Sieg was in a daze.
He could barely understand what was going on. One moment he was with Ragna and Ken, and then the next he was hit with pain so badly he had nearly blacked out.
Now he was in his soul world, which he shouldn't have been able to reach without Davi's shadow vault spell.
He had fallen onto the stone bricks, and the cancerous flesh that coated them was squirming and trying to consume him. It flowed over him slowly, twisting and burrowing beneath his flesh. He had no idea what would happen if it fully devoured him, but he was betting it wouldn't be anything good.
To make matters worse, he couldn't even fight back. The pain hadn't let go of him. His nerves ached so badly, and they wouldn't respond to him when he tried to move. He was frozen, trapped in his own mind, being devoured by the monster within him. Above him, the clouds continued to thunder, and bolts of lightning would rain down, striking the ground next to him.
Sieg gritted his teeth and tried to struggle, but it was useless. He couldn't break free. Not on his own. He needed someone to save him, but there was nobody here.
Or at least there shouldn't have been anybody.
'Sieg…'
A warm, motherly voice reached him, and Sieg's eyes went wide. He tried to glance around, but he saw nobody. The voice had sounded so close, though. As if someone was whispering into his ear. It had also sounded familiar.
Where had he heard that tone before?
'Sieg, won't you please help me?'
It took everything he had, but he managed to open his mouth and speak, despite the blinding pain that he was in. "W-Who's there?"
'Sieg,' the voice brushed past his ear again. 'I need help. Won't you please help me?'
Sieg gritted his teeth and forced back a yell of pain. "I-I'm a little tied up right now-"
As if on cue, a massive beam of lightning dropped from the sky. It wasn't the milky white like all the others, though. This one was a deep blue, and it slammed down into him, burning away the flesh. He screamed when the lightning hit him as well, but it didn't hurt. In fact, it felt weirdly warm and cozy. Like being hugged? The pain he felt also faded away.
Sieg sat up and winced. He wasn't being held down by the flesh anymore, and he felt as if he could move. He quickly got off the stone blocks and then froze at what he saw. "What the hell?"
His soul realm had changed yet again. Before, the island had been empty, but now he saw a very familiar village. Not just that, but there were also people. Children were running around and playing, while a group of men was getting their hunting gear ready, and another group of women was discussing the weather. Banners hung from all the buildings, and the air was fresh, the storm above now gone.
Sieg realized he was back in Chrysanthemum.
He was home.
Numbly, he walked forward and reached for one of the men, a hunter whom he recognized, but his hand went through the guy. The hunters then walked through him, not noticing him.
"None of this is real, huh? I'm in an illusion." Sieg glanced at his hands and frowned. "I don't understand. What's going on?"
This had never happened before. He knew Davi would sometimes get weird moments like these where he'd go back to his village, but Sieg himself had never experienced something like this before. Was this what they called a Heart Demon? No. The storm was what did this, and that wasn't connected to the heart.
Something else had dragged him into his soul world. Something that had called out to him and brought about that storm. Something dangerous.
As Sieg was pondering this, he noticed several of the kids had stopped playing. All the children now stared ahead into the village, and they were muttering various things.
"It's him…"
"That freak."
"Mom said he's a curse."
"Why do the elders allow him to stay?"
"He's so scary-looking."
"I heard he's secretly a robot."
"He seems like he could be a robot. So cold and emotionless."
"I hope that robot dies."
"Robot."
"Robot."
"Robot."
Sieg let out a quiet sigh. "Right. I had almost forgotten how cruel the kids were to you." He gave a soft smile and walked forward, finding a younger him, who was only ten, holding the hand of Davi Hawker. Sieg gazed upon the face of his innocent little brother, and he felt so many emotions well up through him. He reached out for Davi, but of course his hand phased right through him. "Davi…"
Was Davi dead or alive? That had been the question that was on his mind. His brother hadn't come back from the battle with the demon. No one save for that Alpha guy knew what happened to Davi. Sieg had hope his brother was alive, but it was getting harder and harder to pretend like everything was fine. More often than not, he'd hear Ken Yuan crying herself to sleep. He should have tried to give her encouraging words, but he couldn't, because the truth was he was also suffering alongside her.
Sieg watched the young him and the younger Davi walk through the village. All the kids were giving Davi nasty looks, but the younger Sieg distracted his brother and was taking him to the pond so the two of them could go fishing.
Sieg rubbed his chest, feeling an aching pain, but he squashed it down. Perhaps he was having a bit of a heart attack. Still, whatever was causing this was more than that. With nothing else to do, he followed his younger self.
When they arrived at the pond, he was surprised yet again to see that someone had been waiting for him. They were someone he didn't recognize, and unlike all the people in the village, this person smiled at him.
She was an older woman, with a few wrinkles on her face and long hair that was the color of the sky with bits of white along it as if they were clouds. Grass covered sections of her upper and lower body, and she stood directly on the water and motioned for him to approach.
Sieg felt like he was in a daze once again, and he stepped forward, walking. His feet touched the water, and it rippled out, but he did not sink. Step after step, he went forward and got closer to the woman, and as he did, everything around him shifted and changed.
The soul realm faded, and instead all that remained was a stretching land of sea that went on forever. The water was never-ending, and above was the bright sky with clouds hanging up top.
At last, he stood before the strange woman who just smiled at him. "Oh, Sieg, won't you please help me?"
Sieg's mouth suddenly felt dry. He realized he was still naked, and his mask had also vanished, yet this woman wasn't being affected by his curse. "Who are you?" He finally asked.
The woman just smiled, and she stepped closer and looked into his eyes. "I'm Awed-Rivkah, and I've decided that you're going to be my champion."
***
Kim Ji-woo let out a soft sigh and curled up into a ball within the cell that she was in. "How could I be so stupid?"
It had been nearly four days since she was captured by the Esteria kingdom, and she had been placed into a cell that had air that was so heavy that her Qi didn't want to cooperate with her. She had never been much of a fighter and lacked a lot of talent in martial arts or reinforcing her body with Qi, so she was already extremely weak, but now that she was in the cell, she practically had no Qi at all.
Worse yet, Ock, her spirit, had been separated from her, and she couldn't feel the connection. She really hoped he was okay and that he could find a way to get her out before she was transferred.
Like many of her people, she had been forced to flee her homeland, which was being taken over by the Spell Swords. Also, like many of her people, she hadn't been able to enter the nation the legal way, since the Spell Swords had destroyed her hometown and driven everyone out and into the sea.
They had no choice but to come here, but unfortunately the kingdom wasn't very kind and had gotten fed up on taking in all the people from outside its nation. Especially as many of them were bringing sickness and disease.
This led to the kingdom capturing any Rossum member they could find, and they'd be held captive until the nobles decided what to do with them.
Most Rossum members who could offer something, like the secrets of pill creation or spirit qi use were allowed to join the government. Those who had less than ideal information, however, would be kicked out of the nation and forced to travel the sea on their own…
She wasn't very smart and had nothing she could give, so she knew what her fate would be. The only reason she hadn't been kicked out instantly was because the kingdom was currently dealing with several crisis events, which led to them simply locking all the Rossum people up at the moment while they tried to deal with their own stuff.
Kim Ji-woo let out another soft sigh, and she traced the cracks in the ground with her finger. "I hope Ock finds someone soon. I absolutely cannot be sent back. I must find my teacher. I must…"
"Fear not, great master!" The voice of Ock suddenly startled Kim Ji-woo, and she jumped up. "Indeed, I have found someone great!"
"Ock?"
As if on cue, the room she was in began to shake, and Kim Ji-Woo watched as the wall before began to gain new cracks. They spread out, getting larger and larger, and then it shattered inward, the door and sections of the roof caving in. She tumbled back to avoid the debris and then stared with wide eyes at the man who had saved her.
He was a giant, standing at over eight feet tall, and he was also extremely muscular with abs upon abs. Dark skin covered his bulging muscles, and he had a twirled mustache on his lips. He was also practically naked, wearing only a tight speedo, and his left leg was a metal peg leg from the kneecap down. Next to him, Ock floated, the sand forming into the camel's skin.
"Young master!" Ock said when he saw his owner.
Ragna let out a deep laugh and flexed. "I take it this is her? Wow, you're a lot younger than I expected. Most Spirit owners are in their late twenties or thirties, and it is usually the Yuan family that gets them so young. Who exactly are you?"
The girl in the cell wore a dirty gi. It had once been white but was now stained with grime, leaving it more brown and black. Her skin was the color of caramel, and she was extremely young-looking, only to be thirteen, with short, ratty brown hair and a pair of fearful eyes that gazed upon his form.
Kim Ji-woo shot a look at her spirit. "Who is this man?"
"He's with a group that came to save you!" Ock explained. "We're busting you out!"
Kim Ji-woo gave a hesitant nod, and then she slowly stood up. Now that the walls had been destroyed, the heavy air was gone, so she could feel her Qi again. That said, compared to the guy before her, she realized she might as well have not even had any. This large man had so much Qi that he must have been at least a thousand times stronger than her.
Ock had truly brought someone strong.
"I'm Kim Ji-woo," she said softly. "And you are?"
"My name is Ragna," the man said, flashing her a grin. He turned around and then picked up some strange crystal-like object. "Come on, we have someone else we're getting out of here, and we don't have a lot of time."
"Right." Kim Ji-woo nodded, and she followed Ragna as he began to run through the prison. "Oh my?"
She was surprised to see that all the guards had been knocked out. None of them were dead, nor had they been seriously hurt, but Ragna had seemingly knocked everyone in the building out. Just who in Han Yuan's name was this person?
As Ragna ran through the prison, he looked into each room he passed, checking who was contained inside. He only knew a bit of what Biggie looked like from what Sieg told him before they came here, so he didn't know fully who he was looking for, but he didn't have time to ask each person about who they were.
Just when he was starting to lose hope of finding the person, a voice called out to him. "Yo, Ragna. Over here, big guy. I'm who you're looking for."
Ragna turned, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw who had called out to him. The guy in the cell was extremely tiny. He was practically half a man, with stubby arms and legs. Despite being in jail, he wore a very expensive suit that likely cost more than the entire prison, and he wore a deep bowler hat. His right hand was also missing, replaced with a jagged hook, which he was using to tap on the bars.
Sieg had said that Biggie was a small man who was also a mutant with an antenna coming out of his head. Ragna eyed the hat. "How do you know my name?"
The small man grinned and casually took off his hat. The top part of his head was made completely out of metal, and a small antenna poked out, which then began to grow in size. It glowed at the tip, and the man placed his hook hand against the side of his head and tapped it.
"Name's Biggie, and I know stuff. Radio waves, sound waves, and internet waves, it ain't something that matters to me. This little head of mine will pick it all up." He gave a toothy grin, revealing several golden teeth. "I hear ya looking for me. Ya in need of information, right?"
Ragna stared at the mutant with narrowed eyes. Sieg had also said this guy was a criminal. Unlike Kim Ji-woo, Biggie deserved to be in here and had gotten people killed. Still, they needed his help. "We're looking for someone," Ragna stated. "Think you can help?"
"Of course, but we both know it'll cost ya." Biggie hummed. "You bust me out, get me out of the city and to somewhere safe, and I'll give ya all the information you could ever want."
Ragna glanced at Sieg, who was still encased in the crystal. He let out a quiet sigh and placed it down. Then he grabbed the bars of Biggie's cell and pulled, ripping the door off. Kim Ji-woo watched nervously as the criminal became free.
She had been on the first floor, which was for basic crimes, but now she and Mr. Ragna were on the top floor, where people that would eventually be sent to Nightshade went. This Biggie guy was extremely dangerous, even if his power wasn't all that impressive.
"It'll be okay, young master," Ock whispered into her ear. "The people I found are really strong."
Kim Jin-woo gave a weak nod. "I trust you. I just have this weird feeling in my gut."
"Alright." Ragna stared down at the small man. "Listen, I don't exactly trust you, and I doubt you trust me, but right now we need each other. I'm strong enough to free you from this place, so just work with me, and we can help each other out and then never see each other again."
"Sounds good to me." Biggie shrugged, and he glanced at the crystal Ragna was holding, taking in the face of the man encased inside. Casually, he rubbed the hook that replaced his missing hand. "We ain't got bad blood, Rags. Not you and I."
Ragna frowned and was about to say something, but before he could, a voice came from above. "Row Iron Fist!"
Kim Ji-woo let out a yell as the roof above her exploded and a giant hand forged of metal punched into the ground where she had been. Thankfully, Ragna was indeed powerful and easily picked her, the crystal, Ock, and Biggie up all at the same time, and he dove out of the way.
He kept using a series of Mana Steps as more and more fists tore through the roof above, trying to flatten him. Eventually, Ragna reached a window, and he jumped toward it. The glass shattered, and then he and the others dropped to the ground, but he landed on his good leg, still holding everyone up.
"Looks like we were a bit too slow." Ragna hummed. "They've arrived."
Up in the air, above the collapsing prison, a giant metal hand floated. Its palm was open, and it was large enough to fit four people who stood upon it and stared down at Ragna and the others.
Of the four people, two were boys, and two were girls. One of them had a weirdly box-shaped head, and he wore black robes and carried a katana. He was the metal mage who had been dropping hands toward them.
"W-Who are they?" Kim Ji-soo asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.
"Arcane Knights," Ragna hummed.
"My name is Nick Ale!" The man declared, drawing his sword. "I am a Squire with the Wandering Coin guild! You're Ragna Ran Zhou! A member of the Phoenix Flight guild who has opposed himself to the king and is aiding the terrorist known as Ken Yuan! You've been found guilty! Give up now or we'll use force."
"Or you'll use force?" Biggie screamed up to the Knight. "Dumbass, you nearly killed us with those hands! And what gives you the right to destroy a building so easily like that? You're only putting this act up because Rags here avoided your lameass sneak attack!"
"Um, maybe don't make the Knights mad." Kim Ji-woo said nervously.
Nick's eye twitched, and the three Knights behind him laughed. "I'm on the side of justice!" Nick declared. Then he pointed his sword down. "Vil Iron Fist!"
An even larger fist of iron appeared before him, swirling together, and it blasted down toward Ragna and the others. Ragna got ready to dodge again, but one of the other Knights used a spell. "Row Imaginary Chains." Blue chains suddenly sprouted from the ground, and Ragna grunted as he became wrapped up in the energy. The fist grew closer, and he managed to shatter the chains, but now he had no chance to dodge.
Biggie and Kim Ji-woo screamed, but at the last second, before the hand reached them, a wave of fire exploded, and someone appeared before Ragna, stopping the hand.
Ken Yuan had once again fused with Yujin, and she yawned as she held the massive fist back with one hand. The fire from her body spread out, and then the metal hand bubbled and boiled, melting away. Once it was completely gone, Ken gazed up at the stunned Squires.
"Hey!" She called out. "Long time no see."
"You know them?" Ragna asked, surprised.
Ken nodded. "You bet I do." She glanced at Nick, who looked enraged. "I fought them all during the first test. How did that go again?" She tapped her chin. "Oh yeah, didn't I beat all of you?" She gave a sly smirk. "Well? I take it you're here for a rematch?"