will this information be leaked to anyone, or will it stay between us?" Riyku asked and for a moment silence would befall the room.


    "It will remain confidential; however, whether it stays between us depends on my verdict." Azeal would state firmly. It did not take a scientist to understand what Azeal meant by the verdict. He was talking about whether Riyku was human or something else. "Then, no matter your verdict I request one thing," Riyku stated, and Azeal would narrow his eyes. "And that would be?" He inquired. "That no harm comes of anyone associated with me," Riyku stated firmly and for a moment there was silence yet again. "Very well, I will keep to my word that no matter what my verdict is. Those associated with you will be left alone." Azeal would state and Riyku would nod lightly. "Thank you." Riyku would express and Azeal would shake his head. "Now then. When you first showed up, it was at the Highschool campus where you were brought into the University. Your file claims that you come from the County of Desires. It is quite a ways from the University, were you never leashed?" Azeal inquired and Riyku shook his head. "Not to my memory." Riyku would answer and Azeal would proceed with another question. "Speaking of your memory, it appears that you have Amnesia. How much do you remember?" Azeal inquired and Riyku would shake his head. "Not much. I found myself on Campus Grounds and that was all. I only knew my name, but other than that. I did not even know where I came from." Riyku stated and Azeal would raise his brow, "So, you did not even know you came from the County of Desires?" Azeal questioned and Riyku would shake his head again. "No."


    Another brief silence would befall them as Azeal processed the information. "I assume that you do not know why you are here either?" Azeal questioned him and Riyku would shake his head. "I do not." The response Riyku gave was firm. A soft nod would come from Azeal, "Alright. Moving on, I have heard from outsources that you have been cleaning up the Lower District and helping the people of the Shopping District with mundane tasks. Not only that, but you have rescued a few people here and there when you noticed something fishy was going on." Azeal would state, which brought interest to Riyku''s face. "How?" Riyku inquired and Azeal would chuckle lightly. "The Intelligence network of the Hunter Legion is nothing to scoff at, Riyku. You have been acquainted with one of your members more times than you realize." Azeal stated which caused Riyku''s brow to raise in confusion. "I have?" He inquired and Azeal would nod. "I would like to ask you. The footage I was sent to watch of your battles during the Death Games, I noticed something about you. You would only take a life if need be. Regardless of how you get it done, you will not take a life unless there is a clear reason. Tell me, what changed when it came to Bell Perez?" Azeal inquired and Riyku''s body tensed.


    "I..." It was then that there was a knock coming from the door which drew their attention. "Come in," Azeal stated. Walking into the room was the Headmistress of the Overhaul. "I was wondering when you would show up. You are quite slow, Madam Evie." Azeal stated and the woman shook her head with a huff. "You know damn well that it takes forever to get to the Captial from where I reside. Now then. Azeal, this interrogation is over." The woman stated firm which caused Azeal''s brow to raise. "Oh? And on what terms gives you the right to call it off?" Azeal stated and the woman would slam some vanilla folder on the table. "This. I will be damned if you take one of my students out of the Games simply because he exhibits extraordinary power." Azeal would look to the folder that the woman expressively placed on the table. "I think you misunderstand. I was called here to perform a questioning, not place someone under custody." Azeal would look back to Evie while pushing the file towards her. "Geez... Riyku, you just have all the women wrapped around your finger huh?" Azeal gave him a soft playful expression. While Evie blinked rapidly. "But I was told that he was taken in." She seemed generally confused and Azeal would only chuckle. "There must have been some miscommunication down the line. For that, I apologize, but to assure you I am merely investigating whether or not he is human. As you already know, there are people in the Legion who can exhibit power relative to his own." Azeal explained which seemed to catch Riyku''s attention for a moment.


    "Since, I have gained the information I wanted. I can safely say that you are human even though some of your methods are inhumane. Though, I won''t question why you did what you did to Bell Perez. I can place the pieces together myself. Therefore, you are free to go. However, I do want to suggest you something, Riyku." Azeal would move around the table and after fumbling in his coat pocket he would pull some kind of card. "This is a number to a recruiter of the Hunter Legion. His name is Egon. If you have any thoughts of joining the Legion, tell him that Azeal sent you. He''ll know what to do from there." Azeal explained as Riyku got up from the chair. He would take the card and look it over which held an emblem design of a blade that radiated some kind of powerful aura. Below that was the name Egon, Recruiter for Hunter Legion. Riyku would stuff the card into his pocket. "I''ll give it some thought. Thanks." Riyku stated to Azeal who nodded. "Alright, let''s be off. I''ll guide you two to the front door and after that, you are on your own." Azeal stated and before Evie could even put her two cents in Azeal was already shoving her out of the interrogation room and Riyku followed after them.


    Now that the Headmistress Evie and Riyku were outside of the building that had read ''Hunter Legion'' on it. Riyku would scratch his arms out with a heavy yawn. "You just had to go and make trouble for me, didn''t you?" Evie narrowed her eyes at Riyku who shook his head. "Don''t flatter yourself. I haven''t made any trouble for you just yet. I still need to make true of our bet." Riyku stated with a smirk as he looked up at the sky, taking note that it was already night with how starry the sky was. "Have you heard anything on the condition of the girls?" Riyku inquired softly and Evie would nod. "They are stable. I believe that Lira''s ability to take in mana naturally is what saved her life. As do the Medical Team. So you can rest easy knowing they are fine." Evie stated which seemed to release a lot of tension that Riyku had built up. "Thank you," Riyku stated, which caused Evie to look at him with a shocked expression. Taking note of this Riyku would poke the woman. "Did I say something funny?" He inquired with a playful smirk and Evie only sighed heavily. "You have changed, quite a lot over these past three months." Evie would reply which caused Riyku''s expression to become soft. His eyes shifting towards the sky once again. "I believe it is because of those five that surround you." Evie would add and Riyku would nod. "Yeah. I believe so too." Riyku stated softly, a gentle smile curving across his cheeks.


    "Well, let''s get going. I''ll drop you off by the hotel that you will be staying in." Evie stated and Riyku would follow her. "Not with you?" Riyku inquired with a playful tone and the woman smirked. "No. You just aren''t that exciting." She replied and Riyku sneered at her, "Or you know you can''t handle me." His comeback caused smirk in return, "Guess we''ll have to find out someday." She replied as she moved to the driver''s side of her car. Unlocking it and getting into it, shortly after Riyku would get into the passenger side. "This hotel, I did not hear anything about it," Riyku stated. "That is because the winners of today''s match were going to be told afterward. You were not present during that time so I took it upon myself to inform you. The room is already paid for anyways and it is only for tonight. Afterward, you will be returning to the University." Evie explained to him. "What of the girls?" Riyku inquired and the woman would nod. "They have been transferred to a medical facility on the Overhaul. As I said, they are fine. You just get some rest when you get to your room." Evie stated firmly and Riyku nodded softly. It didn''t take long to get to this hotel. It wasn''t anything super fancy, but it wasn''t dirt cheap either. Stepping out of the vehicle, Riyku would look back in to give Evie thanks before shutting the door and moving into the hotel lobby.


    Standing at the counter the male was greeted by a receptionist. "Good evening, are you here to check in or check out?" The man asked with a smile. "Checking In," Riyku replied. "Certainly. If I can just get your name." The man would remark and Riyku would nod, "Riyku Von Rosario." He replied and the man would get to work. Typing upon the computer beside him before looking back to Riyku. "Your name has been registered to room three-two-one. It is on the third floor and down the hallway on your right. Enjoy your stay, Mister Riyku." The man stated as if giving him the good to go expression and Riyku would nod. "Thank you." He would proceed to the elevator and press the button that side number three on it. Though before the door would close a small petite female with pale skin and silverish hair would make her way into the elevator. Riyku would look down at her for a second, "Going up?'' He asked and the girl looked up at him and nodded softly. "I am. Third floor." She replied, her way of speech was nothing like that of a child but more of a teenaged girl. "Alright." Riyku would lean back against the railing when the doors closed and the elevator started moving.


    There was not a word, just the two individuals inside of the elevator, but to the girl, this was a special moment for her. She seemed quite content, almost as if she were at an extreme form of peace. But who was this girl? Why did she expression such content, and tranquil peace? Riyku had not noticed it his mind was elsewhere. The girl did not seem to mind, though this moment was short-lived. The sound of the elevator reaching its destination changed her expression back to the seldom one it was beforehand. "Aren''t you getting off?" Riyku inquired when he noticed the girl had not moved. "Not yet, I forgot something downstairs. You can go first." She replied and Riyku would nod. "Alright, take care." He stated as he stepped from the elevator. Watching the back of the male depart from her view caused her expression to sorrow. "Father..." She whispered gently.


    Riyku would walk up to his room and place his wristband against the scanner which made a beep and the door seemed to unlock. He would push past the door and flick on the lights of this two-bed small hotel room. It was just a modern well kept and cleaned hotel room with a small bathroom, two beds and a small study table along with a screen pinned up to the wall which was probably a monitor to watch shows, movies or do just about anything that was required of a monitor. However, the male would bring up his inventory with the mental command and displace all of his clothing which included the suit into his inventory. He would then move to the bathroom, turn on the shower water and proceed to take a much-needed shower.


    Once that was said and done and he had cleaned himself up with proper hygiene the male turn off the lights and proceed to one of the beds. Getting under the blanket he would move his hands behind his head and stare up at the white ceiling. "A lot has happened these past several days huh? From finishing up preparations to hanging out with the girls and Skylar. Everything has been quite eventful. Even my game against Barron. The surprised look on his face when he lost to me by one point on the test scores." Riyku would chuckle softly. "then came the games. Everything escalated so fast that I have not had enough time to think of a way to rescue Coco..." Riyku muttered to himself and a brief moment of silence befell him.


    "Seraphina. Are you awake?" Riyku inquired softly and the silence that came after would be his answer. "Well, if you can hear me. I just wanted to say thank you. Everything you have done for me has helped me. Honestly, I do not know if I would have retained my composure after everything finished, if not for you. This power... is dangerous. I can see why you want me to steer clear from it, but... I need to know. Why I have this power. The answers Harvester and you gave me can not be all. There must be a definite reason for all of this. If... The reason.... is..." Riyku was steadily beginning to feel the fatigue take over. His eyes slowly dropping as she started to slip into slumber''s embrace.


    "Father! Father!" A cheery voice called to him which caused him to open his eyes. The vision provided went from stary night sky much like the one he had looked up at before to a small petite pale girl with silverish hair. Her crimson eyes staring up at him as she smiled brightly at him. "Yes, Iris. What is it?" The man''s voice, Riyku''s voice seemed to perch through.


    ''Another dream?''


    The girl would bring her hands from behind her hand to open her palms and show him a strange stone with a grayish aura and some kind of ancient character engraved upon it. "Here for you!" She exclaimed and Riyku seemed to smile. Reaching a pale gray hand out to grasp the stone from the girl he would move his other hand to pat her head softly. "Good Job, Iris. I am so proud of you." Riyku would indulge her with affection that she seemed to thrive on. "I will always be of assistance to you, Father. I am happy to help you." The girl, Iris would express happily. "That makes me happy to hear, Iris." Riyku would reply. Iris would giggle softly, "So... umm, I noticed that Skeith and Seraphina are not here. Did they already finish their task?" Iris inquired curiously and Riyku shook his head. "No. They have yet to finish their respective tasks. This would make you the first as usual." Riyku stated which made Iris happy. "Well then, Father. If I may, why are you trying to collect all of these ancient stones?" Iris inquired which caused Riyku to sigh softly.


    "Well, it is a long story. Care you take a seat?" Riyku would ask of her and she would nod, both of them moved to a nearby tree and sat against it. Their eyes seemed to glance up at the skies above them. "Long ago, before I created you, before I knew of Skeith, before I knew of Seraphina, and before I created Nira. I was a small human boy. I grew up with two brothers and my mother. We grew up in this small village somewhere in the western region of the world far out from any of the wars or kingdoms of the lands. That does not mean we did not do business with those Kingdoms, but for the most part, we remained neutral to their stands. You see, back then the crops we grew were pure. The soil was fertile and every harvest was bountiful. So our plot of land was perfect. Though the leaders of these Kingdoms knew that waging war would ruin the soil and since we had no military might we were not seen as a threat. However, that did not mean we were weak either. I and my two brothers discovered we had abilities of our own called Mein. When the village Magi learned of this, he offered to train us. In all honesty, those were the best years of my life. Helping the village folk, playing with my brothers and training with the Magi." Riyku would begin to tell a story and Iris would listen without a word, well that was until Riyku had not mentioned a father.


    "What of your Father?" Iris inquired and Riyku shook his head. "I do not know. Neither do my brothers. When we asked our mother, all she told us was that he had to return to where he came from. We did not understand that and even to this day, I do not know what those words mean. However, that did not stop our mother from loving us day in and day out. Her bright smile was something me and my brothers wished to preserve and cherish. It was truly a blissful time, but all great things come to an end." Riyku''s voice turned sorrowful. "Our village was attacked by some kind of beast that would steal our woman for breeding and slaughter the men and children. I, my brothers and the Magi tried out best to save and defend the village; however, we were outnumbered and overrun. I was the first to witness the death of our mother, and my closest friends. At the time, I did not realize what was going on with me or even going through my mind, but I told my brothers to save as many as they could and run away while I hold off the beasts. They were reluctant at first, but decided it was the best course of action since I was the strongest one of them." Riyku would explain softly.


    "So what happened? Did you win?" Iris inquired and Riyku shook his head. "No, I lost. I died that day and was reborn as a demon. I went through life there and eventually made it back to this world; however, my village was gone. My brothers and the Magi as well. Filled with anguish, I traveled the lands in search of a purpose. It was not till years later did I find out that I could travel back into time. As long as I could pin-point the coordinates of the time-line I would be able to return and save them. Save my brothers, my friends, and the Magi. I would be able to protect everyone, keep them safe and we could leave life as it should have been." Riyku stated as he gripped the stone tightly in his hands.


    "So you see, Iris. The reason I am collecting these elemental runic stones is so I can return to that time. So I can save everyone. Thanks to you I have the Rune of Time, but I need the Rune of Space and the Rune of Illusion. I already have the Runes of Wisdom, Valor, Nature, Bright and Blight. So just two more and I can realize my goal." Riyku stated to which Iris would look up to her Father. "But... you''ll be gone, right? Will you come back?" Iris asked softly. This caused Riyku to give a pained expression. Since he had not realized what it meant to travel back that far in time. "I will," Riyku replied it was a hollow statement. "Promise!?" Iris exclaimed. Riyku would swallow deeply before nodding softly. "I promise." He would state a more firm and expressive reply to her. Some part of him was determined to return to this timeline, or maybe even figure out a way to bring her with him. But, he knew the chances of both were nearly zero. Still, he would make that promise to her.


    Overjoyed the girl would hug his arm tightly. "Good! You promised, so don''t you forget it!" Iris exclaimed happily and Riyku would chuckle softly and pat her head gently. "I would never dream of it. Come on, let''s go see if we can find those two slackers." Riyku stated as he tried to get up and Iris would giggle getting up with him. "Okay. Maybe they need a good lecture from you. They seem to hate it when you do that, but afterward, they try their best to avoid such a lecture." Iris stated which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "Perhaps you are right." Riyku would reply to her.


    "Hey! Who the hell are you calling a slacker!? Here!" A masculine and unruly voice shouted from the distance which drew Riyku''s attention. The shine of an object heading his way caused him to reach out to grasp it. "I completed my task as well, Darling. So save that lecture for another time." A feminine voice, one well recognizable as Seraphina called next as she walked up to the male. "The Runes of Space and Illusion," Riyku stated when he examined the stone that the man had throw his way. "Yup. So is that it? Are we done? These tasks lasted long the last ones. I would like a break." The man stated or more so complained. "A break? Geez... aren''t you suppose to be some super war demon or something. You just seem more so lazy than not." Seraphina called out to the man who shook his head. "Our fearless leader here has no ambition. Therefore, I see no reason to start hazing buildings and pillaging villages." The man replied as he rested his hand upon the hilt of his blade which was sheathed by his hip. In truth, the man standing beside Seraphina looked like he could have been her brother. The complexion was the same, and the raven hair color matched just fine. "Yeah yeah, blame it on Riyku." Seraphina rolled her eyes and moved to kiss Riyku on the lips. "My reward." She licked her lips after a deep passionate kiss.


    "Ugh." The man would roll his eyes. "Call me if you need anything. Actually! Don''t. I would like to rest for a bit since I have not slept in days." With that, the man would turn into some kind of mist and seep into Riyku''s body. A soft yawn would part Seraphina''s lips, "As am I. I think I''ll get some sleep as well. You can call me anytime though, unlike a certain lazy demon." Seraphina would remark before looking at Iris with a smile. "Take good care of your Father now, okay." Seraphina would smile softly at Iris who nodded. "I will! Sleep well, Seraphina. Make sure Skeith doesn''t do anything stupid." Iris would reply and Seraphina would nod before turning into black mist and seeping into Riyku''s body. This just left Riyku and Iris who were looking at one another after Riyku pocketed the two stones. "Alright, let''s hand home. I''ll cook you up something to eat and we''ll get some rest ourselves." Riyku stated and Iris seemed quite happy about all of that if anything it was more so that she was just happy to be around her Father once again. Well that was what one could take from her expression.

 32 A promise, reborn

    Slowly, Riyku would open his eyes to the sounds of vehicles outside. Infront of his blurry vision was a pure white ceiling. A soft sigh would escape his lips as he slowly sat up. His vision slowly becoming clear by the second. "Iris..." Riyku whispered to himself. "I am... Sorry..." He muttered as tender tears raced down the sides of his cheeks. In truth, he did not understand why he was crying. He could only comprehend the purpose behind the tears, but his soul reacting in such a manner was not something he understood completely. The memory he had only showed him a small glimpse of what there was between him and this girl who was supposed to his child. Though, that was it. That was all he knew of. He did not know anything more than what the memory showed him, and yet he felt pained.


    "Darling?" Seraphina called out to him from the side of his bed. Her form seemed to have materialized during the night. "Is something the matter? " She asked with a worrisome expression. Riyku would look towards her and shake his head. "I am not sorry. I just feel like... I am remembering something that I had forgotten. A promise... I broke." Riyku stated to which Seraphina would move to bring him back into the comforts of the bed and wrap her arms around him gently. "A memory fragment in the form of another dream. What was it about?" Seraphina asked in a whispered manner. "My child, Iris... I made a promise to her." Riyku replied softly and Seraphina would nod lightly. "I understand. Iris is also dear to me. She loves you very much, Riyku. Just as much as I do if not more. When she can return, make sure you talk to her. Explain to her what happened, I am sure she will understand." Seraphina spoke softly to him. Riyku would nod lightly and she would wipe what residue of tears there were before kissing his forehead softly. "Good, now then. We should get ready. A lot has happened these past few days and you need to be ready before the semi-finals and finals. Also..." Seraphina would give a bit of a concerned look. "No matter what, do not let the negativity consume you. Do not let rage consume you and do not listen to Harvester." Seraphina would speak up which caused Riyku to look up at her. "Okay?" Seraphina pretty much demanded, but it was kind of cute in a way. "Alright. But when did you become so demanded of me?" Riyku stated as if the mood had shifted.


    "Well, I need to make sure you stay as you are. Don''t get me wrong, the brutal cold-hearted killer you, is hot, but I am starting to grow fond of this side of you. It''s new to me, but just knowing you are happier makes everything all the better." Seraphina would remark with a soft smile. Riyku would chuckle lightly before deciding to remove himself from the bed. His eyes shifted towards the digital clock that read a little before seven. His iris'' shifted towards his status bar. There was a bonus applied to his Shield Points and Mana points which showed that he had acquired his eight hours of sleep bonus. A nod of confirmation and he would proceed to the bathroom. "Riyku, when is the continuation of the matches?" Seraphina inquired to which Riyku would call back from the bathroom. "Around noon. After we finish preparing let''s head out." The answer made Seraphina smirk softly. "Then how about a little fun." She cooed towards him and Riyku shook his head. "And burn through my energy?" Riyku inquired and Seraphina would chuckle softly. "True. We don''t know what these teams are capable of. Then after the matches, we will have some time." Seraphina replied from the doorway to the bathroom, her curvaceous form in full bloom before Riyku''s crimson eyes.


    "Indeed," Riyku replied before turning his eyes back to the mirror to finish brushing his teeth before stepping into the shower. "You are more than welcome to join me though," Riyku stated with a hint of playfulness and Seraphina seemed to follow him into the quite roomy standing shower. "I don''t mind taking a shower with you. Though..." Her hand seemed to reach for the bar of soap to leather her flesh up with suds. It was a rather sensual massage of her body that she was doing while Riyku merely watched. "I wonder how long you can withstand holding back." She cooed at him before turning to press herself against the wall, wigging her rear end at him playfully. With a devious smirk, the male would take the bar of soap from her and begin to lather up his own body. Afterward, he would set the soap aside and hunch over her. His lips pressing to the lobe of her ear, "You should try to hold back your thirst at least." He would nip at her ear which caused her gasp as she felt his hand cup one of her breasts. Massaging it tenderly. "You... You know damn well that I want to indulge you at every given moment." Seraphina would reply with a playful tone.


    "I know." He would pluck her erect nipples as he slipped his erect shaft in-between her thighs, the top of his shaft grinding against the opening as he bucked his hips. A soft pleasing purr would come from her. "Stop teasing me and just give it to me already." Seraphina would coo after several moments of this... torment. "Alright, since you asked for it." Riyku would state playfully before pushing the tip of his rod into her which caused her to gasp and quiver at the feeling of his warm length piercing through her. Seraphina would use her hands to keep her steady while Riyku had one hand grip her breast firmly and the other seemed to smoothly reach down to her nether region to rub her clitoris while he bucked his hips steadily. The triple sensation was enough to cause her to gasp and moan, but the fact that he was also nipping at her earlobe and kissing along her neck caused her nerves system to go into overdrive. Since their bodies were already wet and slippery from the water and suds everything seemed so... exotic to her. This wasn''t the first time she had sex with him in a showroom, but it was the first in a long while that he had displayed such affection towards her in a manner. It pleased her, so much so that she started to lose herself to his display even if it wasn''t anything rough.


    It would seem that this act of passionate sex drew on for some time and only ended an hour before noon. Both of them were fully dressed, well... Riyku was. Seraphina was only as dressed as she could be. Her body plopped on the bed as she tried to steady her breathing and calm the fluster upon her face. Riyku was fixing his collar in the mirror and rolling up the cuffs of his black button-up shirt. "You good?" Riyku called having seen her expression from the mirror. "It was... Just that you had not done something like that to me in a long time. The tender of your touch, the passion in your kiss. Everything was so perfect..." She cooed at him which caused him to smirk. "Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself," Riyku stated. "Mhm. Now, I have to ask, but are you not going to wear your suit?" Seraphina inquired having noticed he was not wearing the suit or outfit in general from yesterday.


    Shaking his head Riyku would reply, "No. It has been damaged. The suit won''t be of any use until I get it fixed." This caused Seraphina to sit up, "What of those Jewels?" She asked and Riyku would turn back towards her. "Let me check." Riyku would bring up his inventory menu through the mental command and click on the slots filled with his suit and gloves. "The Jewels are ineffective as long as the suit regains such heavy damage. The Jewel in the glove works just fine, so I might use that." He stated, after reading through the description of the item again along with a ''warning'' notice.


    Death Games Armor:


    Type- Armor


    Condition- Critical Damage


    Rarity- A


    A set of armor tailor-made to fit Riyku. It is also provided with under armor. There are also three enchantment sockets filled that allow the wearer to use Hyrdo, Aero and Blaze Magical Arts without incantation as long as they are fully aware of the art they are trying to use. +30 Toughness.


    **WARNING** Enchantments are ineffective with present Condition!


    Elemental Distortion Gloves


    Type- Special Armor


    Condition- Special


    Rarity- SS


    A pair of gloves thought lost since the times of ancient war. Not many know of the power it holds, and those who do can do nothing to wield this ancient power. The gloves allow the wearer to manipulate the elements around them. Effect: Elemental Distortion.


    It seemed the condition had changed from Special to Critical Damage. Though the Gloves were just fine. Next, he would bring up the Soluna Blade.


    Soluna Blade


    Type- Greatsword


    Rarity- S


    Condition- Sharp and Heavy


    A large sword with a smaller sword that is retractable from inside of the blade. The smaller sword acts as a second blade for the user to allow them to overwhelm and overcome any predicament. +50 Strength.


    The Blade itself seemed fine, nothing wrong with the condition or anything out of the ordinary so it was still usable. "Well, everything is in order. Though, I think I''ll add this." Riyku would double tap upon some kind of hip pouch item which materialized onto his hip. A small box would appear in front of him, overlapping the inventory screen. This box held slots relative to the number of pouches which was five. He would double tap upon three vial type items and two miscellaneous items which transferred them into the slots and his closed pouches. Dismissing the screens the male would approach Seraphina and sit down on the bed across from her. "Is something wrong, Darling?" She seemed dazed, brimming with light even. Riyku would shake his head and reach to take her hand in his own. "You need to promise me something." He stated firmly which caused her to blink for a moment when he became serious all of a sudden. "Depends..." She was cautious about this if it was something that she did not as she would refuse. A soft sigh escaped Riyku''s lips when he noticed this. "If, and I mean If, I partake of those forms, or if anything happens to me. I need you to stop me by any means necessary." Riyku stated firmly, though Seraphina''s expression became serious in return. "Are you saying you are going to use those forms?" She narrowed her eyes and Riyku shook his head. "No. It seems those forms feed of the negativity in my heart and soul. They give me great power, but in return, they take away what you treasure most. I do not plan on using them, but if they act on their own or something happens, I need to know you can and will stop me even if it means killing me." Riyku would reply with a stern expression.


    Seraphina would bite her lower lip in silences before shaking her head after a moment of thought. "No. I will not kill you. You will come back to me, to us. You have things you need to finish. Friends you need to make and promises you to need to fulfill. You are not allowed to die, and you are not allowed to let anything consume you." Seraphina''s stern speech caused Riyku to give her an awestruck expression. "Understand?" She demanded a yes at this point. Closing his eyes the male would give her a soft smirk, "Alright. I understand. Watch me over then." Riyku stated and Seraphina would nod happily. "Of course, I always do." It was then that she would return to his shadow. He would move onto his feet and check the time, which was nearing noon. It didn''t take long by car to get to the stadium. He could just walk there, but... he had this feeling that Evie would come to pick him up. Just as she was about to leave his wristband began to vibrate and audio-only feed popped up the moment a screen appeared. Pressing the answer button allows the caller to speak freely, "I''m heading your way. You better be ready." Evie''s voice sounded off of the screen. "Yeah, yeah. I am." Riyku replied with a smug look as if his intuition was spot on.


    Leaving the hotel room, Riyku would make his way towards the elevator and call it up. Watching the numbers rise the male seemed to be filled with anticipation. Despite what happened yesterday, he was ready for today. When the elevator made the ding sound the doors would open to an empty shaft and the male would proceed in. He would push the lobby button and the doors would close. "I guess that girl is gone," Riyku stated softly. ''What girl?'' Seraphina inquired through the mental link. "Oh, there was this girl here yesterday. She looked just like Iris in a way, but well... the girl was older." Riyku replied to Seraphina. ''I see...'' Seraphina seemed to mutter almost as if she wanted to believe that the girl was Iris. "Well, it doesn''t matter," Riyku stated, the elevator would stop and the doors would open once the sound of a ding had gone off. Proceeding outside of the shaft he would walk up to the counter to speak to the receptionist. "Good afternoon sir, are we checking out?" A female was there this time instead of a man. With a nod, Riyku would reply, "Yes."


    "Okay, Might I have your name and room number please." She asked of him. "Riyku Von Rosario, Room number three-two-one," Riyku replied the woman went to typing something on the computer before looking back at him. "All Done. Thank you for your stay and good luck with the games." The woman stated and Riyku would nod to her before leaving the hotel only to be greeted by Evie who had honked her horn at him. "Get in already!" She shouted and Riyku only chuckled before entering the vehicle. "Did you get plenty of rest?" Evie asked as they drove towards the stadium.


    "I did. Did you, or was your bed too cold?" Riyku remarked with a playful tongue which caused the woman to sneer at him. "No. I had quite the time. Shame you weren''t there." Evie replied with a playful remark of her own. "Oh, as did I. Just now even. Seraphina can testify to that one." Riyku would retort which caused Evie to snicker. "I am sure she can. But, Seraphina is not me and I am not her." Evie would reply. This sexual tension darted back and forth up until their destination. "Thanks, Evie," Riyku smirked as he left the car and shut the door only to see the woman sneering at him mockingly. Riyku would turn on his heel to enter the waiting area he was at previously. Though unlike before the area was... well empty. Only the three teams were there.


    "Alright, that is the last of you and right on time to." The same two instructors had taken to the podium again. Everyone looked from Riyku to the instructors. "The rules are simple. For the Semi-Final to Final matches, everything is permitted; however, no one is allowed to surrender. So unless you kill your opponent or incapacitate them, there will be no winner. In addition to this, the matches will be taken place side by side in an open field. The main purpose is because the finals will begin without a break right after the semi-finals." The instructor stated which caught everyone''s attention. "If everything is permitted, doesn''t that mean that a battle royal can commence?" The refined male surrounded by two women called out. "Well, who knows. I am just giving you the rundown. If you guys all team up or whatever then so be it." The instructor would play it off as if he didn''t nor or even cared. "However, only one team is allowed to win." The instructor added after the tension had risen which caused it to raise even more. Riyku would huff and wave his hand nonchalantly as he made his way towards one of the elevators. "Shall we get started then?" He stated even though he was already waiting by the elevator shaft.


    "Ha, still alone I see? Well, you did put on one hell of a performance yesterday. The Hunter Legion even stepped in, saying it was too dangerous for us to be down here. But I guess everything is all right now, huh?" The assistant instructor acquired. "I guess so. Who knows, I might just let loose again." Riyku smirked as he turned to face the woman which sent shivers down her spine. The guy with the sickle seemed to smirk and the refined male would sigh heavily. As for the petite girl who was wrapped in her cloak, well she would just shake her head and approach him to stand beside him. Her two teammates followed suit and eyed him down while the other two teams decided to take their spots beside the other elevator.


    "Alright, it''s time! Head up and begin!" The instructors shouted as the doors opened and each group would enter the elevator shaft they were standing in front of which would rise to the open field. When the doors opened, each group took their place. One group was on one side of the field opposite of the other facing one another. The voice announcer would speak up as if to hype up the crowd. "Alright, everyone! Are you ready!? Because it is time for the Semi-Finals to begin! On the far right-hand side of the field, we have Team Rosario versus Team IVS and on the far left-hand side of the field, we have Team Phantom versus Team Reaper. Remember folks, Team IVS, Team Phantom and Team Reaper are veterans to this year''s Death Games, having surrendered last year to claim the top three spots meanwhile Team Rosario who has been the lone warrior, has climbed his way to the top of the bracket. Will he become the next champion, or will he fall and be reduced to nothing!? It all starts here! So without further undo, we will begin at the siren!" The announcer ended and a few moments passed.


    "So, Leader. What are we going to do?" One of the girls on Team IVS called out to the petite girl who was staring down Riyku from behind her hood. "Leader?" The second girl called out. "Is something wrong?" The first girl inquired. The siren would sound off and it seemed like Team Phantom and Team Reaper were already hitting it off, both teams clashing steel and magic with one another; however, Team IVS and Team Rosario were at a standstill. "Are you ready, girls?" Riyku called out as he used Weapon Summon to bring out Soluna Blade. The weapon appearing in his hand from particles of dim lights. The weight of the weapon that rested against his shoulder on clear display as his knees dipped in for a moment. It also seemed that the gloves had appeared on each, just like the blade had appeared in his hand.


    "So it is you. I finally found you at long last, Father." The girl called out which caused her teammates to give her a shocked look. "Wait! That man is your father!?" One of the girls exclaimed. "Are you serious, Iris!? The man you have been searching for, for two years now has finally shown up? Are you sure that is your father?!" The second girl asked. Iris would slowly remove her hood and nod, revealing her silverish hair and crimson eyes. Riyku''s eyes would go wide as he noticed who she was. "Wait, aren''t you..!" Riyku would call out. ''That''s Iris!?'' Seraphina shouted through the mental link. "Iris..." Riyku would call out which caused the girl to nod softly. "Yes, Father. I am Iris Von Rosario, Daughter of Riyku Von Rosario." The girl proclaimed, though such a bold claim would shock the crowd since there was an audio feed that was provided.


    "So that''s what was up with that weird chick! Bah." The guy with the sickle would defend against a strike from a lance that came from the refined male. "So they aren''t siblings, but parent and child... how strange." He muttered before the two of them pushed off of each other and regrouped for a moment.


    "Wait... how? How are you here!? I thought... you..." Riyku would drop the blade onto the ground and fell to his knees. The girl slowly approaching him and leaving her teammates behind. "Iris!" One of the called out. "Leader!" The other called out, yet the woman continued to approach the man. "I had to make sure. It has been so long after all. Tell me, why didn''t you come back?" Iris inquired as he hastily withdraws a dagger and held the blade to his throat. "Why did you go off without taking me along with you!? Why didn''t you come back!?" She shouted, her body trembling with anger.


    ''Riyku, you need to say something!'' Seraphina called out to him and Riyku would bite his lower lip. "I didn''t know..." Riyku replied softly which caused Iris to growl. "Didn''t know what!? You just up and died, and never came back!? You left all of us there in that hell zone! What do you mean you didn''t know!" She shouted aloud. "I lost my memory... I don''t know anything about the previous life. I don''t even remember much of who I am. However... I want to apologize to you. The promise I made to you long ago." Riyku stated as he looked up at the girl who had tears filled in her eyes. "You... remembered?" She asked softly as lowered the dagger and Riyku would nod. "I am sorry I forgot. I know is no excuse, but I just remembered last night. I don''t know why brought about that memory, but when I woke up I knew what I had to do. I want to apologise to you, and tell you that this time... things will be different." Riyku stated. "Different? How? You will just leave again..." She muttered and Riyku shook his head. "Not this time. I will protect my promise. I will not leave anyone behind. I will not lose, not now and not ever again. Iris... you have my word. I vow to you that I will never leave your side ever again." Riyku stated firmly, and Iris will... she would accept his vow, his oath. Leaping forward, Riyku would catch her into his arms and the two embrace each other tightly.


    "Father!" She shouted through heavy sobs, and the teammates would slowly approach, though the expression of relief and joy had been on their faces. "Good for you, Iris." One of the girls stated. "Yeah, you finally found your father. I may not understand what is truly going on, but I can tell that there is a strong bond between you two." The second girl stated happily, though their moment of joy was interrupted.


    "What is this bullshit!? You two are supposed to slaughter each other! Kill one another, not have some happy reunion! This is the Death Games, not some damn soap opera!" The man with the sickle stated and his teammates followed up with harassing remarks. "While I would rather not agree with this murder obsessed freak, I am pained to agree with him. If you two won''t fight each other, then we will be happy to end your runs here." The refined male stated as he adjusted his lance, his teammates coming up behind him. "Are you fucking kidding me? You would rip a child and their parent apart right after they reunited?" One of the girls from Team IVS remarked, and the second would fall up, "That''s just messed up. Iris, let us handle them. You two--" The second girl would stop when she noticed their Leader glaring at Team Phantom just as viciously as Riyku had been glaring at Team Reaper. "Father, I am allowed to use my weapon right?" Iris inquired to which Riyku would nod. "Of course... Use it as much as you want." Riyku replied as he picked up his Soluna Blade, Iris would snap her fingers as an extremely large mallet would materialize into her palms just like Riyku''s Soluna Blade did with Weapon Summon.


    "I will slaughter anyone who dares to tear me from my Father!"


    "I will slaughter anyone who dares to tear me from my Daughter!"


    Both of them exclaimed in sync as they prepared themselves. "Alice, Lasha, fall back to support. I and Father will take care of these idiots. Isn''t that right, Father?" Iris commanded her teammates and affirmed with Riyku who looked to her with a smirk. "Of course. Afterward, we will catch up. I need to introduce you to my friends as after all." Riyku stated and Iris smiled brightly. "Friends? Now that sounds like fun!" Iris exclaimed while her teammates retreated back to support, never to question their Leader once she had that look in her eyes.

 33 Rise, Stand and Fight!

    "Father!" Iris shouted as she would pivot backward and bring her mallet around which by the way appeared far too large for her petite structure to wield, yet she had swung it around like it was some kind of plastic toy. Riyku would jump back, planting his feet on the flat end of the mallet as if he knew exactly what Iris was going to do, both of them in perfect sync.


    ''Linked with Iris Von Rosario.''


    ''Linked with Riyku Von Rosario.''


    Two text boxes would appear one before each of them which shortly disappeared. Iris would swing her mallet around and Riyku would kick off just at the apex of the swing to drive home the momentum. His being flying straight towards Team Phantom. "Your highness!" One of the girls called out which made the male kiss his teeth and lean his body away from the oncoming male to evade the lunge. The following wind pressure would cause him to stumble back a little. A smirk would curve across Riyku''s face as the jewel embedded in his glove gave off a bright light. His feet would plant against some kind of barrier and he would launch off of it heading strike back to the guy. "You gotta be kidding me." The male would growl as he brought his lance upward to clash with Riyku''s Soluna blade. Since the male was unable to deflect the weapon, let alone evade particularly due to the fact to his body placement, in time his only option was to block. The force from the clash of weapons would send the male sliding back and Riyku seemed to drag it out until the two girls came from each of his sides. "I was told that Team Phantom was quick, but still..." Riyku would pivot backward to evade two bullets and a barrage of arrows. "that is quite impressive." Riyku would finish.


    Thanks to his teammates, the male was able to steady himself. The two girls would regroup with him. However, during their little exchange. It seemed Team Reaper had Iris on lockdown. Dashing past her in perfect sync while slashing away. Iris would deflect each strike that came here way, waiting for an opening. Her patience was rewarded when she saw the Leader charge straight at her, bringing his sickle from above. Iris would dash straight at him bringing her mallet from below to smash it right against the tip of the curved blade. The force of her strike would send the weapon upward throwing the man off balance. Much like her father, she would not be merciful when it came to these kinds of openings. Twirling the shaft of the mallet in her hand with the motion of her swing, she would jam the butt of the shaft straight into the man. Still using the same momentum, as well as applying more strength she would lift the male off the ground only to heave him overhead and slam him back into the ground on the other side of her. She would twist the shaft of her mallet for good measure which caused the male to cough out whatever air he had left from when his back had slammed into the ground the first time. "Wha? What''s with this chick!?" One of the goons from Team Reaper growled out. "Forget it, we can''t win in a test of strength. I''m using them." The other stated as she began to shuffle into his pocket for something. "Idiot! Not without the boss'' orders!" The first one exclaimed, which caught Iris'' attention. Although, it was already too late. The man had already tossed some kind of small orbs from his pocket which bounced along the ground beside Iris.


    "Iris!" One of her teammates called out the moment several explosions would occur. Riyku''s eyes shifted from Team Phantom over to Iris who was clouded by smoke which was kicked up from the explosion. "Idiot! Those were meant for Team Phantom!" The first guy shouted at his teammate who shook his head. "We wouldn''t be able to deal with Team Phantom if we all died here. Now would we!?" The second guy exclaimed. "Eyes here, abnormal." A feminine voice caught Riyku''s attention, not because it called out to him, but because of how close it sounded. When he set his sights back on Team Phantom one of the girls had been in front of his face. A grime expression would brew on his face as she stepped to the side to avoid a slash attack, which was followed up with another and another and another. "Gunblades? No... Gun Daggers..." Riyku would growl as he took note of weapons. "Wow, someone has a keen eye." The woman replied with a wink. "Can I have him, your Highness?" The girl called out to her teammate while pushing Riyku back. He was completely on the evasive. He had no opportunity to even bring his weapon around, and using any kind of combustion or barrier would probably not work here either.


    "Naomi, what is with you and getting involved with questionable figures!?" The second girl called out, though her voice caused Riyku to look behind him for a split second. "When the hell did she get there?!" Riyku muttered as he noticed she had been charging up some kind of attack. "Try to live, hot stuff." The girl winked at him as she pivoted backward the moment the second girl released whatever charged up attack she had built. Which in truth looked like some kind of power shot. The arrow was massive in size and the immense amount of mana that was pouring from it was nothing to scoff at either. "Guess I''ll have to use... Wait!" Riyku''s eyes would widen when he noticed where the trajectory of the arrow was headed. He had been placed right in between the archer and Iris, so if he dodged this attack, Iris would get hit by it. "Damn it..." The male would grit his teeth, quickly he would spin around and take to a guarded stance. The moment the arrow hit the blunt side of his Soluna Blade he could feel himself being steadily pushed back. His iris shifted to his Shield Point gauge seeing that the extra Shield Points he gained were being put to good use right now.


    "Your highness!" One of the girls shouted as if to signal the male to commence something. "Already on it." The male replied, the voice seeming to come from directly above him, but nowhere near him. For a moment his eyes would drift skyward only bare witness to a second charge attack which had just been released and was heading his way. This one looked more like a spear than an arrow and unlike the arrow that looked like it was basked in flames, the spear looked like it was basked in lightning. That was the only difference in the two attacks, both were massive in size and immense in power compared to the mana that had leaked from them. "Damn it." Riyku would growl as he narrowed his eyes. The jewel embedded in his glove began to glow brightly, and a black aura began to engulf that hand.


    ''Skill acquired! Elemental Defense Lvl. 8''


    Another text box appeared upon his UI which went away after a moment. Removing his hand from the blunt side of his Soluna Blade he would grasp the hilt so he could swap his grip of the blade to hold it like a dagger instead of holding it like an actual sword. Using the forearm of the hand he was holding his Soluna Blade with to press against the blunt side of the weapon. He would use the hand that was engulfed in a black aura to reach out for the spear overhead and caught it. Gritting his teeth from the pain he was not slammed in his place. His feet digging into the ground as he growled out in pain.


    "Oi, oi, oi! What kind of combi-attack is that?" One of the men from Team Reaper inquired, having just been watching. "Not sure, but that guy is taking both attacks head-on."The second guy would remark. The young man had one knee against the ground, panting heavily while the archer would regroup with him panting heavily. "Your Highness, are you alright!?" The girl inquired. "I am fine, I just overexerted myself with that attack." He replied to his teammate. "Still... He isn''t going down." The young man narrowed his eyes. "Naomi, do it." He looked to his teammate who smirked. "Alright!" She would dash around behind Riyku and aim both of her Gundaggers at the male. Holding the trigger she would steadily gather mana into her weapons.


    "Are you serious!?" Rick exclaimed! "Riyku..." Mel would mutter softly as she clasped her hands together as if praying for his safety. "Hey... come on that is a bit overkill. Don''t you think?" Jessica seemed to have a worried expression as well. "This doesn''t look good," Ion added while Nora would narrow her eyes.


    "Are they trying to kill him!?" Skylar shouted. "Skylar..." Mina would mutter as she saw the worry and concern on his face, though even she felt the same as he did. Her eyes would return to the battlefield.


    "If you live from this, I''ll be sure to go on a date with you, hot stuff." Naomi would tease as she released the triggers of her weapons which unleashed a massive blast that was heading straight for Riyku''s back. Riyku would release a heavy breath as he closed his eyes. "Heh, so this is it..." He muttered.


    [I told you. You were not strong enough to protect anyone. Not with your present power, not in your present state, and not with your present mindset. You do not have enough hatred. You do not loathe them enough. Therefore, you do not have enough power. However, it does not have to be this way. You can come out on top. Accept my deal and I''ll remove all your limiters.] Harvester''s voice poured forth into his mind.


    Riyku''s eyes would widen. "I..." He would grit his teeth. "I..." He would growl. ''Don''t!'' "Don''t!" Two voices shouted out to him. One of them being Seraphina''s and the other being Iris who had her back against her Father''s. "Iris!, When did you?" Riyku shifted his eyes towards Iris who had her mallet up in a defensive position. "No! You need to move, get out of the way!" Riyku shouted to Iris who smiled even though her body was bruised up from the excessive explosions earlier. "Nope. I will protect you this time, Father." Iris would state as gray aura engulfed her body. "Rosario Style... Steel Rose." She muttered, and her feet seemed to sink into the ground. The blast that smashed into her mallet would not push her back but instead be stopped there. However... the damage Iris was receiving seemed to be the price to pay. One could hear steady cracking coming from her body which caused her to wench in pain.


    "Do not cry, Father. Do not allow rage to consume you, and do not allow darkness to swallow you. Father, I know you will find me. You promised we would never be apart after all." Iris stated which caught Riyku''s attention. "Stop...." He muttered weakly. "It will be okay, Father. So, don''t cry." Iris stated. "Stop it..." Riyku muttered weakly, his teeth grit firmly. "Promise me one more thing, that you will one day show me that bright smile of yours," Iris stated and with the snap of her weapon the blast would engulf her whole. "No! Iris!" Riyku shouted aloud and that was when everything around him seemed to come to a standstill. "What!?" His expression suddenly became that of surprise. "Wait... this is..." His eyes shifted around rapidly, taking note of how everything seemed frozen in place.


    ''Chess Master Activated. Time will resume a normal pace once you take action.''


    A text box appeared upon his UI before him which caused him to release a breath of relief. "For now I have some time, but..." His eyes shifted back to see that Iris weapon had completely shattered and she was about to take the full force of the blast. Meanwhile, the other two attacks did not seem to show any sign of dying down their power output. "What can I? I can''t use blink without release one of these to take Iris with me. Shadow Step? No... I wouldn''t have enough time either. Is there anything I can do?" He seemed full of despair.


    [There is. Accept my deal. Allow me to unlock your limiters and in return, you get out of this predicament.] Harvester stated with a sneer. ''Don''t listen to him Riyku. There is a way out of this. Where both you and Iris can live!'' Seraphina shouted. [Oh? Do tell him then. Even I would like to know.] Harvester responded. ''I... I can take them both into the shadow. Since they are linked together, I can do it.'' Seraphina would respond. "That''s good!" Riyku shouted as if filled with hope. [True, you can. However... you will be out of commission afterward.] Harvester replied. "What? What is he talking about?" Riyku inquired with a concerned look which caused Seraphina to sigh heavily. ''It''s nothing serious. I just can''t freely take more than one person into the shadows without expending Diabolical Energy relative to the extra person. And since Iris and you possess around the same amount of life essence, one of you will consume the entirety of my energy to do so. That''s all.'' Seraphina replied, though the way she responded made it seem like she was hiding something. "So it''s a one-way ticket?" Riyku inquired. ''Yes. Afterward, I will need to rest. But... If it keeps you from accepting Harvester''s deal. I will do so.'' Seraphina stated firmly. For a moment, Riyku seemed reluctant to accept her suggestion, but after a moment he gave in. "Fine. Do it. Just make sure you wake up! Understood!" Riyku exclaimed and Seraphina would accept with a cute noise. It was then then that Riyku''s shadow would expand to connect with Iris which caused time to resume and both of them fell into the pool of shadow which left the three power attacks to collide with one another.


    "Iris!" Both girls of Team IVS shouted. "Riyku!" Everyone of Riyku''s friends that were watching the battle seemed to call out. "Riyku..." Racheal who was watching the battle aboard some cruise-ship would cover her mouth as she bore witness to what had happened as well. "Yo, did they get them?" One of the guys from Team Reaper inquire. "Not sure. I can''t tell because of the smoke that was kicked up from the attack." The other replied.


    "Impossible!" The young male shouted. "No way..." The archer would remark. A whistle came from Naomi. "Damn... he''s tough." She stated though even her body seemed as exhausted as her teammates did. The smoke had cleared out enough to make out that Riyku and Iris were okay. "They''re okay!" Mina shouted. "Incredible..." Nora would state.


    "F-Father?" Iris who was in Riyku''s arms would look up at him weakly. "Seraphina is with you? Isn''t she... Haha... She knows that using that skill consumes your life force... So why would she..." Iris coughed out blood which held the same color at Riyku''s blood. "She what!?" Riyku''s eyes went wide. "She didn''t tell you? Silly... girl. She''ll do anything to... make you happy. Father... I..." Riyku would shake his head to Iris. "Rest," Riyku stated which caused Iris to nod softly. "Just... be sure... to win..." She seemed to go unconscious after that. Iris''s teammates would rush up to the both of them. "I-is she okay?" One of them asked. "She is resting. Please... take to the far ends of the field." Riyku stated and even though his eyes were masked by the bangs of his raven color hair one could tell that his crimson orbs were filled with rage. "O-okay. Come on. Lasha." One of the girls told the other as crouched down so that she could carry Iris. Alice would take Iris from Riyku''s arms and place her against Lasha''s back who would stand up. The three of them would then make their way away from the battle. "Oh hell no, where do you think you are--" One of Team Reaper''s members had stood in their path; however, his head went flying before anyone knew what had happened. Riyku would be standing between the corpse that was falling to the ground and Team IVS. "Go," Riyku stated, as he rested the tip of the blade against the ground, holding it in reverse grip once again. "Okay!" Alice exclaimed before they raced off.


    "Team Reaper, Team Phantom..." Riyku would tear off his black shirt which was covered in dust and tatters, revealing his well-built body which was also covered in a magnitude of scars. "I will be your opponent." He would declare, his bangs still covering his eyes as he tossed his shirt aside. "Wait.. wait.. wait..." The last member of Team Reaper seemed stunned. "Y-you... you haven''t taken any damage!?" He shouted having noticed that the man was indeed unscathed through all of that. "Impossible!" The Archer shouted. "What is this madness?" The young male rhetorically stated. "I''ll be damned, he isn''t only tough, but extremely hot too. That settles it, he''s mine." Naomi stated before dashing towards Riyku with some kind of blinding speed. "Wait, Naomi! It''s dangerous!" The archer shouted, yet the woman did no slowdown. Instead, she picked up speed, her body taking over with a green aura during the process. "Hehe, keep up!" Naomi teased, her body seemed to leave after images as she raced around Riyku before eventually dashing towards him.


    Though to her surprise, her thrust did not clash with flesh, but instead steel. She felt her weapon being tossed aside by another and then the sight of black leather consumed her vision. "Wha?" BOOM! An explosion parted from Riyku''s gloved hand which sent Naomi flying away and bouncing against the ground. "Sister!" The Archer shouted as she raced towards Naomi. "Bastard!" The young male would kick-off of his feet and charge at Riyku, thrusting his with great speed and precision. Riyku would side-step the thrust only to bring his free hand to the young man''s face and slam him so hard into the ground that it would crater him. He would then slam the sole of his foot against the male''s chest and fling him back to his teammates as if he kicking him towards them. "T-That''s... Not possible..." The final member of Team Reaper would gulp heavily. "No one can withstand such a powerful attack and come out unscathed. Not even my boss." The guy stated which caused Riyku to shift his hidden crimson orbs towards the man. "Is that so? I don''t think it''s impossible." He would steady approach the guy, dragging the blade against the ground with him. "It''s a matter of one''s strength, one''s power..." Riyku would continue as the guy steadily began to back away from him.


    "After all... You are all nothing more than filthy human trash." Riyku would flash his dim glowing crimson orbs to the guy which caused him to lose feeling in his legs and fell to the ground.


    ''Intimidation: Father''s Wrath Activated.''


    Bringing the blade around he would cut off the head of the male who seemed unable to do anything, but watch as his life was taken. He would turn away from the lifeless limp body which fell to the ground and set his eyes upon Team Phantom who seemed to have finished recovering. "There... I used the last of my mana, but you two are good to go." The archer said as Naomi sat up and the young male did. "Thanks, Sis," Naomi replied as she pushed herself onto her feet. "Thanks, Aima." The young male stated as he got up himself. "Just, don''t rush in there again." Aima would reply with a heavy breath. "Yeah, I know. I won''t lose composure again." The young male replied. "Same. It seems like he has powered up." Naomi would remark. "Yeah, I know. Something tells me, this is not even his full power either. It''s like he is holding back." The young man would remark which caused the girls to sigh heavily. "Do you think we can win, your highness?" Aima inquired and the male would shake his head. "I am not so sure anymore. Our combi-skill can only work once since you used up the last of your mana. Even if I did do it with Naomi, he will be sure to have a countermeasure." The male explained.


    "Are you three done?" Riyku called out to them which caught their attention, they had not realized how close he had gotten to them. "Damn... is their really no way to beat him?" The male muttered to himself. "Naomi, Aima... let''s give this all we have left even if it means we fall here!" The young male shouted and the two girls would nod. Naomi would charge forward, while Aima seemed to prepare an arrow. The young male would take his position as well and follow up shortly after Naomi. "Good. Come." Riyku would narrow his eyes as he waited for Naomi to approach. His iris'' shifting toward his status bar. His fatigue was dangerously low, his shield points nearly empty and his mana had been fully consumed when it came to stopping the spear attack earlier. This was the worst possible situation to be in and yet... he was fairly confident that he could come out on top without having to rely on any of his forms or Harvester for that matter. Bringing his blade around he would deflect the first slash Naomi through his way, using the momentum of his swing he would spin underneath the second slash that came his way using his foot to sweep the woman''s feet from under her before slamming the palm of his free hand against the woman which sent her away. Next came the young male who had begun to thrust several strikes his way. Effortless, Riyku would dodge each one. That was until Aima released a barrage of arrows that flew over the young male and would rain down upon. The young man would pivot backward while Riyku brought up his Soluna Blade, spun it around rapidly to tear down the arrows before slamming the weapon the ground and dashing after the young male. "Shit!" The male shouted as he saw Riyku prepare to bring up his weapon, so the man would defend with his own; however, the blade seemed to cut the pole in two and gripping the hilt with both hands now, Riyku would bring the Soluna Blade downward. "This is it," Riyku stated. "Noah!" Both girls of Team Phantom shouted simultaneously.


    "RIYKU VON ROSARIO!" A rage-filled voice called out from the other side of the battlefield which stopped Riyku from cutting the man down. His eyes hastily shifted towards the voice and his eyes shot wide open. "STOP!" Riyku shouted as he quickly pivoted on his heel to charge towards the Team Leader of Reaper who was holding Iris off the ground by the neck. Lasha and Alice seemed to have been taken out by this man since they were laying on the ground beside him. "DONT!" Riyku shouted as he tried to reach them in time, but... the distance was too far. The man would release Iris and bring his weapon around to pierce the curved blade of his sick through the woman''s body. "NOOOOO!" Riyku shouted out, his pace slowed down before he dropped his blade and fell to his knees. The man falling into a fit of laughter. "That was payback for killing my men." The man would fling Iris from his blade and steadily approach Riyku. "Team Phantom, let''s finish this up. Let''s kill this fool and we settle this. Though, I am no fool myself. I''ll settle for being knocked out and you can take the win." The man called out which caused Noah, Naomi, and Aima to look at him with a disgusted gare.


    "Why... why couldn''t I protect her...." Riyku muttered, looking at his hands. "Was I not strong enough..." He continued. "Why can''t I save anyone!?" He shouted through grit teeth. Tears dropping from his cheeks rapidly.


    [I told you. You are too weak to protect anyone. Everything will slip through your fingers. Everything will be taken from you. Now, you are on the brink of death. You have no strength left to fight. Will you accept defeat?] Harvester''s voice called out.


    [What will you do? You are going to be killed and it is all your fault for being completely weak. That is why you lose everything.] Harvester would add which caused Riyku to growl.


    [You know what to do. Accept it, accept me. Unleash it, now.... call out my name.] Harvester edged him on.


    A growl would erupt from Riyku''s body and release in the form of a beastly roar as he shouted, "HARVESTER!"

 34 The Dark Demonic Reaper

    "Iris, wait!" Riyku was running through the abyss, chasing after a small pale petite girl who was walking away from him. "Wait!" Riyku shouted reaching his hand out towards her as he continued to sprint after her. "Iris!" Riyku shouted while chasing her down, but... It would seem he was unable to catch up. The distance between them grew by the second. "Stop please!" Riyku called out, before tripping over and falling face-first into the ground. "Wait..." He muttered as he reached out for the girl. A heavy sigh would catch his attention which drifted his eyes towards a person beside him. "I told you, you were too weak. You were unable to protect her. Your friend Kristen was massively injured and Lira was put into critical condition. You were bound to lose someone eventually." The male who held a mighty resemblance to Riyku with icy pale flesh, green glowing eyes upon black sclera and several markings engraved upon his body had looked down at him. His snow-white hair dancing against his pale shoulders as he shook his head. "Tell me Riyku, are you still willing to deny me?" The male would reach his hand out towards Riyku. "Let me help you. Let me give you the strength to protect everything dear to you. Who knows who may be next, Vex, Mina, Skylar or anyone of Rick''s group for that matter." The man would add which caused Riyku''s expression to change from wary to acceptance. "I..." He would steadily reach out for the man''s hand. "All you need to do is say my name. Call out to me." The man said as he reached his hand out more and eventually Riyku would grasp hold of his hand.


    "HARVESTER!" Riyku shouted aloud in the form of an anguished roar. The mana in the atmosphere becoming visible to the naked eye unlike how it was normally invisible to the naked eye. Small purple orbs started to filter towards the male''s body as an immense distortion waved off of his body pushing the leader of Team Reaper away. Well more so, it shoved him back since the man tried his best to not lose his balance. A black and purple electrical current steadily began to spark around his frame which would singe the ground around him as it struck. Another roar would escape the male''s lips, sounding off of normal humane vocals. "Diabolical Energy?" The young male who was watching everything played out. "So, he is a demon..." Aima muttered, narrowing her eyes at the torrent of black winds. "Hmm... I don''t think he is any ordinary demon." Naomi spoke up which caught their attention. "He has several other scents infused with that one. I was unable to detect them earlier, and I have no reason why. However, now... there are other scents. Rage, Hate, Malice, Anguish, Sorrow, Pain, Retribution... and Blood Lust. But the one that seems to be the heaviest of them all, is the scent of Death." Naomi would add as her body steadily began to tremble. "Does that mean that some beast had been awakened?" The young male, Noah would inquire as he narrowed his eyes.


    "Your Majesty, might I strongly suggest we take you to a safer place." One of the guards had called from the Emporer''s side. The elder would raise his hand and shake his head. "No. I will see this through till the end. Contact the Hunter Legion, tell them we will be needing them. Inform them of the situation, but not to act until I give the order." The elder stated his eyes upon the battlefield before him. "Well... if the old man is staying here. I might as well." Another attendant stated. "I guess I should too." Another seemed to speak up. "I am curious about what will come of this myself." Another one added and eventually, the remaining spectators of the high class sitting would agree. "Let us see if those two were right about this." The elder would narrow his eyes with the determination to watch everything until the end.


    "Riyku..." Mina would shake her head. "You... you can''t. You can''t give in... please." She cried out, tears running down her cheeks. Skylar would place a hand upon his sister''s shoulder. "Mina..." He whispered before shifting his eyes to Riyku. "Can you feel it? He is in pain... We need to go to him." Skylar stated which drew her attention. "But... but..." Mina would repeat through heavy sobs. Skylar would shake his head, his eyes slowly starting to tear up. "We promised to protect him, no matter what. Right now, he needs us more than ever." Skylar would remark boldly, holding back his tears as much as possible. Mina would softly nod and the two would move from their seats as if to take action.


    "Is that... is truly this happening?" Rick was shocked, paralyzed with fear and anger. He was afraid of what would become of Riyku, afraid for the future, but he was also upset about what had befallen the man. Reunited with his daughter only to watch her be taken away moments later. "It doesn''t seem fair." Jessica would growl. "I understand..." Ion would place a hand on Jessica''s shoulder. "Hey, isn''t that Mina?" Nora had taken note of Mina and Skylar leaving the stadium. "Hey, you are right. What do you think they are doing?" Rick had turned his attention towards the two of them. "I''m going to go find out, you three stay here," Nora stated as she shot up from her seat, but Mel would grasp her wrist to stop her from leaving. The girl would shake her head, "No. We are going to come with you." Melaine would remark firmly, tears clearly in her eyes. Nora seemed like she was going to tell her not to, but Rick, Ion, and Jessica all had this expression that told her they would not take no for an answer. "Fine. come on, if things become too dangerous though you three are leaving, understand?" Nora was firm in her statement and the three nodded. "Alright." They all agreed in some form or fashion and the four of them were off, chasing after Mina and Skylar.


    "Riyku..." Vex would mutter as she saw the display upon a monitor. Anyone could tell the woman was upset that there was nothing she could do. She was no longer in the Capital, and leaving now would not do her any good since it took several hours just to get to the Capital. Her eyes shifted to her left and right side when she felt Lira and Kristen squeeze her hand tightly. Their expressions pained, "Lira... Kristen... You can feel it too? The pain he is enduring..." Vex muttered before shifting his glance back to the monitor. "Mina... Skylar, please... Make it in time." Vex would pray.


    Another vicious roar escaped the male''s lips one final time and the torrent of black winds would disperse. The visible Diabolical Energy in the atmosphere became invisible as the male stood up. His skin of pure pale coloration. His hair was also snow-white to match, but one of the many things to note was a pair of curved horns that perched from his skull. If that was not all there was a spaded tail that flickered behind him and a pair of black boned wings that would unfurl from his back. Clear flaps like that of a bat''s seemed to flourish before the wings would retract back into the male''s backside. Both of his hands appeared to be more like claws, rather than fleshy hands, and if that wasn''t all his height seemed to increased about thirty centimeters. Releasing a heavy breath would reveal canny fangs.


    ''System Error: Class invalid! System Error: Data Breach! System Error: Virus found!''


    ''Error!''


    ''Error!''


    ''Error!''


    Flooding around his body in plain sight was several cybernetic screens that popped up with the word ''Error'' on them. Flicking his wrist another cybernetic screen would appear before him titled. ''Administration.'' There was a User ID and Password section and the male would tap upon the keyboard of the screen to log in which would bring up another screen over that one. ''Error! Riyku Von Rosario does not have Admin privileges. Starting up shut down sequence!'' The text wrote. Sigh heavily the male would slam his fist against the screen.


    [Oh no you don''t. I have already secured the Operator of version two. You won''t be getting in my way this time.] Harvester stated throughout Riyku''s mind.


    ''Error! Unable to startup the shutdown sequence. Error found! Database contaminated! Er--'' All of the screens suddenly filtered out rapidly. [There we go... all done. Now then... Limiter level one has been released. It won''t be long until you are back at your fullest potential so for now you will need to make do with this power I have been able to get you.] Harvester stated to Riyku who would nod lightly.


    ''Defeat The Dark Demonic Reaper!''


    A large cybernetic screen appeared above the battlefield for everyone to see, which even caught Riyku''s eye. [Oh, the system had one last trick up their sleeve eh? Too bad, this ramble can''t do anything to you. Not when I am around.] Harvester snickered.


    "Dark Demonic Reaper?" Noah narrowed his eyes. "Defeat him? What the hell!?" Aima exclaimed. "So... he is a boss level mob?" Naomi remarked with a growl. "Boss Level? Like as in the dungeons, fields, and castles?" Noah inquired and Naomi would nod. "From what the weird box is portraying and the dark red cursor that his now above his head." Naomi would state which drew Noah''s eyes to the text.


    "Riyku Von Rosario, The Dark Demonic Reaper... Level... N-Ninety Four!?" Noah exclaimed. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" He shouted aloud. "Noah! You need to keep calm!" Aima shouted as she placed a hand on the young male''s shoulder. "How can I? This is just like...." Noah would swiftly turn to face Aima who would give her a firm look and nod softly. "I know. I was there, so was Noah. But, if you lose composure now, everything will be for naught. You need to remain calm and collected. There is still a chance." Aima would speak as calmly as possible to Noah and thankfully her remark worked out. Noah would slowly release his tension and calm himself. Taking in deep breaths and releasing them steadily and slowly. "Okay. I am better. Sorry for making you worry. What do you have in mind?" Noah inquired of Aima who would nod. "Welcome back first of all. Secondly, We should work together with that jackass over there. Although... that is only if things turn south. I don''t think he is after us solely." Aima stated which caused both Naomi and Noah to look a bit shocked. "What do you mean?" Naomi asked. "Well, remember his battle with that pink-haired chick and the remember all of the other battles he had. He only killed that pink-haired chick, but in his previous battle, he saved his opponent. If I am correct, he may only go after that guy over there, and afterward... he should calm down." Aima stated. "And you are sure of this?" Noah narrowed his eyes as he asked her, but Aima would shake his head. "No. Honestly, I don''t know what to think. Just seeing the Diabolical Energy in the atmosphere earlier felt chilly. Everything about me screams to run... but, there is nowhere to go. I can only hope that his focus on solely on that man. If it is, we should take the time to recover to a full and prepare just in case he comes after us." Aima would remark. Both Noah and Naomi would give her suggestion some thought, before agreeing to follow her lead. "Alright, let''s go with that then. I would rather not help that scum anyways." Naomi would relay her response. "However, we will be throwing away a heavy portion of any chance of victory by letting him die. You do know that, right?" Noah inquired and Aima would nod. "Yes." She would state and Noah would sigh heavily. "Alright then. Let''s take shelter and recover. Prepare for an upcoming battle as well." Noah would add and the two would nod.


    "I see..." Riyku''s voice was distorted, holding a coldness to it. He would reach his hand upward and steadily his hand would begin to tear through the atmosphere as if ripping open into some kind of sub-space. The sound of rattling chains followed as she steadily began to pull out something. Chains were what the man had grasped, but what came from the tear, in reality, was something else. He had completely ripped out a scythe. Not just any scythe at that, but a double-headed scythe. The first head so to speak held this black ooze which when dripped onto the ground caused the ground to burn up as if acid had touched it. The second head held this eerie aura around it and attached to the middle of the pole was some kind of lantern that held a discoloration of wispy lights. Screams could be heard crying out from this lantern as if wanting release.


    Type: Harbinger


    Rarity: SSS


    A weapon hand-forged by Riyku Von Rosario himself. The two blades have special attributes, one for tearing the life force of his foes while the other tears through any protections bestowed upon one, be it normal armor or magical armor, even shields and buffs. The lantern in the middle holds the souls of those he has taken to either be used to strengthen his scythe or himself. +100 to all stats. Effect: consuming souls reservoir will either strengthen your weapon or yourself permanently. 10 souls = +1 stat.


    Soul count: 9,230


    "So this was that unidentified weapon... I guess this weapon has been strengthed many times for it to have a bonus of one-hundred for everything. It even tells me how many souls are in the lantern, how nice. Though, I see no reason to use all of the souls at once." Riyku had read the text box that appeared before him when he examined the weapon. He would glance out at the leader of Team Reaper who was crackling hysterically at him. "So you use a scythe to? Don''t know what''s with all the flashy light show, power-ups and whatnot, you should have just pulled out that thing from the start. It looks rather lovely. I should just take it off your body once I kill you... Yes. I think I will!" The man charged straight towards Riyku. Bringing his weapon around to cut him down. Make no mistake, the man was quite fast, so much so that his speed even surpassed Naomi''s and he wasn''t even using any kind of wind elements to add to his speed. Still, the strike would miss. Riyku would sidestep the man, twirling his weapon around and strike through him with the blade that held the aura edge. "Is that all? If I used the other edge, you would have died." Riyku stated as he watched the man stumble forward growling before pivoting back towards him. The same thing happened again, and again, and again, and again until the Leader of Team Reaper was filling exhausted.


    "What the hell? You keep hitting me, but have yet to be killed? What kind of bullshit is this!?" The man shouted through heavy breaths. Riyku would shake his head to the upset man. "You truly do not know and yet you call yourself a Reaper... How pitiful. I am stealing your life essences away steadily. Why do you think you feel as tired as you do. Your body is about to collapse, so I guess I''ll end this now." Riyku would release the scythe which caused it to distort for a moment and vanish. He would take a single step forward before his body vanished and appeared in front of the Leader of Team Reaper. "What the!?" He shouted as he tried to pivot backward and backward he went... though not by his means. His body was pushed backward when Riyku had reentered the atmosphere. A black wind seemed to have shoved him away. Riyku would bring up one of his hands which caused the shadows to rise and smack or well... slap the man back towards Riyku. Stomping his foot would cause the shadows beneath him to rise as well, but this time they smacked the man upward which sent him high into the air. He would bring up his opposite arm, curl his fingers into his palm then shove the palm down towards the ground which caused the man''s own shadow to yank him towards the ground and crater him into the battlefield. Riyku would approach the man who was coughing up blood and struggling to break from the earth prison he was in.


    "Oh, still alive? Well... that isn''t much of a surprise." Riyku would remark coldly as he slammed his boot firmly against the man''s which caused him to cough out both blood, salvia and whatever oxygen he had. Snapping his finger, the tip of his finger would ignite with some kind of small black flame and hovering his finger over the man he would let the tiny flame drop from his fingertip. When it reached the man the male''s face would instantly ignite and a painfilled scream would fill the battlefield as the man seemed to try and put on the flames, but only flailed around aimlessly. "Does it hurt that much? Well then, let me help you...." Riyku would lean forward and bring his hand up as if he were about to slap the male. The back of his hand would slam firmly against the male''s cheek as he swung his arm. The flames went out and several teeth flew from the male''s mouth along with more blood and salvia. The male''s face was scorched beyond recognition now. Though, when he saw the man cough as if showing he was still alive, Riyku would shake his head. "You just won''t die huh? Fine then..." Riyku would remove himself from the man and flick his wrist upward which caused the shadows to rise him off the ground. The body seemed to have gone limp as if all strength was gone, yet the man himself was still breathing to some degree.


    "Your soul..." Riyku would jam his hand into the man''s chest which caused the body to jolt; however, no damage was done to the body. Instead, some kind of wavy distortion had been on display where Riyku''s hand met the male''s chest. He would rip his hand out from the man''s chest only to hold a small black orb. "is corrupt. So far corrupt that it is not even worth adding to my collection. No... you are not worth salvation. You are not even worth damnation. You will be erased..." Riyku remarked coldly before crushing the black orb in his bare hand. The shadows would drop the now lifeless body to the ground and he would turn his attention towards the audience, then towards the final team, Team Phantom.


    "Well, there are two teams left. Team Rosario and Team Phantom. Tell me, are you three ready?" Riyku called out from where he stood, his hands resting at his side as his crimson eyes upon black sclera stared them down. Aima would walk in front of Noah and Naomi. "Aima?" Noah inquired, but before he could do anything Aima would speak out to Riyku. "Tell me, is there any further need for conflict? You have killed the one who took from you, have you not? So, why must we continue to fight?" The woman seemed level headed, though her voice held firm her body was shivering in fear. Riyku would tilt his head to the side at her inquiry. "Why? Because this is the final round of the Death Games, that is why. I could say, that is was because you forced me into a wall and targeted Iris so I did not have a choice but to take your attacks head-on." Riyku would call out. "But, that was for the games! You saw we were fighting for our lives!" Aima called out and Riyku would nod. "I do admit you were fighting for your lives. Though, you were also planning on winning, were you not?" Riyku would quiz her. "Of course we were! But this is different. We know we can not beat you! We know we will lose! So, there is no further reason to continue this fight!" Aima exclaimed and Riyku would shake his head. "You can not give up either. Iris...." Riyku would narrow his eyes. "Iris, lost her life because her teammates were still alive and breathing. Her team was still in, and now she is gone. So tell me, why should I spare you? What makes you three so special?" Riyku would question as she steadily approached them.


    "Damn it, we have no choice!" Naomi would grasp the hilts of her Gun Daggers tightly. "Wait!" Noah shouted which caused her to stop herself from dashing forth. "Believe in your sister, have faith in Aima," Noah stated, his hands trembling against his lance as if he were ready to attack any time. Aima would shake her head, "We are not. And, I am sorry for what happened with your daughter. Truly, we have nothing against you. Just ask you two had nothing against us." Aima called back in response to Riyku''s question which caused the man to sigh heavily. "You know... I have nothing against you two. I already paid you back for what you did; however, rules are rules." Riyku continued to approach them which caused Aima to gulp heavily. "The rules also only state that you can also incapacitate us. Do you plan on killing us knowing this?" Aima would throw out her last card which made Riyku stop for a moment. His arms came up to fold against his chest and his eyes closed in thought.


    The three of them were now sweating buckets and shaking viciously in fear. They had accepted the fact that their lives were at the male''s mercy. They knew full well they could not beat him. "Who said anything about killing you?" Riyku had called out which gave them all puzzled looks. "Yes, I knew of that rule from the start. I never said I was going to kill you." Riyku replied firmly. "Then!?" Aima called out and Riyku shook his head. "I will only take a vast portion of your life force. Enough to accumulate a single soul''s worth." Riyku called out which caused the three of them to go eye wide. "But that is!" Aima would exclaim. "Unfair?" Riyku would narrow his eyes at them. "The three of you get to live at the cost of a portion of your life and you find that unfair? I could just take away your lives just like I did to that trash over there." Riyku stated while eyeing the lifeless body, before looking back at the three of them. "Aima..." Noah would move to place a hand upon the woman''s shoulder. "I''ll give him my life, and you two can walk away free. It''s fine after all, you two deserve to be happy." Aima looked back at Noah. "What, No!" Aima shouted. "It''s the only way. After all, there is no guarantee he will not just take everything." Noah replied as composed as possible even though he was on the verge of breaking down. "Oh? Going to offer your soul for them? Well, as I said, I am only taking one soul''s worth. It does not matter how it is done." Riyku would unfold his arms and steadily approach them yet again. "Noah wait!" Aima shouted, but Noah would shake his head as he slowly approached Riyku.


    "You promise, you will let them live. Correct?" Noah inquired firmly and Riyku would nod. "I am a man of my word. I will only knock them out without any harm. Does that sound fine with you?" Riyku asked and Noah would nod. "You have my thanks. But..." When they approached, Noah was shivering in fear of just being in front of the man. "But?" Riyku asked. "I truly am sorry... about your daughter. I won''t lie. What we did was what led to this; however, we knew that you would protect her till the end. We never planned on actually killing her. If you had not done what you did, Naomi would have saved her." Noah stated firmly, and Riyku seemed somewhat surprised by this. Closing his eyes the man would release a heavy sigh. "Are you ready?" Riyku inquired and Noah would close his own eyes with a nod. "Yes." It was then that Riyku would plunge his hand into the male''s chest. Both Aima and Naomi would scream out Noah''s name, though, when Riyku pulled out his hand there was nothing there. Noah''s eyes would slowly, seeing that he was still on the battlefield left him confused. "What? What happened?" He asked and Riyku placed a hand upon the male''s shoulder. "I won''t take your life. I can see through one''s intentions by looking through their soul essences. I can see everything that their soul has been through. You have been through much. Not only that, but you were not lying about saving Iris. Therefore, I will take nothing from you three." Riyku stated which caused Noah to plop on the ground and look up at him. "Thank you..." He muttered and Riyku shook his head. "Don''t thank me. I have done nothing worthy of being thanked." Riyku remarked.


    "Noah!?" Noah!" Both the girls shouted his name as they raced to his side. "You''re alive!?" Aima exclaimed. "How!?" Naomi hastily questioned. "Riyku.... he spared us." Noah looked at the girls as he said what he did and the girls looked up from him to Riyku who would simply nod. "I ha--" Riyku was cut off and stepped back from the three of them quickly using his wings to bust his distance further only to furl them back into his body afterward. His eyes narrowed at the arrows of light that had hit the ground where he once was, only to find himself suddenly surrounded by three more figures. Each holding some kind of weapon bathed in light. Noah, Naomi, and Aima looked shocked and confused. They did not understand what just happened. "Are you three okay?" A fourth figure had approached from behind them, the woman resting some kind of oddly shaped gun against her shoulder. "Yeah, but what are you doing?" Noah asked. "We are eliminating the threat before it becomes out of hand. We were contacted and told about a demonic figure who had appeared. I am just glad we made it in time." The woman would explain. "But, he isn''t a threat. He was only going to kill that guy." Naomi pointed to the lifeless body which the woman looked at before looking to Riyku who held this glare. "Even if what you said was true, he is still of demonic-kin and all demons must be eliminated." The woman explained, "But that''s..." Aima called out and the woman would shake her head. Several others would approach from behind her. "Captain!" One of them called out. "Take these three to the medical center and get them patched up." The woman replied and both of them would salute her before following orders. "Come with us." One of the men stated. "But..." Aima would protest. "There is nothing we can. We need to go with them..." Noah stated before looking back at Riyku. "I''m sorry..." He gave the male an apologetic look and Riyku shook his head. "Nothing worth apologizing for. Go with them." Riyku muttered.


    "So, what are you muttering to yourself, Demon?" The woman would step up, aiming the barrel of the gun right at Riyku. "Nothing serious. Though, I am assuming you were the one who shot those arrows at me?" He inquired and the woman smirked. "My aren''t we insightful. Yes. I was. I am even more so surprised that you are even capable of rational thought. Most demons just lash out, yet here you are having a conversation with me." The woman snickered, "It''s disgusting." She added at the end and Riyku would sneer at her. "and yet you for have yet to attack me. Are you waiting on me, or perhaps you have something else planned." Riyku would narrow his eyes and the woman would chuckle. "Who knows..." She replied with a smirk, her finger holding down the trigger of her gun as if she were charging up a shot. "Guess you''ll have to find out." She added.

 35 A systematic malfunction

    Five people in total surrounded Riyku, which included the mysterious woman who had the barrel of her gun aimed right at him. "Well... if you five aren''t going to do anything." The male would sway his arm outward which caused his shadow to rapidly exchange across the battlefield. "Skill: Shadow Override. Extra skill: Sickly." Riyku would snap his fingers as the shadow that covered the flooring of the battlefield would rupture into large thorns. All five of the people who had surrounded him jumped away to evade the rupture of thorns, even using acrobatics to avoid being pierced by thorns that came from blindspots. Riyku''s eyes would widen as if he were amused by how agile these five were. All five of them managed to stay alive with some manner of tactic be it using their weapons to ride the rise of a thorn, or by traveling above them until the rupture settled. Kissing her teeth the woman with the gun would narrow her eyes at Riyku. "Evacuate the stadium without delay. We have a threat level: Final Boss, on our hands." The woman would speak out to relay some kind of communication; however, she did not activate any device. Still, there was an audio feed that came from her earpiece. "Now then... Skill: Scan." Riyku stated as he seemed to activate another skill, his eyes laid over each person on the field which would bring up a window in front of him for each person he wished to scan.


    Name: Stephanie Heres


    Rank: Officer of Division Five


    Level: 77


    Age: 25


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Fighting style: Close quarters


    Weapon style: Curved blade


    Name: Ben Hyams


    Rank: Officer of Division Five


    Level: 76


    Age: 24


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Fighting style: Ranger


    Weapon style: Dual pistols


    Name: Alex Vons


    Rank: Strategist of Divison Five


    Level: 67


    Age: 22


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Fighting Style: Support


    Weapon Style: Staff


    Name: Ire Glee


    Rank: Vice-Captain of Divison Five


    Level: 80


    Age: 25


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Fighting Style: Mixed


    Weapon Style: Power Fists


    Name: Claire Xeras


    Rank: Captain of Divison five


    Level: 85


    Age: 28


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Fighting Style: Mixed


    Weapon Style: GunBlade


    Beside each screen held a portrait of the person so he knew who was who. It seemed that this Stepahine Heres person was a brunette with green eyes, her build was rather toned and petite. Meanwhile, Ben Hyams was blond with blue eyes who seemed to appear more fragile. Then there was Alex Vons, this woman was chubby in certain aspects but still looked cute. Her hair was also that of a brunette, but her eyes were brown. Next up came Ire Glee, this man rivaled Skylar in size but had the more masculine appeal. His hair color was raven which matched his eyes. Lastly, was Claire Xeras was a beauty indeed, though she was toned as well. Nothing even close to a damsel in distress. Her sky-blue hair would match those icy blue eyes of hers that we''re fixated on him.


    "Well, this is some handy information. This skill is extremely useful, though it resembles the appraisal ordeal that I have. Oh well." Riyku would shrug. The thorns would steadily sink back down into the shadows which retracted towards him. "Alright, every one of Division Five. Remember to form your links and move on my mark." Claire called out to her team. "Links?" Riyku thought to himself before shaking his head. He would push the screens away which caused them to fade from view. His eyes now focused on Claire who was charging at him dead-on. The woman would bring up her gunblade and released the trigger which shot out a barrage of arrows in his direction. The arrows seemed to be bathed in light just like the weapons of each were. A snicker left Riyku as he seeped into the shadow only to rise in front of Claire. His claw coming upward as if to clip the woman; however, she would pivot backward so his claw only scratched her armor. Well, it felt like armor in a sense. Upon closer inspection, Riyku would note that the armor was similar to his Death Games Armor, in fact, it looked like the armor everyone here had been wearing just more advanced and well-tuned.


    That was all the time he was going to get since a bullet had flown past him. The first of many, but the only one to go unnoticed since the male was now evading each bullet. That was until Stepahine stepped in from behind him. The curved blade slicing right past his cheek by a few millimeters. "Wow. That''s impressive. You were not hit by friendly fire and even got behind me." Riyku would praise the woman before bringing his elbow back into the woman''s stomach. Well, he would have if she did not step back to evade this. Hastily, Riyku would spin on his heel to try and strike the woman with the back of his hand which was also evaded. Riyku was already in motion, bringing his other hand around to cut her down with his claw; however, the agile display from earlier showed that she was more than capable of evading this attack. His pursuit would in there though when Ire had interrupted him. Stepping from Riyku''s blind spot to push aside his attack by the arm only to bring his fist towards Riyku''s stomach. Riyku would use his knee to knock the male''s attack off-target which would fly past him. Riyku would use the hand that was not knocked aside to grasp the male''s hair. Bringing his clawback only to thrust it into the male''s chest; however, the male would use one hand to stop Riyku''s attack before it reached by grasping hold of his wrist. His other hand came to help which would leave him open. A smirk curved across Riyku''s face as he used this opportunity to slam Ire into the ground. Though it seemed something stopped him, a burning sensation had slammed into him from yet another blind-spot. This caused him to turn towards the person who threw out this attack which was none other than Alex. "Ire, now!" Alex shouted and Ire would give out a roar, releasing Riyku''s wrist only to fire several bullets from his balled fist. Which were most likely the weapons he had which were like combat gloves with built-in pistols? Well, who knew. Though the sudden bullets that pierced through the male''s body caused him to stumble back as he groaned in pain.


    "Captain!" Ire shouted and Claire would up from Riyku''s blind spot and drive the gunblade straight through his chest from behind. "Gotcha." The woman remarked though her expression changed when Riyku''s body turned into black goo and seeped into the ground. "So that''s how you five, fight. Excellent teamwork I must say." Riyku''s voice came from far, sitting upon some black throne fit for a ruler. One leg crossed over the other as he rested his chin against his knuckles which was alleviated by the elbow which was on the armest. His other hand was resting on arm-rest firmly. "What!?" Ire growled out. "That was just... a clone!?" Alex added. Claire would narrow her eyes at Riyku. "Regroup!" Claire called out and everyone would regroup to her.


    "What did you do? No, when did you do it?" Claire would question and Riyku seemed quite fine with answering her. "When I transversed through the shadow. I sent a clone your way and masked my presence while sitting on the side-lines to watch. Make no mistake though, my clones are not weak. Still, not as strong as the original though." Riyku would relay to her and she would click her tongue. "So, we were battling a clone the entire time?" Ire questioned in frustration. "Indeed you were. I have gained quite a bit of data from watching you five. It seems that the link you speak of links you to one person which synchronizes you with that person. Allowing you to fight alongside that person in perfect harmony. Though, from what I have gathered, you can only use it between two people." Riyku would state which caused Claire''s eyes to widen. "I''ll take your silences as a yes." Riyku would add after a brief moment.


    Riyku would move from his throne which would steadily sink into his shadow. "Now then. It''s time to show you all. The true meaning of reaping." Riyku would raise his hand skyward and his double-headed scythe, the Scythe of Abyss would appear rotating rapidly. As if on command when he motioned his hand down the scythe would fling outward towards Claire. The woman would bring the barrel of her gunblade up and rapidly fire at the scythe that tore through the air. Sadly, the scythe would tear down the bullets as well. "Captain!" Ire shouted as he jumped in front of Claire bringing his power gloves up as if he were to shield her from the weapon. "No Ire, dodge it!" Claire shouted, which caused Ire to lean backward to evade the swirling weapon. Claire had leaped over the weapon; however, the moment Riyku pulled his hand back the weapon would change its trajectory. It also changed from horizontal to vertical. "What!?" Claire would bring her weapon up as if to guard against the scythe which steadily cut through the steel of her blade. "Captain!" Ire shouted as he rolled away from Claire. "Let go of it!" He added. "I... I can''t! It''s engraved into my blade!" Claire shouted which caused Ire to kiss his teeth. "Alex!" Ire called out to Alex who would nod, "Already on it!" She would wave her staff around before flinging an orb of light towards Claire. Riyku would tilt his head as he watched the display, meanwhile Ben and Stephaine had surrounded him in a pincer attack. Ben was now happily pulling the triggers of his guns while Stephaine was thrusting and swinging her curved blade which made Riyku dodge towards the bullets, of which he also seemed to dodge. Stephaine seemed to have positioned herself perfectly so no bullets would hit her. "Your links... they quite formidable. But tell me..." Riyku would shift his eyes towards Ben. "What happens when one of you is isolated?" He inquired which caused Stephanie to become wary. "Ben, run!" Stephaine shouted to Ben who was now reloading his weapons. Riyku''s body would disappear in the blink of an eye and appear in front of Ben. "Shit!" Ben would grit his teeth when he saw Riyku towering over him. "Indeed." Riyku would extend his hand outward as if to call back his weapon. The scythe that was engraved into Claire''s blade would disappear and reappear in his hand. He would bring the blade down towards Ben who would squit his eyes tightly.


    "Riyku! Stop!" A feminine voice all too well known had shouted from the shaft of one of the elevators which caught his attention and stopped his strike from clashing into Ben. "Mina..." Riyku turned to look upon Mina who had tear-stained cheeks. "Please, Riyku..." Mina called out as she moved from the elevator and started to make her way towards him. Everyone had shifted their gazes towards Mina. Though it was Stephaine who would take this opportunity to attack Riyku. Dashing towards him, she brought her weapon around to strike him down from the back. "Riyku!" Mina shouted as if to warn him which sent him on high alert. His eyes shifted back towards Stephaine as he maneuvered his body in a way that he would take minimal damage. Although, that did not seem necessary. Several knives had clashed into Stephaine''s blade which sent the weapon on another course entirely which caused her to miss. Skylar had hastily made his way to Riyku''s back with daggers in hand. His silver eyes glaring at Stephaine. "Try it, it will be the last mistake you make." His words were cruel for a feminine appearance, yet his eyes held the resolve to protect.


    "Allies?" Alex inquired watching as Mina would catch up with Riyku and Skylar while Stephaine would fall back with Ben to regroup. "Riyku are you okay? You aren''t hurt are you?" Mina started to ask as she looked all over his body for any signs of damage. Riyku would blink rapidly before shaking his head. "What are you doing here?" He asked his tone cold, unlike his normal warmth. This caught her off guard, "you..." She stated softly which caused Riyku to sigh heavily. "I am fine. As you can see. There is nothing wrong with me." Riyku stated and Mina would shake her head. "There is. You are in pain. We can feel it, Riyku." Mina would place a hand against his chest where his heart was, Skylar would close his eyes and exhale a breath before smiling brightly up at Riyku. "She is right. We came here to let you know that you are not alone. We told you, that we will always take your side even if the world is against you." Skylar stated firmly and Mina would nod softly.


    Riyku would close his eyes as if he were in thought. [That is dandy and all, but they will die if you disengage this power. The only reason you can fight those five is because of this power. Without it, you will lose. You will lose everything.] Harvester stated inside of his mind. A soft sigh escaped his lips. "You may be right. I may end up losing. However, I can feel this power steadily consuming me. I almost gave into it. If Mina had not said something, I may have become drunk and obsessed with this power. But, that is not who I am. I do seek strength, but..." Riyku would place his hand over Mina''s hand and his flesh steadily started to return to color. Raven hair color slowly invading the white and his horns, tail, and claws all seeming to steadily retract. "I will find my strength." Riyku would remark as his eyes flared open. The crimson eyes upon white sclera on clear display. "Riyku...." Mina spoke softly as she eyed him, noticing that he returned completely to normal. "Thank you. Mina, Skylar." Riyku would appeal to them with warmth from his heart.


    [What!? How can this be!?] Harvester shouted from the abyss inside of Riyku. "You know, I knew something was fishy the moment the archives said that using the class up would cause his power to consume him. In reality, it was the opposite. Using a class up would give him the power he needs to defend against you." A feminine voice called out as the small girl made her way towards Harvester. [Wait... aren''t you, Blaze!?] Harvester was shocked. [You were supposed to be erased with the system format. How!?] He would growl at the girl who giggled at him. "Well, that is a secret, but for now. It is time for you to go." Blaze stated firmly. [Oh? And you, a powerless nobody will make me leave?] Harvester smirked and Blaze only shook her head. "I don''t have to. Riyku has rejected you. This subconscious of his denies you entirely. Therefore, you hold no power here. If anything, you are as powerless as I am." To these words Harvester would grit his teeth, growling and cursing under his breath. [Bullshit!] He shouted. "Surely you jest. You can feel it, you are growing weaker. You will return from where you came." Blaze would turn on his heel. "I still have things I must attend to, such as cleaning up your mess. Though afterward, I will join you. After all, we should not be here." The girl stated as she started to walk off, fading into the darkness meanwhile Harvester was slowly starting to fade away as well. [Noooooo!] He shouted before completely vanishing, only the echo of his voice was left which also seemed to vanish as well.


    ''Linked with Mina.''


    ''Linked with Skylar.''


    A text box appeared in front of Riyku upon his UI which vanished shortly after. A smile curved across his lips, and his eyes shifted skyward. Taking note of the cursor that was no longer there.


    ''Quest: Defeat The Dark Demonic Reaper Completed!''


    The screen in the sky shifted its text before disappearing. A yellow aura would flutter over Mina and Skylar briefly. "What?" Mina inquired. "What was that?" Skylar added and Riyku just chuckled lightly. "My guessing is the quest rewards," Riyku stated bluntly to which they gave him a puzzled expression. "I''ll explain another time, for now, we should probably deal with those five," Riyku stated as he pointed towards them. Mina and Skylar shifted their eyes towards Division Five. Claire would narrow her eyes at Riyku. "What was that? If you don''t mind me asking." She inquired. Riyku would shake his head. "I couldn''t tell you as I am not too sure myself." This went completely against what Riyku had told Mina and Skylar, and yet it was more like he was trying to keep Divison Five in the dark about what just happened.


    "Well, then I guess we have no choice but to take you down," Claire stated firmly, her eyes shifted to her weapon making note of the fact that it was completely fixed. "Thanks, Alex." She said and Alex would nod. Claire would aim the barrel of his gunblade at Riyku. "Honestly, I do not wish to anyone else involved, but it seems like you two will not budge on this one." Claire would call out to them. "No. We won''t." Skylar replied shaking his head. "Tell me, why must we fight?" Mina asked which caused Claire to sigh softly. "Because he is a threat. Even if he has powered down or whatever. It does not change the fact that he is a threat to all of us." Claire would answer her and Mina would shake her head. "Is he though? He spared several others when he could have killed them. He has even saved the life of his opponent. And you want to tell me he is a threat? Sure, he may have lost control of himself, but.... could you stay sane if someone you cherished was torn from you? He was reunited with his family only for that family to be torn from him, and you want to call him a threat for taking the life the one who killed his family!? Tell me, where is the sense in all of that!?" Mina shouted. In truth, the girl appeared upset, angry even so much so that tears were whelming in her eyes.


    "Look. I get where you are coming from, but we must protect these people for it is our duty. So, I will give you one last chance. Step aside, or fall with him." Claire stated firmly, unfazed by what Mina said. Though Mina... well she would shake her head fiercely. "No. I know deep down that he is not in the wrong. He is a good person, he brings smiles to everyone. He helps who he can when he can without ever asking for anything in return. Without him, I would have never made so many friends. I would have never met the wonderful people I know now. Therefore, I will not stand aside. I will stay by his side even if it means going against the world entirely." Mina stated firmly, reaching her hand into a sub-space that had appeared in front of her. She would pull out her staff and hold it tightly.


    "I... I never had any friends. Even in the track team, amongst my peers, no one would befriend me. Then I heard about a super-strong guy who appeared out of nowhere. No one knew anything about him, or even who was. All they knew was that he was unranked. My sister was the one who asked me to investigate him and honestly I was scared at first. I am never good with people, but when I challenged Riyku to a race that day he did not look down on me, nor did he belittle me. Sure his words were harsh, but I could see it in his eyes, that he was searching for something. And even though he was seeking something out, he gave someone like me the time of day. He even put his life on the line to save me one day. It was then that I knew that he was a good-hearted person. That he would make for a great friend. So, I started to take his advice when he told me... To seek power and knowledge, to create a will that will never bend. But the most important thing of all, the one thing that has stuck with me even to this day... To never forget who I am." Skylar would inhale deeply. "I am Skylar Novaa, best friend of Riyku Von Rosario and a disciple of the Rogue''s Shadow. I will never bend to any who dare harm my friends or my family! Prepare yourselves!" Skylar shouted aloud which caught Mina''s and Riyku''s glance. A hand moved to pat Skylar. "Nicely said. Do not forget though, I will protect you two as well." He placed a hand on Mina''s head as well giving them both pats which caused them to blink rapidly before blushing softly.


    "Rogue''s Shadow? That boy?" Ire would narrow his eyes. "I had heard that the Rogue of Shadows acquired a disciple, but I did not think I would ever meet him in person or even this soon," Claire stated before gritting her teeth. "This may prove difficult." She added. "Should we retreat then, madam?" Alex inquired, but the expression Claire gave showed thought as if she was thinking of falling back. "Retreat, this early in the game?" A masculine voice called from behind them which drew their attention. "Commander Azeal!" Claire would exclaim. "Commander!" Everyone would sound off, Riyku''s eyes shifted towards Azeal. "So, you showed up," Riyku called out, stepping in front of Mina and Skylar. "I had a feeling you would," Riyku stated firmly. "Yo, a short time since we meet huh. Funny how we would meet here of all places." Azeal called back to Riyku.


    "Commander, what of the staff and populace?" Claire inquired which drew Azeal''s attention to her. "Hm? Oh, they''ve been evacuated. Even the Emporer and the other high-class stuff. All that is left is us and them." Azeal stated as he shifted his eyes back to Riyku who would narrow them at him. "Whoa, you could kill someone with a glare like that. Relax, I am not here to fight." Azeal would wave his hands and shake his head. This caused Claire and the rest of Division Five to give a shocked expression. "C-Commander!? He is a threat if left alone. What do you mean you are not here to fight!?" Claire inquired hastily. "I realize this, but... it would be a waste to kill him. Besides, if we did battle with him... well... Let''s just say it would take more than a few people of the Hunter''s Legion. No, wish to offer him full-blown recruitment." Azeal stated loud enough for Riyku to here.


    "So, tell me. Will you join the Hunter''s Legion?" Azeal inquired and Riyku would close his eyes as if in thought. In all honesty, it was not a bad deal. It meant that both sides would leave without casualties and he would not be hunted down. Though the most deciding factor would have to be... "What of my friends?" Riyku asked which caused Azeal to chuckle lightly. "Are you asking we leave them alone, or?" Azeal would respond. "I''ll leave that choice up to them; however, I do ask if you plan on leaving them alone," Riyku stated with firm conviction and Azeal would release a soft sigh. "Geez, if I said no you might decline my offer and we may lose several people. So, I see no reason why we can''t leave them alone. Provided you join us of course." Azeal stated with his firm resolve. For several moments the silence would bare until Riyku spoke up, "My answer is..."

 36 Bonds

    Riyku would inhale softly, before exhaling slowly. "My answer is... No. I refuse your offer." Riyku would reply to Azeal which seemed to shock him more than anyone else. He could not comprehend why Riyku would choose to struggle rather than safety. It was beyond him. The deal was perfect, the safety of himself and his friends and yet... he would rather choose to fight. Azeal would shake his head with a heavy sigh. "I do not understand. I have given you the perfect opportunity. So tell me, why? Why would you choose to struggle?" Azeal inquired while eyeing the man down. A smirk curved across Riyku''s cheeks. "You offer me false peace. The price of safety is my freedom. I will be shackled down and ruled over by you and those you serve. Of course, it may not all be bad; however, who is to say that others of the Hunter''s Legion will willing accept me or my friends?" Riyku would remark throwing a question at him in return. "You are right. They may be some who will reject you. Some who may even try to suppress you and tear you down. I will admit that the Hunter''s Legion is not some kind of Military division, but a Guild that was created with the sole purpose to give reasoning to those who sought out a purpose in life. Most join the Legion to take down monsters and demons, others do it for fame and fortune. Then there is us, we do it to protect the people of this kingdom as best we can. As the Commander of the Fifth Division, I can assure you that no harm will befall you if you are to join my Division." Azeal would rebuttal.


    "Commander! You can''t be serious about this!" Claire would speak up. "Claire''s right. Commander, if we bring him in who knows what may happen to us!" Ire would speak up as well. "I concur. What if he were to come after us. He could snap at any given moment." Alex would agree with Ire. Even Ben and Stephaine agreed with them. "Looks like I have my answer. Your team is not fond of me, not that I plan them." Riyku called back to Azeal who would sigh heavily. "You know, you four have only made things worse for us right?" Azeal turned to look back at them with a frustrated expression. "But, Commander..." Claire would remark and Azeal would shake his head. "Fine. How about this." Azeal would turn to face Riyku. "A mock battle. Between Division Five and you three. If we win, you join us. If you win, we will leave you alone and forget this ever happened. Though since it is a mock battle, lethal blows are restricted. I am sure you understand, right?" Azeal would call out, an entirely new suggestion from his first.


    "Wait, What!?" Claire shouted. "You five understand so little. Your fear has overcome you and you refuse to look at the bigger picture. The man before you has created bonds that are inseverable. He has made friends that will never betray him. The people he has surrounded himself with will always come to his aid. Have you not even noticed..." Azeal would motion with his head as to guide their line of sight towards one of the elevator shafts. "Riyku!" Rick shouted as he came from the shaft with Nora, Jessica, Melaine, and Ion. Riyku, Mina and Skylar would look towards Rick and his group. "Rick? What are you doing here?" Riyku asked as the five of them would come to a halt with heavy breaths. "Geez... I haven''t run like that in a long time. It took us a bit to find this place since we lost sight of Mina and Skylar, but..." Rick would break his sentence to regain control of his breathing. "We wanted to check up on you." Melaine would finish for him which caused Riyku''s eyes to widen a little. "You look fine though. I guess that is thanks to Mina and Skylar." Jessica pitched in. Mina and Skylar gave them heartfelt smiles before looking to Riyku. "Yup, he''s going to be okay. Though, we have more pressing matters." Mina would state as she shifted her eyes back to the group across from them. "Hm? Who are they?" Jessica inquired. "That''s Commander Azeal of the Fifth Division of the Hunter''s Legion. His Division''s sole purpose to protect and aid the people of the Kingdom. In other words, you were seen as a massive threat, not surprising though since you were well... Demonic looking." Nora would answer.


    "You five! What are you doing? It is dangerous!" Claire called out to them which took their attention towards the woman. "Dangerous? I''ll admit this guy is brutal, but he has done quite a bit to clean up the streets." Jessica replied to Claire. "He even helped us out. He stopped someone from continuously harassing us." Ion would pitch in. "Yup, and he did not even who we were," Rick added. "He may be scary, but he is also kind and caring." Melaine would also speak up. "I have to agree with them. Riyku is abnormal, but he is not as much as a threat as you claim him to be." Nora would speak up as well. The reaction these teenagers gave Claire caused her to bite her lower lip and step back. Azeal would place his hand upon her shoulder. "See. You are quick to judge. I saw it in his eyes the first time we met. He will only condemn those who deserve it. Why do you think he spared the Lost Prince." Azeal would step past Claire with a smirk across his face. "So, what will it be? Will you accept my challenge?" Azeal called out to Riyku.


    "Challenge?" Nora looked towards him, just as the rest did. "Yeah... a friendly mock battle. If I win they will leave me alone, and if they win I have to join them." Riyku replied to Nora who would blink rapidly. "Wait... wait... Azeal the Wizard King is challenging you!?" Nora was shocked, she did not expect any of this to happen. "Wizard King?" Riyku would inquire with interest piqued. "Yes. Azeal is known for using abnormal spells in rapid succession. His chant time is nearly zero, and he holds many national cups for first place when it came to magika contests. Not to forget that he has also lead armies to victory during his service in the military. There is still so much more to him that the public has announced him the Wizard King." Azeal would blush lightly and scratch his cheek at the praise he heard coming from Nora. "You know, that was all in the past. I am but a Commander of Division Five. I thank you though, for your wonderful words." Azeal stated to Nora, before shifting his eyes to Riyku. "Well?" Azeal was still awaiting a reply to his challenge.


    "Fine. I''ll accompany you. Mina, Skylar, can you handle the other five?" Riyku inquired and Mina and Skylar would nod at the same time. "Of course!" They shouted in sync which caused Riyku to smirk lightly. "Nora, Rick, Melaine, Ion, Jessica... I suggest you five stand back. I would rather you not get caught up in this. If anything, take this in as a lesson of how to become stronger. Strive till the bitter in all you do." Riyku stated firmly. Nora and Rick would lead Jessica, Melaine and, Ion a bit aways from the upcoming battle. "Claire, you are with me. Stepahine and Ben you are to take one of them while Ire and Alex are to take the other. Do not let your guard down no matter what. Also, we are not fighting to kill. But, do have fun." Azeal stated as he held his hand open before him. Through a poof of smoke, a thick covered book would appear with the spine hovering just over his open palm. The book would flip up and several pages would turn before coming to a halt. "Sir!" Everyone shouted at the same time.


    "Disciple of Rouge''s Shadow. I challenge you!" Ire called out to Skylar who blinked rapidly before nodding lightly. "Alright. I accept your challenge." Skylar would twirl his daggers in his hand several times before taking to an offensive stance. "I guess we got the other one," Ben stated. "True, but... is she a support type?" Stephanie would ask. "I will be fine. Thank you for your concern." Mina called out as she grasped her staff tightly. Riyku would extend his hand outward as if to call to one of his weapons. It was then the large blade, Soluna Blade had appeared in his hand. Defty the male would swing it around to rest it against his shoulder which caused his knees to deep in for a moment when the blade made contact with his shoulder. "Claire, I''ll support you for now. So go ahead and be as reckless as you want." Azeal stated which caught the woman''s attention. "B-but sir... If I do that..." Azeal would shake his head to her remark. "This will require everything we have. I doubt you can kill him even if you use your full power. So go ahead and unleash it. He may be the sparing partner you need to control it." Azeal would reaffirm her and she nodded lightly.


    Ire would race towards Skylar and swing at him with a flourish of punches and kicks. Skylar would dodge each attack while retaliating with his own that Ire seemed to evade while countering Skylar. Their skirmish seemed to continue this way as if it were a test of endurance. Meanwhile, Alex was in the back going through a chant.


    As for Stephaine and Ben, well Stephanie seemed to have started her burst of attacks. Quick thrusts and slashes of her curved blade that Mina would block with her staff. Meanwhile, Ben was aiming the barrels of his guns at Mina; however, he was unable to get a clean shot. "Stepahine, you are in the way! I can''t get a clear shot!" Ben called out which caused Stephaine to kiss her teeth. "What are you doing?" She narrowed her eyes at Mina who chuckled softly. "Nothing special." She teased her which caused her to increase the pace of her strikes that Mina seemed to block each time with her staff.


    Claire would close her eyes as if to focus on something and after a moment the mana around became dense. A blue aura would slowly appear around the woman and her eyes would flare up revealing a chilly blue glow to them. "Let''s go." Claire would dash towards Riyku. Her speed seemed to have increased, though when she swung her blade down at Riyku. Riyku would block the weapon, another swing and another before she pulled the trigger of her gunblade. Riyku would block each strike against him and lean away from the barrel of the gun before swinging his around towards her. Quickly she would pivot away from him only to aim the barrel of her gun at him again. Strangely the weapon was no longer firing arrows, but actual bullets this time around.


    The moment Ire and Skylar clashed power fist to dagger the two were in a deadlock for a moment before jumping away from each other. Ire would look towards Claire when he felt the pressure of mana become dense. "Whoa... is she seriously going to use it?" Ire inquired. Alex would wave her staff around toward Ire as she finished her chant. "Ire, Lookout!" Alex shouted, a green aura engulfing the male as his eyes shifted back towards Skylar who had invaded his personal space rapidly. "Never take your eyes off your opponent. Master always told me that." Skylar stated firmly as he unleashed a combo of swift slashes at Ire who could only react in defense. "Damn it!" Ire would grit his teeth.


    As for Stephanie and Ben, well... Their attention remained on Mina for whatever reason. "Ugh! Why can''t I hit you! Why are you able to block everything I throw at you!" Stephaine was starting to lose her cool, making several mistakes which eventually caused her to lose her footing and slip under her own feet. "What... what is this... I can''t..." Ben was starting to wobble around as if he were drunk. "I can''t focus...." He muttered trying to keep the sights of his guns on Mina who was giggling softly. "The spell I used was Bard''s Lullaby. Normally, it is used to buff your allies. However, if used against foes it will produce a sound when struck that causes their senses to go haywire. Making you feel like you are drunk." Mina stated as she stepped back. "I do not wish to cause you two any harm. So this was the best I could do. The effects won''t go away anytime soon, so I strongly suggest rest." Mina stated though it seemed Stephaine did not want to down so easily. She used her weapon to aid her in standing up. "That''s a cheap trick... Though, maybe our supporter can learn from you." Stephaine seemed reluctant to admit, but she what Mina did was... well, a great tactic in the end. Mina would sigh softly. "Thank you, but I do suggest you rest. I won''t do anything as cowardly as strike you down." Mina stated and Stephaine shook her head. "I can still..." She would wobble forward. "Ugh..." She dropped her weapon and fell onto her knees, leaning over before barfing. Mina would look away and step back at the same time.


    Azeal chuckled lightly, "Looks like the supporter one-upped them. Not bad." He stated when he saw the state his team was in. His eyes shifted towards Ire who was struggling against Skylar. "Why is he getting faster!? What the hell is this!?" Ire growled in frustration, as he started to feel wary. "Alex!" Ire called out. "Alright!" Alex returned as she snapped her fingers. The green aura that had engulfed Ire would flourish brightly. Skylar sensed something was off and stopped his restless barrage to retreat to a safe distance. "Oh? Alex finally perfected that skill. Well, then... that should put them on equal ground against a disciple of that old man." Azeal muttered to himself before returning his gaze to Claire who had released several bullets into the air; though they were just sitting there. Stopped in mid-air while she charged towards Riyku.


    "Neat trick." Riyku had his eyes upon the bullets that were stopped dead in mid-air. Bringing his weapon around he would deflect Claire''s blade. "Your speed and power have increased greatly since you''ve taken to this... form? Well, who knows. Still...." Riyku would step into Claire''s space during her mid-swing and push her blade aside with his own only to reach for the collar of her armor. The woman would click her tongue and one of the bullets in mid-air would shot towards Riyku which caused him to retract his hand while she retreated to a safe distance. ".... I see." Riyku would smirk as he moved to take the second blade from the main one with his other hand. "What else do they do?" Riyku inquired before he darted towards Claire and begun to clash blade and bullet with the woman.


    "Wow... this is." Rick was at a loss for words. "It''s not every day that battle of this caliber is put on display." Ion would speak up. "Still... Azeal has yet to truly act." Nora stated as she folded her arms under her bust. Jessica had been looking around the field. "Hey, isn''t that!" She would point towards three figures. "Team IVS!" Melaine exclaimed which caused the rest of them to look towards the collapsed figures. "What should we do?" She would turn toward Nora and Rick for any answer. "I think we go towards them. Maybe one of them is alive if anything." Rick stated. "I agree. If we can save even one life, we should." Nora added and the rest of the group would agree. The five of them would make their way around the field, taking to the outer edges so as not to get caught up in the battle. Though Team IVS was on the opposite side of them so the distance to cover was lengthly at that.


    Skylar and Ire were trading blows one another, meanwhile, Alex was preparing yet another chant. "Oh no, you don''t." Skylar would swiftly pivot back to toss several knives in Alex''s direction. Though he was not aiming to kill but more so to throw her concentration off which worked since she jumped away from the knives thinking they were aimed at her. Ire would dash towards Skylar and swing once which was a feint to cause Skylar to evade backward. When Skylar did lean backward, Ire would slip behind him and slam a fist into his back which caused him to stumble forward. Ire would quickly follow up by sweeping Skylar from under his feet only to fall with Skylar while extending his elbow outward to preform an Elbow drop. Instead of trying to move against gravity he moved with it, so he could fall into his arms and roll away from Ire which caused him to slam his elbow into the ground. It was then that Skylar kicked off of his feet and moved to straddle Ire, from behind while pushing the sharp edge of his dagger against his throat. "I win," Skylar stated while looking at Alex who was blinking rapidly. "Fuck!" Ire shouted. "We admit defeat..." Alex stated sadly and Skylar would get off of Ire, sheath his dagger and offer a hand to help the male up. Ire would hesitate to take Skylar''s hand but ended up doing so in the end. "Nice fight. If I had neglected my teachings in the past that last move would have secured your victory. My Master taught that sometimes you need to go with the flow of battle and never against it to come out on top." Skylar stated and Ire would sigh heavily. "The Rogue of Shadows truly has taught you well." Ire stated. "Good fight." He was frustrated but did not show any unsportsmanlike conduct. "Say, what was that move you used to get behind me? You were like the shadow itself." Skylar called out to Ire who was mid-way from Alex. "Oh, that? It''s a move called slip-stream. It allows me to pivot behind my target without much fraction or delay in my step. Although, I can only use it with Alex''s buff since it takes a heavy toll on the body." Ire would reply to Skylar. "That''s pretty cool actually. We should train together sometime." Skylar smiled brightly towards Ire, his feminine charm shining brightly which made Ire blush brightly. "Umm... sure." Ire stated before turning away from Skylar and regrouping with Alex who would tease him about his flustered face. Meanwhile, Skylar would regroup with Mina who was standing by, watching Riyku and Claire trade steel.


    "Looks like Ire and Alex lost. Well... they did put up a good fight. Though, the real test is here. I guess I should give her a hand." Azeal muttered to himself before hovering his free hand over his book which would cause the pages to flutter rapidly. His tongue would spit out words so fluently fast that it was almost as if he had not said a thing. A green aura would surround Claire for a split second. Azeal would continue, as the pages fluttered rapidly and several more colored auras flared around Claire. Once again Claire''s speed and power had increased, even the delay between her attacks had decreased. She would set up more bullets by the second and use them moments later, the various speeds at which the bullets flew and the timing of them would cause Riyku to adapt on the fly. Kissing his teeth the male found himself on the defensive more than the offensive. "Whoa... that''s insane." Skylar would state when he noticed that Riyku was just a blur in the wind. "He is going to be okay?" Mina asked, unable to even tell what was going on anymore. "I''m not sure, but Riyku is now on the complete defensive," Skylar replied to her which caused Mina to worry slightly. "Don''t worry. He won''t lose." Skylar would reaffirm Mina''s worries.


    "Damn it... I need to move faster. Strike with more precision and break free from this before I run out of Energy and Shield Points." Riyku muttered to himself.


    ''Would you like to activate your links?''


    A text box appeared upon his UI. "Activate my links?" He muttered to himself again. "Yes." He replied.


    ''Links activated. Those linked with you will lend you a portion of their strength.''


    It was then that a clear aura surrounded the three of them. "What? What is this?" Mina inquired. "I''m not sure, but... I think it has something to do with Riyku." Skylar replied. "Mina, Skylar. I am going to be borrowing some of your power!" Riyku shouted which caused them to blink before nodding. "If we can be of assistance, go right ahead," Mina replied. "Please do," Skylar added and Riyku would nod with a smirk across his face. "Thanks!" Riyku would call back to them. "What the!?" Claire narrowed her eyes noticing that Riyku was pushing her back now. Cutting down several bullets with one swing while deflecting her blade attacks. Before she knew it, she was unable to fire off any more bullets was now having to block and evade two blades that came at her. The tables had turned in mere moments. "Time to finish this!" Riyku exclaimed as his body vanished for a moment before reappearing behind Claire. Riyku would kick down upon the back of Claire''s knee which forced to kneel that knee. He would rest both blades crossed over each other on her shoulders like a giant pair of scissors. "Checkmate," Riyku stated, though his smirk diminished when he felt something sharp and icy against his back. "I think it is fair to call this a draw, Riyku," Azeal stated, holding a large sharp of sharp ice against Riyku''s back. A heavy sigh parted Riyku''s lips. "Fair enough." Riyku would remove his blades from her shoulders and reattach the second blade to the main blade before returning it to his inventory. Azeal would throw the sharp of ice aside which turned into water and evaporated. "So, what now? Since neither of us won that is." Riyku stated as Claire would stand up and sheath her gunblade in frustration.


    "Well, you won''t be forced to join, but that does not mean I will stop trying to recruit you either. So how about this. For a week we will give you the rundown of how the Hunter''s Legion, Fifth Division works. You''ll meet many members of the Division and even go on missions. If you don''t like it, then we''ll drop it there. Does that sound fair enough to you?" Azeal inquired with a pleasant smile. Riyku would close his eyes in thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I accept. However, If I do not like what I find, you will leave me alone. Correct?" Riyku asked just to make sure he knew what he was getting into and Azeal would affirm his question. "Yes." It was then that Riyku would extend his hand as if to shake on this agreement. Azeal would take Riyku''s hand and shake it. "Alright. I''ll let you know a week in advance. For now, let''s tend to the wounded." Azeal stated and Riyku would nod, turning his glance towards Team IVS where Rick and the others were.


    While this was going on, somewhere in the corridor of the seating. "So, that''s him?" A feminine voice called out. "Sure is. Though it seems you were already acquainted with him beforehand. Did something happen?" A burly male questioned the female, the same one that was talking with Bell in the old wooden shack. "You could say that." The woman would grasp her necklace tightly while glaring at Riyku who was checking up on Team IVS. "Well, I am surprised you did not take him out then." The man replied, seeing the fire in her eyes. "I did not know it was him when we met. I did not know that he was the man, who killed my brother." The woman replied with a hatred filled glare.

 37 Aftermath of the Death Games

    "It has been two months since the panic at the Death Games. While the rulers of the lands decided to keep quiet about what happened. The public demands answers. After all the Death Games were broadcast Nation Wide. So, the question everyone wishes to know is what happened? Why was the broadcast shut off and who was the man who entered the Games solo and tore through many three-man teams? So far no one has reported anything in..." Click! The monitor would shut off and the news program would end. "You know, you could just throw your name out there, Riyku." Kristen''s voice called from the bed she was relaxing on. Her outfit was an almost see-through black gown that seemed to fit her rather nicely if one had to say. "And attract even more attention towards me? I think not." Riyku called from the bathroom, the steamrolling out of the bathroom the moment the male pushed the bathroom door open completely. "Besides, I have all the attention I desire as it is," Riyku stated with a playful tongue that caused Kristen to look up at him. She would bite her lower lip, taking note of how exposed yet concealed he was with that towel wrapped around his waist and only his waist. "Glad to hear it, will you be joining me tonight or must I enter your bed?" Kristen teased back at him and he just chuckled lightly. "I wonder." He replied before sitting down beside her. "How are your arms?" Riyku asked with concern upon his face. Kristen would wiggle her arm around freely with a bright smile. "Much better. The doctors did say I made a full recovery after all. Though I am a little worried about Lira." Kristen responded with a soft sigh.


    Riyku would move a hand over her hair and brush it softly, before caressing her cheek gently. "As am I, but I am sure she will pull through. She is a tough one after all." Riyku would respond with a warm smile which caused Kristen to release a soft breath. "You are right." She said softly. "Riyku, I am glad to have met you. I am glad I challenged you back then. If not, I may not have been able to experience these moments. I may not have even been able to find someone who genuinely cares about me either. So.. I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for standing up for me and thank you for accepting me for me. It truly means a lot to me." Kristen would express with partially teary eyes. Riyku would wipe the tears from her face and smile softly at her. "I also wanted to thank you." Riyku''s remark caught her off guard. Her confusion caused him to chuckle lightly. "You see. These past several months I have come to understand more and more about myself and who I once was. I was always alone even when I had others around me. When it came to doing whatever it was I needed to do, I would always take to the tasks alone. Not once did I ever really attempt to team up with anyone. Of course, I do not know why myself, but I have a feeling that it was out of fear. Fear that would cause harm to those around me. So much so that I pushed them away to keep them safe." Riyku would remark softly before closing his eyes. "However, I am surrounded by wonderful people. People, who I have come to realize, wish for me to succeed in life and strive for the greater good. You are one of those people, Kristen. You have helped me more times than I can count and just being around you overall puts me at ease." Riyku would relay to her while staring deeply into her eyes which caused her to blush out of joy. "So thank you. Thank you for everything you have done for me." Riyku added and Kristen would leap into his arms and embrace him tightly. Blinking rapidly at this sudden display had caught him off guard. However, he would close his eyes yet again and embrace her as well.


    After a moment, Kristen would release him and he would do the same. She would look up at her and caress his cheek softly. "Make sure you tell the others what you have told me. Though, I am sure I do not have to tell you." Kristen said softly and Riyku would nod lightly in response. "I already planned to. Everyone has been good to me these past several months and I want to express my gratitude towards them." Riyku would respond and Kristen would nod happily. "Now then, we should get some sleep," Kristen stated as she rolled over, pulling him on top of her. "I could have sworn said something about sleep. You know you will be up to the majority of the night, right?" Riyku would tease her as the towel unwrapped from his waist due to the motion. "I did say SOME sleep, didn''t I?" Kristen playful teased back before giving off a sexy expression, "Or are you not attracted to me anymore?" She teased him which caused him to smirk. "Oh no, I am. I just want to make sure you know what you are getting into." He would reply playfully. "Oh, I do." She cooed at him, reaching to move one of his hands to cup the thin fabric that laid over her breast.


    RING! RING! RING! RING!


    Before anything could progress further, Riyku''s wristband displayed a cybernetic screen with the caller ID being Azeal Walker. Riyku would eye the decline button and push upon it, but then the screen popped up again with the same ID caller. A heavy sigh parted his lips and he pushed the accept button which brought up a video feed of Azeal who was in some kind of study with the bookcase behind him. "That was mean... You know why I am calling after all." The man would pretend to be hurt which caused Riyku to shake his head. "Can I help you?" Riyku inquired as to if to pretend that he knew nothing which caused Azeal to chuckle. "Always cold towards me, but warm towards those women of yours. Did I interrupt?" Azeal would grin as if he knew what he did and relished in it. "And that is why you are sitting in an empty room alone and I am bedding a woman." Riyku would retort which caused Kristen to chuckle lightly. "That''s not nice of you, Riy. It''s not his fault he is too old to pick up women." Judging from Kristen''s way of speech, she was most likely annoyed with the fact that Azeal interrupted them. "Hey! I''m not that old! I am only thirty-five!" Azeal exclaimed which caused Kristen to chuckle. "Whatever you say, old man." She responded with a giggle and Riyku would shake his head even though he had a pleasant smirk across his face.


    "Geez, how mean. This old man''s feelings have been hurt." Azeal would pretend yet again. "Anyways, the date is set. Two days from now you will be picked up and brought to the Head Quarters of the Hunter''s Legion which resides in the Capital. So, I would prepare if I were you. You can bring anyone you want, but as I said they will be tested. Should they fail, well they will be returned to the Overhaul." Azeal was quite serious when he made that last statement. Riyku would nod and provide a serious expression of his own. "I know. Two days. I''ll be ready. See you then." Riyku would hang up right after that and return his attention to a much more important person. His hand moved to caress her cheek softly. "You going to come with me?" Riyku asked softly and Kristen smiled gently. She would pull him closer with her arms wrapped behind him. "Of course. Can''t have some hussy moving in on you." Kristen remarked playfully which caused Riyku to smirk. "Yet, you are fine with the others?" Riyku would tease her and she would brush her lips over his own gently. "Mmmm, that is because I know who they are. I know they won''t hurt you, nor would they ever abandon you." Kristen would reply, her minty fresh breath brushing against his lips. "Glad to know I have someone watching my back." Riyku would brush his lips softly against hers. "I always will," Kristen replied before the two engaged in a passionate kiss.


    Riyku''s hand would smoothly run down the fabrics of her nightgown only to massage her thighs as he slowly hiked the skirt up. The soft-touch caused her to moan softly into their passionate kiss. His fingers would rub at the entry of her clitoris causing her voice to hitch as she broke the kiss. His lips would brush against the side of her neck, pecking at it which made her squirm in pleasure. Kristen''s hands would grasp a handful of Riyku''s hair while the other hand would have her nails dig into the flesh of his back. This was what caused him to slip two fingers inside of her, and begin to massage the inside of her netherregion. His pecking turning more into fruitful kissing during this pleasure. The other hand slowly moving to bring the cuffs of her nightgown over one of her breasts so he could fondle the flesh and tease the nip by fingering at it. His kissing made way down to her clothed breast where he would nip at the erect nipple. Kristen felt her world starting to spin with the multitasking of her pleasure he was giving her it was like she could never get enough. Her hitched breaths turned into deep soft moans as he scratched her nails into his back. His eyes shifted towards his Shield Points where they dropped, but he did feel much pain. Still, to not react to such would be unbecoming of him. He would dig his teeth into the clothed nipple and grind against her nipple while tugging at it. It wasn''t a painful gesture, but rough enough for her to feel the pleasure more than the pain. This caused her moans to escalate even more so when he started to ''claw'' at her insides. Again, nothing painful, but pleasuring. His fingers twisting and twirling her free fleshly nipple which now caused her to arch her back, pushing her figure fulling into him as she let out a loud moan. Her lower region now a complete mess from simple stimulation; however, Riyku would withdraw his fingers only to lick them sensually which caused her to blush brightly when she noticed the naughty expression he was giving her.


    Riyku would move said fingers from his tongue to her lips. Kristen would open her mouth to take in both fingers and swirling her tongue around the fingers. Moaning softly mainly due to the position she was in. It was like she got a thrill off of being a sub in the bedroom. Riyku would softly grind his erect mass against her wet opening, lathering himself up good. He would tease her with the tip of his rod which caused her to whine with her moan. "Rather needy as always, alright, I''ll give it to you." Riyku''s voices held a dark seduction to it moments before driving himself deep inside of her which caused a bold moan to escape her lips as her legs wrapped around his waist. Riyku would stuff his fingers down her throat since he knew she had no gag reflex after all. The other hand that was grasping her breast moved to her hips, aiding in keeping her steady as he bucked his hips rapidly. The rapid succession of deep thrusts caused her to tighten around him as her moans grew with more excitement. This would probably go on for a long time, longer than expected even.


    BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!


    A soft vibration would cause Riyku to slowly open his eyes to a dimly lite white ceiling. He would lift both of his hands to tap upon the wristband which caused it to stop vibrating. His crimson eyes would shift towards Kristen who was happily clung to him as she could be. A silent sigh and small smile would greet her resting face as he gently removed her from him so he could get out of bed to prepare for the day. Once all preparations were finished he would head out of the room, making sure not to wake Kristen up. A soft yawn would escape the male''s lips as he eyed his status. "No buffs today." He mused softly. "Well not surprising with how long she kept me up," Riyku smirked softly as he entered the elevator shaft. Pushing up on the button for the lobby floor, the male would rest his back against the wall as the shaft began its descent. "I still need to take care of a few things before I leave for this whole ordeal. Seraphina has been rather silent of lately as well. I guess using whatever skill she used took a lot out of her. Still..." Riyku''s voice would drop off as he recalled the death of his daughter. "At least I was able to give her a proper burial even in this world we know nothing of," Riyku whispered to himself recalling the events that had transpired several days after the Death Games.


    About two months ago...


    "I know a lot has happened to you these past several days. However, there is still the matter of your winning of the Death Games and our deal." The Headmistress stated, sitting in her chair in their office. Her hands resting on her desk as she eyed Riyku who looked rather... depressed so to speak. "Yes, I am aware." Riyku would reply to her. "Well, first we should establish the fact that the Host of the Death Games, the Emporer himself has announced that you are rightfully the winner; however; they will not publicize your name. Since the footage was cut off, there was no clear winner. Only the staff, the Emporer and the Seven Lords know who truly won. As for the Hunter Legion, they know as well since Azeal has a big mouth." The Headmistress'' brow would twitch rapidly in annoyance. "Anyways, You are not forced to keep yourself in isolation; however, should you wish to publicize yourself you only need to show proof with your ID wristband. There will be a star next to your name which is the marking of the winner of the Annual Death Games. Your reward for winning has already been deposited into your account. The people of our Overhaul know that someone has won since taxation and prices dropped yesterday. As for who, well no one knows. I am sure if someone investigated it they could find out, but even so, I doubt they would since everyone is too busy enjoying the benefits given to them." The woman would sigh heavily.


    "Now then, as for our deal. You get to challenge me, when would you like to do that?" She asked though Riyku seemed more disinterested than he had shown than their first meeting. "Riyku." The woman called out to him which caused him to look from the ground to her. "Oh... Umm, I don''t know. Not really in the mood for it." Riyku stated and the woman would huff lightly. In truth, she seemed more relieved than anything. "Then how about this, I''ll grant you one wish. As long as it is within my power." She claimed though the look on his face gave her an answer. "You already have something in mind, don''t you?" She inquired and Riyku would nod lightly. "I would like to give my daughter a proper burial," Riyku stated which caused the woman to nod in return. "I can do that. How does tomorrow sound?" She asked of him and he nodded softly. "That is fine," Riyku replied.


    Tomorrow came faster than expected, but what was even more shocking was the fact that it was not just him, the HeadMistress and the Funeral Director, but everyone he generally kept in contact with was there. Kristen, Lira, Vex, Mina, Skylar, Rick, Melaine, Jessica, Eden, and Nora, all who he knew of from the campus grounds. Although, Deyo, Yumi, Natalie, and even Freya and Mary were there. All properly dressed which caused soft tears to stream down his cheeks and a warm smile to curve. "Iris... I am surrounded by soo many wonderful people. I am no longer alone. So please, rest with ease now knowing that your Father is in great hands." Riyku spoke softly as she knelt to the casquet and tossed a single black rose before the casquet was buried.


    Present Day...


    DING!


    The sound of the elevator reaching its destination caused him to open his eyes. "Geez... I must''ve fallen asleep." Riyku muttered softly before pushing off of the wall and leaving the elevator shaft. His eyes glanced around the dorm lobby see it was partially empty. "Not surprising since classes are back in session." Riyku would begin to make his way out of the dorms. Looking out at the street he could see the vehicles moving along the road which caused him to shake his head. "I should think about getting a vehicle of my sometime in the future. I have the funds now after all..." Riyku would tap upon his ID wristband and move towards his data which was like an identification card.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario *


    Rank: Pro(11)


    Wins: 129


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points: 39,256,210


    Subscribers: 0


    "I am almost at Legend Level, but that is mainly because I won the Death Games. As is the amount of currency I possess." Riyku muttered to himself before tapping upon his ID wristband to close the screen that was upon display. His hands motioned to his navy blue jeans as he proceeded along the pathway towards the Shopping District, which was about an hour''s walk from where he was. Originally, he was going to check up on everyone and stop by Freya''s Bakery to pick up some coffee and a couple of sugar-coated buns since those seemed to be his favorite. His main objective today was something else though. He had a promise to keep after all.


    Pushing through the doors of Yumi''s fashion shop he would walk up to the empty counter. Yumi would greet him with a smile like always. "It''s great to finally see some color on your face, hunnie. Still, I hope everything is going well for you. I haven''t seen you since that day after all." Yumi would state and Riyku would nod to his remark. "I am doing just fine. Thank you for your concern. I came by to drop something off. Could you repair it and do some maintenance on it?" Riyku would call to his inventory upon his UI and reach his hand into a distortion beside him to make it look as if he were pulling out something from a sub-space similar to how the people of this world did it. He would set the damaged suit on the counter which caused Yumi to blink rapidly. "W-What happened!? How!?" He exclaimed and Riyku chuckled lightly before folding his arms over his chest. "You know how, but can you fix it up?" He inquired after giving the man his answer. "Of course I can! I am the one who crafted the damn thing!" Yumi exclaimed which caused Riyku to grin. "Then perhaps you can also add these to it." He would pull from his pocket a piece of paper and set it up on the counter. Yumi would reach for it and read through it before his jaw dropped. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?!?" He shouted which caused the customers in the store to look towards him. Yumi would clear his throat. "Apologise." He stated to the customers before turning to Riyku who was grinning at him.


    "I''ll take your expression as a yes. As for if I can... well... I don''t see why not. I am no blacksmith, but these add-ons should not be a problem. Of course, I''ll still charge you. I need to make a living after all, but I''ll give you a discount." Yumi replied while waving the paper around and Riyku nodded. "Of course, just tally it up and tell me how much when I come back. I''ll be out for several weeks." Riyku was already out the door before Yumi could inquire about what he was doing or where he was going. His next stop was right across the street to Deyo''s Arms and Armors. "Yo!" Deyo greeted him the moment he heard the bell go off. "Glad to see you are doing better." Deyo noticed the color and smile on Riyku''s face. "Thanks for your concern. I have a request." Riyku would take out another piece of paper and set it on the counter. "Well, let''s take a look." Deyo would reach for the paper and read through it. A nod came from him. "I can get you these weapons, but what do you plan on doing with them?" Deyo inquired. "Well... I could tell you, but you''ll see when I come to get them in several weeks. You can just tally up the payment for me then." Once again, Riyku was already out of the door the moment Deyo said, ''I can''. "Wait, Several weeks!?" Deyo called out, but it was far too late. Riyku was now headed towards Natalie''s accessory shop.


    "Riyku! How lovely to see you. I am glad to see you are doing much better." Natalie would offer him a warm smile. "Thanks, Natalie," Riyku replied as he made his way to the counter. "Is there something you need help with?" Natalie asked and Riyku nodded. "There is, can you gather these items for me?" Riyku would hand her a piece of paper as well. She would take the paper and glance over it before nodding softly. "Of course! It''ll probably take a few weeks. Is that okay?" Natalie inquired and Riyku nodded. "Perfect. I''ll be back then. See ya around." Riyku was once more out of the door before anything else. He was now on his way to Freya''s Bakery shop since he was feeling parched.


    Pushing open the doors for Freya''s Bakery shop he was greeted with yet another friendly smile. "Good afternoon, Riyku. Glad to see you." Freya called out to him. "Glad to see you as well." Riyku would reply. "Mister Riyku!" Mary would run up to Riyku with open arms and Riyku would kneel to give her a soft hug when she hugged him. "Good to see you too, Mary," Riyku added. After pleasantries were taken care of, Riyku would proceed to the counter. "The usual," Riyku stated, but before anything more was said Freya had already the cup of coffee and a paper bag with several buns in them at the ready. "So, what are your plans today?" Freya asked as Riyku began paying for his order. "Well, not much. I already took care of everything this past hour. I just need to take care of one more thing." Riyku would reply before taking his cup of coffee and bag of goodies. "Oh? What might that be?" Freya asked. "A promise," Riyku replied with a bright smile which caused her to smile in return. "I see. Always the busy body. Well take care and enjoy!" Freya called out to him. Riyku would nod softly as he left the building. "Alright! Let''s head to the mansion now." Riyku would partake of the cup of coffee as he began making his way down the sidewalk.

 38 Aftermath of the Death Games Pt.2

    Riyku would make his way up to the gates of an exquisite mansion. His crimson eyes shifted toward a map upon his UI then back to the gates. "Well, I guess this is the place. I hope you kept your end of the deal." Riyku stated before pressing upon a button where an intercom speaker was. "Hello." A voice greeted him, one quite familiar. "Hello, Henry. It is Riyku. I have come to visit as you have suggested." Riyku replied. "Oh! Master Riyku. Please come right in." With that, the gates slowly began to open up to him and Riyku would nod softly and make his way inside of the courtyard. His crimson eyes glanced throughout the flowery garden and unique characters in the form of hedges. Though his attention was before him when he heard Henry greet him.


    "Good afternoon Master Riyku. Are you here for Lady Cira?" Henry inquired as he led Riyku towards the front door. "I am," Riyku replied and Henry would nod before offering Riyku to enter the mansion first which he did. The place was as any mansion would be, beautiful and exquisite to the eyes. Not to mention expensive as well. "So, where is Cira?" Riyku asked when he heard Henry shut the door. Henry would move before him and shake his head. "She is in a meeting with her father as we speak. You are more than welcome to wait here if you would like." Henry stated and Riyku would nod. "I think I will." Riyku would respond before making his way over to a nearby couch to take a seat. "Would you like anything to drink while you wait?" Henry asked of course and Riyku would reply, "Some tea would be nice." With that, Henry went on his way.


    "So... Cira is in a meeting with her father. It must be about the whole marriage ordeal. I wonder..." Riyku would bring his menu upon his UI.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario


    Level: 92


    Shield Points: 820/820


    Mana Points: 752/752


    Energy: 446/446


    Form duration: 3:00:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 158


    Toughness: 151


    Agility: 158


    Wisdom: 149


    Intelligence: 149


    Charisma: 158


    Skill points to spend: 32


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    Rank: Pro(11)


    Wins: 129


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points: 39,256,210


    Subscribers: 0


    "Not much has changed. Well... I have not been doing anything." Riyku would glance over his status screen before using a mental link to bring up the column of tabs. His eyes caught the tab labeled Companions. Though that was because there was an asterisk next to it. He used a mental link to open the tab which caused a text box to pop up in front of him


    ''The Companions tab has been updated!''


    "Updated?" Riyku muttered to himself before going through the list.


    Coco-


    Rank: Operator


    Status: MIA


    Class: N/A


    Affinity: Helper


    Fighting Style: Support


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: N/A


    Jack Justice-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Polished


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: 3C


    Affinity: Enemy


    Fighting Style: Close Quarters


    Weapon Style: None


    Club: ???


    Bell Perez-


    Status: Dead


    Rank: ---


    Level: 30


    Age: 17


    Class: 3C


    Affinity: Enemy


    Fighting Style: Supporter


    Weapon Style: Staff


    Club: Unaffiliated


    Sophina ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Neutral?


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: ???


    Rick Lofty-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Scrub


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Leader of Card Club / All-Rounder


    Mel Melanie-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Scrub


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Card / Goldfish and Old-maid Specialist


    Jessica Volz-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Scrub


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Card / Poker Specialist


    Eden Ions-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Scrub


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Card / Memory Game


    Nora ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ???


    Affinity: Ally?


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Co-Leader of Card Club / All-rounder


    Racheal Susa-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: 39


    Age: 28


    Occupation: Office Guide


    Affinity: Playmate


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Kirsten Luvlin-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Legend (7)


    Level: 45


    Age: 22


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Playmate


    Fighting Style: Close Quarter


    Weapon Style: Greaves and Gauntlets / Whip


    Club: Unaffiliated


    Skylar Novaa-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Polished


    Level: 39


    Age: 21


    Class: 1B.U


    Affinity: Best Friend


    Fighting Style: Speed and Agility


    Weapon Style: Throwing knives and daggers


    Club: Track Club New Captain


    Mina Novva-


    Rank: Polished


    Level: 36


    Age: 24


    Class: 1B.U


    Affinity: Playmate


    Fighting Style: Support


    Weapon Style: Staff


    Club: Unaffiliated


    Amorira Aro-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Polished


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: 1C.U


    Affinity: Enemy


    Fighting Style: Speed


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Former Captain of Track Club


    Barron Vexon the fourth -


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Legend(8)


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Rival


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: Chess


    Lira Lee-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Polished


    Level: 42


    Age: 23


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: Ranger


    Weapon Style: Traps and Bow


    Club: Archery Club''s Captain


    Yumi ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Owner of the clothing shop


    Affinity: Business Partner/Friend


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Natalie ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Owner of the Accessories shop.


    Affinity: Business Partner/Friend


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Freya Mendoza-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: 29


    Occupation: Owner of the Bakery Shop


    Affinity: Friend


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Mary Mendoza-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: 8


    Class: ??? / Daughter of Freya Mendoza


    Affinity: Friend


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Deyo ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Owner of Arms and Armor


    Affinity: Business Partner/Friend


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Henry ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Butler for the Marvin family


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Club: ???


    Cira Marvin-


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Class: ??? / Daughter of Maverick Marvin


    Affinity: Friend


    Fighting Style: Brawler


    Weapon Style: None


    Club: ???


    Mimi ???-


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Hostess of Gambit''s Arcade


    Affinity: Fan


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Vex Verina-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Pro


    Class: 1A.U


    Affinity: Playmate


    Fighting Style: Support/Damage Dealer


    Weapon Style: Staff


    Club: Unaffiliated


    Azeal ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: ???


    Level: ???


    Age: 35


    Occupation: Hunter Legion''s 5th Division Commander


    Class: N/A


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: All-rounder


    Weapon Style: Grimoire


    Name: Stephanie Heres


    Status: Alive


    Rank: Officer of Division Five


    Level: 77


    Age: 25


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Affinity: ???


    Fighting style: Close quarters


    Weapon style: Curved blade


    Name: Ben Hyams


    Rank: Officer of Division Five


    Level: 76


    Age: 24


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Affinity: ???


    Fighting style: Ranger


    Weapon style: Dual pistols


    Name: Alex Vons


    Rank: Strategist of Divison Five


    Level: 67


    Age: 22


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Affinity: ???


    Fighting Style: Support


    Weapon Style: Staff


    Name: Ire Glee


    Rank: Vice-Captain of Divison Five


    Level: 80


    Age: 25


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Affinity: ???


    Fighting Style: Mixed


    Weapon Style: Power Fists


    Name: Claire Xeras


    Rank: Captain of Divison five


    Level: 85


    Age: 28


    Occupation: Hunter Legionnaire


    Affinity: ???


    Fighting Style: Mixed


    Weapon Style: GunBlade


    Madam Evie ???-


    Status: Alive


    Rank: 0


    Level: ???


    Age: ???


    Occupation: Headmistress of Overhaul Strife


    Affinity: Ally


    Fighting Style: ???


    Weapon Style: ???


    Seraphina Von Rosario-


    Status: MIA


    Rank: ---


    Level: 92


    Age: ERROR


    Occupation: None


    Affinity: Playmate / Self proclaimed wife


    Fighting Style: Mixed


    Weapon Style: Dark Arts


    Iris Von Rosario-


    Status: Dead


    Rank: ---


    Level: 90


    Age: 15


    Occupation: None


    Affinity: Daughter of Riyku Von Rosario


    Fighting Style: Close Quarter


    Weapon Style: Hammer


    Indeed it was updated. Quite a bit actually by the looks of it. Instead of type, there were two sections which were ''Fighting Style'' and ''Weapon Style''. In addition to that, there was even a Status portion as if to let him know who was dead, alive or missing. It even had Levels and Ages for those who he knew of and about. Though his eyes set upon the last person on his Companions list. "Iris..." Riyku whispered before shaking his head and dismissing the screen from his UI. Two fingers were brought to the bridge of his nose to massage it as he tried to relax his body. "Your tea, Master Riyku." Henry, who he had not noticed approach him would offer a nice hot cup of tea to Riyku.


    "Ah, thank you, Henry." Riyku would take the cup of tea with the saucer provided and take a sip of the tea before setting the cup back on the saucer and setting both the saucer and tea on a table beside him. "The tea has soothing properties in it. So you should be able to relax with ease." Henry stated as if having noticed that Riyku was in some distress. "I see. Thank you again, Henry." Riyku would state. Henry would offer him a smile. "My pleasure. If you need anything at all be sure to call me. I will be returning to my duties now." Henry would bow to him before moving elsewhere. Riyku''s eyes shifted around the interior of the mansion to take it in fully. The mansion was not as large as he at first thought it to be though it was beautiful nonetheless. Riyku''s gaze would set upon the staircase that appeared to lead to the second floor. "Maybe she is up there. Regardless I should wait for her. In the meantime let''s go ahead and take a look through some of the other tabs." Riyku would bring up his status screen upon his UI again, but this time would navigate towards the Skills tab through a mental link.


    Passive Skills:


    Rosario Style Lv. Max- Through many lifetimes, you have acquired your style of battle. Swift, accurate and with grace, you can use any weapon you have a proficiency in to partake of an unpredictable style of combat.


    Way of the Fighter Lv Max- Having trained through many lifetimes, experienced many battles and overcame several life or death situations. You have burned into your soul the ability to fight. Your body will instinctively take up arms or shields in whatever situation that comes forth.


    Swordsmanship Lv3- ''Your trust in your blade will run as deep as the experience you gain through such.'' +6 Strength when using swords


    Gunslinger Lv3- ''One of many tools one will use in their lifetime will be a ranged weapon. As you train you will come to realize your hard work will not go unnoticed.'' +4 Agility +3 Strength when using any form of ranged weapon.


    Arcane Seeker Lv1- ''Your thirst for knowledge is boundless. You seek that of which many fail to do. The more you learn of the Arcane Arts; the stronger your bonds with them will become.'' +3 Wisdom +3 Intelligence when using an Arcane Weapon.


    Spearman Lv1- ''Guns and Swords are not the only weapons at one''s disposal. Staves have always been used by both the warriors and the mages. As such, what you put in will be what you get out.'' +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Toughness +1 Intelligence +1 Wisdom when using a Staff of any kind.


    Dagger: Lv5- ''Daggers are often seen as dishonorable in battle, but in a fight to the death any weapon is still a weapon.'' +6 Agility when using a dagger.


    Claw: Lv5- ''Claws in truth are a bizarre weapon. They can be used for a multitude of purposes besides combat as well.'' +5 to all stats when equipping a Claw.


    Cultivator Lv5- ''Your rigorous body is the main reason you can stand strong.'' Shield Points will recharge over time. Getting at least six hours of sleep will fully recharge your Shield Points. Getting eight hours of sleep will apply a bonus of 200 Shield Points.


    Spiritual Bond Lv4- ''Your profound knowledge of the existing elements around allows you to deepen your pool of mana'' Mana points will recharge over time. Getting six hours of rest will fully recharge your Mana. Getting eight hours of rest will expand your Mana Pool by 400 points for four hours.


    Silver-Tongued Lv7- ''You have quite the way with words. You can talk your way out of any mess or into one if you so desire''


    - Intimidation Lv5- You are capable of striking fear into another, be it man or monster. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss mobs!**


    - Persuasion Lv5- You are capable of talking your way into makings things lean in your favor. **Does not work on Boss Level Monsters or Mini-Boss Mobs!**


    - Seduction Lv9- Be it man or woman; you can smooth talk your way into getting whatever you want. Bonus applies to those with little resistance to Charm.


    Charmer Lv9- ''You are quite the Ladies'' Man.'' Women, are naturally easier to attract and reason with. Bonus applies to those around your age group or older.


    - Playmate Lv.Max- You know your way around a woman''s body. Your touch alone can start a fire in their groin. Just make sure you can keep up when all is said and done. +1000 Energy when engaging in sexual activities.


    - Perfect Partner Lv.7- With expertise in the bed comes great responsibility afterward. Thankfully, you are sterile. **You can adjust your Semen production and fertility in the body menu.**


    - Lover''s Bonus Lv.3- When sleeping next to your lover after a satisfying night you will gain twice the amount of experience earned for eight hours upon waking up.


    Guardian Angel Lv.1- ''You are the protector of those who you call comrades.'' Doubles Strength, and Agility while protecting any allies within 10 meters of your person.


    Tracker Lv. Max- ''Through much and I mean much tracking, you have learned the ways of a Tracker.'' Tracking any personal or monster will give you a thin stream of light that only you can see which takes you directly towards them in the shortest possible route.


    Chess Master Lv. 8- ''Your mental will is what brings you to be the best critical thinker. Solving solutions in marvelous time.'' Will activate only when needed which will slow down your perception of time to a near standstill until you make a move from your present spot.


    Sword Execution Lv.2- ''Sometimes finishing off your foe is all you can do to end the battle.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you double the experience points. **Only works with Swords.**


    Claw Execution Lv.3- ''Ripping out the insides of your target can be messy and gruesome, but can demoralize your foe while motivating your allies.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you and your allies full rejuvenation from fatigue.


    Dagger Execution Lv.4- ''A quick stab to the back, gut, neck or even heart can be fatal. It may be cowardice, but in the end, you are the one who is left to stand while they fall.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you stealth for 8 seconds.


    Gun Execution Lv.2- ''What is more empowering than executing someone on their knees while they look at you with a glare as you hold the barrel of your gun to their face? Nothing.'' When a target is in a weakened state a symbol upon your vision will appear above their head which will allow you to ''execute'' them. Granting you 50 strength for 2 minutes.


    Happy Trigger Lv.3- Rapidly pulling the trigger of your gun will decrease the reload timing of your clips. *Only works with Guns*


    Active Skills:


    Shadow Mirror Lv.Max - Create a clone of yourself from your own Shadow. Costs nothing. Lasts until it is destroyed or is dismissed. **Clones only maintain 90% of your original power**


    Shadow Weapon Lv. Max- Craft a weapon from your own shadow. Costs Nothing.


    Shadow Replica Lv.3- Replica any weapon in hand for a fixed duration. Costs 100 Mana. **Replicated weapons only gain a portion of the original''s power.**


    Shadow Step Lv.7- Travel through the shadows at rapid speeds. Consumes 20 mana.


    Shadow Mirage Lv.6- With command of the shadow you can cleanly strip a target of any limb by cutting the head or body piece of the shadow off. Consumes 40 mana per usage


    Blink Lv.6- Teleport a few meters in any given direction. Consumes 9 mana.


    Death''s Embrace Lv.Max- Call forth to the elements around you to bring forth a typhoon of destruction. It consumes 400 Mana and 200 Energy.


    Weapon Summon Lv. Max- Bring forth any weapon from your arsenal. It does not consume anything.


    Weapon Return Lv. Max- Calls back any weapon not in your hand; into your hand or inventory. It can always be used to store your weapons that are in hand too. It does not consume anything. **Not capable of summoning locked or restricted items, weapons or armor!**


    Shadow Surprise Lv.4- A single target skill that will use the shadows to home in on the enemy with rapid speeds; only to emerge from beneath the enemy with a sword in hand then follow up with a barrage of bullets. Consumes 20 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Chaser Lv.3- Chase after a fleeing target with rapid swings with your sword only to follow up with your gun afterward. Consumes 25 Mana on usage. **Only works with Sword and Gun weapons**


    Super Crit Lv.2- Your next attack will deal massive damage to the target, but only at a 20% Chance. Costs 100 Mana.


    Focus Lv.3- Increase your perception by x3. For every second in Focus, you spend 1 mana.


    X-Strike Lv.2- Tear open your foes while leaving a symbol of an ''X'' in your wake. Consumes 30 mana. **Only works with Claws**


    Multi-strike Lv.3- Swiftly swing your weapon around in a flourish of movement. Consumes 50 mana.


    Empowered shot Lv.2- When holding the trigger your next shot will be empowered with x2 the damage. It consumes 30 mana and 20 energy.


    Harem Skills:


    Fast Travel Lv.1- Travel towards you any person of your harem in the blink of an eye. No consumption. 1/1 Uses per day.


    Fast Summon Lv.1- Summon anyone of your harem in the blink of an eye. No consumption. 1/1 Uses per day.


    Lover''s Healing Lv.1- Fully heal all injuries and remove any negativities from anyone in your harem in seconds. No consumption. 1/1 Uses per day.


    Lover''s Comfort Lv.1- Bathe those of your harem in your warmth providing them unrivaled strength and endurance for 1 hour. No consumption. 1/1 Uses per day.


    Restoration Lv.Max- Fully revive, heal, and remove any negatives of anyone in your harem in a split second. No consumption. 1/1 Uses per month.


    Retribution Lv.Max- Whenever someone in your harem is incapacitated or dies you will receive a significant increase to strength, endurance, agility, wisdom, and intelligence, as well as bonus shield points and mana points. Duration of buff 1 hour. No consumption. No usage limit. **Retribution buff stacks for each person that falls!!**


    Mystic Skills:


    Assassination Lv.5- With haste you can instantly eliminate all mobs who are unaware of you. **Can not be used against Boss or Mini-Boss mobs.** Consumes 17 Energy and 7 mana per usage. Grants bonus experience points when assassinating a target. Multiplied twice for every target assassinated in rapid succession.


    Critical Strike Lv.4- Vital or weak points on your target will be marked and striking them will deal massive damage. Consumes 50 mana. **Hitting a marked vital point will make a new one appear at the cost of nothing. This can be repeated as long as the vital point is struck within a time frame of 5 seconds.**


    Diabolical Aura Lv.Max- Changing the purity of mana into Diabolical energy has always been the way Demons fought. After all, purity is their weakness. Changing the Mana around into Diabolical Energy will cause you to consume the Diabolical Energy in the atmosphere first, before the consumption of your mana.


    - Diabolical Energy Lv.Max- Diabolical Energy increases the inefficacy of your Dark and Demonic spells, upgrading their power tenfold. However, the amount needed is also tripled.


    Scan Lv.3- You can hack into a person database through their ID Wristband and obtain various information on them. Consumes 5 Energy and 5 Mana per person. **Information is limited based on skill level. Persons need to be within hindsight.**


    Forms:


    Forms Gauge will recharge on a 1:1 Ratio. Forms can be combined.


    Rage Form Lv. 1- Awakened to your inner Rage you will steadily allow madness to consume you whole in return for unrivaled strength and toughness. + 300 strength, +300 toughness. Effect: Steadily lose your consciousness to the madness. Duration 20 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio.


    Dark Form Lv. 1- Having Awakened to your inner darkness you become completely immune to any negative elements, and ''dark'' based attacks heal you. You also gain a massive boost in speed. However, the longer you are engaged in this form, the more of a toll it takes on your mind. Making you steadily lose yourself. +300 Agility. Effect: Steadily lose yourself over time. Duration 20 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio.


    Reaper Form Lv. 1- Having awakened to your inner essences you can utilize your Reaper Form. You are immune to all chill effects and soul siphons, and consuming life essences heals you for greater the amount. You also gain a boost in intelligence and wisdom. +250 Intelligence, +250 Wisdom. However, you will steadily become a lifeless being. Effect: Steadily become an undead over time. Duration 20 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio.


    Mystic Form Lv.1- Having given into the negatives, you have unleashed your inner potential. Effects of Rage Form, Dark Form, and Reaper Form are all active in Mystic Form. However, this applies to the negatives of the forms as well. Effect: Steadily lose your consciousness to the madness. Steadily lose yourself over time. Steadily become undead over time. Duration 60 minutes. Duration will recharge on a 1:1 ratio. **Form can only be accessed through primary contractor: Harvester**


    ~!7U5 F*7^ Lv.ERROR- ERROR!!!!


    "Whoa..." Riyku mused lightly while he glanced over these skills tab. A lot has been added. A few new skills he had yet to even glance at which were the Harem Skills and then there happened to be a few others like this Reaper Form and Mystic Form he knew nothing of. There was also the Scan skill, he recalled having used that to obtain data during his battle with the fifth division of the Hunter''s Legion. The most intriguing was the Mystic Form which seemed to combine all of his positives and negatives of the other forms into one that also included the duration of which he would spend in those forms. "Hmm... wait a second. As I recall, I partook of both Rage and Dark Form during the bout with Bell. If that were the case does that mean I can utilize more than one form at a time?" The male thought to himself. "Guess I''ll have to try it out someday." He added before closing out the skills tab. "I am curious about that weapon though. I wonder..." He would navigate towards his Inventory tab, but before he got any further he could hear a couple of sets of footsteps coming from the staircase. Pushing aside the screen upon his UI he would notice it was Cira and an older gentleman. The old gentleman seemed to have been walking ahead of Cira. "Father! Please wait!" She called after the man who shook his head. The same man who was well dressed in a business attire would stop at the base of the staircase and turn to look at the small girl. "Cira, I told you this is no longer up for discussion. You will marry the son of Barron Vexon the Third and that is final!" The man exclaimed. "But Father! I..." Cira was about to continue until her eyes met Riyku who had approached them. "Excuse me, If I may interrupt." Riyku''s voice called towards the gentleman who looked back only to be greeted with the neck of Riyku. The man had to look upward to glance at Riyku who smiled before taking a step back so the man was not looking up at him.


    The gentleman would clear his throat and fix his tie. "Apologise for that display. Judging from your character, you are the man who saved my daughter, are you not?" The gentleman questioned and Riyku nodded softly. "That I am," Riyku replied. Cira was looking for a point where she could interject herself into the conversation, but there did not seem to be one so she merely stood beside her Father. "Then, I thank you. As an offering of gratitude, I would like to invite you for dinner. Are you free tonight?" The man asked and Riyku nodded. "I am. As it so happens, I would like to discuss matters with you. If that would be possible, perhaps at tonight''s dinner?" Riyku asked and the man''s brow rose. "Would you? Well... I do not have anything planned after tonight''s dinner. So yes, that would be possible. However, I do have some things I must take care of beforehand. So if you will excuse me." The man stated and Riyku would nod, "But of course." He would reply and make way for the gentleman to move on by. After watching him leave he turned his attention towards Cira who embraced him tightly which caused him to blink rapidly before smiling softly and brushing her hair gently. "You kept your promise!" Cira exclaimed through a muffled voice.

 39 A promise kep

    "You kept your promise!" Cira exclaimed through a muffled voice before looking up at him to see his warm smile. "That I did," Riyku replied and Cira nodded. "Though, you had me worried sick! All of a sudden the broadcast was cut off and I didn''t know what was going to happen. No one knew anything about what happened or who even won. Though, I figured it was you when my father started talking about how taxation was bring dropped and the cost of living went down. He had his woohoo''s and boos about it, but overall he was quite happy to know that someone from our Overhaul won." Cira explained her theory which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "You put all that together to figure out it was me eh?" Riyku seemed quite impressed by how smart she was. "Mhm." Cira nodded. "By the way, what did you need to talk about with my father?" Cira questioned. "Oh that... Well, you see..." Riyku would begin to explain what it was he was going to talk to her father about at tonight''s dinner. When he finished Cira would blush brightly. "Are you serious!? I mean... I don''t know what he would say! You don''t have to do this either!" Cira exclaimed and Riyku shook his head in return. "Don''t worry. I am quite fine with this and I am sure I can persuade your father." Riyku would reply to her with a confident gesture. "Well, enough about me. Surely you are wishing to know what it is that I have been doing." Riyku would add before beginning to explain what had happened to him after the Death Games. The checking up they did took quite a bit of our their day since Henry had come to fetch both of them.


    "My Lady, dinner will be ready shortly. Please wash up. Same with you, Master Riyku." Henry had stated as he stood before both of them. They were sitting at a small round picnic table, partaking of glasses of tea. It was indeed around that time since the sun was preparing to set for the day. "Thank you, Henry." Cira would state with a nod. "We will be there shortly," Riyku added and Henry would bow before taking his leave. "Geez, I didn''t even realize how much time had passed." Cira would comment with a soft sigh. Riyku''s crimsons eyes looked past her for a moment to glance around at the beauty of the various flowers that paired nicely with the coloration of the trees and even the setting of the sun. "I could get used to this," Riyku commented softly. Cira would glance around before nodding happily. "It is indeed beautiful. This is where I come to relax most of the time since it is my favorite place." Cira added before glancing over to Riyku. The scenery seemed to bring out some of the beauty of him even if it wasn''t feminine. The way the gentle breeze gracefully kissed his figure and caused his black hair to dance around was... majestic in a sense. So much so that it caused Cira to blush softly. Taking note of the intense glance upon him, Riyku would shift his eyes from the sunset to Cira. "Lovestruck, again?" Riyku teased her which caused her to clear her throat. "I am not!" She exclaimed and Riyku chuckled softly. "If you say so. Let''s get going." Riyku would move from his chair and around the table to hold the door open for her. Cira would nod softly and smile before moving in before him of which he followed.


    It did not take them too long to wash up and take their seats at a large yet mildly empty dinner table. There was only Cira''s Father, herself and him. The Father sat at the end of the table with Cira on his right side and Riyku sat on the left side. The food was already brought out to them and set on the plates for them to enjoy. In Riyku''s eyes it appeared to be some kind of meatloaf dish, but... well uniquely designed. In all honesty, the appeal made it look tasty, but also fancy. Taking up his dining ware he would use the fork to keep the meatloaf in place, before using the knife to cut it open so he could take a piece. The meatloaf itself seemed to spill out a pleasant aroma along with the juices. Taking the piece of meatloaf from his fork into his mouth he would take a moment to savor the flavors.


    "How is it?" Cira''s Father inquired. Riyku would nod in agreement with his statement. "It is wonderful." Riyku would reply. "I am glad to hear about it. Please, do enjoy some of the wine as well. It goes quite well with the meatloaf If I do say so myself." The man added and Riyku took up the glass to take a sip of the red liquid. The taste seemed to pair quite well with the meatloaf as the man had stated. "You are right. Thank you." Riyku would comment. "Of course, now then. My apologies, but I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Dom Maverick. As you may have heard, I am the owner of Gambit''s Arcade as well as its founder. I am also the CEO of the Mana Corporation. Which deals with the manipulation of mana by the use of spell incantation and artifacts that also deal with mana manipulation. Of course, you also know of my daughter, Cira Maverick." Dom would introduce himself as well as a summary of his occupation. He also seemed to introduce his daughter, of which he already knew about. "I see, it is a pleasure to make your acquittance. My name is Riyku Von Rosario. I am a student at Strife University, my class is One A. I have no occupation, but from time to time I do odd jobs." Riyku would introduce himself in turn and the man would nod.


    "The pleasure is all mine. Now then, what was it you were wishing to speak to me about?" Dom would inquire before partaking of his meal. Cira had been sitting quietly, enjoying the meal before her the entire time. "Ah yes. It is about your daughter. You see, I am against forcing her hand in marriage." The statement Riyku made caused Dom to narrow his eyes as he stopped a bite from going into his mouth. He would set the fork down and look dead at Riyku. "Are you suggesting you have some form of marital feeling towards her?" The man asked firmly, without beating around the bush. Riyku would shake his head and wave his hand about. "No. Do not get me wrong though, she is fun to be around and I enjoy your company." Riyku would explain. "Then why are you against this?" Dom inquired which caused Riyku to nod. "Forcing something upon someone is... sad. Unless they are willing to accept whatever it is you are trying to give them, I see no merit in it. By forcing your daughter to marry, she will be stripped of all of her freedom. From one Father figure to another, I find your lack of parental discretion.... pitiful." Cira''s eyes widened while Dom''s narrowed to a glare as he processed what he was just told.


    "You said from one father figure to another, how old are you exactly? You appear to in your mid-twenties. It is not wrong to say that you have a child, but your child would be extremely young. At best, around six or seven years old. So do enlighten me on how I should be a parent." It seemed Riyku struck a nerve with what he said since the male appeared to be rather upset. "Had." Riyku would correct the man which caused his expression to soften. "Pardon?" Dom inquired to make sure he heard that right. "I had a daughter. She recently passed away, about a few months ago." Riyku stated which caused the man to clear his throat. "My apologize..." Dom stated softly and Cira seemed to give Riyku an apologetic glance having recalled what she was told. Riyku would shake his head. "It is quite fine. Several friends of mine have helped me through it. Though, it does show how little time we have with our loved ones. So to hand them off too--" Riyku was interrupted when Dom rose his hand to stop him from speaking. "I get what you are saying. However, I have listened to Cira. She has no intention of taking over the company when I am gone. While that is fine with me, I need someone to do it since we have no distant relatives and her mother, my wife is no longer with us." Dom stated firmly which caused Riyku to nod softly. "I understand, which is why I would like to propose a deal with you." This statement caught Dom''s attention.


    "What deal?" Dom inquired. Riyku would nod softly before tapping upon his wristband and navigating to his status screen. He would move his hand above the table and push the screen outward which seemed to expand it for all to see. "If you will study the screen for a moment."


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario *


    Rank: Pro(11)


    Wins: 129


    Losses: 1


    Draws: 0


    Points: 39,256,210


    Subscribers: 0


    Not only did Dom''s eyes go wide, but so did Cira''s. "Wait! So you are the unknown winner of the Death Games!? It was never announced! I knew someone had one form our Overhaul, but I didn''t know who! Why were you kept quiet?" Dom seemed to thirst for information which caused Riyku to chuckle softly. "Well... It''s not a happy tale. I do not mind telling you; however, you are not to leak anything I tell you of. Is that clear?" Riyku seemed to change his demeanor quite hastily to that of a serious manner. This caused Dom to gulp for a moment before nodding softly. "I have already informed Cira since she is a friend of mine. But, allow me to briefly answer your questions. During the finale of the Death Games, there were four teams. One of those teams was what my daughter was on. This may come to a surprise to you, but I am not from this world. I am from a completely different world and my daughter was able to travel here in some way. I have not seen her for quite a long time, but she would be somewhat younger than your daughter if I were to go based on appearance. With that said, I teamed up with her and we fought against the other two teams. My daughter was killed and I was left to fend for myself, which I overcame when I unleashed some kind of power." Riyku kept quiet on the details, but Dom did not seem to ask about it. Though his expression did turn soft when Riyku spoke of his daughter as did Cira''s.


    "I am assuming the broadcast was cut off when I unleashed that power. However, I believe the Lords and Emporer wished to keep quiet as to not cause a panic of the populace which is also one of the few reasons I ask you not to leak this information. Now... with all of that said. My deal for you is that I take your daughter''s hand in marriage. If you need someone to run the company when you pass, I will do just that. I ran a business in my world, so I have quite the knowledge when it comes to marketing, stocks and how to keep things efficient. If that does not appeal to you, you are more than welcome to decline." Riyku stated his terms of the deal which seemed to shock Dom so much so that he needed several moments to think on this matter.


    "Tell me, you said you have no marital feelings for my daughter. So why are you taking her hand in marriage?" Dom inquired and Riyku would nod softly. "So she can keep her freedom. So she is not chained down for the rest of her life. That is why." Riyku would reply and Dom took a few more moments to think on the matter. His eyes still closed as he continued his thought. "Cira, are you okay with this?" Dom asked of his daughter, his eyes opening to give her a firm and serious glance.


    Cira would blush brightly and fidget around at the sudden question before nodding softly. "Yes." She murmured. "I can''t hear you. Repeat that once more." Dom stated firmly. "Yes!" Cira exclaimed. "I am perfectly fine with being Riyku''s bride! He is handsome, cool, smart, and caring! He is a wonderful person! He helps out the elderly, and has done several menial tasks for the shops around our district! He is even strong, strong enough to take to the Death Games alone and come out on top! Not to mention that I enjoy his company and he is fun to be around!" Cira seemed to exclaim her feelings and standing all in one which caused Riyku to smile softly and Dom to nod before giving a soft expression.


    A breath of relief parted the male''s lips. "Thank the heavens," Dom stated softly which caused Riyku and Cira to look at him. "Father?" Cira inquired. "In all honesty, I did not want to hand you over to the son of Arcs'' CEO. I did not like the expression of his nor did I like the feeling I was getting. Though, there was no other option. Arcs would have taken everything from me if I had not announced a successor. Without being able to leave you with anything, I feared you would be out on the street or worse..." Dom seemed to explain. "Though, if my successor is as knowledge and strong as you claim him to be and you are perfectly fine with being his betrothed then I can rest with ease." Dom would add as he relaxed his body.


    "I just have one last question for you, Riyku." Dom looked to Riyku would nod at the man. "You have stated your reasoning for making my daughter your bride, you have even offered to take over the company for me when I am not longer able to run it. But, what do you gain from all of this?" Dom seemed serious even if he was relaxed.


    "My gain?" Riyku inquired softly before shaking his head. "Never thought about it. When Cira told me she was being forced to marry, it pained me. I wanted to do something for her and the thought of being able to take her hand in marriage to keep her freedom was what came to mind. Though I never told her about it and of course, I knew that I had to be both knowledgeable and strong to gain your approval. So, I told her to keep the engagement at bay until after the Death Games. Not once, did I ever think of gaining anything from it so to answer your question, I have anything in mind. If anything it would be to keep my friend''s smile." Riyku answered Dom who nodded softly with a bright smile on his face. "Riyku..." Cira seemed to become teary-eyed.


    "I see..." Dom would get up from his seat before extending an arm towards Riyku. "I want to thank you. Honestly, I feared my daughter would never find someone to befriend. Ever since her mother passed, she has been addicted to gaming which was one of the reasons I founded Gambit''s Arcade. I had hoped that maybe she would make a friend there, but in the end, she never brought anyone home. Don''t get me wrong, I have heard of you from Henry as well as Cira from time to time, but seeing you in person is a whole lot different. I can safely trust you with my daughter, and if you produce a child, I know they will be in good hands." The last remark Dom gave caused Cira to call him out in a flustered expression. Riyku would chuckle lightly and take the man''s hand. "It seems I have misjudged you. I would like to apologize and take back my earlier statement about your parenting. You are a fine father." Riyku stated which caused Dom to smile. "No worries. If I may though, will I need to keep your name out of the records as well?" Dom inquired which caused Riyku to shake his head.


    "I think it will be fine if you put my name up. Besides, If anything I get the feeling that the son of Arc''s CEO won''t take this lightly. I would like to end any matters that would harm your daughter as soon as possible. If you could set up a meeting that would be great." Riyku stated and Dom smiled brightly. "A fine man you are for worrying about my daughter. As it so happens, the engagement meeting is supposed to happen tomorrow morning. If you would be willing to accompany us, that would be great." Dom stated and Riyku nodded. "Perfect." Riyku would reply, and Dom would nod happily. "Wonderful." He would remark before taking to his seat. Cira had been silent the entire time, but... "Don''t I have a say in this!?" Cira would exclaim which caused both of them to look at her. "I thought you were okay with being his bride, is there something wrong?" Dom inquired. "Have I offended you?" Riyku asked and Cira shook her head. "Well no, but I mean like... I haven''t said much... I mean, when will our wedding be? And more so, aren''t you already in a relationship?" Cira inquired from Dom about the wedding date and Riyku about the relationship. This caught Dom''s attention and shifted his glance over to Riyku.


    "Well, I would not call it a relationship. If anything, it would be labeled a Harem. While I do cherish the girls, I do not have the same feelings that they have for me. I like them and I am willing to do whatever is in my power to make sure they are happy, healthy and safe. But Love... that is another story. If this upsets either of you, let me know and we can cancel our deal." Riyku seemed firm, and honest in his remark especially when it came to protecting them. "So, you won''t throw away your harem for marriage?" Dom asked and Riyku shook his head. "I never will. Doing so would most likely hurt the girls. They have expressed their feelings of love and affection for me more than I can count. I wish to live up to their expectations and cherish them for as long as I live. However, this does not apply solely to the girls. There is a male among them, but I do not bed him. I cherish him just as much as I do the girls though." Riyku stated firmly which caused Dom to nod and Cira to stare him firmly.


    "Would I be accepted into your Harem?" Cira asked after a long silence which caused Dom to go eye wide. "Cira!?" Dom shouted. "Dad, Can''t you tell that he does like those girls. The look in his eyes shows just how much he trusts them and cherishes them and each of those girls is also happy with him even when they are all together. It shows that they trust him just as much as he trusts them. I haven''t yet to meet anyone who has interacted with Riyku that has been displeased with him. Even the Shopping District talks praise of him. Surely, you have heard his name come up in your company now and again." Cira stated which caused Dom to settle down. "I have," Dom replied. "Then." Cira would add, but Dom would interrupt, "But this is another story entirely. While Polygamy is accepted it is not practiced. Monogamy relations are still higher on the spectrum of today''s world. Only those in high power or standing have Harems and endorse Polygamy, and most of these individuals are corrupt." Dom stated firmly. "But, Riyku isn''t like that! Surely, you can tell as well!" Cira exclaimed and Dom would eye the male for a good moment. "I can. From our earlier discussion and the look in his eyes, I can firmly say that he has no ill intentions. Though... he is a complete mystery as well." Dom stated which seemed to cause Cira to back down.


    "However... If you truly trust this man and are willing to add yourself to his Harem. Then, I will not back down. I trust your decision." This statement caused Cira to squeal happily and she leaped from her seat which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "I thank you, for believing in your daughter as well as myself," Riyku stated to Dom who would huff heavily. "Yeah yeah." He replied. "Although, the decision on if she is allowed in the Harem is not solely mine," Riyku stated which caught both of their attentions. "It is up to everyone as a whole. While I am quite alright with it, the vote needs to be animous. Of course, I would discuss with them about my marriage to your daughter, but as I said that was for her sake and was my will as her friend. Adding her to my harem means she will interact with not only me but everyone as well." Riyku would shift his glance towards Cira. "Are you okay with this?" The firm look Riyku gave her when he asked her caused her to gulp softly before nodding. "I am. Just you telling me that shows how much trust you and your harem have with one another. It shows me that you are not going to accept just anyone. So I will take their judgment and if they decide that I am not worthy, then I am not." Cira would state firmly.


    Riyku would nod with a soft smile. "If you show them as much conviction as you have shown me that I am sure they will accept you," Riyku replied to her which caused her to smile brightly to Cira who nodded happily. "Alright, with all of this settled. How about we finish our meals and have dessert." Dom stated and both of them nodded. They would finish up their dinner and dessert and converse a bit more about mundane things before heading their ways. "Master Riyku, would you be sleeping here tonight?" Henry inquired as he approached him from behind which caused him to turn to look at the male. "If that is acceptable," Riyku stated and Henry nodded. "We have a room prepared for you. Please follow me." Henry would lead Riyku to a guest room which was both simple and lovely.


    "You wish to bathe, the bath is down the hall and to the left. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave." Henry stated with a bow and headed off else. Riyku would glance around the room before sitting upon the bed. He would look at his wristband which went off with a vibration. Tapping upon the chip brought up a text messaging screen.


    ''Riyku, are you coming home tonight?''


    With the text happened to have been a picture of Kristen in a risque nightgown giving off a sexy expression. Riyku would chuckle lightly and smile softly, before replying to the text with the keypad that was provided on the screen.


    ''As tempting as you are, I will not be coming home tonight. I have an arrangement in the morning to take care of so I will be staying at a friend''s house. I will bring her over after the arrangement and introduce you. So have the others ready as well as least by the afternoon.''


    Riyku would send his message and not too long after he sent his message, did another message from Kristen show up.


    ''Another girl? Well, alright. I''ll gather everyone up at Mina''s place by the afternoon. So you better show up on time. It''s going to be lonely with you here, but I''ll manage for one night. Take care of that girl. \u003c3''


    Riyku would shake his head and reply to the text.


    ''I appreciate it and it''s not like that. I''ll explain what is going on tomorrow.''


    And Kristen would reply.


    ''Alright. Well, goodnight and sweet dreams, Riy.''


    ''Goodnight and sweet dreams, Kristen.''


    With that Riyku would close out the messaging app and move to lay on the bed. "I think I''ll take a quick bath and head to bed afterward," Riyku stated before getting up and doing just that.

 40 The day before departure

    Riyku would slowly open his eyes to the soft see-through fabric draped above him thanks to the bed he was laying in. "Oh right... I stayed at Cira''s place." Riyku would mutter to himself before swinging his legs over the bedside and sitting up. The soles of his bare feet touching the soft carpet as a yawn escaped his lips.


    ''You are well-rested. +200 Shield Points.''


    ''The elements have graced you during your sleep. +400 Mana Points for 4 hours.''


    The text appeared before him on his UI. "It has been some time since I have got a full eight hours of sleep huh?" Riyku murmured as he scratched the back of his head. He would brush bangs of his hair behind his shoulders before finally getting up. Flicking his wrist caused a cybernetic screen to appear before him. Without delay, he navigated towards his inventory tab and opened it up which revealed the tiny replica of himself along with several slots surrounding that replica. Besides that screen had been the storage section. The section was filled with various items, armors, and weapons. His finger hovered over a second tab near the lower section of the screen called Preset Outfits. Pushing upon that cycle the storage screen to another screen with two sections divided down the middle. Section one was labeled Casual and section two was labeled Armors. Each section had several slots just like the Inventory Storage did. Both sections of the slots held numbers though, starting with one and ending with fifty. However, only a few slots were filled in, while the others remained empty. Pushing his index finger upon slot number five of Casual would cause an entire outfit to appear upon his person. Interestingly enough the outfit was business style. Black slacks, black dress shoes and a black overcoat with a white undershirt and a black tie to match everything together. Swiping the screen aside to dismiss it the male would yawn once more. His eyes would shift towards the jiggling of the doorknob which opened a second later.


    "Pardon the intrusion. Oh! You are already up. Good morning, Master Riyku. I also see you are already dressed for the event." Henry would greet him. "Good morning Henry. The time for the meeting is at nine. That has not changed, correct?" Riyku inquired and Henry would nod. "You are correct sir. You have some time life, would you like a quick meal or perhaps a cup of coffee or tea?" Henry asked and Riyku shook his head. "No thank you, Henry. I am sure there will be refreshments at the meeting. Though I appreciate the offer." Riyku stated and Henry nodded. "Well alright. If you do not need anything I will be heading off. Have a good day, Master Riyku." Henry would bow once more before turning to leave. "As do you, Henry," Riyku replied as he watched the door shut. He would shift his eyes over to a nearby clock on the wall. "Forty till Nine eh? Well, I can kill some time." Riyku muttered as he moved to a study desk and pull the chair out. Taking a seat he would flick his wrist to bring up his status screen, only this time around he left it on the status screen for a moment.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario


    Level: 92


    Shield Points: 920/920


    Mana Points: 1,152/1,152


    Energy: 446/446


    Form duration: 3:00:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 158


    Toughness: 151


    Agility: 158


    Wisdom: 149


    Intelligence: 149


    Charisma: 158


    Skill points to spend: 32


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    "I still have thirty-two bonus skill points to spend; however, I do not know what I should put them into. My lowest stats are Wisdom and Intelligence, and I do use my Mana fairly often so perhaps I could split ten each to even things out. That would leave me with twelve of course, but I am only limited to these points and god knows when I''ll leave up again since I am not told how much experience points I have." Riyku would sigh heavily. "So far, I have yet to come up against anything or anyone in this world who can''t take me on. But in the other world that is an entirely different story. The first-floor demon wasn''t anything special, but he did catch me off guard a few times. As for the second-floor demon... If Seraphina had not been with me I dread to know what would have happened. It''s clear as day to me that the only reason I am even here today is because of whatever awoken within me thanks to Seraphina. I can''t afford to lose any battles.... not now and not ever." Riyku muttered to himself, crossing his hands over his chest.


    "If anything... my Shield Points seem to have been lacking lately. They are being drained far too quickly during my battles. Even in the other world... Sure my bones may not break, but I can still die. I''ve already experienced that near-death time once with that whole ordeal Who is to say something like that may not happen again. For this, I could invest in my toughness and strength. But... even the most durable beings fall. I would need the perfect balance of speed and perception as well... Sure I have my perception skill and abilities, but there have been times that I was unable to notice things going around me. If I had noticed what had been going on with Iris, or even before that with that triple attack...." Riyku would grasp his clothing tightly in frustration before releasing a heavy breath and relaxing his muscles. "No. What is done is done. I need to move forward, to protect what I have now." Riyku stated to himself.


    "Still, I am at a loss." Riyku sighed softly before saying screw it and invested ten points each into Wisdom and Intelligence by pressing the plus button near the stats. His new status was now as such.


    Name: Riyku Von Rosario


    Level: 92


    Shield Points: 920/920


    Mana Points: 1,186/1,186


    Energy: 446/446


    Form duration: 3:00:00


    Age: ???


    Gender: Male


    Grade: 1A


    Club: Non-Affiliated


    Class: UnDefined


    Weight: 90.71Kg


    Height: 213.36Cm


    Blood Type: AB


    Stats: SSS


    Basic Status:


    Strength: 158


    Toughness: 151


    Agility: 158


    Wisdom: 159


    Intelligence: 159


    Charisma: 158


    Skill points to spend: 12


    Buff:


    +2 Mana regeneration per second


    So his Mana Pool increased by a whole sixty-one points eh? Of course, the only reason his Mana Pool was above one-thousand was simply due to the Mana Cultivation he had from sleeping for eight hours. The same could be said for his Shield Points. So, in reality, his Mana Pool was seven hundred eighty-six and his Shield Points were eighty hundred twenty. Still relatively low in his eyes, but for now it would have to do. If he wanted to he could top everything off at one hundred and ninety, but for the sake of his sanity, he was going to dismiss the screen with a quick swipe of his hand. Riyku would lean back in his chair and glance at the white ceiling above him for a moment.


    "It truly does seem like I am overpowered in this world. I wonder... was it like this in the past? Nah, I died several times. I doubt I was overpowered back then. Still... I can''t help but become curious as to why I sought out such strength. Those Forms... they are double edge sword. What purpose did my past self have to ascertain such forms? At times even I can feel myself slipping away and steadily being consumed by their power." Riyku would close his eyes with a soft breath. "There is still the fact of Coco being locked up and now Seraphina seems to be missing as well. I haven''t heard anything from Harvester or even Blaze at that, though Blaze did say she was going into hiding after all." Riyku would mutter to himself. His eyes would open to glance at the clock on the wall which read eighty-forty-nine. "Well, I guess should focus on the tasks at hand. Right now I need to deal with Cira''s engagement." Riyku would push from the desk so he could stand from the chair and make his way towards the door, but not before giving himself a final check off.


    The time was now nine o clock in the morning. Riyku, Cira, and Dom were sitting at the dining room table adjacent from three other people. A businessman, a beautiful woman and someone a teenaged male. "Dominic, care to explain who this person is, and why he is here?" The businessman seemed to inquire from Dom who would clear his throat. "But of course, but first we should all introduce one another. Riyku." Dom would look to Riyku who would nod. "My name is Riyku Von Rosario, I am a student at the University of Strife, Class One A. My present ranking is Pro rank eleven," Riyku stated firmly, his eyes held a friendly demeanor to them just as much as his smile did. The businessman would nod. "My name is Alexander Wayne. This is my wife, Esa Wayne and our son, Alex Wayne." The businessman, Alexander, seemed to introduce the respective person and Riyku would nod. "Pleasure to meet you," Riyku stated.


    "Now that, that is out of the way. Do tell me, why this man is here." Alexander gave Dom a stern glare. "Ah yes, about that... Riyku here has proposed to my daughter. I--" Before Dom could get another word out, Alexander would interject himself. "Are you serious!? Tell me, Dominic, do you plan on accepting this man!?" Alexander was quite bold and firm in his statement. The wife seemed to care less about this whole ordeal and as for the son, well he was glaring at both Cira and Riyku.


    Dom would sigh heavily. "I was getting to that point, so settle down. If you have any problems after I finish you are more than welcome to put them on the table." Dom stated which caused Alexander to grumble as he backed down. Clearing his throat, Dom would proceed onward, "Now then, As I said before Riyku has proposed to my daughter. I already informed him that Cira is to be engaged to your Son, Alex. However, Riyku will not back down. The main reason he is here today is to find some way to settle that." Dom stated which caused everyone to look at Riyku. "Settle this? Is this a joke, Dominic? We already agreed that your daughter will be marrying my son. There is nothing to settle." Alexander stated firmly and Dom would sigh softly. "You have a point...." Dominic seemed to be backed into a corner. "But, is that what Cira wants?" Riyku interjected himself without delay.


    This caused everyone to look at him once more. "Of course she does!" Alex called out. "Cira is in love with me." He added and Riyku looked to Cira. "Is that true?" Everyone shifted their attention to Cira. "Well... Umm....." Cira seemed to be stumbled from the glare that Alex was giving him. "Speak your mind," Riyku stated firmly, the look in his eyes seemed to give her courage. A smile curved across her face and she nodded softly. "The truth is, I do not love your son, Alex. I do not wish to marry him either and I wish to marry Riyku." Cira would be firm in her statement after taking a deep breath. This caused Alex to grind his teeth and Alexander to glare at Dom. "What is this madness? Why is this the first I have heard of this as well?"Alexander was holding himself back from raising his voice.


    Dom would shake his head. "It happened last night. There was no way of telling you of the events that transpired." Dom would reply to Alexander who would massage the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "So... you won''t back down no matter what?" Alexander would glare at Riyku. The look in his eyes showed his motive clear as day. Money. Riyku was a threat to him becoming more wealthy, he had identified that much now. "That is is. We can settle this if that is a problem." Riyku stated firmly. "Of course we will!" Alex called out which caused Riyku to shift his eyes towards him. The look in his teen male''s eyes caused him to narrow his own. What he saw was... lust. Pure evil intentions. So that was the feeling that Dom was getting from this guy. Well, now he was glad he stepped in.


    "Since you appear to come off from a wealthy family, do you know any form of martial arts?" Riyku inquired which caused Alex and Alexander to go eye wide. Even Dom and Cira were surprised. "Are you suggest this be settled by a duel?" Alexander inquired after regaining his composure. "Yes, is that a problem?" Riyku inquired which caused Alexander to look towards Alex. "Son?" He inquired as to if to ask Alex if he was okay with that and Alex would shake his head. "No problem. I have attended all of my classes father. I may not be higher than Rank Eleven even if he is what he says he is. But, I am fairly certain I will come out on top. For the good of the company and my love, Cira." Alex stated boldly and Alexander nodded. Esa who was just sipping upon her cup of tea and glancing over her cybernetic screen from her ID wristband would perch up. "Good luck, Alex." She stated before returning to her screen. Riyku took a glance to notice that she was shopping. It was clear as day to him that this family did not care for anything but their gain. His eyes shifted back towards Dom. "Sir, do you have a sparing area?" Riyku inquired and Dom would nod. "I do." This was a bit surprising since he wasn''t expecting a yes, but regardless it worked out for him. "Henry!" Dom called out to the head butler Henry who would approach from another room. "You call, Sir." Henry would address Dom who would nod. "We are heading to the sparing room. Please prepare the proper gear for them." Dom stated and Henry would nod before giving a light bow. "As you wish. Follow me, Master Alex, Master Riyku." Henry would call out to both of them and they would rise from their seats to follow Henry to prepare.


    "Heh, No one stands a chance against Alex. I have hired only the best of the best to instruct him on swordplay. After Alex beats him, Cira will marry my son and the rights to your company will be signed over, Dominic." Alexander stated firmly, with pure confidence... or well, in this case, utter arrogance. "Let us see for ourselves. If you will follow me." Dom would raise from his seat and lead the three of them to the sparing room where they would be seated on the sidelines. Dom and Cira sitting by one another and on the other side of Dom were Alexander, besides Alexander was Esa. Shortly after did Henry stand beside Dom and lean over to whisper into his ear. "Excellent work as ways, Henry. If I can bother you a bit longer to stay and watch the outcome just in case." Dom would ask and Henry would bow lightly before standing beside him. "Of course sir."


    It was a few moments later did Alex enter the sparing room. He would take his place by one of the white lines on the floorboard. Fully decked out in the protective gear the male would give his blunt sword a few swings. "It''s rather light, a crappy sword but I guess it''ll work." The male complained before looking around. "Well, if that guy even shows up. He wasn''t even in the fitting room when Henry left." Alex sneered, though Riyku would shake his head as he entered the room. "I needed to take care of a few things." Everyone''s eyes were widened. "Riyku!?" Cira called out which caused him to look towards her as he took his place at the other white line. "Hm?" He mused towards the girl. "Why aren''t you wearing any protective gear? And where is your weapon?" Cira inquired hastily which caused Riyku to smirk and shake his head. "I don''t need them for this bout. It''ll be over before you know it. Afterward, I''ll take you out to the arcade." Riyku stated with a wink, though it wasn''t just the fact that he wasn''t wearing any protective gear. The male was dressed in a completely different outfit from the business style he had previously. He was fitted as if he were going on a date. Crimson color, black thin striped button-up shirt with the collar tucked perfectly and a few buttons unknitted around the collar and waist area which gave off a glimmer of his flesh making him appear well... sexy. If that wasn''t all his black slacks with thin crimson lines seemed to match the shirt perfectly, but more than anything the pants were skinny style with relief around the waist. If anything this only amplified his sexy factor. Letting one hand rest in the pocket of his pants his other would rest at his side as he eyed the male with his crimson eyes. "Ready," Riyku stated with a soft yawn almost as if he were completely bored.


    "Scerw you! Being all cocky, because you think you are better than me! I''ll show you!" Alex would charge at Riyku, bringing the dull blade from overhead as if going for a straight slash; however, he changed the trajectory mid-swing to an angled strike. Riyku would lean away from the strike, showing no signs of falling for the feint. Alex would drop down low while spinning to break Riyku''s line of sight. For a second, and only a second Riyku was impressed by how the male maneuvered himself to come back upward and follow up swiftly with an upward strike. This would have struck if Riyku did not flip backward to avoid the strike while making some distance between him and Alex.


    "Not bad." Riyku would call out to the boy. "Honestly, if it were anyone else you may be able to win. Alas... Your opponent is me." Riyku would still have his other hand in his pocket the entire time as he motioned with his free hand with a gesture of come on. Alex would grind his teeth before charging at Riyku again. "Make fun of me will you!" Alex shouted as his dull blade began to glow with a blue aura. "Alex!" Alexander called out sternly as if scolding his son. Though Alex pursued with this strike. The slash was evaded; however...


    ''Debuff: Frost Bitten.''


    Appeared upon Riyku''s UI which caused him to narrow his eyes, but before he could think any more Alex was swinging yet again and again. Each time Riyku would evade the strikes; however, he felt his body becoming sluggish.


    ''Debuff: Frost Bitten.''


    This text appeared again, which caused Riyku to grit his teeth. Instead of evading the next slash the male would grab hold of the dull blade and pull Alex towards him. He would release the blade swiftly and sucker punch the male before stepping back. "Alex! That is enough! You would dare disgrace yourself in a duel!? Have your trainers taught you nothing!?" Alexander scolded the male who would stumble back trying to catch his breath. A growl would erupt from the male, "Shut the fuck up Father! All you cared about was your money, your wealth! You never cared about me once! You never asked how my training went! How my day was! Nor have you ever allowed friends over! Not once have you done a damn thing for me! And now, when I am finally able to obtain something with my own hands you restrict me with some stupid honor code for duels!? Cira is mine! All mine! And no one will rip me from her! She is my toy! I will do as I please with her! So you shut the fuck up you sack of shit!" Alex would shout with seething anger like a crazy madman. A crazy look in the male''s eyes as he looked from Cira to Riyku.


    "So you''ve finally revealed yourself. Well..." Riyku would sigh heavily, "Now, I can finish this." He would dash forward towards Alex who would charge at Riyku and swing the dull blade with the intent to kill. Riyku would swift circle around Alex, evading this strike and coming around to grasp the male by the protective gear and pull him down towards the ground. The force caused the male to bounce, but Riyku slammed the sole of his shoe upon the male keeping him against the ground. The sudden force shocked the male and he released the dull blade which caused the blue aura to fade away. "Look, kid, maybe you should get your self treated. I get your family is shitty. You were raised shitty, but that doesn''t mean things can change. Like I said earlier, your swordplay isn''t bad. You combination between whatever icy magika you used and your swift style of swordplay can take you higher in life. Perhaps you should think about joining the Hunter''s Legion or becoming a Knight for the kingdom. Though I''ll make this clear as day, your duel against me is lost. Cira is mine, and she will be free. Yes, I plan to marry her and take over Dom''s company when he resigns, but I have no intention of using Cira for anything let alone Dom''s company for wealth. The reason I am marrying Cira is for her freedom." Riyku narrowed his eyes as he glared at the male who stared up at him in frustration.


    "Alex!" Alexander was about to run towards his son, but Dom stopped the male by taking hold of his wrist. "Alexander!" Dom called out sternly which made Alexander look at him. "Sit down," Dom stated, but when Alexander was about to rebuttal, Dom would reaffirm that he was not suggesting or asking, but demanding the man take a seat. "Sit. Down." This would cause Alexander to take his seat, having noticed the look in Dom''s eyes. "Riyku..." Cira would place her hands over her mouth when she heard Riyku''s statement. It indeed was what he had told them last night, but seeing his conviction was a whole other story. As for the mother... well she still did not seem to give a damn.


    Removing himself from the male he would step away from Alex, but before walking towards Cira he would say one thing more to the male who sat up in a daze. "One final piece of advice. Friends are not toys, lovers are not things and women are not objects. If you ever wish to find true love or even make real friends. I suggest that you change your ways. Change how you view others and change yourself as a whole. Otherwise, you may find yourself to be all alone." Riyku would state without looking at the male who looked at Riyku''s back. However... those words did not cause him frustration or anger. Everything Riyku stated seemed to strike his heart which caused tears to form and flow from his cheeks as if he found some form of regret in his actions.


    "Sir, I will be taking Cira on our date now," Riyku stated to Dom who nodded softly. Riyku would turn his glance towards Alexander. "But before that..." He would make his way in front of both Alexander and Esa. "You, Alexander, you abandoned your son for wealth... It makes sense why his mind became warped since he had taken after you. And you... Esa." Riyku''s vicious glare caused the woman to look up at him when a shiver ran down her spine. "You don''t seem to care about anything. You''ve let your husbands wealth and fame consume you. You don''t even care about your son, let alone do you even give him any attention. You are stuck in your little world of materialism. It''s sad... Your corruption caused your son''s downfall. I suggest one thing to both of you, if Alex wishes to join either the Hunter''s Legion or Knight''s Academy then you better support him. Because if you don''t he may just leave you two for good. Those tears... are tears of regret." Riyku would move out of the way to show them the state Alex was in. "From here on out, I suggest you three act as a proper family." Riyku left them with that final statement before going towards Cira. A soft smile touched his lips as he offered her his arm since she was already standing and waiting. "Are you ready?" Riyku inquired. "Of course!" Cira exclaimed happily and the two made their way out of the sparing room. Riyku stole a glance from his UI and noticed that the debuff was gone.

 41 Day before Departure Pt.2

    It was quite a lovely day for October. The breeze was lovely and the sun was out, it was the perfect balance of warmth and chill making it the perfect day for a date. Hand in hand the two seemed to make their way down the sidewalk, and although Riyku had his eyes before him, Cira would be glancing at the ground timidly. She was still awestruck by the words Riyku had previously stated about her being his and her being free. "Something up?" Riyku noticed her timid nature compared to how she usually was which brought that question up. Cira would glance up to take note of those crimson eyes looking in her direction and that lovely smile looking over her which caused her heart to skip a beat. Maybe it was because of how everything had progressed. Just last night he came up with this idea and now it was already put into motion. "N-no." Cira murmured which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "Don''t worry. I don''t plan on doing anything sexual. At least not until you get a bit older." Riyku seemed to tease her which caused her already dim pink cheeks to become rosy red. "Pfft, I wouldn''t want you to anyways!" Cira exclaimed with an embarrassed expression. This caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. "What, what''s so funny?" Cira called out and Riyku shook his head. "You. You are fun to tease." Riyku replied which caused her to puff her cheeks and grumble.


    "Well, you can take it out on me with some games," Riyku stated with a smile that caused her to smile brightly. "Yup and I''ll be sure to kick your butt." She giggled afterward and Riyku sighed happily. "Yeah, yeah." He replied nonchalantly. Though as they were walking it dude come to mind of her age. If anything he did judge her to be slightly younger than Iris, but who knows. He might''ve been wrong. She was upset when he called her a child when they first met. "Cira, how old are you anyway?" Riyku seemed to blurt out, without much regard. "I''m Seventeen... Hey! Wait, I thought we were past all that stuff!" Cira exclaimed and Riyku nodded. "We are. I was just curious. I can see why you were upset when we first met though." Riyku chuckled lightly and Cira sighed heavily. "Just because I am small doesn''t mean I am a child! Besides, how old are you? Hm?" Cira would take a pick at him.


    "How old am I?" Riyku blinked rapidly before shaking his head. "Don''t know." He replied which caused Cira to go eye wide. "Eh!? You don''t know!? Did you forget!?" Cira seemed rather taken back by this, but who wouldn''t? Someone didn''t know their age? Riyku would shake his head. "It''s not that, well maybe it is. In a sense I have Amnesia. Remember, I told you I was not from this place? Well, I lost my memory when I woke up in this place. There is a lot I do not remember, but I am steadily starting to get my memory back." Riyku would explain to her which caused her to nod softly. Taking note of how she looked off-put or even sad he would wrap his arm around her waist and pull her to his side. "No reason to get all in the dumps about it. I am fairly happy as I am now. Besides, even without my memory, I can still make plenty more. This being one of them, a happy one at that." Riyku stated with a soft smile which caused Cira to blush lightly and nod softly. She would wrap an arm around him in return and the two of them continued down the street. "Though, I''ll let you be the judge of my age," Riyku added which caused Cira to chuckle lightly. "Mmm... Okay." She mused happily.


    When they entered the Arcade they were greeted by Mimi. "Oh, if it isn''t Lady Cira and Riyku. On yet another date, I see." Mimi chuckled softly and Riyku nodded. "Mhm. I am. We will be hanging out here for a while." Riyku confirmed her remark and Cira nodded happily. "Yup. Come on, let''s get going already." Cira was pretty much dragging him alone with her. "Alright, you pick first then," Riyku stated, but Cira was already heading towards one of the games in the gaming hall. Mimi just waved at them with a light giggle and smile. The two of them began to play game after game, even attracting attention from others as they enjoyed their lovely date.


    While all of this was going on, there was yet another storm brewing elsewhere. Deep within the heart of the Lower Quarter. Five figures four of which were in cloaks were gathered around an old wooden table that roughly looked like a conference table. One of the men was a big muscular guy wearing an eye who was sitting at the end of the table. "I thank you all for coming today. While we may have our differences, we all are gathered here for one reason." The man stated as he pointed towards an image that was projected behind him. Upon the image was Riyku walking down the shopping district. "We all know of this man. He has been causing a lot of trouble for us in the Lower Quarter by destroying everything we have built up. Several brothels were demolished because of him, not only that but our smugglers are also being taken out. I know there are other businesses you all have running in the background because I am sure this man is taking out those as well. For this, I have brought you all here today. We need to devise a plan to take him out and return things to how they once were." The man stated and someone perked up.


    "Isn''t this your fault? You were working with that stupid whore, to begin with. You knew she was useless and could do nothing." It was then that another person came forth. "He''s right. If you two didn''t give him a reason to come to the Lower Quarter, then this would have never happened." This caused the man to sigh heavily. "While that may be true, how can you say for certain that he would have avoided this place entirely? If I am not mistaken, he came down here because one of his friends was abducted. Our Smugglers abduct all kinds of females, so who is to say that one of them wouldn''t have been brought one of his friends here in the latter times?" Another voice came forth, one more refined and fatal even feminine. Everyone looked to this cloaked figure and fell silent in thought. They would begin grumbling to one another as if deciding on something. They would then look back towards the female who spoke out earlier. "Then what do you purpose we do?" One of the men inquired.


    It was then that the male sitting at the end of the table perched up once more, "I have a solution for this. I have hired someone from the Guild." This caught their attention. "She is looking into the matter as we speak. She is a relative of my best friend as well. So this matter is also personal." The male stated with a serious look before pointing the image. "Now if you will return your attention to the images." The image projected would shift to a collage of several females and one male. Kristen, Mina, Lira, Vex, and Skylar were all there. "These few people are extremely important to getting what we need. However... as you may all know. Simply abducting them will not help us. We need to put him in a situation where he has to choose between them or himself. Right now, the person I hired is scouting them as we speak to find any weakness they may have. After all, they are not pushovers either." The male would explain to them and they silently took in the knowledge.


    The image would cycle to another collage of a few males and females. Yumi, Deyo, Natalie, and Freya along with a few other people like Mimi, and Mary. "These are people who he associates with the most within the Shopping District. We can also take them hostage or use them against him when the need arises." The male stated and everyone seemed to listen in. "With all of this said, we should form a plan to make small sabotaged robberies or even threats to these shop owners and personal. Before taking action on the others. After all, we are all aware that we can not simply just go against him without much thought." The male added and everyone seemed to agree. "So let''s get down to it. Who will be responsible for who and when." It seemed dark tides were soon to come upon Riyku, but alas the male did not even know about it.


    Speaking of which, we return to Riyku who so happens to be sitting down at the bar booth with Cira. Both of them enjoying a nice ice cold cola it would seem. "You know, today was really fun!" Cira stated with a bright smile and Riyku chuckled softly before taking a sip of his drink. "I am glad to hear." Riyku replied to Cira." Did you have fun?" She seemed to ask and Riyku looked to her nodded. "I did. It was nice to be able to release after all the tension that has been going on." Riyku said with a smile across his face. He would finish off his glass of cola before eyeing the clock which read a few hours after-noon. "Are you ready to get going?" Riyku asked, but Cira gave him a puzzled look. "Go where?" She inquired and Riyku chuckled softly. "To meet up with the others. You wanted to join my Harem, remember?" Riyku would move from the booth and slip his hands into his pockets. "Have a good day, Sir." The Barista called to Riyku from a few meters down the counter. "Same to you," Riyku called back before looking to Cira who had flustered expression.


    "Umm, right now? I mean, I''m not even properly dressed." Cira said hastily which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly. Cira was wearing the same style of clothing, neon blue on black. Short shorts, sneakers, low-cut crop-top shirt and her hair tied up in twin tails. "I see nothing wrong with your attire." Riyku would retaliate firmly which caused Cira to blink in awe for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine, fine! Let''s go!" She pushed past him. Even though she tried her best to hide it, she was probably scared in some way. Riyku would walk after her to walk beside her. "Don''t sweat it too much. They are not bad people." Riyku would state while placing a hand on her shoulder which caused her to reach a hand to his hand and look up at him. He would look down at her and nod softly with a smile. "I assure you." He added, though be it his warm smile or his silver-tongue her tension had ceased.


    As they walked up to the front door of Mina''s mansion, Cira would blink rapidly before looking to Riyku. "Who do you associate with that owns a place this large? I mean, it''s roughly the same in size but... wow." Cira was amazed. It was better than frightened. As they approached the front door, it was slowly opened and Walter would greet Riyku. "Afternoon, Master Riyku. I have been informed that you have brought a guest over." Walter would look over from Riyku to the girl beside him. "This is Cira Maverick, daughter of Dom Maverick." Riyku introduced Walter to the girl who nodded softly to Walter. Walter in return bowed lightly to her. "Well then, right this way if you will. I will lead you to where the others are. Everyone is here today as well." Walter would state and Cira would take Riyku''s hand, a bit nervously if one might add. Riyku would take her hand lightly and the two would follow after Walter.


    "Oh, Cira. I almost forgot, but I thought your last name was Marvin, why is it Maverick?" Riyku inquired, not simply because he wanted to know, but to also ease her a bit. Cira would look up at him before smiling softly, "Well, the real reason was to keep people from finding out who I am. Though, I use it because that was my mother''s last name before she married my father." Cira would explain to Riyku who took in the information she gave him. "I see. What was your mother like?" Riyku asked which caused Cira to blink before smiling softly. "Mother was a beautiful person. Not only on the outside but the inside. She would help out just about anyone who she saw needed help. She often volunteered her time for services like helping children or the elderly. Though even as busy as she made herself out to be, she always made time for me and father." Cira would reply to Riyku''s question before sighing softly afterward. "I think that when mother passed the one who took it worse the most was Father. After mother passed, Father engrossed himself in work endlessly. Most of the time he came home late, and when we were home he was still working... It makes me wish that Mother was here." Cira said softly which caused Riyku to place a hand upon her head and pat her head softly. "Sounds like you have a perfect role model then. Your mother lives on inside of you after all." Riyku would state and Cira looked up at him who smiled down at her.


    "Here we are." Walter would step aside as he offered them to enter the room. "Thank you, Walter." Riyku would turn to Cira. "Ready?" Riyku would confirm one last time if she was ready to take part in this discussion and Cira would inhale deeply before exhaling softly as if to steel herself. "I am." She replied firmly and both of them would enter the room. Sitting around a table happened to be Mina, Vex, Lira, Kristen, and Skylar. There were two empty chairs, one of Riyku and one for Cira. Everyone was extremely composed and the atmosphere was tense which threw him off completely. He expected Kristen to at least jump on him or something, but maybe this wasn''t the time. "You all..." Riyku would huff heavily. "Well, let me do the introductions and explain what is going on here." Riyku would take his seat after helping Cira to her seat.


    "Everyone, this is Cria Maverick. Cira, this is Kristen Luvlin, Lira Lee, Vex Verina, Mina Novva and then her brother Skylar Novva." Riyku would start with the introductions and everyone would make some kind of silent gesture which caused Riyku''s brow to twitch. "Since no one wishes to speak up I''ll begin by informing everyone of the two reasons why Cira is here. First off, Cira is my bride." Riyku was going to say something further, but Kristen''s odd chuckling, Vex''s glare, Lira and Mina''s innocent smiles were preventing him from doing so. "Bride? Can you explain?" Skylar would try his best to get information from Riyku without the girls attempting to peg him down with questions themselves. Riyku would nod and release a heavy sigh. "I was getting to that. You see, Cira here was being forced to marry someone against her will. I struck a deal with her, asking her to postpone her marriage until after the Death Games so I could use my achievements as a means to get her to marry me. Make no mistake though, I have no feelings for her. I just did not want her to lose her freedom." Riyku would explain to them in a summary of what happened. "Forced? Freedom?" Mina inquired and Riyku would nod. "Yes, her father was originally forced to give his daughter away to keep their company afloat. However, after discussing with him and meeting her former engaged, I took his place and satisfied his conditions." Riyku stated. "If I am not mistaken, would Cira''s Father be Dominic Maverick?" Lira inquired. "Yes." Riyku would nod which caused everyone to sigh heavily and shake their heads. "Poor girl." Kristen would look to Cira who blinked rapidly, confused on why she was being given sympathetic looks.


    "Well, it makes sense now. Riyku can''t help, but help people. Though, I am curious as to what conditions were needed." Vex stated in thought. "Oh, Riyku will be taking over the company after my Father steps down." What Cira said caused everyone to give a shocked expression. "Taking over an entire company? As in Runic Manaume? The company that excels in extracting magika materials?" Mina simpled to inquire which caused Cira to nod. "Yup, that''s the one," Cira stated which caused everyone to go silent for a good moment. "Ooookay. That explains the first thing that was to be brought up, what about the second one?" Kristen asked to which Riyku looked at Cira and gave her a motion to go ahead. Everyone saw this exchange and focused in on Cira. "I want to become part of Riyku''s Harem," Cira stated boldly, firmly, no trace of fear in her eyes, not shot of her backing down either. "Uhhh..." Mina would look at everyone else who looked at one another before looking at Riyku. "I am okay with it. However, I want to make sure you all are fine with it as well." Riyku stated. Skylar would nod, "I am okay with it. Cira doesn''t seem like a terrible person. Especially if she has Riyku coming to her aid." Skylar stated with a smile. "Well, If Riyku and Skylar agree I am on board as well," Mina added, which now left Kristen, Vex and Lira. "I don''t sense any ill intention coming from her. So, I am giving my okay." Vex added and Lira would agree with Lira. All that was left was Kristen who gave this thoughtful expression. "Let me ask you one thing, Cira. Why do you want to become a part of Riyku''s Harem? I want to say this to make this clear, we are not simply a group of friends. We are much more than that. We have each other back when the tough gets going. We are connected deeper than any lover or best friend could be and Riyku''s Harem is nothing like those you may have heard of or read in books. So, what do you want to join?" Kristen would give her a stern look. Everyone kept silent though and looked at the two of them.


    "Honestly... Sitting in this room now. I can tell that you all care deeply about him and that he cares deeply for each of you. My reasoning for joining may have been simply to get to know him better as a person. To become a part of his life and make wonderful memories with him. I won''t go out of my way and say that I love him, but I do like him and I respect him deeply. When we first met, I thought he was just some stuffy hot guy who thought they could bullshit their way around with their charms. Though, when I was on my last legs, while everyone gave up on me. He came to my aid. He believed in me and showed me that I was not wrong. That I was not weak. He pushed me to strive towards my goals and for that I am thankful. I just wish to know more about him, much more than I already do now. He saved me not once, but twice now. It''s not out of gratitude that I am asking to join, but simply because I want to become a part of this man''s life." Cira replied firmly. "I understand what you are saying. Riyku has helped every one of us in some way or manner. He has even saved each of us. So I can understand your admiration. I just have one final question for you." Kristeen would state which caused everyone to look towards her. "Are you willing to go against the entirety of the world for this man?" This question could have easily been taken as a joke, but the tense atmosphere showed Cira that she was serious. "Go against the entirety of the world for Riyku?" Cira made sure she understood the question correctly. "Yes, that is correct. I am sure you may know to some degree that Riyku is special. As we all know, those with great power can become feared by all. If that day ever came, would you stand by his side or would you side with the world?" Kristen was firm in her question.


    "I...."


    A ding sound would cause Riyku''s eyes to rise.


    ''Warning! You are being pulled into Dungeon: Underworld.''


    "What?!" Riyku narrowed his eyes at the screen that popped up before him. "Riyku?" Kristen looked at him as did everyone else. The atmosphere started to warp and twist and without a moment to lose Riyku ended up in the Underworld Dungeon. He was still sitting at the table like before; however, what caught his attention the most was that everyone that was inside of the room was still with him. "Huh!?" Lira looked around hastily. "What is this!?" Vex was shocked just as much as everyone else. Kissing his teeth the male would rise and examine the room. It appeared relatively safe, though he could feel the presence of monsters just outside of the room. "Riyku? Is this?" Skylar would narrow his eyes, seeming to have sensed the presence of entities as well. "This is the dungeon I was talking about. I was pulled into it last time as well but now is beyond me." Riyku answered.


    "So... can we leave the way you did last time?" Mina asked, trying her best to keep composure, but the one who was most confused was Cira. "Ummm... where are we? You all seem to know what''s going on, is this normal?" Cira inquired as she shivered slightly. Kristen would shake her head. "Well, we only know what Riyku has told us. We have never actually come here. Riyku knows more about this place than us, but rest assure, we are safe and so are you." Kristen would speak up as she moved to hug Cira.


    "We should be able to leave if we find that sphere; however, the last time I was pulled in I had to clear something before I could leave. If this is the same, I need to clear it again. But..." Riyku''s expression seemed grime. "But what?" Mina asked. "The last time I came here was with Seraphina. The simple monsters here are easy for us, but the boss-type monsters are extremely strong. Without Seraphina, I may have died back then..." Riyku''s statement caused them some shock. Something was able to keep up with Riyku? This place was truly that dangerous? "You all wait here for a moment. I am going to step outside the door and test something." Riyku stated and moved to open the door and step out. "What do you think he''s doing?" Vex asked. "Scouting probably," Skylar answered. "Yeah, we can''t do much with a lack of information," Mina added. "Will he be okay?" Cira asked and everyone looked to her in silence. "He will," Kristen added with a soft smile and everyone nodded shortly after. A moment had gone by and Riyku returned and slammed the door shut. "Riy--" Riyku brought his finger to his mouth as a sign to keep quiet and they all covered their mouths. A few seconds passed even though they felt like minutes and the footsteps passed the room once then twice, but not a third time. Riyku would unleash a soft sigh and lean against the door. "What was that about?" Lira asked the question that everyone seemed to want to know the answer to.


    "I was testing to see if this was a safe room. When I came here with Seraphina, and even the first time I came here the monsters only appeared in certain areas. When we entered those areas they notice of us then, but I never confirmed if they were restricted to those areas. In addition to that, the monsters return after a few moments as well. In the same Area, they were once in. I wanted to test if there were safe rooms, or even if they could not venture past a certain point. I lost aggro of several monsters in different areas and the monsters do not enter closed-door rooms. They do enter rooms without doors though. So this place is relatively safe, but...." Riyku closed his eyes which caused everyone to gulp heavily. "But what?" Kristen inquired. "This place is far larger than the previous times I came in. I haven''t even found a staircase leading downward or upward, and there are several halls even though I only ventured down this hall. There are also several monster types from beast to humanoid and all of them are Demons. So, I have no idea where we are at. I lack information... Therefore, I will be going on a scouting mission, solo." Riyku stated aloud.

 42 Day before Departure Pt.3

    "Alone!?" Kristen exclaimed. "Are you serious!?" She stomped her way towards him. "You said so yourself, you lack information! The monsters here are various demon types and the boss monster is most likely stronger than you, yet you want to at this alone!?" Kristen was genuinely upset about this. Riyku would turn away from her, knowing full well what she meant and understanding how she felt. "I can''t... With so little information, I don''t want to put you all in any danger." Riyku would remark looking back at her. A heavy huff escaped her lips, "Riyku... We made a promise, a vow, that we would protect you just as you want to protect us. Let us come with you, okay?" Kristen seemed to have calmed down somewhat. Her tone of voice wasn''t heightened nor was she exhibiting any upset body posture. Everyone would gather behind her, looking at Riyku firmly. Ther conviction in their eyes replicated their feelings towards him. The urge to protect someone precious to them. Seeing as how he was at a loss for this he would release a soft satisfied breath. "Alright, you can come along. But, none of you have a weapon. So..." Riyku would flick his wrist which brought up a cybernetic screen before him. This wasn''t the first time the girls saw this, and wouldn''t be the last but it never ceased to amaze him. Navigating towards the inventory tab he would look through a selection of various items he had managed himself. Approaching the table he would select a single item which brought up a side tab. There were various selections, equip, transmute, enchant, enhance, drop, and delete. Riyku would select the drop text which caused the item to vanish from its inventory slot and appear upon the table before him through dim pixelated lights. The weapon that appeared was a whip, simple in design since it appeared to be fully steel. Though when Riyku hovered his hand over the weapon a screen would appear before him.


    Mystic Whip


    Type- Specialization


    Condition- Magical


    Rarity- A


    A whip said to host magical properties. Allowing the user to bathe their weapon in any form of magical property even if they can not use magical spells. Effect: Magical Enchantment - Bathes the weapon in a single magical property at the user''s command. Magical properties are Flame, Chill, Plague.


    "Kristen this is yours." Riyku would show her the screen for her to read over and when she did she blinked rapidly before looking to Riyku. "Where the hell did you get this kind of weapon?" Kristen was baffled to be honest which caused Riyku to chuckle lightly as Kristen moved to take up the weapon. "At Deyo''s place. No one wanted it, so it picked it up. I have a few others for you all as well." Riyku stated before returning to his screen to select another weapon that would appear upon the table. When he hovered his hand over the weapon, the screen for the whip seemed to dismiss itself and a new screen for the new weapon appeared.


    Sniper''s Bow


    Type- Bow


    Condition- Excellent


    Rarity- A


    A composition bow with a sturdy string and a spell imbued into the weapon that gives the user the ability to magnify their perception which will allow them to zoom in on their target. Effect: Sniper''s Eye - Allows one to expand their perception when aiming.


    "Lira, this is yours." Riyku would state which caused Lira to come to the table when she did Riyku would show her the screen as she reached for the weapon. "This should allow you to support from a further distance or even vantage points." Riyku would add and Lira would nod softly. "Thank you." Even though she was suppressing her excitement, one could see how intrigued she was by just looking at the glitter in her eyes. Riyku would return his attention to his inventory screen and select two weapons this time. Both of them would appear on the table, but each one held a different design. Both were staves. The one on the left held a dark design with a purple gem at the top of that while the other was a lighter design with a green gem. "Mina, Vex, these weapons far for you. Vex takes the black one, Mina takes the white one." As Riyku offered weapons to each of them he would bring up their status screens.


    Staff of SpellWeaving


    Type- Staff


    Condition- Magical


    Rarity- S


    A staff that shortens the cast time of spells by gathering in Mana at a hastened pace. It also allows the user to duel-cast spells, and keep a single spell in stock for a quick cast. Effect: Quick Cast- Shortens spell cast time, Duel Cast- Use two spells at the same time, Spell Storage- Hold a single spell for use later.


    Staff of Rejuninvation


    Type- Staff


    Condition- Magical


    Rarity- S


    A staff that rejuvenates the user as well as increases the potency of healing attributes. Effect: Auto-Heal- Automatically heals minor wounds, and heals other wounds over time. Healer''s Grace- Increases healing effects by x2.


    The girls looked over the respective screens that Riyku showed them as they took their weapons. "Geez... it''s almost like you went into the black market for these items." Vex stated though she wasn''t complaining one bit. "Actually, I saw this one in Deyo''s shop one day, but the price was over one million points, did you just recently buy this?" Mina inquired and Riyku nodded. "I did, I bought all of those items. Just in case you guys needed weapons. I am glad." Riyku answered her before moving to bring out one weapon. "For you, Skylar." Riyku would state as a set of weapons appeared on the table. He would bring up the screen for Skylar to review.


    Assassin''s Dagger +4


    Type- Dagger


    Rarity- A


    Condition- Sharp


    A blade used by the Assassins of old. It is said that these weapons were capable of silently piercing their target''s flesh from any direction and easy to withdraw for a quick escape. Effect: Deals addition damage if used on Vital points.


    Night Crawler +4


    Type- Claw


    Rarity- S


    Condition- Lethal


    Where this... thing came from is unknown. No one knows who used it but what they do know is that it was used to take out high priority targets without delay. Effect: Armor Piercing. Bleed Damage (Causes internal bleeding for several seconds). State of Shock (Paralyzes the target instantly for several seconds). Instill Fear (Will fear all non-boss mobs and monsters below the users Level when spotted while killing a target with Night Crawler).


    Skylar would blink rapidly as he took in the status on the screen for each weapon. "Try it on," Riyku remarked and Skylar reached for the Claw first which seemed to fit perfectly to his hand, then he reached for the dagger which seemed to suit him quite well. "How do they feel? Give them a good swing." Riyku would step back and Skylar would move to an open space in the room before swinging both weapons around in a flourishing movement. "Light..." Skylar mused lightly. "Mhm, those were the weapons I used when I went to get Lira back. They suited well for my agile, stealthy approach. So I figured they would suit you well." Riyku would remark which caused Skylar to look back at him." Are you sure I can have them?" Skylar seemed a bit worried, but at the same time excited. "Yup. All of you can keep those weapons." Riyku would remark and everyone seemed quite shocked but happy to hear. "What about Cira?" Kristen had taken notice that Riyku did not give her a weapon. "I have just the weapon for her." Cira perched up, still sitting her chair in awe at everything that had happened. Riyku would bring out a single weapon, which would appear on the table.


    Ion Gun +4


    Type: Gun


    Rarity: B


    Condition: Piercing


    The Ion gun is said to be one of the top model guns used by the military. What it lacks in magical power makes up for physical piercing. Effect: Armor Piercing.


    "Take it." Riyku would slide the weapon in Cira''s direction after bringing up the screen. Cira would look at the gun then up at Riyku. She had answers, but he had not the time to answer them. "I doubt you want to be here alone. So stay close to us. I have only been to the furthest point of each end of the hallway, but amongst the hall happen to be doors and other pathways." Riyku would explain to them as he looked through his inventory. His eyes hovered over one of the weapons in one of the slots.


    Type: Harbinger


    Rarity: SSS


    A weapon hand-forged by Riyku Von Rosario himself. The two blades have special attributes, one for tearing the life force of his foes while the other tears through any protections bestowed upon one, be it normal armor or magical armor, even shields and buffs. The lantern in the middle holds the souls of those he has taken to either be used to strengthen his scythe or himself. +100 to all stats. Effect: consuming souls reservoir will either strengthen your weapon or yourself permanently. 10 souls = +1 stat.


    Soul count: 9,230


    Weapon Exclusive to the following: Mystic Form.


    Narrowing his eyes at the exclusive to the following text and how it was exclusive to a single form made him a bit bitter. Then again... the weapon itself was heavy. Not in the sense of weight, but the burdens it carried. Perhaps it was for the best that he was unable to even use the said weapon. "What about you?" Kristen inquired of Riyku who moved his attention from the screen towards her. "Me? Well, we have all roles expect one." Riyku would remark as he pressed upon two slots which brought up two types of weapons, or more so one. A large durable shield around his height appeared attached to his left hand. While the Soluna Blade appeared in his right hand.


    Shield of the Sun


    Type: Speical


    Rarity: S


    Condition: Impenetrable


    A shield said to have harnessed the rays of the sun and condensed them into an impenetrable wall. Those who attack the shield meet with the sun''s flare, and those who bare witness to the flare are often not only scorched by blinded as well. Effects: Flare Counter - Anyone who strikes the shield would cause the shield to flare out scorching them, and those who bare witness to the flash of light will be briefly blinded. Tank''s Roar - Instantly cause all enemies at your level or lower to focus upon you.


    Soluna Blade


    Type- Greatsword


    Rarity- S


    Condition- Sharp and Heavy


    A large sword with a smaller sword that is retractable from inside of the blade. The smaller sword acts as a second blade for the user to allow them to overwhelm and overcome any predicament. +50 Strength.


    "So I''ll be our front line. Our goal right now is to look for a way out of this place, everything else is secondary." Riyku remarked firmly and everyone nodded and replied, "Yes!" Riyku would turn on his heel to look towards the door, but a screen appeared before him and caught his attention.


    ''Do you wish to form a party?''


    Of course, the options were yes or no, but the fact that this appeared now and not earlier was baffling. Reaching to touch the yes button several cybernetic screens would appear in front of each person in the room.


    ''Do you wish to join, Riyku Von Rosario''s party?''


    They also had a yes or no option. "Umm..." Mina mused softly. "What is this?" Kristen inquired. "Accept it," Riyku remarked and they all hit yes. Suddenly their names, along with a green and blue bar appeared his own. "I see," Riyku muttered before turning to face them again. "If you look in the upper left-hand corner of your vision, you should see something along the lines of several names and two colorations of bars. This is known as a miniature status screen. The green bar is your health and the blue bar is your mana." Riyku would explain to them, though there seemed to be some confusion upon their faces they did grasp the basic concept. "But wait, you have a purple bar instead of a blue bar," Vex called out and Riyku nodded softly. "I do. Though the reason being is unknown to me." Riyku replied to her. "So, it''s just like a video-game then? Everything you''ve done so far makes it seem that way. Well, I won''t question about this place, or anything else until we get out of here. But when we are out..." Cira would reach for the gun and check it out before testing the hindsight and weight as a whole. "We should finish our conversation." She finished and everyone smiled at her.


    "Alright, here is our formation. I''ll take the front. Skylar, you will be the secondary frontline. Of course, you will also be doing damage alongside me. Our backline will be Vex and Cira. Mina, you will be our support and lastly Kristen." Riyku looked towards her and she walked up beside him with a smile. "Very well," Riyku replied softly. "Alright, everyone here we go." Riyku would turn back to the door and open it up only to peek outside to make sure the coast was clear before moving forward himself. The others would follow up behind him as he progresses onward towards the left. The place was similar to that of a dungeon, the walls appeared made some of the sorts of otherworldly material yet held the appearance of cobblestone. "Do you think we are underground?" Mina inquired of Vex who would shrug. "Not sure. I don''t think Riyku knows either." Vex replied. "It could be an underground dungeon." Cira would remark which caused them to look at her, the sudden attention caused her to blush softly. "I mean going off the games I use to play. The walls are made of stone and hold mossy patches here and there as if they have not been maintained. I have ever entered a dungeon, so I am merely going based off of what speculation." Cira quickly gave out her opinion on the matter and they nodded. "What do you think, Skylar?" Mina asked and Skylar who would glance around. "Could be, the coloration is bizarre though so I am not sure," Skylar replied. "It most likely is," Riyku added though stopped moving about when he heard soft footsteps coming from around the corner. Leaning back against the wall caused them to do the same and Riyku peeked around the corner for a moment. "There are... more?" Riyku narrowed his eyes before exhaling a breath when he leaned back once more. "Is something wrong?" Kristen inquired of him. "No, it''s simple goblins but there are at least ten or so more monsters than before," Riyku stated softly and Kristen nodded. "What do we do?" Kristen inquired. "Ambush them when they come around the corner," Riyku replied. "Skylar, can you do it?" Riyku looked towards him and Skylar nodded. "Of course, especially with these weapons." Skylar made the notion of his weapons and Riyku nodded. "Then you will be the one we rely on for ambushes, we''ll back you up; however, don''t go until I give the signal," Riyku stated.


    They would wait, and wait, and wait until the group of monsters happened to be in the perfect spot. Riyku would give the silent signal and Skylar would dash around the corner and straight into the mob of monsters. However, the moment they saw him was a second too late since Skylar had already gutted one of the goblins with the Night Crawler which activated the special effect causing the remaining foes to become instilled with fear which caused them to cower. This allowed the party to follow up and take out the remaining monsters in the hallway. When all was said and done a screen appeared before in front of Riyku.


    ''400 Experience Points obtained.''


    ''200 Souls obtained.''


    "Umm, Riyku what is this?" Kristen inquired which drew his attention towards them, his eyes widen when he saw that they held cybernetic screens in front of them. "That is a rewards screen. It displays what you earned. Do you not have them?" Riyku asked just to make sure and Kristen shook her head. "No," Kristen replied. "It''s basically how you would normally level up through Gambit''s Challenge but without the challenges and whatnot." Cira butted in. "Another thing from a videogame?" Vex asked and Cira nodded. "Yup, but it seems like Riyku over there already knew about this." What Cira responded with caused everyone to look at him and he would shrug. "I only know so much. Most of it was from memory fragments. So, what is on the screen?" Riyku inquired.


    "Four-hundred experience points obtained and two-hundred souls sent to Riyku Von Rosario." Kristen would reply. "Same here," Skylar added. "Same with mine." Mina would add as well. "Same." Vex put in. "Yup, same here." Cira would also add. "I see, that''s interesting." Riyku mused softly before something hit him. "Wait, Souls were sent to me?" Riyku repeated rhetorically. "So, what are these souls thing?" Cira inquired. "This world''s currency. Though, it would seem you all are unable to use it. But, why am I allowed?" Riyku narrowed his eyes in thought. Said thought would drag on for a bit which caused Kristen to come and nudge him in the side. "Come on, let''s go. We need to get out of here first, then you can hypothesize all you want." Kristen stated which drew him from his thought. "You are right. Let''s keep going. As I said, I have only been up and down the previous hall. So who knows how long we''ll be here." Riyku would remark and never nodded before they continued their venture.


    Onward they went, through rooms and corridors, taking on monsters in their pathway and coming out on top throughout their journey. A heavy sigh would escape Kristen''s lips, "Another dead end?" She seemed to complain and Riyku shook his head. "Nothing much we can do." He replied to her. "What is this, like the tenth dead end?" Kristen complained some more. "Did we skip any passages?" Vex inquired. "Yeah, we skipped over one fork path a few turns back," Mina answered her. "Then let''s get going," Riyku added and the group would turn around though, as they did something made a click sound. "What?" Riyku narrowed his eyes and stopped in place which caused the rest of the group to hold their ground. "Is something wrong?" Skylar asked and Riyku placed a finger to his lips. "Shh..." He replied softly.


    Click! Click! Click! Click! Several clicking noises went off as if some kind of mechanism was at work. Then it just stopped out of nowhere. "Umm..." Skylar mused lightly before the ground rose up to form a wall before them. The dead-end wall lowered which caused Riyku to turn back towards it. "Get behind me!" Riyku shouted as he dashed forward, getting a rather uneasy feeling in his gut. He would slam his shield down before him and everyone lined up behind him. "Mina cast a buffer spell, Vex create a multi-layer prison around us. Skylar, get ready to ambush and Lira cover him after the activation of my shield with a barrage of arrows. Cira and Kristen get ready to move on my mark!" Riyku gave his orders and everyone nodded in silence. "Elements of Earth, provide us with your graceful shield to aid us against our foes." Vex would chant, as she absorbed the mana around before unleashing a multi-layer barrier around them. "Holy Light, Nature''s blessing, give us the strength to withstand our foe in this desperate time." Mina would chant as well before unleashing her spell which caused everyone''s bodies to glow brightly. Skylar would grasp the hilt of his dagger and take to a low stance behind Riyku, meanwhile, Lira would tuck a single mana arrow in preparation herself.


    "Is something coming?" Cira inquired when she noticed nothing was happening after a moment. "Yes, something big..." Riyku replied to her moments before a loud sound clashed against the earthen prison. Which caused them to give shocked expression. "Do not falter!" Riyku shouted as another layer was broken down it would seem. Another and another, it wasn''t until Riyku bore witness to the streams of light that were breaking through the last earthen barrier did Riyku remark, "Here it comes!" Then the beam or ray of light slammed against his shield. The force causing him to grit his teeth as he steeled himself in place. "Riyku!" Kristen shouted. "I am fine! Just get ready, there is a platoon of monsters on the other side! I can feel them!" Riyku shouted out. His eyes shifted to his shield points bar, taking notice of a slowly decreasing pace though his teammates seemed to be perfectly fine. "Just a little bit longer..." Riyku would grit his teeth as the seconds felt like minutes. In truth, he had no idea how long it would be until this ray or beam or whatever it was would dimish and they would be able to retaliate. Sure he had the buff that Mina put on him, but even buffs go away after their duration ends. All it was now was a battle of attrition.

 43 Day of Departure pt.4

    Riyku would steal a glance at his shield points which were a little around seventy-five percent full. "Damn it... how long has it been? Twenty, thirty minutes?" Riyku growled he could feel his body going numb. After all, it wasn''t just his shield points now, it was his energy points as well. They were at a whooping fifty-percent. To his surprise though, the pressure against his shield died down and his shield would react. "Skylar, Lira!" Riyku shouted as the effects of the shield went off releasing a solar flare that would blind the monsters on the other side of the shield as well as scorch several. Skylar would dash around Riyku to follow up and Lira would cover him with a barrage of arrows, meanwhile, Cira would take care of any who were not blinded by the light. Riyku would release a heavy breath as he eyed his status. "Are you okay?" Kristen saw him fall onto one knee and he nodded lightly. "Yeah. You are up, get going." Riyku stated and Kristen nodded before dashing forward to enter the fray. Mina would come up behind him and provide him with a healing aura which seemed to rejuvenate his shield points. Though it was more so surprising to her than him since last time it had not worked. "Thanks, Mina." Riyku looked towards her and she nodded softly. "Of course, we still need our vanguard after all," Mina stated happily, not questioning why her healing arts were working, but more so just happy they were. "Vex, go ahead and aid them while you can. We need to tear down these numbers before they have a chance to recompose themselves." Vex would nod to Riyku and proceed to channel more mana through her staff in a silent chant. Riyku would eye his status once more. His shield points were full; however, his energy bar was still at fifty-percent. "Fatigue can only be recovered with rest eh?" Riyku muttered to himself before standing up and shifting his glance to Mina with a smile. "I''m good." Mina would nod and step back while Riyku stepped forth.


    Riyku would dash into the fray, cleaving the goblins in two with his Soluna blade and bashing them with his shield. Thankfully, they had taken out a vast portion of their numbers with their teamwork. Between, Skylar''s fast pace assassinations, Lira''s barrage of arrows, Cira''s headshots and Vex''s spellweaving they were pretty much overwhelming the goblins. A voice came forth, "So, are you the intruders of my lord''s manner..." A feminine voice perched forth from the shadows. A dark green skin beauty covered in nothing but leather rags pushed aside the smaller goblins. This woman wasn''t small by any means, her height rivaled Riyku''s. "A talking goblin!?" Kristen shifted her gaze to the woman who snickered towards her, her purple color lips pursed as she brushed her ginger hair aside. "Of course I can talk, I am Queen of the Goblins after all. Though what business do you have here?" The woman who proclaimed herself as Queen of the Goblins would question. Though the fighting did no seize. "Plunder, perhaps." Riyku teased her which caused her to snicker. "I doubt that one if you were you would have already entered the treasure room ages ago. You appear more so lost than anything." The woman replied which caused Riyku to shrug. "You got us there," Riyku replied to her with his shrug. "I take it you aren''t going to let us leave then, are you?" Riyku added as he narrowed his eyes at her and she licked her lips. "Of course not. Not when I have a breeding ground in front of me. These women will make fine breeders, and you will be making a fine slave." The Queen of Goblins remarked and Riyku shook his head. "Then you leave me no choice..." Riyku would release a roar as he based his shield which caused the surrounding goblins to all focus on him. "Finish them off!" Riyku shouted as cleaved down goblins one after another and sometimes multiples while Cira, Lira, Skylar, Kristen, and Vex all aided him with excellent teamwork.


    The Queen of Goblins was astonished and displeased all in the same when her soldiers were just corpses now. "I see. So you are not just a random rabble of slaves like the rest. Interesting." The woman pursed her lips again before snapping her fingers. Two overly gigantic muscular goblins would walk up beside her wielding clubs. "Skylar, Mina, Cira, you three take one. Vex, Kristen, Lira, you three take the other. I''ll deal with her." Riyku angled the tip of the Soluna Blade at the Queen of Goblins. "The big bad man himself picks me. My, my, this will be fun." The woman snickered before sending her two possibly strongest men out to face their respective foes. Riyku would approach the Queen of Goblins steadily before dashing towards her and bringing his blade overhead. The woman deftly side-stepped the swing, and Riyku would follow up with a shield bash the woman seemed to evade as well. Snapping her fingers would cause combustion to form in front of him which pushed him back. His eyes shifted to his status and a small chunk of his Shield Points took a hit. "Neat trick." Riyku mused lightly and the woman would snicker. "I am glad you enjoyed it, though you swing both that heavy shield and sturdy blade around like it''s nothing for someone whose muscles don''t appear to be up to par for it." The woman replied and Riyku chuckled. "I''ll take that as a compliment," Riyku replied to her.


    "Are you serious flirting with her!?" Kristen shouted when she took notice of their tone of voice and words. "Kristen pay attention!" Lira shouted as she released a mana arrow to the goblin who was about to strike Kristen down. The arrow had hit the goblin right in the eye causing him to stumble back with a pain-filled cry. "Woops, sorry and thanks, Lira." Kristen would whip her whip around to lash out at the goblin meanwhile Vex would unleash a spell of flame and frost on the goblin. This combination of the attack dealt some serious damage to the goblin who was knelt on one knee. Kristen would dash behind the goblin only to hop onto it''s back and whip her whip around to strangle the goblin. Meanwhile, Vex would prepare another spell and Lira would unleash more mana arrows upon the goblin.


    As for Skylar, Lira and, Cira. Well, they weren''t doing too hot. Skylar was unable to truly find an opening where he could land a killing blow, and the effects of the Night Crawler were not working. Cira''s bullets seemed to be the only real lead they had and even with Mina''s strengthening buff, they were still having to duck, dodge and weave around to avoid being hit by the massive club in the goblin''s hand. "Well, I guess it''s time I got serious myself." Riyku would release both of his Shield of the Sun and Soluna Blade only to have them return to his inventory with Weapon Return. In the place came a single long sword.


    Duelist Blade +4


    Type: Sword


    Rarity: A


    Condition: Sharp


    The one who challenges a Duelist is always said to seek thrill or death. Effect: Bonus Damage when facing a single enemy.


    The blade would give off a glimmer of a clear aura. Taking to his usual relaxing stance where he would rest his hand inside of his pocket and the blade relaxed at his side he would eye the Queen of Goblins with a smirk. "Let''s see what you can do," Riyku remarked with a snicker. Strangely though the woman held no name like the previous boss type monsters. This did through him off, but regardless he wouldn''t say anything of it. The Queen of Goblins would dash towards him, a quick snap of her fingers of her right hand caused combustion right before him which caused him to pivot backward. Though the woman would stomp upon the ground with her heel causing spikes of the earth to rupture from below. Riyku felt the ground quake which caused him to leap backward, arching his back to flip over the spikes. Alas, it seemed the woman was not done yet. She continued her pursuit by slashing in his direction with her left arm. An arc of wind seemed to clash with his blade, redirecting the arc beside him before kissing his teeth as he felt the woman''s leg slam into his gut. The kick itself wasn''t all that strong, but the chilly feeling was another story. Riyku would jump back to bring distance between them.


    The Goblin Queen would giggle softly as she licked her lips when she noticed Riyku crush the ice that had formed around his stomach with his bare hand. "My aren''t we a strong one? To be able to crush Dark Ice like it''s nothing. Dark Ice is supposed to be indestructible too... Well, so the books foretold. Guess anything can break with enough force." The woman snickered before stomping her heel upon the ground again. The ground would quake once more before rupturing below him, yet Riyku would dash towards her instead of away. "Yes, come to me!" The woman exclaimed as she snapped the fingers of her right hand rapidly while swinging her left arm around. Riyku was only able to predict when the combustion was going to happen because he could sense the distortion in the atmosphere around him thanks to one of his abilities. Dealing with the arcs was another story, using his sword to deflect them was easy, but to evade both combustion and wind was another thing entirely since the wind would only increase the power of the explosion. Eventually, the combustions became overwhelming and Riyku''s body was blown off the ground and tossed around in a chain explosion until he slammed firmly against the wall that had closed their escape off.


    "Riyku!" Kristen called out when she saw Riyku''s body being flung from the smoke and fall onto the ground. Everyone looked in his direction, "Stay focused!" Riyku shouted from the ground, pushing himself off. Black blood started to seep from the minor wounds upon his body.


    ''Shield points have been expunged. Loss of life is possible.''


    The warning appeared before him which caused him to snicker. "But..." Mina mused softly. "Take care of your opponents first," Riyku remarked as he stood up. Slamming his sword into the ground the male would curl his fingers rapidly.


    ''You are now linked with Mina, Lira, Kristen, Vex, Cira, and Skylar. Would you like to activate links?''


    Another system message appeared before him, the bangs of his black hair would hide his crimson eyes that glanced over the message. "Sure, why not," Riyku muttered with a snicker as he reached for the hilt of his blade.


    ''Links activated. Your mana has been increased tremendously. You will begin to cultivate mana throughout your body. Your power has been increased. Your agility has been increased. Your perception has been increased.''


    Another system message appeared and on queue with the message came a flare of coloration auras. Purple seemed to appear around Kristen, Black appeared around Vex while White appeared around Mina. Lira held a Yellow aura, and Cira held a Neon Blue aura while Skylar held a Green aura. In comparison, these were the same auras that flared around Riyku.


    A message appeared before Kristen. ''You formed a link with Riyku. Your power has been increased.''


    A message appeared before Vex. ''You formed a link with Riyku. Your magika power has been increased.''


    A message appeared before Mina. ''You formed a link with Riyku. The power of your healing arts and buffing spells have been increased.''


    A message appeared before Lira. ''You formed a link with Riyku. The power of your mana has been increased.''


    A message appeared before Cira. ''You formed a link with Riyku. Your perception has been increased.''


    A message appeared before Skylar. ''You formed a link with Riyku. Your agility has been increased.''


    Of course, each message appeared simultaneously in front of each of them. They were speechless by the message that appeared before them. "It''s a buff of sorts. I''ll explain later, for now, deal with those two weaklings." Riyku would lick the trickle of black blood from his lips as he pulled his weapon from the ground and took to a low stance. The tips of his fingers touching the ground as if he were about to sprint forward. The girls and Skylar did not have time to question him, they indeed were only able to focus on the opponents before them. Though the battles were not as hard as they were beforehand, well for Skylar''s group anyways.


    Vex, Lira, and Kristen were already eliminating their foe. Vex had prepared both a frost spell and an earthen spell along with a flare spell, similar to how the Goblin Queen put Riyku on the defensive and overwhelmed him. She sent out the flare spell while Lira had blinded the giant goblin completely by shooting the second eye. This allowed Kirsten to follow up by yanking the goblin downward with her whip since the whip was wrapped around its neck. The flare spell would slam into the goblin causing him to cry in even more pain. Vex would use the earthen spell to rupture the ground below the goblin to pierce through him while Kristen leaped to safety. Vex would then use her frost spell to turn the goblin into an icicle only for Lira to follow up with a massively charged up arrow that pierced through the icicle and shattered the goblin into tiny pieces. The three would regroup to celebrate before looking to Skylar, Mina, and Cira to see how they were doing.


    Mina seemed to keep up the buffing and healing arts which allowed Skylar and Cira to overwhelm the goblin with agility and precision. In truth, they looked like two flies buzzing around the giant goblin, though the efforts of the goblin were in vain when Cira took out the goblin''s eyes and Skylar cut off the ears. Both of them knock the goblin over by taking out his ankles with concentrated attacks while Mina exhausted her mana reserves with a few last-minute buffs. Cira and Skylar would proceed to finish the job once the beast onto it''s back. Cira stood on top of its face, while Skylar stood before it''s the neck. Cira would unleash several bullets into the skull and Skylar would continuously cut at the neck until the wounds were deep enough to be lethal and the gigantic goblin. Though why didn''t the goblin just use its hands to shoo them away? Well, that was because Vex had sneakily provided a binding spell with the earth that pierced through the arms and hands, as well as legs of the beastly goblin to keep him from moving them around. "Good job!" Kristen would approach Skylar, Mina, and Cira who were regrouping with each other to take a breather since they all appeared exhausted.


    "Should we help him?" Kristen looked to see Riyku''s bout with the Goblin Queen. Riyku had already dashed towards the Goblin Queen, evading each combustion and arc of wind effortlessly. Invading her space to the point where he brought the blade around to cut her down; however, the woman would stomp upon the ground causing the earth to rupture upward to block the blade. Though the earth only caused it to delay since Riyku destroyed the shield in one swing. This delay provided the woman enough time to evade the attack with a spin of her heel while weaving away from the direction the cut was going in. She would bring her other leg upward to kick Riyku in the stomach; alas Riyku used his free hand to catch the woman''s ankle. Quickly, Riyku would jut the hilt of his blade against the woman''s face while using his leg to trip her up. Following up he would yank the now following woman around like a rag doll and toss her against the wall he was previously at.


    "Rosario Style..." Riyku muttered in a darken manner as he grasped the hilt of his blade tightly with both hands. The blade would ignite with a crimson aura. "Fallen Petal." Riyku would mutter as he slashed downward releasing the crimson aura from the blade in the form of an arc which would slam against the Goblin Queen who had just collided with the wall. A painfilled scream escaped her lungs and from the mist came her body that fell from the wall. Flicking his blade to the side would dismiss the aura and he would approach the Gobling Queen slowly.


    "Doesn''t look like he needs our help. Let''s just rest for a bit." Cira stated as she plopped onto the ground, everyone else would join her in taking a seat. "That was some skill though." Mina would comment about the move Riyku just used. "It looks like Mana Slash, the marital skill that most swordsmen tend to use. Though..." Mina paused for a moment. "It felt eerie as if Diabolical Energy was within its presences." Lira finished for her which caused Kristen to look from Lira to Riyku. "You don''t think..." Kristen would grasp the fabrics of her skirt tightly. Skylar and Mina would both shake their heads. "No. He is perfectly fine." Mina would reply. "Mhm, if anything it seemed like he controlled whatever power that was. Besides, he is supposed to be a part-demon or well... I think." Skylar would add. "I hope you are right," Vex added. "Right about what? What is this about being a demon?" Cira inquired and everyone looked in her direction. "Oh right, you probably don''t know. I mean, we just found out recently too, but Riyku is somewhat demon." Kristen stated bluntly, yet Cira did not appear shocked for whatever reason. "Okay, so?" Cira was nonchalant about it which caused Mina to perk up. "You knew?" She asked and Cira would nod. "I had a hunch. You honestly expect me to believe that any human is strong, hot, charming and smart all in one? Yeah, no. If anything that sounds like a demon, though unlike demons. Riyku is kindhearted. Regardless, I accept him for who he is." Cira stated firmly which caused everyone to smile softly. An awkward silence befell them which caused her to react in embarrassment, "What!?" She exclaimed. "Nothing. Just, I think that I speak for all of us when I say that we accept you fully." Kristen stated with a warm smile. "Well, you were pretty much the only one who was in disagreement," Mina added which caused Kristen to blink rapidly. "I was looking out for our Riyku! Not just anyone can waltz up into our group!" Kristen would hastily defend herself with a soft blush. "Yeah, yeah, we get it you are totally in love with him. Just like the rest of us." Vex added which caused everyone to start giggling softly. Skylar would smile softly and shake his head before returning his focus onto Riyku who was now hovering over the Queen of Goblins.


    "You aren''t from here, are you?" Riyku would state firmly as he pointed the tip of the blade at the woman who was on her hands and knees. Whatever clothing she had was nothing more than tattered rags like that of a slave. In truth, most of her assets were plain as day, yet this did not do much in arousing the man. "Bah, and if I am not?" The woman remarked with heavy breathing. "Then you are a captive, or perhaps a slave of sorts," Riyku stated while narrowing his eyes at the woman. The woman would huff as she backed her self against the wall, leaning against it so she was sitting slouched while eyeing the male. "I don''t see what this information will do for you, but I am not from this castle. I was taken as a hostage from my region after the damned demons pillaged and plundered my land." This caused Riyku''s brow to rise though he did not withdraw the tip of his blade from her throat. "Your region? Are you saying there are other regions besides this castle?" Riyku inquired and the woman blinked rapidly. "You talk like you know nothing of the Underworld as if you have never lived here." The woman replied in a mocking tone which caused Riyku to press the tip of his blade against her throat with enough force to draw a trickle of blood. This caused the woman to gulp heavily, "Yes. fine. Yes, there are multiple regions. Each region of the Underworld is divided into sub-regions where the Lords and Ladies cultivate economic growth. I was from the Western Region of the Underworld, the Region of Famine. There I was the Queen of Goblins, Orcs, and all other green-skins. But the damned demons decided they were just going to invade us one day and take everything! They took me as a hostage since female goblins tend to have high pregnancy rates and produce high-quality offspring depending on who you breed them with. I was forced to breed strong demons for them. Though, when my womb became tainted by black by them I became absolute and they dropped me into the basement of this damned castle." The woman would grit her teeth as she told her story. Riyku would retract his blade from her throat and dismiss it with Weapon Return.


    "Then I''ll get you out provided you help us leave this basement as you call it," Riyku stated as he offered her his hand. The woman was shocked, she did not understand the jester he was providing her with.


    ''Links have been canceled due to party exhaustion.''


    A system message appeared in front of him as well as the girls and Skylar. The auras around them all faded away. Though, Riyku would not mind this dismissal since the battle was long over. "Are you trying to trick me? I told you my womb is black as tar. The quality of my offspring are worth nothing, so there is no reason for you to even help me escape." The woman stated firmly and Riyku shook his head. "Do not misunderstand me. I do not want you for breeding. I am merely trying to escape from this place with my friends. You seem like you want to get out and you also seem to have knowledge of this place. So, I see no reason to refuse my offer." Riyku replied to her and the woman hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. "You are truly a confusing person. Most demons don''t call their females friends, nor do they willingly aid other people without anything in return. But, I have nothing to lose. So I''ll help you out." The Queen of Goblins stated as she was aided on to her feet. "Besides, it looks like you could easily kill me if you wanted to. You held back on your attack earlier..." The woman made note of his previous attack which caused the male to chuckle. "So you noticed? How battle harden are you, anyway? I figured female goblins only tended to economic growth or breeding." Riyku would remark which caused the woman to snicker. "I am Queen of the Goblin''s after all. Just having a high-quality womb isn''t enough to become Queen. You need to also be able to command legions of goblins and stand up for yourself since any Goblin can dethrone you if they take your head." The woman replied and Riyku nodded. "Oh, one last thing. I never caught your name..." Riyku would comment.


    "Oh! My name is...."

 44 Day before Departure pt.5

    "My name is Priscilla Laque. Formerly known as the Queen of the Goblins." The woman, Priscilla introduced herself in a soft alluring manner. Riyku would glance over her for a moment before shaking his head and looking back to his comrades. "How are you all holding up?" The male''s remark towards his friends and distant demeanor towards the woman caused her to pout for a fraction of a second before huffing heavily and accepting what was done. "Give us a moment," Kristen called out though the tension rose and she would spring to her feet when she noticed the woman from before following behind him. Brandishing her weapon she glared at the goblin and the woman would teasingly cower behind Riyku which caused him to sigh heavily. "She is going to help us escape. It is something she is trying to do as well, so we will be bringing her along with us." Riyku would remark towards Kristen which caused her to give a dumbfounded expression.


    It wasn''t just her either, everyone in the group seemed to give off the same expression. "Yes, yes, I understand. We were fighting to the death mere moments ago, but this woman isn''t from here. She was enslaved and forced to work under the ruler of this place. All she wants to do is escape, and trust me if she tries anything funny I''ll be sure to take care of her when the time comes." Riyku seemed to settle their concerns quite easily be it his silver-tongued skill or the fact that their bonds were just that strong. Kristen would back down and plop onto the ground to relax as much as she could meanwhile Riyku shifted his glance back to the Goblin Queen and shook his head. "I am not a protective wall for you. I do hope you know that." His attitude towards her was cold, but well it was not impossible to understand. The only reason they have this ''truce'' so to speak is that they were working towards a common goal. No other reason besides such. "Trust me, any woman would take cover behind you if they knew you were this strong." The woman would whine playfully. Riyku said nothing, nor made any gesture this time. "Rest up." He told his friends which they all nodded to him to sit for a breather.


    "What of you?" Kristen called to him seeing as he was walking past them. "I''m going to scout the area ahead" and scout ahead he went. Leaving the Goblin Queen, Priscilla with Kristen and company. They all glared at her which of course made sense; since the woman said they would become pleasure toys to the male goblins. "GGGGGreat." Kristen was the first to speak up. "Now we have to deal with this prude." She would grumble. "I am inclined to agree with you, Kristen." Mina would add turning away from the green-skin woman. "Well, if this is what Riyku has to go through with daily... I would be annoyed too." Skylar put in his remark which drew the attention of the green-skin woman. "Hoooh... I see Riyku doesn''t just partake in women only. I figured you were for a female until you voiced your own opinion." Priscilla would coo teasingly which caused Skylar to blush. "He does not!" He responded aggressively, yet bashfully. Kristen would shake her head. "He speaks the truth. Though I take it you know what we are to him?" Kristen would spit with venom at the woman. This caused the Goblin Queen to sigh heavily. "Well, It isn''t hard to tell. Here in the underworld, many will flock towards the powerful, the wealthy and those with fame. I wasn''t lying when I said any woman would stand behind him if they knew he was that strong." Priscilla remarked.


    "Underworld?" Cira uttered, shakily rattling the gun in her hand. "What do mean Underworld!?" She exclaimed rashly while looking towards Priscilla. The Goblin Queen would blink in confusion before shrugging. "Just what I meant. This is the homeworld of Demons. Judging from your reaction, you are from the Middleworld. It is not uncommon for Middlers to find their way to the Underworld. That or they are kidnapped and brought back to become slaves." Priscilla would answer. Her answer causing the group a bit of surprise. "You are kidding me, right? This isn''t like some Dungeon or Raid-Portal... This is truly another world entirely? Is there no way back?" Vex inquired, a bit shakily at that.


    Priscilla would blink for a moment before nodding. "Of course there is. How do you think Demons go to and from Middleworld. Most use Rifts or Gates, though they are all owned by the powerful Demons. So to use one, you must buy a one-time pass which allows you to go to and from Middleworld once. They aren''t cheap either.." Priscilla answered. "Wait for what!?" Kristen shouted in dismay. "There is no way we can go back if that is the case!" Vex added. "Are you sure there isn''t another way? What about how Riyku came here and was able to get back?" Lira brushed upon the topic as well. "True! He came to this world before and was able to get back." Mina would input. "And how did he do that exactly?" Cira quizzed. "Some kind of orb thingy. But, we haven''t found one since we came down here." Skylar interjected. "Orb thingy?" Priscilla rose a brow as she questioned. "Never heard of that. Usually, you can go through the black market, or try and get a pass-through connection if you needed to." She added afterward.


    The group sighed softly. "In the end, our only way back is with Riyku. Maybe we should ask about the orb thingy." Kristen stated before pushing off the ground and standing up. She would limber up as a way to ease up the tension on her muscles. The rest followed soon after and they call collected their barrings. Kristen would look towards Cira who was still unable to comprehend everything that just happened. Placing a hand upon the girl''s shoulder she would smile lightly. "Everything will be alright. I know it is scary and bizarre, but we will be fine." Kristen would offer in comfort and the rest followed up with small gestures and smiles.


    KABOOM!


    A loud sound caused everyone''s attention to perch towards where it came from. Being on high alert they glanced over to see smoke had kicked up in the far end of the tunnel. "Isn''t that where Riyku went?" Skylar inquired as calmly as possible. "Yeah..." Kristen mused lightly gripping her whip tightly. "You don''t think..." Vex murmured lightly.


    KABOOM!


    THUD THUD THUD THUD


    Loud overbearing sounds would echo out like that of the sound of a heavy bass dropping. Over, and over again. THUD THUD THUD. The group didn''t understand what was going on, though they did feel pressure in the atmosphere. It was heavy maybe even condensed. It wasn''t until Riyku appeared in front of Kristen with a fist interlocked in the hand of another while his hand had interlocked with the other''s fist. A final THUD sound had come about and the pressure nearly sent Kristen off of her feet, though she did slide back a few meters. "Prince Zealot!?" The Goblin Queen Priscilla exclaimed with a loud gasp. Everyone looked towards her except for Riyku who was glaring at the man before him. Standing slightly shorter than Riyku and baring little to no armor. His torso appeared bear, but upon closer inspection would reveal a hardened flesh. His choice of pants were baggy black slacks with purple stripes to match the spiky purple hair and the glowing amethyst eyes. Two nearly five-inch long black demonic horns had sprouted from the crown of this man''s head. To make his demonic nature even more obvious; where fingers should be there were claws, and along his forearm were spikes giving this man an imposing look.


    "Interesting.... a mortal can withstand against my strength." The demon would remark with a modest opinion. The demon''s purple amethyst hues upon black sclera would shift towards the Goblin Queen when he heard his name. "Ah, if it isn''t the breeding slave. I see you failed to take out these intruders. Fret not, I''ll be sure to clean up your mess." The male remarked before bringing his knee towards Riyku''s gut. Riyku would bring his leg up to clash with the demon. The shift in sudden balance gave the demon the upper hand in which he forced himself forward. Causing Riyku to drop his leg and take a step back. However, even the demon had to bring his leg back down before bringing it up again. The same action would repeat again and again and again until Riyku eventually lost balance completely and slipped up. The demon would brush his knuckles against Riyku''s face sending the male into the ground with a loud THUD. Waving his hand around the demon would release a heavy breath.


    "For a mere mortal, you weren''t bad. You were better than most of the sorry guards my father hires." The male would remark, reaching his claw outward to catch a single arrow. "Oh? Mana Arrows? Not even the High-Class Demons can manipulate Diabolical Energy like this." The demon would remark before the sudden blue aura of the arrow would corrode into pitch black. He would then pivot on his heel and send it back. Mina would step up in-front of Lira and bring about a bright white wall which caused the arrow to burn away. The demon glared at the woman. "Holy Energy... I see now." The male would lean back to avoid a pillar of earth from spiking up. Well more like a thorn rather than a pillar. Bringing his other claw upward he would catch a blade mid-strike and yank Skylar in front of him before kicking him towards Lira who was lining up another arrow while moving his head with a slight tilt to avoid a bullet from piercing him. "You people aren''t normal thieves. You lot remind me of those damned Heroes." The male''s words were nothing like venom, but admiration. His eyes shifted towards his wrist when a whip latched into his wrist. "Gotcha!" Kristen exclaimed as she pulls the weapon towards her, trying to tear at the male''s flesh; however, the weapon shattered into pieces due to the force upon it. A smirk curved across the demon''s face as he used ''Blink'' to teleport in front of Kristen, grasping her throat and lifting off the ground. "I get it now. You are all truly like them in almost every way. Covering each other''s weaknesses and whatnot. It''s a damn shame you are all going to die down here though." The male would bring his free claw towards Kristen''s gut but be halted when someone tried to tackle him from behind.


    "Enough Z! They aren''t intruders!" The Goblin Queen shouted as if trying to stop him. This caused the demon to blink once along with silence to befall the tunnel for a moment. "Is that so? Regardless they are Middleworlders, which is even worse." The demon would shake off Priscilla and toss Kristen towards the group. The demon''s eyes would flare with a flash of amethyst and a burst of Diabolical Energy would shift the pressure around moments before his body vanished from sight. "Wha!?" Skylar exclaimed before blood spewed from his chest with an imprint of a claw, next came Vex whose strike was from her back, following up was Lira in the same part as well as Mina whose wound was upon her chest as well. These four collapsed in pain and agony as their bodies began to taint from the Diabolical Energy. Gasping for breath as they grit their teeth, not even able to cry in pain. Kristen hastily looked around from the demon, yet she was unable to track him. Instead, Cira next to go with the same slash mark upon her back, and before Kristen could even blink she felt claws had pierced her stomach. Jerking around, her eyes focused upon the male who exhaled a deep breath and pulled his claw from Kristen, allowing her to fall on her knees unable to move as she gasped for air. Even her body started to taint from the Diabolical Energy.


    "Why Z!? They just wanted to get back home! Why did you have to kill them!?" Priscilla called out to the demonic male in front of her. Tears running down her cheeks with anger and sadness. "Why? Don''t you think death would be better than becoming some slave? Forced to breed for the rest of their lives. Their only meals being the semen they guzzle down. Never getting to see the light of day again. Do you truly believe that death was not the best option?" The male would remark darkly.


    "Of course! We could have helped them Z! We could have even overturned your father! They aren''t even like your pre--" A blaring noise would silence the Goblin Queen, Priscilla which made her cover her ears. The Demon Prince, Zealot would cover his long eleven like ears with his claws as he began to squint his eyes in pain. "What is this!?"


    It was then a cybernetic screen appeared in the air, bold with text.


    ''Defeat the Shadow Lord.''


    "What!?"

 45 Day before Departure Pt. 6

    "What!?" The demon male exclaimed. His eyes glued upon the screen. Reading the text before him. "What is this pressure!?" The male growled as the noise would even stop which allowed him to remove his claws from his ears. Though before he could lower his claws he felt a painful strike against his back which sent him forward. Then another strike from his torso which sent him back to his original position. The male would bounce back and forth until his body was slammed into the wall that had blocked the group''s pathway. Blinking from the blurry vision of faint the demonic male was only able to make out one thing. A pitch-black shadowy figure with burning red orbs was shimmer before him. "Where did--" Before he could get another word out his body was flung back towards the group.


    Flipping in mid-air he would regain his balance by slamming his claw into the ground and anchoring himself steadily towards the ground sliding right beside the group. "This... energy." The demonic male would grit his teeth. "Is this Pure Diabolical Energy? There is no way... Only those who are Demon Lords are higher can use it." The male glared at the shimmering black figure who approached him. The pressure becoming denser as the figure approached. "Where did you come from!? Who are you!?" The demonic male called out while standing up.


    "Um... Z.... Where did Riyku go?" The Goblin Princess, Priscilla inquired as she pointed to the spot where Riyku was previous at. The demonic male shifted his glance towards the crater before looking back towards the shimmering figure. "There is no way. I knocked him out." The male would grit his teeth. "Hey, you aren''t just some mortal are you!?" The demonic male called out, but no answer came. Kissing his teeth with his forked tongue he would shift his glance around the tunnel as if looking for a way out. "Prisy, get out of here. I''ll handle this thing." The demonic male called out which Priscilla shook her head and stood next to Zealot. "No. I''m not going to run. I''m tired of running. We won''t get anywhere if we continue to run. Besides... I have a feeling he would be able to catch up to me in no time anyways. Better our chances of fighting him together." The Goblin Queen remarked as she prepared herself. Zealot smirked and prepared himself as well. "Fair enough."


    "Shadow...Override....." The shimmering black-figure produced from its mouthless body. His shadow would expunge across the ground. "Bleakly..." He commanded as the shadows shot upward around Priscilla and Zealot. A thorn would pierce through Priscilla''s leg and one through Zealot''s arm before they would react. They would break the thorns afterward that came at them, unable to truly move around until they broke the thorns that restricted their movements. When they did that they evaded the rest while retreating to a safer distance.


    The shadows would retract back towards the shimmering figure after a moment all the while it continued to approach the demonic male and the Goblin Queen. "Damn it. I can''t control the Diabolical Energy in the atmosphere. It''s far too dense for me." Zealot would remark through heavy breaths. "I can barely keep about the elements... Most of them are fading. I think the energy he is producing is corrupting the elements around." Priscilla would add as they readied themselves. The shimmering figure would vanish from sight only to appear in front of both Priscilla and Zealot. A fist would come around for a hook to Priscilla''s face while a kick came down upon Zealot''s shoulder. Priscilla would block the punch only to feel some pain from behind which jerked her forward into a punch into the gut. Meanwhile, Zealot blocked the kick with his forearm pushing it aside and counter-attacking with a slash from his free claw which missed since he felt a pressure push him forward. A right hook to the face caused Zealot to stumble to the right. Both of them were knocked backward when the two shadows kicked them back. They would then kicked forward again, two kicks knocked them opposite of each other only to be followed up with a powerful kick from their respective sides which sent them toward one another which slammed them together.


    A few seconds later the clones would unite into one shimmering figure that stood before the dazed fighters before it. It''s hands grasping both by the neck and raising them off of the ground. Struggling to break free they would squirm about and claw at the formless figure. Now that it was up close, they found it harder to breathe. The atmosphere around them extremely dense thanks to the Pure Diabolical Energy. ''Is he producing this energy? All of this, coming from him? Wasn''t he a mortal? Why couldn''t I sense this amount of energy?'' Zealot thought to himself. A groan of pain left him when he felt something pierce through his leg, a cry of pain left Priscilla as a sharp tendril pierced through her arm. ''Is he torturing us!? What is this!?'' Zealot would growl as another pain came from his other leg. "P-please... Riyku. Zealot was just trying.... to protect..." She cried in pain when another tendril pierced her other arm which caused her to stop mid-sentence. It seemed the being itself held no care for their words, their reasoning. It was then that the cybernetic screen grew bolder.


    ''Defeat the Shadow King.''


    "Sha-Shadow King?" Zealot choaked out when he eyed the enlarged screen. "Y-you are the ruler!? N-no... that''s impossible!" The male would grit his teeth in denial as more tendrils pierced his body. "I think.... this is it, my Queen." Zealot would glance towards Priscilla who appeared to have passed out. Though the torment did not stop, tendrils continued to poke through her body at random intervals and locations. Zealot looked back towards the being, staring deeply into the inky red dots that dwelled within the blackness. ''If you truly are the Shadow King, then perhaps you can free this world of the present Overlord. Something that I and my old group failed to do.'' The demon prince would remark to himself as he slowly started to close his eyes.


    "I was wondering where all of this evilty was seeping from. Such purity... My, my..." An overbearing and brooding voice came from across the other end of the tunnel. Zealot shifted his weary eyes towards the voice and a smirk curved across his lips. ''Stupid old man... you''ve dug your own grave. As long as you die...I...'' Zealot''s eyes closed fully, yet his body was still being used as a pin cushion along with Priscilla''s. "While my idiot of a son did choose the reformist faction, he is still my son, therefore, I suggest you release his body at once. I don''t care for the cum dumpster you have though." The male bearing hardened flesh instead of clothing and the same attire as Zealot, except for a more ''kingly'' appearance had voiced himself once more. Releasing his Pure Diabolical Energy to show that he was serious. This caught the being''s attention and he released both of the bodies while turning towards the man.


    The man was surrounded by four people, one was large and muscular wielding a double-headed ax. Another person happened to be on the more scrawny side, though their weapons were unknown. The third was holding pitch-black flames in her hands while the fourth was clinging to the male sensually. "This is the thing you detected, Anastasia?" The male inquired as the woman clinging to him would respond. "Indeed. Though, I''ve never felt such... despair before. Not even amongst our slaves or other tribes." The woman would remark. "What do you think, Aista?" The male would question from the woman holding the flames. "Hard to say. It seems there is more to this energy than we may realize. I can''t get a good read on it. It''s not simply Pure Diabolical Energy... but there is something else there as if it was infected with something." The woman explained. "And what of you two? Do you think you can kill him?" The two men would nod. "Easy prey." The scrawny one would remark and the large one would nod. All of them held a resemblance to demons. "Then go." The male ordered and the two men charged towards the being.


    With their speed, the scrawny one was behind the being with two hand-sickles in hand while the large one was before it bringing his ax down upon it. The being would reach forward to catch the ax mid-swing while the twin-sickles pierced through his body from behind. The scrawny one would smirk as it tried to tear the weapons out; however, the action wasn''t working. No matter how much he struggled to pull the blades would not leave the being. While in this fit of struggle the being would bring the large one overhead and around to slam down upon the scrawny one. Without any indication, several tendrils came from the shadows below and pierced both of them to pin them down. The being would reach for the handles of the twin-sickles and pull them out of its body before tossing them aside. The Pure Diabolical Energy hastily closing up the wound so that it never happened. "Idiots..." The male grit his fangs tightly as he watched his guards fall with ease. "Aista!" The male called out and the woman would unleash her black flames onto the being.


    The black flame would fill the tunnel where the being was, making it impossible to tell what would be left in its wake once all was over. After several moments of unleashing such flames, the woman would have exhausted herself completely. "Well... We can replace those two." The man would remark and turn on his heel. "Come. It is ti--" The man was caught of guard when he saw the being in front of him, the ink red orbs staring deeply into his amethyst hues. "Anna!" The male shouted and the woman''s body would flare up with a black light that engulfed them like a barrier. The barrier would expand as if to force the being back; alas when the barrier touched the being it... well shattered like glass. The woman would cry in pain as if she felt the pain herself and the man would growl while glaring at the being.


    "The hell are you!?" The man would shout and something answered him. "Oooh... You haven''t realized yet? He is the one who walks behind you. The one who sees all notices all is feared by many and loved by some. He is the Shadow King." The voice was alluring and sensually yet familiar. A female would swirl around the being like black mist before taking form. Busty, beautiful and devilish, it was Seraphina. Clinging to the being with love and affection. "Shadow King!? You lie, wench! The Shadow King vanished eons ago! He has not made his presence known since the day the Underworld was obliterated... There is no way that he is still alive either..." The man would growl in denial. "Oh, but he is. The person before is known as Riyku Von Rosario, the man known by many titles. Shadow King is only one of them that you pitiful demons know of. You are nothing compared to him...." Seraphina would pause for a moment before looking at the being swirling around to gaze into the inky red orbs. "And as much as I''d love for my wonderful husband to come back. His rest is not yet over. There is no need for him to return. Rest with ease, my love. I am sorry that I was asleep for so long." The woman would cup the being''s cheeks lovingly moving to press her lips against the being''s mouthless face.


    Seraphina would remove herself from the being, slowly stepping back. "You aren''t...." Seraphina would mutter as she shuffled away from the being. "Where is my husband!?" She demanded, but no answer came. Yet again the cybernetic text would pop up several times like some kind of error. During this time, the lord of the manor had time to recollect his personal and retreat to a safer distance.


    ''Defeat the Shadow King.''


    Seraphina''s eyes scanned the new cybernetic screens before looking over at the being before her. "Answer me!" She shouted, her voice ringing throughout the hall of this forsaken place. It was at this moment she received her answer. A duo who were giggling like children would step from behind the male as if they were there the entire time. One female, one male, though they appeared to be twins in every sense of the word. "My my, how the Eighth has fallen." The male would muse. "Indeed. But, we knew all along this was going to happen." The female purred. "Correct, sister. The Eighth refused to accept his task and therefore is being punished." The male added and the female chuckled softly. "Of course, brother. Foolish of him to think he could simply travel to another time-line. Another universe, another world at that. After all... Brother Fate... We are everywhere." The female commented. "That is correct, Sister Destiny." The male known as Fate would add. Seraphina would grind her teeth as tears began to whelm up. "You two.... why can''t you just leave him the fuck alone!?" She shouted with anguish as she unleashed several spikes of shadow thorns at them. The being would flick his wrist and a barrier of shadow rose to block the thorns only to lower was the shadows retracted.


    "As always, you are mistaken. We have no control over the choices that The Eighth makes. We can only watch and judge. Should he perform his tasks then he will be rewarded," Destiny would reply. "And should he fail them, he will be punished." Fate would add. "Simply killing you all off, was his punishment for not following through with his tasks. It has repeated several times, for eons, and each time he fails to comprehend that nothing will change until he accomplishes his task." Fate would continue. Seraphina would plop on the ground looking up at the three before her sobbing heavily. "How can he even reunite the Original Seven when they are scattered... and nowhere to be found. Do not you think he never tried!?" Seraphina''s anger and sorrow were boiling over, her emotions a wild mess at this point.


    "Trying has nothing to do with it. As we said before, he either accomplishes his task or fails. His weakness is to blame for this after all." Destiny would reply to her. "I think it''s time we cleaned up this mess and ended this timeline, don''t you sister?" Fate inquired which caused Seraphina''s eyes to go wide. She recalled these words exactly, which was right before everything went black. "Indeed. This time let us be thorough with our reset." Destiny would add and the two would link hands together and begin an incomprehensive chant. "Again...? Is this happening again..." Seraphina muttered to herself. "Please... stop. He''s suffered enough already... so please just.... just stop!" Seraphina exclaimed at the top of her lungs.


    A cybernetic screen would pop into view.


    ''Quest: Return to the past.''


    ''Do you accept?''


    ''Yes/No''


    Seraphina looked at the screen that appeared before her and thought to herself. ''The past?'' Without further question, she pushed the yes button, and a flash of light illuminated the area. Once the illumination dimmed down the scenery in front of her became reminiscent.


    "This is..."

 46 A second chance

    "Isn''t this right before the finals match!?" Seraphina exclaimed, her voice carrying throughout Riyku''s mind which caught his attention. "Hm...? Is something wrong, Sera?" Riyku inquired through their mental connection. "It''s..." It would seem Seraphina was struggling on whether or not to tell him. "Do you remember anything?" Seraphina inquired which caused Riyku to give a puzzled expression. "Are you talking about Iris? Well yeah, I recall all of it." Riyku would reply as he motioned towards the elevator door. "I see... Be sure not to lose her this time. Okay?" Seraphina''s voice was soft and sorrowful, this didn''t slip past Riyku though. "This time?" Riyku inquired with a serious expression. "Are you implying that Iris'' is here?" He added which caused Seraphina to fall silent for a moment, but only for a moment. "She is. She is the Leader of Team IVR." Seraphina would speak up. "I..." Riyku would mull over the thought as he stood before the elevator door. A soft sigh would part his lips. "I see. We''ll I''ll be sure to keep her alive this time." Riyku would speak once more; however... the events were the same. The reunion would occur just as previously, the battle all four teams, and even the struggle Riyku went through along with the moment Iris came to her Father''s aid. All of it was the same, up until that point...


    With the pressure of attacks coming at him unlike previous where Seraphina had used her life force to draw them out. Riyku would unleash a blood-curdling scream which shattered the froze-time space. The pressure of attacks collided with one another kicking up dust and all the like; however, unlike previously. Iris did not lose consciousness, she stood against her father''s back feeling the aura of wraith stem from him. It wasn''t just her though, the beauty that she was, was Seraphina with shadows wrapped around her body like a second-skin for clothing. Sitting on the ground as she looked up at Riyku. On the other side of Riyku was someone she knew well, Harvester in the flesh. "You''ve got to be kidding me!? There is no fucking way! I erased all traces of it!" Harvester shouted which caused Seraphina to look back up taking notice of the misty black figure with inky red orbs.


    Before anyone on the battlefield could react, the shadows would corrode over the ground and black spikes would skyrocket. Piercing the bodies of both Team Reaper and Team Phantom. Team IVS were kept safe for now, but something wasn''t right. This feeling that Seraphina was getting. "You... you aren''t..."


    ''Defeat the Shadow King.''


    A cybernetic screen appears along with another one that appeared before Seraphina.


    ''Quest: Return to the past.''


    ''Accept?''


    ''Yes/No''


    "Again?" Seraphina would reach out for the yes button and again a light would illuminate brightly, this time she arrived somewhere further back. It was right before she had been awoken. Watching from the essence around her beloved, she saw him surrounded by the students yet again. She struggled to break free to come to his aid, to prevent his suffering. However, she was unable to. The connection had not been fully completed yet and the same thing happened once more. However, unlike previously, chains would bind her down. Forcing her to watch something distorted. The shadows would spread once more, and spikes would rupture again, the being known as the supposed Shadow King had arrived once more with the cybernetic screens and once more a screen appeared before her. The same one, the same quest, to venture even further in the past. But how far was she going? Just how far did she need to go to prevent this tragedy? To prevent his suffering...


    "Please... I don''t care how far back we need to go. I don''t care if we forget all of our bonds, all of our memories together. Please... just let me save him. I need to save him!" Seraphin exclaimed as she smashed the yes button. The screen would expunge into tiny particles revealing several of her memories with him. Like a fast-rolling tape through her life with him, it ventured further, never seeming to stop. She watched all of it, the good, the bad, all of it. Until it stopped at a certain point.


    ''Do you wish to continue?''


    A cybernetic screen appeared before her. "Yes..." She muttered softly.


    "Are you sure?"


    A voice echoed as the screen changed.


    "Yes..." She replied again.


    "All of the memories will be erased. Your time with him will only be known to you. From all forms of his life. Is that okay with you?"


    The screen faded and leave the text, yet the voice remained.


    "Yes." She answered once more, her conviction seeming to grow with every reply.


    "You may not even exist beyond this point. You may be erased, or refused. There is no guarantee that this will work out in your favor. Are you still certain?"


    The text was no more, instead, the voice was all that was left.


    "Yes." The conviction in her answer seemed satisfactory.


    "Very well. You will begin from here. All of his memory from his former life will be shattered into pieces. It will be solely up to you to save him. Seraphina Von Rosario, Queen of the Shadow." The voice finalized and the screens of memory would shatter into fragments. When everything returned to as it was, she saw through her beloved''s essence.


    "A classroom?" She inquired softly as she glanced around, through the shadows about, taking notice of her beloved glancing over something. Borrowing his vision she saw it was a cybernetic screen, along it held the contents of a menu that he seemed to be going over along with what appeared to be a ''Save'' and ''Load'' section. She picked up the conversation between her beloved and this other person. "An AI? No... it''s something else. But... it seems I am here. I figured we were going further back to the beginning, but this is fine. It seems since our bond has not been fully reconnected, he can not hear my voice or feel my presence." Seraphina noted since her beloved had yet to even hint that he noticed her presence.


    "First, I''ll need to find some way to force our connection. I can not allow the same thing to happen again... No, I refuse to be summoned out of despair or hatred. I will save you, my love!" Seraphina remark firmly as she shuffled through the darkness looking for even the slightest thing that she could latch herself onto. It seemed like she was searching forever before a small flicker of light appeared. Steadily she would approach this light and when she obtained it, she felt a surge of warmth and joy flood her body. "This is... it. This is what I''ve been looking for." Seraphina would smile softly in thought as the light engulfed her.


    When she came to, she was standing in an open field of roses under the clear skies of a beautiful moonlight. Feeling an arm around her she looked upward to see the masculine jaw-line of pale skin colored male. Crimson eyes stared affectionately into her own which caused her cheeks to tinge softly. "I love you, Sera." The voice proud, even though it held a vile taint to it; it was warm and lovingly nonetheless. "I love you too, Riy. My King." Seraphina would reply as she laid her head against the male''s chest, closing her eyes with a soft sigh. "Won''t you stay? You can be happy here." The male would reply, which caused Seraphina to nod softly, but she replied, "I can''t." After a soft sigh, the male would reply; "Why?"


    Without hesitation, "I need to save you. I promised I would. You''ve suffered long enough." Seraphina would reply which caused the male to chuckle lightly. "Is that so? Are you not satisfied with how things are now?" The male would inquire and Seraphina would shake her head. "I am more than happy right now. Being with you. Hearing your voice, feeling your embrace, being wrapped in your presence. It''s more than I could ask for. But..." Seraphina would look up at the male, taking notice of the black sclera and pulsating green lines within them. "You should be happy for once. This you; happens to be always in pain. The man before me, my beloved husband, my king... always suffering. But, you''ve been given the chance at happiness. Your smile now is unlike anything I''ve seen before. There is no pain, no hatred, no despair, no anguish, no sorrow, no suffering... it is a pure smile filled with joy. I miss you, my cold-hearted king. I truly miss your ruthlessness, your dialect, and your thirst for knowledge. But, you deserve a chance at salvation. You deserve to be happy. So..."


    Seraphina would release the male and take a step back. "I will save you." Seraphina smiled brightly up at him, and a smirk curved across the male''s face. "By all means. If that is your decision. Save me. Do not falter, do not fear... your conviction, your will... It is the best I have seen thus far. Seraphina Von Rosario, my beloved wife. Go and do as you wish!" The male exclaimed before turning on his heel. "Do not look back only forward. Remember what it is you seek, and grasp it. Just as you did my heart." The male would toss a black ring with a rose embedded in it; towards Seraphina. Catching it she would look at it, her eyes tearing up. "Give it to him. It will sever as your connection. Do not fail, Sera." The male''s body would dissipate into a shadowy wisp and filter into the winds. Seraphina would nod and clutch the ring tightly. "Riyku!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking the mirage and the male who had been going over the last bit of information with Coco would perk up. "Hm?"


    "Is something the matter, User Riyku?" Coco would inquire through the connection they shared. "I thought I heard someone call my name." Riyku would reply, before hearing his name faintly again. "W-what is this?" The male would narrow his eyes, his head starting to hurt as he winched in pain. "Who... is calling me?" The male would inquire. "User Riyku, I suggest rest. Perhaps you are... Wait! What is this!?" Coco exclaimed which caught Riyku''s attention. "What?" He hastily asked. "There is another presence within you. It is faint, but it is there." Coco would reply. "Is that what is calling me? Is there any way to draw this presence out?" Riyku questioned to which Coco would answer with a yes. "However, we are in the middle of class. Should this presence pop out, surely it would cause problems." Coco explained and Riyku suddenly rose from his desk which caused the class to stop and stare. "I''m going to the infirmary, not feeling well." Riyku would state before rushing out of the classroom, and instead of heading to the infirmary would end up heading to a more secluded area like the roof-top. "There, we are in the clear. Now hurry up." Riyku reply state and Coco would affirm before beginning the process.


    It wasn''t long until the beautiful female we all know as Seraphina was now before Riyku, bearing nothing but shadows for clothing like a second skin. She appeared exhausted, but hurriedly embraced Riyku. "Huh!?" Riyku would step back even though the woman''s arms were wrapped around him tightly. He looked over her. "Hey, who are you!?" Riyku questioned hastily. Though the exhausted Seraphina was already out cold, her arms seeming to be the only thing she had strength in which were locked around his waist. Sighing heavily the male would adjust Seraphina so he could carry her with ease. "Umm, User Riyku, if you try to carry her out of the building now. I am sure you would get found out for sure. Besides, she isn''t even properly clothed." Coco would speak up which caused Riyku to exhale once more. "Any better ideas? I just planned on taking her to the infirmary." The male would elaborate as he turned towards the door. "Okay, that''s fine and all, but what if someone is there? What do you plan on doing then?" Coco inquired. "Say I found her like this." Riyku was blunt with his answer which caused Coco to sigh. "Very well. Let''s go then. I''ll be sure to guide you there." Coco would express which caused the male''s brow to raise. "You know the entire layout?" Riyku inquired and Coco replied with a yes.


    A miniature map appeared in the upper right corner of the male''s vision like a heads-up display. On the display, there was a pathway laid out for him to follow, and doing so he would proceed through the door being sure to be cautious with the woman in his arms along with being discovered. Thankfully, classes were in session so the halls were empty allowing him to make his way to the infirmary with ease. Upon entering, he noticed that no one was around which was probably best. Moving towards one of the beds he would set the woman down, covering her with the blanket and exhaling softly. Now that he got a good look at this woman he could she resembled someone. "Is something wrong?" Coco inquired. For a moment Riyku was silent before expressing his thought, "I feel like I''ve seen her someone before. But..." The male would suddenly winch in pain, his hand reaching for his head where the pain was. "User Riyku!?" Coco would exclaim. "Your heart rate is steadily increasing. Your mental-wavelengths are rapidly fluctuating, is everything alright!?" Coco expressed her concern. Gritting his teeth he was unable to speak until the pain seemed to fade away completely. "Y-yeah...." He exhaled heavily. "What... was that?"Riyku questioned, but Coco seemed confused. "It was like... I was unable to recall anything when I tried." Riyku would explain, but Coco had no answer for him.


    "Well, it''s fine now. Perhaps, it has something to do with memory fragments or something. Regardless, I won''t get answers until this woman wakes up. So..." He would get up and make his way from the bed, closing the curtain behind him. "Planning to return to class?" Coco inquired and Riyku would nod. "Yeah. No point in causing any unnecessary trouble." Riyku would reply before returning to his class. Upon returning to class the teacher glanced towards him. "Feeling better already?" The teacher inquired as the rest of the class looked towards him. He would nod softly, "Nurse gave me some meds. Sorry for the trouble." He would express before heading towards his seat and looking out the window yet again. He felt something in his pocket press against his leg due to the pressure between the fabric. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out an onyx ring with a rose insignia upon it. "I don''t recall ever buying something like this." Riyku would muse softly to himself as he rolled the ring around in his hand. "Perhaps it came from that woman?" Coco would suggest and Riyku would muse softly before slipping it upon his ring finger. His eyes went wide open the moment he did, and a flood of memories would overwhelm him. "User Riyku? A-are you experiencing something?" Coco inquired, having discovered something. Although, Riyku didn''t answer immediately. "User Riyku?" Coco called out again, and again and again until finally, Riyku''s eyes return to normal, and he began breathing normally again. "W-what was that?" Riyku whispered to himself, though his words caught the attention of a few people nearby. Shifting his glance towards the person next to him he voiced out, "Vex." He stated which caused the girl beside him to look in his direction, "Umm... yes?" She inquired to which Riyku shook his head. "N-nevermind." He stated with a shake of his head before looking back to the window. He was confused now, the memories that had flooded his mind were of the various people around him. "User Riyku?" Coco inquired to which Riyku replied mentally. "Yeah, my bad. I am just trying to piece things together. I have memories of several people who I don''t even know of. Yet, I am sure I''ve seen several of them before." Riyku added.


    "Not memories of the past?" Coco inquired and Riyku shook his head. "I don''t know. I just have this feeling that I''ve been through all of this before. So much so that I can predict what is going to happen next. The woman in the infirmary, she is Seraphina... which is probably why I had that sense of familiarity. But..." Riyku state mentally. "But what?" Coco inquired and Riyku shook his head softly. "Nevermind, Let''s just see what is going to happen. This will confirm my theory." Riyku would reply meanwhile Coco was confused but said nothing else. Just like before, the break would commence and Barron would approach him. Though things were a little different, the aggression he spat towards him caused Riyku to shake his head. "Save it. I''ll challenge you at a later date. We''ll settle the conditions then." Riyku promptly shut him up which caused Barron to growl. "Fine! The time will be tomorrow at the fountain. 7:45 P.M. Don''t be late!" Barron exclaimed before turning on his heel and returning to his seat. The class began to whisper and gossip, and some students even tried to converse with Riyku, but no one got his attention. "User Riyku, are you sure that was okay?" Coco would inquire and Riyku would reply with a mental ''yes''. The memories did say that Barron would give his name, and explain things, but when Riyku found out, he simply shut him up. Up next was going to be Kristen and that would be when classes ended. So for now, Riyku could pick together with the memories he obtained. The teacher would return and the class would start up once again.

 47 Past of another time-line

    Classes came to an end and when that happened Riyku got up from his seat. He would proceed out of the door, but before making it out into the hallway. There was Kristen, looking up at him with a glare on his face. He had time to sort through all of the memories as well as catch up, Coco on what would happen. Though, he seemed to have left some parts out, such as her disappearance amongst other things. ''So this girl is supposed to fall in love with me? One of the girls I am supposed to accept?'' Riyku thought to himself as Kristen went on about the accommodations and Riyku simply sighed heavily. "Fine. Show me what you got, pipsqueak. However, I can''t be challenged until tomorrow and even then I have set up a challenge. So, I''ll be challenging you. Just don''t regret this." The male would narrow his eyes as he brushed past her. Kristen was a bit taken back by the sudden acceptance. Riyku already knew that the information that came from Skylar''s sister, Mina was garbage. Therefore he need not worry about it. Turning on his heel when he made some distance between him and Kristen he would raise his wristband. "I Challenge you, Kristen Luvlin." He would state and Kristen still awestruck would stumble over her words. "I accept! We will battle till one of us gives up or is K.O''d. If I win you will take your shit and leave." Kristen would command with annoyance. "And if I win, you drop this and I get to stay." Riyku would retort and Kristen would nod. "Fine." With that said, just before the Live feed would come forth as well as their portraits.


    The difference was that Kristen didn''t have her latex whip pulled out; instead, she seemed to equip herself with a pair of greaves and gauntlets. The male''s brow rose; this part was different from the memories. She should''ve been using a whip, but instead, she was using what he recalled from the memories as her main fighting gear. "User Riyku, if those memories are of the future. Then perhaps they are of another future. Some things may be off due to singularity. Such as, certain events have been altered. Since you shouldn''t have said memories, the future is being changed due to your actions." Coco would comment and Riyku would agree with her internally. It wasn''t that he doubted the memories since they seemed to be pretty one point thus far. But, this was going to be a hassle.


    Kristen would charge towards him, jumping into a flying kick. Riyku would sidestep the kick and reach out to grasp her clothing. However, Kristen had twisted her upper body and was aiming a fist for his face. Withdrawing his reach he would step away from the fist. The girl landing into a roll before picking herself up with haste. She would dash at him without warning, without a word; which caused his brow to raise. ''Did she get faster?'' Riyku thought to himself as he dodged an uppercut, stepping back to evade a side round-house, which was followed up with shoulder press when her feet touched the ground. The shoulder press connecting which caused him to stumble back; his shield points taking two-points of damage from such an attack. Although, it seemed Kristen wasn''t done; she had tucked and rolled her body in before landing a fist or gauntlet in this case to Riyku''s torso which caused him to fall onto his backside. Hastily Kristen would straddle him and proceed to unleash a fury of fists that Riyku would use his arms to block. ''User Riyku, if this keeps up your shield will fall.'' Coco would warn which caused Riyku to take note of how much damage his shield was taking. Twenty, then twenty-five, then thirty, then thirty-five. The damage was rising with each strike.


    "Enough!" Riyku would exclaim as he pushed both of his arms outward to with enough pressure to push her off of him. Though the cost of doing so was allowing two more strikes to his body that were not blocked. When Kristen landed on her feet she would smirk as she took to stance, meanwhile, Riyku would steadily get off the ground. His eyes glancing towards his shield points which rested at eighty. "Friends? Bah..." The male would curl his fingers several times into a fist. "I don''t need anyone." Unlike in the other time-line where he took to a more refined stance, the male seemed to have an open stance. Like that of some kind of beast, his arms out wide and his fingers taking to that of a claw shape. Low to the ground just like some kind of beast as he exhaled a heavy breath. "My goal hasn''t changed. I will never lose to anyone, no matter what. I''ll kill all who stand in my way! You are no exception, Kristen!" Riyku exclaimed as a dim flicker of black mist left his body. Pushing off the ground, his feet left holes where he was. A hand reached for Kristen, due to the sudden increase in speed she was unable to keep up with his pace. Tear, rip, sheer, and shred... That was what happened to Kristen''s clothing, her flesh-baring the marks of which his nails had dug into. With a kick to her stomach, she was sent flying across the hallway, her back slamming against the end of the hall and she slumped down. No one said anything allowed, but only watched in terror as Riyku slowly approached Kristen.


    ''User Riyku! Get ahold of yourself!? Damnit, what is going on... These errors. Is it because of singularity?'' Coco would remark before calling out to Riyku, yet he didn''t respond. "Are you trying to kill her!?" One of Kristen''s subscribers shouted which caused Riyku to stop in his path. He glanced back at the girl, the look in his eyes showing pure madness. "Do you want to die too?" Riyku''s voice was cold, ruthless... but also holding taint. The question alone caused the girl to back down, and Riyku turned away from her. "You''ll get punished!" Another person called out, the voice familiar; it was Vex. "Are you sure to want that?" She would comment again which caused him to turn around and look in her direction. "Oooh? And? Do you think you can stop me?" Riyku would smirk, the look in his eyes never fading from the utter madness shown. "Surely not. Not alone anyway, but if anything, the moderators may take action. Can you beat all of them?" Vex would snarl at him which caused him snickered at such a remark. "Of course I--" A voice interrupted him, "Stop!" He narrowed his eyes, honing them on a red-head. It was Mina, who was steadily approaching.


    "This isn''t who you are. This isn''t the person I born witness to yesterday. This isn''t the person my brother told me about. So stop." Mina would stop just before Riyku looking up at him with fearlessly. ''Aren''t they...'' Coco began, "Enough, Darling!" A voice came from the other side, where Kristen was. Turning his head he saw Seraphina looking at him while kneeling beside Kristen who appeared unconscious. Seraphina was dressed in the school uniform, looking the part and thankfully no one seemed to question who she was or where she came from. Though, what they focused on was the ''Darling'' part. Kissing his teeth the male would narrow his eyes at her; however, the madness that was once in them was slowly fading. "The match is over. You''ve won." Seraphina would stand up and approach him. "Can''t you tell, there is no reason to continue this fight," Seraphina added as she closed in on him before wrapping her arms around his neck. "So, calm down. Return to who you were." Seraphina spoke in hushed words as she brushed her lips over his own. Closing her eyes while deepening the kiss. Everyone seemed shocked; Vex and Mina blushing without a word. The most speechless was Riyku.


    When Seraphina broke the kiss the madness in Riyku''s eyes was gone. The tension in his body eased up and he looked down at the woman in front of him. "Just who the hell are you?" Riyku would inquire. "I am your wife, silly." Seraphina would reply with a bright smile and a cutesy manner. This response caused the hallway to shake with ''What!?'' and Riyku to sigh heavily in the process, even Coco was silent at this time. ''User RIyku! Can you hear me!?'' Coco''s voice seemed to finally reach him and he nodded softly without a word. "Come, let''s discuss this somewhere else." Seraphina took hold of Riyku''s hand and began to guide off. Taking him away from the scene to a more solitary place. Mina and Vex would rush to Kristen to check up on her. The girl who looked like a reporter from the other time-line would jot down something as she sneakily followed Riyku and Seraphina.


    "This should be fine." Seraphina would comment as they arrived inside of an empty room. Judging from the things inside; it looked like some kind of storage area. Riyku would pull his hand from her grasp and move to lean against a wall, arms folding over one another while giving her a cautious glance. "Start talking. Who are you, how do you know me, and what do you want with me." These were more like commands rather than questions. Seraphina chuckled lightly as she muttered, "Always so forceful and command." She would clear her throat and start walking around the room, hands behind her back. "My name is Seraphina Von Rosario. Hmm... How to put it though... I am simply a part of you. I have always existed with you." Seraphina would answer as she approached him. "Seraphina? As in the woman from my dream?" Riyku''s interest was peaked, thinking back on the dream he had previously. "So, then what of the others? Can you tell me about them?" Perhaps Riyku would get the answers he sought after. Though Seraphina simply smiled and stood before him, looking up at him while pressing herself against him softly. "One question at a time. I know nothing of any dream, so you''ll have to explain that part to me. As for what I want, I simply want you. All of you." While that was a goal, it was only secondary. Her primary goal was, after all, to save him from future events to come.


    A heavy sigh parted the male''s lips." The dream was of you and several others. We were fighting against two people. Though I am unsure of who they were or what they wanted. However, you in the dream held a different hair and skin coloration. If not for your voice, eyes, and body I wouldn''t have believed you if you when you told me your name." Riyku would reply ignoring the fact that what she was after was him. "A dream?" After a brief moment of thought, "Oh... that must have been something of the past. The others maybe Iris, Skeith, and Nira. If you want, I can go into detail about them along with the events that transpired as well as the two we were fighting. I believe it would be in your best interest to listen to me." Seraphina would respond, a much more serious expression upon her face. Riyku would nod after some thought. "However..." Riyku would look towards the door. "I don''t like eavesdroppers..." Riyku would narrow his eyes as he started for the door; however, the presence left seeming to scurry off. "Oh? You could tell?" Seraphina inquired teasingly. ''Should we not go after her, User Riyku?'' Coco inquired. "I knew all along, though I highly doubt that anyone would believe her if she told anyone. Let''s continue." Riyku would respond to both Coco and Seraphina at the same time before looking back to Seraphina. Seraphina would nod before beginning her story.


    "The first girl I mentioned is known as Iris. Her full name is Iris Von Rosario. She is your daughter by blood. However, she is not normal. She is created, an artificial. From what I recall, you mixed you created a body purely out of your DNA, embedding her with all of your traits and skills which included your usage of what Nira and Virus called a ''Digitally Enhanced Body.'' However, since she was made of flesh and not ''data'' as they called it. She was given something called a ''Cybernetic Body.'' Also since she was created, she was gifted with the knowledge you had at the time. She wasn''t a robot or anything though; she was still flesh, with a heart and soul. That soul being Ithaca Sol, who was a soul manifestation of a weapon. She agreed to act as a soul medium for Iris which is what brought her to life." Seraphina would explain about Iris, talking about how this person was known as his daughter and how she came to be. Though Riyku was drawn to two new names he knew nothing of. For the moment he said nothing, giving her the motion to continue.


    "Up next would be Skeith. His full name being Skeith Von Rosario. You could say that were are siblings in a way that we came from the same place. Alas, we are different in that sense as well. Skeith is what you could call your link to that of a ''Demon''. When you were in the underworld after your first death you were reborn as a demon. Your soul wasn''t supposed to go along with you though only your body. However, because I was with you, your soul didn''t ascend; but stayed with your body. When you arrived in the underworld a new soul entered your body. That one being known as Skeith. Since your soul was the dominant one, his soul was suppressed. Confusing right? Well, that''s because of who and what I am. I''ll give you an explanation of myself last though." Seraphina would wink at him which caused Riyku to wave his hand for her to continue.


    "Now we have, Nira, and as you expected her full name is Nira Von Rosario. She, on the other hand, isn''t like Skeith, Iris, or myself. She was created by you, but not with your DNA or ''Data''. She is an AI program that was created to help you maintain stability with your ''Digital Enhanced Body''. To keep you from mentally breaking down as well. At the time, Skeith and I were not present and neither was Iris. Not in a physical form anyway. Struggling to understand and accept what was going on with your body. You used the vast knowledge you had to create yourself an AI that could surf the ''Digital World'' and pull information for you as well keep you composed. In truth, I don''t know much about her. All I know is she is loyal to a fault and knew a lot about your ''Digital Enhanced body.'' As well as a few other things that I wish I knew." Seraphina would be finished with a soft sigh. "And?" Riyku would interject after a brief moment of silence. Seraphina looked up at him with a confused expression. "What of yourself?" Riyku inquired and Seraphina blinked rapidly before nodding with a soft smile.


    "Of course. You already know my name. Though my origin is the same as Skeith''s in a sense. I was with you the day you were born. I do not know why, or what caused it to be like such. But, I''ve been there since day one. Watching you go through your life, watching you struggle, watching you live the best you could. I couldn''t manifest until much later and when I did you were confused. While I wasn''t the first to be able to contact you, I was the first to gain an physical appearance. Also just like how Skeith is a link to your ''Demonic'' features. I am the link to your ''Shadow'' features. You could say I am the reason you were able to control and use the shadows when you were a child. Ah... it was so cute. I just wanted to give you a big hug." As Seraphina went into self-satisfaction, Riyku would shake his head. "I see. Well, I get the gist of things. Although, there is one more thing that I haven''t been told about. Who were those two people? Judging from what you said, our group should of by no means been weak. If they were able to push us back, I need to know who they are." Riyku''s expression turned grime and Seraphina would nod. This was one of the reasons she came here, to warn him and keep the future events from happening. "I''ll tell you everything I know, so listen closely." Seraphina would respond.

 48 Everything coming together

    "Those two, they are also part of why your life has been a living hell. While, yes I was the reason your soul didn''t get to ascend there were times you died without anything keeping your soul linked to your body. Those two would have it that you would go through great ordeals to come back. They would claim they have no sway over your life events, but they lie through their teeth. Those two are known as Fate and Destiny. As you know, most would say Fate and Destiny are absolute; however, they can be changed. No future is certain; however, because they are after one thing you have been allowed to rest. You, who are known as the Eighth. You, who is supposed to bring the Original Seven back into Pandora''s Box. That is the only goal they have for you, anything else you do in your life is meaningless to them and if you don''t accomplish your goal or venture from it they willingly force you back into that goal." Seraphina seemed angry, her body trembling with rage; which was something Riyku saw clearly. Those two names though resonated with him. ''User Riyku! The fragments!'' Coco exclaimed. "What of them?" Riyku spoke aloud which caused Seraphina''s brow to rise. ''The fragments are coming together to make whole memories.'' Coco would answer, but Riyku would shake his head as a means to tell Seraphina not to worry. ''I''ll go over it later.'' Riyku replied to Coco. "Continue." Riyku would speak and Seraphina would nod.


    "Fate and Destiny, for all I know; is that they work together. Never once have they had a difference in opinion and are always together. In addition to this, they are extremely powerful. Far more powerful than you can imagine. Even now, I am sure they have caught up. It is only a matter of time till they find us again." Seraphina would express. "So, how do we stop them?" Riyku inquired which caused Seraphina to blink in awe. "Stop them?" A soft laugh escaped her lips. "You can''t stop them. My love, no one can. We''ve tried several times. Skeith, Iris, Nira, you as well as I. Not just us either, you have fought alongside several others before. Each time, you lost. They were taken away, and you were forced into a reset." Seraphina would explain, a bit hopeless in this situation it seemed and yet Riyku just snickered. "Is that so? Well then, shall we prepare?" The face Seraphina saw wasn''t one of defeat or hopelessness it was one of excitement. Confidence, and an undying will to triumph over everything in his path. It was far different from what she was used to seeing. An expression of hate, expression of anguish, expression of sorrow, or suffering. Even expressions of hopelessness; this one was much more different. She was now in the belief that they could defeat Fate and Destiny. That they could bring an end to this long trial and free him once and for all. "Alright." She nodded without a second thought. "Good. For now, we should try to bring back the others. How did you come about? If what you said is true and they are connected to me in some fashion; shouldn''t I be able to bring them back?" Riyku would inquire. "Well, the way I came back is through your memories. I see you are wearing the ring I gave you. So you should recall what happened back then and what brought me out. If you use the same method as back then you should be able to bring the others out. Well, except for Iris. Who is already here somewhere." As Seraphina brought up the ring, he would look at it. Nodding faintly to her remark about remembering her. "Alright. So it has to do with my memory. If I piece together the fragments, I should be able to create full memories. According to the memories I received from this ring; I need to delve into my subconscious. Seraphina, can you stand guard while I do this? I may not be back for some time. If that happens to be the case; who knows how long this will take." Riyku would explain and Seraphina would smile softly at him. "Of course, provided that I can sit on your lap." She winked at him and he sighed heavily. "As long as you don''t force me out; I don''t care what you do. Don''t expect me to respond to any urges you might have either." This caused Seraphina to sigh softly. "Fine, fine." Riyku would nod as he began to take a sit on the floor. Adjusting his posture so he could meditate in order to delve into his subconscious. "Oi, Coco. I am going to link to you Seraphina. Keep her up to date on what is going on with me." Riyku spoke aloud, which caused Seraphina to raise a brow. "Oh, that''s right. I think you mentioned something about an Operator." Seraphina would comment and Riyku would nod.


    ''Alright, User Riyku. Sending Party invitation to Seraphina via Companion''s List.'' Coco would reply. Seraphina look over a cybernetic screen that appeared in front of her. It was your typical party invite with yes or no selection and Seraphina hit yes. In the upper left-hand corner of her vision; she saw two status bars. One was her own while the other was Riyku''s which had his name above it. "This should connect all of us so we can speak mentally." Coco would incite in which both Riyku and Seraphina acknowledged her remark. "Now, I am going to diving into my conscious. It will be up to you two to keep harm away from me. I do not know how long I will be gone. According to this recollection of memories that this ring has provided. I can only stay there for a limited amount of time. Upon my return, we will search for Iris." Riyku remarked; "Have a safe trip, Darling." Seraphina replied cutely. "Come back safely, User Riyku," Coco replied with care, and with that Riyku would delve into his subconscious.


    Black consumed him as he fell into the abyss. His eyes fluttering open to take in the darkness around him. Although he seemed to not have any control over his body at this time. Simply falling slowly to the depths of his consciousness. As he passed through several windows which resembled times in his life were rolling around like some kind of film. There were many, some of which seemed recent while others were of the last few days. Although when he encountered those of the dream he had last night they began to blur out. As he ventured further in the depths; the windows of memories became even more fuzzy and hard to came out until they were eventually blacked out completely.


    Upon reaching the end, he was able to turn his body and plant his feet on what was supposedly a surface. Looking around there was nothing, not even the windows of memories were around him anymore. His arms crossed over one another in thought before something occurred to him. "Wait, aren''t there two entities locked inside of me right now. Blaze and..." Before he could even bring up the name a pale version of him that was much taller and had longer hair had appeared beside him. Cracks on the sides of his mouth would spread as a grin came from this person. Black sclera instead of white and pure glowing green iris'' looked over the male as an arm went around him. "I see. So that''s what happened. I guess you should have listened to me and let me unlock all of your limits. You do realize that without me, you will still lose."Cold and sinister was the voice of, "Harvester..." Riyku would sigh heavily pushing the male''s arm off of him and stepping forward.


    "As usual the cold shoulder. Judging from the disruption in your heart though; you have some doubts about those memories. Don''t you?" Harvester, would smirk as he stared at the man before him who turned to look back at him with a glare. "How did you!?" Riyku''s reaction caused Harvester to snicker. "Because I am you. The things Seraphina told you in that time-line were not wrong. I am your most desire incarnate. A representation of what you truly want, what you truly thirst for. I guess what that idiot Blaze did after all truly has messed with you. Your soul is in shambles and thus your true power is set with limiters. I can unlock them though. It is a simple feat for me, but all you have to do is accept me. Accept me for what I am and embrace me. You don''t even need the others; you said it yourself after all, that you don''t need friends." Harvester would remark as he approached the male. "I..." Riyku would grit his teeth in thought, but before anything else could happen someone else appeared before them. The short petite brunette who was known as Blaze. "That''s enough, Harvester."


    Blaze would yawn as she stretched her arms out. "How the hell are you here!?" Harvester was in shock. After all, Blaze should not have been here. "You should have been erased with the factory reset you did!" Harvester exclaimed which caused Blaze he sighed heavily and shook her head. "Look, I don''t know either. If you and the others exist, then that is because the reset wasn''t fully complete as it should have been. Something must have happened right before the reset. After all, Riyku was supposed to forget everything. Start over in a clean slate; so that Fate and Destiny could never track him down. The only reason they are aware of his position is because of his soul. Without a proper cleanse, they will always find him." Blaze would explain which caused Harvester to kiss his teeth. "True. Even if they are not Reapers, they are Etheral entities; they can still latch things into the soul. Still... if something if wasn''t you nor I who could have done it?" Harvester inquired before looking to Riyku who was confused. "Don''t look at me. I do not know anything." Riyku would reply which caused Blaze to speak up, "Maybe it is time for you too. In fact, you have been here for a while now. Just getting here probably took a few hours at best. If anything you should have been forced out; but maybe...." Blaze stopped for a moment to look at Harvester then back to Riyku. "It is because of him." Blaze pointed to Harvester. "He is you after all. Even if he is twisted. He is what you once were. At the peak of your prime in prowess and power. However, he can not simply overpower you; because you are also him. If you deny him, all that power is meaningless." Blaze would explain which caused Riyku to sigh heavily.


    "So he is a reflection of who I once was?" Riyku pointed to Harvester who nodded. "More than that. As I said I am--" Harvester was caught off by Blaze. "He is indeed what you once more. Someone hellbent on the destruction of all. Humans, other forms of life, planets, solar systems, even the fabric of time and space. You truly hated everything at one point. Gaining the ability to transverse; Time and Space wasn''t enough; you need more. A means to break down your body atom by atom and when you came across the Digital World; you acquired that body. That was when you came to your peak, your prime of your power. However, at some point, you detested that part of you. Which is when your power started to decline and ultimately.... you lost everything." Blaze would expression with a softness at the end and Harvester would move up to place an arm around Riyku. "Indeed. She is not wrong. We have our fights before all of that too. You''ve rejected me many times before, but accepted me in the end." Harvester would remark which caused Riyku to perk up, "then why did I reject you again?" To this, both of them fell silent for a moment before Harvester expressed, "You met someone. A special woman; someone who saw the light in you. Who "saw you for what you truly were" to quote in her words. This caused you to start rejecting me, not at first though. As time passed and you started being around her more, she affected your heart to the point where you fell in love. Damn that woman... we were so close to such pure and beautiful destruction to." Harvester would grumble. "He isn''t wrong. Now that he brings it up, I see what she saw in you. If Harvester is your lust for destruction then this you before us is the side of you that wants salvation." Blaze would remark which caused both Harvester and Riyku to blink rapidly before looking at one another. "So, what happens if I accept him?" Riyku inquired to which Blaze would shrug. "I don''t know. I only speculate that the you now, is the one who wants salvation. If I had to guess, then that means the you who wants destruction will thrive." Blaze would remark which caused Riyku to shake his head. "So you are saying that me now is too weak, the me who wants salvation?" To this Blaze would reply, "Not necessarily. All these fragmented memories. These shattered soul pieces are stories of your ups and downs. Your path to a destructive version of you. In a sense, this is you who ventured on a path of pure destruction. The you now is completely different. Even if you choose to learn of your past origin, it should not affect the you of present. The choices you make now are what will reflect and if this you is that of salvation then your story has only just begun." Blaze would remark which caused Riyku to step away from Harvester.


    "I see. I have but one more question of you two. Who and or what is the Shadow King?" Riyku inquired which caused both of them to gulp heavily, yet no one seemed to speak up. "I take you from your reactions that the Shadow King has nothing to do with you two or even myself then. So why is it that I feel as if..." Harvester would stop Riyku from continuing onward. "The Shadow King is an entity of his own. Yes, I am your wanton for pure destruction, but your at one point in time you wanted to rule over everything. Your endless desire to rule came before your lust for pure destruction. However, I sealed that endless desire away. Trapped even further below these depths, never to be reached." Harvester seemed shook, frightful for this ''Shadow King'' just as much as Blaze did. "My endless desire to rule over all? Why? What made me desire such?" Riyku seemed to want more, most of his questions on what the fragmented memories were; who Harvester was, and who the others were had been answered. All that was left was this ''Shadow King'' and his past. Harvester shook his head, "I don''t know. It was before my time, probably before Blazes'' as well. But, I can tell you that the Shadow King rivals me in terms of desire. If you want to know yourself, search through your fragmented memories and piece your soul back together." Harvester would wave his hand off, like he wasn''t going to be part of that.


    "While I agree with Harvester. He seems to not understand that with him, you won''t be able to do anything of that. Besides, who knows; maybe Riyku will accept you if he takes a look through his past." Blaze was attempting to get Harvester go with him, and sadly this little remark worked well. "Oh? Fine. I''ll go along. However, don''t regret this decision Blaze. You were the one who wanted him to start over after all." Harvester would remark with a smirk and Blaze sighed lightly. "Yes I did, but it seems like that is not possible. If going through the pieces of the past allows him to find a way to defeat Fate and Destiny without ''accepting you'' then a win for me. If he ends up accepting you then I''ll just have to accept it. It isn''t what I want, but if he is free then that is what it takes." Blaze would comment, her hands even though she tired to hide were shaking in fear of such a thought. "Then why not come with us?" Riyku would inquire which caused Blaze''s brow to raise. "Are you sure? I wouldn''t want to intrude. I was only your Operator for the first system. Unlike Harvester, I am not a part of you." Blaze would express and Riyku would nod. "I don''t care if you are or are not. You know a lot more about me than I do. You can help me understand things that he would not be able to, just like he will help me understand things you would not be able to." Riyku would comment which caused Blaze to nod with a soft smile. "Very well. I''ll open up the Soul Space for us. Once we enter there is no telling where we will end up. We may not even end up together or worse yet we won''t even remember each other. After all the damage to your soul is immense. Piecing everything back together won''t be ease. Are you sure you are ready?" Blaze would incite which Riyku nodded.


    "I am. Let''s get going." With those words, Blaze would extend a hand upward and glance to Harvester who did the same. A dim light would illuminate the darkness slowly before engulfing the three of them in total. Once the lights faded; his eyes would flutter open. The sound of birds singing outside along with a bit of movement around what appeared to be some kind of home? It looked like one, a simple wooden home that was. Glancing around the male would step up from bed, his tiny legs, and childish feet carrying him to a dresser where he would get dressed in a small white Tee shirt and small blue shorts. Putting on some white socks was the next thing before heading out of the room and going into the bathroom to begin brushing his teeth. Looking into the mirror he saw a small child; messy short black hair like that he had just gotten out of bad and a cute face to boot. He would rub his eyes from sleep and splash cold water on his face before proceeding to bring his teeth. "Riyku! Go get Jaccs and Jin!" A feminine voice call from another room. "Okay, Mom!" Riyku would stop brushing his teeth to respond before finishing up and smiling brightly like an innocent child.

 49 The beginning of the Eighth

    Standing beside the woman happened to be a man, tall and muscular. Raven color hair with a cream complex for the skin. His dark brown eyes looked down softly at the newborn as he stroked his neatly trimmed and well-kept beard. Standing behind him were other people, two nurses, and a doctor judging from their clothing.


    "What shall we call him?"


    The man would ask as he eyed his wife. Assuming that they were married judging from the rings on their fingers and the fact that their tension started to relax after a good amount of time. The woman would smile softly without allowing her gaze to drift.


    "Riyku. Riyku LunarFang."


    The woman would answer with gentleness to her voice. The man seemed quite pleased with the name as he repeated it several times. Everything seemed peaceful and nice until a black mist swirled along with the boy which caused both the parent''s eyes to widen in surprise.


    "Oh my... so he is born with an aptitude for magika as well."


    A figure who had been staring outside of a window had looked in the direction of the parents and the boy. When he felt a chill in the air, and the presence of mana it drew his attention. The sole reason he was there, was because he was the town''s Magi. Someone who specialized in the usage of mana and Magika. Without approaching the two, he had called out to them.


    In return to this gesture, the father seemed to speak up with a serious expression; placing a hand on his wife''s shoulder when he noticed she wanted to speak. However, she was in a weakened state and needed to rest up. He didn''t want her to exhaust any more energy than she needed.


    "What do you mean? Is he like Jaccs?"


    The Magi looked from the boy to the father with a friendly smile. "Sir, Ire, I mean no harm by it. Just like your previous son, Jaccs. Your second son has an aptitude for magika. Your first son was born on the morning of a Solar Eclipse which gave him the ability to call to the elements of flame. Your second son being born on this Lunar Eclipse during the dead of night seems to have blessed him with the ability to call to the elements of the shadow. Of course, the reason is as I said before. You two possess an aptitude to control mana directly. This gift has been passed on two both of your children. Jaccs SolarFang and Riyku LunarFang."


    "Chief Ire, we can look over Riyku. You and Madam Chastity should get some rest. We need to relocate tomorrow after all. With the coming of the Lunar Eclipse, the Neuromorphic Lycans will be roaming into this territory as well."


    The man would look to his wife before looking over the village doctor and nod with an appreciative smile and thanked them before looking to the Magi and thanked him as well.


    "Thank you. Master Magi, Please look over Riyku just as you do Jaccs."


    A few years had passed; another child was born into the Fang family. Jin NinFang was his full name and then more years went by. The village of nomads had traveled across the land due to many reasons. Climate change, predator territory, war zones, etc. Though everyone seemed to be having the happiest lives possible. Once they finished setting up the village the three children go off to train with the Magi and his grand-daughter who was sent to him almost a year ago. The Magi had joined with the village as their prime wizard, acting as the first line of defense for the village since the village had come to accept him. They refused to allow him to live on his own and treated him as one of their own. Giving him the tribal name of ''Fang''. His full name was Vigor Fallance-''Fang''. Though everyone called him Magi, which was short for Magician; people who could utilize the mana around them in a purified manner.


    After a long day of preparing and training the boys were sent back down from the hill-top to the village where they were set up for dinner, had a nice family talk about their day, and what they did during training before being sent to bed. The next day came quickly, everyone was already up and about. Everyone but one small boy with short raven color hair and cute black eyes. Waking up the small child would make his way to the bathroom where he stepped up on a stool to raise high enough to reach over the sink and grab his toothbrush when he needed to. First, he washed his face off before proceeding to reach for this toothbrush, lather it up with some toothpaste and proceed to brush his teeth nice and clean. During this hygiene process, a soft and caring voice called from another room to get his attention. Only to request a task of him shortly after.


    "Riyku~ Since you are up can you go get your brothers. I believe they are up on the hill with the Magi. They wanted to get some morning training done before breakfast was finish."


    The cute child would spit out the paste and wash his mouth out with some water before calling back to his mother in agreement. "Yes, Mom!" He would then move from the stool, return to the room, and get changed from his simple comfortable nightwear which was a pair of black shorts and a black shirt. What he changed into now, was a pair of black pants, and a white shirt with a black light-jacket. He would proceed to put on some socks then his black shoes, lacing and tying them before heading out the door.


    The child would speed down a dirt path passing other villagers who greeted him as he did the same for them with a smile and a wave of his hand. "Ah, young Riyku. Good morning." An elderly lady tending to her garden had stopped the child in his tracks and drew his attention. "Good morning! Do you need any help around your garden today?" The child asked with a warm smile which caused the elderly woman to chuckle softly.


    "As much as I would be grateful for it. I would need to decline. Tending to my garden is my only pass time. How else would I keep in shape if not?" The elderly lady chuckled softly at the end and the child nodded in return. "I assume your mother asked you to do something. Tell your brothers, the Magi, and his granddaughter I said hello." The elderly woman would add and the child would nod. "Will do! Take care!" He would race off excitedly and the elderly woman would wave him off while returning to her garden.


    Coming up the hill Riyku would steady his jogging pace into a cautious walk. His cute black orbs glancing around here and there as if looking for someone. "I know you are there Mina so come on out already." The child called out. A short time would pass before someone indeed came out throwing a kunai in his direction which landed in front of his feet.


    "Awe, you are no fun." A cute pink-haired girl dressed in a pink kunoichi outfit would come from behind a tree. Riyku would shake his head to her remark. "I do not have time to play with you, Mina. Mother asked me to gather my brothers." Riyku would reply as he reached down to pick up the kunai before tossing it in Mina''s direction. The girl would catch it before pouting vividly.


    "But your brothers are no match for me. Jaccs has all the brawn in the world, but he is the slowest person ever. Meanwhile, Jin is quick on his feet, but can not match in terms of strength. You are the only one who can stand toe-to-toe against me. Well besides my granddad." Mina would comment as she turned from him with an even more pouting expression.


    "Hey, that''s not nice!" Jaccs'' voice would call from the peak of the hilltop. Beside him happened to a shorter boy with silver hair in a lean build. Compared to Jaccs who had a more heavy-set build and was much taller. Behind them happened to an older male wearing comfortable clothing and a bright smile, which was probably the Magi. He was dressed to the part, looking like some kind of magician. "Well, she is not wrong." Jin would add while they made their way towards Mina and Riyku.


    "Uhhh huh... Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Mina likes Riyku?" Jaccs would tease which caused Mina''s cheeks to flare a bright pink. "It does not!" She exclaimed as she turned towards them. Jaccs'' lips curved into a taunting smile. "Suuuuuure it doesn''t. Besides, how many times has Riyku beaten you?" It seemed that just before Mina could answer, Jin already had the answer. "Their bouts come to 350-345-40. Riyku leading by five wins on Mina, with the other forty being draws." Mina''s brow twitched and when they were close enough to smack both of them upside the head which caused him to groan out.


    "Ouch!" Jaccs exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Ow." Jin would remark as he massaged the back of his head.


    The Magi would chuckle softly, "Now, now. They mean no harm, Mina. Remember what I said about losses." The Magi would reprimand her in a softened manner, like that of a father would their child. Mina would look away shyly as she dug the tip of her sandal into the ground. "That... all losses are ways to improve. Looking back on your mistakes can be used to better yourself and ensure you do not repeat your mistakes." Mina responded lightly which caused the Magi to nod gleefully. "I am happy you understand." The Magi would add, his eyes shifting towards Riyku when the boy approached them.


    "I assume you are here for your brothers?" The Magi would inquire and Riyku would nod softly. "Mother said that is also time for breakfast. I am sure she would be delighted if you two joined us as well." Riyku would add with a smile. Mina instantly shifted her eyes from the boy to her grandfather. "Can we!?" She seemed extremely thrilled by this offer which caused the Magi to smile wryly as if in defeat. He could see that there was no way he could say no even if he felt the need to do so.


    With a yes the five of them headed back down the hilltop to proceed to have a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and freshly squeezed orange juice. The table was filled with laughter and teases. A joyous atmosphere that could last a lifetime and more. When breakfast came to an end the boys helped clean up before heading out to do their morning chores. Jaccs usually ended up helping with all of the heavy liftings. Considering he was able to perform just as well as the rest of the adult males he was given a small pay wage of coins for his hard work. Although everyone knew he wasn''t helping out for the coin. He was doing it out of a sense of pride and duty as the son of the Chief as well as the fact that he enjoyed helping out. Still, his primary duty was with the Guardian Party. They were the folks that protected the village sort of like a police force. They were also the first line of defense in case of an emergence. As for Jin, he was with the Scouting Party. Their mission and goal were to scout out decent areas to set up in. As well as if any of the local wildlife were moving in. Since the Fang Tribe wasn''t one to mess with the local wildlife, they tended to migrate every so often, because of this the wildlife usually saw them as equals and respected them enough to not attack or run through their village. It was the Scouting Parties'' job to maintain these relations as well. Some of the members could even talk with the local wildlife which allowed them to gain information that they, themselves normally were unable to gain. They also acted as messengers and relationship builders with other tribes and races, like the Dark and High Elves, as well as the Darwfs and even the Orcs.


    Lastly, came Riyku. His affiliation was with the Hunting Party. Their tasks were quite simple. To go out and hunt sometimes even gather. It may seem counter-intuitive to go out hunting, but not all wildlife can be reasoned with. In a lot of cases, there can be Raging Boars and Direwolves that roam around and prey on the local wildlife that their tribe can reason with. Like for example today, the Hunting party was sent to exterminate a pack of dire wolves that had nestled their way into a nearby cavern. A bit closer to their village than they would hope for. It was a request put in by the Scouting Party. The Leader of the Hunting Party was none other than his father. However, his father Ire GleeFang was away on negotiations with a nearby kingdom. So the Second in Command, Apathy Grams-Fang. He was like the right-hand man. Someone that the Chief could trust. Apathy was the one leading them today.


    The Hunting Party consisted of five individuals. Apathy Grams-Fang who was Second in Command. Darwin Grams-Fang, the younger brother of Apathy. Christina Grams-Fang, the younger sister of Apathy and Darwin. Lesia Lowe-Fang, an individual who the Chief found stranded and alone one night. As well as Riyku DarkFang, son of Ire GleeFang. Apathy had a wooden spear in his hand, along with a machete strapped to his side. Darwin was carrying a wooden bow in his hand with a leather sack of quivers strapped to his back. Christina wasn''t holding a weapon. Instead, her knuckles were strapped with gauntlets. As for Lesia, she was using two daggers strapped to her side, along with a tracking knife strapped to her thigh. Meanwhile, Riyku had... well nothing. It wasn''t that he didn''t choose to carry a weapon. It was more like he did not need to.


    "So, Young Riyku; how are things with Mina?" Christina asked out of nowhere, since she was standing beside him she gave him a light bump with her hips which caused him to almost stumbling to the side. Apathy and Darwin were ahead of them with Lesia covering the rear. Considering Riyku was smaller than all of them it seemed they had him in the center for his own protection. "Umm... good, why do you ask?" It seemed Riyku''s innocent self knew not of what Christina meant which caused her to chuckle softly. Questions started to pop around Riyku since he did not get why she was laughing.


    "She means are you two a couple yet?" Darwin came out bluntly which caused Riyku''s cheeks to flare up a soft pink. "A c-couple? Like, mom and dad?" The child Riyku asked innocently which caused Christina to bump him lightly again. "Of course!" She replied to him which caused his face to become beat red. "I uhh... I mean... I think she is cute." Riyku would reply in a shy manner which caused Christina to giggle softly when she saw how flustered Riyku was. "You should ask her out then." Christina would comment with a warm smile which caused Riyku to look up at her. "Ask her out?" He was puzzled by what she meant. Christina could see the innocent in his eyes which caused her to release a soft breath as if she were witnessing something precious. "Yes. To become a couple like your mother and father. Do you like Mina?" Christina inquired as she eyed the child.


    "Like? I am not sure." Riyku would reply as he looked at the ground in thought. Since Apathy was eyeing him he spoke up, "Do you feel different when she around?" He asked while turning his eyes back to the path in front of them. "Different?" Riyku would repeat the question. "Yeah. For example when you are alone with Mina compared to when you with your family or even us. How do you feel?" Darwin would speak up next. Riyku would look up from the ground to the sky, thoughtful expression upon his face. "Well, sometimes my heart beats faster. I get this uneasy feeling in my stomach as well. Other times, I always feel inspired to do my best or try my hardest. When we are alone though I feel... free." This response caused them to fall silent. The silence drew his attention back onto them which caused a puzzled expression. "What, did I say something funny?" Riyku inquired innocently. "Boy... You don''t like, Mina." Apathy spoke up which caused Riyku to tilt his head to one side in confusion. "I don''t?" He responded. "No, you are in love with her." Darwin some up next which caused Riyku''s face to return to a beet red color. "L-L-Love? You mean like how mother and father love each other?" This response caused Christina to smile widely. "Yup! Wow... to be so young and fall in love. Mina is quite a lucky girl. I wonder if Jaccs or Jin have their eyes on her." Christina spoke up which caused Riyku to shift his attention towards her in a hastened manner.


    Catching this Christina chuckled lightly and placed her gauntlet hand upon his head ruffling his hair a bit with some pats. "Relax, I was only joking. Besides, it is quite clear that Mina likes you. You should just ask her out. Judging from the way she acts, I am sure she is more aware of her feelings for you than you are of your own for her." Christina would reply which caused Riyku to nod softly, turning his head towards the ground in a shy manner. "H-How does one go about doing that?" Riyku asked innocently which caused the group to smile at him. Lesia who had remained silent the entire time moved up to wrap an arm around him from behind. "Simple, all you have to do is get behind her. Embrace her with both arms as if you were giving someone a hug, then whisper into her ear. ''I am in love with you.''" Just as Lesia was explaining this, she did the exact same thing to Riyku; although she had to hunch over to whisper into his ear the ''I am in love with you.'' part. This caused his entire face to flare even more red than before. Which caused her to giggle softly as she moved back. Christina huffed heavily, "Ignore her. She doesn''t know what she is talking about. You just need to tell her how you truly feel. Be upfront and honest with her. Remember Riyku, all women love a man who is strong, brave, and honest." Riyku''s tomato face started to soften when he heard the heart-felt words coming from Christina. Lesia gave a soft pfft sound in the background, but Riyku was focused on Christina and her words. "Strong, Brave, and Honest... Okay. Thank you, Christina!" Riyku exclaimed gleefully after repeating those three words.


    "Shh! Get down!" Apathy called out in a hushed manner which caused everyone''s senses to sharpen. The atmosphere going from merry joy to serious in a swift motion when Apathy spoke up. The group moved into a prone state, crouching low to the ground. Darwin already had an arrow knocked with his eyes skimming past the brush into the clearing near the carven. It seemed they had arrived at their destination. "Dire wolves..." Riyku spoke softly, Christina looked at him and patted his head softly. "Let''s make this quick so our little boy here can ask out the love of his life," Christina spoke softly to the group which caused them to look back at her and nod with a smile on their face. "On my mark..." Apathy would speak up, as he waited; watching the four Dire wolves prowl around one another, eating scraps of what looked to be deer. "Now!" Apathy called out.

 50 A love unrequited

    A whistle came from Darwin. "It''s almost frightening how much you have improved. At first, you could only create a single small thorn, but now you can create several spikes. That Magi really knows his stuff." Darwin spoke up which caused Riyku''s cheeks to turn a soft pink. "Honestly... You three are going to become fine men when you are older." He would add referring to Riyku and his brothers, Christina coming up beside Riyku to pat his head. "If Mina rejects you, I''ll take you." Christina would comment which caused Riyku''s face to turn beet red yet again. Apathy and Darwin sighed softly, Lesia giggling in the background. The wolf that was launched into the air finally came back down with a splat and a crack which caused them to look over at it. "And that''s all of them. Time to pack up and--" Apathy was cut off guard when he felt an uneasy pain in his gut. His intuition as a Veteran Hunter kicking in which caused him to shout, Christina''s name.


    "Look at his face. The unique design of a Neuromorphic is always displayed upon the face." Apathy called back which caused Riyku to look upon the creature''s face. Examining it for the unique design. It was there, in crimson red; a small N that could easily be mistaken for a scar. It was right upon the forehead of the creature. "Neuromorphics are hyper versions of their originals. Stronger, faster, more durable, and way smarter. Their growth is endless. By devouring the hearts of others they become stronger. However, Neuromorphic Lycans are the worst. Unlike standard Neuromorphics, the Neuromorphic Lycans hunt in groups like normal Lycans. You do remember why Neuromorphics don''t hunt in groups right?" Apathy called out while his eyes trained upon the Lycan who was still eyeing the women; although, he seemed too relaxed even for someone who was surrounded.


    "Umm... If a neuromorphic eats another neuromorphic they gain all of the strength of the one they ate, right?" Riyku replied and Apathy nodded with a "Correct." He then followed up with; "Which is what makes Neuromorphic Lycans the worst of them all. They hunt in packs, do not devour each other simply because their rule is first come first serve. Whoever gains the spoils keeps them and no one goes back on their word. A Lycan''s pride still resides within them." Apathy would grit his teeth. "Which is why, if there is only one here. The rest of the pack is close by as well." He finished up which caused the Lycan to snicker.


    "Smart Tribesmen. Although you are forgetting something." The Lycan would speak up as he rolled his shoulders. "The Alpha always hunts alone." The Lycan would leap forward, a powerful leap that showed just how faster he was. Darwin could barely keep up, but it seemed Apathy had already noticed that it was targeting Darwin. He moved in front of Darwin and used his spear to block a strike from the claw. For a moment the impact was stunned, but that was all. The attack broke through the spear which caused Apathy''s eyes to go wide. He seemed prepared to accept his fate considering he was unable to actually move in time, yet the Lycan would shift his weight to evade a large gauntlet. "Lesia get Riyku out of here, return to the village and warn the others!" Apathy called out to Lesia who was standing in the back. "But!" She called back with her weapons in her hands. "Don''t argue! Just go! That''s an order!" Apathy shouted back. Lesia would turn her head in shame as she moved towards Riyku and reached for the child''s hand. Riyku was still dazed in confusion. "Come on, we need to go!" Lesia called out to Riyku who was watching as the Lycan fended off various attacks from Apathy, Darwin, and Christina. Apathy was using the broken spear to try and pierce through the flesh, but it seemed to be ineffective. So he swapped over to his machete; Meanwhile, Darwin''s arrows just bounced off like some kind of balled up piece of paper did when it hit the rim of a trash can. Christina''s attacks were always evaded. Not once did one land, but that wasn''t what caused Riyku''s eyes to widen.


    It was when the Lycan swiped off one of Christina''s arms, before pushing her towards Darwin, to distract him while bringing his long arm around to remove the man''s head. Apathy seemed to have tried to intervene out of rage but was killed off when the Lycan used its other claw to thrust into the man''s gut and through his body. The echos of pain-filled screams filled not only his tiny ears but Lesia''s as well; which faded as they put distance between them. Tears filled both of their eyes, and Riyku turned to look at Lesia. "Don''t look back! Keep running!" Lesia would shout with her eyes upon the path before her. It would take nearly an hour to get back to the village by walking, but they were running. Sadly, their journey there was not going to be an easy one. Another Neurcromoprhic Lycan had intercepted them. Averaging the same height, and build as the previous one. The only difference was the coloration of the patches which were a solid blue and not a crimson red. Other than that it had the same N design upon its forehead.


    Lesia stood between Riyku and the Lycan, drawing her weapons from the sheaths while eyeing the Lycan. "L-Lesia..." Riyku would call out meekly. The scene of what he had witnessed played into his mind but was replaced with Lesia. "Don''t worry, I''ll protect you." Lesia looked back at Riyku then to the Lycan who had a relaxed stance. "What do you want!?" The woman called out to the Lycan who snickered at her. Lifting a finger to point at her. "You, Woman." It was quite clear what his intentions were with the way he looked at the woman. The thing about Neuromorphics was that there were no females. All of them were male versions. So they normally took in women for enslavement and breeding since they had none of their own. While enslaving children so that they could later devour their hearts when they became stronger or use the women for breeding. As for men, they just killed them and ate the heart right away. One could normally tell how powerful a Neuromorphic was by gauging their body mass. The larger one was, the stronger they were. As for why Neuromorphics happened to only be male; the reasons were unknown. Although, one person happened to witness the birth of one and reported it. Saying the infant ate his way out of the womb of its mother, then devoured her heart. It wasn''t much of a reason, but it was still a disgusting scene to witness.


    Which was why Lesia''s body trembled when she heard that. However, before she could make another move it seemed Riyku moved in front of her. "You can''t have her!" Riyku shouted out which caused the Lycan to blink before looking down at the small child and laugh. "What you going to do about it, pipsqueak?" The Lycan retorted, taking an even more relaxed stance. "Shadows converge... Bathe me in your essences... empower me and give me strength... Shadow''s Blessing!" Riyku would chant a short scripture that followed with the shadows feeling him up in a loving and caring manner. The Lycan''s attitude shifted at that moment. No longer relaxed, but more on edge. Lesia looked down at Riyku. "A woman likes a Strong, Brave, and Honest man." The child bolstered as he brought his hands up, taking the stance of a martial artist. "I''ll protect you, Lesia. I won''t watch anyone else die!" Riyku exclaimed with tears in his eyes. The Lycan would growl before jumping towards him. Riyku would dash forward to intercept the jump, rivaling the speed of the Lycan which was on par with a cheetah''s top speed. Riyku would push aside the claw that was stretched for his chest before bring his palm forward to slam into the gut of the Lycan. The sound of bones breaking along with the echoing of what was almost like a shotgun followed suit as the Lycan flew back into a tree.


    The Lycan would slide down the now timbering tree with a dent in its gut from where Riyku hit him. Blood was dripping down the Lycan''s muzzle as he eyed the boy approaching him. The beady pupils of the Lycan trembled as if he were frightened. The confusion and fear upon the Lycan''s face were quite clear. It did not understand what had happened. It knew the boy was a threat but was unable to gauge just how powerful the boy was. Lesia was also quite shocked. When Riyku reached the Lycan he would bring his hand to the creature''s chest. The Lycan seemed paralyzed by the attack it just took, so while it struggled to move its muscles only trembled. "Shadow Spear." Riyku would mutter as the shadow that enveloped his hand jutted outward, piercing through the Lycan and tearing into the heart.


    The shadow spear would slowly begin to drink the essences of the heart, devouring it until nothing was left. However, Riyku would not know of this. After he confirmed the Lycan was dead he would remove his hand from the beast''s chest to turn and look back at Lesia with a smile. "I did it Le--" He paused for a moment stumbling forward, with blurry vision. The shadowy cloak around him had disbursed and now he was feeling the after-effects of activating the spell. Lesia had dashed forward to catch the child, his face resting upon her bosom as she held him. Still surprised by what just happened, as well as how quickly it transpired. "You... are something. You know that?" In the end, though she smiled softly and brushed his hair gently while allowing him to rest considering he was now out cold. Lesia would glance from Riyku to look around the area and make sure nothing was around. From what she could tell there was nothing. No wild-life, no Lycans, no Neuromorphics. It was strange considering all the commotion that just happened. As well as the fact that there were usually six to a pack. So there had to be four more somewhere. It was then she realized what the first Lycan meant by saying he was the Alpha.


    "Damn it, where did they come from!" Jaccs'' voice could be heard over the roaring flames and screams. His body was beaten and bruised, in fact, he looked out of breath with small flickers of flames coming off his body in a weakened state. In all honestly, it looked like Riyku''s Shadow Blessing. Around him were various corpses of creatures from Lycans to Boars, even Dire Wolves; however, each of them had the N shaped stigma to show that they were Neuromorphics. Not all of them had it on the forehead, but it was still somewhere on their face. Coming up behind him was his younger brother, Jin. Clutching a tonto in his hands, with bruises along his body as well. "Jaccs!" He called out.


    Jaccs would turn to look back towards Jin. "Did you find, Riyku?" Jaccs inquired hastily to which Jin to shake his head which in turn caused Jaccs to kiss his teeth. "Damn it. How about the villagers, how is the escort going?" Jaccs would inquire next to which Jin would nod. "We are still trying to get most of the women and children out of the village. Mother is also aiding in their escape. The Guardian Party and Scouting Party are doing their best to fend off the Neuromorphics. What I am concerned about most is where they all came from." Jin would comment after answering his brother''s question. "Agreed. There are too many. Plus it isn''t just the Lycans, all of the Neuromorphics are working together right now. We need to regroup with the others as well as find Riyku. I assume Mina and Magi are doing their best to help in escorting the villagers?" Jaccs inquired as he moved past his brother to head towards the main group. Jin would follow alongside him. "Yes; however, we are unable to save everyone." To this remark, Jaccs'' face turned grim. "As long as we can save those who are still alive! We need to hurry!" Jaccs shouted while kicking up the speed and Jin nodded, following beside him. "Please be safe, Riy," Jaccs stated mentally. "I hope you are safe, Riyku." Jin would comment mentally.


    In the subconscious of Riyku; the child was laying in the black, although he was slumped against something. As if resting upon someone''s lap. The figure was barely notable, but black hair was draped over the nude cleavage of a woman. A soft hand caressing the child''s cheek. "That''s right. Just relax and rest up. I''ll keep you safe, my little host." The voice spoke softly, feminine charm to it. Riyku''s eyes opened softly to see plush lips make their way towards him.


    "What is this feeling?"


    "I feel... warm."


    "Who is this person?"


    "Why is she trying to kiss me...?"


    "Wait... Kiss? No!"


    The voice echoing throughout his mind skyrocketed him awake when his mind filled with Mina, and he shot up into a sitting position rising from Lesia''s lap who was a bit surprised by what just happened.


    "You are awake. How are you feeling?" Lesia would inquire taking note of Riyku''s sudden movements. He looked around before looking up at Lesia, in which he would place his small fingers to his lips. "Did you... try to kiss me?" Riyku asked with pink-tinted cheeks which caused Lesia to blink rapidly out of confusion. She was wondering why he had asked such a question but refrained from asking about it. "I did not, I was just brushing your hair while you slept on my lap. More importantly, are you okay? You passed out after defeating the Lycan." Lesia would point towards the Lycan which drew Riyku''s attention. "Passed out?" It took a moment for him to recall what he did, but when he saw the corpse of the Lycan it came back to him. He would exhale softly. "Ah. That''s right. I used Shadow''s Blessing. It''s a spell I recently learned from the Magi. It cloaks me in the shadow around me. The more shadow around me, the stronger I become. However, it has its drawbacks. There a time limit and once that limit has been reached; the fatigue my body goes through catches up. I normally don''t pass out, but I can only assume that I did because I used Shadow Spear to make sure that Lycan was dead." Riyku would reply before turning to look back at Lesia. Silence would befall them as his mind wandered to another subject. "Hey..." He seemed anxious all of a sudden. "The others are still alive... right?" Riyku asked with tears whelming into his eyes.


    It wasn''t that Lesia had forgotten about them, it was more like what had just happened now had taken over her mind. With things having settled down the reality finally set in. "I am sorry... they are not..." Tears of her own whelmed into her eyes, but before they started to fall Riyku''s own did and he clung to Lesia while burying his face into her stomach. The woman would sob silently alongside him holding him in comfort while trying her best to comfort him.

 51 Birth of the Darken Hear

    "As if someone had planned the attack?" A cute child-like voice peered forth which stopped the frontline in their tracks to look at a small cloaked figure floating in the air. "A child?" One of the members on the frontline inquired with a puzzled expression. The cloaked figure scoffed. "Child? Bah, I am no child. I am a god. The God of Fate." The child would remove the hood, A boyish face with short dark purple hair was revealed. Large mystic purple eyes filled with little stars instead of pupils could be seen staring down at the group of people. The person did appear childlike, and the members of the escorting party would have laughed it off... If they weren''t so on edge. A soft giggle came from behind, loud enough for the frontline to hear. "They called you a child! That''s hilarious!" It was another childlike voice that spoke up; however, their hood was already removed. Large mystic blue eyes filled with little stars instead of pupils were staring down at the people as well. A small hand came to brush the medium length dark blue hair out of the girl''s vision.


    "I mean they aren''t wrong. You do act like a spoiled brat sometimes." The girl would add which caused the boy to grit his teeth and ball his tiny hands. "Enough! Tell these mortals why we are here!" The boy exclaimed which caused the girl''s brow to raise. "Oh, you think you can command me, brother? The Goddess of Destiny?" She mused with a devious look in her eyes which caused a soft vivid dark blue aura to emerge around her body. "If you don''t want mother punishing you, then yes." The boy replied in return with a vivid dark purple aura seeming to emerge around his body as well. The small group of people caught in the middle of it was perplexed at what was going on. Eventually, someone spoke up, "Umm.. what do you mean, The attack was planned?" One of the escorting party spoke up. This drew the attention of the two children who were glaring daggers at each other.


    There was still silence. The expression upon their faces showed that they believed these two children even if they wished it was a lie or a dream. The reason being that they bore witness to the ''end of the world'' once already. The event was known as the Evening Culling. Destruction rained down on their world from the heavens and brought ruin to the world. People went mad, while others just struggled to survive. Some formed groups, and as decades went by things like ''Mana'' became realistic. The usage of mana became known as ''Using a Spell''. Not everyone was gifted with this talent, but those who were generally tried to help bring the world back to life. There were some who used their gift for their own selfishness and greed. They were dealt with accordingly by a group of people known as the Seven Warlords; two of which were known: Chasity and Ire. However, that is a tale for another time. The people who struggled and live through the Evening Culling could easily accept that there were other worlds, and with how everything was going now, it wasn''t hard to accept that these two children could be Gods and Goddess''.


    "With that said though, you people are not going anywhere..." The boy would smile widely. "Correct. We tried to get some of those things to come to kill you, people, off; however, they are hard to control. Therefore we have to do it ourselves. You see, you can not be saved. Even if you made it to the outskirts of that pitiful village. It would do nothing for you all. That Kingdom is corrupt. You would all be sold to slavery or worse. So think of it as your salvation. Your Fate..." the male would end. "Your Destiny..." the girl would add. "Ends here." They both spoke in sync as blindly flash of dark blue and dark purple surged from their bodies and clashed together. When the flash of light died down not a soul was in sight, not even the two from before.


    No one survived that. Instead, only four eyes bore witness to what had just happened. Lesia and Riyku. They had overheard shouting nearby and came to investigate, but when they saw how the people felt. It was obvious something sinister was going to happen. Riyku almost jumped out to help them, but Lesia had caught hold of him and held his mouth shut while trying her best to restrain him. Again tears overwhelmed both of them, and they had turned away from the blinding light. When all was said and done they looked with a lingering feeling of hope, and yet nothing was there. "Why..." Riyku muttered as he stopped struggling. "Why didn''t you let me save them!?" He shouted in anger and sorrow. "I can''t! I couldn''t watch you throw your life away!" Lesia exclaimed which caused Riyku''s eyes to widen. "You..." Her words seemed to have made Riyku recall a lesson he learned with the Magi. The Magi had put him through a strenuous exercise session which was when he learned how to use Shadow Blessing. Many times Riyku failed, and many times he tried harder. Taking the words the Magi said to him to mind. Although when the session was finished with a success the Magi finally spoke up, "Why are you trying to so hard? What do you hope to gain from this?" This caused Riyku to look off into the sky in thought. "Jaccs wants to become stronger to help the village. Jin wants to become stronger to protect himself. I..." A smile curved across his face. "I just want to be able to protect those I cherish!" A wide innocent smile spread across his face which caused the Magi to smile softly. "That is a wonderful reason. However, remember; if you can not protect yourself, you may only end up putting others in danger. Even if you sacrifice yourself, something else may come along to harm those you cherish. Never throw away your life, Riyku." Those words are what Riyku took to heart that day.


    "You are right... I am sorry, Lesia." Riyku would reply softly; however, Lesia did not scold him further. Instead, she turned him around and held him close. "It''s not your fault. Do not blame yourself. You have done nothing wrong. Okay?" Lesia spoke up almost as if she had experienced something similar. One could hear it in her voice. Even Riyku knew she was resonating with the situation as well as how he felt. "We..." Riyku would speak up. "We need to save as many as we can." Riyku would reaffirm himself. Lesia would release him slowly, almost as if she did not want to, and stand on her feet. "Are you sure you can handle it? No one would blame you for running. You are just a child, Riyku." Lesia would wipe away the tears from her face. "I am scared. I am scared of dying. I am scared of what could happen to me. However..." Riyku would look up from the ground with tears still in his eyes. "I am more scared of losing everything I cherish!" He would exclaim aloud. "Mom, Dad, Jaccs, Jin, Mina, Magi, the villagers, and even you, Lesia. The thought of you all disappearing while I am left alone and alive scares me more than death itself. I will go." Riyku would resolve himself further. The look in Lesia''s eyes showed her just how opposite he was from her. She had lost her family to a group of thugs. Watching them murder her father and violate her mother. She ran when she had the chance, escaped as far away as possible from their little farmhouse. It may have been years ago, but it was still vivid. The feeling. She was still considered a child back then, but she blamed herself. She took it upon herself to become stronger when Ire had found her taking shelter under a tree in a weakened state on a rainy evening. Which was why she joined the Hunting Party. Yet her reasoning for becoming stronger was so she could no longer blame herself. So she no longer felt weak. It was Riyku''s resolve that showed her just how weak she truly was.


    While Riyku had been ready to jump out into the open to try and save those of the tribe. She remained in the shadows. She stopped Riyku in his tracks. She held him back. She thought he was throwing his life away when in reality there may have been a chance to save them. She had become no stronger than when she was back then. However... Seeing Riyku''s resolve. Bearing witness to those who died seemed to only reaffirm his reasons for becoming stronger. She bore witness to that and felt encouraged by it. Encourage by the fact that someone younger than her was taking a different path. He wasn''t wallowing in despair but instead trying to push forward. This made her want to struggle for a different reason. A smile curved across her face as she made a silent vow, "I will make sure you are able to achieve your goal."


    A few hours had passed considering the time they took to rest, as well as what had happened during their venture back to the village. When they arrived they were met with a horrific scene. The village was set ablaze, women were being violated on the spot by various creatures, men being devoured wholly. Children and some women were being dragged off. A terrible feeling was swirling within Riyku''s stomach. One could see it on his face, the worry he had. "Mom!" Riyku rushed off in a hurry, Lesia called out to him while trying to reach for him but found herself intercepted by a Neuromorphic Lycan. Kissing her teeth she pulled her daggers from the sheaths. "Out of my way!" Lesia surged towards the Lycan whose fur was a pure black with colored spots. This one was more guarded and less relaxed. It wasn''t as tall as the other two nor did it appear as strong. If anything it looked like a normal Lycan with the exception of the N marking upon the forehead.


    Lesia''s dagger clashed with the Lycan''s claw which she tucked inward and under the motion while deflecting the force elsewhere. Closing in on the Lycan it would bring up a knee to try and hit Lesia in the stomach since it couldn''t cross its arms due to the positioning. Lesia was aiming to cut at the chest of the beast, and both strikes hit; however, the Lycan''s was so powerful it sent Lesia rag dolling upon the ground. Lesia''s strike wasn''t powerful, but it was precise. A deep cut to the chest which caused the Lycan to stagger back when it seemed to want to lunge forward. This gave Lesia enough time to get back onto her feet, albeit weakly. She spat out some blood while narrowing her eyes at the Lycan. She would approach the Lycan steadily before dashing forward in a sudden burst when she came within arm''s reach. The Lycan would give off a roar as he crossed both claws over one another to try and claw her down. At first, he wanted to keep her alive for breeding, but it seemed that was not going to be the case. He needed to kill her. He could at least feed off of her heart afterward.


    The daggers came crossed over one another to block the X shaped claw strike. Lesia knew he was far stronger than she was, so she bent her knee inward in the direction she had planned to deflect the force. Struggling a bit more against the powerful force, so that the Lycan would fall into his own pressure when she finally deflected the force. She would pivot on the heel that did not have pressure upon it, turning in a swift motion while turning her daggers into a reverse grip. She would plunge the blade into the Lycan''s arms while spinning on her heels all along the Lycan''s arm until she came to the chest where she stopped suddenly. Turned one dagger into the normal grip and plunged it into the gut of the beast while the other came to the throat of the beast. She would dig the dagger in the gut upward while shoving the dagger in the throat deeper before tearing both out of the beast. The sudden surge of blood would cause the beast to stumble back in pain which she used to trip and shove the beast onto its back so she could leap on top of it and jam both of her daggers into the beast''s heart. This ultimately ended the beast''s life, and she sat there upon the stomach of nude Lycan breathing heavily. A wince of pain came from her as she placed her hand around her ribs. "Damn it..." She grumbled since it seemed she had some broken ribs. Not just that, but she could feel that something was wrong with her arms. Maybe her bones were fractured, even broken? The Adrenaline she had was decreasing and the pain that she did not feel earlier was starting to kick in. Alas, she pushed through, she left the daggers inside of the beast while making her way towards the direction Riyku ran in. His family home.


    During the time Lesia was fighting the Beta Neuromorphic Lycan. Riyku was run through the village. He had in his hand a steel sword that was stained with blood. Clearly, he had picked it up off the corpse of one of the Guardian Party Members. When he saw one of the tribesmen being attack he saved them. Decapitating the unaware target, or plunge the blade through the heart of the target who was feasting on a dead tribal member. As for those that saw him he used his shadow with a short incarnation in a murmur in order to kill them off. He saved as many people as he could all the while making his way to his family home. When he had finally arrived though the place was set ablaze. Quickly he ran into the home and called out, "Mom!" As he did, pushing past the door only to see his mother''s body torn to pieces. He bit his inner lip causing it to bleed as his pupils shriveled up, so many emotions fled his body. Ranging from sadness to anger. Though there was also hope, hope was still there. Hope that the rest of his family and friends were still alive. Approaching the body of his mother he would reach down to close her tear-stained eyes and take the locket she had around her neck. A memento of his late mother. Something he could at least keep to remember her. He would put it on and turn to move out of the home which collapsed behind him. This only caused him to grimace in pain with tears flooding his cheeks.


    "Jaccs, Jin, Mina, Magi..." He muttered as he hoped they were still alive. He raced all over the village, taking out whatever Neuromorphic was in his path while searching for his family and friends. Finally, a voice he knew well enough was shouting orders. "Jaccs, protect the right side. Jin, I need you to keep tabs on the left. Mina doesn''t let them through from the back. I''ll make sure the rest don''t breakthrough!" It was the Magi who was giving orders. The Magi, Jaccs, Mina, and Jin were accompanied by what was remaining of the Guardian and Scouting Party. They were all trying to keep a large portion of the tribe safe from the surrounding Neuromoprhics. "Shadows cast around me... bathe me your essences... Envelope my being... enter my soul if you must... Devour me whole if you have to... Just give me the strength to save them. I need the strength to save them. I want the strength to save them." Riyku chanted.


    "I MUST SAVE THEM!" He shouted the shadows around surged towards him covering him entirely. An eerie black aura surging around his body. Various areas of his skin turning black, one of his eyes shifting to an orange glimmer. While he felt the power surge through him, he did not know what the price was to come of it. A heavy price was to pay for using power beyond what one was capable of after all. Riyku dashed forward, making a path through by cutting down all of the Neuromorphics in his way. When he arrived at the center, there was a large gap in the circle of the beasts. The beasts were frozen in a state of confusion. They were unsure of what just happened. Even the tribal members as well as the others were confused. Riyku turned his back from them and pointed with his sword at the opening. "GO NOW!" He exclaimed, his voice heavy distorted.

 52 From Shadow to Darkness

    "Riyku! Do you realize what you have done!? You aren''t using Shadow Blessing, what you have done is formed a contract with Darkness itself. Do you even realize that!?" The Magi''s voice showed he was angry and confused. Riyku would set the blade at his side and turn to look back at his family and friends with an innocent and pure smile. They saw the changes that were made. "I know." He would turn back to face the Neuromorphics; his expression shifting back to a glare. "But, I will become even a monster if it means I am able to save all of you. Now enough questions. Go!" It was quite clear that there were some negative effects from what Riyku was using. The contract he so clearly made, as the Magi put. "Fine..." The Magi would bit his lip with frustration seeing that there was nothing more he could do so he moved forward. "Let''s move! We need to go! Now!" The Magi shouted as he started to move, the tribal people were anxious at first, but they followed suit. Any of the Neuromorphics that tried to attack them were cut down by Riyku. It wasn''t in a flash, but it did show just how fast he was. Faster than all of them at least. To all of them, he was the Apex Predator, their animal instincts had kicked in and told them not to move and just to wait. The Magi passed him up, "You were one of my greatest students, Riyku." He murmured sadly. Jaccs was next, "You better come out of his alive, little brother or I''ll personally go to wherever you are and find you." Jaccs seemed to be giving him an order. Next to follow suit was Jin, "We''ll be waiting. All of us." Jin stated proudly as if he knew his brother was coming out of this alive. Lastly was Mina who was bringing up the rear. She was the final person to pass Riyku. "Riyku I..." She stopped moving for a moment to look up at him. Riyku shifted his glance towards her.


    It was truly unknown how much time had passed. His body was beaten and littered with various wounds. His right arm was missing as if it had been chopped off. He was hunched over, breathing heavily with the blade in his hand that looked like it was well used. His vision seemed to start to blur, yet the eerie aura around him remained. Interestingly enough no blood was spilling from where his arm went missing, yet it was quite clear he could feel the pain. He would turn to plunge the blade into the ground to keep himself from falling. A large amount of various Neuromorphic Beasts laid around him dead; however, the numbers had not decreased. It was almost as if very Neuromorphic in the area had converged to his location. The beasts that circled him were weary, waiting, it wasn''t like the bloodbath earlier. They were cautious of the boy who rocked back pulling the blade from the ground. Tears had stained his cheeks and even puffed up his eyes. The pain was hard to endure, but he hoped he had bought enough time. "I''m sorry everyone. As long as you all get to live I don''t care if I die here. I am only strong enough to buy you all some time. So please, live." He murmured softly, wobbling a bit before falling back.


    Perhaps the creatures did not notice her, or maybe it was because she descended from the heavens; however, Lesia was behind him and caught him against her chest. Her arms were clearly broken since she did not use them to keep him up. Falling onto her rear she let the boy rest upon her body. "L-Lesia?" Riyku murmured weakly as he looked up at the sobbing woman who was just as beaten up as he was, actually no that was not right. He was far worse off than she was. "Yes. Yes, it is me. I won''t let you die alone. If you die, I go with you..." She would hunch over him, her tears falling onto his face. He could tell she was crying, his vision had given out a second ago so he did not catch her sobbing face. "I see... So in the end I couldn''t save you..." The boy would mutter. The Neuromorphics around them were still wary, cautious even of the new person who appeared out of nowhere. Maybe it was due to the high tension or even the fact that the boy was so mysterious they did not know if they could attack right now. "It is okay, Riyku. You''ve done enough. You did your best. Please, rest. You saved a lot of people today." Lesia would smile softly.


    "Do you want to save her?" A distorted voice called into Riyku''s mind. It was warm, seductive, and masculine It was familiar as if he had heard it somewhere before. However, he was too exhausted to try and put a label on it.


    "Do you want her to live?" It called again after some silence went by.


    "Do you want power?" Even though the silence the voice asked another question.


    "Yes," Riyku replied as his eyelids started to close.


    "Even if you are to never return? To never be alive again? To become nonexistent? To be erased?" The voice added in.


    After some silence, Riyku would reply, "Yes."


    "Then repeat after me...." The voice started off.


    "Bleakly!" Riyku shouted at the top of his lungs. His own shadow surge throughout the field expanding far and wide, engulfing the entire village and after a split-second, large thorns spiked up from the black. Piercing through everything in their path from homes to corpses, even the Neuromoprhics that were on their way towards him. Obviously, the ones around him would take the damage as well. Everything except Lesia that was. The thorns that struck anything living or dead started to feast off the blood and heart of what it pierced. When everything settled down it was like a forest of blackthorns, and after a moment the thorns shrunk down back into the black which returned to the boy. Throughout all of this Lesia was confused, unsure of what just happened, but when she felt Riyku''s small hand cup her cheek she shifted her gaze to him. "Live." Was the last thing he said before his arm went limp. The life in his body was... no more.


    Lesia''s eyes went wide. She would grit her teeth before releasing a sorrowful scream filled with sadness and pain. Tears began to overflow like water did when a dam busted. While she was not much older, maybe four for five years older. She felt it to be wrong that someone younger than she died before her. She felt it unfair that she was unable to help him. However, that wasn''t what hurt her the most. It was the final word she was left with. The innocent pure smile upon a boy who was lethally wounded, a boy who used the last of his strength and life force to tell her to live. She sat there with his lifeless form upon her frame crying her eyes out for what could have been hours.


    Coming to a sniffle and after various thoughts and memories had flooded and went through her mind she would shift his body onto the ground. Memories of how they met. Memories of how kind he was to her. How he accepted her and treated her as an equal. How he valued their friendship. So pure and innocent, so warm and kind, so loving and caring. The memories of a boy who cherished her like none other. The thoughts of where to go, and what to do now. The thoughts of how unfair and unacceptable this was. How cruel it was to take the life of someone so bright and pure. It made no sense to her, and she hated it. So many emotions filled her before she finally spoke; "Riyku... Thank you. We''ll come back to bury you. All of us." She said in a sniffling manner as she used her legs to pick herself up. There was a secret location that their village had their people go to in cases of emergency. So that if one group was split off from the other they could find each other. Lesia figured that would be the best place to go to. If no one was there her second bet was the outskirts of the nearby Kingdom.


    Lesia was making her way through the field of death and destruction. The village was clearly no more; and anything that was once living was now dead. "Riyku killed them all?" She muttered to herself. It seemed to baffle her that all of the Neuromorphics are indeed dead. Not a single one was alive. As for villagers well... she hoped some survived. A good portion was among the deceased. Coming towards the southern exit she took note of a large F letter that was made upon the dirt. It was a means of communication between the Fang Tribe. Allow them to help others in the tribe find them. The tail of the F was pointed down the path. The tail was like an arrow that said ''Go this way.'' So Lesia would follow it, then she came into a fork in the path another large F Letter was right before the split. She looked at the tail which told her to left instead of right and that was exactly what she did. The forestry was silent, but not in a dangerous or creepy manner. The silence was almost saddening. As if the forest was crying, mourning even. Thanks to this, Lesia felt no danger as she continued down the path, following the tails of large F letters during her venture. A light of hope was in her eyes, a light that someone of the tribe survived.


    Eventually, Lesia made it into a clearing. Coming out from the disguise of the trees towards a roaring waterfall and a small pond. It was a beautiful sight for nature if one had never seen one. The water was so pure and clear, the air crisp and clean, it was peaceful. Lesia made her way around the edge of the pond to loop towards the waterfall and behind it revealed a hidden pathway. She noticed a large F letter engraved on the stone that was behind the waterfall and with a nod she moved into the tunnel and through it. She had no source of light, nor was she gifted in Mana, so she kept the side of the wall steadily making her way down the tunnel. Keeping her back to the wall since her arms were useless at this point. Thankfully though, her fears of getting lost meant nothing since the tunnel was a one-way trip that eventually showed a soft illumination. She moved off the wall and towards the illumination coming into an opening where several of the villagers and tribal members were at. The Magi, Mina, and Jaccs were on guard since they were looking at the opening. Their eyes widen in surprise and glee when they noticed one of their own had arrived. Anyone could also see the glimmer of hope in their eyes that Leisa brought good news along with her.


    "Lesia!"The Magi greeted her with a soft smile when she made their way up to them. Though his expression shifted he noticed her condition. "Are... you okay?" The Magi inquired to which Lesia exhaled heavily with a shudder. She was relieved that she was among friends and trusted individuals. "Both my arms are broken and I have several broken ribs... So no, I am not; however, that is not what matters right now." Lesia would take a moment to look around at the remaining villagers and tribal members. A frown took to her lips. "So this is all that is left?" She inquired when she noticed that not even half villagers and tribal members were here. It was less than a quarter of the entire village. The Magi frowned as did the others with a downcast. "Yes. Another group was lead towards the outskirts of the kingdom. We sent Jin there after a short rest here." The Magi replied to Lesia who shook her head softly and fell into silence.


    Finally, Mina spoke up, "Umm... where is Riyku?" To this everyone in the tunnel looked towards Lesia. Just hearing Riyku''s name made them remember that he stayed behind to allow them to escape. "He..." Lesia''s words caught at her throat. Jaccs would grit his teeth and the Magi would turn away. Mina knew the words that were to follow, he wasn''t here so it was quite clear that he died. "Liar...." Mina grumbled which caused Lesia to look at her. "Mina." The Magi was about to place a hand upon his grand daughter''s shoulder but hesitated when she shouted. "He''s a liar! He promised! He... He..." Mina started to sob softly and Jaccs wasn''t too far behind her. The villagers and tribal members even held a sadden expression, many of them sobbed and mourned. "I am sorry, I couldn''t save him. He used the last of his energy to make sure that I could live." It was quite clear that Lesia had been crying her eyes out long before coming here. Her eyes were extremely sore and red after all. "We need to give him a proper burial. I promised him that much..." She would add. Mina threw herself towards her grandfather he held her close and brushed her hair comfortingly. Jaccs would nod softly with sniffles and soft sobs. The rest of the villagers and tribal members even agreed in silence to giving Riyku a proper burial. "Who is going to tell Jin?" Lesia spoke up after a good moment of silence. "I will." Jaccs would state rubbing tears from his eyes. "Are you sure?" The Magi and Lesia looked at him as Lesia asked him. "Yeah. I want to tell him. I want to tell him that our brother fought bravely. That he saved all of us. I also want to let dad know as well." Jaccs would steel himself.


    On that day the Fang Tribe lost many. Only a quarter of their entire tribe survived. However, under the leadership of Chief Ire and Jaccs, the tribe was renewed. The Chief passed away some years later due to unknown diseases and Jaccs inherited the tribe. He kept true to the words his brother instilled into him. Bringing the village back to life and leading it. After many years passed and Jaccs, Jin and Mina became older. Jaccs would hand over leadership of the tribe to Jin to go search for Riyku. The reason behind this was that when they went back to find Riyku and bury him, his body was no longer there. While the others gave up on Riyku being alive somewhere, Jaccs did not. The man believed that his brother was alive somewhere. He had made a silent vow that once the village was fully renewed and ready he would hand it over to his younger brother and go out and look for Riyku. Jin stayed in the village, having married one of the Dark Elf princesses'' they had forged an alliance with them so he would look after the tribe, his wife and soon to be a child. As for Mina, she trained hard with her grandfather, when she became older she just vanished all of a sudden. No one knew where she went or what she did. The Magi had grown far too old now, so he remained with the village as their caretaker of sorts. Acting as a doctor and healer.


    As for the rest of the village and tribal members, they all became stronger. Resolved to protect themselves and the village. They had been trained by both the Magi and Jaccs so now they were able to do plenty on their own even fend against Neuromorphics. Well as long as they were in groups of three anyway. The Guarding, Scouting, and Hunting Parties were remade, and the villagers were made to choose what to become proficient in. Jin was head of the Scouting Party, while Jaccs was head of the Guardian party. Of course, with Jaccs out he had planned to hand it over to the Vice-Leader, but that person refused and said that no one was better suited to the leader than Jaccs himself. As for the Hunting Party, Lesia took overhead for that one. She resolved herself to become stronger overall so that she could protect those close to her. So that nothing like that day would ever happen again. She never settled down though, even when others proposal or asked her out she refused. No one knew why, but the main reason was that the person she wanted to be with was no longer around. So instead she decided to inherit his will as well as the final word he gave her, "Live." She muttered to herself while looking out over a clifftop with four other individuals. Looking down at the forestry below. The view was nice and all.

 53 The First Reincarnation

    "The realm of the between." A distorted voice called from the empty black a mixture of feminine and masculine; which caused the child to hastily glance around. He would be unable to distinguish where the voice was coming from though considering it echoed throughout the darkness. "The realm of the between?" Riyku would repeat in question.


    "Yes. You are being judged. If your soul should ascend or descend. We are in the process of that determination. However, the soul should not wake up in the realm of the between. In fact, you being awake as of this moment is abnormal." The voice would reply which caused Riyku''s eyes to widen. "Soul? Ascend? Descend? Are you talking about heaven and hell?" His voice trembled anxiously, unsure of what was going to happen to him.


    "To the mortal concept, Yes." The voice replied which caused Riyku to grasp hold of his frame with both arms as if hugging himself. "So I am dead...?" For a moment there was silence before the voice came over in reply, "You are." Riyku would close his eyes and shake his head softly. "What of my friends and family? Did they live?" Once more a silence befell the darkness, a bit longer than before which caused Riyku to open his eyes and call out again. "What happened to them!?" His voice broke out into demand of anxiety and hope.


    "If you are referring to after the events after your death. They are alive. Tell me though, child, why does their future mean anything to you? You are the one who is dead." The voice answered Riyku''s question. but asked one of its own. "Why? Because I wanted them to live. I wanted them to carry on happily. What happened to our tribe was... not right." Riyku would remark gritting his teeth as he cast his gaze downward when he spoke about what had happened to be not right.


    "If you say so. The actions of mortals are difficult to understand. Even if your friends and family did not die then, they will die eventually. Just as you have. All weak being succumb to those stronger than them. The natural laws of the cosmos have never once changed. The weak will die and the strong will survive. Therefore throwing away your life is meaningless since they will all die eventually anyway." The voice would reply in a monotone state. It wasn''t upset or angry, it was as if there was no emotion. Compared to the voice, Riyku was starting to boil. He could not understand why this thing was being so apathetic. "Why?" Riyku muttered as he glanced down below him in anger. "Why do you view my actions as meaningless? Wouldn''t you want to protect your friends and family? Wouldn''t you want to keep them safe?" Riyku''s voice trembled in anger. He was mad because he did not understand, he did not know that what he was speaking to was a being different from him. Unlike before there was no silence though, a reply was quick.


    "No. As I said. The weak perish and the strong continue on. If someone dies it is their own fault. They should have been stronger than the other. You are no different, mortal. You died because you were too weak. Your deeds to prolong the lives of ''friends and family'' are meaningless because they will die later on anyway. The World known as Gaia is doomed, along with those who live upon it. While that world was brought to ruin because of a Goddess; it was doomed far before the intervention of another entity. The beings living in that world brought it to ruin themselves through famine, war, and death. The only reason that world still survived after it was brought to ruin was that the individual to brought about it''s ruin also attempted to resurrect it. However, that person is far too weak. So his attempt did nothing, but prolong the inevitable. Do you understand now that your actions were meaningless? You''ve only prolonged the inevitable."


    Riyku was stunned, shocked even by what he was just told. He was told by his father and elders that the world was indeed brought to ruin; however, someone returned the world to what it once was. "How? How is Gaia doomed!?" Riyku would exclaim, not necessarily shout; but it was clear he wanted answers. Once more the voice would heed his call.


    "The creatures you call Neuromoprhics. They are creatures born of ruin and vile. Belighted creatures that are far beyond even our control or knowledge. They are not demons, nor are they angels. They are creatures of the abnormal. They take the forms of anything living and become increasingly stronger by devouring the essences of another. Needless to say, they are the sole reason Gaia will fall. It has already been declared that Gaia is doomed. Those creatures will wipe out everything, even themselves. When the last one remains, it will devour the world."


    All of this knowledge was beyond him. Riyku knew the Neuromorphics were bad news. However, he didn''t know that they were that dangerous. He figured it was just another beast that needed to be slain. It was then that he realized something. The voice spoke of a Goddess'' intervention. "Why not intervene? Why not aid the people of Gaia?" Riyku inquired anxiously. There was a short pause before the voice spoke again.


    "There would be no point. We will not repeat ourselves again." The voice would reply before continuing onward. "We have come up with a decision. You are to be sent to an underworld as a demon. While your determination was pure, your actions have caused your soul to be bound to something vile. Therefore, to prevent vile from contaminating the overworlds you will be sent to an underworld. As such you will not be resurrected should you die again. Instead, your soul will wilt and fade into nothingness. Be grateful that we decided to allow you a second life instead of throwing you into the abyss."


    With those words from the voice, a suction effect started to pull Riyku downward. He panicked and began to freak out trying to break free; however, there was nothing he could do. He could not even get out another word before his body was taken into the depths of the inky black. His vision started to blur and his eyelids shut tight. There was no pain; although he did feel queasy. It felt like a whirlwind was tossing him around like a rag doll until he passed out.


    His eyes would slowly flutter open, his blurry vision taken note of a crimson sky filled with ashy flakes. As he started to gain sensation throughout his body he felt something hard beneath him. Turning over he saw he was laying on what looked like black ground. Stone maybe? It wasn''t cold though. A voice called out nearby. "Hey look! Fresh meat!" Sitting up he noticed his body was bare, nude even like a newborn. It caused him to blush softly; however, the blush was not crimson. It was more so blueish. His flesh was not creamy, but instead, it was a soft almost faded purple. He would cover his nethers quickly with his hands. "Back off!" Another voice called out, one that was cruel and held authority which caused soft kissing of the teeth sound. Riyku would glance up to see a lanky man in rags with two broken demonic horns was walking away unsatisfied while another figure clad in pitch-black armor approached him. Two devilish horns could be seen protruding from the helmet. Showing symbolize of a demon.


    "Umm..." Riyku''s voice spoke softly. "Get up, new blood!" The voice shouted as it stomped just before him which caused him to jump onto his feet. "God... I hate this job. Every day it is like this." The person would grumble softly as he looked over Riyku. "Now listen up!" He shouted to get Riyku''s attention which seemed to work quite well. In fact, Riyku found this man to be as intimidating as the aura he gave off. "You were tossed into Underworld, more specifically the Netherworld that is known as Crimson Ash. Why? Because you are one of the most rotten individuals known to live. Your deeds in the Middle Realm have caused you to be brought here. Rejoice if you want that you are given a second chance at life; however, keep in mind that you are in a lawless land. It is survival of the fittest here. Keep your head low and yourself out of trouble and you may live a long life. However, should you try to act up..." The being would notion behind him which caused Riyku to turn and glance out at a sea of screaming painfilled beings. Riyku would grimace at the sight. He could faintly hear their screams so it made sense that he did not hear them earlier.


    "You may end up with them. The Sea of the Damned. While this is a lawless land, there are certain rules we maintain here in Crimson Ash. First, you are to respect the Overlord of Crimson Ash. What does that mean? Well, figure it out on your own. Secondly, you are on your own. Do not expect anyone to come to your aid. Lastly, killing the Overlord of Crimson Ash makes you the new Overlord. That is all. Now get out of my sight before I toss you into the Sea of the Damned." The being would remark with a growl which caused Riyku to nod softly before moving past him covering his nether region with his hands out of embarrassment. Strangely, Riyku wasn''t affected by the being''s cold demeanor as much as one would think he would be. Maybe that was due to his time with the Magi, as well as out on the field with the Hunting Party. Regardless, he was alone and on his own in a world unknown to himself. His first thought was to find some kind of clothing he could use.


    Looking around he took notice that there was a wall covered in moss and thorns, with the only entry and exit being the opening before him. The person from behind was coming up behind him and passing him up to walk to the other side of the opening. Riyku followed shortly after but kept to himself. As he made his way past the opening he saw what looked like obsidian housing and other various buildings. It was as if he stepped into a city itself. Far into the distance appeared what looked like some kind of castle. It was clearly an Overlord''s Castle. There were only soft purple-colored people walking around each having various pairs of horns. Some were clothed, some nude, and some skimpy dressed. What caused Riyku''s cheeks to flush was the fact that some were partaking of debaucherous acts. "Is it normal to do that sort of thing...?" Riyku thought softly to himself, his thoughts coming out in a soft murmur. He had never done such acts before but caught glimpses and sights of it with creatures as well as other races back on Gaia. A sultry voice peered from his side, "Oh my... how cute. Did you just arrive?" When Riyku shifted his head in the direction of voice he saw two voluptuous females. Tall even, probably taller than his father who was a little over 182.88cm (6ft). Their bodies were clad in a see-through grown. Harden nipples could be seen pressed against the soft pink fabric. Small bat-like wings fluttered softly behind them as their tails sensually clung to their thick thighs. Other than the gown they wore no other clothing. Pierces could be seen upon their privates and other areas of their bodies giving off a naughty vibe. Both of them looked alike, giving the term ''Twins'' a nice ring.


    Riyku''s cheeks would fluster a darker shade which made him quickly turn away. His hands still covering his lower region from embarrassment. "That''s cute, you are embarrassed. There is nothing to be scared of baby." The second demonic sister called out after a soft giggle. Their voices alluring to the ear. Riyku would quickly cast his gaze downward. It was then that he noticed one of his hands was not like the other. The arm that was chopped off, it should not have been there. However, it was in fact there. It was replaced by something wicked and powerful. His arm held the skin coloration of his present complexion which darkened into a gray and eventually shifted pure black. Three small barely notable spikes could be seen near the wrist of his arm. One on each side and third on the back of his arm. The tips of his fingers appeared almost extended into talons or claws if you will. Unlike his left arm and hand which appeared more humanoid than anything else.


    Riyku was so taken back by this that he did not hear the voices of the two demonic sisters which he could only view as a succubus. One of them grasped a hold of his right arm which caused him to shift his eyes towards her as she seemed to feel upon his wicked arm. Her face flushed with a soft moan. "Oh my..." She whispered softly as she bit her lower lip sensually. "What is it, sis?" The second sister inquired. "Have a feel." The first replied to the second and handed Riyku''s arm over to her sister who took hold of it. The moment she touched the black of his hand she quivered and damn near let out one of the loudest moans possible. She had to bite it back and release Riyku''s arm which he took with his left hand and stepped away from the two succubi. "So much energy..." She would bring her hands to her face while giving Riyku a psychotic love-struck face. The first sister giggled softly when she saw her twins'' reaction. Her gaze shifted back to Riyku. "We are not going to hurt you. In fact, we just want to take care of you. Let us beautiful older succubus take care of you." The first would lick her lips playfully as she eyed Riyku like a piece of meat.


    Riyku would glance around hastily as if looking for a way out, but it seemed the only way out was through the gate to the Sea of the Damned. "I...I appreciate the offer, but I can take care of myself." Riyku would retort turning back to face the two. "Besides, you should only do those kinds of things with someone you love." He added. Sadly, these meant nothing to the occupants of this world... well netherworld if you will. The two sisters looked at one another before giggling softly, "and we love you. Isn''t that right, Yumi." The first spoke as she eyed Riyku. "Of course, Yumo. We love him dearly." The second replied it was quite clear that those two only wanted one thing. "Don''t worry. We''ll be gentle." Yumi spoke with a playful snicker. Things were looking grim for Riyku until a third voice called out. Strong, proud, and feminine. "I see the dumpsters are at it again. You two just can''t leave men alone... now you are going after someone who just became a demon. Pathetic."


    The twins stopped, their attitude shifted with an annoyed expression as they turned to look back at another demon. In between the two plush bodies, Riyku saw a crimson-haired, ruby red-eyed violet skin tone succubus. Her body was toned, but there was also a sexy vibe to it as well. She wasn''t wearing anything skimpy either. In fact, she was fully clothed, in a crimson skirt and crop-top. Knee-high socks of a lovely black with a crimson coloration of boots to follow suit. Strapped to her slim and sexy waist-line was a thin blade; a rapier if you will. Attached to her back, with the straps resting in between her bust happened to be a fairly large blade as well, probably a bastard or greatsword. Flicking her long crimson hair over her shoulder she would place her hands upon her hips. "Beat it." She called out towards the twins who would grumble inaudible about how this succubus spoiled their fun and moved along.


    Riyku was now left there stark naked with someone who was probably around his age or slightly older. While he did not notice, his body was actually around the age of a young adult. The woman made her way towards him. "Umm..." He was stopped from speaking when the woman placed a finger to his lips to shut him up. Her ruby red eyes scanned over his body from head to toe, taking in everything. There were a plentiful of scars of various degrees and depths upon his torso, arms, and legs. Although what caught her attention most was his right arm. "So this is what I felt. It is probably what drew in the other succubi as well." She muttered before reaching for it, but Riyku stumbled back which caused her brow to raise. "I don''t think you should..." Riyku would mutter in a meek manner. The young woman would kiss her teeth and move forward to grasp hold of his right arm. Her facial expression remained unchanged as she stared into his own eyes which were a soft purple by the way. "Or what? Do you think I''ll succumb like those filthy rags? Ha." She tossed Riyku away a moment later while releasing his arm which caused him to stumble back a bit and fall onto his rear. The young woman would turn away from him, "Come along. It is quite clear that you do not know anything about this place. So I''ll explain everything to you. If you reside here you will be put into a dangerous situation like before." She called back with a strunt in her step; although it was quite clear she was hiding something. A deep shaded blush and trembling of her lower lip. While she put on the tough act it was quite clear that what affected the twins also affected her.


    Riyku did not take note of this, but he did heed her words of being in danger. Besides if she was willing to help him out he wouldn''t just say no. While he thought she was kind and she may have been showing an act of kindness. That sort of thought was naive and would not fly in this world. This was something he would later come to find out. He was not stupid; however, but he sensed no ill intention from the young succubus. Unlike with the other two, as well as the guard and the lanky demon from earlier. He could tell that they had ill intent the moment he saw them, but from her and the look in her eyes, he did not see it. So he decided to trust her, even if that trust was given pretty much blindly. It was better than being left stranded, nude, and without any information on anything.

 54 Safe Haven

    "How pathetic. Never show your face in front of us again, do you understand? Lowly mongrel." The woman''s vocals cut deep, they were sharp and dark. Her face had crumpled into the expression of a killer. This caused the lanky demon to shriek and release his dagger while turning and running off with his tail between his legs. There had been some onlookers, though the eyes only came from the shadows of the city. Most were minding their own business. The woman would sheath her rapier and release a heavy sigh. Her ruby red orbs looking at Riyku who had taken some time to catch up to the information like some sort of laggy computer. "Like I was saying. Keep your guard up. Crimson Ash is a netherworld run by one of the most powerful Demon Lords in all of the Underworld. He fully believes in the survival of the fittest. If you are not willing to do what needs to be done in order to live you will die. Which is why that lesser demon attacked you. I''ll explain more at my establishment. Even if you have good reflexes I doubt you could fend off against stronger foes. Stand by my side for now." The woman would call out as Riyku returned to reality. He had no further words on this matter. Since he thought it to be a waste to toss the dagger he held the hilt firmly in his left hand. Walking on the woman''s right side so that his right arm wouldn''t come in contact with her.


    "Mother, I wanted to ask you something. Why does his arm look like this?" Astraia made her way over to Riyku and grasped hold of his right arm rushing back to place his arm upon the counter. During the short trip, he damn near tripped due to the sudden movement but kept up in the end. "Hm? Arm?" Astraia''s mother was confused for a second, but when she saw the arm her eyes went wide. "Isn''t that... A contracted entity?" The mother''s voice trembled, not out of fear but thrill. Such a wicked and powerful thing was right in front of her. She could feel vile and ruin seeping from it which made her mouth damn near water. The words ''Contracted Entity'' caused silence to befall the tavern. Astraia saw the glance her mother had taken and felt the tension in the atmosphere so she released a heavy breath. There was this ''intent'' that seeped from around Astraia. It was a beautiful crimson aura; though murderous all the same. Riyku shivered softly when he took note of it. "Now look here. If you dare try and touch him, I''ll be sure to toss each of you into the Sea of the Damned. Remember the one rule of this place. That goes for you as well mother!" She would turn to look at her mother who would wipe some drool from her mouth and smile innocently. "I have no idea what you are talking about sweetie." She responded in a nonchalant manner. One could hear the audible gulps of the occupants in the tavern. Another whistled. "Alright, we got it. That''s why we are all here. We just want a safe place to enjoy a meal and a drink. However, he is free game outside of the tavern, right?" Another spoke up which caused the young succubus to sigh heavily and caress the bridge of her nose in annoyance. The aura slowly dimming down and clearing out. The intent fading as well. "If you must; however, he is strong." She wasn''t lying, but she wasn''t being honest either. Riyku was strong, but his ability was only that of a mortal. Riyku would exhale a soft sigh to all of this before looking to Astraia. "Umm... you can let go now." He would comment since Astraia still held onto Riyku''s arm which caused her to blink rapidly before releasing his arm suddenly with a deep shade of blush. Her mother giggled softly as did the other occupants when they noticed this, but no one said a thing as to not anger the ''Princess of Slaughter''. Instead, they returned to their meals, drinks, and conversations.


    "Why don''t you take him upstairs and get him clothed. Your father''s old clothes should fit him just fine." The mother would comment which caused Astraia to turn back towards her and clear her throat while doing so. "Of course, come along." She would take hold of Riyku''s left arm and drag him behind the counter and up the wooden stairs. There were several doors they passed; however, their destination was the room at the end of the hall. Opening it revealed a lovely master bedroom with a King-sized bed and luxurious furniture fit for someone of high class. "Sit here while I find something for you to cover up in." Astraia would state as she went towards some folding doors which revealed a large closet. While she ventured into the closet, Riyku would sit down on a plush black and blue mat which matched the rest of the furniture in this master bedroom. Including the dark wooden walls, ceiling, and flooring.


    Before Riyku''s investigation of this large room could continue it seemed Astraia was already coming out of the closet with a pair of black dress pants, a white button-up shirt, a navy blue dress coat, and a navy blue tie. "It should fit just fine. I already got a good look at your build. So try it on. Also here, put these on as well." She had set the articles of clothing upon the bed before offering him a pair of black boxers. "I''ll step out, when you are finished meet me downstairs. We have much to talk about." She would state before leaving the room, her face had a tint of blush to it. Riyku would sigh softly, and smile gently as he took the clothing in his hand. Watching her leave before putting the boxers on. He would make his way to the suit laid out on the bed. He would stare at them in silence for a moment.


    "I don''t know what is going on... I don''t know who these people are... or even where I truly am. What I do know is that they have decided to help me for some reason... maybe their own gain... but... at least... they are good people." He was sobbing silently as he eyed the clothing. He had been holding in so much emotion. For some reason his soul did not forget his friends or family, it did not forget who or what he had done. The events that transpired had left a deep emotional scar. He had never truly been alone, but now he was. In a place that he knew nothing of, were apparently killing was okay. Astraia had caught a glimpse of him, having peeked through the cracks of the door she could hear the soft sobbing and words he spoke. His words stung her heart; because she knew from the moment she looked into his eyes that he was pure and innocent. That he had never done anything out of ill intent and that he was probably tossed here because of the ''contracting entity''. Stepping from the door she made her way down the steps, a sorrowful expression upon her face which caught her mother''s attention as she descended the stairs. "What''s wrong, my child?" The mother inquired softly. "I... I want to ask you something." She would reply and the mother would nod. "Let''s go into the back of the house. The kitchen should be free so we can talk there." With that, they made their way into the back of the house to talk.


    "Mother, I want him to be a part of our family." Astraia had a serious expression upon her face. Her mother''s innocent caring expression crumpled into a serious one as well. Her eyes peering open revealing a soft crimson glow. "You want to bring him into our family? Why?" Her vocals were different, her demeanor had completely shifted into an alter ego. It made Astraia gulp softly. "I''ve seen his soul. It is pure. He should not be here. Like us, he has been wronged. I can tell just by looking at his body that he did something stupid just to save someone. He isn''t bad or evil." Astraia would stand firm with her reply, her mother still peering over her listening to her, and keeping silent as she thought on what to say. "Very well..." Before Astraia''s mother could continue, Astraia''s expression lit up with joy. "However!" She stopped her daughter with an exclamation. "You are responsible for him. You are to teach him about Crimson Ash, the mannerism, the culture, how things are done. You are to train him and bring him up to par. Remember..."


    "Those of the Burning Ash family are not weak."


    "Those of the Burning Ash family are not weak."


    They both said in sync


    For a moment there was a soft silence before the mother''s expression returned to her normal caring loving expression and she opened her arms to hug her daughter. "As long as you know. We''ll discuss this more after hours, for now, return to him and start teaching him about Crimson Ash." The mother would remark and the daughter would nod softly before releasing her mother and leaving the kitchen. It was there she saw Riyku dressed in the suit sitting on the barstool at the counter. He would have appeared cool and sexy if it weren''t for the lost expression upon his face. "Oh my, that suit fits you quite nicely." The mother would call out with a purr when she saw him which caused his cheeks to flare up. Astraia would clear her throat and elbow her mother''s side. "Anyways, let''s go up to my room. We need to talk." Riyku would blink softly in slight confusion as to why they were going to head upstairs again; although when he looked at Astraia who had a somewhat serious expression upon her face; a nod came from him and he left the barstool and followed up back up the stairs again.


    When they entered her room, he took note of how large it was. The color scheme was crimson and black unlike the dark blue and black in the master bedroom. On the far end of the room was a queen-sized bed with a nightstand beside it. Beside that was a computer desk with a laptop set upon it and the accessories to go with it. To the left of him was a nice looking and filled bookshelf. There was a comfy reading chair there along with a small coffee table. To the right side of him happened to be an armory of sorts. Two large blades were hung upon the wall, then five rapiers upon a rack. There were a couple of practice blades as well. There had also been a weight lifting and workout station in that same area. For a moment Riyku thought this room was larger than the master bedroom, but from the time he was in the master bedroom, it was clear to him this room was smaller. Still pretty large though to fit everything and even a study table in the center of the room as well. There had been a few other doors which were probably closets. Not to mention the dressers and body mirror that was in the same area as the bed. "Come, sit." Astraia would motion towards her bed where Riyku would follow and sit upon the soft comfortable fabrics. She would sit in the computer chair and roll over to him. "Now... I am sure you have heard, but first. My name is Astraia BurningAsh. I am the only child of Astrid BurningAsh and Krowth BurningAsh. Before we continue, let''s get the introductions out of the way. What is your name?"


    Riyku''s gaze was shifted from her face to the side as if he didn''t wish to answer. It was not that he did not remember his name, but more like saying his name did not feel right. "Riyku..." He finally spoke up, the young succubus would cross one leg over the other as she rested against the chair. "Just Riyku?" She asked after his silence with her eyes peering at him. Riyku would close his eyes and shake his head feeling the intensive gaze. The only reason he did not want to say his full family name was because he felt like he would dirty his family if he used it. He recalled the reason his mother called him LunarFang. He was born on the night where the moon was beautiful. A beautiful and elegant name fit for a beautiful and elegant boy. It was a treasured memory, and being in a place that was deemed filthy... he felt it may dirty such a name. It was then he realized what the Magi had said. That he wasn''t using the shadow, but pure darkness. The moonlight could cast shadows, but the darkness generally only showed up during the night. "Riyku DarkFang." He would look up from the ground and reply to her which caused her brow to raise. "DarkFang?" She inquired as to if she were suspicious, which caused some tension to fill the room. Although she gave up on the suspicion and moved on with a shrug. "Fair enough. It fits in this place. Having a strong name can make a difference in this netherworld. Burning Ash was chosen by my mother. It was her full last name because she... well... let''s just say she isn''t someone you want to make angry." Astraia would look away with a wry expression.


    "Anyways." Her face snapped back towards Riyku. "DarkFang should fit just fine. I do not believe anyone else in all of the Underworld has the same last name either. So it is your own unique name." Astraia would smile at him, which caused him to smile lightly even if he had been lying to her. It did sting... creating his first-ever lie. Not once had he told a lie in his entire life, and this one was the first. It did not feel good, the queasiness in his stomach. It made him almost blurt out his own lie. Though he held back because she said DarkFang was a good name. That it fits perfectly for this place. "Now then. I need to ask, have you ever been to school?" Astraia inquired which caused Riyku to give her a puzzled look. "Sssscchh-oooool?" He would try to sound it out. "What is that?" Riyku seemed to have a bit of trouble pronouncing the word as if it were foreign to him. This caused Astraia to blink rapidly in an almost baffled manner. "Umm.. a place of learning, a place where you go to study and train." Astraia would reply to him which caused him to nod in return. "I trained under a Magi. My mother, father, and family taught me everything I needed to know about the world. The Magi trained me in martial arts and how to use my gift. Although, we never called it... umm... school? We just said it was to train or study." Riyku''s reply caused Astraia to nod. Although there was something that caught her attention.


    "Gift? What kind of gift?" Astraia would ask out of curiosity, the expression upon her face even showed it. "The ability to control the shadow." Riyku would reply; that single phrase caused her eyes to go wide. "C-C-Control the Shadow!?" She exclaimed in surprise. This sudden expression caused Riyku to tilt his head to one side in confusion and innocence. "Umm.. yes. Is that bad or something?" This remark from Riyku alerted Astraia of one thing. Riyku was probably a novice when it came to controlling the shadows. She wasn''t wrong in this thought. He did not know the full extent of shadow manipulation. Astraia knew though; someone who mastered the art of the shadow could become a single person army. They could destroy everything in their wake. It was taught in the lessons at school. That sometime during the war between the Overworld and the Underworld a single man emerged alone in the field of battle. He alone fought against the angels and the demons. He alone brought an end to the war; because he was a threat to both of them. That man was known as....

 55 Crimson Ash

    This was why Astraia was so surprised when Riyku said he could control the shadow. Even if he was a novice, she knew that if he harnessed his power and honed his ability he would become an extremely powerful person. Taking a moment to relax; Astraia would lean back against the chair and close her eyes. Riyku would tilt his head to the other side in innocence. "Is there something wrong, Astraia?" Riyku inquired with a bit of concern in his eyes. "No. I would not go as far as to say that something is wrong. Moreover, I am just surprised is all. The ability to control the shadow is an extremely powerful ability. You could also say that it is extremely rare for someone to be able to do so." Astraia would open her eyes after replying to him, examining him over before letting out a soft sigh. "Where did you even get such an ability?" Her expression was a bit more serious than before. Riyku gave a puzzled expression. "I assume by the ability you are referring to my gift, yes? Well, I was born with it." Riyku''s response so normal, as if he were having a conversation; however, the look upon Astraia''s face when he said he was born with the ability to control the shadow... Well, let''s just say she was more than dumbfounded by it.


    Since Riyku seemed to be able to follow along, Astraia would continue. "Infants are considered protected. Nothing can harm them and no one can do anything to them. Babes are slightly protected but can be used as feed for nether hounds and other beasts because their diabolical energy is weak enough to keep the nether beasts from evolving. Children are only protected as long as they work. Of course, their work isn''t anything unbefitting of their age group. Children will generally be told to clean out the dumps, pick up trash, clean up various areas, among other mundane tasks. They are also paid a small wage as well. The same applies to those in the Teens group; however, their tasks are a bit more heavy-duty. They can even enlist themselves for wars if they wish to but are not forced to. Their wage is also higher than that of the Children group. As for Young Adults and higher, well we are not protected. Anything goes with us, and we are forced to be drafted for war if called upon. In addition to that our work can be anything from mundane tasks to more of what you probably caught glimpses of on our way here. We get paid nonetheless. The currency is called EC which stands for Essences Credit." Astraia would take a moment to let Riyku process everything he was told, and if he had any questions he would ask.


    Ask he did it would seem; "I got everything. I can understand the age group thing as well as the protective barrier. However, why are babes allowed to be sacrificed as feed? That just seems wrong..." When Riyku brought this up Astraia would give a soft smile, not because she wanted to explain it, but because he seemed to care. Unlike most in the Underworld, he genuinely found something wrong with this. She even agreed that it was wrong to use babes as feed. "As messed up as this sounds. It is because babes are in the proper age group where their diabolical energy is enough to keep the nether beasts fed while keeping them from evolving into something greater. Infants have little to no energy and anyone older tends to have enough to evolve a nether beast." When Astraia finished explaining Riyku would shake his head. "What is wrong with nether beasts evolving?" He knew nothing of the Underworld after all, though he could almost hazard a guess that it was a bad thing. Astraia would cross her arms under her bust and sigh softly. "Generally speaking, nothing. As long as the beasts keep to themselves. I guess I''ll have to explain this one as well. There are five evolutions to a nether beast. The first is their base form. How they were born. As they feed on rich diabolical energy they evolve. Their second form is a heighten in power and increase in size. Their third is an increase in knowledge and wisdom. Their fourth is an increase in all of the previous aspects as well as being able to actually communicate; and their final evolution allows them to take on a more... humanoid appearance if you will. However, it also boosts everything about them including any abilities they had. Making them extremely dangerous. For example, should you see an oversized netherhound that can talk it means they are on their fourth evolution, but when they reach their fifth they will most likely look like a cross mix between a hound and a humanoid." When Astraia finished explaining; Riyku would sigh softly and massage his forehead as if the information he was taking in was a bit to process.


    It was, from age groups to nether beasts. Even coming to know that his gift was actually an extremely rare ability. Though it occurred to him, something he had yet to ask about. His eyes glanced at his right hand. The pitch-black wick looking claw. "Your mother said something about Contracted Entity... What is a Contracted Entity?" Riyku inquired as he studied over his hand. Astraia would take a moment to think of the best way to answer his question. After all, it did make sense to want to know more about himself. "Let''s see... Think of a Contracted Entity as a second soul. Someone you''ve bound yourself with through a Contract. They allow you to use their power in return for something they desire. The desires of the entity differ between each one. Some simply want to be amused while others will want the host they are contracted to. However, to form a contract with an entity is no easy feat. First, both parties must be willing to bind into one. Second, the Contractor must be capable of withstanding a second soul being inside of them, that being the Contractee. Lastly, the chances of the contract even going through are extremely slim. After all, it is a binding of two souls living in a single body. Which is why Mother was surprised as much as I was. When did you even get into the contract?" Astraia inquired with curiosity after she finished explaining. Riyku who was listening to her explanation would look up from his arm towards her when she asked her question. He would take a moment to think about it, not truly remembering when he had formed such a contract.


    It then dawned upon him. What the Magi said about him making some kind of pact or whatever using the Darkness itself. "I... am not too sure." He would give a wry expression. Technically, he was not lying; but neither was he being honest. He truly was not sure, especially if what he did was considered to be a Contract. He didn''t even know what kind of Entity this thing was. He didn''t know the name of it, nor did he know its face or anything about it. He just thought he used a power that was far beyond his control and the price to pay was his life. However, maybe there was something more. Maybe he had formed a Contract with an Entity, and maybe that the price to pay was something entirely different. Astraia''s brow arched to his response, "You are not sure? Like you do not know? That is strange..." Astraia would remark before going into thought on if he truly did not know. "Can you recall anything?" She would inquire. After all, it wasn''t strange for people to not remember much of their previous life. Her curiosity was clearly piqued though. "Well... I used an incantation in order to increase my power. Although... maybe I did something completely different." Riyku would scratch his cheek with a faint smile. "I just wanted to protect them. I didn''t know nor did I care about what would happen to me." He would add with a soft sigh. Astraia''s expression softened. Seeing how he looked. It was quite clear that he did not form such a contract for anything evil. There was no reason to further ask about it either. She gained all she wanted to know. In fact, she already knew it. Just asking these questions confirmed everything.


    "Very well. Let''s move along. I have a proposition for you. I have already talked it over with Mother and we decided that we will let you stay here. However, it will not be for free. Food, housing, clothing all these things costs EC. As such, you will need to find a way to make EC. If you agree to help us we will help you." Astraia would lean forward slightly awaiting an answer. Riyku was a bit stunned. The way Astraia was speaking made it seem odd compared to what the man at the gate said. "Umm..." Riyku would cast his gaze downward for a moment since he was a bit unsure of what to think of the situation. "It sounds like a good deal. Although... I know nothing about this world or how it works. I doubt I could read the text. I was unable to even read the sign outside above your shop." Riyku would retort which caused Astraia to blink for a moment in confusion as if it took a moment for her to process what she just heard. "Wait, you can''t read... I am assuming you are unable to write either, huh? Were you just brought here?" Astraia was a bit taken back by what she was just told; however, everything was being pieced together. If he truly had just arrived it would make sense. From being nude and having nothing to nearly become a sex slave. The pieces fit perfectly. He really did just arrive here. Riyku would nod lightly, and now Astraia would caress the bridge of her nose in slight annoyance. "I see. Well, we can catch you up to speed. I mean I can just teach you how to write and read. You will need to learn how to write and read before you can attend my school after all. In fact, you will need to become stronger. I will not deny the fact that you are strong; however, you are only slightly stronger than the average demon. Against anyone else, you will fall. As such, I will also be training you in martial arts." Astraia would reply as if she already took Riyku''s answer as a yes he will accept her terms.


    Riyku would glance up at her, seeing her expression made him smile softly. It looked like she was mulling over in thought about what to do about him. How to teach him and what she was going to teach him. He took it as a sign that she cared, and he was not wrong. To some extent, Astraia did care. "I will leave it up to you, Astraia. Thank you very much!" Riyku would exclaim with a joyous and innocent smile. Astraia saw the brightness coming off of his face, it was so pure and bright that it made her blush lightly. Such a smile even tugged at her heartstrings. ''Why are you here? You deserve so much better...'' Astraia thought to herself. She could see just how wrong it was for him to be here. She may not have truly known what had happened to him other than what he let on, but even then it made no sense for him to be here. Even if there was the Contracted Entity. Would he have used the power for evil? She could not see it. There was just too much purity in those eyes of his. So much so that she did not realize that, that smile was the first time she felt such an emotion known as love.


    Clearing her throat to try and place her own attention on something else; Astraia would lean forward, in fact, she would push from her chair and stand in front of Riyku. "I would like to try something... if that is okay with you." She would comment her expression showed as if she had just resolved herself for something. Riyku''s expression was lit up with confusion. "Try something? Well, I don''t mind... I suppose." Riyku would reply. He trusted her even if such a trust was naive to give freely. Astraia would lean towards him and press a hand to his chest while steadily slowly straddling him. A soft blush touched his face when he made note of how intimate this position was. "Umm... Astraia..." Riyku would murmur softly as he looked back up at her, taking note of how close her face was and how comfy the fabrics of the bed felt as he laid upon them. "I will not harm you. I just want to try and exchange information with a spell. It will not hurt, you have my word." Astraia would hunch over him a hand coming to his cheek. Her own face was flushed with how intimate they were. She did not understand why this thought came to mind as she never once tried it with anyone else; however, she felt it would be okay with him. That he would not try to take advantage of her. "It''s not that... I... Well... I don''t think you should do this sort of thing with someone unless you love them." Riyku would turn his eyes away trying to avoid eye contact since he was embarrassed.


    These words only confirmed how safe she was now. A soft smile painted along her face as she pressed her forehead against his own. "I appreciate that. Thank you, Riyku." She whispered softly as she closed her eyes. Without incantation, she used her own diabolical energy to exchange information with him through the mind. Since it required an intimate space like this one, and for both parties to be willing; Astraia never tried it with anyone else. Mainly because she heard rumors that people took advantage of others who did this because there was no going back until the exchange was complete. Riyku could feel a flood of information coming into his mind. The language of Crimson Ash, the text of Crimson Ash, the mannerism of Crimson Ash, the workings of Crimson Ash, everything that Astraia knew... it was flooding his mind. This netherworld was a lawless land with the only true rule being survival of the fittest and yet... he did not understand why Astraia was providing him with such help. When Astraia finished the exchange of information she would open her eyes to look at him with a smile upon her face. "Thank you, Riyku." She would thank him again in a soft tone before kissing his cheek and removing herself from him. The kiss caused the stunned Riyku to blush brightly.


    The flush that was upon her face had vanished and offered a hand to help him up. "Now, I think we should get started on training. I got a pretty good read on your combat ability from what I took from you. I did not pry too much since it would be rude. I only took what I needed." Astraia explained a bit about what she learned about him. Riyku would take her hand and sit up only to stand up with her. "I see..." It was quite clear from the look and unclear tone of his voice that he still did not know what just happened. This caused her to giggle softly since she found it cute. "I''ll tell you more about it later. For now... It seems to me that you only know how to use three types of weapons. A short sword, daggers, and a polearm. As such, I will train you on how you use long swords, greatswords, and rapiers. My mother knows how to use a bow so I will see if she will train you with one. Of course, you should not let your own skills with short swords, daggers, and polearms go untrained either. So we will find a way to keep those in your training schedule. Since I shared the basic principle with you, you should know the basics, but we will go through them along with other methods as a means to hone them into your body. As for studies; I can share those with you at least until I find that you are ready to attend the school." Astraia would explain while leading Riyku over to the training area. Riyku would not say anything, but he would smile and nod. He could see she meant well and would accept her offer to train. Although the whole information exchange thing would take some time to get used to.

 56 A new life

    The day his family and tribe were ransacked, the day he lost his mother, it was on that day that a void had opened in his heart. This happy new life filled that void even if these two were not his family. He knew they could never replace his family and tribe, but it eased the pain a lot just to know that there was someone who cared about him. That there was someone waiting for him, that there was someone he could talk to and smile with. These two wonderful women were the reason he could smile as he did.


    Upon making his way down the stairs and towards the entry/exit of the shop he came across Astrid who had just come inside from flipping the sign to ''open.'' She clashed into Riyku and almost fell backward; however, Riyku caught her by the waist to keep her from collapsing upon the flooring. "Are you okay, Astrid?" Riyku asked with a concerned expression; however, At that moment Astrid mistook Riyku''s voice for someone else. Her face flushed and her eyes went wide. "Krowth?" She murmured softly. Her husband, Krowth was murdered several years ago; before Safe Haven was a thing. Krowth was a strongwilled, warmhearted, and brave person. He was far too faithful and even when someone tempted him he shut them down. He was more angelic than demonic if one had to put a label to it. Riyku''s brow would arch for a moment as he took a moment to realize that Astrid mistook him for her late husband. He heard from Astraia that Krowth died protecting them several years ago from a tier four nether dragon. A soft smile touched his lips and he pulled Astrid into a comforting embrace. "I am sorry. I am not Krowth; however, I am here should you ever need anything." Riyku would respond in a comforting manner. Astrid was a bit shocked by this gesture. Truth be told, Astrid only ever teased and taunted Riyku simply because she enjoyed his reaction and blushing face. It was cute. So to be on the receiving in was another thing entirely, even if Riyku was not teasing or taunting her. He was providing her with care and comfort. She felt her heart skip a beat and ended up holding him back. "Just... for a moment," Astrid spoke softly, not towards Riyku; mainly towards herself.


    When the moment was up, Astrid would release him and he did the same before she stepped back with a soft shaky breath. She had done her best to compose herself. "Sorry to keep you, Riy. You need to be off to the Academy." Astrid would comment with a lingering sadness in her eyes. Riyku would shake his head to her comment as if to disagree with her. "Whenever you need someone you can call on me. Be it someone to vent to or just someone to hold." Riyku would smile warmly after replying to her which caused her sadness to fade and a soft smile to form across her lips. "Of course. Thank you." Astrid would reply before stepping past him and smacking him on the back. "Now get going, no need for you to be late!" She exclaimed with a voice filled with joy. Clearly, Riyku was able to cheer her up. Riyku would chuckle lightly and nod before heading out the door. "See you later, Astrid!" Riyku would call out as he made his way down the road, passing up nearby shops and other places. There were so few people out in the mornings. Only the occasional worker or beggar.


    Since the Academy was just past the residual area getting there was easy. Many of the students came flying in, putting their wings away as they landed; however, Riyku decided to walk simply because he saw no reason to fly. Walking was a good exercise as well. Although, he could not shake this feeling that a lot of the students were looking him over and gossiping about him. He took a glance at his right arm which looked exactly like the left. ''I hope that seal is working. Astrid and Astraia worked so hard to keep the power suppressed...'' He brought his hand up to scratch his cheek as he recalled exactly what they had to do. It was not anything sexual; however, their heated faces and paced breathing made it appear as such. All they did was cling to his arm and absorb the energy while layering their own energy on top of it as a means to keep the energy from leaking. This seemed to cause the arm to look ''normal.''


    Riyku awakened from his little daydream when he heard a voice call out to him. "Hey, You!" At first, he thought that the person who called out to him was calling out to someone else so he glanced around him. "You, the one looking around like an idiot!" The person called out again which caused him to recenter his attention. Apparently, the voice was calling out to him. He took note of a black haired pretty boy approach him. Standing beside him happened to be two other figures both male, but not as... interesting as the pretty boy. "Umm... May I help you?" Riyku would inquire with a puzzled expression. "You are not from around here. Are you new? I have not seen your face. Which netherworld did you come from?" Instantly Riyku was bombarded with questions from the pretty boy which caused him to give a wry expression. He brought his hands up as a means to defend himself and tell the guy to take a step back since the guy was getting a bit too close for comfort. "I am new. As for what netherworld..."


    Riyku recalled that Astraia told him that some people like to compare their power levels based on the netherworld they grew up in. Since Crimson Ash was a lawless land most figured Crimson Ash was where the evilest showed up. Astraia informed him that such was a misconception and that the most ruthless netherworld in all of the Underworld was none other than... "Oblivion." Riyku would respond in a nonchalant fashion. Astraia even informed him that when he said where he was from that he should say it like it was nothing special. Since it could bring a ''certain'' image to the others who inquired about it.


    The pretty boy and his companions suddenly began to shiver and step back slowly. "I-I see... Oblivion, is it? W-Well enjoy your stay." The three showed signs of fear as they made their way off to interrogate someone else. Riyku watched them make their way towards another person, someone who looked meek and timid. It was a small boy who looked fragile. Riyku could see how uncomfortable the boy looked which caused him to sigh softly and make his way over to them. "I don''t think you three should do this kind of thing." Riyku would call out. The pretty boy would turn around with an annoyed tone of voice, unaware of who it was that called out to him, "And how do you--" He paused when he saw it was Riyku who had approached them. "O-Oh.. you... umm... Is this one already yours?" The pretty boy inquired with a shiver. "Mine?" Riyku would repeat. It was then he remembered something else that Astraia had taught him.


    Astraia did say that people in Crimson Ash would often claim others to be their slaves for various purposes. When he heard it back then it set him off. He found the act of slavery disgusting. Though Astraia did say that if he viewed slavery as such, then he should take in slaves as a means to keep them safe since most people would leave those slaves alone. Even then Riyku detested such, but if he could save someone and keep them from getting hurt he would. "Yes. He is mine. So back off." Riyku would glare and darken his tone something which was something Astraia also taught him which sent the three packing leaving to enter the school as if to get as far away from Riyku as possible. Riyku would turn back to the timid and weak boy. "What''s your name?" Riyku inquired of the boy who shuffled in place with a downcast gaze. Riyku''s voice softened to normalcy along with his glance. The boy had not spoken a word since he was approached by the previous three. "S-Solarus..." The boy would reply softly. Riyku would nod lightly and extend his hand outward. "Nice to meet you Solarus. My name is Riyku." A smile would curve across Riyku''s voice which Solarus caught when he looked up. It wasn''t like any of the other smiles he had seen. Even when some came rushing to help him out just like Riyku did just now. This smile was different. It was warm. "R-Riyku..." However... Solarus could not easily trust Riyku. It made sense considering Solarus was beaten, bullied, and abused by his peers and others over the course of his life for being timid, meek, and having a ''feminine body''. "Thank you, but I think I will go my own way." Solarus would hurry along, and Riyku would watch the boy runoff, his smile slowly fading away since he caught a glimpse of the look in Solarus'' eyes.


    Riyku had collected what he needed from the main office and was now waiting outside of his classroom to be introduced. While he may have been composed and collected on the outside he was excited and thrilled. He had never been to a school before. So this was a first for him. On the inside of the classroom, he could hear the Instructor speak. "Alright listen up class! Today we have a new student. He is a transfer, and as per usual I am not allowed to say from where. What I can say is what I will always say. Be careful! Alright, come on in and introduce yourself!" The Instructor was a lovely platinum-haired beauty. The term succubus fits her perfectly. From top to bottom even the uniform complimented her curves. When Riyku heard that he was to come in, he would make his way inside of the classroom. While he overlooked the class filled with at least fifteen individuals they also looked back at him. Some of them had heart eyes, while others looked annoyed. Some just shifted their glance elsewhere. One of those fifteen gave him a smile and wave. It was Astraia, the other had looked down suddenly. It was Solarus. "Introduce yourself." The Instructor would state.


    Riyku would recall how Astraia instructed him to introduce himself. Just be yourself, but keep where you came from to yourself. Riyku would bring a hand up to wave at the others, a warm smile curved across his face. "Hello everyone. My name is Riyku DarkFang. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope that we can all get along." With that, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Instantly some viewed him as an easy target. A few of the girls thought he was cute, while some thought he was hot and sexy. Others went on about their day. Riyku saw that the three from earlier were in the same class as him and so they happened to be the only three to actually back down which caused him to scratch his cheek lightly. "Well, with that out of the way take your seat by Little Miss Princess of Slaughter." The Instructor would; well, instruct even if her tone of voice shifted when she mentioned Astraia. Riyku would follow with a nod; though he was concerned and confused by the tone the Instructor took up when she mentioned Astraia. Taking a seat beside Astraia and turning to her with a smile. "So we have the same class as well. How lucky." Riyku would comment with an innocent chuckle. Astraia would giggle wryly as if trying to hide something. In truth, she had something worked out in the background so that he was in the same class as him. After all, she had top ranks in everything so she was given special treatment.


    "Alright. As I said last week. We are going to go over how well you all fair when it comes to Black Magic formulations, Black Magic Spells, and the conversion and control of Diabolical Energy. As such..." The Instructor would inform before snapping her fingers. A bright red circle with various formulas and text spread throughout the room and lifted from the ground as if to scan over them. A bright light would encompass the entire class and within a second they were transported outside to some kind of training field where dummy targets were positioned at a great distance from them. The Instructor would make her way in front of them as she explained that this was an evaluation test and that they were going to be graded. Riyku was glancing around almost like some kind of tourist since this sort of thing was a first for him; however, the class was looking at the Instructor. Astraia had caught Riyku looked around in awe so she nudged him. "It is known as Mass Teleportation which teleports several people inside the field to another location. Now pay attention." Riyku would listen to Astraia''s explanation with a nod before shifting his attention towards the Instructor.


    "Now then... as I call your name line up at the marker. When I tell you to use a certain spell you will fire it at the target. How you do so is entirely up to you. First off... Alex, Rue, Mora, Aria, and Jet. You five are first. Step up." As she called out five students took their place at each marker. Four females and one male. "Hellfire Magic. Go!" The Instructor called out and the five started to chant with incantation before a mixture of purple and crimson flames took over the hand they seemed most dominant in. They tossed the flames at the respective practice target. Jet and Mora seemed to the best, while Rue and Aira did the worst. Alex was in the middle. Jet and Mora hit their target perfectly but only hit one each. Mora and Aira had completely missed their target, in fact, their flames went out midway. Alex barely made it, but the flame had diminished over time as it flew through the field. The Instructor was jotting everything down. "Good job as always Jet and Mora. Rue and Aira you two need to work on how much energy you put into your spell. Shorter incantations are not always better. Alex, your incantation is just fine; but just add a bit more energy into your spell and you will do just as well as Jet and Mora. Alright, dismissed!" After a briefing, the Instructor would send those five back to the rest of the class who would talk amongst themselves for a moment while the Instructor decided who was going to be next.


    "Up next! Solarus, Astraia, Yulius, Joon, and Riyku. You five are up next." As the Instructor called the five of them went up to their marker. Everyone was curious about what Riyku was capable of, even Solarus. So all eyes were on him even the Instructor. "Alright. Hellfire Magic. Go!" The Instructor commanded when everyone was in place. Yulius and Joon were the first to chant their incantations as well as the first to release their spell. Yulius was that pretty boy while Joon was one of his followers. Their magic was on par with Jet and Mora''s but it split off into two bolts; each smacked into one of the second marks like the head or arm/hand part for example. Solarus was next, but it seemed his magic did not even come out even after his longer incantation. Astraia was next, "Burn my target, Hellfire!" Her incantation was short but powerful. Her flame was a vivid crimson and purple with a hint of black in the middle which split off into three bolts as they were sent at the target. One for the head, one for the body, and one for the leg.


    No matter how many times Riyku saw it, it was impressive. Black Magic was similar to Spells back on Gaia. The way of the chant and the visual aspect. The shorter an incantation was; was generally better. An incantation was mainly a means to help one visualize their spell. Astraia usually had short incantations and he found it just as impressive now as he did the first time she showed him. Although now it was his turn to impress her. He had done some training in secret so surely she would be surprised by what he was just about to do. When he found out that using a Spell and using Black Magic was pretty much the same basic concept it made visualizing the magic he wanted to use easier. It was just like how he used his shadow manipulation spells. Bringing his right arm near his heart; he closed his eyes and started to visualize what he wanted his Hellfire to be. He would dive deep down to get the picture of what he wanted it to be and when he found it his eyes would shot open. That was when everything started. The gasps, the surprised looks, and even the looks of those who were impressed.

 57 Love versus Lus

    The flame that was sent towards the dummy suddenly split off into five smaller bolts. One for the head, one for the left and right arm/hand, and one for the left and right leg. Riyku followed up his first volley with a second was he brought his right arm up towards his chest in an upward motion. Releasing the last of the flame which split into another five bolts and smacked into their respective marks. Once he finished he released a soft breath of relief since he hit his intended targets. It was only then he noticed how silent it was around him. His eyes shifted around to catch sight of a few jaws that had dropped and some who were extremely impressed. Astraia had just recovered from her awe in which she gave Riyku to smirk and an approving nod. You could also see in her eyes that she was saying, ''I want an explanation later.''


    "He does not. He is from Oblivion and I have been helping him out since he arrived here." Astraia spoke up out of nowhere. All eyes shifted towards her at that moment, even Riyku''s. He was surprised because she was the one who told him not to say where he came from when he introduced himself. ''Did she foresee something like this happening?'' Riyku thought to himself when he wondered why she decided to speak up about where he was ''supposedly'' from. "He has almost no recollection of what happened to him in Oblivion. All he remembers is mostly his name. When I decided to train him even I was surprised to find out just how strong he was. So, there is no doubt in my mind his strength comes from within himself." Astraia would state. The Instructor took a moment to process the information given before releasing a hefty sigh and dismissal wave with her hand. "If you say so. Still... that would also mean that Riyku far exceeds your own expectations does he not?" The tensions in the area; was still heavy even with everything cleared up. "He does." Astraia would respond to the Instructor with a smirk painted across her face. "I see..." The Instructor took a moment to process the information before dismissing the present five and calling upon the final five.


    The last five were too starstruck by what just happened to be able to concentrate on the task before them and each of them ended up failing terribly. They were dismissed for a short break; afterward, and even when the entire class was regrouped there were only murmurs and whispers. Even without the words of who or even what they were speaking of, it was quite clear that they were talking about Riyku. Astraia would come up behind him and laced an arm around his neck while hunching over and looking at his downcast face. "Why the long face, handsome?" Astraia would tease which caused him to chuckle lightly. It was clearly an inside joke since most of the patrons at the Tavern went from calling him cutie to handsome. "Just confused I suppose." Riyku would reply with a lackluster tone. Riyku appreciated that Astraia was trying to cheer him up, but well... Astraia knew Riyku was upfront and honest. So she could easily tell what was bothering him. Swinging around to the front side of him she would move to gather his face in his hands and lift it towards her own. "There is nothing wrong with being strong. People tend to isolate themselves from those who are strong out of fear. Even if you want to befriend them, they will fear you because you are strong; but remember that there is nothing wrong with being strong. You sought strength to protect those you cherished. There is nothing wrong with that. Even if everyone fears you because you are strong, I will remain at your side, because I know who you truly are." Astraia spoke with encouragement and comfort. Her soft smile aided in bringing a smile to Riyku''s face. He did not know what he was feeling, because he never felt this way before. It was a new type of feeling. However, it seemed Astraia knew what it was that he was feeling to the point. She even pinpointed it and everything. The feeling of isolation. "Thank you." Riyku would press his forehead to Astraia''s while simply standing there. He wanted to wrap his arms around her at that moment, embrace her close; however, he did not. It was unknown as to why he decided not to. Alas, that may have been for the better considering the looks they were getting.


    "Are they dating!?" Someone called out which caused everyone to start to speak up in turn. A deep blush took to Riyku''s face; and a softer one to Astraia''s. "No... We..." Before Riyku could finish speaking up, Astraia interjected herself her tone shifting to something more serious. "And if we are? What are you going to do about it? Fight us? You saw what he is capable of, and you already know just how strong I am. So, I dare you to come at us!" Astraia was bold with her statement. Those around them suddenly became quiet and heavy tension once again started to rise. Riyku was confused as to why the tension was so high. Was there a problem with if they were dating? Riyku did not know. That dating in the Underworld was considered a joke. That dating was considered to be a sinful and terrible thing to do. It was the worst thing anyone could do; because it meant that two people monopolized each other. They were not available and when something or someone was no longer free game others ended up wanting it. Which usually caused the two who were dating to experience far worse things than death. Astraia knew though. She knew because it was the reason her father died protecting them. Someone had set Krowth up saying that they wanted to celebrate his ''rebellious will'' together, but in the end, they tried to violate Astraia and Astrid while forcing Krowth to watch. Krowth killed everyone, but someone had unleashed a tier four nether beast as a last-ditch effort to kill Krowth and his family. Krowth died saving his family that day, which was why Astraia knew that dating, marriage, and love were only considered a joke by those in the Underworld. This was also one of the reasons she trusted Riyku so much. She knew just how much Riyku cherished love. Just how much she valued such an emotion.


    "Wow... Congratulations then~" Someone called out in a sassy manner. "Yeah, good for you two." Another person would add. Following up were snide remarks about love, marriage, and couples along with degrading laughter and giggling. Astraia had her back towards Riyku, her body trembling with anger. Anyone could see just how pissed she was. However, before she could get out any words a voice darker than the night itself came forth.


    "You think love is a joke?"


    Riyku had placed a hand upon Astraia''s shoulder, her eyes shifted towards him to catch the glint of anger in those normally calm and joy-filled eyes of his. "I pity you in that case. It means you were never truly loved by anyone. You never experienced the affection of someone who truly cares about you. You never knew how joyous love could be. The rapid beating on your heart when you think of someone you love. The butterflies in your stomach when you are around them. The warmth and comfort you feel when you hold them. How relaxed you become when you hear their voice. Their smile... everything about them." Riyku would place a hand to his heart. "Love is power. Love is strength. Love is bravery. Love is... a miracle." As Riyku went on the memories of him enjoying a warm filled life with his friends and family came to mind. He the memory of Mina, when he held her and told her he loved her. The memories of Astrid and Astraia as well; how warm it felt with them around. How joyful his life was thanks to them and how he did not feel alone. He had come to cherish both of them over the year. Astraia could tell just from how he spoke that he knew just how strong the emotion of love truly was. Her heart skipped a beat several times as she watched him. She could tell just how much he cherished those he loved. "Riy..." Astraia spoke softly as she reached for him. Riyku would turn towards her and soften his expression into a smile. "Everything will be fine. I am stronger now." Riyku would reply while placing a hand upon her own which rested on his arm.


    A silence had befallen the area. Many were stunned by what Riyku had just said. Someone as powerful and strong as him proclaiming such was... baffling to them. Although the impression was different from awe; no it was more like an overwhelming disgust. Before another word could get out the Instructor had called for attention. "Well well, look at what we have here. I think it''s time for the second phase of today''s class. Mock battles. As you all know most battles are done in groups of three and each group goes one time. However, I think we will do things a bit differently." The Instructor''s lips would grin into a devious and wicked grin. "Riyku and Astraia will battle against the rest of the class. The winners get to do whatever to the losers. No questions asked. The battle will be called once either side has been incapacitated or gives up. Since this is a simple Mock Battle. Killing is not allowed." With these words from the Instructor, the majority of the class roared with thrill and excitement. Solarus had been the only one to shy away from this sort of thing. When he heard Riyku''s speech about love earlier, he knew that Riyku''s will to help was genuine. He knew at that moment that Riyku wasn''t like the other demons. However, there was nothing he could do to help Riyku. So he shuffled away from the commotion and backed out to watch from the sidelines.


    As for the trio they were just as thrilled as the rest of the class. The guys were licking their lips just as deviously as the girls. It was quite obvious what thoughts were going through their minds and the Instructor seemed to just snicker. "This is why I hate the Underworld..." Astraia would grit her teeth. She knew that these sorts of things were allowed in the Underworld. Crimson Ash while it was a lawless land, was not much different from any other Netherworld. Anything went in the Underworld. Some Netherworlds were had a few rules and regulations like Burning Canyon and Crimson River, but overall they were all pretty much the same. The Instructor herself was just as thrilled to be able to get back at Astraia. It was quite clear she had some kind of grudge against Astraia. "Two against Thirteen?" Riyku inquired in a confused manner.


    "What you can''t handle it?"


    "Show us this power of love you speak of!"


    "Yeah, prove us wrong!"


    The jeers rang up which caused Riyku to frown. He did not know why things turned out his way. What he did know was that he needed to protect Astraia. He saw the look in those eyes before... when he first came here with those two succubi. It was the same lustful craving. "Without further ado, Begin!" The Instructor shouted and the battle started. Since Solarus decided to stay back it was twelve against two. Joon, Yulius, Jet, and Mora were chanting Black Magic while the rest of the class charged forward. Riyku would grit his teeth and push Astraia behind him. Swiftly he brought his right and left hand around. "Hellfire! Dark Ice!" Riyku would exclaim a navy blue and black mist engulfed his left hand, and a crimson, violet, and black flame engulfed his right. He swung his left arm around which released onyx colored Ice Shards at those charging towards him before bring his right hand upward with an underhand throw to toss the Hellflame which split into four bolts that were aimed at Joon, Yulius, Jet, and Mora. Astraia would have simply watched from behind Riyku if she just a damsel in distress, but that wasn''t how she was. She was chanting behind him and when she finished a black orb sat around her. Although she wouldn''t stop there, she started up another chant, and each time she finished the incantation she started another one. Each time she finished an incantation another black orb would appear.


    Joon, Yulius, Jet, and Mora would have been hit by the attack if it wasn''t for the Instructor''s intervention. She had brought up a Magic Barrier around them just before the four bolts were supposed to hit their intended targets. As for the Ice Shards, a few students were hit and frozen in place; however, the rest continued the charge. Riyku''s eyes shifted towards the Instructor in distraught. "Why!?" He exclaimed with confusion which only brought a giggle from the woman. "I am curious just how strong that pitiful emotion you call love can outlast against lust." The Instructor would lick her lips while eyeing him like a piece of meat. Since Riyku was distracted by the Instructor he did not realize just how close the students who took to melee range were. A crude mistake on his part. Through summoning circles, their weapons would appear. Some using daggers, some using shortswords, and some longswords. There wasn''t time to draw any weapons, no time to evade, or call upon magic either; his only option was to take the damage so he stretched out his body to cover Astraia and grit his teeth in preparation for the damage, however...


    "Disgusting..." A voice came from behind Riyku. It was low and filled with annoyance. Shortly afterward a body surged forward past him and disrupted the incoming attack while sending those who charged at Astraia and Riyku; back to the rest of the class. A large bastard sword was being dragged in a circle as Astraia turned to look at Riyku. Her blade overflowing with a black flame, the same flame that was attached to the students who were crying in pain and fear. "To think an Instructor would willingly take sides. I suppose that makes sense considering the person you are, you filthy hag." Astraia would shift attention towards the Instructor with a glare when she spat her venom, but only after giving Riyku a caring smile. "Filthy hag!?" The Instructor exclaimed with anger. "I''ll show you, Princess of Slaughter! When the day is done you were be nothing more than a semen dump!" With those words, the Instructor began a short incantation that seemed to empower the other students. Crimson auras swirled around them and those who were frozen solid thawed out instantly. The black flame was also put out to those who were inflicted with it.


    "Riyku..." Astraia shifted her glance back towards Riyku who was still awestruck by what just happened. "Whatever happens. Do not use its power. Remember, the stronger you become; the stronger they become. The first time you tried to use their power you almost lost yourself. So please, do not use it. No matter what, okay?" Astraia would request of him with a smile. However... why was it that the smile she had was filled with sadness. What was she about to do? His eyes would widen as he noticed her horns growing out, her body starting to become more succulent, her muscles twitching and her large bat-like wings flaring out. The black flame that engulfed her blade steadily rose up around her body like a cloak. Her fangs were clear as day just like the glow in her eyes. "I''ll take care of everything. So just sit tight." Astraia would remark with a distortion in her voice. While Riyku was standing there, he had not noticed that Astraia placed a protective barrier around him. The barrier could not be shattered or torn down and those on the inside could not leave while no one could enter it either. The only way to take it down was to defeat the one who put it up which was in this case Astraia.

 58 Talent is meaningless

    A rough deep sinister voice would suddenly spur into Riyku''s mind. "Pure? Tainted? Bah... who cares about silly notions like that. Tell me, kid, do you wanna save your friend?"


    "From the looks of things she is going to lose and when she does those people will violate her body until her mind is completely broken. She will not be the same person after this. The demon you call Astraia will seize to be. However, you are sitting here distraught like a child who is going through a traumatic experience." The voice continued. It wasn''t wrong though when it said he was going through a traumatic experience. Riyku had been reliving the sight of losing his tribe, watching them either die or be violated on the field. The sight of watching those he cherished sent him into shock because he felt powerless at this moment. Unable to do anything while knowing the outcome.


    "How can I help her... She won''t take the barrier down and I can not break it..." Riyku would reply weakly, tears slowly forming in his eyes. A hefty rough deep sinister sigh could be heard inside of his mind before the voice spoke up, "True. You can not break this weak barrier. Those kids can not break it and neither can the hag. The only way it will come down is if the girl takes it down or she dies and as I said, they do not plan on killing her." Before the voice could get in another word Riyku interrupted it. "Then what!? Are you the Contracted Entity? Are you trying to torment me or something!?" Riyku did not shout, but his voice was somewhat loud although no one else could hear it over the painfilled screams and sound of explosions and whatnot from the ongoing battle.


    The voice scoffed, "Contracted Entity? Hell no. Nothing as weak and pathetic as that. It has been a pain in the ass trying to get in contact with you. The fact that another soul dwells within this body is the reason why it took me so long to even get my voice through to you. However... since I am able to get through to you; I don''t have to worry about it now. The connection has been made. With that said, I can offer you strength. I can offer you power. Enough to shatter this pathetic barrier and kill those kids. Save your friend even. The real question is, do you want my assistance? Are you willing to accept me?" Riyku''s eyes widened when he heard that he could save Astraia. That he could win this battle. He didn''t seem to care who it was offering the power. Be it the Contracted Entity or whatever else. The fact that there was a third soul inside of him did not bother him either. It wasn''t what he was focused on. Power. He needed the power to save her, to save everyone. If only he had the power he could have saved his family. If only he had the power he could have saved his tribe. If only he had the power he could have still been with them. Only If...


    "Yes... But, I can''t kill them. It would go against the rules." Riyku would retort. The voice would scoff, "Rules? Are you seriously going to let some makeshift rules stop you from saving your friend? This is the Underworld, Kid. This is a lawless land. Rules mean nothing to demons. We do as we please. Tell me... are you okay with sitting here watching her on her knees. Look, she can hardly stand." The voice would draw Riyku''s attention towards Astraia. He saw that she had her blade stuck into the ground. One knee dipped down while others started to surround her. Joon kicked her in the stomach and pushed her onto her back, before straddling her. A wicked and lustful grin upon his face as he looked down at the fatigued Astraia. Others grasped her arms so she could not struggle as much as she was trying even if it was a weakened struggle. "Someone you cherish is about to be violated and here you are on your knees like some pathetic imp. Don''t you feel it? That icky feeling in your gut. Tell me, don''t you hate them? Don''t you have how unfair this situation is?" The voice would speak alluring words which brought a disturbing feeling into Riyku''s gut. Something he had never felt before. "I do." Riyku would grit his teeth. "Don''t you want to save her? Stop them? Why should they get to touch her? Isn''t she too good for them?" The voice''s sinister spill continued. "I do. She doesn''t deserve to be treated that way. She deserves better. Someone who will touch her gentling, someone who will care for, someone who will love her..." Riyku would reply. "Then stand. Fester this feeling, let it burn into your soul. Use it as fuel and call my name. Only then will you be able to save her. Show them... Talent is meaningless against pure raw power!" The voice exclaimed with an evil snicker.


    Riyku would stand onto his feet and place his hand over his chest. The feeling he was feeling wasn''t love, nor was it lust, or despair, or distraught. What he was feeling was hatred. He hated how powerless he was. He hated how he needed to be protected. He hated how he could not save anything. He hated it. He hated how unfair everything was. He hated all of it. "I call to you... the one dwelling within me... provide me power... give me strength... so I can save her..." Riyku would chant and as he did an ominous violet aura started to steam from him. It was only when he shouted the name did something truly happen. The aura flared skyward like a pillar surging with pure and raw power. His body would lift off the ground and the hilt of a blade would seep from his chest. "Skeith!"


    All eyes drew towards the immense amount of power that was being released. Cracks started to form along the barrier before shattering it like glass which caused the pillar to surge even higher. Astraia with teary eyes in a half-nude state thanks to her chest being bare looked at the pillar and only one word came from her mouth, "Beautiful..." Riyku would grasp the hilt of the blade and slowly pull it out. A pitch-black greatsword with vivid violet lines pulsating along the blade all way towards where the guard would usually be. Instead there looked to be some kind of eye that was presently closed. After pulling out the sword the pillar would diminish. Riyku would bring his right hand to the back of his neck and roll his head a bit; which caused a few popping sounds. Since something felt off he looked at his right arm and there he saw the seal or suppression that Astrid and Astraia had worked to put on was broken. His arm was vivid, the thorns upon the sides and back of his arm had grown slightly with a vivid violet glow at the tips as if to symbolize his growth in power. Even the palm of his hand had a hint of glowing violet upon the center. "Well, that explains why the other let me connect. Oh well..." Riyku would mutter his tone slightly different, more rough and sinister rather than charming. He would let his arm sit at his side while shifting his attention towards the awestruck and stunned students and Instructor.


    "This body..." A grin would curve across Riyku''s face. "Let''s test it out." While he curled his right arm inward it would stagger since he was drawing in Pure Diabolical Energy from around them which he rose above his head. Since everyone was still stunned they did not realize that he was about to attack them. Rising the blade above head he would set the base against his hand while dragging it downward, bringing the whole blade from butt to tip through the Pure Diabolical Energy; so he could unleash a massive arc of Pure Diabolical Energy at the Instructor as a means to keep her from interfering with what he was about to do next.


    Dashing forward his speed seemed immeasurable to the students who had battle virgin eyes. Since he was already in mid-air before they finally registered what was happening. The Instructor had already caught sight of the arc of Pure Diabolical Energy and used a spell to try to defend against it; however, her spell was meaningless against its power. The spell shattered and the arc slammed into her sending her flying into a mountainside off in the distance. Riyku had built up Pure Diabolical Energy into his right fist and slammed it into the ground around Astria which popped everyone including her into the air upon release of the energy which had outcast a massive wave as well as leaving a crater in the ground. As Riyku rose upward he converged Pure Diabolical Energy into his center before unleashing it like a massive blast outward which sent the students flying like ragdolls. The sole exception was Astraia who for some odd reason was immune to this. Riyku would catch her with his right arm while looking at the backline students who shook with fear. He would then turn his eyes towards the awestruck Astraia who called his name. A brow arched before a smirk curved across his face.


    "No. I am Skeith, the first Overlord of Oblivion. The wielder of the Sword of Annihilation. However, there is no reason to be alarmed. I can''t take over his body even if I wanted to.... yet. That damn thing is keeping the connection open. So I''ll be booted out if I don''t give the body back after this. Of course, for whatever reason, that thing values the Kid''s wishes. So I can''t harm you either. Be grateful to the Kid and that thing; because if it was up to me... No one would get out alive." With those words, he set Astraia down. Her expression had shifted into fear the moment she heard the name ''Skeith.'' He was the Founder of Oblivion and the only one out of five who came close to fighting on equal terms with The Shadow King. Out of all of the Overlords, he was the most ruthless of all. He took what he wanted, did as he pleased. He was known as a Tyrant Overlord because he used his people for their own amusement. He enslaved them and the only reason no one left was that they were all demons who challenged him. Every single one of them was brought into submission. He only spared them under the condition they followed his orders, and we all know that if a demon dies in the Underworld, the soul is sent to the Abyss. Which meant that Skeith had done something that no other demon did in order to be resurrected. He instilled his soul into the Sword of Annihilation which was instilled into Riyku the moment he was brought into this world. Why? Not even Skeith knew. Although he was quite pleased with the results nonetheless so the ''why'' did not matter to him.


    Riyku... or should we say Skeith would roll his shoulders as he looked at those who seemed to tremble. Perhaps they had overheard the name since they all pissed their pants. "You know... you aren''t half bad, girl." He shifted his eyes back towards Astraia. "You have the potential to become an Overlord. Of course, so does this body. There is just so much Vile and Ruin... Perhaps it''s this thing." Skeith looked to his right hand. "I haven''t seen anything like this before." Skeith would examine his right arm before shrugging since he couldn''t figure anything out. "Well, whatever. Let''s put an end to this." Skeith would remark before a grin spread across his face. "Hellstep." Skeith would mutter before seeming to zip across the field like a vehicle roaring down the road at 200MPH. He would attack each student, not once or twice, or even trice. The number of times was inconceivable to the naked eye. What was known was that their bones were shattering and their screams were being gagged by more vicious attacks and before anyone knew it, it was over. When everything was said and done not a single student was killed; however, it was quite clear that they were begging for death. The looks in their eyes showed how much they wanted to die.


    Skeith would release a relieved sigh. "That felt great..." "Oh did it!" A voice interjected with anger and frustration which drew Skeith''s eyes. "Hm?" It was the Instructor. Her body appeared fully healed and she was extremely pissed. Looking around she noticed all of the students with the exception of Solarus who had not been present were worse for wear. Her glare set upon Riyku or who she thought was Riyku. After all, she had not been there when Skeith corrected Astraia. "You lying son of a bitch! You did have a Contracted Entity! Scerw this, I''ll kill both of you!" A crimson aura flared over the Instructor, her body became plumper and her horns grew out even more just like her claws and fangs did. Skeith would whistle playfully, "Neat trick. Demonic evolution means nothing to me though. It was merely a stepping stone for me... Let me show you the final product." With those words, the violet aura suddenly shifted pitch black. His sclera which was white tinted a pitch-black and his horns grew out. The tips started to glow a vivid violet just like his claw. His fangs also grew out and his overly large bat-like wings would spur from his backside. The eye upon the sword would flare open with a shine. The silted pupil would dialect before looking around creepily.


    "F-Final product...?" The Instructor would stutter. She didn''t know what was going on, but from the sheer amount of power oozing from Riyku and the blade in his hand; she knew that something wasn''t right. "Of course. It''s my Overlord ability after all. You pathetic demons merely adopted a weaker version of it: Demonic Evolution. The final product is known as Lunatic Burst." When Riyku spoke these words the Instructor finally realized what was wrong. Sure Riyku had a mysterious background, but he was not an Overlord. She had taken a look into it and even gauged his power. Sure he had the potential and she could hazard to guess he had a Contracted Entity, but this level of power was far beyond what she gauged earlier. "O-Overlord ability... The fonder of Demonic Evolution... T-Tyrant Overlord Skeith?" The Instructor would suddenly tremble with immersable fear. Skeith would snicker while resting the blade against his shoulder. "Correct. After my battle with The Shadow King, I sealed my soul into my own sword which was tossed into the Abyss. Interestingly enough someone moved the blade while I was asleep into this Kid''s body. I don''t know who, how, or even when it happened nor do I care. What I do know is... this body is superb." Skeith would bring his right hand upward and give her a motion to come at him. "Now come. Challenge this body, I dare you." A wicked and fearless grin had curved across his face. Of course, the Instructor was taking her time to analyze the situation. What she was just told, but deep down she knew she would lose. "What''s wrong? If you won''t come at me... I''ll come to you. It''s been a while since I''ve plunged myself in carnal desire. Your body will do just fine with all those curves." With those words from Skeith, the Instructor would squeal before being beaten, subdued, and violated.

 59 The body with three souls

    The teleportation took him into the tavern floor where everyone was drinking and eating in such a merry environment. Although they stopped. Not because of the sudden appearance of Riyku and Astraia; but because they felt Pure Diabolical Energy radiating off of Riyku like a fountain of chocolate pouring into a bowl endlessly. The bowl of course was the entire tavern. The tension became increasingly heavy. Astrid who was frozen in fear slowly turned her head to see where all of this pressure was coming from. It was then that she noticed her daughter. Astraia was not only topless but beaten badly. She had yet to realize just whose arm''s she was in, but that hadn''t mattered right now. The fear she once had was suddenly broken. Maybe it had something to do with a Mother''s protective will? It surprised Skeith who happened to arch a brow as Astrid came from around the counter nearly hopping over the corner as she did. "Astra! Astra! Can you hear me!?" Astrid''s voice filled with concern and worry caused those looking at Riyku... or well Skeith since they did not know that the person before them was actually someone else; to shift their eyes towards the person in his arms. No one said a word, but they did seem to share in the concern and worry. "I take it this is your daughter. Here, take her." Skeith''s rough, deep distorted voice filled with evil perched forth which caused Astrid to look up at him. It was then she noticed that it was Riyku who was holding Astraia, it was also Riyku who was giving off such a powerful and wicked aura; however, it was not Riyku. She did not know that though.


    Skeith turned his attention towards the tear-filled eyes of the woman who had just slapped him. It was Astrid. "You return Riyku this instant! I may not know what happened, but I can tell he did something foolish in order to save my daughter. You will bring him out this instant!" Astrid shouted in a bold motherly manner. Skeith who had never once been scolded, slapped, or even hit by a woman in such a fashion became interested. A grin had curved across his lips deviously. "And if I don''t?" Skeith would reply in such a wicked manner that those around him started to grimace. They seemed to fully understand that the body before them was not Riyku, but someone else. Perhaps the Contracted Entity? After all the claw was quite visible and far more wicked and powerful looking than before.


    A blackish crimson aura seemed to stem from Astrid. Although something was different about the aura. It wasn''t surging with power, nor was it flaring out wickedly. Skeith winched in pain when he felt a singe of pain from where Astrid slapped him. The slapped itself did not hurt him, so why was he feeling this pain now? Shifting his eyes towards it, he saw his flesh burning away which caused a snicker to escaped his lips. "A minor demon is capable of this? Beautiful, feisty, and strong. Yes! You are the idle woman!" Skeith would walk past Astrid and set Astraia upon the countertop. Removing his shirt by tearing it off he would lay the fabrics over Astraia to cover her up. It was an odd action for him to take considering what he said moments ago as well as what he had done to the Instructor and the students before coming here. Turning back towards Astrid he would curl the fingers of his left hand which caused the bones to give off a cracking sound. "I''m going to have fun with you." Skeith would remark with a devious grin; however, his plans would not come to fruition.


    Just before he started to make his move on Astrid his body suddenly froze up. The shadows around him started to bind him. Wrapping around his arms, legs, joints, ankles, and neck like some kind of chain. "W-What the hell? You!? Stay out of this, bitch!" Skeith shouted while trying to struggle, but not even a muscle would twitch. He was completely frozen with only the ability to speak. Steadily the aura around him started to diminish. "Bitch... you think you can keep me chained up!? You think you can take this body!? Haha, try it! You are still so far away! That''s why you are only able to form this connection with him now. Because I have awakened!" Skeith shouted with sinister laughter as if taunting something. No one made a move, no one said a word, they couldn''t because they did not know what was truly going on. To them, it looked like something was chaining Riyku''s body down. At first, they thought it was Riyku himself, but it seemed like something else. Astrid was able to make the connections even if the others were not. Something else had resided within Riyku''s body. Although what it was, was beyond her knowledge. All she knew was that; whatever it was, was keeping her safe for some odd reason.


    "This isn''t what we agreed upon, Skeith." Riyku''s voice peered into his own mind so that Skeith could hear it. He had been ever silent since everything had happened. Skeith''s brow arched for a moment in surprise. He had disengaged the connection he formed just after teleporting here since he did not feel Riyku or the other entities'' presence. However, it seemed the connection was re-established. "That bitch... she reformed the connection. I see what''s going on. Ha, fine. I''ll give it back. But just remember, without me you are nothing more than a puny demon. You will continue to lose everything dear to you. Now and in the future to come. So long as you hold onto that pathetic emotion and refuse to kill those in your way." With those words Skeith''s aura completely vanished. The chains wrapped around Riyku''s seeped into his flesh as a symbol that Skeith had been locked away. Like some kind of invisible tattoo or marking.


    Riyku would suddenly stumble forward. Since he had just regained control over his body. It felt weird to him. After all, this was a new feeling. It was like he was thrust into a direction or shoved forward. He clashed right into Astrid who took a step back to hold him up so they wouldn''t fall. For a moment she was about to attack him but had stopped when she no longer felt such a presence. She seemed quick to realize that it was Riyku and no longer whatever or whoever it was from before. "I am sorry, Astrid." Riyku would mutter just before seeming to pass out in her arms, using her breast as pillows. The fatigue that Skeith built up when he had control over Riyku''s body had hit Riyku all at once which caused him to pass out cold. Astrid looked at Riyku in silence still a bit taken back by everything that just happened. Though she managed a soft smile and started to brush his hair. "At least you came back..." Astrid would whisper.


    A few moments would pass before she realized where she was. The patrons still in silence and on edge looking at her as well as Riyku. A blush took over her face before she wiped away the residue of her tears which would follow up with a clearing of her throat. "I''m going to take these two upstairs. When I return I will address you all with a formal apology, please give me a moment." Astrid undoubtingly picked up Riyku in one arm and heft him over her shoulder while doing the same with her daughter. Placing her over her free shoulder as if she were carrying barrels in both arms. The patrons all appeared more awestruck than before. Astrid was far stronger than her appearance led. The slack jaws of the patrons were proof that Astrid had rarely shown her strength. Astrid made her way up the steps and set both Riyku and Astraia in the Master Bedroom, placing them both on the bed. A soft breath escaped her lips as she watched them sleep. She knew she would have to tend to Astraia''s wounds soon, so hurried out of the room and down the steps. She was going to formally apologize so she could close up shop and tend to both Astraia and Riyku.


    Interestingly though when she reached the end of the stairs the patrons were all bowing to her with respect. It was odd and unbecoming of a demon to do such. Their pride generally would never allow them. Astrid was completely confused and baffled by this. "Thank you for saving Riyku and keeping all of us safe! Safe Haven truly is the best place in all of the Underworld!" Everyone seemed to roar in sync before rising up to look at Astrid who was still awestruck. One of the patrons spoke up, "You need to tend to Astra and Riyku. Don''t worry about us. There is no need to apologize either. While we all kept back you stepped forward. You took matters into your own hands and even showed whatever had taken over Riyku''s body a thing or two." Another patron would follow up, "We all figured you had some kind of strength, but to think you would slap something that easily struck fear into all of us. You even harmed it." And yet another patron rose up, "Such a badass!" Astrid''s cheeks flared and a soft smile would take to her face. "Thank you, everyone! Tomorrow''s drinks are on me! So please, take your leave and come back tomorrow!" Astrid would exclaim with a feeling of joy in her heart. Everyone cheered happily before taking their leave. Astrid would quickly close up shop so she could tend to Astraia and Riyku.


    "Soo... who are you?" A voice echoed throughout the vast darkness. It was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The person who asked such a question was none other than Riyku. Another voice followed up within the vast darkness. It only came as a feminine giggle at first, but afterward, sultry words peered forth. "Who I am is of no importance to you. Just know I only helped you this once because your body is mine. I will not have that demon take over. All you need to do is continue to become stronger. Become a body befitting of me." When the voice finished with another giggle, one could hear Riyku release a tense breath. "Take over my body? Become stronger for you? As if. I will become stronger so I can protect those I cherish. I do not know who you are, but you will not have this body! Leave!" Riyku''s voice echoed throughout the vast darkness. After a moment of silence, a mocking giggle came from the feminine voice once again. "Whatever you say, boy."


    Riyku''s eyes would shoot open, a ceiling of familiarity sat above his blurry gaze. He would have shot straight up into a sitting position if his body let him. The pain still lingered after all. However, that wasn''t the only reason. He felt a great warmth beside him, someone clinging to his arm and when he looked over he noticed it was a feminine figure. As his eyes adjusted to the dark of the room, he saw it was Astraia. He would attempt to move his left arm since Astraia was clinging to his right arm. Alas, it seemed that he was unable to do even that. Sure his body was exhausted, but he should be able to at least lift his arms right? Turning his head to saw Astrid clinging to his left arm. A heavy blush instantly took to his face now since he realized the gravity of the situation. He had never slept beside another woman, so being in bed with two was.... nerve-wracking. Although his blush started to dim when he noticed how comfortable Astrid appeared. It was the same for Astraia. Both of them seemed at peace with where they were that he refrained from waking them up and instead decided to close his eyes and just lay there in silence. "As long as you are both okay..." Riyku was careful not to wake them so he whispered lightly to himself.


    When Riyku woke up again, he would assume it was daybreak since the room was dimly lit compared to the vast darkness it had the night before. Interestingly enough neither Astrid nor Astraia were on either side of him. Slowly he would raise to a sitting position with a soft yawn and a stretch of his arms. Feeling the blanket slide off of his chest he thought it was odd since he remembered that he was wearing a shirt at least. Probably because he had forgotten that Skieth tore his shirt off to layover Astraia in order to cover her up. Deciding to take a glance down his face instantly lit up. He was completely nude. It was then a bit of giggling could be heard from the doorway where Astrid stood leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed under her bust. "Finally awake, are you. Did you enjoy last night?" Astrid would tease with a playful wink. "Umm... I didn''t... We didn''t... Uhh... Did we?" Riyku was at a loss for words which caused Astrid to hug her frame and squirm. "You were such a devil last night. You tired both me and Astra out." When Astrid replied with such an embarrassed tone of voice, Riyku''s face flared up even more. "I... Oh... Umm... " Riyku was at a loss for words now which Astrid seemed to find cute since she giggled lightly. Astraia who overheard the conversation while coming from the hall would speak up, "She''s teasing you, Riy. We did no such thing. There is no need to worry." When Astraia spoke up, Astrid would sigh lightly before nodding in agreement. "Astraia is right. All I did was heal both of you and ended up passing out myself." Astrid would reply with a soft moan since she knew the jig was up.


    "Then why am I...." Before Riyku would finish his question, Astraia perked up. Mainly to keep her mother from saying anything else that could give Riyku the wrong idea. "Naked? That is simply because it is more efficient to heal the wounds of another through the skin on skin contact. Believe me... I did not know until my mother explained it." Astraia would shift a slight glare to her mother who gave her a playful and teasing wink. Riyku would sigh lightly with a hand over his chest trying to calm his beating heart. "Anyways. Riyku when you are dressed met us downstairs I have prepared breakfast for all of us. We will go over more in-depth on what happened yesterday as well as... well... your Contracted Entity." Astrid would shift her eyes from Riyku to his right arm which seemed to retain its powerful and wicked appearance. Astraia would nod in the background before heading back downstairs with Astrid who followed shortly after. Riyku would take a glance at his right arm. "Contracted Entity..." Riyku mumbled in thought. "I will not either of you completely take over my body. This is my body... you two are intruders." Riyku would curl the fingers of his right hand into a ball while making a promise to himself. After which he would put on some casual clothing which was black slacks, a black button-up shirt, and black loaves.


    Meeting up with both Astrid and Astraia they were already at one of the tables with plates before them. Another plate sat at an empty side of the table where Riyku could take his seat. When he did he would smile at both of them and they would smile back. The atmosphere fell silent afterward before Astrid decided to strike up the conversation since no one else would. "Now then, please tell me everything that happened yesterday. From start to finish if you will." The atmosphere shifted with tension when Astrid spoke. It was then that Astraia and Riyku knew it would be a long morning for them. They knew it wasn''t that they were in trouble, but the fact that they needed to retell everything from start to finish was another thing. So they decided to take turns, each telling their own share of the story.

 60 Warmth

    Each Netherworld was governed by an Overlord, and the Overlord of said Netherworld was allowed to do as they pleased. Some became Tyrants and others would become wonderful Overlords. It all depended on the Overlord in question. For example, while Skeith was a Tyrant. Jaccal valued his people and trained them to become a strong army. Roku was a mysterious Overlord who people could never quite figure out. Needless to say, he was not a terrible one. As for Dominic, his Netherworld was all about economical growth. In fact, the Netherworld called Golden Gem was called such because it was where only the rich lived as well as a place for passing traders and other exquisite goods. Then there was Vex, who was a simple Overlord. She never did anything out of the ordinary... well except for research. Her netherworld was mainly filled with studious demons. Regardless, each Overlord and Netherworld worked differently than the others. Riyku only knew these things because it was what he learned from Astraia.


    "Umm.. then what about; how The Shadow King was beaten?" Riyku would ask next. There seemed to be some loopholes in the teachings after all. It never explained who actually defeated The Shadow King. "Oh... No one truly knows. However, everyone''s guesses are either Hades or Lucifer." Astrid would express with a shake of her head. "Hades?" Astraia would inquire when the name came up. "Yes. Just how Lucifer is never mentioned. Neither is Hades. Hades is the Overseer of the Underworld. Think of him as... the God of the Underworld. Meanwhile, Lucifer is the King of all Demons." Astrid would explain which only brought about more question bubbles and puzzled expressions from both Riyku and Astraia. A soft chuckle would escape Astrid''s lips when she saw this sight. "Alright. It''s time for a break. I will prepare some honey lava tea. You two just wait here." Astrid would comment while standing up. "I''ll go with you! I want to make some as well!" Astraia would exclaim. The expression upon her face would reveal what her favorite beverage was. Astrid would chuckle lightly once again before nodding, "Alright." It was then that Riyku was about to get up; however, both Astraia and Astrid placed a hand upon each shoulder with a smile across their lips. "No, no. You need to rest." Astrid spoke up. "Yup. You''ve done plenty around here. At least let us make you a drink." Astraia would reply. Riyku looked up at them, shifting from Astrid to Astraia before sighing lightly and admitting defeat. "Very well... Thank you very much." Riyku would reply. Seeing how he admitted defeat so easily the two of them rushed off into the backroom to prepare the drinks and probably talk some more about who knows what.


    As soon as both of them escaped Riyku''s vision a rough deep and sinister voice filled his mind, "What a bunch of bullshit." It was Skeith. Riyku wasn''t surprised though. After all the demon had been mumbling throughout the conversation he had with both Astrid and Astraia. A sigh escaped Riyku''s lips. If anything he looked mentally fatigued. "What is...?" Riyku was scared to even ask. "The story about The Shadow King being beaten. No one beat him, he simply vanished." The remark Skieth poured into his mind caused Riyku''s expression to shift to surprise. "Vanished?" Riyku inquired. "Mhm. He killed Jaccal, Vex, and Dominic. Roku seemed to be nowhere in sight and when it came to my turn. I pushed him back. The tales of us being as strong as him were bullshit. The Shadow King is far stronger than Lucifer or Hades. The only reason I was able to push him back was that I finally evolved my Overlord ability which set me just below par of his strength. Afterward, I had to seal myself into my sword to keep others from trying to kill me in my weakened state."


    As the information came into Riyku''s mind; he couldn''t help but wonder if Skeith was actually telling the truth. After all, this was a demon and from what he learned from Astraia and experienced firsthand was that most demons were liars. Since they shared his body, Skeith knew what Riyku was thinking. "You think I''m lying huh? Well, I am not. Do you know why no one talks about Hades or Lucifer anymore? It is because of The Shadow King. He hated how the Underworld and Overworld ran things. He despised it and thus sought to destroy it. The reason no one talks about Hades and Lucifer is that The Shadow King killed both of them. He devoured both of them whole and shortly after vanished. Only those who were present during the Great Unified War knew what truly transpired. At first, people tried to explain that Hades and Lucifer killed The Shadow King and went into a resting state, but then people started questioning about it since both Hades and Lucifer never woke up. So they shifted the teaching to just refrain from ever speaking of Hades and Lucifer. That seemed to work best since now no one knows about them and those who do either know of what transpired or know of the false tales." When Skeith finished explaining Riyku was at a loss for words. Not because of the fact that a false tale was made up, or the fact that The Shadow King killed Hades and Lucifer. No, it was more so that he realized why Astraia was so shocked back then when he brought up the fact that he could control the shadows. A thought ran through his mind: Power.


    Skeith knew exactly what Riyku was thinking and snickered. "You are a glutton for power, aren''t you? Well. I would be too if I knew that I could have saved all those lost to me." These words from Skeith woke Riyku up as if someone doused him in cold water. Riyku would grit his teeth but refrain from saying anything. "Let''s make a proposition then." Skeith would speak up which caused Riyku to sigh. "I don''t want to. You''ll just take over my body when I give you the chance." Riyku would close his eyes with a scowling expression. "Well... that''s why it''s a proposition. You want power and I want freedom. So how about this. I''ll regulate my power through you in exchange for freedom." Skeith brought something to the table. Riyku''s brow twitched when this was thrown in front of him.


    ''How is that any different from before?'' The thought rang through his mind. It seemed Riyku kept forgetting that Skeith could hear his thoughts. "Because I''ll be dwelling within my sword. When you bring out my weapon, I will regulate the power from it into you. I get my freedom through the weapon and you get your power through me while still keeping your body." Skeith would explain, and he wasn''t wrong. But he wasn''t being honest either. Riyku was still quite naive as well and ended up accepting the offer after a great deal of thought. "Very well. How would I go about bringing out the weapon?" Riyku would inquire. That was a crucial part of their deal now wasn''t it?


    "There are two ways. Since you are not strong enough, one of them is not possible. Therefore the other way is to call out my name while filtering hate throughout your body. Hate is a common way to bring forth Diabolical Energy after all. Without it, you would have never been able to awaken me and your little friend would have been turned into a complete mess instead of that Instructor." Skeith would snicker afterward. At first, Riyku didn''t understand why it had to be hate. Why not love or the will to protect? However, that thought was overtaken with the image of his body being used to violate the Instructor in such an extreme manner. His face instantly flushed. "Wait... does that mean that I did all of those things!?" Riyku exclaimed which caused Skeith to snicker again.


    "Cute, but no. Your body may have, but not you. I doubt you have the experience considering the way you act. I doubt you have even kissed a woman." Skeith would attempt to insult him after answering his question; however, the reaction he got was not what he expected. Riyku placed his left-hand fingers to his lips while recalling the moments he kissed Mina. Skeith was silent when he heard nothing coming from Riyku. "Oi, Oi, you''ve kissed a woman? Damn... Well, there are plenty of women who enjoy a good innocent cherry boy." The remark from Skeith caused Riyku to close his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Enough already. We''ve made our deal, just... I don''t know. Go away or something." Riyku would retort with a soft blush upon his face which made Skeith laugh. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say... Cherry Boy. When you are able to seduce a woman or two give me a call and I''ll teach you somethings about pleasing them. Till then..." With those parting words, it seemed Skeith would go silent. Thankfully he did considering; both Astrid and Astraia finally returned; although, the parting words and the timing caused his cheeks to flare up. "A woman or two..." Riyku murmured.


    "Is something wrong?" Astrid inquired with a concerned expression. "Did something happen?" Astraia asked; both of them holding something. Astrid holding two mugs while Astraia was holding a pan of hellbaked cookies and a mug of her own. Riyku would shake his head to free himself of such naughty thoughts. "N-No. Nothing at all. I see you baked some cookies to go with the tea. Are you sure you did not want any help?" Riyku seemed to ask once more, trying to steer his mind away from such thoughts. "We are fine. We just had a little chat and wanted you to rest up is all." Astraia would reply while setting the pan on the table along with the mug in her hand. Astrid would lean against Riyku from behind while setting her mug on the table as well. A teasing gesture since she clearly could have just placed it in front of him instead of pressing her enormous bust against his back. Although she did get the reaction she wanted which was a cute blush that appeared upon his face.


    Astraia would sigh lightly at her mother''s actions and take her seat. Astrid would follow up afterward to take her own seat. "Oh umm... okay. Thank you." Riyku would reply while calming his beating heart with a few sips of the tea. While the name would make it seem like it would burn off the tongue, the drink itself was more soothing than anything else. The liquid would fill the body and rejuvenate any lost energy as well as help with digestion which was why Astraia loved it so much. "Riyku..." Astrid called to him which caused his attention to shift towards her, "Yes?" He would reply while setting the cup down. "About your arm..." Astrid would place her hand over his right hand which rested upon the table. After all, she was on his right side. Riyku looked from her tender touch to Astrid with another soft blush. "Umm.... what about it?" He could see a blush of her own starting form. Probably a similar reaction to what happened when the two succubi from a little over a year ago had touched it. Well that was what he was thinking anyway. "Are you okay with leaving it like this?" Astrid would inquire to which Riyku would look from her towards his arm. It did resemble something abnormal. Not like how it was before, in fact, it had retained that powerful and wicked look it had when Skeith had taken over his body. Riyku was giving it some thought. After all, having an arm like this meant people would come after him. He did not want to put Astrid or Astraia in any danger. On the other hand, if they sealed up his arm again wouldn''t the seal just break again? He did not want to place any unnecessary strain on them either. Riyku finally came to a conclusion. "I am not sure." Albeit it wasn''t much of one.


    "I do not wish to trouble you two. I have already brought so much trouble as is. With this whole ordeal... Astraia almost being violated and you almost getting hurt... I do not wish to cause you two further harm." Riyku would speak from his heart. That was just how he was. An honest person. That had not changed even after everything that had happened. Astrid and Astraia would smile softly when they heard this. Astraia would place a hand upon Riyku''s left hand which was on the table which drew in his attention. He glanced up at her to see a beautiful smile. "Thank you." Both Astraia and Astrid said in sync. Riyku did not understand, he was perplexed as to why they were thanking him. He had only brought harm to them. A soft feminine voice peered forth with grand affection. It was Astrid to started to speak up.


    "From the moment Astraia brought you in I figured you were like any other demon. A demon who let their desires consume them. A demon who would sacrifice others for their own. A selfish and greedy demon. However, I was wrong. Astra told me that you were different. At first, I was skeptical. I wanted to protect my daughter, but I also wanted to trust her. So when she asked me if you could live here with us, I agreed. During your stay over this past year, I have come to realize just how wrong I was. You are nothing like the demons. You put others before yourself. You do not fall into temptation, and value friendships highly. However... the most important thing of all is that you are always willing to do what is needed to protect those close to you. You could have easily run away. You have turned away, but you foolishly brought pain upon yourself and saved my daughter. You''ve helped me out plenty of times and when you accepted the moment I mistook you for Krowth you could have been upset with me, but you held me and let me have that moment. Riyku, you are someone who cherishes and values love more than any other demon. You remind me so much of Krowth that now my heart beats rapidly each I see you. I want to thank you for entering our lives, and I want to say... I love you, Riyku DarkFang." Astrid would take Riyku''s right hand in both of her hands with a warm smile that was like none other. Riyku''s cheeks flared up brightly, but not out of embarrassment. He was just stunned. "I..." Riyku was at a loss for words, which Astraia decided to take her to turn next with a clearing of her throat to get his attention.


    "Riyku. Mother isn''t the only one who wants to say something to you. Please, Listen to what I have to say as well before you say anything else." Astraia took a moment to make sure Riyku was willing and when he nodded she would continue. "When I first saw you being harassed by those succubi I thought that maybe you brought it upon yourself. You were stark naked after all and that stench of Vile and Ruin seemed to steam heavily from you. So I figured you were one of the worst demons ever. I only stopped them because I wanted to get in your way... Although after hearing your story, and seeing it in your eyes, I came to the conclusion that maybe something terrible happened to you. Maybe you foolishly placed a burden upon yourself for another''s sake and that conclusion became a reality. Not only did you do so once, but you did so twice and for someone you barely even known for a year. Sure, we have shared a lot of intimate moments with our bouts and mental sharing, and sure, we have had various interesting encounters that I will not verbally name of. However, I just thought you only viewed us as friends and maybe you do. But! As I started to look at you more; notice your training and how hard you worked for both myself and my mother. I realized that you generally cared about us. I couldn''t stand to think of you like a simple friend anymore. I wanted to become closer to you and during our information exchanges, I started looking deeper into your mind. I know I should have not, but I was curious. I wanted to know so much more about you and as I did I had come to find myself falling in love with you. You have enriched my life so much more than you can even realize. You helped fill a hole that was within my heart and now I want to do the same for you. So... thank you very much for entering my life and I love you, Riyku DarkFang."


    Once again Riyku was at a loss for words. Both of these women had just spilled their hearts out to him. They even confessed to him. He did not want to just throw out something random, but when something came to his mind he finally spoke up, "Thank you... Astrid. Astraia. I..." He placed a hand over his heart. He could feel the rapid beating. He relived the memories he had with both of them over the past year. So much joy, so much fun. It indeed had filled the void in his heart from when he lost his mother. From when he found out that he would never see his family again or even Mina. For a while, he had thought that maybe he could find a way to search for them. That maybe they were still alive; however, as time continued onward he accepted it. That he would never get to see them again. Even if he had accepted it, it did not hurt any less. Astrid and Astraia filled the empty space in his heart and eased his pain. So the words that came out were what he felt deep within his heart, "I love you both as well!" A wide warm filled smile had curved across his face. A few tears seemed to even form around his eyes from how happy he was. So much so that Astrid and Astraia also started to form tears around their eyes as well since they realized just how happy Riyku was. Astrid and Astraia would move from their seats to hug Riyku and Riyku held onto both of them. How long this moment of warmth would last was unknown, but did that even matter? All three of them were happy after all.

 61 The Act of Intimidation

    Taking a few deep breaths they would enter the office where the head of the academy himself was sitting at his desk with paper littered all over it. There were bookshelves posted along the right side of the wall filled from one end to the other. To the left side were various paintings from people to landscaping. At the center of the room was a massive crimson rug to go well with the black brimstone flooring. Looking up from the desk had been a pair of glowing crimson eyes that looked up from the papers he was glancing over. Short white and kempt hair on top of the man''s head. Chiseled jaw-line with a scar from a blade along his cheek and a larger one near his neck. The man''s attire was an all-black suit. Sitting back against the black leather chair, the man would release a heavy sigh. "I was wondering when the three of you would show up. Come on in and sit down. I already know what you wish to speak of." The man''s voice was deep and rough, but strong and proud.


    As instructed Riyku, Astraia, and Astrid would move further into the room. The doors closing behind them automatically which drew in their attention. "Pay no mind. It is a new feature I installed recently. Now, take a seat." The man would call out to them to get their attention. Gesturing with a hand which he brought from the armrest to the chairs that appeared from magic circles. At first, they were reluctant to take a seat but decided to do so in the end considering nothing was progressing. Once they took their seats with Astraia on the left, Riyku in the middle, and Astrid on the right the man would begin.


    "Good." The man would confirm before continuing. "To recap, Riyku DarkFang and Astraia BurningAsh were instructed to battle against all of class nine including Instructor Risa as a simple mock battle. The only rule was that there was no killing involved and that the winner of said battle would as they pleased with the loser. Am I correct?" The man would inquire while looking over the three of them with a somewhat relaxed glance. "That is." Astraia would confirm the man''s inquiry. "Then I see nothing wrong with what happened. No one was killed and the winner did as they pleased with the loser. So, why are you three in my office?" The man would address as he leaned onto the desk cupping his hands together with his elbows on the table. A piercing gaze seemed to come from those crimson eyes of his as well. Astraia and Astrid seemed to freeze up instantly. When each of them took Riyku''s hand, he could feel them shivering in fear. Although... Riyku did not understand why they were shivering so much. Why was he not affected?


    Turning his glances from both of them he looked at the man whose brow arched in surprise when he noticed Riyku was unaffected by his mirage of killing intent. The man would go into thought; ''Is this is boy truly that strong, or...'' The man''s eyes fixated at Riyku''s right arm for a moment considering his attention was shifted back towards a voice. "Excuse me, can you stop whatever it is you are doing to Astrid and Astraia. I would really appreciate it." Riyku would ask as politely as possible. He was taught to respect those older than him. The man took a moment to think about a reply. He could simply heed Riyku''s request. Although, why would he do that? He decided... "And If I do not?" The man would reply. He decided to test Riyku.


    Riyku would blink in awe for a moment. Taking time to process the response he just got. He had forgotten that this is what demons were supposed to be like. That being older, or running a place of ''learning'' did not mean that they were necessarily ''good''. Riyku was not only taught to respect those older than him, but he was also taught that just because someone was older than him; did not mean that deserve respect. Therefore, if they lost it... "Can I ask why you doing this? Have we done something disrespectful towards you?" Riyku would try to get some information out of the man. He did not see anything he had done as disrespectful. The man''s eyes kept upon Riyku. They did not move from him. "No. Nothing. I just see no reason why I should heed your request. What do I gain from doing as you ask?" The man would reply with a question to follow.


    With the man''s response, Riyku was starting to become annoyed. ''So we have done nothing disrespectful towards you and yet you are punishing us?'' That was Riyku''s inner thought. A voice peered forth into Riyku''s mind. "Of course he is. He is a demon. They all act solely out of their own interest. You are the only odd one here who cares about these things." It was Skeith. "Go on, ask him what he gains from sending those two into a state of fear." Skeith would urge Riyku so he could see for himself just what a normal demon is like. "Then what about you? What do you gain from putting them into such a state?" Riyku inquired while holding back his annoyance. For a moment the man was silent. He was debating on an answer. Though, he saw no reason to lie to the boy. "Arousal. I enjoy watching women quiver in fear and satisfaction. Both in that order. I enjoy watching them break down and beg for it to stop only to be begging for it to continue on. Even now, I am enjoying it. So I ask once more, why should I heed your request?" The man would reply, his hands were hiding his devilish grin. They had been set like that on purpose it would seem.


    Riyku was stunned. He did not understand why the demons were like this. Astrid and Astraia were not like that, and neither was he. So why were the majority of them like this? Was it just that natural? Skeith clearly understood these thoughts that Riyku was having. "As I said, you are the only abnormal one. Astrid and Astraia are different, yes, but they are not that different from normal demons. They do still seek to gain." Skeith''s voice seemed to enter Riyku''s mind once again. Riyku would grit his teeth. He was clearly annoyed and angry. The anger was steadily rising the more he thought about the man before him getting off these the state that Astrid and Astraia were in. These two women he loved. They were special to him. So he hated seeing them in such a state and thus he would end up hating the man. Since Skeith shared Riyku''s body, he could feel these emotions. If he could give facial expressions he would be thrilled. "Do you want to stop him?" Skeith would inquire which caused Riyku to nod silently. The man''s brow arched in confusion when he saw this. He figured Riyku was probably upset right now, but to nod? That was an odd way of showing anger. Then do as I say and repeat after me...


    Riyku would look up, his eyes flaring open and a wicked grin curving across his face. "Do you want me to devour your heart just as I did Hades and Lucifer?" The words that came out of Riyku''s mouth seemed to cause the man''s eyes to go wide. This was no normal threat after all. Not everyone knew the name Hades and Lucifer either, or even the original tale of what truly happened. To add, there was no killing intent either. Just a wicked smile to be paired with an innocent light-hearted tone of voice. So it made it completely odd to hear. If it was any normal threat the man had nothing to be afraid of, but devour his heart just like Hades and Lucifer? His body began to shiver and his eyes slowly shifted towards his right arm. "A-A-Are you..." The man was clearly his own state of fear, but not by mirage or spell. Simply put, he was sent into a state of fear by word as well as his own mental image. "Would you like to find out?" Riyku would add. Although on the inside he was surprised. Everything was going just like Skeith said it would.


    Skeith had told him to just act natural. Speak like he normally does, but shift his expression a bit. A wicked grin and the flaring of innocent eyes. If he had changed something it may have appeared like he was trying too hard to intimidate someone. With this, his look would be more natural and if he kept his lighthearted and innocent tone of voice compared to what demon''s normally sound like then it would come off as ''creepy''. Like he was ''insane'' or something. "You see when you do something like this that is unbefitting of someone of your nature it sends the person you are directing your statement towards into a panicked state. At first, they will have doubts, but as long as you keep it up they will begin to wonder. When that comes you play it off as a mystery. Never let the person you are intimidating know the truth. Even if you were to be The Shadow King. That is because mystery can cause the mind to seek answers. It would cause the person to continuously wonder and thus send them further into a panicked state which would eventually send them into a state of fear. In that case, you''ve already won." Skeith''s explanation of intimidation was spot on. This was the first time Riyku had ever intimidated someone. It felt weird to him. Having someone shake in fear of him merely because of words and expressions.


    "I.. do not. I will release them. My apologies, Sir." The man''s attitude had completely flipped. "I also assume you will not speak of this to anyone. Trust me, I will know if you do." Riyku would add, just as Skeith had told him to do and the man would nod just as Skeith had predicted. The man would snap his fingers to end the mirage he placed upon Astrid and Astraia. The two of them were no longer in a state of fear and started to breathe heavily as if they were unable to breathe normally the entire time. Hastily they looked around the room in which Riyku took hold of each of their hands. "There is no reason to be afraid. I am here, Astraia... Astrid..." Riyku''s expression shifted into a caring one. His voice filled with warmth as he spoke to both of them. Each of them seemed to slowly relax when they finally noticed where they were. They laced their fingers with his own before looking at the man. "So... about the incident." Riyku would begin speaking, which caused the man who was still in a state of fear to speak up instantly. "I will take care of everything. I will place both you and our top student in a different class with a different Instructor. Instructor Minx. She is the best of the best and since there is an opening in her class you two will be transferred starting tomorrow. Is that good?" The man seemed to hastily put forth. Riyku would turn to look at Astraia. "Is that okay?" He would ask her. "I see nothing wrong with it. Instructor Minx is a wonderful Instructor!" Astraia seemed quite happy about this and with that answer, his attention shifted towards Astrid. "What do you think?" He would inquire from her. "I suppose it is fine." Astrid would give her okay even though it seemed she wanted a bit more of a clear answer as to the ''punishment'' for those who tried to harm her daughter and Riyku.


    "T-Then... we are done here." The man would comment in which Riyku would turn his attention towards him with a nod. "We are. I do hope I do not have to come back here." Riyku would add with an innocent smile which caused the man to freeze up from fear entirely; however, this one remark was based solely on his own train of thought. Skeith did not tell him to do such. Riyku would head out of the office with Astrid and Astraia on each arm. Shortly after one of the students who went to the academy left after them. Her hair was in a mess along with her uniform; although her attention was currently looking at the back of Riyku. Not one of fear or love, not even lust but pure admiration. Although... where was this little succubus at the entire time? The only ones thought to be in the room were Riyku, Astrid, Astraia, and the principal.


    Since the transfer wasn''t going to be finished until tomorrow the three of them left the academy. "Soo... what was that back there?" Astrid finally spoke up which caused Riyku to side-eye her. She was taller than him so he had to shift his eyes upward. "Yeah, I am curious as well. When someone is put into a mirage of fear they are engulfed in it. However, they can still perceive what goes on around them. You were the only one who wasn''t engulfed, and you even instilled fear into the principal who was renowned for putting people in a state of fear as well as mentally breaking them down. He was a torturer before he became a principal. So instilling fear into him should have not been easy." Astraia would speak up since she was also curious. Riyku was not too sure what to tell them. He couldn''t just say, ''Oh Skeith is living inside of me and told me to do it.''. That sort of thing would probably draw in concern and worry which he did not want to burden them with. "Ah. I... made it up. I took what you told us about Hades and Lucifer as well as The Shadow King into my mind and made the entire thing up hoping it would work." Riyku would explain and while he was not ''technically lying'' he was not ''technically being honest'' either. After all, Skeith was the one who told him the story, and it came out through his mouth.


    "I see..." Astraia seemed astonished.


    "How devious of you, and here I thought you were just a goody-two-shoes." Astrid would tease him but did seem just as surprised as Astraia.


    Riyku would blush softly from embarrassment. "I just did not like seeing you two in that state. I want you two to always be happy and smiling. I want you two to always feel comfortable and safe. I want you two to be able to relax and feel at ease. That is all." Riyku would add, his words causing both of them to blush softly in turn. Sure they only just poured their hearts out yesterday, but that didn''t mean they couldn''t feel happy to hear those words coming from him. Both of them turned to kiss Riyku on the cheek at the same time before cuddling closer towards him. Riyku''s eyes lit up in awe before turning into a smile and his attention placed on both of them. "I think we should go shopping. I want to find some ingredients to make you both something nice to eat tonight." Riyku would add a suggestion on what they should do now. Both Astraia and Astrid seemed happy with such a question and went along with it. The three of them drew in eyes; however, no one said anything or approached them. It was not quite clear as to why no one tried to interrupt them, but maybe the fact that Riyku''s right arm was completely abnormal for a normal demon to have; was one thing.


    "Is that him?" A voice could be heard from the shadow of an alleyway. Three sets of eyes were peering from the black each figure cloaked in a tattered robe. "Yeah, that''s the guy." Another voice peered forth. "I see. Think you can take him, Shade?" The silence was there as a single pair of eyes narrowed upon Riyku. "With a bit of training and time." A final voice came forth. All vocals were masculine, but the final one was a bit darker than the other two. "I see. Then we will give you two months to train before we engage in the plan." The second voice which was more commanding than the first voice or the third voice had spoken up again. The first and the third would agree before the three eyes seemed to close out as if signaling their leave.

 62 A tempting though

    When the ashes seemed to stop pouring so heavily, Riyku would notice just how much time had passed. "I think it is time to grab tonight''s dinner." Riyku would remark which caused both Astraia and Astrid to look up before chuckling lightly. "It is. I had no clue how much time had passed." Astraia would remark. "The time slipped past me as well." Astrid would comment before taking note of a market a few skipping stones away. "Quite lucky though considering the market is just over there. What will you be making, if you do not mind me asking?" Astrid would inquire after pointing out the market''s location. It looked like a store, although the building was more so made of obsidian than anything else. Riyku''s lips would curve into a smile when she asked what he would be making. "A special dish." Although his reply was short and mysterious, both Astrid and Astraia could tell simply from the tone of his voice that it was something special indeed. The three of them made their way into the market and Riyku would pick out various ingredients he learned that were similar to ingredients back on Gaia. After all, he had worked in the kitchen area at Safe Haven a little after he settled in. Astrid and Astraia seemed to try and guess just what it was he was going to make, but could not place it into mind. When they arrived at the checkout area, Astraia was about to call to her source, but Riyku stopped her and called out to his own. Using his left hand he would bring forth a violet-colored sphere which the person at the checkout station would press some kind of device that looked like a pricing gun against the sphere. He would press the button on the gun and there would be a nice little ''Chung-ching'' sound in which the cashier would nod. "All good." Before proceeding to bag up the ingredients. Riyku would dismiss his source which caused it to fade out and let his armrest at his side with a nod to the man. "Thank you." He would proceed to collect the bags.


    Now since there was no ''material currency'' like bills and coins. Those of the Underworld decided to use their Source which naturally stored Essences. Essences were pretty much one''s life-force and the more one had the longer they generally lived. That meant that the rich lived longer than the poor, but in the Underworld, it was slightly different. Being rich was not always the best. Those who were rich were generally targeted because it meant they could live longer if they killed the rich and devoured their source. Of course, the rich were usually strong for that reason; however, just because one has a lot of essences does not mean they are strong. Their control over Diabolical Energy, their ability to use magic circles, and their fighting prowess all played factors in this as well. Just because someone has a bunch of Essences does not mean they are strong. Rich yes, but not strong. This is why the rich will usually hire bodyguards or trainers, some even keep it a secret that they are rich. This can also be applied to the poor as well. Just because someone is poor does not mean they are weak. It varies between individuals after all. Needless to say, Astrid and Astraia are not poor or rich. They are in the middle, but they are also strong. However, there is no need for them to go out killing others or even the alternative which is to hunt down the surrounding beasts and devour their essences. That is because they have Safe Haven which generates a good amount of essences or Essences Credit (EC).


    Riyku would hold onto the bags meanwhile Astrid and Astraia walked along each side of him. Astrid on his right and Astraia on his left. They had been silent about the whole ordeal on Riyku paying. There was no reason for him to pay. After all, he could be considered ''poor''. Since he had only been around the Underworld for a little over a year. It wasn''t that Astrid never paid him for his work though. She did pay him on a monthly basis; it was just that she knew that most people typically made a lot more EC within a year. Of course, they were doing other things. Killing, hunting, and prostitution. Riyku wasn''t doing any of those, and of course, neither was she or Astraia. Still, she generally kept most of the EC that came in as a means to maintain the place through lighting, energy, and lava(water). This also applied to keep the food and drink coming in as well. Along with other expenses. So when all was said and done, what she had was probably a little bit more than what she gave Riyku. Even then, she could have footed the bill as expenses for food. So she was curious as to why Riyku decided to pay. "Why did you pay, when I could have paid for it?" Astrid asked.


    Riyku glanced at her when she seemed to speak up. "Pay?" He took a moment to realize what she meant. After all, he paid for a lot of things today. "Because I wanted to." Riyku would respond with a smile. "Are you sure? I can give you some EC. I do not want you to end up with nothing after all." Astrid would add with concern and worry, but Riyku shook his head softly. "There is no need to worry. I am keeping track of my EC levels. I still have quite a bit to spare. I rarely use it for anything anyway so I have just been saving up since I started getting paid. I wanted to thank you both for everything you have done for me. So please do not worry. I am perfectly fine." When Riyku spoke those words, Astrid seemed to relax a bit. She trusted him enough with his word and nodded silently. Astraia had smiled softly in silence as she listened in. Glad to hear that Riyku was fine. The rest of the venture back to Safe Haven was just as peaceful.


    While the rest of the way was peaceful. Trying to keep Astrid and Astraia out of the kitchen was a bit difficult. They wanted to help him prepare the food, and even also went as far as to wear aprons in the nude. Riyku had a few nosebleeds and because of this no work was getting done so Riyku politely asked them to go wash up and dinner would be ready around the time they got out. Which is what they did. Both of them were in the open bath out back behind Safe Haven. While it was open, it was also ''closed off''. Simply because there had been walls put up to keep eyes out. However, the skyward view was beautiful. The molten lava was nice to the skin as well and the ladies were capable of relaxing. Both of them sat nude next to each other with a soft sigh before Astrid finally spoke up. "He has grown a lot since you first brought him in."


    Astraia nodded softly, "Yes he has. He was so lost at first. I thought he was just trying to be deceptive, but he generally knew nothing."


    "It is a good thing you brought him in. Sure, I was skeptical that you brought a guy home and one nude at that, but I am happy you did. He is a nice person. It is quite clear that he does not belong here, as you said." Astrid would speak up.


    "It has to do with that Contracted Entity. I am sure of it. Then there is Skeith..." Astraia would sigh lightly.


    "Yeah. Other than Krowth I never met anyone ever so willing to do something so selfless." Astrid would add in a soft manner. Astraia would shift her eyes towards Astrid. "Mother..." She would speak in a hushed manner, her voice carrying concern. "Do not worry, Astra. I know Riyku is not Krowth and I know he can not replace him either. Riyku is Riyku." Astrid would comment to which Astraia would smile lightly. "Of course... that also means Riyku is a cherry boy. Right?" Astrid had this lustful glow in her eyes when she spoke that. Astraia who had settled back down moved hastily to look at her mother. "MOTHER!" She exclaimed which caused Astrid to chuckle lightly. "What? Being a virgin in the underworld at his age is extremely rare. Especially considering he''s a man with a deep... alluring... tone and soooo much..." Astrid could not finish her sentence since she was squirming around like a fangirl with a heavy blush on her face. Astraia would sigh heavily and turn from her mother to relax against the bath. "Yes. I understand. But, remember mother; the way Riyku sees those things is different from a demon. He will only willingly do it with someone he loves." Astraia would comment.


    Since Astraia wasn''t looking at the time she did not notice her mother''s twinkling eyes. It was only after the silence dug in did she turn to look at her mother and see that sparkle. "What?" Astraia would inquire in a confused manner. "He does love us though. Both of you and me, and we love him. So... He should be fine with it, yes? Oh... maybe we can--" Before Astrid could finish her sentence Astraia had interrupted her. "You will not seduce him." Astraia would state firmly. "But..." Astrid would whine. "No. No seduction." Astraia would stand firm. The two of them stared at each other for a bit before Astrid finally gave up with a soft sigh. "Fine, but if he comes onto me I will accept it." Astrid would add. Astraia would sigh heavily, "Yes. If he ever does. Riyku is not that type of person. So I doubt he will. Anyways, the food is just about done. I can smell it. Shall we?" Astraia would reply before speaking of the dinner that she could smell coming from inside of the house. Astrid would chuckle lightly and rise up. Her body truly was beautiful from bottom to top. Astraia followed up, and while her body was not as plump as Astrid''s it was curvaceous with a sexy tone.


    The two of them would dry off and put on something homey. Astrid wore a robe with a bit of cleavage to show off and a good portion of her thigh when she walked could be seen. As for Astraia, she was wearing a black crop top and black short shorts. Both of the ladies came in through the kitchen only to greet Riyku who was coming back into the kitchen to wash his hands and clean up. Seeing how hot and steamy their skin looked along with how fresh and beautiful they were made Riyku blush. "F-Food is ready. I put it on the table." Riyku would stutter for a moment which caused both of them to giggle lightly since they found it cute. Both of them moved past him and placed a kiss on each cheek.


    "Thanks, Riy." Astraia would whisper softly.


    "Thank you, dear." Astrid would speak in a hushed tone.


    Riyku would wash up his hands and blink lightly before sigh softly. A voice echoed in the back of his mind. "I''ll be damned. You seduced two women... Well, I suppose it was bound to happen. Tell you what, let me give you some instructions on how to please a woman. Wouldn''t want you to disappoint them after all." It was Skeith''s voice. The demon always seemed to come in at just the ''perfect'' moment with the ''perfect'' thing to say. Riyku''s cheeks flared even more. "I am good. Thank you. I do not plan on having sex with them. I do not want them to mistake my feelings for them are out of lust." Riyku would remark in a wholesome manner. Skeith nearly laughed at this remark, but just tsked at him a few times.


    "Listen here, kid. There is nothing wrong with lusting after a beautiful woman. Just like there is nothing wrong with lusting after a handsome man. Besides, do you think that they will want to stay with someone who isn''t willing to have sex with them? You won''t do it now, when will you do it? Eventually, they will leave you, kid. I mean if a woman didn''t want to have sex with me, I would leave her. That aspect of demons is the same no matter who it is." Skeith would add to which Riyku would retort, "But I am not like that." In the end, Skeith would sigh, "You are abnormal." A moment of silence was there before Riyku spoke up. He had been in thought about the whole matter since Skeith brought it up.


    "If I don''t do this with them, they will leave me? I mean... I suppose that is possible. Is sex really all that great?" Riyku would inquire curiously. While he had seen it happen before he never experienced it himself. If one could see it, Skeith was grinning; "Well... that depends on the person. Sex can be terrible if the person is terrible and it can be wonderful if the person is wonderful. I have had my share of bad partners so I can tell you that being a bad partner will cause them to leave you. I won''t take over your body, but I''ll give you a rundown play by play. All you have to do is follow through with it." Skeith would suggest as if he were kind of wingman. Riyku would just stare at the empty sink for a moment in thought.


    "That sounds... weird. To have you there while I am doing it." Riyku would comment, his face was already flushed completely from the thoughts and the conversation itself. Skeith would snicker before replying, "Then before you plan on it. Tonight, after dinner. When you are washing up, I will give you a play by play on how to do these things. After which you can decide when you want to approach one of them or even both of them; however, I suggest you do a one on one. I doubt you have the stamina to handle two women after all you are a cherry boy." Skeith would tease, "Till then. Go enjoy your little meal time with them." With those final words, he seemed to leave Riyku before Riyku could even reply. Riyku was at a loss for words. His face flustered and his heart beating abnormally fast. "I... suppose I could try it..." Riyku would murmur softly, before taking some much-needed time to calm down then going to the dinner table to have a wonderful meal with the two women he loved.

 63 The first time... 18+ NSFW

    "Partially correct, Kid." The demon''s voice echoed throughout his mind.


    Riyku''s brow arched curiously. He was quite used to having this voice inside of his by now and even if he wanted to protest there was no way Skeith would leave willingly. "What do you mean?" Riyku would inquire since he was curious. After all, from what he had seen all of the demons so far are able to bathe in lava. Skeith''s sinister snicker echoed throughout his mind which caused his brow to twitch with annoyance.


    "Crimson Ash is full of demons who are immune to all forms of heat. HellFire for example will do nothing against you. However, against a demon from Oblivion, it will do harm. It just all depends on the Netherworld one was born into. Oblivion''s demons are immune to FrostFire. Which if you did not know is a chilling flame." Skeith would explain; although something in that explanation did not add up. "Wait... if a demon from Oblivion is immune to FrostFire, why does HellFire harm them?" Riyku would question. After all, it made no sense. Since both were in theory a ''source of heat.'' Skeith would of course snicker again which seemed to annoy Riyku since it seemed like Skeith was mocking him for his lack of knowledge.


    "Simple. FrostFire is actually a ''cold'' type of spell. This means that Oblivion demons are immune to ''cold'' type spells or at least resistant to those of the same category. That also means that FrostFire could harm you." Skeith would explain once again; although it seemed Riyku still had yet another question. He wanted to fully understand what Skeith meant by could. "What do you mean it could harm me?" Interestingly, Skeith did not snicker at Riyku this time. Instead, he made a noise of amusement before answering. "Mmmm... You seem to catch on quickly. Yes. Normally FrostFiire would harm you. However, since I am a part of you; you are immune to FrostFire just like how I am immune to HellFire thanks to you."


    The time went by and Riyku was finished with the images Skeith had embedded within his mind in full-blown detail. He was already out of the bath and now walking up the steps to the resting rooms; with a soft sigh. "I can''t do all of those things... that is just... how do people even do that?" Riyku grumbled before shaking his head free of such thoughts. He came up to his room and pushed open the door, entering then closing the door behind him only to plop down upon the bed with a heavy sigh. "I can''t do that kind of thing... isn''t it suppose to be more... intimate? More romantic?" Riyku would murmur into his pillow. When it came to sexual intercourse, he had never experienced it; however, he always assumed it was supposed to be more... innocent than what Skeith had shown him. A knocking at his door took his attention from his thoughts and he shuffled around to get up and answer the door. His face lit up, and his eyes widened. Standing at his door was Astraia in a see-through crimson nightgown. Her breast bare and nipples already hard. Her lower region was clothed with a lovely designed piece of fabric.


    "A-A-Astra..." Riyku stuttered under his breath like an innocent child. Taking a step back to keep himself from falling as Astraia pushed herself against him. A hand running along his chest with her breast pushed against his shirt. The other seemed to run along his arm in a sensual manner. She looked up at him with affection. "Riy... come with me." Astraia would speak in a hushed manner, a memorizing tone of voice as she took hold of his left hand. Riyku was within the trance, but not because of her succubi charms, but because of her beauty and affection. It drew at him in and he willingly followed her guidance out of his room and towards the Master bedroom.


    Riyku could feel his heart beating rapidly, each step he took further increased the tempo and when he reached the door to the Masterbedroom he would whisper Astraia''s name to get her attention. She looked back at him with a smile before opening the door to reveal Astrid in a black see-through night-gown laying in a seductive manner on the bed. "I... Uh... Umm..." Riyku had his words caught in his throat, but Astraia silenced him by turning around to place a finger to his lips. She shushed him softly before guiding him towards the bed where she would push him onto it in a loving manner. Riyku would look from Astraia to Astrid who was looking down at him with an affectionate gaze just as strong as Astraia''s. Astrid brought her hands to cup Riyku''s cheeks while leaning over to place a soft kiss against his lips. Riyku was surprised at first because he wasn''t expecting a kiss so suddenly; however, returned the kiss albeit it for a moment. Astrid broke the kiss when Astraia crawled over him which drew his attention towards her. She would move in for a kiss of her own which Riyku replied within turn until Astraia decided to break the affectionate kiss by sitting on her legs.


    While most would deem this situation a lovely fantasy, Riyku thought of it as a new experience. Although he was extremely nervous. He had never done such a thing, and it seemed tonight was going to the night that it would happen. He always thought that sexual intercourse was supposed to be a one on one kind of thing. So it shocked him that they were both coming into him. He wanted to speak his thought to confirm this; however, he did not need to. His answer was given with not only what was going on, but with the smile from both of these beautiful ladies.


    Astrid would tug at Riyku''s shirt, "Lift your arms, dear." Astrid spoke, her voice was far more lovely than usual for some odd reason. Riyku would do as he was told and lift his arms so Astrid would remove his shirt, meanwhile, it seemed Astraia had her hands running along his abdominal area down to his crotch. When he felt her touch against the bulge in his pants he squirmed a bit. Both Astrid and Astraia would giggle softly. "Do no worry. We will take care of you." Astraia''s voice was just as lovely as Astrid''s and those words. Those were the same words that the succubi he had met when he first came here told him; however, he did not feel the same intention with Astrid and Astraia as he did with them. It felt more... ''pure'' to him. Riyku would nod lightly and when he did Astraia started to remove his meat stick from his pants. Shuffling around for it, and when it came popping out Astrid seemed to moan at the sight; it was bigger than the average... for a demon. Astraia could feel it throbbing within her hand and seemed to release a soft moan herself. Even Riyku had moaned to the somewhat chilly touch of Astraia''s hand.


    A moment later Riyku''s eyes widen as he felt something warm and silky rubbing against his member. He looked down to see that Astraia was grinding her mound against his meatstick. Although when she had taken off her panties was unsure. Soft noises of pleasure seemed to spew from Astraia''s mouth as she looked down at Riyku, her hands firmly upon his stomach to keep the motion steady. Astrid would reach for Riyku''s right arm to glide it up her body and press the palm into her breast. She would aid him in massaging her own breast; although it seemed mews of pleasure also seemed to slip from her mouth. Be it the massage itself or the fact that his right hand was oozing so much vile and ruin that it heightened her senses. These small motions seemed to spur into larger ones since Astraia slipped the head of his member into her opening. Meanwhile, Astrid had lowered herself so she could kiss Riyku all the while massaging her own mound with her free hand.


    The kissing deepened with tongue play, and even though Riyku was a novice Astrid was able to guide him through it. Kissing seemed to come naturally to Riyku though, only having kissed one person one time before it made no sense for him to be as good as he currently was otherwise. His Riyku hand starting massaging within her aid, dipping into the flesh while teasing the nipple. It was just something Skeith had ''drilled'' into his mind. He thought to put it to use and it seemed to send Astrid into a pleasing shiver. As for Astraia, well, she had enough teasing herself with Riyku''s second head. So she pushed his member inside of her. Releasing a breathy moan in the process which also caused Riyku to moan into the kiss with Astrid. His member would throb excitedly inside of Astraia which only caused more breathy moans before she braced herself for a smooth and steady grinding motion.


    This little scene played out for a moment longer before, Astrid broke the kiss with a heavy breath. Instead, she replaced her lips with her breast, pretty much shoving them into Riyku''s face who graciously took the nipples into his mouth. Another technique Skeith had shown this virgin was to naw on the nipples while suckling and licking the tips. It would take some practice, but it seemed to please Astrid all the same with how heavy her moaning was. Then came Astraia, she had shifted her grinding into a rocking motion. Trying to scratch an inch and once she did, there was no stopping.


    Breathy moans from all three of them filled the room along with the scent of musk. Astraia had picked up her pace as time went on. Astrid had positioned her body so Riyku would use his fingers to massage her opening while she reapplied the passionate kiss. His right hand was kept to fondling her breast. Interestingly enough, Riyku''s stamina was pretty high even for someone who was just a virgin mere moments ago. As for Astraia, she seemed to hit a limit, increasing her pace even more while clinging her walls to Riyku''s member in a show of how close she was. Even if Riyku knew nothing of this, he could tell something was coming and when it did he could feel Astraia shiver and squirm against him violently while releasing a loud breathy moan before slowly slipping herself off of him.


    When Astrid noticed Astraia was ready to swap positions, she would break the kiss once again. Instead of moving around Riyku, she crawled over him with her back facing him. Using her hands she would steady his rod while aligning herself. A soft breathy moan escaped her lips when she felt how stiff he was, and when he entered she moaned in sheer pleasure. As for Astraia, well she seemed to use her legs as pillows, letting Riyku rest his head on her thighs while she hunched over to press her lips to his. Perhaps she was satisfied? Riyku knew next to nothing, so he said nothing about this. Although when he entered Astrid he released a moan of his own into the kiss. His member throbbed even more so than before which nearly caused him to buck his hips out of some kind of reflex. Astrid would giggle through a breath before setting her motion. Rocking her hips back and forth smoothly for the moment.


    Astrid had picked up the pace as time went on, her moans had heightened and increased to her pace and just as Astraia had clung onto Riyku she did the same. Only this time it seemed Riyku had hit his limit as well. When Astrid released so did Riyku, and the volume of her moan increased as she felt a warmth shooting inside of her. When the climax came to an end Astrid would remove herself from Riyku, look down to watch the mixed liquids drip from her with a giggle before laying on the bed. Astraia would break the passionate kiss a moment later. Riyku''s breath pacing rapidly along with his beating heart. Both of the ladies grasped each arm to pull him up towards them so they could cuddle with him. Even though this was all new, he said not a word and just accepted it. Not wishing to ruin the clearly happy mood. Astrid was on his right and Astraia on his left, both resting their heads on each part of his arm and body seeming to lean in to kiss his cheek at the same time before nuzzling into him happily. Riyku would just smile softly before closing his eyes just as they had done.


    Daybreak... or well what could be known was daybreak came. Riyku as usual was the last one to wake up. He did not feel the presence of either Astrid or Astraia, so he sat up while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was then he noticed how bare and naked he was which caused his cheeks to flush. He recalled what had happened last night and placed his fingers to his lips. "Is it possible..." Riyku seemed to murmur to himself. A thought had crossed his mind. He wondered if it was possible to love two people or even love more than one person. He only questioned it because that was what he saw. His mother and father only loved each other and various other people in his tribe who were married also did.


    Of course as if on queue a sinister mocking snicker came from within his mind, "I do not see why not. I would not say use the word love though. Lust, Desire, Enjoy... yes. Love, that is a useless emotion that holds no sway in the Underworld, kid." Skeith... this demon never knew how to stay quiet it seemed. Riyku''s flush faded and his brow twitched with annoyance. "Love is not useless. It is a powerful emotion and shows just how much you care about someone." Riyku would retort and Skeith would scoff, "Regardless. You did okay for a Virgin. You should have moved a bit more, used what I taught you. You would have driven those two crazy if you had." Skeith had replied.


    "What you taught me was not what I expected.... Besides, I wanted to try moving, but I didn''t want to ruin the moment. Wait... YOU WERE WATCHING!?" Riyku had exclaimed when he realized Skeith had been watching which caused Skeith to chuckle. "Of course. Got nothing else to do." Skeith would reply, but before Riyku could get out a retort the door would open with both Astrid and Astraia there.


    "Did something happen?" Astrid inquired.


    "Who are you talking to?" Astraia asked.


    Riyku would exhale a soft breath. "Just myself." He replied. "And no nothing. Sorry to worry you both." He would add before smiling softly. Both of them had made their way over towards him and sat on each side of the bed. "Then perhaps it is time for you to get up." Astraia would state. "Unless you want to go for another round." Astrid would add which caused Riyku to blush softly. "I... Umm..." Both of them would giggle when they saw how flustered Riyku was before placing a kiss on each cheek. "There is no time, you two have to get going to the Academy after all." Astrid would comment. Riyku would look towards Astraia who was actually dressed and ready to go then looked at himself with a soft sigh. "Yeah... I guess I overslept." He would remark.


    "No worries. I''ll wait for you." Astraia would move back. "I prepared lunch for both of you, as well as a light breakfast for you before the two of you take off." Astrid would add as she did the same, both of them leaving the room with a smile and wave meanwhile Riyku just had a bit of a blank stare. "Impressive. It seems those two are quite fond of you. What did you do? You don''t look like a charmer or seducer type to me." Skeith seemed to peek in, but received no answer from the wordless Riyku. Instead Riyku just smiled before getting up out of the bed and preparing for the day.

 64 A firm resolve

    Riyku was puzzled for a moment on why she did such. Although he simply smiled back at her in return. "Astra?" Riyku would speak her name in question form. Astraia would internally sigh. She figured perhaps he was too dense to notice she was wearing make-up today. Riyku would tilt his head slightly as he called her name again question form. This time she finally spoke up, "Do you notice anything different today?" Astraia was a bit timid when she asked this question since she never seemed to care for make-up and what not unlike most other succubi. Riyku could see in her eyes just how much she wanted him to notice this ''something''. A smile curved across his face and he would reply, "Your make-up." Riyku had noticed but had not said anything. Although, why had he refrained from saying a word. "Yup. What do you think?" Astraia would push to get a better answer from him. Riyku''s smile would widen even more, "Your make-up compliments your beauty. It brings out just how gorgeous you truly are." These words caused Astraia''s face to flush and she stood up while turning away from him to hide her blush. "Thanks." Astraia would state before quickly turning on her hand to take his hand and drag him with her. Riyku would not say anything else instead he would simply smile joyfully.


    Astraia would take Riyku''s hand and lace their fingers together. This caught his attention which had been shifted downward. "Even if something like that does happen again. I am sure you will protect me and I will protect you. We will protect each other. We are strong after all." Astraia would comment wholeheartedly. Although, deep down she wanted to refrain from letting Riyku fight again. She did not want him to unleash Skeith again or give him another chance to take over his body. It seemed like a miracle that he was about to take back his body. So, if he lost it again, he may not even return. This scared her because she did not know that he had made a contract with Skeith. Power in exchange for freedom.


    Before the two of them could get out another word their names were called out by a lovely and warm voice. Astraia would lead with Riyku to follow and both of them entered the room. The first sight was a tall violet haired beauty which rivaled that of Astrid''s. Her amethyst eyes seemed to be filled with warmth just as much as her voice did. "Everyone welcome, Astraia, and Riyku to our class. An incident had occurred a few days ago during a training session and so the two of them were transferred here. Please treat them as you would your own.


    Astraia and Riyku turned from the Instructor to face the small class of eight students. Adding them would make ten. It was less than the class they had just come from and while Astraia knew why Riyku did not. Astraia had side-eyed Riyku and saw the confusion on his face so she leaned over slightly to whisper, "This is the class fit for the best of the best. Only a handful of students get into this class and are treated properly. I assume what you did to the Principal had something to do with putting us here." Riyku would nod softly before inhaling and exhaling softly. The Instructor had asked them to give an introduction. "Hello everyone, as you are aware I am Astraia BurningAsh. Some of you may know me as the Princess of Slaughter, but let''s not get too into these little nicknames people make up shall we?" Astraia seemed to the first to start seeing how Riyku was a bit tense. There were two reasons as to why and both were reasonable. The first being that Astraia and Riyku were still holding hands even if it was subconscious. He did not realize that, but the second reason he knew very well. His right arm was completely visible. So he figured that was why all nine students were staring. He had started to recall the problems this ''arm'' was giving him. Like some sort of PTSD attack.


    Riyku''s attention shifted towards Astraia when she gave his hand a light squeeze. He finally realized they were still holding hands and as he listened to her give her introduction he seemed to steadily relax. As if her voice was calming his nerves. Riyku would shift his attention back to the other eight students. "My name is Riyku DarkFang. As you may already know I have a Contracted Entity." He would shift his glance towards his right arm, bringing it up slowly as if to examine it. "I can not say when I got this, nor can I remember. I can hardly remember how I even got here. What I do know is that Astraia has given me something to cherish. She filled the emptiness that was within my heart and that is something I am grateful for." Riyku would close his right hand before thrusting it at the eight students before him. "And if anyone attempts to harm what I cherish and love, they will be dealt with without remorse." His words were not threatening, nor was he trying to come off as intimidating. He was being honest and clear. His resolve was firm. He did not want what had happened to happen again, he wanted to make sure everyone knew that if they tried to harm Astraia then there would be no mercy.


    Astraia did not expect this and neither did the class or even the Instructor. Someone spoke up, an intelligent voice yet mildly timid. This voice came from a female who had seen them before but had never been seen by them. Their meeting was brief, but she admired Riyku deeply for what he had done. "So you are in love with Astraia and are an official couple?" There was still silence in the atmosphere after this question was thrown out; however, there was no malice in her voice instead it was filled with curiosity and a hint of admiration. Riyku would lift his left hand up to show that Astraia and he had their fingers laced. "I am and we are." Riyku was short and clear with his response. However, what he received was not what he expected.


    Cheers and claps started to form around the room along with the Instructor who even pitched in. Both Riyku and Astraia were in awe at what they witnessed.


    "Good for you two."


    "Man, I am jealous."


    "They are a perfect couple, huh?"


    "Wish I had a girlfriend."


    Happened to be some of the few remarks that people gave. The Instructor could see the shock on their faces and giggle lightly before calling out to them to get their attention. "You do not have to worry about the old traditions here. Everyone here fully supports love and relationships even myself. So you two are safe here. Alright?" The Instructor would give a cheery wink before continuing onward. "Now, go on and take your seats which are next to each other in the back. I am sure the students want to ask you some questions, but we need to resume our class. We are going over Magic Circles and Runic Circles as well as what the difference between the two is." With those words, Riyku and Astraia went to their seats. They all got smiles and thumbs up along the way which felt... oddly weird. So much so that even Skeith had a few words to say.


    "Old Traditions eh? Ha, Love is pathetic. Who needs to be in a relationship anyway? Sex and war are all a demon needs if you ask me. It seems there are a ''few'' more who share in your ideals, Riyku."


    Riyku would; however, ignore Skeith. He had no reason to respond or even humor the demon. Especially after he just resolved himself. He felt that his resolve should have been enough of a response to Skeith and interestingly enough, Skeith did not say another word. The class would go over Runic and Magic circles and their differences before it was time for break. That was when the teacher started doing her own thing. The rest of the class hurried to surround both Astraia and Riyku and staring barrage them with questions.


    "How long have you been a couple?"


    "Have you kissed yet?


    "What is sex like?"


    "Who asked who out?"


    "Is it true you beat up an entire class and their Instructor?"


    "Did you know they call you the Demon of Destruction?"


    "How do you feel about open relationships?"


    "What does the Queen of Inflammation think?"


    "What is your Contracted Entity?"


    "Where are you from, Riyku?"


    "How big is, Riyku?"


    The questions were truly nonstop, but the questions that drew in the most attention happened to be.


    ''Is it true you beat up an entire class and their Instructor?''


    ''Did you know they call you the Demon of Destruction?''


    Astraia was fending off some of ''other'' questions, but Riyku had particularly locked onto those two. "It is. I could not stand to watch them beat her down. I hated watching them torment her, and it upset me further when they tried to do what they did. As for this nickname, no. I am not aware of it, nor do I care for it. I refuse to let anyone take away what I cherish. Never again will that happen." Riyku would reply to these two in particular. His voice had steadily grown in volume, not necessarily a shout, but so that everyone could hear him. Astraia''s glance softened and a smile took to her voice as she spoke his name with a breath. The class was silent before seeming to cheer happily. They supported this train of thought and most of them even started saying that they would do what they could to help him.


    This was odd to Riyku, but not unwelcoming. He smiled and thank all of them before starting to answer some of the questions that were directed at him. Although, one thing was clear with each question he answered. He truly loved Astraia as well as Astrid. It was quite obvious that Astrid was part of it since they saw her clinging to him yesterday or heard it through gossip.


    Breaktime came to an end and everyone returned to their seats. The class would resume until the remainder of the day and when it came to a closing that was when things started to turn up. "Alright Class. As you are all aware, we have our annual Legends of the Underworld coming up next month. It is the time where only the top classes of each Netherworld Academy come together to face off in a battle of strength and wit. As you are all aware this will decide the top ten most powerful Netherworlds in all of the Underworld so study and train hard!" The Instructor would exclaim joyfully and everyone with the exception of Riyku would cheer since he did not know what the Legends of the Underworld even was. It was clear to him that it was an event of some sort. Although why did it matter which Netherworld was the most powerful?


    "Also one more thing. I almost forgot to mention. The top ten students will be placed into a selection candidacy to becoming Overlord of whichever Netherworld they see fit! So, Let''s go! I believe in all of you!" The Instructor would exclaim. Riyku''s eyes widened when he heard those words.


    ''Become an Overlord of whichever Netherworld they wanted?''


    Was that even possible and why the top ten students? Did that mean that the event was secondary to selecting an Overlord for a Netherworld? If so what became of the reigning Overlord? Riyku was generally confused. Skeith could hear the thoughts Riyku was having and would snicker. That evil sinister and devious sinister echoing in his mind caught his attention. He nearly almost blurted out, "What''s so funny?" But was able to refrain and instead thought the statement instead.


    "You," Skeith replied instantly which seemed to rile Riyku up for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he felt like he was being mocked or looked down on. "Now, now. I am going to explain to you how it all works. The Legends of the Underworld is merely a showcasing for other Netherworlds to compare strength. This is so other Netherworlds can influence the weaker Netherworlds in various ways such as marketing. Since a weak Netherworld can not defy a stronger one, they are typically bound to accept any terms and conditions laid before them by the stronger Netherworld. Of course, that isn''t all this is for. Like that delicious succubus said, this is also to help select a new Overlord. The selection process is a lot simpler than one would think. The top ten will fight to the death, and the winner will be picked by one of the reigning Overlords to battle against them. From there, there are two outcomes... Live or Die."


    Riyku was stunned. From the moment Skeith said the top ten would battle to the death. Why did it have to be to the death? Why was everything so violent with the Underworld? Why would it not just be something friendly? Even more so when it came to the Overlord picking you and you having to fight them. Live or Die? Really? An emotion started to swirl within Riyku. An emotion he felt only a few times. An emotion that would make Skeith grin wide, as if he were playing Riyku like a fiddle. It was hate. Riyku hated how everything was ''Live or Die.'' There was no in-between. No happiness, no joy, no love. It was just ''Live or Die.''


    It was during these thoughts that he came to realize something from what Skeith had said. "What about you? You were the founder of a Netherworld. Did this sort of thing not exist back then?" Riyku''s thoughts echoed in his mind as to not speak them aloud and Skeith would happily reply to him; almost as if he was hoping Riyku would catch on.


    "It did and it is quite simple. I killed the Overlord who challenged me and destroyed her Netherworld, only to rebuild it with my own vision. You see, the thing about Live or Die. Is that even if the Overlord lets you live, you do not have to let them live. She was strong, but not strong enough. She dropped her guard since she thought she had me backed against the wall and asked me to give up and become her little toy. It''s a shame though, I wanted to make her mine but I had to plunge my blade through her chest since I doubt she would have given up." Skeith would explain which caused Riyku''s eyes to go wide. Skeith killed an Overlord before he became an Overlord? Was Skeith truly that strong? Still, it made a lot of sense. On why Skeith was known as the Tyrant Overlord who founded his own Netherworld: Oblivion. It also made sense why Oblivion was known to host the most powerful Demons. A Netherworld built purely on survival of the fittest. A sigh escaped his lips and he slumped back against his chair.


    He would side-eye Astraia who was chatting it up with a couple of the girls in the room. Most of the students had left after the announcement was made. So it was only him, Astraia, a couple of girls, a couple of guys, and the Instructor. The guys were heading out saying their goodbyes to the Instructor which left him and Astraia and the girls. If Astraia and Riyku ended up two of the top ten...


    Riyku would make a silent vow. One that he intended to keep no matter the cost.


    "I will protect you."

 65 Legends of the Underworld

    Now it was time for the Legends of the Underworld event. Riyku had been pushing himself for this day so that way he could keep his vow. All of the students were seated and waiting for Instructor Rina to come into the room. The tension was high because they all knew what today was. Of course, it was not just Riyku who was the only one to training and studying. All of the class, including Astraia, had been doing the same. Attention shifted towards the door the moment Instructor Rina made her way in. A smile upon her face as she turned towards her class.


    "Good morning everyone! As you all know, today is the day of the Legends of the Underworld. As such we will waste no time in getting started. Before we port, let me go over what you should all expect. This year they decided to go with something short and simple. War." Everyone seemed too shocked to speak when Instructor Rina said that War was going to be the event.


    Instructor Rina could see the surprise on her classes'' faces so she decided to enlighten them with more information before someone would attempt to ask questions. "Now, now. I know what you are all thinking. War!? Really!? Well, that is just a simple way of putting it. Since there are plenty of Netherworlds out there, they decided to keep it short and sweet. There will be multiple Wars going on, but each War will consist of three Netherworlds. Each War will take place in a land that has no wildlife, or populace. So there is no need to worry about an outside attack. Many of the Overlords have purchased a planet or two to be used for this event. So there may be multiple Wars on a Netherworld, but there are precautions used to make sure Wars do not interfere with each other." It seemed the confusion started to clear out. Everyone was starting to understand what was going on and could predict what was going to happen. "Are there any questions?" Instructor Rina would ask, to give others the floor to place their questions. One of the students rose their hand, "Are we going to be ported into the event or to an assemble hall of some kind?"


    "The details will be provided once we get there; however, from what I can tell it will be a Capture the Flag and Defend your base type of battle. Since we are porting directly into our base." Instructor Rina would answer. One more question seemed to come out, and this time it came from Riyku.


    "Will anyone actually die from this?"


    All attention shifted towards Riyku when he spoke up, but shifted back towards Instructor Rina who smiled softly and shook her head. "No. The Netherworlds have an effect called ''Port home''. If you die on the field you will be ported back here where you can watch on a magic screen what goes on. No one will actually die from this. You have my word." The answer Instructor Rina gave seemed to ease some of the tension that had built up. However, Riyku still could not grasp it. If people did not die during the event, why were they to die during the Overlord Selection and why was Instructor Rina not talking about it? He wanted to ask her, but it seemed that was a wrap. Instructor Rina was already starting the porting process. A class-wide magic circle appeared on the flooring much like when his previous Instructor ported them to the mountainside. Only this time they were ported to another land.


    Upon the fading of such a blinding light, they were all set in a small obsidian stone hut where a black flag waved proudly in the middle. There was only one door which was in front of them. Interestingly enough, Instructor Rina was nowhere to be found, which left a majority of the students in confusion. Astraia could see this and spoke up, "The Instructor is probably back in the classroom. We were most likely the only ones who ported here and this is most likely our base. Let''s just wait for instruction." Astraia''s tone of voice seemed to quell the confusion and everyone settled down. Riyku decided to take a place beside Astraia. "Good job." He told her which drew her attention towards him with a smile. "Just doing what I can. Anyway... what was that question about? You are not thinking of relying too heavily on the Contracted Entity, are you?" Her expression shifted when she asked that question.


    Riyku would sigh lightly and shake his head. "I have no plans on that. I just wanted to make sure that no one would get hurt. Still... something bothers me. If someone dies they are ported home, right? What about their injuries? Are they healed when they get back?" Riyku seemed to still have his worries on the matter and Astraia could see that; however, before she could get out another word an authoritative voice echoed throughout the hut.


    "Welcome, Students of the Underworld. Welcome to the Legends of the Underworld. Our yearly event to determine the top ten Netherworlds in all of the Underworld. I will be brief. This year we will be going with a War Battle. It will be three teams in a battle royal. There are two ways of winning the War. Either eliminate all other teams or steal their flags. Once a flag is stolen it must be brought back to your base and placed near your flag. You can not capture a flag if your flag is stolen, so be sure to have someone on guard. With that said, there are no rules. Do as you please. The event will begin in the next thirty minutes, so prepare. Good luck to you all and may Hades and Lucifer guide you."


    The voice seemed to finish and everyone looked at each other. "Teams? As in each school right? So does that mean we are going against two other schools?" Someone spoke up.


    "So it is ten against ten against ten, right?" Another would add-in.


    "Yeah, I believe so. But who should stay here and who should we send out?" Someone else added in.


    Everyone fell silent in thought and began looking at each other. Riyku would step forward. "I will go take all of the flags. Can you all stay here and guard ours?" This was a bold claim. To go out alone and take the flags himself. He had his reasons of course. He wanted to make sure no one from his side would be selected for the Overlord Selection. If what Skeith had said was true... he did not want to fight them or watch them get killed by anyone else. This also went for Astraia. He knew just how strong she was, and he knew that she would end up being one of the candidates to be selected. If he could deny her any spotlight then...


    "Nope."


    A voice perched forth. It was Astraia who had rebuttal his decision. "You charging head in to fight against how many people? Nope. I will not accept this unless I am allowed to come with you." Everyone had shifted their attention from Riyku towards Astraia. He would bite his inner cheek when she spoke up. "Well... Umm... we need people to defend our flag. The more the better." Riyku would retort.


    "And? Our class isn''t weak. They can handle it." Astraia would comment.


    "Still, I insist. With you here, we will never lose our flag." Riyku would reply.


    "And what if you die? Who is going to collect the other flags?" Astraia would add.


    Riyku fell silent. He had no retort to this comment and just sighed softly in defeat. "Fine. Just stay close, okay." Riyku would add, meanwhile, Astraia giggled and move beside him to take his hand in hears. Her eyes bright and filled with affection, "Always." She spoke joyfully.


    The class just watched the soap opera before them with smiles and soft breaths of relief. Any and all tension that was in the room was cleared out now and everyone was relaxed and ready. "Okay love birds. That is enough. We need to start. When the doors open you two are the first to make your move." Someone spoke up.


    "Yeah, be sure to show them just how strong love is."


    "Mhm! You two are unstoppable together!"


    "Agreed. Show the Underworld what a power couple is!"


    The cheers started to fill the hut which caused Riyku and Astraia to look from each other towards the others with a smile. "Right!" Riyku would exclaim happily. They were right. There was no way they could lose if they stuck together. They were stronger together. They were going to take the flags and bring them both back to bring home a win for their Netherworld! All doubts and fears were washed away now and replaced with resolve. A loud siren went off and the doors flung open. Riyku and Astraia made their way out of the hut only to see they were placed upon a hilltop with a lovely view of an open clearing. In the distance, one could see two other bases along with two beams of black light as if to give a position on where the flag was. "Over there and there." Riyku would point out. "That must be where the other bases are along with the flags." Astraia would add with a nod. She did not need to look back to tell if their base was giving off a beam since it was most likely true since the others were.


    "Left or right?" Riyku asked Astraia who would glance from the left to the right before pointing towards the left. "The Left seems further away, but closer towards the right base. So they may end up clashing with each other which should give us time to capture the flag and bring it back before going towards the right base and getting their flag." Astraia would comment and Riyku would nod in agreement as he observed what she mentioned. "Fair enough. Let''s go." With that, both of them would sprout their medium-sized bat-like wings to take off for flight.


    As they grew closer towards the base in question they started to descend towards the ground; however, they came in contact with fire, ice, and lightning bolts alike. It seemed that they had been spotted and were being targeted. Riyku would drift left and right to avoid being hit just like Astraia did, sometimes both of them would shift past one another and use each other to avoid bolts that were coming in too fast or were too large to avoid on their own. When they landed at the base of the hill-side, they saw four students in a different uniform from their own running down the hill-side. Riyku would reach his hand into a magic circle to pull out a rapier, meanwhile, Astraia withdrew her greatsword. "Four ground and three anti-air. So three others are not accounted for." Astraia would claim and Riyku would smirk.


    "Fair enough. Let''s get started." Riyku seemed to dash forward, alongside Astraia. Both of them charged for the four who came down the hill. Astraia would leap over Riyku and bring her greatsword down upon the ground causing the ground to rupture with her strike. Of course with the uneven ground she fumbled back; however, instead of falling back she would jump backward, flip in mid-air and press her feet against an ice pillar. It seemed Riyku had used his magic to call forth to an ice pillar for Astraia without even communicating it and Astraia trusted that he would do something like this. She would kick off the pillar and straight towards two of the four students who were unsteady from the rumbling of the ground. They were trying to maintain their balance. She brought her blade around twice, both horizontal swings which cut down both her targets. Their bodies seemed to light up and port out the moment their flesh was cut through. It was as if something had detected that they were considered ''dead''.


    As for Riyku, he had jutted forward with a quick step to pierce through one of the remaining two students who was still trying to regain his posture. The moment the tip of his blade met with the student they were ported out since his thrust was aimed for a vital organ. Since there was no resistance, Riyku seemed to surge forward and used this motion to pivot towards the last student who had decided against fighting the flow of gravity and just leaped into the air. Both of his hands had gripped the blade and he decided to go for an overhead swing. Riyku would bring his blade around to parry the attack, moving the motion in a swift and powerful direction for the student to release his blade. Using his free hand, Riyku grasped the student''s blazer and pulled him in while thrusting his rapier for the student''s heart. Again the moment the tip of the blade was about to pierce through the vital organ the student ported out. In a matter of moments, four students of some unknown Netherworld were taken out while two of Crimson Ash remained.


    Riyku would take a moment to regain his posture as did Astraia before both of them stormed the base; however, when they got there no one was around. Not only that, but the flag was also missing. "Damn it. Someone else beat us to it." Riyku would mutter. "Looks like it..." Astraia would loosely speak as she looked around before pointing in the direction of their base. "Riyku look!" Astraia exclaimed as they saw students of the other Netherworld along with the three who tried to strike them down with anti-air; racing towards their base. "Wait... why are they..." Riyku would shift his glance from the students skyward to pin-point two beams. The one they were after was heading towards the Right side Base that they were going to attack after this one, meanwhile, the Right side base still had their flag. "Did they form some kind of truce?" Riyku would grit his teeth to this remark. "Riyku, none of the Right side base has lost any people. If anything, they have nine along with the other four heading towards our base." Astraia called out which caused Riyku to kiss his teeth. "Damn it, let''s go!" Riyku would sprout his wings and surge into the air with Astraia to follow shortly after. It seemed that these two Netherwords had made some kind of treaty. It also seemed that three students of the Left Base Netherworld were probably held as hostages with one from the Right Base staying back to watch over them.


    While all of this was occurring it seemed there was something else going on. A man with ashen color hair was looking through a magic screen with various other powerful figures. "This is kind of boring, don''t you think, Hawk." A voice came from one of the figures who was cloaked in a robe with their hood up. "Why don''t we change things up a bit. A war with no death is boring after all." The voice continued. The ashen haired male mused deeply. "What did you have in mind?" The man, Hawk finally spoke up. A sinister chuckle came forth. "Remove the protective effect on this Netherworld. We have already done so, and it won''t take into effect until you decide to remove it as well." Another voice spoke up; this time from someone who was wearing a black mask. Hawk would shift his eyes back to the magic screen. His eyes would peer over it as he watched the events unfold. "Why would I do that? So you can slaughter my people?" Hawk would inquire which caused the hood figure to snicker. "Are you afraid of losing? Tell you what, if you win, we will give you half of our current EC each plus a few slaves and some other goods. How does that sound?" The Hood figure proposed. "Agreed." The masked figure would concur. Hawk took a moment before snapping his fingers. "So be it. You two do know what will happen if you do not keep to your word, right?" Hawk would confirm while preparing to snap his fingers; actually, no he snapped his fingers without listening for a reply which came merely as snickering from both of the figures.


    A damn near missable flicker that enveloped a quarter portion of the Netherworld went off. No one caught it, not even Riyku. Riyku and Astraia were too busy trying to catch up to the raiding party that was heading towards their base. However, it was too late. Half of the raiding party had already entered the hut, meanwhile, the other half was waiting. Since the hut was small, they would have to wait until either of their members came out with the flag. "That''s far enough!" Astraia would call out as she slammed into the ground with her greatsword. Unleashing a build-up of hellfire like a wave that burned those around her. She had picked this technique up when she saw Riyku or well what she thought to be Riyku at the time, slam down and unleash a blast of Pure Diabolical Energy back when he saved her. She was not holding back either, since she knew that the students would be ported out; however, her brow rose as screams filled the air. Painfilled screams of students who were covered in flames by the hell-fire spell she had chanted and built up while racing over here. "W-What?" She was confused, she did not understand what was going on. "What the hell is going on?" Riyku would comment himself as he came to the ground. However, no one stopped moving. Instantly they were surrounded by those who were no afflicted by the flames.


    Riyku was not dense, but he could not place his finger on it. Why were they burning to death? Why were these students not just as confused? What was going on? All of these thoughts rang throughout his mind, which caused Skeith to snicker.


    "The protective barrier has been disabled. You have been had. The Overlords probably made some kind of bet on who will survive. After all, did you really think that war without death was fun to watch? Real strength comes from survival, kid. Although... perhaps these two Netherworlds planned it. From the emblems, they are from the weaker Netherworlds. They probably want to knock out Crimson Ash so they can tax the land and make slaves of the people. Their people are probably aware of this since those kids are not fazed by the fact that they are losing people." Skeith seemed to state which caused Riyku''s eyes to widen. Instantly would press his back against Astraia''s as he called out her name. She did the same with a silent nod. Both of them took to a defensive stance."I don''t know what is going on, but if people are dying this changes everything! We need to save them!" Riyku exclaimed as he kept his eyes on the surrounding enemies. Astraia would nod in agreement, "Mhm, I''ll make a path for you. Take it and go!" Astraia exclaimed and Riyku nodded. He did not want to leave her by herself with this many enemies, but he knew she was strong. He knew she could handle it. So he trusted her. He had faith that she would survive.


    Astraia would use a short incantation of hell-fire to shoot out from her palm to make a path for Riyku to take towards the hut. Those in the line of fire were taken out, but some were able to evade the blast of flames. Riyku took this moment to surge forward as fast as possible, knocking aside anyone who came in his path with his rapier until he got to the entrance which was cleared out thanks to Astraia. Although when he got there his eyes widened. He fell to his knees and dropped his weapon. "No..." Riyku would mutter weakly.

 66 Meaningless Deaths to a meaningless War

    "Why...?" Riyku would question with despair in his voice.


    On his knees, he had dropped his rapier at his side. "I am... too late..." Tears started to form in his eyes as he saw his friends either dismembered, burned, or impaled to death. Of course, his group wasn''t the only one to take losses, but they were not prepared or aware of what was going on. Not only that, but they were all dead. Some even frozen solid. They all had the same unexpected look of shock on their faces.


    "Riyku. Unleash me. Unleash my power. Call out my name and take hold of my blade. You may have lost them, but you can still save Astraia. Do it. You need my power if you want to defeat this many." Skeith would whisper eagerly into his mind; however, Riyku ignored him. He was too focused on what was before him. Not even yesterday they were all laughing and having fun. Even several moments ago they were cheering and smiling, but now that was gone and it would never return. The joy-filled smiles and happy moments that could have come from interacting with his friends were taken away. All for what? Some amusement to some asshats? Riyku''s emotions started to turn towards hatred. "I''ll kill them..." Riyku would mutter as slowly stood up. "I''ll devour them..." He added, his right arm starting to give off an ominous flare. It was then that those who remained inside of the hut that had been collecting the flag and Essences of the dead took notice of him.


    "Yo, we missed one." Someone called out. "Kill him. He is from the CrimsonAsh Netherworld." Someone stated. "Sure. But it''s a shame we had to kill all the girls. They were fine as fuck." The third called out. "At least there is one more. Let''s leave the other one alive and have fun with her." A final person stated. Riyku could easily overhear their remarks, but his mind was too focused on one thing.


    "Kill them all, boy." A sweet succulent and clearly feminine voice unlike Skeith''s echoed into his mind.


    "Use your power. Your''s alone is all that is needed. That demon''s power is not needed, it is never needed. Just use yours." The voice continued.


    However, something interesting happened. Riyku did not heed the voice''s words. "Skeith," Riyku grumbled which caused a blade to surge from his chest along with a flare of ominous diabolical energy like the first time Riyku called to Skeith. The energy shot skyward like before; and again it caught the attention of everyone. Including the Overlords who were watching. Astraia''s eyes went wide, "Riyku!" She called his name out while pushing back someone who had dropped their guard. "Something must have happened... were we too late? Why? Why did this have to happen? Why now!?" Astraia cursed within her mind before shouting aloud Riyku''s name one more time.


    The thrust of a broad sword seemed... slow. Sloppy. Unsteady. So, Riyku would grasp it with his right arm to halt the strike. His claw steadily making cracks along the blade as he tightened his grasp. His attacker was unsure why Riyku would even catch the blade with his bare hand. Even more so when Riyku snapped the blade in two; the look on his attacker''s face was ''How?'' It would remain that way even after Riyku pierced his attacker with his own weapon, lifting the attacker off the ground with the blade. He would then switch it up, thrusting his right-hand claw into his attack''s chest while ripping out the blade. The attacker jerked twice to each motion with blood spewing from his lips. Riyku looked over his attack, watching tears from in his attacker''s eyes. There was no remorse in Riyku''s eyes. No regret. Only the urge to kill.


    Riyku would cling to the attacker''s heart, and the attacker would winch in pain with heavy sobs. Squirming around to try and break free. It had to be because he did not want to die right? Well, that was part of it. The other reason was that his attacker felt his Essencess steadily being drained. The skin was starting to rot and wrinkle, slowly being dried out like some kind of grape and when Riyku was finished with him he crushed the heart. In reaction to the immense amount of power, his attacker''s body exploded into pieces, with steaming guts and giblets everywhere. Riyku would lower his right arm back to his side and raise his blade at the rest in the hut. Those who were chanting had stopped. They could not speak another word, not after what they just witnessed. Some of them ended up vomiting their lunch. Others were frozen completely in fear.


    "How did it go..." Riyku finally spoke. From his voice, it was clearly him, but his attitude was not the usual happy kind. Why would it be? "I think it went like this..." Riyku was recalling something as he steadily rose the blade above his head. His right arm coming up along with it while he gathered Diabolical Energy into it. Setting the butt against his right hand he would run the entire blade through his hand drawing upon the energy he had gathered and unleashed it in the form of an arc into the hut. He had mimicked Skeith''s attack when Skeith had taken over his body.


    Screams could be heard coming from inside the hut along with an explosion. Riyku determined there was no one left alive. He did not check, he felt he did not need to. Turning on his heel he looked down the hilltop. He saw that the battle had stopped. Everyone was staring at him as he looked down upon them. His attention shifted to the blade in his hand. A voice, sinister and distorted.


    "Interesting... not just any demon can use Raw Diabolical Energy. Not only that, but you even morphed it into a sharp shape and gave it an explosive property... Even if you did mimic my movements, to pull it off on your first try... Perhaps there is more to you."


    It was Skeith who was speaking. After all, the pact was that Skeith would be allowed to be free by dwelling in the blade and Riyku would be able to use his power. Riyku had nothing to retort with for Skeith. His eyes drifted towards the war filled clearing once again. "Live or Die, your choice." Riyku would call out to the still combatants. No one said a word, but they did make a move. Perhaps they thought they could overwhelm him with their sheer numbers? Or maybe it was acting out of fear? Regardless of why; they started dismissing Astraia and solely charged up the hill towards Riyku. Those at the backline began incantation to provide support.


    "So you have chosen death..." Riyku would mutter as he brought his right arm upward before throwing it to his side. "Expand..." Riyku would mutter and on command his shadow would expand outward covering a good portion of the clearing. Perhaps everyone was too focused on Riyku to notice that the ground had become pitch-black before their feet. That was, everyone but Astraia. She had taken to the air the moment all the attention shifted onto Riyku. What she saw from her bird''s eye view was a pitch-black circle that could fill an entire village. She was confused, but she felt that what was going to come was... crazy. The feeling sent shivers throughout her body.


    Those running up the hill were too late. They did not make it in time to stop Riyku. He had already knelt down to slam his right hand into the black. "Bleakly..." Riyku muttered as several large blackthorns skyrocketed around destroying everything in their wake even the hut itself which was made out of obsidian was no match for the power the blackthorns had. Screams and cries of pain filled the air along with blood and body parts. Not everyone died on impact. Some lost legs, some arms. It merely depended on where they were at when the thorns rose. Of course, some were impaled and others would end up dying from blood loss. The sight was something else to Astraia. Forestry of blackthorns filled with blood and gore. She had to hold back her lunch so as not to spill it from the sight and stench.


    "Oh? What is this? Never have I ever seen anything like this... However, to use the shadows... Are you the reincarnation of The Shadow King?" Skeith''s voice peered from the blade, but he was ignored. Riyku would rise up, removing his claw from the black as he did which caused the thorns to retract, and shortly after his own shadow retook its normal state. "Hey, are you really just going to ignore me?" Skeith''s voice peered forth again, yet Riyku did not respond. His eyes drifted through the blood-soaked gore-filled clearing. They shifted to his side when felt a presence land beside him. It was Astraia. She even called his name, her voice filled with concern. "Astra... I..." Riyku would close his eyes while turning away from Astraia. "I was too late..." He would grit his teeth. His words filled with pain. Immediately, Astraia moved to hug him from behind. She was weeping softly with her face bared against his back while her grasp tightened around him. Riyku had no words of comfort. Nothing came to mind. The only thing that ran through his mind was...


    "It is all my fault."


    A blaring horn came out of nowhere which signaled the end of their war. Though they paid no mind to it even as they were ported out of the field and back into the classroom. However, it was only them. Only Astraia and Riyku. No one else made it back. Alone... the two of them were in the classroom. No cheers, no laughter, no smiles... just emptiness. Riyku would look at The Sword of Annihilation. He did not know how to put it away, but the moment he thought about putting it away the blade seemed to dismiss itself through a flash with a flash of crimson light. A quivering sigh left Riyku''s lips while he placed his hand against Astraia''s arm. Tears were silently falling down his face.


    No one knew how much time had passed before Instructor Rina came rushing in and damn near tackled both of them with a hug. "I am so glad you two are alive! I am so glad you two are okay!" Her voice had been shaky, if one got a good look they could see her cheeks were stained with tears. It seemed that Instructor Rina had been crying for quite some time now. Riyku had his thoughts that the Instructor knew this would happen, but maybe she didn''t. When he had seen the look on her face and heard the sorrow in her voice. "Was she not behind this?" Riyku thought to himself.


    Meanwhile back where the Overlords were watching. The two Overlords who made a deal with Hawk, Overlord of Crimson Ash; were quaking in their clothing. They did not expect Crimson Ash to take the win. In fact, they felt they made sufficient planning and training that it seemed impossible for the students of Crimson Ash, and they were right. Crimson Ash should have lost, but Crimson Ash won. "Y-You cheated! There is no way a demon like that exists as a student!" The Overlord in the mask exclaimed. "Right!? To be able to unleash such power! He has to be some kind of Overlord! I mean that skill was something else! It had to be an Overlord''s Skill!" The Overlord in the hood called out next. Hawk closed his eyes without a word. The man would lean comfortably in the leather chair. Relaxing without saying a word. Those around said nothing. "Nothing? So our Deal is null and---" The Overlord in the mask was interrupted mid-sentence when they started coughing. Non-stop coughing as if they were sick or something was stuck in their throat. The coughing continued even after the Overlord in the mask started to cough up blood along with some kind of ashy substance. Hawk would open his eyes, a crimson flare dwelling within them. A shriek came from the Overlord in the hood. "Right! Right! Our Deal. Here!" The Overlord in the hood would call forth to their Essencess Sphere to exchange what was due. Hawk would do the same as to collect the EC that was due. The Overlord in the Mask was struggling to bring out their Sphere since the coughing was only getting worse. When they did, they exchanged the EC that was due with Hawk, and the moment Hawk confirmed such the flare in his eyes seized. The coughing also seized and the Overlord in the Mask took deep breaths in an attempt to gather oxygen into their lungs while rubbing their throat. There were audible murmurs, snickers, and giggles. An innocent cute voice even spoke up, "That''s what you get for trying to trick Hawk. You should have known better, Hawk has quite a dangerous Overlord Skill after all. To make anyone in his sights choke on ash. It would have been even worse if the ash was burning. You got off easy." Grumbling came from the Overlord in the Mask before that person and the Overlord in the hood took their leave. Meanwhile, Hawk also stood up to take his leave.


    "Leave so soon?" The same innocent cute voice called out to Hawk. Small stature with an androgynous figure in a long black shirt and baggy black pants with short black hair and heterochromia eyes; one white and one black had been looking up at the backside of Hawk. The man stopped but did not turn to the small person. "I have someone to test. To see if they are worthy." Hawk would comment before continuing onward. "Hmph... always so serious. It is a wonder as to how Astrid even came to love you." The person would retort in a pouting manner which had no effect on Hawk who continued towards the door to take his leave from the room.


    As for Instructor Rina, Riyku, and Astraia. It appeared Instructor Rina did not want to release both of them out of fear of losing them as well. Riyku had confirmed that Instructor Rina had no part in what was done, in fact, she probably had no hand in what was done. "Instructor..." Riyku would murmur lightly, but she refused to release both of them. Instead, her grasp around both Riyku and Astraia only tightened. "We are--" "--Not going anywhere..." Between the bring of Riyku''s remark they were ported into a waiting room of some kind. "Huh?" Riyku was the first to notice before Astraia and Instructor Rina took a look around. It was a black room lit up only by flares of flickering blue flames. Circling around the room had been thrones for those to wait and in the middle of the room was where Instructor Rina, Riyku, and Astraia were. Eyes had looked over them. "Where are we?" Astraia inquired. "This place..." Instructor Rina would murmur. "Interesting... three from Crimson Ash." A broad and loud voice coming from a red-haired masculine demon seemed to cause Riyku to shift his eyes towards him. "Idiot, only two of them can be candidates. One of them is an Instructor." A feist feminine voice coming from a pink-haired demon rose next. She was easy on the eyes, unlike her scow.


    "Still... why is an Instructor here. Did something happen?" An intelligent voice coming from a male demon who was somewhat scrawny looking had come next with the adjusting of his spectacles. "Does it matter? More women mean more fun!" A roaring lustful and sinister voice came from a rough-looking demonic male. They were all sitting on their thrones, but the others looked at him with disgust. Riyku would wrap his arm around both of them while glaring at the male with his lustful intentions. "If you even dare to touch them I will devour you whole." Riyku was still offset by what had just happened, by the loss of friends. He was not going to lose anymore. The murderous glint in his eyes showed it well. Tension started to rise heavily. Everyone seemed to shift their gaze upon Riyku. "That so?" The man retorted with a wicked grin. Riyku''s glare would intensify. Instructor Rina had shivers sent down her spine. For a moment she was scared of Riyku, but when she realized that he was protecting her, her fear lessened. She thought, "I am the one who is supposed to protect you..." But Instructor Rina never voiced it. Astraia on the other hand... was saddened. She had never seen such anguish within his eyes. Sure there was the murderous glint, but behind it there was anguish. He was suffering. She could see just how much he was suffering. She would move onto her tip-toes and lean over his shoulder while reaching for his face so she could apply an affectionate kiss. The tension seemed to stiffen as if coming to a halt. When Astraia broke the kiss she set back down, it was clear she had Riyku''s full-blown attention now and she no longer saw the murderous glint. It was something at least. "You will not lose me. I will not go anywhere. I will protect you and you will protect me. So do not worry. I am here and always will be. My Riy." Astraia spoke with a tone of reassurances. She could tell he was blaming himself for the deaths of his friends. Even though it was not his fault, he seemed to put the blame on himself. So wanted to make sure he knew that she was not going anywhere. Before Astraia could get another word out or even Riyku was allowed to react a peal of sinister laughter came from the same rough-looking male. "Cute, but enough of that shit. She in particular is going to become my cumdumpster!" The man would leap from his throne, and Riyku narrowed his eyes at the male. "Rise and Pierce." Riyku would command as if giving orders to something.


    "Enough!" An authoritative voice rang throughout the hall along with a two-stage runic circle which stopped several shadow tendrils from piercing through the man. The man had a hand pressed against the circle along with his foot to keep himself from slamming into it. His eyes moved from Riyku towards the voice to see an elderly looking demon."Don''t get in my way old man!" Though the moment the man was about to push off the runic circles to charge towards the elder, they shattered like glass, and the shadow tendrils pierced through the man''s right shoulder, left thigh, and right forearm. However, that was not all, the fourth and final shadow tendril was rushing to pierce through the man''s throat. Everyone''s eyes would widen in surprise and a muffled cry of pain came forth.

 67 The one who stands above the res

    The demon with spectacles spoke up with curiosity on his face. "Hardly. He is probably referring to the massacre." The Elder would reply with his eyes focused upon Riyku. "Massacre?" The bulk demonic male seemed intrigued, as if he knew nothing of the massacre. Which wasn''t wrong. The details had not been foretold yet. "Yes. The sole survivors of Crimson Ash are Riyku DarkFang and Astraia BurningAsh." The Elder would answer, though judging from how he spoke, it appeared as if he did not honestly care. "Awwwee, such a tragedy." The demonic woman mused almost mockingly. "I know, right! I wish I was there. A fight to the death is so thrilling!" The bulky demonic male exclaimed even though he seemed to regret not being able to partake in such a massacre.


    "Back off!" Riyku shouted. A flare of his shadow surged around him, protecting Instructor Rina and Astraia as well as himself with a spike of thorns like a hedgehog did when it felt threatened. The Elder retracted his hand and jumped back to avoid the thorns. Everyone''s eyes focused upon Riyku once again. Hawk''s gaze remained unchanged. It appeared as if he were bored. "You say that you are not like us; however, why is it that you have that boy strung up? He is no longer a threat to you. If anything, you have rendered him incapacitated since he will be unable to move. So, why do you not let him go?" Hawk called out once again. The shadowy thorns that surged around Riyku retracted back into his shadow. "Who is to say that he won''t attempt to harm Astraia or Instructor Rina after he recovers? Who is to say that he won''t hire others to do his bidding for him. How can I be sure that he won''t come after me later? Where are the reassurances in that?" Riyku would retort once more. A silence would befall the room for a moment;. However, it seemed the two who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal finally spoke up.


    "Riy... Release him. Even if he does come after us, we will defeat him and anything he throws at us." Astraia had spoken up with warmth in her voice.


    "Riyku, I will do my best to protect you and Astraia. I know my word may not mean much after what I said before, but I mean it this time. No one will touch you two as long as I am around." Instructor Rina would add with her own reassurance. Riyku''s eyes softened as he glanced over both of them. No one said a word, no one made a move. Riyku was left with his own thoughts, processing what Instructor Rina and Astraia had just said.


    "Are you sure releasing him is okay? You know what demons are like. Who is to say that everyone in this room won''t turn against you? You should just kill him now. At least then, that will be one less problem to worry about. I know that you realize this. You are no fool, Riyku." Skeith''s voice attempted to allure Riyku in. Riyku even took in Skeith''s words. He was right. There would be problems later, and who knew if any of the people in this room would actually behave. However... The look on Astraia''s face was what convinced Riyku. It said, "This is not who you are. You are better than this."


    The shadow tendrils started to retract, and the demon he had strung up fell limp. He would groan as his body hit the floor, unable to move due to the where he was pierced and the loss of feeling in his limbs. The glint of murderous intent slowly subsided, and the emotion of hate started to drift away. "Thank you..." Riyku whispered almost inaudibly, but both Instructor Rina and Astraia caught it and nodded softly to him. Instructor Rina would release Riyku, and Riyku would release them. Astraia seemed to take hold of Riyku''s hand with her own. The look in Hawk''s eyes was... intrigue. He figured Riyku would have killed the boy. Meanwhile, everyone else just seemed bored. The Elder would huff heavily, but before he could even speak, it seemed like he was about to until Instructor Rina spoke up.


    "Now, look here. I do not know what is going on. However, I demand answers. I lost almost all of my class, and now we end up here with you people. This was not in the documents. What is going on!?" Instructor Rina was firm with her demand for answers. The Elder would reply, "You do not need to know. In fact, you are not the one we called here. Those two are." With a finger, he pointed at Riyku and Astraia. Instructor Rina had a blank expression when she heard that she did not need to know. Her body began to visibly shake before she stomped upon the ground. "Bullshit! My class is dead without my knowing, and you are telling me that I do not need to know!? Now you tell me that the two you called are the last of my students... Like Hell. I won''t be going anywhere!" Instructor Rina shouted once more, her eyes holding the will to protect.


    Hawk would sigh heavily, "The Overlord Selection." He would comment, which drew in Instructor Rina''s attention. "Overlord Selection...?" She seemed genuinely confused, just as much as Astraia did. Riyku and the others did not, though. The Elder was more so baffled by the fact that Hawk gave her an answer. "Sir...?" He called out to Hawk, who would give him a dismissive wave. "The Legends of the Underworld is merely a front. The top ten students who perform the best during the event will be selected to participate in a deadly battle against each other. The remaining one will be allowed to take the Overlord Selection test. If they pass, they will be granted Overlord Status." Hawk would explain. Instructor Rina was visibly shocked, so much so that her legs gave out, and she fell onto his knees, which caused her to sit on her legs in the process.


    "As for a reason, your students died. The protective barrier was disabled as a means to create profit for Crimson Ash. However, I did not expect the Netherworlds Frost and Aqua to have formed a pact beforehand." Hawk would pause for a moment as if in thought, a tone of boredom coming from him. "No matter. We won in the end." Hawk would finish. Instructor Rina was so taken back by the information that all she could do was shed tears in silence. Astraia had grasped her chest tightly when she heard the information given. Tears were forming in her eyes, and anger swelled within her when it seemed that her friends were used for profit. A few giggles and laughs came from the others. The Elder had no words, neither did the intelligent looking demon. Although the tension in the air shifted almost instantly.


    All eyes had widened, and bodies became to tremble. The brawler type demon''s eyes widened with thrill. The intelligent looking demon''s eyes widened with fear. The female demon''s eyes widened with desire. The Elder''s eyes widened with disbelief. Astraia and Instructor Rina had stopped crying to focus on the source of the swirl of emotion: Riyku. Hawk seemed more amused than ever before. That was because Riyku had called out a particular name.


    "Skeith."


    Unlike before, when the pillar of diabolical energy shot outward, it seemed to steam from his body instead. The hilt of The Sword of Annhilination appearing from his chest once more, which he grasped with his left hand, which was free. Pulling out the sword, he would angle it at Hawk. Eyes filled with anger, unlike any other. "You claimed that ''we'' won. Which means you are the Overlord of Crimson Ash. In other words, the reason they are all dead is because of you. You willingly let your people die... people who did not deserve what they went through. They all died for profit... while you sit there without batting an eyelash." Riyku''s eyes started to flare a solid crimson. "Did you think I would let that all go just because you are the Overlord... just because ''we'' won?" As Riyku spoke, Raw Diabolical Energy started to condense around his body.


    Hawk would sit there, relaxed on the throne with a glint of red in his eyes. He silently activated his Overlord Skill. They both stared at each other for a moment. Mainly because Riyku was waiting for an answer, Hawk was waiting for him to choke on the burning ash that Riyku should have breathed in. "Riy..." Astraia would speak up, reaching out to him. She could see his rage. She could feel it so vividly in the atmosphere. She wanted to stop him, ask him why he called Skeith''s name, and so much more; however, part of her wanted him to unleash it. To take out the Overlord. She shared in his rage. Instructor Rina could only utter "T-Tyrant Overlord... Skeith?"


    A sinister chuckle came from The Sword of Annihilation. "More or less, Succubus." Skeith would reply, which caused even more shivering from everyone. "Anyways... Overlord of Crimson Ash. You probably should not have done what you did. I am sure you''ve seen it. What this kid can do. I do not blame you, though. War is not amusing without death. Although, this is the first time that anyone died during The Legends of the Underworld. Even I would not go that far to plunge youth into their death. Willing or not." Skeith''s voice spoke from the blade once more.


    "N-No way!? You are the Contracted Entity!? How is that possible!?" The Elder exclaimed before anyone could say anything. "No." Skeith''s voice retorted quite quickly. "Do you think I can control the shadow? There is only a record of one person in the entire Underworld who could control the shadow."


    "The Shadow King." Everyone said in sync with the expectation of Hawk and Riyku.


    "Precisely. So tell me, Overlord of Crimson Ash. What do you think? A demon who has Contracted Entity known as The Shadow King. Do you think you could stand against the one who devoured Hades and Lucifer? The one who stands above the rest?" Skeith continued; it was as if he were trying to intimidate Hawk. Everyone was shaking in fear now. The name Shadow King seemed to weigh heavily on everyone. Even if Skeith could have been bluffing, they did not even listen in when Skeith mentioned he devoured Hades and Lucifer. Just the name Shadow King had sent them into a state of fear. The only ones not in that state were Astraia, Riyku, and Hawk. It was unknown why Astraia was not fearful, but maybe, deep down inside, she knew all along that Riyku had some kind of connection. After all, Riyku was able to control the shadow. Perhaps that was why she was not so afraid.


    Hawk would finally speak, but only after a heavy sigh. "That would explain why my Overlord Skill is not working. So, three souls dwell within that body. The soul of Riyku. The soul of Skeith and The soul of the Shadow King. I did get the feeling that there was something different about you. The Sword of Annihilation is one of the five Apocyplatic weapons. Records showed that it disappeared after Skeith did, but now I see where it went. However..." In that brief moment of silence, Hawk had disappeared and reappeared in front of Riyku with his hand coming to grasp his face. "That does not mean you can control it." Hawk would slam Riyku into the ground. His tone of voice the entire time was pretty much mono.


    A crater formed from the force used and Hawk would look down upon Riyku, who was planted into the ground. Astraia had been blown away by the force and smashed her head against the back of the wall, which knocked her out. Instructor Rina had slammed against the wall adjacent to Astraia and slide down it with a groan before passing out as well. No one said a word; they were too shaken up to even speak. The Elder had backed away into the shadows; meanwhile, everyone kept frozen in fear. It looked as if they were holding their breaths as well as if trying to fade away like they were never there.


    For a moment, it looked like Riyku was out cold. After all, the back of his head was smashed into an obsidian flooring. However, Hawk brought his hand up to block the swing that came from Riyku. While the blade did not pierce through the flesh, the force did send him sliding along the ground. "Ohh? Using a stage ten runic barrier to keep your arm? As expected of an Overlord." Skeith''s sinister voice came from the sword. Riyku would remove himself from the ground. His eyes looked around the room where Astraia and Instructor Rina might be; after all, they were next time during the impact. He saw they were both out cold, but Astraia seemed to be bleeding from her head. Riyku would seep into the shadow, which caused Hawk to finally show some form of surprised expression. Looking around hastily for Riyku, he would lock his sights on Astraia when he noticed Riyku rose from her shadow. Riyku would bring his right arm around to hover over Astraia, commanding the shadow to cage Astraia in a protective manner. What others did not know is that the shadow would slowly heal Astraia''s wounds. Riyku had laced his power with the Raw Diabolical Energy he built up to heal Astraia while keeping her protected from anything else.


    "Hmm..." Hawk would muse, taking note of everything Riyku was doing. Skeith would sigh heavily, "For a neat trick to be wasted... You should have used it to strike down the Overlord. Idiot." Skeith filed his complaint with Riyku, who would ignore him for the moment to turn and look back at Hawk or more so look past him. He saw Instructor Rina was only knocked out, so he figured there were no wounds upon her being. However, just to be safe, he rose his right arm up and curled his fingers into a ball, which caused the shadow around her form around her just as it did with Astraia. Only this time, he did no lace it with Raw Diabolical Energy, but that was because he was at a distance. He needed to be right there beside them to do it. Hawk had instinctively moved out of the way because he thought this action was directed towards him.


    "Skeith...." Riyku would speak his name to get his attention. "Full Power." Riyku would add went he finished the protective barrier for Instructor Rina. If Skeith could grin, he would be so quite vividly. After all, this was his aim. This would be his chance to take over Riyku''s body. The Sword of Annihilation ignited with a vivid black flare, which slowly slithered up Riyku''s arm. His arm slowly morphing into something like his right arm. Turnin pitch black and sprouting spikes from it. Skeith did not expect this but thought it just an overflow; however, he was wrong. The Contracted Entity kept Skeith from taking over the body because if Skeith took over, it would be booted out. Therefore, Riyku''s arm was changing because the Contracted Entity was turning Skeith''s power into Riyku''s power. Of course, Riyku was not aware of this, and, oddly enough, neither was Skeith.


    "I will devour you!" Riyku exclaimed with a bit of a distorted tone, his voice filled with utter rage just before dashing at Hawk with an unbelievable speed that any average or normal demon would never be able to possess or even process.

 68 Control

    Hawk had no words for Skeith, and Riyku did not seem to care about the weapons. He pushed through with force alone and brought another swing around, then another and another and another.


    Swing. Swing. Swing. Swing.


    Block. Block. Block. Block.


    Each swing was blocked, but it wasn''t in vain. Hawk was being pushed back. While he may not have shown it or even expressed it, the fight revealed it. Hawk was on the losing end. Riyku would continue endlessly with his swings. Until he found a moment to use what else he had. When Hawk''s guard had opened just enough to fit a fist, Riyku would take this moment to wide it just a bit more by offsetting Hawk with a feint. He brought The Sword of Annihilation overhead but dropped it when Hawk had set both of his arms above his head to block the blade. Riyku would bring his right arm upward as if coming for an upper-cut, but his attempt was to claw at Hawk. Hawk would pivot backward to avoid the attack as best as possible. His clothing getting torn and scraped from a few of Riyku''s claws that cut through the flesh. It was nothing too terrible; however, this wasn''t all. "Rupture!" Riyku shouted as the shadows shot outward at Hawk like a vicious set of spikes. It was the same move he used against the Dire Wolf during his hunting mission. Only the scale of power had increased, the thorns were more extensive, and there were several sets. They came at Hawk in waves. Hawk had managed to evade the first three but found his back against the wall. Hawk would leap into the air to avoid the final wave which crashed into the wall; however, he was shot down by a large blast of Pure Diabolical Energy, which sent him into the wall behind him.


    "Prepare to die!" Riyku exclaimed as he swung the blade for Hawk while dashing in his direction; however, his body froze completely. Up next came a pair of black and white chains from behind which latched upon Riyku. "Wow... you sure got beat up, Hawk."A cute innocent, and somewhat playful voice echoed throughout the still air. The person who spoke those words seemed to come forth. It was the same small stature girl from earlier who stopped Hawk. "Indeed, and you have yet to even leave a scratch on your opponent." An annoyed youthful male voice came next. Following alongside the shorter youth, who giggled lightly. A pair of black and white chains were coming from the cuff of the youthful male''s sleeve. Both of them were still wearing black robes. "Anyways... who is this guy?"


    The cheery girl had inquired while circling around the frozen Riyku. "Riyku DarkFang. An occupant of Oblivion. Age: 18. Male, and holder of a Contracted Entity." The annoyed youthful male spoke up, his eyes looking at the other three cowering in their thrones... actually, they were all passed out. Even the Elder, he took a glance at, had fainted. The youth narrowed his eyes on Riyku. "Even if he has a Contracted Entity.... five Overlords should not have a problem with one person. In fact... Hawk should have been able to burn his lungs the moment he tried to attack... Something is not right..." The youth was going into deep thought. Neither he nor the girl knew that there were two entities within him. One which was Skeith, and the other which was supposed; The Shadow King. When he felt the chains rattle ever so slightly, his eyes widened. "Nina, getaway, now!" The youthful male called out, which drew in the attention of the young girl. Nina tilted her head to the side before her eyes widened. She noticed cracks starting to form in the atmosphere around Riyku.


    The sound of glass shattering came, and Riyku moved forward even with Nina in his way. He did not care. He would cut them both down if need be, and just as he finished the swing, a pillar rose around Riyku and trapped him inside. The blade bounced off the pillar, and Riyku''s hands flew into the air.


    "Overlord Skill: Time Lock!"


    "Overlord Skill: Restraint!"


    "Overlord Skill: Power Siphon..."


    Three voices echoed, but only two were in sync. Nina had shouted ''Time Lock'' while aiming her small hands at Riyku, which froze him again. Meanwhile, the youthful male had called ''Restraint'' while reapplying the chains thrice over. The final voice came from a monotone female who had her hood up. Her hand lowered after she muttered ''Power Siphon,'' and the pillar-like barrier that trapped Riyku inside had come through.


    "Racheal!" Nina shouted happily.


    "Racheal..." The youthful male muttered with annoyance.


    The woman with her hood up, Racheal, had looked around the room from the shadow of her hood. "I was wondering why the other eight candidates were stuck outside the room, and no one was allowed to enter. I suppose this makes sense. That is one of the candidates, yes?" Racheal inquired. Nina would skip towards the much taller woman and hug her around her waist since she only came up that high. "Racheal!" Nina would nuzzle her face into Racheal''s stomach happily. The youthful male would sigh with evident annoyance. "Obviously. Thanks for your assistance, but I had it." The young male clearly had some kind of beef with Racheal with the way he looked at her and spoke towards her. It was quite condescending.


    "Sure you did, Enny." Nina would tease the youthful male known as ''Enny,'' which caused the youth to correct her. "Again... my name is Enrique. Not Enny. Get it right, Nina!" Enny or Enrique had exclaimed with annoyance, followed by a giggle from Nina and a heavy sigh from Enrique. Racheal would finish patting Nina''s head and point at Hawk, who seemed to finally remove himself from the wall. "Hawk is injured." Racheal would remark, which caused Nina to chuckle lightly. "True, but the battle is over. As long as we continue to restrain Riyku, Hawk can deal with him. After all... Anyone who tries to harm Hawk will be killed." Nina''s cherry demeanor shifted to something grime as she eyed Hawk, building up Diabolical Energy into the gauntlets.


    "Is this it...?" Riyku would question in thought-form since he could not move. He was unable to do anything.


    "I could not avenge them. I could not save them. I am such a failure... again, I will lose everything..." Riyku continued after a brief moment of internal thought.


    "Do you hate it?" A vivid masculine voice called out, much like Riyku''s own voice, although a bit disorientated.


    "I do." Riyku would respond.


    "Do you hate it so much that you want to fight back?" The voice inquired again. It wasn''t like Skeith''s or the feminine voice. This one was different.


    "I do." Riyku would respond again. There was no delay in his reply.


    "Then why are you giving up?" The voice inquired, confused by Riyku''s actions.


    "I am too weak to do anything. I was too weak to save my tribe... too weak to save my family... too weak to protect my friends... and I even let my Instructor and my lover get hurt. I am too weak to protect anything. There is no point in fighting if I can do nothing..." Riyku would respond as if accepting his fate.


    There was a long pause as if the voice was processing what it was told before it finally spoke up. "Then bring everything under your [control]. Force everything to [obey] your will. When you do that, you will never lose anything again."


    "But how? How can I bring everything under my [control] and force everything to [obey] my will!? I do not have the power to do it!" Riyku exclaimed in frustration.


    "You do." The voice replied without delay, which came with a shocking vocal expression from Riyku. What did the vote mean he had the power to do all of that? Who was this ''voice'' anyway? It sounded like him, but was it? It wasn''t Skeith or the other entity. He knew their voices quite well. Skeith''s voice was filled with sinister vile, and the other entity''s agent was usually filled with a darker nature. This one was different... it seemed to hold desire in it.


    "All you need to do is unleash it. Your Overlord Skill... Total... " The voice started to fade out, and Riyku seemed to struggle further. A low growl grew louder as cracks started to form around Riyku. The barrier seemed to shiver as well and the chains rattling viciously unlike before where it was just a quake. Everyone took notice of this and started to reapply their Overlord Skills, but they didn''t seem to have an effect. They only seemed to become ''weaker'' as if Riyku was starting to become ''resistant'' to them. Hawk had finished building up energy and took a step towards Riyku throwing a fist the moment Riyku''s voice came out in the form of a battle roar alongside the sound of glass shattering from both the ''Time Lock'' and ''Barrier''. The chains snapped and diminished and Riyku would swing his blade to clash with Hawk''s fist. The other fist came forth which Riyku grasped with his right hand. Explosive Diabolical Energy flared out wildly from the clash and both of them would grind their teeth with growls even if one could not see Hawk''s facial expression.


    "Overlord Skill..." Riyku would speak through his teeth. Those two words along caused Hawk''s eyes to widen, along with the others since they heard it. "Wha-!?" Nina exclaimed just as Riyku shouted. "Total Control!" Riyku''s aura flared outward in a non-harmful manner which filled the room. At the same time, he forced Hawk back by pushing through the extremely powerful attack and followed up with a foot to the gut which sent him back against the wall. Riyku was now unsteady, wobbling tiresomely. He dropped the blade while stumbling around. Everyone was confused, they did not know what to expect so no one made a move.


    "Kneel..." Riyku would speak in a commanding tone. Nina, Enrique, and Racheal were forced to kneel down as if bowing to a King, even Hawk. Heavy breaths came from Riyku who was clearly quite tired. It made sense. He had expended so much power without much rest. He took two powerful blows head-on and had to break through restraints and now he used an Overlord Skill. Everyone was surprised. "What the hell!?" Enrique would remark. "Silence." Riyku would command again which forced them all to shut their lips so no one could speak. Riyku would unsteadily make his way over towards Astraia who was still in the shadow barrier. He would remove the barrier and scoop her up into his arms before looking at the other shadow barrier. He would unsteadily make his way over to the other one before removing the shadow barrier and setting Astraia next to Instructor Rina before moving to sit beside Astraia. His back sliding down the wall. His eyes had shown this short and feint amethyst glow when he called his Overlord Skill but now were a flaring glow of amethyst.


    "Sleep." Riyku would command and everyone seemed to become drowsy before falling asleep. Riyku would place his right hand on Astraia while reaching over to place his left hand on Instructor Rina before muttered, "Teleport... Safe Haven." With those words, they seemed to port out of this hall filled with so much Diabolical Energy and into the master bedroom of Safe Haven. Unlike before when Skeith teleported them into the dining hall of Safe Haven, Riyku made sure to teleport them somewhere they would not cause a commotion. They were sitting against the bedside of the master bedroom. No one was upstairs since it was still in the middle of the day. Riyku pushed himself off the ground with a struggle; so he could lift Astraia and place it upon the bed, then Instructor Rina. He was about to turn on his heel to leave the room, but the fatigue had finally caught up with him and he ended up falling back upon the bed. His vision started to blur and his eyes started to become heavy. It was not long before those eyelids of his shut and black encompassed his vision. He passed out, right in between Instructor Rina and Astraia. He had gotten onto the bed to made sure both of them were comfortable enough and when he was about to leave he ended up falling onto his back, fitting right in between them.


    The Sword of Annihilation had disappeared shortly after he dropped it, perhaps it had ''put itself away'' or maybe something had ''forced it away''. Nevertheless, it had returned to Riyku. The aura Riyku had around him had diminished the moment he teleported to the Safe Haven. Therefore, he had reverted back to his normal state. As for those back at the hall; people had eventually entered since it seemed to have gone dark. When they did, they were shocked by the sight. All the Overlords were out cold, and there was destruction littered around the hall. The event for the Top Ten Legends had been put on hold and everyone was sent to rest. Meanwhile, those at the scene were questioned about the events by the organizers and the Current Overseer of the Underworld.


    As for Safe Haven. Astrid had heard a loud thud from the floor above them and instantly knew that something happened. After all, not just anyone could port into the master bedroom of Safe Haven. So, she dismissed herself for the moment, telling everyone she needed to check something before heading up the stairs. When she opened the door, there was concern on her face. She hastily investigated Astraia and Riyku, even Instructor Rina even though she was confused about who this person was or why they were brought here. That was because she figured this person was a friend from either Riyku and Astraia or both. When she finished up, a wave of relief washed over her. There was no harm done to Astraia or Instructor Rina, although it seemed Riyku had bruises here and there. However, that was it. There was no serious or life-threatening damage. Astrid would take a moment to compose herself before heading back down the stairs and behind the bar.


    "Everything all good, Astrid?"


    "Nothing bad happened, right?"


    "Need us to leave again?"


    The voices of concerns started coming in which caused Astrid to smile. She was quite happy to know that her patrons truly cared about her well-being as well as those who lived here even if they may have or may have not been expressing it for their own selfish reasons. "No, no. Everything is fine. Please, feel free to eat up and drink to your heart''s content." With those words of reassurance, they returned to their meals and drinks.


    Sometime in the middle of the night, in the darkest of alleys, there were two individuals; one was dressed like a thief and the other a mercenary. Both having a conversation amongst themselves and away from prying eyes and ears.


    "So, the target was able to take on eight of the ten most powerful Overlords..." A rough voice would remark. The voice coming from the one dressed like a thief.


    "Where did you get that information?" A deep gruff voice came forth, the person behind this voice was dressed like a mercenary.


    "Does it matter?" The thief would retort with his question. "You asked for the information, and I delivered. The thief would add.


    "It does. How do I know your information is valid. You are saying, one person. One boy took on eight adult Overlords all by himself? Sounds ludicrous to me." The Merc would remark with a dismissing wave of his hand.


    "Take it or leave it. I am not obliged to disclose my informants. However, I will tell you that they are from the royal family. So they know first hand. Regardless, what do you plan on doing with this information?" The thief inquired.


    The Merc''s brow rose with surprise when the thief spoke of his informant being from the royal family; however, his expression shifted when the thief asked his question. A hefty sigh escaped his lips, "A mark has been put on him. If he is as strong as you just claim, then we need to retrain ourselves." Without a further word, the Merc seemed to turn on his heel and leave the alley. "Well, I got my payment, and I know better to ask further questions. However, if you need more information you know how to find me." The thief would reply which warranted a nonchalant backward wave from the Merc. The Merc disappeared into the darkness and shortly after so did the thief.

 69 A Demons Pride

    A weak voice echoed inside the pitch black.


    "Riy..."


    The voice echoed again, faint growing louder.


    "Riyku...."


    It seemed echo once again.


    "Riyku!" The voice that had repeated in echo had become loud enough for the person behind called to hear.


    Riyku''s eyes shot open, and he sprang up, breathing heavily. A cascade of darkness and stars were within view moments before a familiar and cute face was there. Pink hair and bright-eyed, the kunoichi stood looking over to stare Riyku in the face. Riyku''s eyes widen when he saw who it was and clung to her without wasting a moment. His arms were wrapping fully around her while pushing off the ground as if tackling her in the process. She was surprised that she was hugged, so much so that she was not prepared for the tackle that came with it. "Riyku!?" The pink-haired kunoichi would call in confusion. "Mina!" Riyku shouted at the top of his lungs. Tears were dripping from his eyes. "Mina!" He repeated with an exclamation. "Mina..." He recycled her name again in a more inside voice. Mina could see something was bothering... she could see just how much he was hurting, and instead of criticizing him, she would comfort him¡ªbrushing his short hair softly while humming a gentle melody.


    "It''s okay." Mina would speak up. "Everything is okay." She would add her voice in reassurance. "I may not know what happened, but everything is fine." Mina would continue. Her hymn gentle and soothing, her words reassuring. Riyku''s sobs and trembling had started to settle. "You are... here?" Riyku would speak up, still a bit in disbelief. Mina would stop her hymn and muse with a light question mark, "Hmm?" Riyku would ask once again, "Is this all real?" Riyku would inquire. After all, he remembered the last thing fighting against the Overlord of Crimson Ash and escaping that place with Instructor Rina and Astraia.


    "I am not sure what you mean... did you have a bad dream?" Mina would inquire with slight confusion. Riyku took a moment of silence to himself. ''A dream?'' He would slowly release Mina and nod at her. "Yeah. A terrible dream. The Neuromorphics attacked our village and killed almost all of our tribe. I ended up sacrificing myself to save the rest of you and ended up in Hell all because something was latched onto me. It was scary. Everyone, there was just consumed by their desires. They did whatever means necessary to fulfill their desires. I was almost used and kill, but..." Riyku stopped mid-sentence when he was about to speak Astraia''s name.


    "Ha... So this is where you were." A sinister voice interrupted the hymn and caused Riyku''s eyes to shoot open just before they closed. It was in-depth and alluring like that of a demon''s. Mina''s voice came with a hefty sigh, and Riyku eyed the person before him. The devil in violet-colored skin, ruby-red eyes, and snow-white short spiky hair, and a single sizeable demonic horn could be seen from the left side of his forehead. A second one was on the right side, but it looked as if it had been cut clean off, so it looked more like a stump than a horn. The demon who was well built, lean but not bulky, and dressed in tattered robes fit for a fallen king of a Netherworld had been standing before them. Sexy and Sinister were the perfect words to describe the man.


    "Skeith!?" Riyku exclaimed while picking himself up from Mina''s lap.


    "Took me a while to find you, kid. When that bitch used [Time Lock] the first time, I was a bit confused. But, you managed to break free from that time stasis. I was going to help you the second time it came around, but my power had been siphoned; although, it seemed like someone crept in and came to your aid. So tell us who the hell are you." Skeith would notion with a wave of his chin towards Mina, who was looking downward. Her hymn had stopped, and she no longer held this aura of comfort.


    Riyku turned his gaze from Skeith to Mina, quickly he started to back away in disbelief and horror. "W-Who are you!?" Riyku exclaimed with a demand for answers. The would-be Mina sighed heavily and stood up, dusting herself off. She would go for one last attempt to fool Riyku would a smile upon her face, "Mina!" Although that festive look did not fool anyone. Riyku''s gaze of disbelief remained unfixed, and Skeith just crossed his arms over his chest.


    "Ah... If only you had stayed out of this. What a mess." The look-a-like Mina would exhale with annoyance in her voice before snapping her fingers. The scenery around them cracked and shattered like glass to reveal an empty black space. All three of them were standing in mid-air. Riyku had shock and confusion written all over his face, and Skeith seemed amused. "Damn demon..." The look-a-like Mina would mutter before turning on her heel. "Heh, you let yourself get greedy with the body. Should have just stayed put, bitch." Skeith would call out. The look-a-like Mina started to walk off without a retort but stopped when Riyku called out, "Wait!".


    Skeith shifted his eyes from the girl towards Riyku, who was no longer in child-form, but his proper demon form. His appearance had turned the moment the illusion was dismissed, and even if it was, the girl still appeared as Mina. "Please... who are you? Why do you look like Mina?" Riyku would call out. The look-a-like Mina did not answer; she was silent and would not look back. Perhaps she was in thought?


    "You already know my name. You were the one who called out to me after all." The look-a-like Mina would continue off, fading into the black without another word even after Riyku called out to her again and again. Skeith would place a hand on Riyku''s shoulder. "She''s gone, kid. This is all just a dream. You passed out after getting the girls to safety." Skeith would comment in a ''friendly'' manner. Riyku had his gaze downcast. "A dream..." He would mutter. "Of course..." He would make one final remark before light would encompass the darkness¡ªa sadness dwelling within his voice.


    Riyku''s eyes slowly opened, the light peering in. Once again, he would sit up, his eyes shifting to each side of the room. Once again, he was alone. A hand came to his chest. "A dream..." He would mutter once again with the same sadness as before. After a brief moment of collecting his thoughts on the ''dream'' he had, he decided to shake his head free from them. "Instructor Rina and Astraia are most likely downstairs." Riyku would comment before removing himself from the bed. His bare feet touched the flooring with a ''pit-a-pat.'' Looking down, he noticed somebody removed his shoes. "Must have been, Astrid." He would comment with a soft smile. The rest of his clothing was still in place, even if it was in tatters like he had just gotten out of a dogfight.


    Riyku would make his way towards the door but seemed to stop the moment his hands touched the doorknob. His pointed ears twitched as he focused on what he had previously heard. It was faint, almost notable, but it was a rough voice.


    "Really? We can burn this entire building down if you do want to show us where he is at." It was an adult male who spoke. Turning the knob, he would slowly open the door and quietly make his way down the hall only to lean against the wall and peer from the railing. There he saw a group of five men heavily armored in black and crimson armor with the Crimson Ash crest on the chest plate. Three of the men had swords strapped to their waist. One of them had a broadsword, and the other, who seemed to be of a higher ranking than the other four, had two long swords strapped to his hips¡ªone on each side. The tavern was filled with patrons who were glaring at these men. Astrid is standing before them with Astraia on the left and Instructor Rina on the right.


    "Besides, you mean to tell us that this whore here is regular? Ha!" The man exclaimed with a bold laugh. He would reach out to cup her breast, and Instructor Rina, albeit with a disgusted facial expression, let him. "I highly doubt it. This whore is probably still working at that house after her little day job. Once a whore always a whore, am I right, boys?" The man continued to bolster with a laugh which the others seemed to proceed. Astrid and Astraia were glaring at the men, and the rest of the patrons had a disgusted look on their faces as well. Then, the laughter stopped.


    Astrids and Astraia''s eyes widened in surprise. Instructor Rina seemed to step back, and the patrons within the Tavern had various looks of shock. The man''s arm went flying. Three of the guardsmen drew their blades, while the now armless man flung back with a shriek. The man with the broadsword caught him and started to use some kind of healing spell. Riyku was standing in between the ladies and the soldiers. A long sword covered in demonic blood, which he angled at the three men. "Leave." Riyku''s eyes, which were once pure and warm, were cold and dark. They peered at the group of five. "That''s him, men! Catch him! Kill him! Do something!" The armless soldier exclaimed, and the three charged at him.


    "Why...." Riyku would mutter to which no one could hear him. However, Astraia and Astrid managed to catch that single word. Quickly Riyku would bring his long sword up to parry away one of the soldier''s swings. He was tripping that soldier while passing by him only to brush aside the swing of another sword with his right hand-claw and slash at that soldier''s throat. He was getting the thin blade entirely in between the creases between the helmet and the chest guard. He left the sword there since removing it would be a hassle at the moment. The next soldier who came at him decided to kick in the stomach while avoiding a slash. That soldier was sent towards the tavern door. Turning around, he would make his way over towards the other soldier and stomp upon his back, forcing him back into the ground before leaning over to remove the helmet.


    "Why...." Riyku would mutter again as he picked up the soldier''s blade, which he dropped and placed it against the soldier''s neck while grasping his hair, slitting his throat and killing him off. He would release the corpse and turn around to hear a battle cry along with an overhead swing. It was the soldier he had kicked earlier. Man must have some good recovery to be on his feet and attacking again. However, it meant little when Riyku stopped the swing with his left hand by catching the soldier''s wrist only to counter by slamming his right hand-claw through the soldier''s torso and began draining him off his Essessence until the man was nothing more than a shivered up sack of flesh and bone.


    "Why....?" Riyku finally called out while looking at the remaining two. Removing his right hand-claw from the armor and releasing what was left of the wrist came with the clanking of armor against the flooring. The more bulky man drew his broadsword with a determined face, but his expression shifted when he saw something... abnormal.


    "Riy..." Astraia murmured gently as she saw it.


    "Riyku..." Astrid did the same, holding her hands together.


    "...." Instructor Rina was silent, but she saw it as well. As did everyone else. Riyku had tears streaming down his face. The entire time he was crying. "Tell me, why can''t you all just leave us alone? Why do you all seek to fight? Why do you all desire death? Why do you all desire power? Why do you all desire to hurt others? Why?" Riyku would repeat, over and over as if he were broken. The ladies could see it. Astrid and Astraia knew it more so than anyone else in the room. They knew just how much Riyku was hurting. How much he was suffering. They knew he did not like killing. They knew he hated taking lives. They knew it well.


    "Silence! You want to know why!? Because you are a threat! You have harmed the Overlord of Crimson Ash! You have disrespected him! You will be sentenced to death! That''s why! Curse your own life for even existing!" The man who was holding his limbless arm in pain shouted hysterically at Riyku. "Kill him! Kill him now!" He gave an order to the soldier holding the broad sword in both hands. Riyku looked at the soldier, who looked at him and tightened his grasp on the hilt of his broadsword with both hands. Riyku would cast his gaze downward. Tears still falling from his cheeks. "I just don''t get it..." Riyku would mutter as the man charged him, bringing the sword overhead and downward. The blade stopped just before impact with Riyku''s head, though. Several shadow tendrils had pierced through the solider, draining him dry and then retracting back into the shadow. Now there was one soldier and a room full of stunned personal.


    "Of course you don''t, kid. Over the past year, I have come to understand a bit about you. You were not meant to be here. Something happened, and someone forced you here. However... Look..." Skeith''s voice peered inside of Riyku''s mind. Riyku could tell which direction Skeith was asking him to look in, and there he saw the final soldier shakily drawing his blade. "Demons are prideful creatures. Most will continue to fight on even in the face of death. Others may not but will surely come back with a vengeance. Even if you spare one, you will surely end up with a lot more trouble later than it is worth. That is just how things are in the Underworld. There is no law. No rule. Demons are only after one thing, what they desire. That desire may morph and change over time and even if it is fulfilled. Demons will find a new desire. It is a neverending cycle. The only freedom is death." Skeith would finish, and Riyku would kick up the broad sword, catch it by the hilt, and cut down the soldier that charged at him.


    Riyku held no pride in what he had done. There was no confidence, no glory in his eyes. There was only sadness. He truly disliked killing. Even when he was in the Hunting Party, he opposed it. He only killed when it was the only option left. If he could reason with wildlife or others, he would do so. But here, there seemed to be no reasoning. Riyku would drop the blade down on the ground and move towards the bar, only to take a seat at one of the barstools. No one said a word; no one made a move. They just waited. They did not know what to expect.


    "Tell me... Why are you all here?" There was no threat in Riyku''s voice. No malice. He wanted answers. That much could be understood from his tone of voice. Finally, one person spoke. "To be able to relax and have a good meal." The voice was shaky, but it was from one of the regulars. Hell, all of them were regulars, but this person, in particular, was a bit older and wiser than the rest. "Boris..." Astrid would murmur as she looked at the old demon in traveling clothing.


    "I see... Then forgive me." Riyku would stand up and make his way towards the door. "The longer I stay here, the more trouble I will cause. I overheard their conversation. They were looking for me. I do not wish to cause you all any further trouble. Thank you for everything you have all done for me..." Riyku would comment, and just as he was about to push out the doors, Astraia and Astrid both called his name in sync. He stopped but did not look back at them.


    "Riyku!"


    "So you are going to run away?" Astrid would inquire.


    "You are just going to walk out?" Astraia added.


    Riyku trembled. He could hear the emotion in their voices. They were upset but worried. They were scared but concerned. But most of all, they did not want to lose him. He could hear it so clearly, that it caused other tears to stream down his face.


    "What are you scared of?" Astrid would ask.


    "What has you so terrified?" Astraia would ask.


    "We won''t understand unless you open up to us, Riyku." Both Astrid and Astraia spoke in sync.


    Riyku did not make a move, nor did he speak a word. No one did. Only, Instructor Rina; "Riyku. I have only been around you for a short amount of time, so what I am about to say may mean nothing to you but... Are you going to walk away? Sure, when I read over your file, you were a complete mystery, and I did not know what to expect, and yes, when I heard what you had, I was scared. But as I learned more about you, I realized that you are not what I once thought you were. Yes, learning about the most recent things connected to you was frightening, but I have had time to go over those thoughts. I had time to reassess what I learned and compare the information. Riyku, you are a great demon!"


    Riyku''s eyes widened, stunned in awe and shock at what he was just told. He did not understand why, but the emotion he felt was... relief.


    "So, if I learned all of that over a few weeks, I am sure that everyone in this room which has spent longer with you has already made up their mind about you. That you are no trouble." Instructor Rina would finish off with a cherry on top. Everyone in the room started to agree with her. Astrid and Astraia began to smile, and tears began to form as they saw just how resolved everyone was. "Riyku." Astrid and Astraia called out to him with open arms as if asking him to come towards them. Riyku stood, his face looking at the door with his hand still hovering against it. "I..." He would mutter. "I..." He would continue. "I will--"

 70 Desire

    Riyku did not know what to do. Traveling down the road, he was subconsciously walking along the route he took when he was with Astrid and Astraia. His eyes seemed to drift around each spot, recalling the beautiful memories he had with them, from laughs to promises and other enjoyable times. All the memories continued to fill his mind, filling his body with an emotion of love. A soft smile came across his face. "I see..." Riyku would murmur while placing his hand to his chest. "I had almost forgotten..." He would add, turning on his heel as to prepare to head back towards Safe Haven.


    "A man has to be Strong, Brave, and Honest." Riyku had nearly forgotten these words. He was slowly being consumed by doubt and hate that fear started to dreadful forth. He was being anything but Strong and Brave, and recalling all of those happy times he spent with Astrid and Astraia helped him recall what he was told when he was still alive in MiddleWorld.


    Riyku would make his way back towards Safe Haven; the frown he had when he left had been replaced with a soft smile. He may not have realized it, but he was gone for a few hours during his little ''walk.'' The time it took to make his way back was a lot less considering he had already been near Safe Have, so perhaps about ten, maybe twenty minutes. Riyku would push open the doors of Safe Haven, "Astrid! Astraiaaaaaa...." Riyku''s cheery voice slowly drained as he saw the entire place had been turned upside down. Bloodstains and bodies were everywhere. It looked like a small war of some kind had taken place here, and the strange part was that no one was outside or investigating it.


    "Riyku... is that... you?" A weak-willed voice called from behind the counter. Riyku had hastily made his way towards the voice only to notice it was one of the regulars. She had a large hole in her stomach, but that did not seem to stop her from delivering her final message.


    "Anything." He muttered.


    "Anything?" He groaned.


    "Anything!?" He exclaimed.


    When he was starting to lose hope, he had found something. It was a small hair clip. It was Astrid''s. Picking up the hair clip, he would take a look around once more, and there he found a bracelet. He had given Astraia this bracelet as a gift a while back. It was set on the ground near the wall. Upon further examination, he figured that they might have escaped over the wall. The direction was most likely to be where the accessories had been dropped. Riyku would sprout his wings only to kick off the ground to take to the skies.


    "Do you think you will find them?" Skeith''s sinister voice echoed within his mind.


    "I will," Riyku replied firmly.


    "That so?" Skeith seemed to scoff.


    "Do you even know where they are? They could be anywhere. Hell, they could be in another Netherworld." Skeith would remark.


    "Does not matter. I will find them. I will save them." Riyku would retort, his resolve still firm.


    A moment of silence came before Skeith sighed softly. "Look for their energy." Skeith would comment. Riyku seemed confused by this statement, but Skeith explained. "When you sleep with someone, you brief exchange your energy with them. Your energies link and entwine. All demons are capable of this, but few know about it. The more you sleep with someone, the strong your sensory of their energy becomes. Focus your senses on their energy. Focus your mind on what you feel when you are around them. Focus on them."


    Riyku was taken back a bit by the help Skeith was giving him. Regardless, he would heed his advice do just that. Taking a moment to stop his forward momentum from closing his eyes and focus on Astrid and Astraia. Still, black had encompassed his mind and sight. As he focused further on Astrid and Astraia and his feelings for them, a thin white stream started to form as a wisp. The more he focused, the strong the stream became, and eventually, he could feel their energy. "Found them!" Riyku exclaimed before pushing forward.


    Meanwhile, in some castle, Hawk was standing in his room with a wine glass in his hand. Swirling the liquid while in thought. A knock came from his door, followed by someone who entered. "Sir!" It was a guardsman dressed in the same type of armor as the soldiers who attacked Safe Haven. "We have captured Astrid BurningAsh and Astraia BurningAsh. We have them captive in the dungeon. Your orders?" The soldier would give his briefing with an upstanding salute.


    An ''mmmm'' came from Hawk, "I take it; you followed my orders perfectly." Hawk''s voice was low and cold. "Y-Yes, Sir!" The soldier replied. Hawk would set the wine glass down, "You do not sound confident." Hawk would remark. The soldier started to tremble. "W-Well... I tried to warn them... but they refused to follow orders." The soldier would remark. "Tell me, what part of the orders are they dismissing?" Hawk would finger the edge of the wine glass while patiently awaiting an answer. The soldier gulped heavily, "T-They started having their way with them, Sir." The soldier would reply with fear in his voice.


    Hawk would stop fingering the wine glass. "I see..." With those words, the soldier knelt and started to beg for forgiveness. "I tried to stop them, Sir! I did! But they threw me out! I am sorry!" Hawk would turn on his heel and place a hand on the soldier''s shoulder. "Soldiers who can not obey their ruler are useless to me." Hawk would comment with sheer coldness in his voice. The soldier would gulp heavily, eyes trembling with pure fear. Sweat dripping down his face viciously, and just as he thought his life was over.


    Nothing.


    Hawk had moved past the soldier and on his way towards the dungeon. The reason the soldier thought he was dead was that he knew. He knew that Hawk spared no one who dismissed his orders. He knew firsthand how those soldiers would die and thought that he was going to one of them. Not out of guilt because he had done nothing wrong, but because he failed to keep the others in check.


    Hawk would hear screams and yells coming from one of the dungeon cells, and the closer he got, the louder they became. When he arrived, he saw several of his men standing over Astrid and Astraia, covered in semen. "I see..." Hawk''s voice caused everyone to stop moving. The chill in the air centered their attention on him, but no one made a move. No one made a sound. A flare ignited in his eyes, and all of his men started choking while clawing at their throats. Using Diabolical Energy, he pushed aside the soldiers in his way like pieces of trash while making his way towards Astrid and Astraia. "I am sorry..." He would mutter. He had not been wearing his mask, so both of them, who had dull looks in their eyes, were surprised when they saw his face. "Kro--" Astrid was about to murmur before Hawk plunged a blade into her chest. He would remove the blade only to do the same to Astraia, who had no words to say. She was too surprised by the figure before them to speak another word. "I am sorry..." Hawk would murmur while kneeling to close their eyes. "Astrid, Astraia..." He whispered with pain in his voice and a few tears running down his face.


    "Riyku... the energy..." Skeith would comment on how thin the stream was becoming. "Hurry!" Skeith exclaimed. Riyku would grit his teeth, blood covering his face and body. A long sword set within his left hand as he raced down the dungeon corridor. He had already killed countless guards on his way here. Upon reaching the cell where the stream of energy faded out completely, he took note of everything. Dead soldiers with their pants down, Astrid and Astraia, covered in semen with their clothes in tatters, and Hawk standing over them with a blade in his hand.


    Riyku''s eyes went wide. His complexion froze white. His mind went blank. Skeith kissed his teeth or well made the sound of it when he noticed they were too late. Hawk would turn around with the blade still in hand that he had called forth from a dimensional portal. "You are too late." Hawk would comment, a lingering sadness in his voice. If Riyku wasn''t so stunned, he might have noticed it, but his mind was empty. A deep breath escaped Hawk''s lungs as he closed his eyes and shook his head. "The intent was to lure you out here, but not for Astrid and Astraia to be harmed. I do not understand why people refuse to follow orders. For their mistake, you have my apologies." Hawk would comment. His voice was still cold. Riyku said nothing, still froze with an empty mind.


    Hawk would look over Riyku when he did not hear a reply. "It is natural. The emptiness you are feeling. I felt it once, as well. I had to give up everything to be where I am. I had to distance myself from those I cared about to protect them. So, I understand the empty feeling. However... you will not need to suffer much longer. I will relieve you of your pain." Hawk would remark before making his way towards Riyku.


    "Oi, Riyku!" Skeith''s voice called to him when he noticed Riyku was not moving.


    "Hey, you need to move! Bring up your weapon!" Skeith called out again when he received no response.


    "Riyku!" Skeith shouted as Hawk drew closer.


    "Look, I get it. You just lost those you loved. You said you were going to save them and protect them. I get it. But if you do nothing, you will die! We will die!" Skeith shouted when Riyku did not respond.


    Hawk was not in front of Riyku. Looking over Riyku, who stared at Astrid and Astraia with such empty eyes. "You will be joining them shortly..." Hawk would bring the blade back in preparation to thrust it into Riyku''s chest. The motion would start-up, and as it did, Skeith shouted Riyku''s name once again; however, the blade bounced off of something. Hawk seemed surprised since his arms were thrown in the air. Skeith, if he could make a facial expression, would be just as surprised.


    There was nothing there. Nothing was moving, not even Riyku. The blade just bounced off of thin air. Right? Hawk would try once again, but once more, the blade bounced off just before striking Riyku. "What is going on?" Hawk would grumble as he took a step back.


    "I see... Nothing ever changes." A chill voice echoed around. It sent shivers down Hawk''s spine. "T-That''s not possible..." Skeith''s voice muttered with a bit of fear. "You aren''t the Contracted Entity, so how!? How are you here!?" Skeith exclaimed or more so shouted with the demand for answers.


    "Because he desires it." The chill voice echoed once more; the source was quite clear.


    Riyku.

 71 Seeker of Control

    "Why... again...?" Riyku murmured once more. He could hear muffled voices from all around him. Although he ignored them.


    "Why am I to suffer...?" Riyku would hold himself tighter.


    "Why am I so weak...?" Riyku would continue.


    "Everything is my fault..."


    "Only if I had not left..."


    "Only if I had not risen against him..."


    "Only if I had not fought back..."


    "Only if I had stayed away..."


    "Only if I had never meant them..."


    "Only if I had never been brought here..."


    "Only if I had never existed..."


    Despair started to fill Riyku. He began to regret everything. The Only Ifs filled him, and his mind went on to believe that maybe everything would have been better if he was never born. The more he delved into Despair, the less he heard the outside voices.


    Silence.


    Nothing spoke. No one said a word. It was complete silence. Although, the silence that seemed to have lasted an eternity was interrupted by a voice filled with ambition, filled with determination, filled with desire.


    "Unfair, isn''t it?"


    "No matter what you do. No matter how much you train. No matter how strong you become. You always lose. Is it Fate? Maybe even Destiny? Perhaps your story is already predetermined. Suffering is all you will ever know."


    "Quite unfair, is it not?"


    Riyku did not seem to react. His empty eyes only stared at the darkness of his core.


    "It is not your fault, though."


    Riyku''s ears twitched to this statement.


    "You did not get them killed."


    "You were put up against something you were not prepared for. With so little time and so little knowledge. It only makes sense this would be the outcome."


    Riyku slowly rose his head from his core. "What am I to do?" He mumbled.


    "What do you desire?" The voice called back.


    "Desire..." Riyku murmured.


    "...."


    "...."


    "...."


    Silence with thought. Riyku was thinking. What did he desire? More power? More strength? Revenge? Retribution? No... what would any of that do? None of that could bring anyone back. The deeds had been done. What Riyku desired was...


    "Total... Control..."


    "Excellent." The voice would remark, a black wisp reflected off Riyku''s dull eyes before seeming to enter into his body. His skin started to shift from violet to black. Spreading out from the core of his body like some kind of virus.


    That had been the moment Hawk''s blade bounced off thin air for the first time. The events that transpired after the first strike followed like before. Leading up to when the voice spoke...


    "He desires it."


    Hawk jumped back on instinct. Something was telling him to run away, to get out of there. Beads of sweat were starting to form along his body simply based on the mist that seemed to swirl around Riyku. It held the stench of death. So heavy that his nose had wrinkled. It was as if he had been on a battlefield where some kind of war had just taken place, and all that was left was rot.


    "It saddens me that a pure soul has so much corruption attached to it... The purity of this soul... is slowly twisted..." Riyku(?) would comment. His eyes gazing towards Hawk. The eyes that Hawk saw made his body tremble. He unconsciously took a step back out of fear. "W-W-Who are you!?" Hawk shouted with a trembling voice. He already knew the answer, though. He had felt this kind of pressure already. He had his doubts back then, but now... when so much pressure was behind thrown at him in with full force, he was unable to doubt. It was a reality.


    "The Shadow King." Riyku(?) would graciously reply to Hawk''s question. Hawk had gulped heavily. He was witness it after all¡ªthe reincarnation of The Shadow King. Parts of Riyku''s flesh were slowly shifting into a pitch-black coloration. Those eyes of his were not the only thing. If only Hawk had no seen those eyes, then maybe... Just maybe he could have been able to escape.


    "I am curious about something, though. So enlighten me; why did you kill your lover and daughter, Krowth Burning Ash." The Shadow King would inquire, his voice had become cold... no, actually, it was always cold. It only became colder. More distant, and held with disdain. Hawk would grit his teeth before shouting aloud like some kind of madman. "How the hell do you know that name!? How the hell do you know who I am!? Just what are you!?"


    This outburst was rewarded with a chuckle. "Are you truly that clueless? For an Overlord to know nothing... Oh, how the standards have changed since I devoured Hades and Lucifer... It is almost saddening. Shall I tell you? Do you truly wish to know? I mean, the answer is all around you, Krowth." The Shadow King would remark, a smirk curving across his lips in such a malicious manner that it made even Skeith''s sinister grin look like a cheery child.


    Hawk would growl and charge at The Shadow King. "Foolish." The Shadow King would remark, and without even lifting a finger, his shadow countered Hawk''s initial strike. Hawk''s grip on his blade was already lost thanks to his composure, so his sword went flying elsewhere. The shadow would counterattack by thrusting a tendril through Hawk''s chest. Slowly wiggling and worming its way around inside of his body, which made him groan and gag in pain while struggling to pull the tendril out as best he could. He would continuously use his Overlord Skill to force The Shadow King to choke on Burning Ash, but his efforts were in vain. No matter how much his eyes flared and how much he struggled, Hawk was unable to break free.


    "Your power is unique. The ability to create ash from oxygen is interesting. The fact that you can ignite it while it is inside the lungs of another and thus burn them from the inside out is quite thrilling as well. I think I will be taking your power. It may prove useful in the future." The Shadow King would comment while sauntering towards Hawk. "Did you know, the Four Shadow Queens each have their own unique ability that even I can never come into possession of?" The Shadow King would bring the right-hand claw back before plunging it into Hawk''s chest and taking hold of his heart. "Empower, Degrade, Seal, and lastly... Steal." Hawk''s body started to shrivel up like a tiny grape until nothing was left.


    "Even with Total Control, I can never manipulate those four. No matter how much I want. However... if I use the host as an outlet... I can easily use their abilities... Isn''t that right, Seraphina?" The Shadow King would snicker as he dropped the corpse of Hawk on the ground. The tendril of shadow removed itself from Hawk and returned to him. No reply seemed to come forth, which made The Shadow King shake his head and shrug. "Well, no matter... I am merely borrowing this body. Taking it over was never my intention. Your precious host is asleep. His soul is unharmed. He will know nothing of what transpired here. Only that I have given him all that I have. So rest easy, Seraphina." Walking out of the cell with those words, the wispy aura started to fade out. The complexion of skin slowly reverting back to its violet coloration, and when the transformation had been finalized, Riyku would pass out.


    When Riyku finally woke, he found himself in a pitch of darkness. He was sitting against a wall with his arms hung up by shackles and his legs spread out by chains. He was confused. Unsure of how he even got there and begun to struggle. The rattling of the shackles echoed inside of the black pit he was in. A few moments passed and he recalled that he had chased after Astrid and Astraia in order to save them. He had taken down countless guardsmen in his wake and when he found them... he remembered he had fallen. After that, he recalled nothing.


    "Finally awake, huh?" A sinister voice peered through Riyku''s mind.


    "Skeith..." Riyku muttered. "What happened?" Riyku would follow up with a question. The light in his eyes had vanished. Dull and void of hope.


    "Not sure. I remember we got to the dungeon then you seemed to go cold. After that, I blacked out. I only woke just a few moments ago. It would appear we are in solitary confinement. A place fit for those who abuse their power and wreak havoc all across the Underworld. Every Netherworld has one. So I would assume we are still on Crimson Ash." Skeith would explain.


    A pity laugh came from Riyku. "Solitary confinement? In the Underworld? What a joke." Riyku would mutter. His voice was completely filled with disdain. Skeith would muse with an ''mmmm'' before giving his own two-cents on the matter. "I am inclined to agree. So shall we leave?" Skeith would comment with a smirk if anyone could see it.


    "Is there any point?" Riyku would inquire, his eyes focused on what was before him which was pitch black.


    "Perhaps, perhaps not. Astrid and Astraia are dead, and you are in this place. Are you okay with that?" Skeith would reply with a question of his own.


    A heavy sigh would part Riyku''s lips, "Of course not. However, I see no point in struggling any longer. There is nothing left for me." Riyku would reply.


    "That is where you are wrong, Riyku." Skeith would remark which seemed to cause Riyku''s brow to raise. "I am?"


    "Yes. The Underworld could be yours for the taking. Do you not find it unfair that you are the one being punished while others continue to fulfill their everlasting desires. Do you not find it unfair that only you are to suffer like this? To be trapped in this place?" Skeith would go on.


    "Does it matter? Even if I am the only one, what can I do? Sure it is unfair, but there is nothing I can do. Even if I could the same thing would only happen again." Riyku would retort.


    "That is where you are wrong. Do you not find it strange that we do not remember anything? I can feel something new inside of us. A new power. A growing power. Urging to be released, wanting to be unleashed. I had felt this same presence once before as well. It was when you were fighting against Hawk." Skeith would comment.


    Riyku slowly started to recall the events when he first encountered Hawk. The voice that called out to him, the voice that showed him his power. He had somewhat forgotten about it and that power after he used it. Be it mental exhaustion or something else. He had only just now remembered...


    "My Overlord Skill...." Riyku would mutter. A shimmer of light started to rise in his eyes.


    "Exactly." Skeith would agree.


    "With that, you can take over the entire Underworld. No one could stop you. You could force everything and every one to obey your every will." With the way, Skeith spoke it came out sinister, and it was supposed to sound like that.


    "I can protect everyone. I can keep everyone safe. No longer will anyone suffer because of me. No longer will anyone be hurt..." The way Riyku put it would have made it sound elegant if it did not sound so disturbing.


    Thoughts started to surface in Riyku''s mind. Ways to bring everything under his rule. Ways to keep everyone safe. It was different from what Skeith envisioned. Different by a large scale. Skeith was thinking of war and sex. A demon''s dream. A demon''s desire. Riyku on the other hand was thinking of total control. Obey or Die. Both were dangerous, but it was unsure of which was worse. On one hand, there would be sex and bloodshed, on the other hand, there would be eternal peace, but at what cost?

 72 One final meal...

    Lingering on such a thought he came to a conclusion that no matter what was to come, he would strive onward. "Teleport, Safe Haven." Riyku would call forth. Even in his weakened state, he managed to use Diabolical Energy in order to create the runic magic circle he needed to teleport to the Safe Haven tavern. The magic circle rose from beneath him and took him away, porting him into Safe Haven from a magic circle that appeared the exact same.


    Riyku''s expression turned sour. The place was far worse than before. The bodies had been cleaned out, but the stains of blood and broken chairs and tables were still littered everywhere. Riyku would make his way towards the stairwell and head up the stairs. The pictures that were along the walls were smashed. As he passed by his room he noticed how the room was turned upside down. With a shake of his head, he decided to take a look into Astraia''s room, but it was just the same as his. Everything was destroyed. Riyku would kiss his teeth and leave Astraia''s room to enter Astrid''s. He had some hope that maybe there was something left. The room was a complete disaster as well, and hope started to drain from his eyes. That saw a picture frame on the floor with the picture faced to the ground.


    Riyku would pick it up only to see that it was a picture of him in between Astrid and Astraia. The picture was full of joy. It was when he took them out to go shopping one day. Tears started to silently roll down his cheeks to stared deeply at the picture. He already knew... what was gone was to never return. But... the feeling would remain. The loss would still be there. It was slowly eating away at him...


    "Riyku. You need your rest." Skeith would speak up after noticing how blank Riyku seemed to be.


    "Yeah..." Riyku would mutter as he took the picture from the frame and decided to pocket it. He would make his way over the bed which had the cotton and what not torn out and the blankets and sheets ripped to all hell. Rolling over onto the bed he would stare at the ceiling.


    Empty...


    Silent....


    "Riyku..."


    "Riy~"


    Two voices seemed to call to him. Familiar in each tone. Slowly, Riyku would flutter his eyes open. His vision was a blur; silhouettes of Astrid and Astraia were before him.


    "Astrid..."


    "Astraia..."


    "Is it... you?" Riyku would reach towards them. Both of them reached back and took hold of his hand.


    "It''s time to wake up."


    They both said sweetly.


    Riyku''s smile slowly faded and he closed his eyes only to open them shortly after. He took a look to his left, but Astrid and Astraia were not there. A quivering sigh left his lips before he decided to get up. He would take a good look at the picture before setting it onto the bed. No words came from him, no expression... he just simply made his way into the kitchen was is in disarray and began picking up a few pots and pans. He gathered what ingredients he could before making himself a meal. No hymns, no words, nothing... just silence.


    Once he finished the quick soup, he would prepare three bowls and take them to any table that he could still use and set two bowls down first as if he were giving Astrid and Astraia a bowl each before setting his own down and taking his seat. He would take up the spoon and blow on the steaming soup before placing it into his mouth. When he did, tears steamrolled down his cheeks. A whining muffle came before started another bite, and bite and bite.


    Once he finally finished the meal his eyes were puffy red, and his face looked like a mess. He would wipe residue tears before rising from his chair then he would make his way towards the exit. Taking in a deep breath to steady the remainder of his nerves. Riyku would turn around and bow, "Thank you for everything you have done for me. I promise... No. I vow, that this tragedy will never happen again. I will make sure of that. So please... rest well... Astra... Astrid." Riyku would raise only to turn away to leave behind what could no longer be brought back.


    Several hours had passed and Riyku was simply roaming the streets of Crimson Ash. Many people already knew what had transpired at Safe Haven. After all, not only was Safe Haven a hot topic to speak of, the fact that Riyku had claimed Astrid and Astraia was also another thing. Since they knew, they decided to keep their distance. No one dared to talk to him or even look at him for too long. Riyku did not care though, his mind was occupied with thoughts on what to do. It was at this time that a voice from the depths of a pitch-black alley called out to him. At first, they did not get his attention. So they called again, and again, until finally stepping out to yank him into the alley. The movement was so fluid and fast that it was impossible to take notice of who it was.


    Riyku was about to strike the person down until he saw their face. "Calm down... please." The voice would remark with a hand to Riyku''s mouth. Bust against his body and a knee in between his crotch as if to keep him against the wall. Riyku would tap upon the person''s arm as if telling her to let him speak and she did.


    "What are you doing here, Racheal?" Riyku inquired with a puzzled expression.


    Racheal would shift her glance from the walkway to Riyku when he called her name and asked her a question. She would adjust her hood to cover her face a bit more. "I got away... More importantly, how are Astrid and Astraia?" Racheal did not see the look in his eyes until after she asked the question. When no response came from Riyku her thoughts were confirmed.


    "I see... I am sorry...." Racheal would immediately embrace him warmly.


    "I am sorry, Riyku. I am so sorry..." Her voice quivered, but she bit back her tears out not wishing to bring more tears to Riyku''s face. Riyku slowly wrapped his arms around her. Listening to her repeatedly apologies for something that was beyond her control. It seemed that Racheal only stopped apologizing when Riyku released her and said, "It is okay." Of course, the way he spoke of it was off. He was lying. His facial expressions and tone of voice showed just terrible a liar he was.


    Racheal could have told him he was. She could have said that is not right, but she refrained. Her thought was that ''If Riyku was trying to move forward, then I will not stop him.'' In a way, she was not wrong. Riyku was attempting to move forward, but not along a ''stable'' path. Racheal could not see that though and she would end up regretting this decision later on down the line.


    "How long has it been since everything happened? I lost count of the time..." Riyku would comment as if to shift the focus point elsewhere. "About a month now... I have been taking refuge with an old friend of mine. You should come with me. I am sure she will accept you." Racheal would remark.


    "A month huh?" Skeith muttered inside of Riyku''s head.


    "I see... Well, I see no problem with it. I do not have any other options. Lead the way." Riyku would gesture with a hand. It was obvious he was trying to put on a mask in order to hide the pain he was in. It was clear as day just how much pain he was in. It was in his voice and eyes, his facial expression and body language showed it as well. However, Racheal ignored it and decided to guide him to the hideout that was in the Depths of Crimson Ash. In the most darkest and dangerous area of Crimson Ash. During their venture, they bypassed a lot of eventful happenings. Everything that happened in the Depths made what happened above look like child''s play. Murder, Sex, Drug Trades, Gambling, and even Brawls. Down in the Depths... well, survive of the fittest seemed to have a whole new meaning. Naturally, people eyed them. Everyone knew who Racheal was and some even called out to her with a jolly wave which caused Riyku''s brow to arch a few times with curiosity.


    The trip was long and dull. No conversation topics came up. Nothing happened either aside from the occasional greetings for Racheal. When they finally arrived, Racheal was making her way into what looked like an Auction House of some kind. Riyku followed in after giving the surrounding area a quick look through. Upon entering though he realized what kind of Housing this was.


    A Supple looking succubus with a refined aura and demeanor to show had called out to Racheal. She was wearing a black exotic night-gown which went well with her violet color hair and dark pink eyes. Her lips were a purple shade. "Racheal!" The woman would make her way over to Racheal and give her a hug. "Glad to see you have returned safely. How was your trip up top, did you find what you were looking for?" The woman''s mature tone of voice came forth and despite how mature she sounded her looks were another thing. She was far older than her appearance had lead on.


    "Yes, Madam. Thank you!" Racheal would hug her back and give her a kiss upon the cheek which she did in return before gesturing towards Riyku. "I found him!"


    The Madam would look from Racheal to Riyku and saunter towards him in a sexy manner with a playful hymn. While she circled around him she would examine him at the same time. Taking in every bit she could before making her way back over to Racheal. "Racheal... Dear.... You should not bring your students here. It is bad for business." The Madam would tease Racheal who huffed with a slight blush. "That is not why I brought him here. I already told you what happened!" Racheal exclaimed which caused The Madam to giggle softly. "Of course you did. I was only joking with you. He can stay here." The Madam would remark which caused Racheal to smile warmly, "Thank you!" She exclaimed happily.


    "On one condition." The Madam would speak up which caused Riyku to tilt her head to the side in confusion. "One condition?" She would repeat with a question mark.


    "Yes. Your friend here will work for us. After all, I am not running a charity." The Madam would state which caused Racheal''s cheeks to flush brightly. "NO!" She shouted which caused The Madam to huff, "Then no deal." The Madam would comment. "But why!?" Racheal exclaimed when she heard Madam''s remark. "You''ve given me free rent, why not him!?" Racheal added.


    The Madam would sigh lightly and take a hit from her long pipe before replying, "You." She gestured with the pipe. "Are a different story. I know who you are. You''ve worked for me for many years and there will always be a place here for you. As for him." She would gesture with the pipe towards Riyku. "I know nothing about him other than what you told me about him going against the Overlord of Crimson Ash. About the Royals tracking him down alongside you for simply being in the middle of everything. Regardless of your word, I still need to make sure I can trust him." The Madam would answer. Racheal was about to speak up in protest when Riyku interrupted her. "It''s fine..." Riyku would remark. Clear pain in his eyes and voice.


    "Riyku..." Racheal murmured as she looked at him. "It''s fine." Riyku would remark once again even though the pain was visible upon his face. The Madam could see it in which she sighed lightly. "I am not so heartless to make you work right after what you had been through. Come. You will tell me everything you have been through, as well as everything about you; including that arm of yours." The Madam would turn away and begin heading behind the counter. "You come too Racheal." She could call out. Riyku had already been following her, but turned to look back at Racheal when The Madam asked her to follow. She did just that. When they reached her office, Riyku would start from, the beginning. With his memories of his time on MiddleWorld, his family, what transpired and follow through to here as well as the events that lead up to this moment. None of it was excluded which was probably because he did not care, or maybe he was just being reckless.