(Discontinued) CORHEIM Year One Volume 1: The New Heart in Town

Chapter Trinaest

Chapter 13–Chambers of Thorns; A Reaper Awakens from its Slumber
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The group have finally arrived to their destination: at the foundation of the school Surwick. This is no ordinary room like a library, no; this room was an ancient defense room. If only these children knew how to speak the language Formorians spoke.
Ryoji felt nothing to this room. If there was one thing, however, he felt—was the need to be hellbent in finishing the mission at all costs. He wanted to do this in hopes that he can be well-received by everyone.
That was then.
Now? He knows the outcome of their little suicide mission: Him and his group will be hated by everyone in the class if word gets out that it was him, Akina Willoby, Takeo Fukuazan, Funka Berunji, Reza Tokanharu.
Or maybe they will be in Ryoji's' debt... He did not have time to think such absurd concepts. If they hate me: So be it. They're already hunting us down to extinction.
Akina was thirsty from all the walking they did since all the elevators were inoperable. She regretted on how she wasted the opportunity of drinking before resuming their suicide mission. Gosh....Akina ruminated. Is this really going to how it is: Akina, died of dehydration and pain?
She hated the water fountains, she knew of how much bacteria a fountain contained and what happens if humankind got too careless. Then again; I mean; is it wrong that I didn't drink any water from?
She missed her brother as well; wondering if he was still in one piece or not. How can I be so thirsty when Marcus is in danger, fighting for his life? Get it together, Akina!
Takeo's' ears was ringing from the shockwaves of the battles outside. He was in pain, his sensitive ears were constantly ringing now in the deepest bottom of the school. Jackhammers pounding right directly in his ears, he walked in a not-so-straight fashion—pretending to walk normal even though the evidence showed otherwise.
He did not want to look weak or feeble in front of his peers: Especially in front of Funka. She was easily the most resilient girl on the planet, daughter to one of the strongest heroes in the N.U.S.N. have its advantages and disadvantages since her father put criminals in their rightful place. However; this respect is not one-sided.
In actuality: She always respected him for his brutal honesty—always telling the truth in never censoring it, and his defiance to show the world to be greater than life itself, and the fact he always trained twice as harder than before. She knew that absolute power is not born: that one has to work for it.
Funka's' anger had not abated: She was just waiting for a chance to erupt properly, waiting to do it afterwards after this risky mission run its course. The place she wanted to do was only a few blocks from her residence at Vermillion Valley, a town in Kurikami—her birthplace.
Just, somewhere her doting and lovable father would not have to witness his daughter committing such taboo things in front of them. So, Funka has decided after this fight; if everything goes somewhat smoothly, she will release some steam.
Cade was piloting his Mecha much easier now than before. To him; it was more driving a go kart instead a machine of complicated technology. It was more natural to him by the minute he rode on it. Inugann was panting and began to become more sluggish as it walked throughout the room, becoming drunk on Aether. Huh...Cade began to ponder. Even though it's a mecha, apparently Inugann can still get drunk or disoriented—just like how a dog can......
Sanda was just enjoying himself in the foundation of Surwick. Having no care in the world, he skipped around for a little bit and ceased his merry prancing once Funka gave him a cold stare behind her shoulder. He has never felt such anger for one little thing he did.
Reza, unlike his younger peers, was too frightened to touch anything, he was inquisitive by nature, wanting to examine these scriptures, yet he held back his curiosity. He fixed his glasses and examined the runes, remembering what Kaimana had said earlier. A submissive dog......Reza thought. How does Surwick even find these people from; www.horribleemployeestorhire.com? That Kaimana went really overboard on the majority of us but he really wasn't being sexist: He also had loathes towards Berunji—either the name or her father. Still: she pretty much has her name to fall back to, all that pressure if she does one thing wrong.....
And lastly, it was Seras' turn.
She could see right through Takeo as every few minutes his eyes would reveal his pain, making it easier for Takeo by scooting next to him. Her parents, now separated, never taught her about personal space. It has always been an issue for Sera: Boundaries. How can she know space when she has never been given space to deal with her space.
"Shh...you're probably in a lot of pain right now. Trust me: I know when someone is in pain....." She whispered in his ear, no one else knew what was going on and did not pay attention to them. He looked at her, wondering how she could "feel" his agony, placing her pointer finger around the temple of his forehead.
His pain was still there as she raised her finger slightly above his temple, Takeo winced a bit in pain. So, that's where it's at then...... Analyzing the origin of his pain, Sera began on conjuring her magic spell with one simple sway of the finger. She used a magic spell, one that can cure his current ailment. She learned this when she was eight years old while on a "marvelous" field trip.
"Restituere." She announced quietly.
Restituere. It was a lower-level of that spell, the highest level of "Restituere" can instantly kill her due to how Aether is required. She began to forcibly remove that pain away, making Takeo balling his hand harder than a stone. "I didn't say it was going away as easily as catching a cold is......" She stated to him, struggling to pull all of it out.
She pulled the pain out of his forehead, this was her fifth time performing the spell and it miraculously did not end up like her previous "guinea pig". He sighed in relief in the end, feeling much better now after she quelled all the noise and agony from his head. "Thanks. I...." Takeo began to thank her before letting out a plentiful breath as he was happy that the pain was no more.
"Needed that." Takeo whispered back in her ear, she smiled at him. These migraines occur every once in a while for him and usually last up to two hours, and a girl that he only known for today can do something at his father cannot do. She wanted to heal people like how the Summoner known as Lulu: Not to rule people over like her mother. And it will take a while before Sera will surpass her.
If it was even possible to begin with.
All of them stopped for a sudden.
What was what was in the middle that caught their eyes: A huge mass of Aether resided in the room; paying a observant eye to the interlopers and changed in a vibrant green. This sphere made the atmosphere quite calm and peaceful, soothing their souls.
A monster was nowhere to be seen in the room from what the ghost told them.
It was rather otherwise, his warning was nothing more than a ruse to them. All of them were feeling a bit safe: All except Ryoji. It seemed too good to be true for him.
This has to be some sort of trap. No way in the Twelve Realms is this place a snuggery. It cannot be. This is the foundation of the most formidable castles in existence....... He thought to himself
The floors seem polished and stable for them to walk on, empty from fear.
Akina was amazed on how of this despite all the battles that took place and the damages this place has endured, was still unshakable even in the brink of defeat. Her eyes grew bigger as she got closer to it.
There were many things to describe Akina Willoby; and recklessness was not of them, not realizing the deadly repercussions of her future actions. She still got closer while being more mesmerized at the ball of Aether.
Ryoji saw something was up with his friend, whose hand was centimeters away from turning into  cinnamon toast cereal. He grabbed her by the arm and warned her about the danger of contact with it. "Akina, I know it may seem pretty and harmless—but that ball of Aether probably either has a trap or just deadly in general:Don't touch it." Akina looked at her friend, his grip on her arm was not hard yet stern enough to make a statement. Her friend, Funka Berunji, wanted to walk towards that "smug bastard" and give him a nice, right hook for breakfast.
She has not known him for long like Akina or Takeo in that matter—this child was far different. She could understand everyone around her; their curiosities, their insecurities, their dreams; everything about their lives, Funka knew somewhat but him?
She had no clue on what his intentions were.
She did not know if he was truly a genuine person.
"Yes." He stated, explaining further as he reverted back into his human form. "Pretty as it may be: This is no game, Akina. Everything is out to kill you in this room, me and everyone else in this room that is not the Principal. Razumiješ me?"
Rasumme? Akina was trying to process on what he meant.  What does that even mean? Is that Croatian? You know what: I'm just gonna shake my head to make him feel better. Akina thought, forcing a smile and shook her head in compliance as she took "heed" of  his warning and walked away from the fascinating ball of death.
Instead of attacking Ryoji with a right hook she initially wanted, she discarded it away and instead took more of a logical approach in knowing more about the transfer student. "So," Funka asked her group but she looked only at Ryoji as she started to ask them, "how does this all work? The runes and everything else. Does anyone have an idea?" Sanda responded with a shrug and Ryoji simply scratching his head. He opened up his mouth. "....These runes are Gaelic, I seen these words before yet I don't speak or understand the language. Does anyone know Gaelic?" He asked the group hurriedly as he was waiting for someone to answer his question.
Someone unexpectedly came to him, the one person who surprised him when he thought he could not be surprised—Sera Bishop.
Her pink were overcast by the opal in them, persuading him to ask her how she knew; as if they were hypnotic to him. If I had Babel here: He would be able to decipher these runes in a heartbeat, but I'm guessing this is not going to happen anytime soon. Last time I heard, from a year ago, he moved here in the N.U.S.N. Houndspire, to be exact. I'll go to his apartment complex if I live to tell the story.
"How does the daughter of ZiON know the magnificent language of the Gaels?"
Sera chuckled a bit. "It's because of a fancy college course. It may be strange at first," She explained, twirling her hair a bit. "but once you've learned the rules and had a bit of practice learning Gaelic, it's much easier than a lot of languages, like English for example."
"Can you translate it for us?"
"I'll try my absolute best!"
Everyone was a bit surprised on how well they hit off, despite being clashing opposites. Funka thought to herself while putting a mental note as she witnessed the impossible. Note to self: Ryoji Dragomir Kazama could possibly be hiding his Scottish heritage because he's ashamed of not learning Gaelic.
Sera inspected the runes with acute precision as she took it very serious in Ryoji's' request. She touched how smooth the walls were: impressed about how the carvings were. "A samaritan and a sinner are two sides of the same coin: You'll never see them without the presence of God." She read aloud to her group, a voice that of an Angel.
Gosh.....Even her reading aloud sounds like she's playing a harp while singing that one classical song.......like the intro of Meek Mill's' "On The Regular". I wish I could read like that without the silent pauses or blocks..... Akina envied her, every girl in the first-year thought her of as "this Perfect Angel", witnessing Sera walking back from them.
"Maybe I read it wrong."
"I don't-t think so, Sera." Akina assured her, making her smile as Cade snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Now I remember it! Formorians, or the last of them, were actually the first to claim that they were Christians." He felt proud that he remembered from Daemonology Class, a required class for Meisters in order to progress. "I thought Daemons were Christians..." Funka jumped on in.
And a conversation about if Daemons believed in the Lord God Almighty. "Not entirely," Reza interjected as he raise his finger, "they know who is the Supreme Ruler of the twelves realms but some outright refuse to acknowledge their presence."
It was starting to get both uncomfortable and annoying for Ryoji, focusing more on the mission than anything, these talks about a abstract concept made him even more determined. In his mind: He was superior to them yet his body proved otherwise, making an attempt to run on course again.
"Anyway——Heart-Bonds consume and emit Aether in order to survive but in large quantities of both things. if I could hypothetically give some of my Aether to Sera, as she is our best magic caster in the group, she'll work on the center."
Meanwhile, Takeo was simply chatting with Sanda, putting aside the mission for nonsense. "Do you think that girl with the sleeve tattoos could've help us out wit' this?" Takeo asked Sanda, who then looked at him in dismay. "The Yakuza chick from Fourth year?" Sanda looked at him and howled with laughter, "Please, now that's funny!!!"
Funka looked at the two, taking about twelve steps before getting close to them. She knew who they were discussing about. "Uh, you guys talking about Ayari Igarashi?"
They nodded "yes", followed by her scratching her head and "Yeah-Stay away from her." Funka warned  both of them before Sanda snickered, making her roll her eyes in disdain and spoke more about the sensitive topic. "That girl, from what I heard-"
She gave the electrifying boy with a rather nasty look. "What?" Her tone harsher than before.
He turned to Takeo, who shook his head in a "no, don't do it" warning to him, yet carried out the jesting. He poked her on her collarbone, his first mistake. "Is the big bad wolf scared of a bigger
If she was not so concerned by what Ryoji proposed to the team, then she would have made him eat his foolish words with her bare hands......It was not that she was powerful——she was cunning.
"I'm not..... But you should. She got a double digit count, killed more people than Pennywise." They both had their jaw dropped as she grew a sly smile. "And~d, I heard she dumps the bodies of her victims into Memorios Beach.."
"Wait?! Memorios Beach???? The beach close to Zanark Town?" Takeo asked, becoming more appalled after his oldest friend nodded "yes" again.
She managed to scare two of the most fearless boys in the Class of The Salamanders.
A yakuza who has a double-digit body count....So? If I remember correctly and I shouldn't be boasting about it—I  had a triple digit count officially. My last kill was in Dolle, when I—  Ryoji was beginning to gloat inside his thoughts, an uncharacteristic trait of boasting his kills.
"-Are ya proud of it?" Igneus asked him in a disappointed tone.
....Of course not, Igneus. I'm trying to be better. I don't know why I was starting to do that.
"Then you should not be describing your last kill if you're trying to be better in life. Ted Bundy and other psychopaths do that....." Igneus said in a condescending tone.
.....Am I starting to become more like—
"I thought you were focusing on the mission and nothing else?" Igneus said his final words to him as Ryoji felt something coming from the floor, once that were weathered cobblestones, now a black and white checkered squared floor with an eye in each one.
The feeling was dreadful. Ryoji had the same feeling he had during when Dolle, a small town in the land locked nation of Estha, as everything burned before his very eyes. Those flames were made to make the one who did it: warmth. They would burn down an entire nation to feel some sort of feel to the world.
Hold on a second, why is the floor-
"Why is the floor like a chessboard?!" Sans yelled out in fright, causing a scare with others except Funka, who became more cautious. The ghost was right: We're not alone in this room.........
The group only stared at the checkered floor with trepidation, the ground started to burst with liquid similar to blood. Suddenly, a large hand came out, followed by its entire body coming out.
It's head had a weird symbol as a face, whereas the ruby eye that Reapers inherited was stationed  at the torso. Towering over all the students, there was a reason why even the Heart-Bond trembled in fear. Its  shape was quite humanoid yet disproportionate, with small, stumpy legs and arms that could demolish palm trees with a blink of an eye.
But that was not the revelation of it: Its revelation was that all of its body was covered in thorns, thin yet sharp thorns.
"Jebi ga....I don't suppose you want put our differences asides and have a rational conversation about this?" He asked by yelling at the creature, it looked at him and Sera with its one eye, answering with a single, monstrous roar before pounding on its chest, determined to stand its ground. Ryoji nodded in respect. He understood on why it responded like that. To him, it was a beast and a simple beast have only three things in its mind:
To breed, To fight, to eat and to survive.
All right, I guess not.
"No offense, Ryoji——but you need to work on how to diffuse the situation."
Quiet and give Sera some of our Aether while she's working on restoring the school's' defenses...Ryoji commanded his Heart, transforming into his Bonded Forme and placing his hand on Sera.
Everyone got ready to fight alongside him, and Sera was ready to sacrifice her life if she needed too. Even Inugann, a machine with no capacity for emotion, ready for combat.
Let the battles begin. Akina thought, ready to give it her all despite her being the weakest in Ryoji's' group. She felt sick to her stomach and queasy then the thought about her mom, her father and her brother came running through her mind. No, I have to do this——I'm ready to prove my worth to this school!!

"Everyone that isn't me or Sera: Fend it off as long as you can!!!!"

———Track 13 Ended———

MAGIC SPELLS TO LEARN
N0.1
Restituere.
A lower-level of a restorative spell, Restituere is a magic spell that can cure an ailment or wound at the cost of the Casters's' Aether.
The highest level of Restituere can miraculously anything; even instant-kill spells.
However; the highest level can instantly kill a novice due to how Aether is required for the cast