Unlike most technical users, [SE] users originate from a lineage distinct from our own and are the primary race hunted, imprisoned, or executed by outsiders.
[SE] users are also known as Vision Holders. Little research exists on them, especially since the
The highest concentrations of [SE] populations are found in
The term [SE] originates from the phrases "snake-like eyes' or "serpent-like eyes", labels commonly used by outsiders to dehumanize them. Their proper designation is 'Sionel-Eyed', named after Sionel, the Mythical Guardian Beast who fought alongside Peregrine during the first 'catastrophe'.
Since the first 'catastrophe' happened 2518 years ago, there seems to be lost history. Historians from Victoria claim The Mythical Guardian Beast belonged to Arion while others argue it was Pelegrine who planted the forbidden seed to which grew The Mythical Guardian Beast and later on, Pelegrine hunted his eyes and from his eyes, [SE] users were born.
Nonetheless, It doesn't matter who the beast belonged to, the real reason outsiders hate [SE] users are mainly because of what happened in history and the fact that majority of people in Victoria are [SE]. On top of it, half the people in the
There's a lot of other races but most of them were killed when the Gods first descended Asterra. The only ancient race remaining today are the
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— Your kind has banished us from the rest of the world. Hiding us away, shutting us, killing us.
Hashur rose, joints bending with unnatural twists, the heat of the chamber pressing against our skin.
I tightened my grip on my sword, forcing my focus to remain sharp.
Victor stepped out from behind me,
— The bastard is using techro and he looks like he has the 6 of clubs. Unless you have a higher card, it's impossible to beat him considering our current situation.
I lifted my blade, eyes narrowing. "How's Anny?"
Victor's jaw clenched, dust streaking his face as he answered. "She's fine. I pulled her out just in time."
— Techro is the odd one out of all the other technical powers. They don't play by the rules. What's your rank?
Victor wiped the dust off his face, his voice edged with frustration.
— I am a Techwo user, C-rank. I don't think my four of hearts can beat him.
I scanned the chamber for the last time : Hashur looming in the center, Romie sprawled unconscious to his left, Andrew standing guard to his right. Just above Hashur, the ceiling gaped open.
Before I titled my head down, Victor shoved me aside. "Careful!"
Hashur lunged, a blur of monstrous speed. I rolled, knees hitting stone, sprinting back upright as Victor met his charge.
The clash was brutal, Victor ducking, kicking, twisting in the air to evade while Hashur's strikes hammered down with savage precision. Sparks flew as claws scraped stone, each impact shaking the chamber.
Hashur's body rippled, black liquid spilling from his arms like oil. Victor raised his guard, but the sludge hardened midair, slamming against his defense. Hashur leapt, fist crashing into Victor's face, sending him staggering back.
I spun toward Andrew. "Andrew! Can you heal Romie? How much energy do you have left?" Andrew's voice was ragged, his chest heaving. "Barely any…tanked a bomb with just solid rocks, man."
I clicked my tongue, lighting sparking across my blade as I dashed forward. My strike carved toward Hashur's neck, but he twisted, summoning another wall of liquid. My sword cut through it, spraying droplets that hissed against the chamber floor.
Hashur's voice rumbled, guttural and mocking.
— two lowly gnats buzzing in the darkness. You people shall suffer the consequences of your own actions.
Victor lunged back in, sweeping low with a kick. Hashur caught his leg mid-swing, twisting, then hurled him into the stone wall. Dust rained down.
I charged the attack, lighting flashing as I feinted high, then drove the blade toward his ribs. Hashur countered, his arm now liquefied, reshaping into a jagged spear that clashed against my attack. Sparks burst, the chamber echoing with steel against the dark matter.
Victor staggered up, blood on his lip, and charged again.
— Fuck, the curse have taken control over his entire body.
Hashur roared as Victor swung wide, forcing him to pivot. This was my chance, I seized the opening, slashing deep across his shoulder. Just then, the blade hit, but the wound sealed instantly, the black liquid knitting back together.
Victor held back, he watched me barely hanging on.
— I thought the
— I don't need it to beat you, Hashur. You coward had to sabotage us in order to get the upper hand by pushing a child. You're not here for Anny if you wanted her dead.
— Anny? The princess? I have nothing against the royal families, they're just slaves to heaven. Every single one of them is brain washed by the
— My own people were bombed by them for several years. They stopped trying to wipe us by land, all they do is drop bombs on our home.
— Dead or alive, they don't care anymore. They just pretend our home is a free land; they can drop anything on it and move on with their day.
— They rot, sleep in luxury, high up on the other side of the wall. While the pigs on this side of the wall wipe their asses. It's a shithole. The wall has to fall someday and it will be us, the
— And I'll do whatever it takes to take down that wall, I'll break the cycle, I'll be the one who will break it after 2518 years.
Hashur was right on certain aspects but the wall is not there for that reason.
— You'll never succeed in doing that. Don't try to play the hero when you use foolish magic to boost yourself.
Blood dripped down his mouth as he opened his mouth again. "You're not the only person who has tried to take down the wall. Your people are deemed as animals. It isn't us who shut you up, it wasn't us who killed your population, you guys brought it up yourself. If only your leader didn't stand against the Gods. Maybe she shouldn't have cursed you and your race."
The monster's roar shook the chamber. In a flash, he fierced—black matter hardening into a blade that pierced Victor's shoulder. Victor cried out, collapsing to one knee, his hand clutching the wound.
I threw a glance across the chamber. "Andrew, are you ready?"
Andrew's exhausted eyes met mine. He nodded once, then thrust his hands forward. His palms opened wide, slamming down against the stone floor. The chamber trembled, walls groaning as slabs of rock began to shift.
Hashur's head snapped toward the sound. Eyes narrowing. The stones cracked open, grinding against each other. Instinctively, he turned toward Anny, lying helpless near Victor. His blade stretched, aiming for her throat—
—But the stone beneath him lurched, tilting violently. Hashur stumbled, thrown sideways.
Andrew groaned, he placed every bit of his remaining energy to the chamber to obey. Stone slid and switched places in a splash second, rocks began shifting across the chamber's floor as the stones carried the unconscious. Romie, Anny and Victor, their bodies cradled by the stones. Once close enough, he sprinted, gathering them against his chest and back. Every ounce of his strength burning him.
The walls began to bend to his will, opening into a jagged tunnel. Rocks folded inward, creating a path beneath the chamber. Andrew vanished into the underground passage, dragging the group with him before the stone sealed behind.
I watched as the chamber fell silent, then Hashur rose again. Black liquid dripping from his body, his body seems to have doubled in size, towering in the center. His gaze locked on me.
I exhaled. Slowly, I began to unwrap the bandages around my wrist.
The cloth falling away, revealing the phrases of the moon cycle.