My eyes shot open. I flickered my eyes open, particles of dust clouding my pupils. I slowly rose, my uniform splattered with stains of dry blood, dirt, and what other substances. The thick, white strips running down the arms of my uniform are now tainted with red. The stains of brown dirt are still visible despite my uniform being matte black. The ends of my trousers were stretched and ripped, showing off more of the bruises on my ankle and heel. I pushed myself slowly off the ground, lifting myself. I limped on one foot while taking in the view around me.
The stench of blood was still fresh, I couldn't have been unconscious for that long' I thought to myself. I've always had this strange habit of talking to myself, or narrating what I see. I looked over my shoulder to find Aldren's half-deformed corpse next to me. I spotted his half-ripped arm a couple of feet away. His body was scarred over his chest with the slash of my sword.
'This sight makes me sick.' My mind continued to flutter with regret. I took a deep breath and sighed before using Pure Essence to reinforce my body. My Essence Pool was severely depleted, so I need to proceed with caution. I struggled to walk due to the aftereffects of One For All. It still feels like my muscles are being tugged on with godly strength. I climbed my way out of the crater created after the explosion of the move I used to kill Aldren. I collapsed next to a tree and lay my head on the ground. My mind came to the sudden realization that I would have to face consequences because I killed the opponent.
"Shit!" I yelled out loud, not containing my thoughts in my mind, "It's not going to look good to Gohan or any Academy teachers if a student killed a Mark in a field operation." I slowly stood back up, thinking of ways to get out of explaining what happened, but I concluded that there wasn't much I could do besides tell the truth. Or maybe there was a solution, but my mind and body were too tired to think any straighter than I already am. I made my way towards the temple, retracing my steps to get there. I chased Aldren pretty far away from the rest of the teammates. I can only hope they're doing fine on their own.
***
Lucian Wraith
I quickly closed the gap between this second Mark and me. Up close, his face looked even more ugly. He had these bumps and wrinkles all over his ugly face. This fight had already gone on for long enough. I bent down for a sweep kick, and he jumped, preparing a kick while twisting mid-air. I already predicted this, though. I bent backward and fired off a small-sized fireball, glowing brightly yellow with patterns of red across the surface. The distance between us was small, and the fireball accelerated and pushed against the bastard almost instantaneously.
The fireball was purely made of Fire Essence compressed tightly into the shape of a small sphere. It might have been less effective for damage, but I prioritized speed when I formed it. A hole burned off his shirt in the center, displaying the heat and scratch marks on his skin. He groaned in pain as he flew back. The damn bastard has been mute the entire fight; that was practically the first sound he made. The white-blonde hair chick popped out of nowhere and landed a clean kick on the bastard's face, sending him towards the other guy. I'm not really good with names of these damned lesser people. The other guy grabbed the Mark from mid-air, falling backward, but managed to thrust the Mark forward, crashing his head first into a tree before slipping and landing face first.
I let out a loud laugh, "Dumbass!" The white hair chick sneaked up behind me, covering my mouth.
"You shouldn't laugh at your peers!" She yelled out. Her face looked flushed from the fighting. It was weird, though. I didn't even sense her. I grabbed her arm and removed it from my face.
"Watch it," I told her while looking her in the eye. I turned away and made my way towards the Mark to make sure he was knocked out, and the chick helped up the other guy, "Hey, white hair chick. You landed a pretty nice kic,k" I gave her a snarky smile.
"Terra. My name is Terra. You should at least remember the name of your comrade." She looked at me with strict eyes that I honestly couldn't take seriously. I dismissed her before leaping up the large staircase of the temple using Essence. I held the lock in my hand, easily a C or B class lock. I don't have much Essence left, though, and the Zero freak might still be fighting the guy with the key. I sighed before stepping back. I turned around to make sure the chick and the other guy couldn't see me. Terra was busy healing him. I faced forward, towards the lock, and pulled out a small case from my zip pocket of my uniform. I opened the case and scrambled to pick up the small pill, which was in the shape of a circle.
'I'll only have three left after this one,' I thought to myself. I prepared to pop it in my mouth before I froze. I sensed something, though the Essence it was giving was low; clearly, it was something or someone with low Essence. I turned around, quickly putting the pill and the case back into my pocket. I saw the chick helping up the other guy, but already forming an arrow that looks like it was made from Pure Essence. They faced toward the direction of what was coming. It was slow. It appeared out of the thick forest surrounding the temple. I formed another small fireball, ready to blast whatever was coming.
***
Zero Langham
I walked towards the temple, clutching my ribcage. I'm still feeling the aftereffects of my Innate Technique, but after resting and protecting my body with more Essence after it regenerated, I could walk a bit better. I tried using the Reversal spell to heal myself; however, I still didn't have enough Essence, nor did I have the necessary astery. I continued making my way out of this forest, and soon enough, I stepped into an opening. The light blinded me; it took my eyes a couple of seconds to adjust. I blinked rapidly, and in front of me stood Terra, helping Toho stand up. The massive temple with Lucian standing at the top of the grand staircase. A smile etched on my face.
"He-Hey!" I struggled to talk, wheezing in the middle.
"You look like shit!" Lucian yelled out from the top. I had expected this answer from him, but it still pissed me off. Terra, on the other hand, set Toho down on the staircase and rushed over.
"Are you okay?" She gently asked. Despite the seriousness in her voice, her gentleness was calm, unexplainable. She walked me over to the staircase and helped me sit down, "Your Essence levels are low. You must have used up a lot in your fight. Your injuries are serious. I can try healing the minor wounds, but you'll need medical attention once we're home." She sat down next to me, healing my visible wounds.
"How do you know healing magic? I thought you were a sorcerer?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. I was curious, but came off disrespectfully, "Uh-I mean-it isn't common for a sorcerer to know healing magic."
Commonly, sorcerers don't know healing magic, even high-tier sorcerers. To possess the ability of healing magic, you must have been born with Curative Essence; however, only after intense training can you channel your Curative Essence. Those that possess the ability to heal via Curative Essence fall under the category of Healer, a separate category from Sorcerer. Even if you are a Sorcerer, you will still be accounted as a Healer if you have the ability. To possess Curative Essence, it's mainly genetic. It can be passed down to your descendants.
Terra explained to me her ability, "My mother was a healer. At a young age, she trained me to hone my healing abilities. Training as a sorcerer was a second priority to her." She smiled gently while explaining.
"Uh-ye-yeah. Makes sense. Your ability as a sorcerer is still pretty good, too." I smile widely. Terra lets out a chuckle. Lucian continues to yell at us from the top of the temple, rushing us to come quickly. Terra and I stand up, I help Toho up and walk him to the peak of the temple, Terra walking by Toho's side, climbing up, too. We meet Lucian at the top. He's still in a state of anger, but he's thinking straight:
"Alright, listen, if all of us shoot off a strong attack, then we can weaken this barrier spell. It's a mediocre spell, so it shouldn't be hard."
A hearty chuckle escapes Toho's mouth, "Guess you do have some sort of intellect."
***
Toho, Lucian, Terra, and I all stand a couple of yards from the giant lock encompassing the iron gates. Lucian gives the team a nod, and we all fire off a spell in the same question. We yell in unison, focusing our Essence outward with our hands. After a long bang, which is then followed by an explosion, we wait and wave our hands around to clear out the black smoke. We all simultaneously walk forward as the unlocked doors of the temple come into view. Toho pauses in his step, hesitation clear in his face. Lucian falls back. Terra stands alongside Toho as I assess our options.
"We'll continue heading in. This is our mission after all. What do you all say?" I speak out loud. Terra gives a quick nod, followed by Toho. I turn around to face Lucian, who is swallowing something. I find it suspicious. I never expected him to be scared. Lucian puts a small tin case into his uniform pocket before excitedly jumping up, a devious smile etched on his face.
"Yes. Yes." He trails on, letting out a small chuckle.
***
A Place Far Away:
The snow fell beautifully. The mountain escalates the weather, especially when living on the peak. A thick layer covers the tiled roof over the cabin and the steps to the front door—a fog running through the area. The edge of the roof is lined with sharp icicles, some shaped like needles, while others resemble cones. A neatly shoveled pathway leading towards the stairs and branching outwards towards the edge of the cliff. There he stood, Boone.
"The hell do you want, Quinn?" He shouted out loudly—loud breezes traversing through the air, in through the ears. Boone's callout was barely heard over the noise. He turns his head to the side, hearing the sound of footsteps on the snow. Quinn walks calmly, his hands in his pockets, wearing a black robe. The robe was baggy, swallowing the arms and legs.
"Wow. Still remember the sound of my exact footsteps." Quinn laughs embarrassingly. He takes another step forward before Boone yells at him to stop moving. Quinn responds with, "I'm only here to talk, Boone."
"After a decade? What could you want now? Money again? Shelter?"
"I want to rebuild everything again," Quinn interrupts. Everything pauses, with the noise of the wind taking over once again. It's interrupted by a burst of laughter, hearty, escaping Boone. Loud enough to be heard above the surrounding environment. Boone takes a moment to calm himself before turning around to face Quinn.
"Oh my god, you-you're actually serious," Boone comments with a hint of confusion. Quinn's face remains unreadable. He shifts in his stance, defensive, as if he already knows what's coming next. Boone continues, "You can't possibly be serious. You? You're the one trying to rebuild us? That-that's a lot coming from you. You were the reason we split!"
"That's not true, and you know it! The schism, the fallout, they were all already happening," Quinn responds defensively.
"Well, the shit you pulled was the last straw!" Boone cries out. He takes a step forward, his fists shaking. Quinn steps forward, not worried, and yells out:
"Don't. Don't try anything stupid, Boone. Let's talk."
Boone takes a step back. A loud, cold breeze is dancing across the air. His golden-brown hair flows to his side, his forehead crinkled as he tenses his face. Boone takes a step forward, a flash appearing before he quickly reappears in front of Quinn, throwing a punch. Quinn ducks, using the side of his hand, launching a strike for Boone's ribs. Boone side steps, a loud blast of a high-pitched sound blows out as he steps, rag-dolling Quinn away. Boone stands, completely unscathed.
"Fine. Fine. Fine!" Quinn repeats to himself while standing up, dusting off the snow from his shoulders. Quinn continues yelling out, pure anger in his voice, but maybe even hurt: "You started this!"
Quinn, less than the blink of an eye, closes the distance between them, throwing his fist forward. Boone blocks with the palm of his hand, causing a loud burst of Essence to explode from the heart of their palms, throwing them both backwards. Quinn lands on his feet, bringing his arms together outwards, gathering up a large amount of Wind Essence from his surroundings. An environment like this is perfect for Quinn, who has an affinity for Wind Essence.
He shapes the ball of wind into an arrow, shooting it off towards Boone, at a speed that blows the snow on the ground in all directions. Before Boone could even move, the arrow split into three smaller ones. Boone dodges, rolling to his left, while he shoots off a bullet. It was red, crafted from Essence that Quinn couldn't make out. Just before Quinn could dodge, the bullet deforms, and from it, materializes Boone.
What once was a bullet transformed into Boone. Quinn, startled and unable to react, takes the punch from Boone. A snap and a loud crackle followed from the impact. Quinn lands far away and waves his hand, yelling to stop.
"Alright, alright. Let's take a breather." He says, breathlessly, getting on his feet. Quinn continues, "I'm sorry. I-I really am." He tries to talk down Boone.
"Why would you ever try to bring back the Syndicate?" Boone responds.
"One of them was found. The first Wonder was maybe around a week ago. This is our chance, as we now have a lead. We can go in prepared this time." Quinn rambles on. Boone cuts him off:
"Maybe. But no way in hell are you leading us. We would need him back..." Boone pauses, but before he can continue, Quinn interrupts:
"I know, and we'll get him back," Quinn says, pausing to breathe halfway. The wind's noise takes over again. The snowstorm is intensifying. Quinn breaks the silence, "I'm sorry about her, too." He pauses, then continues: "Is she okay? Can I see her?"
Boone responds gently, "Yeah, yeah, she's inside." He pauses, turning to the cabin, "Come, it's cold out here."
***
The Temple
I shrug off Lucian's weird behavior and laugh, chalking it up to his usual self. Terra grabs ahold of Toho's shoulder, supporting as we continue to walk into the dark. We're close to the finish line; we can't stop here. We step into the darkness of the temple. My mind is still racing on how to cover Aldren and his death. I'll be in a boatload of trouble, and I need to do something about that fast.
We continue making our way inside the temple.