"If the vessel dies, even if it belongs to her...We can't afford to lose it. He is the best candidate we have found over infinity."
. . . . . . .
Caesar couldn't breathe. His mouth was dry as sand, and his skin was soaked with sweat.
Mr Shawn was the first person to react.
He thrust his bulky hand, and the same violet cloud from his dimension appeared and flew towards the figure who had just impaled his student.
As the cloud approached the figure, it vanished. Moments later, Mr Shawn coughed out a mouthful of blood.
He dropped to a knee and held his ribs, as if broken.
I think you shouldn't do that, the figure said, with no emotion in his voice. You won't believe how many people have died trying to go on the offensive.
Everyone froze due to fear. Zeus' eyes darkened, Izobel held her breath, Leo's teeth chattered, Escanor's flame above his head dimmed, and Martha's mouth was left open.
But the figure killed a companion closer than a brother, and that was enough to make Caesar go berserk.
Caesar was above the figure, with rage and tears in his eyes.
Caesar screamed as his hands glowed white hot, the entire temperature of the room increasing drastically.
But as Caesar was seconds away from landing a hit, he saw something uncanny: The same face of a veiled woman.
Before he could register what he saw, his hands returned to normal, and the temperature of the room returned to its original state.
Caesar coughed up more blood than Mr Shawn as heat scalded his chest area, leaving a knuckle imprint.
The figure sighed, What did I tell you about going on the offensive?
Caesar was still hungry for vengeance. He was angry, but he was also patient.
He managed to move Chalybe's lifeless body out of the way, resting it on a wall.
The gaping hole in his chest pierced through a heart on his left side. Miraculously, his other two hearts continued to beat, but had some arteries and veins missing.
Caesar's hand was covered in warm blood.
Can you reflect attacks? Caesar asked with his voice becoming deeper.
The figure's green eyes fixated on Caesar, as if to gauge him.
Have you ever argued with an ant? The figure said with his hands on his waist. "It's pointless and rarely entertaining. That's how I feel talking to you.
The figure glanced back at the other students, still frozen in shock.
The figure took a deep breath, his pale skin receiving just a slight glint of colour, before returning to its ghastly hue.
I have completed my mission. But on second thought, I should finish you all.
Murmurs spread across the room.
Who sent you? Zeus said to the figure.
The figure's eyes drifted to Zeus, his braids looking unkempt, but his face unexpectedly calm.
Who cares? The figure spread his hands, with the sleeves plastered with black feathers. The black feathers left his sleeves and turned into slaver beak ravens.
The crows charged at the students, their bloodshot eyes filled with the desire to hunt and devour.
Filled with rage, Zeus raised his hands to the sky, and the ravens were immediately splattered to the ground as the pressure increased tenfold.
More ravens kept coming, and the figure rushed at Mr Shawn, who was slowly recovering from his wounds.
First, the teacher. The figure stared down at the professor.
No!!! Izobel screamed. Her eyes glowed intently, but she was hesitant.
If Caesar's hypotheses were right, the figure could reflect incoming attacks to the opponent that sent it. But Izobel had more questions.
Was there a restricted range? Izobel thought. Could it affect multiple people? Could my attack kill me?
With a new priority, she conjured a large pink rellabug avatar. It possessed 6 mighty pairs of wings that flap rapidly, 4 thin legs, a horn protruding from its forehead, and an abdomen with microscopic needles.
The avatar, as large as a man, swooped in and carried Mr Shawn. If Izobel couldn't attack the figure, she could have also saved Mr Shawn.
But suddenly, the peculiar happened. The avatar dropped him and went towards Izobel.
Leo joined Caesar, who was still staring at Chalybe's body.
Leo, Caesar said. Will you please watch him?
Leo struggled to control her breath, but she slowly nodded, and Caesar disappeared.
He rushed at the figure with a kick, but his leg seemed to stop. Caesar noticed that some sort of barrier was protecting him and was even absorbing the impact.
Immediately, Caesar felt the pain throbbing in his feet. Caesar stepped back and rushed towards the figure again, with his fist glowing an uncanny red colour.
Every punch damaged him, not the enemy. The barrier devoured his attacks, feeding the pain back into his bones. Where was the peripheral energy going?
Caesar soliloquised, He is not even flinching, which means that the force of my attacks isn't even reaching him. He stands there with no fear, being confident that I won't be able to touch him. HE BELIEVES HE IS UNTOUCHABLE.
Caesar would attack, get his limbs shattered, retreat, change position, and get his body battered. The cycle repeated.
I admire your delusion, the figure said. But won't you agree it will kill you before it scratches me? Brave, but foolish.
Unexpectedly, A hammer was sent towards the Figure, who caught it with ease.
Martha emerged from the smoke, smiling to herself.
"I am literally a genius," Martha said. "I have cracked his ability."
The Figure and Caesar both gasped.
"Grace is the fundamental for everything you do. The world is crafted around that one flawed delusion." Martha continued to smile. "But your ability seems to reject that flaw, am I right or am I right?"
Caesar couldn't process what she was saying, but a stupid idea entered his head. He wanted to just punch him harder until his barrier broke, but realistically, he could kill himself if he took that approach.
Caesar rushed towards the figure, his fist clenched for another punch.
The Figure stood there confidently. "Do you wish to run to your death? You can't possibly-"
He was silenced by Caesar's punch, digging deep into his face and knocking him back. Caesar was shocked.
"Do you get it now, Paragon?" Martha laughed hysterically. "His ability is seemingly absolute, a perfect defence, you could say. But you could ask yourself..."
The figure stood up, a slight bruise on his cheek.
"Why would he then block my hammer with his arm?" Caesar asked.
His eyes widened in excitement and horror. He could finally hit the figure if, apparently, he didn't use any Grace with his attacks. But he was terrified because...
" I am basically useless without Grace," Caesar said. "My brunt attack didn't even make him bleed."
Caesar's punch could shatter pavements and create craters, but The Figure was more durable than he expected.
"Good job deducing my ability," The Figure said. "Are you a Paragon, Martha?"
The young noble sighed. "I would kill for that title, don't get me wrong."
Martha took a battle stance, her wings in a sort of defensive position. "What's the fun about being number 1? Where do you go from there instead of being a target for everyone?"
The Skylander rushed towards the enemy, delivering a kick, which The Figure caught.
"How isn't she using any Grace so skillfully?" The Figure thought.
Martha dodged a swipe from the enemy, grabbing her Hammer and slamming it into the Figure, who blocked it and sent a raven towards Martha's chest, which she expertly evaded.
She delivered a hook, but The Figure dodged it, creating distance between the two.
Caesar studied them with intent. No Grace. How is that even possible?
Caesar was taught to always consciously regulate a constant flow of his Rhema around his body. But can he consciously stop it? Won't he die?
"It's your Dawnmark!!" Martha said as The Figure scratched her forearm. "Look at me. Study me and figure out the secret. I don't have the luxury to jump into a lecture."
Caesar couldn't help but feel useless. He was meant to avenge his fallen companion, but he was being protected.
He was supposed to be a Paragon, but what is that title meant to do for him now...
No, he is a paragon and a future knight - And he must not falter.
He studied Martha, trying to figure out how she was fighting with no Grace at all.
Normally, he would perceive the Grace like a large fire surrounding someone, or a constant stream of energy if he were watching his classmates or other knights.
But Martha was terrifyingly different. Her entire Rhema was still circulating her body, but another energy was kept like a tight core around her chest area.
Was that the Grace that someone subconsciously tapped into for battle?
Martha swung her hammer like an expert, but her strikes were getting slower and less defined, as crows and claws continued to draw blood from her.
Caesar took a deep breath and concentrated, because his life truly depended on it. He could see his Rhema and Dawnmark as a golden energy running through his entire body - that was his very own life energy mixed with exterior grace.
Caesar's body felt lighter and more foreign, as if he was tampering with his own body, waiting for a result he would like.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he believed he had finally cracked the answer.
He dashed towards the Figure with blinding speed, delivering a devastating punch to his guts. The enemy lurched forward as Martha smacked him into a wall with her hammer.
"Have you finally cracked it?" Martha asked excitedly.
Caesar felt sick and weaker. "It feels different and kinda sickening."
Martha held onto his arm. "Allow your Rhema to flow naturally while keeping your Grace in check. This took me years to master, so you can't learn it on the go."
Caesar chuckled. "But I'm a Paragon, remember."
Before he could fully grab his bearings, Martha threw Caesar towards the enemy, as it turned into a 2-on-1.
But in the background, the students were fighting their own battles.
The Ravens were ten times larger, faster and deadlier.
But the students continued to fight.
They were successfully able to eliminate swarms of them, with some shooting energy balls, mini stars, dark spells, necromancy, wizardry and other weapons they could resort to.
Even though they weren't paragons, they were still very skilled with their divinities or skills.
But as the students were getting stronger, the ravens got faster, deadlier, and more precise by the brumite, and in the pace, some students might get injured, or even worse.....
Neverland: Mermaid's song.
A domain of warmth enveloped the room as students' strengths began to replenish. Caesar's eye drifted to see Atlanta, sweating and wheezing, but creating the incomplete attribute.
Caesar couldn't believe he had forgotten the ability he had perfected this morning. He had to thank Atlanta later....
"Don't even think about putting up your Neverland," Martha said.
The two students tried close-range combat, but The Figure focused on sending Ravens at a distance. Caesar felt slower as he was focusing more on keeping his Grace intact.
Martha pushed Caesar, who grabbed The Figure's leg and delivered a devastating boot to his jaw.
"2nd phase: Bane of Achilles."
Martha chanted as she brought her Hammer down on The Figure's head. The hammer didn't make contact, but the enemy felt the pain as his eyes rolled back.
She never needed the title of Paragon; she never needed any title to begin with.
Her coming to the academy was a joke by The Almighty, since she was defective and struggled to use Grace properly.
Ten, twenty, thirty, fifty times - the noble had to train fifty times more to catch up.
Grace was everything - That was the painful truth. But why was that the only Truth?
She doesn't want to just become a knight - She would become a knight who didn't need Grace to be at the top.
"Wasn't that an attack fueled by Grace?" Caesar asked. As he was about to aim for the chest of The Figure, multiple large Ravens attacked him.
"It's really troublesome to explain," Martha gritted her teeth as she began to bleed. "Basically, applying Grace in under a small fraction of time and quickly removing it will create - let's call it ghost particles. You can't do it just yet."
Suddenly, the figure appeared behind Caesar. Your battlefield awareness is truly rubbish.
As Caesar tried to punch him, the pain was reflected into his arm.
"Damn it," Caesar said. "Most remain focused."
The Figure's claws reached for Caesar's neck, but Martha blocked it with her Hammer.
"I am not gonna let another Paragon overshadow me!!!!" She screamed while pushing Caesar away.
Caesar turned around to attack the enemy, but was greeted by a raven, which hit his head at high speed, causing him to bleed.
No, not now, Caesar thought. Am I reaching my limit?
Caesar saw Chalybe's lifeless body, and rage fueled him again. His curiosity awakened, and his brain reached overtime.
He commanded his Grace to pile up into a rough sphere in his body, but instead of keeping it in one place, he would constantly move it around his body.
This way, he would be more aware of it, but it might hinder his reaction time.
He must avenge Chalybe.
Martha missed another attack, and The Figure impaled her chest with his claws. Her orange wings stained blue from her blood.
Martha began to weep from the pain and frustration.
Even though this was the perfect circumstance where her unique skills could finally be noticed - she still failed.
"I appreciate your philosophy about the world," The Figure said, sounding rather empathetic. "That is the cruelty of this world. Grace is truly everything."
"No," Martha coughed up blood.
"I can see your frustration," The Figure began to wipe away her tears. "Just sleep now. You can rest."
Martha felt regret and anger. She failed. She thought she could make a difference - but she was dying on her first day.
"Why?" Martha sniffled, allowing the tears to pour. "Why is The Almighty so unfair?"
Caesar rushed forward with Martha's hammer, slamming The Figure away.
Martha landed violently, causing her to bleed more. She looked up, seeing Caesar look upon her with pure sympathy and - disgust?
Caesar dropped the Hammer beside Martha. "Giving up that easily?"
Martha struggled to get up, using her Grace to heal herself.
"You are a paragon," Martha said. "You are blessed by The Almighty to trample over us ordinary."
Caesar stretched out his hand towards Martha. She took it, her wounds still painful, but her bleeding halted.
"Then prove him wrong," Caesar said.
Martha smiled, feeling her fire and determination return.
The Figure emerged from the rubble, ravens orbiting around him, awaiting his commands while staring at the two students with hate.
Caesar and Martha - The two who rejected the world.
The two rushed forward, their speeds increasing and their dreams intersecting.
They expertly dodged the hordes of ravens flooding towards them, pushing against one another.
As they reached The Figure, punches, kicks and swings were rained down on him like a violent storm, relentless and deadly.
Martha planted her feet on his shoulder, somersaulted off it, and landed with an axe kick to his skull, shattering his helmet, exposing his thin, green hair.
As he was recovering from that attack, Caesar grabbed him around the waist, suplexing him whilst driving his bare head into the ground.
But as they fought, an eye studied them.
Caesar leapt off, landed atop Martha's hammer, who propelled him forward, landing a head butt to the enemy's stomach.
The two students danced in perfect synchronisation, no Grace or Divinity or Rhema- this is the raw power of a Human and a Skylander.
Caesar was so deep into the battle that he attacked and moved his grace around his body reflexively.
Martha laughed maniacally as she threw her hammer at the figure. As he barely caught it, Caesar appeared behind it, slamming it into the face of the villain.
Caesar grabbed Martha, throwing her at the figure, while he went for his legs.
"1st Phase: Direct Impact," Martha swung her hammer at The Figure's cheek, who narrowly blocked it with his birds.
"1st Phase..."
"Huh", Martha said.
"Direct Impact!!!!" Caesar punched the side of the figure's abdomen, his punch not making contact but sending him flying.
Martha looked shocked. "How did you create the ghost particles?"
Caesar's pupils enlarged as he was fully into the zone.
However, his muscles began to rupture, causing him to howl in pain.
"Oh no," Martha whispered with worry. "Your body can't handle the amount of force you are creating. Plus, you are starving it of Grace, which it isn't used to."
"I'm reaching my limit?" Caesar scowled. "Damn it."
As Martha tried using her Grace to heal Caesar, The Figure began to heal his wounds.
"What drives this boy?" The figure thought. "Why is he smiling? Why doesn't he...no, that's not it."
As The Figure rushed towards Caesar, Martha couldn't compact her Grace fast enough.
"I will just kill you then."
Caesar felt helpless, his body breaking down, and his soul feeling like it was being burnt.
Caesar, come back to me perfectly. Okay? Evelyn would say.
Sweet memories of his caring mother filled his head: Her warm smile, her childish habits, her excitement over fashion, and her love for him.
"Sorry, mother," Caesar smiled. I won't come back perfectly. "Will I even come back at all?"
As his claw was close to Caesar's eyes, aiming to gouge out his eyes and send a raven to destroy his brain, someone kicked him into the ground.
"Forgot about me, you filthy beast?" Zeus asked.
Caesar's mouth was left agape. "How??"
"You think I was just spectating your battle?" Zeus murmured. "My eyes studied everything."
Zeus squatted, his eyes quivering, his heart pounding, his blood flowing faster as he entered a realm he had never experienced before.
Studying Caesar and Martha didn't fully awaken him to enter this form.
Unlike Martha, who keeps her Grace in a closed system next to her chest, or Caesar, who moves it around his body, Zeus has decided on another alternative:
Divide his Grace into 3 equal systems whilst moving them around his body.
"What is this form called?" Zeus asked Martha.
Martha picked up her Hammer, with Caesar following behind her, deciding to use his legs and prevent creating ghost particles.
"My family call it...Shallow."
The three students leapt towards The Figure once again.
The Figure began to be pushed back more and more.
Is this it? Caesar thought. Is that the right frequency?
The Figure's face twitched with annoyance, his streaks of blood getting redder, and his skin getting paler.
The Figure, being overwhelmed, escaped the onslaught of the students. But before he could go far, Zeus caught up with him.
"1st Phase: Direct Impact."
Zeus attempted to create the same ghost particle, but he failed and only resorted to a simple punch.
Caesar's chest, abdomen, other arm, and face were squirting out blood. His heart was beating uncontrollably.
The Figure noticed this and created a hulking monster from above, its claws threatening to slice Caesar.
"Let the sun be my throne."
A sword pierced through the monster easily whilst turning it into ash.
"Burn him alive." The fire spirit whispered.
Martha nodded, and the three continued their onslaught.
Caesar, filled with more will, started to attack with his entire body as another crazy idea entered his brain.
He had to land another ghost particle.
He started slow, but began to slam into The Figure at higher speeds.
At that moment, a wave of warmth washed over his body. He looked around to see a Neverland around the 4 combatants.
He glanced around more to see Izobel, her clothes torn in different areas, but her skin remaining flawless as ever, and Mr Shawn back in action, engulfing ravens in his clouds and opening portals to his dimension.
Her pink eyes were losing their colour, and her hair was showing white patches in some areas. But Caesar understood her unspeakable rage: "BREAK HIM"
Caesar and his comrades pressed on with newfound strength.
Caesar's blood began to boil.
Zeus' skin cracked.
Martha's bones were melting.
And a glint of hope shimmered as the figure gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anger and disgust.
"I will prove the world wrong," Martha said. "Grace is not everything."
"1st Phase..." Caesar chanted.
"1st Phase..." Martha chanted.
"1st Phase..." Zeus chanted.
At their knuckle, a strange attraction seemed to pull them towards the Figure, as ghost particles were overflowing, as if it gathered the collective hate of this evil entity.
Who are you!!! the figure shouted.
Caesar advanced towards the Figure, his hearts slowing down.
I...
It felt warm, like an orb of hate and hope.
am...
Caesar locked eyes with the Figure.
Caesar.
As a bead of sweat evaporated before it touched the ground, a loud explosion occurred.
"DIRECT IMPACT!!!!!"
With Caesar's knuckles being exposed to the bone, the entire room shook.
Chairs cracked, walls were filled with gaping holes, and quakes travelled across the class. The ravens dematerialised back to feathers.
The three students who attacked The Figure collapsed.
The spot where the figure stood was empty, just a large crater.
An eerie silence befell the room.
Caesar's right arm was completely gone.
A warm tear fell from his eyes as he took a deep breath and raised his left fist.
The class cheered.
Chalybe was avenged, and Caesar was satisfied and relieved. He could hear the screams of students and Mr Shawn.
He had finally done it.....
Impressive. A cold voice silenced the cheer.
The calmness was quickly replaced with doom. Caesar raised his head to see a horror: the figure standing perfectly fine.
With eyes filled with sorrow and skin as pale as a corpse, he was unharmed.
He stared at Caesar with his heavy eyes, crying streaks of blood which dripped down on his black clothing.
No blood, no bruising, not even his clothes got damaged.
IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING.