Atwell Orphanage
Lakane district
Pele city
Nation of Haumea
13th June 285 A.G.M
Eighteen years after the Hailey Incident
Eren woke up from his sleep, sweat pouring down his back. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. It had been weeks since his fight in the local fight club, and Eren had resumed his training, getting his body to grow stronger. Last night, he had run past the Lakane district to the Downtown district, and back and forth till his body became sore. He didn't remember falling asleep, and he couldn't even remember the dream that had woken him up. All he could remember was the chills and terror that were left behind. He turned to the left side of the room where Ash's bed was. He was gone, his bed tidy and clean. Today was the day that they graduated from their Public school. Eren had yet to decide on what technical school he would go to in the fall because his heart was set on going to Namer University. But Mother Ruth had insisted that he should have backup plans and yet Eren hadn't done as she had advised. The ceremony of their graduation was set for this morning till afternoon, and Mother Ruth had insisted that she was going to attend. Eren dressed up in his yellow shirt and grey pants. He knotted his tie around his neck and picked up his grey uniform suit. He turned to the poster of Alexander, the Iron Queen. She was dressed in an Emerald armor that accentuated her feminine figure, and her black hair was plaited in braids. She was the epitome of beauty and strength. He hoped to one day be like her. Eren smiled at it and bowed to the poster, saying a prayer. He wasn't religious, unlike Ash or Mother Ruth who believed in their gods. Eren didn't care for the gods or religion that would make the world as unfair as it was. But he still prayed to the universe. Because he had faith in one thing. Himself. And also… he took out the book that had made it possible for him to win the championship title from Onyanko. The book still looked and felt ordinary, the only strange thing about it was the part where Eren couldn't write anything on it. Throughout the week since he had kept it, Eren had attempted to see if he could dot down a few things, but the book wouldn't accept the ink. So he gave up and just left the book in his drawer, only bringing it out when he wanted to say a prayer. After he returned the book to his drawer, Eren opened the door just as Mother Ruth showed up.
"Oh, Eren, you're up," She said. She was dressed in a fancy black dress. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. She was not wearing her Nun outfit, instead, she had dressed up for him. The lines around Mother's Ruth face were few for someone of her age, her cultivation slowing her aging and making her look younger.
"You know you don't have to come, right," Eren said. "It's just a ceremony,"
"Nonsense," She said. "It's not every day my boys graduate from school."
"I wonder about my predecessor that came before us," Eren grinned at her. She laughed, taking his arm and leading him down the stairs.
"Don't you worry about them," She said. Most of the kids had gone off to school already, the rest of the sisters were watching after the little kids that weren't attending school yet. Sister Amber was left in charge for the day. She was a short woman draped in a black nun outfit.
"Aren't you going to have breakfast before leaving," Sister Amber said.
"Not hungry," Eren said.
"C'mon, Asher is waiting for us in the carriage," Mother Ruth said. Eren waved goodbye to Sister Amber and followed Mother Ruth to the mobile that belonged to the orphanage.
~
The ceremony was held under the scorching heat of the sun, in the field that was used for physical education. Rows of chairs had been lined up for the students, the staff, and their guests. In front of the students was a podium where the headmaster was giving a speech. Eren was dozing off, the heat making him sleepy. You would think with all the magic in the world, that they would do something about the weather. Sitting on the podium right next to the Headmaster was Ash. He had been chosen as the valedictorian, with the top grades in the school district. Eren's grade had put him in tenth place, something that his missing classes and lack of study had contributed to. He was trying his best to resist falling asleep. A part of him was still scared of the nightmare he had this morning. Even though he couldn't remember what it had been, a part of him knew it hadn't been a good dream. After the headmaster's speech, Ash stood up to give his speech too. Eren knew full well that Ash wasn't the type to be giving speeches. The boy looked out through the crows, his red eyes set in a stoic expression.
"Still as cold as ever," Eren muttered. Ash said nothing but went back to his seat. There was an awkward silence for about five minutes before the headmaster took the rein again. He began to call out names. It took a while before it was Eren's turn and by the time he got to the Podium, he was sweating his ass off. He accepted his diploma from the Headmaster and then waved at the crowd. Mother Ruth was jumping up in the Guest section, calling his name. He felt a bit sheepish at it, but he waved right back at her. Eren walked off the podium, and back to his seat. He couldn't wait for this ceremony to be over with.
"How wonderful was it, "Mother Ruth said as Ash and Eren walked up to her. The ceremony was over, and the former students were gathering around their loved ones.
"I can't wait to get home," Eren said. "This weather was crazy,"
"It's Pele City for you," Mother Ruth said. "The weather is always crazy," She turned to Ash who was saying nothing. His hand was in his pocket, his face staring over at the school's building. Eren wondered what he was thinking about. If it had been Ash who had fought against Onyanko, the fight would have been over within a second. Eren knew he still had a lot to do if he was ever going to catch up with him. "You okay, Ash,"
"Yeah, I'm good," He sighed. He turned back to them, smiling at Mother Ruth. Eren grunted, quite annoyed at him. The guy was always expressionless when dealing with Eren, never quite showing his true feelings, but he had no problem doing it in front of Mother Ruth. He yawned and turned around, seeing his classmates with their parents. That was when he spotted it. A photographer booth.
"Hey, Mother, why don't we get a picture so we can remember this day," Eren said.
"Smart idea, Eren," Mother Ruth said. "C'mon boys. C'mon" They joined the line of families waiting for their turn to take a picture. When it was their turn, Jax had removed his uniform jacket, taken off his tie, and sat at Mother Ruth's right side while Ash stayed on the left. The photographer had the device pointed right at them and he gave them a thumbs-up to smile.
"Smile boys," Mother Ruth said. They did as she said, and then there was a flash of light, Eren's eyes getting all sensitive from the light. He was glad to get out of the booth, though he was surprised to find the sun gone. The clouds were gathering together, and the sky getting a little bit murky.
"Looks like it's going to rain," Mother Ruth said. "We should get back home, don't want to be late for you guys dinner party,"
"You didn't have to," Eren said.
"As I said, it's not every day you graduate," Mother Ruth beamed at both the boys, tears of proudness running down her cheeks. Eren smiled back at her as they left to find their vehicle.
*
The weather had taken a turn for the worst after dinner, the storm raging like the emotions within Asher Asterion, who was staring out the window at the sky. The boy stood by the window, his left hand in his pocket as the little kids ran around, screaming and playing. Ash held a bottle of apple cider, sipping the drink as he studied the sky. Something about the weather had been bothering him, an uneasiness that he couldn't help associating with the weather. To be honest, for the past week, there had been this odd feeling within his gut that he was unable to get rid of. It was especially strong when he was around Eren. Ash didn't know why he was having this weird feeling, but when he woke up today, he had gotten the same feeling that he had ten years ago. Before his family was taken away from him. He remembered how scared he had been, scared that his new family would be taken from him like before. But Ash had fought off that feeling. He had been training, getting stronger so that that day would never happen again. That was one of the reasons why Ash wanted to become a Hunter. He needed power, and becoming one, attending Namer University would give him that opportunity. He never wanted to go through what his ten-year-old self had gone through. But stupid Eren was determined to join him at Namer University. Ash looked away from the window across the living room, to where Eren and a couple of his foster brothers were sitting watching his MMA fight with Onyanko on Eren's transcell. The match had been recorded and put on the NET for all to see. Luckily Mother Ruth and the sisters didn't know how to access the NET to catch his delinquent behaviors. Even Ash wasn't much of a fan of the new Magitech that had been introduced years ago by the Nri Empire. He knew that if Mother Ruth discovered the truth about Eren's late-night excursions and that he knew about it and said nothing, he would be punished alongside the idiot Eren. Patry, one of the little kids who looked up to Eren, yelled in excitement, which made the other kids yell too. They were probably astounded by the way Eren had defeated the champion. He had watched the fight because Eren had shoved it up his nose and he couldn't help but be impressed that Eren had defeated a MMA fighter. Ash was aware of Eren's physical abilities and his skills as a martial artist, but he knew that those gifts were not enough for the real world. Ash had experienced the real world. He knew more than anyone in this orphanage what true monsters were, and he more than anything didn't wish for them to experience it. Ash sighed as he left the sitting room, to go to the kitchen where Sister Amber and Sister Judith were washing the dishes. They were doing it with their hands, not bothering to use the steam-powered washer. The magitech had run out of Mana crystal, and they hadn't had time to go to the market and get more crystal. Even the building's electricity and power were running from the reserve of Mana crystal that Mother Ruth had provided just so the boys could enjoy the dinner party. It was a tough thing running an orphanage, and Ash was glad that he had a place to stay. He was grateful for Mother Ruth who had brought him here after his loss. If it wasn't for her, Ash would have been living off the street of Namer Island, where he used to live.
"Do you need some help," Ash said.
"No thanks, darling," Sister Amber said. "You should rest up, we've got this-" And then the light was gone. The entire power to the building was gone, only the sound of the rain against the window and the trees flailing from the wind could be heard. Darkness was everywhere, and then the cries came.
"Oh dear," Sister Judith whispered. There was a spark of light and a flame had been conjured within Sister Amber's palm. She had cast a spell, the light was only pushing the darkness slightly away. Footsteps came running down, and Mother Ruth showed up, her face set in confusion.
"I thought the power was supposed to last the whole week," She said.
"It should be," Sister Amber said. "Brother Mark said it was enough for seven days," Mark Heno was the groundskeeper for the orphanage compound, and he had gone to the market to get some more crystal.
"Maybe the problem is with the Main power switch," Eren said. He had left the living room, to join in the conversation. "It's not the first time it's happened. I can check it out,"
"In this weather," Ash said.
"What! it's just rain," Eren said. He grabbed a coat from the hanger on the wall and wore it. Mother Ruth went to one of the drawers and got out a lamp. She checked it to see if there was still power within it, and then she handed it over to Eren.
"Be careful out there," She said. Eren smiled and left. Ash followed him, grabbing a coat and joining the insane boy outside in the rain. A flash of lightning, followed by a loud boom. Something felt off. Ash couldn't tell what it was, but he wanted to make sure that Eren was not alone out there. He had turned the lamp on, and they got out under the pouring rain, heading for the groundskeeper's house where the main power switch was.
"You know you don't have to babysit me," Eren said. There was a tint of annoyance in his voice, but Ash ignored it. "I can handle going out in the rain. Plus it's not my first time fixing that stupid outlet-"
"I know you can," Ash said. He was looking around their surroundings, checking out for anything out of place...He stopped moving and then Eren bumped into him, swearing at Ash.
"What the hell.." He kept quiet when he saw the shape in the middle of the rain. Someone was out there, a shape or some kind of form within the darkness. Ash could feel the presence of the stranger in front of them. The Mana felt...
"You should get inside," The stranger stepped out of the shadows, and into the light of the lamp that Eren held. He was tall, his brown skin was lighter within the light, and black hair covered his hazel eyes. He was dressed in a black, form-fitting high-collared tunic. A pin shaped like a winged star circled by a halo on his right breast.
"Who the hell are you," Eren said. Ash knew right away who he was. He recognized the symbol of the Hunter Association. Ash grabbed Eren's arm, looking out for... the ground gave way, the boom of thunder crashing through the shed where they had been heading. The Hunter turned away from them, facing the crash. He swore, raising his right arm with the cross. He held a brown opened grimoire in his hands.
"Arise, Ijagoon," The Hunter muttered. There was a flash of pure white light, bright enough to light up the entire compound. Ash saw the creature that had appeared. He felt a chill up his spine, a cold that had nothing to do with the rain. A large Maleficant, in the shape of a large cockroach covered by a black veil of Negative mana. The cockroach had six Athenas, athena's that were clicking away. He felt an ominous dread that he couldn't explain.
"What's going on," Eren said. "What the...is that...is that-"
"Eren, shut up!" Ash said. The idiot was unable to see the evil spirit without an Internal sense. The Hunter had summoned an Enchanted blade from within his grimoire, a massive sword, big, thick, and heavy-looking. The handle was wrapped in a white cloth. It was a double-sided blade, with large amounts of Mana oozing off from it. Ash was surprised at the ease with which the Hunter could carry the blade. He had to be boosting his strength just to wield the sword. The Maleficant screeched, letting out waves of its Accursed power. And this time Eren kept silent. He trembled, his body finally feeling the pressure of the entity's presence.
"What the hell was that," Eren said.
"Boys! Go back inside now," The Hunter roared. Ash didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the idiot's arm and forced him to go back inside the building. He had to tell Mother Ruth what was going on. They needed to place a barrier to keep that thing out. Eren shoved his arm off Ash but kept following him. As soon as they entered inside, Mother Ruth was in the hallway, carrying a magitech rifle, her enchanted tool that she once used as a Hunter.
"Asher! Eren! Close the door," She said. He did as he was told, locking the door as Mother Ruth took out a talisman and began to mutter some words. Ash felt the runes gather and arrange themselves in a formula sequence, Mother Ruth cast a barrier around the building. Eren was panting, his breath going in and out. He was trembling, both from the cold and the chilliness of the Maleficant. Eren couldn't see the Maleficant, but he had felt its presence. He had felt an emptiness where the shed had used to be.
"Get to the basement," Mother Ruth said. Eren raised his head. No way was he running away. This was his chance. His chance to show-
"Don't you argue," Ash said.
"We can't just leave him out there alone," Eren hissed.
"Now's not the time Eren," Mother Ruth said. "Get to the damn- '' But Mother Ruth was caught off by the sudden crash of the Hunter through the roof of the building. The Knight slid through the floor, he had placed his massive sword in front of him like a shield. The Maleficant jumped through the hole in the roof, its Athena clicking. And then it turned to Eren.
"Fucking roach" The Hunter swore. He flew up to the spirit, weaving his sword at the spirit with such quick speed. The Maleficant parried the blades with both its hind legs that came out of the black veil around it. They were transfixed, trapped under the heaviness of the Mana that was coming forth from both combatants. Eren couldn't feel the manna, but he had trained his senses, developed them to grow just like his strength and speed, so he could feel the tiniest change within the air, the vibration telling him that whatever the Hunter was fighting, was tough. Mother Ruth was the first to move, blasting the rifle with perfect accuracy at the creature. The creature was hit with the Mana shots that Mother Ruth was firing, but it wasn't enough. The creature was healing from it, tenacious like a regular cockroach. The antenna on the Maleficant's head began to make an aggravating noise, and then it opened its mouth, releasing a swarm of roaches.
"That's an Accursed technique," Ash said. The swarm of roaches fell past the Hunter and Mother Ruth, who were still engaged in a fight with the Maleficant. Instead, the swarm was heading for Eren and Ash. Some of them flew straight at Eren but before they could reach him, the Hunter appeared, swinging his sword and releasing a slash of light, disintegrating the roaches.
"You!" The Hunter snapped at Ash. "Get him out of here,"
"I'm not leaving Mother-"
"Don't you get it yet," The Hunter snapped again. There was an aghast expression on his face. Blood was running down the side of his temple. "That Maleficant is after you,"
"What!" Eren said.
"Asher, Get Eren out of here," Mother Ruth screamed as she kept on blasting the creature with her rifle. She was moving so gracefully, her skill had not declined since her retirement. "Only you can do it," Like Eren, Ash had been transfixed, unable to move due to the murderous pressure he was feeling from the three entities. In his mind, he had flashed back to when his family, his people had been taken from him. Massacred before his eyes, and nothing he could do about it. And now, it was happening again. Happening before his eyes, and he was doing nothing again. No. Ash thought. There was something he could do. Like Mother Ruth said. He finally got out of his fear, grabbed Eren's arm, and using his Mana, reinforced his strength to pull the idiot with him. If he was going to get Eren out of here, then he needed the tools that he kept hidden in their room.
"We can't just leave Mother Ruth," Eren said.
"You idiot, that thing is after you," Ash said as they barged into their room. He went straight for the box under his bed.
"What about everyone else," Eren said. "We need to protect them-"
"Getting you out of here is protecting them," Ash snapped. He looked at the box, the last thing he had from his tribe. Memories of that day, that day when his brother handed it to him, to protect him. That was the last time he saw his brother, and he had assumed he was dead like the rest of his family. The box was made from the trees of their homeland, Mahanieum wood, hard and sturdy like steel. The lid was plated in a golden color, and there was a paper seal on it. Ash concentrated, summoning his Mana by weaving hand signs, and began to mutter the incantation for the unsealing.
"From the darkness of Aset Ra, and into the Light of Menes, I command thee, release" The paper fell off, with the lid busting apart.
"What's that," Eren said.
"It's one of the last Enchanted tools left by my clan," Ash said as he took out a silver bow from the box. Enchanted tools were objects of great power that were used to amplify and augment one's Magical power or Martial power. It was one of the treasures one could find in the Dungeons around the world.
"What can you do with it," Eren asked. Ash said nothing but went for the window of their room. He opened it, a splatter of rain got on his face but he ignored it. Depending on the kind of Magic one practiced, some magical abilities were unique to an individual, while some came with a specific bloodline. The Asterion clan was once nomadic, never settling in one place, always moving. That was until the Great Migration when they finally settled on a land within Namer Island. Due to their Nomadic nature, the Asterion were typically called the Nomad ones. And the bloodline ability that they possessed was in line with their nature.
[Asterion style: Mana control skill-Spatial awareness] In the span of a second, within Ash's mind, time froze, the sprinkle of rain around them became countable, and Ash's awareness of every object within him was expanded. He could measure the spatial distances between them. He became aware of how far the local park was from them. By strengthening his arm with Mana, Ash imbued a Mana arrow on his bow and fired the arrow at one of the trees within the park. The arrow cut through it with ease, and like that, he had marked the Park. Ash got out of the spell he had used and grabbed hold of Eren. And within seconds, they disappeared from their room.